I, like the rest of the room, looked up when the double doors were flung open. A fiery-red woman stepped through, alone, my target had just arrived.

I stood and slithered my way towards her, casually stepping on as many dresses as I could. By the time I reached my scarlet friend, everyone was distracted. No one paid me any mind mostly because they couldn’t even see me, all were too pompous to look down. Everyone, even I myself, expected an attack from above not below.

Perfect.

I drew a sphere from my skirt, my other hand left hovering expectantly over my knife, and tossed the glassy orb. Upon shattering on the floor, the room flooded with a dense-choking smoke. I lunged for the wrists of dark figures, checking their colors and throwing aside each that wasn't red. It didn’t take me long, three times the charm, before I found her. I bit down, hard, on her fingers. Sadly, only a few gave and she twisted around to strike me but I was swifter. my knife silencing her shrill-livid scream.

Spatting out the bits I’d snapped off, I bolted. It took me days but i’d memorized this like the back of my hand, though i’ll probably forget everything later, and easily found my intended exit: a vent. I yanked open it’s already unscrewed guard and wiggled inside.

The voices behind only grew more frantic as the smoke cleared and the partly fingerless corpse of my victim was being discovered. Pressing on through the tunnels I could already imagine the headline: ‘Viper strikes again.’

I crawled out into a fairly deserted corridor, the few inhabitants were too busy scurrying around like mice to notice me joining their retreat for the exit.

“Hey! You there!”

I glanced at a pair of armed knights, one of them pointing their sword right at me. I blew them a kiss and fled down a narrow alleyway. To my displeasure, they gave chase, tracing my path through the hedge maze of buildings.

I swallowed down my rising terror the longer they stayed on my tail, I had to get rid of these bastards or it’s over for me. I always hated tag as a child, didn’t like monkey-in-the-middle either, always at a disadvantage but not here. I can’t fly here, not enough for my wings, but it kept the knights grounded too.

Turning a corner, I spotted a ladder and leapt. Catching the lowest bar, I hauled myself up, scrambling for a broken window where I crawled in. Only one of the knights followed me in, probably to flush me out for their partner. Idiots, I’m not stupid enough to get myself cornered.

Slamming a door behind me, I bought myself some time by locking it, not enough for stairs though so I hopped the railing. Twisting my ankle at the bottom I limped for the next exit, only to find it jammed.

“For Fucks Sake!”

Bang, my knight friend broke down the door and came storming down the stairs. I swore some more while I reached for a metal pipe and swung it down on the handle. It popped off and the door gave to my shoulder. I fled to another room, stopping to whip another door on my pursuer’s face.

“I fucking love secret doors.” I mutter to myself, forcing open a wall panel and slipping through before the knight could get up. And just like that I had vanished.

I came out on the other side to an abandoned warehouse I had invaded years ago and redecorated to my liking. I kicked off my heels, making my way towards my bedroom with a slight limp, scrubbing the blood from my favorite knife with the hem of my skirt; I could always wash it later. Inside I passed a mirror, my ghost-white figure slightly startling me. Relieved, I moved on.

A blade was lightly pressed to my throat. I stiffened immediately, noticing the window that stood wide open.

“The White Viper, fancy catching you here.” The blue man hissed.

I let out a steady breath. “Count Addanc.”

“You killed my best assassin.”

“You sent him after my boss,” I smiled. “Of course I did.”

“That’s what you think.”

I clenched my jaw, betrayal.

“Either way, I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to catch you and I'm going to need a replacement.”

“Trouble huh? No man’s ever tried this hard for me, I’m flattered.”

He began speaking again but I stopped listening in favor for his hand still wrapped around the sickle just under my chin. Perhaps if I-

“I can see you staring!” He snapped. “You won’t like what will happen if you try.”

Damn it.

“Alright, alright, I yield on the condition that you do the same.”

“Drop the dagger then.”

Exasperated at his deliberate mislabeling of my weapon, I sigh, flinging my knife onto the nearby desk just out of my reach. “There.”

“I’m sure you’re aware of how much trouble the Lerveriese have been recently?” Addanc said, lowering his sickle.

“Of course, one of the little termites tried to stab me the other day.”

“Hm, so why do you bite the fingers off? You never eat them.”

“What can I say, I like to hear my victims shriek.” I wipe a streak of blood from my bottom lip with the back of my hand. “And the taste of blood, I guess.”

He chuckled at that. “Do you have a name?”

“Noodles.”

“Liar~” He teased.

“It’s a secret.”

“How clever.” Addanc offered his elbow. “Come, you’ll make a pleasant addition to my court.”

Hesitantly, I slipped my arm through his.