The Hopkins Woman [Closed]

That woman was here again and Maria had to once again hide her annoyance. She highly disliked Kathryn Hopkins. The woman was tall, thick in the chest, and had long curly blonde hair. She always wore these extremely fancy hats and dresses that were very puffy at the bottom. Her voice was oh so sweet and could make any man bend to her will. She was very feminine and acted lady like. Her posture was perfect, that of  a noble. Her eyes were bright orange, always narrowed, and reminded Maria of evil women in stories she had read. The way she looked at Neil felt so hostile to Maria that she always had this urge to pounce the woman and slide a knife through her throat. There was also always this strange burning feeling in her stomach when this woman was around. She was dangerous.

Kathryn looked at Maria like she was nothing more than some bug that she could step on at any moment. Because of certain rules, Maria could not act on it. This woman never physically did anything to attempt to harm her or Neil, so she was always forced to hold back. Kathryn was here, again, to go out on the town with Neil. Maria hated that. She was always left behind and he would be gone for hours. He usually seemed to avoid the many tries that most women tossed at him, but a couple of days ago he was caught with a free schedule. When she arrived for their planned outing, Maria had done something to annoy her. Kathryn always tossed her coat over Maria, so Maria intentionally cut her hands, cupped them so the blood would stay, and once the coat was tossed over her, she smiled.

"Ah! Little girl! You've ruined my coat!" Kathryn shrieked and pulled the coat back. "I'm sorry Ms. Hopkins, but you did not warn me that you were going to throw it over my head like that. I would have told you that I had cut myself sharpening my knives." Maria held up her hands to show the rather deep cuts. "He will be with you soon; he's already been notified of your arrival. Now excuse me while I go clean myself up." Maria hurried off, clenching her fists tightly as she walked through the house toward her bathroom. On her way there, she was playing with the cuts on her hand until she saw two feet in front of her. She looked up, blinked, and then her expression hardened. "That thing is here. She threw her coat at me, I had blood on my hands. She will complain about it being ruined."

"I did." Maria said and held both of her hands up. The cuts were actually very deep and she was going to have to have them wrapped until they healed up. Since she didn't feel pain, as long as she cleaned it and didn't get an infection, this wasn't really a problem for her. She'll do her chores just fine. "I did it to ruin her coat. Every time she comes here, she tosses it over my head like I'm a coat rack and pretends to not see me." Maria explained and then narrowed her eyes uncharacteristically, "I hate that thing and if she complains about her coat being ruined all day, you can hate her too. If you hate her too, you can tell her to go away and never come back instead of going out with her and leaving me home. I am sabotaging her in the only way I can because I have to stay home while you guys are out. If I could come, I would sabotage her then too. Maybe cause her skirt to rip and show her butt to everyone on the street. However, I cannot... because I have to stay home." Maria narrowed her eyes angrily, the emotion being toward him, and then walked passed him, "Be safe, Neil, and don't let her eat you... I know she's going try some day."

Maria loved any attention she got from Neil. The moment his hand touched her head, she was able to cheer up and a lot of her annoyance fell. She even smiled when he winked at her for the joke. She didn't like Frankie anymore either. The two avoided each other completely now. Life for Maria was almost perfect. Kathryn Hopkins was her newest problem. Maria waved back to him, careful not to splash any blood anywhere. "I will." she said and hurried off to get her hands bandaged. The hours of Neil's absence made the house feel so dead. There was nothing to do and she didn't want to talk to anyone. Frankie attempted to talk to her, but she ignored him like a deaf person ignores noise.

When Neil walked into the house, Maria was barely awake. She had been sitting there for quite some time, that time being since thirty minutes after Neil had left. It's not like she wanted to be anywhere else. Her head kept slowly falling forward and quickly being brought up. She did notice Neil, but was trying to force herself awake. As the jacket was put over her shoulders, Maria reached up, hands bandaged, and took a gentle hold of his hand before he could fully stand. She raised her head and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out before she looked to Neil. She stared blankly at him for a moment and he would know that she was still waking up. Maria smiled and tightened her hand around his.

"You're safe... Good." she said and then let go of him. She grabbed onto the stair railing and pulled herself up. She raised her arms, stretched, and then turned to face him. "Did she try to eat you this time?" a fully awake Maria asked with a childish smile, "You know one of these days, she's gonna try. And because you make me stay home, I am not gonna be able to help. That thing is a demon in disguise, I know it. And I know you can fight, but that's my job and no one else can have it! If you fight on your own, then there's no point to having me! I don't want you to not need me anymore..."

Maria joined him as he walked up the stairs. "I just have to make sure you'll always need me. If I'm not useful, there is no reason to keep me around. If I'm a burden, it's worse." Maria explained softly. She pouted a little at his sigh and copied him in the best way she could. It was her way of being playful at the moment. "Why do I hate her?" Maria stopped walking at the top of the stairs and stared at the ground, her bandaged hands clenched tightly into a fist. "She's better than me." Maria whispered just loud enough for him to hear. She kept her head lowered, her bangs hiding her eyes. "Not at fighting or at protecting you... Her voice is prettier, her hair is prettier, she's taller, got those curves by the waist that men like, her breasts are larger, and she's got money, power, influence in Grandview...."

"That's why I hate her... Because she's better than me." Maria looked at her hands, the honesty she always keeps with Neil leaking out probably a bit too much, "I hate looking this young. I'm an adult, not a sixteen year old kid... She calls me little girl. I'M A YEAR OLDER THAN HER." Maria shouted for that moment, clenched her jaw, closed her eyes, and then calmed down. Maria shot an intense glance in Neil's direction and just stared at him. He would be able to tell that the wheels in that little head of hers are turning and turning fast. "I will not be outdone by that overdressed hussy."

Maria pouted slightly at the jealous and envy comment. She stared him directly in the eye as he knelt down. "I don't know why she'd be-... Your trust?" Maria blinked in surprise. She had not thought of it like that. Maria assumed he did trust Kathryn since he would go out on the town with her. Neil then commented on his own appearance and she couldn't help but smile. She knew he was handsome too, but her expression softened to confusion when he said the one-eye was a turn off. "What does it turn off?" Maria asked with her head tilted, slightly confused by that, but then remembered the phrase. She face-palmed herself and shook her head. "Nevermind. I feel stupid. I remember what that means."

Then Neil was serious. His question left her silent, but her eyes were fixated on his. Maria suddenly stepped forward, placed both of her hands on either side of his face, and pressed her lips against his. It was not a long kiss to that deep of one, but enough to get her point across. When she pulled away, she stayed about an inch from his face and stared directly into his eyes. "Yes." she replied, "I get what has been happening to me and now that I understand it, I'm not letting go. It only happens once and if I lose, it will never happen again." Maria took a deep breath and lowered her head, "I know what I need to do now, otherwise I will lose. I'll get it done, I know I can. I know where I have to go too. I've been saving money so I can. I will just have to leave for a while, but I'll be back. I promise you that."

Maria stood stronger than she had before. She did what she did and his surprised was expected. In fact, she thought he would yell and hit her. That didn't happen. Instead, he stood there in shock, processing what she was saying and what happened, though one was happening slower than the other. Maria gave him the moment he asked for and stayed silent. When he spoke up again, he tossed three questions at her. "I do not know how long it will take." Maria said unhappily and then sighed, "Colburn to visit Rydian. There is someone there that the Vonnera had contact with. I know he can help me. When?" Maria brought a hand to her chin and thought about it. She had been planning this trip for a bit now, ever since Kathryn started showing up more and more often. "When I know that you're safe. And that should happen in two days time. I've hired someone, you know him and so did the Vonnera, Lysander Villis of the Black Cross. I probably should have asked you about this first, but I took my own initiative. He will be here within the week and with that the favor he owes me will be completed."

"I'm sorry." she replied as Neil sighed, "No. That's part of our deal. He doesn't ask you for shit while he's taking care of what he owes me. If he asks you for anything, I'll put a knife through his heart for going back on his word." Maria's state of mind had matured quite a lot since she had met Neil. She had learned to read, write, and even make deals in a way that won't screw her over. She wasn't a master, but she knew more than the basics. Not only that, she had learned that she wasn't just a toy. "I didn't answer it because..." Maria stared at the ground and then pointed to herself, "I want to look normal, so I'm going to Colburn to meet one of the members of the Vonnera Family. He's different. He's kind and said if I ever needed his help, he'd give it. It's cause he hated his brother, Mr. Vonnera, but wasn't able to stop that bastard that kept me prisoner. His name is Leonard, or Leo. For me it's Leo."

There was silence for a while. Maria obviously had something else to say, but every time she went to speak, she hesitated. She'd close her mouth, think a little more, and then try again. After doing that like five times, she closed her eyes. "You have a reputation to hold up." she said with disappointment, "If I looked like an adult... If my chest was larger, I was taller, face was more mature... it wouldn't be bad. Even if you did love me, you couldn't be with me without damaging the reputation you have worked to build. I'm not stupid. I look like a kid. A child being with an adult, even if it is Grandview, people would question you. I don't want that." Maria opened her eyes and looked to him, "That's why I'm leaving. If I can find a way to look like my age, then you don't have to worry about that."

Maria tensed. She actually tensed at his touch. When he looked into her eyes, she found it hard to look back. She wanted to interrupt him. She wanted to say "I know, I know!" and make him stop telling her something she already thought about. She also wanted to point to the door and say, "I'm older than that bitch!" It did not matter what she said though. She looked like a child. No one really took her seriously and Neil only barely started to. She couldn't do this anymore. Things had to change for her. Instead of saying anything she wanted to say, she held her tongue until he finished. She nodded. "Thank you, Neil." Maria smiled and held up a finger, "I do need one thing from you... A secret between us, something no one else knows. If this works, I may return looking completely different, maybe even sounding different, I don't know. I'll need a way to show you it's me."

That name gave Maria chills. She rubbed her arms, wanting the goosebumps to go down. She listened to all of the rules about that single name and was more frightened of it than anything she had felt in a long time. That name was not going to be their password. "Yes, two days." she said and nodded. Maria tilted her head about the beach trip. She wanted to take it and they hadn't even set a date. "We push it off. We didn't ever make an actual day, so I figured that it wasn't happening for a long time. I don't plan on being gone for months, just a couple of weeks. It'll take me some time to get to a railroad since none come near here..." Maria titled her head the other way, "Also, that word is not going to be our password. It's too scary. Oh, oh, oh! However, that did help me figure one out!"

Maria motioned for him to kneel down. "Silver Shavings." she whispered into his ear and then stepped back with a smile. That smile dropped very quickly when she realized something important. "Neil. If you get half of that password from someone, assume I'm dead and kill the messenger."

All of this dying talk was depressing as hell! Maria didn't want to hear about his plans! He wasn't going anywhere. He was supposed to be safe. If Lysander fails to protect him, Maria would personally bring down every single thing that Lysander cares about and then kill their damn grandmothers just to get the anger out. Maria was pulled from those thoughts by a question she expected sooner than now. When he asked, Maria could not hide the fear in her eyes. It showed clearly and she knew it. After a moment, she looked away and shook her head. "I... did it... because... I..." she was nervous. She grabbed onto her clothing and fiddled with it a bit, mainly pulling at the part of her shirt over her chest. "Well, I... Mm..." she whimpered shyly and took a few steps back, "I don't... know..." She lied.

"Mmm!" she turned away from him and stared at the floor, "Because I don't know how long I'll be gone! I don't know how long this is going to take! I don't expect you to wait for me. I don't know if I want you to. How is it fair to tell someone to wait for something that's not even certain? I do n't even know if I am coming back!" Maria turned back to him, fists clenched tightly, "I don't know what could happen. If I die out there, I wanted to at least die knowing that I did what I really wanted for the first time in my life. I didn't hold back. The moment I felt it, I did it. I didn't think or care about the rules. I wanted to do it, so I did. I'm just glad you didn't hit me... I was kind of scared you were going to."

"It counts for everything, but Neil... Do it." Maria looked him directly in the eye with a very serious expression, "I want you to put me under a Geis. If you do it, you make the terms anything you want as long as it makes it where I return." Maria never wanted to be put under one of those things. She hated the idea of needing to be under contract with him and Neil knew that. It was something she likely told him before. She would never have asked for this, but for the first time since they've know each other... "I'm scared." she said shakily, "I scared, Neil. I've never been out of the city. I don't know how people are out there. I know I don't understand anything on the outside of this place. And I'm scared because of it. I have to go and I have to go alone, but..." She fell silent, staring at a wall.

"Oh... Mm..." Maria looked down disappointed. She thought that might help her.  If he put her under one of those, she'd have more confidence in leaving. If he did not want to though, she would not ask again. Maria looked up to Neil as he turned her toward him. She listened to his words, but the mention of a damn dragon kinda made things a little worse. He was trying to make her feel better and she could see that, so she didn't budge. When he offered her a gun, she nodded with only an ounce of hesitation. She had never used one of those before, but they might be helpful. "I think... I want to go to bed now." Maria said deep in thought about everything. She looked up to him, smiled, and bowed. "Goodnight, Neil." And with that, Maria ran down the hallway to her room and shut the door behind her.

The next two days were a little different for both Neil and Maria. Maria did her chores, but was slower than normal. She didn't want to bother Neil right now and was nervous about talking to him anyway. She woke up, did what she was obligated to do, checked on Neil for maybe a five minute conversation, and then returned to her room. When Lysander arrived, he came with a woman that was not originally part of the deal. Lysander vouched for her, but Maria was adamant that this Juline woman was not supposed to be here. She was not paying extra for something she didn't ask for. After some argument, the end deal was that Juline would stay without pay and work on his job with him, or choose to go stay in a hotel by herself. Lysander asked her to stay and said he would just split the money. Deal.

Neil arrived at the end of the conversation and things were settled. Maria introduced Lysander's friend to Neil and explained the set terms. She turned to Lysander, grabbed his hair to pull him down to her level, and whispered. "If anything happens to him, I will use every resource I have to destroy you, your woman, and your precious Black Cross. That little bar that you meet in will fall to ruin and so will every one you love. Understood?" Lysander just smiled and nodded. He wasn't scared of her threats because unless five dragons attacked, nothing was happening to Neil. Maria dismissed her two hired guns and looked to Neil. She had a small back over her shoulder, her wallet in her pocket, and her knives were all sharpened and ready. "Well... I guess this is it. I will try to keep my promise."

"I am?" Maria looked to the box he handed her. It was pretty and a gift from him. She opened it up and saw the gun. It was even prettier than the box! Neil quickly showed her how to load and reload it. He showed her the safety as well. Maria smiled and put it in her pack. Once she was outside the confines of Grandview, she'll figure out where to put it for quicker access. "Never point a gun at something you are not willing to shoot." Maria repeated and nodded. Maria smiled as her head was pat and blushed as her forehead was kissed. She just smiled and nodded. "I will!" she said excitedly and turned away. She rushed out of the door and vanished into Grandview. It took her a while to get out of Grandview, but once she was out, there was a strange freedom she felt. Finally, she was getting this done.