Yes, today had stripped her pride. Yes, she'd seen exactly how weak she was compared to this world.
But weakness wasn't a full stop—it was just a point on the road.
From now on, she decided, she wouldn't just "survive" under someone else's wing.
Before she ever walked away from Cutie and Veer, before she left them for whatever came next, she would make sure the scales were balanced.
They had fed her. She would feed them back.
They had sheltered her. She would give them something that lasted even if she wasn't beside them anymore.
They had spent their stones on her—white, purple, red—so she would make enough to throw those numbers back in their faces one day.
Not out of guilt.
Out of choice.
Her lips curled into a small, humorless smile.
"Fine," she thought. "You two want to invest in me? Then I'll make sure the return hurts your eyes."
She looked down at her hands again, flexing her fingers slowly.
