No, but Kenji meets with me when I wake up.

You wake up the following day. Besides your bed is a tray of water and an apple. There’s a note there, and it’s from Flora. It read: “You were asleep when I came in last night and didn’t want to wake you. I hope this treats you well.”

Carefully, you moved around expecting soreness, maybe even a bit of sharp pain. You’re greeted with neither, however. You’re eating silently when Kenji walks in. You make eye contact, and he apologizes. You would rather have Flora come in through the doors.

“Good morning, Warren.”

“Hey. Kenji.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Remarkably well,” you patted your sides where you figured you were at least hit once. “Close to 100%, if I had to be honest.”

He knits his brows and approaches you. “You shouldn’t be. You looked like me after running an OP in Northern China.”

In your mind, you felt there was more supernatural help than the body doing quick repairs, but to explain that, Kenji, you realized you’d sound like a lunatic. “Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed?”

“Doubtful,” he says, producing a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “It’s good you are awake, but I have a letter from your, uh…partner. A parting gift, if you would, from Scarlet.”

“Should I be worried?”

“It’s her final words to me,” Kenji remarks. “We had a very professional relationship, but this is a personal favor. It seems she predicted her death a day or two before it happened and made sure her affairs could be covered from beyond the grave.”

Kenji reads the letter to you, and the whole thing is a well-thought-out plan to get you and Flora out of Amara’s influence. You are surprised that she is open with Kenji in her letter, but you never knew how much history they had together as partners.

It seems she was going to use Benjamin’s Group to leave. The details are a little rough, but with Kenji’s help, you know it isn’t going to stay that way. He has no reason to stick around with his contract about to terminate, and most of Amara’s team is dead– there was no reason to stay with the ARS.

In the end, Kenji sneezes and waves a hand out before him. “I need you and Flora to go Tiny’s Tavern. Since you sound healthy and able.”

“Why me, and what for?”

“You need to collect all the shit you and Scarlet left there. I’d make it one trip. We have a good number of people starting to filter in now that the snow is melting off. So, as soon as you can, take her there and get your shit collected.”

“I can do that,” you yawn. You get off the bed and stretch beside the expectation of pain. You feel nothing. “I’ll rally up with Flora.”

…

…

Even though Kenji warned you about an influx of visitors, you didn’t see anyone knew at Tiny’s Tavern. Miranda is there, but she’s busy picking her nails and pays you no more than a glance and finger wave.

You look at Flora as she takes off her gloves. “Doesn’t feel like they have the heat on here,” she scoffs.

“Are you cold?”

“Nah,” she rolls her neck. “Apparently, they aren’t either. Since we’re here, do you want a drink?”

You look at your watch and notice it’s only a little past noon. “It’s a bit early to drink, don’t you think?”

Flora grins but fights it off with a playful eye roll. “Of course not.”

Miranda lifts an eye at you and creates a synthetic smile when she spots Flora. She starts formally greeting you and acts like she hasn’t met you.

After a bit of conversation, Miranda then pretends she recognizes you. “Returning with another girl, I see. I suppose that isn’t surprising, considering the reputation you left on half of the girls that live here,” she teases and then regards Flora. “You’re aware of his background, yes?”

“Acutely,” Flora responds somewhat goomly. The last girl she figured you were seen with here was Scarlet.

Miranda winks, her smile not so synthetic anymore but naughty. “You need a second room or what?”

“Just drinks,” you smile. “One for each.”

“I love it,” Miranda chimes. “I’ll be right out.”

…

…

Warm with drink, you filter inside the room you and Scarlet had shared before going to Highlight. It’s weird, but knowing where she is now, you’re not sad with revisiting it. No rush of memories came flying back to you, but there was an odd aftertaste in the back of your throat. You sit at the back and exhale. Flora takes a spot next to you and probes a question. “You don’t seem too sad coming back here.”

“Scarlet kept talking about going home when she was wounded,” you explain. “I thought she was talking about going back here or maybe at the house, but I think she was ready to check out for good.”

Flora hums. “Pitiful room. I’m glad she didn’t consider this home.”

“Same here.”

It got quiet, and you could tell Flora wished she hadn’t brought up the matter. Flora loved you, of course, but you could tell she didn’t have as much time spent with you as Scarlet did. She didn’t know what else to say.

“You’ll have a chance to get home, you know?” you try to defuse her emotions.

“Yeah,” she says and then growls slightly. “I really am sorry all that happened to you. That’s so…horrible.”

You shrugged. You didn’t want to go through any kind of emotions that didn’t deserve to be there. “I’ve got you,” you distract her with. “And I couldn’t be happier about that.”

“But–”

You kissed Flora, she jolted. But kissed back in less than a second later. She leans back, and the springs of the bed creak. You loom above her and see Flora with pink cheeks. “I’ve missed you,” she whispers. “My body missed you, too.”

“There wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t think about you,” you brush her back. “Everything that’s happened to me was worth the price because it was all for you.”

Her fingernails are paintless and smooth, pale pink, as she reaches to touch your face. “I’m sorry things have to be this way… But I’m glad you’re back.”

“You don’t have to be so serious,” you smile to lessen the tension. “I love you, you know?”

She becomes sheepish as your bodies press against each other. “You locked that door, right?”