sparrow and lion

Interim 3: playdate

The stranger had almost been found out this time. Years of plotting nearly destroyed by one false step.

There was a time for everything. That was the truth in all things. Those times may not always come when you wanted or expected, but it was useless to fight against it. The only option was to accept it. The stranger knew better than to rush things. If you hurried, you made mistakes. And mistakes were what ended adventures.

The stranger had learned this long ago. It was why the stranger rarely fought against the tide of circumstance. One could never cease committing errors in judgement completely, of course. But that didn't mean that you shouldn't try to think things through. Everything was far more enjoyable, after all, when it went your way.

And, when surprises did occur, it was better for them to be fortuitous. One would always prefer a surprise gift than a surprise hurt. It was only logical. Although, to be fair, one person's punishment was this person's pleasure.

It had been slightly too close this time. It was only luck that had snatched the stranger from the edge of disaster. And one was a fool to rely on luck a second time. Only misfortune should be tested more than once. But only once more.

There were some that thought that the third time brought the magic of success. Which was, of course, yet another mistake. Attempting thrice was equal to a prayer. And prayers were useless in the stranger's shadow. The trail of bodies left in their wake was evidence enough of that much.

No. The stranger would simply have to recalculate. Some things may need to be rescheduled. Perhaps there were others that must be abandoned entirely. The stranger wasn't sure yet. But that was okay. There was still time to figure it out.

One had to consider all possibilities. Perhaps the stroke of luck that had pulled them from the precipice had been more fortuitous than even that. Careful planning had preceded every step of this venture thus far, but that didn't mean that every step had gone according to plan. And this most recent deviation from expectation could have been utterly ruinous.

To have come so far only to be overcome at this point by something so trivial? It was clear that the stranger had been edging toward sloppiness. Perhaps they had even grown arrogant. Everything had gone beautifully. Even disappointments had transformed themselves into victories.

The stranger considered their chagrin at the unlocked door in that nowhere town. But how much more satisfying had the result been because of it? The silence of an assassin was far more powerful than the destructiveness of a brute, after all.

And that, the stranger saw, was where they had begun to err. The door was unlocked. The answer came easily. The bandit had betrayed himself. The third time was not the charm. The third time was the curse. It was obvious that the bandit's death had come too easily.

And now? Well, now the stranger had to refocus. Having drawn attention to oneself, that person must keep a low profile to avoid further suspicion. The stranger had seen the suspicion on the townspeople's faces. It was not the normal notice one took of such a person. Proceeding forward now would certainly not be wise.

The goal was too important for that. The stranger had already given up so much. Failure was not an option.

There was only one path to power: Sacrifice. There was only one way to prevent power from being possessed: You must stop them before they could stop you.

There had been at least three more stops along the way to the next objective. But perhaps there was not quite time for that. It was disappointing to consider that three lives may have to be spared, but the stranger couldn't see any way around it. At least not before the time ran out. And there was already too much interest coming their way to risk it.

The stranger shifted on the hard wooden bench. There was no way not to draw attention to oneself when you were the way they were. But that didn't mean that one shouldn't try. Disappointing as it may be.

It was decided. The stranger was not too petty to see past their own emotions. Their mind was clear. They had made the right choice. It was the most logical decision. Vengeance could wait. The death of the holy man could not.

The stranger looked at the person sitting across the table and unfurled a charming smile.