The inn's floorboards creaked under their feet. Nobody had said much since they got back to the room, and the quiet was getting uncomfortable. Juno sat on the edge of one of the twin beds with her eyes fixed on the window, lost in thought.
Ain's words kept replaying in her mind, and she couldn't help but keep wondering if he was right.
Gin stood on the opposite side of the room, tense, his back to her. They were both grappling with what had happened earlier, though neither of them spoke.
"Hell of a day, huh?" Ain said, sprawled out on one of the chairs with his tail flicking back and forth. "I'm just here for the drama, but it's getting a little too... sappy for my taste."
Juno's gaze flickered towards him, but she remained silent, choosing to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Ain, however, seemed determined to keep pushing.
"And I know you both love your little emo moments," Ain continued while casually inspecting his paw, "but here's the thing. You two really need to figure out what the hell you're doing, because if you don't, I might just throw you both out of this damn inn myself."
"I'm not in the mood for your games, Ain," Gin finally said.
Ain grinned. "Games? Please. You think I'm the one playing games? I'm just calling it how I see it."
Gin turned slightly, and his eye caught on the chain barely visible at her collar, just a hint of metal disappearing beneath her blouse.
Something flickered across his face, close to recognition, and she expected him to keep the same tone he spoke to Ain with, but when he finally did, his voice came out soft instead.
"That watch," he said carefully. "It's unusual for something like that to survive here."
Juno's hand flew to her chest instinctively, fingers pressing against the fabric where the watch lay hidden.
So he did see it, she thought, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I... it's just–"
"It's old," Gin continued, his tone still measured. "Valuable, too." His eye flicked briefly to Ain, then back to her. "Makes me wonder why the demons left it alone."
Juno's throat tightened. She could feel Ain's gaze sharpening on her.
"Maybe they just didn't care," she said quietly.
Gin's jaw worked for a moment, like he was trying to find the right words. His expression wasn't accusatory, more like he was genuinely trying to understand. "Demons don't usually leave things like that. Especially not something that clearly means something."
She felt guilty, and it was difficult to breathe.
Before Juno could answer, Ain stretched dramatically. "Wow, getting real investigative there, detective. You gonna dust for fingerprints next?"
Gin's eye snapped to Ain, his expression hardening. "You want to explain why she's wearing your watch, then?"
The room went still.
Ain's grin didn't falter, but there was a sharpness behind it now. "My watch? That's a bold assumption."
"Don't." Gin's voice dropped. "I've known you long enough. I know what that thing is."
"Do you?" Ain's tone stayed light, but his violet eyes gleamed dangerously. "Because it seems like you're making a lot of guesses based on very little information."
"Then give me the information." Gin took a step forward, and she could hear the frustration in his voice. "Stop dancing around it and just tell me what's going on."
Ain stood smoothly, his tail lashing once. "Or maybe you could mind your own business for once. Not everything is your problem to solve, Gin."
"She's in my care right now," Gin shot back, his voice rising slightly. "That makes it my business."
"Your care?" Ain's laugh was sharp. "That's rich. You mean your guilt."
Gin's jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
Juno felt her chest tightening. They were arguing about her like she wasn't even there, and she didn't know what to say, how to stop it.
"This isn't about guilt," Gin said, his voice was tight. "This is about you hiding something that could get her killed."
"Oh, please." Ain's eyes flashed. "You think I'd let anything happen to her? I'm the reason she's still alive."
"And what does that mean?" Gin took another step forward. "What did you do?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"Just tell me what's going on."
Ain paused, his expression shifting for just a moment, something almost serious crossing his face as he seemed to consider it. She even thought he might reveal everything he'd been keeping from Gin so far; the pact, her illness…
"Hmm..."
Gin's shoulders tensed as he waited.
Then Ain's playful grin returned. "Pass."
The casual dismissal felt like a slap, even to her. Gin's jaw clenched so hard Juno could see the muscle jump. His eye cut to her suddenly, like he was waiting for her to say something, to demand answers too, to prove Ain wrong. But she just sat there, and stayed silent.
His expression shuttered. "Fine." He turned on his heel, already moving.
"Wait, where are you–" Juno started, half-rising from the bed.
The door slammed shut before she could finish.
She stared at the closed door, the half-formed question still caught in her throat. He hadn't even looked back.
Ain let out a long breath, his tail still twitching with residual irritation. "Well. That was dramatic."
Juno pulled one leg up onto the bed, wrapping her arm around her knee. Her free hand found the edge of her sleeve, fingers worrying at a loose thread. She tugged it several times, watching it unravel slightly.
The argument replayed in her head; Gin's frustration, Ain's deflection, both of them talking about her like she wasn't even there.
Yves.
The thought came unbidden. Was he still alive? Was he scared? Did he think she was coming for him, or had he given up hope already?
Her throat tightened. If she was being honest… she actually missed him. Not just the idea of saving him, but... him. His terrible jokes, the way he'd smiled at her like she was normal. Like she actually mattered.
And it was her fault he was gone. She pulled the thread harder, felt it snap.
"You know," Ain said, "he does that sometimes. The dramatic exit thing."
Juno didn't look at him. "He's just frustrated."
"Mm. Sure." Ain stretched his paws. "Though, gotta say, storming out mid-sentence is pretty rude. Shows how terrible he actually is at communicating"
Despite herself, Juno's lips twitched slightly.
Ain caught it. "There she is. Thought you'd gone full statue on me."
She went back to fidgeting with the thread, wrapping it around her finger until the tip went white, then releasing it. "He'll come back."
"Oh, absolutely. Man's got a hero complex a mile wide." Ain's tail flicked. "Probably out there buying supplies or sharpening swords or whatever he does when he's mad at me."
Juno's gaze went to the door. "Yeah."
Ain tilted his head, watching her. "You know, you're sitting here like a kid waiting for dad to come home."
Her fingers stilled for a second, then resumed their fidgeting.
"For what it's worth…" Ain continued, softer now, "I don't think he's doing this just because he feels guilty."
She looked at him surprised.
"I mean, he is guilty," Ain clarified with a smirk. "Guy's got issues the size of this whole town. But..." He paused, the tip of his tail flicking in thought. "The way he looks at you sometimes... I don't know. It's like he's trying to figure something out."
Juno's breath caught slightly. "Figure what out?"
"Couldn't tell you. Maybe he doesn't even know yet." His violet eyes gleamed. "Just... don't lose yourself trying to be what someone else needs, yeah? Keep some part of you for you."
She swallowed, not sure what to say to that.
"Because when it all comes down," Ain said, quieter now, "it's you and me who'll be left standing."
Before she could ask what he meant, he settled back into the chair, seemingly done with the conversation.
Juno sat there, her mind turning over his words.
What did he mean by that?
She thought about Yves again. Wondered if he was looking out a window somewhere too, waiting. Or if he'd stopped waiting, stopped hoping at all. Maybe he didn't even know she was coming for him, or if she was alive, even.
The thought made her stomach twist. She just hoped he knew she was trying, that she wouldn't let him die.
Her mind went far back, before Yves came into her life. She had always been nothing, the sick girl, the one people whispered about. The one who couldn't do anything, couldn't be anything. Just a burden waiting to disappear.
At least here, she was trying. At least here, maybe she mattered enough for someone to fight for her.
Even if it was just guilt.
Gin was just helping because of that, wasn't he?
Professional, she reminded herself. Find Yves, then it's done. That's what he said.
So why did the idea of it being over make her chest feel tight?
• •
An hour passed, then another.
Juno had moved to the chair by the window, one leg still pulled up, her chin resting on her knee. Her fingers traced patterns on the armrest now, just random movements to fill the quiet.
The street below was mostly empty now, just a few demons passing by.
She'd spent so much of her life alone. In hospitals, in her apartment, walking through crowds where no one saw her.
Yves had been the first person who didn't. The first person who'd looked at her and smiled like she was worth knowing.
And she'd gotten him caught up in this.
Her fingers stilled on the armrest.
Strange, how the room felt emptier now. Ain was right there, dozing on the bed, tail twitching occasionally in his sleep. But somehow it still felt... lonely.
She should be used to it by now.
So why did Gin leaving feel different?
It doesn't matter, she told herself. This is temporary.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, her heart started beating fast. Her head snapped toward the door, the handle turned and it opened.
Gin stepped inside, his arms full of maps, vials, tools, a satchel over his shoulder.
Juno's entire body relaxed. The tension she'd been holding drained out all at once, her shoulders dropping, her grip on the armrest loosening.
He came back.
Of course he did, she thought. But the relief was still overwhelming.
Gin placed the bundle on the table and maps unrolled across the surface.
"Red Cliffs," he said, not looking at them yet. His finger traced a line through winding paths on the map. "Gluttony's lair."
Juno stood slowly, moving closer, not knowing if she was allowed to. The lamplight caught the edges of the map, highlighting cave systems and tunnels.
"You've been there before?" she asked.
"Long time ago. Before..." His jaw tightened. He didn't finish, just kept his focus on the map. "That's why we needed Lyros. Things change after that many years. Layout might be the same, but the details..." He shook his head slightly. "We'll have to adapt once we're inside."
He tapped a section of the map, near what looked like the outer edge of the complex. "Prison cells should still be around here. If your friend's alive, that's where we start looking."
Juno leaned in, studying the map. "And if he's not there?"
"Then we keep moving. Find another way. Can't plan for everything until we see what we're dealing with."
Juno's stomach dropped slightly at how uncertain it all sounded.
"The important thing," Gin continued, "is we get in quiet, find him, and get out before anyone knows we're there." His jaw worked. "If things go wrong... we improvise."
"That's reassuring," Ain muttered from the bed.
Gin ignored him and picked up one of the vials. "This masks scents. We'll use it before we go in." His gaze flicked to Juno briefly. "Especially you."
Ain hopped down from the bed and sniffed at one of the vials. His nose wrinkled. "Ugh. What is that?"
"Dead fish and… other things."
"Lovely." Ain sighed. "So we're gonna reek and hope nobody eats us."
"It's better than nothing."
"Famous last words," Ain muttered.
Juno picked up one of the vials, turning it over. The liquid moved sluggishly, leaving residue on the glass. Her mind went back to Sereph, how he'd leaned in so close, inhaling like he couldn't help himself. Remembered his slit pupils had blown wide, completely round and big, and how fixated he'd been, even more than Lyros or the other demons.
"Sereph," she said quietly. "He seemed to... notice more than the others did."
Gin frowned. "He's a mercenary. Been doing this longer than most, knows how to track. His nose is sharper because of it."
"Will this work on him? If he's there?"
Gin was quiet for a moment. "It'll help. But if he shows up..." He met her eyes. "Stay close to me. I'll handle him."
Juno set the vial down carefully. "Okay."
"We'll use these right before we go in," Gin said. She nodded, trying not to think too hard about what she'd be covering herself in.
"Alright," she said. "Whatever we need to do."
Gin looked at her for a long moment, something unreadable in his expression. His jaw worked like he wanted to say something, ask something, but was holding back.
Then he reached into his satchel.
His hand hesitated a second before he pulled out a dagger.
The blade was slightly curved, patterns carved into the metal. The handle was wrapped in worn leather, darkened with age.
He held it out to her.
Juno blinked. "What...?"
"For you."
If Juno didn't know any better, she'd think he almost looked shy. Her fingers closed around the handle. It was heavier than she expected.
"Gin, I can't–"
"You can." He met her gaze, and there was no wall there now. "If something happens, you'll need it."
Across the room, Ain's ears twitched. His gaze fixed on the blade, recognition flickering across his face before he looked away, keeping his expression neutral.
"Getting sentimental, Captain?" Ain said lightly.
Gin just kept looking at Juno, waiting.
She stared down at the dagger in her hands. "Why are you giving this to me?"
His jaw worked. "Because you should have it."
It wasn't a full answer, but he said it a certain way that made all her anxiety wash away.
Ain broke the moment with a huff, clearly uninterested in the sentiment, but something else in his eyes. "Huh," he muttered, tail flicking behind him.
"Okay," she whispered. "Thank you."
He nodded once. "We leave tonight," he said quietly. "At dusk. Get some rest."
Juno moved to one of the beds, setting the dagger carefully on the small table beside her. She lay down, but sleep felt impossible. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. The way he'd looked at her through his lashes at the party… he didn't even know how it would all end.
She turned onto her side, pushing the image away. Across the room, Gin was still at the table, studying the maps by lamplight. The way he traced the routes, memorizing every detail, made her feel a little safer.
Tonight, she thought. Tonight we find him.