Night in the Lust Ring usually meant noise, neon, and chaos but Sin Rouge lived in its own rhythm. Tonight, the bar was quiet enough that Malerion could hear the hum of the refrigeration runes behind the counter. He was reviewing supply logs when Rafe slipped in through the side entrance, unusually calm for someone who had clearly run across half the district.
"Boss," Rafe said, catching his breath. "We need to talk."
Malerion closed the ledger.
"About?"
Rafe hesitated for a second and that alone was enough to make the room still.
"It's about Verosika Mayday."
Skit peeked over a crate immediately.
Bit raised his head like a meerkat.
Dreg crossed his arms.
Donnie didn't move, but her eyes sharpened.
Malerion lifted one brow.
…What about her?
Rafe stepped closer.
"She asked about you. Again."
The table of lieutenants exchanged looks.
Malerion didn't react much on the outside, but inside, something shifted a low ripple of awareness in his Echo Rings.
Where? he asked.
"Backstage," Rafe said. "After her show tonight. One of my people heard it. She was talking to her band same two as last time. Minca and Kordel."
Liza dropped from the rafters without a sound and landed behind Rafe.
What exactly did she say? she asked.
Rafe flipped open a notebook.
"She said she saw him in the audience before, and again tonight. Said he doesn't fit the Lust Ring. Said the air changes when he's around. And"
Bit gasped dramatically. "She noticed his weird vibe"
Malerion shot him a flat look.
Bit shut up instantly.
Rafe continued, more serious:
"She said you're… hard to read. That you're not a noble, not a gang boss, not a drunk.
Kept calling you 'something else.' Her band teased her, but she didn't back down.
Genuinely trying to figure you out."
Malerion didn't speak for several seconds.
His silence made the room heavier.
Alastor murmured inside him, dry as static:
"She's perceptive. That can be… inconvenient."
Malerion ignored him.
Instead, he looked at Rafe.
Anything else?
Rafe nodded.
"She said she doesn't think you're danger but you could be.
And that she hates not understanding you."
At that, Malerion exhaled slowly.
Not annoyed
Just thoughtful.
Liza crossed her arms.
"This is the second time she's tried to pull on your thread."
"No," Rafe corrected. "Third. She started asking around after the stage too."
The room tensed again.
Skit whispered, "Boss… you really are in her head."
Bit elbowed him. "Shut up before he resonates you into a wall."
Malerion leaned back in his chair.
This was inevitable, he said finally. Every action draws attention. Talent attracts talent.
Donnie tapped her pen.
"Question is: Do you want her attention?"
Everyone froze again.
Malerion looked at her for a moment, then shook his head lightly.
"It's not about wanting. It's about accepting reality."
His tone sharpened just slightly.
I tried avoiding interference. I stayed on the sidelines for as long as I could. But this world… this timeline… doesn't care about canon.
Rafe frowned.
"Canon?"
Forget it, Malerion said quickly. Point is I'm done pretending I can avoid influence forever.
My decisions are my own. My life is my own."
Bit nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Screw destiny!"
Dreg grunted approval.
Quill leaned on the counter. "So what now?"
Malerion answered simply:
For now? Nothing.
She's curious, not hostile.
He paused.
"But if she keeps asking… we'll cross that bridge when we reach it."
Alastor hummed dark amusement in his mind.
"And when the bridge is on fire."
Malerion didn't deny it.
Dreg broke the tension by cracking his knuckles. "Should we prepare for trouble?"
We always prepare, Malerion said. But this isn't war. This is something different but equally difficult
Donnie closed her notebook.
"So we watch. Quietly."
Rafe nodded.
"I'll keep ears open. No pushing, no interference."
Good, Malerion said.
He stood, stretching his back, and looked toward the neon lit street through the window.
Verosika Mayday, of all people, had noticed him.
Again. And she wasn't letting it go.
Curiosity could be dangerous in Hell.
But ignoring it could be worse.
Malerion let the thought settle, calm and steady.
Whatever came next he would face it on his own terms.
Not hiding, running.
And definitely not fearing the future.
He turned back to his lieutenants.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow we focus on expansion."
And for the first time that night, he smiled faint but real.
The world was changing around him.
And he was finally ready to change with it.