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The Boss was the last person that came to mind when thinking of the words helpless and vulnerable. She always made it a point to appear as strong and independent, able to get herself out of trouble without relying on others for the most part. Yet here she was, bed ridden, weak, and defenseless.
The fight with Maero had left the woman battered and bruised. She was still recovering from the injuries she had sustained. Normally her body would have been able to heal itself quicker, but due to her already weakened state from the cold season, that process was much slower than usual. Thus she spent several days resting in her bed, with her lieutenants taking turns in watching over her and keeping her company for the few hours that she was actually awake.
Today, it was Kate's turn to watch the Boss.
Naturally, the blonde wasn't very keen on having to spend an entire day locked into a room with the redhead. It was a boring, and ungrateful task. She had nothing to do, all she did was just sit on a chair next to the bed, trying not to fall asleep herself.
The irony of the situation was not lost on the fit woman.
Her initial goal had been to kill the Boss, and now here she was keeping an eye on her to keep her from harm. This would have actually been the perfect opportunity to strike. The demoness would not have the reflexes or strength to fight back in her current state. One knife through the heart was all it would take for Kate to achieve what she had been working towards for the past six months. And while her target was now served to her on a silver platter, unable to escape or defend herself, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Perhaps she had spent too much time with the Boss by now to consider her an enemy, even though it was still difficult for her to consider her an ally after what she had done to her. All the teasing, vague speeches and odd lessons. Or maybe she had truly been corrupted by her influence by now, her morals and thoughts twisted by the succubus’ dark magic.
She shook her head, in reality she had actually already completed phase two of her plan; to learn more about the demon she was hunting. And learn more she did. Things that disgusted and shocked her, but also things that had positively surprised the blonde. She had been looking into not just the Boss as an individual, but as a leader and player within the city's underworld and everyday life, and she had come to the conclusion that despite all the harm she caused, she eventually did more good than bad.
She would have never believed it, but ever since the Saints had been growing in numbers, taking over more and more neighbourhoods, it had become apparent that many citizens actually welcomed the change, not seeing the Saints as yet another violent street gang, but viewing them as the saviours who drove out the former gangs who had owned and plagued those districts. She also couldn't deny that she did take good care of her crew and associates. The Boss didn’t just shake down shop owners for protection money like the Brotherhood had done, but actually provided protection by deploying at least two Saints to any place of business that paid her, resulting in much less attacks on said properties.
And one important thing she had just discovered recently, her face tattoo. Or rather her face mark. Reading old books that focused on demons and their roles and appearances in the human world, Kate had stumbled across a drawing that looked almost identical to the design the Boss wore on her face. She had always thought of it as nothing more than an ordinary face tattoo, its design was similar to that on her right arm afterall. But apparently the symbol was of demonic origin, and was only given to demons as a sign of betrayal and shame, branded onto the soul. Learning that sort of surprised the blonde, she hadn't expected the Boss to be marked for shame by the devil. She had come to the conclusion that she must have been cast out of hell against her will, banished into a world where she didn't belong. It sort of resonated with Kate who had also felt out of place for much of her life, questioning her role in this world.
Kate looked over to the demon's sleeping form, the way she was snuggled into her soft blanket, the way her chest slowly rose and settled as she breathed, the way only her eyes poked out from underneath the sheets while the rest of her face and body was wrapped up in the cloth. She looked so innocent there that Kate wished she would never wake up and just remain this sweet pile of softness on the bed. But every now and then she would wake up for a brief moment, checking her surroundings and saying a few words before going back into her hibernative state. Kate wondered if the others ever questioned how the Boss just stayed in bed all day and night without eating or using the bathroom.
All in all, Kate had gained some respect for the woman that she had hated for the longest time, and still had some sort of disdain for in regards to certain things and quirks, but she would probably not end up using the dagger she had sheathed in a holster on her hip, unless the Boss gave her a damn good reason to.
At least for now, she was worth defending.