You are getting far too sentimental over one personâ€¦ she thought silently to herself and pushed the thought out of her mind as she prepared for the most difficult task she had ever faced; one without return.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">How did I ever find myself hereâ€¦nowâ€¦</span><br/><br/>~<br/><span style="font-style: italic">Her stomach rumbled as the succulent scent of smoked venison filled the air of the small cave. The simple pleasure brought a smile to her face. After a long days work of the hunt, gathering for the fire, and mending her cloak; the one thing she had looked forward to was her reward for a kill; the sustenance. She sat by the fire and removed the meat from the skillet, rolling it onto a wooden plate.  She greedily stabbed the meat with a fork a bit violently. The deer didnâ€™t care much anyway, so it was of little concern. She lifted the meet from the plate to bring it to her lips. <br/> 	Darkness, and then a flash of light and she was on her back; dazed, confused, and without her food. She rolled onto her stomach and started to push herself up from the ground. When she came face to face with the tip of a sword. She froze. Before her stood a man with a  lithe physique; short dark hair and cool dark amber eyes. The huntress subtly brought her hand to her right thigh where her knives were waiting patiently for her, when she was stopped by his voice. â€œI wouldnâ€™t do that if I were you, Zara Kerrigan,â€ he said quietly. There wasnâ€™t any threat in his tone which confused her. <br/> â€œWhat do you want?â€ she arched her brow as her stomach growled. â€œAnd more importantly, where is my food.â€ Her face remained unchanging. He chuckled to himself, but it quickly faded as intrigue started to take over. <br/> â€œWhat I want is to employ you, Miss Kerrigan, and I apologize for interrupting your dinner,â€ he responded drawing out the words. His sword remained in place due to the fact that he knew if he let his guard down at this point she would seize the opportunity. She understood the reasoning; if she was in his position she would have been doing the exact same thing. <br/> She rose further to align her vertebrae. â€œI donâ€™t work for anyone but myself. If you are planning to get my help I would suggest explaining exactly what it is you want help with, and what exactly you plan on offering to me. Remove your sword from my neck.â€<br/> â€œMiss Kerrigan do you truly think Iâ€™m that daft? Give me more credit then that. I am not going to give you the opportunity.â€  He watched her with a predatory gaze; and she stared back at him. There didnâ€™t seem to be even the slightest bit of fear on her. No, death wasnâ€™t her fear. She half growled in conjunction with her stomach. <br/> â€œYou know if you asked me earlier today if I thought I would be skipping dinner transported to a strange location to be held at the point of a sword by a mysterious benefactor/stalker, I would have said no.â€<br/> â€œBenefactor/ stalker?â€ <br/> â€œDo you have a better term for it?â€ <br/> â€œWell, noâ€¦I suppose it fits the required definition,â€ he just shook his head. She had certainly derailed the topic, and he took note and returned to the task at hand. She was good at distraction. That would be needed. He moved slightly to her left and reached out to touch the back of her left shoulder. She flinched slightly as the fingertips ran over the crafted scar from years ago. â€œYou were part of the thievesâ€™ guild in Allujah, at the main stronghold, yes? Or am I mistaken?â€ <br/> She grimaced. â€œI am with them no longer. I left when the opportunity presented itself. It was not my choice.â€  Her eyes scanned him for points of weakness and vulnerability. â€œWhat does it matter to you?â€<br/> â€œThey have taken something of mine and I need it retrieved. Itâ€™s in the center of their stronghold.â€ <br/> â€œAnd is there any reason that you could not do it yourself?â€ <br/> â€œNo,â€ he lied. â€œHowever it requires finesse, and a good deal of strategy. I do not have time to plan to study the layout and each individual there. You would be far more apt at completing the task quicker than I ever could. Time is of the utmost importance.â€ <br/> She considered for a moment. â€œAnd what do you plan on for payment? There is very little you could buy  me that would persuade me to set foot back upon that isle. <br/> â€œWho said I needed to buy anything? When you return from this task, you can have your choice of your payment. The severity of the task is great, and should I not find someone to complete it, the consequences will be more dire than you could ever imagine. Therefore, I am far less concerned with price, and far more concerned if you are even capable of accomplishing it. Retrieve the cache safely to the border of the isle and I will meet you there to retrieve it. After which, you may have your payment.â€ <br/> She considered. â€œI will do what you ask on one condition.â€ <br/> His eyes flickered; he almost had her in agreement. â€œWhatever your condition is, I will see that it shall be met.â€ He nodded, genuinely pleased with himself, thoroughly basking in all of his glory for convincing her to take the task she was destined to take. It hadnâ€™t been as hard as he thought it would be. <br/> â€œI want dinner,â€ she said in a flat but direct tone. <br/> â€œI will have it prepared for you,â€ he half smirked. <br/> â€œIâ€™m not doneâ€¦â€ she held up her hand slowly wrapping her hand around the blade of the sword and pushing the blade away; blood trailing from her palm. He watched in shock; although his features remained controlled not to show it. <br/> â€œYou are going to hunt it, you are going to cook and prepare it for me, since you are the one that brought me here, and you are going to be the one to replace my lost meal.â€ <br/> He blinked and gave her a hard look. . Of course, it would not be as easy as he thought it would have been. No, not with Zara. â€œAgreed.â€  He reached out his hand and she took it. Her grip was quite firm from such a petite girl. He half smiled as he glanced down at her; her icy gaze never leaving him. <br/> â€œYou would make a deal with someone not even knowing their name?â€ <br/> â€œYour name is irrelevant. Only your cooking skills are required,â€ she responded. <br/> â€œItâ€™s Xavierâ€¦â€ <br/> â€œDonâ€™t care. Dinner time.â€ <br/> 	It was at that moment that he realized that this one was going to be a handful. She certainly was grumpy without food. It had been so easy to coerce anyone else into doing as he wished. Everyone desired gold, they desired money, they desired objects. This one wanted an action, which was far more than any other had asked for. A specific action to make amends for his interruption. Perhaps it was just the change that was needed to get the task done.  It somehow bothered him, however, that she didnâ€™t care about what his name was.  He couldnâ€™t put his finger as to why. As he turned to walk off to complete this menial task for Zara, the reasoning behind her lack of concern bothered him; and more so why it bothered him bothered him. <br/></span>~<br/><br/>That damnable job; the one that dragged her into this mess in the first place. They needed someone to be able to obtain the cache of the weapons. Of course there was no one better than her; she was the one thief that had escaped her former guild and taken those that tried to stop her with her.  It was one of the only times her blacksmithing profession had gained her anything in life besides a cold, steel companion. Finding herself now running straight into enemy hands gnawed at the fox within her.<span style="font-style: italic">This is so idiotic,</span>she thought to herself, but also felt it was necessary. Now the only thing that mattered was whether or not the group followed her instructions, or if they walked straight into the slaughter.<br/>~<br/><span style="font-style: italic"><br/>The weight of her cargo weighed heavily upon her weary bones.  The sting from the dirt that had pushed its way into her wounds had long since faded as the dizzying sensation of exhaustion had begun to take over. Every step in and of itself was an endeavor that the huntress struggled to overcome. The woods provided comfort; but very little assistance where travelling was concerned. â€œYou were successful, I seeâ€¦â€ came the familiar voice drifting through the mists of the darkened grove. Zaraâ€™s eyes shifted; reflecting the dim light towards the entity whose presence had not gone unnoticed. <br/>â€œI completed the objective, yes,â€ she said matter-of-factly as she pressed on as the man joined her side. His presence caused no pause in her step. Curiosity struck him; a feeling he was not used to.  She perplexed him; and it was perhaps because of this he took a few moment to walk with her. <br/>â€œYou have an arrow in your shoulder,â€ he remarked; mimicking her nonchalant tone half in amusement.<br/>â€œThat I do,â€ she responded. <br/>â€œDoes it hurt?â€ <br/>â€œThat it does.â€ <br/>â€œDo you wish me to remove it?â€<br/>â€œSo I can deal with a hemorrhage in the middle of the woods and pass out from loss of blood? No thank you.â€ <br/>â€œI can heal the wound so that you do not have to deal with it.â€ <br/>â€œNo.â€ <br/>â€œIâ€™m offering to heal you.â€ <br/>â€œI know, I donâ€™t want your healing.â€ <br/>He tilted his head; confused, intrigued, and a bit worried in the depths of his heart. He didnâ€™t understand why this woman would not accept a gift when she so readily was able to take from others. Why was his offer not good enough for her taking? Or was it even a matter of being good enough? The question scratched at him. â€œYou must be insane to decline.â€ <br/>â€œPerhaps, but there is always a method to my madness,â€ she pressed on, grunting at the weight of the cache slung over her shoulder; the mythical Pandoraâ€™s Box as it were. <br/>â€œWhat is this method you speak of?â€ he questioned, sure and confidant in his own resolution that there could be no rational reason for such a declension.  He reveled in that thought; just for a moment that he would outwit her. Yet still, somehow, it bothered him as to why he should feel the need to best this mortal girl. <br/>â€œItâ€™s a method of teaching that I grew up with. If I was not fast enough to avoid it this time, the scar will serve me in the future as a reminder of what I was in relation to what I will become. It will remain with me, just as the lesson of my inadequacies and the correcting there of,â€ she responded, peering at him through the shrouded safety of her cloak. <br/>He stopped mid-stride and stood there lips parted slightly. He shook his head slightly. â€œYou arenâ€™t like the others.â€ <br/>â€œOf course not,â€ she turned over her shoulder. â€œThe others are dead. Iâ€™m not.â€ She turned and began walking once more. <br/>â€œThatâ€™s not what I meant,â€ he said shaking his head. <br/>â€œOf course not,â€ she responded stopping once more. â€œBut intention only matters so much in the grand scheme of things; and the lesser.â€ <br/>In seconds the light came and went as she struggled to get her footing. Teleported back to the grassy meadow. She cursed her ass off in seething, silent rage. â€œI hate when you council members do that. Did anyone else ever bother to comment on how disorienting that is? Also, asking or a bit of a warning would have been nice considering I clawed my way past the corpses of those you sent before me all to retrieve thisâ€¦object for you.â€ <br/>â€œMy apologies, Zara Kerrigan,â€ he replied with a light bow. It seemed almost mocking to her; but whether or not that was his intention was irrelevant. She certainly wasnâ€™t in higher station than him but also believed that every being deserved a certain modicum of respect. She believed she deserved that for survival. He paused for a moment, watching her put the cache down and scanned over her injuries. She straightened herself and looked at him. <br/>â€œMay I be going now? Iâ€™ve done what was asked.â€ <br/>â€œThere is the matter of payment.â€<br/>â€œI want nothing from you.â€ <br/>â€œWhy, thief? Huntress? Whichever you preferâ€¦â€ He questioned with that singsong melody that drove her to grit her teeth. â€œYou have no problem taking from others, why not from me?â€ <br/>The dull hint of a smile crossed her face. â€œWould it bother you that much not to know?â€ she questioned him. <br/>He stood there staring back at her. He didnâ€™t answer her question directly. It was the first time she had actually seen her smile. It was unsettling simply because it wasnâ€™t expected among the range of possible expressions he had for her.  â€œAt least let me tend to your woundsâ€¦for what you have done.â€  He observed her and almost knew what she was to say before he quickly interjected himself. â€œI will not allow you to leave in the condition you are in.â€ <br/>â€œFine,â€ she reluctantly agreed; but he had seen the opportunity and taken it. She couldnâ€™t fault him for playing at that angle. In the end, he would take every step necessary to accomplish what it was he wanted to accomplish. What it was, however, she wasnâ€™t sure of; so she prepared herself for everything. He attempted to reach down towards the cache and she swooped it up with a grunt of pain. <br/>â€œThatâ€™s really unnecessary.â€ <br/>â€œForgive me for changing the phrase but it works just as well; necessity is in the eye of the beholder,â€ she commented as he lead her toward there destination. All the while they remained silent; Zaraâ€™s eyes straight ahead as the mortal focused solely on her task accompanied by the curious councilman. The ended their journey at a table set in a large chamber; the door closed.<br/> There was a bit of peace save for the footsteps of her companion walking across the floor to prepare what would be needed. He decided it was best to make conversation during the preparation; it was already a bit awkward. He didnâ€™t want her to notice his interest; she didnâ€™t want to be there. He already knew, from what the council knew of her; she didnâ€™t like her personal space invaded. She was almost always alone. How far could that be pushed? What had caused her to be that way?<br/>â€œYou remind me of a fox,â€ he said quietly as he worked; gently tearing away bits of cloth to clean the wounds; meticulous himself. She said nothing. <br/>~<br/>Tiredness overwhelmed him as his eyes closed and he fell back onto the bed unconscious. Clever, strategic, adaptiveâ€¦it was everything he had expected from her. She got up and made her way to the cache that had burned her soul with wonder since the moment she saw it. She had maybe fifteen minutes to leave unseen; and that was if she moved quickly. She opened the box longing to see what was inside. Weapons of every kind. She touched them; she felt them. She learned all they had to offer; but two called to her. Two who had been silent for a very long time purred at the chance of being heard once more. She lifted the glaives as they whispered, and she listened; only wanting a chance for someone to understand them. She closed the cache with the glaives in hand as he thief took her desired payment. It was everything he had expected from her.<br/>~</span><br/><br/><br/>â€œArmada; sever and rend your foes for my preservation. Jade; slice your subjects down so that your force may draw them to darkness after the battle has closed. Take as many as you can before we are over run. Do not be hard on yourselves should we fall. We will.â€ She turned her head and kissed the obsidian blade of Armada which glistened in the sunlight in response. She breathed deeply as she ran towards those approaching; ran towards her own defeat for the ones she had no confidence in. The one defining thing that had pushed her, was that someone else had confidence in them. Someone else had told her how important the adepts were. She was just an expendable blade.<br/><span style="font-style: italic">I hope y---this is worth it.</span>