Cerise's body shook as her staff collided with Niklaus'. The force behind it had her body vibrating, but she was used to it. With the speed of a cobra, like the assassins of the Calarsini desert taught her, she struck, swiping down at his feet, and tripping him onto the floor. She laughed, swinging her staff back and forth as Niklaus scowled.
"What did those assassins do to you? I can barely keep up." She chuckled, spinning her staff in front of her carelessly.
"Let's just say it definitely wasn't a nice vacation." She said.
"She came back with so many bruises she could barely move let alone train me or ride on horseback," Elias said offhandedly as he practiced his bow and arrow. Though his knife throwing was flawless, his bow arm needed a lot of work. He still only managed to hit the third most outer ring of the target.
He closed one eye and held the bow up. Cerise rolled her eyes and told Niklaus to wait. She walked to Elias and hit his elbow with the staff. He yelped in pain and spun to face her. "Back in position." With a small glare, he did as she said. "Elbow higher, both eyes open. Hand against your shoulder." He looked tense and uncomfortable, but he fit into position. "Breath in." His chest rose, "Out," and fell. "Release." The arrow flew and hit the third most inner ring.
Elias' eyes widened and he cheered, jumping up and down with the happiness of an innocent and uncorrupted child. "I did it!" Cerise only cocked a brow.
"Is it a bullseye?" She asked, crossing her arms as she watches Elias visibly deflate.
"No." He mumbled.
"Then you didn't do it. Aim better. Take distance into account. Arrows don't go in a straight leveled line the whole way. They arch. Distance and the wind affect your arrow, so you muse pay attention to both." She walked the staff against his arse, and he yelped once more. "Again." He scowled but got back into position. She laughed and turned back to Niklaus who watched with a mix of a smile and a scowl. "What's wrong with you?"
"I can't tell if I love watching you deal with him, or if I hate him for taking you away from me." She laughed.
"Can't it be both?" Niklaus rolled his eyes and crouched into position.
"Cerise!" She turned, finding Adamus watching with his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded over his shoulder, and she released an audible sigh and walked over to Adamus.
They walked farther into the hall, the darkness surrounding them to the point where she could barely see him. "What do you want Ada." She taunted leaning on the wall.
"First of all, don't call me that." He growled but she just ignored him. "Second of all, I need-" He cut off as if it pained him to speak. "I need... your... help." He forced out and looked away, his cheeks flushing.
Cerise, though found it oddly amusing, decided not to torture the man too much. "Pray tell, what with?" He sighed, tapping his foot on the ground.
"I can't reach my target. I need you, or more precisely, your kid."
Without hesitation, she answered. "No."
"I need the kid. He won't do anything dangerous, just follow me into the hall and pretend to be my kid. My target only allows parents into his home, something about a need for his own parents or some psychological buffoonery Gregory talked about. You can even be there, pretending to be my wife."
"You talked to Gregory about it? You know how damaged he is. He doesn't even train anymore and just stays in his room reading."
"Books about the human brain." Cerise furrowed her brows. "Please, Cerise." She was silent for a few seconds.
Elias could definitely use the experience. He'd definitely need to learn how to act in extreme situations, as well as learning how to improvise and create a part. But then again, maybe she could milk it a little more.
"What do we get in return?" She asked and Adamus was silent for a second.
"I'll owe you a favor." Her eyes widened.
One of the greatest things an assassin could give wasn't his life, or his skills, or his weapon. A favor was the most precious thing they owned. As human beings, assassins still had to follow some sort of moral code. A favor was a promise to be collected at any time, anywhere, no matter what the request was. And could not be denied or rejected. Owing a favor is both a great honor and a privilege, something not to be taken lightly.
"Deal."