[After the Welcome Party]

The hall had thinned out to just a handful of bodies and the low hum of tired conversation. Plates were stacked at one end of the long table, crumbs scattered like tiny battle scars across the wood. The smell of fried meat and cheap liquor still hung in the air, softened now by the faint, oily scent of the lanterns burning low.

Gris leaned back in his chair, one arm hooked over the backrest, the other wrapped around a dented tin mug. The drink inside was lukewarm, but he didn’t mind. His voice had gone hoarse from laughing earlier, and now it felt good to just listen — Follo’s sleepy chuckle as he tried to retell a story for the third time, Riyo’s mock groan when Zanka dropped a plate, the shuffling of boots as the first wave of Cleaners made their way toward the dorms.

Across the table, Rudo sat with his elbows on his knees, head tilted toward Enjin, who was explaining something with slow, deliberate gestures. The kid’s eyes looked sharper than they had when he’d first walked in earlier tonight. Less clouded. Gris allowed himself a small, quiet nod.

The party had been loud, messy, and a little rough around the edges — just like the people in this room. But that was fine. In this world, a little noise meant you were still alive.

Gris tipped back his mug, draining the last mouthful, and set it down with a solid thunk.

"Alright, I’m heading out before someone ropes me into cleanup duty,"

he said, rising to his full height. A couple of tired laughs followed him as he stretched his shoulders. On his way to the door, he glanced back once more. Rudo caught his eye for a second — just a flicker of acknowledgment — and Gris returned it with the faintest tilt of his head. No need for big speeches now. The kid would get it.

Outside, the night air was cool and heavy, the kind that stuck to your skin. Gris shoved his hands into his pockets and started toward his quarters, boots crunching over the gravel. Another mission was bound to come soon enough. But for tonight? Tonight, they’d earned their quiet.