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I crawled into her bedroom careful not to knock over the stack of books placed on the very corner of the cabinet. She put them there intentionally so whoever was sneaking into her quarters would knock them over, thus waking her up. I had done it countless times, and still do but this was part of her training and to hell if I was going to make it easy for her.
As I approached her bed, the cat glared at me from the desk, sitting next to a portrait of itself that she had been working on the night before. Thankfully it had gotten use to my presence enough to not hiss at me everytime I was around. Her frame was sprawled across the entire mattress, on her belly, hand hanging off the edge. I inspected her closer and noticed her fingers were still covered in charcoal leaving even more dark smudges across her bedspread. I leaned over taking in her face. Her usual smile was replaced with an open mouth that was drooling onto the sheets, clearly in a deep sleep. Not surprising after the long day we had before running along the rooftops.
I grinned and stepped back before shouting her name. She startled awake and rolled over the edge of her bed and onto the floor, tangled in the blankets, hair astray. I couldn't help the childish giggle that escaped me.
"What the hell, Evie Frye?" She frowned and tried to untangle her legs. "That wasn't funny."
"That's debatable." I replied neutrally and helped her hazy head work out how to free herself.
She blinked a few times trying to wake herself up. It was quite adorable if I had to admit it, I could have kissed the frown off her face. But now wasn't the time for that. Stay focused Evie.
"What time is it?" She asked once she took a look out the window clearly not liking the way the sun was shining just slightly in her eye.
"Around half six." I replied cheerfully.
"Too bloody early if you ask me." She retorted grumpily before crawling back into her bed and wrapping herself up to stay cozy. "You're welcome to join me but I'm not getting out of bed for at least another hour and a half."
Another laugh escaped me. I have her a small nudge. "Come now, darling. There's training to be done."
"I'm still tired from yesterday." She whined and pulled the blankets over her face.
"Today's lesson is to wake Jacob up." I provided not caring about her stubbornness. "Then Mr. Green is coming by for your lessons."
"Is there a kip scheduled into today's activities?" She asked peeking out from her blankets.
"I think we can arrange that." I accepted giving her a warm smile. "But get ready quickly, love."
Rookie got ready in record speed, making sure she had on her weapons secure, including the beat up old gauntlet that Henry had found and upgraded for her with the help of Mr. Bell. We had an incident earlier this week where Jacob almost got hit with a falling knife that came loose from her jacket. He wasn't too pleased about it.
"After you, my dear." She waved her arms towards the window.
I climbed out and onto the roof and waited for her to fix her books and close the window almost all the way before climbing up after me. She stood proudly taking in the new day before her. I watched her stretch and look around.
"Where's the train this morning?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Whitechapel station." I replied. I waved my arms in the direction of the station. "After you my dear."
She sighed and jogged past me hurrying to get the roofs over with. It was quite cute how much she dreaded the entire process but never complained about it. I stayed close behind her to catch her if she fell. I'd admit she was getting better but there had been a few close calls of her losing her footing and tumbling down to the shingles and hanging onto the edge by her finger tips. It scared the hell out of me every single time.
I could hear her cursing every time she fumbled her footing but continued onward like the hard headed woman she was.
"Fuck... Shit... Bollocks... Christ..." I heard her mumble. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle or two.
We finally got to the end of the buildings before the train station. No major injuries were had so I would have concluded that overall it was a successful trip to our destination.
Rookie eagerly climbed down to the street and let out a sigh of relief once her feet hit the cobblestone.
"This is where people belong." She told me with a finger pointed in my direction.
"I know I know." I sighed with a smile. "Now I'll meet you on the train. I'll give you a few minute head start. If he wakes before you touch him, you fail your mission."
She sauntered away from me, all confidence and bravado. "Yes yes." She turned around to walk backwards. "I'm aware, mentor." She gave me a smirk before turning back around and running into the crowd.
I kept an eye on her the entire time of course. She didn't bother looking up in the rafters, a problem that we would have to fix later. One step at a time I suppose. She entered the opposite side of the train from Jacob, who was snoring on the sofa where I left him.
I swung down and landed by the engine. As quiet as a mouse, I made my way to the top of the study where Jacob slept and waited. Her opening the carriage door and sneaking into the study gave me the cue to hop down and look through the window on the door she just went through.
So far so good. Jacob hadn't even moved the time I was gone. My favourite Rook was quite cruel when she wanted to be. This showed when without mercy she grabbed his side and pulled him so he fell off the sofa with a loud thud, accompanied by her maniacal laughing and his groans of discomfort. With the commotion I slipped inside unable to help my grin at my brothers misfortune.
"Jesus, who the hell-?" He looked up dazed at the boots before him. He deflated with a sigh. "Rookie."
"Morning Boss." She laughed. "Sleep well?"
"Wish I slept more." He groaned and rolled onto his back.
"You and me both." She held out a hand to help him to his feet. "Mission successful."
"Glad to hear it." Jacob replied sarcastically and eyed me.
He flopped onto the sofa again and held his face in his hands to wake up a little more.
I made a lot of tea for us and I sat mostly silent as the two of them conversed about Blighter strongholds that were growing and word on child labour throughout the city. Jacob made note to keep an eye out for children in need and to take a glance at the stronghold.
I could remember when their relationship was very professional and short but as their friendship grew and our relationship grew, I frequently found Rookie discussing business with Jacob over a pint, more often than not, done with the business and talking for the sake of it. It reminded me of those late night talks now, the way both of them were relaxed on opposite sides of the sofa. I had always worried whomever I chose to spend my life with wouldn't be able to keep up with my dearest brother but luckily I found someone who even kept him on his toes.
Mr. Green came into the carriage then, ready to sit down with Rookie for a few hours of studying. Originally, I had been teaching her, but that quickly backfired when she distracted me to the point where no studying was going on at all. Then Jacob had given it a go, but he hated schooling just as much as she did. I found them at the nearest pub the first afternoon he tried to sit her down. Thus the job was given to Henry, who proved to be doing quite well with keeping her concentrated.
"Here so early, Greenie?" She asked
"Same time as always." He gave her a charming smile. "Frye's, may I ask if we have a little bit of privacy?"
"Can do, Greenie." Jacob stood up and clapped him on the shoulder and started gathering his coat and weapons.
I walked over to Rookie and kissed her quickly. "Behave, you hear me?" She gave a sigh but nodded reluctantly. "Good." I smiled smugly and kissed her again before walking out the door behind Jacob.
*
The two of us came back later that day, just after lunchtime to find Rookie making sandwiches for the lot of us. Usually she would be getting right back into studying by now. I suppose her lessons ran late.
Quietly I walked into the carriage and she turned around with a smile on her face.
"It's not nearly as satisfying sneaking up on you now." I grumbled and stood beside her. "Did you behave for Mr. Green?"
"Of course. Practically an angel." She replied with a grin so innocent she had to be up to something.
"I can confirm that I have seen her in worse moods." Henry said coming into the carriage followed by Jacob.
My head whipped back to hers with a lifted brow for her to explain herself. "Rookie..." I started to scold.
"I may have fell asleep a few times reading some book." She admitted as she put together the last of the sandwiches. "It's been a while since I had to actually read anything..."
"After a short break we did quite a lot." Green provided. "More so than usual in fact."
I looked to Henry and then back to Rookie who looked smug at Green's words. It was only interrupted by her yawn.
"How about, after lunch, you have a nap and we'll take the afternoon off?" I suggested. "Sound fair, Mr. Green?"
"I'm more than willing to let her into your hands." He agreed with a slight nod. "You are her mentor after all."
As we ate, Rookie went on about the assassins Henry was teaching her about. Her hands waving around, she almost lost her sandwich more than once in her excitement. It brought a smile to my face to see her so enthusiastic about something. I knew from the start Rookie didn't have the same fortune as Jacob and I when it came to education, but it surprised me how well she was at it all.
We cleaned our plates and I escorted Rookie to my bedroom. More often than not now a days, she found herself in there with me, or I at hers. I thought about the idea of perhaps finding a flat together on numerous occasions but I wasn't sure if Rookie wanted such a thing. It wasn't her being unsure of our relationship, I knew that for certain. It was the fact that she had been on her own for so long. Did she know anything other than that?
While I was too busy inside my head, Rookie had shed her coat and boots, along with her gauntlet and other weapons and crawled into bed, blankets up to her chin like a child.
"I can practically hear the cogs turning in your head." She commented. She lifted the blankets to invite me in. "Come here and tell me what's got you puzzled, lovie."
I took off my coat, followed by my boots, then my gauntlet and I had the decency to remember the kukri attached to my thigh as well this time, before crawling in beside her. We laid there face to face silent for a minute. Her hand crawled up and started playing with the collar of my shirt.
"Evie?" She prompted.
"I was contemplating the idea of the future." I admitted almost nervously.
"And?" She pressed. "Give me something to work with. You're starting to worry me."
"I was contemplating us in the future." I clarified. "And I'm quite fond of the idea of us potentially living together in a flat to call our own."
She feigned a gasp. "Miss. Frye, we're not even married yet!"
I was glad her humour wasn't affected by this, even if it wasn't an appropriate time to use it. I suppose my rumbled face showed by distaste at the joke because her hand started soothing my arm.
"Right, not the time." She admitted solemnly. Her hand trailed to meet mine, our fingers interlocking. She smiled slightly. "The thought sounds wonderful to me. I'm not sure how good of a roommate I'll be but we can give it a go, yeah?"
I couldn't contain my grin at the words. I felt like a child on Christmas morning. I let her hand go in favour of pulling her closer for a much needed cuddle. I fell asleep like that, holding her close, probably with a smile on my face as well.
*
We woke and Rookie immediately started buckling her belts and doing up her coat with a hardened look on her face. I has barely sat up yet.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I inquired.
"To spy on Charles Smith." She replied distracted by her gauntlet fitting correctly. She flexed her knuckles.
"Rookie." I pleaded. She was constantly keeping tabs on the man. She was terrified he'd show up to take me again.
She only came close and took my cheeks in her palms. "It gives me peace of mind, Evie. Let me do this." I sighed but agreed. She pulled me into a kiss quickly. "I'll find you here." She told me before slipping out the door and onto the empty railroad tracks. I wasn't happy about her decision by far but it was what she wanted and I wasn't about to argue with her