You decide that, no matter what, she deserves more than the bare minimum or to be brushed aside as just another person. It's a good time to open up to Hannah. More than just for the sake of partnership, it feels like she just wants someone to talk with her about more than missions or how many people she's killed in her life. Madara's words from earlier come to mind, and that makes your decision clearer.
"I don't know exactly how much you've been through in your life, and I feel like you have a lot that you're holding in. All that said, why don't you come inside? I was about to make some tea and curl up with a book, but we can talk instead."
She hesitates a moment before her gaze snaps to you. "Oh...you mean that?"
"Yeah. If you're alright with that. And you promise not to jump me."
Her lips curl into that cat-like smile you've gotten used to. She's a flirt and a tease sometimes, but only when you're alone, and never to the point where either of you come to harm. Though you suspect...hm. Something for later. You usher Hannah in and close the door behind her. Her feet immediately take her to one of the chairs, where she pulls one foot into the seat and leans back with her arms on the rests.
"We've gotten familiar in such a short time," she quips. "To the point where you're already expecting me to sink my fangs into you, sensually speaking..."
"Not literally?"
"Mm...blood-drinking in the current era of vampires does still serve traditional purposes, but is now primarily used in hedonistic pursuits. Indulgences and such. Blood cravings aren't really a thing, especially for those who have adapted to the use of chakra such as myself. Not that I would function like a normal vampire, either way. Did he tell you?"
You reach for the warmed kettle and hold up a teabag for Hannah to look at. She nods and you drop it into a mug before pouring out the hot water. "Madara said something about you being human once."
"It was before my memories began."
"Those exact words," you point out.
"I wonder how he knows so much. I've been so sidetracked that I haven't done the necessary research into my family history. They say that one of the Originals is roaming this continent...if I could find one of them, it would make things clear. There's a whole complicated history of vampires, though on this continent it's a little clearer."
You nod and hand her a warm mug. The lights are dimmed, but you don't need them much sitting around and talking.
"Thank you. Ah, so...we're going to have a heart-to-heart after all, then. I really am a bit surprised at the kindness you've shown me. It's above and beyond, and I'm...I really am grateful for it."
"You don't need to tell me again you did it with no expectations," you say with a smile.
"It always bears repeating." She sips from her mug and pauses a moment, letting the warmth flow through her. "Dani is short for Danita."
"Really? That's a beautiful name." You have a seat on your bed, just across from her.
"I picked it myself. I wanted some sort of identity, to help anchor my spirit as I carried on my work. It is to say, quite literally, that only Almighty God can judge me."
"That's powerful. But from what I can see, it fits. You're a strong person in a lot of ways."
"Zeke is short for...Ezekiel. Close?"
"You're totally right."
"It means...God will strengthen. Well, he's done a good enough job," Hannah says with a laugh. You chuckle and shake your head. "Which leads me to the big question, if you're at the point where you're willing to share...who is the man that goes to and fro under the guise of Zeke?"
"My real name is Joshua West," you say casually, taking a sip of your own tea. Hannah blinks and tries to process what you've said.
"You mean to say that the grandfather the masked man was talking about...is..."
"Yeah. My Gramps is none other than the ultra infamous Jacob West."
She lets out a shocked breath. "Goodness. No wonder. All of that trouble, no wonder. It only makes sense. The grandson of the man who came from afar and surpassed the Sage. An alias is how you manage a normal life. We had more in common than we could ever think."
"Crazy, huh. I guess I trust you enough to say so much."
"On my soul, I won't tell anyone without your express permission," she says seriously. "Oh, chaos. The Cloud will be sending all manner of bulls into the china shop after you if this is the information they have. Ye gods," she mumbles. "If you had declined to tell me, I would have completely understood. Even if you're not a criminal, you would fetch a top price alive just on name alone."
"That bad, huh."
"You don't know the half of it. The underworld has been in a tizzy for years since he took the hidden villages to task. You're a hot commodity, in more ways than one, of course. On that note, I must ask who the masked man was, if you were able to find out."
"Get ready. It's on the wilder side."
"I'm listening."
"He said to my face that he was Madara Uchiha."
"..." Hannah narrows her eyes and looks up at the ceiling. Steam wafts up from her tea, and she takes an extra moment before setting her face back to neutral and looking at you. "Not without purpose...something like that. Madara was killed in battle with Hashirama Senju just a few generations ago. They made sure to recover the body as proof. But then, the Sharingan...there's much in the way of legend and lore when it comes to that bloodline."
"You think it's possible he's telling the truth," you conclude.
"If not, he has some grand purpose behind using that name. He said it with conviction, did he?"
"Even said he had beef with the old man. Claimed they had different thoughts on how to achieve true peace in this world, and that he had a pretty complex plan set out to do it. I dunno if he's puppeting that Akatsuki group or he's with them as a side hustle. Didn't get enough info. I know Zabuza and his apprentice there are in it for the money."
"His planned coups against the Mist are an open secret." Hannah sips from her mug and lets out a breath. "Akatsuki uses a lot of middlemen and local fixers. They charge below market rate constantly. They must be making money somehow, because even if they were incredibly popular, those numbers don't grow a business. Especially a mercenary business."
"From what you're saying, it's financial suicide for investors."
"Very much so." Hannah tilts her head. "He asked you to join him."
"Yeah."
She nods. "Only fair. Did you consider?"
"Yeah. Had a bunch of options going."
A smile. "Honest and intelligent. You continue to impress me. I think he wants you alive to locate your grandfather, or as possible insurance for a later date. It's possible he could have tried to kill you, but...this would be a foolish time to take such actions. Probably a decade too late and a bridge too far."
"Hm." You drink down some more of your tea and sigh. "Your call was right, either way. Some kind of visual technique came from his mask. Space-time thing that warped people away, and he could use it on himself. More than likely a Sharingan jutsu."
"I figured as much. Sharingan are on occassion bouncing around the edges of the black market."
"They must be white hot to the touch."
"Without a doubt. And they're originating from the Leaf."
You raise a brow. "Organ donation to raise cash?"
"There are far more lucrative open channels for that. Repeated dumping happens every few months. Someone too stupid to know what they're doing is offloading them into the market."
"Ah, crap," you mutter. "There's a stockpile somewhere."
"Mm-hm. There would have to be a sweep of Leaf to confirm, but I know for a fact we would find something very unpleasant. I haven't been there in a while...things have gotten shifty with a good portion of my contacts."
"Speaking of, what's your job selection like?"
"I have a fixer's fixer in my corner. Eccentric one, with a hippie for a partner. But exceedingly skilled at what they do. Fingers on the pulse of the world on every level, above and below ground. They're currently holding in Hot Water, south of here. Once this mission is over, I was going to see them about the item we're going to collect. Anyways, I double vet my work at the least. My fixer filters requests and then I check them over. Genocide is out, mass murder is out...things like that. Single target assassinations, body guarding, objective elimination...things I can do a lot of at once. Efficiency got me my reputation, as well as quite a few solo defense and liberation jobs. Those were the bloodiest, and I ended up doing most of the killing against those soft, inexperienced targets." Hannah shakes her head. "When you do certain things too well, that's when you get a reputation."
"I'm seeing how all the stories came together."
"Yes, indeed. The yakuza don't like me either. I did work for them when I was young, naive, and desperate. They've been spurned a few times and on the receiving end of my fury a few times more. The unsavoury louts don't deserve my presence."
"Heh." You finish your tea and set your mug down on the table in front of you. Hannah nurses hers a while longer, looking down at the floor and wiggling her toes a bit. She lifts her head to take note of you while she thinks you're not paying attention. Her gaze is gentle, and yet filled with some measure of anxiety. You wonder what she's thinking at the moment.
"So a man claiming to be Madara is after you...and to that end, so is the Hidden Cloud now. It could be a bit worse, considering. Mm. And seeing as you came back without a scratch, you dispatched the Demon and his companion quite easily."
"Madara didn't even fight," you reply. "If that really is him, it only makes sense. He's ancient by now."
"That's true. Hm, I suppose you'll figure it out when you get to said bridge."
"Yup. That's the plan."
"I...did mention that I had a question I wanted to ask. Earlier, I mean."
"Yeah, you did. What is it?"
Hannah sets down her mug and clasps her hands together, pressing them against her chest. "People often mistake being nice for being kind. Anyone can be nice. They can offer gifts, or sex, or some other kind of favour to make another person feel good and rewarded. There are a lot of people who can be nice, who can be generous. But being nice isn't being good. Kindness...it comes from the heart. It's more than being nice, it's reaching towards a person without expectation and...and simply treating them with love and tenderness. I know you're going to say that you haven't done much, but things like making me tea, and being concerned for my well-being...and then in the forest. You trusted me with your entire life. You trusted that I wouldn't turn around and betray you in that heated moment. And now, you've been even kinder, gifting me with a secret so many would kill to have. In these few hours, you've done so much. We've...experienced so much together in such an incredibly short time."
"..."
"Sometimes...people are simply meant to be near each other. To connect. You understand, don't you? Why I flirt and act outrageous. It's not to draw people in. It's a measuring stick. A barrier of sorts. You can always figure people out from how they respond to sexual tension like that. But I don't want sex from you, or even romance. None of that. You're worth more than a fling or a passing date. I..."
"It's alright," you say quietly.
"I, um..." She lets out a shaky breath. "Joshua...I want to be your friend. I want us to...be friends. So, I...I mean...would you?"
You look at her with confusion. "Hannah? You don't...?"
She looks at you with glimmering eyes. "I don't...haven't had time to make any before today. I want to believe you would be my very first friend."
You almost don't believe it. But maybe she really was pushing everyone away. Out of fear, maybe of herself, or of others. Everything about this is sincere. She's been that way since the moment you met, even if it bordered on inappropriate. You liked that about her.
All she really wants is...someone to call a friend for real.
---
[] Sure. Friends it is.
-[] "You were already my friend, Hannah."
-[] "Sure we can be friends. You got it."
[] Maybe you wanted...more? Like...girlfriend more? Why not? Go for it.
[] You...shouldn't. And can't. Let her down so slowly she doesn't realize. Or at least try to. Yikes.
[] Write in.
---
[] Head to bed afterwards. It's been a long enough day.
[] Stay up for a while longer and chat. About...things.
[] Ask Hannah if she has anything in mind.
---
a/n: not as much of an Important Thing but nice to consider thoughtfully when voting.
