The lively hum of Nara's enveloped the group as they ehe amber lighting and rustic charm a wele trast to the cold, hard realities of battle. Etha a sense of familiarity as he gnced around the tina, a pce that had quickly bee a haven for him since his arrival in Valeris City.

  Nara, the tina's owner, was quick to spot him as they walked in. She beamed, waving him over. "Back so soon? Looks like you've been busy."

  Ethaurned her smile. "Yeah, a lot's happened sihe st time I was here."

  "Good to see you again," she said warmly, then g the others. "New friends?"

  "Teammates," Ethan corrected, gesturing toward them. "Rourke, Kara, Dax, Leena. They helped me through… well, let's just say we've been through a lot together."

  Nara's grin widened. "Well, any friend of Ethan's is wele here. Grab a seat, I'll get you all something special."

  As they slid into the booth, the king of gsses and soft ughter from other patrons created a rexed backdrop. Ethahe tension in his shoulders ease as he settled into the cushioned seat, surrounded by people he now sidered more than just teammates.

  "You seem to have good taste, Ethan," Rourke said, nodding approvingly as he sed the pce. "How'd you find this pce?"

  Ethan shrugged, keeping it simple. "Stumbled on it after we got back from a job. Liked the vibe, the food's good, and Nara's bee every time I've e by."

  Dax leaned ba his chair, arms crossed with a satisfied grin. "Yeah, I see why you'd e back. This pce has character."

  Kara snorted, nudging Dax pyfully. "You'd think a pce with good drinks and a weling owner was rare."

  Leena, who had been quietly , g Ethan. "You've got a knack for finding hidden gems. Didn't peg you as the bar-crawling type."

  Ethan chuckled softly. "I'm not. Just lucky, I guess."

  Nara returned with a tray of drinks, setting them down with her usual cheer. "Here you go. Try the special brew. It's on the house for you tonight."

  The team lifted their gsses in a toast, the warmth of the gesture drawing them closer. As the drinks started flowing, so did the stories.

  "So, where are you all from?" Nara asked, sliding into a seat at the end of the booth. "I've never seen you around before."

  Kara was the first to speak, her eyes sparkling. "I'm from the Aldarorew up in a trade hub. Always had an itch for adventure, so I left home at sixteen and joined a cargo fleet. Merc work seemed like the natural progression."

  "Aldaron, huh?" Nara nodded. "That's quite the journey. What brought you to Kynara and Valeris?"

  Kara shrugged, smiling. "Work. And the reputation this pce has for skilled mercs. Figured if I wao prove myself, this was the pce to be."

  Dax leaned forward, resting his arms oable. "I'm from the Ganymede Cluster. Far edge of Orion Federatiorew up on a mining y. Spent a few years hauling cargo before I figured out there was more money in merc work, and a lot less rock dust."

  Nara chuckled. "I 't argue with that. Mining ies be tough."

  Dax aking a long sip of his drink. "Yeah, but it gives you perspective. After living in those ditions, nothing seems too difficult anymore."

  Leena chimed i, her voice soft but steady. "I'm from Epsilon V. It's a medical hub in the Core sectors. My parents were doctors and I followed in their footsteps, at least for a while. Eventually, I realized I wao be out there, helping people in the field, not stu a b."

  "Epsilon V?" Nara raised an eyebrow. "I've heard of it. Must be a big ge, going from there to merary work."

  Leena smiled, but there was a hint of mencholy in her eyes. "It is. But it feels more… fulfilling. Being able to save lives directly in bat zohat's where I feel I make the most difference."

  Rourke, ever the quiet leader, spoke up st. "I'm from the Etrian Expanse. Not much to tell. Born into a military family, fought in a few skirmishes for the Federation before deg to strike out on my own. Merary wave me more freedom and less bureaucracy."

  Nara gave him an approving nod. "Military upbringing, huh? That expins the discipline. I could tell right away."

  As the group exged stories, Ethan found himself quietly sipping his drink, grateful to be among such diverse pany. Each of them had e from such different ers of the gaxy, yet they were now bound by the shared experiences of battle and survival.

  "So, what about you, Ethan?" Nara asked, turnitention to him. "You're more quiet than usual tonight."

  Ethaated for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "I'm from a smaller, quieter pothing like the big sectors. Did some work that wasn't very exg, but I always felt there was something more out there. The merary life gave me that ce."

  "That sounds pretty straightforward," Kara said, her tone light but curious. "Ever think about going back?"

  Ethan shook his head, keeping his response measured. "No. This… this feels like a fresh start."

  Rourke raised his gss again, his tone warm. "Well, here's to arts and to surviving our first real mission as a team."

  The others lifted their gsses, and a soft k echoed through the booth as they drank to the se. The versation drifted from oopic to ahe tension of their ret battles fading with each ugh and shared story.

  At one point, Nara leaned in, her smile wide. "You know, I've seey of merc teams e through here, but there's something different about you lot. You've got that tight-knit vibe. It's rare."

  "We've been through a lot together," Leena said, her voice warm with affe. "Guess that makes a difference."

  "Maybe you'll team up again," Nara suggested. "Even if it's just for the big jobs."

  Rave a thoughtful nod. "I wouldn't be surprised. We work well together."

  Kara grinned. "And who knows? Maybe ime, we'll be handling something even bigger."

  Ethan listened quietly, tent in the knowledge that while their team had teically disbahe bond they'd fed wouldn't easily break. As the night wore on, Nara brought over another round, the celebration tinuing into the evening.

  For now, they were meraries without a mission, but each of them khis was only the beginning. And as the ughter echoed through the tihan realized that this neter of his life, though uain, was already more fulfilling than anything he'd ever known before.