[Hsin]

“Enough enemies to justify a little caution,” murmured the eldest Zhou brother in the sibilant tongue of the children of Keme. Suspicion had initially inspired the regular casting Astral Transcendence to evade would-be assassins—or troublesome siblings. There were goals in his life transcending the demands of families, and beyond those principles eclipsing even the faith in Torek-Aslan. Hana still possessed the entirety of his mortal devotion, and her ultimate safety was paramount. It would take a brightening or two to convince his shy lover to interact properly with Tsai. The alternate was a particularly painful session of mutual silence.

“There’s a little Kemite store nearby,” suggested Hsin with a half-smile. A portion of mana crafted into a dome of altered Invisibility already enshrouded the siblings. For all practical purposes, the pair had simply disappeared.

~~++====++~~

The Broken Katana catered to the small community of Kemite expatriates. It took only a few moments to secure a low table for Hsin and Tsai. Hsin untied his boots before kneeling on the bamboo mats. Two cups of steaming green tea were duly poured from an earthenware teapot. [color=crimson]“Their rice noodles are excellent, and the fish caught fresh in the North Sea.” The Kemite mystic took a long sip of his amber liquid before proceeding carefully. It was a well-rehearsed lie; but still largely untouched and unneeded. Few caught sight of the diminutive girl, and her generally frigid character prevented most serious inquiries. “I’ve a lover. She worked with druids for a while, but there was an unfortunate accident. She’s been a little shy ever since.” A good lie was like good wine; best used when rationed carefully. He quickly changed the subject. “So why did you come to Nexus, Tsai? As much as you love your older brother, it’s a long trip for a small girl.”