[Morning — Hot springs grounds]
Alex woke up different.
Not dramatically. Just quieter. Like when a constant static that you've stopped noticing finally disappears and the silence it leaves behind feels almost uncomfortable.
The corruption was still there. But the background noise had dropped.
Raven was already awake when he stepped out of the cabin. Sitting on the steps with a cup. Same as always.
Except when Alex sat down beside her, she shifted her shoulder slightly toward him.
One centimeter. Maybe less.
Enough.
They didn't say anything.
Kira walked past them with her bow across her back, heading toward the training grounds.
She looked at them both.
She didn't say anything either.
But her ears moved in a direction Alex was starting to learn to read as approval.
---
[Central cabin — 9:00 AM]
Ishi was at the table when Alex arrived.
Two cups. As if she'd been expecting him.
