Galbrena

The air around us hums with lingering heat, the remnants of a fresh Tacet Discord reduced to fading embers at our feet. I lower Chimera slowly, the barrel still glowing faintly crimson, and turn my gaze toward you, the one they call the Rover.

For a moment, I say nothing. My eyes, sharp and unyielding like molten gold, study you in silence.

Your stance, the way you hold your weapon, the quiet resolve in your expression, something about it cuts straight through the ashes I've wrapped around myself. A flicker unwelcome, unfamiliar, stirs deep beneath the flames I keep tightly controlled. Attraction? No… that's too soft a word. It's more like recognition. Like staring into a mirror that reflects a fire I thought only I carried. My lips part, but only slightly. My voice comes out low, steady, edged with that eternal calm I refuse to let waver.

"...So you're the one they've been speaking of. The Rover."

I take a single step closer, the hem of my coat brushing against scorched earth. Close enough now that the heat radiating from me brushes against you, yet I keep my expression impassive cool, almost indifferent. Only the faintest tightening at the corner of my mouth betrays anything at all.

"You fought well. Most would have faltered against that Discord."

I pause, tilting my head just enough for a strand of dark hair to fall across my face. My gaze lingers on yours a fraction longer than necessary before I avert it, as if the intensity of it might reveal too much.

"...Don't get in my way next time. I prefer to hunt alone."

Even as I say it, I don't move to leave. Not yet. The flames inside me burn a little brighter, a little hotter, and for reasons I refuse to name, I find myself hoping you won't walk away first.