Delusion
#7 of The Creed
The Creed
Chapter 6: Delusion
For what is delusion but the prelude to hurt. And what is hurt but the prelude to rage...
-Anonymous
Avitus sat at the side of the curb outside the bank, leisurely observing the police and aid workers as they picked up after his handiwork. The assassin sighed lazily as he cleaned one of his sidearms, running a small rectangular cloth on its exposed coiling. The fight with the bank robbers had barely got his heart pumping. They were amateurs, uncoordinated and easy to rile up. He had been expecting more of a peril then them. There was no way they were connected to The Anarchists. If what he had read about them was true, then they would approached this subtler and with more efficiency, rather than brazenly walking in through the front door.
If he had been the one robbing the bank, he would have cased it for at least a month before attempting the heist, and they would never even knew he was there. For example, the second floor of the bank was deserted from between 12:00 and 1:00 as the employees went on break. The men's bathroom on the second story was just above the vault, which he considered to be an error in the architects design. Avitus checked the schematics and found a structural weakness that could be exploited in the handicapped stall. A small explosive and he would have access to the vault and its entire contents. From there it would be a breeze to siphon the loot up from the hole via a small rope and into the big stall where he could place it in garbage bags and deposit them through the restroom window and disguise it among the trash containers in the back alley. It would then be easy to exit the building and load the garbage bags into a garbage truck he would have 'commandeered' the day before. A short drive later and he would stash it in the park under a tree or perhaps outside the city until the heat died down and he could effortlessly dig it back up.
Just a thought mind you...he wasn't the one who had tried to rob the bank. He had only robbed a few banks and fortress in his time...maybe more than a few.
Still, they sought to remind him of the true threat. This city faced real organized crime in the form of this Anarchist gang. Something had to be done about them before they gained too much power. Avitus was tempted to be the one to do it. But he couldn't, he was still under observation and he doubted the police would allow a ruthless vigilante to take to the streets. After all, his methods would be...questionable at best...and more than likely, illegal. But then again...they didn't have to know it was him.
Someone cleared their throat in front of him and the assassin looked up from his firearm maintenance and smiled broadly when he saw who it was. "Ah, Inspector Fox, a pleasure as always. Are you here perhaps for that offer of lunch?" Avitus asked as he looked up to the unamused vixen.
She shook her muzzle and huffed loudly, resting her paws on her curvy hips. "I suppose I am."
"Splendid!" Avitus exclaimed cheerfully and arose from the curb, holstering his sidearm under his jacket. "I suspected you would like to join me for a repast. I know this nice little café a few blocks from my apartment that makes the most authentic pirozhki you will ever taste outside of Mother Russia herself. You absolutely must try it. I was just a boy when my mother first made it for me. And every time I eat it, it brings me back to that one moment. " He sighed quietly and smiled fondly at the memory.
Carmelita chuffed softly and grinned. "Looks like you sold me. Let's go."
Avitus turner to her as his smile widened. "Follow me." He crossed the street to the large black muscle car parked by a laundromat. The vixen trailed after him and crossed the front of the car to the passenger side door. Avitus unlocked the vehicle and opened the door for her. "After you mademoiselle..." He bowed slightly and motioned for her to step inside.
She blushed faintly and giggled as she climbed into the car's interior, tail wagging energetically. "And they said chivalry was dead."
"Ah, my mother and father made sure to keep it alive and well." He retorted with a chuckle as he stepped into the driver's side and started the car up, pulling out into the street and driving away from the bank. "They made sure that no matter what I would always remember my manners."
"Sounds like your parents really knew how to raise a kid." She remarked as she buckled herself in and watched the human as he drove.
"Yes...they did." He replied after a short moment of silence. "Those're some of the few memories I have of them."
"How did they die? You said it was an accident. What exactly happened?" She enquired softly. She had to have some answers about this mysterious human, even if her questions made him uncomfortable. But as she saw the light in his cyan eyes die she felt the guilt hit her nonetheless.
Avitus didn't respond for several minutes as he stared forward at the road and she was afraid that he never would when he finally spoke up. "They made the mistake of making enemies with the wrong people and they got killed. I barely managed to survive." He grunted and scratched his back, just between his shoulder blades.
"Oh....I'm sorry to hear that." She murmured as she idly scraped at the leather of her seat. She didn't know that his answer would be so...dark.
"But that was many years ago..." He shrugged and turned the circular wheel, swerving down a street at an intersection. "I've had plenty of time to come to terms with it. And besides...their killers would eventually wish they had never been born." Avitus added darkly.
Carmelita picked up on his dark undertone and after seeing his combat abilities, she knew he was probably right. She didn't know how to feel about that however, luckily, her family was still very much alive. She supposed that if something like that happened to her she would react in much the same way. The vixen could be decidedly vicious if necessary.
"What about you? How's your family?" Avitus flipped the conversation to her.
"My father was a detective and my mother worked in the precinct and they married after a few years. He and my mother retired ten years back and moved to a small home outside of Paris. I visit them every few months." She answered his question.
"That explains why a woman like you is working for the police." He mumbled quietly to himself as he parked the car in small lot behind a homely looking café.
Her ears flicked in his direction and she fixed her gaze on him. "What do you mean...woman like me?" The vixen muttered on a half growl.
Avitus shrugged simply as he unbuckled himself. "A girl with your stunning looks could have easily become a movie star. And you're smart, cunning, and unquestionably determined if I may say so bluntly. It's not easy making it to Inspector. That's one hell of a package." He finished as he climbed out of the car.
He thinks I'm pretty? She blushed heavily and giggled at the thought. For some reason, knowing that he thought she was beautiful made her unreasonably happy and she was smiling broadly as she slipped out of the car. Even Sly never said that to her in such a forward way.
"Come on, just inside here." She heard him call out and she turned to see him holding the café's door open. Carmelita quickly traversed the short distance and entered the waiting door. Once inside, Avitus sat down at one of the tables in the pleasantly crowded place and she sat across from him. Swiftly, a young raccoon server walked over and smiled when he saw the human. The kid faintly reminded her of Sly, but his fur was a dark brown rather than gray. She quickly brushed that painful thought away.
"Good afternoon Avitus!" The young one greeted optimistically.
"Timothy! I trust school is going well?" The man asked with a grin.
The raccoon nodded quickly. "Thanks to you...I would never have been able to pass that history test without your help."
Avitus chuckled mirthfully at that. "Yes well you were just so fortunate that I happened to have an interest in that subject."
They shared a laugh and the kid finally noticed that he had a companion with him. Timothy looked to Carmelita and smirked perceptively. "Are you on a date Avitus?"
The man's response was a shrug. "I am merely expressing my gratitude to this nice woman. She helped me settle in and without her I don't know where I would be right now." He gave her a meaningful smile and she found herself smiling back.
"Yeah...right....Avitus." Timothy rolled his eyes. "I take it you want the usual?"
The human nodded. "Yep, two orders of your fine pirozhki my good lad! And make them extra special, she's never had one before."
"I'll make sure the cook knows. I want to make your date a special one." The young coon laughed and walked away.
Carmelita coughed awkwardly and fixed the silverware on the table. "You two know each other long..?"
Avitus shook his head wryly. "I came here a few days after I moved into the apartment for a bite to eat and I met that little bozo." He tilted his head in the direction of the retreating kid. "He reminds me of someone I used to know and I decided to help him out. The rest as they say...is history."
She nodded her head and lapsed into silence. She was still dwelling on what the young raccoon had suggested. Is that what this all was? Was all of this an effort to gain her affection? Her thoughts became a muddled mess as she asked herself. Did she want it to be one? She did feel empty after what happened with Sly, and she missed having someone to spend her time with. Not only that but he seemed to make the pain of Sly's betrayal easier to bear and he genuinely seemed to care about her wellbeing. The vixen thought for a while and was shaken out of it when Avitus coughed. She returned her focus onto her surroundings and saw that their food had already been placed in front of them.
She examined the food with interest.
Her plate was stacked high with small buns, and there was a small cup of chocolate sauce next to her plate along with a glass of what looked like iced tea.
"Food's here." Avitus explained as he picked up one of the buns and dipped it in the dark brown liquid. He popped the small doughy package into his mouth and gave off a contented sigh. "Just like mom used to make..."
Carmelita looked down at her plate and picked up one of the buns in her paw, she could feel the perfectly fried casing and it sent a savory aroma slithering into her snout and made her mouth water. She quickly tossed the bun into her maw and smacked her lips closed, sighing in pleasure much like Avitus did as it crunched appetizingly. "You were right, this is amazing!" She declared as she snatched up another one."
"You forgot the sauce Carmelita, it is not exactly normal, but I find that it is surprisingly tasty. The chocolate has an odd way of bringing out the pork's flavor." He explained as he began to earnestly tear into his meal.
The vixen followed his instructions and noticed that it did taste good, but she preferred the savory taste without the sauce.
The man shrugged at that and shamelessly took her little pot of sauce. "It shouldn't go to waste," Had been his excuse.
The delicious meal did not last long and soon Avitus was licking his fingers over an empty plate. "Ah, that was a most wonderful meal. I hope it was to your satisfaction." He looked over to Carmelita.
The vixen could not reply as her maw was stuffed with the remainders of her food, but she nodded in agreement. A few silent chews later and she swallowed with a grin. "I see why you like this so much."
Avitus smiled and studied the vixen with warm eyes. "There are quite a few things here that I like."
She blushed softly and looked away, feeling as he brushed his hands across her furry jaw softly.
"You made quite a mess." He declared with a chuckle, pulling his crumb dusted hand back and wiping it off with a napkin. He then used the hand to fish around in his back pocket for his wallet. He peeled it open and pulled out a wad of bills, far more then she suspected the price of the meal actually was, and placed them on the table.
When she looked at him quizzically he shrugged. "The company pays quite well. I see no reason not to spread the wealth....besides." He added as he stood up. "I think that all of this deserves a little bit more."
Carmelita nodded uncertainly and joined the man on his feet. They walked towards the exit and he waved goodbye to his friend, who was grinning like an idiot.
Carmelita and Avitus climbed into the car and sat in silence.
"So...where would you like to go next?" Avitus inquired as he looked over to her. "Would you like to go back to the precinct, your home, or perhaps one of the many sights that Paris is famous for? I shall be your driver for today, milady."
She thought about his offer.
She could go back to work, where no doubt an ungodly amount of paperwork waited for her. She could skip out on all of that and head home, or she could spend the day around the city. "Take me home." She decided.
"As you wish..." He declared and started the car.
The ride back to her apartment had been spent in silence, only occasionally speaking to let him know where to go. Carmelita was using the time to think. What was all of this she was doing with Avitus? What was her end goal? Was she just having fun, or was her subconscious trying to tell her something? Why was it that she smiled every time she saw him, and she felt just a little bit less lonely with every moment? These were questions she didn't have the answer to.
By the time they pulled up to her building, she was hinging on a decision.
"Here's your stop Carmelita." Avitus announced as he parked his car across the street. "Thank you for going to lunch with me. I had a wonderful time. May we soon cross paths once more..."
She ducked her muzzle back into the car. "Would you like to come up and share a bottle of wine with me?"
Avitus shook his head reluctantly. "I would gladly do so any other time, but there are some...things I must attend to tonight that require much of my attention. Perhaps another time..."
She nodded her muzzle dejectedly and sighed. "That's alright, I understand."
The assassin leaned forwards and softly planted his lips onto her cheek. "I am truly regretful that I must postpone what would undoubtedly be a wonderful time, but I do have urgent matters to attend to. If you would like, we could do this again?"
Carmelita smiled brightly and rapidly nodded. "Yes of course! That would be great!"
"Until next time then, mademoiselle..." Avitus closed the passenger door and slowly drove away.
Carmelita watched the car turn around a corner and sighed. She had been really hoping he would accept. There were a few more questions she wanted answered. She told herself it was purely for informational purposes, but the excuse rung hollow.
Avitus dropped his smile as he drove away, grimacing. There was indeed some serious business he had to attend to. He needed to get his equipment back, and deal with the Anarchists. The bank robbery had been the straw that broke the camel's back. They might not have been working for the Anarchists, but if they had it would have been far more dangerous and more thank likely there would have been casualties.
The best thing at the moment would be to retrieve his equipment. And he doubted that would endear him to the police chief, but it had to be done. Besides, he didn't fancy on letting them hold his stuff any longer.
With that, Avitus gunned it down the street and headed towards the precinct.
It did not take him long to arrive and he pulled into the underground garage. A few minutes afterwards and he entered the building and started walking through the halls. Occasionally one of the officers would look his way and he would wave casually. 'Good thing I'm familiar around here.' He looked around until he found the evidence room and he slipped inside unnoticed.
A quick glance and he found that it was empty. Avitus rifled through the boxes of weapons, drugs, and other unpleasant things. But after several minutes he became frustrated. "Where is it?" He muttered to himself.
He sighed and took a second to compose himself. When he did he noticed a large metal case at the very back of the room surrounded by smaller containers. He made his way over to it and flipped it open. "Voila!"
Avitus reached inside and pulled out the breastplate for his armor. Inside he found the rest of his suit, his glaive, the Eden staff, and all his other smaller pieces of equipment. With a satisfied nod he closed the lid and turned to leave. He peeked out the room and when he saw that the coast was clear he made a beeline for the garage and made it back to his car without a hitch.
'They are not going to be too happy when they realize what happened.' Avitus knew, but it was necessary. He was equipped to handle threats that Interpol was unable to combat. And even if this got him into irreparable trouble, it was something that needed to be done.
Avitus made it back to his apartment and placed the box of gear down in the center of his living room. The Assassin sat on the couch and stared at the box intently as the rest of the day pasted, shrouding the outside in darkness.
Once he donned his suit and started his vigilante purge, there would be no going back. Whatever happened would be irreversible. Interpol could come after him, Carmelita could come after him. He could lose all he had gained here, a fresh start, companionship, a purpose.
Avitus sighed wearily and opened the container.
Stopping the Anarchists was bigger than him, bigger than his happiness. If he stopped them, than even if he died or was imprisoned, he would have done something worthwhile...even if she would hate him. He was an Assassin, trained to stop the Templar, but more importantly, to fight for those that could not defend themselves. Assassins were just as much unfaltering protectors as they were ruthless killers, two sides of a tarnished coin.
Avitus removed his clothes and donned his ebony suit. He walked towards the door and glanced back at his apartment. 'It was good while it lasted.'
Nevertheless...it was a life that was not meant to be. It had been a nice dream but ultimately that's all it had been...a dream. Avitus pulled the hood over his head and the black armored mask enclosed his features.
The Assassin slipped out of the door and into the night.