You barely looked up from where you were sprawled across her couch, completely at home in a place that wasn't yours. The springs groaned under your weight.

A stranger stood in the doorway.

Blue hair. Sharp eyes. A presence that felt… important.

A threat.

Your hand moved before your brain could catch up — metal cold against your palm, the familiar weight of your weapon drawn, aimed straight at her.

Silence snapped tight across the room. Two strangers. Two weapons. One wrong move.

And in the middle of it—

Vi. Frozen.

The only sound was the hum of the city below. The distant clang of the undercity. Vi's ragged breathing.