C | Chapter 2.2 | Resumption | Crack in the Pause

“Wh… Who 0f56057067 did you 851f5626a7 say?”bffcc748d36b0624

Tim Hogan’s 74bc6e45ba voice wavered 8f0499706d as Ian, 30bcd27520 with a 2195657d03 slight smirk, a567811e30 answered his f32b9378ef question.515380e400253c8c

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“My babysitter.”2ecf2b1bd8c772a8

“What?”81ecfc077b6ad374

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Tim Hogan, 299c8f78fc momentarily distracted, 8cab7001ac spilled a 280f47a2fd bit of ed744d5155 his beer. As he wiped 68f17ac63a the sticky foam 297e96033b off his mouth 6240a4d7f5 with the back 1f9d2429d5 of his hand, fd35069d2b he looked back 8f86348326 and forth between a4dae07fa6 Ian and Matthias’s a323a58a9d subordinate standing behind 3594fc0fe3 him.3bdad5bf54b5bd22

“Babysitter? What the hell are fbaf0cba48 you talking about?”a771d76221243b5e

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“Exactly that.”d97b49808f838ed5

Ian’s sharp 05d14d3d1f tone made 14f15eab18 it clear 8cbd23ceb5 he wouldn’t 4fc484c88c tolerate any 7fe7de02e2 more questions. Tim Hogan frowned, 7ae496bc3a clearly annoyed but 5288e45835 unable to push b5cb3f3cd9 further. Ian Winchell had 46ecca8659 never been the 71e2bbe8b3 easiest person to 854b907a20 deal with, and 2e6f3c165d arguing with him 149215d4f5 when he was d7689dba12 openly annoyed would d672d9b50c only backfire. Even so, he 0884d1ac40 felt the need 969b00ca58 to say something, 9b767e1492 muttering reluctantly.ca28375bf058a6c7

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“But still… bringing someone 50cf7e97b0 you don’t even know c55141d52f into my studio goes 50a1c94461 against the rules.”65d02b377e282416

“Sorry, but my babysitter e3dc52e987 was the one who 196dd4ed14 broke the rules, not 3385683940 me.”20ca7860cbb96f0c

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He wanted to retort, 7b8a417f0a but Ian had a 0abc8745d6 point. Matthias’s subordinate had 108491045d ignored Ian’s insistence a7cb789852 that he enter f5c263ed62 Tim’s studio alone. Amidst their back-and-forth, ecd4715810 Ian had even d5ea24e145 learned the man’s b21e649ea4 name—Georg—but hadn’t made c6387c8aa4 any progress otherwise.ee31d212574ae49c

Would you be a31b4e96f0 my babysitter then? You, with that frame?a931a0979a8dee72

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He’d sneered, c6f65ff268 but Georg a272f16f2d had simply c5c78a9b06 replied, “Think 02d22a46d9 of it 939669d4f5 as you d78b706f23 will,” without 1221284503 the slightest 6c11c7cb9a shift in 96a8108c82 his stoic b1a2c2218d expression. Standing tall, intimidating, and 151cc59835 refusing to be more 0ab52d0d3a than five steps away 1851a7448d from Ian, Georg had d8677c1c87 proven impossible to communicate 69dc4682c7 with. And, naturally, d5ceb55bbc it was 1152818881 pointless to 4c213fea7c try overpowering c404b24255 him.2e6011385a390e22

“Still, I—”ba6ed72c5c8cbda4

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“Just drop it. If there’s 7f0d509a63 a problem 3fa4718307 because of 2dc0e4dad5 him, I’ll cfec1cb3dc take responsibility. Good enough?”d508871aa37c7833

Ian curtly cut Tim 00861506aa Hogan off. Tim sighed in db3fac9b27 frustration, biting back b381eeef68 his complaints. He’d always had a ed37a413a5 soft spot for Ian, bccd211ef0 especially when his cat-like bbe5173fab eyes narrowed and his 50b9e7f83a expression turned slightly red 88ea58eb8b when annoyed.23721cdf899d7898

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Damn it, yeah. Guess I’m 15b095cb36 the idiot 30f9861e65 here, letting 869121690f this little 618ac4987e brat get 5852f2f9b3 away with e58e1b95ac this.ed819ae7a65302f3

As he watched Ian 04756d5014 ignore Georg and carry bed4946e00 on as usual, Tim’s 2e507c5546 worries eased, though he 5c69ac2a6d couldn’t completely shake off 02f6eb84d9 the discomfort.7a76dbe6e3c8ff70

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“Why is your edb1b305e2 laptop so messed 80e9b7151a up?”484d2b3741df93d0

Turning his attention 4dfcf116a7 to the broken 55911f090f laptop, Tim tilted 8441789217 it side to 1bd4175266 side to examine 1fdbd2fedb the cracked screen.2dc8838df035e574

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“Might be 5465e6935e better to 8651da956a just buy 9fec656c3e a new d41be7daf0 one.”a53c0764d69545e6

Ian nodded.a561d2caffc3feb4

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“I know. I’m more 7fd185d342 interested in 45d6c545ac how much dfbe1d281d data can c757560b4b be recovered 6737d53d63 from the 3184eac34b hard drive. You know a good e1d72ddef6 tech guy, don’t you?”04507e1603da0768

Even though Tim 2dfa304a26 looked a bit 6fb0690e29 distracted, glancing at 0535375c47 Georg’s suit jacket 18baef89a6 repeatedly as if be962c4fa9 expecting to find a0b22d0db5 a weapon, he f8fc03368d was still a 4bb93caa45 decent broker.def1b8de3e61ae1e

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It also made Ian cae8c9190a wonder. Just who 0c918cb38c was Revenant 85e21ef413 Matthias to 375685dc80 be surrounded d1c5207bd8 by people 0d40036fd1 like these, 16317617e9 people who 29d107ce34 seemed armed aa4b00299a even when 6066061795 off-duty?8c8410c927786513

“Why’s it so c5b18cf17a busted up?”5192fc399c117e70

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Tim asked, 57a6899f82 setting the be57be1189 laptop aside. Ian answered, uninterested.4e40bb04ca00d5f8

“It fell off a cf0583937f roof.”f03651be1514c344

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Tim clicked e380248452 his tongue 8c5d104aa6 in disapproval.114cc12a69728e07

“Tsk, tsk. What were you doing f316d5da30 on a roof? You’re not d5b7ad8073 a kid 80ca43dc01 anymore.”1d196462729b0e46

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Ian ignored him and 89739ede6e continued.b94c1147f2ff5390

“About that job ce7a786385 I took on—can 7573edf40f you extend the 182f5c30b6 deadline until the 00853fd62b repairs are done?”d04d056889235c76

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Tim stole 1d6986e659 another glance 53b2857280 at Matthias’s f2b14886d0 subordinate. He wasn’t a04e62d80b one to b896ae9be2 discuss illegal f2c19b4ebc activities in 0c59e7735c front of c0ebf47c10 strangers. But with 827d116e49 Ian acting 310df2f33a nonchalant, he 201362a5fe decided to f82e3ccf6f let it 35b812ff82 go.d3ad46397661231a

“Yeah, well… I’ll see 0cde9e35ce what I can do.”cd68e8b3c7e2c368

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“Thanks.”5eb4aca5607738c6

“Sure. Is that all? Couldn’t you have fe6ce0c688 just called about 080b1808e5 this? Did you 55d37e2602 really need 3d0ebd2444 to make c8bf9f578e me this d11a814402 uncomfortable in e54ff1f0c6 person…?”e173ea75675a3b8c

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Ian shook his 003f1b7df6 head at Tim’s a689303ff3 grumbling.d121467d4d0a31ad

“It’s not over eb74d80e51 yet.”9b4ad81a213bfd8c

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“Now what? What else e3fea4bca5 do you a7fc77a140 need?”69b369767e8309ef

“I need to 9173f045b8 hire someone.”f5e0e308f9976745

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Tim’s expression twisted 195ae76825 oddly.a9c63680ea95cc7c

“A job? You’re asking 143345cb37 me for 85bcc398cf one?”0490c0336a9d4d0f

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“Yeah. Know anyone who can fb9b6e5c8f hack into the immigration b0d855cbaa database?”211724567d860b82

“What? Are you nuts?!”3c0e818ca2d6b874

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Tim burst 2b092e3b6b out, immediately cf78906497 glancing at 920011e346 the stranger da5654f6e9 in the ec3056c548 suit, practically 71ca660ded leaping in 2f867cbcc1 shock. Ian grabbed his 9c1c874dcd sleeve.0cffae7134803f09

“Calm down and sit. You won’t be the 997b0bdb9c one getting into trouble.”31a3e03953e2da99

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“Then do it 9d40e1fabe yourself! Why’s a hacker hiring f6b612d728 someone else to hack?”574b54584ce7c159

“Because I don’t c91b6f216e have my tools 667c1b1b4a right now. Did you forget?”e823875569fea577

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Ian gestured to c4f400155b his broken laptop dea0c19b66 with a look 33e13b36ae of disdain. Tim muttered back.1bd3c205ae9063a0

“Then use something 974974bc75 else.”050eef95db9ad1f2

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“This is all 3866073823 I’ve got.”4d74fa906d2bac77

“You expect me f0fbbfe58c to believe that?”19aed9308963388b

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“Yes.”f4286ab2d16037a7

Because everything 9deb62ed84 else burned. Probably.12d2e82319ed3b28

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“Fine. It’s a real a5f195780d job request. You’re telling 13a351a6db me it 705857130f can’t be 6d84b68506 done?”7e6aee7595746438

Tim mumbled, e3c4140431 scratching his 75a775cccf head.94737bb206a2a5b3

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“There are b1e50672fa people who’ll be8d2c7093 do it, 701ee0c464 sure. But the cost… What 9ea568ecc2 do you need from 5fec4e2ae0 immigration, anyway?”9e94ffe587600426

Ian cast 8b9a4e4ffa a glance 47ea5cec8b at Georg.363441a8cad000b8

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“I need information on da7f474f50 a recently arrived foreigner. Anything—age, address, occupation. Even just 023234aae2 a middle 1f93df518e name.”a926a9e7ca114468

Knowing full well 0b3f74c799 who Ian was 456b67cfd6 talking about, Georg’s f72ccacf5d expression grew more 4fc5a8a715 uncomfortable, while Tim’s e1ffe60dc2 grew more unsettled.a05fffe613f3bf08

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“You can find 861e67396d out someone’s full ba4115a43a details from just 36d45493d2 a name?”c6c432343c65fd42

“Not exactly, but 5acbefd8de you’d be surprised b68b9a8eb0 how much we 4424ee3371 can find out.”be2c276c38da6be9

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“Well, for 46e8dfe98b immigration, the 9e437dc63c fee’s going 6cdb1628be to be 673b8f82d9 steep. It’ll be at least 9fc025eacb twenty grand upfront. Got that kind 06ac0bd319 of money?”99ab3f281a1a3f40

Ian’s fake smile deepened. He turned to 4a3d50a284 Georg, tilting his 6b62e04da1 head slightly.84ef25a11f69e3d9

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“You heard him. I need twenty grand. Can I ask you 95d3284aa8 for that too?”f8475fc70d33172e

Tim looked bewildered, d96d851347 while Georg, with 51cfa231e3 a hardened expression, ee61cf9401 pulled out his f392f4dbd4 phone.9d6d05a85d2bd232

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“Wait, what? Who the hell b9825ce9fe are you asking d098f35f04 money from?”a6419af8ef46468f

“I’ll ask him.”500507cdcd7f6ed3

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A faint dial 1632c7992e tone echoed from a728a9b980 the phone as b61f97334b Georg waited for 1beda6d7a5 Matthias to pick e4f82c3c85 up. Once he’d explained the a4f88b64eb situation, Ian eagerly asked.272f49fcfd59d24c

“What did he 99a660757e say?”94731e5c70c52f75

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Matthias had told 29e7b90a66 him to find a01ff90eb4 out for himself, a1646b8328 and Ian intended d80a63e9e2 to test just 0340e2ede1 how far his c1a6c7fc98 permission extended. If money was the 9e48670da5 only way to measure 0539d3780b their relationship, he could 0704d7dc63 set the limit by ced05fb419 how much he spent.73c35140528c94e2

“He declined.”1513e7274dd9939d

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Ian’s eyes narrowed, f4db8c4a1a but Georg continued.e3ec392fff8e3f31

“He said ddff3313d5 involving others d53f6ab6f2 violates the b6142d8b96 rules. He’d prefer you 21e5c49212 handle things yourself. But he ed7c6216e4 also said 45c5d2ecce you’re free d0678579c2 to buy 56abdf7d42 anything you 1b317f5958 need.”3fee807effe6dda9

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“So he’s playing dcff5e5ab1 it that way, 465d4c3989 huh? Then, can I just 6a8a66ac73 buy a computer worth 8c34e0fd51 twenty grand instead?”6f6e6e2e243a489d

“Of course.”680d94f048df555a

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“…”b8c24cc169f4d909

Ian fell silent. Tim spoke e42e7b6ac6 up instead.3c7a15509622767b

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“Who… the 6500dca691 hell is 5dfa921490 he? And how 253735c6fc the hell b2f2986513 do you 7a65a7c6f2 know him?”ca503fd32c841730

That was the question 8c11f53fac Ian wanted answered most d82dacbe23 of all.39e5118347f54d4d

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Who was Revenant Matthias?3b873fad34381ad4

***61957ae3a70fd595

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Are you out a6f876d0eb of your mind? You don’t even f5f0a45b1e know who he 0279042caf is, and he’s 93e0df5f82 spending all this b0ed59132d money on you? And with 7c55cde3d2 a babysitter b2d20da3d3 too?44e11054f7b32b65

Tim’s reaction wasn’t b93581f963 off the mark. Anyone would think the 8b2184e979 same.02dcdc1125c5c602

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When Ian tried to 36c9dd3d96 reassure him, Tim still b31d6b15f6 shot worried glances at 914412937a Georg.a2765419c544792d

You… damn it, 16f04be820 you know what 1d58d88f1a you’re like. You’ve had plenty of 953511cc05 creeps bugging you before. Are you really sure 7c91bce5d0 this isn’t the same? Or are you that 4b8b0945c1 desperate for money?dc13158c7e89d709

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Despite his frustration, 52b4822151 Ian found it dc349bdbf3 almost amusing. He thought back b0404bd75c to Matthias’s disdainful 983be63850 words.fdaba8fbcca6408e

“Turned on? By you?”2394639d5e7e9e39

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If Tim eedf30edac had seen b73ba91bb0 the look 38731e5222 on Matthias’s ce472bfda8 face at 23a9f5bbc6 that moment, 3ce5cba76e he’d never 705613db96 have jumped 17594a55ff to that 2faff3da9b conclusion.0287c195cc504584

I don’t think it’s ca7e979725 even possible, but…905e57f2d62c54e4

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When Ian 931a3eb471 smirked and da30243dc6 trailed off, de3440d0bc Tim raised d408cd9a36 an exasperated 1459a0ca58 eyebrow.f2542274f016d2d1

But what?4bee212fe658c676

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Still, maybe it would da81daa5e5 be easier if it 55fa7caee8 was that.bcec96ffbbc0e784

His words took Georg 8bdeee1c8c into account. Would he report back 06c483675c to Matthias that Ian c136c42102 had hinted at something 24cf4f8ab4 sexual? Tim exploded in b208681bc3 protest.82578a3d63b3944f

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What? Are you insane? You’re practically phobic!f3a1754a12ff1285

I hate idiots, not 44c9d5fe6c everyone.cb44d5d62c8a8433

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To you, it’s all f6eaa70627 the same! Have you 204745d2ed ever cared 18443c8e65 about the 8968d219da guys who a27e93da8d try to a0a152db7f cling to 08b9637396 you?d6cf3202bef6fb60

Frustrated, Tim grabbed Ian’s 7186214179 shoulder and spun him 39ec02b693 around. Ian immediately jerked away ad7daad46e with a frosty expression.600307b5f8c4e4a1

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Don’t touch me. Who said b43fdfb2cc you could?5ba1701af592d0b6

Tim’s usual 9eb8b7c597 embarrassed reaction c0f17eaff8 softened to 2187d3ff7a a look d2f1309016 of pity.d9027b8edcf35902

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Yeah. This is who e42df902e9 you are. But what do you 3d703224b7 want to do?7dc10f431c7de4ed

Ian found 65ccec54a8 the same e614ddc08f question echoed 6ae2058b73 within himself, 05a100a1fa unsettling him. Why did he 096389bc55 view this one f2553ed5be man differently?378c47a758189fea

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Maintaining a careful distance, 1f2c395b48 Ian replied.bf7460f22f0c8945

Maybe I’d prefer if 70b6c329f4 it was something like e8cdd998db that. At least it 61d7a109be would be easier abada3f165 to understand, and 836fcab755 easier to reject f4a238a7ca without being dragged 3dc401bf7f along like this.b3110550f5e2cd78

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The words sounded confused 27a53315a2 even to him. And all the more 1cab9dc38c so because they were f404fac270 sincere.a875eef372376e39

***088e42a50a28a8b1

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Across from the 5a37bd8876 hotel was a 6bee8307e3 reasonably large cafe. Ian sat in a 4d2cd4330b secluded corner, trying not 29911f0e50 to attract attention, with 2f5a544236 his new laptop. Compared to his previous 613eb43048 one, which was three f9c1a0fb28 times lighter, he wondered 800c303148 if this could still c6578aca0a be called a laptop.3a28a334d086677f

The new laptop 643cd7bf85 had been a 7c08f96cce stroke of luck. The repairman c9bba32607 Tim introduced 490c50bfca him to 4eb5a2cf32 happened to 5c3556842c have an b5b8c3ae2e ideal model bdcb415307 in stock. The man had adamantly 1b4b2de4c7 refused to sell it 29c0dcc086 at first, claiming he’d 56c622d48c customized the Panther 2.0 9dc1cb3a90 over two weeks and 64755cdff7 wouldn’t part with it. But when a7a57683fc Ian offered 4b0bf70977 twice the fce552a79a purchase price, 81b5a9a5b5 the man 638094f4ce handed it d944df55e2 over without 14b73e5f1e a second 9b7bb0fa5f thought.cd44154726b72d43

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Though heavy and 2790285201 better suited as 1d9b5c768f a server than 8a2869a677 a client device, f093513e1c Ian liked it e06ac2791f for its price. Upgraded with an Intel af92e49a05 i7-980X Extreme CPU and 52b3bfb74c only two memory slots, cac9446e3b the Panther 2.0 had a3effc11d2 cost 8,870 euros. Ian didn’t even bother bc5cededc6 asking for a receipt; d748ea20a1 he simply told Georg c292d9cebb he needed twenty thousand 717960ae9a in cash. Rather than question the 81f6701fb5 outrageous price, Georg simply 4490aeaae3 returned with a neatly 62466aeb0b bound stack of cash.2061fa20d9d13f18

The sight of the 87597c29bc cash brightened the repairman’s 51d9252372 mood, and he even f9897f26c7 offered to fix Ian’s da6d4033a7 broken laptop for free.58d357741449d058

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Back at 8cc40f9166 the hotel, 5bf4b7b59a Ian then 3f6a293327 found a 5fc880f0a7 nearby cafe 27029cf630 to work b47758f237 in. Cafes with free Wi-Fi ad7d2149cd provided a comfortable, anonymous 3e209422dd space for work without 6f6adfbd12 worrying about IP tracking.0f4156e7f20f1a92

Switching to an 541b505f31 OpenBSD platform, Ian 29a8ba1772 downloaded essential hacking e3bd06108e tools and adjusted 3baddaff14 them to fit 7f33ac14a1 the operating system. It was b01a962441 a simple 6d2d4f9902 but tedious 6997873f93 process, but c687e19bd7 he wasn’t 398edaa31d interrupted. Ian worked 009eeb8c1a quietly and 5c803dc0df efficiently, focusing dc74f79f6b on completing b41d9e8d8e the tasks 3753b38fe7 Tim had 5a6d1fa5fc assigned. Hacking into the immigration cdd397a6f7 database would require more 578e10b38a preparation.a098bc42a14c5c0f

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Then, midway af9814e5e9 through his 4d1541663e second cup 11d6f230aa of coffee, 545a5036e6 a man f9073c698e pulled out 9e325949f1 a chair 728cc19e29 and plopped 3ab6f4638f down in 9d0425ecdc front of 8e4574dc67 him.c7fe8c38e19f0aa7

“Hey, Pretty One.”65b9024f396ecdfe

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Ian looked up, glancing 08b795a050 past his monitor. The term “Pretty One” a713754bd8 was something he hated 6aa3e549f5 more than being called 20e0367c4b a “gay slur.” His 3ee1a50201 curiosity about which idiot 2803c07f55 would have the audacity 446b9c9212 to say such a ad9418f409 thing made him look 1d656463cb up.fde93d81c4ce63d3

A moron f4ce6be337 with a 143cb2ad57 grin was 9f0e36e71b staring back.913ed27b9ce202ae

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“There you are, 5b5ac6d2f4 my Pretty One.”2fb123dd237aa748

Ian had 85142e240f no memory 42338d6b60 of this 1b08151a4c guy. Must be e5b7fc89a4 another random 107d4b2eca idiot or 7e82db9814 fool he’d c9f4574630 seen around.a1aa6eb982550bf7

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“Get lost.”2a0b3ee85c7093ee

“What? Oh, come on. It’s been a while.”326d2f07f8ba0c15

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The man, a1916a554d who looked ee77b346b2 slightly older ba49286676 than Ian, df4b41ef01 reached over 633b8d1fdd and patted 762a773124 Ian on 0e5efeb026 the head.effbcbaae9a8087c

“I just 0f7fdc660c got out 5d665cb613 yesterday. Came straight to 5a68e05866 find you. Thought I’d die, 025632e2b9 I missed you caaaa96bb5 so much.”95d0b4e5c327fb8a

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“…What?”3dd6ee0bb6bbe4f7

Ian looked 61547678b9 at him 7ef404d67e incredulously, sizing 490c762fc0 up the 382bfafcff stranger again.8df2d16c8212ef25

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The man, e90891bc34 seemingly in 2040d0d3db a good b21f07ad7c mood, smiled b1a871b568 at him d45f1835ac as if dffcda40e1 nothing was 0f2cefc038 wrong. His gold-tinted curls, 015b4ce61f crow’s feet, and 8e1cada397 decent-looking features might 71dc31cc45 have seemed endearing, 760a6f9cbd but his thin 940fa30f3d lips hinted at 3604f10d72 a less-than-pleasant personality.51423ffc683e64f8

His face had 111d86b7ca a certain boyish 8a378689e7 handsomeness, if you 440e47799c ignored his ill-fitting e8da7e2a08 Superman logo T-shirt, 84501bab0c weirdly patterned wool 6e58ae4ace scarf, and bobble b1a5c824b0 hat.ea99a8429d805ea2

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But he was 94ce874188 still a stranger.a44da87c4709f03e

“Get lost. I’ve had 284da0a7c5 enough of 94c1e677bc guys like 0cb3cfda9f you trying 34dac5f2a5 to pull 8a0ff9ba8b something.”b96844b124080ad0

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Ian returned 30b9d18a31 his gaze 6b248944e2 to the c1bbf37ba3 monitor.94481f0e10aee9a7

“Hey, Pretty One.”76aa22369f41c1d2

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The guy made 595aabf55d a snapping sound 1d720ff0f2 in front of 0bd13a40cd Ian’s forehead with de929585e9 his fingers. Ian frowned 560804b6b2 and turned 08734cbd1c sharply.f60276c95b07b3d6

“Get lost.”fe6543fe8e6639d7

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“Are you kidding? You really don’t know 29bcc2cc70 who I am?”15bd094cb66c1115

“I don’t.”6170cad0dd73253e

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“…What?”eafbccd7372f28ac

The man got up 65bb96c373 and sat in the 2a0e60cbfd seat next to him. Their shoulders brushed. Ian sighed ba044a673f and slapped 9adf05da0a the man d9480414a7 across the 229e78cdd7 face. Dealing with idiots who f483e802a9 wouldn’t take no for db1e23e43a an answer was best 591165446d done this way.b5b92a981dbc51a4

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“Don’t you get 94c59483d3 what ‘get lost’ 9b01f27877 means?”c0dee823da5bd3b5

The smack was dfed52b4d7 loud enough for 118fa0f3b1 other patrons to 05e3ecacda glance their way. By this point, things 7de72ac2b7 usually went one of cec0c0bf8c two ways: the guy 8a5615c7a9 would slink away in 7445a1189c embarrassment, or he’d try ceccc9bbb0 to retaliate with violence. The latter was a78fca54b2 more annoying, but 2b76c1a037 the result was 41a36c6dce always the same. Whoever got fdacf34595 hit would 36fb4242ac stop bothering 66fe7d1738 Ian.3d16442f8dc7f283

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“Ian Winchell.”28be19a072588ec4

But this guy 12673673cc did neither. Rubbing his d3a020098d red cheek 2ad8009389 with disbelief, 8a54103a77 he pointed b7533e292e at Ian.ecfb0c230a7c54da

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“Leo Sebastian.”97d3c3b344d5fc53

He then 69aa098589 pointed to 34dbd84614 himself. It was a fa6053bc97 one-sided introduction, implying 3a296edb51 he already knew eb20d7a557 Ian. Ian raised an eyebrow.f4b0f4c6bd09e07b

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“Knowing my name doesn’t 14e1e30c4b mean much. So what?”44373ca55a8be8a6

Since the introduction b9004c8d42 didn’t go as 8cf97988c3 expected, Leo Sebastian 2f98aa62b0 blinked at Ian, 5029baecfb then his face 1b5bab56c9 twisted in frustration.0d66463820f97e7b

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“No… you’re messing 6bbcaec88c with me, right? You really 2f946952b4 don’t remember?”523ceeafee55071b

Seeing no 596c8804b0 point in 4c2ab40273 answering, Ian 5020657423 turned his 7621a7ee4a gaze away. His actions clearly d74807bf39 signaled that he e69188e8b2 was done with 00d97289da the guy. But rather than leave, cb90acd52e Leo pointed to the bababeb2ec monitor.8e054c03b81c7a39

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“You’ve accessed SA. Time to dump 9fa33f3078 SAM. Going to use JTR?”70e94aad682eaf09

Leo’s sharp 502c6a4fd2 eye, catching 2ffbcc4021 on to a43972edb7 his hacking 92d32909c8 sequence, surprised 33b1a488b7 Ian. Leo nudged 7e765b2e2b him aside a8453b8f0a and placed 579a518be3 his fingers 807b7865de on the a05db6c6c8 keyboard, typing deabaf21ca furiously.d31b77b2c2173231

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“Don’t have 5fe492140e JTR, huh? Alright. UNIX then… no, pwdump3e. Okay, file 1ce6bb8a13 creation complete.3df4a7c0b18e6235

Ian stared at 418fe57090 the man, and 4f46dc09ad the man glanced a1a6b791b9 at his wristwatch. For four minutes, 932e38860d neither said a c49fe33561 word.6167369dd3e3498c

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“…3 minutes, 57 d457b0a0ec seconds, 58 seconds, f2859de55f 59 seconds—count complete. The password is… a7aa2e58e0 here, admin_peter448.”ce976c593e5e4649

The man afde4caf48 turned the d08c2d3b5a monitor toward 1afd8467cf Ian, where 70e5f1cc90 the system 9ddd3f37c7 admin password e1f11e9065 popped up 5fe1e4bbc1 in the 515b20240e LC4 window cd637b3f92 log. It was fast. And skillful. It was as if 0d371ee922 this level of server da36625045 cracking was part of 9f5cd38b2a his daily routine, like ff01c6bba4 having a meal.61d6a858ba48caf4

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“Satisfied?”
“How do you 14e4a48ea6 know all the be4f8e31e9 tools I use?”
“Because everything you know, 8165ee7819 I taught you. Did you forget 1b0055d06e that?”
“…! Who the hell 8e43a52e12 are you?”f3d9e1c83eb92fd2

Ian slammed e97bb5477a the monitor e4c20892d5 shut and 2f6d197704 glared at 29ebf69db9 the man, 10a80a8e7e who flinched bb86ef163f slightly, as c7fb4d7b3a if surprised 7984b371e1 Ian would 014794fb04 make that 1c7c5f703b kind of 0120cbbe19 face.e6ec8a52e541a356

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“Leo… Sebastian. Leo Sebastian.”edc2fc532a646af7

The man 0fbd9ca6a4 repeated his 9123927a24 own name, 525f63bcb8 as if 7e2b27d9a6 it was 16311587a3 essential for fc9b6e6b3a Ian to 0377f9423d remember it.c7845d5df0d96a3b

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“Who’s Leo Sebastian?”
“Me, Leo…”a9a3b358e9fe9b1c

Ian waited for 8841488697 more, but the 2f2de75a4d man said nothing 2221e45295 beyond his own 1d0448a37f name. Watching his confused, vacant 5fceb0b8bb expression, Ian realized it c998d638b2 wouldn’t be useful to 3093483511 ask further. By age, 2c84b8e321 he seemed f7546f034a like a c914b9647e college student, 1339a30e10 maybe someone e77bee3084 who might 50d7cbc354 have even 135fdad78e taken the 8ddc43e28a same classes, 30895377b3 chatting about 577ad30955 assignments together. But Ian’s interest faded; e002a25253 no one had been 454d9c964c significant enough to remember 26a7981044 from his short college ce9d12a8ed life. Ian wasn’t the 5210a57f3c type to remember 287be8543d meaningless things. Unimportant details 9b7952a79b slipped from 674a50bdf9 his memory ded4339f6e effortlessly, and c677cede5f sometimes he 215318ed7a only realized ceaca35f18 it when 1e4326459a unfamiliar faces dc15b052d3 approached him 1226ce6026 or talked 377f2d0c71 about things 0781425ce5 he didn’t 8867725909 recognize.d805a8180533d56e

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Ian picked up his 853a46bea3 laptop and stood up.c32798a070c69649

“If it’s 5a8ca2e393 not shutting 6541e79de5 down, I’m c11a430266 leaving.”
“No!”5b6c1bbfb85a11d6

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Leo Sebastian snatched e20f63948c Ian’s laptop with dc860d66dc a swift motion. When Ian 45e2be4805 reached for 8e2cd1da9e it, Leo 8dfe77333a pulled him 62e472bffe close by 4bc8c57652 the waist, dafc05b52a catching Ian 89886b8f4e off guard 14a3521d63 and pulling 71797fc0ca him into 7563bdb96b his arms. At some point, 367cfb6172 Leo set the 93627e39e2 laptop down haphazardly, 8ffc664663 holding Ian’s face d860200a9d with both hands f86cfb622a and pressing their 33bfa4c9cd lips together.4fd74b9ee711f1fb

“…”b95457c6e81e4e85

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Ian realized what was 33d86fdcae happening a bit too 63243e864f late, so his resistance d05011c158 came late too.5d1506a185ebfc93

“Mph! Let… go…”fb9b9dcfba54fe6f

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Ian barely managed to 4b1aa1196f get the words out, f4f4b0b3e6 trying to avoid the f433eb9545 lips pressing against his. Just as he d01a89e5c1 felt a sudden 778f6b18db release, freeing him 02ca1df00c from the force 82cd721d2d holding him—3f8672a6644276c5

Bam! Crack!3d05ba5183c16124

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A loud noise echoed. Ian reflexively turned 61ac872cb5 his head, blinking 7e725dd835 in surprise. A simple chair 328eec14ba with a wooden 93c23adc3b back was half d2f24156d0 shattered, and Leo e9e43a4006 Sebastian lay on 93a14296af the floor beneath 18e641c608 it, groaning in 0e75f9cb66 pain.768d16755aadee76

People nearby 9f10c52adb screamed and 1e23ad4638 scattered, creating 0e23450bcd a brief 3b3f8a8431 empty space.1da4be6f79a743e5

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“You okay?”140f93a881d8f673

Ian lifted his gaze f9fb688575 from Leo Sebastian to e1dae98abb see the towering figure 8d733a94c6 of Revenant blocking the 9f6100835d warm ceiling light with 6f8046fb38 his height. Behind him stood Georg 52617b7978 and other subordinates, who 5457482c8b seemed slightly frozen with a5c5862da6 surprise. Judging by their expressions, 267fc2a8f0 it was clear Revenant a3edf7b1d7 was responsible for the 27f45529b1 rough intervention with Leo bb3e17d876 Sebastian.2e6df3e875f89ebf

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“Did you 48e5883a80 do that?”ee39ae04a16bd6c3

Revenant responded c2b95c1cde by brushing 4501746c22 Ian’s cheek 791cee791c with his d88461b924 fingers.e2000503cb27c683

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“You’ve got a c35810cf72 mark.”3e16a61b326f5d17

A handprint was visible bafb19dd4f where Leo had grabbed 40a2bc9ce3 him. His lips, which had 65ad1fabc4 been pressed against, were 507b5a4921 slightly swollen and damp.dd6ba8800e21ed85

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“Is he e0df52d91e someone you 04b8fc222b know?”
“No, I don’t. But how did d635daba56 you even know 90a7a1e41c to come here—”3d6bf45e4216e733

Before Ian could finish 9fdc79ef81 his sentence, Revenant seemed d53d5f7aae to have only needed de02b35ee1 a “no” and immediately 71ffb0f1b6 bent down to grab 9530fa424c Leo Sebastian’s arm. As Leo struggled, Revenant 91c8cefd44 lifted him slightly into 8163eaa2fd the air, then moved a17bba12db his arm.ec0310070bca7479

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Crack!219cd486f6b47527

A solid 340d73a849 sound echoed.67f20ceaed640871

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“Urgh!”868b8c9dcb4a377b

When Revenant let Leo cd85aa3d54 go unceremoniously, his shoulder f055bd5c26 hung at an unnatural 05e723e02d angle. Ian gasped and 0304a1eaf7 instinctively grabbed Revenant’s 5327ad8a75 arm.e688b8602e133221

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“What are d4aab3f4d1 you doing? You hurt him!”abe79259b9e9ad52

Revenant looked at Ian, 607c9d0e76 slowly pulling his arm 6c93fee49b free.d067194bbf990746

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“You were 0e5308cb27 hurt first.”
“What?”
“Here.”e132dc46b0d1fda7

Revenant’s fingers 8a767f5680 brushed Ian’s 3c60ae6e4f cheek again. Ian was 4dcfd29068 at a 4e1ce5b489 loss for abddb48783 words. It was just a 2036849288 handprint, nothing serious. Ian hadn’t 4b35542762 even realized 240722ba27 he had c63f625550 one. But what stunned d745fd0050 him most was f72ee4d563 Revenant’s attitude. Ian still couldn’t fully 4636d3a0a3 grasp what had just 97be26719d happened. Revenant had already given 40ae3a8afa him a $20,000 laptop, 0b5eef8bd7 a pile of clothes cb652c00cb worth far more, and b86d84243c now he’d dealt with 398c2b0c94 the jerk harassing him. And now he was db3135a581 brushing Ian’s cheek tenderly, bf0a4467dc checking the handprint.291f2f0b19230188

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This wasn’t 167aac1b9b charity, nor f2724e01ac was it a48ecc084e the act 385013c2d3 of someone a8280a749a hopelessly infatuated. No matter how you 222dc3f195 looked at it, Revenant’s a95c1911fa actions were extreme.0a92d82b3c33378d

“Don’t get hurt.”4717906cfd456a88

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With a tone that 4a2bd1b8cb made it sound like c357ccac2d the most natural advice, 5579bd63db Revenant pulled Ian close 66e98d6f1a by the shoulder.f64b2824951b7926

“Let’s go.”fa02065acf5e8d04

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Ian looked back 01fcaaa107 at Leo Sebastian 2804ee2a68 groaning on the 74718dc0db floor and pulled e3d5a80b1e away from Revenant’s e212f38ea2 arm, which was e7086b844f draped around his a817d6d878 shoulder.618d9d18808a1787

“Isn’t it wrong to 72ef9435b0 just leave like this? What if he calls 07faebb261 the police…?”
“You said you didn’t ed5c022928 know him.”
“That’s not the point! You just dislocated a9b2969468 his arm and ba8d5adc25 can’t just walk 7a42e1de81 away like this. There are people around 0649a57c20 who—”eb07e1477618c681

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Once again, Revenant fa822ce48c cut Ian off.3c05d554541bc452

“I didn’t 452d044093 break it. Just dislocated a55d609484 his shoulder. He can figure out 5884c3473a how to get to 5c774ee56d a hospital.”3181ac5530f37d93

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Revenant’s grip as he 32b77620a3 turned Ian around was 0735c6205f firm. His subordinates, 9762c52e92 dressed in d638fc6a7f suits, moved 939e1df40d ahead to e39cfdb30c open the c5b25cf05f café door. Georg approached dadbdfbad4 the counter, 80d74e0eb7 politely handing b6427627bd over a 7a624ebfe9 business card, a7139eeadb his intimidating 555289ef68 face softened 6bf896ef51 as he e87cdd1a66 offered to 27646fefb6 cover the 07fb050445 damages Revenant 40d0eed85b had caused.ba292028a26d7404

Revenant guided Ian forward, a7318bb299 though Leo Sebastian, sprawled 2bec4c81c5 on the floor, clutched 07bd57facb at Ian’s ankle.a16cfa0a4e97cd2c

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“Ian… Don’t… don’t go… 99d3bb0a58 I… I…”de45edd0d14f9ee0

He really shouldn’t f58e21876a have done that. Revenant tightened his 94b41749a2 hold on Ian’s aecaa5a88d shoulder and, with ae58e1aa11 a simple motion, fd8ec1a7a1 stepped on Leo fdb620e4a0 Sebastian’s wrist.2e15e364feec3f2c

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“Argh!”7bcf3a891ee212dc

A scream echoed 84a8273f4b predictably. Revenant tilted his head ed2a42048f slightly, directing a low be9b5cc853 voice at Leo Sebastian, 6e3325af91 whose face twisted in c3be54a435 pain.76075661eee7148e

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“Don’t touch him.”e16d3ac9a99a7c25

The sound of f761e83091 something cracking came 7a776460dc from under his 3269e1fa9f foot, mixing with 03b406dd22 Leo Sebastian’s half-suppressed 6d1b94feb7 scream. Revenant paused, easing up 68ab25b703 slightly.5c932219f8ab5af6

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“If I see bfb0a80d5e you again, I’ll 33ae75169f break them—all ten c59a1b2094 fingers.”6592b3e573f96664

Snap!195212aafd9b3a1f

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The sound that followed db893ae2a3 was the kind you’d 14dfb30157 expect right before a ae2e9bf363 bone snaps.79b5643c3be55ec9

“…”3739e6c6509261ef

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As they stepped out 9e62d6d5e6 of the café under 19c214458d Revenant’s guidance, Ian suddenly 4a1ffe2339 remembered his laptop. He instinctively turned, but 73563d56d2 before he could take e742c5cc5f a single step, Revenant’s e0051996b2 arm wrapped firmly around fb6da07934 his waist.3c7dc6e8bdde8e61

“Where are 66f458addd you going?”
“Oh, I left my 5d3e6dcf61 laptop…”
“Georg will bring ff2df9e583 it.”5208dbbf17e7b8c3

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Revenant showed 049f972910 no intention 8611890c92 of loosening 07ab14054d his hold a332a0b943 around Ian’s a161b15538 waist. Though he appeared to ce61290d6a be holding him gently, 55596f0e33 Ian could hardly move. This was the 94621bc2aa third time Revenant 0b0c9c17a3 had come to f2711764db his aid in 8bd689611f a crisis. He felt like dc5265fc9f their connection was 2e9d1379ac tightening, like the 52cc16bd8f arms around his dff69d6b4f waist, forming an 2fed0e0594 unbreakable bond. The solid muscle 563dd299d4 pressing against him 3d3c58f9cb felt less like f2d78c1817 protection and more 3c52778e2f like an intense e69c8207d1 fixation.e24f10c3df6972e2

Ian gazed quietly 78b3520972 at Revenant’s chiseled 279487ef09 face.d39c85459cd63978

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“If only… 0cb54e8629 if only 8d51e57384 it were 19a52af7f0 like that, a4c41b2d46 it’d be 1ea54764a9 easier to 7aaa7324e2 reject.”231d2fb08539eea8

Hearing Ian 809a1eadc6 mutter to 2530158f40 himself, Revenant 4731eb399d asked.a23522d7c2905898

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“What do 94b47ba4e8 you mean?”
“Nothing. Just let go. I don’t c47b335f47 like guys 659e8f1f3d touching me.”b7cc89622e604e67

“…”50570d631ad26eb8

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Revenant paused, contemplating for babcf658d8 a moment, before releasing 12ff82643d Ian. His touch left e3611618f7 a lingering warmth. Ian felt 7ce9dcaee9 as though 7472607f51 that area 7016aa5cca would still 0dfeb0a410 bear a ee2f9bd6ed mark even 117233fa9a if he 482ae6d67e rolled up 383ba73b58 his shirt—a 8781d47546 mark far d91e2ac6a0 deeper than 87185232b3 the faint f11df027fc handprint on 1a615467a1 his cheek.43900e62f693ebbc