"Go take a bath and wash that blood off of you, Ein". Jack said, finishing up their conversation.
"Yes, sir" Ein replied without hesitation and immediately went to the washroom to draw herself a bath.
Jack collected the man's body and dumped him out of the window into the street below. Then he decided it would be best if he went and said something so nobody comes asking questions later. Jack went down to the tavern area which was still open considering how late it was and spoke to the innkeeper about the assassination and the body right outside.
The innkeeper didn't seem to mind much, just huffed about city people doing the "darnest things" and making his business look bad. Jack also asked for a drink of whiskey before the innkeeper left to take care of the mess outside. The innkeeper obliged and poured Jack a glass before leaving temporarily.
Jack took a sip of his whiskey, savoring every taste. It had been a long time since Jack had a drink of whiskey.
"Sounds like you got a whole lot of trouble stirring around you, boy," said the man sitting next to Jack.
"Yeah, well, I'm a natural born shit magnet", Jack replied
"Hehe, you kiss your mother with that mouth", the man shot back.
Jack and this stranger were laughing with each other. It was probably one of the first light hearted conversations he's had with anyone since coming to this world.
"What's your name old timer? Mine's Joseph", Jack said, outstretching his arm to shake the mans hand. Jack used 'Joseph' as an alias when he met new people. He used it as an added safety precaution, he didn't trust people knowing his real name right away.
The old man looked at Jack's hand for a moment before grabbing it in his own and shaking it.
"Monte, the name is Monte," he replied.
"Well it was nice to meet you Monte but I got a hell of a day tomorrow so I'm gonna need the rest"
"Alright boy, take care of yourself. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you talk real funny?" Monte asked
"No sir, you get to pop that cherry," Jack replied before walking up the stairs leaving Monte chuckling to himself.
It has been a long time since Jack could banter with someone like that. It reminded him of his time in the military with his brothers. They could joke like that all day, he missed his men. Jack was long in his thoughts and nostalgia as he walked up the stairs back into his room.
When Jack returned to the room, Ein was still naked out of the bath. She was drying her hair when Jack came in. Trying to play off his initial surprise, Jack continued to walk into the room and discuss things with Ein. Jack made sure to look at other places like the ceiling or outside the window as he spoke. He could smell Ein, the sweet vanilla scent she gave off mixed with her natural smells, her still damn body glistening in the firelight from the candles lighting the room. He hair was shining from still being wet. Her green eyes glowed in the night.
"We need to find Talon tomorrow, I have some questions for him"
"Will you hurt him, he was nice to us and it would be a shame if we killed or maimed him," Ein said casually.
Jack was shocked by her sudden change of character, over just a few weeks Ein has changed her worldview on killing. Jack understood it probably had something to do with the near death experiences they've had but he didn't think someone could become as calloused as him in such a short time.
"No, just questions. The assassin called him a fool and said he could never do something like this. He also said he was 'straight laced' and 'holier then thou' which makes me believe he might be the only good person in this city I could ask. I want to ask him who could pull something like this off".
"As you command, sir," Ein replied putting on her underclothes finally.
"You don't need to call me 'sir' either, just call me Jack," Jack begged. He never liked all the honorifics, in his time in the military he encountered way too man people who let rank get to their heads so he was always the kind of guy that never pushed his rank on people. He let his subordinates call him by name and everything. He always made sure to run his unit properly and made sure his orders were followed but he was able to lead by example so that his subordinates followed him willingly.
"Okay Jack, If you insist," Ein replied, a bit peeved. Jack may not like it but to Ein it was a way to show her love. But if he insisted on his name then she will follow his orders.
Jack realized he was getting too close to Ein, emotionally. 'That's what happens when you sleep together' Jack thought. But he didn't like it, it made him feel vulnerable. He needed to separate a little bit. She was his trainee now, he will train her to be a machine and feelings can have no part in this process. But deep down Jack knew that he didn't want to get too close in fear of losing her like he lost his men back home. The explosion that killed all his comrades. He could never let something like that happen to Ein too, not now that she was a part of his life.
Jack decided they would stay for as long as they can until they see Talon again. It helped that their room was fully paid for as long as they stood. Jack decided he would take full advantage of the free accommodations.
For weeks, Jack would train Ein from sun up to sun down. He would make her join him in his conditioning, which at first she couldn't keep up but quickly she began to. It only took her a few days to keep his pace in running, and a few weeks to condition her upper body strength. After condition training, when Jack felt Ein was where she needed to be physically, he began to train her in combat.
First it was knife fighting and hand to hand combat. He trained her to be a lethal weapon with a knife. How to handle it, to throw it and switch hands so she was ambidextrous with it. She picked up on it quickly, especially throwing. Jack decided to focus on that. Ein's aim was incredible, she was a good shot so Jack decided whenever he could get another gun and ammunition that's what she would use as well. But for now, she will use and focus on knives.
Weeks turned into months. Training daily, Ein was improving at lightning speed. Jack was impressed with her agility and flexibility, plus he knew her body very intimately so he also trained her in gymnastics. She didn't understand it at first, the flipping and cartwheels but soon she will and she followed Jacks orders regardless of understanding.
To Jack, she was the perfect soldier, she was hard working, moldable and never questioned an order.
To Ein, she will do anything Jack asks if it would bring her closer to him. Ein could tell Jack had been drifting away from her over time but she couldn't think of why. She wondered if there was another woman who had taken hold of his heart. But he spent all day and night with her so it seemed unlikely. All Ein knew was something was off with Jack. He stopped letting her sleep in the same bed, he had not touched her body in months no matter how she tried to seduce him. She was craving his touch, craving his body. She wanted his big, strong hands all over her but he would always divert.
The training, her improving, maybe she could win him back with her hard work and dedication. She would work until her body couldn't move anymore, until her bones hurt and she wanted to cry and puke. She pushed passed all the physical pain so that she could win his heart back. She became a machine of war, a tool of destruction as good as his guns. She could move with swiftness and finesse, she could dodge and flip and attack from angles no man could ever reach. She was now Jack's ultimate weapon.
Almost a year had gone by, Jack was so entrenched with Ein's training he hadn't realized how long its been. While Jack and Ein were training outside of the walls, Jack could hear carriages coming down the trail. He stopped Ein and made her stand still while they passed. Jack didn't want anyone to know that he was training her and how good of a fighter she had become. She will be his secret weapon for now.
As the carts rolled by, Jack could hear a familiar voice coming from the back of a covered carriage. He couldn't put his finger on it at first but after a moment he realized who that voice belonged to.
It was Talon.
Jack told Ein who was in the carriage and they ran after it. It had been a year since the assassination. A year since Jack last saw Talon and wanted to ask him questions. He would have taken a more active role in finding Talon if he wasn't so distracted with Ein's training. After running for a while, the carriage stopped at the gates. Talon peered out of the curtains just as Jack and Ein reached the carriage.
"Hello friends! Long time no see!" Talon said, looking around as he did, then he whispered "Quick, get in, we need to speak".