Assassin Chapter 2: Caleb Cazoo

This is the second chapter of Assassin, I have to thank Nicky To-san for the corrections, DarkAngle-chan for the ideas and some good help on that chap. Here it is, chapter 2

CALEB CAZOO

That was the beginning of my death. I told you as an explanation of my story, because it was what killed me. But my story is way too long, even if we can’t possibly write about every single thing that life brings us. Luckily (for the paper, not for me) I was dead. Looking at the tales, that lets me avoid emotions and feelings way too hard to explain.
After few days they came: troops of the earl of Daltighot, in order to examine the damage and to help us. I admit that the view of soldiers made me tremble. They made me remember that night, that terrible and turbu-lent night: in a moment I was under the sun, another I was back in that darkness. Definitely, even dead men can fear something, I understood.
After two days came the real help. Smiths, carpenters, food. And spies. Don’t make such a surprised look, it’s so usual! I did something like it myself, years later. It’s the first step to become a real assassin: you have to listen and act, cause even the best sneak can be wrong and make you kill the wrong person. The spy work makes you use your brain and to act quickly based on your thoughts.
You’re so surprised cause the spies of the earl of Daltighot came here, in a Daltighot’s village? It’s really simple: that earl should have defended that village, and he didn’t do it. In a survivors mind, it could be a little irritating to have details like that. So the spies had to understand our thought and decide what to do with the hot-headed ones. Simple, isn’t it?
You know, when the helps finally came I didn’t know a heck bout spies and similar stuff. I didn’t even care. I admit that in those days I simply waited for the death to come for me: from my point of view, not hav-ing a reason to live made me have a reason to die. I waited patiently, but the death simply didn’t come. I helped sometimes (just killing time, nothing else) but for most of those days I simply remained looking be-fore me. Doing nothing.
It lasted two days, before he passed by. He was the most weird person I’d ever seen: standing, he was walking up and down the street without a clear reason but looking interested at everything. He talked a little with a smith, made a group of people laugh while they were working, turned back and had a little talk with a few soldiers. It wasn’t only because of the yellow coat and the weird glasses that he was strange. Apparently, he was like a part of the village, he was perfectly balanced with the people around him, talking with every-body like they were all friends for life. He was so trusting.
Then I saw it. He was helping a group of villagers with the wood, and near ‘em started a brawl. It seemed that someone thought that help was useless compared with all they lost. The debate became more violent, and many villagers came up shouting and thrusting. I casually approached that point, and casually that weird guy turned to me. I saw a cold flash in his eyes, and a smile shining on the face. It was an instant, and then the jovial mask went on again, with an innocent smile on the fat features, and the friendly look of the blue eyes. I looked at him. He looked at me. He should have known I saw, cause he smiled in a sly way which made me decide to go after him.
I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted. I didn’t care bout it, as I didn’t care about his feelings. without hesitation I followed his yellow coat through the screaming people which were shouting out their rage for the first time. Punches began before I could leave them behind. In few minutes, that become the worst brawl I’ve ever seen.
“Well well” he said “So ya came. I hoped it, but you didn’t move for three whole days…” he smiled “Now that you’re finally up let’s talk a bit, ok? How can you stay silent for a whole day? I’m sure I can’t do it! Isn’t it boring?” suddenly laughs “Now I’m the one talking, and you’re still silent. Come here, I’ll offer you a beer, wont you?”
Pushing me straight, he took me to a seller come with the earl’s helps.
“Two beers for two poor workers, old man!” yelled “Make em as cold as ya can, grandpa, cause here the situation was really hot!”
“Hot?” the old man said “Like what?”
“Now the soldiers should have stopped them” answered the weird guy “But before they were punching hard!”
“Ah” mumbled the seller “Hope they won’t destroy anything”
“Don’t worry” he said “They’ll calm down, and come back home hurt but feeling better”
He gave me a jug and said on a table “Nothing better than a beer to talk with a friend” yelled “What’s your name, boy?”
Silence.
“Well you have to have one!”
Silence. I didn’t said a word since I saw him.
“Understand, bad day, yeah? It’s always like that with me: sometimes my friend left me at home cause I’m too pissed” Silence “Oh, it happens once in a while, but it goes away. So what’s up, boy? The world is plenty of men like me who’ll try to make you smile!”
He smiled propellant, then smacked his forehead “My bad, my bad! I didn’t even introduce myself! Obvi-ously you won’t tell me your name! So I’m Caleb, Caleb the Round, and Cazoo for my friends. So feel free to call me Cazoo!”
“Call me Pol” I whispered.
“All right Pol, as you wish” he said “let’s toast to your health and the health of our lord, the earl!” drank a lot “What’s up, boy? Aren’t you thirsty? You should have said it before I offer a beer!” laughs “Or maybe something’s wrong? Maybe my toast?”
He talked casually. If I hadn’t seen his strange look before (and if I hadn’t made a deal about his attitude on the villagers) I would have never understood. I simply looked at him till he nodded. He understood as well.
“Ya know, boy” “You’re strange. You’re like stone: everyone would have shouted out with passion, screaming against or in favour. You instead stayed silent, used your brain, thinking about the answer, not about the question, and then you even avoided to answer suspiciously”
“I saw you” I explained.
“That could be a meaning of something, but not about all. Maybe it won’t last” he replied with a strange smile “We’ll meet again, Pol” he said that name with derision, as it wasn’t mine.
I watched his back moving away, wondering about what to do with two full jugs here on the table.

That was my first meeting with Caleb the Round, Cazoo for his friends. It’s strange, but that day was the only one where he didn’t surprise me. Well maybe he was right: it didn’t last. Nothing was able to fill the hole inside me: not a woman, nor a childs smile. But thanks to people like Caleb, something was still here. Maybe only a smile after a joke, simple things, but they were needed (even by a dead corpse). It was the first, great lesson he taught me: everything can be used, even a tragedy like the one that killed me. If it left me cold and unemotional, I was simply to walk through the world with those qualities! Yeah, I call it a quality, because I’m an assassin, and being cold and unemotional is a quality in my job. It was the only thing that Caleb lacked. The only one he needed in that tragic, final day.