Raya tightened her grip on the bag's strap as they crossed the boarding terminal, a quiet tether between her and the choice she'd made. Her boots echoed softly against the polished floor.

Distant voices mingled with the occasional murmur of departure announcements, the low hum of travel's everyday machinery. Beside her, Akiko walked with the same easy confidence she always did. Fluid, bright, the gravity of the room never quite touching her.

It amazed Raya sometimes. Infuriated her, too.

Akiko could dance through chaos with a grin and a shrug. But ask her to face something personal, something real, and she slipped away like mist. Slippery, clever, half a step out of reach.

Raya glanced over. The faint flick of Akiko's tail beneath her coat betrayed more than the kitsune likely realized. That wasn't just travel tension. That was nerves. But it wasn't just her tail. It was everything about her. Always twitchy. Always ready to bolt.

The last few days had been a blur. Tales of Blackreach, mercenaries, that strange little fairy. Akiko had spun it all into story, full of dramatic timing and sly flair. But Raya had seen past it.

The showmanship was just that: a show. Beneath it, Akiko was carrying the weight of too many close calls and never letting anyone else bear the strain.

Akiko stopped in front of a terminal, scanning the outbound schedules with a flicker of foxfire over her fingers. Her brow furrowed.

"See anything?" Raya asked, keeping her tone even.

"There's a late shuttle to the Yard," Akiko said. Her ears flicked restlessly. "Shouldn't be too packed."

Raya nodded, though her attention had already drifted to the familiar loop repeating in front of her. Akiko wasn't running from the bounty. Not even from Haven. She was running from her. Every time they came close to something, Akiko veered away. Always with a joke. Always with a smirk.

And yet… there were moments. Brief flickers of softness behind the eyes. Moments that made Raya wonder if Akiko wanted the closeness and just didn't know how to hold it.

"I'll handle the tickets," Akiko said, already stepping forward with that trademark grin. "Can't have them gouging us. Fox charm and all."

Raya watched her go, exhaling slowly.

It's not charm I'm worried about, Akiko. It's the running.

She shifted her bag lower on her shoulder. This trip to Zephara was supposed to be about leads. Unraveling the mercenary trail, tracing it to whatever was unraveling in the cold. But for Raya, it was also a test. Not of Akiko. Of herself. A chance to prove she wasn't just someone to protect. That she could stand with Akiko, not behind her.

Akiko returned, flashing two tickets. "Middle-tier ride," she said. "No frills, no fuss. Just the way we like it."

As they boarded, Akiko's stride stayed loose and fluid, but Raya could see it now, beneath the posture. The way her shoulders were always half-tensed. The way she mapped exits without looking like she was.

Even when nothing was wrong, Akiko was braced for it.

They stowed their bags and settled into their seats. The ship filled around them with scattered chatter and the familiar press of bodies too close in not-quite-comfortable silence. As the shuttle disengaged and began its ascent, Akiko stretched out, legs extended as far as they'd go.

She glanced sideways and yawned. "Wake me if anything explodes."

Raya didn't answer. Within minutes, Akiko's breathing had evened into sleep.

She watched her for a moment. The quiet of it, the way the tension melted once the world stopped needing something from her. No smirk. No armor. Just Akiko.

Raya let her gaze drift to the stars outside, but her thoughts stayed rooted in that sleeping face.

The moment of calm didn't last long.

Akiko stirred in her seat, her brow furrowing, and a faint sound escaped her lips. Raya leaned in slightly, frowning.

"No... too many... not strong enough..." Akiko muttered, her voice barely audible.

Raya's chest tightened.

She had heard the occasional story about Akiko's old world, just fragments. Adventures, battles, moments painted in broad strokes of chaos and glory. But this? This wasn't glory. This was something buried.

"Kaede... I'm sorry..."

Raya froze. The name wasn't unfamiliar. Akiko had mentioned her sister in passing. Always briefly, always with that flicker of hesitation. A presence that loomed behind every deflection. Hearing her name now, spoken in pain and regret, made her heart ache.

Raya's fingers curled around the edge of her seat. She'd known, or suspected, that Akiko carried something heavy. But this was the first time she'd heard it unfiltered. No mask. No bravado. Just sorrow.

Akiko shifted again, her breathing turning uneven. Raya hesitated, then reached out, laying a gentle hand on her arm.

The tension eased almost immediately. Akiko's expression softened, the crease between her brows smoothing out.

Raya exhaled, her thoughts churning. For all of Akiko's reckless confidence, she was stitched together with quiet pain, and doing everything she could to keep anyone from seeing the seams. Every time Raya tried to get close, Akiko danced away.

But now, she was sure: whatever Akiko had faced, it had left scars far deeper than she ever let on.

Raya glanced across the aisle, where Sifra lounged casually on the edge of a seat, legs swinging. The fairy's translucent wings shimmered faintly in the ambient light, drawing glances from nearby passengers, none brave enough to approach.

Sifra caught Raya's stare and tilted her head, grinning. "Staring's impolite, you know. Though I get it, I am dazzling."

Raya blinked, caught off guard. "It's not that, I just…" She sighed, opting for honesty. "What are you?"

Sifra placed a hand on her chest in mock offense. "A question of that magnitude before dinner? My dear healer, you wound me."

"I'm serious," Raya pressed, voice low. "I've studied biology, chemistry, cellular systems. You don't match anything I've ever seen."

Sifra's grin widened. "Flattery and analysis? You're spoiling me."

"I'm not flattering you," Raya said, brow furrowing. "You don't eat. You don't breathe. Do you even have cells? Are you… alive?"

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Sifra stretched her arms behind her head, her wings fluttering lazily. "Alive when it suits me. But let's not get lost in boring technicalities."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the best kind of answer," Sifra quipped, floating off the seat. Her wings didn't even move. She simply hovered, as though inertia bowed to whim. "Call it magic. Call it whimsy. Call it..." She twirled dramatically. "...a miracle."

"That explains nothing," Raya muttered, though a smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

Sifra winked. "Exactly. Which is why it explains everything."

Their conversation might've continued, but Akiko stirred again beside them, her tail twitching beneath her jacket. She muttered something incoherent, ears flicking once before settling.

Raya watched her for a long moment, the faint tension creeping back into her jaw. Her questions about Sifra would wait. For now, Akiko needed watching more than Sifra needed unraveling.

She leaned back, letting silence return, but her mind was still turning.

One of them was an enigma wrapped in a riddle. The other was Akiko. Which, somehow, was even harder to solve.

Time passed in hushed pulses, just the hum of the ship and the soft rhythm of breath beside her.

Raya stared out the transport window as the Yard loomed closer, its skeletal frame rotating slowly in the void.

From this distance, the patchwork sprawl of welded metal and flickering lights looked almost alive. A stitched-together leviathan orbiting nothing.

The docks glowed with hard, uneven light, ships drifting in and out like scavengers circling a carcass. It reminded her of home. Survival carved out of rust and grit, held together by fuel fumes and spite. The same grinding determination lived in the Yard's every seam. In the people who worked it.

She'd been here before. But this time, it felt different, like coming home through someone else's doorway.

The Yard wasn't hers. But these were her people. Families like hers. Folks who harvested water and scraped by on scraps. The kind of lives Haven only noticed when they wanted something.

She closed her eyes, letting the weight of memory settle.

Her father's voice echoed: Don't waste your talent, Raya. Haven'll chew you up if you let it.

After everything fell apart, she'd listened. Left. Joined the Reclaimers. Tried to change things. At first, it had felt like purpose. Like rebellion with a spine.

But lately, even before the rumors of water shortages started to crop up, she'd felt that purpose fraying. The Reclaimers weren't the answer. They were triage on a dying system, a patch on a pipe already bursting.

Her gaze flicked to Akiko, still dozing, curled loosely in her seat. Even asleep, her brow was tight. Her tail twitched once beneath her coat. There was something fragile in the way she slept. A softness buried under all the teeth and fire.

Akiko was chaos, yes. But she cared. Deeply.

Maybe that was what Raya had been missing all along. Not just the fight. The heart.

The Yard drifted closer. Metal-on-metal hum reverberated through the hull as the docking clamps engaged. The transport's engines pulsed once, then faded.

Raya leaned over and nudged Akiko's shoulder. "We're docking."

"Mmph." Akiko stirred, burrowing deeper into her jacket. "Five more minutes."

"Now," Raya said, firmer.

Akiko groaned but sat up, blinking groggily. Her ears flicked beneath her hood, and she stretched with a yawn that bared the tips of her canines. "You're lucky I don't bite in my sleep."

"You were talking," Raya said, voice quiet. "Something about Elyas."

Akiko's expression faltered, just for a second. Then she rolled her shoulders, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, well. Dreams are weird."

Raya didn't press, though the name echoed in her thoughts. She turned to the window as the gangway extended, watching the mess of ships and structures beyond.

The Yard looked worse than usual. Dim lights, exposed wiring, uneven bulkhead plating. This part wasn't officially maintained. It didn't need to be. The ice-haulers operated on the fringe. Half-legal, half-ignored.

Akiko adjusted her hood low, ears tucked out of sight, and followed Raya down the gangway into the controlled chaos.

The docks were rough. The air tasted of oil and scorched metal.

Akiko glanced around. Her tone was breezy, but her eyes were alert. "So what's the plan? Find the grumpiest captain and convince him we're excellent company?"

Raya smirked. "Something like that. Try not to be… you."

Akiko placed a hand over her heart, wounded. "I'll have you know I'm incredibly charming."

Raya gave her a look. "That's what I'm worried about."

They threaded through the maze of stacked cargo, idle loaders, and aging freighters. Crews huddled near open panels, welding gear flaring in bursts of orange light. No uniforms. Just grimy jumpsuits, worn hands, tired eyes.

Raya stopped near a hauler mid-refit. An older man knelt beside a panel, adjusting a worn interface. He looked up as they approached, his eyes sharp, the kind that cataloged threats before words.

"Got business?" he asked.

"We're looking for passage to Zephara," Raya said, calm and direct. "We can work for our keep. Whatever you need. Hauling, system maintenance, medtech."

He didn't blink. "Not much headed to Zephara. Haven's locked things down. The rest of us don't need that kind of heat."

"We're not looking for trouble. Just a ride."

The man's gaze shifted to Akiko. Recognition flickered. His expression tightened.

"Trouble's already here," he muttered. "Her face is on half the boards out here."

Akiko stiffened. Foxfire flickered faintly at her fingertips before she killed the spark. Her voice was flat. "Still charming, though."

Raya put a hand on her arm. A quiet press of don't.

To the man, she said, "We'll ask elsewhere."

He didn't stop them.

Raya exhaled slowly. "Let's try another ship."

Time crawled past, each missed chance slamming another door shut. The docks were a world of their own. Loud, grimy, full of people too busy scraping by to care about a pair of travelers in need.

Raya kept her tone calm as she spoke to the ice-hauler captains, knowing from experience that patience was the only way to make progress here. Her words were measured. Her posture respectful. Even when another captain shook his head and walked away.

"No luck with that one either," she said, turning back toward Akiko.

The kitsune stood a few paces off, arms crossed, her tail flicking with thinly veiled impatience. Sifra lounged nearby on a cargo crate, yawning so theatrically it might've been for an audience.

Akiko didn't bother to hide her frustration.

"That's the fourth one," she muttered, voice raised just enough to draw a glance or two. "We're not getting anywhere."

Raya held her composure, though the edge in the words stung. "These things take time," she said evenly. "The haulers are wary, and with good reason. They can't risk heat from Haven."

Akiko scoffed. "And waiting around is working great."

She stepped forward, already moving toward the next group of haulers. Her stride lengthened. Her shoulders squared. Raya saw it at once, the performance sliding into place.

"Watch and learn," Akiko said over her shoulder.

Raya opened her mouth to object, but stopped. The performance had already begun.

"Captain," Akiko said, her voice smooth and lilting, "I hear you're the best in the business. Lucky for you, I'm looking to work with the best."

The captain looked up from his terminal. Grizzled, tired, and unimpressed. But his gaze didn't turn away.

"That so?" he said. "What kind of work are you offering?"

Raya tensed. She felt it. The shimmer in the air. Magic. Subtle, but there. Akiko had woven charm into her words. Nothing overt. Just enough to coax. To nudge.

Raya wanted to stop her. She really did.

"We're travelers," Akiko went on, leaning just close enough, "and we've got skills that'd be an asset to your crew. All we need is a little trust."

The captain's posture eased slightly. A half-smile tugged at his mouth. For a moment, it looked like Akiko's gamble might pay off.

Then his terminal buzzed sharply. The screen flickered. Lines of static blinked, then went dark, replaced by a glowing red system error.

The captain scowled. "What the hell?"

He jabbed the panel, then looked at Akiko with a glare that could've cracked armor. "You've got some nerve trying to screw with my equipment."

Raya moved fast, slipping between them with practiced calm. "Captain, I'm so sorry," she said, bowing her head. "There's been a misunderstanding. We'll be on our way."

She grabbed Akiko's arm and pulled her back before things escalated. Behind them, Sifra struggled to contain a laugh, her tiny shoulders shaking with delight.

"What were you thinking?" Raya hissed once they were out of earshot.

Akiko bristled. "I was trying to help. You've been talking to captains all morning and getting nowhere."

"And now most of them will think we're trouble," Raya said. "I know you want to be useful, but that wasn't it."

Akiko deflated slightly, slumping against a cargo crate. Her ears drooped under her hood.

Sifra zipped over and perched on her shoulder, still grinning. "Smooth as ever. Bet that worked great back in your world."

Akiko shot her a glare. But said nothing.

Raya crossed her arms, watching them both. Her irritation faded, replaced by something warmer, if no less weary.

"We'll try again," she said. "But next time? Let me handle it."

Akiko sighed and nodded. As they walked, she ran a hand through her hair. "I hate this place," she muttered. "Magic doesn't work right. Tech breaks down if I so much as look at it wrong. It's exhausting. At least on the Driftknight we had things playing nice with the magic."

Sifra hovered nearby, arms crossed. "Welcome to my life. It's like breathing through a straw. And don't get me started on how boring it is."

Akiko glanced at her. "At least I'm not alone in the misery."

"Misery loves company," Sifra quipped, clearly pleased with herself.

Raya didn't join the banter. She turned her eyes toward the next set of haulers, mentally cataloging who might still give them a shot.

Akiko's antics were nothing new.

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