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You imagine her screaming soundlessly, both legs blown off and hanging by shredded flesh somewhere above her.

You imagine her crumpled and dead from a stray bullet, blood running down the front of her mirrored sunglasses.

The vacant smile hits you like a bag of bricks.

He's like a laboratory where you can see what you actually think, stripped of all niceties.

Is that the problem? Do you have to fuck your imprint? Is that the only way to resolve the hatred between you?

He's like a laboratory where you can see what you actually think, stripped of all niceties.

You should have never left him unsupervised.

Seems like a natural for violence.

Not all can bear the approach.

Afraid to carry any more of your words upon itself.

This is not a short term solution...

You'd say 'eerie'. An eerie moment.

The size of a small cat's coffin.

The cold flat of dread's knife presses against your heart.

... Have they? Is that the endgame?

Of them all, he was the one you least expected to ever see again.

The danger isn't over for him. He's still waiting to see what you'll do.

Like you, the eternal stranger. All safehouses, no home.

You can practically feel the gaffer up in the rigging, guiding the spotlight along your path.

At the base of your skull, a tickle in your brainstem.

A knot of tension forms between your eyes. Once again you're a step behind.

Ghosts, gathered.

Thud thud thud. The secret police of your heart are kicking down doors again.

A natural intensity of gaze. The eyes that weigh you up do so coldly, openly, and with genuine curiosity.

You've never seen the man before either, but the horripilation up your neck tells you exactly who he is.

Uh oh. An unknown quantity. You don't care for those.

Take a breath. There's no reason the Luzians would be down here.

Approach with caution. You don't want to startle him.

You knew this was your fate. You knew you'd be right back there.

The saw buzzes and whirls, deafening you. You stare into her empty eyes, stifle a scream.

It's going to feel so good...

'Torrent'... ? Kind of sounds like...

There's going to be some horrible catch to all this.

Your asset called for you. Whatever's behind this, you can take it.

Stop. Don't enter, don't break this seal. This doesn't have to be yours.

She's holding back -- as if not doing so would not be good for her.

Her mocking of you ruptures whatever coolness you thought you had in this moment.

Deep down, she's wincing, fighting to deny the worst case scenario.

Just what he was afraid would happen.

A sense of composure bristles through you, strengthening your resolve.

Ice crystals fractal in your veins.

One more relationship smothered with a pillow and buried in the courtyard.

Further warbling would be a mistake.

... a shapeless figure twisting in darkness...

He doesn't actually think it's 'bon' -- it's one of the strangest things he's heard in his long, strange life.

It's not about contact, it's about scale. If the universe can sustain that much empty space without collapsing, you can take another hour in your own skin.

The air is heavy, your chest tight. You've been holding your breath for approximately an eternity.

282 skill checks - ZERO PARADES field manual - Page 5 of 6