Shane McCutcheon silently walked through the busy streets of Prontera alongside her savior, confidant, and best friend Inthuul S’lat’halin on the snowy winter December morning. They passed several vendors and made note of their items in the event they decided they needed anything later. They overheard old friends catching up with each other after being away for long periods of time due to battles. One couple in particular caught Inthuul S’lat’halin’s eye. It was a lord knight who had barely made it out of Abyss Lake alive and he was locked in an embrace with his lover, a buff high priest who had been badly beaten during a venture in Magma Dungeon that had gone terribly wrong. Shane looked at the couple, then at her friend and regarded her.

Inthuul S’lat’halin was a fairly new assassin when she had caught a young and feeble, although quite agile, Shane McCutcheon trying to steal food from her. She took Shane under her wing and helped to train her to be a top-notch thief. She noticed early on that Shane would be better suited as a rogue, so with pride, and a bit of a heavy heart, she turned Shane over to the rogue guild when she was ready. And now, several years later, Inthuul S’lat’halin made a name for herself as the best assassin cross in both Rune-Midgard and the Schwartzwalt Republic, and Shane was nearly ready turn in her rogue uniform in exchange for the more stylish stalker uniform.

Shane wasn’t religious by any stretch of the imagination, but every night she gave thanks for the woman walking next to her coming into her life. She was one of very few people who knew Inthuul S’lat’halin’s true identity and she was so devoted to her friend that not even the strongest enemy could gank that piece of information from her. If need be, she would die holding onto that secret.

As the two women strolled along, Shane finally broke the silence. "So what are you getting her for Christmas?" the rogue quietly asked her friend.

The assassin cross looked over at her friend and just smiled. Shane could only see the smile in her friend’s eyes as the rest of her face was always covered by a mask. It was standard practice for members of the assassin guild to keep their bodies covered from head to foot.