One hot week in the jungle

Kas looked around confused then rubbed his eyes. He was having a wonderful dream about...something, but he couldn't re-

"Wai...love? Huh?"

Everything else was forgotten as he ran after her, still groggy and tripping over blankets and things.

Rema chuckled hearing him tripping, and got downstairs, but gasped

"B!"

She yelled, and rushed over to the bar, where she saw blood, and quite a bit of it, but no one was there

"B! Where are you!"

She looked down, seeing a trail of blood, and followed it, running out the door, and when she got out there, she saw no guards, but more blood, and more trails of it, dragging outside the city.

Growling under her breath she ran and continued along the trails

Kas blinked, totally having missed the exact moment when she threw her dagger. One moment the man was about to attack, the next he was on the ground dead and Kas never saw how. Slowly he shook his head and muttered.

"Y'r good at yer trade girl..."

He walked over and prodded the man with his foot before looking up and over to Ridell and her friend.

"Everyth'n a'right there love?"

Rid nodded, using a small knife to cut the ropes

"S-Seems to be.."

Her hands were shaking a bit, she was obviously shaken up, even just the slightest

"Stupid assassins bringing in other people.."

She reached into her pouch, and when she pulled her hand out her fingers were covered in what looked like dust, which she held to his nose, and within seconds was promptly awake.

-"'ey.. I told ya not to use that crap.. uh.. where.. why am I.. here?"-

He said looking around, until he saw the dead body and chuckled

-"Well.. least ya got him"-

Kas raised his eyebrow at the powder but didn't think anything of it until the bartender spoke up about it. He mentally shrugged and decided to worry about it later. He moved to stand beside Ridell.

"M'think'n it's bout time y'went after these folk...so they'll leave ya in peace y'know?"

Rid nodded slowly and let out a deep sigh, helping B up. He looked a bit groggy but otherwise good

-"Aye.. I dont want that happening again.. "-

She helped him into the town and back to the bar, sitting him down into a chair. It had begun to rain, which she was happy about, as it would clean up the blood

Kas helped her carry the bartender back to the tavern and looked thoughtful. An expression that still would seem odd on his face. Regardless he helped see to the bartender and started cleaning up the tavern itself. Soon enough he was finished and plopped down behind the bar and poured himself, Rid and the bartender a drink.

"Phew...so wha d'we do to stop'm from try'n to kill ya Lovely?"

"We kill them"

She was sitting in a corner of the bar, her legs curled up to her chest, and she watched him, her eyes glowing quite a bit

"Its the only way to stop them, its the only way to change anything.. As an assassin, you carry out your orders or you kill the person who hired you."

Kas swirled his drink around then laid his eyes on her, watching her as she spoke. He nodded slowly. He wasn't about to abandon her now.

"A'right...so where d'we start then love?"

"I.."

She narrowed her eyes, staring at nothing, and shook her head

"Im not sure yet. They move a lot.. "

She seemed a bit strange, seemed almost nervous. She knew how powerful they were, and also knew they wouldnt stand much of a chance against a whole clan of rogues.

Slowly she looked over at Kas

"Im not going to drag you into this part"

Rolling his eyes, Kas waved his hand and looked over to the bartender.

"Is she a'ways this thick? Yeesh..."

He looked back over to Ridell.

"Two things love, f'rst, I ain 'elpless and worthless y'know. I dinna g't t'be cap'n with a loyal crew cause of me pretty looks, though tha helped."

He held up two fingers.

"Two,'ow else m'I gonna prove t'ya tha I love ya and c'n be trusted eh? I follow'd ya all tha way from BB, I watched o'er as y'slept...-slept- and I coulda easily kill'd ya then or had m'way with ya, despite 'ow good y'are..."

He took a deep breath, and just grinned at her in that way of his.

"C'n we move past tha 'Kas not come'n' part and get on with tha 'let's g't shit done' part?"

Rid let him finish, and slowly stood up, her head tilted to the side.

"Do you have any idea what my world is like?"

She stepped forward, her head still slightly tilted to the side, and her eyes slightly narrowed

"You've never seen a person or beast like I have, you've never faced the trials Ive had to. You've never, ever, had to endure the suffering of it all"

Finally she got right in front of him, and eyed him from foot to his eyes

"You dont know whats lurking in the shadows. You have no idea."

Kas' eyes met hers and his smiles and grins were non-existent. He looked calm, and peaceful strangely enough, though it didn't hide the hurt, anger and disappointment in his voice.

"An lady...you aint got no idea wha I been through...and y'obviously never will."

He turned away from her and looked at the bartender.

"Sorry mate, but any girl whose seen it all and face'd such 'orrible trials, dun need me. She can go't alone."

He looked back at Ridell, this time glaring a bit and used one finger to very clearly wave goodbye as he left the tavern without waiting for a response from her.

As he got out of sight, Rid sighed deeply, leaning on the bar as she sat at it, her face in her hands. B was cleaning a glass and said low

-"I know why you did that.. You could of used the help though.."-

"Im not having another death of a good person be because of me.. "

-"He could of taken care of hi-.."-

"Im not taking my chances.. not after what just happened with you.."

-"....You like the boy dont ya"-

"I dont know B.. "

She sighed again, before standing up and taking a deep drink from the nearby glass

-"I'll see you again girly, you know it"-

"Yeah.. See you around B.."

She walked out the door that Kas hadnt, that pained look still on her face. She didnt want to make him mad, but after what happened to B, she didnt want anyone else in her life, anyone else that could be used as bait.

-"Hey! Kas!"-

B was running after him, looking quite out of breath, not used to running at all.

-"Vent all you want, that girl needs ya"-

He had a concerned look on his face, knowing Rid couldnt face a whole clan on her own. He handed Kas a piece of parchment, that had a map of the Undercity, but there was an area in the sewers that branched off from what most people knew about

-"Thats where shes headed.. "-

Kas was jolted out of his thoughts by someone calling his name. For a moment he thought it was Janine since she had been on his mind but soon realized the voice was slightly more masculine. He turned around then blinked as he took the map.

"Tha girl dun need nobody."

Despite that, he stuffed the map into his pants pocket.

"She got much 'eart left in'r I'd say, but if I get bore'd and noth'n t'do maybe I'll storll on down tha way..."

He looked the bartender over and grinned faintly.

"Y'r outta shape fatman...y'should get out more...do some run'n and tha like...so y'can fend of the roguish types...prolly get more girls too...or men...or whate'er tickles y'r fancy..."

Normally, even Kas had more tact than that and didn't tease so harshly, but at the moment he didn't care much. His heart was hurting from the clash with Ridell and he wasn't overly sure how to handle it.

B shook his head, pushing the comment off as if he had never said it

-"That girls crazy over ya. And thats why she made ya mad! To get you away from her, because anyone close to her becomes a target, like I was"-

He said, absently pointing towards where he was taken off to

-"She wont admit it, but I seen the way she looked at ya."-

He finally caught his breath, and his voice almost had a sudden pleading tone in it

-"Youve got to help her.. I cant fight half as good as ya, and she's going to need help. Otherwise its basically suicide. Get going!"-

He said, suddenly pointing towards the back of Silvermoon, where the stone of translocation was.

-"I know ya love her! Prove it to her!"-

Kas sighed and wasn't sure he believed any of that. He was getting frustrated and that that more often than not would cause him to wash his hands of most situations. Still something nagged at him. Was it love? Or just lust? He didn't know. Either way he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I was head'n ta Undercity anyway...y'know if ya care bout her so much maybe y'should go after'r eh? Y'dun look tha old..."

B pulled up his left pant leg. His leg was non-existant, just a long piece of wood with a shoe on the end

-"I would in half a second if I could.."-

He looked off towards the orb and sighed

-"Just get going before that girl gets in trouble.."-

Kas raised his eyebrow then shrugged.

"Any wom'n who couldn't love ya j'st cause of tha aint worth 'ave'n..."

Sighing a bit himself he slumped his shoulders and shook his head.

"See ya later Bartend'r Man..."

Kas jogged off towards the orb still thinking it was a bad idea.