The musicians finished their song, and for the first time since Dark had sat down, he could hear water moving through the narrow channel behind the flowers. Kaia looked toward the lawn as the dancers separated. Some returned to the tables, while others stayed where they were, talking with their hands still joined. Beside her, Dark turned his empty glass between his palms.
Kaia: Are you waiting for someone?
Dark looked at her.
Dark: No. Why?
Kaia nodded toward his hands.
Kaia: You keep doing that.
He looked down at the glass. Its stem rested between two fingers, turning slowly enough that he had stopped noticing the movement.
Dark: Didn't realize.
Kaia: You've been doing it for a while.
Dark set it beside their empty plate.
Dark: You could've told me earlier.
Kaia's smile grew a little.
Kaia: I thought you'd stop.
Dark: How long were you going to give me?
Kaia: I don't know. You looked busy.
He laughed quietly. She looked down, pleased with herself, and began turning the pearl fastening at her cuff. His eyes moved toward it. She followed his gaze, realized what she was doing, and placed both hands flat in her lap.
Dark: Difficult, isn't it?
Kaia: Don't.
Dark: I haven't said anything.
Kaia: You were about to.
He leaned back against the bench, still smiling. Across the lawn, Dantero had been caught between Ilyra and a musician, both pointing toward different parts of the terrace. Dark watched him attempt to answer them together, then turned toward Kaia again.
Dark: Do you want to come over?
Her fingers stopped moving.
Kaia: Where?
Dark: My Empire. I could show you around, if you're not ready to go home.
She looked at him for a moment before glancing toward the table where her friends were gathering their things. One of them had taken off her shoes beneath the chair and was making no effort to put them back on.
Kaia: You mean now?
Dark: Yeah. Unless you'd rather another time.
Kaia: No. I just wasn't expecting you to ask.
Dark rubbed his thumb along the edge of his sleeve. He had thought the question would be easier once he said it. Now she was looking at him, waiting, and he found himself wondering whether he should explain where they could go or stop talking before he made it sound like an official visit.
Dark: There are a few places you might like. It's quieter around the residence at this time. We could walk through the city, or I could show you the upper gardens.
Kaia: Are you sure?
Dark: I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't.
She lowered her eyes, smiling slightly.
Kaia: I know. I just thought you'd have things to do.
He almost began naming them. There was a report from the containment complex, a message concerning the receiving grounds, and something Tier had sent before dinner with a note saying it could wait until morning. For once, Dark let that mean what it said.
Dark: Nothing that needs me tonight.
Kaia: What if someone calls you?
Dark: Then I'll find out what they need. Same as any other evening.
She nodded, though her fingers had returned to the small fastening at her wrist. Dark watched her turn it once before she noticed and stopped.
Kaia: I don't talk very much when I don't know someone.
Dark: You've been talking to me.
Kaia: A little.
Dark: Enough to tell me I'm mean.
Her head lifted.
Kaia: You were being mean.
Dark: You laughed afterward.
Kaia: That doesn't mean you weren't.
He smiled, and she tried to hold his gaze before looking down again. The color in her cheeks had deepened. Dark leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and took a moment before speaking.
Dark: You don't have to keep a conversation going the whole time. I like sitting here with you.
Kaia looked at him.
Dark: When we're talking too. I meant both.
A small laugh escaped her. He felt his own face grow warmer and looked briefly toward the flowers.
Dark: I'm explaining this badly.
Kaia: No. You're not.
He turned back.
Dark: I like how you are. You don't need to do anything different because you're coming with me.
For a moment, she stayed completely still. Her fingers folded together in her lap, and she looked down at them with a smile she seemed unable to hide. When she finally raised her eyes, Dark forgot the next thing he had been considering saying.
Kaia: I'd like to come.
His shoulders eased.
Dark: Good.
Kaia: I should tell my friends first.
Dark: Of course.
She stood and smoothed the folds of her dress. Dark rose beside her, gathering their glasses and the plate. She took a step toward the lawn, then turned back.
Kaia: You'll wait here?
Dark looked at her, smiling.
Dark: I'm the one who asked.
She pressed her lips together.
Kaia: Right. I know.
Dark: I'll be by the path. Take your time.
She nodded and walked toward the table beyond the flowers. Dark watched her go until he realized Leona was standing beside the serving table, looking directly at him. He carried the dishes over and placed them with the others.
Leona: Heading back?
Dark: For a bit.
Leona glanced toward Kaia.
Leona: Together?
Dark: I'm showing her around.
Leona nodded and returned to fastening the clasp on her bag. He waited, expecting something else. When she looked up again, he was still standing there.
Leona: What?
Dark: Nothing.
Leona: You're looking at me like I've accused you of something.
Dark: Thought you were going to say something.
Her mouth curved.
Leona: Have a nice time.
He studied her for a second.
Dark: That's it?
Leona: Would you like me to call Dantero over?
Dark: No.
Leona laughed and lifted her bag onto her shoulder.
Leona: Then go before he notices on his own.
Across the terrace, Kaia stood beside her friend's chair, holding the small bag she had just been handed. Her friend had stopped searching beneath the table for her shoes.
Friend: His Empire?
Kaia: Yes. He said he could show me around.
Friend: And you said yes?
Kaia looked at her.
Kaia: That's what I'm telling you.
Her friend's smile widened.
Kaia: Don't start.
Friend: I'm asking a question.
Kaia: You're smiling like that.
Friend: I'm allowed to be happy for you.
Kaia glanced toward the serving table. Dark was looking in her direction and immediately turned toward Leona when he realized she had noticed. Her friend followed the exchange with interest.
Friend: Oh.
Kaia faced her again.
Kaia: What?
Friend: Nothing.
Kaia: That wasn't nothing.
Her friend laughed, then reached beneath the chair and finally retrieved one shoe.
Friend: Are you coming back here afterward, or are you going home?
Kaia: I'm not sure yet. I'll message you.
Friend: All right. And message me when you get home too.
Kaia nodded.
Kaia: I will.
Her friend stood, balancing on one leg while fastening the shoe.
Friend: Have fun.
Kaia: Thank you.
Friend: Try looking at him for more than two seconds.
Kaia stared at her.
Friend: You looked at that cake longer than you looked at his face.
Kaia: You're so annoying.
Friend: You've told me. Go.
Kaia returned to Dark with the bag held in both hands. He waited beside the garden path, where the voices from the receiving circles were softer. She stopped in front of him and gave a small nod.
Kaia: Ready.
Dark: Everything all right?
Kaia glanced back at her friend, who raised a hand with an expression of exaggerated innocence.
Kaia: She thinks she's funny.
Dark looked over.
Dark: Mine do that too.
Leona passed behind him without stopping.
Leona: We are funny.
Kaia laughed, and Dark shook his head. He waited until Ilyra finished speaking to a departing couple, then caught her attention near the terrace doors.
Dark: Thank you for tonight.
Ilyra approached, her guest list folded and forgotten in one hand.
Ilyra: You're leaving?
Dark nodded.
Dark: I'm taking Kaia to see the city.
Ilyra smiled at her.
Ilyra: Then I hope he shows you more than the receiving grounds.
Kaia glanced at Dark.
Kaia: Was that the plan?
Dark: It wasn't.
Ilyra: Good. He spent ten minutes asking about my drainage channels before you arrived.
Dark looked at her.
Dark: They'd been flooding.
Ilyra: And now they aren't. Enjoy your evening.
Kaia thanked her softly. Dark did too, accepting that defending himself would only make the conversation longer. They followed the garden path until the lanterns were behind them and the open portals could be seen between the trees.
Kaia: Are we going through one of those?
Dark: We don't need to. I can take us straight there.
She looked from the portals to him.
Kaia: Will it feel like stepping through one?
Dark: Quicker. We'll already be there before there's much to feel.
Kaia nodded, then stepped closer. Dark lifted a hand and paused before touching her. She noticed the hesitation, her eyes rising to his face.
Kaia: Is this close enough?
Dark: Yeah.
His hand settled lightly at her waist. She caught his sleeve, and for a moment neither of them moved. He could feel the small adjustment of her fingers against the fabric. Her cheeks colored again, and he became very aware that his own face was doing much the same thing.
Dark: Ready?
She nodded.
Kaia: Ready.
The garden vanished.
Cool air touched her cheeks, and the music was gone. They stood beneath a broad archway overlooking the Dark Empire, with the city spread below them in layers of stone, light, and moving streets.
Kaia's fingers tightened against his sleeve.
She had expected buildings. She had seen the distant shape of the capital before. Standing above it was different.
Bridges joined towers at heights where clouds moved between them. Broad avenues descended toward the lower districts, narrowing into streets crowded with windows and hanging lamps. Farther out, enormous crossings opened against the dark. Through one, she could see a pale morning sky above a line of approaching vessels. Another held red clouds and a distant sea.
A crossing closed while she watched. Its light traveled across the rooftops and disappeared, leaving the city's own lamps shining beneath it.
Dark kept his hand steady until she moved toward the balustrade. Then he let go and stood beside her.
For a while, he said nothing.
Kaia: You live here?
Dark looked at the city.
Dark: Yeah.
She turned toward him.
Kaia: You said you could show me around like it was a few streets.
He smiled.
Dark: We don't have to do all of it tonight.
She looked back over the railing, then laughed softly.
Kaia: I don't think we could.
Dark pointed across the courtyard below them.
Dark: That's the residence.
Warm light filled a row of windows in a broad building connected to the walkway. Several balconies faced the city. One window stood open, its curtain lifting into the night air.
Kaia followed his hand.
Kaia: Which part is yours?
Dark pointed again.
Dark: The open one.
She looked at him.
Kaia: You left your window open?
Dark: Apparently.
Kaia: Were you in a hurry?
He thought of Tier standing in the doorway while Dantero called from farther down the corridor. Leona had been holding the coat he had almost left behind.
Dark: There were several people explaining that I was late.
Kaia smiled.
Kaia: Were you?
Dark: I got there before most of them.
Kaia: That doesn't answer it.
Dark looked at her.
Dark: You're getting comfortable.
Her smile grew.
Kaia: A little.
Footsteps approached beneath the covered walkway. A guard slowed when he saw them, then stopped a respectful distance away.
Guard: Emperor.
Dark turned.
Dark: Evening.
Guard: Shall I have someone open the western gallery?
Dark glanced at Kaia.
Dark: Would you like to see it?
Kaia: What's in there?
Dark: Maps of the connected Worlds. Some of them move with the places they show. You can stand in front of a coast here and watch it rain somewhere else.
Her eyes brightened.
Kaia: Really?
Dark nodded.
Dark: Tier added that part.
She looked toward the guard.
Kaia: I'd like that.
Dark turned back.
Dark: Please. Thank you.
The guard inclined his head and continued along the walkway. Kaia watched him go before looking at Dark.
Kaia: Couldn't you open it?
Dark: I could.
Kaia: Then why did you ask him?
Dark glanced toward the gallery.
Dark: He's got the keys.
She stared at him.
Then laughed.
Kaia: That's your reason?
Dark smiled.
Dark: He offered. It's his shift. If I do everything before he finishes asking, eventually he'll stop asking.
She considered that, her gaze moving toward the guard again.
Kaia: You could still have said something better than the keys.
Dark: You laughed.
Kaia: That doesn't make it a good answer.
Dark: Worked well enough.
A bell sounded in the lower streets. Kaia returned to the railing and watched a shopkeeper lift a sign from beside his door. Two customers remained in the entrance, apparently determined to finish speaking before allowing him to close.
One took the sign from him.
The shopkeeper tried to take it back.
Even from the walkway, Dark could hear the argument.
Shopkeeper: If you're staying, hold it properly.
Customer: I'm helping.
Shopkeeper: You're covering the doorway.
Kaia smiled.
Kaia: Can we go down there?
Dark followed her gaze.
Dark: The square?
She nodded.
Kaia: Unless you wanted to start somewhere else.
Dark looked toward the gallery, then back at her.
Dark: We can see the maps afterward.
She stepped beside him. He offered his hand this time, and she looked at it for a brief moment before placing hers in it.
They took the stairs.
The square was smaller from below.
Above it, the bridges and open crossings made everything seem part of the same vast arrangement. Down here, Kaia could hear someone washing dishes behind an open window and two people arguing over which of them had misplaced a key. A few stalls were still lit beneath their awnings. The smell of warm bread lingered around a bakery whose owner was carrying the last trays inside.
Dark slowed beside her.
Dark: Hungry?
Kaia looked toward the bakery.
Kaia: We just ate.
Dark: That wasn't what I asked.
She smiled.
Kaia: A little.
He turned toward the counter, but she caught his hand before he could call to the owner.
Kaia: Wait. I want to look first.
Dark stepped aside.
Dark: All right.
She approached the remaining trays, examining them with the seriousness she had brought to the serving table. The baker, a broad man with flour on one sleeve, set down an empty basket.
Baker: Evening. There isn't much left, I'm afraid.
Kaia's voice grew softer when she answered.
Kaia: That's okay. What's in those?
She pointed toward a row of small folded pastries.
Baker: Cheese and herbs. The round ones beside them are sweet.
Dark came to stand next to her.
Dark: Those look safe.
Kaia glanced at him.
Kaia: You said that about the cake.
Dark: The cake was good.
Kaia: You hadn't tried it when you said it.
The baker looked between them.
Baker: Should I be concerned about this recommendation?
Kaia laughed quietly.
Dark: Apparently.
She chose two of the folded pastries. When the baker reached for a third, she shook her head.
Kaia: Just those, please.
Baker: One each?
She nodded.
Dark paid while the man wrapped them separately, leaving the tops open so they could eat as they walked. Kaia thanked him, accepted hers, and waited until they had moved away before taking a careful bite.
Dark watched.
Dark: Well?
She chewed, considered, then nodded.
Kaia: You were right this time.
Dark: I'll remember that.
Kaia: Don't get used to it.
He laughed, and she looked pleased with herself until he kept looking at her. Then her eyes dropped toward the pastry.
They crossed the square slowly. Without discussing it, they had let go of each other's hands to eat, but she stayed close enough that their sleeves brushed when someone passed. At the next corner, she stopped beneath a shop window filled with carved figures.
A wooden fox rested with its tail curled around its paws. Beside it stood a bird whose tail was almost twice the size of its body.
Kaia leaned closer to the glass.
Kaia: Look at him.
Dark followed her gaze.
Dark: Which one?
She pointed toward the fox.
Kaia: He looks like he's trying to stay awake.
Dark studied the narrow eyes.
Dark: Looks annoyed.
Kaia turned toward him.
Kaia: You think everything looks annoyed.
Dark: Not everything.
She raised an eyebrow.
He glanced at the bird.
Dark: That one looks expensive.
Her laugh escaped loudly enough that she immediately looked toward the shop door. It was closed, with a small notice giving the morning opening time.
Dark read it.
Dark: We could come back.
Kaia: I'm only looking.
Dark: I know.
She looked at him for a moment, as though checking that he meant it, then returned to the window. He stayed beside her while she examined the other figures. There were small animals tucked between the larger ones, and a little house with its roof lifted off to reveal the rooms inside.
Kaia pointed out a tiny chair.
Kaia: Someone actually made all of that.
Dark leaned closer.
Dark: Even the legs are carved separately.
Kaia: I'd lose patience halfway through.
Dark: You could make it with magic.
She shook her head.
Kaia: I know. But I'd want to know how to do it like that.
He looked at the small house again.
Dark: Yeah. I get that.
She finished her pastry before moving on. Dark took the paper when she began looking for somewhere to put it, added it to his own, and dropped both into a bin beside the stairs.
Kaia glanced upward.
Kaia: Are we going back to the maps?
Dark smiled.
Dark: You remembered.
Kaia: I wanted to see them.
Dark: Come on.
The gallery doors were still open when they reached the upper walkway. The guard stepped aside, and Dark thanked him for waiting. Kaia gave him a quiet thank you of her own before following Dark inside.
She stopped after three steps.
Rain crossed the nearest wall.
It moved over a dark coastline, striking the water beyond a cliff and gathering in narrow streams along a road. Lights passed slowly through the weather. For a moment, the whole scene looked close enough to touch.
Kaia approached carefully.
Kaia: Is that the place you were talking about?
Dark nodded.
Dark: The coast. Watch the bottom.
A small line of lettering brightened beneath the image. The view drew backward, revealing the curve of the land, then the larger World around it. Routes appeared beyond its boundaries, each marked with a different arrangement of symbols.
Kaia looked back at him.
Kaia: How far away is it?
Dark moved beside her and read the destination.
Dark: Several crossings from here. Longer if you take the public routes.
Kaia: Have you been?
Dark shook his head.
Dark: I've read about it.
Kaia: For work?
He nodded.
Kaia looked at the image again. A vessel emerged from the rain, its lights moving through the darkness.
Kaia: I'd like to go somewhere like that.
Dark: Somewhere raining?
Kaia: Sometimes.
Dark: Most people ask for the opposite.
She smiled.
Kaia: Then they can go somewhere else.
He laughed softly.
They moved through the gallery without trying to see everything. Kaia stopped when something interested her, and Dark waited beside her or found himself examining a display he had previously passed without noticing.
At one, immense flowering trees rose from shallow water. Walkways curved between their roots, carrying people toward houses built above the tide.
At another, a city moved slowly across a white plain on hundreds of enormous legs.
Kaia watched that one for a long time.
Kaia: Does it stop?
Dark: I hope so.
She looked up sharply.
He smiled.
Dark: It does. Tier explained it once.
Kaia: Did you listen?
Dark: Some of it.
Kaia folded her arms.
Kaia: You're a terrible guide.
Dark: You asked whether it stopped. I answered.
She shook her head, laughing, then stepped closer to the panel as one section of the walking city unfolded a bridge toward a stationary platform.
Dark watched her follow the movement. She had forgotten to be shy while studying it. Her brows drew together when she tried to understand something, and she leaned forward slightly before realizing how close she had come to the glass.
When she turned, he was still looking.
Kaia: What?
Dark's eyes moved back to the display.
Dark: Nothing.
She waited.
He glanced at her again.
Dark: You looked happy.
The answer caught her off guard. Her arms loosened, and she looked down with a smile she did not seem able to stop.
Kaia: I am.
He nodded once, though it took him a moment to find anything else to say.
They reached a quieter end of the gallery, where a broad window overlooked the residence gardens. A bench stood beneath it. Kaia sat, setting her bag beside her, and Dark took the other end.
Beyond the glass, several gardeners were covering a bed of pale flowers. One held a lantern while another secured a length of fabric against the wind.
Kaia watched them for a while.
Kaia: What do you do when you aren't busy?
Dark rested his hands between his knees.
Dark: Depends.
She glanced at him.
Kaia: You keep saying that.
Dark: It keeps being true.
Kaia: All right. Yesterday.
He considered it.
Dark: Trained with Kaelith.
Kaia: Apart from fighting.
Dark looked at her.
She smiled a little.
Kaia: I knew you were going to say that.
He leaned back, thinking more carefully.
Dark: Sometimes I read. Sometimes I go somewhere with the others. Dantero usually decides we've been standing still too long.
Kaia: What do you read?
Dark glanced toward the main gallery.
Dark: Lately? Mostly things people send me.
Kaia: I meant things you choose.
He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.
Dark: Been a while since I finished one.
She nodded without making anything of it.
Kaia: I start too many.
Dark: Books?
Kaia: Things in general. Then I go back to the same ones I already like.
He smiled.
Dark: That sounds easier.
Kaia: It is. Until someone asks whether I've finished the new thing they told me about.
Dark: Tell them you're busy.
Kaia looked at him.
Kaia: Is that what you do?
He paused.
She began laughing before he answered.
Dark: You've worked out far too much already.
Kaia: You make it easy.
He looked at her, and she met his eyes for a little longer this time. Then she reached for her bag, moving it onto her lap.
Kaia: There's somewhere I could show you.
Dark turned toward her.
Dark: Where?
Kaia: Near where I live. It isn't like any of this.
She gestured toward the gallery.
Dark: What is it like?
Kaia thought for a moment.
Kaia: There's a path along the water. Some shops. A garden at the end that most people walk past because the entrance is small.
Dark: You go there?
She nodded.
Kaia: When it isn't crowded.
Dark: I'd like to see it.
She glanced at him quickly.
Kaia: You haven't heard much about it.
Dark: You like it.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
Dark: That's enough to start with.
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she nodded, smiling at her hands.
Kaia: Okay. I'll show you.
They left the gallery when the guard came to close the outer doors.
Dark offered to take her home, but she looked toward the garden paths beneath the windows.
Kaia: Could we walk a little more first?
He answered before she finished adjusting her bag.
Dark: Yeah.
She smiled at him.
Kaia: You answered that quickly.
Dark: Wasn't difficult.
They took the longer route through the residence.
At the corridor outside the dining room, Dark heard Dantero before he saw him.
Dantero: You've made it worse.
Lucen: I haven't touched it.
Eiren: You touched it three times.
Lucen: I checked whether it was hot.
Dantero: With a spoon?
Dark slowed beside the open door. Kaia stopped with him.
Inside, Dantero stood over a covered dish while Lucen held a spoon with an expression of injured innocence. Eiren sat at the table with his coat folded beside him. Leona was pouring water into several glasses.
Dantero looked up.
His eyes moved from Dark to Kaia.
A smile began.
Dark: Don't.
Dantero placed a hand against his chest.
Dantero: I was going to offer your guest something to drink.
Leona looked at him.
Leona: Then do that.
Dantero turned toward the cabinet.
Dantero: Hostile household.
Kaia's hand brushed Dark's sleeve as they entered. Her voice grew quieter when she greeted the others, though Leona's answering smile seemed to help.
Leona: Did you see the gallery?
Kaia nodded.
Kaia: It was lovely.
Lucen pulled out a chair.
Lucen: Sit down. Tell us whether he knew where anything was.
Dark looked at him.
Dark: You couldn't find your room yesterday.
Lucen: Your corridors look alike.
Eiren: We were standing outside your door.
Lucen turned toward him.
Lucen: You could let one thing go.
Eiren took his glass from Leona.
Eiren: Choose something else.
Kaia laughed softly and sat beside Dark. Dantero brought her water, placed another glass in front of him, and returned to the dish.
Dark nodded toward it.
Dark: What happened?
Dantero: Ilyra sent food back with us. Enough for everyone. A thoughtful, generous gesture.
Lucen: He's been saying that for ten minutes.
Dantero: Because someone decided one dish was a personal challenge.
Lucen pointed toward the covered bowl.
Lucen: There's plenty left.
Eiren lifted the lid.
A small serving remained at one side.
Dantero looked at Dark.
Dantero: An astonishing interpretation of plenty.
Kaia covered her mouth.
Lucen noticed.
Lucen: You too?
She shook her head, still smiling.
Kaia: Sorry.
Dark leaned slightly toward her.
Dark: Don't apologize. He needs to hear it.
Lucen set down the spoon.
Lucen: I welcomed you both.
Leona placed a plate in front of him.
Leona: And now you can help divide what's left.
Dantero watched Lucen take the smallest portion and nodded in solemn approval.
Dantero: Growth.
Kaia's shoulders shook. Dark looked down at his own glass, smiling.
They stayed longer than he had intended.
Eiren asked about the gallery's moving coast, and Kaia answered quietly at first. When Lucen misunderstood which display she meant, she began describing the walking city with both hands. Dark listened while the others asked questions. Nobody rushed her when she paused to find the right word.
By the time they left the dining room, she had finished her water and stopped holding her bag against herself.
Outside, Dark glanced at her.
Dark: Too much?
She shook her head.
Kaia: They're nice.
Dark: They've been behaving.
She smiled.
Kaia: You keep saying that too.
He took her through the quieter corridor behind his rooms and onto the balcony overlooking the gardens. She paused at the doorway, then walked to the railing while he placed her bag on the small table.
The night had cooled. Dark took off his coat when he saw her draw her arms closer, then held it toward her.
Kaia: You don't have to.
Dark: I know.
She looked at him, recognizing the answer, and accepted it.
He helped settle the collar without catching her curls beneath it. She lifted her hair clear, then pulled the coat around herself. The sleeves fell beyond her hands.
Kaia looked down.
Kaia: It's heavy.
Dark: Want me to take it back?
She drew it closer.
Kaia: No.
He smiled and sat beside her on the balcony bench.
For a while, they listened to the water moving through the gardens. She leaned back against the wall, comfortable inside the coat, and he found that he no longer felt the need to keep checking whether she wanted to leave.
Eventually, she looked at him.
Kaia: This one's yours, isn't it?
Dark followed her glance around the balcony.
Dark: Yeah.
Kaia: I like it.
He rested his forearms on his knees.
Dark: Me too.
She nudged his arm lightly.
Kaia: I meant the place.
Dark turned.
Dark: What did you think I meant?
Her cheeks colored.
Kaia: Nothing.
He laughed quietly. She looked away, smiling, and pulled one of the long sleeves over her fingers.
When her receiver lit, she checked it and sighed.
Dark: Your friend?
Kaia nodded.
Kaia: She wants to know if I've moved in.
Dark looked down quickly enough that she noticed.
Her eyes widened.
Kaia: I didn't tell her that.
Dark: I know.
Kaia: She's just annoying.
Dark looked back at her.
Dark: You can tell her I've got a very long corridor. Plenty of space.
She stared at him for a moment.
Then she laughed and pushed his arm.
Kaia: Stop.
He smiled while she typed a reply.
She stayed another twenty minutes.
At her door, she began taking off his coat. Dark caught the edge before it dragged against the ground.
Dark: Keep it for now.
Kaia looked up.
Kaia: You'll need it.
Dark: I've got others.
She glanced down at the feathers, running one finger carefully along the edge.
Kaia: I'll bring it when I show you the garden.
Dark nodded.
Dark: All right.
She looked at him again.
Kaia: You still want to?
Dark: Yeah.
Her smile returned.
Kaia: Tomorrow?
He considered the morning's responsibilities, then the afternoon beyond them.
Dark: Tomorrow.
She nodded softly and stepped toward the door. Before she went inside, she turned back.
Kaia: I had a nice time.
Dark felt himself smile.
Dark: So did I.
She held his gaze, then finally looked down.
Kaia: Goodnight, Dark.
Dark: Night, Kaia.
He waited until the door closed before leaving.
The following morning, Anok stood outside Tier's workshop holding two cups.
Tier opened the door with a small tool between his teeth. He removed it when he saw who was waiting.
Tier: You're early.
Anok: You're awake.
Tier glanced down at the cups.
Tier: Is one of those mine?
Anok handed it over.
Anok: Unless you've changed what you drink.
Tier took a cautious sip. Then he stepped aside.
Tier: Come in.
The workshop looked different in daylight. Several projects stood beneath suspended lamps, each surrounded by tools arranged in ways that made sense to the person using them. A dismantled wrist mechanism occupied one table. Beyond it, a larger frame stood open through the chest.
Anok placed his cup on a clear section of the nearest bench.
Tier watched him examine the room.
Tier: That one isn't finished.
Anok looked toward the frame.
Anok: I assumed.
Tier: The joint arrangement is temporary too. I was testing the load paths before fitting the final structure.
Anok turned back toward him.
Anok: You can show me.
Tier hesitated.
Then he set down his cup and opened the nearest display.
Tier: The problem starts here.
He pointed toward the frame's shoulder. Anok came beside him, listening while Tier rotated the model and showed him the point where two movements began resisting each other.
Anok: What happened when you separated them?
Tier: Less resistance. Worse recovery after impact.
Anok nodded toward the unfinished frame.
Anok: Show me the part you kept.
Tier crossed to a drawer and took out a small assembly wrapped in cloth. He set it between them.
Anok picked it up carefully.
Tier watched his hands.
Tier: I thought about changing the whole arrangement.
Anok: Do you want to?
Tier considered that.
Tier: No.
Anok: Then let's see what you've already understood.
By the time Akira appeared at the door, both cups had gone cold.
She stood watching them for several seconds before speaking.
Akira: Have either of you eaten?
Tier looked up.
Tier: We're in the middle of something.
Akira: I can see that.
Anok set down the assembly.
Anok: How long have we been here?
Akira folded her arms.
Akira: Long enough that Dantero ate what he said he was saving you.
Tier closed his eyes.
Tier: Of course he did.
Akira lifted a covered plate from the small trolley beside her.
Akira: Leona saved this before he got there.
Tier took it.
Tier: Thank you.
Akira glanced toward Anok.
Akira: Yours is underneath. And both of you are coming out at some point. Cron's trying to arrange a trip, and apparently nobody can agree on where to go.
Tier frowned.
Tier: A trip where?
Akira: That's the argument.
In the dining room, Dantero stood beside a wide display while Eiren examined a list of destinations.
Lucen sat at the table with Rykaou. Sukiru occupied the window seat, one boot resting on the edge of a low stool. Kuna was leaning over Dantero's shoulder, pointing at something the others could not see.
Kuna: That one.
Dantero moved the image away.
Dantero: You haven't read where it is.
Kuna: I've seen enough.
Eiren looked at the new image.
Eiren: It's beside an active fire sea.
Kuna glanced at him.
Kuna: So?
Eiren: So choose somewhere else.
Kaelith entered behind Akira.
Kaelith: What's wrong with a fire sea?
Eiren looked toward the ceiling.
Lucen smiled into his cup.
Dantero spread both hands.
Dantero: Excellent. We've reached the part where geography becomes personal.
Cron came in carrying another page.
Cron: We could choose what we actually want to do before choosing somewhere that has it.
Rykaou nodded.
Rykaou: Food.
Lucen: A decent place to stay.
Eiren: Somewhere with water that isn't boiling.
Kaelith pulled out a chair.
Kaelith: You take the excitement out of everything.
Eiren looked at her.
Eiren: Only when it's standing too close.
Dark arrived while Dantero was trying to explain why a place could be both peaceful and worth visiting.
Kenzo came through the other doorway a moment later.
The conversation eased without stopping. Cron moved a chair clear of the table, and Kenzo took it.
Dantero turned the display toward him.
Dantero: You've come at the perfect time. Tell these people that leaving the residence occasionally is healthy.
Kenzo read the destination.
Kenzo: You picked the place with the fire sea?
Kaelith lifted one hand.
Kaelith: I'm being unfairly outnumbered.
Kenzo leaned back.
Kenzo: There's somewhere farther north of that route.
Cron looked up.
Cron: You know it?
Kenzo nodded.
Kenzo: The lakes don't sit on the ground. They drift above it. You can walk underneath them when the light comes through.
For a moment, nobody interrupted.
Then Rykaou leaned toward the display.
Rykaou: Can we see it?
Kenzo held out his hand. Dantero passed him the control, and he entered the route himself.
The image changed.
Broad bodies of water hung above a green valley, their surfaces trembling beneath the wind. Sunlight passed through them and moved over the land below in pale shifting patterns. Small towns occupied the higher slopes.
Lucen sat forward.
Lucen: All right. That's better.
Eiren nodded.
Kaelith examined the suspended lakes.
Kaelith: Can you swim in them?
Kenzo looked at her.
Kenzo: Yes.
Kuna: Can you fall out?
Kenzo: Also yes.
Sukiru smiled.
Sukiru: Finally, somewhere useful.
Dantero pointed toward him.
Dantero: You're not jumping through the hotel.
Sukiru lowered his foot from the stool.
Sukiru: You haven't even booked one.
Dantero looked at Cron.
Dantero: Listen to how he says that. Already making plans.
Dark sat beside Kenzo while the others began asking about the valley. Tier and Anok joined them with their breakfast plates, and Akira took the control before either could begin inspecting how the floating water was held.
Dark waited until Kenzo had finished answering Rykaou.
Dark: You want to go?
Kenzo looked at the image.
Kenzo: Been meaning to.
Dark nodded.
Dark: Then let's go.
Kenzo glanced at him.
Dark: Doesn't have to be today.
Kenzo's mouth moved slightly.
Kenzo: Good. Some of us need to pack more than a sword.
Across the table, Leona looked up.
Leona: Speaking of packing. Where's your coat?
Dark reached for the water.
Dark: With Kaia.
Dantero stopped talking.
Dark heard the silence and looked at him.
Dark: Finish whatever you were saying.
Dantero placed his cup down with exaggerated care.
Dantero: I've completely forgotten.
Lucen looked between them.
Lucen: You left it there?
Dark: She was cold.
Eiren glanced toward Leona.
Leona continued eating, though she was smiling.
Dantero leaned back.
Dantero: Naturally.
Dark filled his glass.
Dark: Do you want me to ask about the flower?
Dantero's hand moved toward his now empty lapel.
Lucen turned immediately.
Lucen: What flower?
Dark drank.
Dantero stared at him.
Dantero: That was private.
Leona laughed.
Dark finished breakfast while they argued about which parts of the previous evening qualified as public information.
Later, he returned to the square.
The shopkeeper was arranging the wooden figures when he arrived. Dark stopped at the doorway rather than interrupting, and the man looked up with a small fox still in his hand.
Shopkeeper: Looking for something?
Dark glanced at it.
Dark: That, actually.
The man examined the fox, then looked toward the empty space outside the door.
Shopkeeper: The young woman from last night?
Dark nodded.
Shopkeeper: She liked the house too.
Dark looked toward it.
Then back at the fox.
Dark: This one.
The shopkeeper smiled and reached for wrapping paper.
Shopkeeper: Good. That's the one she looked at first.
That afternoon, Kaia met him wearing his coat over a pale blouse and a long green skirt. She stood just inside her doorway, holding her bag with both hands until she saw him.
Her smile appeared before she spoke.
Kaia: You came.
Dark: We said today.
Kaia: I know.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap.
Kaia: I thought you might get busy.
Dark shook his head.
Dark: I finished what I needed to.
He held out the parcel.
She looked down.
Kaia: What's that?
Dark: Something I thought you'd like.
She unfolded the paper carefully.
When she saw the fox, she stopped.
Dark watched her thumb move lightly over the carved ear.
Kaia: You remembered.
Dark nodded.
She looked up, her cheeks warming.
Kaia: Thank you.
Dark: You're welcome.
For a moment, she seemed unsure what to do with the happiness on her face. Then she stepped closer and put one arm around him.
Dark's free hand settled against her back.
The embrace was brief. When she stepped away, she looked down at the fox again, smiling so much that he felt himself doing the same.
Kaia: He still isn't annoyed.
Dark: We can disagree.
She shook her head.
Kaia: Come on.
He glanced beyond her toward the path.
Dark: Which way?
She placed the fox securely inside her bag, checked that the paper protected its tail, and offered him her hand.
Kaia: I know where we're going.
He took it.
This time, she led.
End of Arc 5, Chapter 3.