I woke before dawn, feeling more refreshed than I had in weeks. The constant analytical processing had quieted to a manageable hum in the background of my thoughts – still present, but no longer overwhelming. My body seemed to have found its equilibrium with the SS-Rank transformation overnight.
Moving quietly through the penthouse, I made my way to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast. There was something therapeutic about the simple, methodical process of cooking . From cracking eggs to chopping vegetables and measuring ingredients. For once, my detective abilities weren't automatically deconstructing every action into component analyses. I found myself humming an old song from when I was a construction worker as I worked, genuinely content for the first time since the transformation.
The smell of bacon and fresh coffee must have been what woke Sienna first. She padded into the kitchen wearing pajamas and a confused expression, her hair still tousled from sleep.
