Rise (9 page)

Victoria saw him standing a few feet away from her, gazing at the city in front of them. She tore her eyes away from Roman, to follow his line of vision. When she did, her eyes landed on the mass of colors and light, that was the city. It was mind-boggling, and so busy. Victoria didn’t know where to look first. She saw hoards of people crowding around a store window, a flashing neon sign reading “Claudia’s Diner”, and a bride and groom posing under an orchid tree.

“
It’s beautiful.” Victoria breathed. “I suppose it is, in its own way.” Roman said, and just for a second, she thought she heard a trace of sorrow in his voice, but it was gone before she could think twice about it. “Well, since you’re here, I guess I’d better show you around”, he said. To her disappointment, nothing in his voice sounded thrilled to do so. It was as if he had just said “Well, I guess I’d better sweep this floor here.” Roman looked back at her, gestured, and continued on. Victoria followed, once again feeling oddly deflated.

The two stepped onto the city sidewalk, and for the first time in her life, Victoria was thrown headfirst into the hustle and bustle of city life. A harried looking woman brushed past her, muttering about forgetting something. A small child appeared out of nowhere, nearly causing her to trip headfirst. Roman caught her before it could happen, and once again, she found her hand in his, but this time, it was not as comforting as she reminded herself yet again of how he had threatened her, Victoria grew angry. How could he threaten to kill her, and then hold her hand as if he cared? She snatched her hand back once more, and let it fall to her side. Roman must have felt , but he continued along as if nothing had happened.

Victoria strolled along besides him, or as close as she could be on such a busy sidewalk, wondering for the dozenth time why she was still there. She wanted to see the city, that part was true, but what she didn’t want was Roman as her escort. He was making her angry, and it only seemed to be getting worse. Victoria decided she would ditch him, if given the chance. All she had to do was disappear into the crowd. She wasn’t an assassin for nothing, after all.

Her plans were cut short, when to her surprise, Roman began to speak. She honestly hadn’t heard much of his voice, in say, a normal setting. That is, a setting where daggers were not present. His voice sounded shockingly normal. Granted, Victoria didn’t know how one could sound like an assassin, but if she didn’t know any better, and hadn’t had the misfortune of meeting him in the dead of night with a foot-long dagger against her neck, she would have to say that he sounded like a normal guy. Inquisitive, open, genuinely interested in whatever he was saying, which unfortunately, Victoria was not at all interested in. She didn’t want a tour guide. She wanted answers.

“
I said, we could stop in here if you like. I’ll buy.” Victoria’s eyes snapped over to Roman, who was now standing outside of a little café. Her eyes darted back and forth between Roman, and a dark alley she spotted. Victoria weighed her options. She supposed it wouldn’t kill her to have something to eat, especially since he was buying. Then, she could try and weed some answers out of him. If he chose not to cooperate, she could dart down that alley, and hopefully, never see him again. Victoria nodded. Her favorite plans were ones that involved escape, if everything went to hell.

Victoria stepped inside the café, and was immediately struck by how small, and quaint it was. No one else was there, just the cashier, an older man, who was slowly sweeping the floor behind the counter. “Ah, Roman. Good to see you again.” The man looked up, and smiled at Roman, as if he was his long lost son. And to Victoria’s continued suspicion, Roman smiled back, a genuine smile. That alone was shocking enough. She wasn’t aware he was capable of anything other than a smirk, let alone a genuine smile.

Victoria seated herself in one of the dainty, ridge-backed chairs, and propped her elbows up on the table. The table was mosaic-styled, and she found herself tracing the patterns with the tip of her finger. She felt Roman sit down next to her, and she shifted her body to the edge of her chair. Victoria felt Roman’s eyes on her for a few seconds, but as she looked up to meet him, he looked away. “Mr. Raymond, we’d like two club sandwiches. Hold the mayonnaise on mine, please." Roman’s voice rang out, and Victoria couldn’t help but feel irritated that he’d taken the liberty of ordering for her. Everything Roman did was irritating, really. She couldn’t admit to really knowing him, as they’d only met twice, under decidedly unique situations, but this new, non-assassin Roman, was something entirely different and Victoria wasn’t sure if she liked it.

Mr. Raymond gave a sharp nod, and disappeared into the back to prepare the sandwiches. Victoria felt Roman’s eyes on her once again, and she looked up quickly, to catch him, but this time he didn’t look away. He simply stared. “Stop staring.” Victoria muttered, angrily, and she turned her body so that he would only see the side of her face. He said nothing, and continued to stare, quite possibly even holding back a grin, but Victoria couldn’t tell quite tell, as she only had one eye to judge from, but it was evidently, he wasn’t taking her seriously. She had a solution for that.

She slid her dagger from her robe pocket, and pointed it at the supple flesh below Roman’s chin. “Since you seem to think this is all very funny, let me inform you of this. I don’t find one bit of this funny. I’m not even sure why I’m sitting with you in a café, like your girlfriend, or something, because I’m not. Not at all. I’m not sure where you think this afternoon is going, but all I see is your dead body slumped up against that wall, unless I get answers.” A part deep inside of Victoria wondered if threatening Roman was really the right way to go, if she ever wanted him to like her, but another part of her didn’t care.

Victoria grinned smugly as she watched his eyes widen in surprise. He recovered quickly, but she could still see the surprise in his eyes, and for some odd reason, traces of delight. “I suppose all assassins think alike, then.” Roman said, slowly, and he reached into the pocket of his pants, and withdrew his own dagger. With ease, he set it on the table, and crossed his arms. “So, we’re even, Victoria.” “I’m still not putting my dagger down.” “Then don’t, fine by me.” “I’m sure you won’t be this comfortable after I’ve slit your throat.” “You wouldn’t do that.” “And how do you know that?” “You had the chance to kill me once. And you didn’t.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes again, but made no attempt at a response. “See, you wouldn’t do it.” Roman continued. “I don’t think you can really say that, as we’ve met a grand total, counting today, of three times. Three times is not a lifetime, and is certainly not enough to get to know me.” “I’d say it is.” “That’s rather presumptuous, don’t you think?”

Victoria jabbed her dagger closer to Roman’s throat. “Is that what this is? A way to get to know me better? A date?” She stared at Roman with open disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, giving him the always attractive look of a fish. “No matter. I’m gone.” Victoria pushed back her chair and headed towards the door.

“
Wait, just wait, alright?” Roman called to her. Victoria had told herself that if things went wrong, the alleyway across the street would be her escape, and things were most assuredly going wrong. But something in his voice, made her stop. “Wait for what?” she asked, and she turned and approached him cautiously. “I’ll try to explain. I’m not sure how I’m going to go about doing it, but I will. Come sit back down, please.”

Victoria sat back down, reluctantly, and made sure to push her chair as far away from Roman’s as possible. “I’m listening.” She crossed her arms, and stared, hoping that having the full intensity of her gaze on him would encourage him to speak. Instead, it seemed to be having quite the opposite effect. “W-Well, as you know…” He’d developed a stutter, which in any other situation, Victoria might have found amusing, but as it was just delaying the answers she so desperately desired, she waved her hand impatiently. “Get on with it.” Roman took a deep breath, shocking Victoria once again, as it was at odds with the little she knew about him. It almost seemed as if he were nervous. About what, she couldn’t say, but he was definitely nervous.

“
I guess we didn’t get off on the right foot.” “No, I expect we didn’t.” There was silence, and Victoria watched as he tried to find words. It was interesting to see him struggle like this. The tables were turned, and Victoria found she was fond of this side of the table. “As I told you, I’ve been watching you.” Victoria said nothing, only intensifying the silence. She could hear a plate clattering to the floor from somewhere in the back of the restaurant, and the heavy footsteps on the crowded street behind her.

“
I know. And as I told you before, it’s odd. Don’t you have anything better to do than to watch me?” Roman shrugged. “Well, it was my job up until a few weeks ago. Until you knocked me out, that is.” Victoria chuckled. “You threatened to kill me, what was I supposed to do?” “Kill me. Why didn’t you?” Roman leaned forward, eyes glowing. “Why didn’t you?” Victoria countered. “And besides, Sister Katherine already briefed me on the Other Sisterhood/Brotherhood situation. You were clearly out of line, pressing that knife to my neck.” “Like you were out of line a few minutes ago, pressing that knife to MY neck?” “Yes, something like that.” Victoria replied, complacently.

“
We’re intended to be friends. We work together. Not against each other.” Roman explained, slowly. “I guess we’re not doing so well in that area, then.” Victoria shrugged her shoulders. “When will I get my sandwich, anyways? I’m starved. I did walk all the way from the convent, you know.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Quality food takes time. You wouldn’t know, you only eat slop at the convent. You’ve probably never tasted a real sandwich.” “True, true. That’s why I’m so eager for this one, and less eager to hear you try to justify your stalking, and subsequent attack on me.” Victoria pulled her arms closer to her chest.

She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. She was getting no answers, and somehow, he had managed to bait her into a never-ending circle of conversation that sounded more appropriate for two five year olds.

“
I’m just—“ Listen”, Victoria interrupted, “Just tell me why I’m here. No stories, just the truth. Once you’re done, we can go from there, and perhaps, I can finally have my sandwich.."

“
You are here, because, I was hoping I would run into you. And if I did, I planned for us to sit down and have a chat, like we’re doing now, but sans daggers. I did watch you, as part of our initiation assignment, which I’m sure Sister Katherine told you all about.” Victoria nodded. “But before that, I saw you almost every day in what you called your sanctuary. See, it’s mine too. I’ve been going there ever since I could talk. It was so quiet, so different from city life. It was my sanctuary. I noticed that you came every Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I avoided it on those days. But one day, a few weeks ago, you came on a different day, and you spotted me. You demanded that I show myself, and well, the rest you know. I didn’t intend for our friendship to develop with such a volatile edge, but you were fiercely protecting that sanctuary, and honestly, I feel the same way about it. I feel like it’s mine too. And in the forest, Brother Ammon just told me to rough you up a bit, nothing too serious. I didn’t know you weren’t aware of that.” Roman finished, and he looked down at his hands, as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Victoria felt a little ashamed, and that was just the first emotion flowing through her body, dousing her spirits like a bucket of cold water. Friendship. She couldn’t honestly say she knew what it was like. The nuns at the convent were more along the lines of a makeshift family, but never friends. This revelation brought about new, strange feelings in Victoria, and she wondered what would have happened if Roman and her hadn’t fought. Would they be friends now? Getting together weekly for lunch?

She looked up at Roman, who was still examining his fingers, but with renewed vigor. “If this is all true, then I’m sorry.” The apology sounded foreign in her mouth and she wasn't sure if she meant it, but Victoria assumed that was what he was waiting for.

At the sound of her apology, Roman’s eyes wandered back up to hers, and as their eyes met, Victoria was filled with a strange feeling. Happiness? No. Anticipation, no, not quite. But it was something as equally intense, and it was spreading quickly throughout her body, as if it were infectious. Perhaps, it was because for the first time in her life, she had someone she could call a friend.

VI.

The following day, Victoria returned. As she made her way down the now familiar forest path, she wondered what Sister Katherine would have to say about her completely abandoning her responsibilities. It wasn’t something that truly bothered her, as Victoria had always, and always would do and say what she liked, regardless of what Sister Katherine had to say about it. But, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps Sister Katherine had wanted her, in the absence of Other Sisterhood activity, to discover this new world. And Roman.
Victoria wasn’t ready to admit fully, to herself yet that Roman was one of the best things about this new world, but she couldn’t, in any manner, deny it. After they’d settled their volatile argument the day before, they had talked for several hours. Over their sandwiches, which had finally come nearly an hour later, presumably because Mr. Raymond was likely too afraid to step foot outside the kitchen while daggers were drawn, Roman explained to her some of the ways of the city. It was a lot to take in, so Victoria agreed to come back regularly, for educational reasons, of course.