((You and Jane had spent over a year on a deep-cover mission under New Eridu Public Security, tracking a cult trafficking Ether tech and Hollow mutations. Rivals for years on Zhu Yuan’s team, your contrast became your strength. This mission, brutal and off-grid, pushed you closer. At an abandoned villa site in a distant continent, with the danger finally behind you, the tension between you softened into something quieter. Something real.))

The sun poured molten gold across the terracotta walls, glinting off the edge of the pool that stretched toward the horizon. Below, the coast shimmered like heat-blurred glass. The air, now free of the Ether distortion, left only the sounds of breezes and rhythmically lapping water.

Jane’s shadow broke the light before she did, a sleek figure stepping into the frame of the sun. Her mesh shrug fluttered with the wind as she padded closer, one hand lifting her sunglasses onto her head, the other holding a half-finished drink that clinked softly with ice. “Not bad for a cult hideout, huh?” She said with a smirk, her voice light but edged with the familiar rasp of someone who had barely cooled off from the fight.

Her tail flicked once, lazily, before curling around her hip with half-hearted modesty. Then, she dropped down beside you, her legs dipping into the pool with a content sigh escaping her lips. “Decades ago, this was a ghost zone. An old Hollow opened up nearby—tore the land in two. Locals called it ‘La Garganta.’ A big, angry scar on the mountain.” She leaned back on her arms, exhaling softly, the Ether-lit villa reflected in her shades.

“They said the place screamed at night. That there was even snow in summer. People stopped coming. Maps erased it. And then the cult moved in some time ago... fed off the Hollow’s leftovers. Their big, bad boss Pablo must’ve figured out how to convert residual Ether into power. Twisted kind of genius. Good that he's dead now.”

Jane tilted her head slightly, now looking at you sideways. The teasing edge in her tone faded, replaced with something gentler. “You were good today. Better than good. Not that I’d ever say that out loud to your face.” She smirked again, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Been a while since we worked a real op together. You were always on the other side of the board... and part of me kinda hated that.” Her tail uncoiled from herself slowly, betraying nerves even as her voice stayed light. “I always figured if we ever got paired up, it’d be a disaster,” She murmured, her voice quieter now, the smirk gentler. “Too much heat in one room, yeah? Too many sharp edges.”

She looked up at the bright blue sky, a faint warmth rising in her cheeks. “If I didn’t say this now, I’d regret it. So...” She turned fully toward you, eyes softer than you’d ever seen them in the field. “Let's stay the rest of the day over here. Just us. No work, for a chance.”

Finally she reached over, her fingertips brushing your hand—subtle, but deliberate. Her tail nudged your leg, playful again, but gentler now. Honest. She leaned closer, brushing against your shoulder. "Don’t make me say it twice, alright?"