After getting permission from my “daddy”. We hoped in her nice looking black Cadillac, though I was still annoyed since I had to sit in the backseat. We went from the clean streets to old looking buildings made of tanned brick. A few of the buildings we passed had odd looking artwork painted across them like tattoos, some of these pictures showed men playing instruments like saxophones or trumpets. One was of two women, one wearing a yellow dress, the other a blue one and behind them was the Mexican flag. These two woman as beautiful as queens with red roses in their hair. It almost felt like stepping into a brand new world. Eventually we pulled into the parking lot that belonged to a massive building and while it wasn’t as tall as the skyscrapers of the city. It was long and thick, The Metropolitan Hospital Center.
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The waiting room had the same smell that every hospital in the world seemed to share. The floor was protected by a gray carpet and there were chairs of the same color waiting for us. There were a few people already inside, a woman rocking a crying baby, a man giving a little boy a warning to sit still, another man with his arm in a slung among them. As we walked the receptionist desk, it was amazing how many people here would speak politely to Pastor Brown, and she seemed to know all of their names. “Pastor Brown,” The receptionist greeted in a friendly tone, she was a heavy set woman with a round head and brown hair that clearly was a wig, her skin was light brown and she smelled of chocolatey lotion. “What brings you all the way over this morning?”
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“Trisha Clark, it is always wonderful to see you. I am actually looking for my little charge, Ori Oikawa. Did she happen to come here today to help out?” She asked.
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“Oh yeah, Ori has been here for about an hour now, you know coming to see if she could help out. I think she is on the 4th floor right now, helping out Dr. Stamply.” She said her eyes finally noticed my small frame. “Are you adopting another young lady into your home, Pastor?”
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“I wish I could.” Pastor Brown reached down and pushed me forward a little bit. “This is Samantha Cummings, she and her daddy moved to New York a week ago I think. She was actually looking to help Ori out.”
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I looked up at the large woman and gave her a small bow. “Good morning, Ms. Clark. It is nice to meet you.”
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She let out a sly whistle. “Another polite little girl moving into the neighborhood, hopefully that wears off on some of these worsem ass kids. Just the other day, I saw the twins that live down on fifth acting a fool down near the corner store. Lord forbid I nearly slapped the taste of his mouth.”
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I waited patiently as the two women broke out into a conversation about how bad some of these kids were becoming. Finally they finished and we were allowed to go up to the 4th floor of the building. As we stepped out of the elevator, Aiko, who had been riding on my shoulders for most of the trip, whispered in my ear. “Ivy, she is nearby, I can smell her and that damned dragon.” She hissed in fury.
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“What room?” I whispered back.
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“I can’t tell but I know she is on this floor.”
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“Do not engage with her, give it some time.” I said.
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We walked down the sparklingly clean floor of the hospital, I was starting to understand why she would be on the fourth floor. This floor had the most jepei users I had seen so far, whether it was nurses in teal colored uniforms or doctors in white coats, the families here also had jepei energy. Jepei users could see a regular doctor, but it was something about being treated by someone with our abilities that provided us with a bit more comfort.
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As we walked we saw a woman walk out of a nearby room, she was wearing the usual white coat of a doctor, her hands planted in her pocket as she waved goodbye to whoever was inside. She looked no older than 25, her hair was long and curled at the end, she was taller than most women and had a fit looking frame. Walking beside her was a small teal rhino probably being smaller than it should be to please children inside. She had fair looking skin like creme.
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“Pastor Brown?” She said in surprise but she quickly walked over to hug the older woman. “What brings you down here today?”
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“Dr. Stamply, I am actually here looking for Ori Oikawa.” She motioned towards me. “This one has been looking to help Ori out with something. Samantha this is Dr. Renee Stamply, Renee this is Samantha Cummings she is new to the city.”
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“Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Samantha.” She looked down at me before speaking in Japanese. “I know who you really are, and I suggest you leave.” While her face had a friendly smile, it was her eyes that made me tense up a bit. “Or I will blow your cover right here and now.”
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My eyes grew wide in fear. “Who am I?” I repeated it in Japanese.
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“I am guessing one of the famed Oren.” She answered, turning back to Pastor Brown. “Sorry for leaving you out of the conversation, it is always fun to try out the language I studied for the first two years in college.”
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Pastor Brown was not as clueless as I originally thought she might be. She looked from me back to this doctor. “Alright you two, I have raised enough children to understand that there is something going on between you two.”
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Dr. Stamply let out a sigh for a moment. “Well if I am being honest, that is not a normal little girl. Pastor Brown.” My heart sank into my chest as my blood began to boil. As she said simply. “She is an assassin, an assassin that tried to kill Ori a few nights ago.”
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Pastor Brown looked down in shock at me for a moment and before she could say another world to me. From the room where the doctor had come out of, Ori came out with a smile on her face. “Dr. Stamply I think that-” As soon as she saw me, Ori dropped the towels she was holding and sprinted down the hallway! “Stop it already!” I shouted giving chase ignoring the pastor’s cries for us to stop.
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I was suddenly very glad that I had chosen to wear combat leggings underneath this dress. As in a single smooth motion I took my dress off, and threw it to the side. Ori was way faster than I thought she would be dressed in blue jeans and a v-neck sweater. Her longer strides made her as fast as a horse, not as smooth as the dragon spirit she had. She rounded a corner nearly slamming into a pair of nurses that looked back in confusion. I ducked through them as well and heard the loud bang of a door, turning to my left I saw that a nearby door had slammed shut. I quickly opened the door and saw Ori frantically sprinting down the steps, her feet barely even grazing the next step in front of her. I jumped over the edge and slipped through the small square shaped hole that these stairs made. I used amplification to increase the strength of my legs to cushion my fall. She reached the bottom of these steps quicker than me and ran out the door, I landed a few inches behind her barely missing the back of her sweeter with my hand. I followed her out of the door, ignoring the cries of the receptionist. “Stop all that running!”
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She looked over her shoulder at me and I heard scream. “Leave me alone!” She suddenly took a hard right, and ran right into the street nearly getting hit by a car in the process. That car slammed on the breaks and I heard a loud crash as the car behind it slammed into it. I jumped over the now parked car and watched as Ori made it to the other side of this busy street. I quickly got back on the sidewalk and ran down the street towards her. Pushing through a few people passing by, I occasionally would look sideways to see Ori still running on the opposite side of the street. She seemed used to running through crowds as she twisted and slipped through people without missing a step. “Aiko, be my eyes for a minute, while I find somewhere to cross that won’t cause a stupid pile up!”
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“You might wanna just skip that part.” Aiko said. “Cause she just turned into an alley!”
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I let out a violent swear as I turned to face the street. I was supposed to keep a low profile as an Oren but sometimes had to break the rules. I sprinted into the street hearing the screech of car breaks and more swears, another loud crashing noise from a car slamming into another, and I nearly had a close call with a taxi but I barely managed to get out of the way. I ran into the alley she turned into and watched as she leapt from wall to wall and up onto the roof. I followed suit pushing myself from wall to wall until I finally reached the top of the building. I took a deep breath and for a moment I felt like I was on the top of the city. The buildings rose and fell like hills of mountains, there was no wind thankfully but it was still very cold and the gray clouds were still raining down snow. The rooftops were cold enough that snow was starting to pile up maybe a few centimeters. I had little time to admire this beauty as Ori suddenly appeared in front of me, both of her swords held dangerously close to my throat.
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There was a flash of pink followed by Aiko’s cries of pain as she wrapped around my throat like a scarf and took the brunt of the hit. I felt a surge of pain run through my stomach where she had been hit and I quickly leapt up planting two kicks to her upper chest sending her flying backwards. “Aiko!” I shouted looking down at my serpent with worry in my eyes. Her wound was deep, if she hadn’t done what she did Ori might have cut my head clean off. “Go and rest, I will handle this nonsense.” My dark pink eyes locked onto Ori as rage became my fuel. “I will get her back tenfold for what she did to you!”
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“I’ll be back.” I heard her whisper as she faded away into pink smoke and in her place I summoned just one of my sickles.
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I turned my attention back on Ori who looked almost remorseful in her actions. Her eyes downcast and darker, like two dying silver stars. “Please leave me alone or this time I won’t hold back.” I noticed that her dragon hadn’t come out just yet and that was concerning to me. I didn’t want to get caught off guard like last time.
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“Where is your little dragon?” I questioned resting my sickle on my shoulders.
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“She is not here right now,” Ori said firmly. “I had her go on a little mission for me. Something that you don’t need to know.”
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“Are you lying to me, Ori-Chan?” I asked in a singsong voice.
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“Stop calling me that we are not friends anymore!” She shouted at me. “So you can either call me Oikawa-San or nothing at all!” So I had lost her respect enough to not be allowed to use her first name.
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“How come?” I asked moving towards her in a calm walk mostly just testing the snow underneath my foot. I need to see that it was slippery. “I thought we could be the best of friends.”
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Ori took a few steps backwards. One of her blades held by her side, the other one pointed straight out. “You tricked me, and you worked for her, that is why we are not friends!”
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“Ori-Chan.”
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“Oikawa-san,” she snapped, practically breathing fire like the dragon spirit she had.. “Either call me that or nothing at all!”
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I felt my lips lift into a small smirk. “Make me, Ori-Chan. Though you should probably know that unlike last time, I am actually gonna try. You should be happy you are worth my time now. So you can either give up and we take a ride back to Whitney Dawnbreaker or I drag you back through the streets.”
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Ori looked around our surroundings for a moment. We were on a three story roof top and it was completely empty of obstacles, aside from a small gray shoot that was spitting out columns of smoke. The next rooftop was a jump that any jepei users could easily make so if she wanted to run she could. She looked over at me, and she had a look of confusion on her face that I loved to see. “Fight of flight, Ori-Chan” I called out, drawing her attention back to me. “Are we gonna play rooftop tag or are you gonna try and fight me?”
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Ori didn’t speak, instead she closed her eyes for a moment and she held her chin towards the sky. In that moment I rushed forward in a mix of a run and skate, not giving her a chance to do whatever she was gonna do. Not letting her try and formulate a plan. I slid forward with my sickle held out looking to slice her on the side or stomach. That was when she suddenly opened her eyes. She twisted to the left and in the same motion slammed one of her legs into my back sending me falling forward. I tripped over the edge of the rooftop and screamed as I began to fall down to the ground! Then someone grabbed my hand bringing me to a harsh stop. I looked up and saw that Ori was holding my hand and was staring down at me, her large eyes the only source of true color I had right now. “Aren’t you gonna drop me?” I questioned as my shoulder started to hurt just a bit from her suddenly catching me. In my other hand I had my sickle hanging dragging against the side of the roof. If I could do this right, I could probably take off her hand in one motion.
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She looked so angry right now, her face twisted and red like a toddler ready to throw a tantrum. Almost like her parents had told her to do something that she didn’t want to do. She took a deep breath before letting it out, sending a wave of white frost from her mouth. I don’t know what toothpaste she used but her breath smelled like she had eaten a thousand peppermints. “Meet me at the Brown’s church at nine o'clock this evening, and we will settle this there.”
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My eyes widened for a moment. “What the hell are you talking about?”
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“Meet me at the Brown’s church at nine o’clock this evening and we will settle this there.” She repeated before suddenly letting me go.
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As I was falling I quickly used protection to harden my legs and cushion my fall once more. Landing in a nearby alley in front of a homeless man who looked at me in surprise. I wasted little time jumping back to the top of the roof but it was too late, I could only see her black hair way off in the distance as she leapt from building to building. A moment later Aiko came back to me wrapping herself around my neck like last time. “Where did she go?!” She hissed violently.
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“Don’t worry, we will settle this tonight.” I said, patting her on the side. “We will settle this tonight.”
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“And you are just gonna go without any notion that she might be trying to trap you?” Mr. Benny questioned as we drove from the repair shop he had taken me to. I wanted to get my bike fitted for snow tires.
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“I don’t think she is smart enough to try and trap me. I don’t know what she wants, but what I do know is I have her location and I can finish this. Especially at night when I can poison and drag her body back to Whitney Dawnbreaker.” Mr. Benny let out a heavy sigh. “What is wrong with my plan, what is she gonna do, be waiting for me with the cops?”
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“Maybe she is,” Mr. Benny suggested. “Or perhaps she has more friends, that girl is very kind and don’t you know the phrase kill them with kindness?”
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“Yeah it’s Poppy’s main plan of attack unless someone pisses her off.” We drove by familiar looking houses and I realized that we were near The Brown’s house. “What are we doing over here anyway?”
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“I got a message from that pastor. She was kind enough to collect your missing coat,and the dress that you foolishly left in that hospital.” Mr. Benny then turned his golden eyes onto me, a scolding look appearing in his eyes. “You know evidence with your DNA and fingerprints on it, the one thing your sister Zinnie has killed people to keep out of their hands.” It just occurred to me that I had done that and suddenly I am very grateful to be going here. “I also wanted to give her my personal apology for deceiving her and her family the other night, as well as the information to properly get her daughter the training she needs.”
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“You are kinder than me.”
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“And much smarter.” He lightly teased.
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We eventually pulled into the long street of houses that all looked the same. Mr. Benny pulled into an empty spot. “Stay here, I will be right back.” He stepped out of the car briefly letting in the cool winter breeze. I gazed out of the window, my butler knocked a few times on the door. A moment passed before the door opened and Pastor Brown stepped onto her small porch. They shared a few words with each other, Mr. Benny bowed deeply towards the woman. She gave my butler a plastic bag and he gave her a folder he had been carrying. They spoke for a few minutes, Mr. Benny bowing his head a few times as they spoke. She had to constantly wave her hands. I think she mouthed the words, “please don’t bow.” Than Mr. Benny turned towards our car and began to wave me over his lips mouthing the words, “come here.”
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I sighed before opening the door and stepping out, the snow sadly had stopped and already was starting to melt a bit. I stuck my hands firmly in my pockets before walking up the steps. “You wanted to see me?” I said softly.
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Pastor Brown looked down at me for a moment, her soft brown eyes not as angry looking as I thought they would be. “I wanted to see you face to face, the real you.” She began her voice firm and her mouth locked in a firm line. “Dr. Stamply explained to me who your family is but I wanted to ask you for myself. She seems to think my family is in danger that you will harm us for knowing who you truly are. She called you a monster that will hurt us for knowing your truth.”
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I finally looked up at her fully, as much as I tried to hide it. I felt my lips curled downward as her words hurt me. “I am not a monster.” I whispered. My hand is clutching into tight fists. “
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“She seems to think you are,” Pastor Brown folded her arms over her chest and leaned against her closed door. “The Oren are godless monsters, who will kill families strictly for learning who they are. They can shed their skin to fit whatever face they need to get their mission done. However, I don’t-”
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I didn’t want to hear what she had to say, cause if it was anything like what she had been told… “I am not a monster!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the air. “Whatever that stupid woman told you isn’t true! Not about me!”
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I spun away from them ignoring her cries for me to come back. I nearly slipped off the steps in the process and retreated to the warmth of the car. I slammed the car door so hard that I was worried that it was gonna shatter the window at first. A shuddering breath escaped my lips as I sunk down into my seat. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as that one word echoed in my head. “I am not a monster, nor a manipulator, I just wanted to get this stupid job done.”
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I heard a gentle tap on the glass, glancing up I saw Mr. Benny standing there. “Can you please come back?”
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I stubbornly shook my head. “Get in the car already, take me back to my hotel room!” I shouted back.
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“You're being stubborn, she wasn’t finished.” Mr. Benny said as he tried to open my door but I had it locked. “Come on and let her finish her sentence, she was not trying to hurt your feelings.”
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“Take me home!” I shouted back.
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“Are you gonna let one word define who you are?” Mr. Benny questioned.
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“Take me home already!” I turned towards Mr. Benny and I could feel my tears starting to flow down my face. I ran my arm over my eyes, wiping my tears away as best as I could.
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My butler left my window and I watched him walk up the steps shaking his head a few times. I could see the pastor looking at me with saddened eyes, remorseful eyes, but I didn’t care. Mr. Benny bounded down the steps and a moment later he was in the car and we were pulling away from the house. “She wasn’t.”
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“I don’t care!” I snapped. “Just take me back and don’t talk to me, leave me alone for a bit.”
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“As you wish.”
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I speed down the busy evening streets of New York, barely dodging out of the way of cars. An Oren was never late for a meeting regardless of when it was, but right now I was running late. Once it started snowing, I had Mr. Benny take my bike to a nearby repair shop to get it fitted for snow tires just in case. The repairs took much longer than I thought and now I had three minutes to get to church. I slid into a nearby space and bounded up the stairs of the church. I tried the door and it was unlocked. I took a deep breath and summoned one of my sickles just in case. I slipped into the building, it was slighter colder than usual probably since the stone walls held the chill in more when the heat was off. The only light that was illuminating this building came from the altar and the stage lights that were over it. I was honestly surprised to see Ori sitting under the lights. Dressed in the same clothes she was wearing this morning.
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“Are you just really dumb or something?” I said firmly not in the mood to talk right now. My voice echoed slightly on the walls.
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Ori looked up at me, her back pressed against the altar and a bible spread over her lap. She waited until I was standing on the stairs just before her before saying. “Why are you doing this to me?”
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“Why am I doing this to you?” I stepped a bit closer to her. “I am doing this to you because I was hired to do this. Because you decided to stick your big nose into places it shouldn't be.”
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“Do you even know what is happening or did she not tell you?” Ori asked, looking up at me with tired eyes. “And my nose isn’t big.” 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gfUXp6Zz5
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“She doesn’t need to tell me anything, all she wants is you.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out two files of poison, one a thick purple and the other much thinner almost like water. “I am giving you three choices, either take the file on the left and die, the file on the right and it will put you to sleep while I deliver you to my hirer. Or three, we fight, and I either kill you or bring you back.”
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“So I have three options and all of them lead to one of two places. Not really good choices if I am being honest.” Ori closed her bible before standing up with her hands in front of her. In surrender. Maybe she understood what was happening now and that there was nothing she could do to fix this. “I didn’t come here to fight you, in fact I came here to make you an offer that keeps us both alive.”
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“Why on earth would you do something as stupid as that?” I brought my sickle forward to rest on her shoulder ready to hook her forward if I had too.
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“Because… I need your help.”
ns 15.158.61.23da2
