The truck rolled through the edge of Arandom with the same tired growl it had carried into the desert.
Neo sat in the back with one shoulder against the metal wall and let the city draw closer through the dusty window. Across from him, Alice had her arms folded and her head slightly lowered, not asleep, not resting either. Just quiet in that way she always had, except this time the quiet dragged weight behind it. Her Soul Essence had been scraped thin in Dry Scar, and even if she hid it better than most people, the body always collected its price in the end.
The old driver kept his attention on the road. He did not turn around once. He only spoke when the silence had stretched long enough that even he probably found it stubborn.
"You two run into trouble?"
Neo answered first. "A little."
From the front, the old man gave a short grunt. "That usually means a lot."
Neo did not bother denying it. Alice didn't either.
