Author's Note

Reminder that you should be reading using the Celestia color scheme for best effect.

No Talk

You get up, ignoring the gasping coming from the mobster's new gaping neck hole. You drop the knife that was responsible for the deed, since you'd much rather have that shotgun the guy was carrying.

Making certain that the gun was loaded, you stand waiting next to the door to the next room, where you can hear a couple of them chatting in Russian. You wait until it sounds like one of them is in front of the door before you barge in, knocking one onto his ass.

The other jumps in surprise, but you paint his brains on the wall behind him, making him slouch back on the couch he was sitting on.

His buddy, the one you knocked down, starts to plead for his life when you aim the shotgun at his head.

Not that you listened.

Ejecting another empty shell, you hear footsteps approaching rapidly, so you get in place behind the door you just entered. When you hear the cry of shock from the mobster, you slam the door into him, before beating his head into a fine red paste with the gun.

Hearing someone else calling out in Russian a room over, you pass through a couple doors and find him aiming a rifle your way. You act fast and duck back out of the room, barely avoiding a few stray shots. The mobster taunts you, even though you can't understand him, and you answer by popping back into the room and throwing the gun at his face.

It connects, and he goes down, dropping his own gun. Wasting no time, you go over and beat the back of his head into the floor.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And one more time to grow on.

Once his head is finely mushed, and once the only sound in the building is your own heavy breathing and blood dripping off the walls, you leave, getting back in your car and driving off. Those gunshots were no doubt heard by the neighbors, no reason to stick around when the cops show up.

As you drive down the Miami streets, you take off your chicken mask and look at yourself in the mirror. Oddly enough, you don't have much blood on you, besides some that got on your shoe when you stomped a guy's head in. Up ahead, you see a pizza place, and remembering your excuse to Rarity, you park out front and get out.

Inside, a couple is sitting at a table, enjoying their pizza in silence. They give you an acknowledging nod, which you return. Behind the counter is a long-haired man, who looks a bit too much like a hippy.

"Hi there, welcome!" he greets. You're about to place your order, when he cuts you off. "Oh, you don't need to order, your pizza's already done. Had a feelin' you were on your way here, heh..."

Odd, this guy was talking as if you knew each other, but you couldn't remember anyone like him. "Well, let's just leave it at that for now, shall we?" he continues. "Don't worry about paying, it's on the house!"

Confused, you go ahead and take the pizza box on the counter, noting that it's slightly heavier than you remember pizza of that size being. You take it back to your car, where you open the lid and find a large amount of hundred dollar bills taped to the top of the box, slightly greasy from the cheese pizza underneath.

That made you think. The guy seemed to know that you were going to get pizza. And the money was proof that he was part of whoever was leaving those phone calls. Had they bugged your house?

Did they know about Rarity?

Your earlier bloodlust giving way to fear, you head home, eager to leave the creepy guy behind.

Once you pull up in front of your apartment building, after stashing the cash in the glove box, you take the pizza out of the car and go inside. When you enter, Rarity peeks in from your room, and her eyes light up slightly upon seeing the pizza. However, as she goes to greet you, she pauses. "Father, what's that on your jacket?"

Ignoring what she called you, since you knew she'd do it even if you told her not to, you look at the front of your jacket to see a small bloodstain. How you missed that in the car, you don't know.

Thinking quickly, you set the pizza down and explain that it must be some pizza sauce, since they apparently got generous with it this time. Thankfully, this satisfies her, and you make a mental note to try and clean up before coming home after every 'job' you got sent on.

As the two of you eat, Rarity tells you about how she beat that game on the Nintendo, and you can't help but smile. Jeez, is this what you sounded like to your parents when you were her age (or at least the equivalent age)?

A passing comment from Rarity reveals that she's been feeling an odd urge to do something with clothes, though she didn't know why. Thinking, you get up and go to the bathroom, rummaging through your laundry. Finding what you're looking for, you return with a few shirts that you never wear, and as such were almost perfectly clean. You tell Rarity she could practice doing cloth stuff to them, and she actually smiles and hugs you.

As your heart threatens to explode from her cuteness, a lingering thought hangs at the back of your head.

She doesn't know what you did earlier

She doesn't know you're a killer

You ignore the thoughts and return the hug, before you both continue eating.

Whatever the hell you have happening now, you think you can make it work. For both of you.