[h3][color=ed1c24]Ekaterine Volkov[/color][/h3] [color=ed1c24]"Come on! That happened only once! That punch should have broken his Larynx!"[/color] Ekaterine said, protesting. [color=ed1c24]"How could I possibly know that he had a freaking silver choker on his neck? Who uses a choker? Was he a freaking dog or something?"[/color] Kat said, still annoyed by what happened. The situation they were discussing happened in one of their contracts. Ekaterine was ready to kill her target, but just cutting his throat was no fun. Breaking his larynx instead, was a good starting point. The only thing she wasn't expecting was that her target was using a silver choker, stopping her trench knife and making her target scream with pain, alerting everyone nearby. What happened next was a real mess... Maybe Ariah was still mad about that? [color=ed1c24]"And what do you mean by that? I don't let them scream... most of the times... After all, taking down my mark and letting the guards wondering what the hell happened is one of the things that make it so fun. I mean, do you remember the news the day after that contract we took? The guy that I punched to death in his own bedroom, with thugs guarding him just outside of it? That was hilarious! I literally beat the hell out of that guy and they didn't even noticed!"[/color] she said, laughing. [color=ed1c24]"Anyways, that was only bad luck... They're all so confident about their "tight security measures"... It is always amusing to see their expressions when they see me. And don't be so grumpy. Our target is dead, we are still alive, everything is good, isn't it?"[/color] Ekaterine said, remembering her target's expression, a mix of anger, fear and surprise. Ariah was extremely different from her, so much that it was almost a miracle that they get along so well. He didn't approved of Kat's tactics and techniques sometimes, but he was a very nice help to have. After so many contracts they completed together, Kat would trust her life on him easily, that what made both of them so dangerous as a pair. They trusted each other completely. Call it the "bond" that two people form after going into the battlefield together so many times. Kat had her quirks, so did Ariah, but both of them were undeniably effective on their jobs. Kat was a hunter. She stalked her prey, chasing it without it knowing, pounced on it, disabling and killing her target before he could even react, disappearing as fast as she came. Ariah was fast... Very fast. If there was someone who could jump in the middle of a shootout and survive, that someone was him thanks to his speed and reflexes. In a straight line, he was unmatched in speed. Precise and lethal, there were few people who could face him in close quarters. That what made them trust each other almost blindly. They knew what each other was capable of. The pub wasn't that bad, in fact, it was a pretty nice place. It was relaxing. The low light, the smell of beer and alcohol. But they weren't there to have fun. They were called there by someone. Kat might look distracted, as she sat on the cabin sipping her drink and chatting with Ariah, but she was in fact keeping an eye out for the signal that their contractor would make. Differently from Ariah, Ekaterine didn't even try to hide her rifle and her dagger, instead walking with them like she would normally. Sure, the rifle drew a lot of attention by being so unique from the others, but she didn't care about it. Mercenaries weren't that uncommon around those parts of the city, and it was only natural to see some mercenaries carrying custom equipment. [color=ed1c24]"Hey Ariah,"[/color] Ekaterine called him, taking a sip on her drink. [color=ed1c24]"Sometimes I wonder... War is the natural state of the human race, its nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be frowned upon. It existed since the dawn of the humanity, and it will exist until its end. As long as there are two humans alive on anywhere in the world, there will be war. This is an undeniable truth, otherwise we wouldn't have a job, isn't that right?"[/color] she said laughing. [color=ed1c24]"The endless creativity we have to constantly innovate the battlefield, creating even more powerful weapons and ingenious tactics and strategies... The battlefield is a living thing, constantly moving, constantly changing. That is what makes it beautiful, interesting and amusing."[/color] she said, taking another sip of her drink. [color=ed1c24]"Do you like the nature? It is beautiful isn't it? Nature itself is nothing more than a big battlefield. Animals constantly kill and fight with each other in order to survive. Even knowing that, the fact that the nature is something beautiful is undeniable, am I right? Then why is it wrong to enjoy killing? The act of killing is not "unnatural", no... it is exactly what it makes things go forward. It is this killing, this fight, this competition that selects only the stronger, most intelligent and most adaptable beings to survive. This is what allows every living being to evolve. Its only natural selection."[/color] she said, looking to him inquisitively. [color=ed1c24]"So... is it really that wrong to see the act of killing as something natural? Even enjoying it? We are only contributing to the natural selection. We are allowing us as a race to grow and evolve, both physically and mentally."[/color] she asked with a smile. [color=ed1c24]"Hey! Don't look at me like that! Seriously! Did you really think that I was only a mindless, ruthless, psychopath killer?"[/color] she said, disappointed. [color=ed1c24]"Never judge a book by its cover... I might even be a fine lady underneath the mask that I use."[/color] she said with a feline smile, making a noble pose. [color=ed1c24]"Nah... I don't think that would be possible, would it?"[/color] she said, laughing as she drank the rest of her drink in one go, putting it down on the table with a loud noise. [color=ed1c24]"Even though, I'm still a woman, Ariah. There are many aspects of my personality you still don't know. That's why we women make such fine infiltrators. What we may lack in strength comparing to a man, we more than make it up by being cunning, secretive and intelligent."[/color] [color=ed1c24]"Now stop looking at me like an idiot with that surprised look, or I'll hit you."[/color] she said, clenching her fist. [@Deos Morran]