I blinked and looked at the bottle for a moment, my eyes unfocused. I had been poring over the map for a while now - since Ayaka had given it to me and left the house this morning. Topography swirled around in my mind’s eyes, back and forth, unvisited landscapes making themselves known before - I blinked again, and the world around me snapped into place properly. I bit my tongue internally at the recognition of the bottle. I knew that, for now, Ayaka was giving me charity in regards to these potions, and it irritated the Shade out of me. I did not like being in debt to someone, even if I was slowly trying to convince her to align herself with me. Still - Ayaka had refused to let me outside for the last few days, despite frequently leaving herself, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I came back with the lung infection that was afflicting her townsfolk, she would laugh me right out the door. So I had had no opportunities to begin rectifying my money situation. And I didn’t know if she could trade my coin for coin worthwhile here, which left me in the rather unenviable position of being destitute.

I detested it. Still - I was grateful to the felinoid. I reached out and picked up the bottle, and slowly drank the contents. It was as bitter as the first time, and I didn’t think I would ever get used to it. I was slowly picked up the language by listening to it - it had a rolling, lilting quality to it that actually felt similar to my own native tongue, so it was a matter of learning it.

I heard her muttering to herself as she sat at her alchemy table in the other corner of the singular large room. “Fuckin’ cocksuckers wouldn’t know what to do if I shoved it down their pathetic fuckin’ throats.”

“Choke and die, most likely, though they wouldn’t understand what was going on.” I smoothly stood up from the table, letting the map roll closed once more. I held back my immediate response, which would normally have been to offer to kill whatever had irritated her. I had done that before, and while she had almost seemed tempted by the offer - she had always declined, saying that ‘she was their high priestess, she had to protect them, not set them up to die even if their fucking idiotic asses really did deserve it’. Instead, I shifted beside her, examining what she was doing - to see if it was safe for me to approach her more closely.

I was becoming more used to reading her moods. At some points, she truly did not want my company beyond a certain extent, often when she was working on a dangerous project. Other times, she would act standoffish, but slowly approach me. At those times, I would let her come to me at her own pace, and it would often end with her asking me about my home world as she nestled into my side. Other times- well, other times, she was rather demanding, incessantly asking questions with an almost fervent glee.

She blinked and looked up at me then at what she was doing. Grinding a purple plant into a powder. “Oh. More aid for the infections. I swear, this shit is gonna send me broke....” She mused as she stared back down at her work. “The ash has stopped falling now yanno.”I blinked. Repeatedly. Was that -

“Are you trying to throw me out? Or perhaps, you have work for me…. Or rather, know something I can do.” She knew, and was well aware, of what I did. It was probably part of the reason why she had kept me inside - she didn’t want me plying my trade on ‘her’ townsfolk after all. But if she had an idea of something I could do… or a target.. Well. I was feeling pent up.

“What?” She gave me a confused look as her face scrunched up. She looked as though she were about to say something but changed her mind. Instead she turned back to her work and started grinding with less vigor. “I ain’t got work for you. I figured you’d be bored. I’m not much for company, and this is a new world for ya.” She stopped and set her tools down. “So who the fuck am I to stop your shiny ass from walking out here now that its safe?”

“I am no Kalun - Tiger folk form my world - to charge in blindly without paying attention and learning.” I tilted my head to one side and then the other. “I haven’t had a single issue with your company, kitten, and have in fact rather enjoyed it. It has been a pleasant respite from… well. Constant scheming and plotting and backstabbing to stay alive. So yes, I would rather stay here, and learn, than rush out to the wolves like an idiot. I would not, however, be adverse to accompanying you out if you feel like going out. Perhaps I can help you collect herbs?I am not used to those used in medicines, but I think we’ve established I can at least recognize the poisonous ones.” I chuckled.

“You’d actually…” She shook her head. “Nothings good for picking. It’s all covered in ash.” She put down her pestle and swivled around to face me. Those large yellow eyes studied me. I tilted my head to the other side, and flicked my tail back and forth slightly. She knew about it, so I didn’t care if she saw it moving. “Did you want to kill something?”

I blinked, and my motions paused. Froze, really, my muscles tensing in place. That was an odd question, how had she possibly - ah. “My soul, I take it?” She nodded. I shrugged. “I was raised from a young age to accept killing. Got used to it, the rush of taking a life. The bad ones get stuck at that stage, crave that rush constantly. The rest of us learn to control it. It’s like an itch at the back of my mind, but it isn’t something I necessarily need to give in to. It’s.. in the same vein as ‘wanting’ a specific kind of meal, I suppose. You want it, know you want it - but you’re perfectly fine getting by without it.” I shrugged.

“I have a mark for you if you are interested.” I paused again, and my tail, which had just begun to flick again, froze, and stiffened. Oh? That was interesting. I leaned against the wall. I had no reason to try hiding the obvious interest I had - I had no way of controlling my soul, after all, so I let it show on my face.

“An old man was murdered, he had no family or nothin’ but his house was looted. They broke into a few other places, stole some things. And are apparently holed up in a cave just outside of town. Most the town guard is down, or busy with some of the refugees. I suspect it was one of them. Fuckers. You give a little and you get fucked over… Judging from description I think it’s a half elf. Humanoid with pointy ears. Normally...they’d be imprisoned but I don’t give a fuck if he dies.”


“Or just fucked, in our case.” I quipped, though my mind was running over the information she’d given me. THere was a predatory edge to my gaze now. “Humanoid, pointy ears. Are there others in the cave that we need to be concerned for?” I was an assassin, not a serial killer, I wasn’t just going to run in and kill with collateral.

“Not that I am aware of, if there are, they are accomplices. I unno what the fuck he took but its considered lost.” I was realizing what she was getting at. “This is paid work. If you accept I’ll get you something that will let you walk through the town without anyone bothering you.” I stared at her for a long few moments.

“I’ll take care of it, for you. And I appreciate the gesture - the only one I really need the positive opinion of is you, the rest of the judgmental idiots can go hang - but it’ll make it easier to deal with them, I suppose.”

She gave me a weak smile as she stood up. “No. They’d impede you, here. Follow me.” She lead me to her room and to her closet. She pulled out a long white sash made of silk. It was lined with red ribbon. She then pulled out what looked like ink and a brush. I folded my arms over my chest and leaned back slightly, dropping my tail to the ground as I watched her spread it out flat across the floor - and painted strange pictures, markings over the material.

“This is essentially marking you as mine.” She paused as her eyes flicked up to me. I bared my fangs, licking them and eyeing her, before smirking and putting them away with a slight shrug. “It’s my sigil. My home name. My honor. I’m…” She hesitated. “I am trusting you with this. I want it back after today. If you wear this across your shoulders no one will question you.” She leaned back away from the silk, waiting for it to dry. I studied her, watching her eyes flick to me, and away, repeatedly.

I knew honor, family name. Hadn’t given mine, here, because in this world it was nothing. I would have to make a new one. But she, she had one, and it was valuable to her. I knelt down in front of the sash, and stared across it to her. “Thank you, kitten.” My voice was soft, steady, lulling. “I will wear it only as long as needed. And I will hide it away outside of the cave, so that it is not involved with the act.”

“Don’t fuckin’ thank me, you’re doing me a favor.” She spat as she turned her gaze away from me. This had not gone unnoticed. I felt like she was almost pushing me away. The way her past had gone, it did not surprise me. It only reassured me that I was crawling under her skin. She wouldn’t be trying to push me away if I was not getting close to her. Give and take.

“So, then.” I’d let her have this for a few moments. “What’s the fastest way out of town? And is there anything that is missing that needs to be recovered? And what should I bring you to show the deed is done?” Behind me, my tail flicked up. It was difficult, to relax only the muscles at the tip of my tail, but I had been getting practice. Light began dancing around the room as my tail bobbed and weaved, to get her attention back on me.

“Their heads.” She saw me nod, completely serious, and shook her own. “No, that was a joke. Honestly. I don’t fuckin’ know. Nothing needs to be retrieved. It was just material, expensive shit. Any coin you find, let’s split it. If anything looks important we can return it to the families.” Her eyes stayed on my tail and her ears swivelled toward me. I nodded, once. Then slowly stood up and slid around the silk sash, moving closer to her. I leaned over her smoothly.

Her head tilted toward me still watching the light dance over my scales. I let my tail droop down, her eyes following it, until it traced along her jawline, a whisper-soft touch. She stilled her breath as her eyes rose to meet mine. “You can put this out of your mind for now, kitten. Focus on making your potions. Your town guard needs to be on its feet again swiftly, so that this kind of thing doesn’t become normal.” I could tell it tore her up to set me loose on someone, even if they did deserve it. I could work with that. If she could accept that some people did deserve it, it was a small step to not feeling as bad when she was involved in their ending.