Kiori was stunned at first when Rylee threw her arms around him without warning. His body tensed up, ready to defend itself from an assailant, but Kiori allowed himself to do no more than that. There was no way he would allow his body to treat Rylee as an enemy; this time it was his conditioning's turn to get repressed. Slowly, the tension in his muscles eased and he felt the warmth of another human pressing against him. He felt compassion, genuine human compassion, for the first time in so many years. And then, a drug-like sensation came over him. He wanted more than just one moment; he wanted to feel joy again, to smile again, to laugh again. He lifted his hand slowly, hesitating at first, but then tentatively wrapped it around Rylee's back. She was already pulling herself close to him, but he gently pulled her closer. She whispered into his ear, and Kiori whispered back, "I missed you so much Rye."

Kiori wasn't sure how long they were locked in their embrace, but he reluctantly eased away from her when it came to its inevitable end. The warmth of the moment faded away as the reality of the situation sunk its icy fangs into him once again. They were going to die unless they came up with some kind of plan, yet they had ruled out every last option. Hiding in a village: impossible. Surviving in the wild: impractical. Banditry: inconceivable. What was left? Kiori let out an exasperated sigh and was about to suggest that they just enjoy the time they had left and face the guild when it came... but then a whole new possibility came to him. "There's one more option," he said, thinking aloud. "We stop running." 

Kiori looked up into the sky as the details of his plan slowly fell into place. "Well have to fight eventually, so why not fight on our terms instead of theirs? Let's go to one of those villages, find a place for shelter, but we'll instruct the villagers to reveal our location immediately when the guild comes knocking. They wont be put in jeopardy since they'll be cooperating, we'll have access to the supplies we need, and we may be able to convince the villagers to postpone my lynching on the grounds that assassin blood will be spilled regardless of the outcome. It could work. What do you think Rye?" It was certainly an unorthodox plan, but as a boy Kio was never short of crazy ideas. It was common knowledge that challenging an assassin like that invariable resulted in death. But now it was assassin against assassin; the outcome was uncertain. It was a gamble, but at the same time it was their best bet.