The room was filled with a quiet warmth, the kind of comfort that came after exhaustion had been tended to.
Irina sat on the edge of the plush sofa, idly twisting a lock of her fiery hair between her fingers. The faint scent of the meal they'd shared earlier still lingered in the air—a spread of richly seasoned dishes the hotel's five-leaf rating had guaranteed.
Her injuries, though still tender, had been tended to with expert precision by the hotel's private medic. A faint warmth spread through her muscles, courtesy of the salves and potions they'd used, but the deeper exhaustion of the day remained.
Astron sat in the armchair nearby, his sharp purple eyes scanning the pages of a small notebook he'd produced from his bag. His calm, focused expression had remained unchanged through their rest and recovery, a steady constant in the turbulence of the day.