Will

Sam returned with a bowl of chicken soup and a whole crew of people at her back. Apparently Mongrel had gotten wind of Will coming to and invited himself along with Nyx and Number One for company, and Serene was there as well, though she was customarily withdrawn and looked as though she'd prefer to be anywhere else.

The old chimp was first to waddle over, and took Will's left hand to sign into it: 'Happy come back.'

"Thanks, Number One," Will said. "You can sign like normal, though. I'll still see it."

Number One nodded and took a step back, signing: 'Understand.'

Mongrel hovered awkwardly at Will's shoulder as he began to spoon down some soup.

"Go on, Matthew," the demoness purred encouragingly. "Make up with your little friend now." She was the most disturbing presence to his new makeshift sense, visible as only little bits and scraps of body parts flickering in and out with seemingly nothing connecting the empty space between them. A product of her selective intangibility, he supposed.

"Mind your business, demon!" Mongrel snapped back. Then he hovered some more, tramped his feet, and finally said: "Hey, kid."

"Hey," Will mumbled around a spoonful of soup. It was a little cold, but he couldn't slurp it down fast enough. It seemed the more he ate, the hungrier he got.

"So."

Will chewed on a bit of gristle. "So."

"You were pretty mad at me last time we saw each other."

"I do distinctly remember punching you in the face."

"It hurt, I'll have you know. But, uh…" He rubbed uncomfortably at his bald spot. "What's the temperature like now? Should I be getting ready to duck and run?"

"Depends." Will spooned out the last scrapings, then tossed bowl and spoon clattering onto the table. "Sam, what was Matt like during the trip?"

"Still on Matt, are we?" Mongrel grumbled under his breath.

Sam was sitting on Will's right, waiting attentively with a napkin to wipe his chin like a baby. It would probably take some time before he'd be able to convince her that he could do anything by himself. "He was good," she said. "I never would have gotten to Buck without him."

That's something, I guess. She did sound like she was telling the truth, too—not just covering for him.

"In that case, I apologize," Will said, and turned to Mongrel with a deferential nod. "I doubted your friendship, and you've proven me wrong." He allowed himself a small twist of a smile. "It's good to see you again, old man."

Mongrel's hazy silhouette stood still and unreadable. Then, after a while, he said: "Well, I reckon I forgive you, then." He raised his hand, hesitated, then brought it stiffly down on Will's upper back. "It's good to see you too, kid. I'm glad that you didn't, uh… Well, that… It would have been real tragic if…" He threw his hands up with a haughty snort. "Oh, whatever! You know what I mean!"

"I do," Will replied, smiling. He motioned toward the quarter-finished jigsaw puzzle that was Nyx's strange silhouette. "So, what's it been like having a demoness for a servant?"

"Fucking awful! Might as well wipe my ass with that dumb contract for all the good it's done me. She just does what she wants, same as she ever did! Which, by the way, seems to be whatever would annoy me the most at any given moment."

"He exaggerates," Nyx cut in smoothly. "It's not my fault that my master doesn't know what's best for him. I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands. I signed a binding contract, after all. To safeguard Matthew's interests above all—from himself, if necessary."

Number One nodded along sagely. Mongrel whipped his head around and fixed the old chimp with what Will imagined was a withering glare. Its subject pretended not to notice.

"And she won't put out, the hag!" Mongrel added, clearly outraged and expecting everyone else to match his sentiment.

"No!" Will exclaimed in mock outrage. "Say it ain't so. Nyx, how could you?"

"Don't pretend like I'm the unreasonable one here!" Mongrel's voice had started to take on a shrill edge. "You know what she's like, always teasing me, always saying 'Let's do this!' or 'Let's do that!'. And now that I'm actually willing to play ball? Now she decides it's a ridiculous idea!"

Nyx approached the pot-bellied little man, more of her arms and chest and face materializing as she pressed herself against his back. "Calm, dearest," she murmured in his ear. "We wouldn't want your blood pressure to spike, would we?"

"Unhand me, demon!" Mongrel shrieked, swatting ineffectually at Nyx with his flailing arms meeting no resistance as they went through her. "Number One! Help me!"

Number One was busy striking a match off the stone floor, an unlit cigarette pinched between his lips, and paid no attention to his master.

"Hey, gimme one of those," Will said, motioning to the chimp. Number One produced a pack from his inside vest pocket and tapped a cigarette halfway out against the back of his hand, then reached out for Will to take it.

"Don't give him that!" Sam exclaimed, but Will already had it lit up by the time she got serious enough to try and stop him. He took a triumphant inhale, held it, and blew smoke out the corner of his mouth.

"They're good for you," Will said. "You'd know if you tried them."

"Like shit they are!"

"Who's the herbalist here? I happen to know my stuff, thank you very much."

Sam settled into sullen silence, big arms tightly crossed.

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Nearby, Mongrel was still straining uselessly against Nyx's embrace, exhibiting all the energy of an obstinate six-year-old lashing out at his mother.

There was something about the scene that teased a nostalgic smile out of Will, but a little dose of crazy was about all he could handle at the moment. The movement and noise was starting to make him woozy. As soon as an opportunity presented itself he asked if the others could leave for now, and he'd catch up with them properly later. Sam executed his request with unyielding efficiency, already in the process of bundling the guests out of the apartment before he had finished speaking.

"Serene can stay," Will said once Sam began shooing her out. "And Sam, would you mind waiting outside for a minute? There's something I need to discuss with her privately."

Sam halted mid-stride and turned stiffly to look at him. "Privately? Why?"

"Because I'm asking nicely is why," Will replied, then took another drag off his cigarette. "Don't worry, it'll be quick."

"What have you got to tell her that you can't tell me?"

"A secret, obviously. Hence the nature of my request."

Sam gave Serene a long look. The former prostitute held up her palm in a half-shrug. "Don't look at me, babe. I have no idea what he wants."

Will motioned for the door with his cigarette. "Go on, Sam. I'll be with you in a minute. I'm not hiding anything fun from you—cross my heart."

With a sharp huff, she spun on her heel and marched out. She'd definitely gotten taller, he remarked as he watched her leave. If she kept going like that, she'd be ducking under door frames pretty soon. He wondered what was causing that, exactly. Toughness, maybe? Strength? Some sort of happy combination?

He couldn't say he disliked it.

"Yes?" Serene asked impatiently after Sam had shut the door behind her, bringing Will back to the present. She leaned against the opposite wall, arms and ankles crossed. "What do you want?"

Will nodded, flicking the butt of his cigarette inside the empty soup bowl, and blew out one last breath of smoke. "You know of a fellow named Oatmeal, or Wesley?"

"I think so. Some weaselly kid who showed up with Mongrel and them. Why?"

"He's got some sensitive information I don't want leaked. Sam said she told him to stick around, but apparently he bailed a few days ago. Unless the situation in the harbor is better than I assume it is, he's probably still in the city."

"You want me to find him."

"That's right. Track him down and bring him to the keep."

"Why should I do your dirty work? I agreed to help you beat Brimstone. He's dead now. Now, you and me? As far as I'm concerned, our acquaintance is over. No offense or anything."

"And here I thought you were my apprentice," Will said, only half joking.

Serene clicked her tongue sharply.

"Let me ask you this, then. What are you going to do now? Go back to working the streets—such as they are? Follow Sam around like a lost puppy? Find another lucrative line of work?"

She didn't say anything to that.

"You've just got clean. Thanks to your divine vow, you can't afford a relapse. Now, to stay clean, you're gonna need more than just willpower. You need focus. Something to keep you busy.

"Your performance back there went above my expectations. With the state I'm in, I have a feeling I'm going to need someone to be my red right hand for a while. Someone I can trust, with a good head on their shoulders and a flexible moral compass.

"My work is rarely pretty, I'll admit, but it needs doing. I've earned a good few levels and some nice money doing it."

Will spread his hands, right one twitching fitfully, and smiled. "So, what do you say? Care to become an assassin's apprentice in earnest?"

Serene remained quiet. As the silence stretched on, Will had the sickening feeling that it had gone on for hours, time sliding away from him, before suddenly coming to the realization that it had been less than a minute. He dug a thumb into the knotted scar on his right thigh, let the pain center him and keep him in the present.

"What if he won't come willingly?" Serene asked.

"Then you get creative," Will replied. "A few threats of extreme violence usually go a long way."

"And if that doesn't work? If he tries to run?"

"Then you kill him. Make it quiet if you can. I'd prefer to have the kid alive, but it really doesn't matter that much. I trust you to exercise sound judgment."

"Fine. You going to give me any weapons? All I got is that rifle I looted, and that seems a little high-profile for this."

"Do I look like a quartermaster? You're a big girl, you can sort that part out yourself. I've got some poisons I could give you, but I think we'd better hold off on that for now. A shockingly high number of poisoners die from accidental exposure to their own concoctions."

Serene shouldered herself upright. "You'll pay me."

"Of course. You won't have any reason to complain, either with the quality of your education or your financial compensation. Now, unless you have any other questions…?"

Serene turned to leave without another word.

"Hold on, actually," Will said, causing her to halt by the door. "One last thing. I'd really prefer if you don't discuss the nature of your employment with anyone—Sam especially—Nyx being the one exception. I'll fill her in on the situation, and she'll handle your payroll for the time being."

"Fine," Serene replied flatly. "I'll get you your guy." She sounded as excited about it as she did with everything else—meaning not very—but she set to it quickly enough, leaving the door hanging open as she left the room.

She didn't even haggle over the pay, Will thought, pleased. She must be antsier than I thought.

* * *

Sam

Sam was pacing up and down the hallway when Serene came out. She jogged over, and the black-haired beauty stopped to let her catch up, a wan smile crossing her perfect features.

Sam went to speak, but Serene cut her off, saying: "No."

"What?"

"We were about to have a several minute long passive-aggressive conversation until you finally got around to not-so-subtly asking if I was flirting with your boyfriend in there. A question to which the answer is 'No'."

"Oh." Sam chewed uncomfortably on her bottom lip. "Am I that obvious?"

"Babe, you're about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Whatever you're worried about, though—don't be. I'm not that kind of girl. Besides, no offense, but your boyfriend's a bit of an acquired taste."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That he's an asshole."

"Hey!"

"You saying he's not?"

"Well, I mean… a little maybe, but…"

"I do respect exactly one thing about the guy." Serene leaned in, and beckoned Sam closer with a curled finger until their faces were almost touching. "Which is that he's crazy about you." She stood away, backing up for a few strides before spinning around to head down the hall. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste any time getting jealous over Will Greene!" she called over her shoulder, offering a limp wave with the back of her hand. "You'll just turn your hair gray for no good reason."

Sam watched her friend leave, bumblebees bumping around happily inside her stomach. He's crazy about me? Maybe she'd already known that, but hearing it confirmed by someone else still made her giddy. And Serene was smart, and she had loads of experience with men, so if she said it, that meant it had to be true.

"Wait!" Sam called when Serene had almost rounded a corner, suddenly realizing that she hadn't actually had her question answered. "What did you talk about?"

"Ask him if you want to know! He made me promise to keep my mouth shut."

Before Sam could argue, she turned into the fork in the hallway and was gone. Sam was left standing there, happy bumblebees now battling frightened moths for supremacy over her lower intestine.

Barely out of bed, and Will was already cooking up some kind of scheme. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse about the state of things.

At least he was being himself.

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