Rise

by Danielle Racey

  “It’s beautiful.” Victoria breathed. “I suppose it is, in its own way.” Roman said, and just for a second, she thought she heard a trace of sorrow in his voice, but it was gone before she could think twice about it. “Well, since you’re here, I guess I’d better show you around”, he said. To her disappointment, nothing in his voice sounded thrilled to do so. It was as if he had just said “Well, I guess I’d better sweep this floor here.” Roman looked back at her, gestured, and continued on. Victoria followed, once again feeling oddly deflated.

  The two stepped onto the city sidewalk, and for the first time in her life, Victoria was thrown headfirst into the hustle and bustle of city life. A harried looking woman brushed past her, muttering about forgetting something. A small child appeared out of nowhere, nearly causing her to trip headfirst. Roman caught her before it could happen, and once again, she found her hand in his, but this time, it was not as comforting as she reminded herself yet again of how he had threatened her, Victoria grew angry. How could he threaten to kill her, and then hold her hand as if he cared? She snatched her hand back once more, and let it fall to her side. Roman must have felt , but he continued along as if nothing had happened.

  Victoria strolled along besides him, or as close as she could be on such a busy sidewalk, wondering for the dozenth time why she was still there. She wanted to see the city, that part was true, but what she didn’t want was Roman as her escort. He was making her angry, and it only seemed to be getting worse. Victoria decided she would ditch him, if given the chance. All she had to do was disappear into the crowd. She wasn’t an assassin for nothing, after all.

  Her plans were cut short, when to her surprise, Roman began to speak. She honestly hadn’t heard much of his voice, in say, a normal setting. That is, a setting where daggers were not present. His voice sounded shockingly normal. Granted, Victoria didn’t know how one could sound like an assassin, but if she didn’t know any better, and hadn’t had the misfortune of meeting him in the dead of night with a foot-long dagger against her neck, she would have to say that he sounded like a normal guy. Inquisitive, open, genuinely interested in whatever he was saying, which unfortunately, Victoria was not at all interested in. She didn’t want a tour guide. She wanted answers.

  “I said, we could stop in here if you like. I’ll buy.” Victoria’s eyes snapped over to Roman, who was now standing outside of a little café. Her eyes darted back and forth between Roman, and a dark alley she spotted. Victoria weighed her options. She supposed it wouldn’t kill her to have something to eat, especially since he was buying. Then, she could try and weed some answers out of him. If he chose not to cooperate, she could dart down that alley, and hopefully, never see him again. Victoria nodded. Her favorite plans were ones that involved escape, if everything went to hell.

  Victoria stepped inside the café, and was immediately struck by how small, and quaint it was. No one else was there, just the cashier, an older man, who was slowly sweeping the floor behind the counter. “Ah, Roman. Good to see you again.” The man looked up, and smiled at Roman, as if he was his long lost son. And to Victoria’s continued suspicion, Roman smiled back, a genuine smile. That alone was shocking enough. She wasn’t aware he was capable of anything other than a smirk, let alone a genuine smile.

  Victoria seated herself in one of the dainty, ridge-backed chairs, and propped her elbows up on the table. The table was mosaic-styled, and she found herself tracing the patterns with the tip of her finger. She felt Roman sit down next to her, and she shifted her body to the edge of her chair. Victoria felt Roman’s eyes on her for a few seconds, but as she looked up to meet him, he looked away. “Mr. Raymond, we’d like two club sandwiches. Hold the mayonnaise on mine, please." Roman’s voice rang out, and Victoria couldn’t help but feel irritated that he’d taken the liberty of ordering for her. Everything Roman did was irritating, really. She couldn’t admit to really knowing him, as they’d only met twice, under decidedly unique situations, but this new, non-assassin Roman, was something entirely different and Victoria wasn’t sure if she liked it.

  Mr. Raymond gave a sharp nod, and disappeared into the back to prepare the sandwiches. Victoria felt Roman’s eyes on her once again, and she looked up quickly, to catch him, but this time he didn’t look away. He simply stared. “Stop staring.” Victoria muttered, angrily, and she turned her body so that he would only see the side of her face. He said nothing, and continued to stare, quite possibly even holding back a grin, but Victoria couldn’t tell quite tell, as she only had one eye to judge from, but it was evidently, he wasn’t taking her seriously. She had a solution for that.

  She slid her dagger from her robe pocket, and pointed it at the supple flesh below Roman’s chin. “Since you seem to think this is all very funny, let me inform you of this. I don’t find one bit of this funny. I’m not even sure why I’m sitting with you in a café, like your girlfriend, or something, because I’m not. Not at all. I’m not sure where you think this afternoon is going, but all I see is your dead body slumped up against that wall, unless I get answers.” A part deep inside of Victoria wondered if threatening Roman was really the right way to go, if she ever wanted him to like her, but another part of her didn’t care.

  Victoria grinned smugly as she watched his eyes widen in surprise. He recovered quickly, but she could still see the surprise in his eyes, and for some odd reason, traces of delight. “I suppose all assassins think alike, then.” Roman said, slowly, and he reached into the pocket of his pants, and withdrew his own dagger. With ease, he set it on the table, and crossed his arms. “So, we’re even, Victoria.” “I’m still not putting my dagger down.” “Then don’t, fine by me.” “I’m sure you won’t be this comfortable after I’ve slit your throat.” “You wouldn’t do that.” “And how do you know that?” “You had the chance to kill me once. And you didn’t.”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes again, but made no attempt at a response. “See, you wouldn’t do it.” Roman continued. “I don’t think you can really say that, as we’ve met a grand total, counting today, of three times. Three times is not a lifetime, and is certainly not enough to get to know me.” “I’d say it is.” “That’s rather presumptuous, don’t you think?”

  Victoria jabbed her dagger closer to Roman’s throat. “Is that what this is? A way to get to know me better? A date?” She stared at Roman with open disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, giving him the always attractive look of a fish. “No matter. I’m gone.” Victoria pushed back her chair and headed towards the door.

  “Wait, just wait, alright?” Roman called to her. Victoria had told herself that if things went wrong, the alleyway across the street would be her escape, and things were most assuredly going wrong. But something in his voice, made her stop. “Wait for what?” she asked, and she turned and approached him cautiously. “I’ll try to explain. I’m not sure how I’m going to go about doing it, but I will. Come sit back down, please.”

  Victoria sat back down, reluctantly, and made sure to push her chair as far away from Roman’s as possible. “I’m listening.” She crossed her arms, and stared, hoping that having the full intensity of her gaze on him would encourage him to speak. Instead, it seemed to be having quite the opposite effect. “W-Well, as you know…” He’d developed a stutter, which in any other situation, Victoria might have found amusing, but as it was just delaying the answers she so desperately desired, she waved her hand impatiently. “Get on with it.” Roman took a deep breath, shocking Victoria once again, as it was at odds with the little she knew about him. It almost seemed as if he were nervous. About what, she couldn’t say, but he was definitely nervous.

  “I guess we didn’t get off on the right foot.” “No, I expect we didn’t.” There was silence, and Victoria watched as he tried to find words. It was interesting to see him struggle like this. The tables were turned, and Victoria found she was fond of this side of the table. “As I told you, I’ve been watching you.” Victoria said nothing, only intensifying th
e silence. She could hear a plate clattering to the floor from somewhere in the back of the restaurant, and the heavy footsteps on the crowded street behind her.

  “I know. And as I told you before, it’s odd. Don’t you have anything better to do than to watch me?” Roman shrugged. “Well, it was my job up until a few weeks ago. Until you knocked me out, that is.” Victoria chuckled. “You threatened to kill me, what was I supposed to do?” “Kill me. Why didn’t you?” Roman leaned forward, eyes glowing. “Why didn’t you?” Victoria countered. “And besides, Sister Katherine already briefed me on the Other Sisterhood/Brotherhood situation. You were clearly out of line, pressing that knife to my neck.” “Like you were out of line a few minutes ago, pressing that knife to MY neck?” “Yes, something like that.” Victoria replied, complacently.

  “We’re intended to be friends. We work together. Not against each other.” Roman explained, slowly. “I guess we’re not doing so well in that area, then.” Victoria shrugged her shoulders. “When will I get my sandwich, anyways? I’m starved. I did walk all the way from the convent, you know.”

  Roman rolled his eyes. “Quality food takes time. You wouldn’t know, you only eat slop at the convent. You’ve probably never tasted a real sandwich.” “True, true. That’s why I’m so eager for this one, and less eager to hear you try to justify your stalking, and subsequent attack on me.” Victoria pulled her arms closer to her chest.

  She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. She was getting no answers, and somehow, he had managed to bait her into a never-ending circle of conversation that sounded more appropriate for two five year olds.

  “I’m just—“ Listen”, Victoria interrupted, “Just tell me why I’m here. No stories, just the truth. Once you’re done, we can go from there, and perhaps, I can finally have my sandwich.."

  “You are here, because, I was hoping I would run into you. And if I did, I planned for us to sit down and have a chat, like we’re doing now, but sans daggers. I did watch you, as part of our initiation assignment, which I’m sure Sister Katherine told you all about.” Victoria nodded. “But before that, I saw you almost every day in what you called your sanctuary. See, it’s mine too. I’ve been going there ever since I could talk. It was so quiet, so different from city life. It was my sanctuary. I noticed that you came every Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I avoided it on those days. But one day, a few weeks ago, you came on a different day, and you spotted me. You demanded that I show myself, and well, the rest you know. I didn’t intend for our friendship to develop with such a volatile edge, but you were fiercely protecting that sanctuary, and honestly, I feel the same way about it. I feel like it’s mine too. And in the forest, Brother Ammon just told me to rough you up a bit, nothing too serious. I didn’t know you weren’t aware of that.” Roman finished, and he looked down at his hands, as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

  Victoria felt a little ashamed, and that was just the first emotion flowing through her body, dousing her spirits like a bucket of cold water. Friendship. She couldn’t honestly say she knew what it was like. The nuns at the convent were more along the lines of a makeshift family, but never friends. This revelation brought about new, strange feelings in Victoria, and she wondered what would have happened if Roman and her hadn’t fought. Would they be friends now? Getting together weekly for lunch?

  She looked up at Roman, who was still examining his fingers, but with renewed vigor. “If this is all true, then I’m sorry.” The apology sounded foreign in her mouth and she wasn't sure if she meant it, but Victoria assumed that was what he was waiting for.

  At the sound of her apology, Roman’s eyes wandered back up to hers, and as their eyes met, Victoria was filled with a strange feeling. Happiness? No. Anticipation, no, not quite. But it was something as equally intense, and it was spreading quickly throughout her body, as if it were infectious. Perhaps, it was because for the first time in her life, she had someone she could call a friend.

  VI.

  The following day, Victoria returned. As she made her way down the now familiar forest path, she wondered what Sister Katherine would have to say about her completely abandoning her responsibilities. It wasn’t something that truly bothered her, as Victoria had always, and always would do and say what she liked, regardless of what Sister Katherine had to say about it. But, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps Sister Katherine had wanted her, in the absence of Other Sisterhood activity, to discover this new world. And Roman.

  Victoria wasn’t ready to admit fully, to herself yet that Roman was one of the best things about this new world, but she couldn’t, in any manner, deny it. After they’d settled their volatile argument the day before, they had talked for several hours. Over their sandwiches, which had finally come nearly an hour later, presumably because Mr. Raymond was likely too afraid to step foot outside the kitchen while daggers were drawn, Roman explained to her some of the ways of the city. It was a lot to take in, so Victoria agreed to come back regularly, for educational reasons, of course.

  Today, Roman would be showing her around, taking her anywhere she liked. Her first stop, she’d told him, would be a comic book store. She’d had comic books before as a child, and loved them, thus the idea of an entire comic book store was something out of a dream. Victoria remembered Roman giving her the strangest look as she told him that instead of wanting to see the capitol, or the famed “magic” fountains, she preferred to visit a comic book store. She smiled at the thought, and hugged her robes tighter as she stepped into the city of Gracelia.

  In addition to wanting to visit the comic book store, Victoria really wanted to buy some clothes. Roman had assured her that she looked fine, but her awkwardness only mounted with every girl who passed by in normal clothing. She might technically still be a nun, but she didn’t want to look like one.

  Victoria’s feet hit the sidewalk, and she made her way to the café where she and Roman had met the previous day. She looked around, and when she didn’t see him, she stepped back to admire the café. It was a quaint, cute little place, really. She hadn’t noticed it the day before, but, Victoria supposed, she had other things on her mind. She checked her watch, which Roman gave her the day before, after making her promise to return. It was rather handy. Instead of squinting up at the sun for a less than exact time, she could just look down at her watch, and it knew the time precisely. Even down to the seconds. She looked at her watch again, 12:00PM. That explains why it’s so crowded, she thought. Well, crowded for a little café. Out of the six or seven tables crammed into the small establishment, five were filled, and several more people stood at the counter, waiting for their orders. Victoria smiled. She liked it. All of it. The busy streets, the small family café, the buildings. She had yet to find a single thing wrong with the city, and was beginning to wonder why nuns like Grace wanted to get away from it.

  A tap on Victoria’s shoulder shook her from her thoughts, and she turned around to see Roman, clad in a white t-shirt and jeans. In his hand, he held a large bag, which, after Victoria peered into it, she realized it was empty. “It’s for anything we might buy.” He said, answering her question before she could ask. “Come on, the comic book store is this way.” Roman held out his hand, and she took it, hesitantly. He was leading her again, something she didn’t like on principle alone (she could damn well lead herself), but the feeling of the whole thing wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

  When they finally reached the comic book store, Victoria gaped, in awe. She liked it even better than the café they’d visited. It wasn’t as quaint, or as well-kept, as she suspected that beneath the wallpapering, it was nothing more than a warehouse, but it was perfect. Comic books scattered the floor, in addition to the baseball card wrappers and bubblegum, which were apparently sold in conjunction with comic books, because they made an excellent pair.

  Victoria browsed the dusty racks, feeling each comic book as she went. To be honest, she didn’t know a thing about comic books, except the one she’d had as a
child. Her fascination lay less in the actual comic books, and more in the idea that comic books were a part of the city, and a part of this world, and she wanted to learn everything about it. It seemed to have something for everyone. It was shiny, bold, quaint, calm. It was everything, and everyone, and to someone who’d spent the majority of her life believing that there was only one way, this new knowledge was something she couldn’t get enough of.

  All while she browsed the comics, Roman trailed dutifully behind her, looking interested when she would animatedly point out a particularly interesting looking cover, and then revert to his look of extreme boredom when she was not looking. Victoria’s peripheral vision was excellent, but she wasn’t in a hurry to tell him that.

  She eventually settled in one of the store’s plush beanbag chairs with an interesting looking book. As she sank down into it, Roman watched from above, watching expectantly. After standing for a few more minutes, and getting no response from Victoria, he groaned and sank down into the one besides her.

  “How much longer do you plan to be here, Victoria? You know, there are other things this city has to offer besides comic books.” Victoria peered sheepishly over the top of the book she was reading. “I’m almost done, really! But on that note—she closed the book—what else did you have to show me?”

  Victoria watched, her feelings a mixture of embarrassment and delight, as Roman looked down nervously. She wasn’t sure why, but seeing him nervous made her laugh. “Nothing in particular. I just thought you might like to see the rest of the city, before heading back up to the convent.” Victoria shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, then”

  As she made to get up from her beanbag chair, Roman scrambled up and offered his hand. She took it, gripped his hand firmly, and hoisted herself up. When she made a movement to drop her hand back to her side, his hand tightened. Victoria sighed and quickened her pace, pulling Roman along behind her as she went.