She knew that she shouldnât be here. After all, she was Kou, and as such was not welcome in this territory. Red eyes moved quickly, nervously searching for the one person she knew wouldnât attack her. Sure, she had a knife tucked in her boot, and another stashed in the sleeve of her red leather jacket, but Kougyoku wasnât there for a fight. That, that she had to leave to her brothers.
These days, she didnât want to think about that.
Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, the youngest Ren sister chewed on the inside of her lip, clicking away from the text Judar had sent her asking where she was. No, she couldnât talk to her best friend about this, not when he had some loyalty to her eldest brother. Not when he could tell En and accidentally ruin this. No, instead she had to keep this a secret, because she knew no one would understand.Â
Hell, she didnât even really understand what was going on. He was infuriating, the exact opposite of someone she considered her type. And yet, even arguing with him made her feel more alive than any guy her father set her in front of. (Benefit of being the bastard, she guessed, was that none of their business allies wanted to go through the hassle of marrying her.) And she had seen her sisters trapped in marriages that looked so⊠boring.
At least he wasnât that.
[text]: Where are you?
{text}: I donât know how long I can stand out here before someone sees meâŠ
Cassim was with his Troupe, a bunch of them enjoying the entertainers from Zaynabâs harem. Back then, he would have gladly accepted their temporary company. But now he shooed them away, no interest in any of that anymore. So when he got a text from her earlier, he told Hassan and Zaynab that he was leaving and they didnât question their leader. Who would have thought that heartless and strong leader of the Fog Troupe, could find himself letting someone close to him
         ( â â sms lil princess ) Iâm coming, princess, donât worry.
          ( â â sms lil princess ) No one will do anything to you.
He was heading straight for their meeting place, pick her up from their spot and head away from prying eyes that will split them apart. Hands in his pockets, he sent all of the people back to the hideout to âenjoy Zaynabâs giftâ. That way, while he walked her back, no one will spot her. Spotting the pink and blue of her hair, he smirked and went over, careful to be quiet. Leaning forward so his face hovered over her shoulder and whispered a âBooâ.
âYou werenât scared, were you?âHe didnât know how her family and people did their business, the bastards, but in his part of town, they didnât fight fair. They prayed on the weak and lost. The very moment, he finds out one of his men caused a single bit of trouble, harassed, attacked, or bothered her then they will find themselves disappearing from this world.