*Eliza’s POV*

After some pestering, Andy finally agreed to reveal the first few of our destinations, though not all. He was practically giddy with excitement about whatever surprise he was keeping from me. Stubborn bastard.

Apparently he thought it would be a good idea to go by the Assassin’s Guild to introduce me. Virtually all Assassins were Night Fae, so the odds that most of them, especially their leader, Mick, would be in, were high. The Night Watch worked in tandem with them, especially with some funny little group they had, by far the most often of the four Watches. I was excited; I’d never met an Assassin before, not that I knew of.

After that, he wanted to go by the Library. Apparently the Head Librarian, Tobias, was also a Scribe and Bookbinder. Andy said he had spent a lot of time there, because he loved to read. He said there was also another reason we would discuss more when we got home, which made me wildly curious, but I let him drop it and move on.

With a reluctant sigh, Andy also said that, if there was time, we could go to the Healer’s Tent to see if Alice and his ceffyl dŵr were available for a quick hello. I was really eager at the prospect of meeting another extraordinary and novel creature, and about to think up something doubtless embarrassing to thank him, when Andy tensed suddenly, sneering, and reached for a sword hilt that wasn’t there.

I looked around, and just saw a young man waving shyly a ways away as Andy stood, scowling. The young man scampered off, and Andy sat back down. I frowned, suspecting machismo stupidity. “What the fuck was that?”

Andy looked at me, and appeared to be considering his words carefully. Eventually, he came up with. “I love you?”

Oh no! No-no-no! “What the bleeding tits does that have to do with you wanting to draw a blade on your tribesmen, eh? The Fae you are supposed to protect? You tell me this instant, Andrew Biersack!”

I was attracting attention, and Andy’s face was getting a little mottled. “Hush, my precious darling! I will explain! Just have some mercy on me, please?” Then he did it: he took my hand and kissed it sweetly, looking at me with his gorgeous eyes, blue like I imagined a sapphire would be if it met the sky. I dumbly nodded and went silent, turned to putty.

Then Andy waxed rather poetic, and I fell for it like an idiot in my dazzled state. “I had forgotten that sometimes, I am a jealous, possessive man. How can you blame me, Eliza? You are my everything; you are life! You are the only reason I care to live. I was just a shell, a husk, I was already dead; you brought me back from the brink and infused me with a new passion.”

Andy kissed my hand again and my brain hummed happily. “So, well, when I see Vinny staring at your perfect bosom with his horrid, greedy, little eyes, and it just goes on and on, and he doesn’t look away, it drives me mad! I can’t stand it! You are more than your breasts! And, besides, he can’t touch them, that fucking bastard! You’re my woman-”

That broke the spell. “-Andy! I’m well aware my tits are the size of houses, they’re hard to avoid looking at, give the kid a break, shit!”

Andy was still mad at the poor boy, sitting there and fuming, so I went for another tactic. I leaned a little closer and whispered. “Who do you think will get to see them in that orange, satin brassiere, eh?” I tried for a naughty little face, and must have succeeded, as Andy seemed to calm a bit. I decided to go a little bit further. “Who do you think will get to take it off me?”

Andy blushed, and finally smiled. Then, I had to add a little something else. “Though, I prefer you wait until we’re at home, not during training-“ Andy snorted, but laughed a little.

“-Most definitely! I don’t fancy having to visit the Healer’s Tent, thank you very much!” I grinned at him and he smiled back. Fucking balls, Andy had such a great smile!

“So, what does Vinny do?” I really hoped that kid was a Villager, like a candle-maker’s apprentice or something. If we had to work with him regularly on the Watch, this would be awkward.

Andy made his ‘reluctant’ face. “Vinny, eh… He’s an Assassin.”

Sometimes I had anger-filled moments. So as not to whump my partner and warden, I rose to take my plate to the dish-washing area without a word, scowling like a motherfucker.

---

*Angelo’s POV*

I watched Vinny get caught eyeing Andrew’s ward’s (and apparently his woman’s) breasts and had to stifle laughter. The kid had a lot to learn, though he had the brains to run off on his own for a while and wait until they left before joining me. You can’t just casually spy on the Second Officer of the Night Watch, for fuck’s sake! Andrew was the Second Officer for a reason, it really wasn’t just because of the hair and his motivational speaking skills.

I looked at Vinny, who was pink in the face with embarrassment. “Ang, you don’t have to say anything. I know I was lucky.”

I nodded. Indeed. I remembered very clearly when Andrew and Juliet had first gotten together. Andrew had been less than courteous to anyone who came within a 50-foot radius of Juliet for years. Hopefully time and age had mellowed him a little?

I sighed. “Look, Vin, it’s be best if we let the others know they’re coming by. You know how Chris is.”

Vinny nodded. Somehow, somewhere, a rumor had started that Andrew and Chris hated one another and had a bitter rivalry. That I knew of, it wasn’t true, and Chris despised anyone even mentioning it.

But try as he might, Chris could never get on Andrew’s ‘good side,’ because Andrew had become a total recluse outside of the Watch after Juliet’s death. This was probably the first time Andrew had been by the Guild in years! Chris would shit his pants if he wasn’t there to make nice with Andrew, especially in front of Mick, who we all suspected secretly believed the rumor.

“I’ll go ahead. You just fucked yourself, so you need to keep an eye on them, make sure you arrive AFTER they do, alright? Andrew already has it in for you today and Chris will want to interact without you there.” Vinny nodded, now turning almost red to the collar.

I rose to leave. “Oh, Ang, um… Tell all of them not to look at her, you know…” Vinny made a motion around his chest like he had a giant pair of boobs.

I nodded. It was no laughing matter. If Chris actually did do that, accidentally or not, the rumors might actually become true.

Notes

well, my pre-ordered copy of the Shadow Side arrived, and I love it! I feel like no words can do it justice, but i just had to say something to that effect. what an incredible album!

---

Wednesday 13, the Relapse Symphony, Toxic Zombie, Dead Animal Assembly Plant, and Particle Son will be playing the Hawthorne Theatre, in Portland, OR, on Saturday, May 7th at 7pm. tickets are cheap- support rock & roll. link to calendar for hawthorne theatre

super stoked to see Wednesday 13 & Relapse Symphony for the first time, & Toxic Zombie again! see you there?