Forn started the car, and Kai sat in the back with Mattethis.
They were all chatting, but Kai stayed quiet. He just wanted to be dropped off near Nynxreach — no questions, no detours.
After a few blocks, Forn pulled up outside a modest three-bedroom apartment and let Mattethis and Neo out. The door shut behind them with a dull thud.
But she didn't drive off.
Instead, she grabbed her board, scribbled something, and held it up in the rearview mirror.
"Where do you live? In the slums?"
Kai hesitated, tugging at the cuff of his hoodie.
"Uh… um, anywhere. Don't really mind. Thanks for dropping me off, though," he muttered.
She blinked, erased the board, and scribbled again.
"Wait. You're homeless?"
He looked away.
"Um… yeah. So anywhere's fine."
There was a pause. Just the low idle of the engine and the distant hum of a patrol drone overhead — its red eye sweeping across rooftops like a lighthouse looking for cracks.
Then the board came back up.
"Change of plans. I'm taking you shopping."
"Uhh…" Kai mumbled, eyes wide.
A glance down at his clothes — the same ones worn through rain, sleep, and silence for years. That hoodie was old, tattered, but familiar. It had survived everything with him. He sighed, defeated.
The car rolled into Zone Alpha's financial district — past polished sidewalks, sterile white towers, and security patrols dressed in black-gray armor. Glass storefronts gleamed in the daylight, and bright banners flapped from lampposts, each bearing the Obsidian Roundtable's sigil.
> "The Roundtable Protects All."
"Order Through Unity."
Everything here was clean. Controlled. Observed.
Forn parked beside a row of upscale shops and stepped out without a word. Kai followed.
---
The first store was a clothing boutique — walls white as bone, shelves too neat, like nothing had ever been touched.
Forn moved ahead, flipping through jackets, shirts, and pants like she'd done it a hundred times. Every now and then, she held something up, scribbled a question, and showed him.
One was a black leather coat — sharp-cut, inner lining like velvet, clearly expensive.
Kai checked the price tag. $240.
His throat tightened. "No way. That's… can't wear something like that."
She ignored the protest and draped it over her arm, like it was already his. Then picked out a set of soft cotton pajamas.
Kai frowned. "Really don't need clothes for sleeping. That seems weird."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.
---
Then came a new message.
"Fine. Then what about a phone? You don't have one."
"Got a transponder. That count?" he asked.
Forn shook her head.
The tech store glowed with pulsing displays. Holoscreens spun specs in midair. Kai stopped in front of the pricing wall, heart sinking.
Even the basic models looked out of reach.
He picked up one for $150 — bulky, cheap, barely functional.
Forn took it from his hand, put it back, and handed him a sleeker model listed at $800.
He nearly dropped it.
By the time Kai could speak, she was already walking to the counter.
Now they had two outfits. A coat. Boots. A phone. Pajamas.
None of it felt right. Owning things never did.
On the way out, a rotating wall display flashed with government slogans and idolized faces.
"Endure. Adapt. Obey."
"Humanity Endures."
One poster featured Xalith — standing in ceremonial armor, hand outstretched like a savior. Perfect. Cold.
Another showed a man in a black suit with the Black omen sigil behind him.
"Protecting Freedom."
That one made Kai nearly laugh. Freedom wasn't real. Not here. Not under constant watch.
His stomach growled.
Forn noticed and led the way to the food court.
She lifted her board again.
"Pick anything you want. I'll pay."
Kai sighed, eyes flicking between overpriced menus, and finally settled on something simple.
---
They ate beneath synthetic lighting, tucked in a corner booth while the world passed quietly around them. Trays clinked. A drone passed overhead. Somewhere, a child laughed.
Kai ate slowly.
The food was warm. Too warm. Not like ration packs or vending scraps. The quiet around him felt staged — too perfect, too polite. Every wall bore some version of the Roundtable's idealism. Safety. Obedience. Unity.
None of it felt true.
But maybe that was just the point. Maybe none of it was meant for someone like him.
---
Back in the car, Forn raised her board again.
"What else do you need?"
"Umm… I'm good. Fine, really" Kai said quickly.
She wiped it clean.
"I'll take you back to Neo's and Matt's. You can stay in the spare room."
Kai rubbed his hands together, eyes on the floor.
"Don't really like staying in one place," he muttered. "Usually sleep outside. Rooftops. Fire escapes. Places like that."
She didn't write anything right away.
Just looked at him.
Then turned forward and started the engine.
Board lifted again:
"Get used to it."
Kai didn't argue.
Just sank deeper into the seat, hands curled around the edge of the shopping bag, uncertain if what settled in his chest was gratitude… or dread.
The worst feeling was owing someone something.
---
They passed through district after district until the apartment finally came into view, bathed in a dim orange glow from the late sun.
Kai stepped out of the car with a full stomach and arms loaded with bags.
Forn waited.
He hesitated at the door. Then lifted a hand in a small wave.
She nodded. Drove off.
Only when the car vanished did Kai breathe out.
---
A short walk took him to one of his usual spots — a half-forgotten alley near Nynxreach, where the concrete turned soft with dust and rust.
He slipped behind a vent panel and retrieved his backpack. Some of the new clothes were stuffed inside, folded tightly between the old ones.
Neo and Matt's place wasn't far. Five minutes, maybe.
He didn't go.
Instead, Kai wandered until the buildings blurred together in that familiar silence. Then climbed onto a warm ledge beneath a flickering neon ad. It buzzed above him like a dying bug. Perfect.
Hoodie pulled tight, bags tucked in close, he sat. Let his body rest.
She's too nice for her own good, the thought came.
Living in a house is overrated. Been fine like this. Who does she think she is?
He tried to shake it off.
"Velnix… that was a pretty rough mission, huh?"
The words drifted into the quiet.
Then something else came to mind — payment.
Still hadn't been paid.
"Tera's gonna hear from me tomorrow," he muttered.
And with that, he let his eyes close.