Faint of Heart

04

𝓐𝓵𝓸𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓪. 𝓜

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE WEATHER REPORT GOES HERE?? IVE BEEN INSIDE ALL DAY SAVING THE COUNTRY FROM A THIEF WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME????

"—So you're a thief?"

"I wouldn't use the word thief, exactly."

"What would you rather me call you? Robber?"

"I'd rather you stop the whole string thing you've got going on here."

She raised the dagger under his chin. "Not happening weird eye guy."

"You asked and know my name," Cyrus muttered, his eyes occasionally flashing to the metal. Heh, he's scared~

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Why are you here, Cyass?"

"Business?"

"Too broad."

"Important business?"

"Still broad."

"Specific business?"

"...huh." She grabbed Cyrus's back and pushed him forward, holding her knife on a slant. "You think this is a game or something?" She did but it'd be funnier if he did too.

"No, it's just I've never been this close to a man without me picking his pocket." He shrugged.

"HA! So you admit you are a thief—" Aloysia put two and two together— "IM NOT A MAN!"

He looked genuinely shocked. "Really? Where are your uh..."

"Are you calling the girl with a knife to your throat flat?!"

"To be honest you have a boyish face too."

Aloysia punched him across the face. "My name is ALOYSIA! HOW IS THAT A GUY NAME!?"

Cyrus grimaced, rubbing his cheek on his shoulder. A red mark appeared on his right cheek under his scar. Aloysia pretended not to feel bad about it. "Names don't have gender, it's rude to assume," he said with a cheeky smirk on his face.

"It's rude to assume I'm a guy too but that didn't stop you!"

"Touché."

This guy is more infuriating than Florin and Florin uses pet names. "Back to my old question. What are you doing here?" Cyrus opened his mouth to speak, but Aloysia cut him off. "--And you cannot say business."

"C'mon~ you ain't seriously that concerned about why I'm here–" Aloysia threw the knife behind Cyrus, hitting one of the many portraits of the Queen between the eyes "--isn't that treason?"

"Do I look like someone who knows anything about laws?"

"...well you are a royal guard." He blinked. "Unless... OH MY GOD! Are you faking being a guard too?!"

"What no?"

"But you don't care about the Queen?" he asked, tilting his head all confused. "What's the point then?"

"Way to get out of military conscription."

"Ha, classic. Me though, I'm here to pay off a favour."

Aloysia's eyes tightened. A favour. Ugh. Favour debts were the worst. Florin got him and her roped into them all the time. Do something for others and hope they don't change their mind and kill you instead. Fun fun times.

"Oh boo. What's the favour?"

"Oh uh..." his smile faded some, showing his scared expression more vividly. "Just learn some stuff about the workings of the castle and you know, the guards or whatever."