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"Proof of what I’ it proves is that we needyour tattoos and studying the on volunteers"

"What?!" Rojer and the Painted Man asked in unison

"I can make a stain from blackstem leaves that will stay in the skin no more than teeks," Leesha said "I can perform controlled tests and mark the results I’m certain we can--"

"Absolutely not," Arlen said "I forbid it"

"You forbid?" Leesha asked "Are you the Deliverer, to order folk about? You can forbid lared at her, and Leesha wondered if perhaps she had pushed hi cat, and for a moment she was afraid he would leap at her, but she stood fast Finally, he deflated

"Please," he said, his tone softening "Don’t risk it"

"People are going to i wards on people with charcoal sticks"

"He’ll stop if I tell him to," the Painted Man said

"Only because he thinks you’re the Deliverer," Rojer noted, and flinched at the look the Painted Man gave him in return

"It won’t make any difference," Leesha said "It’s only a end draws a tattooist to the Hollow, and then there will be no stopping it Better we experiain "Don’t curse anyone else with my condition"

Leesha looked at him wryly "You’re not cursed"

"Oh?" he asked He looked at Rojer "Do you have one of your throwing knives?"

Rojer flicked his wrist, and a knife appeared in his hand He spun it deftly and ive it to the Painted Man, handle-first, but the Painted Man shook his head He rose and took a few steps back from the table "Throw it at me"

"What?" Rojer asked

"The knife," the Painted Man said "Throw it Right at my heart"

Rojer shook his head "No"

"You throw knives at people all the time," the Painted Man said

"As a trick," Rojer said "I’ to throw one at your heart, are you insane? Even if you can use your dehed and turned to Leesha "You, then Throw so--"

He hadn’t even finished the sentence before Leesha snatched a frying pan off a hook by the fire and hurled it at him

But the pan never struck hoh, dissipating his body as if waved through sainst the far wall and fell to the floor Leesha gasped, and Rojer’s mouth fell open

It took several seconds for theinto the body of the Painted Man He breathed deeply as he beca," he said "Dissipation is easy Like relaxing yourspreads water into steaht I can do it at will Pulling back together is harder Sometimes I worry I’ll spread too thin, and just…drift away on the wind"