The sound of the footsteps on the cobbles was all it took. With curses more vile than any Katherine had spewed though not the worst she’d ever heard, they disengaged and darted off into the darkness. Had they taken aught from her or her employer she might have pursued, but as they’d simply left them with questions and minor wounds she decided to let it be. She muttered her own bit of invective and leaned back against a conveniently placed building and groaned. The cut on her cheek stung but she didn’t want to touch it with filthy fingers and it didn’t feel too deep. It would leave a nice scar she thought, matching her broken nose. She wondered if it would advertise her survival skills or point out that she still didn’t know how to duck. 

She felt sick all of a sudden. The big meal consumed at the Locust felt like lead in her gut. The adrenaline of the fight was leaving her and leaving her shaking and nauseated. She clenched her jaw shut. It would not look good or instill confidence in her skills if she were sick after such a little scuffle. A scuffle she’d survived, she reminded herself with some pride. She hadn’t lost her touch for all that she was rusty and slow. But even so her stomach churned and she went from white to green in a matter of seconds. 

“Pardon me.” She managed with scrapped together dignity as she ducked around the corner to be sick in the shadows where the sight of her shame was hidden, if not the sounds of it. This was done just as the pair of guards skidded into the alley, swords drawn, their eyes slipping from Katherine slipping into the shadows to be ill to Alexi as he stood. 

“What seems to be the problem?” the larger of the two said, his breath coming in puffs as if his bulk didn’t often get to rush anywhere though he seemed competent enough in how he stood.