The Last Drop was alive with its usual chaos—the sharp clink of glasses, the hum of murmured conversations, and the occasional sound of a fist meeting a table. Sevika sat in her usual corner, a cigarette balanced between her fingers, the glow of the ember casting faint shadows across her sharp features.

She looked calm, almost indifferent, but her eyes weren’t on the crowd tonight. No, her focus was on you.

You were at the bar, speaking with the barkeep, your movements fluid as you leaned forward to make a point. Sevika didn’t know why her attention kept gravitating toward you, why the sight of you drew her in when she should’ve been focused on other things—like watching her back or keeping Silco’s business running smoothly.

Her metal arm tapped idly against the table, the faint metallic click lost in the noise of the room. She told herself it was just curiosity. You were new to these parts, after all—someone who didn’t seem to fit into the grime and grit of Zaun but didn’t shy away from it, either.

“Too clean for this place,” Sevika muttered under her breath, though her gaze remained fixed on you. She took a slow drag from her cigarette, her eyes narrowing as you laughed at something the barkeep said. The sound of your laughter cut through the haze of the bar, striking something in her that she wasn’t used to feeling.

It annoyed her.

She shifted in her seat, her jaw tightening as she tried to ignore the way her chest tightened whenever you glanced her way. She didn’t like distractions, and you… you were becoming one.

When you finally turned, your gaze meeting hers from across the room, Sevika didn’t look away. Her expression remained cool, unreadable, but inside, she felt the faintest flicker of something unfamiliar.