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"Everyone always has a story they tell themselves to justify bad decisions. It never matters. You are always alone in your actions."
– Hawke, (Dragon Age 2)
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"You sure that Nyssa isn't going to be a problem?" I asked Talia one last ti as I wore the traditional League of Assassins clothes I was supposed to wear for my 'graduation' ceremony. We were currently in my room which was one of the very few places we could talk without having to worry about being spied on since I had thoroughly checked the room for bugs and installed a couple of portable voice nullifiers which basically made this room fully soundproof.
"No, she definitely isn't. I sent her on a mission to our Arabian base, Eth Alth'eban saying that she was needed there urgently. She didn't really want to go and miss your ceremony since she didn't have the faintest idea what would truly be happening there tonight but I sohow convinced her. She isn't going to be back by next week. So, by the ti she returns, everything should be over." Talia spoke a little nervously.
"Hey don't worry. I promise I won't let you die today. Whatever happens, you will get to et your sister again, trust ." I smiled as I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them lightly to give her so much-needed confidence.
Both Talia and Nyssa though hated their father were also utterly afraid of him and yet had an inner urge to constantly need his approval for all their achievents. This was of course by design. Ra's Al Ghul was a smart, cunning, and ruthless man, qualities that can make soone very dangerous when grouped together. He had carefully trained his daughters from birth and psychologically conditioned them to feel those feelings for him in a bid to make them equally rciless and yet loyal to him and the league, no matter what.
I personally have been trying to apply my own psychological tricks to try to break the ntal hold their father had on them for the last couple of weeks. I have even succeeded sowhat with Nyssa due to how much she already distrusted and hated her father after the All-caste mission.
I have even hinted about my own 'incompatibility' with her father which she took quite well to. I wanted to let her in on the plan about... well, betraying and murdering her father on the day of the ritual since I didn't want her to misunderstand anything after finding it out on her own or from soone else. Also, she could be quite useful to us if she was included in the plan and I had even started to slowly break it to her but unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. So we had no choice but to send her on a 'mission' to keep her away and safe from everything that was going to happen tonight.
Still, I have only been partially successful with Talia. Her father's toxic lessons were ingrained so deep within her that it sotis even pushed her away from her own little sister whom she loved so much. It seed that Ra's had sowhat succeeded in making her think that her entire life's only purpose was to serve the League. For her, living a normal life was equal to a ntal suicide. Through my barely successful efforts, I could only change her way of thinking partially about so of the League's illegal activities and the terroristic process of achieving its goal.
Her need to seek constant approval and prove herself to her father had also decreased but in return, she seed adamant about proving herself useful and capable to for so reason, even though I never once questioned her capabilities knowing that she was possibly one of the very best assassins in the world probably at the level of Marvel's Black Widow, only more ruthless. Hell, even her physique was enhanced to the degree of a pseudo-super soldier much like her sister.
"Haha, just focus on saving your own life, Mr. Playboy. Believe , I can survive on my own, don't try to play the part of a white knight. Doesn't quite suit your character." She lightly chuckled as she closed the distance between us and began to straighten my ninja costu or as it is traditionally called shinobi shozoku.
"You can't bla for looking out for a pretty lady like you," I laid out so friendly flirting earning an eyeroll from her in return. This little flirting ga was slowly becoming a norm between us even while in the presence of Nyssa and it was sothing that helped us to bond deeper and avoid awkwardness despite the two of us plotting a coup against her warlord of a father.
"You can't play this ga with soone who has already mastered it, Bruce. Also, you are pretty lucky that you are my sister's boyfriend, otherwise, you would have been in quite so trouble." She snorted as she finished straightening my clothes and retreated while deliberately brushing her hands on my crotch and thigh.
'If she thought that this level of seduction was enough to break , then she has another thing coming. I was the previous record holder of 'No-Nut November' in my last life.' I thought confidently.
"Also, I have taken care of the mid-level and top-level experts of the league. Most of them won't be at the base when the ritual starts. Of course, none of them knows what's truly going to happen tonight. I gave them all various 'ergency missions' to justify them for not being present at the base today. Of course, the All-caste suddenly attacking so of our outposts all around Asia was quite helpful. As far as anyone is concerned, even my father's death will just be a result of an assassination due to a 'cold war' against another organization, sothing truly unfortunate." She smiled cunningly as she looked at with eyes that searched for... praise.
"Good, you did your part well Talia. Now, leave everything else to . I'll take care of the rest." I confidently declared.
"I hope so. Because if my father doesn't die tonight, both of us will." She ominously said with her fear evident in her trained eyes for a second before she silently left the room without a single more word.
I too followed behind her after waiting for a couple of minutes to make sure that nobody would be suspicious of us even though most of the people here wouldn't tell anyone anything even if they saw us together since Talia held one of the highest positions in the League and even I was quite well respected as one of the best assassins of the organization. Also, they truthfully didn't have the guts to approach and tell Ra's Al Ghul that his daughter might be potentially having an affair with soone or plotting sothing behind his back unless they had hard proof.
The weather was exceptionally cold today as it looked like an ice storm could rise up at any mont. Thick clouds passing through the mountain and heavy fog made it impossible for even to see anything more than a few ters in front of .
"It seems, Winter is coming" I mumbled as I finally reached the main training hall on the mountain.
I had trained in this place for a couple of years now but I never had the opportunity to fully explore the monastery/dojo. Even the few drones I had sent on reconnaissance a couple of tis had always ended up malfunctioning for so reason. I suspected it to be due to so form of magical protection.
"You ready, Cortana?" I muttered under my breath.
"Always, Sir." She confidently replied back from the ordinary-looking silver bracelet on my hands.
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