KADE ASHFORD
“Told you she’d be happy,” Violet said to Kade after Elena bolted away. Violet was still focused on the mirror in front of her, carefully brushing her eyebrows with yet another makeup tool. He could hear the sound of running water almost immediately after Elena shut the bathroom door.
“You were right,” Kade replied, getting up from the bed. “Anyway, I should get her dress ready for when she finishes up.”
“By the way, what is it with everyone crying randomly?” Violet said jokingly.
“What do you mean?”
“You were crying out of nowhere too. You know, when we first met in that forest.”
“Oh, you’re talking about that time,” he grumbled. “Well, I’ll have you know I had a very good reason for that.”
“Which is?”
“…no comment.”
“Boring, but fine. Then at least tell me how you got so much information for the party, especially in such a short time.”
“…”
“No comment again?”
Violet sighed.
“You really don’t tell much about anything, do you?”
“…sorry.”
“You’re gonna have to give me a straight answer on something, you know.”
“I’ll tell you everything one day. Promise. Though it is true that assassins don’t really go around telling everyone about themselves.”
“You know, you keep saying the word assassin, but I really can’t bring myself to think of you as one. Have you really killed a bunch of people?”
“I mean, you have too.”
“I mean yeah, but only exorcists. It’s self-defense.”
“That’s true, I guess. I’ve only ever assassinated government agents and exorcists too, if you want to know. Though I’ve probably killed a lot more than you.”
Violet let out a lighthearted scoff.
“That’s not really something you should say so proudly, Kade.”
“Wait, I wasn’t really-”
She then burst into laughter, filling the room with a loud but pleasant sound.
“Ahaha, other kids our age would never be talking about stuff like this like it’s totally normal, huh?”
Kade cracked a smile as well, feeling himself relax a bit more.
“Yeah, we’d be arrested on the spot if we ever talked like this in public.”
Violet kept laughing. It was a soft yet joyful laughter, humoring the fact that people like them would never be among the “normal.”
In the midst of his own chuckles, Kade took the moment to recognize again how strong this person was. He thought it was amazing how someone could be this cheerful under the pressure most others would crumble under.
He and Violet both sat in silence after the laughter stopped. Violet went back to finishing up her makeup, and the only audible sound was the sound of running water from the bathroom.
“I’m done!” came Elena’s voice as she hurried out of the room. “Sorry, did I take too long?”
“You’re fine, don’t worry,” Violet reassured, turning around in her chair. “I just got done with my makeup. How do I look?”
After so much time Violet put into embellishing her face, the makeup actually wasn’t too over the top. Her skin was smooth, with a touch of a gentle peach color. Her eyebrows were a richer color than the usual thin black, and her plump lips beamed with a soft shade of pink. There was a slight blush on her cheeks along with a faint red eyeshadow to match her eyes, giving her an air of maturity that he hadn’t expected.
“You look so pretty and cool!” gasped Elena, voicing Kade’s thoughts. “Like a super elegant, super rich lady!”
“Thanks,” she replied, her radiant grin going against her classy demeanor. Violet wasn’t Violet without her usual twinkly charm, after all. “Now I just need to get the dress on and do my hair.”
With that, Violet walked to the closet and quickly pulled out her dress.
“I’ll change in the bathroom. One of you can change in the closet.”
The door shut behind her, and she was gone.
“Um,” came Elena’s voice, turning Kade’s focus back to her. “Could I change first? I really want to try that dress you told me about.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. The dress should be inside the closet. Let me just get my suit out and you can change, okay?”
“Okay!”
Kade reached into the closet to carefully take out his tuxedo and set it on the bed.
“Is mine that fancy too?” asked Elena, her wide eyes glued to the suit.
Kade shrugged with a playful grin.
“Go ahead and take a look.”
With nothing but another excited nod, Elena darted inside, and there was yet another sound of a closing door.
Elena, and Violet too… aren’t they both a little too enthusiastic about jumping into a party of exorcists? They do know we’re on a mission, right?
Kade sighed and let his gaze fall on the black and white tuxedo laying on the bed.
Well, whatever. It’s better than them being terrified, I guess. Now then, let’s dress up for the infiltration.
***
Twenty minutes. That’s how long it took for Violet to put on a single dress.
“Took you long enough,” Kade grouched from the bed. As soon as he looked up to take in her appearance, however, his breath caught in his throat for a moment.
She was wearing a long, rose colored dress that complimented her eyes with small flower designs etched across one side of her hips. The dress had a thigh slit on the other, revealing Violet’s slender leg along with her mature, shiny black heels. Kade could see small pearls of shiny gems scattered across the dress, glimmering in the light and enhancing the vibrant ruby color. The tips of her dark black hair were curled and wavy, draping over her exposed shoulders gracefully and completing her doll-like appearance.
“You’re a guy, Kade. So you wouldn’t understand,” she said, responding to his remark. “Besides, I’m not used to wearing something so flashy.”
Kade and Elena both stayed silent, still taken back by how different Violet looked.
“What? If you have something to say, just say it,” she said.
“No, um, you just… look really beautiful,” said Elena.
Kade bit his lip and gave a small nod in agreement, which he almost regretted as soon as Violet saw him. Her ladylike face was gone, and in its place was a painfully smug face.
“Oh? Looks like I have Mister Took-You-Long-Enough’s approval. Well, you guys look nice too, though, in all seriousness. Especially you Elena! You’re super cute!”
Elena had a green, tulle flowery dress. Her golden hair was tied in a bun over her head, and she wore a crystal pendant around her neck, giving her something of a young princess look. Kade had a standard black and white tuxedo with a small bow tie on the collar. His hair was combed neatly to the side, and his locket was in his pocket with the chain flowing out.
Elena’s rosy cheeks lifted into a smile at Violet’s compliment as she made a heh-heh sound.
"Thanks," she said, obviously flatterered. "Kade helped me do my hair."
“Well, looks like everyone’s ready,” said Kade. “We should start moving. And remember, we’re there to get info, not to have fun.”
They were met with Oliver in the hotel’s main lobby.
“Leaving for work?” he asked, curiously eyeing their outfits.
“Yup, it’s kind of a formal setting tonight.”
“I see. Well, I must say, you all look dashing. Good luck with the job.”
“Thanks, Oliver.”
“And Kade, I’m sure you already know, but do try to keep the mess to a minimum. And make sure all of you stay safe.”
“I know,” he nodded. “Thanks for the concern.”
After exchanging their goodbye’s, Kade, Violet, and Elena set off to the party. Anywhere else in the world, their outfits would have drawn attention to them, but in Lavris where everyone was doing their best to show off, they blended in perfectly.
They drove near the center of the city, leaving the Ajun Hotel behind. From Kade’s intel, the exorcist party was going to take place in the biggest and most impressive looking building. It was easy to forget that exorcists were government heroes to ordinary citizens.
“Looks like we’re here,” he said.
“Um, here?” asked Elena. “As in…”
“As in that massive palace of a hotel? Yeah.”
The hotel was castle-themed, with walls of rooms surrounding one giant, pointy building that would have put most skyscrapers to shame. The building was dotted with black windows all around, lightening up the world around it with the bright golden light coming from inside.
Kade stepped out of the car, and Violet and Elena shortly followed. There were soldiers standing protectively around the hotel, most of them armed. Countless people crowded around the entrance, all dressed in flashy dresses and suits.
Kade frowned a little as they approached the entrance. Wasn’t the security a little too tight, even for a government party? This was a bit different from what his info told him.
Calm down, he told himself. Doubt is the death of all missions. Take a breath.
Of course, Kade would never take such a big risk as sneaking into a meeting of exorcists just to try their luck at eavesdropping. All they had to do was find one person who held information about hunting their camp, and Kade would extract all other information from them. Assuming everything went well, there would be no danger. But still, it was weird. There shouldn’t have been this many guards if it was just exorcists. Unless-
Clapping.
The deafening applause erupted all at once, coming from every direction. More and more people started clapping as they noticed one by one. The thunderous clapping of all these people rang in Kade’s ears, and he felt his heart sink at the sight of the luxurious limousine pulling up in front of a long, red carpet being laid out.
No, no, no, no. He wasn’t supposed to be here. It was just supposed to be exorcists tonight. It was just a party of exorcists, so what was he doing at such a place?
Elena clung onto Kade’s arm, and Violet spoke in a shaky voice next to him.
“Hey… isn’t that…”
There was a man standing next to the carpet holding a microphone in his hand. He held up a hand for silence, and his next words felt like a nail being hammered into his heart.
“Now, would everyone please welcome… President Lucius Ashford!”
Comments (0)
See all