Two years later...

*Tic*

*Toc*

*Tic*

Two minutes.

Is it enough?

I glance at the intricate little watch on my wrist. It more or less resembles an ornate version of what we used to tell time on Earth, before cellphones anyway. However, in this world, it cost a fortune, even with all the money I've accumulated from my business ventures this past year, I winced when I handed over the sack of gold. If Glacia hadn't put me in contact with one of her old classmates from the University, I doubt even money would have been enough. Maybe I can replicate the mechanics with magic. Need to investigate when I get the time...speaking of time...now should be good, right? There's no one around...okay!

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

[Muddy Stone of My Endurance, Move Forth-Meld]

...

...

...

It's set. Should I make it bigger?

No...it might attract too much attention.

*Tap*

My feet on the slippery shingled roof almost slip. Though I've been training religiously with Meera this past year, it's slow going, getting my body to regain a lifetime of training after the healing. Did I really miss the best time to train as a warrior? One quick glance up at the sky. Pretty. The silvery-blue moon stares down at me like an all-knowing eye. It's bigger in this world than the one in my last life. Brighter and fluorescent, almost unnaturally so. A pang of worry comes over me as I think of Merekeep's so-called Omniscient Guard. Their famed ability to react to any threat has kept the peace in the cutthroat City of Assassins for many years. Tonight, I'll put their reputation to the test!

*Tic*

A mental countdown starts in my head, staring at the orbit of the moon. It hangs low in the sky. Once it reaches the highest point, my surprise 'gift' to the inhabitants of Merekeep will unwrap itself.

Time to get going.

Stepping spryly off the top of the slanted roof, I jump down from the pagoda onto the street. Merekeep seems to have an almost oriental style, reminding me of some of the ancient cities in Asia I once visited during my travels. Another life, another dream, yet I still can't help but wonder if some of the architectural themes are a little bit too similar to be a coincidence. How can they be the same though? This place seems a bit too different to be a parallel world. But I mean look at the palace? It can't be a coincidence, right?

My eyes wander across the nighttime city skyline to the large, expansive palace which towers over all of Merekeep. It's practically feudal like the Emperor of China or Japan might live inside. This is an Earth historian's wet dream...if I showed it to one of those old guys on the history channel, they'd definitely freak out...right? Still, I've been to the Forbidden City and it didn't look quite like this. No, it looks similar, but it's different. Just a quirk of time or space? Or maybe all human civilizations end up creating something like this? No that can't be right. And it's not like Sines or Tosa looked particular familiar. It's only here...at Merekeep. Another thing, the architecture definitely looks oriental, but the people...they're definitely not like the ones on Earth. Almost like a mix...what is this place?

*Tap Tap*

Traversing back alleyways and sprinting down a preplanned route, I make my way through the city in the dead of night with my mask on. After tonight, the Midnight Roc will be like a second face to me, when I'm up to no good. I think I understand why the Rainstoppers always put on their masks. It's like I can be whoever I want to be if no one can see my face. Still, I should hurry. It wouldn't be good to be seen, even with this on. Luckily, wearing a mask in the City of Assassins is hardly uncommon. Half of the inhabitants in Merekeep probably have their face covered at any given time, and the other half don't care. It'd be troublesome if someone managed to link my public face to my activities at night though.

*Tic*

*Toc*

*Tic*

Heart beating fast. Breath coming a little heavy. This body is strong enough to jump from the streets to the low rooftops without magic. Elina tried to beat the Rainstopper ways back into me after the healing, but it wasn't quite the same as Romy. She held back. Steadying my breathing, I hang onto a totem pole atop one of the shops of Merekeep. A tusked oxen-like creature is carved into the wood, one I don't recognize. This whole city is packed to the brim with different free assassin clans, and each of them has their own symbol. I can't be bothered to remember them all. A few more turns and then we're back. I hope the spell holds up in reality as well as it did during testing. If it releases early...

*Tic*

*Toc*

Another quick drop into the dark alleyway. Main streets successfully avoided. Security has been heightened, but by scanning ahead with Foresight, it's been child's play so far to avoid the Omniscient Guard. Despite their vaunted reputation, they can't actually watch every street in Merekeep. I shouldn't get cocky. Their advantage is in their response time. Once one is alerted, they all know. Gotta get off the streets. Up ahead, I take a left and see the backdoor to the shop. Checking the timepiece strapped to my wrist one last time, I let out a little laugh as I take off my mask and knock. Perfect. A little late, but no one will be able to tell I was gone.

"Boss, you're back?" a voice answers from behind the thick metal door.

"Meera...we talked about this!" I irritably reply, "Don't just assume it's me! Remember the handbook!"

"Oh, right! Errr, what's the password?" Meera says embarrassedly, "That's what you wanted right?"

"Good enough..." Glancing around the dark alleyway, there's no one around. But this is Merekeep. You never know who might be watching in the shadows. Standing in the light is dangerous in this city. I see nothing as I knew I would. My Foresight is still active so I'm just following the script at the moment. Sighing, I give the password, "Whatever, an albatross knows no home! Now let me in!"

*Creak*

"Welcome home, Boss!"

Rolling my eyes as Meera opens the thick door, I stride inside like I own the place. Which I do. Well, technically, the Rainstopper Sect paid for it with their treasury, but its under my name so whatever. Only my first name though of course. I'm not dumb enough to use my family name in the enemy's stronghold. Taking a look around, I breathe deeply, taking in the delicious aroma of the shop. This is the back entrance, which means we're in the basement. Which happens to be where a good amount of our stock is. Smiling, I reach over and smack Meera's hand away from one of the more expensive samples of product, a roughly circular pale-yellow block which resembles a wheel. Looking carefully, I see signs that she's already been working on my product. There are suspicious stains on her sleeves and crumbs on her lips. She gives me a bright one-eyed smile while pretending to stretch, rubbing her back against the wall. Waving her 'hurt' hand in front of me, she reaches behind herself with the other and pushes something deeper into her back pocket when she thinks I'm not looking. Why did I design the uniforms to have useful pockets? Clearly, I should have made them smaller so they can't hide anything.

"Meera...that's for the customers!" I growl as she pretends to nurse her hand. She's faking of course. I probably shouldn't have made the female employee outfits so revealing. Lately, Meera's been taking advantage of the low cut on the dresses to try and act cute. I'm not sure who she thinks she's fooling, considering I saw how good she is at deception during the Trials, but I suppose I don't mind. It keeps things interesting. All those bosses on Earth, dealing with their employees. My heart goes out to them. At least if things go wrong here, I can do whatever I want to keep them in line. Worker's rights? Hah! Only if I feel like inventing them! Wait, if you think about it wasn't the Rainstopper Council basically a union? And I dismantled it so...heh.

"But, B-o-s-s...! It was my birthday last week!" Meera moans in mock dismay, closing her one good eye. Her black eyepatch still has a cute heart on it, for some reason she refuses to change it to something less flashy. A few years older than me, she's filled out to what will probably be her full adult size pretty soon. The girl's gotta be what? Sixteen or so by now? Making her eyes as big as possible, she gets in close, puffing out her chest. I have to admit, compared to the first time I saw this move, it's a bit more impressive. No wait, if I'm fifteen, then that makes her...eighteen?! Already? When did that happen! Meera smiles coyly, her eyepatch making her look like a maid cosplaying as a pirate while she complains, "And you didn't remember at all! Can't I just have one piece?"

"Tch...maybe if you remembered the rules in the handbook, I'd consider giving you an employee of the month reward or something..." I mutter to myself. She presses closer, her playful smile widening. Carefully, she invades my personal space bit by bit. While I've grown taller than her these last few years, it certainly doesn't feel like it right now.

"You remember how I stole your badge during the trials, Boss?" Meera licks her lips. "You leave me all alone with only those Demi-Cats for company...sometimes a girl has urges. Imagine if I didn't satisfy them, what could happen? For instance, I might just slip up when interacting with the customers and give away free samples-"

"Fine, take what you want, but only ONE wedge from the expensive wheels!" I concede she has a point but make sure to draw my line in the sand. My fifteen-year-old body may be weak, but fortunately, my mind is not. However...now that I think about it, I suppose she has been doing a good job of keeping the other employees in line. And I did forget her birthday. Shaking my head, I gesture at the storeroom. "And no free samples! This isn't a charity! Every copper you waste is coming out of our treasury!"

"Thanks, Boss! You're the best!" Meera wastes no time pulling out one of her daggers and going to town on my merchandise. With a gleeful expression, she squats down by a nearby wheel of sheep's milk cheese and uses her dastardly Rainstopper techniques for a purpose that probably shames her ancestors. In no time at all, the thick wheel is divided into thirty-two perfect sections. As her Secthead, I'm honestly a little bit embarrassed by the lack of decorum showed by my employee. She is so lucky that she's never known lactose intolerance. Damn...I didn't expect that even non-Demi-Humans would love fancy cheese this much. It really is dangerous...

*Shing*

*Shing*

*Crunch*

"Ahhh this is amazing! Boss, how do you make it so g-o-o-o-d?!"

"If you get your uniform dirty, wash it yourself!" I strut out of the backroom. It's a miracle any of the product manages to make it to the display case. Between Meera and all the other girls...I knew cheese was more addictive than cocaine, but I didn't expect Earth recipes to be this loved by the uncultured inhabitants of this world. Kisa and Nya actually quit those really addictive Demi-Berries just so I wouldn't cut them off. Frick, did I make a mistake, maybe I shouldn't have made it this good?

"H-Hi, Master!"

"Hey there, Master!"

What the...speak of the devil. Why are you outside...?

My eyes widen. The twin Demi-Cat slave girls I bought to help run the front of the shop are standing just outside the doorway to the storeroom. One tall and one small, a pair of sisters. The slaver who sold them to me neglected to mention that both of them were more or less useless for anything except...questionable purposes...because he'd fed them so many psychoactive Demi-Berries. Most Demi-Berry addicts can't think clearly so I ended up freeing them and sending them away with a bento-box of the product to avoid having to feed and house them. To my surprise, they came back the next morning promising to get clean so long as I gave them more of what was in the bento-box. Meera didn't think Demi-Berry addicts could quit, but... they're still here, a year later. And despite my gracious offer of steady employment and regular cheese platters paychecks, they're still extorting their boss for more. You know I could just turn you out on the street and they'd have you back in chains by the end of the month, right? This is Merekeep...Demi's like you that can't defend yourselves have no rights here.

"You two want a taste too, don't you?" I sigh, already seeing where this is going, even without Foresight. My two greedy receptionists nod furiously, their fuzzy cat ears twitching.

"Pleeease?"

"We just heard you telling Meera she could have some so we thought...?"

You know, she had to sexually harass me work hard for that cheese, right? You think you're just going to mooch off of her birthday for free?

"What are this month's sales like?" I ask as if I'm thinking of saying no. It seems that these two Demi-Cats aren't like Natalia. I'm not sure if it's because they weren't exposed to my cultured ways at a young age, or maybe it's just the lifetime of slavery, but they don't really learn that fast, not even the older sister. Simple, I suppose you could say. But absolutely loyal. Meera may consider me a messiah, but to Kisa and Nya, I actually am the one who freed them from chains. So many tears when I broke the shackles off, it's almost enough to make me feel like playing at being a hero. Hah! Like that's going to happen!

"Well..." Kisa, is a hard-working Demi-Cat, about eighteen I think, with emerald green eyes and black stripes in her tawny hair. One of her dark ears twitches pensively as she thinks. The main weakness of having Demi-Cats as employees, besides the fact that some of my product mysteriously disappears each month, is that they're not very good at math. I make sure to have Meera supervise important transactions to avoid any errors. "I-I think...they're up two...no carry the zero...3...no that's still not right, it's...IT'S four hundred percent!"

"Yes! That's right, four hundred percent!" Nya, is a skinny Demi-Cat girl, twelve years old, who shares Kisa's dazzling emerald eyes, but has white stripes in her tawny hair. Though she's clumsy as all hell, she does her best to help her older sister with the shop and together they usually manage to do alright. You have no idea, do you? You're just hoping that your sister's right!

Still though...four hundred percent? That's pretty freaking good right?

"Well, I suppose...we can afford to celebrate then. Okay, go in. But don't eat too much-"

"Sure thing, Boss!" Nya immediately runs into the storeroom before I can finish. She's just a kid so it's no surprise. You could at least wait until I'm done explaining the rules...I guess it's my fault for making the damn stuff too addictive. The older sister, Kisa, she stops and steps in. Abruptly, I'm enveloped in a surprise hug.

"Thank you for being kind to us. You know, if you need a maid..." She whispers in my ear, "I'd be honoured to serve a Master such as yourself-"

"Errr, nope, already got one, thanks!" I reply, thinking of what Natalia would do if she saw this. Good thing I left her in Merekeep. Or I'd have to find a new cashier. "You can go have some cheese now. Only one of the expensive-"

"One of the expensive blocks, I know." Kisa sighs. "But, Master Myrr, please be careful. At the very least, I could help guard you at night. Demi-Cat senses are quite strong. And none of us want you to suffer alone through those nightmares-"

Damn they can hear me?

"Kisa! Please, just go enjoy some cheese...okay?" I open and hold the storeroom door for her. The Demi-Cat's nose and ears twitch as the sounds and smell of two hungry girls ravaging my best products spills out. "It's fine. You and Nya are meeting my expectations. I won't turn you away provided you keep it up. No need to do any more. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, Master!" she bows deeply at the waist, hiking up her skirt into a proper curtsy. "Thank you very much for the praise!" Kisa disappears through the storeroom door and I'm left alone outside. Is meeting expectations really considered praise? Ehh, whatever, I should treat them. After all, they're loyal employees who have just as much reason to hate Merekeep as I do. When did I become such a scrooge? I suppose growing up without a credit card in this life has really changed my outlook on money.

After she leaves, I let out a little smile. Even factoring in how bad Kisa is at doing math, I'm pretty sure we must have made a huge profit this month. Whistling, I stride out into the front of the store. Instantly, my smug smile gets bigger. In front of me, there's a countertop where we make sales. All throughout the floor, there are various half-open cheese wheels and pre-cut wedges filling the shop with a delicious aroma. And then for the expensive stuff, there's a big glass display case that goes all around the backwall and sides of the shop. I make sure to cast Chill on it frequently to keep my premium goods from spoiling. Amongst the upper-class of Merekeep, currently, it's become all the rage to have a block of Myrr's specialty cheese at their dinner parties. The wait list for my newest seasonal line is so long I had to restrict it to VIP customers only. Slowly, I pace along the back case, enjoying the smooth and cool refrigerated feel of the glass on my fingertips. Mmm, where'd I leave it?

Quietly, I reach into the expensive display case while turning on my Foresight for a second to make sure I'm warned if anyone is going to come in. Having designed each and every recipe, from the replica string cheese with basil-like herbs, to the creamy look-a-like burrata, I'm intimately familiar with all my products. It took me years, having Elina hunt for the necessary herbs and animals to recreate Earth's greatest recipes, not to mention several shakedowns negotiations with this world's cheese vendors to get the tools, but by Yuel, we got it done. And it was so worth it. Ahah, here it is! My fingers push aside one of the pyramids of expensive chilled brie, to find a small hidden wheel in the back, already sliced. I've been saving you! Gently, ever so gently, I remove a single triangular wedge and then replace the brie in front of what's left. My tongue is already salivating at the thought of tasting this. Hehehe, I had just enough left of those truffles Elina found to make one wheel of premium, A grade, Moliterno al Tartufo. Sheep's milk cheese with truffles, the number one rated cheese on Earth back then. God help me if the girls find it.

*Nom*

"Ahhh, truly the best!" I murmur into the quiet night. "If only you were here to enjoy this with me, Natalia!" Going over to one of the custom comfy chairs I keep behind the counter, I take a seat. Naturally, the girls aren't allowed to sit while working, but based on how deeply the seat is sagging, I'd say Meera has been taking liberties as Manager. Another bite, I recline, looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, a thought occurs to me. Looking at my watch, I chew slowly, savoring each crumbly bit as it melts in my mouth. "Almost time."

*Tic*

*Toc*

*Tic*

Damn this is nerve-wracking. My hands are actually shaking. Well, I could try that too, right? Might calm me down a bit.

Clenching my hand into a fist, I stand up with the precious Tartufo cheese and walk over to another section of the refrigerated display case. Popping it open, I reach inside and pull out a small bottle. Opening the cap, I take a sniff. The pungent berry-like odor of my home-made red wine starts to waft out. It's not quite ready yet, but I think it will do. Quietly, I go back to my seat with wine and cheese in hand. Heh, next time I see Mark, I'll treat him to a world class experience and show him the shop...and the girls. Errr actually scratch that, maybe just the shop. I forgot that Romy isn't as forgiving as Elina. She might kill him if his eyes stray.

*Sip*

*Tic*

*Toc*

*Tic*

Another glance at my watch. It's tempting to have more wine, but I'm careful not to drink too much. Wouldn't want to potentially damage my brain while it's growing. And besides, the recipe isn't quite right yet. Still enough to give me a bit of a buzz though. A few more minutes. And then it's time. Do you think I'll be able to see it from here? Hmm...maybe...one more bite-

*Nom*

*Tic*

*Toc-*

*Knock*

What?

I stand up with a startle, still holding the wine and cheese. My Foresight stretches into the future at full power. Like a horror movie, the unexpected knock makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Carefully, I tuck the rest of the cheese into my pocket and draw Mephis's dagger, while sliding towards the front door. Everyone in Merekeep knows our business hours at this point. No one should be outside. Unless they followed me...

But why knock then?

Easing forwards carefully so the floor doesn't creek and give away my position, I head towards the door, a bottle of wine in one hand, a dagger in the other. My head feels slightly heavy with blood as the booze expands my blood vessels. Suddenly, I realize that maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to drink tonight. The breath in my lungs comes faster than I'd like, as I stab at the future, trying to tease out the mystery of who's at the door. When I'm just behind the handle, I envision tugging it open and revealing the truth. At the sight of who's on the other side, my face twitches. Really? It's you?

*Click*

Smoothly, I yank on the door, my fears abating somewhat. I feel silly getting worked up over this idiot. As the well-oiled hinges swing open, I'm already working out what to say. Outside, there's a man. Well to be more accurate, a Demi-Rat. No relation to any of my current employees, although I did buy him from the same scumbag dealer as Kisa and Nya. Unfortunately, I discovered that unlike Demi-Cat's, their cousins, Demi-Rats, are all but untrainable. At least this one is.

"Jero, what do you want?" I sigh. Raking him with my eyes without much interest, I see a flee-bitten coat with several holes, some of them freshly patched. His pants are much the same, barely worth calling trousers with so many tears. Narrowing my eyes for a second, I see that his hands are still twitching, and his eyes are just a tad too big, even for this time of night. Tch...he's still an addict. Kisa must be helping him. There's no way this idiot knows how to sew. I told her to turn him away...we're going to need to talk about this tomorrow.

"P-Please! Sir, Master!" Jero's nose is just a tiny bit too long, like a real rat. His ears look pretty mangy. I gave him a chance to work at one of my shops, but he couldn't get clean. The Demi-Rat's dirty hands shoot out towards me, but I smoothly dodge, leaning back and shoving the door in the way of his hands. "Please! Just let me taste it! I need it!"

Really...is one addiction not enough? You had to get addicted to my product as well?

"No. Unless you have money. And even if you did...the shop is closed. Leave!" I tell him. Unfortunately, this only makes Jero more desperate. His beady eyes latch onto me through the gap between the door and the frame, and he shoves his fingers inside so I'll have to chop them off if I want to shut it. Shaking my head, I show him the dagger in my hand and he stumbles backwards in terror. "You're useless to me like this. And if there's one thing I can't abide, it's a freeloader. I freed you...so get...OUT!"

"M-Master! Please, just a taste! A little nibble!" he keeps trying even while backing away. I'll give the bastard one thing...he's persistent. However, I wouldn't trust him for a minute alone with the product. "I'll do anything-!"

*Tic*

*Toc*

Goddamit, it's almost time. I can't...hold on...what the hell was that?!

A shadow on my fate, something catches my attention. My vision scrambles down the future as I catch a glimpse. It's not much...just a face...or a mask. Someone watching me far and away at the corner of the street. I try to pry deeper into fate's mysteries only for something strange to happen. Huh? Before I can react, the future shatters and white lights explode as my vision doubles and triples. Damnit! Was it the wine? Again? Staggering, I lock my spine straight, realizing that Jero is still in front of me. Snarling, I drop the bottle of half-finished wine. It shatters on the ground as I reach into my pocket. It's a damn waste but I need to get rid of him.

*Kacha*

"Take it!" Removing the last bite of my best Moliterno al Tartufo cheese, I hold it out to him with a shaky palm. "And get out my sight! If you come here again, I'll skin you!"

"Master? Is something wrong...yes! YES! Thank you!" For a second, concern clouds his voice, but as soon as the concentrated scent of truffle cheese hits his Demi-Rat nostrils, it's all wiped away by greed. Dirty claws brush against my hand and snatch away the last bite. Within seconds, he's sprinting away, terrified that I'll take it back from him. "Thank you! I'll tell everyone how generous you are, Master!"

"Please don't...I have enough idiots as it is." I murmur as his footsteps disappear down an alleyway on my right. However, I'm already turning towards the shadows on my left. There's nothing there, and every time I try to reach into the future, I'm met by a wall of static. It washes over my eyes, crackling and fuzzy. Even my ears are hot and feverish, I can't hear the future. Just a slight whooshing as if someone's dragging a tinfoil blanket over my head. However, even if I'm blind to the future now, I still know what I saw. Carefully, I ready my newly freed hand for magic, trying to remember the words over my fresh headache. Bloody waste of fine wine. "I know you're there! Don't bother trying to hide!"

...

...

*Clap*

*Clap*

"Hehe...you saw me, did you?" A figure appears from the dark streets. Masked, it's not an animal, but instead a blank white smiley face. Unlike the Rainstoppers, many of the assassin clans of Merekeep don't necessarily choose animals for their masks. Wearing a dark black trench coat, so long it's almost a cape, the man, I think it's a man anyway, approaches. He's taller than me, with short midnight-black hair, slicked back. As he approaches, I repeatedly try to grab onto the future only to find it falling apart. The knowledge that it's almost time for my spell to activate distracts me as I silently prepare several magical incantations in my head. Who is this guy? He keeps getting closer, stopping a few steps away and regarding me. Behind his white mask, I can just barely see the pupils of his eyes through the tiny holes. I can't even tell what color his eyes are. Maybe brown? My unexpected visitor stops clapping his black gloves together and smiles. Or at least, I think he does. I can't see his face, but after spending so long with Elina, I've learned to read people's expressions behind masks. Chuckling softly, he continues, "Not a bad idea, forgoing teleportation magic to escape on foot. Makes magic tracking useless. But I didn't expect you to be so careless." He nods towards the broken bottle of red wine bleeding out on my doorstep. "Letting down your guard so early?"

Magic tracking? What's he talking about?

"Who are you?" I ask a simple question in reply. Unfortunately, answers are rarely so simple. "The shop is closed. Please leave!"

"Ha...haha!" A spine-chilling laugh causes me to pause. The tall figure points at me, and behind his blank face I'm certain he's smirking. "I don't believe it. Imagine, I was just out tonight...enjoying a stroll underneath this beautiful moon, and I see someone skulking about the Derivuchi Clan's dormitories. So, I decide to investigate and what do I find? A contraption...something which causes the hairs on my neck to rise. What is it? An orb of ice and earth? Stinking of so much mana that I almost felt the urge to run away right then and there. I've never seen it's like before...except perhaps in the elven artifacts. I'm curious. It was well hidden. So, I turn back. Follow someone who I think is up to no good. And what do I find? Is it some devious enemy of the Derivuchi Clan? Some saboteur or spy? No...instead, it's the genius cheesemaker, himself! A bloody teenager! Happy to make your acquaintance, Myrr! Ahahaha this is too funny! I suppose I should ask...what were you so intent on hiding in the Derivuchi dormitories?"

Oh crap.

He saw me?

And he even found where I hid the Icebomb?

*Tic-*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The white-masked smiley face is positively demonic as over my visitor's shoulder, a massive explosion shoots into the sky several streets down, partially hidden by the buildings. White frost, dust, and chunks of rubble are thrown high into the air as an alarm begins to sound. My remote Icebomb just detonated. I do my best to paste a look of fake concern on my face as windows begin to open all around. Curtains are drawn as the City of Assassins is rudely awoken from their slumber and various masked faces start looking out onto the streets. Damnit, what crappy timing!

"That sounds bad. If you'll excuse me, I'm going inside where it's safe!" I try to retreat behind the door for the second time today, but an insidious whisper from outside stays my hand.

"Oh? So, you want me to tell the Omniscient Guard what I saw tonight?" my visitor chuckles evilly, goading, taunting me to keep talking. As I peek out the door, I realize he's taken another step closer.

"Sure, go ahead." I reply. "I don't know what you think you saw, but I'm sure the authorities can help."

"Hmm, well I could tell them. But then they'd come and shut down your shops. And very probably hang you...which would be such a shame. After all, I've been hoping to try out your famous cheese for so long. It is all the rage after all." More laughter. He takes another step. Now he's basically on my doorstep. I have to look up at him, even though I'm higher up. The man reaches out a hand, his blank smiley face mask giving nothing away. "How about this...I call a do-over. You invite me inside. I don't talk to the Omniscient Guard tonight...and we talk. Come on, I know you're not stupid. Give me a tour of your shop...I'm dying to see your operation."

Bastard. What's your game?

I peer out over his shoulder as the last remnants of my Icebomb fly through the night sky. Several sets of armored figures are soaring through the streets, trying to reach the source of the disturbance. Damnit, I don't understand how this guy saw me. Am I really just unlucky? Groaning, and still unable to peer into the future, I can only gamble a little. Cracking the door, I back away inside the shop and beckon him in.

"Fine. Get in."

"Heh...I knew you'd see it my way."