Always be on the move. Never rest. Never take a moment to breathe or youâll be caught. He was familiar with it, intimately familiar. The notion that one was never really safe, even surrounded by family, friends. Lovers. Always on the outside, never quite the correct puzzle piece.
Victor thought he had found that, once. Another lifetime ago. Simple work, honest work. Accountant on the side while pretending that things werenât going to hell in a handbasket. Pretended to be all smile for the camera! ready when.
âNever easy, living on the run.â He commented, ear twitching in sympathy. âBut wouldnât have it any other way, hm? Easier to be on the move than sit still.â Never be a still target. Isnât that what they taught them in the Huntsman schools? âWell, all the same I recommend you avoid Vacuo and Atlas. A good idea is to either stay on the Vale side of Sanus, or move back to Anima if you can.â If Atlas was still standing. Victor hadnât heard from his contacts there yet, and he wasnât sure if he ever will now.
Raven knew that if anyone would likely understand what that was like, it was him, especially given the backstory he had just told her. Assuming he wasnât lying. Though she couldnât tell for sure if someone was lying or not, she tended to have a sixth sense for that sort of thing, and she wasnât getting any sort of indication that was the case. He was a trader of information. A secret for a secret, that had been the deal, after all. She saw no reason why he would go back on it, at least with her, anyway.
âYouâre right. I wouldnât have it any other way.â She said. âDomestic life wasnât for me, and believe me, I gave it a good try.â She wanted to, briefly, when she married Tai and they had Yang. Sheâd almost fooled herself into thinking that it could work. But that quickly proved to not be the case and sheâd left shortly after that.
Being part of a bandit tribe meant that those you loved were in constant danger if they werenât a part of the tribe. âI was thinking that, honestly. Avoiding Vacuo and Atlas.â
She sipped her tea and then looked at him. âWhatâs your plan next, then?â Raven had no illusions that he was here to stay. She knew heâd likely be gone again right when sheâd gotten used to having him around again.