“Fuck.” She swore out loud. “Fucking Fuck.” She swore again. Did he have to say that? “Ugh.” She rubbed her eyes. Such comments never normally got to her. It was just a compliment. Nothing more. Nothing less. Scarlet turned to look at her tea. Feeling frustrated.

Finish her tea? No. Fuck him. She wasn’t some goddamn housewife. Scarlet bat her hand and knocked it to the floor. It shattered. Good. That made her feel better.

She stood and tore the front of her shirt. She’d need to...show more accentuating features of her body. The assassin wasn’t sure how long the glamour potion would last so she preferred to act quickly instead of sitting around and waiting. The woman shifted out from the table. Boots crunching the broken teacup beneath her feet as she headed in the direction Hunter went.

She hadn't taken long - so she was surprised to see him already striding back towards her. He paused and did a double take, then shook his head. “I should have known you wouldn't wait.” He chuckled. “Well. I found the bastard. He holed up not far from here, actually. All the beggars in the area are warning each other and anyone who gets too close away. Say they hear roars and screams from inside. Animal roars.” He turned and in what was clearly an automatic motion crooked his elbow for her to take.

“Easy. I pose as a whore, saunter my way in and when I’m deep enough summon you to my side then.” Scarlet pushed his arm gently to his side. He blinked down at his arm. Not in pain, but in confusion. Then his eyes widened and he looked away, and shook his head.

“No - that'd be a waste of a charge of the summoning. I can get inside without it. He's got only a few people left, I can slip in easily enough.” His voice wavered for a moment but he led her to the end of a street nearby. One long, dark arm lifted up and he pointed to a two story house near one end of the street. It looked rather dilapidated, run down and with boards over the windows.

“That is his rather humble abode, now.”

Scarlet grimaced at the less than stellar accommodation. “Eugh… still… it beats what I have lived in before.” She shrugged and gave Hunter a thump on his back with the flat of her palm. “See you on the inside.” He grunted, once.

Scarlet gave Hunter her coat and boots before shifting to a nearby garden bed and started rubbing dirt all over her face and clothes, then in her hair. She dragged a finger along her cheek drawing a thin line of blood then smeared that over her face. Scarlet took a few deep breaths and hiccuped. She had quite the ability to cry on cue, ironic considering how emotionless she thought she was. The assassin turned to look at Hunter. Eyes watering, hair a mess. She sniffled and held out her arms to present herself. In a voice that borderline heartwrenching she asked him. “H-how do I...a-am I pathetic enough?”

His eyes were wide, staring directly at her. She felt more than heard the low growl that rumbled in his chest, and then he shook his head sharply. “You - fit the part.” His voice was strained. “I - should go. Now. I'll see you inside.” He turned and with just a few paces of a running start, leapt up, catching the edge of the gutter and flipping himself up, then he repeated the process and disappeared from sight onto the roof.

Scarlet smirked then nodded as she headed toward the house then flung her body against the wall, sliding down the wood into a sobbing heap.

Guttoral growls started up from within, then a man screaming then silence. Finally, the front door opened. “Who the fuck is there?” A man in his late 40’s with wry silvery hair flashed a crooked and rusted dagger. “I’ll Fuckin’ cut -” He turned his blue eyes to the sobbing visage of Scarlet and paused. “Who are you?”

Scarlet wiped her face, “P-please help…I was taken from one of the brothels...I...I...they were going to take me as a slave…” Scarlet hiccuped and sobbed again. The man stood over her, his face curled into a suspicious snarl. “If yer a whore show me yer mark.”

Right… many of the houses here branded their women. Scarlet shuffled and lifted up the back of her shirt to show him her birthmark. He drew in a deep breath and she felt his grimy fingers run his hand along it. “Aint seen nothin’ like this one.”

“Its...its from the noble houses.”

Scarlet turned to look up at the man from over her shoulder. She could see it, that hungry glint in his eye, the twitch of his mouth. “Ah yes… I know of it.” What a fuckin’ liar. People would say anything to win the ear of those around them.

He held his hand out to Scarlet. “I’ll help hide you, but first - you show me how….skilled you are.”

Scarlet reached up to take his hand and he pulled her up and immediately pressed her into the wall. His groin pressed tightly against her pants. She could smell blood on him, old blood. She wrinkled her nose. “P-promise to take care of me?”

He ran a calloused finger down her cheek. “As long as you take care of me.” He grinned then he pushed his lips roughly against hers, a hand lowered to her breast and twisted it sharply in his grip.

Scarlet groaned, he tasted like cheap swill and his ministrations were less than stellar. Fuck. How did actual whores put up with shit like this? Scarlet tensed, clearly not appreciating his sudden advance. But...she had to play the part so -

So she relaxed into his grip and she softly murmured, tilting her head to the side. She lifted a leg to wrap around his waist. He pulled away and laughed. “Fuck you taste like fuckin’....expensive wine. Come. Come inside.”

He pulled away from her and lead her inside. It was pitch black. She couldn’t see a damn thing.

The door clicked behind him and She smelt something. Wait… wait something wasn’t right.

She felt him press himself against her back. The smell grew stronger. “Didn’t think it’d take long for you to find me. Silly Scarlet. You think I’d forget a mark like that?”

’Shit….Shit shit..SHIT

“Smell that? I cracked that the moment I saw your mark. It’s a hypnotic suggestion. Soon you’ll do anything I say. Anything anyone tells you.” He hoarsely whispered into her ear. “Now be a dear and strip.”

She thought it smelt familiar. Luckily for her, she had a tolerance to the substance. Illroot, something Lye had forced her to get used to. It was used to hypnotically plant suggestions into people. They’d do as they were told and not think anything of it. She had to play along and make him think he had her.

Scarlet slipped out of her pants then shirt, laughing inwardly at the predicament. She really did manage to somehow always get her clothes off. Maybe she should go one step further and just tattoo clothes onto her skin.

“Goood….goood…” The man drawled as he ran a hand over her outline. “Now, follow me to the cages.”