Zoey pushed open the window, wincing at the creaks. She hated the light, the way any move she made could be seen. She jumped and crouched on the wood, taking a deep breath and jumping off. Her claws scratched the wall of the building opposite her, a wall marked with hundreds of similar scratches and dents. She scrambled down the wall, landing on her feet and taking off with a quick stride. Coffee sounded good, maybe a muffin too.
He got there a 4:45, choosing to sit down at one of the back tables alone. The waiters chose to keep away from the fact that the man had a shortsword strapped to his back and was acting like it was a normal thing. His mask rested next to his hands that rested on the table.
Zoey made her way in, sighing when she saw the armed man. Dang it. Now I have to talk to him while I get my coffee. She made her way to the counter, tapping and ordering a coffee and a chocolate muffin. She avoided eye contact with the man, not willing to give up her 15 minutes of coffee time. Once she'd gotten her order and was cupping the warm Styrofoam, she sat down a few chairs away from the man with the sword. She unwrapped the muffing and broke off a little chunk.
"They gave me a kid?" he asked without looking at her. His facial expression never changed, and his lips barely moved.
Zoey stiffened, turning her head sharply to look at him. She set down the coffee, standing and stalking over to him. "Care to repeat that?" Sarcasm and disgust dripped from her voice, and she looked him up and down with a look of judgement on her face.
He met her eyes with a bored expression. "They gave me a kid."
Her eyes flamed and she sat down next to him. "I'm not a kid. I would snap your neck right here, right now if their weren't witnesses. Do you even have powers?"
"You need to calm down. You let your emotions run like that on a mission and you've fucked up everything." He looked over at his mask. "And you really think I'd be here if I didn't, hotshot?"
A fake smile covered her face. "You're cute. My emotions aren't the problem here." She snarled the words, raising an eyebrow at the mask.
He noticed her look and shrugged. "Some of us don't like our face plastered across every news channel in the nation."
The other eyebrow lifted to join the first one. "Right. It's this thing called stealth, where you just don't get caught. Works like a charm."
"Not what I'm paid for." He eyed the window as it began to rain. "This is something special."
She snorted, leaning back for another bite of muffin. "No kidding. It had better be good, something worth my time."
"All I know is that we'll be making bank," he said, rolling his shoulders back with a wince.
A small smile lit her face. "True that." She finished her coffee and put the muffin in a plastic bag, placing the bag in a pocket of her black duffel. She shifted her wings under the thick fabric of the hoodie she was wearing, anxious to let her wings out. "Ready? And, ah, with the stealth thing, it might help if you didn't have a sword in plain sight. Y'know, no weapon zones and all that."
"This sword has more tricks than you think," he said simply, standing with her. He picked up the mask as he began to walk out of the shop.
Zoey shrugged, following him out of the coffee shop. She walked with her head down, not meeting anyone's eyes along the sidewalk. She was nothing but a shadow in the crowd, pushing her way through without interrupting anyone. None of them would remember her.
In contrast, Kaz chose to slip his mask on, drawing the stares of the crowd on the street as they pushed against the grain of the sidewalk. It also helped that he was a full head above most of them.
She sighed. Typical show-off. Finish the job, Zo, and you'll never have to deal with him again. She stayed on the edge, moving after him but not staying close enough for his attention to slip to her.
"2 guys. 15 meters back, masking out every move," he said, not turning to look at her. It was impossible to even see him speak with the mask on.
She nodded, slipping back in the crowd to catch up with them. She stayed perfectly natural, moving with a relaxed stride and keeping her head slightly down.