The moment Verosika stepped back inside the concert building, the noise of the crowd below hit her like a wave muffled, distant, but constant.
She had barely closed the rooftop door when she heard it:
"V! Where the hell were you?!"
Minca.
Of course.
Verosika took a breath, steadying herself before walking down the narrow backstage hallway. Her boots clicked fast, betraying her mood far more than her face did.
Because she was still thinking about him.
About that conversation.
Malerion showing up on the rooftop like he wasn't walking straight into her private world calm, balanced, grounded, saying truths she didn't expect and didn't know how to process.
She hated how much she was thinking about it.
Pushed open the backstage door.
Inside, the usual mess waited for her open makeup cases, flickering bulbs, cables everywhere, an abandoned drink on the counter.
Minca was pacing.
Kordel was sitting on the floor eating chips he definitely stole from the staff room.
Both turned instantly.
"There you are!" Minca snapped. "I yelled for you like three times!"
"Yeah," Kordel added, pointing a chip at her.
"Did you fall off the roof or something?"
Verosika rolled her eyes and shut the door.
"I was getting air."
Minca narrowed her gaze.
"Your tail says you were doing a lot more than getting air."
Verosika looked down.
The damn thing was twitching.
Ugh.
"Okay," Minca said, crossing her arms. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
Kordel snorted.
"Oh, so he showed up."
Verosika froze mid-step.
Minca's brows lifted.
"…He did, didn't he?"
Verosika dropped onto the couch with a sigh so heavy she practically melted into the cushions.
"Fine. Yes. He came to talk."
Kordel nearly choked on his chips.
"ON THE ROOFTOP?! Who does that? That's like romantic psycho behavior!"
"It wasn't romantic," Verosika snapped.
"Psycho behavior then."
"Kordel, shut up."
Minca sat opposite her.
"What did he want?"
Verosika stared at her hands.
"…He answered my questions."
Minca blinked.
"He WHAT?"
Kordel dropped the chip bag.
"No one in this ring answers questions honestly! V, that's worse than if he lied!"
Verosika ignored him.
Her words came slowly too slowly for her usual sharp tongue.
"He didn't brag. Didn't ask for anything. Just…"
She gestured vaguely, frustrated.
"Just said it like it was nothing."
Kordel whistled.
"Okay, that IS creepy. Useful! But creepy."
Verosika glared at him.
"It wasn't creepy."
She hated that it wasn't creepy.
It should have been.
But his presence wasn't predatory or hungry or controlling.
It was… steady.
Like a weight you could lean on without knowing why.
Minca spoke softly:
"Did he explain why?"
Verosika looked away.
"That's the problem.
He doesn't know why."
Both bandmates fell silent.
Because that answer was scarier than anything else.
Kordel finally broke the quiet:
"…So either he has a crush, or you stepped on some cosmic prophecy."
Verosika threw a towel at him.
"NO. Not a crush. Not prophecy. He's just
But she didn't finish.
Because she didn't know.
Before the rooftop, she thought he was a mystery.
After the rooftop, he was worse.
He was unreadable.
Her one talent reading people instantly, dissecting their intentions failed on him completely.
"V," Minca said gently, "what do you think he is?"
Verosika ran her fingers through her hair.
"That's the part I can't figure out."
"And you want to," Minca concluded.
Verosika clenched her jaw.
"…Yeah. I want to."
Because no one ignored Verosika Mayday.
No one walked into her world quietly and walked out with more answers than she got.
And definitely no one made her feel...
Confused.
Intrigued.
Off-balance.
Warm.
All at once.
She stood abruptly.
"I'm going to find out who he really is."
Minca smiled softly.
"And what if you don't like the answer?"
Verosika's eyes sharpened.
"Then I'll rewrite it."
Kordel laughed nervously.
"Oh great, she's in her 'burn destiny' mood."
Verosika ignored him, moving toward the mirror, staring at her reflection like she was preparing for war.
Because maybe she was.
Malerion didn't chase her.
flirt with her.
Or play games.
And that made him the first person in her life she couldn't predict.
And Verosika hated unpredictable.
But she hated ignorance more.
She touched her temple lightly, as if she could pull the rooftop conversation out and examine it again.
"…I'm not letting him disappear," she whispered to herself.
Not now.
after this.
Not after he revealed just enough truth to make her want the rest.