Raya woke up to laughter.
Not the sharp, mocking kind that usually greeted her mornings these days, but soft, familiar, careless laughter that made her chest tighten before her mind even caught up.
Her lashes fluttered.
The first thing she saw was a woman leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Anna.
Raya froze.
For half a second, her brain refused to process it.
Then
"What the hell...?!" Raya croaked, her voice rough with sleep and disbelief.
Anna burst out laughing, throwing her head back. "That's my line?"
Raya bolted upright, the sheets tangling around her legs as she stared like Anna might disappear if she blinked.
"You're..." Raya swallowed. "You're real."
"Oh wow," Anna said, wiping at the corner of her eye dramatically. "I travel all this way and that's my welcome?"
Raya didn't respond.
She launched herself off the bed.
