"Master Mace, Teacher Saito, good morning to you." Hongmo said as she bowed. She turned to her servants and dismissed them to prepare the afternoon meal for them and their guests. "Natalie, Blair would you go prepare a humble afternoon meal for us and our guests? Blake and Billy, can you make sure the second floor gazebo is clean and help Natalie and Blair once you're done. We wouldn't want to make our guest wait too long."

The four servants left Hongmo alone with Mace and Asano. When they were completely alone, no one took the chance to talk first. Hongmo turned around to go back to pruning her trees, calming her heart before staring the conversation.

"Is Lady Masa feeling better?" Hongmo asked with her back to the two men. It was easier for her to talk to them this way. Then she wouldn't be able to look at their faces and see their judgmental looks.

"She's fairing well. Thank you." Asano said. "She was only injured slightly, but she was mostly shaken up from the ordeal. Thank you for saving her. I... we wouldn't know what we would have done should anything have happened to anyone of us."

"You're welcome." Hongmo said as she kept her hands busy trimming the tree. "Did you find out who was behind the kidnapping?"

"Yes. The true person behind the kidnapping was the Crown Prince. However one of his flunky Captains took the blame and now lies in a pool of his own blood caused by his own hands.  Or so the suicide letter says."  Asano told her.  

"It's the price they pay for failing their mission."  Mace interjected.  

"Yes, well I would have liked to see him alive."  Asano said as he reached up to touche the plum blossom branch.  "Cherry tree blossoms in the spring while plum trees blossom in the winter.  How beautiful your home will be during both seasons."  

"Em."  Hongmo agreed.  She placed her tools down and took off the apron she was wearing and lead them to the gazebo.  Blair was there already with the hot water already boiling, ready to be poured into the tea pot.  When Hongmo, Mace and Asano arrived, Blair left the three of them alone, knowing that they needed to talk in private.  

"How have the two of you been since the last time I saw you?"  Hongmo asked as she poured the hot water into the teapot to let the tea inside steep.  

"We are fine.  Seeing how we didn't die that day that you saved us."  Mace said teasingly.  "We came here afterwards to check in on you, but your servants told us you were sick? Were you not feeling well after...after what happened?"  

Hongmo smiled tightly and answered.  "You and I both know I was not sick.  I has business to take care of and didn't come home.  My servants told you a lie to protect my reputation."  

"Did your business go well?"  Asano asked.  

"I wouldn't have come home if it didn't."  Hongmo told them.  Even though they didn't know what kind of business it was, they still worried for her.  

"So..." Mace said awkwardly.  "Are we going to talk about the big question we want to ask?"  

"What's there to talk about?"  Hongmo asked.  

"But the dragon and phoenix..."  Mace started saying.  

"Are like the wolf that Asano carries with him."  Hongmo said to them.  "He has the wolf, I have a dragon and phoenix.  No big deal."  

"No big deal!  Do you know what this means? It means you're invincible!"  Mace told her.  "When you told me that Ghost could be killed, couldn't be hurt, couldn't be poisoned, and couldn't be exercised, you weren't lying.  You're so powerful, you're impossible to kill!"  

Hongmo smiled tightly at his words.  Yes she was, but she could still die. 

"I can die."  Hongmo told them "I'm human just like you are." 

"No, you can't die!"  The Goryo told her.  "You're better than a human! You're me as I am you!" 

"What does that even mean? Just what are you?"  Hongmo asked the Goryo with her mind.  

"Wouldn't you like to know."  She teased Hongmo. 

"Hongmo."  Asano said bringing her into the present.  "You have wings..."  

"I do."  She admitted.  

"Where...where are they now?"  He asked.  

"Hidden at the moment."  She told them.  "But I do not want to talk about it.  My wings or the dragon and phoenix that I can call."  

"We never asked you about your past, because it was something you have always hidden.  It was something we could never find any evidence on.  It was as if you popped up from no where and came here.  And when you did, so many things have been happening in Obe."  Asano said.  

"Are you trying to blame everything that happened in Obe on me? As if me killing those targets for the Blood Moon Organization didn't help Mace gain more power and influence and become the second best assassin organization in Bido Kingdom.  As if my causing a scene with Lady Sara and Prime Minister Nawa at your birthday party didn't cause Prime Minister Nawa to lose some of his power over the court?  Which in turn caused your people to gain power and influence in the court?"  Hongmo couldn't believe how they could just brush off how her actions helped them gain more power for themselves.  "Should I leave then?"  

"No!  That's not what I meant."  Asnao ran his head through his hair in frustration.  Hongmo misunderstood his words.  He didn't mean it like how she took it.  "I'm not blaming anything on you.  I...I... hell I don't even know what the hell I'm saying."  

Mace patted him on the back in comfort.  He too didn't know what to say about her powers.  Had she been just any other assassin making a name for herself, they wouldn't have questioned her skills, her strength and her powers.  But since they saw her wings, they had to wonder what exactly she is and if she came to Obe with good intentions. 

Hongmo saw the hesitation in both of their eyes.  The doubt that clouded their thoughts.  The mistrust that bloomed inside their hearts the moment she revealed herself to them.  Her heart broke, seeing how what they said was different from what they felt.  

"I will be leaving Obe."  Hongmo decided.  After The Tyrant died, she would have to leave for the boarder anyway to kill Vladis.  So she lied to them instead. "My Master has called me back to attend her, I'll be leaving soon."  

The both of them stopped their own thoughts of guilt with her words.  They were taken back by her and her decision.   They knew that she decided to leave because they couldn't accept her. They just needed time to adjust to the new her, but how could they say that to her when she had already decided to leave?