The afternoon sun streamed through the large windows of the coffee shop, painting the wooden tables in warm gold and catching on the rim of Mercury’s glass. She sat across from me, legs crossed, still laughing from a joke a while back, head tilted back slightly, the sound bright and unfiltered as it filled the space between us.

"I won’t lie though," she said finally, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I really missed you."

"Missed you too," I admitted, watching the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at me.

She was her own kind of person, carrying something nobody else carried.

"Tell me more about Lord Bala. Is he like Sinn?"

"No," I said. "Sinn’s the better team player. Bala runs things from an office. But he’s a good man."

"I see."

A waitress came over with a tray, the glasses clinking softly. We were done with our drinks but still sitting. She set down two fresh glasses of juice, ice cubes shifting and catching the light.

"Did you order this?" Mercury asked me, eyebrows raised.

"No."

She turned to the waitress. "Then—"

"The gentleman over there." The waitress pointed to a corner table where a heavyset man sat with his back to us, another man beside him. "He asked me to bring you and your brother a drink."

"Which gentleman?" Mercury was already laughing without even looking. "Tell him we appreciate it." She waved it off with a casual flick of her hand.

The waitress left. There was something about Mercury that refused to coexist with seriousness.

"So he took one look and decided you’re my brother," she said, shaking her head with a grin. "Not knowing your fingers know everything about me."

I shook my head. That was Mercury.

"Where were you coming from, anyway?" she asked, picking up her new glass. "Don’t tell me it was a mission too."

Riya came back to me for a second. Edgar had probably found her body by now. The system had told me to leave instantly.

"It was a mission," I said.

"A mission." She nodded, taking a slow sip. "Joining CGI was my dream when I was young. Loved everything about it."

Funny. Mine wasn’t even my choice.

I drank my juice while she talked without stopping, her words flowing easy and fast, hands gesturing in the air between us.

The waitress came back, this time with a small notebook and pen.

"Excuse me, miss." She leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper.

Mercury’s face shifted into the look she got right before she said something awkward— eyes narrowing, lips pressing together to hold back a laugh.

"Bram." She stared at me. "This girl says the gentleman wants my coms number."

I didn’t answer. The waitress stood waiting, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Tell him to come get it himself," Mercury said, leaning back with a smirk.

"Miss, that’s Mr.—"

"Tell him to come get it." Mercury insisted, and the girl left, hurrying back toward the corner table.

She started laughing as the waitress walked away. I watched her, the easy way she lived, no system in her head interrupting anything.

"The gentleman needs your number," she mimicked, voice dripping with mock drama.

"He’s coming himself," I said, watching the heavyset man rise from his table.

Mercury’s smile dropped a little. "I dare him."

But he was already on his way. He reached our table, and I knew the face instantly. Mr. Kim. The one from Hogsby.

He stood by the table, turned to me first, then to Mercury. "Hello."

I lifted a hand in response.

"Your face is familiar," he said to me, then turned to Mercury, who had started laughing and shaking her head.

"Hey, beautiful," Kim said, leaning in. "You made me do something I rarely do. That makes you special."

He reached to touch her shoulder, and the moment his fingers brushed it, Mercury spoke.

"Don’t put your hands on me." She stood up, voice sharp. "Who told you I’m interested in guys with small dicks?" She turned to me. "Bram, let’s go."

She walked off. I stood, leaving Kim where he was.

"Work on your lines," I told him, and followed her out.

We came out into the afternoon sun, both of us laughing, the warmth hitting our faces as the door swung shut behind us. The light caught on Mercury’s black hair as she tilted her head back, the sound of her laughter mixing with the distant hum of the city streets.

"That was insane," I said, shaking my head as we stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Two armored vehicles rumbled past on the street, their heavy tires kicking up faint dust, heading toward CGI headquarters. I let them go. I needed the time off.

"Yeah." Mercury walked beside me toward the cars, her steps light and bouncy. "So where are you headed?"

"Back to the office, probably."

"Work, work, work." She said it like a taunt, elbowing me lightly in the side. "You need to make time for yourself, Bram."

I walked toward my car, turning it over in my mind. The system had been clear we were on a countdown, one that left no room for me to think about myself. And then Mercury had shown up at exactly the right moment to make me question that again.

I turned back from my car. She was already at hers, one hand on the door.

"You still in touch with anyone from the Fallen City mission?" I asked, Riya’s warning about a Veyron girl surfacing again.

She turned with a smirk, keys dangling from her fingers. "Only May. She’s actually got a party going right now, just outside the capital. If you’re not too buried in work, we could head over together."

[You don’t have time for this. Not now. You need to stay aligned with your purpose.]

The system warned, the words sharp in my mind.

Then watch me go.

"Let’s go," I said.

Mercury’s grin widened, eyes lighting up. "Now that’s the Bram I know."

I left my car where it was and got into hers. The party was already running, and I hoped the whole Fallen City crew would be there. If a Veyron girl had been among us out on that mission, that was exactly where I’d find her.

Mercury pulled out, the engine purring as we drove toward the edge of the capital, the city lights fading behind us in the rearview mirror.