Outside, the night sky was quiet, clouds drifting slowly, and the insects kept making noise, taking away a bit of that silence.
Inside, Specter sat at the wooden table, his hands busy with the jammer devices. He tried to dig up more info about Dr. Aurel, but his eyes kept drifting toward Noir without him noticing. She leaned on the window frame, the torn curtain blocking some streetlight, her mismatched eyes looking down at the people walking below.
Orion saw everything.
He sat with his arms crossed, back against the wall, like someone who didn't belong there. But in those dark eyes of his, nothing escaped. Every time Specter glanced toward Noir, every time her eyebrow twitched a bit like she remembered something annoying… he noticed all of it.
Night got deeper. When Noir stood up and went to the small kitchen to find some water, Orion finally snuck over to Specter and sat next to him.
"How long you gonna stay quiet?"
Specter looked up, blinking.
"What do you mean?"
Orion stared straight at him, voice low and sharp.
"You know exactly."
"I can see you care about her. But if that feeling makes you lose focus, right now it's basically a knife pressed on all our necks. Love will mess up your focus. Got it, you lovesick fool?" *Orion whispered and nudged him*
Specter didn't answer. His fingers traced random lines on the table. He clenched his jaw, forcing down whatever excuse he almost said.
Finally, he just sighed.
"Maybe it's… not the right time."
Noir walked out of the kitchen then, holding a few water bottles. Her eyes scanned them, knowing something was off, but she only said.
"Stop wasting energy on useless stuff. We survive first." *She throws a water bottle at both of them*
The house went quiet. Specter and Orion exchanged one look then dropped it.
Back to their own spots.
The old house felt stuffy. They worked nonstop, sleeping whenever they could, like factory workers stuck in night shift.
By early morning, food was low, some wounds needed medicine, and Noir knew they couldn't last more days without preparing. But she also knew her face was on every wall. Stepping outside was basically signing her own death.
She looked at the two of them.
"You two go instead. Buy what we need, and disguise yourselves. I'll stay here."
Specter hesitated for a moment, eyes dropping to his own leg.
Orion scratched his neck and groaned.
"You serious? Damn!! At least think about my bro's leg here."
But Noir cut him off.
"Don't argue. I can't take that risk."
"Specter's leg… people outside are more likely to pity him." *glances at his leg*
Orion tugged on his shirt, lips curling into a careless grin.
"Bossy as hell."
"Fine. Watch me."
He and Specter stepped into the street, blending into traffic. In a few breaths, Orion brushed past some careless merchant, his hands fast like a breeze. When he returned, he held a stack of cash. The merchant behind them was yelling cluelessly, not knowing who had taken it. Orion tossed the money to Specter.
"Enough for a few days. Don't ask how."
Specter frowned but didn't scold him. In this situation, Orion's sneaky talent was kinda… useful.
They went through some small shops, bought clothes to blend in, food, water, medicine, and a few simple devices. In the crowd, Specter felt eyes watching him. When he turned, he spotted two figures in long coats, collars covering their faces. The steps… too familiar. People from the organization.
Orion put an arm around him and whispered,
"Don't act weird. They haven't noticed us."
They walked casually out of the market, hearts beating fast.
The old house looked more livable once they brought everything back. Clothes, food, and tools just enough to survive a bit longer. Orion lifted his chin proudly.
"See? Not bad, right?"
Noir smirked, saying nothing.
Orion sorted everything and gave each person their share. Noir took her new clothes and quietly went inside to change. When she opened the door again, the light showed her cold outline. Jeans and a denim jacket made her look very different from before.
Specter, passing by the kitchen, saw her for a second. He covered his eyes right away, turning fast, trying not to let his heartbeat go crazy. In the hallway shadow, he clenched his fist and forced himself to walk away.
To him, Noir was becoming this dangerous kind of… sweet obsession.
But unlucky for him, Noir noticed that glance.
She walked up to him, close, studying his face.
"What did you see?"
"I just walked by accidentally. I didn't see anything." Specter's voice shook a bit.
Noir didn't say more. She fixed her collar and walked off. Specter stayed there a moment, trying to breathe normally again.
Later, the other two also changed. Orion picked a long-sleeve shirt to hide his wounds. Specter, of course, just bought himself another neat shirt like always.
After the tense trip outside, Orion threw himself on the old bed. He tossed the medicine bag onto the table, swallowed a few pills, then knocked out almost instantly.
In seconds, he was breathing like someone who'd just escaped a trap.
Only Noir and Specter were still awake. The air felt peaceful but sharp, like a blade edge. Specter wanted to talk, but words stuck in his throat.
Noir pulled a chair into the moonlight and sat. She opened the documents, her voice soft but serious.
"About that Dr. Aurel. Any new info?"
"For now… no. He got fired a long time ago, so tracking him isn't easy," Specter said.
"Fired? Why didn't VOID kill him?" *Noir flipped the papers*
"I don't know yet." *Specter typed*
Then he noticed a small notebook on the table. Curious, he reached for it but Noir suddenly stepped up and snatched it.
"Sorry. That's mine." *Noir held it tight*
"Ah… okay."
"Anyway… tomorrow we'll decide our next step." *Noir sat back down*
"…Alright."
Specter knew he shouldn't have touched something personal, but he didn't expect her to react that fast. Noir was colder than he thought yet somehow, being near her felt warm.
Somewhere around them, something unseen was still lurking, close yet far.