Temporary Goodbyes

It was already afternoon, around 3:45. The rooftop had cooled, and the sun was dragging shadows behind every pipe and pole.

Within the facility building, everyone was back to their regular activities, including the board members, after registering their newest member.

The cadets, as well, had returned to what they were doing. Five of them had gone back to the city, for one thing or another, leaving just Kyle and the twins behind.

Rose sat between Benson and one of the female cadets, Illena, while her twin brother, Vallen, stood in front of her, grinning.

His pale blue trousers and white shirt looked large on his body, it would seem as if he'd shrunk overnight.

Illena, on the other hand, wore a matching color, but with a skirt and her hair in pigtails, making it easy to tell them apart.

"I'm just saying," Illena laughed, "it's cute. You talk like someone who spent most of her life in a college."

"She probably did," Vallen added, crossing his arms. "Look at that posture and everything."

Rose laughed softly, raising her hands to cover her flushed cheeks. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"

"It's elegant," Illena said with a wink, then smiled. "It's rare seeing a girl with such a calm personality and not... you know—" she pointed at her head and made a screwing gesture with her finger.

"No, no, you guys aren't like that."

"No, we are," Vallen replied. "And we've actually learned to live with it, and it's really, really fun."

Benson chuckled beside her but wisely kept out of it, letting the twins lead the teasing.

He couldn't disagree with what Vallen said, although that was only half the truth, considering the side effects of being an awakened, one being uncontrollable rage or madness.

Rose reached for a strand of her red hair, twisting it into a loose loop as she listened to Vallen talk about how fun it was being an awakened human. She knew they were just playing, but she wasn't used to this much attention. She shifted awkwardly on the bench, closer to Benson for some kind of comfort.

"Have you ever braided it?" Illena leaned forward, already reaching.

Rose blinked and slowly shook her head. "Not really—"

"Hold still." Vallen took a step forward and stretched his hands out. He carefully took a strand of her hair, his fingers surprisingly gentle for someone so smug. "Let me try. I saw this in a movie once."

"Vallen—!" Illena smacked his arm, but Rose couldn't help but laugh. She sat still, nervous but curious, letting him fumble with her hair while Benson watched with barely contained amusement.

Dorian and Kyle stepped in afterwards, both discussing calmly about random things. He was halfway through a sentence about the differences in cadet rankings and higher officers when his steps paused.

His eyes locked instantly on the sight of Vallen's fingers tangled in Rose's hair. His jaw tightened slightly.

Kyle noticed. "He's not hurting her, you need to relax," he muttered dryly, before walking off to the corner where there was a vending machine.

Dorian walked towards them, his hands in his pockets, then stopped beside Vallen and smiled. "I didn't know one of the cadets was a hair stylist. Must be... nice." His tone dropped on the last word, making Vallen take a step back, though his hands were still buried in her hair.

"It's like liquid flame. I couldn't resist."

Illena giggled. "He's not even doing it right."

"It's nothing serious," Rose added, looking up at Dorian quickly, then back down again, her cheeks red. "Just messing around."

Dorian stared a second longer, then gave a simple nod. "Right." As long as she wasn't in any pain or surrounded by suspicious people, then he was fine.

Vallen moved close to Dorian and whispered, "Relax, Zero. We like her, not that way. She's cool and nervous, kinda cute too, but We aren't going to bite her."

Dorian's shoulders eased just a little, but he muttered, "I won't say much. Just limit your fun."

Benson finally stood. "Alright, you two have had enough talking to each other. We're heading out."

Dorian turned, but Kyle held a hand out toward Rose. "One sec."

Benson raised a brow but didn't stop him, neither did Dorian. He quietly moved over to Dorian's side, slipped his hands underneath his shirt, and tightened his hold on Dorian's belt.

"Hey!"

"For safety purposes," Benson replied with a sly smile, which got Dorian scoffing and turning away.

Kyle pulled her back to where the vending machine was, away from Dorian's hearing range, then smiled. "...Mind if I get your number? Just in case. For, you know... coordination stuff."

She blinked, glancing at Dorian, then back at him. "Sure."

She fumbled with the new phone she was given, typing quickly. Kyle's smile widened as he tapped his wristband against the screen of her phone to sync, then smiled again.

"Great. I'll call you to ensure it's the right one?"

"Okay..?"

"Later," he grinned, gave a short bow, and exited the hall after flashing a wink at Dorian.

Benson turned around chuckling softly as he dragged Dorian behind him, while Rose followed. He found it strange that Dorian didn't say anything about what Kyle did, it became suspicious.

"You good?" he asked, casting a side glance at him.

"I'm fine."

"You sure you're not going to lecture her about creeps?"

"He didn't seem like a creep, so it's fine. For now at least," Dorian replied in a low tone as they walked.

They stepped out of the main facility doors and met the truck that was supposed to be parked at the garage upstairs, right in front of them.

However, choosing not to ask irrelevant obvious questions, they all hopped in, Benson and Rose in front, while Dorian sat in the back seat with his arms crossed.

His mind wasn't on Kyle or Vallen anymore. It was on something far more disturbing: still the beasts.

Dorian leaned his head against the window, watching the trees move past as he thought of all possible explanations for the beast.

'Could someone be tampering with Rift beasts?'

'Mixing them with animal DNA? For testing? Combat? Evolution?'

The truck turned a bend, heading straight toward the city and the tunnel, and that's when he caught a glimpse of a figure in the side mirror, behind them.

White hair flowed effortlessly behind her, despite the slow wind. He couldn't see her face properly, but he could tell it was her from the eyes and the horns.

"Winona," he whispered.

She smiled as she raised her hand and waved, then her calm voice followed. The same one that managed to calm him down when he was so close to dying.

『You're doing so well, so keep trying to get stronger. Remember to try absorbing bones and see what happens. I'll visit some other time, physically. But you won't hear my voice till then, is that alright?』

'Yeah, sure. Just take care of yourself, okay?'

She smiled from where she stood and nodded, even though he couldn't see her.

『I will, and I'll greet Father on your behalf.』

'Father?'

Before he could ask the question properly, she vanished, as usual, leaving behind white dust that floated in the air and slowly disappeared.