Digging for answers

[Nora Saint-Clair]

It made sense. If the Atharim were taking an interest in the Brotherhood, it left her wondering… what did the Brotherhood know that the Atharim didn’t? Did Eliot have a specific concern or was it just because the Brotherhood was so gauche?

Instead, she tilted her head slightly as he mentioned the contact. A former Atharim. American. Fighter. Dancer. The name Nox Durante didn’t ring familiar and neither did the venues. Kallisti? The Almaz? She’d never heard of either.

The corner of her mouth wrung in confusion, and slight surprise: “Seriously? My choices are a nightclub or a fight pit,” she said, just enough of a scoff under her breath to register.

But she wouldn't say no. This was the first time someone had offered her a path, and she wasn’t going to walk away from that. She rose to her feet as Eliot approached, her expression more open now, though still cautious. He was playing a long game. So was she. But for now, their goals aligned. She had no choice.

She nodded once, firmly. “We have an agreement.”