The Search - (Open)

You wandered, hands in your pockets, as you casually scoped out the section of the market you currently occupied. With no expression, just your lips in a soft line and your eyes holding a muted calculation, you continue your walking. This morning, your mother had come to you with an assignment. The familiar thrill ran through you, even as the small drip of cold dread fell on your heart. At least for the moment, you were merely to scout out the person your mother had named, no action to be taken for a couple days. As always, you had to get a feel for their routine before you could interrupt their lives.

So you walked, searching for that one face your mother had described and you stroked the handle of your dagger with a finger. The weapon sat dormant in the pocket of your hoodie, easily accessible in case of need or want, and a small comfort in a world where you knew there wasn't much. So far, after a few hours of appearing to wander aimlessly around the District, you have had no luck in spotting your target. That didn't mean you wouldn't within the next few minutes, so you never let yourself become lax in your observations, even if it was possible. You had been trained to have patience, and to never let your guard or observatory skills falter. It was why you never missed seeing when anything happened.

Like right now, for instance. Without paying attention to it, as it didn't involve the person you were searching for, you watched as a girl dropped a loaf of bread. It wasn't your bother about letting her know she had dropped it, like it also wasn't your bother when a boy swiped the bread from where it lay and made his way in the opposite direction of the girl. You smiled, but only faintly, at the notion that your brother could have snatched the bread from the girl's arms without her even noticing, and not have had to wait for her to drop it. Then again, not everyone was a trained thief, it was what made your brother's life easier. No one knew he was coming, and no one knew when he left. Except for you.

With the efforts of your great grandfather all the way down to yourself and your siblings, your family was rich enough to not have to worry about food. Even if you had, you wouldn't really. Not with your grandmother's adept larceny and your brother's quick fingers. No, food has never been, and will never be, a problem. It was why you never cared about what people did with their food, or whether someone stole something or not. After all, theft was a natural part of your life. Your sister, the thief of innocence, your brother, the thief of possessions, and you, the thief of life.

Because of your lack of attention to the petty theft, you hadn't realized that the boy had been confronted by first one girl, and then another had joined them. Momentarily abandoning your search, though always having half an eye out in case you got lucky and the man appeared in the market, you watched the now tiny group of people. A third girl, standing a bit further away than the others, joins the group. For a moment, you wonder if you should help the boy out, but the sound of your great uncle's voice floats through your head, "in trying to help others, you only form unwanted attachments. Everyone has the ability to be a liability, you must always be ready to take care of them. No matter who it may be."

Those words, spoken to you many times before, reminded you that you must only do things for yourself and your family. Helping wasn't a word that was in your dictionary when it came to those outside of blood ties. Even still, your half-brother was a stretch of blood ties, nonetheless, you still considered him family enough that you chose not to kill him. It was the same mentality that drove you to always make your attacks as quick and painless as possible, and preferably as silent as possible. It was why you chose a dagger, and not a gun. Guns were too loud, and would draw a crowd in moments, for all that your family could easily afford one. Not to mention that the Capitol generally kept track of them, making it nearly impossible to have one without their knowledge.

So, instead of helping out the boy but going directly to his aid, you decided to divert the girl's attention. As you were pretty well known around District two, mostly for the rumors about your life and your family, it would be easy for the kids to recognize you. You didn't disclaim the rumors, it was a waste of energy and Peacekeepers didn't bother with the petty whispers, instead ignoring them. Their accuracy was far from perfect, even if some people correctly guess what your purpose was.

You began to walk, making an apparently random direction instead of a carefully made path, toward the little group of four. Without saying anything, you stopped a few meters before the kids, and looked directly at them, attempting to catch the gaze of at least one of them. That done, you continued on your way, walking past the group close enough to just avoid brushing against one of the girls' arms. One corner of your mouth rose in the slightest smirk as you carried on your path. It seemed, that this had been the right thing to do as now you spotted the man your mother had labelled as your target. Your face falling into the expressionless mask it had been, you made your way to stand in front of a sign that was near the man. Pretending to read the lettering before you, you kept an eye on the man.

It seemed he was here to pick up a few things before going home. Perfect, you thought with contempt. The man would lead you right to his home, when you would be able to set up watch tomorrow and follow him to see what his daily routine was. But for now, he was just speaking with the clerk, leaving you with time to assess him. A man in his late thirties to early forties, he was near about the same height as you, and decently muscled. Your mother had said that he had been the target of your brother, who had taken an expensive watch and few other costly items, and that he had begun to suspect your brother. He was getting too close to exposing Felis and your entire family, therefore he had to be dealt with. If your great uncle was to try and 'convince' him, then there would be no stopping him as he flipped the entire Sicarius family upside down. And so, you had to clean up your brother's mess. Typical, you were the one who had to cut the loose ends.