A new day began for Cindy, after a girl’s night of wine and games with her roommate. Her new life in the charity department was just getting started on a Thursday morning work day. She hesitantly clasped her hands in prayer, thanked god for a new day, got dressed in her black suit, and walked out the door to start another day of good deeds.

After another exciting morning of clearing up litter throughout Baldimore, it was time for the half-elf to serve food to the homeless. She arrived at the galley inside headquarters on a late afternoon, in order to procure food to transport to the homeless shelter. She met Aria, Kai, and a few other workers who were already busy carrying large crates of food out the door.

"Cindy, you're late, dear," Aria said. "Hurry up and grab some boxes, please. Dinner will start soon."

"Yes ma'am!" Cindy yelled. "I'm so sorry for the delay. I wanted to be extra meticulous today in my clean-up duties!" she continued, as she grabbed a box of food.

"Yes, very nice, dear," Aria commented while looking through paperwork. "All right, that should be enough. Let's get this stuff loaded onto the truck quickly, people!"

Cindy arrived at the shelter along with Aria. Kai was forced to tag along as well, since he had no contracts that day. They served food to the homeless, who showed extreme gratitude to the assassins and ex-assassin. Aromas of all types of cuisines filled the air. From fresh fruits and vegetables, to roasted meat and potatoes. The people at that shelter were treated to a luxurious buffet. Cindy felt good about herself. Instead of having to take lives, she was helping people. The smiles and cheers of gratitude from the people she fed made the half-elf's heart melt. It was a good day for Cindy as positive vibrations filled the air.

Aria seemed to revert to how she was when Cindy originally met her. The curly haired woman was as sweet as could be, greeting people with a smile on her face. It felt like a bit of a whiplash for Cindy, seeing as how that same woman tried to kill her last week. She seemed generally loved by almost every person Cindy had seen Aria interact with. Even at the tea shop, people greeted her warmly.

"I can never understand that woman," Cindy said, furrowing her brow while continuing to serve food.

"You were still trying to?" Kai asked as he also served food. "Just accept it, that girl's just a psycho! No need to think about it any deeper than that."

"I'm not so sure about that," Cindy commented. "Maybe she's just... misunderstood?" she continued as she looked on at Aria curiously.

"Yeah, very misunderstood." Kai said.

"So, how's assassin life so far?" Cindy asked.

"Boring," Kai sighed. "I haven't got a single fuckin' contract yet. Shit is bogus!"

"Maybe that's a good thing," Cindy said. "It means the city's safe."

"Safe, huh? Why would that matter? People will always want others dead."

"That's... true, too," Cindy paused. "Maybe they're just bringing you along slowly."

"Well, they should speed it the fuck up. I'm ready to make some serious bank from those contracts. I'll be so loaded in cash, every woman in the city will want a piece of this!" Kai said.

"You got a bit of drool on your mouth there, buddy," Cindy sighed, shaking her head.

The Fam employees continued to serve food until evening. Although it seemed like a boring and unfulfilling chore, most of the workers seemed genuinely happy to be helping out their community. All but one individual, who started to moan their complaints out loud.

"This is all bullshit!" a man complained. "Why the hell do I have to be here? I ain't no damn servant!" he continued, angrily stripping off his apron.

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"W-who is that guy?" Cindy whispered? "He's intense."

"No clue. This is the first time I'm seeing him, too," Kai replied.

"I suggest you watch your tongue, Jack!" Aria yelled, approaching the angry man. "You were off gallivanting on your own far too long. This is your punishment, dear," she continued with a smirk. "We are almost done, so why don't you start cleaning up?"

"W-whatever," Jack grumbled as he started to clean dishes. "Who are these guys, Aria? They the new assassins?"

"Well, sort of. Miss Cindy decided to quit that lifestyle," Aria replied.

"Y-yes, I'm no longer an assassin. I'm Cindy, nice to meet you!" the half-elf said, extending her hand out to the tall, brutish man.

"Hm, pathetic," Jack said, slapping away Cindy's hand. "I didn't know we let soft pansies in so easily, Director Aria," he continued, scowling at the half-elf.

"Well, she may be much stronger than you think, my dear," Aria replied, patting Cindy on the back. "Kai, Cindy, meet Jack. He's one of our assassins. He can be a bit rude at times, but pay him no mind. The chap means well for the most part."

"I-I see," Cindy said, hanging her head down low.

Pathetic, huh? Can't really argue with that...

"Hey, watch the way you talk to Cindy, pal!" Kai yelled. "You have no idea how badass she is. I'm better, but she's still great."

Um, thanks?

"Heh, whatever," Jack scoffed. "Your ugly ass will be dead soon enough. You don't got what it takes either, so you might as well join your little friend and quit yourself!"

Kai started fuming from his head, becoming increasingly fed up with the antics of Jack.

"Do we have a fuckin' problem, pal? I don't even know you!" Kai responded.

"I don't know. I'll be damn happy to resolve it, though," Jack replied with a grin on his face.

The atmosphere became tense as aura started to leak from Kai and Jack. Kai entered a fighting stance, his fists upright in front of his face. Jack just stood there and laughed with both hands on his hips. Cindy tried to reason with Kai, but he just ignored her. Aria looked on in amusement, not interfering at all.

"Guys, this is a homeless shelter!" Cindy screamed, right before Kai charged at Jack.

Kai hurled punches at the tall man, each one missing as Jack dodged them with ease. It took all but a flick of Jack's finger to end the fight. A flick that did not even connect to Kai, but he was struck regardless. The aura from Jack's finger struck Kai's forehead, knocking him to the ground and leaving a bright red bump.

"What the fuck was that?" Kai asked, rubbing the front of his head.

"Your aura's whack, man. What the hell have you been teaching these kids, Aria?" Jack asked. "Like I was saying, be like that stupid elf girl and quit before it's too late. You ain't cut from our cloth, kid."

"Dammit," Kai said while gritting his teeth.

***

After serving food to the homeless, Cindy, Kai, and Aria stopped by Jasper's tea shop. They soaked their mouths in herbal remedies while Kai vented his frustrations.

"Well, you still have a lot to learn, dear Kai," Aria said, sipping her tea.

"Just shut up! I know already. That guy... he was just toying with me, and I couldn't do anything about it. Are we really that far off from the other assassins?"

"Oh, quite so, my dear. They're all seasoned veterans with their own unique abilities. Do not be so discouraged. You have potential. As do you, miss Cindy," Aria said.

"Well, it sure as hell don't feel like it," Kai groaned, covering his head with an ice pack.

Cindy was quiet and didn't have much to say. She just sipped her tea in silence with her head down, recalling Jack's harsh words.

Pathetic...

"Are you alright, dear Cindy?" Aria asked.

"Um, yeah. I just... don't know what I'm doing anymore," Cindy replied.

"Hm, are you no longer enjoying the charity work? You're always welcome to reclaim your previous occupation as an assassin," Aria said.

"I just... feels like I have no direction. I love helping people. Today was great, but... it feels like I'm just going with the flow. I'm just a fly on the wall, with no real purpose in life."

"Ah, mopey Cindy is the worst!" Kai said. "Stop being so damn whiney!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood..."

"Perhaps your purpose is helping people. Or perhaps it is something else. You will have to make that decision for yourself, my dear. You will get no handholding from me. However, my job with you two is not quite finished yet, is it?" Aria said.

"What do you mean?" Cindy asked.

"Assassin or not, I don't really care how you use it. I will continue to teach the two of you everything I know about aura. Perhaps that is your calling... maybe."

"Aura is my calling?" Cindy questioned.

"Possibly. I don't know. How about we resume your lessons tomorrow... after my therapy session," Aria said.

"But, why?" Kai asked. "I thought you hated us!"

"I told you that whole ordeal was nothing personal. I did mean that," Aria said, taking another sip of her tea. "I apologize for trying to kill you," she said with a glowing smile.

I really can't understand this woman.

"Well, whatever," Kai said. "Make us stronger! We're counting on you, teacher!"

"Yeah, I actually am kinda excited to learn more. We're in your hands again, teacher!" Cindy said, giving a slight bow to Aria.

Welp, guess we're doing this again. Hopefully she doesn't try to kill us again.