"Good news and bad news," Dorian chirped.<br/><br/>"Not now," Haley growled, spinning in place and slamming her shin into the lead guard. The force carried up off his feet and back into the three others directly behind him. Only then did she see the rest of her pursuers tripping inexplicably over a heard of rampaging barrels.<br/><br/>"We've been noticed."<br/><br/>"Is that the good news or the bad news?"<br/><br/>"That depends. How low of a profile were we trying to keep?"<br/><br/>Haley groaned, but resumed running. "How many are watching?"<br/><br/>"Er. Find a place to hide while I look."<br/><br/>Haley ducked down a side street and crouched behind a mound of garbage while Dorian disappeared into the mirrorverse. She didn't like sitting still like that, but if she kept moving, Dorian would have a hard time finding her again. According to him, the other side was a lot of empty space; only what was reflected existed in his world. And if they moved...<br/><br/>The wait seemed to take hours, but it was probably only a minute. Still, she had enough time to think about unraveling her bandages. She could always find more clothing elsewhere. But Dorian returned before that line of thinking went anywhere.<br/><br/>"Five are definitely paying attention: looks like a thief, a swordsman, an elf, a bald guy, and some fishman."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What is this, an RPG?</span>"And?"<br/><br/>He shrugged. "I'm just recon. You're the brains."<br/><br/>And the brawn.<br/><br/>"Also, the guards are going after that elf guy."<br/><br/>"What, why?"<br/><br/>"I think he did the thing with the barrels."<br/><br/>"Stupid. He should have stayed out of it." Even as she said it, she got to her feet. "Hold on to the watch, kid." She opened the chambers on her revolver, like she was going to empty spent casings. But her guns didn't work like that and instead, displayed a tiny display with blinking buttons. They were two halves of one device, a pair of weapons designed to be used together. Designed for her. She pressed a few buttons and clicked the chambers back into place. The guns hummed gently, indicating a connection to new ammunition being established.<br/><br/>"You're going back out there?"<br/><br/>"What can I say? He won't be the first stupid kid I've saved."<br/><br/>With her left-hand revolver, she fired a bright green flare in a high arc, drawing the attention of the guards running for Vidaar. Into the companion revolver, Haley had loaded smokescreen pellets. Not her first choice in firefights, but useful. She fired six successive shots, establishing a wide wall of thick, black smoke into which she charged, knocking guards out of the way until she reached Vidaar.<br/><br/>She scooped him up with her left arm, slung him over her shoulder, and continued running, firing more smoke bullets back over her shoulder.<br/><br/>"Did I mention he has some kind of animal?" Dorian shouted suddenly.<br/><br/>"No!"<br/><br/>"Oh. Well..." Haley didn't bother looking back, hoping that the elf's animal companion wouldn't maul her before they reached safety.