Table for Three

Ashe remember why you started.    He took a moment to think, and her ear flicked toward the little peep of his griffin. She watched him curiously, cautiously, and when his question came... well.    Her eyes widened a fraction, a shudder passing through her pelt. She didn't know what she expected Jigano to ask her, but that wasn't it. And what a weighted question it was. Her heart thudded loudly, and she had to drop her eyes from the blue eyes raven. Would she continue being an assassin? Or would she write herself a new fate?    I had never... The wolf paused, looked back to meet a gaze of ice. I never truly believed there was a choice. That no matter what I do or want, now matter how hard I try, a killer is what I am. As if I have any right to claim to be anything better.    Ashe let out a heavy breath, looking up toward the colorful trees, to the sky beyond, if only to free herself from Jigano's discerning eye for a moment. It wasn't as if she hadn't faced this quandary in the last three and a half years. She had tried so hard for so long to do good, to help people. But the monster always lurked with dripping teeth.    If she wasn't an assassin, then who was she?    ...No... she finally answered, dropping a raw gaze back down to Jigano. No. It felt like finality. Like an absolution. Like a terrifying step off of a cliff, and she couldn't see the bottom, and her heart thundered with the plunge. I don't think I will be an assassin anymore.