#deadlycontractor

@deadlycontractor

“Hey! Beruka!”

Selena jogged to catch up with Beruka as she got her attention, coming to a stop before her fellow retainer.

“You need to spar with me!”

It was ridiculous. How long had they served Camilla together, and not a single sparring match?! There was always some excuse, some reason Beruka couldn’t at the time. Even if it was just she didn’t want to.

FERP Halloween Prompts || ⚜️ - A mud mask isn’t really made of mud, right? Well, this monster is!

Silque had been intending to relax. She had never really experienced a ‘spa’ before but it looked interesting and she was willing to try it out. Out of everything, a chance to try out new things like this was at the top of her list. She had plenty she wanted to do during this event, but she was drawn to the spa.

It did not seem she was going to get much chance for relaxing. 

Silque’s eyes widened at the monster that seemed to have appeared before her. She turned to run, nearly colliding with someone else. She reached out for them to steady herself, and then pointed to the mud monster that was slowly making it’s way to their location.

@deadlycontractor

Going around the castle was fun, especially when everything seemed in order, there was peace and quiet... but Peri didn’t like it. Xander had been easygoing with his duties, which meant there weren’t anyone to kill for him, as much as she’d like to. However, sooner or later, something would come up, which gave her hope...

While thinking about how to handle her next victim, she almost stumbled upon another person. Quickly, she took out a weapon, her safety knife, but was glad to see no enemy stood in front of her, but... well, someone. “Ah, I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” She gave this person a smile, as she kept holding the knife. “You must be...” she stops... were they new? They couldn’t be, right?

“I made this dish especially for you, Beruka!” Elise holds an unassuming lunch box up to the retainer, beaming and bouncing enthusiastically on the balls of her feet. “It’s a secret lunch meant for you!”

Inside the humble lunch box is the following: French fries, jalapeño poppers, and baby carrots. For dessert, cubed watermelon. It’s simple and a little all over the place, maybe…

@deadlycontractor

Beruka recognized the silent order and sat. As vulnerable as they still felt, they did want to make up for the mistake now that they were actually being given the chance. They did not make an immediate move.

“I don’t know what I did wrong last time. Repeating a failed action without taking a different tact is a fool’s errand.”

Camilla wasn’t in the mood to talk about it, so she reached for Beruka’s hand, putting it upon her thigh and patting it to ask it to stay. Then she leaned, kissing Beruka’s forehead with all the tenderness she could muster. She sighed a long breath against the uncovered skin. 

“It isn’t like that,” she murmured, her gloved palm still on the back of Beruka’s hand, her lips brushing Beruka’s forehead as she spoke. “It’s... like a feeling.”

She dipped her head, tipping her head and hesitating, her eyelashes fluttering before her eyes closed and she put another short kiss on Beruka’s mouth. Once done, she broke away, still lingering close. Her free hand grasped a chunk of her own skirt and clamped down on it, and the one over Beruka’s hand gave it a gentle and yet desperate squeeze.

Camilla still felt foolish, opening up to somebody like that and then having them choke up right when all of her actions had done nothing but beg for Beruka to fill in the blanks. Beruka was usually so good at following instructions that Camilla hadn’t really realized that there were such gaps in Beruka’s experience. She managed a small, fond smile at the thought. She’d enjoyed their company very much up til then. 

The note is left without fanfare on Camilla’s desk before Camilla’s return.

She hadn’t quite expected this, when she’d taken a seat in the theater. The clacking bones of the skeletons on the stage had been quite intriguing, surely a work of magic - the skills of the theatrically inclined were indeed magical, though this was, perhaps, less of that and more of the kind of magic she could harness. 

Spotlights had hit the audience, one on her and the other on...a stranger. 

“Come on up to the stage, folks! Our skeleton warrior has challenged you both!”

Waiting a heartbeat to be sure they were seriously calling her up to the stage, Emmeryn held her head high and cautiously did as directed. 

@deadlycontractor: 🎃 It was coming in handy that Beruka had not outfitted herself for the occasion this year. Her axe made quick work of the scarecrows, their straw giving way easier than human flesh. There were more than she was used to taking on by herself--she would have preferred if the element of surprise were on her side. Still, she was confident Camilla was handling the rest behind her.

Camilla was having a fairly good time, all things considered, but something felt a little bit off. She’d not taken to the skies to deal with low ceilings, and she could have sworn the scarecrows had kept moving after she’d cut them down. Without a person inside, she didn’t have the security of knowing if they were dead or not.