"A quaint, naive notion. I hope you are allowed to hold onto it for as long as you can." It had been a long, long time since I had come to accept the fact that there are some people who are simply beyond saving. The knowledge had been etched into my very being in a wash of blood and the echo of screams. This girl was young, and the world had yet to completely disabuse her of the certainties of youth. I didn't know how she had gotten caught up in an investigation dealing with child kidnappers if that was the case - but she had.

She said something - that she was glad to have met me - and I had to suppress a snort at that. I wonder how long that would last. It certainly hadn't with others; the only people I was currently on anything like good terms with was the Headmaster of the Academy, and Vixen. Philomel almost certainly hated me at the moment, and I didn't know if Amari knew if I was alive or dead. So it was only a matter of time - and probably a few gallons of shed blood - before Lilly changed her mind about that.

Still, though, she had been ready to pay mercenaries to clean up the child slave ring? Not quite as naive as she sounded, then. Or perhaps she had hoped she would be able to convince those she hired not to kill the criminals. I found that possibility unlikely though. But she was right, it was lucky that she met me. With mercenaries, unless they had reputation, she would have run the risk of running afoul of an ally of the criminals.

"And as I told you. I do not kill indiscriminately. If the unforseen happens, and these criminals throw down their arms in surrender, then I won't slaughter them like the beasts they are. But if they come with intent to harm, they will be dealt with summarily." That was as far as I would concede to her desire for mercy. Slavers, and especially child slavers, deserved to rot in a very dark pit.

I paused, holding up my hand around the height of her waist as I peered ahead. We had come up closer to the warehouse while we were talking, and I thought I had seen - Moon-damn it, I had. Movement, someone rushing inside of the building. We had been spotted. The question was, would the lookout think that we were simply walking by, or would they raise the alarm? I scowled and pulled my mask firmly in place, leaving only my glaring silver eyes exposed.

"Step carefully now, girl. They had at least one spotter outside, they may have more." I rolled my shoulders and looked around. The warehouse had a simple chain fence surrounding it, one that had clearly seen better days. Rusted, with holes in it at some spots, it needed repair. The building behind it was scarcely better - at least from the outside. The yard was scraggly, almost sickly; nd the warehouse itself was dark, covered in peeling paint, with moss and rot darkening the wood and metal sides. Most of the windows were dark, broken, gaping holes with jagged glass inside - but a few showed signs of life, scattered light emerging from the interior, ever so faint.