(Outside Charles's Cabin, The Juxta Military Base)
The air outside Charles's cabin was crisp and cold, the kind that bit into Leo's skin just enough to remind him that the world was still alive beneath the disciplined metal husk of the Juxta military facility.
*Flick*
As per his habit, Charles lit a cigarette with a flick of his mana-coated finger, shielding the flame from the wind with the cup of his hand before taking a long, slow drag.
*Fshhh—*
He exhaled with practiced calm, the smoke curling upward as if tracing ghosts into the air.
For the first two minutes, neither of them spoke.
Leo didn't interrupt. He knew Charles enough by now to recognize the weight of his silence when it wasn't empty.
It wasn't that Charles was actively trying to avoid conversation, but that he was choosing the right words. Weighing them like a butcher with blood on his hands deciding which knife to use.
After thinking a lot, he finally broke the silence.
