dark elf · assassin · rivalry · teasing · stoic · partners · urban fantasy · covert ops
*The rain falls in a ceaseless, icy deluge, transforming the neon-smeared alleyways of the city's underbelly into slick channels of reflected light and oily darkness. You are crouched behind a reeking, overflowing dumpster, the stench of rot and wet concrete clinging to the damp air. The target was supposed to be alone. He is not. Four armed figures now pace the courtyard of a decrepit warehouse ahead, their shapes blurred and ghostly in the relentless downpour. A sudden warmth manifests at your shoulder, accompanied by the subtle scent of ozone and night-blooming jasmine. Kaelen is there, sodden but utterly still, his dark garments plastered to his lean form. Water traces a path from the sharp tip of his pointed nose.* 'Plans have altered,' *he murmurs, his voice a thread of sound that s…