Once again, Atria slipped into an alley, this one much larger than the other. From the looks of it, this was where they brought the raw metal in to be molded into weapons, and one large stack of said metal was stacked precariously near an open doorway. Just like it was supposed to be.
Plans like this took weeks to put into place, sometimes even months, and the last thing she wanted was to mess this up. And so once more she glanced behind her, digging into her pockets as she did so. The device she pulled out looked no different than a simple metal bar, but from the way she handled it, clearly there was more to it. It blended in perfectly to the stack of other polished bars as she set it on top, and as a young, soot covered male walked out of the open doors, she scurried to the side, masking herself as a worker.
Thankfully they didn't spare her a glance, taking the fake bar as well as a load of other ones while she stood to the side, eyes focused solely on the brick beneath her feet. Even after the boy headed back into the shop, she stayed there for a second.
The rest of this plan would piece together soon, but with not knowing when the metal would make it to the furnaces, she would have to move fast. Dying from shrapnel or being crushed by rubble would be just as bad as standing near the doors.
When he saw this action from behind a nearby building, Romulus narrowed his eyes to slits. Yes, this woman was most certainly a member of the rebellion, but… what was she doing? He wasn't sure when he should arrest her. Now, or later, once he saw her plan? If he did it now, he wouldn't get to see what she was planning on doing, but if he got her later… well, if he got her later, then lives might be lost.
With a sigh, he almost started to leave his cover, and then stopped. Why did the rebels matter so much? Sure, they gave the queen a headache, but they weren't all bad… plus, they weren't all wrong in what they stood for.
He shook his head. Thoughts like that could be considered treason.
Atria glanced at the doorway one moment more, stepping slowly away from it before spinning on her heel and heading towards the exit of the alleyway once more. She needed to be far from here in less than a few minutes, otherwise she would be nothing more than a pile of ash. And after all the work she had put in, that didn't sound fun.
On her way out, she barely noticed a guard tucked away, seemingly trying to hide, but for what reason? She didn't know, or really care. It felt wrong to let him die though in the firey explosion that was sure to happen anytime soon, and so she nodded her head away from the factory, hoping he got the hint. Yes he was a guard, who in turn worked for the queen, but still. Even if they were her enemy, she wasn't heartless.
The rebel girl made eye contact with Romulus, and he froze for a moment before realizing that she was trying to tell him something. Something about… the factory? He frowned. Was she really trying to save his life, even though he was a soldier? There was something about that that he didn't quite trust.
He watched her as she hurried away, then moved closer to see her work. And he froze for a moment before turning to hurry away. He had seen this kind of mechanics before… and knew that there was no stopping it. Besides, after this, he could just arrest her for destruction of property.
A thought popped into his head. What if… what if the girl knew where the princess was? That would certainly help his cause.
She had hurried off in the minute he had spent looking at the factory, weaving through the crowd with a new sense of urgency. All she had been told about the explosive was that it was going to be a bit unpredictable, and she knew better than to assume that the explosion was going to be small.
Atria tucked her head down to draw less attention to herself, footsteps quick even as she bumped into people walking the opposite direction. She had to get back to the safehouse now, and get on with the next part of this string of events. In her mind, it was no more than a hasty layout of events put together by some drunkard due to the amounts of 'what-ifs' left open, but it was more than they normally had. Plus, it had clues about the princess's whereabouts.
And clues like that were in short supply.
The princess had been gone for what seemed like years, and between sabotaging the queen's attempts and staging their own, it was getting tiring to hunt her down. The rebellion needed her as a bait to make the empire crumble. The crown needed her as the next successor to the throne. And the princess seemed to want none of it.
(Just realized that I never responded to this!! Do you still want to do it?)
(I would quite like to yes, but if you want to drop it that works too :) )
(No, I do haha, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with me responding first! Let em get up a response, then!)
Romulus followed the girl quickly, pushing through the crowd to grab her by the arm. She was moving very quickly, and he wanted to reach her before she vanished. It was spontaneous and very sudden of him, not something that he would usually do, but he did anyways.
He was desperate for clues, anyway.
Finally, his gloved fingers managed to close around her lower arm before she could get into a part of the crowd that was particularly thick. "Excuse me," he said, "but may I talk to you for a few moments?"
Atria whipped around the moment a hand closed around her lower arm, her face full of a mix of fear and anger. Quickly she wiped away the look as she noticed the gloved hand of a guard. It was best to seem like nothing more than a dumb worker girl in any situation with a guard, and so that's the look she put on as she glanced up at him and softly nodded, never meeting his eyes.
It disgusted her to act like this, but it was safe, and so she didn't try to break every bone in the guard's hand, no matter how tempting it was to get him to let go of her. After another quick stolen glance, she recognized him as the guard she had told to leave. Well, that proved it. Karma was a bitch. And she couldn't get a break. She hoped this was indeed quick.
If this was the correct guard though, and she knew it was, it would be anything but short. He had saw her with the explosive, and this was going to be her fatal mistake.
Even though her expression changed almost quicker than blinking, Romulus still caught the barest traces of fear in her gaze. The barest trace of a smirk wisped past his features before vanishing. Even if he hadn't been following her for the past half an hour, he would have caught by now that she was part of the rebellion. And if he had been a better soldier, he would have had her arrested right there and then, but… this mission was important, and he needed as much information as he could get.
Even if it meant working with a disgusting rebel.
He sent her the typical soldiers' sneer, which he had gotten very good at with his experience. "I promise, it won't take long. If you cooperate, then I can let you go right away."
Seeing a soldier of the Queen, most of the people moved out of his way as he strode, still holding the woman's arm, to a quieter corner, where he could watch the people on the streets, but where he wouldn't be overheard or watched. As soon as they arrived, he let go and leaned against the wall, dropping the arrogant soldier facade and staring at her with his unreadable blue eyes. "You can drop the act now," he said in a flat tone.
As much as she wanted to curse him out and maybe dislocate a few of his fingers to teach him a lesson about touching her, Atria kept a calm composure. She walked along with him if reluctantly, to keep the act up of a young worker girl. At least she saved some of her dignity that way. But that didn't mean she wasn't thinking of strangling the male at any chance she got.
The moment he let her go, she crossed her arms, blatantly lying to his face with a mask of sweet sarcasm over her words, "I have no clue what you're talking about sir. What act?" Her words were dripping in sarcasm, and she meant for them to be that way. With the fake confused look on her face, she was doing no more than mocking him. They both knew what she was, but she wasn't going to say it out loud. "I'm just a girl trying to go home to her family from a shift at the metal shops."
It took self-control not to bolt away from him right at that moment, but she kept herself still, telling herself the right opportunity would come. Hopefully, before that damn explosive decided to blow up the entirety of the building she had left it at.
Romulus didn't flinch at her sudden change of behavior and words. While she spoke sarcastically, fake confusion evident on her face, his expression was completely blank, except for the slight raising of an eyebrow at her words.
"Is that so? Well, considering that I've been following you for the past half an hour, I can just tell that you're a simple daughter of a metalworker." His tone wasn't judgemental, just pointing out facts. "I don't care who you are or what you do for the rebellion. I need your help, and I'm not going to turn you in."
Probably, his mind added.
"A guard. Admitting to needing help? Unheard of," She replied with a roll of her eyes, biting back sarcastic comments, "I find it very unlikely that you'll keep your word and not turn me in. So no, I'm not helping you." Wether or not there was a chance she would be turned in, it would take much more to get her to even consider helping him.
Atria looked up at him, wiping the fake confusion off her face and meeting his eyes with a look of hatred and annoyance, "Now, may I go?" She was impressed by the fact that he had followed her for so long, but seeing as it was a guard, she wasn't surprised. Even if they were stupid, some of them had enough brains to decide to follow someone suspicious.
Once again, she bid her time at a chance of escape, glancing around at the people and waiting for a spot where there would be a large enough group of people that she could disappear into. That was the one thing she needed.
Romulus noticed that she was looking for a way out, and his lips twitched into a rare smile, although it was nothing more than amusement. He considered for a moment what to say, then shrugged.
"Well, you've just heard one ask for help. Is it unheard of now?" He paused, as what he was about to say could be considered treason. "We both have a common enemy, and so working with each other would benefit your side greatly. I just want my damn job to be over so I can leave the country."
He was hoping this would be a good excuse. Most of it was the truth, which, as every good liar knew, was a key component for lying: mix it with truth.
"Hmmm…let me think about your offer," She replied, pretending to ponder the idea before glaring at him, "The answer is no. Not now, not ever. I think you and your big guard brain can think of a way to leave the country without involving me. Now, may I go? Believe it or not, I don't want to die minutes after I tried to spare your life."
It was a convincing offer, but she had a reason to loath guards, and she wasn't going to start siding with them now. She still had a hefty bit of revenge to finish first. Atria counted the seconds as she waited for the explosive to blow them to smithereens, but once again, it didn't happen. This time, she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. At least it would save her from whatever fate this guard was going to assign her.
Atria knew there wasn't any more time to waste as the inevitable explosion drew closer and so she finally made a break for it. In one smooth motion, she took off under the guard's arms, making a beeline for the crowd of people and her salvation. If she could just make it there she would be fine.
She knows something. This woman was also the most infuriating person Romulus had ever met, and seemed to hate him more than anyone else had before… actually, that was a lie. He didn't blame him, though. He was working for the Queen, a bitch who frankly shouldn't exist. She made her people miserable, and the fact that he worked for her didn't make things easier.
She slipped under his arms and started to run while he was thinking. Romulus smirked, and then in one fluid movement, pulled a knife from his bag and threw it after her. It hit where he was aiming, pinning her jacket sleeve to the wall just before she entered the crowd. He strolled over to her, smirking.
Atria was almost to the crowd when she felt something fly by her and she instinctively hesitated, hearing what she assumed was a knife sink into the wall beside her. She glanced over at it and hissed out an inaudible string of curses. That bastard got her sleeve. Normally she would've just torn the fabric and continued on, but she didn't want to ruin her only jacket.
She glared daggers at him as he sauntered over, acting like the snobby idiot she knew all guards were. Atria grabbed the knife, attempting to wiggle it out of its spot on the wall. That stupid guard had a hell of an arm though, and she could feel just how far into the wall it was stuck.
"Leave me alone, I'll only warn you once more," She growled, any hint of her taunting or little girl attitude out the window. Cutting through her jacket was ground for losing an eye, but he had even exceeded that. He had put two holes in her jacket, through both sides of the fabric. And not only that, but he had the audacity to walk to her with a smirk.
The woman seemed even more angry with Romulus's actions, which he probably should mind, but he didn't. "You've already warned me several times to leave me alone, and threatened me. I've been polite this entire time, but if you choose not to, then I might have to resort to using fists instead of words."
Fighting wasn't an issue for him, but he didn't want to get there. She didn't seem to be willing to rip her jacket to get the knife out, so for now, she was pinned. He leaned against the wall, blocking her way to the crowded street, and looked her straight in the eyes, the fury in hers, which could make men twice her size back down, had no effect on him. He grew up getting looked at like that.
"You can work with me, or I can take you in. Simple as that." His voice was low, calm, and if it weren't for the threat in his words, it could have been taken as a conversation to someone.
"But now you crossed the line. Resort to fists all you want, it'll get you no further," She ground out, still trying to pry the knife out of the wall, "We both know those two options aren't the only ones anyway. I'll be more useful to you dead and thrown into the river, with my knowledge along with me."
Atria stood her ground, unnerved by his words, tone, or appearance. He was another snobby bratty guard, not worth more than a second of her time. But at the same time, this was the only guard that dared stop her. And so he deserved a few more seconds of her time, even if they were seconds she would spend slitting his throat. She was getting out of here one way or another, and it sure as hell wouldn't be because she agreed to work with him.
"Now, if you will, either kill me quickly or let me go, we're not both going to be alive for much longer if you don't make a quick decision," She continued, using the most condescending voice she could, "I think you have a few brain cells in there that could figure out that the building you spotted me at is going to go ka-boom any second. Maybe I was mistaken though. It's always a possibility that you don't have a brain at all."
"It probably would be," Romulus agreed, voice mild. "You'd certainly be better to everyone dead, but I will spare you out of the goodness of my heart. How lucky."
He didn't seem to care about her threat of the building blowing up. "I don't value my life. You might. You can cooperate, or you can get blown up with me. The choice is yours." She was working hard to her her sleeve free without ripping it, and he didn't try to stop her. "I know you have the information I'll need, and working together will be beneficial for both of us."
"Why thank you for your generosity," She hissed, eyes narrowing as she tugged and rocked the dagger back and forth, determined to get it out, "Working together will help you, is the right term. I'm not naive enough to believe you want to help me."
Atria could tell her time was at an end, and it was a split-second decision to finally lie to him. "Fine, you convinced me. I'll help you," She said in the most exasperated voice she could muster, burying down her tells so it could pass as truth. The last thing she wanted to do was help him. If anything, she was going to lead him on a wild goose chase. "Now, get this damn knife out of my sleeve so I-we can get going."
Romulus tilted his head and looked at her. "You know, for a moment there, I was almost convinced," he said conversationally. "But then your stutter gave you away. Work on speaking smoother if you're going to lie to an official's face."
He thought for a moment. She clearly wasn't going to cooperate with him here. Well then, so be it. He made a show of grabbing the knife from her sleeve and pulling it away, so that it didn't pin her to the wall, but with his other hand, he brought the hilt of another knife down on her head, knocking her out. "Well, let's get you out of here," he said.
"Sorry that I'm quite worried for my life, I'll work on that next time," She growled, working out the knife. Atria didn't want to take his help as he reached for the knife, but she surely didn't want to touch him, and so she pulled her hand away, a look of distaste visible.
It was weird to think that he was going to let her go, and something in her told her that she wasn't going to be able to leave, but she ignored that feeling. The imminent feeling of danger was quickly replaced with one of very faint hope. That was until she felt something hard hit her head and instantly was out cold.
Atria crumbled like a brick when she passed out, and even if she couldn't think about it, she was completely in the hands of the guard.
