Backstory: As Khasim ran up the stairs, his heart thumped in his chest - and not from the exertion. He thought to himself, she'd better be here. He rounded the last turn in the stairwell and stopped at the door. Taking a deep breath and letting it all the way out, he opened it slowly, as though afraid of what he might find. The hall was devoid of furnishings, without so much as a rug to remind one of the monks who once worshiped here. As he stepped out onto the worn stone floor, walking across the cracks and rubble - memories of ancient crimes that he did not have the veracity to investigate, not to mention the jurisdiction - he allowed his eyes to search the dark recesses of the hall, switching through different wavelengths as he walked. Nothing. She was not there. He walked toward the wide doorway at the far end of the hall, switching his eyes back to visible light, and saw the evening sunlight painting the floor beyond with gold. As he stepped through the opening, a sudden noise made him start. Where?! He flattened against the wall, but it was just the hanging curtains, still bright red after all these years, snapping in the wind. Still no sign of any other person. Caring nothing for secrecy anymore, he walked over to the edge of the balcony and stood by the crumbling railing. The updrafts from the city below washed around him; bringing sounds and smells from the streets. Sentinel City was spread open in front of him, the mysterious alien Sentinel itself towering over everything else. Did she not make the rendevous? Had something happened to her? Silently behind him, a man stepped out of the shadows by the stairwell. He moved gracefully, unconsciously stepping around the rubble on the floor, steps methodical. As he crept up to the doorway, he slipped his hand into his holster and drew his black weapon. Flipping off the safety, he peered around the corner at Khasim, the muzzle rising to aim. With a whisper and a flash of a blade, his throat was opened. Staggering, he turned around, wide-eyed, to face the woman behind him - he had not even heard her coming! Arjana dragged his corpse out of the way, and returned to the doorway. Khasim was still gazing out over the city, she could almost imagine what was going through his mind. Damn him for dragging me all the way up here, and damn her for dragging him around too, she thought. The clouds parted, revealing the titanic orange globe of Sinyx. She looked around the shadows again, but other than the body of the pathetic thug from Pope Entertainment who'd been sent to kill Khasim, there was no one. He was probably a merc, some piece of shit Pope hired. Pope wanted Khasim's business with Severina stopped, because it might expose his illegal pornography rings. Of course Khasim probably wanted it stopped too, being blackmailed by your ex-lover is rarely anyone's choice of action. But who could tell with Khasim, it was obvious he was still in love with her. Arjana wanted to spit on the merc, but thought better of it, staying quiet and turning back to the fading sunlight. It was a good thing, because out of the cacaphonic mix of city noises, she could hear a quiet drone suddenly grow louder, before blossoming into a roar as a utilitycraft swooped into view meters beyond the balcony. There she was! Severina! Thanks for taking a look, feedback is always welcome! :)