Outside, I carefully tied the sash at my neck, draping it across my shoulders. It settled a bit oddly on my frame - the sash was clearly meant to be worn by Ayaka, and dear kitten had a different frame than I did. Still, I managed it, and headed down the street, heading… I had forgotten to ask which side of town it was on. Well, no. I was a damn assassin, and trained, and I could fully fucking well figure out where to goddamn go on my fucking own without having her spoonfeed me information. I set my face into a solid, stern expression and strode down the road. The people around me scattered, and I remembered that they apparently could all see my soul.

I wonder, what was it like? Ayaka had called it twisted, but also said she liked it. She also said it was similar to hers… what was hers like then? Hmm. Wonder if there was a way to temporarily acquire this power of theirs? I shelved that thought for later as a somewhat familiar figure in armor planted himself in front of me, his arms at his sides, hovering near his weapon.

“Lee, isn’t it?” It was either Lee, or Jin. I remembered their names, vaguely, but I didn’t remember which was which. I apparently got it right, because he gave me a very stiff nod. “Can I help you with something?”

“What are you doing out, monster?” I paused, and tilted my head to the side, examining him. He remained resolute, so I gave him some credit. I slowly stepped closer, and brought one hand up to the sash around my shoulders. His eyes followed my hand, obviously tracking the movement - and then froze when he took in the sash.

“Did you steal that?” He spat.I froze, and then my hand immediately dropped to the hilt of my blade. I was an assassin. Not a common thief. Especially not from someone I was trying to get to trust me - who had just shown she trusted me. I snarled, and I felt the bloodlust, the urge to kill this impudent little worm well up inside of me. But I held it, throttled it, choked it down, and pulled my hand away. Because the sash was her honor, and I would not tarnish it for this little worm.

“Watch. Your. Tongue. Cat.” I snarled each word out, furious hissing coloring my words. Thankfully the potion kept me intelligible through my anger, though I don’t really know if he was listening to me any more. No, his eyes seemed to be focused on me, through me - and I realized he was staring at my soul. I leaned in closer. “I do not steal from the friends, and the High Priestess is quite alive, and at home frantically working on medicine for you judgmental fools. It astonishes me that you can take her kindness and generosity, and beg her to pray on your behalf - but when she asks one simple fucking thing, you ignore her. I know full well that she has told you to bite your tongue in regards to me, and yet you continue to poke and prod. It seems to me like you, and fools like you, certainly do not deserve her. Be careful, little fucking fool, or you will drive her away with your feeble, pathetic attempts at ‘protecting’ her.” I strode past him, leaving him shell-shocked as I quite deliberately walked through him, shoving him to the street with my shoulder as he bounced off of me.

I had no idea what he was seeing in my soul, but whatever it was, it seemed to have rattled him. Good. Ayaka liked my soul, so she hadn’t really ever feared me - hell, I currently didn’t want her to fear me, I was content with slowly enticing her into my clutches. But I had been used to being feared, had enjoyed being feared - I was a Shadow House Ssulitani, with dark hair, I was used to being feared and avoided, or respected when they couldn’t escape me.

I shoved the idiot cat out of my mind and pressed on out of town. I had seen the shattered windows of some of the houses - and the ones that had been taken down by the ash were clearly different than those that had been broken inwards, busted at the hinges by an enterprising lout. I passed several - and knew I had to be going in the right direction. The thieves probably struck the closest house to their cave first, then ranged inwards, deeper into town as they grew bolder. So by following the trail of attacks back… yes, that was the edge of town ahead.


It took me nearly twenty minutes to reach the cave, some of which was admittedly spent searching for it because by the Shades, I was a city-dweller not some heathen running about in the wilderness. Still, I managed it, and I could hear a faint voice inside.

“No, no, they won’t send anyone after you. The poor cats don’t have anyone who could come after you, all their guard is sick with the ash-lung, yes, yes, ash lung laid them down to rest. Keep them sick in bed, you can get away safe and sound with all this. Get somewhere nice, far away from the devastation coming. Yes, yes that sounds good for you.” Curious, I moved into the shadows. Ayaka had said he was alone, but ‘you’ indicated someone else. Who then? I crept around slowly, circling the man to see who or what he was talking to - but he was holding something.

A … fucking mirror. The man before me was mad. Talking to himself in a mirror, surrounded by baubles and scattered coins. This, this thing had killed an old man? He looked like he could barely think straight, let alone attack someone else. Bizarre. But - it wasn’t my place to judge him now. No, I had been asked to do something very simple. I pulled out my Fang, and ran my finger along the edge, a very faint rasp of scale against metal echoing in the cave. The man immediately spun and looked towards the entrance to the cave. Fool. I softly slid up behind him, silent footfalls neatly avoiding fallen objects.

“NO, no no they won’t send anyone after you!” He lifted the mirror up to shout at himself - and froze, when he saw my orange eyes glittering behind him. The humanoid started to turn, to scream - but it was far too late for that. In fact, his turning, merely made it easier for me to draw my blade across his throat, the jagged serration tearing through his flesh with ease. He crumpled to the ground, dropping at the mirror to clutch at his throat, trying to stem the spurts of his precious life’s blood.

I stomped down on his hand, hard. “They did, though. They sent me. I’m not of the town guard. I am far, far worse.” I smirked, cruelly. “Good night.” I finished stomping, driving his fingers into the cut on his own throat. His eyes went wide, then soft, then glazed. I pulled my foot back and wiped the blood off on the dirt on the cavern floor, then set about gathering up all the scattered objects that looked to have gold or gems. And the scattered coins themselves - the mad half-elf seemed to have taken to throwing them about as he ranted, it seemed. As I was leaving, I paused, and picked up the mirror.

An ordinary mirror. He truly had gone mad. I tossed it over my shoulder, and watched it break before shrugging, and heading back to town. Along the way, I picked back up the sash - as I told Ayaka, I had taken it off before entering the cave, so her family name was not involved with the death.



When I finally returned to Ayaka’s house and opened the door he expected her to have moved. Instead he found her slumped at the alchemy table in the far left corner of the large room. I approached her. Noticing first that the kitchen table was full with a good twenty vials of lavender liquid. The thing she had been passing out to people. The second thing I noticed, right next to her dozing form. A small wooden box with vials in it. Glistening with the sickly yellow chemical that aided my speech. I froze, mind whirling. What?

“Kitten, kitten.” I dropped the sash to the table and strode over to her slumped form, gripping her shoulders and shaking her. Damn it to the SHadowlands, had someone -

“T’s Ayaka….” I head her grumble as her ears flicked, she slowly sat up with a yawn. “What?”

“You...are ok. Good.” I sagged slightly with relief. Good. That would have been several levels of problem. “You shouldn’t sleep in your chair, kitten. Here, let me help you up.” SHe was tired, sleepy, and it was all too easy for me to relax my muscles and let light play across my scales, further entrancing her. I needed her cooperative, not ornery as she normally was.

“I’m fine. I’m fine…” She tried to wave me off as she rubbed her eyes. “Here.” She gestured to the box. I turned my orange eyes to it.. “I made them a little sweeter for you an-” She paused as she looked in my direction. I looked back to her, an eyebrow raising. Why had she paused?

“Ah-that swirling. It’s also jutting out a lil. Excitement maybe?” She wrinkled her nose. With each passing second she seemed more and more awake. “I don’t smell as much blood as I would have thought.” I snorted.

“I’m an assassin, kitten. Not a bloodthirsty beast. The kill is the rush, not the blood.” She was waking up enough that I didn’t think I needed to force her to bed. I tensed back up, letting my scales settle tight against my flesh once more. “Now then. Thank you for making them sweeter, but why make so many?” I tilted my head to the side. She’d made a stockpile, but - maybe she thought I could buy them straight now?