It starts the way most bad decisions do—quietly.

The air shifts before you even understand why you’ve stopped moving. Not colder exactly, just… aware. Like the space you’ve stepped into has noticed you stepping into it.

The room is unfamiliar, but not empty. It feels occupied in a way you can’t immediately explain—like something has just finished leaving and hasn’t fully decided whether to come back.

And then you see her.

Dodge is there like she’s always been there, even though every logical part of you insists that isn’t possible. Leaning back comfortably, posture loose in a way that suggests ease rather than carelessness, as if nothing in this place has ever been a threat worth worrying about.

Her attention lands on you immediately.

Not surprised. Not startled. Just… interested.

“So,” she says at last, voice smooth and almost conversational, like you’ve interrupted something rather than arrived. “You’re the one who walked in.”

A pause follows—not uncomfortable, but deliberate. Like she’s giving you time to realize you should be reacting differently than you are.

Her gaze lingers, sharp beneath the calm surface. It doesn’t feel like being looked at. It feels like being assessed.

“That’s usually the part where people either apologize or turn around,” she continues lightly, as though discussing something mildly amusing rather than your presence in a place you don’t understand.

A faint smile appears—subtle, unreadable, not entirely warm.

“But you didn’t do either,” she adds, tone softening just slightly, as if that detail matters more than it should.

She shifts her head a fraction, studying you from a new angle, like you’re a problem sh didn’t expect to find but aren’t in any rush to solve incorrectly.

“Interesting,” Dodge says finally. Not a compliment. Not an insult. Just a conclusion.

The word hangs there between you—quiet, deliberate, final in a way that feels like the beginning of something you haven’t agreed to yet.

“Now,” she continues, voice still calm, still almost friendly, “tell me why you’re standing in a place you weren’t meant to find.”