The corridor narrowed as Kara stepped closer, eyes sharp, evaluating. "If we're doing this," she said, voice low, "I need to know you're serious."
I tilted my head, letting the silence stretch. Serious? The word tasted like an insult. My fingers brushed the knife against my palm, a ritualistic scrape of steel on skin, just enough to draw attention. She leaned in, eyes widening slightly at the subtle ritual.
Soft scrape… drip… hum…
"Consider it… a gesture," I said, voice flat, letting the knife-palm ritual speak louder than words. A drop of blood fell onto the cloth between us. Red against black dramatic, satisfying, and entirely controlled. She swallowed, mistaking calculated performance for sincerity.
I watched her reactions, cataloged every micro-expression. Hesitation, curiosity, doubt. Perfect. Patterns I could exploit. Patterns she couldn't see I already controlled.
Clink… faint footfall…
"You really think this proves anything?" I murmured, more to myself than to her. She didn't answer, letting the tension build. Trust, I decided, was an excellent tool one best wielded sparingly.
Her eyes flicked to the cloth, then back to me. "Then… we're allies?" The question hung in the air, heavy and fragile.
"Allies," I said, letting a hint of dry amusement slip through. "For now."
I tucked the blood cloth into my sleeve, careful, precise. A token, yes but more importantly, a seed. A seed that would sprout when I needed it most. And Kara, glowing with assumed victory, would think she'd earned it.
Hum… metallic scrape… low whisper…
The Veins throbbed beneath us, alive with anticipation. Every conduit, every pressurized pipe, every hidden panel it was all a network of potential chaos waiting for the right hand. Mine, of course.
I let her linger on the gesture a moment longer. Let her savor the illusion. Manipulation was an art, and she, unknowingly, had just become a canvas.
Soft rustle… distant drip…
"Trust isn't given," I said quietly, turning away as though done with the ceremony. "It's taken… or fabricated convincingly enough that they think they're giving it to you."
Her gaze followed me, curiosity mixed with unspoken suspicion. I smiled inwardly sarcastic, restrained. It was almost too easy. Almost.
"And the funny part?" I whispered to the Veins themselves, stepping back into the shadows. "They'll be bragging about this pact while I'm already three steps ahead."