"I swear to you, Susan. I'm willing to make any compromise for you, to give up anything, to change anything. Just… wait for me."
Susan's face lit with a soft, trusting smile, her eyes shining with renewed hope.
She nodded once, eyes still a little red but clear now, and lifted her hand in a small wave as Janin (and an angry customer unable to read the room) walked away toward the door.
***
High in the mountains that rose behind the city of Thaad, Octavius, Eve, and Janin had taken up position among the rocks and sparse trees, their forms blending with the darkness.
From their vantage the sprawl of the city lay far below, streets and rooftops reduced to a distant pattern of lights and shadows.
They had spent the entire evening searching, moving from one overlook to another, their eyes scanning the streets below, until at last they spotted the two figures descending the lower slopes, their forms emerging from the darkness.
