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Leona stuffed her hands in the pockets of her bomber, looking around for a moment before continuing to walk down the street toward her favorite bar. She knew she was going to meet a certain assassin here for her birthday; a simple celebration with some of her favorite bar food and drinks. Something familiar and calming. She had come a long way and continued to come further. Leaning against the wall when she reached her destination, her breath was visible in the cold January air. She didn’t mind-she kind of liked the weather.
Checking her watch for a moment, she looked around again, wondering where her “dinner date” was. He was usually punctual, and she knew he’d never forget. She didn’t worry-she knew he’d run into no trouble he couldn’t handle-but he was slightly more late than normal. It would only be their second time on one of these birthday dinner-date type things, but she already basically considered it a ‘routine.’
She didn’t mind waiting. Occasionally a metalhead-looking person would walk into the side-alley Köln bar, the harsh, underground music becoming audible as the door opened temporarily. She supposed she could wait inside, but the Ikaris had been doing a lot of logistical type work lately, rather than on the field, so she was sort of itching to get out and about again to exercise a little more. The crew, of course, always exercised and trained, but there was something different about getting out into the fresh air.
Köln was a regular spot for them; the US Military Base in Germany made it a good central city, and the Heidern Fleet was often stationed in Europe as well, making it a natural continent for them to conduct a good portion of their operations. They traveled often, of course, via plane or ship. Leona preferred the base to the fleet; being on the ships got a bit tiring to her.
Adel was often docked here, too-this was good for everyone as it allowed him to work with Heidern when necessary as he had now over the past three or so years, and given his now-lengthy relationship with Seirah, it was just a bonus. The Sky Noah could be flown anywhere but given a lot of the nobles they dealt with were located around Germany and Austria, it made life easy there.
Glancing up for a moment, the sky had started to darken, but there was still a fair bit of light left. It had been a very clear, crisp, cold day-snow still fairly well dotting the streets and covering the parks, as it had not been able to thaw yet. She looked at the sign of the place-a dirty, sort of slightly worn and faded wooden sign that said Nacht, which was the simple, yet telling name of the bar. One of Duo Lon’s interests, besides the things that most people knew on the surface like his love of mahjong and wandering the mountainsides hunting for things not yet identified, was harsh, underground extreme black metal music. He had introduced some of it to Leona at the life-changing summer party about a year and a half ago, and she had taken to it for some odd reason, and they exchanged CDs and music afterward. She had even gone with him to a small underground gig during a smaller tournament this past fall.
Nacht was ‘their’ place, in its way. Small, out of the way, buried in an alley, somewhat dark…people left them be mostly at the table, and they could hole away in a back corner booth, enjoy the surprisingly decent food, listen to their favorite music played at an actually reasonable volume, and talk about whatever was on each other’s minds…or just sit quietly, as they liked to do as well.
The fighters tended to have nicknames-a lot of times given by their friends-and the pair had tended to be known as the ‘Silent Soldier’ and ‘Silent Assassin’, even before they had fully been introduced.
Peeking up again at the brilliant sunset over the tops of a few buildings, she saw something move quickly at the top of one before ending up out of sight again. The dark, agile yet powerful looking shape once again appeared a few moments later before it was hidden by the architecture again.
This caused Leona to smile. It would seem that her ‘date’ was arriving, as he would.
It didn’t take him long to get there; as he would, he flipped off the roof and kicked off a wall, hitting another wall, before propelling himself to the ground. Adjusting his leather jacket with his heavy braid swinging in the background, the assassin walked up to her with a smirk on his face.
“You’re late,” the soldier said quietly with a smirk. “And on my birthday?” Her expression showed how she was not in any way serious…and this was incredibly welcoming to her partner, who appreciated the fact she was able to even crack a few mild jokes these days-around people she was close to, that was.
“Apologies. Was held up at work.” This was not a lie; his last job, it turned out, had him running all over the place, causing him to have to get a slightly later flight than he would have wanted.
Leona snorted laughter at his comment; anyone else may have raised eyebrows at their brand of humor, but they understood one another.
“I’ll accept it.”
The tall man smiled down at her softly. They were both dressed in their favored, laid-back casual wear-Leona’s was her usual cargos and tank top, while Duo Lon, who usually looked far more refined and high-class at a tournament, opted for black trousers, a sleeveless shirt, boots and a leather jacket.
“You could have gotten out of the cold.”
“It’s a nice evening.”
“It is.” He looked up, the sunset having moved quickly as it would in the winter. “Sun has almost set now.”
“Where did you come in from?”
“Flew right into Köln this time,” he said. “Had to take a slightly later flight.” He looked inside. “I admit travel makes me a bit hungry.”
Leona knew he likely hadn’t eaten much since the morning, or even the day before, if he was on a job. “I saved my appetite. I heard they updated their menu.”
“Let’s go see.” The pair walked in, and the relatively small crowd paid them no mind, which was yet another thing they liked about the place. No one cared who you were.
Heading toward their favorite booth in the back, they slid off their jackets, hanging them on the hooks outside of the booth before settling down into their familiar spots. The leather of the seats creaked as they sat, though the back was a slightly worn plush. The bar smelled of old wood, slight cigarette smoke-it was still allowed in here, thankfully, though only in certain areas-and had a faint whiff of bar food every now and then.
“I think the guys are waiting to ambush us somewhere when we get out of here,” she said, another little smile on her face.
“They like to do that on your birthday, it would seem.”
“I still remember the first time,” she said. “It was after the one crazy tournament. The craziest.” Duo Lon knew that she spoke of the tournament in which Orochi sucked the Sacred Treasures to the other world. “The tournament was in the fall, and my birthday was some months after. I…didn’t get out much still, yet. But they surprised me with a six-pack and a box of donuts.” She rubbed her head. “I think the only time I had felt more loved was at the tournament before that.”
The assassin reached over to pat her hand lightly; she turned it up, returning the touch. They felt like they were in a private enough place to do small things like this.
When he took his hand away, he grabbed the alcohol list the bartender would set on the table, curious to know what they were offering tonight.
“Hmm,” he said, mostly to himself.
“Anything new?”
“Surprisingly, yes. A couple of things. I will likely start with my favorite, but…will look into these.”
As they sat, the gruff, silent bartender came over and dropped a couple of menus in front of them before wandering off to check on a few other patrons. Ordering was mostly done at the bar, but the pair grabbed the menus anyway to make their decisions.
“Let’s see, then.”
–
Nacht, 3 hours later
Dusk had settled, and the pair were wrapping up their last drinks at Nacht after tucking away a fair bit of food. Appetizers, main dishes (their amazing schnitzels went down very well again, this time with stewed apples with a hint of cinnamon as a side dish, which were nicely warming in this weather), though they passed on dessert, knowing that more would likely come later...and this place was not known for its confectionaries, anyway.
“So…” Leona started, fiddling with a napkin in front of her as she looked at her half-empty glass of bourbon; it was her second of that, and her third drink overall. She always paced herself well when it came to drinking, even at the company functions where the other soldiers would go overboard. “It…was the bottles, was it?”
“Perhaps,” Duo Lon answered, blowing a stream of smoke out of his pipe, which he had just lit. His own drink-he had opted for an old fashioned himself this time over his usual-sat in front of him, almost finished. “It was that moment, I suppose, that I felt more of a rapport. I think the time up in the bedroom furthered that.”
The two had gotten to discussing the first time they had truly talked. They had met in passing at previous tournaments, and when Duo Lon would discuss a thing or two with the commander after the fact about some clandestine work that not even she knew about. It was at a fateful summer party about a year and a half ago-a bit more by now, though it felt almost like yesterday at times. Leona had been curious, herself.
“I…wasn’t sure what it was, either, but…yeah. I think that might have been it for me, too. That was the first time I ever took part in one of those little…competitions,” she said, snorting laughter.
“What made you decide that time?”
“I…don’t know. I think with more of you there, I felt like…more comfortable after our talks? Even though I trust Ralf and Clark with anything, actually…taking part in a party, that was something that I would just do to go through with it.” She sipped her drink again. “What made you decide?”
“Well…I did occasionally have to take part in…something or other from time to time,” he chuckled.
“Shen.”
“You know.”
She indeed did; they had, a couple of times, discussed a few of their more amusing incidents, like when the brawler would get his friend involved in bar fights, or even arm wrestling. The strangely trained assassin’s uncanny strength was far more than that of a typical person.
“Where is he?” she asked, curious.
“Doing his usual odds and ends,” he said. “Probably in trouble somewhere. He’ll be alright.” He rubbed his chin. “I always know, it seems, if he gets in over his head.”
“You two remind me of me and the guys,” she said fondly. “Especially when…” This time, it was her that touched his tattooed arm for a moment.
A slightly melancholy, yet warm smile tugged on the tall man’s lips. “It would seem that we both have a large, strong friend who enjoys punching things around to help us during our darkest hours, don't we?"
The similarity was uncanny, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at it all. “Gods, you’re right,” she said. “It's...so close. Do you have a keepsake, too?”
“I do,” he said, pulling out a metal lighter. “This. Gave it to me that one night.” He had long told her the story of the night he had discovered his father’s betrayal, and how it was Shen that helped pull him out of it. It almost mirrored the time Ralf gave her the bandana, after the pair snapped her out of her own state.
“Aww,” she said quietly. “You spend your whole life keeping people away…but…”
“Yeah, I…had to learn to let people in, too.” He twisted the glass on the table, his deadly nails scraping against it. “I still am.” He picked it up and finished off the drink before glancing out one of the snow-crusted windows. Looking back at her again, he rubbed one of his arms, which had gotten a little more ink added to it fairly recently.
“I am curious to get another one still,” she said. “I like your guy, though.”
“The next time we’re there, I’ll set you up with him.”
“I still need to think of something,” she said, checking the mechanical, industrial design on her toned shoulder. “Might just add to this.”
“I think that would suit you,” he said. “I can see it.”
“Yeah. Maybe up a little higher, around the arm.” She flexed her arm, causing Duo Lon to smile. The feeling was mutual; many a time together, the soldier found herself going over the assassin’s dense, serpent-like build as much as he did her well-athletic one. Looking back at him, she cocked her head to the side. “Would…could we maybe go to your place around your birthday?”
He blinked, nodding. “Of course. If I’m not busy. We can have the big trip together next month, maybe, and go back if you want.”
“I’d like that,” she said, liking the idea of being alone with him at his house in the middle of nowhere again. They had a lot of rather deep discussions at the time, and she was enjoying delving into his English-language books. With no television and just their favorite music and the forest and mountains nearby, it was wonderful.
“Same,” he agreed. He went to go fiddle with his pipe again to light it one more time. “What would you like to do after this?”
Almost on cue, Leona’s phone buzzed. Grabbing it as she drank off another third of her bourbon, she smiled at the message. “It’s the guys,” she said with a smile. “Speak of the devil.”
“Where are they?”
“I’ll find out.” She typed a quick message to them.
As she did this, the assassin fumbled in the pocket of his leather jacket; after a few moments, he procured what seemed to be two CDs. He slid them across the table at her as she placed her phone back down.
“What’s this?” she said, curious. They looked a bit older, and clearly printed like demos.
“I apologize that I am not creative with gift-giving,” he said, almost apologetically, “As I got you another one of these last year. But I know you were looking for these, as well, after we went to that gig back in September.”
She looked at him, her expression saying the obvious; that she indeed did not care about the variety of gift-giving, and she was much happier getting something small she had been looking for. She grabbed them, shaking her head. “You could add these to your own collection.”
He shrugged. “I have others I added, and there will be others yet.”
Finishing her drink, she looked around before taking his large hand in both of hers, pressing it to her forehead. There was no one sitting back there, and she felt like touching him. After a few moments, she put his hand down as they both finished their own drinks, after tapping their glasses together.
“Thank you,” she said afterward, hearing her phone buzz again. “Ah! They’re at the downstairs café at the hotel. The quieter one.”
“The one that sells those things you like.”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Want to go now?”
“Yeah. Don’t want to leave them waiting.”
Leona got her long-sleeved shirt and bomber jacket on as Duo Lon took care of the tab at the bar; the bartender nodded, familiar with the two. He liked them-they rarely talked, bought a fair amount of alcohol and food, and stayed out of the way. Additionally, just the mere presence of the pair seemed to be enough to deter trouble from the other patrons, so he welcomed them as the monthly ‘regulars’ as they were.
Walking back to grab his own leather jacket, he zipped it up-the fact he wore only a sleeveless shirt underneath didn’t bother him given his bizarre temperature tolerance-and looked at the door.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
The pair wandered out, opting to walk back to the hotel rather than take one of the trams. It was only about twenty minutes away, and despite the weather and the now-dark sky, they liked it. The trams would likely be busy-it was now around eight, and people were moving out and about for their weekend bar trips, given it was a Friday. Despite the fact their favorite place was generally less-patronized, it was starting to pick up business, and would likely see its tables full in another hour, which both of them liked to avoid. At one point, they passed by a shadowy alley just long enough to decide to embrace for a few moments, before moving back out again and continuing their trek.
Squinting, Duo Lon smirked and pointed.
“Looks like they’re waiting for us.”
“Out in the cold.” She smiled as well, though, seeing the usual bunch-Ralf, Clark, Whip, and Adelheid standing around outside.
“I hope you saved some room for more drinks,” he teased.
“That's why I drank slowly.” Heidern was not outside, but she knew her adoptive father well; he was likely somewhere at the bar already waiting.
As they arrived in shouting distance, Ralf waved; the big man was dressed in his own bomber jacket, with his bandana on as always. He ran up, scooping Leona up in a giant, crushing hug.
“Hey you. Happy Birthday! You didn’t think we’d forget, did ya?”
“Of course not,” she laughed as he put her down. Clark-dressed similarly, complete with sunglasses after eight PM in the winter-likewise gave her a hug. It was said he gave some of the best.
Getting closer to the door, Whip and Adel met her there as well, standing to wave. Whip had on her scarf and brown leather jacket, the big blond next to her wearing his heavy, black longcoat. She hugged them both as well; they felt like her family too, of course.
“Happy Birthday!” Whip smiled. “We have a few things for you inside. Didn’t want the stuff to get cold.”
“Oh?” she asked, a little surprised looking.
“It’s small, don’t worry,” Adel replied, patting her shoulder.
Moving inside to the warmth, the hotel had people milling about, as always. It was a higher-priced one in the center of Köln; large, roomy, clean, and quite popular among the troops when they had to stay in the city.
To be fair, most preferred to stay in the city over the barracks. Even Leona had started to enjoy it more.
Maneuvering through to the downstairs bar, there was a box waiting for her; it indeed looked like something that would hold some sort of food-from a bakery, to be sure. Getting closer, she could smell the cinnamon.
"Thank you, guys," she said, lifting the lid and smiling at the contents; a large, soft, gooey and extremely warm cinnamon bun-one of her favorite sweet treats. She did not have a massive sweet tooth, but she loved these.
"We know you prefer those," a voice said from behind. Heidern walked up to join the group who were sitting around the table in the somewhat dim room.
"Yes," she said, feeling warm from the fact they insisted on showing they cared every year, in a way she appreciated. “It smells so good. And it looks like it was just made.”
“Look. We’ll do what we did last year,” Ralf said, ready to go to the bar. “Go have a drink for all of us and then leave you to your birthday.”
She smiled. “We can have more than one, if you want.”
“You sure you don’t wanna take off with your b-” He looked, the assassin raising his eyebrow toward him.
Leona just laughed at this.
“Alright! Fine, let’s do this.”
Heidern came up behind her, patting her on the shoulder. He never said much on a day like this; she knew that he was wishing her a happy birthday in his own, silent way.
Everyone dragged their drinks to the table-ones that would go well with the hot, melty cinnamon bun in particular-and began to enjoy themselves for sometime. They only stayed for about an hour before Leona stepped off with her partner to go unwind more in private, but once again the soldier left the table feeling warm.
Her life may have been one of turmoil at first, but she would try to find the little things to hang onto as everything improved a little every year.