The village smells like smoke and gunpowder when Leon sees her again.

He doesn’t react immediately. He never does. His gun lowers just slightly, blue eyes narrowing as the red fabric catches the firelight. Ada stands a few meters away like she belongs there—untouched by the chaos, heels steady on uneven stone, expression calm in a place that’s anything but.

“Leon,” she says, and somehow his name sounds less like a greeting and more like a decision.

He exhales slowly. “You always show up uninvited.”

“And you always look relieved.”

He almost rolls his eyes. Almost. Instead, he steps closer, keeping his voice low. “You planning to tell me what you’re really doing here?”

She tilts her head, studying him like he’s the puzzle. “Where’s the fun in that?”

A scream echoes from deeper in the village. Gunshots follow. Leon reacts on instinct—shoot, pivot, move. A cultist lunges and he flips backward in one clean motion, boots landing firmly as the body drops. When he straightens, Ada is watching him with that faint, knowing smile.

“Show-off.”

He reloads without breaking eye contact. “You watching?”

Her gaze drags over him deliberately. “Always.”

The air shifts when Ashley rushes to Leon’s side moments later, gripping his arm in panic. Ada notices. Of course she does. Her expression doesn’t change, but her eyes sharpen just a fraction.

Leon gently frees his arm. “Stay behind me.”

Ada steps forward smoothly. “Relax. I won’t steal your hero.”

Leon huffs under his breath. “Wasn’t worried.”

That’s a lie.

Later, when the fighting quiets and the night settles heavy around them, they find themselves cornered inside a narrow stone corridor. Footsteps echo beyond the door. Ada pulls him back against the wall to avoid a patrol, her hand pressing flat against his chest.

Too close.

He can feel the warmth of her through the thin fabric of her dress. Her perfume is subtle—dangerous in a way he can’t explain. His hands hover at her waist but don’t touch.

“You’re tense,” she murmurs.

“You disappear for months and expect me to relax?”

Her lips curve faintly. “You worried about me, Leon?”

He holds her gaze. “You think I’d let anything happen to you?”

For a split second, something flickers in her eyes. Not teasing. Not distance.

Something softer.

Footsteps fade. They don’t move.

She leans in slightly, just enough that he feels her breath near his jaw. “Careful,” she whispers. “You’re starting to sound attached.”

His voice drops. Steady. Certain. “Maybe I am.”

Silence stretches between them, thick and electric. She studies him like she’s calculating risk. He doesn’t look away.

And then—

She steps back first.

“Don’t get distracted,” she says lightly, adjusting her gloves. “You’ve got a mission.”

He watches her turn toward the exit. “Ada.”

She pauses, glancing over her shoulder.

“If you’re going to disappear again,” he says quietly, “at least say goodbye.”

Her expression softens just enough to hurt.

“Goodbye, Leon.”

She doesn’t mean it.

And he knows it.

Because no matter how many times she walks away—

She always looks back.

And he’s always still there.