Darkness Into Light
Disclaimer: RO belongs to it's respective owner(s). This is all meant for entertainment purposes only.
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There are two things about Assassins.
One, they're very proud of their skills and take large pride in their training.
Two, they absolutely do not want anyone else to follow in their footsteps. Never.
Sure, some newly upgraded Thief may be singing and dancing in the streets on the day he gets his official Assassin kit. But wait for a few months. Wait until he's had several missions under his belt.
He'll be dressed in wrappings and rags to disguise the lean shape of his body, looking a bit malnourished and underfed. His cloak ends are scorched from past escapes and he wears his hat low to hide his worn face. He'll greet you with a wary, small nod. A small smile if you're a friend. He will hesitate at your offer to stay awhile and have a drink but then he seems to find no danger in getting reacquainted with an old friend at least for an hour or so. He will nod again and agree in a tone just loud enough for your ears. Experience has taught him to speak softly and run swiftly.
His steps are always measured and you notice he keeps his hands to himself, within his cloak. The shine of his weapons are concealed in the fabric, but you can tell it's there.
As you sit and talk, you will notice that he speaks little now. He always prefers to do the listening and offering small comments in low tones. He rarely shows emotion. A small gleam in his eyes or a flash now and again is your only clue to what he's feeling. He sits very still, as if accustomed to doing so even in public. He makes himself look inconspicuous somehow yet because you're sitting just opposite, you know he is supposed to be an unassuming shadow in the background.
And should you ever express any admiration for what he does or express any desire to be an Assassin, he will grow even stiller. Then, slowly, deliberately, after a rather long pause, he will lean over the table and look you straight in the eye. His expression is dead serious and his lips enunciate softly, slowly and clearly, one syllable that speaks volumes for what he has gone through.
"No."
The look in his eyes let you know that if he ever catches you being an Assassin, he will hunt you down and kill you.
It isn't because he wishes to keep the enigma of being an Assassin to himself. Assassins do not become what they are for fame. It is not because he wishes to be the best Assassin there is and doesn't want a younger generation stealing his thunder. An Assassin's thunder is only whispered, never rumbled.
He forbids you for the very same reason the last syllable at the back of his profession's name is "sin".
He doesn't wish another person to be synonymous with the shadows and the night.
He is proud of his skills and his abilities, yes. But he is not proud of what he does. Of what he has to do to gain money to feed himself. It is partially why he spends little on food or clothing. Why he looks malnourished, underfed and badly in need of new clothes.
You grow quiet as he draws back and you can tell in his eyes, the sadness of more than a thousand days spent in shadow, guilt and the knowledge that he's paying only half the price of what he has done. Then you softly apologize and remark on how you hadn't realized.
He silently gets to his feet and puts some gold pieces on the table to pay for two drinks. He turns his back. Then, in his soft quiet voice, you detect a sense of remorse and sadness.
"I chose this life so I shall walk this path. But I hope no one else does the same."
As you watch him walk silently off into the noisy crowd and disappear from sight, you look back to the table where the coins gleam. Taking them, you replace the money with coins of your own.
With his coins jingling in your pocket, you head along the streets of the city where you see a small church. Going over to the alms box, you drop the coins within. In your mind's eye, you can see him walking under the shadows, alone and grim.
Perhaps in some way, you think as you glance at the coins in the box, darkness can be turned into light again, step by step, bit by bit.
The End.
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A/N: Inspired by the fact that assassin does indeed end with the word "sin". I apologize for the formatting since some new rule in QuickEdit forbids double spacing or something. Hope you enjoyed reading.