Dans La Tempête

don’t go out there.

pretty AND smart. we’re gonna get along just fine.

if you hurt her i’ll kill you!

what are you doing here?

you’re late. as usual.

you’re in this with me now, [ name ].

no one else is gonna save you.

why don’t you slip into something more comfy, huh? like a coma!

i’m gonna put you in the ground like it’s my job.

you’re following me?

i noticed you already ‘borrowed’ all of my whiskey.

you’re supposed to be normal - you’re supposed to be SAFE!

of all the things i’ve ever wanted to call you? you’re such a coward.

wanna know how batshit i am? nobody shoots my family but me.

you stupid, crazy bitch.

you’re really staying this time, aren’t you?

this is blackmail, you dick!

how DARE you!

you owe me dinner. i’ll settle for tacos!

it seems i have settled among a commune of artists.

how about smiling, huh? you ever do that?

well, i like attention. i always have.

you ain’t one of us.

i’ve been meaning to introduce myself, i’m [ name ].

when i see something i like, i don’t wanna wait.

good thing you’re not some guy, right, or this would be really, really awkward ...

you don’t have to be nice to everybody.

i would remember a face like yours.

i’m an excellent judge of character.

you’re so not my type.

darlin’, i’m everybody’s type.

the dead don’t get a vote.

pfft, rookie mistake.

god, that’s super weird — what’s going on?

you need to hide.

run ! i’ll hold them off.

i am sorry, [ name ], but it’s you or me.

you’re a good man! you’ve got a code!

you don’t wanna do this!

you have no idea what i want.

buy me a round, [ name ]? seems like you’re just my type.

we can’t all settle down with our high-school sweethearts.

welcome to team ‘shut up and do what he says’. sometimes, we get donuts.

you should be doing this. you were meant to.

deal with that ... or i will.

we didn’t trust each other ... and now look what i’ve done.

you do not know what i am.

you’re supposed to be a hero.

pull your head out of the past.

the hell took you so long?

this is what our victories might have to look like.

look, if you’re about to propose a threesome, i’m tired and i haven’t shaved my legs.

this just doesn’t make sense to me.

goddamn, it’s you.

the problem with this criminal thing, is it’s kinda fun.

i can’t live like this, not anymore

don’t get your hopes up, we don’t know what we’re gonna find.

it wasn’t my idea to do this.

this is the only way to sanctuary.

you just could never help yourself.

vengeance is hollow, [ name ]. it isn’t worth a thing.

you’re not a monster.

i need rules. a code. otherwise i’ll end up just like you.

stop kidding yourself, [ name ], you are exactly like me.

i sympathize with your predicament.

leave, if you want.  go get ... dead.

only one death scares me, and it didn’t take.

ugh, ever heard of manscaping?

come on, he is just ... so beneath you.

what’s up, [ name ]? i never see you.

i’m the one with the vendetta, why are you gunning so hard?

we? there’s no ‘we’.

why should i help you?

you think an $8 bottle of pinot will make me listen?

i never liked you, you know.

am i in danger?

back then, you lived and died by what the seasons gave you.

shut up and help me.

can’t we just enjoy the moment for once?

[ name ], now is not a good time.

happiness is a myth.

would you like some company?

it’s gonna be a long night,  might as well make it fun.

you’ve done your worst.

how many tiny pillows does one girl need?

hold on a second, i want to record this so i can replay it to you when you’re being a dick.

you being here is definitely not selling ‘normal’.

there’s been a change of plans, i need to go away for awhile.

this is supremely cryptic, even for you.

say ‘pomegranate’ if someone’s got a gun on you.

this doesn’t seem healthy, [ name ].

i don’t really care where we are, as long as we’re all together.

are you sure you’re okay?

don’t be cross, i’ve got wood.

your ass is like ... top shelf.

dude, you’re like a walking bumper sticker.

is this strip poker? i’m not shy...

this kind of wound won’t heal, i’m dead already.

you save your vendetta for another night.

you suck at your job.

don’t shoot me, [ name ].

honestly, [ name ], you’ve gotten so weird.

that is NOT sexy!

nobody keeps booze in here, [ name ].

i think somebody’s trying to scare you ... toy with you. why?!

you of all people should know better than to try and make me question my sanity.

what do you MEAN you killed a stripper?

in my experience, dynamite solves all manner of problems.

haven’t you read a romance novel lately? heroes always win.

oh, you want to be a hero?

wanna tell me what that was about?

that was really brave. stupid, but brave.

i have something i need to say.

i’m starting to think sanity’s overrated.

i understand if you hate me.

you’re always, ALWAYS lying.

we should get some breakfast, i could murder a stack of pancakes.

you should know by now, i’m not most people.

well, you learn something new every day.

hey, no, you’re okay. lay back.

[ name ], i need you to listen to me.

okay, [ name ], we’re in serious shit here.

park your daddy issues.

i’m not like you, [ name ]. i’m not brave.

what was the last thing you saw?

close your eyes, take a deep breath in.

look at who the cat dragged in.

cut the bullshit. i know who you are.

you use humor as a form of self - defense.

answer my questions without any more guff.

what is it with psycho’s and talking in the third person?

you’re not really in the position to do any bargaining, are you?

you do look like you can handle yourself.

you want my help? you need to earn it.

i guess [ name ] wants you alive for something.

we should make it look real.

you know how to make someone show you where something precious is hidden? set fire to their house. it’s the first thing they go for.

don’t be irrational, [ name ].

you served your purpose, and now you are released.

i’ve had a lot of names, but you can call me [ name ].

you weren’t leaving without me, were you?

never touch my stuff.

you’re the sickest puppy in the litter.

you were dead ... and now you are not.

oh, aren’t you the master of deception?

let’s not kid ourselves, you’re not going to survive this.

[ name ], i always hoped that i would have this pleasure.

if you stand for nothing, you are sure to fall.

you do what you do best, [ name ], you fight.

you’re just like me. you’re broken.

i’m not lonesome, i just prefer to hunt alone.

you have to let go sometime, [ name ].

you continue to disappoint me.

let me make it up to you.

i thought i’d feel different. i thought i’d look different.

you release the rage, you might find there’s nothing left.

woah, wow, this is not what i expected the cat to drag in.

for the first time in ages, i woke up and knew exactly what i needed to do.

you can try, but i dare you to cockblock the drive i woke up with this morning.

i’ll sleep when i’m dead.

you’re not alone,  [ name ].

just once i want you to say it. that you care about me.

someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

why do i even get out of bed?

i lost you once, i won’t let that happen again.

[ name ], you are shakin’ like a leaf.

jesus, listen to me. maybe i am crazy.

i’m not sure this is the best idea.

you’re the one who told me i should blow off steam.

i’m not crazy, right? there’s something going on here.

you’re making fun of me ...

get in the car.

could everybody just stand still for one freakin’ minute?!

it’s gonna be okay.

i just screamed at you, you shouldn’t be nice to me.

we’re not dating.

i would never ask you to be someone you’re not.

yeah, sure, [ name ], whatever you want.

[ name ], what kind of a mess have you got yourself into now?

if you shoot, this all goes to shit.

your poker face is pitiful.

sorry, no speak evil.

who won’t you make a deal with, huh?

you can judge me all you want.

what do i care for some broken woman’s opinion of my character?

you can talk all you want. they’ll be your last words, anyways.

this whole time you’ve thought this was personal.

you shut your lying mouth.

what happened to being friends?

it’s not so easy to be brazen when the thing that you want, that scares you to death, is sitting right in front of you.

i scare you?

when i think about what i wanna do most in this world, it’s you.

jump in anytime, [ name ], because i really don’t know how to do this.

maybe you should make me.

i owe you a heap of thanks. and my life.

can i at least buy you a drink?

aw, [ name ], you really do care.

it’s worth dying to see the look on your face.

men are all the same. even the demonic ones.

[ name ], calm your tits. have a drink.

do me a goddamn favor and refrain from mentioning that name.

i think you would be very pretty in blue.

everybody knows... about us. the sex.

you tracked me?

what are you doing here, [ name ]?

if you’re keeping things from me, IMPORTANT things ...

don’t get all hard & forget that you’re human.

sun’s starting to go down, we should head back.

i feel a real connection with you, [ name ].

i do hate goodbyes.

look, we need you, okay?

can’t you at least try?

we can’t tell anyone. not until we know for sure.

i don’t want to be rude, but i don’t know any of you ... or what’s happening.

i don’t drink.

what kind of people give a kid a switchblade?

this is your home, [ name ].

how can you think this is funny?

i’ve been crazy, didn’t care for it.

i’ve been told i have character.

are you scared of me?

i need to start drinking less ... or much, much more.

how in the hell did you get this?

i lost control. i was angry at everything ... at everyone.

you promised to never tell anyone that.

it’s always been you and i.

it can be like it always was ... and different, too. in all the right ways.

you’re not alone anymore.

i think i got a little bit shot ...

i need you to tell me everything you know about [ name ].

i thought i was doing what you asked!

whatever you’ve got planned, i’m game.

now there’s a sight for sore eyes.

i don’t wanna hurt you.

why aren’t you more freaked out?

if there’s one thing i’ve learned this year, it’s that ‘good’ is a moving target.

what are you gonna do about it? tell on me?

who the hell are you?

you took it from me?

nobody’s getting hurt on my watch.

when are you gonna take responsibility for all that you’ve done?

i’m running out of goddamn time.

this isn’t over. i’m coming for you.

now you know how it feels when people take your things.

i know that you’re scared, so am i.

are you sure you’re up for this?

you might want to stand back.

you went wrong.

this one’s gonna hurt.

his head tilted to the side as he watched the stranger attempt to get back on his feet. he didn’t get the clue to help right away. that was the honest truth of it. his brain didn’t work like that anymore. the immediate reach toward another person, the instinct to close distance rather than measure it. years of rewiring had made the reflex go the other direction entirely, and it took vine’s voice cutting through the irony of this moment like a cold breeze to wake him out of that particular slumber. the part of him that was always avoiding everything. he blinked. registered the question properly. relieved that the stranger was at least alive, his heart rate slowed. he had to laugh a little. “sure, sorry.” he grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up to his feet. simple. efficient. and only in the moment after did yeong catch himself … looking at their hands, both covered in leather, and realizing he hadn’t thought about rejecting the contact beforehand. hadn’t braced. hadn’t run the usual inventory of what was about to flood in. he had just … grabbed him. like a person. like someone whose first instinct was to help rather than to calculate the cost. was that the alcohol flooding his bloodstream ? probably. almost certainly. he looked at him, or more accurately, right through him, as the thought settled further and further, nearly forgetting to let go. which he did, just a beat too late.

“are you sure you’re okay ?” his nose had started registering something unfamiliar in the seconds that followed. not quite a sin. nothing his ability could catalogue cleanly, nothing that fit the usual taxonomy of wrath or greed or lust or any of the seven he knew by texture and weight. just something that moved through the categories without settling, like smoke through an open hand. his ability reached for it and found no purchase and reached again and came up with nothing useful. what his eyes had just witnessed, though, that his catalogue could handle. this man had fallen, or jumped, from a considerable height. and was alive. and thriving. and asking for a drink.

definitely not a human being. that was all he had for now. “so… which drink would be appropriate to have right after you fell from the sky ?” he asked, leading the way back to the bar he had originally fled from. his eyes were glued to the stranger the entire time — even though he had just confirmed he was alive, he still couldn’t quite believe it. yeong opened the door for mister meteor and watched him duck at the doorframe. right. he was tall and this bar was very much vintage and old. small people sized. he squeezed his way through the crowd and held his breath. it never helped, but instinct still tried to convince him otherwise. the other one was still following, which made the need for a drink even more pressing. when he reached the bar he raised his hand and waited for someone to notice him.

"Chateau Giscours Margaux Grand Cru Classe, please." A dark, almost ruby wine with purple sparkles. With thick, rich aroma that could be tasted already at the sight of a bottle. Blueberries, licorice, resin and hints of red berries, graphite and cedar – all of them filled a glass and made it more elegant once the liquid touched its walls. It was a real vintage wine and a good tribute to the atmosphere of that place. Vine did not even order a set of snacks for it. He was going to enjoy it as it was – naked and tough, complex and dense, with all its beauty. The tip of his tongue welcomed it once the coolness of the glass was fully in his possession, held it with his lips that froze for an aesthetic moment. And he gulped it like water.

"But I haven't fallen from the sky, but from the roof of this building. I was there whenI got a signal from the vessel you have been carrying and as a consequence, I fell asleep for a moment." A blunt yawn right from him could prove that he was not joking. No yawn could be sweeter than that. Sweetness of the deep rest just clung to the speed of his hand that had to return to his poor head. "The signal has given me a treat that overfilled my body and made it too heavy for itself. And now I have a headache." It made him look a little sulky, a little lazy, but the energy swimming in the brightness of his blue eyes made it clear he was not going to give in. "The voices of wishes are loud, and those from yours are just screaming in me." He gulped the second glass and tapped at the rim for the refill. "Your curiosity is in the lead though." He said so with a grin of a generous ability to take in Yeong's stare, and it worked like powder for a gun. If it found its use, the questions were going to run down the river of their conversation. No one could resist it unless any kind of magic was applied to lessen the effect. But could Yeong know that? He could if he could afford it.

Not belonging to any guild and judging by the diction, not a bandit either. Having specifically chosen the path that would not be patrolled, she didn't expect any merchants nor guards along the way. It was leaving little options. Jingshu has heard the stories about this forest and the adjacent village being haunted but the voice answering her was unmistakeably that of a mortal man.

Instead of turning her head in the direction of the voice, she looked up to observe the zhen bird's reactions. It didn't dive towards the intruder and even more strangely, it didn't seem to notice the unsolicited presence at all. That alone filled her with unease, though outwardly, she kept the mask of indifference.

"I'm but a humble, travelling merchant, though if you are after a coin, you will have no luck here today," she answered politely, though from within her came the suspicion that wasn't what the stranger came for. Curious about his reasoning, she halted her horse, got off and rested her hand on the wrist cuff, ready to retaliate, should she spot any movement too close to her. "I do not have anything worth stealing."

A small black snake hissed from the nearest tree branch. It was looking clearly at her, but with no intention of telling her it had been disturbed by her sudden stop or that it was going to try its force at taming her life with its fangs. It was just looking at her, too curious and too understanding for an ordinary snake.

yeong  had  decided  today  was  the  day  he  tried  to  fight  at  least  one  of  his  problematic  behaviors,  such  as  avoiding  people.

he  had  stood  in  front  of  his  door  for  approximately  four  minutes  before  leaving.  had  put  his  gloves  on,  taken  them  off,  put  them  on  again.  had  told  himself  three  separate  times  that  he  was  going  home,  turned  around,  and  then  kept  walking  anyway  because  the  part  of  him  that  was  tired  of  being  reasonable  had  apparently  staged  a  quiet  coup  sometime  around  his  third  drink.  it  wasn’t  graceful.  it  wasn’t  the  kind  of  bravery  that  looked  good  from  the  outside.  but  it  was  his,  and  somewhere  underneath  the  anxiety  and  the  elaborate  justifications  he  constructed  to  make  retreat  sound  like  wisdom,  there  was  a  small  and  stubborn  flicker  of  something  that  felt  almost  like  pride.

he  had  gone  out.  alone.  on  purpose.

even  though  it  was  for  his  own  safety,  or  maybe  he  was  just  talking  himself  into  it.  the  way  you  always  did  when  something  was  buried  so  deep  that  the  real  reason  parted  the  earth  you  were  standing  on,  swallowing  you  like  quicksand.  he  hated  being  lonely.  but  he  had  also  found  a  specific  comfort  in  it  over  the  years,  the  kind  that  stopped  feeling  like  a  compromise  and  started  feeling  like  a  preference.  being  alone  meant  there  was  no  one  to  take  into  consideration,  no  tolerance  needed,  no  careful  parcours  around  the  possibility  of  accidental  contact.  he  had  built  an  entire  life  inside  that  logic  and  it  fit  him  the  way  things  fit  when  you’ve  worn  them  long  enough  that  you  forget  they  weren’t  made  for  you.

but  that  was  the  contrast  to  everything  he  longed  for.  had  always  longed  for,  quietly,  in  the  part  of  himself  he  didn’t  examine  too  closely.  the  comfort  of  a  person.  the  specific  warmth  of  proximity  that  didn’t  cost  him  anything.  the  touch  of  a  person,  as  innocent  as  it  could  get.  the  kind  that  other  people  gave  and  received  without  thinking,  without  bracing,  without  the  immediate  and  involuntary  inventory  of  what  was  about  to  flood  in.  he  wasn’t  used  to  being  this  drunk.  but  courage  had  to  come  from  somewhere,  right?

he  had  made  it  inside.  that  counted  for  something.

the  bar  was  warm  and  loud  and  full  of  people  doing  what  people  did  when  they  were  off  the  clock  —  drinking  themselves  softer,  laughing  too  hard  at  things  that  weren't  quite  that  funny,  leaning  into  each  other  with  the  easy  physicality  of  those  who  had  never  had  to  think  twice  about  what  skin  contact  cost.  yeong  had  found  a  corner  and  stayed  in  it  and  nursed  something  amber-colored  and  told  himself  this  was  fine,  this  was  normal,  this  was  what  people  did  on  ordinary  evenings  when  they  decided  to  exist  among  other  humans.

and  then  the  sins  had  started  arriving.

they  always  did  in  enclosed  spaces.  the  air  in  bars  was  thick  with  it,  not  just  alcohol  and  smoke  but  the  specific  residue  of  want  and  regret  and  the  particular  desperation  of  people  trying  to  feel  something  different  than  what  they  felt  at  home.  envy  drifted  off  a  woman  watching  her  ex  across  the  room.  lust  moved  through  the  space  in  slow  waves,  attaching  itself  to  nothing  in  particular,  just  ambient  and  unavoidable.  wrath  sat  in  the  corner  near  the  back,  quiet  and  patient,  wearing  the  face  of  a  man  who  had  decided  something  but  not  yet  done  it.

yeong  had  absorbed  all  of  it  before  he'd  finished  his  second  drink.

by  the  third,  his  mouth  tasted  like  a  bar  fight  he  hadn't  been  in  and  a  longing  that  wasn't  his  and  at  least  two  varieties  of  grief.  the  noise  had  started  to  feel  physical,  not  just  sound  but  pressure,  the  concentrated  humanity  of  it  pressing  in  from  every  direction,  and  his  ability  running  its  inventory  without  being  asked,  the  way  it  always  did,  reaching  and  finding  and  cataloguing  and  never  once  stopping  for  his  permission.

he  had  picked  up  his  glass  and  walked  outside.

no  announcement.  no  dramatic  exit.  he  just  left,  the  way  you  leave  a  room  when  the  air  has  become  genuinely  unbreathable  and  staying  would  cost  more  than  he  had.  the  door  swung  shut  behind  him  and  the  noise  dropped  and  the  cold  hit  him  all  at  once  and  he  stood  there  on  the  pavement  with  his  back  against  the  wall  and  his  eyes  closed  and  his  mouth  full  of  other  people's  worst  selves.

he  stayed  like  that  for  a  while.

breathing.  waiting  for  his  own  lungs  to  remember  what  they  felt  like  without  company.  it  took  longer  than  it  should  have.  the  sins  didn't  leave  cleanly,  they  lingered  the  way  smoke  lingers,  clinging  to  the  inside  of  his  chest,  and  he  could  still  taste  the  grief  of  the  woman  by  the  window  and  the  wrath  of  the  man  in  the  corner  and  the  particular  flavour  of  lust  that  had  no  single  source,  just  floated  through  enclosed  spaces  like  weather.  he  pressed  the  back  of  his  head  against  the  brick  and  swallowed  and  waited  and  breathed.

this  was  what  brave  cost  him.

this  was  always  what  it  cost.

the  night  air  was  doing  something  to  him,  the  particular  quality  of  seoul  after  midnight,  when  the  city  stopped  pretending  to  be  civilized  and  just  became  what  it  was.  neon  bleeding  into  wet  pavement.  distant  music  from  somewhere  he  couldn’t  identify.  a  couple  arguing  half  a  block  away  in  voices  too  low  to  make  out  the  words  but  loud  enough  to  carry  the  shape  of  the  feeling.  yeong  leaned  against  the  wall  of  the  building  he’d  ended  up  outside  of  and  tilted  his  head  back  and  looked  at  the  sky  and  let  himself  exist  in  it,  just  for  a  moment,  without  managing  it.  he  was  still  doing  that  when  something  fell  out  of  the  sky.

not  gradually.  not  with  any  particular  warning.  just…  a  figure  ?  dropping  from  somewhere  above  with  the  specific  lack  of  announcement  of  something  that  had  either  jumped  or  been  pushed  and  hadn’t  bothered  to  negotiate  with  gravity  on  the  way  down.  it  landed  in  front  of  him  with  a  sound  that  yeong’s  brain  initially  filed  under  extremely  bad  before  his  eyes  caught  up  and  registered  that  whatever  had  just  happened,  the  person  responsible  for  it  was…  fine  ?  apparently.  disturbingly  fine,  given  the  height  involved.

yeong  stared.  his  tongue  registered  something  before  the  rest  of  him  did.  the  air  had  changed  in  the  half  second  before  impact,  a  shift  he  couldn’t  name  the  way  he  could  name  sins,  this  wasn’t  wrath  or  greed  or  any  of  the  seven  he  catalogued  daily.  it  was  something  older.  something  that  had  been  burning  for  longer  than  the  words  for  it  had  existed.  it  sat  at  the  back  of  his  throat  like  the  aftertaste  of  something  ancient  and  slightly  wrong,  and  his  ability  was  reaching  for  it  the  way  it  always  reached  for  things,  trying  to  find  the  edge  of  it,  trying  to  classify  it.  it  didn’t  classify.  it  just…  existed.  dense  and  warm  and  faintly  luminous  in  a  way  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  light.

yeong  looked  down  at  the  figure  on  the  ground.  looked  back  up  at  the  building.  looked  back  down.  “are  you…”  he  said,  with  the  careful  precision  of  someone  who  was  drunk  but  not  quite  drunk  enough  for  this,  “alive ?” 

And yet, the quality of the life preserved had decreased. The victim's arms looked firm, but stillness was the only medicine they could provide him with. Any movement, even a trifle one, made it too evident his breath could not find a proper way out. Every vibration suffocated him as if his chest was cracked beneath the layers of his clothes – his black jacket and suit - and the cracks were only meant to grow to strike the instincts of survival with the force of red locked in the shade of his shirt. Something definitely grew. It grew from this fall, from this very spot, from under his back. It could not be tracked down. But it was there, it let the world know about itself openly without a shame or sense of threat with its mere presence. It felt beautiful and dear like a flower in a garden, too alluring and charming to be burdened with temporal affairs. It had always been there. There were only some days and some nights, glimpses when you could contemplate its greatness and... get swallowed by it.

It did not consume you though. If there was no agreement, no striving to disappear, it respected the viewer's existence too well. It said so loud and clear in the core of Yeong's being that he could not have a doubt. How and when he found himself inside of it – it was up to him to wonder and ask about once they were through, but for then, he could only listen and listen to what it felt to go around in his birthday suit and be free. Like empty bottles could have no liquid, like wet floors could get no stain, he could not get any trace of what he has been saving within himself so unwillingly. No sin flew around and buzzed the wishes and curses of those it used to belong to. The sky of his consciousness was absolutely clear. It was bright and happy and shining with all the colours of passion sweet on the petals of black roses he could see when that something finally left him and a sigh escaped the stranger's lips.

He seemed to have suddenly relaxed or fallen asleep, for all his activity dissolved in the lack of movement, but then he lifted his back and sat down pulling his legs till he could lean onto his knees with his elbows. For a second, his shadow reminded of a rose getting smaller, folding itself and its dark magic of charm till it became a typical shadow too far from Yeong's it had blessed with their short unity - the absolute, sacred emptiness of his shadow glistened with gold in the depth of the man's eyes who stared at the other with long-brewed attention. It got its satisfaction clearly once it got noticed. But it was still attention, just more obvious now that the man opened his eyes and swept away the frown of damage. He lifted a thumb up once again. "Alive..."

It was often that the paths of jianghu lead through barren lands and seemingly desolate villages and Jingshu was long accustomed to hearing nothing but the hoofbeats of her steed, riding hours into the night, completely undisturbed. She's not defenceless, one of her hairpins held a poison dart and one more was hid in her wrist cuff. Should both of these precautions fail her, there was one more weapon -- a dark feathered bird circling above her. It provided protection from wild beasts and bandits alike. Under the cover of night, it's almost undetectable, had it not been for the quiet rustle of its feathers.

Whoever moved to her right made no sound. Easily keeping the pace with the horse, they made sure their steps disappeared into the clopping of hooves against the ground. In the darkness, Jingshu more felt the presence than saw the figure, yet still scolded herself for noticing the intruder too late. It could have costed her life. Still, she donned an inquiring smile, hardly looking at the stranger. "Silent steps, soundless breath..." a survivalist, "Which assassin sect do you belong to?"