Tallow/Bloodkiss

[Bloodkiss]

Caoimhe groaned, tossing her long red-gold hair over her shoulder. "I've already dispensed all of them. What more do you want of me? My hands grow tired of this lack of challenge. This bloodshed is far too easy." The guild-master grinned. "Then you shall be pleased with your new assignment. He is your equal." She laughed, flicking a throwing knife at the wall behind the master. It whizzed past his head and stuck into the wall. "I have no equal." The guild-master shook his head. "Your conceit is sometimes rather bothersome, woman. You will have no equal, once you dispose of this man. Do you accept the contract?" She nodded, signing the parchment and pressing her ring into the hot wax, sealing the signature with the image of a lotus, framed by a crescent moon. "Fine. He'll be dead by sun-up." He nodded. "Good. Now go, daughter of darkness. Feed your blood lust." She was gone before the words left his lips, her boot heels clicking down the wooden hallway.

 

[Tallow]

Tallow was busy practicing combat. He stood bare-chested, his wiry muscles standing out beneath his tanned skin, matted with a sheen of sweat. He carried his hsort sword in one hand, and paced around his rooms, every so often flashing out a rapid combination of strikes and thrusts at thin air. He was bored. With much of his guild asassinated by their rivals, he had been told to lay low for a while, and that was what he was trying to do, hiding in one of his many safehouses. But it was so boring. He relished the kill, the art of deaht, he wanted to be out there bloodletting again. His room was an untidy-mess of weapons of various sorts, swords of various lengths, short-blades, punch-daggers, normal daggers, throwing knivess and stars, the odd blow-pipe, bows and arrows, his favourite crossbow. He turned and flashed out another combination, low stab, step past the enemy, punch to the solar plexus, turn, slash the neck. He was angry that he was here, hiding like a rat, rather than fiting his enemies.

 

[Bloodkiss]

Caoimhe had come silently upon the 'safe-house', and had watched him for some time. She now sat on the windowsill, having silently opened the window and climbed in, watching him for a moment before speaking. "You're good, but I'm better." Her voice rang out softly across the room, like a soft breeze in the deep of night. She chuckled, the sound cynical and yet lovely, like the chiming of bells. Bright, intelligent green eyes assessed him from her perch, filled with small amber flecks, like tiny shards of gold. Her long, wavy red hair was tied up in a loose bun, strands falling loosely around her heart-shaped face and framing her narrowed eyes. She was as pale as the moon, and small, but held an air of superiority that women were not permitted to possess. She carried herself like a queen, and fancied herself one most of the time. She was the queen of killing sprees, the empress of night. The Dark Lotus.

 

[Tallow]

Spinning around to face the assassin, Tallow took her in in a split second. Dark Lotus. She had it in the way she moved, the way she sat, the way she talked. She held hereself like no other women, and in that instant, he realised he had no other opourtunity than to react. Drawing a throwing knife from the table, he flicked it aroudn and in one fluid motion it sprung from his hand straight at her heart

 

[Bloodkiss]

Her hand flew up and tossed aside the knife as she slid off of the windowsill and into the room, her boots silently landing on the floor. Glancing down at her hand, she feigned a pout. A small cut trailed across the back of her hand, blood dribbling out and down her moon-pale wrist. "Aw, you nicked my hand." She wrinkled her nose in distaste and in one swift movement, drew a throwing star and tossed it at his head.

 

[Tallow]

Batting the star aside with his hand, Tallow walked closer.

"I can assure you, that after I am done you will be bleeding much more than that"

He smiled and drew his short-sword

 

[Bloodkiss]

She laughed, flicking two forked blades out of the billowing sleeves that covered her forearms. "Are you so sure of that, love?" Chuckling, she took a defensive stance, ready to cross blades.

 

[Tallow]

Tallow does not reply, instead he lunges into attack, stabbing and slashing. His blade rings off of her steel.

 

[Bloodkiss]

She captured his blade between both of hers, jerking to the side and yanking him with her. "You're pretty fast. But how fast are you?" Swinging her leg up and arching it, she aimed to land her foot in his ribcage.