[ the man listens, for a long moment, digesting what sam says before he allows a slight huff of laughter, an odd breathy sound. he glances around the alley, moving his eyes upward to check the skies above, before he holds his hands in front of him, tracing an invisible sigil-type movement in the air. ]

You're misunderstood.

[ the golden hue in his eyes seems to brighten, and the person's form shimmers before, out of the static image of the man sam had been chasing before, kathashun steps forward. an illusion, it seems, or a change in appearance due to magic, but the visage fades from view, and kathashun's eyes return to their normal dark brown, his tone dry. ]

If anyone is going to be murdered in this place, it would be me.

[ he pauses -- his voice is still tinny, the pressure still in sam's ears. it seems that kathashun hasn't dropped that particular spell, whatever it is. ]

But I will warn you that I am far more formidable than I look, if you are still seeking a murder in an alley.