Riko finally caught up to the party, her silent landing on the edge of a wide, flat rooftop going completely unnoticed by her preoccupied friends. They had found a secluded spot far from the chaos of the tavern, a high perch overlooking the sprawling, lamp-lit expanse of Valoria's merchant district. The cool night air felt clean and sharp after the stuffy, ale-soaked atmosphere of the brawl, carrying with it the distant sounds of the city settling down for the nightâa far-off dog barking, the rumble of a late-night merchant's cart, the faint strains of music from a more reputable establishment.
Kaelen stood watch over the street below, his massive form a silent, unmoving silhouette against the city lights, his new axe resting easily on his shoulder. Finn was on one knee, studying a well-worn map of the city's rooftops, planning their exfiltration route for the morning. And Lyra was sitting cross-legged, rubbing her bruised chest and muttering what Riko could only assume were a string of highly creative, and likely anatomically impossible, curses directed at Ronan.
"He's going to have a lump on his head the size of a prize-winning pumpkin," Lyra grumbled, poking at a tender spot on her ribs. "And his stupid boot print is probably going to be bruised into my sternum for a week."
"You're the one who tried to start a fight with a Holy Knight while drunk," Finn pointed out without looking up from his map. "Consider it a learning experience."
"My only learning experience was that I should've used a bigger spell," she shot back.
Riko walked towards them, her steps making no sound on the stone. As she passed Lyra, she "accidentally" let her hand slip on her way up from a stretch, bringing her palm down with a solid thwack on the top of Lyraâs head. Lyra, not having time to react, face-planted onto the roof with a pained grunt.
Riko smiled, a grin of pure, satisfied revenge running from ear to ear.
"OUCH! DAMN IT, RIKO, THAT HURT!" Lyra shouted, pushing herself up and rubbing her now-bruised nose, glaring daggers at her friend. "What is wrong with you people today?!"
"Maybe next time, you won't use my arm for splinter-pulling practice," Riko retorted cheerfully, her own good mood fully restored.
She dusted herself off and turned to the rest of the group, her grin softening as her Kokugan took in the scene. While Finn and Kaelen's auras were calm and relaxed, a steady, unwavering white, she noticed the normally smooth, confident lines of Noelâs were flickering with a nervous, uncertain energy. He had a hand on the back of his head, chuckling in a way that didn't sound genuine, his posture tense. Her enhanced hearing could even pick up the slight, anxious tremor in his laugh, a detail no one else would have noticed. He was trying to play it cool, but his entire being was a chaotic scribble of nervous energy.
"Hey, Noel," Riko said, her voice gentle, cutting through the others' banter. "Whatâs on your mind?"
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Noel looked up, a flicker of genuine surprise in his expression. It always seemed to catch people off guard how she could read a mood so perfectly, even without seeing their faces. "Oh! It's nothing, I just..." he trailed off, glancing at the others before his gaze settled on Lyra. "Well... I actually have a question for Lyra, if thatâs okay."
Riko looked down at Lyra, who was still pouting and rubbing her head. Riko gestured with her own head towards Noel, a silent command. Lyra sighed dramatically. "What's up? Is this about being the best-looking again, or...?"
Noel blushed, a faint warmth Riko could perceive even with her unique senses. He shook his head. "No, not this time." He looked at Lyra, and Riko could perceive the clear shift in his auraâthe nervousness was now tinged with a bright, hopeful curiosity and a hint of sincere gratitude. It was a strange and vulnerable combination. "If you don't mind me asking... could you explain what a Crest actually is? I know it sounds stupid, but I never really got to learn about them properly."
The question hung in the air, unexpected and surprisingly serious. Lyra tilted her head, her playful demeanor replaced by genuine confusion. "You never learned about Crests in school? That was, like, the first thing they taught us in Basics of Survival 101. It was right after 'Don't Lick Strange Glowing Rocks' and right before 'How to Not Get Eaten by a Grag-Worm'."
Noel rubbed the back of his neck, his embarrassment clear in the tense set of his shoulders and the way he wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. "I never got to go to school," he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper. "I was homeschooled... and my parents, they never got to teach me about Crests before they..." He hesitated, swallowing hard, the next words catching in his throat like broken glass. "...before they were arrested."
The lighthearted atmosphere on the rooftop vanished, as if sucked into a vacuum. The distant, comfortable sounds of the city seemed to rush in to fill the sudden, heavy silence between them. Kaelenâs easy-going expression hardened, his lighthearted amusement replaced by a grim understanding. Lyra's playful smirk melted away, her face falling as a wave of deep, immediate empathy washed over her. She took a step towards him, her own earlier annoyance completely forgotten.
Finn moved to Noel's side first, putting a firm, supportive hand on his shoulder. His own face became a grim mask as he stared out at the city lights, his gaze distant, holding a look that knew far more than he was willing to say. "I know of their case, Noel," he said, his voice low and serious. "It was... complicated. We can talk about it when you're ready."
Riko, for her part, remained silent, but her Kokugan was taking everything in. She had become an expert in the geography of pain. She could see the trembling, fractured lines of Noel's aura, the shame and grief warring within him. It was a different shape than her own trauma, but the texture was the same. It was the feeling of a world breaking, of a family being torn apart by forces beyond a child's control. She felt a profound, aching connection to the slender, blue-haired boy she had only just met.
The silence stretched, but it wasn't awkward. It was the quiet of a shared burden. Kaelen finally broke it, his voice a low rumble. "That's rough, man. I'm sorry."
Lyra moved to Noel's other side, gently placing her hand on his arm. "Hey," she said softly. "Forget what I said about school. It was a stupid thing to say. I'm sorry."
The playful energy of the rooftop was gone, replaced by a quiet, somber solidarity. They were no longer just a party of powerful adventurers; they were a collection of broken histories, of past pains and uncertain futures, finding a fragile shelter in each other's company. And in that heavy, understanding silence, their family became real.