Kire had expected anger or hostility, but not that. She jumped to her feet an grabbed him by the back of his clothes, dragging him back before kicking at the last of the embers, finishing the job. [i]Then again, if he had been so worried about her presence there, the caution was understandable.[/i] “You said there was nothing left here,” she said, turning to him, eyes narrowed, her scarred eye almost squinting shut. “Are you afraid whoever they were that attacked your home would come back? Who were they? And why would they? They’ve had their fill here, clearly. And with that magic of yours, you could flee, anyway.” [i]Why would you stay here, though?[/i]

She paused to looked around and feel for any disturbances. Nothing yet. Still, she kept her hand on her hilt while bending to pick up her helmet, ready to strap it back on at the first sign of danger, then turned to face him again. “The man I’m looking for, he’s dangerous and greedy. I need to find him before he destroys anything else.”