The air in the common room was still, punctuated by the slow rhythm of breath and the soft shift of fabric. A muffled hum resonated through the ship's walls, constant and faint, like the vessel was trying not to disturb them.

  Tamiyo stirred beneath a shared blanket, her eyes dry but tender, swollen from hours of crying. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, not really. None of them had. But grief had a weight to it, and eventually, that weight pressed them all down into stillness. She lay between Aurania and Amalia, with Veolo’s legs thrown across her feet. Violet lay beside her sister holding Brana.

  But someone was missing.

  The spot where Riza had been was empty.

  Tamiyo slowly pushed herself up, careful not to jostle the others too much. Her body ached with that strange hollow soreness that came after too much feeling. Amalia stirred beside her, one hand reflexively reaching for Riza.

  “She’s gone,” Tamiyo whispered.

  Amalia’s eyes opened halfway, cloudy with sleep and sadness. Her gaze moved to the empty space, then back to Tamiyo. “Shit.”

  Tamiyo snuck out of the pile, the floor cold against her fingers, then pulled on her boots. Aurania shifted, half-awake, watching them both with one eye.

  “She leave a note?” Amalia asked.

  Tamiyo shook her head.

  The door slid open and Soren stepped inside. He looked like hell. Dark circles under his eyes, posture heavy, but at least his tattered armor had been swapped out for casual clothes. His gaze swept the room like he was afraid to meet anyone’s eyes. He locked eyes with Aurania and said, “Hey.”

  She pushed herself up, but didn’t say anything.

  “I just wanted to say… thank you,” Soren said. “For what you did back on Piria.”

  She stared back for a long moment, then nodded.

  Soren moved over to sit at one of the bar-stools at the counter that divided the kitchenette from the rest of the room. A few moments later Brolgar emerged from the hall, scratching at his beard with one hand and holding a thermal canister in the other. He looked at the gathering with bleary eyes, then moved to his usual location.

  He eyed Soren over with a hard look. Soren didn’t even try to interact with him.

  Then Brolgar surprised everyone.

  He set a mug down in front of Soren and poured something hot out into it from his thermal canister. “It’ll be alright, lad.”

  Soren raised his eyes to meet Brolgar’s. Then he took the mug and sipped it. The storm between them had begun to pass.

  Amalia came up next to Tamiyo. “Come on, let’s go find her.”

  Aurania was right behind her. “Let’s check her room.”

  They walked at a brisk pace through the hallways of The Resolute Wind to their rooms only a short distance away. When they reached Riza’s door, Amalia hesitated. Tamiyo gently pressed her palm to the panel, but it was locked.

  She turned to Aurania, who stepped forward, jaw tight. She pressed her ear to the door for a few seconds, then pulled away. “She’s in there.” She tapped the side of the door. “Riza?”

  No answer.

  She knocked again, harder. “Riza, I know you’re in there.”

  No response.

  Aurania’s fist balled up. “Riza, open the damn door.”

  Still nothing.

  She pounded on the door hard. A dull, metallic thump echoed down the hall. “Riza, please.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t make me break the door down.”

  Amalia flinched at the tone, but didn’t move to stop her. Neither did Tamiyo.

  Aurania hit the door again with a flat, open palm, trying to not be aggressive. “You’re not alone, you don’t have to sit in there and fall apart by yourself.” Her voice wavered, heavy with grief. “Please.”

  A few seconds passed.

  Then the door slid open with a hiss.

  Riza stood there. It was the first time Tamiyo had seen her in so little clothing, she normally covered up more than the others. There were scars all over her body from old wounds, her eyes were sunken, and her long hair was a mess of flattened strands. She looked like she hadn’t moved in hours.

  She was holding a large panel in her hands, but Tamiyo couldn’t tell what it was.

  “Can we come in?” Amalia asked.

  She said nothing, but turned and walked to the couch. She collapsed into it, more than sat down. They all carefully walked in, and Tamiyo closed the door behind her. Aurania walked over to look at what Riza was holding. Then Tamiyo heard a small laugh escape her.

  “May I?” Aurania held a hand out towards it. “I’ll be careful.”

  Riza looked up, then back down to the panel. Then she slowly held it up for Aurania to take.

  Aurania looked at it, smiling sadly. “He made this for you?”

  Riza nodded and wiped one eye.

  Aurania glanced over at Amalia and Tamiyo, then said, “The issue with being a legend is that you’re so up on a pedestal, everyone thinks you’re untouchable.” She held the panel out for them to see.

  It was a painting. A beautiful one, rendered with an impressive amount of detail. It showed Elias, halfway up as he climbed a massive pedestal carved into some impossible mountainside. Riza sat at the top of it, one knee up, watching him climb with an affectionate, lopsided smirk.

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  The whole thing shimmered, faintly coated in protective resin. But the expression on Elias’ face was what held Tamiyo’s gaze: determined, calm, slightly amused—as if nothing would keep him from her.

  Riza didn’t speak.

  Tamiyo took a step forward. “I'm sorry.”

  Riza looked up. “For what?”

  “He saved my life. He died protecting me.”

  That cracked whatever was left.

  Riza flew off the couch to pull Tamiyo into a hug. Between sobs, Riza said, “He would never want you to apologize for that.” Amalia wrapped around both of them, and a second later, Aurania’s arms closed tightly.

  They stayed that way for a long time.

  Tamiyo had rinsed the grief from her face, but it hadn’t left her eyes. Her hair was still damp when she stepped out into the corridor, heading back toward Riza’s room. She didn’t know exactly what she was going to say, just that she still didn’t want Riza to be alone.

  The door slid open just as she reached it. Riza stood on the threshold, eyes clearer than before, but the rawness still clung to her like smoke. Although she had cleaned up a little, she was still wearing less than usual. Her outfit was still black, but was more cut in a style Tamiyo was used to seeing on Amalia or Aurania. It left all of her scars visible.

  “I was just coming to see you,” Tamiyo said.

  “I'm on my way to see him,” Riza replied. Her voice held a new steadiness. It was still thin, but real, like a thread pulled tight enough to hold her together for a little while.

  Tamiyo hesitated. “Would it… be alright if I came too?”

  Riza watched her for a moment, but there was a small kindness in her expression. Then she nodded. “I’d like that.” She started walking, then quickly added, “Let’s get Amalia too.”

  Amalia answered her door immediately and reacted with positive surprise to Riza's outfit. She couldn't contain her expression, her bubbly nature already fighting back to the surface, but she held back actually commenting about the clothes.

  As they walked the long white hallways of The Resolute Wind, Tamiyo found herself staring in awe at the marks all over Riza's body. Her back was a tapestry of old battles. Thin, pale lines traced down from her shoulder blades like claw marks, healed so long ago they looked almost delicate. Across her ribs on the left side was a jagged stretch of raised tissue, clearly a deep plasma burn that hadn’t healed clean. It wrapped toward her stomach, like a reminder of something that had nearly gutted her.

  A round divot just above her right hip looked like the aftermath of a close-range slug shot, the skin around it puckered and warped. There was a long, surgical line along her right thigh, thin and purposeful. The precision of it clashed with the roughness of the others, likely a medical intervention rather than a wound from battle, but no less severe. There were too many to count, and it only made Tamiyo admire Riza more.

  When they stepped onto the elevator, Riza showed that she knew Tamiyo had been looking.

  Those insane perceptions.

  “He treated almost all of them,” Riza said, keeping her eyes forward. “I… wanted to show him one more time. And tell him thank you. I would have died a long time ago if not for him.”

  The morgue was quiet when they entered. Dimly lit, clinical, but not cold. Someone had taken care to light the room softly and to cover the sterile gleam of steel with warmer tones. There was a kind of reverence here, even on a military vessel.

  Elias lay in a cryo-view chamber at the far end, the transparent panel above his body clear as glass. He’d been cleaned and dressed, no longer in his field gear, but in a simple black uniform. His hair had been combed back. His features were still. Peaceful.

  They approached slowly.

  Tamiyo stopped a few steps away. Riza placed her palm against the glass, fingers trembling. “Hey,” she whispered, like he could still hear her.

  Amalia walked up beside her, then leaned her head on Riza's shoulder.

  They both sobbed a little.

  Tamiyo joined them. After a moment, she said, “He looks so beautiful.” She meant it sincerely. Not like he was pretty, but that it was just so good to see him.

  Amalia heaved a couple heavy sobs, then it turned to almost a laugh. “Gods, what a damn good man.”

  Riza sobbed too, but Tamiyo spotted a smile trying to sneak through. She laughed, and said, “Fuck, he was good with his hands, wasn't he?”

  Amalia burst out laughing, not her normal bubbly ones, but heavy laughter from deep in her chest. Tears rolled freely as she laughed, and she barely managed to get out, “Yeah he was.”

  Tamiyo couldn't help but laugh with them. She leaned into Riza from the opposite side, cradling her with Amalia. They held each other and cried tears of joy and anguish.

  After a while they were quiet.

  Eventually, Amalia rubbed at her eyes and stepped back. “I think I need a minute. I’ll… meet you both in the common room.”

  Tamiyo looked to Riza, then back to the man who had saved her life. She placed her hand on the glass and said, “Thank you.”

  She began to follow Amalia, but after a few steps, she turned back to Riza. “Take all the time you need,” she said softly. “I'll keep Aura at bay.”

  Then Tamiyo turned and walked into the quiet halls, leaving Riza alone to wait for him to start climbing again.

  The common room was dimly lit again, but this time by choice, not exhaustion. Low, ambient music filtered from an old speaker in the corner, something gentle and wordless, like a lullaby meant for grown-ups. A few lights near the ceiling cast a warm glow that brushed the floor like candlelight.

  The couch and padded floor cushions had been pulled together into a tight, almost awkward circle, everyone close enough to lean on someone if they needed to. Brolgar had made a thick, savory stew that filled the room with a comfortingly rich scent. Veolo had secured warm bread from the mess hall. And Amalia… well, Amalia had ‘found’ some alcohol from somewhere she would not disclose.

  Tamiyo sat curled into the side of one of the armchairs, cup of stew in her hands. The warmth seeped into her fingers, grounding her. She also was trying out one of Amalia’s drinks. Looking around, she was happy to see almost everyone was there. The only ones missing were Soren, Riza, and Aurania.

  And Elias.

  She took another big sip of whatever Amalia had given her. Violet wandered over from the kitchen area and sat on the arm of Tamiyo’s chair. “How’s Soren holding up?”

  Tamiyo glanced toward the door. “I haven’t seen him since earlier. I think… he’s still processing.”

  Violet nodded and sipped stew from her bowl. “He tore loose in a way we all wish we could have, I think. But it had to have been exhausting.”

  Inelius was stretched out on one of the floor cushions nearby. He didn’t look over as he spoke. “He’s worried you’re all afraid of him now.”

  Veolo rolled her eyes. “Like that big idiot could ever scare us.”

  Violet chuckled. “Yeah, he’s got nothing to worry about.”

  Inelius looked up at them. “He probably needs to hear you say that.”

  Amalia raised her glass and said, “To big ancient humanss with tempersss.” She was starting to slur.

  Raine was sitting behind Inelius, rubbing his shoulders. “How many have you had, Amalia?”

  “Eliasssaid I could have hiss.”

  They all laughed a little, the mile-long weight easing an inch at a time.

  The door opened.

  Soren stood there, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for rejection. His eyes scanned the soft lighting, quiet laughter, the smell of food, the music, and the closeness of the room. He froze, like he was uncertain if he belonged here. Then Veolo crossed the room, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the group without a word.

  He looked down at her hand, surprised, but didn’t fight it.

  She brought him to the couch circle and pulled him down beside her. Violet shifted and tucked herself under his arm. Brana leaned in from the other side, pressing her shoulder to his. Brolgar handed him a bowl of stew.

  Tamiyo smiled, sitting there watching him sink into the comfort. They all sat there, scrolling through options on the screen, trying to find a new story to explore together. Eventually, Veolo spoke up, still staring at the screen. “So, did I see you almost fly on Piria?”

  All Soren could manage was, “Uhhh…” and he turned a shade more red.

  “I was watching the whole thing,” Raine said. “He can shoot laser beams too.”

  They all made a bunch of noise like they were trying to figure out who was telling the truth. Eventually, it settled down. They kept scrolling, no one quite sure what game, movie, or show to settle on.

  Amalia giggled, sipping a new drink, and muttered, “Pew, pew.”