The click of the bathroom latch echoed in the sudden stillness, a gunshot marking the end of a world and the beginning of an awkward one.
Yve and Dylan separated as if burned.
Dylan turned away, running a hand through his hair and staring at a loose floorboard like it held the secrets to the universe. He cleared his throat, the sound rough and loud in the quiet room. Yve's gaze fixed on the floor, tracing the grain of the wood, anywhere but at him.
"Idiot," he muttered, the word barely a breath, aimed at the floor, at himself, at the whole damn situation.
"What?" Yve's head snapped up, her voice tight.
"Nothin'." He shook his head, still not looking at her. He cleared his throat again, a useless attempt to scrape away the thickness in the air. He risked a glance, and for a split second, their eyes met. The charge was instant, a live wire humming between them.
They both flinched, looking away just as fast. Dylan focused on the window. Yve stared at the door.
"So... uhmmm..." she started, the words clumsy in her mouth. "Glad you're alive."
"Yeah... yeah." He nodded, still looking at the window. "Glad you're alright, too."
The silence rushed back in, heavier this time. Yve's awareness finally landed on her own wrist, bare and cool. She twisted it, a frown creasing her brow. "Where's Nierven?"
"Huh?" Dylan turned, distracted. "Uhmm... no idea."
"I sent him to get you. Where's he?" A new edge of panic crept into her voice. "I sent him right before... I completely forgot about him, I was so overwhelmed and... and..." Her breath hitched.
Dylan moved without thinking. He closed the small space between them, his fingers closing gently but firmly around her wrist. "Hey..." His voice was low, grounding. A stark contrast to the frantic energy humming between them. "We'll find him."
Yve looked up, and this time she didn't look away. Her eyes locked with his, and the air thickened instantly, the memory of the kiss, the heat flooding back into the small space between them. Her breath hitched for a different reason.
A low grunt escaped her. "Hmm... Nierven."
"Right. Right." Dylan dropped her wrist like it was hot, taking a quick step back. He rubbed the back of his neck, the awkwardness a physical thing.
Yve turned and strode to the bathroom door. She knocked, three sharp, deliberate raps. "We're leaving. You can stop hiding now..." Her voice was flat, but a hint of amusement colored the edges.
She didn't wait for a reply. She turned and headed for the front door, her posture rigid.
The bathroom door creaked open a moment later. Jenkins peeked out, his eyes finding Dylan still standing awkwardly.
Dylan just shook his head, a wry, tired look on his face. "Wrong timin', brother."
"Yeah... sorry," Jenkins mumbled, wincing in sympathy.
Dylan gave a short nod and followed Yve out into the bright, unforgiving daylight, the silence of the house replaced by the tense quiet of the settlement.
Ysa had only just stepped out to check on Yve when she saw her leaving Jenkins' house. "Yve!"
Yve turned immediately.
For a split second, everything else dropped away. Then they were moving at the same time, closing the distance and colliding into each other in a tight embrace.
Ysa held her like she was making sure she was still real.
Yve exhaled into her shoulder. "Thank you… for saving my tail once more."
Ysa didn't soften right away. "What were you thinking?" Her voice came out sharp, immediate. "You could've died. A signal like that—done alone—it could've killed you. Why would you do that?"
Yve hesitated. "Uh…" She didn't finish.
The door behind them opened. Then closed again.
Dylan stepped out.
Ysa's eyes flicked to him immediately. Then back to Yve. Then she sighed. "Of course." Her grip loosened slightly, but her expression didn't change much. "You're really gonna risk everything for that dumbass, huh."
Yve didn't answer with words. She just pulled Ysa back into a tighter hug. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
Ysa held the silence for a moment longer, then exhaled through her nose—less anger now, more resignation than anything else.
Footsteps approached.
Dylan stopped beside them. He gave Ysa a small nod. Nothing exaggerated. Just acknowledgment.
Yve and Ysa separated slowly.
Ysa turned to him fully now. Her gaze stayed on him for a long moment—measuring, unimpressed, already deciding things about him without asking permission. Then she stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him down slightly so only he could hear her.
Her voice dropped. "She almost died trying to save your weak ass. You hurt her, and I will kill you. You understand?"
Dylan didn't flinch. A short, rough breath of a laugh left him. "Yeah," he muttered. "Got it."
A pause.
Then, quieter, almost dry: "Thanks for healin' my weak ass."
Ysa stared at him for a beat longer.
Yve's expression shifted slightly as the moment settled. "Have you seen Nierven?" she asked.
Ysa exhaled through her nose. "No." Then, after a beat, she added, almost casually, "I heard Derek earlier talking about how insane it is that you've got a pet snake."
Dylan gave a faint shrug. "Yeah… I left Nierven with Derek at the gate."
Yve nodded once, already turning the thought over in her head. "Alright. Thanks again, sis… we'll go find him."
Ysa gave her a long look. "Don't make me save your tail again in the span of twenty-four hours."
Yve's lips twitched faintly. "I'll be safe."
Ysa didn't look convinced. But she also didn't argue. She turned, gave one last glance between them, then walked off without another word.
~~~
Dylan and Yve moved through Havenwall at a steady pace, the settlement still carrying the residue of last night's chaos. People worked in scattered clusters, repairing what could be repaired, avoiding what couldn't.
They passed the makeshift workstation. Metal scraps, tools, and salvaged parts were spread across a rough table.
Duncan stood there, wiping his hands on a rag.
Yve stopped when she saw him. "You're back."
Duncan glanced up. "Yep."
"How did it go?" she asked. "Did you find David?"
"Nope," Duncan said. A pause. "Found Maurice, though."
Yve's face lit slightly. "Really? Where is he?"
Duncan didn't change his tone. "Dead."
The word hit the air flat and immediate.
Dylan stopped. "What?"
Duncan shrugged faintly. "He didn't die peacefully, I'll tell you that much."
Yve's expression tightened. "Where's his body?"
"With Darnell," Duncan said. "He's rigging a freezer setup. Said we should preserve them until you're back on your feet."
Yve nodded slowly. "Hmm...alright. Thank you. We'll find David soon."
Duncan let out a short breath through his nose. "Based on what I saw in Maurice's body… I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Yve turned her head slightly. "Don't let Lucas hear you say that."
Duncan gave a small, tired shrug. "What can you do? Human lifespans are fragile as hell. I knew that…still sucks though." His eyes dropped for a moment. "David was one of the first humans I actually liked. Smart. Handy with tools." A pause. "And now he's gone."
The admission lingered longer than expected.
Yve stepped closer and gave his shoulder a brief pat. "He's not dead until we see his body properly, alright?"
Duncan exhaled, then nodded once.
Dylan stood a step behind them, arms resting loosely at his sides. "Damn it…" he muttered. "Maurice."
Silence followed for a moment.
Then Yve shifted her attention again. "Should we go see him first?"
Dylan let out a slow breath, arms folding. The weight of it sat for a second before he answered. "Nah." A pause. "Won't bring him back." Another breath through his nose. "Damn it." He straightened slightly. "Let's go."
Yve nodded. "Okay."
They turned to leave.
"Wait," Yve added, glancing back at Duncan. "You seen Derek?"
Duncan answered vaguely without looking up from his work. "Yeah. RV Roof. Gate. Playing with his rifle again."
A few more stride beside each other, Dylan and Yve finally reached the gate.
Derek stood with his rifle resting loosely against his shoulder, scanning the treeline even as he spoke. "Nierven followed you, Dylan. Not long after you ran into the forest. After that—nothing. Lost sight of him."
Dylan frowned slightly. "He kept up?"
Derek nodded once. "For a bit."
Ethan stepped forward immediately. "I'll come with you."
Yve glanced at him. "It's dangerous."
"I know," Ethan said quickly. "But I'm not a kid. Even if Lucas keeps treating me as one."
A brief pause.
Dylan looked at Yve. Yve looked at the forest.
Then she nodded once. "Fine."
Derek didn't argue. Just adjusted his grip on the rifle. "Don't stay out too long."
Ethan fell into step beside them as they passed through the gate.
The forest greeted them without ceremony. No sound except wind moving through leaves and the distant shift of branches that didn't quite settle the same way twice. The ground was still damp and muddy from last night's rain, uneven in places.
~~~
Dylan and Yve walked side by side, the space between them close enough to feel intentional, not accidental.
Ethan stayed slightly ahead, rifle in hand, scanning the forest like he was trying to convince himself he belonged out here. He kept muttering under his breath, half thinking out loud, half filling the silence.
The tension between Dylan and Yve hadn't fully settled. It lingered in small things—how their shoulders aligned too often, how their hands almost met and then didn't. A hesitation in every near-contact.
Ethan suddenly glanced back over his shoulder. "Did you really turn Jenkins into a siren?"
Dylan's head snapped toward Yve immediately. "That true?"
Yve blinked once. "Yeah… kind of."
Ethan frowned. "How?? Like… magic and stuff?"
Yve shook her head. "No. It's not magic. It was a manual procedure. Surgical. I altered his organs and sensory structure. Essentially rebuilt parts of him into a siren-compatible system."
Dylan stared at her for a second longer than necessary.
Yve misstepped on a root. Her balance broke.
Dylan moved instantly, catching her wrist and steadying her at the waist.
For a moment, neither of them let go. Just a pause. Eyes locked. Awareness sharp again in that same dangerous, quiet way.
Then Ethan's voice drifted forward again like nothing had happened. "Can you do that with anyone?"
The moment snapped.
Yve gently pulled away, adjusting her footing. Dylan let her go.
They kept walking.
"No," Yve said after a beat. "It's extremely fatal. He almost died more times than I can count during the procedure. I'm not doing that again. It was a one-time case."
"Aww…" Ethan muttered.
Yve exhaled. "And if higher authority beings find out what horrible crime I did, there would be horrible consequences."
Dylan glanced at her. "What? What kind of consequences?"
Yve didn't answer immediately. "Nothing you need to worry about." Her eyes shifted forward again. "Where the hell is Nierven?"
Ethan turned slightly as he walked. "So there's still no cure for the Shrieker virus?"
Yve shook her head. "Sorry. I'd like to help Jenkins find a cure, but I don't have the time right now."
Dylan's voice was flat. "Your plate's already full. Don't add more to it."
Yve gave a quiet, tired breath in response.
Ethan kicked at a loose stone. "Do you think Duncan could get a helicopter to work? Or like… a plane?"
Yve frowned slightly. "What's a helicopter?"
"Or better," Ethan continued quickly, "can you teach me how to ride a Pegacampus?"
Dylan glanced at him. "Why you askin'?"
Ethan didn't answer right away. Then, quieter, he said, "Can they handle long distance travel?"
That shifted the air.
Yve slowed slightly. "Hey… what's going on with you?"
Ethan hesitated. Then it came out. "I was just thinking… maybe I could borrow one. Go back home. See if my family's still alive."
Dylan and Yve exchanged a look.
Yve's expression softened. "You poor kid…"
Ethan shook his head quickly. "I know it's unlikely. I mean…it's been two years. No contact. No news. Nothing." He swallowed. "But if there's even a chance…"
Yve stepped closer. Her voice lowered. "Hey."
Ethan looked up.
She placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out."
Ethan blinked. "We will?"
Yve nodded. "Yeah. We'll help you get back home."
For a second, Ethan just stared at her. Then he pulled her into a quick hug. "Thank you…"
Yve didn't pull away immediately. She just let it happen.
Ethan wiped his eyes quickly, forcing the emotion back down into something lighter, easier to carry. "I'd introduce you to my sister," he said, a small grin returning. "She used to say I was crazy. Childish for believing mythological creature exists." He gave a short, breathy laugh. "Who's crazy now."
Yve glanced at him. "Apparently not you."
Dylan walked a step ahead, eyes still scanning the treeline. "You two done?"
Ethan huffed. "I can't wait to show you my collection of mythological action figures."
Yve blinked. "Action… what?"
Ethan paused. Then exhaled through his nose. "Never mind."
Dylan didn't even look back. "Yeah. Let's keep movin'."
And they did.
After several more minutes of walking in silence, the sound of running water gradually grew louder, cutting through the forest's stillness.
Soon, the river came into view.
It surged through the bend with more force than usual, swollen from last night's rain. The current dragged along clumps of mud, broken branches, and scattered debris, churning the water into a restless, uneven flow. The air above it felt colder, heavier, carrying the damp bite of wet earth and disturbed soil.
Yve slowed. Something changed in her posture. Her head tilted slightly, like she was listening to something beneath the noise of the water. "Back up," she said suddenly.
Ethan stopped immediately and raised his rifle.
Dylan hesitated for half a second, then reached over his shoulder for his tomahawk.
Yve didn't look at them. "I said stay back."
Dylan ignored her and stepped closer anyway. "What do you sense?" he asked.
Yve didn't answer right away. She moved forward instead, stepping carefully into the shallow edge of the river. The water lapped at her boots as she bent down, eyes fixed on the surface.
Then she reached in.
Her hand closed around something beneath the water. With a sharp pull, she dragged her sword up from the riverbed, droplets scattering as the blade broke the surface.
Silence followed.
Ethan adjusted his aim.
Dylan shifted forward again. "Yve—"
"I said stay there," she repeated, sharper this time.
But Dylan still moved. He reached her side just as the water behind her shifted.
Too late.
Something burst upward from the river in a sudden violent surge.
Ethan fired immediately. The shot cracked through the air—but missed.
Dylan staggered back in reflex.
The force slammed into Yve. She hit the ground hard, pinned beneath the sudden weight, her sword half-raised before her grip tightened instinctively.
For a split second, everything froze.
Then she saw it.
Nierven.
The tension collapsed instantly.
Yve's grip loosened. Her expression shifted from shock to disbelief. "…You."
Nierven stared at her. Then, completely unbothered, leaned forward and licked her face like an excited animal.
Yve let out a breathless laugh, half relief, half exhaustion. "It's you…" she muttered. "My heavens—why would you do that? I could've killed you."
Dylan gave a quiet grunt, still watching cautiously, then lowered his tomahawk fully.
Nierven remained pressed against Yve like nothing had happened, tail shifting in contentment as she finally pushed herself upright, still shaking off the impact.
Nierven immediately turned his head toward Ethan and let out a sharp hiss right into his face.
Ethan stumbled back, raising both hands. "Sorry… sorry! I didn't mean to shoot at you."
Nierven snorted through his nostrils like it wasn't worth acknowledging. Then he turned away from Ethan entirely and circled back to Yve, pressing against her side again as if nothing had happened.
Yve exhaled, a small laugh escaping her. "I'm so sorry… I forgot about you. Come here."
She stood straight and started petting him.
Nierven leaned into it, then slowly reared up beside her, towering higher than before.
For a moment, he just stood there—still. Then his body tensed. A sudden sharp sound came from his throat.
A sneeze.
Except it wasn't air or mucus. A burst of blue, fire-like energy erupted from his nostrils and mouth, streaking outward into the river.
The impact hit the water instantly and the surface hardened on contact. Ice exploded outward in jagged formations, spikes rising fast and uneven as the freezing spread, swallowing the current in seconds.
Ethan and Dylan both staggered back.
"What the—" Yve started, frozen mid-step.
Nierven just blinked at her, then flicked his tongue over his nose like a dog that had done something mildly inconvenient. His pupils widened slightly.
Recognition flashed across Yve's face. Then excitement. "Oh… of course. Of course!" she blurted. "I forgot. How could I forget?"
Dylan narrowed his eyes. "What? What did you forget? That thing just blew steam and turned the river into ice."
Yve turned back to Nierven, smiling now with clear excitement. "Yes. My boy is getting big." She stepped closer, studying him. "That must be so tight… and painful."
Dylan's expression shifted. "That don't sound good."
Yve was already moving her hands along Nierven's scales, inspecting them closely. "It's growth pressure. The skin can't keep up with internal expansion."
Nierven shifted, letting out a low, guttural sound—not pain exactly, but strain.
Yve's fingers traced along a section of his scales. Then she pressed.
A faint crack.
Dylan stepped forward instinctively. "Yve—what are you doin'?"
She didn't look up. "Helping him shed." Her hand worked carefully along a seam in his scaled armor, and a portion began to lift—old layers loosening as if something beneath was forcing it apart.
Nierven tensed, then settled, almost unnervingly calm, as the process continued.
Chunks of hardened scale began to separate in uneven plates, revealing newer, darker material underneath that faintly pulsed with internal light.
Ethan swallowed. "Is he supposed to… glow like that?"
Yve didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pulled back another section. "Come on. Help me get this off him."
Dylan didn't move at first. Then, slowly, he stepped closer, eyes still locked on the shifting creature.
Ethan followed more cautiously.
The process took roughly more than three hours.
Nierven eventually settled along the riverbank, coiled in a wide resting loop while the three of them worked in shifts, carefully peeling away the hardened layers of his old scales. Whenever they pulled too sharply, he would let out a low growl or strained grunt, the sound vibrating through his body as if the shedding itself was uncomfortable rather than painful in a normal sense.
Dylan wiped his hands on his sleeve, glancing up at the sheer size of him. "Didn't think he'd get bigger than this."
Yve didn't look up from her work. "You're kidding? He's basically a teenager at this stage."
Ethan paused mid-motion. "A teenager? This size? How big is he gonna be when he's fully grown?"
Yve pulled another section free. "I don't know. I've only ever seen illustrations of Ancient Serpents in old records."
Dylan frowned slightly. "Anything else we should know about him?" He glanced at Nierven's mouth, where faint traces of frost still clung to the air around his breath. "Like… can he control that ice-fire thing?"
Yve hesitated for a fraction of a second. "That's another problem," she admitted. "I'm going to have to train him properly. If he loses control of that, he could freeze entire regions. Maybe worse."
Dylan let out a short breath through his nose. "That's just great."
Nierven shifted slightly, resting his head lower against the ground as another strip of old scale came free.
Yve continued working. "You'll need to rest for a while, Nierven. Until we return to the ocean. I can't risk you freezing my people."
Ethan carefully lifted another piece of shed scale, inspecting it like it was something from another world. "He's basically a magical dragon."
Yve shot him a look without stopping. "He's not a dragon. He's an Ancient Water Serpent."
Ethan shrugged. "Same vibe."
Yve didn't respond to that.
Instead, Ethan tilted his head slightly. "Are there other types of serpents?"
Yve nodded once. "Yes. Many."
Ethan hesitated, then spoke a little slower. "Do you think I could maybe get one as a pe— I mean, as a companion?"
Yve finally looked up at him. "No. Ancient Serpents don't belong on Earth. They have their own world."
A pause.
Dylan opened his mouth like he was about to ask something.
Yve cut him off immediately. "And before you ask—I don't know how he got here."
Ethan exhaled slowly, eyes still fixed on Nierven as if he couldn't quite decide whether to be amazed or alarmed. "Fascinating…"
Dylan let out a quiet, almost humorless breath. "Yeah… this is gonna be our normal Tuesday forever, huh."
Ethan glanced at Yve. "How did you manage to train him? He kind of acts like a dog… or a cat."
Yve didn't stop working. Another section of shed scale loosened under her hands, peeling away with a dry, rough sound. "Lots and lots and lots and lots…" she said, pulling it free. "And lots—" she grunted slightly as she forced another stubborn piece off. "—of patience."
Ethan nodded slowly. "That's… a lot of patience."
Yve finally shifted her grip, tugging a larger strip free from Nierven's side. "Took me ten years just to get him to respond to his name." She patted the massive serpent once as she worked. "Nierven."
Dylan gave Nierven a long look, then exhaled through his nose. "He's smart as hell though… maybe he's just ignorin' you."
Yve didn't look offended. If anything, she looked mildly amused. "That's possible," she admitted. "But I think I just wore him down eventually."
Dylan's mouth twitched slightly. "Yeah. That you're good at."
Yve glanced at him at that, holding the look for a second longer than necessary.
They were still working side by side, hands moving through Nierven's shedding scales. Close enough that neither of them had to lean far to feel the other's presence.
The silence that followed wasn't empty.
It was aware.
Yve shifted her focus back down, and a faint chuckle escaped her as she pulled another section free.
Ethan, meanwhile, was still watching Nierven like he was trying to solve a biological equation. "Is the shapeshifting part of his nature?" he asked.
Yve paused. "Huh?"
"He kind of turns into a bracelet you carry around," Ethan continued. "How is that even possible for someone his size?"
Yve straightened slightly, thinking. "Uh… how do I explain this." She hesitated for a moment longer, then spoke more carefully. "Okay. You understand what matter is, right?"
Ethan nodded immediately. "Like… matter matter? Science?"
"Yeah."
Yve gestured slightly toward the river, the forest, the air itself. "Matter makes up almost everything in the universe. From the ground you're standing on, to the air you're breathing." She looked back at Nierven. "Ancient Serpents are biologically synchronized with it. They don't just exist in matter—they can interact with it directly."
Ethan's expression tightened. "Interact how?"
Yve continued. "They can compress or expand their physical structure depending on age and energy state. What you think of as 'size' is just their current configuration." She pulled another strip of scale free. "And because they consume and store massive amounts of energy, they can convert that energy into structural changes in their own biology. Their cells don't just grow—they rewrite."
Dylan muttered, "That's wild."
Yve nodded once. "It also means they can shift into different mineral states. Pearl, metal, volite, diamond—depending on what they want." She patted Nierven's side lightly. "Nierven here, prefers silver. No idea why."
Nierven gave a low, almost content sound at the touch.
Yve continued, more matter-of-fact now. "It's also why he sleeps so much. Earth doesn't naturally provide enough energy density for his kind. So he compresses himself, minimizes activity, and rests."
Ethan frowned slightly. "So if he doesn't get enough energy… he could die?"
Yve didn't sugarcoat it. "Yes. That's a possibility."
Dylan shifted his weight. "Why not just keep him small then? Like a normal snake?"
Yve shook her head. "Simple answer. He's lazy." A faint exhale. "I tried that. He hated being constantly mobile, but he also hated being away from me. So…" she gestured loosely toward Nierven's coiled form, "we compromised."
Dylan raised a brow. "Compromised."
Yve nodded. "He sleeps on my wrist. And when needed, I wake him."
Dylan pulled another loosened plate of scale free and tossed it onto the growing pile beside the riverbank. "And the icy breath?"
Yve glanced toward Nierven. "That's new." She ran a hand along the serpent's body, examining the newly exposed scales. "Ancient Serpents normally need at least three hundred years before they develop abilities like that. It's a major biological milestone."
Ethan blinked. "Three hundred years?"
Yve nodded. "At minimum." She frowned thoughtfully. "But Nierven spent nearly half his life dormant. Sleeping. Conserving energy." Her fingers tapped thoughtfully against one of his scales. "My guess is that the extended dormancy accelerated certain developmental processes."
Dylan grunted. "Lucky us."
Nierven chose that moment to yawn. A faint puff of blue frost escaped his mouth.
All three instinctively leaned away.
The serpent blinked innocently.
Ethan shook his head. "Damn." A smile slowly crept across his face. "It's moments like this that make me weirdly grateful the apocalypse happened."
Yve looked up. "Really? Why?"
Ethan sat back on a fallen log and thought for a moment. "Because before all this?" He gestured vaguely. "I was in college. And all I could think about was what the rest of my life was gonna look like." His expression twisted. "Wake up. Go to work. Deal with annoying coworkers. Stubborn clients. Some egotistical boss." He rolled his eyes. "It drove me crazy."
The river rushed behind them.
"I kept thinking... is this really it? Is this what I'm gonna do for the next fifty years?"
Yve listened quietly.
Ethan laughed softly. "I don't think I'd have ever met you guys if the apocalypse hadn't happened."
Dylan snorted. "He's got a point."
Ethan pointed toward him immediately. "Exactly." He shifted his attention between them. "Dylan was a soldier and a bodyguard for important people. He'd have zero reason to interact with some random college kid from Korea."
Dylan couldn't really argue with that.
"And he definitely wouldn't have ended up staying at some dock." Ethan looked at Yve. "And if he never stayed at the dock, he never would've met you."
Silence settled for a moment.
Yve looked at Dylan.
Dylan happened to glance up at the same time.
Their eyes met.
Again.
The same awareness returned instantly and neither looked away immediately.
Then Yve finally broke the moment with a small, thoughtful smile. "Huh." She looked back down at the scale she was working on. "Never thought about it like that."
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
The only sounds were the rushing river, the scrape of scales being removed, and Nierven's contented rumbling as he enjoyed the attention.
Dylan tossed another piece of shed scale aside and leaned back slightly. "Seems like the apocalypse has its perks."
Ethan laughed. "That's probably the weirdest sentence I've heard all week."
Yve smiled faintly. "But he's kind of right."
The words came out more thoughtful than amused.
"If I hadn't met you..." She glanced briefly at Dylan. "And if you hadn't offered me a way to escape... I'd probably be married by now."
That got both of their attention immediately.
Ethan's eyes widened.
Dylan stopped what he was doing altogether. "You what?"
Yve shrugged. "My mother was arranging a marriage between me and Arcenaux."
A beat of silence.
Then Dylan turned fully toward her. "Arcenaux?"
"Mm-hmm." Yve peeled away another strip of scale. "I ran away the next morning." The casual way she said it somehow made it sound even more serious. "If I hadn't seen you at the dock, I probably would've gone home eventually and agreed to it."
Dylan stared at her for a second. Then scoffed. "Arcenaux." His face twisted slightly. "What a lousy name."
Ethan snorted. "Okay, that's harsh, dude."
"It's a terrible name."
That earned a laugh from both Ethan and Yve.
The moment faded quickly, though.
Ethan looked out across the river. "Damn." His voice had gone quieter. "Seems like all our lives would've been completely different if we never met."
Nobody answered immediately. The statement hung there.
Yve's smile slowly faded. "Yeah." She looked down at the scales in her hands. "Some of our people might still be alive, too."
Ethan's gaze dropped. "Lara." A pause. "Harlene."
Yve nodded. "Harrison." Her voice softened. "Maurice."
Silence settled again.
Then Dylan spoke. So quietly neither of them almost heard him. "Clyne." His hands stopped moving. "And Mom and Dad."
The river suddenly seemed much louder.
Yve and Ethan both turned toward him.
Dylan's gaze remained fixed somewhere beyond, beyond the present. There was no anger on his face. No bitterness. Just loss.
Old and familiar.
Yve felt a sharp ache in her chest. She set down the scale she was holding and stepped closer. Then gently bumped her shoulder against his. "Hey."
Dylan blinked. He looked over at her. For a second, neither of them spoke. Then a small smile appeared on his face. He let out a long breath. "Yeah."
And together they returned to work, the conversation fading into the steady rush of the river and the soft rumble of Nierven resting beside them.