There were things that could hide themselves well—that could become invisible and mask their scent and more. Done right and too the right person, all of a human’s senses could be fooled.

But I had a few more than that.

I didn’t even twitch as that happened—I stayed as I was, leaning slightly forward, resting an arm on a leg as I looked at Adam as he told his story about some mission or other. It was a short thing that he didn’t go to detail on, so he swiftly reached the end of the tale, but each sentence seemed to drag out endlessly. Even so, I waited until he was done.

Then, I spoke, moving nothing but my mouth.

“There’s no need for you to stand there, friend. Come sit with us.” I spoke to the woman behind me, who hadn’t been there until after the words were finished. There was a shift in the air behind me, a sudden access to air that hadn’t been there before, and what seemed like everyone in the room suddenly turned to look behind me.

Everyone but me. I wanted to, but appearances were more important, so even as…whatever the hell was going on behind me happened, I stayed as I was, not moving until…

“Hello,” A woman’s voice said. “Jian Bing.”

When she addressed me, I turned to look her way. I was calm and casual as I did so, going so far as to put an arm over the back of the chair as I glanced the woman over.

What I saw surprised me, though I didn’t show it. Most of it, I noticed only in the periphery of my vision—long black hair and clothes in red and black; miniskirt and thigh-high boots and a strange looking weapon at her hip—because my eyes were drawn immediately to her face.

Or rather, to the mask covering her face.

“Hello,” I replied. “Raven Branwen.”