The Siren and The Demon Chapter 2
"The whole point of your mission was to convince the brawlers to join us. “ Kazarina scolded the teenagers kneeling in front of her. “What part of that was confusing to you ?!”
The agents all found the floor quite interesting, appearently. Her teammates each scolded the kids, except for Gill. Interesting Kozarina thought. Gill would never miss a chance on belittling someone. Perhaps, degrading teenagers was not as enjoyable as degrading her. He gave the emperor a suggestion for their next strike instead.
The meeting was dismissed.She watched the agents leaving the room one by one, on their toes. Emperor gave them the order to prepare for attack. Gill turned to her with a smug expression on his face.
"We have to prepare for the attack, not a night out. So don't waste too much time On your make-up."
"And you make sure to go potty before the attack."
The stifled laughter on her other teammates’ face were reassuring her that she had come up with a good come back. She sent Gill her fakest smile.
The agentd have been waiting in the main sallon of the palace for some time now. The ships needed to be prepared by their owners, and it took almost an hour. They were mostly silent, yet they stood together. The failure was theirs, just as how the victory would have been theirs as well.
"Do you guys think Sid is okay?" Zenet asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Sid’s dead, Zenet. "Mason replied, his expression cold as stone. "They killed him for losing the element."
"Have you seen the body?"
"Do I need to? The emperor explicitly said that he doesn't want any weaklings around. So You get destroyed when you fuck up. Easy as that.”
“The stakes are high for us now." Lena said, crossing her arms. “My guess is that they will try us out individually and decide who gets to stick around." She looked around, "Our lives would've been lot easier if it wasn't for the brawlers."
"Those fucking idiots have no idea what we are going through here." Mason said. "Both us individually and the entirety of Gundalia generally."
"If they had seen the Gundalia's condition they would have chosen to help us instead of Neithians," Ren spoke as if he was in a dream. "I am sure of that."
"Then perhaps you should have tried to explain our motivation to them. We didn't start a war just to satisfy our craving for violance." Jesse said.
"Maybe you should've done that Jesse, since you are so good with words"
“If I was the appointed leader of this mission, I would.”
Zenet's cell phone rang, interrupting the bickering. Once she saw the name on it, she hid the screen by putting it on her leg. "I'll be right back." She said as she walked away. Once she was sure she was far enough, she picked up the phone. Her head tilted and her expression hardend on her face. "No, I am not." They heard her say. "I can't talk to you right now." She turned to her teammates and once she realized that they were observing her, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"What the fuck?" Mason grumbled. "
"My money is on the chance of her having a suitor that won't stop chasing her," Jesse replied.
“Isn't she a little too young for that?"
“She is only 2 years younger than us.”
“2 years is lot when you are a teen.”
“Well, I had a boyfriend when I was 15.” Lena shruged." Plus, if we are going to get murdered for losing a match we might as well lose our virginity beforehand."
The others laughed at the irony.
"Well well." "Kazarina said when she saw the knight running towards the enemy's Side. "Who let Elright out of his cage?” "Somebody is getting fired." Gill replied. Kazarina crossed her arms as she turned to him. "I thought Airzel was keeping him captive." She sent a cheeky smile. "Perhaps your loyal aide is not as great as you think.”
“Do not take his name on your mouth Kazarina." Gill replied harshly. "At least I have friends other than lab rats.”
The blonde's smug expression slowly faded off her face as she turned in front of her. "Neither you nor the other men would have your vicious toys to play with, if it wasn't for my research center," she said. "It is thanks to us, to me, that we are so strong.”
Gill smirked as he walked towards her. Closing the few steps gap between them, he leaned on her. The scent of his woody perfume filled her lungs as he whispered: “Then perhaps I'll have to find new toys to play with, my dear.”
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The Siren and The Demon Chapter 9
Note: Sorry for the late update. This cooperate job is kicking my ass lmao. However, the next chapter will be out shortly because it is currently ready to read, I just need to type it on docs. I love you all.
It was perhaps the first time Zenet had ever seen the expression of emotion on the emperor’s face.
His jaw dropped as Dharak flew up in the air. He turned to the ball-shaped creature and they looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Barodius turned his head to the young girl again.
“Zenet, I am going to need to see some proof.”
Zenet nodded and took her phone out of her pocket. She made a phone call and put it on the dial, holding it in front of her face. Barodius ordered her to come closer with his hand and leaned forward.
The phone rang a few times as Zenet audibly blew her breath out, trying to slow down her heart’s beating.
“Yes Zenet?”
“Dad?”
Gill went silent for a split second, which made Barodius think: Could she have lied?
“Zenet, how many times must I tell you not to call me that? What if I wasn’t alone?”
“I am sorry.” Zenet backed down immediately as she watched Barodius’ jaw drop once again. Gill sighed.
“You can call me dad when we are alone, but you need to be sure that we are alone. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How are you?”
“Fine. I called because I- I am going to come a little late to your place tonight.”
“When are you going to be there?”
“Like, around 10 pm.”
“Why?”
“I need to do a little bit of shopping.”
“Okay then.”
“See you, bye.”
It was Gill who hung up. Barodius looked at Zenet. Carefully, for the first time.
How could he have not realized it? It was obvious! The eyes, the chin, the tiger-like way she walked even. Features of his very best friend. How could he be so blind?
“How?” was the only thing he could verbally ask.
She shrugged. “Life happens, I suppose.”
“Tell me the story, from the beginning. When did you find out who your father was?”
“I kind of always knew. My mom had shown him to me when he was on TV.”
“You had a mother? Then why did you end up in an orphanage?”
“They took me away from her.”
“Why?”
“I…I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Zenet, I will ask Gill to fill me up on details if you don’t. Would you like that?” He asked, eyes fully open and fixated on her.
Zenet’s voice shivered. “No sire. I would not.”
“Then continue.”
“I… She had trouble with substance abuse. Alcohol, heavy drugs. All of that stuff.”
“Where is she now? Is she alive?”
“I don’t know, sire.”
How could Gill have slept with a woman like that?
“Do you know how they met?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t they send you off to live with Gill instead of the orphanage?”
They tried that first but he didn’t accept it.”
Wow. Just wow.
“Is this why you joined the army? To have access into his life?”
“No. I joined the army because military school was relatively easier to get into and it was a boarding school. So I would not end up on the streets when I turned 15 and got kicked out of the orphanage.”
“They just kick you out when you turn 15?”
Zenet looked at the emperor as if he were an alien. Was he that ignorant about the life conditions of the empire he ruled?
“Yes, they do.” She said, putting all her acting skills to use to mask her anger. “No place to stay, no money, no nothing.” She made a gesture with her hand. “My career choices were either military or prostitution. So here we are. I don’t have a sneaky master plan to ruin Gill’s life.”
“Military and prostitution,” Barodius repeated slowly. She almost said same thing but held her tongue.
“What else is that bastard hiding from me?!” He asked. She held out her hands.
He looked away, thinking. After a moment of silence, he turned to her.
“Spy on him for me. And I will make sure you don’t end up like the others. Find something useful, and I will reward you.”
A faint smile appeared on Zenet’s lips as she quickly bowed.
“Yes sire. As you command.”
Ren needed to sit this one out. Her dad did not understand it, so she had to put her skills to use.
Yet, she was slipping. It took Gill and his partner a short time to figure out who she was.
“What is the meaning of this, Zenet?” he asked. “I told you to stay away!”
“I know I know! I just wanted another shot with those brawlers, y’know? Please, just give me this one chance.” She looked around and checked the door before lowering her voice. “Are you going to deny your daughter of this?”
Well, at least she got more considerate of their secret this time.
“Fine. But you better not mess it up.”
She exhaled. “Oh, thank you!”
Before leaving the main room to investigate the rest of the ship, she sat on the stairs climbing to Gill’s throne-like seat. She put her elbows on her knees as they sat there in silence.
There was something peaceful about sitting together in silence. In their brief meetings, they would normally always have something to discuss or dispute over.
Zenet could not help but imagine another life in which they had a proper father-daughter relationship instead of…whatever this is.
In that life, this environment would probably be a home setting. Maybe the living room, or Gill’s study. She would be reading a book, or studying. And her dad would be working, or serving himself a drink maybe. And there would be silence, similar to this one yet much less tense.
In that life, Zenet would have a family.
It was a total disaster!
She had found nothing on the ship. Absolutely nothing! And as the cherry on top, they had lost to the brawlers! Zenet wanted to choke that bastard they call Shun!
“That’s it! It’s over! I’m done for!”
She was sitting on the floor again. But this time, she was alone with her partner.
“Gill wouldn't-” He tried to say. “He wouldn’t. Right? You are his daughter!”
“I wish I could say he wouldn’t.”
“Maybe we can talk ourselves out of this. I am sure we can reason with him. At the end of the day, who is more of a natural ally for him than you?”
She bowed her head. “I am not good enough, he saw that today. He won't help me.”
“Would he be so cruel?”
“You are forgetting we are Gundalian. We are not down with this loyalty thing.”
“I suppose not.”
She looked at Contestir with ambition burning bright, like a couple of stars in her eyes. “I figured that out about us a long time ago, Constestir. That’s why I applied to be a slipper agent in the first place.” Her shoulders fell off. “I want to be powerful. I want to have enough power to protect myself so that I would never need anybody’s loyalty to save me. You understand?”
“Yes, I think I do.”
“” That’s what makes us different from the humans. Things like friendship and loyalty mean something to the humans Contestir. The only time we want to work together is when we want to mess someone up. And if you don’t have anybody to have your back, that’s pretty much all you can do.”
“To have power?”
“Exactly. Power, control, money.” She shook her head. “That’s what you should be aiming for if you want to survive in here. More than just to survive, if you want to be seen, heard, or respected. I-” She hesitated for a split second. “I will become someone. Someone who would never be kicked out of anywhere. Never.”
Not even by Gill. Contestir wanted to add but held his tongue.
Of course, he would make her spy on Kazarina. Of course.
She tried better with the act this time. She remembered what Jesse taught her about acting, Your act should convince you before anyone else. Let loose. Being to aware of the fact that one is acting spoils one’s entire performance.
Lucky for her, the old hag was so full of herself to realize that she was talking to an impostor.
“Seriously? Those two are planning on overthrowing the emperor?”
“I know right? Can you believe it? Those two are so sneaky!” She bubbled. Her enthusiasm faded as she realized Gill’s attitude towards the news. “And why do you look like that?” She asked.
“Like what?”
“Like you have been betrayed! I thought you would be more excited about all of this.”
“I am.” He said, with the grin that appeared on his lips. “You have done very well, Zenet.”
“Thank you. I am ready for my next assignment sir.” She smiled. “Master Gill.”
The expression froze on her face as she realized his hand in the air. The red light started to crackle between his fingers. Her eyes opened widely.
“Gill!”
Gill’s face turned to panic as they both looked at the emperor, who appeared on the big screen.
Zenet turned his head down as she let her breath out.
“Yes, sire?”
“You don’t touch that girl, do you understand me?”
“But-”
“I said, do you understand me?”
Gill hesitated for a second. “I do.”
“Good.” Barodius hung up without feeling the need to explain himself any further. Gill turned to Zenet, whose torso was slightly bent over, palms touching her knees as she tried to regulate her breath. Her head was down. And without lifting it, she looked up at him.
Her eyes frightened him.
He had made a big mistake.
“What did you do?” He asked with a low voice, trying his best to hide his fear and look intimidating. “What did you do to make him look out for you?”
No use. She was not scared.
It was his turn to be scared now.
She straightened up. “It is none of your business, Gill.”
“Of course it is my business!” He got up from his seat and came closer.
“I am not going to explain myself to you. Why should I? You have never been a father to me! You fucking left me in an orphanage to fuck off and live your best life! You have no right to ask me anything! I can do whatever the fuck I need to do!”
“Zenet, I am going to ask you one more time: What the hell did you do?!”
“Get the fuck out of my face, you son of a bitch!”
The smacking sound of the slap she felt across her face hung in the air, suddenly cutting the screaming match like a knife.
Her hand went to her cheek. It burnt like hellfire, and the skin had already gotten red.
He slowly moved forward. “Zenet…” He tried to say. But she stepped back, raging. “Fuck off.” She cursed once again. Her eyes, which were ironically identical to his, stared deep into his soul.
“You are going to pay for this.”
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