The ruined warehouse was a stark, smoldering tableau.
The air hung heavy with the acrid scent of ozone, burnt metal, and something distinctly, unpleasantly organic.
In the center of it all, Lara Xin stood as calm as if she were waiting for a bus, her crimson hair a brilliant shock of color against the grey devastation.
Her eyes, sharp and assessing, remained fixed on the Grinning Fox.
Yuhon's mind was a screaming vortex of panic.
Mei's mother. S-rank awakened.
She just turned eleven armed men into abstract art. And I'm standing here shirtless with a ceramic fox on my face.
Every instinct told him to run, to melt back into the shadows before she decided he was part of the cleanup.
But then she smiled. It wasn't the cold, terrifying smile from before. This was smaller, more curious, edged with a dry amusement.
"Well," she repeated, gesturing with a casual hand to a miraculously intact wooden crate near her.
"Don't just stand there looking stunned. Have a seat. Unless you'd prefer to continue your… rooftop voyeurism?"
Her tone was light, almost teasing. It was the last thing he expected.
Swallowing hard, his heart still hammering against his ribs, Yuhon walked forward.
He moved with deliberate care, projecting the same confident, muscular physique he'd used before, hoping the mask hid the sheer terror on his face.
He sat on the crate, the wood creaking under him.
Lara took a seat on another crate opposite him, crossing her legs as if they were in a cafe.
She produced a flask from a hidden pocket, unscrewed it, and took a sip. She didn't offer him any.
"First of all," she began, her voice losing its teasing edge and becoming genuine, "thank you."
Yuhon's thought process screeched to a halt. "For… what?"
"For my daughter," she said, her gaze unwavering.
"Mei. The incident with the A-ranks. She told me a masked vigilante with… interesting sartorial choices… intervened. The one they're calling the Grinning Fox. That would be you, I presume?"
He gave a slow, cautious nod. "I was in the area."
"I'm sure you were," she said, a knowing glint in her eye.
"Regardless of your reasons, you have my gratitude. As a mother and as an awakened. Those men were… unpleasant. What you did took courage. And considerable skill."
Her eyes flickered over his torso, taking in the lean muscle. "Considerable skill indeed."
"She's a strong kid," Yuhon said, the words feeling inadequate. "She held her own."
"She is," Lara agreed, pride warming her tone for a moment before it cooled back into business.
"Which brings me to my next point. My mother, Guild Master Sarah Xin, has already extended an offer of affiliation to you. I am here to personally reiterate that offer.
The Crimson Phoenix could use someone with your… unique talents. We offer resources, protection, a steady paycheck. And targets far more worthy of your time than this scum." She nud a nearby pile of ash with her boot.
Here it was. The moment he and his parents had discussed. The simple 'no.'
"The offer is appreciated," Yuhon said, forcing his voice to remain the Fox's low, steady rumble. "But my answer is the same. I work alone."
Lara studied him for a long moment, her head tilted. He expected pressure, a sales pitch, maybe even a veiled threat. Instead, she just nodded.
"I thought you might say that. Lone wolves and mavericks rarely enjoy the confines of a guild hall. Even a gilded one."
She took another sip from her flask.
"Very well. The offer remains open, should you change your mind. Consider it a standing token of thanks. We won't trouble you further. Though,"
she added, a faint smile returning, "I'd avoid my mother if I were you. She's less understanding about rejection than I am."
The relief that washed over him was so potent it felt like a physical wave. He'd just refused an S-rank guild, and she'd… accepted it. "Noted."
A comfortable silence fell between them, bizarrely punctuated by the soft crackle of dying fires.
Yuhon's mind raced. She was here, deep in the underbelly, taking down a Grey Fog operation. She had to know something.
"The men here," he ventured, gesturing to the ruins around them.
"They mentioned the Grey Fog. They were moving people. You were after them?"
Lara's expression tightened almost imperceptibly.
"I was. This particular operation has been a thorn in my side for months. Preying on the vulnerable. The Guild's resources are vast, but sometimes the bureaucracy moves too slowly. I prefer a more… direct approach to pest control."
"Did you learn anything?" Yuhon asked, trying to keep the desperate hope out of his voice.
"About the Grey Fog? Who they are? Where they are?"
She shook her head, a flicker of frustration in her eyes. "Nothing substantial. These men?"
She waved a dismissive hand. "They're contractors. Hired muscle. Ruthless, But ultimately, stupid. They know nothing of value. The Grey Fog uses layers of cutouts and intermediaries. They are a ghost."
Yuhon's hope deflated. Another dead end.
"All they knew," Lara continued, "was that they were to deliver their… merchandise… to a drop point after processing. A way to get paid. A location they were given."
Yuhon leaned forward. "What location?"
"A casino," she said, her tone implying it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The 'Youth's Gold,' on the waterfront. Not a particularly high-class establishment. The drop was to be with a low-level bagman in the back rooms. Probably another idiot who knows nothing."
A casino. It wasn't much. But it was a name. A location. A thread.
"I see," the Fox said, his voice neutral.
Lara's sharp eyes caught the subtle shift in his posture.
"I feel I should advise you against pursuing this," she said, her tone serious.
"Whoever the Grey Fog are, they are not like these thugs. They are careful, powerful, and utterly ruthless. The kind of enemy a lone wolf, however talented, should think twice about hunting."
"Noted, Thanks for your advice Miss Xin" the Fox replied, not agreeing to anything.
Lara smiled, a small, resigned curve of her lips. She understood a dismissal when she heard one. She stood up, brushing non-existent dust from her pants.
"Well, then. I suppose our business here is concluded. I have a report to file that will conspicuously omit a certain fox-themed vigilante."
She began to walk away, then paused, looking back at him. "Oh, and Fox?"
"Yes?"
"If you're going to make a habit of having your clothing incinerated off your person," she said, her amusement returning, "you might want to invest in something more flame-resistant. It's becoming a signature look, and not a particularly practical one."
Before he could formulate a response, she was gone, melting into the shadows at the far end of the warehouse with a speed that made his own seem sluggish.
Yuhon sat alone on the crate in the eerie silence.
The encounter had been nothing like he'd imagined. He'd been thanked, recruited, rejected, warned, and given a fashion tip, all by the mother of the girl he went to school with.
And he had a name. The Youth's Gold casino.
He looked down at his bare torso and sighed.
His mother was going to have questions about another missing jacket. He stood up, the Fox's grin feeling a little less like a disguise and a little more like a promise.
The Grey Fog thought they were ghosts. But now, the Grinning Fox knew where they did their banking. And he was very, very good at following money.