Requiem

Chapter Five: Secrets Are No Fun

Like Natalia.

She and a slowly growing number of women wore pants instead of  skirts, an unfeminine choice that had surprisingly sparked debate. Those of higher stature avoided the trend like a plague, while others embraced it with open arms. Natalia and the woman in the shop were both perfect examples, respectively.

Deciding to ignore the woman, Natalia called out. “Bolts! Where are you?” Bolts’ head appeared through the curtain that separated the front and back rooms, sweat and grease staining his face and completely hiding his birthmark.

“I’m working today, Bolts, if that’s alright with you?” Natalia asked. Though from her demeanor it was obvious she would come back anyway even if told ‘no’.

“Oh, of course.” Bolts said, parting the curtains and walking through to the front. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Bolts set down a small object he was polishing and went to assist the woman. Natalia went to the back. She pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the back room.

“Wow, they really cleaned him out.” Natalia thought to herself.

Many of Bolts’ gadgets and gizmos had disappeared, no doubt bought by other members of the underground.

You see, Bolts was probably the only person affiliated with the underground who hadn’t taken a side. He stayed neutral between the two groups, providing weaponry and gadgets for both. Once a month, he’d visit both the headquarters and peddle his wares. Plus, members from both were able to come to the store and get gadgets from the back themselves. Not that Natalia had ever seen anyone besides herself come in.

Passing through the back room, Natalia continued on into another, this one full of unfinished gadgets and parts. Cedric sat on a bench, removing the blade of a dagger with prongs and adding more liquidated metal into the newly vacated mold. A messy pile of sheet metals, made of different materials and colors, sat haphazardly in a corner. Natalia sat down at another bench opposite Cedric and started to fiddle with the screws of an object that was spurting oil. Within seconds, she had it fixed.

Cedric let out a low whistle. “You are good at that. Maybe you should leave the underground and just help the shop.”

Natalia chuckled, but blanched. “They’d never let me leave, you know that. I mean, just look at what they do with their time. You’ve seen it... I mean, you haven’t seen it... you’re father... never mind.” Natalia instantly felt like an idiot. She was not one for talking, especially about the mafia. Bolts had decided to keep Cedric as separated as possible from the underground, so that he would never have to worry. It was a smart move, but it caused Natalia some grief when she tried to talk to him. After all, it was her life, but it was a life she could barely share with anyone.

Cedric started to attach a dagger’s handle, his head down and his mouth shut. Wanting to kick herself, Natalia decided to keep her head down also, and work on her own projects. She grabbed a pen and filled it with ink, before starting to sketch out ideas. After a long consideration, she circled one and started to assemble the necessary materials.

“What are you making?” Cedric asked, speaking for the first time in what seemed to be ages.

“Well...” Natalia started, contemplating her response. “I’m making another hidden dagger, like this one.” She gestured to the wristband she had on. To her elderly parents whom she visited now and then, it was just a good-luck charm which she never took off out of superstition. In reality, it was a small retracting dagger that would emerge parallel to her fist, the perfect thing for a fight if she became disarmed. “I want something big, but something I can hide. I hope to fight the Rose soon.”