The Shadow of Malice

Leaving from the alley, leaving Nel behind, his expression shifts as we walks further from her. From one of derision and arrogance, to one of sadness tinged by a little fear. He wanders, walking aimlessly, letting his feet carry him where they might. "Damn them" he says under his breath, the steam carrying away the words into the night. "They’re not going to stop with just this. I don’t feel too bad about keeping bad people from hurting Warrens folk, or others, but this is a test. This is just the beginning. This is to see if I have the “stomach” for violence.” He sighs in disgust. “The winner is decided by how much damage is done. Well if it’ll keep people safe, there’s a lot of damage one can do to a body that won’t kill someone. But how long till they ask me to do this to someone who doesn’t deserve it?” A deep part of him hardens at the thought, “we’ll deal with that when they ask.”
 
Kicking rocks down the streets, his mind wanders trying to figure out all the angles. His breath catches for a moment when he realizes something. “Mirabella. If I get seen by whomever I’m having to hurt, and they want retribution, and they figure out or see the two of us together, she’ll be a target.” Sadly he whispers, “maybe I should tell her it’s over, to go away.” A sudden pain grips his chest, squeezing his heart, even at the very thought of loosing her like that. His heart flutters like a panicked animal, and feels like fingers are reaching in, trying to tear it out. He shakes his head, casting away the thought of pushing her away, and the grip loosens, his breath coming into his body again. “Okay, I get it, no pushing her away. But what can I do to make sure she isn’t hurt or targeted by people I have to go after, what can I do for her?”
 
Having heard of the reputation of the Syndicate, a strange notion occurs to him. "In a very weird way, them knowing about her will, strangely, protect her. Because they want my loyalty, they will want me to keep being a good boy, following orders, breaking legs and whatever else they ask. The last thing they want is me distracted because she's in danger from some bit of business of theirs I was involved in. That's kind of twisted, but you almost have to respect the idea. I should do some basic hiding. Maybe I'll get that tattoo I've been thinking about. Then I could truly hide and not worry as much."
 
Nodding in determination James heads back home, designs flitting through his mind. As he walks away, for the briefest of moments, it seems that the shadowed reflection in the puddle of water hesitates for just an instant, before doing what it’s supposed to do.