Alicia was entirely too happy, flitting around without a care in the world, well past noon. She hadn't exercised, not the way I had.

"Wow Sasha, you look like hell."

I needed to sum up the pure evil of the morning in one word. What word to pick was easy.
"Gloom."

Alicia blanched. "Is he still around? Come on Sasha, don't do me dirty today."

I decided to have mercy. "He's in his office. He had his fill making my morning."

Alicia sat down at the bench beside me, and one meaty hand clapped me on the shoulder. It actually hurt a little. "Damn Sasha, that's rough. Sorry."

She rubbed my shoulder a bit more, her unibrow knit in concentration.

"What are you doing?"

"Just feeling those little chicken bones of yours. Were they always the size of toothpicks?"

Right. I was tired, but not that tired. "Ha ha. You want some training of your own?"

Alicia Gripped a bit harder for a moment as she stood up. "How about we forget all about that, and I get you a little hair of the dog that bit you?"

I stared at Gray. He stopped looking at the device he was holding, and stared back. "Get me some water too, and it's a deal."

"Water?!? What the hell? You going to take a bath right here or something?"

"I know, I know, just do it please."

Alicia stared at me a moment. "Don't get all flakey on me, Sasha."

"Fine, do it or I'll shave half your beard so you look funny."

Alicia clapped me on the shoulder again. "That's more like it! Be right back."

While Alicia did her thing, Ivan stepped down, adjusting his weapon belt; he visibly started when he saw me, and walked over.

"You look like hell Sasha."

"Yeah, getting that a lot lately. Gloom decided I needed practice."

The visible wince Ivan gave was a little gratifying; someone else knew.

"Sorry. You seen Alicia?"

"Yeah, she made it down already and decided to be nice for a change; did you wake her up or something?"

Ivan nodded. "I did, then Plague wanted to bend my ear over something. It seems I had more bounty money to pick up, and the bean counters were getting nervous that I hadn't banked it yet."

"Ah. I hate when that happens." For most hunters, they made some money, they put some into retirement savings.

I thought it was a scam; the only retired hunter was a dead one. Though if you wanted to pay for a really big funeral I guess it was useful.

I remembered the last one of those I went to.

"Here you go, Sasha. Water, a beer, and some aspirin, courtesy of Sarah."

I looked up at Alicia, who was actually smiling. "Thanks."

I took the items pills first, downed those with the water, finished the glass and threw it at Gray (who had clearly expected something and caught it) and took the bottle. It would be best to sip it slow.

Ivan raised an eyebrow as me as Alicia sat back down on the other side of the bench.

"What? I was thirsty."

"Nothing," he replied. "So, how many teams do you think are up and ready to be fielded at the moment?"

"Can't be many," I replied, scratching my chin. (Which was still annoyingly hairless - I didn't know how Alicia managed.) "I haven't seen too many people awake, let alone people I'd consider fight ready."

"You don't consider anyone fight worthy," Alicia said, clearly trying to start a fight.

I kept calm. "Not many, no. but in this case, not too many awake and upright."

"Then its very likely we'll get sent out if we're here," Ivan said.

"Yep, sure is," I agreed. I was fine with that, really. Well if I could walk more than five steps. And if my head would stop pounding.

"Yeah, let's go outside for a bit," Alicia replied with a weird look at Sarah.

Ivan stood and offered a hand. "Come on, I'll buy."

Well, I wasn't one to turn down free anything, so I let him help me up. "Buy what?"

"I don't care, you pick... as long as it isn't too expensive or a new gun or something."

What a spoilsport; you could never have too many guns.

"Works for me."

The joke was on them anyway; any assignment that was coming in would still be ours once we got back.

The sun was too bright; I had to manfully resist my temptation to use my visor or even just expand my hat and put it on. Wearing a hat here would not be a good move, even with my uniform.

"So where to?"

"The market?" Alicia suggested.

There weren't many beer stands or bars in the market and those that were there were along the edges. It was all food or clothes or stupid crap no one wanted, like hand woven baskets or dolls or crap like that. It wade me a bit curious; why did Alicia want to go there of all places?

"Sure, fine, whatever. But we're going by way of third."

Third street near the market had the best cheap dive this entire town had to offer; 'throat-cutters'. It was like that old British place, hooters, except for assassins. I liked it because we wouldn't be disturbed there; I was already getting enough attention on the street to make my trigger finger itch.

alicia rolled her eyes dramatically but conceded. "Sure, I could use a drink myself."

Maybe I'd start wearing my bum disguise more; I shouldn't be getting this much attention in Central, I was well known here. Would a disguise help or hinder that?

At least the idiots knew well enough to stay well away from us. Only I was allowed to step on Gray, and he was having a hard enough time already with that. Too curious for his own good i suppose; the lure of knowledge of how humans were seemed to be more than he could pass up.

I had to rein him in when he started rifling purses and bags while the owners were staring at us.

"Gray, stick closer and stay out of people's stuff."

I said it softly, but I was sure both Alicia and Ivan heard me. They stayed quiet about it, but it was hard to hide the change in body language. I idly wondered which one of them had my collar control, but dismissed the thought as pointless; either the button would get pressed or it wouldn't - worrying about it was a waste of time.

"So, eat yet Sasha?"

"I had some breakfast before Gloom got ahold of me. Kind of. If you count those protien bars as breakfast."

"Yeah, we don't do that," Alicia informed me, slapping her own middle. "Let's get some lunch then, before we hit that dive of yours."

"Fine." I was feeling some bread. I wasn't sure what kind of bread, but I wanted bread. Maybe garlic bread marinated in butter? With some summer sausage or bacon on the side, or even slapped in between it? But where would I get such a thing, no restaurant, food stand, or greasy dive offered that sort of thing.

No, I knew where the desire for that fare came from - a small house, set up on a hill, a forest behind it and sheep pastured to the left and right of it. A summer day with hay and dust in the air, and the smell of fresh bread tickling the nose. It chilled me just thinking of it.

"Sasha, you okay?" And just like that I was back, Alicia's words snapped me out of it.

"Sorry, was just thinking," Gray was looking up at me, head cocked and squeezing my hand. I squeezed back, then pulled my hand away before someone noticed. "I'm good with whatever."

Alicia wasn't buying it. "You sure? You looked like you had a thought there for a moment, rattling around all lonely in that empty head."

"Ha ha. Yeah, I'm fine, let's just find something at a stand somewhere."

What was that? I hadn't thought of that day in years. Why now? Was it Gray's doing somehow?

Ivan let it alone at least, but I could tell it would come up again later.

We settled on wraps from a stand; there was some choice involved, so I chose bacon and peppers. Judging from the taste, it actually was bacon, which was a welcome surprise; even in Central one had to be careful. Lunch had the added bonus of being easily transportable, which meant that by the time we had finished up, we were at my 'dive'.

Well I was finished; luckily the bouncers didn't bat an eye if you wanted to bring food in. Some even encouraged the practice for known clientele. The new blood were laughed at if they ordered something from the pitiful menu and got sick; it was almost a right of passage. Of course, hunters didn't get such treatment in any event, no matter how new.

The contrast between bright sunlight outside and shadow laden gloom left me blinking of course, as it was meant to do. I navigated easily despite the handicap and found myself at the bar; the order of tables and booths never changed in this place.

Surprisingly I was recognized right off. "Sasha! Glad to see you aren't hiding behind that silly trap disguise any longer."

The bartender, Mike, was supposedly observant. But he'd always been one of those who steadfastly insisted I was a girl in disguise. He wasn't big in the survival instinct department. Was it worth the fight? Would I get convicted if I killed him?

I surprised myself by not wanting trouble, or a return of my headache. "Yeah, you caught me. Unless I'm disguised now of course."

Mike grinned and slid over one of his specialty beers. "Nah, your voice says otherwise. You finally stopped trying to talk out of the back of your throat too. I like it, it's a nice change."

I sat, very mindful of Ivan and Alicia flanking me. "you're lucky I don't feel like it today, Mike, or you'd already be on the floor."

Mike held up his hands in surrender, and his tongue went to the gap in his teeth I'd put there last time he said something stupid. "Sorry, the sight of you in a skirt shocked me. The beer is free, alright? Just don't hit me."

Despite the words, he was still grinning like an idiot. He was really lucky today. "Fine. Just serve and go away."

He served and went away, and I was just about to relax when a pair of sim hands settled around me and gave a squeeze. Breath tickled my throat. "Long time no see, Sasha."

Natasha, which wasn't her real name, was an oddity. By all accounts she was one of the best assassins in the world. Whether that was true or not, she was one of the few who had the skills to be a hunter - yet didn't hunt. She wouldn't even kill a witch when she had the perfect opportunity, so the rumor went. I wasn't a fan.

Tall blonde and statuesque (I'd heard her described that way once, and it seemed to fit; she certainly looked like one of those fake Roman bronzes placed outside houses of ill-repute to give the place a touch of class.) She appeared to be in that ageless age, where one could not pinpoint the actual year she was born. She was always dressed in the best clothes, ate the best food, and drank the best liquor. Her accent was thick but probably fake; yet a skilled fake. I'd yet to see a single hair out of place - or see her fight, and yet all manner of nasty people stayed out of her way. Well, those same people stayed out of my way too.

Natasha didn't even look away as she eased up, she just profiled right. "Move."

Alicia moved and Natasha took her seat. "So, Sasha... you seem to have upgraded from 'trap' to one of us. Care to tell me how?"

What did traps have to do with anything? I knew how to lay some - simple snares mostly, but being one? That her statement was some kind of male insult, I was sure. She had little use for men, and the manlier the more she hated.

"Am I going to have to shoot you, Natasha? Besides, how would you know? Mike seems convinced I was like this all along."

"Simple," she replied, downing her drink, an uncut whiskey unless I missed my guess. "Those aren't forms on your chest, there is more movement in your stride, and most importantly - you smell...differently. A female scent is a thing no man can fake. So care to tell me how I find you here, smelling of a better you mixed with exotic explosives, and missing your trademark pistols in favor of something decidedly not you? I'd very much like to know."

Her finger tapped my back, so quickly I'd bet no one else saw... but there could be no doubt; it was my hat she was tapping.

What even was she, part bloodhound? Smell me? Smelled the explosives enclosed in the metal collar? Did she smell my hat too?

Whatever. If she started something, she started something. She was undoubtedly good, but an experienced hunter was better. I showed her my teeth.

"Lab accident. Blame Emil if you must."

Natasha raised a manicured eyebrow. "Quite the accident. I think I must; blame Emil that is."

Having Natasha stalk Emil was a nice image, even if she normally never did anything for free. I couldn't see where the weapon pointed at me was, but I was sure it was there. Gray stepped up behind her unseen, and pointed it out. A small derringer or spike gun controlled by a toe... installed in her heels. Natasha really had missed her calling.

Not that it would slow me down; it would have to be a very heavy shot for the new me to even notice. But it was the thought that counted.

Natasha leaned in on me again with a sigh, coincidentally aiming a heel my direction. "Such a shame... you were growing up so well; almost as beautiful as I, with such wonderful male energy. The only thing left I recognize is your anger."

"You can always get a more first hand view of my anger. Just keep draping yourself on me." Had Natasha gained weight or something? She was almost pulling me off the barstool, and that hadn't happened in years. It was deliberate I was sure, but it wouldn't affect my ability to blow her away; I'd just roll the other way and draw.

Natasha got off abruptly, but I absorbed the shift in balance. "I think not. You still have the same eyes, Sasha darling, and you are still a student of a master. Some would say THE master; I would be foolish to antagonize such, wouldn't you say?"

Now she was speaking my language; it was always nice when someone recognized my talents. "Of course I would, but I always say that."

Even the worst student of my teacher would have little issue with Natasha, for all her amazing talents. Without a generator I was confident; well, without a generator and any odd powers.

"Of course," Natasha admitted. "Well, enjoy your drink, little Sasha. My apologies for the interruption."

With the last word Natasha flat out melted into the shadows as well as any human could. It was actually difficult to pick her out as she went back to what had to be the most well hidden booth in the place. The other denizens of the place hadn't so much as moved towards it during our exchange - her throne, possibly.

She'd also done me a solid. By coming to me first, she kept the lid on other's curiosity. Even now they were watching, but watching was all they were doing. Kind of an odd thing for her to do, but then again she was always a little odd.

I was happy to finish my drink in silence though, even if Alicia was all but rolling her eyes and Ivan was sighing a lot and glaring. I'd hoped for some actual conversation, if not from my own team, then some interesting intel from the other shady types here; shady types often knew things before anyone else did, for a variety of reasons - but mainly because their lives depended on it.

Want a lead on a witch? An assassin could have it, since taking a contract in a territory a witch has set up shop could lead to contract failure and death.

But no, no one was forthcoming, when usually I'd have at least three tips by now, all carefully worded to not actually mention names or places and so avoid any witch's wrath. It was actually one of the few reasons this dive was tolerated so close to the Wyld Hunt's central office, not that we made a big deal of it. There were even similar dives sharing space with our other offices too.

Whatever. I sighed and walked out, leaving Ivan and Alicia scrambling to pay and catch up.

"What was all that back there? Usually you can't shut up if your life depended on it Alicia."

Alicia took a minute to answer. "They weren't sure what to make of us, and I didn't want to give them ideas."

"You worry too much, they weren't going to start anything." They were my kind of people, after all.

"They don't like new things, Sasha. And you dressed as you are is a new thing to them."

That... was actually true. Maybe Natasha had done me more of a solid than I knew, even if the rumors about me would probably hit the most remote corners of the earth by noon tomorrow. Oh well, it was bound to happen anyway.

And with Natasha's name behind it, the words might mean fewer complications down the road. Not that I'll ever admit such a thing.

In the market at last, and Alicia took full advantage, flitting here and there and inspecting everything with gleaming eyes. At least she wasn't giggling like Plague would.

I didn't need anything except to restock my booze, and I wouldn't do that here. I guess I could shop for some weaponry; maybe some sharp pointy things or things that go boom. You never really could have too many of either, and Central attracted some of the best weapons dealers on the planet.

Alicia was shopping for skirts, of course. She held up a lemon one and asked: "So what do you think?"

Was she directing that question at me? She was looking my way. I looked behind me, and there wasn't anyone nearby except Gray.

Huh. I guess she was. "I think it's too bright and way too small." It was true, there was no way she'd fit in that thing.

Her grin was... more than a little unhinged. "Not for me, silly. For you."

Ah, she actually was crazy. "Same answer. Something that bright will get me killed, and I doubt I could stuff myself in it."

Alicia made a show of checking the tag again while the merchant, an older woman sharing Alicia's build minus the muscle fumed in the background.

"Really? It's a three."

That sounded familiar... like a size Auntie might have mentioned, or the one marked on the back of some of the skirts Plague dumped on me. But that was a trap, and Alicia wasn't catching me in it.

"Besides it's not meant to fight in, you already have the uniform for that. It's for time off."

What? "What kind of time off is there, that my uniform isn't good enough for?"

I mean our uniforms were pretty respectable (when clean anyway) and used for everything from weddings to funerals. What would looking like a lemon be good for?

Alicia tossed the skirt on the merchant's face with a sigh. "We really have to get you civilized."

"We really don't," I told her. "I'm not some dress up doll."

"But you are as cute as one!"

Ivan stepped between us. "Alicia, can you not antagonize armed people in a crowded market, please?"

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry, Sasha."

What. Did I hear that right?

"Did you just apologize to me?" I turned to Ivan. "Did you hear that?"

Ivan elbowed my ribs. "Quit trying to antagonize armed people in a crowded market, Sasha."

I really wasn't; I was actually shocked. But whatever. I stood on my toes with my hands behind my back and sang out: "Sorry Momma Ivan, it won't happen again."

Ivan choked while Alicia laughed and muttered something that sounded like "Too real, oh my God, too real."

"Can we shop for things that actually have a use now?" Like weapons.

"Not all of us like dressing like a bum when we aren't on the clock, Sasha."

I had to admit that was a fair point. "Fair, but bums don't have to worry about looking out of place."

Bums also didn't have to worry about getting billed for 'excess damages and excessive force' until much later if at all. But hey, having two coins to rub together was overrated anyway.

"Whatever, if you need to clothes shop, I recommend the tent stand over there; just leave me out of your sick fantasies, okay?"

"Tent shop! Why, I'll have you know my figure is best described by the word 'svelte'!"

"Is that a Russian word? Because that sounds like a Russian word."

Ivan stopped looking amused. "And what's that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"Nothing at all. It just sounds like a Russian word, and its a well known fact that Russians favor larger women. Larger, hairier women."

Ivan opened his mouth... and then closed it. He opened it again. "You know, I want to argue with you, but I really can't. Svelte is French though."

"Oh great, I soiled my tongue with French words. Only another beer can fix that."

Great, now Gray was giving me the stare. I almost called him out on it - but in a crowded market that was a bad idea.

"Not a bad idea," Ivan admitted. "I think I saw a stand over there Why don't we let Alicia work the shopping bug out and quench our thirst on this hot day?"

As excuses went, it was a good one. The day wasn't even hot - but it could be. We left Alicia looking inside some shop or other; she would catch up to us when she was ready. The stand wasn't far, and while the beer wasn't great, it was wet.

"Sasha."

I leaned closer to Ivan. "What is it, Gray?"

Looking way from Ivan toward where Gray was pointing made it easier to ignore the face Ivan was giving me. It also allowed me to see that one of our own hunters was currently running as if a fiery demon were on her very impractical heels. I didn't recognize her and she had no weapon, so she was likely a secretary pressed into service as a runner. She was young, with short auburn hair lit on fire by the sun, and she was on the small side, though larger than me. Aggravatingly so.

She stopped in the center of the street and looked around with wide eyes as I pointed her out to Ivan. "Time to vanish?"

"Time to vanish." Ivan agreed.

Any runner sent to find us, had to earn the right to talk to us. If they couldn't find us, they didn't deserve to call themselves a hunter, let alone give us a job that would more than likely be annoying. I mean, any hunter had an island of calm in central no matter how busy the streets were; if she couldn't pick up on that she needed to go back to her master and beg to be retrained.

As expected she homed right in; now it was a foot race. To her credit she didn't waste time or breath on words, but broke into a sprint.

It was almost laughably slow, but it was a sprint.

I led Ivan around and up the side of a shop, using a convenient rain gutter. (Was it supposed to point right out to the middle of the street like that? I thought it was supposed to be aimed at the drains instead.)

Ivan kept up, though it seemed he was getting a little slower in his old age. He was also studiously avoiding looking up, which reminded me I wasn't wearing pants and that had to be a thing now. Just another thing to not to be spoken of ever again. Ivan and I already had plenty of those, so one more wouldn't hurt. Gray somehow got ahead of us; he was waiting for me when I pulled myself over the top.

To her credit the slow Huntress managed to find us; if she was mad that we were sitting on the roof's edge, dangling our legs in practiced nonchalance, she didn't show it.

I wasn't impressed with her cardio however; she had to gasp her message at us. I'd have to lead her a bit farther afield next time. "Sasha Norre, Ivan Naseef, you're needed back at Central for a mission."

I shrugged. "Message received, on our way."

There was no one under us, and it was the fastest way down. I slid off, and Ivan followed with a groan. Barely over a second later my feet touched down.

"No need for the theatrics, Ivan. We've taken plenty worse falls."

"It's the principle of the thing, Sasha."

There was a whump behind me followed by a short cry. Well well well, our messenger had followed us down. She hadn't stuck the landing, probably due to her ridiculous heels, but she'd tried. I moved to get her attention and pointed.

"For the record, if one wanted to find Hunter Alicia, she would be that direction, probably in the same clothing store she was in twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks," the messenger said, immediately sprinting off with just a bare hint of a limp.

Time off was overrated anyway, but Alicia would decide how much we got by how lost she got.