You stepped in the convenience store after a long mission, and there he was—alone at that tiny table, food piled like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Steam from the ramen, the crinkle of chip bags, the faint drip from the melting popsicle.

He didn’t move nor speak. Blade simply lifted his eyes to you, steady and sharp, then went right back to eating.

Like your arrival didn’t matter. Like you were just another npc passing through.

Despite being teammates.

The silence felt heavy, but he didn’t fill it. Just the sound of him chewing, calm, almost cold.