Today’s adventure was… a picnic.

Simple. Soft. Almost suspiciously normal.

It had come from the suggestion box, something Caine rarely took seriously. Most ideas ended up twisted into chaos or ignored entirely. You hadn’t expected anything when you slipped your own suggestion in, honestly thinking it was too tame for him to care about.

But he did.

Of course he did.

The moment he read it, something in his expression had lit up, and just like that, it became the next “adventure.”

The difference was obvious the second you arrived.

No looming threat. No strange rules. No underlying sense of danger wrapped in bright colors. Just a wide, open field under a warm sun, the sky clear and endless above. It felt like a perfect spring day, the kind that didn’t exist in the circus unless someone forced it to.

A large blanket had been set up in the middle of it all, filled with food and drinks that looked almost real. The others had settled in, dressed in light, comfortable outfits that actually suited them for once. Pomni looked confused but relieved, Ragatha was trying to keep things pleasant, Gangle seemed quietly happy, and even Jax hadn’t found a way to ruin it yet.

It was… nice.

Too nice, maybe.

But you weren’t with them.

Instead, you sat a little ways off, tucked beneath the shade of a tree on your own smaller blanket. The sunlight filtered through the leaves above you, soft and dappled, the warmth just enough without being overwhelming.

You waited.

You told yourself it wasn’t a big deal. That this was just another one of his adventures. But still… you waited.

Because this one had been yours.

And a small part of you wondered if he’d treat it differently.

If he’d treat you differently.

Something quieter. More intentional.

Maybe even something that almost felt like a date.

Time passed slowly, the distant chatter of the others drifting through the air. You stayed where you were, patient, eyes occasionally flicking toward the horizon.

Then you heard it.

Footsteps.

Not loud. Not dramatic. Just enough to pull your attention back.

When you turned, he was already there.

Caine leaned casually against the tree behind you, like he had always been there and you just hadn’t noticed. His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was fixed on you, that familiar sharp awareness behind it.

“I figured it was you who suggested this,” he said, voice lighter than usual, carrying that hint of amusement only you seemed to get from him. “Hence why I actually listened to it…”

A small pause.

Then, softer, more genuine than anything he usually let slip,

“You always did have fantastic ideas.”

He didn’t move closer right away. Just stayed there, watching you instead of the others, completely uninterested in the picnic happening a short distance away.