<span style="font-size: 18px">“Your <i>cortado</i>, sir.”<br/>
<br/>
Tassos barely glanced up from his book at the young man who had brought his drink to the small table.  He’d gotten a good look when he’d come in.  Short, dark hair, messy, but in a trendy way.  Young soul.  That was not his prey. <br/>
<br/>
“Thank you,” he replied in a disinterested but polite fashion, his voice low.  It was hot, but he was already curling his fingers into the handle and bringing it to his lips for a small sip.  Heat didn’t bother him.  He’d had to grow accustomed to that over the long stretch of years he’d been following <i>his</i> orders. <br/>
<br/>
Tassos had been chosen for many reasons.  He had the ability to read into a being’s past lives, to see their reincarnation’s true soul.  He also had plenty of covert activity under his belt and a face young enough to fit in with the college crowd.  His fair complexion and the pale eyes he chose to use might have made him stand out, but not in a frightening way.  (He had overheard people whispering about him, and most humans seemed to find him attractive.)  He had a feeling his hair was also eye catching, because it seemed so very few humans there had grown theirs out as long as his, and those few were all female.  He wondered at first if one might mistake him at a distance for one, but he was tall and broad-shouldered, and while his movements were on the graceful side, they were not what he could call feminine.  His style of dress was also masculine.  That day saw him in a pair of black jeans paired with a button up t-shirt covered in a stark black and white floral pattern, large black boots to match. <br/>
<br/>
This was the third day he’d been in the quaint little coffee shop.  It was spring break for the college students, and he imagined that the place was a lot less cozy and quiet during the year.  The crush of young, loud, obnoxious humans, the choking smell of their chemical perfumes and body sprays, and the overwhelming sense of frivolity in their short, pointless lives.  Being crowded in with them made him ill.  There was no telling how long he’d be stationed there on campus, however, so he would take this small reprieve.<br/>
<br/>
As for his mission, he was sent there to find and keep an eye on a very special young being, one who was about as human as Tassos himself.  It was fair enough to say that his prey had more of a connection to the planet they were on, though.  Tassos had been created long ago, before the particles that formed the Earth had even begun to coalesce.  The one he sought was of the Earth itself, perhaps coming into being in the very beginning when the fresh planet began to sprout life.  That was the running theory, anyway.  He had only recently been made aware of this strange, reincarnating being.  He couldn’t say he wasn’t intrigued.  What knowledge would be within that soul?  What power?  Would he or she be completely oblivious to it all, or would they exhibit the truth of their life force in their appearance?<br/>
<br/>
He found himself thinking about that.  His mind drifted from his book, and eventually so did his eyes.  Tassos turned his attention out the window at his side and observed the world beyond.  It was no use denying how beautiful it was there around the campus.  Luscious greens had exploded from the first breath of spring, pink dogwood blooms were on full display, as were a couple of large Yoshino cherries.  He would’ve been having a much better time out there, taking in the full force of that beautiful scenery and breathing in the fresh air.  Perhaps he’d make time later, if the nature spirit didn’t come along.<br/>
<br/>
His gaze fell back down to his drink.  Coffee was also a soothing smell, so he couldn’t complain too much.  The hope that he’d catch a glimpse of his prey ultimately kept him in his seat, the ancient being letting out a resigning sigh as he brought his cup back up to his lips and his eyes down to his book.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
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