all the beauty in the broken glass

“There’s some fucking guy standing in my line of sight, almost like he’s put himself there on purpose.” He can hear the grinding of the other man’s back teeth. “I can’t see around him for shit.”

“Takedown is a no-go,” Waxer confirms immediately. “Interloper is a human male, civilian, no weapons. Appears to be blind; walking stick also a mobility aid. Asking stranger for directions.” He pauses before adding, “In Weequayan.”

Great. A lost, disabled polyglot is wrecking their best chance to apprehend this bounty. If they miss this window, the Guild is going to have some serious questions about their legitimacy, and frankly, Cody would not blame them. As he jogs the length of the city block, he orders, “Swap to Plan Dorn. Let me handle this,” and rounds the corner into the alley, hoping to salvage the hunt.

Instead, his bewildered gaze spots the swirl of black fabric as it disappears over a low roof, and he whirls to find his target practically gift-wrapped in a long red rope, trussed up on the bench like an offering.

“What the fuck?” he whispers, incredulous at his good fortune, before vowing that he would take the details of this particular capture to his grave.