After some time had passed, and Kazimir and Nuala had enjoyed Hosenka City and everything it offered to its fullest, the sneak thief decided it was time to return to work. The Captain had been nothing but generous with her, and Nuala wanted to return the countless favours he’d done for her and cheer him up a little as well. The news of his guild being burned to the ground by dragons had come unexpectedly and Nuala was aware that her reaction hadn’t been the most empathetic and while it was normal that the Voidling struggled understanding human emotion, she still felt sadness whenever the man she loved was unhappy. And because of this, she’d worked on something in the background that would hopefully cheer him up a tad bit, if only for the moment.

Nuala had spent the last few nights sneaking out whenever the Captain had fallen asleep after rounds and rounds of love making, and the clever thief had done her best to tire the weakly angel out so he wouldn’t wake up when she left his side and disappeared into the night. Nuala had done some research and while she was already affiliated with many crime organizations in Hosenka, there were a few she didn’t know much about. Some of them were rivals to her current clients, and she figured: what better way to cheer up the former military captain than with a crime bust? Of course he would technically assist another crime organization in taking out one of their main rivals, but the Captain didn’t need to know that many details. It was night time and Kazimir was napping in their bed when she snuck up on him and gently tapped his shoulder?

“Babe, are you up? Want to go out together?”

The days passed by in the blissful intoxication of his lover. She held nothing back and night after night the wind mage fell into the thralls of deep sleep. His body spread out on the bed at times tangled in the sheets. Every morning he awoke to her sweet scent and they explored the city during the day. The delights to be had in the city were more numerous than any other place he had been to

Over the days they spent traversing the city, the wind mage couldn't help but keep a watchful eye out. Typical signs of shady alleys and dark deals became more and more apparent. And while he had much more on his mind coupled with not wanting to ruin his time with Nuala, it was unnerving the lack of provisions in the city to stop crime. Looking around there were fewer and fewer patrols, or knights in the area. And rarely any in the area they stayed at. But crime was a subtle thing here. Done with deals and bribes under the cover of night or business. He'd need to return sometime and help deal with some of it. Notably in the crimson quarter, after all his first encounter here was a seedy criminal hiring him to protect some stolen goods.

The wind mage was yet again fast asleep in their bed, until a soft tap on his shoulder woke the groggy man. He groaned and stretched his arms out wide as if waking from a delightful slumber. "Coming back to bed?" He parked on eye open and saw the room still shrouded in darkness. But they had spent many nights within these walls and he wouldn't have put it past her that she had some nighttime parade or activity for them to enjoy.

"Oh, I'd love to. Where are we going?" He asked and rolled out of bed, pulling his pants on with a yawn.

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Nuala liked that Kazimir was such a simple man. The easy-going Nephilim was low maintenance, and usually up for spontaneous activities. Her hands found their way into his long, indigo hair as he crawled out of bed, and she brushed through the strands with her fingers until they smoothened out. “Here, let me help you,” she whispered into his ear and gently put a tie into his hair to keep it from getting everywhere, because she knew that’s how he preferred to wear it. Nuala herself was already properly dressed, and her usual thief attire suggested that she was up to some nightly shenanigans. “I was thinking, because we have been so passive lately,” she began and once he was out of bed, took him by the hand and pulled him after her.

“We could go on a little adventure, something for the both of us.” It was late in the evening, but the streets were still filled to the brim with people. Hosenka was a place of festivities and parties, and there was always something to celebrate. They came across many tourists, food stalls and vendors that sold all types of interesting items and as they walked through those alleys, Nuala’s eyes drifted around and scanned the area for all sorts of curiosities that the Voidling might be interested in. “Are you hungry? Do you want to grab a snack first?” The thief suggested and pointed at a food standing selling takoyaki. Even if the Captain didn’t want any Nuala would buy some for herself and pass him a piece anyways.

“Basically, to get to the point with it: I found a drug cartel and I wanted to ask if you want to destroy it with me?” Her amethyst eyes shot him a loving glance, but her mischievous smile told a different story. “I know you’re not in the military anymore and all that, but I figured you might enjoy a little drugs bust regardless?”

He could only smile as she brushed through his hair. Her whisper was as pleasing the lovemaking they had fallen into night after night. "Thank you," he replied, letting her tie up his hair. He ran his hand across her waist and brushed across the daggers at her sides. Seeing if they were both fastened tightly and to get an idea that whatever she was doing had an air of danger to it. He knew they would already be tight to her hip and ready to go, he moved more out of a need to stay in motion as she took care of his hair.

With a tug, he followed her and with what she was wearing, he could only assume it was meant to be a night of adventure. "A small adventure sounds nice. Looks like I'll need to grab my armor," he replied with a cocked brow at the battle-ready attire she wore. He pulled away from her only long enough to slid on his leather armor once more. Pulling the straps tight, he then placed the near-useless wind staff at his side. Out into the crowded streets, they went.

Steam plumed into the street from food vendors and mingled with the giddy laughter of tourists. All the while the mage was still curious about where they were headed, "Oh, no thank you. I'm still full from the dinner we had." He gave a smile and tossed the takoyaki in his mouth. His eyes thanked her for the small snack. After biting into it, he snuck back for a quick second and purchases a bit more. "I think a snack is a good idea after all," he replied still chewing the first takoyaki.

His smile widened once she spoke and he swallowed the whole takoyaki. Kaz leaned in and kissed her, "You know me too well," he said before she could get to the military part of her sentence and brushed a hand down her arm. Turning on his heels he faced the direction they were walking in. "Let's get to work," he replied in a calm voice. The tiny squalls of wind picking up at his heels betraying his eagerness to work. He shook his head, shaking off the brief burst of reckless enthusiasm. "Wait...are there any innocents there? How many are there?"

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When Kazimir leaned in for another kiss, the Voidling swiftly nudged her partner into a darker corner and pressed her mouth against his, the moment shadows hid their silhouettes away. “Not in public, Captain,” she scolded him gently and pushed herself up against him. “I’m shy, remember?” Nuala adored that sweet, affectionate side of his, that was so very different from his usual bland and stoic persona, but for some reason the thief felt as though now simply wasn’t the right time – there were so many concerning things going on after all. He asked about the ‘innocents’ and Nuala couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that.

“You know, if we go by the rules of the church no one who’s not a virgin anymore is innocent. And in that case, I think we should be fine in most places, it’s not like I plan on having you raid a kindergarten.”

Shrugging off Kazimir’s concerns, Nuala went on her merry way. They headed down the streets until they eventually arrived at one of the fanciest restaurants in Hosenka City. Nuala’s daggers were on public display at the side of her hips, but that didn’t matter. Most crime lords were already aware of her presence in the city anyways, and there was no reason to hide that bit of personality. “If you order a special dish, you’ll be brought into a very particular dining area where they sell drugs. Unfortunately you are way too famous for us to pull off a sneak attack, so let's just pretend we are on a date and blow up the basement later on,” she suggested, revealing that Nuala knew exactly where the drugs were located at. She then dragged the Captain inside the restaurant and they were offered a fine table near the windows. Still in a playful mood, the Voidling seductively ran a hand through the long hair and crossed her legs.

“So..you come here often?”

"Uh," he mumbled as she moved him into the ally before their kiss. "How could I forget," he replied with a grin. A quick kiss had to take the backseat to the mission at hand, and the voidling was a secretive person. Something that was easy to slip his mind considering the difference in their demeanor behind closed doors and the amount of time they spent there.

The wind mage crossed his arms when Nuala laughing dismissed the thought of innocents and danced around the topic. " You know what I mean. I'll not be blowing anything up without a clear idea of who could be around," he said and placed his hand on the small of her back to guide them back out of the alley. "Who knows, there could be hostages there. People taken for human trafficking..." He let his thoughts trail off as they left the alley and made their way to the target.

A multi-floor building stood before them. In the windows, men and women walked by with tailored suits and carrying silver plates of food to velvet clothed tables. Kaz looked down at the daggers hanging from Nuala's side. Lingering eyes from the crowds of people followed the blades and then up to Kazimir. His presence wasn't a secret to anyone and neither was Nuala's. "Well so much for stealth on this one." Not that it was a problem. He preferred a frontal approach anyway.

He snickered at her bravado, "That sounds like a plan to me. Just how long have you been eyeing this place?" It was clear she still had many contacts to take advantage of. And furthermore, he couldn't help but wonder what types of items she intended to steal from the place.

He took the seat across from her, "Only when I have a beautiful reason too." He played along. It wasn't long before more finely dressed wait staff began to walk the section the two lovers were sitting at. Each of them eyeing the two with one hand tucked into their jackets. Three men sat at a table in the corner and exchanged a quick whisper between them. Kaz took a deep breath and clapped his hands softly together, sending his senses out to feel the vibrations around him. "What do you think their specials are today? It's a shame there isn't a place for fine dining and breakfast," the latter statement less of pretending to be on a date and more serious inquiry about his hunger for something later.

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Total 1110

"Only for a few days."

Nuala audibly cracked her knuckles and put her hair up into a ponytail; it was a sign that things were going to get messy, one way or another. For now, however, the Voidling decided to enjoy the food. Her ears already picked up on the whispers going around, and her keen eyes fell on the people who weren’t guests, nor were they staff – what exactly their purpose was remained unknown, but they weren’t happy about Nuala’s presence. The dining establishment was a rival to one of the clients the thief worked with, and even though she chose to keep that detail from her Captain, she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong by it. Perhaps she would tell Kazimir later, and even share the reward with him. The money she’d been offered to take this job had been doubled should she choose to bring the Wizard Saint along; apparently his mere presence was enough to establish dominance or something like that.

“Duck,” she said bluntly, and the waiter nodded. “And red wine.” Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Nuala sent the man away as quickly as he’d shown up, not giving Kazimir any time to order something for himself. She didn’t really think there was a need to, considering that they weren’t actually here to eat and besides, Nuala already had a sneaking suspicion that would confirm itself the moment the food arrived. She gave both, the duck and the wine, a careful sniff before sliding the meat over to the Captain. “You can eat that, but the wine has been poisoned,” she said before grabbing his glass and downing it all once. The strange smelling and tasting alcohol sent a shiver through her body, and a burning sensation down her throat – but that was it. Making eye contact with one of the waiters, Nuala’s rune’s flared up for just a moment before she turned her attention back to the meal and the Captain.

“Do these idiots really think their man-made poison can kill me?” Sounding rather offended, she began digging into the duck as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Anyways, you should eat this. It’s really good.” Sometimes the Voidling had a rather casual, almost primal way to go about things and the reason for that was the way she had been brought into the world – and how she’d been doing before readapting to society. In the end, Nuala wasn’t human any more and more often than not her behavior gave clear signs that hinted at her true, primeval nature.

He nodded, back to her. Now was not the time to ask, but she often had another agenda and he doubted this was entirely just to make him feel better and take his mind off of things. In the end, it was an opportunity to take down criminals so he never protested much.

Kaz held his hand out as if to grab the waiter but the man was already walking away, "Hey..." he faintly called and looked back at Nuala. "You know if we're supposed to be on a date you could use some more practice, my love," He smiled and shook his head at the brash way Nuala dealt with ordering the food. Their cover may have already been blown regardless. Nonetheless, Kaz tugged on the arm of a passing waiter, "A stack of pancakes if you don't mind." The waiter looked at him confused and nodded before sauntering off to put in the order.

"That's a keen nose you have," Kaz replied and took a small bite of the duck. "poisoned huh? I wonder if I'm immune as well," he pondered one of the little things about his being that he had yet to explore. Something to try out later in less volatile moments.

The flare of her runes put the staff on edge. A few of them circled the outer rim of the room. Kaz kept careful concentration on their locations. "Seems there are five or so people on the floor beneath us too."

He shrugged, "Can't blame them for trying. Can you tell what kind of poison that is?" he asked as some of the few patrons up there were gently escorted downstairs. He cocked a brow at the ravenous way, she dug into the duck. He joined her but his attention was more set on the surroundings. The room kept getting quieter and quieter as if it was closing in around them. "Well seems we aren't gonna be hiding anymore."

Kaz adjusted his robe and slid out of the table, "Please finish the duck, Nuala." he said and turned his attention to the men that were creeping forward.

"I'm Kazimir...shall we begin?" The only presence he felt around him was the armed waitstaff. As soon as one of them stepped forward, Kaz shot out a blast of wind, heaving the man across the room and slamming into the wall above the remaining group of seated gentlemen.

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total wc 1510

When Nuala saw him ordering pancakes, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the gesture. It was pathetic, and she didn’t know why he kept doing it. “Listen,” she began, uttering a sigh before biting down on another juicy piece of duck meat. “Just because your stupid, mortal ex made some mediocre pancakes doesn’t mean you have to eat and order them everywhere you go,” she said, her voice and facial expression both showing a certain level of irritation. The Voidling usually wasn’t this sensitive, but she could feel the slightest irk in her stomach, and a weird sensation that spread through the rest of her body.

The poison was affecting her mood.

But even if it weren’t, Kazimir and his pancakes were still getting out of hand. “Besides, I ordered something delicious for you to eat, and you’re just going to ignore it and ask for your fucking pancakes?” She huffed, turned her face away and took another sip from the poisoned wine. “Nadir would have never done something like that.” And she meant it. He really would have never! While she was having her little rant, the room around them was starting to get quieter and the armed staff was slowly closing in on them. Nuala wasn’t paying any attention to that however, because the poison was in effect.

And because she was a Voidling, it fortunately wasn’t deadly, but it was doing some other things to her that would force her to act oddly out of character. The Captain had stood up by now, and walked over to confront the people who were clearly intending on attacking them, but the otherwise keen thief wasn’t even paying any attention anymore. Still stuffing herself with the duck, she did exactly as he told her to while quiet sobs could eventually be heard from her corner of the room. Bloody tears began rolling down the woman’s face as she sat over her meal and slowly rose her head to look over at her partner with big, googly eyes.

“I..I don’t even like pancakes,” the poor girl cried, now sobbing uncontrollably. He was firing his magic at the men now, fully enclosed in combat, while Nuala slowly stood up from the chair after having wolfed down all of the duck, only to sit down on the floor and pull her legs closer to her body. “It’s..it’s like you don’t even love me anymore,” she lamented wistfully, rubbing the blood stains off of her already reddened cheeks.

He tilted his head at the now abrupt responses from Nuala. An unexpected jab, during their mission. A stance he thought was odd considering his long love affair with the famous flapjacks. "Nuala, you know I've been eating pancakes for a long time. You're not still jealous of her are you?"

The wind mage felt a flicker of irritation creep up his back. His neck was flushed with warmth and his collar felt tight. "You ordered something. But you never asked what I wanted to eat. And you should know by now, I'm not Nadir," he held back any other scathing remarks and was glad that the staff of enemies was descending upon them now. An excuse to get up from the table. The scar on his chest burned. The angelic gift he was giving scratched at the surface, to be let free and fill him with wrath. The angel would take any chance to prey on his emotions.

His angered faded as Nuala's scorn turned to sobbing. He looked back to meet her googly eyes with a confused expression. "What is up with you? Are you alright? You don't have to like pancakes," he awkwardly reassured whatever new side to her was emerging.

Another blast of wind sent more men flying off, with part of his attention now on his partner who was sitting on the floor in an emotional ball. The thugs charged forward and came to a halt, seeing the crying woman on the ground. They exchanged looks and shrugs as their weapons lowered. An inner debate on whether to attack or not. "Hey man is she okay?" one of the thugs whispered, and was brisky smacked in the back of the head by another henchman, "that guy is still the enemy!"

A waiter appeared with the tray of pancakes and pivoted right back around and out the door. Kaz huffed at the fleeting pancakes, "Yeah she is gonna be fine...I hope." As he was about to step towards Nuala and get her together he felt a sharp pain on his back. A blade slipped into his leather armor and poked his ribs just breaking the skin. "Agh," Kaz looked back to see the fearful smirk of a henchman with a knife in hand.

"Hurry up and kill them!" The boss who was seating at the far table yelled out. Kaz clenched his fists together. Heat swirled through his body and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. "My guild burned down, my parents are dead, people are hunting me, and my girlfriends crying Blood," he mumbled to himself as his eyes went white with the waking of his grace. "And all I want are some pancakes and peace." His wings shot out heralding the storm of wind that filled the room. The men were heaved about and the decor was ripped and torn asunder. The roof burst open sending debris scattering all about. He stood near Nuala to make sure she was not caught in the blast.

He rushed over to Nuala's side in the brief moment while the wind was still dying down. He wiped her cheeks with his sleeve and showed her the red bloodstains smeared down it. "Nuala, you're bleeding from your eyes. We have to get you out of..." he looked back at the cup of wine she drank and her proclamation that it was poison.

"Let's hurry I think you've been,"

The leader crawled out from beneath the debris, with blood covering him. "It won't save you," he snickered and inched towards a back door.

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total WC 2110

Of course Nuala was still jealous of her. A hundred years could pass, worlds could end, the skies fall down and Nadir come back to life, and Nuala Nazari would still be jealous of that blonde skank – and chances were high that sooner or later the rogue would hunt her down and murder her to death, just to be sure she was never coming back into his life. Nuala felt the poison ripple through her head, and painful thuds were echoing through her ears. She wasn’t noticing much of what was happening around her anymore, and instead rubbed off the red stains, almost looking a little helpless while she did so.

Of course her senses were still keen, and Nuala overheard the Captain mumbling something to himself in his frustration. A part of her was very much struggling to keep it together, but letting loose on all of her grief felt like a good thing for once. The Voidling wasn’t actually mad that the Nephilim had the nerves to date other women (!!!) before they’d met (who am I kidding, of course she was), and she thought she could simply brush it off by looking forward to the future that awaited them. A future that would certainly last for a long time, if only they could make it through the night.

When Kazimir unleashed his wind magic Nuala slid back against the wall. Mortals were hurled across the room alongside furniture and debris, and the Captain returned to her side at once to wipe her tears and comfort her. His concern for her safety and health flattered the intoxicated Voidling, whose cheeks now blushed in a faint rosy colour, albeit having gotten awfully pale. “Oh, I’m fine,” she gave back and flashed him a weak smile. “I think I just have to cry this one out.” Still sobbing between her words, Nuala eventually wiped her tears and got up. Pulling out her dagger from the sheathe clinging to her hip, the thief aimed and threw the weapon at the last man who had just spoken, hitting him right in the head with its blade.

“We have to get to the basement,” she demanded while heading for the body to pick up her weapon. Nuala was still a bit wobbly on her feet, and her movements were uncharacteristically slow. “I have to kill the gang leader, or else I won’t get the prize money,” she whispered, more as a reminder to herself. “I was even going to share 10% with Kaz.” The thief closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Still a bit disoriented, and her eyes and ears were beginning to hurt, but Nuala would be fine otherwise. Once the weapon was back in her possession, the Voidling (who had already forgotten about her boyfriend at this point) carefully headed down the stairwell, always making sure to hold on to the bannister while she did so.

"Uh...okay," he said confused as to what exactly caused the outburst. "It's just that you look a little more pale than usual." He stood up and looked away to give her a moment with her tears. and just like that she was back on her feet and heaving a dagger across the room. She seemed like she was back in action but he noticed a sluggish sway to her movements.

"Are you sure. Maybe you should take it easy. You were bleeding from your eyes." he spoke out concerned for whatever it was that happened to her and that more exertion would only make it worse. And then it all made sense to him. Kazimir crossed his arms, "So that's what this is about. Not a gift for me, but one for you. Did you just bring me into some crude criminal rivalry?" He was annoyed not necessarily angry. A part of him knew at the end of the day it was still a bad guy off the streets. "I don't want people to get the idea that I'm some on hire henchman for mob bosses."

The voidling wobbled her way to a stairwell and clung to it for balance. Kaz sighed and squeezed by her. "You don't have to be so stubborn. You're about to fall out from poison," he moved in front of her to take point on the mission at hand, but he stayed close just in case she fell. The stairs led down below the first floor of the building. The hall was cold and silent. The only sound was the faint patter of footsteps far above them on the first floor. Kaz moved slowly making sure they stayed together. "I don't know where the money is coming from and I'll pass on a share. I'll just give some old contacts of mine."

Eventually, there was a single door in their way. Nothing ornate about it, not even a lock. The people lived untouchable and no one had ever dared come this far. The man upstairs was already taken care of. He stepped closer to the door to put his ear near it and listen in to the sounds on the other side. The mage's eyes narrowed at the sound of rushing water on the other side of the door.

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total 2510

exit

“Oh, it’s totally fine.” The Voidling reassured her partner, and continued to wipe off the rest of the stain. As Nuala carefully, and step by step, walked down the stairwell and headed for the basement, Kazimir followed after her and went on a little vent about what had conspired without his knowledge. She couldn’t blame him, but also wasn’t in any mood to take the blame for herself – and so she merely shrugged it off and gave him an innocent look. “Well,” she began and gestured towards the now destroyed area. “I enjoy money, you enjoy money. You enjoy beating up bad guys and I enjoy…,” pausing for a moment, Nuala blinked a few times to get some clarity into her vision. “I enjoy beating up guys in general, so there you have it. It’s the best deal you and I could possibly get together.” Honestly, from the thief’s point of view she was making a whole lot of sense.

It wasn’t exactly a perfect case scenario, but with two people so different it was the best she could come up with. And if that wasn’t enough for him then next time she’d simply go alone again. Exhaling deeply, the woman continued downstairs until they eventually arrived in front of a solemn door. They’d done enough damage to the area up until now, but they might as well finish things the proper way for a bonus. “No one’s gonna think that, Kaz. You didn’t get hired after all, you just happened to tag along.” Unlike him, Nuala didn’t have to put her ears near the door to hear that there was something going on behind it. She grabbed both her daggers, twirled them around her fingers a few times and sucked in a deep breath, readying herself to shake off the poison and it’s effect. “Watch this,” she said to him, and the markings on her face began to glow. As soon as the transformation had set in, the Voidling kicked in the door in a very Dean Winchester-y manner and grinned at her partner.

He could literally only dream of being that cool.