Permafrost Hollows my shadow's shedding skin

colt had two ways to play this: one, his usual cunning.
or two, more darkly than he had ever tried a thing before. briggs was many things but that was a place he hadn't yet strayed. 
hell, if he was that sort, he would have gotten it before he ever took the girl off her rotten rat.
and so he signalled indra to stand down. even if he struck — and yes, he was tempted — the effort of holding and subduing her would fetch him wounds.
"all right then," he rasped charmingly to rana. "girl," he said to his red companion. "why don'tya run on ahead, see what yew kin see, hm?"