Ryoko was sitting at the bar, drinking and relaxing alone before she would turn in for the night. She listened in on the conversations around. There was the usual talk of women, fights, and farming. It seemed a couple of the farmers were missing some livestock, but that was not uncommon. The creatures of the night did not always want to respect the defensive boundaries, and they would get through. She had left Bower in their room, greeting him as he came back from a mission, then leaving him be. He always needed to wind down and have some alone time after missions to collect his thoughts. She understood perfectly.

Through the din, she heard something in the alley next to the bar. There was a muffled scream, then the sound of something large throwing something else to the ground. No one else in the establishment seemed to hear anything, but she knew her ears were not lying to her. She paid her tab then left, wanting to check it out. She wanted to know what could cause that much damage so silently. She suspected a future job ahead.

She remained on the main road and peered into the alley, having no intention of walking inside without knowing what could be in there. Besides, she was only scouting. She was not paid to save these people, at least for now. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and as the image cleared, she actually debated on what to do. The victim was already dead as could be seen by his glassed-over eyes and his mouth open in a scream. His torso had been torn to shreds, and his attacker had its muzzle in the remains, feasting on the organs. There was blood everywhere, staining the walls and splattered in every direction. However, it still managed to make a pool under the corpse. She stayed where she was. This would be her job; she knew it.

The creature looked up from his feasting, and his yellow eyes stared at her, somehow reflecting the light in the darkness of the alley. She felt her gut tighten. If he was here, who did she know was in danger? She had to get to the barracks. There she would be safe from him. She backed away, not letting him out of her sight, then turned and walked to the barracks, not too fast to cause alarm to the crowd, but with a purpose of going somewhere.

He was following her, and she only knew this because he was letting her know. He was truly dangerous if he could follow her and be completely unnoticed by anyone else. She took all the major streets, making sure there was a large crowd of people around her. There was no point in taking the alleys to try and lose him, even if they were the shorter way.

She wished he had not come, but something inside her said that he had come for her. Why? Why could he not wait for her to repay him on natural terms? Now she would be forced to kill him, especially once the body was found, which it would be in the morning. He could have gotten her attention another way, one that did not expose him. She tried not to think of the implications. All she knew is that she needed to get into the barracks.

She finally reached the barracks, and none too soon. It seemed that they were much too far away. She turned and looked right at him. He was hidden from her eyes, but she could feel him, like he could feel her. In the moment before he vanished from her radar, he told her what he wanted, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

She entered and walked directly to her room, nodding at the occasional brother or sister she saw in the hallways, but her destination was set. When she opened the door, Bower was sitting at the table, cleaning his guns as he did every night. She took a seat across from him and picked up an empty magazine. She looked it over and played with it, letting her fingers run along the metal in an effort to calm her nerves so she could think clearly. Even if they got this job, how could she keep her promise to him without betraying the mission? Furthermore, since she knew what he wanted, was Bower in danger?

"What's wrong?" he finally asked, not looking up from his cleaning.

"I believe we're going to get a job that I'm not going to enjoy," she replied, still playing with the clip.

He put down the gun he was cleaning and looked at her, noting that she did not return his gaze. "Why do you say that?"

"Saw something outside the bar," she replied curtly, still looking at the clip.

He took the clip from her hands, forcing her to look at him. "What happened?"

Ryoko sighed before speaking. "A werewolf killed someone in the alley. He followed me here. He wanted me to spot him, and I know he wants something from me."

"Ok, he wants something from you. You know that he won't take you from us easily, especially me. There's something else that's bothering you about this."

She took a moment to think of the wording. She still refused to tell anyone about her past. "He helped me out on my way here. In return for his kindness, I told him that I would remember him and someday pay him back. With this oath in mind, how the hell am I supposed to do a mission that would deal with his death while not betraying the oath I took here?"

Bower took another gun and handed it to her to clean. Automatically she took it apart and began cleaning the individual pieces. Slowly she could feel her anxieties release themselves. She would figure it out.

"I'm sure he knows that you would be conflicted by this, and that's why he did what he did. He's smart. However, the fact that he killed someone has not changed, and he must be punished. You'll figure out a way to repay him, whether it be a scouting mission or giving him a quick death, if that's possible with a werewolf. The fact that he can already find you in a crowded city means he could find any of our scouts, so there's no way you could betray the mission unless you went to their side."

She could sense his apprehension after that statement. He was still nervous about her augmentations and her abilities, and was still unsure as to what she was.

"I have no intention of joining them," she replied and put the gun back together. "He may be able to find me, but fighting me is another thing."

He stood and walked around the table behind her, then put his arms around her shoulders in an embrace. She put her hands over his and laid her head back, listening to his breathing and feeling the rise and fall of his chest. He would be there for her, and that was all she really needed.

"We don't have the job, so don't worry," he soothed and kissed the top of her head. "Worry if we get it."