"Listen, I've lost the succession war. I'm of no value as a hostage. They'll kill you and won't give a rat's ass about me." Leon growled, and she whispered in his ear. "Shut up! I didn't say you could talk."
"We both will end up killed! Just listen to me, god damn it!" Hearing his growl and feeling his shaking hands, she growled once more, this time looking more hostile than before.
"Why would I believe you?" Hearing that, Leon relaxed a bit. He was getting somewhere. "Cause I'm a former lord! Even without my title and power, I can still get you out of here alive. I'd rather not get into a fight with the guards, and I know you too don't want that fight."
She relaxed a bit and slowly lowered her dagger. "Speak. But one wrong word and I'll cut your throat open." Hearing that threat, Leon almost smiled. She was just trying to use him as a hostage. She would never kill him. She might punch him, but she would keep him alive as a bargaining chip.
"We got no time to waste. They'll be here in seconds. Use that knife of yours to cut your hair short." He pointed at her and then approached the wall, clawing on it with his nails to dust some of the white paint.
Even though she didn't know what he was going for, she could at least guess that he was going to disguise her and probably help her escape. Not a bad plan, if he doesn't rat her out. But before she could even think, her body was already moving. She grabbed her hair in her fist and cut it down to her neck.
"What's now?" She glared at him, and Leon already had a bit of powdered white paint. "Strip, you can leave your underwear on. I'll hide your clothes and... see those poison sacks, wash your hair with the poison, it'll bleach it down to white or blond, but it'll burn your scalp like acid." Hearing that, she froze.
"You want me to strip?!" She growled at him, but he wasn't going to back down. "I don't WANT you to strip. That's an order. If you want to live to see another day, then do it."
Maybe she should just punch him in the face, knock him out, and then use him as a hostage. But can she really negotiate with the guards using him? If what he said about losing the succession war is true, then she is done for.
Humiliated and infuriated, she did strip. It was all or nothing. She could either trust this failed lord or face an inevitable doom. With her background, they won't even take her to jail; they'll kill her on the spot. She wasn't wanted Dead or Alive, but wanted Dead.
When she poured the poison on her head, she could feel it burn like acid. It hurt a lot, but she just gritted her teeth and rinsed her hair as quickly as she could using two whole glands. When she was done a few seconds later, her hair was somewhat between blond and very light brown. But her entire scalp felt as if it was on fire, almost causing her to start tearing up.
"Like what you see? What's now?" She growled back at him, but he was already in her face, rubbing the powdered paint on her mole to hide it. It was then that she noticed that he had fully stripped too, and down to the flesh.
"What are..."
She growled, but before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the hand, pulled her toward him, and pushed her onto the bed before jumping on top of her. "Play along; they are about to come in." As he whispered, a second later, the room's door got kicked open and two enraged armed soldiers rushed in. "City guards! No one..." And they froze in place.
Seeing Leon, one whom they knew as one of the city's lords, naked on top of a woman inside, quickly drew their attention, and before any of them could even know it, they closed their eyes and turned around. "Lord Leon? What's the meaning of this?"
Leon growled and shouted. "Cover yourself. I'll talk with those fools." He stood and approached the two guards. "What's the meaning of this you said? Don't pretend to be virgins, fools." Let's talk in the hallway, and the tree got out of the room.
"Lord Leon, there is a dangerous criminal here... The Ripper. We've been chasing her, and she ran here." As the guard spoke, Leon's face twisted into shock. "What!? You should've said that from the start." He frantically scratched his head.
"The Ripper... what's close to this place..." His eyes opened wide. "The black market! I remember seeing in a report that a suspected entrance is somewhere around this place. If Ripper ran here, she must already be hiding there now."
The two guards paled. "Fuck... we lost her..." They looked at each other and then threw a glance at Leon. "By the way... is...."
"What?" Leon growled at them. "Yes, the news is true. I've lost the succession war and been kicked out. That's why I'm here pounding my sadness away."
The two guards quickly shook their heads. "No, we didn't mean to pry into..." Leon then just laughed.
"Listen, I'm not a lord anymore. You don't have to be so scared of me. I'll be leaving the city soon just wanted to get a bit of fun first." He reached toward them. "You've seen how beautiful she is with that blond hair and smooth skin. There are a lot of cheap whores here in the slums." He then smacked them on the backs.
"But enough gossip for you two. Go back to the station and gather all of the guards, look for the files on the black market, and investigate the whole area. As for me... well, I'm already limp down there, so I'll just get going. I've got you two to thank for ruining my fun."
"Sir, we'll get the other guards waiting outside to pull away and search the surrounding area. Ripper might've gone somewhere else besides the Black Market. In the meantime, please pretend that we didn't see you here." They gave him a gentle bow and then left in a hurry.
Taking a deep breath, Leon looked at them leave and then walked inside the room, where Ripper was still curled on the bed, covering herself. "They left?"
"The two, yes. I'll wait a bit, as there are more guards outside." He looked at her face. "You're holding pretty well there; we should get you some water soon to wash the poison. I can also help you wash now if you're in a lot of pain."
"No, thank you!" She growled at him and stood, looking around the room for her clothes. "You should dress back up. I'm not that keen on looking at you."
Leon looked down at himself and smiled. "Sorry, I'll cover myself up. Ah... don't wear all of your clothes. Just the undershirt and underpants, even those you might want to tear a bit and dirty them on the walls to make them look old and tattered."
"I know..." She growled, unable to believe that his plan actually worked.
"I'm heading to the Black Market now. There is another entrance a few blocks from here inside the abandoned church. I suggest hiding there."
Soon, the two of them left the abandoned inn and headed to the church, made their way into the Black Market, which looked like a massive underground warehouse, and Leon managed to sell the thirteen glands that remained after Ripper used two.
She on the other hand managed to get some water to clean her head and even new clothes. "Leon." She approached him as he was about to leave, and he stared at her with a stern glare.
"What? I'm pretty sure you don't need a hostage anymore." She stared at him in silence for a second, and then smiled. "I owe you one. If one day you need my help, I'll be there." With that, she disappeared into the shadows of the Black Market.