The hum of the Obscura café was a strange kind of comfort.
It wasn't a café in the traditional sense, but more of a sleek, automated bar with a digital menu glowing on the wall. Orders were placed by voice command or tap-screen, and the drinks were dispensed by robotic arms with impeccable precision.
Ikris liked the black coffee here. Bitter, harsh, and without any fancy foams or flavors. It reminded him of late nights back home—only quieter, and without the family drama leaking from the marble walls.
Sevik was already seated at their usual corner table, casually thumbing through a news tablet that never seemed to update beyond headlines about "unknown elemental incidents" and "corporate espionage in the Igan dynasty."
"Another black for you?" Sevik asked without looking up.
Ikris nodded and set his katana carefully on the floor next to his chair. It was a habit he hadn't broken, even in public spaces.
"You're still carrying that thing everywhere," Sevik said with a half-smile.
"It's not just a sword," Ikris replied. "It's… part of me."
Sevik laughed quietly. "Yeah, I've noticed you're a bit attached."
Ikris took a sip of the coffee, grimacing at the bitterness.
"Any news from the higher-ups?" he asked.
Sevik shook his head. "Just the usual. Keep your flames in check, don't ask questions, and remember your place."
Ikris frowned.
"Sometimes I wonder what happens if I don't."
Before Sevik could answer, Lyssa slid into the booth opposite Ikris, her expression unreadable.
"Don't look so gloomy," she said, tossing a small, folded piece of paper onto the table.
Ikris unfolded it.
It was a hastily scrawled map of the facility's lesser-known tunnels and emergency exits.
"Planning a jailbreak?" he teased.
Lyssa smirked slightly. "Something like that."
Sevik raised an eyebrow. "Why would you help him?"
Lyssa's gaze hardened. "Because sometimes, even pawns need to know the board."
For a moment, the three sat in silence, the hum of machinery and muffled footsteps their only company.
Ikris glanced at his sword and then back at Lyssa.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Don't make a habit of it," she warned, standing to leave.
As she walked away, Sevik leaned back and muttered, "I swear, that girl's a walking contradiction."
Ikris smiled for the first time in days.
Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.