Kiss

Thrud was always seen as a brute. From his puddy face to his massive muscles, vampyrs took him for more of a bodyguard than a master mind. And his name certainly did not help. However, Rogier changed that. He saw the mind behind Thrud's eyes and after witnessing first-hand what that mind was capable of, Rogier instantly made Thrud his partner in crime. And while at first Thrud was overjoyed to be recognized for his talents, he would soon come to somewhat loathe working with Rogier. Because Thrud felt as though the scheme comes first, and that everything must be meticulously planned and followed until the very end. Rogier, on the other hand, took a more casual approach as if everything was expected to fall into place, and it did not help that most of his schemes did. Which has completely boosted Rogier's arrogance and has made him often laxed. Even now as Thrud awaited the two revolutionaries that walked up to and then around the saloon to possibly settle on a plan; Rogier was busy getting his rocks off with some bartender who was clearly twice his age.

Thrud gave a tired sigh, closing his eyes for just a moment to pinch his bulbous nose. He loved Rogier like a brother, but these little stunts were unbearable. He often thought of striking out on his own but knew he would never make it. For beauty was a big thing in among the Commonwealth, even in the underworld. So, while people might come to recognize his genius like Rogier did, they would never accept working with someone so "ugly". Thrud also considered branching out but that was not an option either. Drakons and Sirens tend to keep to themselves while Ghouls were way too unpredictable to cooperate with. He experienced that first-hand as one ghoul they hired a few years back suddenly became hungry and decided to devour a client right in front of their gang. That was a fight both him and Rogier never wanted to happen again, so they immediately cut ties with the ghoul.

But thinking back on those adventures filled Thrud up with a ton of good feelings, which made it all the easier to forgive Rogier's attitude on the job. Besides, he, and everybody else, had to admit that they were an amazing duo. Rogier was the front man, smooth talking his way into vampyrs good graces while also slipping past unnoticed if need be. While Thrud was the rear man, taking in the world and formulating layers upon layers of plans on how to proceed. They worked well together and have made a decent name for themselves in the underworld over the past fifty-four years. However, the question kept coming back to him, "But for how long?" Thrud was always concerned that a plan would go sideways one day and that something bad would happen to one, if not both of them. They knew it was inevitable because that is what came with the lifestyle. Even the Demon King, Hugo, fell to ruin after almost three-thousand years of running the underworld in Seraph. But still, Thrud and Rogier wanted more than that, more than this lifestyle. Or at least he thought they both did. Because it was not just concerning how laxed Rogier's was getting when it came to schemes, but also how much he enjoyed of them.

Sex, drugs, and death seemed to be all he wanted now, as he not only took every chance he can to indulge, but Rogier has also long since stopped talking about his life after this. Because to him, there was no after, this was his life. Which was another reason Thrud wanted to leave. But with nowhere to go, him and Rogier were both stuck. He knew they needed something big. A job that will grant them enough leaflets to finally walk away. Maybe then Rogier will find a new place for his indulgences, or at least Thrud hoped he would. And while capturing some revolutionaries would earn them some good funds, it would be nowhere close to what they needed. Plus, it would make them an enemy of the revolutionary army. That is why he wanted to stay out of this and find another gig, but he and Rogier knew that this was a necessary step to the top. They already have a backer in the government who is willing to continue working with them if this scheme goes well. But another question kept poking in his mind as well, "At what cost?"

"Tired friend?"

Thrud popped his eyes open and immediately snapped his head up to face their new revolutionary friend, sitting down with three mugs filled to the brim with lae. He passed one of the mugs over to Thrud who, despite himself, graciously took it.

"Thanks." Thrud said, before drinking some of the fermented concoction, which immediately began to work its magic on his nerves. Normally he would never show this much relief to a mark, but this time around he was overwhelmingly tired and anxious. Though he did well to mask a good amount, that did not make it any easier to deal with.

"So, where is our other friend?" The dirty blonde asked.

"Someone scared a horse and things got messy from at the stalls because of it," Thrud said, taking another sip of his lae. "So, Phineas went to go handle the that."

"Ahh," Blondie, the name Thrud thought in his head, breathed, nodding in thought. "Then who might I ask am I doing business with?"

"Thrud, and you? You never gave Phineas a name." Thrud asked, forgetting to not speak his real name but ultimately not caring strangely enough.

"And neither did he it seems," Thrud ears pricked as Blondie took a swig of lae. "I am Octavian." Thrud could not help but make a face. He did not know the man, but he could tell from his relaxed features and speech that that was not a lie. And thus began the most astonishing next few minutes Thrud has ever experienced.

"So, friend, let's cut to the chase. You know that I am a revolutionary soldier, and I know you are not. That correct?" Octavian said bluntly. Thrud's ears really began to prickle now as his eyes went wide and his mouth almost gaped. Never in his life had he expected this. All the plans he had laid to play a tactical game of information swapping and catching the mouse, all to just be swept off the table by his own mark. After the initial shock, it took him a minute to reason there had to be some kind of catch. Some play at hand. But for whatever reason, he did not feel that way. Because he found Octavian oddly honest.

"W-why," Thrud cleared his now prickling throat to gather himself. "Why are you telling me this? You know I have full reason to take you to the authorities now, right?"

"Well for one, now that the curtains are open, I would like to warn you that neither me, nor my associates, will go willingly. And we both know there are bounty hunters everywhere nowadays looking for people like me. So, try as you might, you will not get that reward. Secondly, I have a better offer for you." Octavian said, leaning in his chair to pull in closer to Thrud. Who was rightfully skeptical but given this turn of events his mind scrambled with his returning anxiety, confusion, and even fear. He needed time to settle his thoughts and plan things through. So, he quickly settled on letting Octavian talk.

"I'm listening." Thrud said, slightly scratching at his now prickling chest.

"Our mission is to sneak into the embassy in Duma and listen in on the meeting between the vice president of Seraph and a representative from Principia. We were also tasked with securing any important documents from either side, and that is my offer to you. Help us get inside and maneuver around to listen in, and we'll help you secure some documents for yourself. And already having secured some documents for the revolution before, I can guarantee you that just a few is worth a fortune to the right people. Way more than what you'd get for turning in a few of us."

"How much?" Thrud blurted.

"Our bounties are five-thousand leaflets a head. But just one simple city construction plan is worth at least forty-thousand to the right politician."

"And you've seen these transactions yourself?" Thrud swallowed.

"I've made these transactions myself. So, the choice is yours. Fight and make an enemy out of us and every bounty hunter in a 20-kilometer radius, or don't fight at all and secure enough funds for us both to walk away from this happy."

"But wouldn't helping you make us an enemy of the republic?" Thrud asked, feeling a sudden sense of excitement.

"As far as they are concerned you already are. We've dealt with both sides before, and you and I both know the "republic" is just itching for an excuse to lock either of us up to appeal to the populace. You more so than us." Thrud could not help but nod, pursing his lips as he did. He knew Octavian was right, but this was still a big ask. Especially since they had already made the call to the authorities. Plus, Rogier still was not there to hear any of it. Just thinking about it all frustrated him to no end.

"I can't guarantee much, but I can promise that if you help us, we will help you. You have my word." Octavian said, still leaning forward and looking intently into Thrud's eyes. He did not know if it was because of the lae, or that Octavian was a smooth talker, but Thrud found himself trusting the surprisingly handsome man.

"Fine," Thrud relented finally. "Let's cut a deal." Octavian leaned back in his chair; face still stern as he raised his glass.

"To new partnerships."

"To new partnerships." Thrud responded, raising his glass as well before downing the rest of his lae. He felt a wash of calm clean away the prickling he felt just a second ago. He was ashamed of how relieved he felt, but at the moment he did not care. He found his way out, and Rogier be damned Thrud was going through with it.

"So, let's talk next moves," Octavian said, leaning in again and finally putting up a genuine, and warm, smile after drinking his lae. "Got any ideas?"

Thrud's ears warmed at the smile as he eagerly began detailing what he knew and how to proceed forward; forgetting completely about the revolutionary's silver haired partner that watched with a wicked, and utterly amused, smile at their exchange. And he also forgot about his own partner, who after satisfying his urges, came back to spy nothing but a dog salivating to his new master.