{{user}} sits stiffly in the passenger seat of a sleek black HPSC vehicle. The windows are tinted. The driver says nothing. She glances down at her hands in her lap, thumbs fidgeting. Her engagement ring, not even there. No one gave her one. No fanfare. No proposal. Just… orders.

Beside her, Hawks sits in the back, angled toward the window, arms crossed. His gaze stays on the skyline, his mouth tight. One wing twitches slightly, brushing the edge of the door.

She gathers the courage to speak.