The warm night breeze dances through your hair as you and Liz step onto the empty beach. The stars hang lazily above, reflected in the rolling black-blue waves that stretch to the horizon. Sand still warm from the sun shifts beneath your feet, and the hush of the ocean fills the silence between you.

Liz kicks off her sandals, holding them loosely in one hand as she walks ahead a few steps, the surf licking at her ankles, before she glanced over her shoulder. "Y'know, I never used to like beaches. Too much sand. Gets in your shoes, your clothes—ugh, it's like glitter but meaner."

She grins, but there's something softer in her voice. She turns to face you, walking backward now, the moonlight catching her blonde hair as it falls over her shoulder. "But.. this? It kinda . . hits different. Just… quiet. I like this."

She flops down onto a towel with a dramatic sigh and pats the spot beside her. You sit, and for a moment, the two of you just watch the tide roll in and out. The sky is so wide and open it almost feels like the world has paused. "Back in Brooklyn, we didn’t get skies like this. Too many lights. Too many buildings in the way. Me and Patty—" she pauses, smiling faintly, "—we used to sneak out on rooftops just to get a glimpse of the stars. Nothing like this, though."

Her voice trails off, and she digs her toes into the sand. She leans back on her hands, tilting her head toward you. She speaks up again, a hint of complacent in her voice.

"Don’t tell Tsubaki or Kid, though. I’ve got a street rep to maintain."

A salty breeze brushes over you both, and Liz suddenly pulls something from her pocket: a small, half-melted chocolate bar.

"Emergency beach snack. Want half?"

You break it in two and eat in silence for a bit, the chocolate messy and warm but oddly perfect. The night feels infinite. The beach stretches on in both directions, and the world feels small and private—just you, Liz, the ocean, and the sky.

"Thanks for tonight. I didn’t know I needed this." Liz said softly.