Not a nice guy (Cobie and Karma)

Cobalt sighed a little as he sank into his chair behind his desk. Closing his eyes he began to relax, while reaching into his pocket to take out a stiletto knife. Without opening his eyes he began to roll the knife along his fingers, as he'd seen people do with a coin.

People thought that it was threatening.

Cobalt thought that it was an annoying habit he'd picked up somewhere along the line.

He stopped it.

After a few minutes he started doing it again with no thought. He groaned a little and carried on doing it anyway while he waited for Karma.

Karma poked her head into Professor Smith's office and smiled at her DADA Professor. "Hello, Professor." she said, stepping into the office. "How are you today?" Her eyes roamed around the room, measuring the steps to the door, taking notice of all escape points and possible hiding places before returing to Colbalt.

Cobalt smiled as Karma pocked her head into the room, with his eyes still closed,

"Hello Miss Black." he replied just as formally, before smirking, "Call me Cobalt. Professor makes me feel old."

He shrugged a little and rolled the knife onto the back of his other hand to casually roll it along his fingers again,

"I'm not too bad Karma... not too bad..." he paused for a second, "Except... I'm thinking."

He opened his eyes, the colour his name suggested, and stared hard into her eyes,

"Why on earth you wanted to try and become my apprentice." he raised an eyebrow, "You're application to become an apprentice requested me by name. Any particular reason?"

Karma thought for a moment. "I want to become an assassin." She said truthfully. "And I heard you were the best of the best."

Cobalt snorted a little,

"An assassin?" he nodded absently, "Is that what they told you...?"

He stopped rolling the knife and carefully placed in on the desk. After a few seconds thought he slid the knife across to Karma,

"I assume you can throw a knife?" he asked with a light smile, "Throw the knife at me."

Karma picked up the blade. She rolled her wrist around with the blade. Once she was certain she had the weight correct in her mind, she threw it, aiming straight between Colbalt's eyes. A hit like that could kill a lesser man, she had no doubt in her mind that the knife would hit if she'd aimed at anyone else. That being said, she fully expected Colbalt to deflect or catch it.

Cobalt smiled a little as she tested the weight of the knife before throwing it. Admiring her aim, he became intangible the second the blade would otherwise have touched his skin. The stiletto went straight through his etheral head and flew into the wall a few feet behind him. He became corporal again and leant down, picking the knife up,

"They were wrong Karma." he told her with a smile, "I'm not an assassin. I'm a wetboy."

He rolled his eyes a little,

"It sounds really un-intimidating I know..." he scowled, "Assassins..."

He spat the word out like a curse,

"Have targets. Do you know why?" he smirked, "Because sometimes they miss."

He pointed the knife at Karma,

"If you train under me you become a wetboy." he shrugged, "Or you die."

Karma thought over his words. "Sounds fair."

Wetboy. Whatever it was, she'd become one with everything she had. She'd try harder than her hardest. With her mind made up, Karma faced Colbalt. "I'm ready."

Cobalt stood up from his chair and moved over to stare out of the window,

"If you do this you will kill people." he glanced at her, "You will kill men. You will kill women. You will kill children."

He moved over to stand besides her,

"This is your last chance to walk away Karma. After today you will be my apprentice. To speak of your training will mean death." he held out a hand, "Take my hand if you wish to become the life-changing shadow."

Karma had thought about all of this already. A secret? Sure, why not?

Without even a second of hesitation, she reached out and took Colbalt's hand.

Cobalt squeezed Karma's hand in his,

"Do you swear that you will obey my orders as an apprentice should obey their master?"

Karma nodded. "Yes, I swear."

Cobalt nodded before letting her hand go,

"So mote be it." he muttered quietly before moving over to his side of the desk again and sinking into his chair, "So Karma... why do you want this life for yourself?"

Karma thought for a moment. She could lie to him, and tell him she only wanted to be one because she thought it would be cool, like any other kids reason would be, but she decided against it. Shockingly, she told the truth. "I want to become the best I can be." She said. "And it seems my talent is for weapons and aim. Might as well hone my skills to become the best." She honestly couldn't remember a time when she wasn't armed. She always had at least twenty daggers on her person, even while she slept.

Cobalt snorted a little,

"You want to be the best? Be a professional duelist." he stared at her for a moment, "I am capable of killing every person in this castle except, perhaps, one. I am the best but how many people do you think know that? Only the one person who can possibly be better than me."

He regarded her cooly for a moment,

"To be the best in this business of ours is something very fleeting." he glanced out of the window, "Currently I am recognised as the best wetboy in Europe. Perhaps the world. But only other wetboys know that. And there are only a handful of wetboys in every continent. If you become the best, Karma, no one will know it. Can you live with that?"

Karma smirked. "No disrespect, Colbalt, but I didn't want to become the best so everyone would know. I don't want it to show other people. I want it to prove it to myself. I don't need to please anyone else, and I don't see why anyone else would care anyway."

Cobalt stared at her hard,

"You don't need to please anyone you say?" he muttered, "Brings us nicely to rule number one."

He held up a finger,

"Rule number one... you cannot love." he told her firmly, "Love is a noose and it will be your end. A wetboy who loves someone or something has a giant target painted on their back. If you love, you give your enemies something to hold over you. Fuck as much as you like but never fall in love. Do you understand me Karma?"

Karma smiled. Loving was overrated anyway. Who did she love? Not those portraits back home, not her House Elf, for sure. Her friends? Replaceable. Her first year? A tool. Everything was like this if put in perspective. "I understand perfectly."

Cobalt nodded once,

"Good." he paused, "Your attitude may change. If it does... you tell me. And either all your distractions will disappear. If you don't tell me I will find out and you will disappear."

He looked at her for a moment,

"Have you ever killed someone before?"

Karma nodded. There was nothing wrong with that, she decided.

"No." Karma said thoughtfully. "I did have to chop off an old house elf's head when he got too old for service, but I've never killed a person."

Cobalt paused for a second, thinking,

"I ask for a simple reason Karma... first kills have to be difficult." he waved dismissively, "Not the actual kill, often that's pretty easy. No it has to be emotionally hard to do it."

He frowned a little,

"What family do you have Karma?" he shrugged a little, "Any bullies? Anyone who's made your life difficult?"

Karma thought for a second. "Appearenly I have Lacey, who's a Gryffindor in my year, but before I met her I only had my house elf, and the portraits in the family room. There is no one else." Karma said. "The rest of them on my side are all dead."

Cobalt thought about it for a moment before shrugging,

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to pick someone for you." he frowned a little, "But before that you will have to accompany me on a number of jobs. After that I will give you your first solo kill. I will give you a name and you will find out everything you can about the target and give it to me. You will then infiltrate and kill. No witnesses."

He nodded to himself,

"We'll start the first lesson after school by the lake." he looked at her coldly, "Bring a strand of Lacey's hair. See you then Karma."

Karma nodded and took the hint that it was time to leave. "See you then, Cobalt." She turned and walked out the door, heading for the Slytherin Common Room, finally feeling like her life was going in the right direction.