Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20200103013728/@comment-5583506-20200104202446

7 years ago...

It had taken her the entire day to muster up the courage to even approach his front door. Though she had promised Ra'zid that the deed would be carried out within shortly, she had been waiting for too long. She had observed from the rooftops and into Kiro's workshop for hours upon hours, watching the love of her life toil away with his craft.

This couldn't be it, she had thought to herself over and over, thinking that it just had to be some sort of mistake.

Yet nonetheless she found herself outside his house, hearing the distant sound of his father's wood planer. She had tucked away all her weapons in a secret stash at the top of one of the bazaar kings' residence, but had kept her potions. In a dreamlike state she had wandered up to the door and knocked, not knowing just what the hell she was thinking or doing before it was too late and the deed was done.

The sound of the wood planer stopped and footsteps approached from behind the intricately carved wooden door. She tensed up and swallowed hard, feeling the bones in her chest thrumming from within. He was so close. And soon he would see her.

The door slid open and there he stood. He was beautiful. Young, strong, and healthy. The years had indeed been very kind to him. The scrappy look from his childhood years was all but gone and replaced with a muscular frame; the result of constant woodworking and artistry. A triangular smile and a pair of the friendliest eyes she had ever seen met her as she stood before him. He was tall. Even though he was only a year older than herself, he had outgrown her completely, making her feel like a dwarf in comparison.

"Kashya?" he said, recognizing her the very moment he saw her.

As if there could be any mistakes. There was no other Khajiit that quite looked as her. It was like watching a restless ghost that had mistakenly woken up in the middle of the day, mistaking the hour of the wolf for the daily bustling in the market districts.

"N-no ... yes", she stuttered, feeling her lips tremble.

They just stood there and looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, before Kiro all of a sudden broke the tension by stepping forward and embrace her in his strong arms.

She was prepared to claw and to bite, to scratch and to flail to be rid of his grip. She was ready to feel as if every fiber of her body was being impaled by cold thorns. But there was nothing; his hug felt comforting and smooth. It felt so soothing, she let out a small sigh of relief and hugged him back, burying her muzzle deep into his shoulder so that he wouldn't notice her tears.

But he heard her sobs. "Kashya", he said softly. "This one has missed you."

"This one has missed you!" she sobbed loudly, still with her face in his shoulder.

He gently leaned her back to face her, smiling at her. "Kiro can't believe it", he said. "There is just so much that ..." He glanced around at the bypassers. "Well, let's step inside, yes?"

Kashya sniffed and nodded, wiping her tears off on her arm.

Kiro's house and workshop was big, but in a disarray. It was not hard to tell that he had recently moved in to set up shop, as there were still furniture that had yet to put into their proper position. No doubt that Kiro had been the one to personally craft them all. He truly was amazing.

"Sorry about the mess", he said with a sheepish smile. "It's been like this since he moved here from Senchal. This one promised himself that he would have it all in order by tomorrow, but with business blooming he has accepted so many commissions he just hasn't had the time."

Kashya did not know what to say. Finally, after all these years, the only dream she had left to chase was right before her, and she could not get a single word out. She felt like a jester, just standing there, smiling and nodding like an idiot; listening to Kiro's grand plans of how he intended to branch out and accept apprentices and employ secondary workshops. He certainly did not have plans like these as a cub. All he could ever think of back then was how to get himself out of trouble. He certainly had grown.

As he demonstrated the bedframe he had been working on recently, he turned to her. "But what about you, Kashya?" He smiled at her, but she could tell that it was not a smile out of happiness, but more out of sympathy. "This one has heard ... stories."

She turned her head away slightly. "Wh-what have you heard?" she asked anxiously.

"Only rumors", he said unspecifically. "This one was told that you were ..." He sighed heavily. "Given to a ... pleasure house. By your father." There was a long moment of silence. "Is it true?"

Kashya sat down away from him on one of the fine chairs, slowly nodding in confirmation.

Kiro scratched his chin and sighed again. "So it was true", he said lowly. "This one is ... sorry, Kashya. This one is truly sorry."

"For what?"

"That it happened to you. But that's not all." Kiro walked over to a nearby window, breathing out. "When this one first heard the rumors he did not know what it all meant. This one had to ask Ra'zid about such things. And when he learned, he ... he tried to gain access. Tried to get you out of there. But there is only so much you can do when you are a foolish young boy. No strength, no power, no authority. Nothing. Kiro wanted to break you free. He tried day after day to enter that ... that establishment, but he was rejected. He even asked the bouncers about a girl looking like you. And they must have either lied Kiro to his face or maybe they did not know anything about it, but they turned him away nonetheless."

Kashya closed her eyes, trying to keep herself together. To learn that Kiro had been there and more importantly tried to set her free caused her pain.

"He couldn't do it, Kashya", he said. "He failed you." He looked at her. "This one can't begin to imagine what you must have experienced there."

"Stop it", she replied silently.

"Sorry. This one did not mean to drag it up. It speaks for itself." He approached her from behind and embraced her once again. "This one is sorry he could not be there, Kashya."

Again she felt nothing but comfort whenever he embraced her. It was as if all the ache faded and she was cured of all of her memories and nightmares. She returned the hug, desperately clutching onto his arm as if she was afraid that he would disappear for good.

She couldn't help but wonder though ... If Kiro had heard about the rumors of her imprisonment at the brothel, did he also know about the murder of her family? Maybe he did and just refused to believe that she would be capable of such a feat, or maybe he had decided to repress it all together.

He placed a kiss at the top of her forehead. "Kiro does not want you to feel bad anymore", he told her. "Nor does he want to reminisce all the bad things that happened."

He offered her his hand to take, to which she accepted. It was big, strong, and warm.

He offered her a small smile. "This one wants this reunion to be a happy one, so what do you say about us going out?"

Kashya blinked. Had she heard that right? Like a date?

"Y-yes!" she stuttered. "Yes, let's go! Let's go now! Yes!"

She could barely believe herself being so enthusiastic about something so simple, yet there the emotion was, and it felt strange having a positive outlook on anything again. She had almost completely forgotten about the fact that Kiro was still marked for death by Ra'zid, and that if she did not do him in, someone else would. Was there no way around it?

She decided to let her mind run blank and just bask in the fact that she had been re-united with him after such a long time. After that terrible time she had spent in the brothel, and the grotesque murders of her family members, after her unforgiving training, her assassinations and her years of loneliness. Only Kiro was able to make her feel like all of it had gone away, and that she never had to be lonely again.

Kiro smiled and offered her his arm which she clung happily to as they headed out.

The day had transpired faster than she would have liked. They talked for lengths about everything and nothing, yet she couldn't help but feel that Kiro was dodging certain subjects. No doubt that he feared that it would stir some unpleasant memory. He truly was amazing. It was the kind of relationship they had always had. Their minds had always in a way or another been synchronized with Kiro being able to tell a lot about her and her experiences without even asking for details. He could read her as an open book, but that also left her the question as to how much exactly that he did know?

Did he know about her affilliations with the Dark Brotherhood? Did he know about the contract on his head? Did he even know that Ra'zid, his old childhood friend wanted him dead?

She didn't dare to ask, and his silence slowly killed her. It ached her not being able to tell or to ask, but Kiro just rambled on about his daily work and happenings. It was quite pleasant to hear, so she just decided to let it slide and leave the answers to unasked questions ambiguous.

He didn't ask much about her life, almost as if he could tell that the answers were either unpleasant or that they were things that if he knew about them it would most likely sour their relationship. He knew her too well.

The wandered the Corinthe bazaar and he bought them sugar-coated apples. They watched performances from a dancers' troupe in the streets, and a marriage procession between the children of two Clan Mothers. Finally they wandered the nature surrounding the walls of Corinthe and sat down on a grassy hill to rest and watch the sunset. The sun had been beating down on her quite hard today, but being in his company seemed to have a rejuvenating effect on her.

"This one has missed you so much", Kashya purred and affectionately brushed her head against his shoulder, feeling no fear or sense of embarrassment.

Kiro stroke her over the head. "This one has missed you too", he said. His eyes wandered over the turquoise and orange-coated skyline as the burning sun began to set. "There is just something this one wants you to know ..."

He fell into an awkward silence and she could feel he began to tense up.

"Yes?" she said askingly, looking up at him. "What's wrong? Kashya is listening."

He just looked at her and smiled. "Nevermind. Let's head back, shall we? It's getting late."

Kashya's ears drooped. She would have rather stayed like this a little while longer. "Oh, okay."

It didn't take long for the two to head back into Corinthe and by that time the city had fallen into shades of dark vibrant blue, with bright lights all aglow in every window, making the city feel like walking across a dreamlike starry sky in a haze.

Once the two reached his workshop he stopped in the doorway. "Kashya", he began heavily, and she could definitely tell that something was off. Something had been off this whole time, he just didn't want to say it. Had he figured her out? Her reasons for approaching him in the first place? Or was he finally going to confront her about the death of her father and the pregnant Tsavirra?

She blinked. "Yes?" she said, anxiously expecting him to say something that would spoil the mood, albeit it might already have been too late.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "It's ... nothing", he said, turning to her with a small smile. "Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

"Oh ... this one has her sanc ..." She kept quiet. "This one has a place."

He nodded in understanding. "I see."

"B-but ... we could still stay up and talk! The evening is still young, no? And there is so much we have yet to talk about!"

Kiro shifted with discomfort, his eyes scanned the area nervously as if he suspected someone to be listening or watching.

"What's wrong?" Kashya asked, getting a real bad feeling in her gut.

"It's ..." He smacked with his lips. "It's nothing really. Come on in. This one can make us some spiced tea."

Kashya followed eagerly. Not only because she wanted to spend as much time with Kiro as possible now that she had finally found him after all these years, but she was curious about what was ailing him. Something was not right, and he was having a hard time getting the answer out.

They sat down on opposite sides of an elaborately carved wooden table with underlays as they drank the tea. Neither of them were saying particularly much and it vexed her.

"What's wrong?" she asked him again, placing her hand comfortably on top of his own, stroking him with her thumb.

Kiro looked up at her, his gaze wavering. "It's better if ... if you didn't know, Kashya. This one does not want to hurt you."

"Nothing can harm this one", Kashya insisted. "Not after what she has been through. Not after having been re-united with you again."

"You don't understand", he hissed lowly, shaking his head in defiance as if he was struggling with some internal conflict.

Kashya was beginning to get worried. She had never seen him like this before. Not even back when they were cubs and he had received a beating from his father for mischief.

"Then help this one understand", she pleaded. "Please? This one wants to know. This one cares for you, Kiro. This one ... this one loves you."

His eyes were glossy as his gaze met hers again, and remained there for long.

"This one has always loved you", she clarified. "Back when ... back in Senchal, you were all she was thinking of. Hoping that you would one day come to save her. Even if that did not happen, this one is glad that you ... that you tried."

Kiro lowered his head with a sigh of defeat and shame.

"You were the only thing this one could think of that would make her forget, make her ignore all the things that were wrong in her life. The bad blood Kashya's father always ranted about. You were the one who made Kashya believe that there was nothing wrong with her."

"There is nothing wrong with you", Kiro corrected her, his voice filled with desperation. "This ... this one loves you too, Kashya. He always did. Never once did he stop thinking about you; where you had gone and whether you were safe. Kiro was beginning to believe that ... that you had died. And it broke him, Kashya. By S'rendarr, it broke him. He blamed himself for years after your disappearance. Wished that he could have been stronger. He would have broken through those damned doors and taken you home. But now ..."

Kashya had sat completely silent, listening to his reminiscence. Was this what had been bothering him? Or was there something else?

"But now?"

"You show up in front of my door", he said. "Out of nowhere. The love of this one's life. The one whom he was a fool to take for forever missing. This one just doesn't know what to do now."

"What do you mean?" she asked worryingly.

"This one is just confused, Kashya. Confused over the whole situation. This one has been trying to pretend like it was nothing, but now ... he is just confused. He doesn't know what to do from herenow on!"

Kashya did not know what to reply to that, but apparently her lips had already given the answer to him before either of them knew it. A soft smooch placed over his mouth as she had unknowingly reached across the table to kiss him. It had been short and pleasant, and completely unexpected.

He sat there, completely frozen and just looked at her. "Kashya, Kiro is ..."

She shut him up again with another kiss, this time reaching in over the table to wrap her arms around the back of his neck. Her body had out of its own accord begun to climb over the table surface, brushing her cup to the side, and Kiro, not knowing what else to do in this situation responded in kind by wrapping his arms around the small end of her arched back and pulling her closer to him, feverishly kissing her back.

"You talk too much", Kashya sighed, kissing him again. "You always did."

Kiro let out a nervous chuckle. "And you are not talking enough."

"This one will let her actions do the talking."

She ran her hands over his mane and over his shoulder-blades. She felt no pain or discomfort, just a serenity and an indescribably longing.

Kiro pushed himself backwards along the floor surface and away from the table, as his coarse hands found their way to her soft rump where they found a firm grip to lift her up completely, never breaking their kissing.

"You are okay with this?" he panted.

She did not reply, but instead just continued to kiss him, as if that was answer enough. He seemed to take the hint.

She lost track of time and movement as their lips met. All those years of loneliness and her dreams of him washed away with the fact that now she was here in his embrace. And it did not hurt. It was the most wondrous sense of relief she had ever felt, and she wished that the moment could have lasted forever. She couldn't tell how they had gotten up on the second floor to the bedroom, but here they were, and she knew what he wanted. It was the same as she wanted. The thought would have normally nauseated her, made her feel as if her entire body had been crippled, but with Kiro, everything felt the way she supposed it was meant to be. She wanted it desperately. A pleasant warmth had begun to spread somewhere deep down below her belly.

He kissed her all over as he laid her down on the bed: from the lips, to the neck, to the stomach, her hands. His strong hands began to cope a feel at her small breasts and she moaned softly as he did. His eyes met hers for a moment, as if asking for permission to carry on, to which she just nodded.

He began gently to undress her, although there was a restrained eagerness to his mannerisms. It was not hard for her to tell just how much he wanted this. Soon she lay there on her back, completely stripped from head to toe as he caressed her, fondled her, kissed her, and touched her in places that would have otherwise made her scream in panic. Now she let out a whole different kind of noise which seemed to spur him on and he hastily pulled off his shirt.

She examined him with her gaze in awe. His chest was hard and chiseled after years of hard work at his craft. She found him extremely handsome. He then began to unbuckle his breeches, and she was more than curious to see what else he had to show for it. He did not leave her disappointed. Granted she had seen him naked once before as a cub, after having accidentally strolled in to find him bathing along the coasts of Topal Bay, but now he had completely changed.

''He is a man indeed ... ''

He laid himself on top of her, still looking at her as if he expected her to shake her head at him or to make up some excuse to go wherever home was, but she said nothing and instead just pulled him in closer, wrapping her legs around the small end of his back until finally they were joined as one.

Once again time flew as if it had forgotten about its own rules of relativity. He worked her body as thoroughly and as gently as he would have with one of his woodworks. She moaned in pleasure and he grunted her name, feeling her all over, until he finally clenched his teeth together and gave out a triumphant shout as he imparted his warmth to her, finally collapsing on top of her with a sigh of relief.

She brushed her head affectionately against his cheek, listening to his ragged breath. She felt small in comparison to him. She was small, yet he had treated her ever as gently.

He turned his head and kissed her. "Kiro loves you, Kashya", he panted.

"Kashya loves you, Kiro", she responded softly.

It was as if all the years of waiting and longing had resulted in this moment and this moment alone. She had never felt quite as fulfilled before. Maybe dreams did come true?

When she woke up from her slumber she would find Kiro seated on the side of the bed. He had put his breeches back on, even though she would have preferred him undressed and back in bed with her. It was still in the middle of the night, she could tell by the light of Masser and Secunda shining in through his decorated windows.

He had his face buried in the palms of his hands, breathing slowly.

Kashya adjusted herself in bed, pulling the sheet up. She did not know why, she did not mind him seeing her naked again. It was just an instinctive reaction.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked with a dazed smile. "You did not wear yourself out on this one, did you?"

Kiro steadied himself. "This ... this was a mistake, Kashya." She could hear his voice break apart at the end. "This one is so sorry. Kiro is a real bastard, he is. A scum."

She did not know what this was all about. Was it some sort of joke? Kiro had played tricks on her before when they were cubs in which he pretended to be upset and sad, just to have her get close enough to comfort him, and then he would playfully tug at her tail or twist her by the muzzle and burst out laughing as she knocked him over. But he was fully matured now. No games or tricks to be had.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked. "This was not a mistake. This was the most wondrous experience of Kashya's life."

He turned to her with the most sad smile she had ever seen, his eyes reddened after having presumably cried. "This one is happy that you think so, but nevertheless this ... this should not have been. This one made a mistake, Kashya. Forgive him."

"Kashya does not understand. Forgive you for what?"

He shook his head and let out yet another sigh, trying to find his composure. "This one loves you, Kashya. He always had and always will, and yet ... the two of us can never be."

She felt her heart sink in her chest as he said so. No. That wasn't right. How could that be? He loved her and she loved him. How much else was needed? She had not come this far just to have the only dream of her life taken from her. That wasn't fair.

"W-why ... why not?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"This one is already married."

She felt it as if her chest had been pierced with an icicle, straight through her heart and lungs. The entire workings of her chest just seemed to stop. She couldn't breathe, and her heart stopped beating.

"Married?" she said askingly, although it came out more as an accusation.

"This one is sorry", he said, burying his fingers deep into his temples as if he thought he could dig himself out of this situation by disrupting his brain or something. "This one is horrible. He did a horrible thing. To you and to himself."

Kashya said nothing, and instead just let the situation sink in.

"When you ... when you came back, and just stood there by his door. It was as if ..." He was at a loss for words. "Everything just came back to this one. This one had given you up for dead. He thought that you had died. The only girl he ever loved.  And as the years passed and this one grew older he never really wanted to give up on you. And then he met Tsamba again, Ra'zid's old girlfriend, just last year and ... we bonded. We bonded over our childhood memories of Senchal and now she if my wife. She is currently expecting our second cub. This one couldn't just get it off his chest and tell you."

''Tsamba? Last year? Wife? Second cub?''

Kashya imagined that the whole world would just turn into a great black pit at any moment now, in which the Void could swallow her hopes, dreams and desires whole. What was worse was the fact that they had met just last year ... One year. She had been late with one year. Too late...

"This whole move from Senchal was so that we could get more space for when our second child is born", he explained. "And to get better business opportunities for a growing family. They will be arriving tomorrow." He groaned. "Kiro is such a fucking bastard; unfaithful and ruining your expectations."

Kashya had heard enough. This was it. She was done. She had nothing anymore. A love that would never be fulfilled. She couldn't feel anything anymore. It was her own fault, thinking that anything would change. The bad blood had taken its toll once more. Those born, severed from the threads of fate, served no purpose in this life.

She rose up from the bed and began to dress. She couldn't bear to look at him. She bore him no ill will, but there was little purpose in her remaining here. There was nothing for her to gain, there never had been. Her whole existence felt like a game that had been rigged from the very start. She just couldn't win.

"Kashya", he pleaded. "Talk to this one. This one does not want us to separate as enemies."

"You are no enemy of this one", she replied, her voice suddenly all cold and collected. "Neither are you a friend. You are nothing but a memory to this one now."

"Kashya", he lamented again. "This one is sorry. It ... wasn't meant for to go this far, but when you started kissing this one it just ... He just ..." He struggled to find the words again. "It was as if all those lost opportunities had been made reality. And he knew you wanted it too."

"This one wanted you", she said.

He nodded in understanding. "Kiro knows. He knows that too well. He wanted you. He still wants you, but now ... He has just made a mess of things. He is happily married to Tsamba now, and we have a girl. This one named her Kashya, in memory of you. Tsamba was hesitant, but when this one told everything about you she relented and we ..."

Her gaze was ice cold as she met his and swiftly shut him down.

"Kashya, please", he pleaded. "Don't leave. Maybe ... maybe things can work out somehow? We can still be friends, yes? You can come and visit us anytime you like!"

Kashya looked him over as she was completely dressed. She shook her head. "This one thinks not, Kiro. Kashya thinks it's better for the two of us if you only remain a memory to her now." She approached the bedroom window, gazing out at the full moons. "And that she remains a memory to you as well. Kashya died in Senchal. You never found her again. Remember that. Farewell, Kiro."

She eloped through the window and ran with the shadows and the wind as he heard a distraught Kiro shout her name in desperation from somewhere in the distance. His cries were full of sadness and regret, but her mind had already settled on the idea that this was the end of the line. There would be no turning back from here. Whoever the girl was that had fallen in love with Kiro had died back in Senchal, never living to fulfill the desires in her life.

She had just come to accept the fact that there was no place in the world now that the only desire that had kept her alive had been taken from her.

Ra'zid awaited the assassin patiently in the darkness of his home, with only a single candle lit to signal her to an invitation. When she finally arrived it was impossible for him to tell just how many tears that had been shed that night.

"Well?" he said eagerly. "Did you fix him yet? This one can barely wait!"

Kashya just shook her head in defiance. "This one has not."

"Pfft!" Ra'zid hissed. "Typical. Useless. What good are you if you can't follow a simple instruction? This one wants Kiro dead! He robbed this one of everything. He stole this one's future! He stole this one's business! Even ... even Tsamba left Ra'zid for him!"

Kashya had already figured that to be the case. The moment Kiro had mentioned that his wife was Tsamba, it had shed some new light on the whole assignment. This wasn't just a typical assassination in which Ra'zid wanted to get rid off his childhood friend for the sake of competition. This was about vengeance.

"This one has lost everything", Ra'zid lamented.

"This one knows how you feel", Kashya replied monotonously, surprised over the lack of empathy in her own voice. Just a few hours ago she had been radiant with joy and with pleasure, feeling just as young and carefree as the cub that had played with Kiro back in Senchal, but now ... she hardly recognized herself. She was no one. But if she wasn't Kashya, then who was she?

"How could you possibly?!" Ra'zid spat. "You don't know anything about it. You are a cold-blooded killer. Stick to what you know instead."

"This one understands. She still won't do it."

Ra'zid frowned. "Then this one guesses that he will have to find another of your nasty companions who will."

Kashya steadily and slowly approached her former bully. "This one is afraid she cannot allow that."

As day came to Corinthe, Kashya had reclaimed her weapons from the bazaar king's residence and had spent some time watching Kiro's home from afar, coming to some sense of closure. She could watch from the rooftops how a chariot stopped on the streets just outside his workshop and how a pregnant Tsamba stepped out with a cub over her shoulder. A cub named Kashya. Kiro headed out to greet them, putting on his best smile to hide the fact that he more likely had been crying in utter devastation up until now. He warmly embraced his family and guided them inside, only stopping for a brief moment as his eyes wandered over the rooftops to spot a familiar figure.

The moment their sad eyes met for the last time, Kashya crept away and out of his life for good.

Celtian waited in his dark chambers, filling out some documents in the vague light of a candlestick, by the time Kashya returned. He didn't acknowledge her presence, but instead just kept writing.

"So, how was your assignment?" he asked.

"It is finished."

She left the pouch of gold received from Ra'zid on the desk where Celtian sat. The Breton efficiently opened the pouch and counted the coin. "It all seems to be in order. Good work, Kashya."

She gave him a dignified bow and started to withdraw, but not before Celtian interrupted her.

"It is strange though, don't you think?"

"What is?" she asked.

"Well, that the client hanged himself?" Celtian pointed out. "Granted, the man may have been unstable considering the circumstances of his request. I mean, he did want to kill his old childhood friend, and business wasn't exactly blooming. I just find it odd that shortly after he asks for our services he ends his own life. The man had performed the Black Sacrament and everything, he seemed pretty determined."

"He left a suicide note", Kashya said.

"So I have been told from sources", Celtian nodded. "In it he states that he was truly unhappy and had come to terms that he was a horrible man for wanting his old friend dead, and so decided to end himself."

"This one fails to see how it can be considered strange?"

Celtian sharpened his gaze, but nonchalantly just dismissed her with a wave of his quill. "You are right. A disturbed client killing himself shortly after clarifying his contract isn't really anything new."

Kashya nodded. "And what about his request? Will the mark still be ..."

Celtian shrugged. "No, I don't think so. The suicide note stated that the client regretted his actions and wanted no harm done to him after all. Even though the Black Sacrament was performed, Sithis would happily accept the client as his offering instead. And we still got paid for the trouble. So there is no need in pursuing the client's mark, unless you are feeling up for some sport."

She shook her head. "This one has had enough sport for now."

"Fair enough", Celtian smiled. "You are dismissed."

Kashya bowed again, but as soon as her back was turned and she was ready to exit the chambers she heard Celtian again.

"Oh, and Kashya?"

She turned around to find him smiling at her, but his eyes were not smiling. They pierced her with the cold intensity of dagger tips.

"Do not betray us again", he said calmly, never blinking. "Ever."

Kashya gave Celtian a short bow again and headed out.

He knew. They always knew...