That Eye You Can't Escape
9.
He hadn't liked or disliked Mao when they first met, nor had there been much fleeting interest. He couldn't say there hasn't been none, because all humans had some fleeting interest in the surroundings.
He hadn't thought though that Mao would stay in his life so long. They did make a good pair, power wise - Mao's power lending to infiltration and reconnaissance and Hei's to the final, decisive blow - but there were also other possibilities, other combinations... Except another might have been less likely to work with his eccentricities.
He hadn't thought Yin would stay with him so long either. All that people like Huang and Amber would give their lives for him, believe in him...