I listened meticulously to every syllable that left his mouth along with eyeing every mannerism and movement that could potentially bring me closer to understanding him. Of course, the last thing I really wanted was to delve into the deprhs of his mind, the very same man that had nearly succeeded in killing me years ago. The memory and the sentiments were still painfully fresh in my mind and his appearance here.. it was worsening them by tenfold. I had never felt genuine terror and desperation my entire life until he stumbled into it, having lured me into his web of lies that consisted of safety and false reassurances. I had been a fool back then, a gullible one; I had been so desperate for connection with someone outside of these walls that I had allowed him to easily see through my carefully built facades. This was the one regret I truly had in life and now I was facing him once again.

``You wouldn`t dare,`` I practically hissed beneath my breath as my gaze snapped upwards to meet his again, the threat an apparent one. The mere idea of anyone trying to reverse all of my hardwork to make Astral a better city was an incredibly disturbing one. It truly was my one sense of purpose, the reason why I constantly endured all this pain and judgement witin this stupid tower. Regardless, I found myself tempted to give him the information he wanted now, especially since Veron was not one of my more useful associates. His following comments sent a chill down my spine; the fact that he was beginning to recognize me was not good, especially since I knew he was an assassin of some sort and I had barely managed to escape him alive. I visibly cringed at the idea of sharing a bed with this man or any man for that matter; romance and nights of pleasure were things I did not actively seek out. If I ever found myself falling for someone, however, I knew it would be my downfall. My emotions truly controlled me, after all. I remained silent as I watched him slowly piece things together.

His abrupt exclamation startled me, yet not as much as when he lunged forward and pinned me down to the floor of my room with a frighteningly flawless precision. A yelp left me when my back collided with the floor, my hands outstetching and clutching the edges of his clothing out of pure instinct. My eyes widened as he brought the dagger to my neck, the cold metal making me shiver. This was very similar to what had happened last time, yet I had managed to use my wits to get out of it. However, he held too much power over me this time; it was information that he had now, something I could not let him leave with since it endangered my operations.

``I have no idea about what the fuck you`re talking about,`` I mumbled to the best of my ability, my voice strained and body trembling slightly; I truly had no idea what he meant when he said I ruined everything, more specifically the Master part. My eyes shifted to the side as I started looking around my room for anything that could potentially reverse the situation, yet there was nothing. Maybe if he wasn`t actively trying to kill me, I would have had the courage to comment how gorgeous he looked; the thought vanished immediately, its existence nearly making me gag. I had never found anyone.. attractive, and yet here I was: I found the guy trying to kill me undeniably handsome. The shadows enveloping us were definitely a bonus, but these thoughts really had to be pushed aside. I felt truly insane at this precise moment for these pointless thoughts drifting in my head, yet I could not help myself but to think them.

``If you kill me, you won`t have your information,`` I reminded him, offering him an incredibly sheepish smile that accompanied my blatantly fearful tone of voice. However, I did notice my tattoo beginning to act up slightly, its magical engravements within the ink triggering in response to my fear and uncertainty. The last thing I wanted was for my magic to have a mind of its own- something I noticed it tended to have at the worst moments- and give him more of a reason to kill me here and now.

Even though I was practically scared out of my mind at the moment, I still found myself laughing- albeit quietly and briefly- at his reaction to my words. Although I was not a genius, it would seem that I definitely was smarter than him at this precise moment; I considered that a victory, even if it was a small one. The way he kept messing with his hair and the way it sporadically grazed across the top of my face was churning some emotions in my stomach, all of them unwelcome. Gods, it was as if he was aware of how attractive he was and how little effort it took him to do so. I visibly relaxed when the shadows receded and shifted to restrain me as he shoved off of me and back to his own two feet, causing me to huff in annoyance. There really was no reason to be so rough, was there? I managed to straighten myself slightly, peering up at him through my azure eyes quietly. It would seem he was letting his guard down for now, but I knew it was merely due to the fact I was restrained.

``Veron frequents Altair since he has a woman there waiting for him practically every night,`` I spoke carefully, tilting my chin as I raised an expectant brow at him. I had given him some information, which was better than none. Veron was a secretive man, as mentioned prior, and it had personally taken me ages to find him the first time we discussed my operations. He had made the mistake of inviting me to that specific tavern where his secret lover resided; it was a simple mistake, yet one I was grateful for at this very moment. If this assassin wanted more information than what I had given him, he would not recieve it. The remainder of what I kept stored in my head was all related to my underground operation and the encampments, all of which I would never reveal the secrets or intricate details of.

His accusation, which came out of nowhere, made me flinch and caused my eyes to widen. My magic? Why was he conplaining about it if I wasn`t even using it? I blinked once, then twice as I desperately tried to understand why he seemed even more pissed off than before; I had not even thought of activating my magic yet, even if he had caused it to stir from deep within me. Furthermore, I could tell that he was more than just pissed off: he was exhausted, the drain of his shadow-wielding very apparent to me. I was very keen when it came to observing and studying a person`s mannerisms and movements, something I would forever be grateful for. Of course, I did not dare voice my observation aloud.

``I have not used my magic, not even once,`` I mumbled beneath my breath, not appreciating how the blade was once again pointed directly at me. Why was he so fiesty with a piece of metal? It was almost amusing to me, especially since an ordinary dagger could not genuinely wound me; I could this one was not ordinary because of how he had managed to draw blood from me a few moments prior. Any blood that escaped a High Fae such as myself was incredibly sought out due to its properties, which I was clueless about. Furthermore, blood meant that the weapon could actually harm me.

I shook my head in response to his question, knowing that I truly was being honest with him for once. Of course, I should have expected him to yell at me again, but I had not, which was precisely why I flinched at his seemingly neverending yelling; the volume was getting on my nerves, my desire for a civil and normal conversation increasingly tenfold. I raised a brow as he seemed to become overwhelmed wih exhaustion, a part of my heart twisting with sympathy. Even if it was my worst enemy, I despised seeing anyone suffering so much; maybe that was why my father always ridiculed me for being so selfless and caring for those ``undeserving`` of it. I parted my lips to say something before I refrained from doing so, lowering my head and gaze as I silently pondered what to do.

I suddenly felt the shadows that had ensnared my legs loosen, leading me to raise my head and look up at him again. I was surprised to find him peering down at me from between his strands of hair, those green eyes unexpectedly not so scary as they had been a few moments ago. Even though I knew he was doing jt to avoid becoming genuinely drained and unable to get out of here, a part of me was grateful for it; maybe there was more to him than what he was showing me right now: a desperate, easily angered Elf assassin that could wield shadows as he could. It wasn`t long before I finally decided to give him what he so desperately wanted, even if I really didn`t want to. I clung onto the hope that he truly did not give a shit about my encampments and operations, meaning he would leave them be.

``Veron specializes in trading illegal weapons, which is why I`m working with him,`` I began to explain, biting my lip sharply for a brief moment. Gods, I already felt terrible for revealing so much about him, even if he was a narcissist asshole that mocked my endeavors on a daily basis. An accomplice was an accomplice, after all. ``Altair, the bar I mentioned, is one of his main stashes. He keeps most of his possessions in the basement, but only him and whoever accompanies him can get in. Regarding how often he goes there, it`s every other day at sunset.``

Once I finished giving him what he wanted, I looked away and stared downwards at the floor. My silver hair shifted in response to my movements, blinding my peripheral vision while the sporadic jewelry entangled within the strands jingled. Even if I was always in my room, Tyrine always made sure that I always looked like a royal, that I looked like Lady Polaris instead of a moping commoner of some kind. My magic was still flickering deep within me, the whispers of its threat of unleashing its fury upon this Elf becoming more prevalent to me. I bit my lip again- a bad habit I had acquired- as I delved into my thoughts. My father and mother knew that I was one of the few High Fae they considered purebloods; my magic was more of a threat than my parents` combined, even more so that my magic seemed to have a mind of its own.

I truly should have expected him to inquire further once I revealed more of what I knew regarding Vernon, and yet I found myself incredibly annoyed by his constant and seemingly neverending inquries; he was truly beginning to get on my nerves, even if I was already on his as well. I remained quiet as I contemplated my options, wondering if I should reveal the most recent time I would return to Vernon`s stash or one further down in the future for the sake of preparation and maintaing a decent relationship with the weapon dealer himself. My teeth dug further into my lip and drew blood, the pain originating from it not as cumbersome as the unfolding situation with the Elf before me. I stiffened at the sound of his footsteps approaching me, raising my head only for my breathing to hitch again as he forced me to my feet. I gazed directly into his eyes, briefly admiring the small flecks of alternating colors here and there; eyes were like the key to one`s emotions, especially due to how expressive they usually were. My lips curled downwards in an almost disappointed frown, my annoyance now palpable as I huffed quietly.

``I wasn`t planning on visiting him today, but he will be at Altair,`` I grumbled, rolling my eyes in the process. The last thing I wanted was to constantly be followed by this easily irritable assassin, especially when I had better things to do; my encampments, for example, needed to be checked up on as soon as possible. I had noticed the lack of sympathy and regret in his eyes when he repeated his threat, making my heart twist with disgust and disbelief. Was it really impossible for some people to not feel such emotions in their hearts, even if a little bit? It was foreign to me, the idea of someone being unable to see the effects of their actions and understand the consequences incredibly painful. In my opinion, it made them feel less.. real, less of a part of society.

``I can take you there,`` I added after a few moments of silence, shifting slightly due to the discomfort of the shadows tauntingly holding my hands captive within their tendrils. I wondered how often he found his ability amusing, especially since shadows and darkness were things most people were terrified of even if they never admitted it. A sigh escaped me as I took a single step forward, raising an almost teasing and mocking brow as I observed how his weight affected my desk.

``Get off of my desk,`` I spoke more confidently this time, my gaze flitting between the creaking piece of furniture and his face. I had to bite my tongue ensuing my words to prevent myself from saying something far more vulgar, refusing to anger and irritate him further. However, I truly was curious how we would progress if he seemed so exhausted and drained already. Worst case scenario, I knew that I would be able to escape his clutches rather easily at this rate, his abilities dwindling due to his current exertion.