Sarkiin was pretty sure they were going to carve a groove into the floor as they paced behind their sister, humming a tune they made up a few years ago. Saryam was nearly finished with the puzzle she’d started while they waited for their master to begin the briefing. A photograph of a betta fish in an unusually large tank. The pair had been feeling particularly antsy the last few months, especially Sarkiin. There hadn’t been an assignment in over six months, and T’fas had only been training with them about a quarter of the time he did before. Who knew assassins could have dry spells? And where was he anyway? The guy was usually way punctual to his own meetings.
Saryam’s puzzle was nearly finished when Sarkiin heard T’fas shuffle into the room. She set the pieces aside and grabbed her tablet and pen. Sarkiin stopped humming, but continued to pace on a shorter track.
“Seems like fortune is flashing its brightest smile at us, children,” he said as he sat down. “Today’s news is the biggest we’ve had in quite some time. One of my associates has located the hideout of Elata and her cohorts.”
At the sound of Elata’s name, Sarkiin stopped dead in their tracks and Saryam nearly dropped her pen. The siblings had been waiting to hear those words for nearly all their lives.
T’fas continued as if he didn’t notice their reactions, “He reached out to me as a courtesy due to the personal link between Elata and ourselves. He has invited us to join the raid on their encampment in nine days.”
“So this is it then,” Sarkiin had to work hard to keep their tone neutral, which made their question sound more like a statement. “We finally get to kill that asshole? And you’re coming to, right?” That was better. Not a chance they sounded anxious. Their throat closing and the air getting hotter were probably just because of something they ate.
“Of course he is!” Saryam said quickly. She was clearly also feeling very normal about this. “How could he miss an opportunity like this?”
“I will be there the night of the raid,” T’fas said. “However I have other matters to attend to. Preparations and unrelated loose ends. I will meet you there when I conclude this business. There are some things for you two to handle in the meantime.”
Sarkiin hardly paid attention through the rest of the briefing. There was something about a supply run, coordinates for the rendezvous, something about settling their nerves. All the usual pre-mission things probably. Saryam would have to fill them in later. While Saryam was asking all the right questions, Sarkiin was a bit too caught up in the fantasy of ending Elata to think about anything else at the moment. Which pair of sai would they bring? What would they wear? Oh, and they were kidding themself if they didn’t come up with a seriously cool line to say as they drove their blade into the heart of their parents’ killer. It had to be something epic and memorable for historians to write about. They had some reading to do.
“You should take the rest of the day to relax and get your heads in order. I know how much of a big deal this is for you.” T’fas concluded the meeting just as Sarkiin started to think up a title for the trip’s playlist. They were torn between “Inigo’s Legacy” and “Let’s Go Kill Elata!” He said his goodbyes and left the siblings to themselves.
Once their master was out of the room, Saryam stood up abruptly and leveled a fierce look at her sibling. “I’m gonna go for a quick swim. Let’s meet in your room later?”
They barely got their very confused “Okay…” out before Saryam was out the door and they were left alone to handle the emotions they’d rather ignore for a little bit longer. Sarkiin got up, headed out of the room, and went to figure out how to pass the time.
They contemplated joining Saryam for a swim or hitting the gym to take their feelings out on a practice dummy or even baking a whole damn cake. But nothing felt quite right. The whole world was about to change as far as they were concerned. For seventeen years, it had just been them and their little sister and their master. There was the occasional ally to assist with assignments, of course, but those alliances never grew into anything more. With Elata out of the picture they would finally be safe enough to go out into the world and live actual lives!
And what did that even mean? Sarkiin had nothing to go back to despite having lived more five whole years outside of this compound. They couldn’t even remember the names of the kids they used to play with or what their old neighborhood looked like. And with all they’d seen of the world since their parents died, it didn’t feel like there was much to look forward to.
None of that really mattered though. Everything would be fine as long as the life they were moving toward had Saryam in it. And with that thought, Sarkiin made a beeline for the library. They didn’t have a lot of time to come up with worthwhile banter for this fight and they needed some inspiration.