The rain hadn't stopped.
Raizen pushed the door open with his shoulder, arms occupied by two cloth bags that smelled like fresh vegetables and herbs. Water dripped from the umbrella onto the wooden floor as he stepped inside, shaking droplets off his sleeves.
Behind him, Saffi slipped through the doorway with her own bag, smaller but packed tight. She nudged the door shut with her foot and immediately started scanning the room.
"Kenzo's still not back?" she asked.
Raizen set his bags on the table and glanced around. The temporary house felt quiet. Too quiet. Eiden's papers were still spread across Saffi's mattress in their organized chaos, but no one sat hunched over them this time. Kenzo's hammer wasn't propped against the wall. That guy took it literally everywhere he went, like a huge hammer floating at your side was a fashion sense.
And in the corner, on Kenzo's now ruined mattress, the cocoon sat undisturbed.
