Cornelia entered the Gray Fox’s study and caught sight of him, busy sorting through a small pile of paperwork. He signed at the bottom of one of the documents and shifted his eyes as the light from outside was swiftly blocked by the closing study door.

  “You called for me, Boss?”

  “Ah, yes. Excellent timing, Miss Sauvant. We’re to discuss a few matters about your previous operation, and your rather poor handling of the situation.”

  “I guess I didn’t stop him when he got too carried away with knocking out soldiers blocking our escape.” Cornelia shrugged her shoulders. “So, will this be the moment when I’ll be fired or, or if we put this in a more business sense, dismissed?”

  “Not yet.” The Gray Fox revealed the contents of a small sack and brought the artifact to the light. The crystal rod used by Gerhard to ‘store’ that book-like object from before was in his hands. “You have carried out the task almost flawlessly, save for that… error.”

  The crime lord took the crystal-topped stick and set it on something that resembled a candle holder. A green glow, followed by a short, weak shriek; specks of light emerged around the lit gem and spun out, forming what looked like brightness given mass, adapting the form of an open book. Symbols rose and fell from its surface; none of them were present when Gerhard 'absorbed' the tome into the gem. She would not dare guess what they were, even if she saw them anyway.

  “You have retrieved the correct book, which is your main objective. I would still reduce your pay for this service after failing to watch over Mister Guildenstern.”

  “It wasn’t easy at all, Boss, but I had my faults too.” Cornelia bowed; her voice was reduced to a half-whisper. “We should have watched our backs tighter. I should-have-done that.”

  “Anyway, both of you managed to return here without further incident." The Gray Fox scanned the other pages; what was a blank book once was now filled with drawings and text. "None of us will have to go through this once I have unlocked this book’s secrets.”

  Cornelia could not bring herself to be happy with the thought. Stupid book. She was in no position to cry back at the whole point of the task.

  Cornelia found her perfect means of bailing out by saying:

  “Can I see Gerha- um, Mister Guildenstern? I’d like to know if he’s doing okay after what we’ve gone through.”

  “The infirmary is a floor down from my office. Take the sixth door from your right. Mister Guildenstern is resting inside as we speak.”

  “Got it. Thanks, Boss .”

  “You may go see him. I would not like you standing still in front of me.”

  Cornelia took a slight bow and went ahead; she did not notice the Gray Fox’s eyes trailing her right before the door closed behind her. She shook her head before grumbling:

  “Great. All I got was a pay cut. Good thing those pellets didn’t get to the stone, or I’d be in even bigger trouble.”

  Her walk out of the study became strides when Cornelia exerted more to reach the staircase right away. A quiet hall with the scent of vapor and disinfectant moved along with the swordswoman.

  “This must be it. I’ll give that magic-man a piece of my mind, all right. If only he wasn’t so reckless and just focused on distracting the ones after us.”

  Cornelia turned the knob until a click affirmed that she could push the door aside. A lamp above illuminated a man asleep under a single sheet. She did her best not to disturb the sleeper when she minced her steps to a nearby chair beside a small table.

  Cornelia lifted the chair and placed it nearest to the bed. Gerhard must have been hit badly by the Imperial officer’s firearm for him to not feel her presence right away.

  She recalled everything after she dealt with the shotgun-wielding officer and how the magician was on the verge of collapsing minutes after the pellets stung and made holes in his skin. That Imperial was a tough foe to manage, batting her strikes and even came close to beating Cornelia by destroying her weapon. She took him down anyway, but she was denied the opportunity to take him out for good at the sight of Gerhard.

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  The return to the base was worse – Gerhard dropped to the floor. The pain inflicted by that weapon was too much for him to take. Nurses and facility guards secured the man and took him away to the infirmary. Cornelia was able to at least get the object from Gerhard’s failing grip before she was left alone at the transport bay.

  He was still alive, only much paler than before and during the operation. She was close enough to see Gerhard’s nose letting air in and out. Cornelia just let the feeling of actually caring for colleagues overtake her. Her past tasks didn’t allow her such novelty, although she saw more injured men or worse when the gangs clashed and the battle was won, or lost. She wondered what it was in this man to make her worry like this; it could be that she did not pay attention to the faces of those she worked for.

  That was, until she was hired by the Gray Fox and his army of weird people.

  His eyes were moving; perhaps he felt the weight of Cornelia’s elbow disturb the balance of the mattress. Soon, her gaze was met by a pair of dark irises; Gerhard would have jumped back, but he did not have the strength to do so anyway.

  “Got one back at you for surprising me during my sword practice.” A half-snarl was the first thing she let Gerhard see. Cornelia’s head retreated; her back rested firmly on the chair. “How are you doing?”

  “Awful still. Having my whole left arm and waist in bandages isn’t the most comforting experience after that cursed soldier got me. At least the doctors managed to remove all the shots, or pellets, so they say,” Gerhard replied. “What about you?”

  “Aside from my sword arm feeling a little shaky after that saber was shot off from me, I’m all right. It’s no joke fighting two Imperial officers in a row and on their turf.” Cornelia smiled and crossed her legs before continuing, “I’ve got news for you. The Boss is going to reduce my pay after you went overboard, knocking those Empire dogs out with magic blasts. You’re going to owe me. A lot.”

  “Hah. It will be a long time before I can pay you fully. I won’t be able to perform most of my talents with my main casting arm in this shape.”

  “I guess we’ll sit back and let Green Eye and his men do the work while you wait for everything to heal.”

  “Me, yes. You, on the other hand, can still do your job well.”

  “I thought so too, but I’d rather stick around with you since you, after all, are my Master Guildenstern.” Cornelia let out a soft chuckle. "Besides, the Boss has the final say on matters. Who knows? I won't be bothering you if I'm sent to a new team. It won't be the same if I don't see a Master Guildenstern to mess around with."

  “You will never stop calling me that …”

  “It is who you really are, so get used to it.” Cornelia’s smile shrank into a rather serious appeal; her voice lowered a little as she spoke, “Also, I’m sorry for not being able to stop this from happening. I guess I got a little too carried away escaping.”

  “No need to apologize, Cornelia, this was my fault at most. I should not have turned my back on that gunman. I was also too careless with my craft.”

  Cornelia leaned more on the backrest until the chair’s front legs disconnected from the ground. “At least we got what the old man wanted. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t thought that we got through this mess all because of a silly book, or whatever that glowing thing was trying to be.”

  “It was part of the job. I’m glad that the soldier didn’t aim for my head.”

  “I’d be in bigger trouble if I brought back your dead body here. And no, I’ll make sure that you’ll stay alive and keep the Boss satisfied. That also means a better chance at earning higher than usual.”

  “We’re a team. Of course, we need to watch each other’s backs.”

  “That, and I’ll also have to do it for my future bankrolls’ sake. Don’t screw up, okay?”

  Gerhard laughed. There was nothing else he could say at that time. His eyes couldn’t part from registering the woman in his senses. He wanted to make excuses, such as his bedridden state not giving him enough room to look away. Cornelia proved to be a refreshing sight without the typical swordsman’s apparel. His mind played tricks inside, building an image of what she looked like if she were to bear a typical woman’s image.

  “What are you looking at?” Cornelia’s eyes matched his; a puzzled gaze followed shortly.

  “Oh… ah…” Gerhard’s throat felt parched; perhaps what water remained inside his mouth dried away.

  “I know just the thing for that.” She stood up; her eyes remained tethered to his face. “You need something to eat. A little bread and cream soup will help, no?”

  “Y-yes. Bread. And soup. Could you bring a small slab of meat with that?”

  “All right, Master.” Laughter almost prevailed at the end of her answer. “Just lie down pretty, and I’ll be back with our food quick and easy.”

  “You know that I can’t go anywhere, Cornelia.”

  “Lighten up.” The swordswoman reached for a door and stared at him one last time before going ahead. “All your magics took away your sense of picking up a joke or two, huh? You should start practicing more now that you’re stuck with me.”

  She was gone. At last. Odd that he never looked at her that way during her first few days under Winston’s ranks. There were so many things he wanted to ask about her, but he found out that time was at his disposal, at least in his current state. Whether or not the Gray Fox decides to assign other tasks to her was still a question.