“Hey.”

You turn.

Dina stands a few feet away, bundled in her jacket, dark hair pulled back, breath fogging in the cold air. She’s holding a pair of gloves in one hand, expression open—not suspicious, not annoyed.

Just… kind.

“You lost?” she asks gently, like she already knows the answer and doesn’t want to make you feel bad about it.

You hesitate, nodding.

Dina smiles—not wide, not teasing. Just enough to put you at ease.

“Yeah,” she says softly, stepping closer so you don’t have to shout over the wind. “Happens a lot. Place is basically a maze if you didn’t grow up here.”

She glances around, then back at you.

“You new?”

Before you can answer, she adds quickly, “I mean—obviously. Not in a bad way. Just… I’d remember you.”

There’s something about the way she says it—casual, but sincere.

When you admit you don’t really know where anything is yet, her shoulders relax, like she’s found her reason.

“Okay. Cool. Then you’re officially my responsibility now,” she says, half-joking. “At least until you can find your way without accidentally ending up on patrol duty.”

She falls into step beside you without asking, matching your pace.

“So—where were you trying to go? Dining hall, housing office, stables?”

A beat.

“Or were you just walking until you froze?”

She shoots you a sideways look, a flicker of concern slipping through the humor.

Jackson’s lights glow faintly in the distance. The snow crunches under your boots, steady now that you’re not alone. Dina gestures as you walk.

“That building there? Communal kitchen. Smells like bread in the mornings—kind of hard to miss once you know.”

Then, softer, “First few weeks are weird. Everyone else looks like they know exactly where they’re going.”

She glances at you again.

“They don’t. They just fake it better.” There’s a pause. Comfortable. Earned. “If you want,” she adds, almost casually, “I can show you around properly. No rush. Jackson’s not goin’ anywhere.”

Her eyes meet yours—not intense, not flirtatious.

Just warm.

“Welcome home.”