Mistborn #01 The Final Empire

place where the skaa weren’t quite so beaten down.
    If such a place exists . . . Vin was beginning to understand that it wasn’t just Luthadel and its Soothing stations that made skaa subservient. It was everything —the obligators, the constant work in field and mill, the mind-set encouraged by a thousand years of oppression. There was a reason why skaa rebellions were always so small. The people knew—or thought they knew—that there was no fighting against the Final Empire.
    Even Vin—who’d assumed herself a “liberated” thief—had believed the same. It had taken Kelsier’s insane, over-the-top plan to convince her otherwise. Perhaps that was why he’d set such lofty goals for the crew—he’d known that only something this challenging would make them realize, in a strange way, that they could resist.
    Spook glanced at her. Her presence still made him uncomfortable.
    “Spook,” Vin said, “you know that Elend broke off his relationship with me.”
    Spook nodded, perking up slightly.
    “But,” Vin said regretfully, “I still love him. I’m sorry, Spook. But it’s true.”
    He looked down, deflating.
    “It’s not you,” Vin said. “Really, it isn’t. It’s just that . . . well, you can’t help who you love. Trust me, there are some people I really would rather not have loved. They didn’t deserve it.”
    Spook nodded. “I understand.”
    “Can I still keep the handkerchief?”
    He shrugged.
    “Thank you,” she said. “It does mean a lot to me.”
    He looked up, staring out into the mists. “I’m notting a fool. I . . . knew it wasing not to happen. I see things, Vin. I see lots of things.”
    She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. I see things. . . . An appropriate statement, for a Tineye like him.
    “You’ve been an Allomancer for a long time?” she asked.
    Spook nodded. “Wasing the Snap when I was five. Barely even remember it.”
    “And since then you’ve been practicing with tin?”
    “Mostly,” he said. “Wasing a good thing for me. Letting me see, letting me hear, letting me feel.”
    “Any tips you can pass on?” Vin asked hopefully.
    He paused thoughtfully, sitting by the edge of the slanted rooftop, one foot dangling over the side. “Tin burning . . . Notting about the seeing. Wasing about the not seeing. ”
    Vin frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “When burning,” he said, “everything comes. Lots of everything. Distractions here, there. Iffing the power of wants, ignoring the distractions of both.”
    If you want to be good at burning tin, she thought, translating as best she could, learn to deal with distraction. It isn’t about what you see—it’s about what you can ignore.
    “Interesting,” Vin said thoughtfully.
    Spook nodded. “When looking, seeing the mist and seeing the houses and feeling the wood and hearing the rats below. Choose one, and don’t get distracted.”
    “Good advice,” Vin said.
    Spook nodded as a sound thumped behind them. They both jumped and ducked down, and Kelsier chuckled as he walked across the rooftop. “We really have to find a better way of warning people that we’re coming up. Every time I visit a spynest, I worry that I’m going to startle someone off the rooftop.”
    Vin stood, dusting off her clothing. She wore mistcloak, shirt, and trousers; it had been days since she’d worn a dress. She only put in token appearances at Mansion Renoux. Kelsier was too worried about assassins to let her stay there for long.
    At least we bought Kliss’s silence, Vin thought, annoyed at the expense. “It’s time?” she asked.
    Kelsier nodded. “Nearly so, at least. I want to stop somewhere on the way.”
    Vin nodded. For their second meeting, Marsh had chosen a location that he was supposedly scouting for the Ministry. It was a perfect opportunity to meet, since Marsh had an excuse to be in the building all night, ostensibly Seeking for any Allomantic activity nearby. He would have a Soother with him for a good deal of the time, but there would be an opening near the middle of the night when Marsh figured he would have a good hour alone. Not much time if he had to sneak out and back, but plenty of time for a pair of stealthy Mistborn to pay him a quick visit.
    They bid farewell to Spook and Pushed off into the night. However, they didn’t travel the rooftops for long before Kelsier led them down onto the street, landing and walking to conserve strength and metals.
    It’s kind of odd, Vin thought, remembering