Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMPEA30F704025NV47P6M0K

In the heart of Soho, where the neon lights of Chinatown kissed the cobblestones, the distinctive green sign of The Raven's Nest cast its glow upon the damp night. The bar hummed with the low murmur of patrons, a symphony of clinking glasses and hushed conversations. The air was thick with the scent of aged whiskey and the faint echo of jazz from a bygone era. Aurora Carter, known to most as Rory, pushed open the heavy door, a bell jingling softly overhead. She stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, her breath misting in the sudden warmth. She was a small woman, her straight black hair falling to her shoulders, her bright blue eyes scanning the room. She wore her usual uniform - jeans, a t-shirt, and a worn leather jacket - her delivery uniform tucked into her bag. Her left wrist bore a small crescent-shaped scar, a memento from a childhood adventure gone awry. She spotted Silas Blackwood behind the bar, his grey-streaked auburn hair and neatly trimmed beard visible even in the low light. He was polishing a glass, his hazel eyes meeting hers with a familiar warmth. His left leg bore a slight limp, a remnant of his days in the service. He wore his silver signet ring, a symbol of his past life, on his right hand. "Rory," he greeted, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Long time no see." Rory smiled back, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Silas," she acknowledged, sliding onto a stool at the bar. "You're looking well." Silas chuckled, pouring her a glass of the house red. "Liar," he said, pushing the glass towards her. "But I appreciate the sentiment." Rory took a sip, her eyes wandering over the old maps and black-and-white photographs that adorned the walls. The Raven's Nest was a time capsule, a place where the past and present coexisted. She felt a pang of nostalgia, a longing for simpler times. Silas watched her, his gaze thoughtful. "You've changed," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Rory looked at him, her eyes meeting his. "Haven't we all?" she replied, her voice steady. Silas nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. "True," he said. "But you... you've changed more than most." Rory looked away, her gaze falling on the scar on her wrist. She traced it absently, her mind drifting back to the past. She had been a different person then, a girl with dreams and hopes, a girl who believed in happy endings. "You left in such a hurry," Silas said, his voice breaking into her thoughts. "I worried about you." Rory looked back at him, her eyes filled with a sadness she couldn't quite hide. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just... I needed to get away." Silas nodded, understanding in his eyes. "From him," he said, his voice barely a whisper. Rory nodded, her grip tightening around her glass. Evan had been her world once, her sun and moon. But he had turned out to be a storm, a tempest that had threatened to consume her. She had fled, leaving behind her old life, her old self. "I heard you moved to London," Silas said, changing the subject. "How's the big city treating you?" Rory smiled, a genuine smile this time. "It's... different," she said. "Busy. Noisy. But it's growing on me." Silas chuckled. "That's the spirit," he said. "And what do you do in this big, busy city?" Rory hesitated before answering. "I work part-time at Golden Empress," she said. "Deliveries, mostly." Silas raised an eyebrow. "You, a delivery person?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. "Rory, you were pre-law. You were going to be a lawyer, like your father." Rory looked away, her eyes falling on the scar on her wrist again. " Plans change," she said, her voice barely audible. Silas looked at her, his gaze filled with a quiet understanding. "They do," he agreed. "But sometimes, they change for a reason." Rory looked back at him, her eyes filled with a question she couldn't quite voice. Silas smiled, his gaze never leaving hers. "You're stronger now, Rory," he said. "You've been through hell and back, and you're still standing. That's something to be proud of." Rory felt a lump form in her throat. She had missed this, she realized. She had missed having someone who knew her, who understood her. She had missed Silas. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Silas nodded, his gaze filled with a warmth that made her feel safe. "Anytime, Rory," he said. "That's what friends are for." Rory smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I've missed you, Silas," she said. "I've missed this." Silas smiled back, his eyes filled with a warmth that made her feel at home. "I've missed you too, Rory," he said. "Welcome back." Rory looked around the bar, her gaze falling on the old maps and black-and-white photographs. She felt a sense of belonging, a sense of peace. She had found her way back, she realized. She had found her way home. But even as she felt this sense of belonging, she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. She had changed, she knew. She had grown tougher, harder. She had become a survivor. But she also knew that this change had come at a cost. She had left behind her old self, her old dreams. She had left behind a part of herself that she couldn't quite retrieve. She looked at Silas, her gaze filled with a sadness she couldn't quite hide. "I'm not the same person I was, Silas," she said. "I've changed. I've... hardened." Silas looked at her, his gaze filled with a quiet understanding. "Change is a part of life, Rory," he said. "It's how we grow, how we learn. It's how we become who we are." Rory nodded, her gaze falling on the scar on her wrist again. She traced it absently, her mind drifting back to the past. She had been a different person then, a girl with dreams and hopes, a girl who believed in happy endings. But that girl was gone now, replaced by a woman who had seen the darker side of life, a woman who had learned to survive. Silas reached out, his hand covering hers. "You're still you, Rory," he said, his voice filled with a quiet certainty. "You're still the girl who used to come in here, full of dreams and hopes. You're still the girl who believed in happy endings." Rory looked at him, her eyes filled with a gratitude she couldn't quite express. "Thank you, Silas," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Silas smiled, his gaze filled with a warmth that made her feel safe. "That's what friends are for, Rory," he said. "That's what family is for." Rory felt a lump form in her throat. She had missed this, she realized. She had missed having someone who knew her, who understood her. She had missed Silas. She had missed her old self. But even as she felt this sense of belonging, she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. She had changed, she knew. She had grown tougher, harder. She had become a survivor. But she also knew that this change had come at a cost. She had left behind her old self, her old dreams. She had left behind a part of herself that she couldn't quite retrieve. But as she looked at Silas, his gaze filled with a warmth that made her feel at home, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could find her way back. Maybe she could find her way back to who she was, to who she wanted to be. Maybe she could find her way back to her old self, to her old dreams. And maybe, just maybe, she could find her happy ending after all.