Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on Apr 13, 2008 22:16:36 GMT -5
I scrambled down the moderately frozen beach in Northern Glacki. "Where did he hide it?" I cried stumbling as the tears ran into my eyes making it difficult to see. Oh that hateful man!
Raphael, my fiance (if I was still going to allow him to be that when this was over), had taken my most prized possession: my sealskin. We were in the nearby city because I missed the cold something terrible. In my seal form we always stayed very far north in the cold. It was late when we arrived and I went straight to bed. When I woke up the seal skin was gone! Of course I knew it was Raphael. He is the only one who could think of such a cruel trick and call it a joke. He is the only one who could look me in the eyes and laugh while I panicked.
I tripped falling face first into a hard mixture of ice and frozen sand. The have frozen waves slushed about nipping at my body, threatening to drag me into the water cold enough to cut like knives. I didn't bother to get up. It wasn't worth it. I'd been out here for so long already and hadn't found my sealskin. If I couldn't find my sealskin life wasn't worth living. I might as well just lay here and freeze to death. It was going to happen anyways. I hadn't bothered to grab my cloak and I hardly ever wear shoes. And right at this moment, death is a most welcome friend.
I laid there and sobbed. I sobbed for having to marry a man who neither loved me nor even liked me. But mostly I sobbed for never being able to go back to the sea. I sobbed until I could sob no more, then I waited for death to take me.
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on Apr 19, 2008 19:28:56 GMT -5
Ohanzee sneezed.
It was cold. It was bright. There was snow everywhere. And did he mention it was cold? The assassin shivered and sneezed again. He growled darkly and pulled his woolen cloak closer. He had been dispatched north to procure some very secretive poison crafter's book of recipes. He was also supposed to look for a group of thieves known as the "Sharp Ice Gang." He was to either bring them into the services of the Hold or eliminate the gang.
Right now, he was trudging across the beaches of Northern Glacki. He picked his way across the shattered stone and shell fragments. He blinked and looked at the body laying on the sand. He made an annoyed sound before sprinting towards the fallen body. He looked down at the young woman, arching an eyebrow.
"Idiot," he mumbled. He looked around and grabbed a few pieces of small wood lying on the desolate beach. A few drops of a viscus liquid, a packet of violet powder, and a spark from his knife on a rock caused the amalgamation of materials to catch light and burst into flame. He nursed the small fire and pulled out a second cloak from his travel sack, draping it over the girl's body.
"You really shouldn't be out here," Ohanzee said with a gruff voice.
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on Apr 19, 2008 22:27:00 GMT -5
I opened my eyes as I heard hurried footsteps, but closed them quickly thinking it was Raphael. I couldn't bear to face the man. Oh, what I wish I could shout at him here with only the penguins as an audience. But of course these things I never would say to him, well not to his face anyway. I could feel the rage grow in my chest.
I snuggled into the warmth of the cloak, pulled it closer to my body and tucked my feet up into the folds of the cloth. Might as well be a little bit warmer before I died. But I bolted upright when the voice that spoke wasn't Raphael at all, but a stranger.
My seal instinct told me to hide, but there was nowhere to hide so I scooted backward a little ways providing more distance between us. "I'm looking for my sealskin," I replied. "But I can't find it. And I'd rather die than live the rest of my life without my sealskin."
I was kicking myself on the inside for spilling so much to a stranger, but I couldn't help it. Once I started I couldn't stop. I bit my lip to try to stop the word flow.
"Who are you anyway?" I asked. So much for not talking. "Only traders come this far North, but they only go to the city. No one comes to the beach. It's too cold." An icy wave nipped at my toes and I scooted backward up the beach.
I looked back at the man. He was the first beast man I'd ever encountered. I wondered if he was born with the racoon mask?
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Post by Eileanora on Apr 22, 2008 15:43:25 GMT -5
Eileanora was panting as she approached the near-frozen beaches of the Glacki peninsula, transferring from all fours to her hind legs. She'd enjoyed the sprint up, watching the penguins and other little creatures scurry out of her path. The Rempa was proud of herself as well, having not tripped once since she'd started the run.
"Damn it, Jet..." the tiger huffed. Jet had asked her for a dozen or so fish and she was still busy trying to figure out why she'd accepted in the first place. She didn't like water... But Jet knew that! She took a deep breath and sighed with a small pout, knowing it was too late to do anything anyways.
Making her way down the cold sand, she tried to scout out a good place to set up a few traps in shallow water instead of diving straight in. "I could have gotten lemmings and penguins or anything else Jet wanted on the way here, but naww...." she grumbled to herself. Her pretend Daddy-kins had to be difficult and make this poor lazy tiger, fish.
As she proceeded to fume and angrily pout down the beach, her ears twitched at a distant sound. On instinct, she crouched closer to the ground letting her ears perk up and occasionally twitch. Deciding that whatever the noise was, it was far away enough from her, she ran towards it until she see the speakers more clearly.
Eileanora could feel a wave of emotions at least one of the two people she saw sitting around a small fire. Mixed feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and other random little things penetrated the tiger's thoughs. She let out a soft and concerned purr and walked slowly towards them. Eilie didn't know why she was walking towards them, it was like a magnetic pull. Something she couldn't really control, but she didn't mind it too much.
Unfortunately, the grace that she'd miraculously gotten on her way up dissapeared as she tripped on the hem of her pants for the fifth time that day, swearing loudly for the seventh.
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on Apr 24, 2008 20:27:17 GMT -5
Ohanzee blinked blandly. He was still in his annoyed mode. It was cold. He was cold. He was still annoyed. He looked down at the woman next to him, his eyes blank and flicking over her form. He pulled out a vial of orange liquid and made a circle with the fluid around the fire. A spark landed on the liquid and it caught flame, turning the small campfire into a roaring circle of flames.
"Better..." he murmured. "I am called Ohanzee. Who are you?" He looked down at her and arched an eyebrow. "And what in the name of Shadows is a sealskin?" He was confused. People this far north were odd. His ears perked at the sound of someone falling down. He spun and flicked his wrist. Blades were in his hands and he was tense.
"Stand and be recognized ye of no grace!" the assassin roared, his voice loud but emotionless. "Be ye friend or be ye foe?"
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on Apr 25, 2008 19:32:04 GMT -5
I watched curiously as the man poured the orange liquid onto the sand. I crawled forward a bit to get a better look at it, but leapt backward with an "eek" as flames suddenly shot upward nearly burning off my whiskers. Crawling back to where I was sitting I looked back up at the man as he spoke. Ohanzee, that's a different name. "I'm Faith," I replied. "Well, Faye really," I amended.
"You don't know what a sealskin is?" I asked incredulously. I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm a selkie. My sealskin is just what it sounds like. It's the skin of a seal. I wear it when I want to be a seal." Realizing how stupid I sounded I stopped. I really couldn't put my life into words. It was awkward trying to tell a non-selkie was it was like to live as a selkie. I didn't know how to explain it.
I whirled around a second after Ohanzee did. He scared me with his weapons ready in a second. I reached into my sash and pulled out my little dagger, just in case, although I figured I didn't have anything to worry about with Ohanzee here. Note to self: Never get on his bad side.
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Post by Eileanora on Apr 27, 2008 18:40:03 GMT -5
She was growling softly, chin still on the ground, a muddy look still on her face, and still sprawled out like a child when the man with the strange markings on his face whirled around equipped with weapons and loud shouting. The tiger stared wide-eyed and scrambled onto all fours in a defensive position, but blinked stupidly when the words the man had shouted got through to her skull. She barely registered the feelings she was getting from the both of them.
"A-ahm... W-what?" Eileanora stammered innocently, half confused and half defensive still. "Er.. Friend! Ah-..Foe! Er... Wait!" she paused a moment, obviously bad under pressure.
"........Confused." she said after a bit and pouted lightly when she saw that the lady had turned around as well. This could end fairly badly...
The Rempa stuttered and stammered for a few moments before relaxing from her position to an almost sitting one, tail curling back and forth. "I am but a mere hunter, there is little harm I could do even if I had wanted to." she said in a calm manner. Eilie blinked a few times before realizing she hadn't stated her purposes yet for being there.
"I am sorry for intruding, but... i-is there something amiss?" she bit her bottom lip. "I thought I'd heard something out of the norm..."
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on Apr 30, 2008 2:02:39 GMT -5
Ohanzee's eyes flickered lightly. Whoever this Rempa was, one thing was obvious: she was not a threat. The assassin twirled his blade and quickly slid it back into its hiding place. He shook his head and turned back to the fire. His normally hazy good mood was noticeably absent.
It was the damn cold.
The assassin sneezed and rubbed at his nose. No, he was rather unhappy at the entire situation. He looked over his shoulder.
"Something out of the norm? Yes. People being alive in this Goddess-forsaken region," Ohanzee murmured. He shook his head and mumbled darkly, turning back towards the fire. "What on earth are you doing out here?"
The assassin was more than disinterested in his present company. A whiny selkie, whatever that meant, and what appeared to be a hunter with no grace or subtly. The raccoon shivered and shuffled closer to the fire, squatting down and rubbing his forearms through his long cloak. He looked from one woman to the other and glared.
"Shall we be sitting here until the end of eternity?" the assassin asked darkly. To be honest, he was lost. He had never been this far north. And with only a general idea of where he had been and where he was supposed to be, he was now completely lost. He silently seethed at the selkie.
He blamed her.
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on Apr 30, 2008 14:20:04 GMT -5
I watched the girl stand up. Looking at her made me dizzy. The black against and white was rather striking and reminded me of a penguin. I giggled a little at the thought and put my dagger back in my sash. There really was no use for it now.
I rolled my eyes at Ohanzee. "This isn't as cold as it gets. I was raised even farther north, where the land and the ice are one with each other." I sighed nostalgically. "But there are polar bears up there too," I said shaking my head in disgust.
"But anywho," I said looking back at the girl, "I'm looking for my sealskin. You haven't seen it by chance, have you? My fiance, the idiot, ran off with it and I have to find it before high tide. If I don't I'll be stuck as a human forever!" I was back to panicking again. Tears began to well up in my eyes. "I don't think I could live without my sealskin."
"And yes," I said turning back to Ohanzee. "I will be out here for the rest of eternity if I don't find my sealskin." I burst into tears yet again and buried my face in my hands.
I honestly couldn't live without my sealskin. Living without my sealskin would be...I can't even begin to explain. All I knew was that I had to find my sealskin and soon.
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Post by Eileanora on May 2, 2008 13:11:09 GMT -5
Eileanora blinked innocently a few times before scrunching her brows at the older man.
"For being so threatening, you are rather stubborn." she commented dully, prowling slowly around the two.
"I am here to hunt for a few fish... Can I ask you the same question?" the Rempa asked, giving a rather bored look at Ohanzee. Her ears perked in interest at the other girl, pondering on both what a sealskin was and why her finance would run off with it like that. Eilie had opened her mouth to say something, but shut it soon after, not being able to come up with the right words. She Especially when she started crying...
Eilieanora blinked, confused for a few moments before blinking again in awkwardness. She bit her bottom lip again, a habit that had started growing on her for awhile now. ".........Why... Is she about to drown in her own tears?" she whispered to the raccoon after a few seconds.
"Uhm... I can help... look... ...If... you... .... ... want...?" the tiger said, pouting, not being able to stand the overwhelming feeling of loss that had swept over Faye and unfortunately, Eileanora as well.
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on May 2, 2008 23:04:03 GMT -5
"I am here on business Rempa-marm," Ohanzee said lightly. He shook his head lightly and looked at her. "That is all you need to know and all I shall say on the subject." He did not like Rempas in general. They were strong and agile and worthy adversaries. Ohanzee did not like even fights. He liked overwhelming superiority.
Ohanzee's ears perked at the outburst over this sealskin. He almost smirked, almost let his emotional mask of annoyed fall. This could prove useful.
"If I help you find this sealskin...well you help me get to a city?" the assassin asked lightly. He looked at the sobbing woman with a raised eyebrow. "I am good at finding things. If you want help, I know many tricks and spells to track people."
And he did. A follicle of hair or a whiff of the person's clothing and he could use his Shadow powers to track that person. He was most assured that he could find this sealskin. But this woman had been all over the beach. Her sent, her hair would be most ineffecient. He would need something from the man.
"Do we have a bargain Faye?" he asked lightly.
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on May 4, 2008 10:27:46 GMT -5
I looked up at Ohanzee letting my tears turn to ice on my whiskers. I sniffled, weighing the options. I could have him help, and go back to the city, but then I would be at Raphael's disposal. Or I could die out here.
I looked from Ohanzee to the girl. They both seemed very willing to help, for which I was grateful, but to go back to the city would be almost as bad as dying alone on the frozen beach with only penguins to morn me.
I looked back to Ohanzee, my mind made up. "If you can find my sealskin before high tide, then-" I swallowed knowing this would be one of the most difficult things I'd ever had to do. "Then I will show you the way back to the city."
I knew Raphael would be waiting for me and I dreaded that most of all. The city wasn't very large, and I swear Raphael is part blood hound. It would only be a matter of time before he found me.
"But be prepared," I said looking in the direction of the city. "It's a long walk."
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on May 5, 2008 17:54:31 GMT -5
Ohanzee shrugged. "Then we have an accord." The assassin sneezed again and scowled at the sand around him. He stood and stretched, looking around the deserted beach. "Then we need to find the thing quickly."
Ohanzee pulled out a single black crystal and held it above the fire. It slowly began to float in the shadows above the fire. The assassin slowly began to make symbols with his hands, weaving a search algorathim.
"Do you have anything of your fiance's on you currently?" the Er Pri asked. His normally bright eyes were wrapped in the smoke and shadows from the fire and from the magic he was weaving. He needed an article of clothing at the minimum to make this spell work.
"if at all...I wish for a sample of the man's essence. Anything that comes from him directly...and then..." the assassin smirked evilly in the shadows, "then I can retrace his steps." He missed the prowl. At least this way...he could find his marks. A little side trip was not too much fo a waste of time.
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on May 6, 2008 21:16:24 GMT -5
I watched fascinated as Ohanzee did something magic with the crystal ball thing. I'd never really seen magic before, but I wouldn't. Selkies can't exactly manipulate magic. There have been several who've attempted, but that didn't go so well.
I snapped back to attention when Ohanzee started talking. He had a funny grin on his face and I suddenly realized how dangerous he could be. At the moment his creepy, weird, evil look reminded me of my encouter with a rabid seal-lion. That was nasty.
"Anything of Raphael's?" I asked thinking it over. It was very unlikely since I hardly let the man come near me, but there must be something. Perhaps one of the gifts he sent me, but that was highly unlikely too. All the gifts he'd sent went straight to my dowry or were sent back, depending on who found the gift.
"I don't think I have anything of Raphael's," I said. And then I remembered. "Oh wait! Yes I do!" I slipped the silver ring off my finger. "This was Raphael's when he was a boy. Will this work?" I asked holding out the ring. "It's the only thing I have."
I prayed silently to the gods that this would work. I needed my sealskin back. Selkies don't live long without their sealskins, even the ones living permantly on land keep their sealskin on their person. I prayed that some god, any god, would hear my prayer and help me.
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Post by Eileanora on May 9, 2008 18:37:21 GMT -5
Eilie sat quietly off on the side, watching the fire and trying to pick out the feelings coming both from the conversation and the people engaged in it. ...Mostly because she didn't have more to do. She didn't mean to intrude, she was just... socially awkward like that. 'Cause sure, she wasn't crazy in love with people and their company, but she did appreciate it now and then...
Eileanora's brows twitched, half glaring. She huffed lightly, hearing the distaste in his voice and deciding that she didn't like him either, mouthing 'iko' to herself. Staring in confusion and tempted to brace herself from whatever the black orb was, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She felt more at ease when she saw the hand signals, having seen Sasha do the same, but not able to pinpoint what the man was making them for.
The tiger's ears perked up at the Er Pri's way of searching for whatever this sealskin was. It was a new thing for her, and judging by the look on the other girl's face, it was for her as well. Whatever magic this was, it was interesting indeed. Inside, the Rempa also hoped that this ring would suffice for the man's little magic trick. The missing sealskin obviously meant the world to the other girl, and even more so because Eilieanora was feeling the distress now as well.
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on May 9, 2008 21:08:38 GMT -5
"It will give us a general direction..." the assassin said blithely. He motioned to the gem with his head. "Set it above the gem; it will float."
The assassin mumbled darkly and shook his head. The trail would be vague at best. Such a long time period from when this ring was attached to the mark would make a thin link. With a slow exhale, the assassin focused.
"Hunter," he said lightly, his hands flicking through symbols slowly, "you will need to lead us with the specifics. I can only provide the general direction and area."
The patterns flared and circled around the ring, slowly turning from black to a light blue. With a flash, the crystal pointed in one direction and a blue light pointed down the length of the crystal. The assassin sighed and handed Faye back her ring.
"And now we follow."
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on May 11, 2008 20:08:50 GMT -5
I felt new hope surge through me as I held the ring over the gem orbish thing. Letting go of the ring I watched as is dropped about an inch, then floated just like Ohanzee had said. My jaw dropped as I stared in disbelief. I was witnessing the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life!
I wondered how the trick worked. And how did the gem thingamabober float? How exactly did it defy gravity? I was confusing myself and snapped back to attention in time to see a flash that hurt my eyes.
I slipped my ring back on my finger slightly disappointed that it hadn't melted and turned into goo. Then I wouldn't have to wear it. But no such luck. I sighed softly and turned to the girl since she would lead us now. I wonder why she looked so miserable. Maybe she didn't like the cold either.
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Post by Eileanora on May 13, 2008 16:46:34 GMT -5
Eilie watched as the ring floated, her brows raising in surprise. A wave of confusion and wonder hit her as well. ...Trijilk, this girl was more emotional than anyone she'd ever met! She took a deep breath and tried not to imitate the other girl in staring in wonder at the floating ring. The Rempa's ears twitched slightly as the Er Pri called her. She blinked a few times before nodding, still somewhat at a loss. "It... It's Eilie... Eileanora." she mumbled softly and then jumped at the light. She watched the blue light's line draw itself down the crystal.
After a few moments of what she felt was an awkward silence, she got up and stumbled, just barely catching herself. She stood upright and took one more look at the crystal, nodding to the other two. She smirked, showing a few teeth. Tracking, not her specialty, but she could do it fast- and she knew it.
"Try to keep up, mm?" she grinned before lowering to all fours and bounding off as fast as she could, almost leaving her tail behind as well. She would bring it back to them; was more of a follower than a leader anyways. After only a few moments, she could feel the blood pumping through her veins and down to each of her legs. But this grace and almost euphoric feeling ended as speedily as it started. Meaning with the Rempa flying to the ground and sliding an impressive distance.
she groaned and growled, half in anger and half in dizziness as she rolled over to make the frozen ground stop looking like a tilted sky. During these few moments of recollection, she decided that sealskin was a deal seal that the other girl had hunted and skinned or something of the sort. Blinking in an attempt to clear her vision, seeing black spots everywhere, slowly fading into smaller ones. Eilieanora got up and shook her head lightly, flakes of snow and ice falling from the black and white hair.
Wait... she was watching penguins drag away a big grey... leather... skin-ish looking thing... She blinked stupidly for a few moments before coming back to her senses. ...Duh!
"H-Hey! Wait! St-stop!" she crawled towards them. The penguins, naturally, waddled away as she did so, two or three of them still dragging the grey fabric. She growled, annoyed.
"Stupid birds..."
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Faye
Level 1
Posts: 35
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Post by Faye on May 15, 2008 20:46:18 GMT -5
As the Rempa, Eilanor I think she said her name was (I didn't really hear), sped off, I stood dumbfounded for a second. How in the deep abyss of the ocean could she run that fast. It really isn't fair I'll have you know. I was stuck in my human form so I couldn't run that fast.
I sighed. Hitching up my skirt I ran after Eilie. "Wait up!" I called. "I can't run that fast!" But she was already out of earshot. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. As I did I watched the Rempa tripped and slid, snow and sand flying everywhere. I grimaced. That had to have hurt.
I ran in her direction, but she was up off the ground before I could reach her. And she was crawling after penguins. I looked from the penguins, to the girl, to the thing the penguins were dragging, and back to the girl.
Wait! I looked back at the penguins. They were dragging my sealskin away! I let out an excited bark (which sounded suspiciously like a sea-lion's bark) and chased the penguins, my only intent on retrieving my sealskin.
Have you ever chased penguins? Well I found out the penguins are trickier than they appear to be. I launched myself at the vile birds which would be my supper once I had my sealskin back. The penguins waddled the other way. I ran as fast as I could in a skirt and jumped at my sealskin. I landed in the snow, inches away from the sealskin as it was being dragged away. I grabbed the tail and tugged. "Give it back," I growled ferociously, sounding more like a seal than a human. The penguins let go at my growl and waddled off down the beach.
I scooped up my sealskin and cradled it in my arms like it was a precious child. I turned back to the other two. I ran to Eilie first and threw my arms around her neck. "Thank you so much," I cried.
Then I ran to Ohanzee and threw my arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You don't know what this means to me." And with that I burst into tears yet again and buried my face in my sealskin, my happiness just bursting inside me.
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Post by Ohanzee Shawl on May 19, 2008 0:17:06 GMT -5
Ohanzee had followed the Rempa and Selkie after pocketing his jewel. He crested the hill and watched with some amusement as the penguins tried to take the skin away. He shook his head lightly at the antics of the woman. It would have been easier to just kill the annoying birds. But this was no longer his concern. He just wanted to get to the city and out of this accursed region.
It took all of his self control to keep from launching a knife through the throat of the woman when she came to hug him. It took every ounce of patience to not stab her in her kidneys when she hugged him. He forced a smile, remaining as still and refusing to return the hug.
"Can we get to the city now?" the assassin asked darkly, his eyes showing his displeasure.
"And can you...let go?"
He did not like his personal space being disrupted.
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