"Did you do it?" Ava questioned.
Azrael stared at her without answering. Ava tensed up seeing that. After a while, Azrael spoke in a low voice,
"Information can be many things, but sometimes it is weight. And you can't bear mine, girl." Azrael answered.
Ava shuddered. She had got all the answers. To the question asked and to the ones unspoken.
"Remember, never ask questions that have a heavy answer. In the end it becomes a.. burden." Azrael reminded her again.
Ava nodded her head up and down. This time she was really frightened. She looked at the floor, to avoid his eyes and kept facing it.
Azrael looked away from her and continues his talk with Master White, "At heart she is still a young girl." He commented.
"Yes. So, don't be harsh on her." Master White replied.
"Oh I have to be White. I have to.. if I'm not harsh then life will be. So it's better that I am the one teaching her." Azrael said with a genuine sad smile on his face, that Ava missed because she was still facing the floor.
"I know why you are nice to her, and that's very rare for you." Azrael continued but Master White didn't reply. By this time, he had materialized and was looking at Ava.
"You see us in her don't you?" Azrael questioned. He was referring to the time they were orphans back on Earth. When Azrael was a nobody and Master White was just an alter ego.
Master White still stays silent, and that answers Azrael's question.
"If you see us in her that's good, but there is something concerning about that too, don't you think?" Azrael still continued with his questions.
"One Azrael and Master White are enough for this world. Unlike the pitiful act of her holding a knife while sleeping, she would be holding a knife down to our throat someday If she becomes us, do you want that?"
"Quit with the act Azrael. Your actions betray your words. If someone else had asked the question earlier that she asked, you would have killed them on the spot in a moment, but you instructed her. So don't trap me in your words. I know you too well for that."
"And you are supposed to be the one with the emotions, aren't you?" Master White replied in one breath as if he didn't want to give Azrael a chance to retort.
"Ha.. you win White. You win." Azrael backed down. Because Master White was right about him.
"Why don't we give her a chance again then? That will also make it clear on what to do next with her." Azrael suddenly came up with an idea.
"I don't know what you are trying to accomplish here by doing all this." Master White didn't entertain him and instead voiced out his impatience.
"Nothing much, just trying to pass time with someone you think to be a younger version of ourselves."
Master White didn't like the reply but stayed silent.
Taking his silence as an agreement, Azrael spoke to Ava
"Now don't sulk girl just because I said that, look at me." Ava slowly lifted her head and she found Azrael smiling at her.
Ava was not sulking, she was terrified. But she masked the fear and looked at Azrael bravely. I guess that too was also one of the reasons she was similar to Azrael. Azrael was cold, ruthless, cunning and also fake. He lived a life of lies and Ava also built her world of lies.
"You have two options." Azrael stated.
"One : you have taken care of me for a whole day and a bit more, so I pay you.. let's say roughly 300 gold and you can be on your way."
"You say nothing about me and never discuss us being together." Ava stayed silent, hinting for him to continue,
"Or.. option two : you stay with me here and do my odd jobs, till I decide to leave. And you will get more than just gold by the end of it.
"What do you say?"
Ava didn't reply immediately. Both the options appear beneficial to her. The only difference was the first option was safer compared to the latter. She carefully considers for a long time, after a while she spoke, "Before answering I would like to know, would you kill me along the way if I chose the second option?"
"Haha.. you are smart for your age, girl."
"Let's see, although I won't kill you for no reason, but if you do something stupid then I can't guarantee." Azrael replied looking at her with a delightful smile. Fear crawled up her spine when she heard that answer. Now Ava wasn't able to differentiate whether the smile was because he was really delighted by her question or was it from the prospect of her murder.
She really feared Azrael. You can manipulate a fool, and can reason with the sane, but it gets really dangerous with the insane ones.
And Ava was sure that Azrael was completely insane. His myriad expression changes within few seconds were enough to prove her point, not to mention the other crazy things he did.
Azrael looked at her and noticed all of this, sweat trickling from her neck, her fingers fidgeting from nervousness or fear. He could see her tremble. But all of this was her body reacting subconsciously to Azrael's aura.
Her eyes though carried a different emotion. It was ambition. And people high on ambition, rarely consider the risk. So Ava's answer didn't surprise Azrael much.
"I choose the second option." She said resolutely. And once her words confirmed her ambition, the trembling and fidgeting of her body also stopped.
"Great." Azrael exclaimed.
Ava once again shuddered at his enthusiasm towards her.
"Before we move forward, some ground rules for you to follow." Azrael instructed.
"Never ask what I am doing, rule one."
"My orders are absolute, rule two."
"Do you understand?!"
"Okay." Ava nodded her head repeatedly.
"Then your first order, you are not allowed to leave the cabin Without my permission, you are only allowed to leave when I specifically order you to."
"Ok.." Ava agreed with hesitation. She found the idea of being trapped with Azrael not safe. It would be better if he just treated her like a servant, but being confined to the cabin was greatly restrictive of her freedom. When this thought arose in her mind, she immediately pushed it to the back of her mind.
Rule two, orders are absolute you dumbass! concentrate.. Ava thought internally.
Azrael also said other things but she wasn't able to pay attention entirely because of her thoughts, so when she concentrated again she could only hear the remaining bits, "...you can take that corner of the cabin, like yesterday and don't disturb me unless necessary."
"Mm." Ava responded.
Master White saw all of this exchange happen between the two of them and he clearly was not interested. He was kind to Ava, that is true. Not killing her was the kindest gesture he could have ever shown, and he followed through with it. After that Ava didn't interest her much. He was more concerned about their previous fight and the hostages in the special sack.
Azrael on the other hand was fully distracted by Ava's presence. He enjoyed playing mind games with people he found interesting. Then he would reward them afterwards. That was what he was doing to Ava here. He considered the act to be kindness.
Both of their expressions of kindness were really strange to say the least. And Ava trapped in all of this was unaware of these thoughts, she was just abiding, adjusting and compromising to make a profit.
From an outsider perspective, this cabin was clearly filled with weirdos.
Ava responded to Azrael's questions and orders and slowly moved to the corner as she was ordered. She picked up her leather bag from the ground. Which had contained her purchased food and some other items. Placing the food aside, to eat when hungry. She took out the knife from the bag next and started scribbling and scratching on the wooden floor and wall.
It appeared as playing with the knife, but was also meant to be a deterrent to Azrael. She was not brave enough for verbal or direct threats. So she subtly influenced the environment with her actions. It was meant to convey, that even though she was obeying him, it didn't mean she was helpless.
And Azrael understood everything and muttered loud enough for her to hear, "Cute."
Ava flinched but didn't react and continued "playing" with the knife.
To Master White and Azrael the knife was insignificant. It didn't matter much to them if they wanted to kill her. So they let her have the illusion of false security.
The scratching continued. Azrael ignored it.
Focusing on the more pressing matters, In the mind space, Master White's voice cut through. "What do we do with the Marquis and Viscount?"