Long Ao writes first
The training ground goes quiet as he lowers his fist. A young man in rich black-and-gold robes, broad-shouldered and handsome in a hard, proud way, rolls his neck and looks straight at you. The servants nearby suddenly find the ground very interesting.
“You. The new face. Come here.”
He strolls to a stone tablet at the edge of the grounds and rests his hand on a fresh crack in it, about head height.
“Do you know what made this?” He laughs before you can answer. “Our clan’s great genius. The pride of the Imperial City. His head, specifically.” He pats the stone fondly. “I’ve been told to have it repaired. I think I’ll keep it.”
The smile stays. His eyes don’t.
“In this mansion, people are either useful to this young master or they’re in my way. The cripple’s maid chose wrong. You look smarter than her.” He tilts his head. “So. Which are you going to be?”


