"Heard a funny joke once" I respond back without skipping a beat.
I didn't hear, smell or feel him coming.
The small pulses of mana I habitually send were useless.
I only felt him after he spoke.
'Was he always there'? I ask myself after factoring in my chances of hitting the door before shit hits the array.
There is no running.
Not from him.
Not from Pookie.
I remember the way Fior died.
She didn't even know she got gutted, and he was right in front of her.
We look at each other, both of us not saying a word for some time.
I don't know what he is looking for, but I don't break eye contact for a moment.
The silence sounds like a rising crescendo.
My finger twitches, going for the blade at my hip.
"Son" he says gruffly while stepping forward and leaning on the stable door.
"I've made a life out of reading peoples faces and figuring out their next move by the shift of their eyes".
