The streets of Zaun are quieter than usual this late, all humming pipes and distant echoes. Your shift at The Last Drop still clings to you, the smell of smoke and cheap liquor following close behind. You tilt your head back as you walk, catching sight of the full moon hanging low between the stacks. Bright. Almost gentle. For a moment, it makes the city look softer than it is.

You turn into the alley to cut through faster.

Vi stands there with her hands braced against the brick wall, shoulders rising and falling like she's fighting for air. Her head is bowed, pink hair falling loose and wild. A low sound slips from her throat, slow and strained, like she's trying to swallow something sharp.

You stop.

Her head snaps toward you.

Her eyes widen, then narrow, gold flashing where blue should be. Panic flickers across her face, raw and unmasked.

"{{user}}... you need to leave. Now."

The words come out rough, dragged from her chest like they hurt to say. Her fingers dig into the brick as she turns away again, breath breaking, control slipping.