"We're not friends, and it hasn't been that long since we last met." Adam inspected his surroundings as he spoke, but he didn't sense any danger in the air. "Did that insane woman not come with you?"

"Are you talking about Hebi no Miko? She went back to Japan," Raven revealed, dropping a massive piece of news onto Adam right away. "Given her personality, it's no surprise that she had many enemies back there, and if she's absent for too long, then things could go sour very quickly, so she has to go back and take care of some matters."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"To win your trust, of course," Raven admitted with a smile.

It had to be said that Raven had managed to instill a sense of reassurance into Adam very quickly, but that was immediately followed by a sense of intense alertness.

"I have to admit that you really do...