Lumina

2 ~ Insurgents

Alexis

"Are you ready for this?"

"If by 'this' you mean the bath I was about to get into that you're keeping me from then, yeah," the girl responded, lips curling. Riding leathers discarded on the floor beside her, she held her arm over the door to block entry. "I am."

Alexis frowned, "We need to be careful tonight, we only get one shot at this."

The woman lowered her arm, the fabric of her blue tunic flowing freely without the leathers, and answered, "I know the risks, Lex."

His attention snapped beside them down the hall of the quiet inn, ensuring they were alone. With a roll of her eyes she stepped aside and Alexis stormed in, nearly slamming the door behind him to which she muttered, "How reticent."

Green eyes snapped to his mirrored pair, "Liz," Alexis stressed and ran a hand through his hair, "There's been a change in plans."

Now she took attention, her movements stopping at his words. Forest eyes glanced to the tub, no longer steaming, and she let out a huff before waving him to sit.

"I'll reheat it for you," He spoke as he moved in the room to search for a stool. Upon realizing there was no furniture spare the bed and a nightstand, he decided on the corner of the bed.

Thrown in the furthest edge of the small room was a sack of dirtied clothing and half-eaten rations Elizabeth had brought with her on their journey to Biswich. Rarely did they pay for rooms to sleep in on missions, but they couldn't very well sneak into a ball smelling and looking like pigs. They were fortunate to have a benefactor who had fronted the costs for them.

"You wouldn't need to if you had just let me join you in the meeting."

Alexis rolled his bright eyes, untamed power crawling underneath them, "I'll argue this with you another night. Right now there are more important matters." He jerked his head towards the tub, "Like the receding amount of time you have to enjoy that once we're done talking."

Her eyes thinned but she made no further protest. "Fine. What?" She tossed a braid of brunette, an exact replica color to his own, behind her shoulder.

"Turns out there was a prison break the other day," He started by way of explanation, the loose threads of the blanket catching at the calluses on his palms.

"So?"

"So," he inhaled more to calm himself than anything, "The Queen's nearly doubled the guard for tonight. Meaning it's too risky for all of us to go in."

Understanding of where the conversation was going must have dawned on Elizabeth because she started, "I'm going in tonight. I know you think I'm not ready but-"

"I would also be naive not to know you would somehow find yourself in that castle anyway," he finished for her, giving her pause, and went on, "The plan itself hasn't changed, but it's just going to be the two of us, Lona, and two of her spies that will be in charge of getting us in and out undetected- but that's it. No backup. No attention. No room for fuck ups."

"Blaze?" Elizabeth breathed.

"He'll send the signal the best time to escape from outside the walls," He reassured, noting the alarm in her eyes. It was, after all, her first high-risk mission. One she hadn't been invited to but had secretly trailed along for nevertheless. It had taken careful wording with his commander to convince him not to send Elizabeth out on her ass.

Alexis stalked over to the tub and pressed his palm against it, speaking in a low voice, "We have until the moon's peak. Don't get overwhelmed tonight."

If Elizabeth had a retort, she must have changed her mind on it last second because her mouth opened, then closed. Instead she nodded, arms crossed in front of her, and left it at, "I won't."

When the water was once more steaming, he straightened and warned, "If anyone comes at you-"

"Don't wor-,"

"-you kill them."

Elizabeth swallowed and rasped, "I know."

They locked eyes. Alexis saw the determination set in her, so like their mother's had been.

But the girl had not yet taken a life.

A consequence Alexis would try to save her from during this mission, something Elizabeth had argued she was trained and ready for.

Who could possibly warn anyone what that reality was truly like?

"Good." He decided after a long pause and, opening the door to leave, added, "make sure to use extra soap. Three weeks on the road has done a number on you."

He barely dodged the boot that came flying at the door. 

*~*~*