'Got to keep my head in the game,' I thought as my eyes wandered over Olivia's rather unfortunate form, particularly her rather...detached head. I looked around the trailer and spotted the others in various states of passed out or sprawled bloody on the ground.

"Who..." I slowly murmured to myself as I ripped the hole from the ax's passage into the RV open with my (thankfully gloved to deal with my foliage problem) hands.

Upon stepping outside, I promptly groaned and sent my eyes up into the clouds. Perhaps Respite was there, above; I desperately needed it at the moment.

Well, not really. Anything but Respite and its sickly sweet calm that lulls you to sleep with soundless lullaby. I shuddered as I looked ahead.

"Rezerine," I shout-called. "Who the hell do you think you are that you can just--" I gestured to the now giant, bear-trap-like gaping hole in the trailer's side--"ruin my perfectly good trailer?"

"Ciaran," Rezerine said somberly, his face taut. "I didn't know you were here."

"No fucking way you didn't," I retorted. "Practically all of my coworkers are on this trip. You knew Olivia was traveling with me. Not that I really blame whoever paid you to send her back to the beyond, but all the same..."

Rezerine sighed. "What do you want?"

"Just pay for the medical bills of the people inside, the RV, and transport back to our places of residence."

"Done."

I was a bit surprised by how easy that was to negotiate. Well, at the end of the day what mattered was that I wasn't held responsible for yet another destroyed automobile. I probably still won't be able to live this one down, even though I'm totally innocent: one more name on my extensive list of cars that have died will in my possession.

---

Eventually, everyone was carted off to hospitals or their houses. Rezerine gave me a fairly sizable check for the RV and dropped me off at my place personally.

"Come in," I said awkwardly, looking at the tall, hair-like grass as it swayed in a rather fierce wind. "I have coffee."

"I don't drink--"

"Don't be an ass." I gave him a look.

Without any further exchange, we both entered my place. Rezerine took a seat at the small dining table while I prepared myself a cup of coffee and him a cup of green tea.

"Why are you doing mercenary work these days?" I asked him while slouching up against the kitchen counter. "I never thought that was in line with your moral code."

Rezerine cocked his head. "That wasn't mercenary work you saw. There's a genuine bounty on her head."

"Oh? Really?" Couldn't say I was completely surprised. "What'd she do?"

"That's the thing, isn't it?" Rezerine replied with a hint of excitement, which for him was practically only shown by a slight dilating of his eyes. Expressionless bastard. "The information is classified."

Before, I was mildly interested. Now I was actually curious. Olivia was powerful, sure, but she was too lazy to actually do anything. Moreover, I couldn't see her putting herself in harm's way for the sake of anything. She had absolutely no ambition.

So what did she do to warrant a visit from an executioner?

"No matter," I said grudgingly. "If it's classified, that's that." Of course if I really wanted to know something of this sort that was classified, I could probably find a way to obtain the information. However, I wasn't willing to go to such lengths for some measly information about the evil-doings of my already-dead semi-nemesis.

"What if I told you...that the information had something to do with a village in Los Jinas?"

I flinched and turned away from the coffee pot towards Rezerine. "What?" Los Jinas doesn't exist. Not anymore, at least.

"There's a piece of the information that I did have access to considering Olivia's illegal activity," Rezerine stated calmly while clearly gauging my reaction.

Fuck my obviousness. My face is open a book as Olivia's neck.

"Just tell me already," I growled under my breath while finishing up with the coffee.

"Olivia found a book in the ruins of that village."

A book? in Los Jinas?

"Why are you wasting my time?" I said while starting to pour hot water into a cup for the tea. "If she actually found an intact book, it has to be from a traveler. Los Jinas has been exposed to the elements for a long time, not to mention stripped clean by robbers."

"The book's real, and it's actually from Los Jinas," Rezerine said softly, his mouth now slightly downturned. "I think you understand as much as I do why this book needs to be retrieved."

"Wait...you mean you people don't know where it is?"

Rezerine just stared at me with his eternally stoic expression.

"Why are you telling me?" I grumbled as I slapped a cup of tea down in front of him. "You know I'll want to find the damned book. Damn it, I fucking need to find the damned book." If that book was what I thought it was, it'd be a somewhat sizable liability.

Something suddenly clicked in my mind. Why would lazy as all hell, exceptionally powerful, stubborn Olivia come to work as an overpaid security guard along with me and the others? I had my own reasons, so I assumed she had her own as well and didn't think much into it. But now, especially considering the fact that Olivia had recently tried to get me to show more of my abilities and even insisted on going on the cross country trip...

Perhaps, in the end, the reason why she'd come to be my coworker...was to observe me.

My eyes glinted like unsheathed blades as I met eyes with Rezerine. "You liar." This whole conversation proved beyond a doubt that Olivia had been assassinated intentionally while with me and the others on the RV.

Now I effectively had at least 2 weeks of free time ahead of me because of Rezerine's meddling. But, I couldn't deny the kindness that Rezerine was showing me now as he informed me about the book. Very few knew about my connection to the book, Rezerine being one of them.

I was extremely inclined to keep the number at its current value. And to do that, I needed to get the book myself. That meant that I'd be working against Rezerine and the other executors sent out by the Monarch, but that was fine.

"Damn it," I sighed wistfully as I sipped my coffee. "Now I owe you a favor."

"It's fine," Rezerine barked firmly. "You don't even remember, do you?"

"What?" The whole reincarnation thing really messed with my long term memory. I actually didn't know what Rezerine was planning to bring up.

"Forget it. Just consider this my own debt repaid."

With that, Rezerine took a few fast gulps of the scalding tea (very impressive) and headed out the door with a small wave of his hand.

I looked out the window, not towards the driveway, but in the opposite direction, towards the sea of grassy fonds bobbing in my backyard.

In general, I'd been living a rather low-key life this time around...unfortunately, I'd have to really up my game if I wanted to beat everyone else at obtaining the book. I stretched out my arms and settled onto the couch, sighing as I pulled off a glove and stared at my green-studded hand.

"Time to get to work..."