At the island travel agency, Samael and Natalia took each other's luggage from their respective mail lockers, exchanged a nod, and headed toward the dense forest beyond.
After a rustling flurry, the two tucked their prepared weapons and ammunition beneath their roomy trench coats.
Natalia watched her partner expertly disassemble and inspect the two ornate pistols in his hands, unable to hide her surprise.
"You know how to use guns?"
"Come on, I'm an employee of the Council, more or less. To breathe free air, I had to learn a few self-defense skills."
"You call that self-defense?"
"Yeah. If I kill everyone on the other side, won't I be safe?"
Samael rolled his eyes and complained sarcastically, raising the freshly assembled pistols in his hands. His words carried a faint teasing note.
The two pistols came in black and white, their bodies engraved with the words "Ebony" and "Ivory," respectively.
Ebony... Ivory?
Natalia silently read their meanings. As a gun enthusiast, she naturally could not resist stepping forward, taking them, and carefully handling them for a moment.
Ebony was the black pistol, while Ivory was silver-white. Their design resembled Desert Eagles, their grips twisted into sharp, curved shapes. Each gun was decorated with wooden grips in different shades and a portrait resembling a Victorian woman. The women's hair colors represented the two guns: the black-haired one was Ebony, and the blonde one was Ivory.
Resting in her palms, the pistols felt indescribably balanced and light, as though her fingers lay upon a piano's black and white keys. Once she calmed her mind, she could compose a beautiful melody of death with gunfire.
"You want them? Too bad, these two are off-limits. They're rare treasures of mine. If I get the chance later, I can design a set for you."
"Free?"