Butcher Side Story 03-Boredom brings about muses and Roses.
It was on his bed that Butcher lay, feeling rather antsy at his lack of productivity in the last day. The past week or so had been some of the best days of his life. Sure he missed his family, but it was hard to really focus on it for some reason. And, that was probably a good thing anyway. Sure the Deaths were eccentric, but they were loyal to a fault. No more did he have to look over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't about to be assassinated, or 'asked' to do something he really didn't want to. Isabella had told him that his fellow Deaths were a family, and he'd yet to find evidence that wasn't true.
They were, rough, around some edges. Forgotten for instance was perhaps a little too laid-back, even if he hid it well. Bastard was irresponsible, that's what he was. But it was ok, because in the end he knew the man had the best intentions. Actually, it probably wasn't ok, Butcher actually worried that the girl under his mentorship might have the totally wrong idea about, well, everything, through pure matter of mass misunderstandings. He had been wanting to find a way to ask her, but she never really seemed to have a free moment where nothing was happening. Unlike him at the moment, he would love to be busy.
Then there was that one who had called himself a fragment of a person. Isabella had just referred to him as "that lazy one who's always scheming." After an hour of time with the man he had come to realize Isabella was spot on. If Forgotten was too laid back, the 3rd was high strung. He never did anything without some kind of purpose, and it got on Butcher's nerves rather quickly.
The goth, would perhaps fit the term 'emo' if he'd actually express anything, ever. The man was a mute, or at-least seemed as such, and had a strange, rather distant way of going about everything. The man was a professional though, his only real quirk being that he was a brick, and that wasn't exactly a bad thing in the profession he had.
The ninth, he thinks it was, was a pretty boy. The man spent about as much time posing when he talked as he did actually speaking, and it made the entire display come to life in a rather disturbing way. Regardless, the man ran most of the Dead Army, and that said some pretty good things about him... Right?
Or Rose? Perhaps the most eccentric of them all. The girl was practically a walking psychology book on terrible coping mechanisms. Ranging from dangerous levels of professionalism, to channeling her extreme mood swings into a drive to get more work done, which inevitably causes her to have more mood swings from the stress. She's a cute kid, though he knew she was technically older than himself, and it worried him to see her drive herself into her work so heavily just to stave off the insanity around her. Though he had only been here a week, perhaps there was some other reason? Her devotion to the lazy scheming bastard certainly didn't make Butcher think so.
It was to these rather pointless thoughts that he heard a light knock on his chamber door, and he sat up to greet the small girl he was just thinking about. The denizens of the land of Deaths didn't really understand the concept of waiting to be let in, though it is customary to knock first. Perhaps it was the assurance that those that live here were fast enough to hide anything private before the door opened? Eh, it wasn't really worth thinking about, what it meant was that Butcher didn't really have all that much privacy. Not that he minded much.
"What can I do for you?" He asked, eyeing the girl who was holding a folder and looking for all the world like she wanted to be doing something else.
"I've come to make a request."
"What exactly is it you'd have me do?"
"There is a D class mission scheduled for tomorrow, Forgotten's pupil, Aeternam will be taking it." This caught his attention, he'd been wondering when they'd get to work together.
"Oh? What do you need me for on a D class, surely she could handle that herself."
"Normally yes, but there are some circumstances behind this that make me worry, it would ease those worries significantly if you would accompany her."
"Worries? I need details."
She gave him a pout and wide eyed stare, which to be honest would have worked if he wasn't a hardened criminal. "Details girl."
"Fine, but in return you can't tell her I was worried, say Forgotten asked you or something."
"Won't he blow that cover wide open?"
"Him? He'll probably think he did ask you."
And there was that responsibility thing, Butcher thought. After a moment Butcher motioned for her to continue.
"Well first, it's a bad elemental match-up. When she first showed up here it would have been fine, but now her dark element is so strong it's overriding her others."
"Isn't that kind of elemental growth a huge sign of something terrible?"
"Oh absolutely, I plan to have her come meet me for a more thorough scan when she has some free time, but at the moment I have to settle for reports."
"And the reports say?"
"Heightened aggressive tendencies, but no real signs of anything that can't be swept away as stress. The cause is still unknown."
"Alright, can I request you keep me posted about that?" Butcher asks while looking slightly distant, but Rose ignores it and replies instantly.
"Only if you agree to the mission."
He continues, ignoring her attempt. "Why is her dark element bad?"
"Because the mission involves vampires, which are basically immune. It stands to reason she may end up exhausting herself pumping out enough energy to overload that immunity. Your primary role in the mission to support her, and save enough energy to get her out of there if she does indeed exhaust herself."
"The second?"
"The mission takes place directly next to her hometown, and involves a high possibility of killing people she knew in life. I need you to be prepared to support her emotionally if it comes up."
"Of course, why can't you just give her another mission then?"
"Because of the third reason. Not only did her mentor request a D class, which is strange on its own given not just who he is, but that D class missions are normally Dead Army specific. But as if predicting her mentor's request, she was requested for the mission by name."
"... So we're going to send her into the obvious trap because?"
"Because I would rather prepare for an ambush than let her walk into it without back-up."
"And Forgotten can't be back-up because?"
"Oh he will be there, but I don't trust he'll actually be close enough to react in time if its an assassination attempt."
"I see. So you want me to kill the assassin?"
"Well no, the client is a trusted friend, I doubt he's going to be assassinating our rookies. I'm honestly more worried about the first two problems."
"And if it is the third?"
"Don't engage him, the client is a powerful man who is unfortunately too wrapped up in his duty to do the mission himself. If this is a trap, make as much noise as possible to alert Forgotten, and then run like hell."
"I see, I guess I should lend her a hand, but don't forget to keep me posted."
"I thought you'd say that." At that she tosses the folder she'd been holding to Butcher, who opens it and begins to read. Rose lets herself out without a sound, the door closing behind her shortly after.
An hour later Butcher would still be working with a pen and his own stack of paper, going over what he could derive about vampires from his own limited experience. He would not be caught off guard.
Wordings are how a fair chunk of meaning is conveyed. It is usually considered... best practice... To line up one's wordings with one's meanings. 
