She had a stalker.

For a time now she was assuming she was being followed and watched. She hadn’t yet been able to catch a glimpse of her stalker but her instincts told her that she was being followed. Instead of acting like she knew the Wasp instead went about her normal routine, as normal as it was working for Angela. Good days were just weird and days were just, well, that much worse sometimes.

However this was starting to grate on Sharifa, knowing that she was being watched. It also meant that, somehow, someone had figured out what she was actually doing around the lands, or at least partly. She was certainly pissing a lot of people off around all three continents, working for Angela Sharifa was sent wherever the Goddess needed some wet work done or some information gathered. Shar took care of criminal groups and the like for Angela when she needed them gone for whatever reason. When Shar wasn’t on a job she was doing her usual work as a tracker and intelligence gatherer. Trained by the Hive since she had hatched Shar was good at her job and she was also the leader of the scouts that had been sent from Onnen to Canelux before the official invasion had started. That invasion had failed in the end and Sharifa had taken the fall for it within the insect kingdom. But a last minute arrival of Angela saw Sharifa saved from execution, it’s why Shar continued to work for Angela even after all this time had passed.

Besides, what else could a six and a half foot tall Wasp woman do outside of her home hive? Not much really, so at least she had focus.

So now it was time to deal with the stalker she had tailing her and see what was going on. If she could take this being out and hopefully track backwards from here she might find out where she had slipped and exposed herself. Shar had to hope that she could plug that leak before it got too bad and her cover was blown and she wouldn’t be able to move as freely as she had been until now. Tension among some communities was still high when insects like her were around, which was fair.

Taking one alley seemingly at random Sharifa stopped within and just let the early night air wash over her as she lowered the hood of her cloak. Black and gold down fur and black skin was seen as her antenna unfurled on the top of her head as well. She seemed to be waiting for something or someone, but Shar was trying to at least make it look like she wasn’t waiting for her stalker but in fact was waiting for someone else. ~Show yourself, damn you, I want this done. Unless I’m getting paranoid doing this for so long.”~ Sharifa thought to herself as she waited.

An order had come through for a strike. It had not been a normal job since the instructions were off. Dae had questioned his contact, but had been told that everything was on the up-an-up. The assassin had frowned deeply at the response. He knew it was going to be good information if it came from his contact even though nothing felt like it added up in his gut. Dae took his time when he worked a job. The assassin knew how to collect information on his targets to even the minutest detail. When it came to a kill there was no knowing what information would be the difference between a successful mission or failure.

This particular target was not a difficult one to pick out from in a crowd. In fact, there was going to be a bit of satisfaction in his heart when this job was completed. The wasps had invaded the main continents of Revaliir to sow death and destruction. How one was able to stay in their population as if nothing had happened…Dae couldn’t fathom. He had been younger when it had all happened; the powers of Lord Raktor had not taken a full grasp on him yet. It had been terrifying for himself and his family. The fact that he had been powerless to protect the family or those in need. The amount of blood that had covered the patients that had to be treated at the apothecary. Dae would never forget it for the rest of his life.

People seemed to accept her within their city well enough. The assassin tried to not have prejudices considering he was a product of one that became an assault upon his mother for it. Even so, it was not easy for him to forget such things. Then the order had come in to describe horrendous acts made by the wasp female. It made him sick to his stomach thinking that she could act pleasant to the people, which butchering them in private portions of the city. Dae had not seen such things, but again she most likely was hiding these acts.

Dae normally was much more secretive about his followings. This time, he was a little bit showier about his trailing. He wanted her to feel a slight panic of the potential of someone following. It had been at least a week of him stalking the wasp called Sharifa. A little game had come of it. Dae felt a slight joy knowing that his target seemed more on edge as he continued to follow her through the week. It was not something he normally did. In fact, it was cruel. This time he could not handle the knowing she was being sweet to the civilians while committing heinous acts in secret.

Gray eyes watched as she turned down a street to wait. His feet shifted beneath him as he crouched on the roof directly above her. It would have been an easy move to jump down and plunge his wrist daggers into her spine. No. That would have been too easy. An almost wicked grin crossed his hood face. Grabbing the roofs ledge, he swung over to hang from the flashing. Slowly and quietly he crawled down along the buildings face until he fell on crouched knee before the wasp. She was taller than him, but as he stood to look up at her Dae flashed a fanged smile. ”I have been watching you, and I felt it only polite to introduce myself before we get to the end game.” The shade blood began to awaken in his veins as it called out to the darkness that came with the night. Dae used his shadows to block the pair from sight of anyone who could come upon their position. ”Now, I would appreciate if you would admit to your crimes. It would be nice to hear the truth from a wasp before I fulfill the contract.”

Ah, there, he stalker had revealed himself finally! She heard him moving down the wall before he landed in front of her, though, he had been extremely quiet on his approach. She had expected it so Shar had been listening for something, if she hadn’t been actively listening for him she would have never heard him. He was good, she had to be careful. She watched him carefully and grinned as he started to speak. ”Ah, so you’re my stalker then? I see.” She replied with an easy smile. ”Well, if you are being polite, I have to assume you know my name, but, just in case, I am Sharifa. Who might you be?” She asked.

However as Dae continued to speak what passed as Shar’s brows raised a bit and she crossed her arms and cocked her hips to one side. ”Crimes? Truth? Contract?” She questioned and shifted her weight to the other side. ”I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that, though, if I have to hazard a. Are you asking about the time before the invasion or after? Before the invasion, I was in fact the one in charge of the foreword scouts that came to gather intelligence. Since then, well, I haven’t been working for the Hive any longer, I’m no longer part of it. So, what exactly is this about then, hm?

There was no sign of surprise on the target’s ‘face’ as he dropped down to the ground. Dae was not entirely certain of the capabilities of the wasps. They were still widely unknown for their anatomy, but he had been able to secure some information to help along with his task. Despite the fragile truce between their continents Dae knew many did not trust her kind. They had sent spies ahead to give information on weaknesses to be extorted. It was an old, well-versed tactic to be used. Any offender would utilize it. This did not mean it was a clean one. Though, the same could be said for Dae’s trade.

Dae liked to think of his talent as a trade like any other. He just so happened to trade in death. The skill was honed for his end goal. As he advanced in ability, so did his fee for assignments. ”Stalker? I guess you could put it that week for the time we spent with each other, though at a healthy distance.” He gave her a rather mischievous grin as he searched her own features. Trying to read her was not easy considering her race.

The leather hood covered his face to only allow of his lips to be visible from beneath the shadows. ”Oh, now giving you my name would not be proper decorum in my trade. Unfortunately, I cannot give you my name. I do appreciate your level of calm during our encounter. Certainly makes this all easier.”

Attempting to talk her way out of his contract. No, his contact had specifically said it was recent. That the wasp was still working in heinous acts against the citizens. ”Afraid it is all issues from after the war. You see, they are quite detailed in your on-goings. All in the most recent of times. If you are stating otherwise….well you would be hard pressed to prove that you haven’t done these things. I figured since you are such an out of the norm contract for me, it would be interesting to talk to you before I must do my job.”

Even with their conversation being pleasant, the assassin took a few slight steps away to give ample distance between them. Now was the time to start putting himself in the correct mindset. He was not an amateur.

”Panic doesn’t help any situation. Ah, too bad you can’t name yourself, but I understand, we are both professionals after all.” Sharifa replied with a slight nod of understanding. She listened as he said all the issues were from after the war had ended. She thought hard while he spoke on trying to figure things out. She had only been working for Angela since the war, then again, it wasn’t like she didn’t have her own enemies. She decided that she might as well be honest with him and see where this goes, and she did note he had made space between them.

”I see, that is interesting that everything is from after the war.” She replied thinking on how to explain things. While she spoke she slowly got herself ready for the fight as well, but she wasn’t hiding anything from him. ”Since the war ended I have been working for the Goddess of Life and Love doing what she asks, she saved me after I was sentenced to death by the Wasp Queen, my sister I might add, because they put the failure of the invasion on my shoulders. Angela came in and saved me from death, and I have been working for her since.” Sharifa explained as she popped the button at the top of her cloak and allowed it drop to the ground.

Her lower arms had been folded against her stomach but now exposed she moved them. In her top hands she took hold of a pair tonfas created from beetle born, keeping an eye on Dae the whole time. ”So, knowing what I have been doing since starting to work for Angela that does limit the options are who might have hired you, unless you have the wrong Wasp. Then again, as far as I know, I’m only the Wasp working away from the Hive, but I can’t be sure since I have been cut from the hive mind as well.” She sighed as her lower fight hand held a small shield and her left hand had a crackling ball of lightning in it, not to mention her own natural ability to cause pain to anyone that touched her, and it would feel like a wasp sting to boot, a big on.

”So then, with that in mind, who then hired you? Was it one of the slaver groups I have dismantled? Oh! I could be that drug cartel I shut down coming out of Vilpamolan, that wasn’t too long ago. You heard of that warehouse fire about, oh, three weeks ago, maybe four? Ya, that was me, after I cleared them out from there I torched the place to destroy their work. I may not have got everyone from there, was it one of them?” She guessed and then shrugged. ”That’s the best I can think of, at the moment anyway, give me a bit and I’m sure I can think of some more bad guys I have removed from the lands.”

Sighing Sharifa got into a ready stance with her tonfas up and eyed the assassin. ”Well, shall we get this over with then?”