The grey dust of the dead Aethel Anomaly settled over the plaza like a shroud, the silence it brought heavier than any battle din. Julian did not wait for the Arbiter to formulate a counter-argument. His turned back was the ultimate verdict. His team peeled away from the ruin with a predatory grace, leaving the wounded factions and the exposed manipulators to stew in the aftermath.
Their temporary refuge was not the makeshift observation post, but a secured sub-level Julian had identified days prior—a maintenance hub for the old city's utilities, forgotten and defensible. As Dori's Conceal fell away at the entrance, the tension in their shoulders eased only a fraction.
"Home sweet home," Fey muttered, eyeing the dripping pipes and rusted machinery. "Charming."
"It's defensible, has multiple exits, and is electromagnetically noisy enough to scramble most scans," Celestia listed, already walking a perimeter. "Adequate."
