Tacitha for Paula

Shouto [i]has[/i] to listen to me this time.

[p]He has to.

[p]Especially when he sees me in this new, ultra-high-tech camouflage suit that doubles as a thermal control device.

[p]When we're on a mission, that is. Out on the street, it has the look of a jumpsuit in the [i]cutest[/i] shade of bubble-gum pink.

[p]I mean, I can't be seen in some boring black or gross gray, obviously.

[p]Or...maybe I should go with the subtle green?

[p]I can get lost in my closet for [i]hours[/i]. Any girl worth the kind of big bucks I have needs at least three walk-in closets, if she wants to consider herself the least bit fashionable.

[p]I have seven.

[p]Oh drat. There I go getting distracted by clothes again. I'd better get a move on if I want to catch Shouto on his usual daily stroll. I know he secretly really wants me to join his organization or he'd obviously choose another road to walk.

[p](Okay, so maybe it [i]is[/i] the shortest way through the city. I still say it's because he secretly really wants me.)

[p]Maybe my first real mission will be with Tel. He is [i]so[/i] dreamy.

[p]Wow, did I just think that?

[p]Thank goodness nobody can hear my thoughts.

[p]But he is so wild and strong. He's like a force of nature. I would give [i]anything[/i] for one of those lopsided smiles to be aimed right at me.

[p]Okay...I'll compromise with a nice powder blue. I wish my eyes could be such a nice shade. Boring brown, on an otherwise perfect face.

[p]My eyelashes, however, are pure perfection.

[p]Shouto is right where I'm expecting him to be. It's almost like he was waiting for me. I know his exasperated sigh is all for show.

[p]"Shout-ooo. Let me into your club. You [i]know[/i] I'll only keep asking."

[p]"Tacitha. We've been over this a hundred times. You're skinny as a stick, you weigh less than a feather and you have no fighting skills whatsoever."

[p]"Yeah, but I'm rich. So rich, I could buy you [i]all[/i] the best weapons and [i]still[/i] have enough left over for several really cool get-away cars...and that's just the cash I have on me."

[p]"You'll get hurt...or worse. Go back to playing dress-up."

[p]He's immune to my pout, which is a real shame. I've been practicing my pout for [i]years[/i].

[p]"You could get your hands on the most impressive treasures in the city, with my help. I can bribe [i]anybody[/i] into leaving their post. You want the Fantasy Diamond? You got it. Want to get your hands on some magical silk from the Mystic Mountains? All yours. There isn't a guard...or a city official...I can't bribe. Just think how much more [i]fun[/i] it would be if you could all live in mansions as lovely as mine. All I'm asking in return is a chance to feel a little thrill for once. You have no idea how [i]boring[/i] life gets when you can have anything without even trying. Help me feel the rush, Shouto. Plee-e-ease?"

[p]He sighs. "Everything is a game to you, Tacitha. You've never spent a night in jail. You've never eaten something soft and squishy and wondered if it was soggy bread or really dense cabbage."

[p]I wrinkle my nose at him. I only eat imported food at the very best restaurants.

[p]I mean, seriously. [i]Cabbage?[/i] Who does he think I [i]am[/i]?

[p]"I could've had their heads, Shouto. I still could, you know. You [i]did[/i] try to rob me."

[p]He winces and looks around. We're alone, of course. Always so paranoid.

[p]"Ichi is still angry that one of your guards scarred her, you know. She'd like nothing better than to pin you to a wall by every scrap of fancy silk you're wearing."

[p]I roll my eyes...but only after I've had a quick look of my own.

[p]It's not like I'm [i]afraid[/i] of Ichi. No way.

[p]But she [i]is[/i] really good with a knife.

[p]"One job, Shouto. I'll never ask you for anything again."

[p]"That's [i]exactly[/i] what you said when I let you observe us on the Platinum Pin mission."

[p]"You made me stand there while you stole a [i]hairpin[/i]. I want a real mission. Glorious. Dangerous. The sort of thing I can put in my memoirs, years from now."

[p]His last sigh is even more resigned than the first. It's how I know I've won.

[p][center]*****[/center]

[p]The hall is done up in lots of hieroglyphs, with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and a low sort of moaning sound. Wind? Or the cursed breath of a mummy?

[p]Keep it together, girl. Not only do you look stunning in your cream taffeta adventure gown, but you are totally going to own whatever this tomb has to offer.

[p]I take it a step at a time, well aware that a trap could be sprung at any moment. I've watched pretty much every action film ever made. I know how these things work.

[p]There really [i]is a trap. My foot barely presses down and this whole volley of arrows goes flying straight at me!

[p]Tel swings me over his shoulder and makes three spectacular leaps that take us right to the central platform where a ruby the size of my fist awaits.

[p]He's so close...if only he'd take a few steps forward, he'd be near enough to kiss.

[p]He's looking at me so seriously. "These things always have a pressure trigger. You take the jewel and make for the exit. I'll watch your back."

[p]I can think of other things I wish he'd do to my back...but if I ever want to convince Shouto to let me do any more cool missions, I've got to stay focused.

[p]Another operative, a female whose name I don't know, is waiting for me. She tucks the jewel into a bag that almost seems to eat the light sputtering from the torches.

[p]"Wait out there. One of the drivers will see you safely down the mountain."

[p]The truck has the most gorgeous scent of lavender, but it's making me so sleepy. All this adventuring, I guess...

[p][center]*****[/center]

[p][i]Ichi sneered as the lumbering green truck made its way off the training compound, a certain heiress snoring loudly in the back.

[p]"You think she'll ever suspect?"

[p]Shouto gave her a warning look. "This time tomorrow, she'll be back in her posh little world, trying to convince her rich friends this wasn't all just some wonderful dream. Soon, she'll start to believe it herself. We needed her out of our hair. The real mission is too important for any distractions...but you will not let on to her what we have done. If you are ever stupid enough to be outwitted by her people a second time, you're out."

[p]Ichi bared her teeth in a silent snarl. "You know very well that no one ever catches me twice."[/i]

[p]Story by [user=Pureflower]