Hajin stared at the girl for a long while, his mind processing the sudden appearance of a face from his past that he hadn't expected to see here, of all places.
"Oh," he said, his voice finally returning as the tension in his shoulders eased just a fraction. "It's you, Uriel."
Uriel swallowed the last bit of her pastry and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her expression softening into a small, lopsided smile.
"It's been so long," she said, her voice still quiet but carrying a hint of genuine warmth. "It's good to see you again. You've changed so much, big brother. You look... different, stronger."
She took a step closer, her eyes moving down to the silver badge pinned to the side of his belt.
"You're even a ranker now," she added casually, nodding toward the badge before looking back up at his face.
