[ SCAM ] / the general always said: when you want to test the depth of a stream, don't use both feet. but, he also said——the bird is never afraid that the branch it's sitting on might break because its trust is not in the branch, but in its own wings.
standing at the edge of the snow-covered street now, yanqing holds both of these in his mind at the same time, brow unknowingly creased as he surveys the empty vista of what should be a lively avenue, stripped of people and decoration and of almost everything that'd given the place life not even one week ago. past the long, flat tops of the rough-hewn buildings that defined belobog's architectural landscape, it's impossible to tell whether it's morning or afternoon, day or nearing night. eventually, the skies would darken until the overcast grey became black, and that was the only indication of the passage of time. for now, he makes the best guess he can at the hour the stranger had asked him to meet and one more time measures the general's twin pieces of wisdom side by side in his head.
he needed to be careful. but he should also trust knowingly in his own abilities. think before you act, he was always being reminded, but where exactly was the line? how cautious was too timid ; how confident was too brash?
he'd never find out just standing here, freezing his feet to the pavement.
quelling the chill that threatened to rattle his teeth in his skull, he opts for what he believes is the lesser of two evils and takes the first strides forward, then turns into the agreed location.
there, waiting for him already, is the hooded man——taller and made more imposing by the stretch of darkness, but the beat of yanqing's heart stays still as quiet water, a sweep of the eyes studying the alleged informant in new surroundings before he offers a nod. "i'm here now like we agreed. if you have any true information about this sudden freeze, then tell me what you know. like i said before, if it turns out to be true, then your anonymity will be protected to the best of my ability."
Ororon never thought he would be doing this again.
Since after, the conflict in Natlan had ended, and when the ever-present threat of the Abyss had once loomed over their heads has been drawn back and their once destroyed Ley Lines were restored. He remembers the long, arduous battles it took to get there as well. The many sacrifices, the numerous losses, the fear and the panic that was so thick that you could practically chock on it. It's not a time he looks back onto fondly, but, he will never forget the efforts, so many have made to pave the way for their victory.
And he is seeing the same kind of despair here.
Everywhere he looked, the sadness, the desperation in people's faces, bringing back to many awful memories that made him biting the inside of his cheek, before slipping away, not able to take withstand the stressful atmosphere without almost breaking down into tears.
Now, he was taking matters into his own hands. Which was how he found himself into his current situation. Becoming an informant, once again, with his hood concealing his countenance, and using the shadows to stay hidden from wandering eyes. Trying to be cautious as to not alert any of the Guards to his location.
His head turns as he hears a voice, looking past his hood to see a blonde-haired kid, and nods at him, remembering him to be his intended audience. "Then I hope this information is useful to you then." Leaving the shadows to step closer, but, not too much as to garner any hostility. They were total stranger's after all.
"For the past couple of days, I have been compiling a bunch of information from Silvermane Guard's written reports and through word of mouth of their current operations." Pulling out a semi-dense stack of files that was, surprisingly, easy to acquire. To be honest, whoever was over these Silvermane Guard's really needs to up their security...
Ororon holds the folder out for the other to take. Hoping it would be enough to satisfy the blonde, as he really didn't need his Granny knowing about this...
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