The Black Rose

Knowing your Client

Knowing your client is almost as difficult as tracking your target, but a lot can be said from the file they leave. If they leave simply a name then they are not organized and likely cannot even afford my services, which works out badly for them if I take a job and they do not pay up. What happens you may ask? Why, I take the ten thousand out of their hide, that's what happens.

The newest file I have is a duplicate of the last one, Mathias Crimsonblood, so I have two options; one I take the pay for a job that has ostensibly been done via faked death, or two I pass on the job and deal with the fallout that will inevitably come. Unfortunate side effect of my business is that when a well organized and obviously well funded client comes my way and I do not take the job for whatever reason, they tend to take that badly and will inevitably send some hired muscle to take me out whenever I am sighted in an area. What? You thought I was the only assassin or hired thug with a network of street rats?
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Daisy was worried, she always was when she knew I had to turn down a job, worried that I might get hurt on the next job or after that someone might even follow me home and unravel everything we had worked for. The only thing I could do is hold her as she worried herself sick after we closed up for the day.

She didn't need to know that only lower level muscle would have the guts and stupidity in combination to come after me, any of the other half dozen well positioned assassins in Equestria wouldn't dream of it. Honor among thieves and all that rot.

The twenty four hour mark had passed on my last job and still no word from Scoots and a huge bag of bits in my hoof, I liked the little street rat but this wasn't like her. My train of thought was rather abruptly derailed as a what was supposed to be a ghost walked through my door.

“Master Mathias, why are we coming here?” A gravely voice asked, one I recognized as Draklekar.

“Because, Draklekar, I wish to employ her services personally.” Mathias' silky voice replied as they turned the corner and came within sight of the counter.

They were greeted with a sight not many saw and survived, Daisy holding one of my bows and standing on her hind hooves with an arrow set to the string and drawn back to full draw while I snuck up behind them daggers attached to my hooves.

“You must be incredibly stupid or suicidal coming here after she executed your contract.” Daisy growled as her bow creaked under the strain.

Looking unrepentant and wholly unconcerned Mathias smirked as my dagger found a home nestled against Draklekar's throat “I assure you I am neither, I simply wish to employ her services as a client once again. In fact I wish to employ her services full time.”

“What do you mean full time?” Daisy asked not lessening the hold on the string of the bow

“I mean, my dear Daisy, that I wish for her to be MY assassin, I will employ her services as normal but I want her to only take my contracts.” Mathias crooned

“And just why would she do that?”

“Because I intend for her to be paid very well for doing so, now can we please put these weapons away and talk like civil beings?” Mathias asked with that steel and velvet voice.

I retract my daggers as Daisy lowers her bow, “start talking horn boy”

“horn boy?... that's a new one ha ha” Mathias drawls clearly not amused

I look over my shoulder at him, very pointedly clicking my dagger back into place for a moment, before retracting it and strutting over to Daisy nuzzling her as I pass.

“Ah that explains your protective nature over her.” Mathias croons once again. “I assumed merely business associates or at the very least you were training her. Ah well young love, I will be brief, I will pay you a monthly rate so that you do not take any other contracts but my own, this cost will cover any contracts you may turn down in favor of my own, as well as covering your fee for the contracts I may send your way.”

“we have goals of our own to accomplish” Daisy says at my nod, writing down a list of four names that we are still looking for.

“and I shall not hinder those goals, in fact I happen to be looking for these individuals myself” he says after looking at the note “Though I imagine that you are doing so for very different reasons.”

“what would this payment be should we agree?” Daisy asks

“Well, that depends on how many contracts you take in one months time.”

“Anywhere from three to six depending on complexity.”

“So then I shall pay you for five contracts per month, plus the standard fee for any that I send you.”

Mathias says without batting an eyelash.

“Then what shall we tell the thugs that will inevitably try to 'convince us' to take the jobs that we refuse?” Daisy asked snarkily

“That's my job.” Draklekar growls flaring his wings slightly to reveal a rather intimidating sword tucked into the folds of his wings something that disturbed me greatly as I had not noticed it while pinned against his back with my dagger at his throat. “I will be taking over the local gang presence while doubling as local farm hand for the Apple family. I will discourage any local toughs from taking a job to convince you and prevent any outsiders from coming in the first place.”

Daisy looks to me and whispers “Sounds too good to be true, but we can always deal with them if they turn on us.” at which I nod and turn to leave only to stop as I hear a large bag of bits hit the table coupled by the buzzing I am used to hearing from Scoots' wings.

“Sorry I'm late, this guy had me hung up by my wings when I tried to pick up the payment” only then realizing that “this guy” was standing next to her smiling.

“So you spoke the truth when you said you worked for our dear Rose.” Mathias said smiling

“Why would I lie about that? I pick up her order payments all the time. She pays me ten percent and tips me with these amazing black roses that taste so awesome, I live the high life around here.” Scoots says taking her usual Lunar Rose from the vase, and a small bag of bits out of the larger bag and moving to her usual space in the attic of our shop where she lived most nights when she was out later than the local shelter would allow her in for the night.

I would adopt the young filly but Daisy was far to worried about our lifestyle to think about adopting her even though she wanted it as bad as I did. Maybe this new arrangement would allow for such a thing.

My thoughts were interrupted by Daisy agreeing to the arrangement with Mathias as I watched Scoots come back down stairs and order a pizza with hay fries while humming Queen's “Fat Bottomed Mares” a personal favorite of mine.

As the young filly continued to hum and began to dance along to the tune coming from her small room I decided to approach her about being adopted by Daisy and myself. Motioning her over I began to dance along with her while writing a note,

'would you like to be adopted scoots?' she stopped dancing as she realized I wasn't joking and answered me seriously

“Yeah... I hoped it would be you that asked me since I know Dash never will, hell she doesn't even know I live in the shelter when I'm not lucky enough to be out late and crash here. Yeah as long as Daisy is cool with it I can get the paperwork filled out tomorrow with Princess Twilight.” the young filly asked with the pricks of tears in her eyes “Would you still want me to pick up your order payments? Even adopted I like that I can still help the other kids get new stuff when they need it. I like that you trust me to pick up that amount of bits and not steal from you I even like that you trust me to know what you really do even though it is always coded into flower orders.” my surprise must have shown because she laughed “I'm orphaned and homeless, not stupid”

Daisy walked over and smiled at us knowing damn good and well what we had been talking about “of course you will still do what you do for us, and you will be safe and well fed every night, which is more than I can say that shelter does.” curse her sensitive ears. “we have wanted to ask you for a while but with Roses' job and the risks that often come our way we didn't want to put you in any danger, but now we can train you to take care of yourself like we do."

After Scoots went to bed Daisy talked me through the deal she had made with Mathias basically the gist was that i turned down anything that didn't already match up with a preset list of targets and any that did match up I was free to accept and take normal payment on. Scales for brains would take care of any toughs that came our way and we all kept on living happily ever after.

Why is nothing ever that simple?