Elinor
Early Years: A Father’s Teachings
Elinor was born to a hardworking, principled man who ran a small loan shop in a quiet district. Her father, a man of integrity, worked tirelessly to keep their lives stable. The shop itself was a kind of pawn business, where people could bring in their cherished items—family heirlooms, trinkets, or tokens of sentimental value—and trade them for a small sum of money. If they could repay the loan, they’d get their items back. If not, those items were sold.
Her father raised her alone after her mother died young. While Elinor’s early years were filled with love and comfort, it wasn’t the carefree childhood most children had. She grew up in a world where trust was rare, and her father’s lessons about the value of honesty and hard work always seemed to clash with the world around them—a world where survival often meant bending those very rules.
Elinor was curious, intelligent, and observant. Her father would often let her help out in the shop, teaching her the ins and outs of running the business, how to assess the value of goods, and how to read people—their faces, their words, their tells. She didn’t understand it at the time, but her father’s quiet lessons in observation would shape her into someone who trusted few but could read nearly anyone.
The Thugs and the Fall of the Shop
When Elinor was still just a child, the first real sign of the world’s cruelty hit her. A group of local thugs, known for collecting "protection" money, began to target her father’s shop. They arrived at the door one afternoon, demanding payment for the “protection” of the store. It wasn’t an offer—it was a threat, masked in the guise of fairness.
Her father, always the man of principle, refused. He believed that his shop shouldn’t be taxed by men who did nothing but extort the people. But it wasn’t just the refusal that made him a target—it was his inability to pay. The shop didn’t generate enough profit to cover the fees the thugs demanded. They saw this as an opportunity to make an example of him.
One night, a group of them returned, setting fire to the shop and leaving Elinor and her father with nothing. The flames consumed everything her father had worked for, and his health began to deteriorate after the fire. Without the business, he was unable to make a living. His friends, though sympathetic, avoided him out of fear of the thugs’ wrath. The authorities couldn’t help—they had no evidence to act. And as her father’s condition worsened, Elinor could only watch helplessly as the man she adored slowly withered away.
The Steal for Survival
By the time Elinor was ten, her father’s body was breaking down, and her desperation had reached its peak. She tried everything she could to save him, even learning to steal. She started small—picking pockets, lifting food, whatever she could do to keep her father alive just one more day. She wasn’t a born thief, but the more she did it, the easier it became. The people she stole from were often those who had plenty, or those who didn’t seem to notice. She didn’t want to be like the thugs who had destroyed her father, so she was careful about who she targeted.
But it wasn’t enough. She found herself in jail, caught during an attempt to steal medicine for her father. The time she spent locked away, cold and afraid, was enough to harden her, but it also broke something inside her. The law couldn’t protect her, and the system didn’t care. Her father died alone while she was locked up.
When Elinor was released, she found nothing but an empty home—her father’s body already claimed by illness. The world around her, once full of hope, now felt hollow. The fire, the death, the betrayal of the system—it all left her with one, clear lesson: survival meant taking matters into your own hands.
Betrayal
As the years passed, Elinor continued to learn the criminal trade. She was an untrusting soul, slow to make allies, but her sharp instincts and calculated approach to life kept her alive. She learned from the other criminals she encountered—how to lie, how to manipulate, how to blend in.
But then, one day, she saw them again—the thugs who had destroyed her father. They didn’t recognize her, but she recognized them instantly. They were demanding the same "protection" fee from another local shopkeeper. And something inside her snapped.
It wasn’t just the desire for vengeance—it was the way they twisted fairness into something that only benefited the strong. She couldn’t just sit by like the others had. She couldn’t be passive anymore.
At first, she tried to hire someone to kill them, to take care of the problem once and for all. She had stolen enough money to pay a hired killer—someone she trusted from her time in jail—but when she handed him the gold, he took it and vanished. He left her with a cold, mocking lesson: “You don’t have the power to hire me. You’re not a valid client. Consider this a lesson.”
Elinor’s anger flared. But she didn’t lash out. She stayed cool, calculating. “Fine,” she muttered to herself. “I’ll do it myself.”
First Kills
She spent months learning about poisons, collecting the necessary ingredients. It was a slow process, but she became meticulous, patient—traits she had developed during her years of surviving alone. When she was finally ready, she put her plan into motion.
Posing as a waitress, Elinor infiltrated a gathering of the thugs. She poisoned their drinks, watching from a distance as they sipped their fates. When the deed was done, she slipped away, unnoticed. The thugs died in agony, unaware of the quiet hand that had taken them.
But when the deed was done, Elinor didn’t feel satisfaction. She felt dirty. The poison she had acquired was much stronger than she thought, and it left the thugs writhing in pain far longer than she had anticipated. She had meant to end their lives swiftly, but instead, she had sentenced them to a slow, agonizing death. And the staff at the restaurant who had unknowingly served them—some of them would also suffer the consequences.
The guilt crept in.
“They were pricks,” she thought bitterly, “and they cost my father his life. But they didn’t deserve this.”
Her actions had crossed a line. She knew now that she had to be more careful. She couldn’t just act on anger anymore—she had to be precise, deliberate. A lesson had been learned: the cost of vengeance was higher than she ever imagined.
My Friend
After her first kills, Elinor didn’t look back. There was no room for regret, no time for dwelling on what she had done. She had made a choice—and she’d lived with the consequences. Now, she had to survive. That was all. Survival became her focus. She honed her skills, becoming sharper, quicker, more efficient. Every day was a new lesson, a new job, a new city to disappear into.
She never stayed in one place too long. It wasn’t just about running from the past—it was about blending in, becoming someone else entirely. A new name, a new face, a new city to lose herself in. People came and went, but Elinor kept her distance. It was easier that way. Easier than letting anyone in. Easier than dealing with the fact that the world wasn’t so black and white as she’d once believed.
There was always someone to steal from, always another scam to pull, always another crime to commit. And Elinor was damn good at it. She learned the ins and outs of the criminal underworld, moving like a shadow, quick to disappear when things went south. Her reputation grew in whispers and rumors, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t in it for the fame, and she wasn’t in it for the power.
It wasn’t until she met Lilly that Elinor realized how much of herself she had shut off.
Lilly came into her life like a burst of sunlight after a long, cold night. She was different—loud, brash, but with a kindness that Elinor hadn’t expected to find. Lilly’s outlook on life was a stark contrast to Elinor’s cynical, guarded perspective. Where Elinor was sharp and calculating, Lilly was curious and open, constantly asking questions, always pushing the boundaries of her own understanding of the world. She didn’t carry the weight of the world on her shoulders the way Elinor did, and she didn’t expect others to either.
It was almost infuriating, the way Lilly just… was. She didn’t pretend to be something she wasn’t, didn’t hide her emotions behind walls. And she wasn’t afraid to ask the questions no one else dared to ask. Why do you do it? What’s the point? Lilly was relentless in her curiosity, and despite herself, Elinor found it... refreshing.
They met by chance, a stolen purse, a quick escape, and before long, they were working together. At first, Elinor kept her distance. She didn’t trust easily, especially not after everything she’d been through. But there was something about Lilly that made her pause. Lilly didn’t ask for trust. She didn’t demand anything. She just was, and in her presence, Elinor found herself letting go of the constant tension she had carried for so long.
Over time, their bond grew. Lilly taught Elinor to think beyond survival—what’s next?—and Elinor showed Lilly how to read the world, how to notice the signs of opportunity and danger. They made a good team, complementing each other’s strengths. Lilly was bold and unafraid of taking risks; Elinor was careful, calculating, always thinking three steps ahead. They balanced each other out, even when the world felt like it was falling apart around them.
Lilly became the first person in years who Elinor felt she could trust, and for the first time in a long while, Elinor allowed herself to feel. It wasn’t about redemption. It wasn’t about forgetting the past. It was about living in the present, finding a reason to keep going, and—maybe for the first time—finding a reason to care about someone else again.
Elinor didn’t know what the future held, and she didn’t care. She had Lilly by her side now. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn’t alone.
A Chance Encounter
It was a dark alley, the kind where the air smelled of wet stone and the distant sound of the city felt muffled by the walls. Elinor and Lilly had just completed another job—nothing too complicated, but they’d made a tidy profit, and now they were about to make their way out of the city. Their conversation was light, even if the shadows that clung to the alley didn’t quite match their mood.
And then, a figure stepped from the darkness.
Kaeden.
He wasn’t just any thug. He was the brother of a man Elinor had killed years ago—an event that had set him on a relentless path of vengeance. He had been hunting her for months, and now, here he was, standing in front of them, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.
“Thought you’d gotten away, didn’t you?” Kaeden sneered, drawing his blade.
Elinor’s heart skipped a beat, but she stood firm, narrowing her eyes. She had no intention of running this time.
“Leave,” she said, her voice low. “You’re not getting anything from us.”
But Kaeden wasn’t here to negotiate. He lunged forward, his blade flashing in the dim light of the alley.
Lilly moved instinctively, stepping between the two, but Kaeden was fast—too fast. He struck first, grazing Elinor’s shoulder with his sword. The pain flared, but Elinor didn’t falter. She retaliated with a swift kick, sending Kaeden staggering back.
But this wasn’t a fight they would win so easily. Kaeden recovered quickly, his movements brutal and precise, and soon they were both fighting for their lives. The tight confines of the alley worked against them. Lilly tried to land a blow to his side, but Kaeden sidestepped, spinning on his heel to strike her in the gut. Elinor’s kick missed its mark, and Kaeden swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting her across the arm.
They were good—but Kaeden was better.
Lilly’s dagger flashed, a quick strike aimed at his throat, but Kaeden parried with a vicious twist of his sword, sending Lilly stumbling back. Elinor, injured but determined, charged again, this time managing to land a blow to Kaeden’s side. But Kaeden fought with a brutal efficiency, his rage fueling every movement.
Kaeden was getting the upper hand. They were both bleeding now, and neither was quick enough to avoid his strikes for long. Elinor’s breath came raggedly, her vision swimming with the edges of pain, and Lilly was barely holding her ground against the relentless attack.
It was only when Kaeden prepared to deliver a killing blow to Elinor that something changed.
A figure appeared in the alley—silent, quick, and dangerous.
A single man, tall and cloaked in dark shadows, moved with the speed of a predator. In one motion, he closed the distance between himself and Kaeden, knocking the blade from the thug’s hand with a swift strike. Kaeden turned to face this new threat, but the man was already upon him, a blur of motion too fast for Kaeden to follow.
In an instant, the stranger had Kaeden pinned against the wall, a deep cut across his face. The thug howled in pain, his eye already swelling shut as blood poured from the gash.
“Enough.” The stranger’s voice was calm, but the authority in it made Kaeden hesitate.
Kaeden struggled to break free, but the man’s grip was unrelenting. He turned to Lilly and Elinor, giving them a brief, assessing glance before focusing back on Kaeden.
“You’ve caused enough trouble,” the stranger said, his voice low and threatening. “It’s time for you to go.”
Kaeden, bloodied and broken, scrambled to flee, but the stranger was too quick. With a final, crushing blow to Kaeden’s face, the man sent him reeling backward, forcing him to retreat into the shadows, his face a twisted mess of blood and rage.
For a long moment, silence reigned in the alley. Lilly and Elinor, still catching their breath and nursing their wounds, exchanged a look of disbelief. The fight had been a close call, and they had both been on the edge of defeat when this stranger had intervened.
The man slowly straightened, his cold gaze shifting from Kaeden’s retreating form to the two of them.
“Well, that was sloppy,” he said with a small, almost amused smile. “But impressive nonetheless.”
Lilly took a cautious step forward, wiping blood from her lip. “Who the hell are you?”
The man regarded them both for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. “The name’s Torgil,” he said, his voice carrying a weight that hinted at something more than just a passerby. “And I’ve been watching you two for a while.”
Elinor’s brow furrowed. “Watching us?”
“Mm,” Torgil said, nodding as if it were no big deal. “You’re both good. But you’re wasting your talent out here. How would you like to do more than survive?”
Lilly and Elinor shared a glance, neither of them quite sure where this was going.
Torgil continued the hint of a smile on his lips. “I run an organization—attached to a network of people who know how to get things done. You two have the skills. With my guidance, you could be much more. You could make a real difference... and get paid handsomely for it.”
There was a long pause as the two women weighed the offer. This wasn’t just about surviving anymore. This was something different. Something potentially… better.
Finally, Lilly spoke.
“We’re listening.”
Torgil’s grin widened. “Good. I think you’ll find the world’s much bigger than what you’ve seen so far.”
And just like that, everything changed.
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