BEING A SPY. growing up without parents to care for her meant echo developed a special set of skills from a young age. by the age of ten, she was sneaking around on steady / silent feet and stealing whatever she needed to survive. she had also managed to develop her fighting prowess, her natural athleticism making it easy for her to protect herself when necessary. these skills, in combination with her quick feet, made survival easier. of course, becoming a warrior only heightened these instincts, but it was becoming a spy that required echo to do things she’d never even considered doing.
manipulation became her new strong suit. echo learned how to talk like the other clans, position herself as someone not quite as strong-willed / lethal, and otherwise blend into the crowd. she perfected the art of getting close to someone for information alone, only to stab them in the back at a moment’s glance. she learned that attachment would only break her down, that surviving would mean forsaking all others apart from her queen and her king.
in particular, echo was expected to use her beauty like a weapon. she began to understand the art of manipulation based on pure carnal instinct, her body becoming yet another tool in her arsenal. for the most part, sexual acts don’t really mean anything to her now ------ they’re more of a means to an end, a way to get what she needs before returning to her clan / her people.
echo is good at being a spy, just as she’s good at being a warrior. she’s one of the best at both, actually. in her mind, those two skillsets are basically all she offers to the world. that’s why roan’s banishment cuts to her very core ---------- this is all she knows, all she can be. what’s the point of surviving if her only skills aren’t of any use to her anymore?
