**EXT. FOREST SETTLEMENT - NIGHT**
Valentine and Thorne emerge from the forest into a small, isolated settlement. The buildings are old, made of wood and stone, with flickering lights in the windows. It looks like a place frozen in time.
This is Haven. A temporal refuge. People who've been displaced by time anomalies. They won't trust outsiders easily.
They approach a small tavern, its sign creaking in the breeze. As they enter, the room falls silent. All eyes turn to them - a mix of humans and others who don't quite look human.
(To the room)
I'm looking for Elara. Tell her Aris Thorne needs to speak with her.
A woman with silver hair and piercing eyes steps forward from the shadows.
Aris. We heard you were dead.
Close. But I need your help. And I think you'll want to hear what I have to say.
He shows her the temporal locator. Her eyes widen as she recognizes it.
The key. They've actually built it.
She gestures to a back room. They follow her, leaving the tavern's patrons to their whispers.