[attr="class","ashni-stars"] ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

[attr="class","ashni-textbox"]it is not rare for kasimir to receive a mission assigned specifically to him. not quite common, per say, but it is certainly not particularly out of the ordinary. indeed, he suspects all assassins and such witches with more illegal skills have a disproportionate number of assigned missions as compared to a normal witch. [break][break]

what is rare, however, is to receive a summons instead of the mission directly, rarer still is the rank ( master? he has barely processed his promotion to adept, let alone higher ranks ); what is definite cause for concern ( or something of the sort, ten magnitudes stronger ) is the fact that he is being directed to the door of the infamous riley. [break][break]

he is entirely justified, he thinks, in hesitating apprehensively at the closed door, a small part of him tempted to simply... fail to appear, pretend he never received the notice, run away to live as a hermit in the woods. some days, the honest desire to disavow civilisation altogether is far too tempting. [break][break]

"come in," demands riley, sounding like she would rather he did anything but enter, and he has no choice but to obey. it feels a little like he is walking into the deathly cold of a boneyard, towards a slow and gruesome demise. a rapid glance around the room does nothing is dissuade such an impression.[break][break]

he is careful not to let his discomfort show in any way though, keeping his face and body language painstakingly blank and neutral underneath riley's cold eyes. distant, like he is an outside observer encased within a room of flesh and sinew and bone rather than a person present in his own right. she speaks to him in clipped words, throwing in a barb completely unsubtle even were it not the cutting tone; overall, he gets the impression that she likes him even less than he likes her. which, considering he has not done anything to her, is rather impressive.[break][break]

it makes him feel a little better, oddly enough. [break][break]

( it probably should not, considering she is a master assassin, but kasimir has never claimed to be smart )[break][break]

unfortunately for both of them, the choice she presents to him only has one right answer, for as much as it pretends to have two. he steps inside fully, closing the door behind him; his face blankblankblank like there is no shred of personality left within this shell of a person. he considers what little he knows of her, from the fleeting impressions at the silverwing gala. and bows, extremely formal in a way he is fairly certain irritates her. "ma'am," he says, continuing along the same vein. "how might this one be of service?"[break][break]

'you should stop antagonising the master assassin. you know, the one that already dislikes us?' kirjava comments idly, watching through his eyes. but she sounds more like she is commenting on the weather than on their future health and safety; but she knows better than anyone ( even himself ) the core of rebellion burning in their chest that refuses to go out.

[attr="class","ashni-tags"] @ fall[break]
# it's been a small forever, sorry