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There's something to be said for hiding in dark corners with a cane. But, then again, there's also something to be said for a sex life. And I don't have the latter. The only man in my life hits on all the girls in Gaia. I'm in an especially crabby mood today, but I'll go ahead and record the following events just so they're off my mind.

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Insanely enough, I had finally convinced myself to go sneak into Gino's mansion and see if he was really, truly alive. This would have been FAR easier if two things had not been true about me. One: I suck at stealth. Two: I have a horrendous limp that impairs my movement no matter what I do. And scaling up the side of a building is no exception to the rule.
It was 1:00 in the morning (so said my pocketwatch, but it hadn't been working ever since Liam 'accidentally' banged into it), and my eyes were practically requiring the use of little pieces of wood to support my eyelids. But I was an investigator, and I wasn't about to let a little setback like a bleeding leg stop me.
Huh.
Bleeding leg.
Apparently I had gashed my leg open on the fence surrounding the mansion.
This was a surprise.
Not because I had cut myself getting in.
Because I hadn't cut myself on the giant spikes on the walls.
This might be a little harder than I had originally thought.
While these thoughts raced through my head, I used the edge of my newly-purchased cane to drag myself up the wall, using various windowsills and bricks that were sticking out to haul myself upward. Thank god I had been on a diet. Otherwise I would have never made it.
You know the saying, "I'm too old for this"? Well, I was feeling decidedly too YOUNG for this. I wasn't any older than Gino, for chrissake's! But... if I recall correctly, Gino had allegedly been through far more than I had. So I had no room to complain. This rather cheery thought in my mind, I continued on my trek up the stone wall, intending to go through the roof of the mansion, hopefully ending up in the attic.
My fingers were getting quite sore and raw by now, little cuts and scrapes covering my skin. I was pretty certain I had impaled my middle finger on my right hand as well, considering the amount of blood that was oozing from it. Once again I have reason to thank the fate's I don't get woozy at the sight of blood. I curled my aching fingers around a protruding brick and held on tight, the attic roof only about twenty feet away now.
And then the brick slipped.
I gave a muffled shriek of terror as the brick literally slipped from the wall, taking me with it. I fell down, my only conscious thought being that I was going to die from the sheer height I was at. My frantically scrabbling fingers caught the edge of a windowsill and I came to a jerking halt, more pain shooting up my hands at the sudden stop. I clung to the windowsill like a drowning person does to a lifeguard's tube. Whimpers of terror leaked from my lips, my green eyes only able to stare down at the huge distance between me and the ground. My mind kept replaying the fact that if I hadn't caught hold of the sill, I'd be dead, splattered on Gino's lawn. There was irony in that somewhere, but it was lost on my fear-numbed mind.
I must have hung there for about three minutes, then my arms started to get sore and I looked upwards toward the roof once again. I now had fifty feet to go to get to the roof. And my cane was lodged in the wall twenty feet away from the roof. I slumped, wondering if I was wasting my time and risking my life. But I just HAD to get into that mansion. I was so close, too!
I pulled myself up onto the windowsill, leaning against the bars that covered the window, nursing my injured hands. After about five minutes of trying to get my fingers back into position, I stood up and once more continued the painful climb toward the roof. It was a little easier this time with finding places to grab onto, since I could see by the bloodstains where I had grabbed before. I couldn't help but worry someone would notice my blood everywhere, but I hoped they wouldn't look up at the walls anytime soon.
I finally reached my cane and grabbed onto it, jerking it out of the wall, but I was careful not to yank it so hard that I'd lose my balance and plummet straight down again.
About twenty excruciating minutes left, I finally got to the roof. Now I had a new problem. Actually getting into the attic. After some scrambling around on the roof tiles, I finally found a few that were loose and pryed them off, landing in the attic with a thud. Of course, my sore leg gave way instantly and I fell to my knees, rolling onto my side with a grimace of pain on my features. After allowing myself to revel in the agony shooting through my body, I pushed myself to my knees with my hands, leaving even more blood on the floor.
Well, so much for stealth.
I heard a gasping sound, then the unmistakable one of someone scrambling for cover.
I knew that last sound all too well. I had made it myself on multiple occaisions.
I whirled, yanking myself to my feet, drawing my canesword with a loud SHING! sound. The case fell to the floor, rattling as I held the blade toward a shadow that had quickly ducked behind a box, the shadow having the unmistakable look of a woman. I was worried now, wondering who this could be, terrified that it was someone who was on the Von Helson's side. Doing the only thing I could, I staggered toward the box, dragging my injured leg, almost falling as my other leg nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Planting my feet, ignoring the stabbing pain, I held my canesword with both hands, the edge directed toward the box.
"Who... Who's there?! I know... I know you're there!"
There was no answer, but I could hear breathing from behind the box. Gritting my teeth, I moved toward the box, whirling around it to jab the end of the blade toward whoever was hiding back there. She was a lovely woman, who looked to be about in her early twenties, with thick blonde hair. I gulped hard, nearly certain she was a Von Helson by now. "Who are you?!" I tried to keep my footing, pretty certain my angry and frightened face was a sight from the dirt I had accumulated on it. "I asked you who you are! Speak up!"
She didn't respond for a minute or so, then she suddenly drew a pitchfork, swinging it so that my blade was knocked out of her face. She stood up and backed away swiftly as I recovered my blade, retreating further into the shadows. "My name is Zinnia. Zinnia Ziegler. Who are you?" She sounded amazingly calm, considering we both had weapons drawn at this point. Then again, she wasn't the one that was covered in filth and bleeding.
Zinnia Ziegler...
Suddenly my jaw dropped slightly as I remembered where I had heard that name before. Once a contact had mentioned her having ties with Gambino, but he had neglected to tell me exactly what her ties were.
Damn Liam. He never tells me anything.
I swallowed, trying to catch my breath. "Z-Zinnia? Zinnia Ziegler. I've heard your name before.... You're... associated with Gambino...." I wiped my forehead, feeling my spiked purple bangs sticking to my skin. "My name is... Tazzin... No last name. I'm an investigator... I'm looking into this whole matter with Gambino."
Zinnia frowned, her expression visible through the darkness. "What? Investigating? You're just a common thief, aren't you? Does Gino know you're up in his attic, running around like a mouse?" I couldn't tell if she believed me, if she didn't, or if she was just acting like she didn't to get more out of me. In my current condition, I barely cared.
"T-The hell you think I'm doing?! I SAID I'm investigating! You think I'd get this cut up for a few petty trinkets?! I should be asking YOU what you're doing up here!" I was pissed off now, and not totally aware of everything that was happening as well. I thrust the blade toward her face again, but didn't actually touch her with it. I wasn't going to stab someone whom I wasn't sure about.
Zinnia didn't answer now, and she was giving me an odd look, her head tilted to one side as she watched me silently. I felt my legs give way, both this time, and I thudded to the floor, my blade clattering on the wood. "I... I asked you what you were doing... Answer me! I'm not going to let this entire damned trip be a waste!" I wasn't very coherent now, but somewhere through the mist I heard her say something. I lifted my head and mumbled, "What? Say again?"
"I said, can you promise not to tell anyone I was here? Don't mention this meeting to anyone, okay?"
I shook my head blearily, not saying anything as I tried to make sense of what she had just said. I heard her let out a little sigh, probably guessing I was refusing to do as she had just requested. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"I... I promise. No one will know you were here."
Bang!
A bright rectangle of light fell across the room from one side, illuminating me, but not Zinnia. I heard a scuffling sound and caught her hiding further into the corner, behind the box. I looked at the source of the light, seeing an open trapdoor and a large man halfway through it. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place the name. 'B' something. Gino's bodyguard. I squinted, raising one hand to block the light as I stared at him.
"Who are you?" The man spoke, sounding rather upset. "Is there anyone else up here with you?"
I didn't glance at Zinnia, knowing that would give her away. I had promised not to tell, and there was something about her that had rang true. I stood up slowly, picking up my canesword and replacing the case so it just looked like a regular cane. "No sir... I'm... all alone."
'B' was silent for a moment, then he crawled up into the attic, giving me a closer look. He towered over me, since I've never been especially tall. "What happened to you?"
I glanced down at myself, seeing what he saw for the first time. I was grubby, my hair was mussed, blood was all over my hands... I looked like a mess. I raised my head back up to him. "Um...."
BTB (or Big Tall Bodyguard) shook his head slowly, mumbling, "What is the world coming to, that young people sneak into mansions like this?" He frowned at me, adding, "The young master has been woken up by your shuffling about, and he is wondering who is up here. I'm afraid you're coming with me." With that, he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the trapdoor, pushing me through it. Fortuantly, he allowed me to climb down the ladder he had used to get up there. Unfortuantly, I was in no shape to be climbing so I fell flat when I was halfway down, my cane once more falling to the floor.
"Bucho! Why did you let her climb the ladder? Can't you see she's in no shape to be doing that without aid?"
The voice sounded familiar, ringing a bell in my mind. I pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing at one glazed eye to see who was speaking. Long, gold hair, reddish-purple eyes... My jaw must have hit the floor as I stared at the owner of the voice.
"G-Gino?"
He was wearing nightclothes, an eyebrow raised as he stared at me, obviously quite surprised to see a banged up girl in his mansion, but oddly pleased as well. "Oh, is that you, Tazzin? You've dyed your hair since then."
I blinked, a puzzled look crossing my face. "Uh... Huh?"
He seemed rather pleased to have remembered my name, though I couldn't recall how on earth he knew it. "We met at that Halloween party my father held last year, remember?" I thought back, and indeed I did remember talking to him at the party. But mostly I remembered his father laughing so much when I was trying to greet him. And the hair dye comment made sense, since my hair had been blonde back then.
"Erm... Oh, yeah... I did dye it. Looks like I've gone from... attending your parties.... to sneaking..... into your.... house......" With that, everything went black slowly, but as I flopped over, I caught a glimpse of the open trapdoor, and long golden hair whisking past it, unmistakably Zinnia's. And then I had time to think no more as I descended into nothingness, hearing Gino say, "Tazzin?!"

When I woke up, I was in the fluffiest, softest bed I had ever been in, with my hands bandaged up and a small white nightdress on. Somewhere in the back of my mind I hoped a woman servant had changed me. It was unmistakably a guestroom, by the nice, but not too lavish decor, and the size as well. I closed my eyes, deciding to figure all of it out in the morning.