Vitkus Twins

Chapter Six

“That was funny,” Aldona said as Launce and Jakoba stared at the door, that had been Šuo. That had been a man they had seen as an older brother when they were younger. And she was sure that her brother was just as annoyed as she was about his sudden disappearance from their lives when they were seven.

“It was almost perfect pay back,” Azuloas agreed, he wasn’t happy with Šuo or Katė for that matter, but neither of them had seen Katė for that matter. They didn’t know where to find her and Aldona almost missed her and Šuo’s horrid cooking.

It was almost as if that whole time they knew them, Azuloas and Aldona had been nothing but another mission. Another job to be dropped when something more important about it, that they another part of being in the Apsauga Unit.

A high-ranking agent.

“Azu, come,” Aldona told him as Launce and Jakoba looked at the door. Aldona knew a faster way, but Jakoba and Launce might not be able to follow. Azuloas and Aldona wanted to Šuo/Justus without them there. “We’ve got to beat those two.”

“Easy, Dona, easy,” Azuloas told her, they jumped out of the window. The chakra in their feet sticking them to the building as they ran up the wall.

“How did they do that?” Jakoba asked as she looked in the classroom when Aldona and Azuloas wasn’t following behind them. Launce just looked at her, before shaking his head and making his way up to the roof.

Launce had a feeling that both Vitkus morons needed to talk to their new teacher, and it was something that he didn’t have any interest in.

“I’m sorry,” Jakoba told him before running up the stairs as he continued to walk, Jakoba needed to do something about her stamina and running up five flight stairs might be might a good start if she wanted to improve.

Justus was waiting for his new students to make to the top of the school’s building, he was still slightly wet from the Vitkus seal. He knew that they were pranksters, he knew that Aldona and Azuloas would pull something when he was late.

“Šuo!” Azuloas and Aldona yelled as they jumped over the roof’s gates. Great, he didn’t have one pissed off Vitkus, no he had to have two of them. His team in his old team had taught him that pissing off anyone from the Vitkus Clan or anyone from the blood of forgotten Mountain tribes was a bad idea and now he’s pissed off two of them.

“It’s Justus,” he told them.

“Whatever, what happened?” Aldona asked him, she had half the mind to punch him off the roof for his disappearing act. She and Azuloas had thought he was dead for the longest time; people died all the time in their line of work.

And sometimes their body had to be burnt where they fall, in wars, entire fields would be lit on fire, so another village didn’t get their dead. Didn’t get the DNA for any bloodline that person might have, or any abilities they might have gained in their life.

Their bodies stored everything they knew, and if the enemy got their hands on them, all their secrets and techniques would be in their hands. Everything that person had trained to perfect or solved and worked out.

“How could you just leave?” Azuloas asked him, even if Melanthe and Hyacintha hadn’t recognised his scent. They would have recognised him; they could see almost his entire face; Justus had decided to keep the standard Apsauga mask.

“What do you mean?” Justus asked them, no one could be told who they were in the Apsauga Unit, well, keeping that away from people you lived with was harder and since Justus never lived with anyone, it meant he thought no one knew who he was.

“You’re Šuo, Melanthe and Hyacintha recognised you,” Azuloas told him, he knew that he was trying to deny it. So; did that mean that everything Šuo never meant anything he told them? That his nickname; Šuniukųs, meant nothing.

“Don’t bother denying it,” Aldona snapped at him and Justus was reminding of Mama Vitkus and her third cousin. Both had short tempers and were quick to attack if someone tried harming the people, they loved it. “So, what you hate us now?”

“What?” Justus asked her, blinking as her words caught up with him. He looked stunned as his younger siblings, dropping his knees to pull both into his hug. “No! Nothing of the sort.”

“Then why did you leave?” Azuloas asked him tears going down his checks, it broke Justus heart that either Aldona or Azuloas thought he hated them or thought that he had died without giving them a second thought. They were his Šuniukųs after all, his younger siblings.

“I was sent on a long mission,” Justus told them, it was a five-year mission in the mountains of and he had only just to come back in time for both Azuloas and Aldona to finish the Academy. He had almost gotten a ten-year mission but was able to argue that his skill set didn’t match the requirements and both Katė and Kranklys had been forced to take it instead. “For the last five-years in Ontielia, just got back last week.”

“Oh, secret mission and here I thought you hated us,” Aldona whispered her shoulder relaxing, as she put her arms around his neck. “Or trying to get away from our temper.”

“Dona’s scary when she’s mad,” Azuloas agreed.

Azuloas and Aldona quickly sat on the steps in front of where Justus was leaning on the fencing at the edge of the roof. That’s when he remembered that he had another two students who were coming up the stairs and most likely on the fourth or fifth floor by now.

He knew those two might be a while.

“What’s with that look?” Azuloas asked him, Aldona looking at her brother from where she was hugging Justus. Both looked innocent, so Justus knew they had pulled something, and he knew it was something harmless.

“What did you do?” Justus asked them, if it was anything like that water seal. He pitied them and if it was like what Heikkinen said they pulled on ‘demon hunters’ than he didn’t want to be them right now.

“Us? We came straight to the roof,” Aldona told him.

“Dona and I didn’t do anything,” Azuloas agreed.

Justus was just glad that they didn’t speak at the same time, he had hated it when they didn’t know they were doing it. Now, he had been warned that they were back to doing it without notching but they had a period where they’d do it too unnerve people.

“You did do something, didn’t you?” Justus knew that they weren’t going to admit it nor were they going to tell him, and sometimes the Paslėpta liepsna didn’t tell them about his own team, he was pretty sire that he heard two of the elders giggling about ‘pranks from their youth’ and how this generation had to put up with the same ‘pranks, out of Team Valkoinen’s boredom’.

That was when he came back, so he had asked Paslėpta liepsna for a lost of pranks that had been pulled on the village since he had left for his mission. Justus thought that the Paslėpta liepsna would have been mad about them.

The Paslėpta liepsna just laughed and said ‘Aldona and Azuloas are just pointing out flaws in our security’ and that he was glad it wasn’t the enemy that saw through them. That they didn’t have tighter security because there wasn’t any wars on their doorsteps, that they were in peace, or had peaceful terms with other villages.

“Maybe it’ll teach them to dodge,” Aldona admitted as she sat down on the concert steps, Azuloas sitting on the step below. Her face pulled into a wide smile and Justus knew that smile well, it was the smile of Jenica Meža. A woman with a Vitkus grandmother and a Kazlauskas great-grandfather, he wouldn’t be surprised if someone from the Gintaro in her family tree.

“Might build their teamwork,” Azuloas remarked, on his face was the same smile. The next few years of his life were going to be hell and he was expecting quite a few pranks along the line, along with quite a few grey hairs.

He didn’t know how many pranks they haven’t copied from Team Valkoinen.

“Might also show them why Kareivis members should be wary of stairs,” Aldona added, she was thinking about the times, she, Azuloas, Markuss and other people who’ve scared their grandfather by entering via the window.

He had asked more than once what was wrong with the door, Aldona and Azuloas always telling him that it was more fun to go through or exit the window. As soon as they had been able to go through the window by themselves, they had done so.

“Why we don’t take stairs?” Justus already knew the reasons he didn’t like taking the stairs of most buildings. Besides from the fact that it was a waste of time, and being a confined space, it was too easy to be picked off in staircases.

“It’s easier to be caught off guard and it’s a waste of time,” Azuloas told him, he was going to let Aldona give him the other reasons. They might have been the reason that the Academy’s teachers started to avoid the stairs where they could.

“Or they were someone might have a trap waiting for you,” Aldona added, she loved scaring people and she didn’t know why. It might have something to do with the fact that most people had treated with fear in her childhood, that it was just something she expected from people not in her friend or family circle.

“You two are a worry,” Justus told them.

“We’re not a worry…” Aldona sang, when she sang anything that meant the result was going to amusing and not harmful. But that didn’t you’d want to be in their position.

“They’ll be fine, a bit of face paint never hurt anyone,” Azuloas told him.

“Besides, if it works, then image how well it’ll work with gas instead of paint,” Aldona told him, while crossing her legs. “Instead of string, wires and instead of paint in some places, daggers or medical needles. There are so many ways, it could be turned deadly.”

“Besides, the stronger the person the stranger they are,” Azuloas continued before looking at the book he had continued reading.

“You’re a good example of that, pervert,” Aldona told him. She’d never tell anyone, but she knew that Launce and Jakoba were good at thinking on their feet. But Jakoba had to forced to do so, she really hope Jakoba stopped listening to her parents instead of her grandfather.

“Pervert?” Justus asked.

“You read those books and only perverts read them,” Aldona told him, she might have found a copy in an alleyway. But Markuss took it from her before she could even open the cover, she didn’t know what it was at the time, but Dainis told her it was something only perverts read, and she didn’t know why Dainis and Markuss would lie to her.

“How?” Justus asked, he hasn’t been the one to always watch them, both Azuloas and Aldona had been reported to escape from anyone they pleased. Even when wearing bright yellow and red, which he was glad that they had ditched.

“Markuss and Dainis said so,” Aldona said.

“She found a copy,” Azuloas told him, he didn’t want to know that and he was her twin, Markuss and Dainis had set them both down before telling them the reason they didn’t need to read that book, the one that Aldona had thought was innocent.

When Launce and Jakoba had turned up on the roof, Azuloas and Aldona had dozed off. While Justus continued reading his book, Aldona was lying on the step, while Azuloas continued sitting and he’s head was leaning towards the right.

Justus looked at the two as he heard the door open and almost dropped his book in shock at how brightly coloured, they were. Bright spots of pink, purple, orange and red covered their clothing and Justus was fifty percent sure there was glitter involved.

Jakoba only looked at her clothing, before dismissing it. Her grandfather was part of the Sekti Unit, she didn’t think he was going to cry over some paint, paint was easier to get out of cloth then blood was.

Chance her clothing to darker colours, maybe even wear thicker cottons. Her grandfather always recommended them, to have more then one copy of the same outfit as clothing didn’t live long in their line of work.

“What happened?” Justus asked them.

“Left over prank,” Jakoba told him, so Aldona and Azuloas wasn’t lying about not making stops along the way. It was just something left over from one of their other pranks, this might have been one that was never triggered until now.

There was a reason most of the student body brought spare clothing, more so, when they were doing trap making.

“Of course,” Justus replied, he was looking at both Aldona and Azuloas as they dozed. Dragons having moved to rest on top of either their lap or torso. “Why don’t we get to know each other.”

“What do you want to know?” Jakoba asked as she sat down next to Azuloas, her legs hated her and she had forgotten how many stairs there were between the classroom and the roof, she had thought it was five and it was actually fifteen.

Now all she had to do was the same thing when she wanted to go home.

“Name, hobbies, dislikes, likes and dreams,” Justus told her, Azuloas and Aldona opening her eyes.

“Hey Jakoba,” Aldona said as she looked at the girl, she had to hide the fact that she knew why Jakoba was sitting next to her brighter than her last shirt. “What’s with the new look? You’re brighter than Azuloas and I in our old clothing.”

“I’m glad you two stopped wearing those,” Jakoba admitted, she remembered what the two wore yesterday and it was horribly bright. It also made them look wider than what they were. A girl named Darina had called Aldona fat and Lodoiska hadn’t taken kindly to her words.

Lodoiska, if Jakoba recalled correctly, was usually teased about her short hair and board shoulders, Darina had once told her that she should’ve been born male with a body like hers. Jakoba wouldn’t be surprised if Lodoiska helped Aldona because she had befriended Bednar, along with the comments that were coming out of Darina’s mouth.

“Go into the field wearing bright red?” Aldona asked her, narrowing her eyes as Azuloas sneakered next to her. “All that would do is hide the blood once someone put a sword into my heart.”

“Why don’t you go first?” Jakoba asked Justus, ignoring Aldona’s words. Could someone put a sword into her heart? Didn’t Aldona tell her that anyone could be killed? Or was that her grandfather? It was most likely her grandfather, even the most powerful of people could be killed if their back is turned or that power goes to their head.

“True, you’re the unknown one,” Azuloas pointed out with a sly grin on his face. He and Aldona knew who he was, but Launce and Jakoba didn’t need to know that.

“Well then, my name is Justus Błyskawica. I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes, dreams for the future… haven’t got one and I have a few hobbies,” Justus told them, Azuloas and Aldona weren’t surprised by the lack of information.

“One being training,” Jakoba pointed out.

“As all good Apsauga members do,” Aldona told them.

“And all good Kareivis member have and new one’s gain,” Azuloas added.

“All we learnt was his name,” Jakoba muttered, she hated the fact that she knew nothing about him, in fact, that she knew almost anything about anyone on her team. All of information about Launce had come from her mother and other girl’s in her class, so she wasn’t sure she could trust it.

Mama had mostly pushed her into thinking she had a crush on Launce Atspoguļo.

“Next person up is; Bubble gum,” Justus said he pointed to Jakoba, so she’d know that it was her turn to speak. But she didn’t know what to say, well, she could them her dislikes and likes, as herself and not the Jakoba her Mama wanted her to be.

“My name is Jakoba Meyer, I like reading, plants and my Grandfather; I dislike perverts and Hortenspa. My hobbies are research and reading,” Jakoba told them, her hand resting in her lap. Her pink dress was most likely the reason Justus had nicknamed her Bubble gum. “I don’t have any dreams for the future, I used to want to be a Medic. I wanted to help people.”

“Easily done, there are classes for medic’s,” Azuloas told her, Aldona nodding her head.

“Thank you,” Jakoba told them.

“Murderous Glare,” Justus said pointing at Launce, both Azuloas and Aldona looked at Jakoba wondering if she was going to anything about the nickname. When she didn’t, Aldona put her arm around Jakoba’s shoulders.

“My name is Launce Atspoguļo, there are a lot of things I dislike. I don’t really like anything, and I don’t have a dream,” Launce told them, hiding the bottom half of his face with his hands. Leaning forward and his eyes narrowing. “I have a plan; the resurrection of the Atspoguļo Clan, and to gather information about two certain events. And to get revenge for who attacked the Atspoguļo Clan.”

Needs to go to a doctor, Aldona thought. When she looked at Jakoba, it looked like she was thinking about the words that came from Launce’s words in a new light and Aldona would admit she was happy when she saw her shiver.

Knew it, Justus thought. When he read Launce’s file, he had gotten that impression that Oskari’s report.

He’s messed up, Azuloas thought. Aldona had once asked Azuloas what he thought about Launce after training with Julia. Clarice had joined their group training sessions; new fighting styles were always welcome.

It wasn’t uncommon for someone to walk away with a broken bone from their training sessions.

Azuloas response was ‘someone who needs to remove that pole up his own ass’. So Aldona, Azuloas and Clarice decided that it was better that Launce didn’t join them.

“Gypsy,” Justus said pointing at Aldona, who just raised her eyebrow. Almost as if asking him if he thought that calling her Gypsy was an insult and not a compliment.

“I’m Aldona Vitkus and Melanthe,” Aldona told him as she patted Melanthe’s head, who was taking a nap on her lap, moving as Aldona had sat up. “I like a lot of things; I don’t dislike enough to be worth mentioning. My hobby is cooking and reading, and my dream is to get into the Sekti Unit and to help Azuloas become the Paslėpta liepsna.”

“Merchant’s Enemy,” Justus said pointing at Azuloas, who just glared at him. Merchant’s Enemy, now was he? Oh, Justus was going to pay for that one. And he was sure he could pull Dvesma into this one, his reputation was at stake!

“I’m Azuloas Vitkus and this is Hyacintha,” Azuloas said, Hyacintha slowly making her way to curl around his upper arm and placing her head on his shoulder. Claws making sure, they use the metal plates placed onto his sleeves. “I like a lot of things, hard to me dislike something, neutral sure, but not dislike or hate. My dream is to become Paslėpta liepsna when I’m older, helping Aldona get into the Sekti Unit.”

“Okay, now tomorrow we’ll start our duties as Kareivis members with survival training,” Justus told them, before he left five year ago, the Paslėpta liepsna had tried making him take three different teams and their reactions was always his favourite memories.

“What’s funny?” Jakoba asked him as he started laughing softly into his hand. Aldona and Azuloas weren’t amused, they knew what was happening as they had spied on more the one new team to see what would happen once, they left the Academy.

It was also good training for them as well, even if they didn’t know they had failed the Vitkus twin’s spy test.

“It’s just you’re going to freak out,” Justus told them, all new Kareivis members did. They thought they would be safe once they left the Academy, most active members knew that the Academy didn’t do anything. The council couldn’t force them to take students, Justus didn’t want to watch students die because they weren’t ready.

“Just get on with it,” Azuloas told him, he knew that Justus was trying to freak them out, but Aldona looked like she was five seconds away from placing one of her hidden daggers into uncomfortable places.

“Out of the twenty-seven graduates only twelve will be chosen to continue to be full-fledged Kareivis members,” Justus cheerfully told them, Aldona couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not. “The rate of failure is just over sixty-six percent.”

“What!” Jakoba screamed, she was going to say something else, but Justus handed them another thick folder before she could say anything else.

“See you at seven, also don’t eat breakfast,” Justus told them, he never knew how many were going to listen. He did this to see if any of them would question some of their orders, or information told to them by a superior. “Or else you’ll lose it.”

In a puff of smoke Justus was gone, Aldona and Azuloas just looked at the other two. They were going to have to tell them, Launce had Julia to make sure he ate, they didn’t know what Jakoba was going to do.

“Eat, don’t listen to him. You’ll need energy tomorrow,” Azuloas told them, Launce just huffed before leaving the roof without a word to any of them.

“Jakoba, why don’t you come over,” Aldona asked her.

“Then you can try some of Aldona’s amazing cooking,” Azuloas told her, a grin growing on his face as she looked at him. “She makes good stuffed potato dumplings, she also makes a good beetroot soup, both are Vitkus recipes.”

“He says seven, but we know that he won’t be turning up until eleven,” Aldona told them, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head. “We can head to training field at seven, see how much of the basics you’ve picked while doing gaga eyes at Launce over there.”

“I should head to Grandfather’s, I don’t think being around Mum and Dad is a good idea,” Jakoba admitted, she didn’t want to talk to her mother, she’d freak out about the paint that now stained her clothing.

Maybe this way, she might be able to sort her own feelings out.

“Maybe you should stay with us,” Aldona told her, putting her hand on her shoulder. “We don’t know how Sekti Meyer will react.”

“I should talk to him,” Jakoba told them.

“You should,” Azuloas agreed.

“But not right now, we have a few dozen spare bedroom,” Aldona told her, Jakoba knew that once she became a Kareivis member, she could live by herself. Neither Mama nor Papa could do anything about it. “Show him that your serious.”

“That’ll be for the best,” Jakoba told them, her grandfather had stopped talking to her so many years ago. Maybe it’ll be better if she can some support, improve herself before “He might not be happy to see me.”

“You’re his granddaughter, Jakoba, you got side-tracked,” Aldona softly told her, while taking her hand into hers. Melanthe quickly wrapping herself around Aldona’s torso as she stood up, pulling Jakoba to her feet. “You’ll talk to him, but for now, we have two files to read and a teacher to annoy.”

“Make him regret calling me the Enemy of Merchants,” Azuloas agreed.

“He called me Bubble Gum,” Jakoba told him.

“Therefore, we make him regret it,” Aldona told her, Azuloas taking her other hand as Hyacintha huffed against his shoulder. “It’ll make you dizzy the first time, but it’s better that we get you used to it off field, then on it.”

“Get used to what?” Jakoba asked her.

“We’re going to copy Justus,” Azuloas told her. Before Jakoba could say anything, there was a smoke and she was standing in an apartment, while feeling like her stomach had been left behind or that it had dropped to the floor.

“It’s hard for everyone to get used to,” Aldona told her, before going off to the kitchen to return with a kettle in her hand. “I’ll need to heat up some water, but peppermint is really good for the stomach.”

“You’re trained in the medical arts?” Jakoba asked her.

“How do you think I know about their classes?” Aldona asked her, as Azuloas led her to the table, sitting down in one of the four chairs.

“She found the Academy boring,” Azuloas admitted, sitting down himself as he picked up a book, he left on the table that morning. “I did as well, so Damek helped me and Bednar into this class that was about advanced battle strategies. Anyuta helped Dona into a medic course, she’s about finished.”

“So, she knows the basics?” Jakoba asked him.

“She does,” Azuloas admitted. “She also knows some healing seals; they help when we have a giant training session.”

“Azu is just mad that Dvesma was able to break his arm,” Aldona told her, while putting a tea pot in the middle of the table. “I was so proud of her, Bellerophon as well and Bucky gave her a giant hug once training was finished. Hyacintha and Melanthe weren’t so far behind him, so she got three dragon hugs.”

“Dragon hugs are the best,” Azuloas told her, as Aldona went back to her kitchen and brought out three cups.

“I’ve never cooked,” Jakoba told Aldona, who just shrugged.

“I was going to make cold Beetroot soup anyway,” Aldona told her. “It’s nearly the end of Lapkričio, the end of Spring is the worst when it comes to getting ready for Summer.”

“I wash and you dry?” Azuloas asked her.

“Sure,” Jakoba told him, she had a feeling that this was normal for Azuloas and Aldona. She didn’t want to question them too much, Mama always had a bunch of questions for her at the end of the day, most of them about Launce and if she got a chance to talk to him. “If I’m going to live here, I should help.”