The outpost had never felt like home, but tonight it almost did.
The training room had been cleared,equipment pushed to the walls, padded mats dragged into a rough circle. Kai had found an old pre-fall stove in storage, small but functional, and coaxed it to life with the last of our fuel tabs. A pot simmered on top, filled with rehydrated stew from the supplies,real food, not just protein bars. The smell filled the air: savory, warm, almost forgotten.
We sat around it in a loose circle, bowls in hand, legs stretched out on the mats. The gray light from the windows had faded to darkness, but the stove's glow painted everything in soft orange.
For the first time in weeks, no one was training. No one was watching for threats. No one was hiding pain.
Just us.
Eating.
Talking.
Being.
Nyx sat cross-legged beside Kai, bowl balanced on her knees, staring at the stew like it was a puzzle.
"What... is this?" she asked, poking it with her spoon.
Kai grinned. "Beef stew. Or what's left of it after twenty years in a can. Potatoes, carrots, mystery meat. Good stuff."
Nyx took a tentative bite, eyes widening. "It's... warm. And soft. And—" She took another bite. Then another. Faster. "Why does it taste like this?"
Kai laughed. "Because it's food, kid. Real food."
She looked at him, rose eyes blooming wide. "Xenophores don't eat. We take. Souls. Energy. But this..." She scooped another spoonful. "This makes the empty place feel full."
Amie watched her with something soft in her eyes. "Welcome to being human."
Nyx paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. "Is this what it's like? All the time?"
"Pretty much," Kai said. "Hunger. Fullness. Taste. Smell. All of it."
Nyx ate slower then, savoring. Like she was memorizing the feeling.
Because she might forget it tomorrow.
Across the circle, Amie sat with me, our shoulders almost touching. She handed me an extra piece of dried bread from her ration.
"Eat," she said quietly. "You're growing. Need it more than I do."
I took it, fingers brushing hers. "Thank you."
She smiled,small, real. "You've been doing good, Yona. Really good. The way you move now... it's not just surviving. It's fighting."
Warmth spread through me. "Because of you. And Kai."
"And you," she corrected. "You listen. You try. Most kids your age would've given up by now."
I looked down at my bowl. "I'm scared."
She was quiet for a moment. "Good. Fear keeps you alive. But don't let it keep you small."
Xeno sat nearby, silent as always, bowl untouched in his lap. He hadn't eaten much tonight. Hadn't spoken.
Amie glanced at him, then back at me. "He watches you, you know. More than the rest of us."
I nodded. I knew.
"He's scared too," she said softly. "Of hurting you. Of not being enough."
I looked at Xeno. At the blindfold. At the shovel leaning against the wall within reach.
"He protects me," I whispered.
"He tries," Amie said. "But protection isn't just strength. It's trust. And he's still learning that."
Nyx finished her bowl and immediately went for seconds, wings fluttering with excitement.
"Kai," she said, mouth full, "what's this orange thing?"
"Carrot."
"It's sweet. But also... not."
Kai laughed again. "That's vegetables for you."
She ate like she'd never tasted food before. Like every bite was a discovery.
Because it was.
"Human bodies are weird," she declared. "Always hungry. Always needing things. But this..." She licked her spoon clean. "This is good weird."
Lira watched from across the fire, face softer than usual. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
Nyx paused. "Yeah. While it lasts."
The words hung heavy.
But Kai refused to let them stay.
"Hey," he said, nudging her with his shoulder. "When this is over,when we win,you'll get to try real food. Fresh stuff. Ice cream. Pizza. All of it."
Nyx's eyes lit up. "Promise?"
"Promise."
She grinned,real, childlike, rose eyes blooming bright.
For a moment, she was just a kid excited about ice cream.
Not a monster losing herself.
Not a weapon.
Just Nyx.
Later, when bowls were empty and the stove burned low, Amie pulled out an old deck of cards from her pack,pre-fall, edges worn soft.
"Game?" she asked.
We played.
Simple rules. Laughter when Nyx cheated with wings to peek at cards. Groans when Lira won three hands in a row with a face that gave nothing away. Even Kael smiled once,small, but real.
Xeno didn't play.
But he watched.
And when I caught his blindfolded gaze on me, I smiled.
He didn't smile back.
But his hand relaxed on the shovel.
Just a little.
The fire died to embers.
We spread blankets on the mats, too tired to go to bunks.
Nyx curled up near Kai, wings draped like a blanket.
"Human bodies get cold too," she muttered.
Kai draped his jacket over her. "Night, kid."
"Night, big brother."
Lira took first watch, but her eyes were soft when she looked at us.
Kael sat apart, healed hand hidden, staring into the dark.
Amie lay near me, voice quiet. "Sleep, Yona. Tomorrow we train again."
I nodded.
Closed my eyes.
And for once, the whispers were quiet.
Just the sound of breathing.
Of people.
Of something like family.
In a world that had forgotten how to be kind.
Tomorrow would bring pain.
Training.
Choices.
But tonight...
Tonight we were together.
And that was enough.