Run: 2026-02-19-01KHT07Q9X6X4EA2AADWTYG60B

Aurora froze, her hand still poised to knock on Eva's door. A jumble of emotions swirled inside her, from anticipation to dread. It had been months since she'd last seen her old friend. Months since everything had gone sideways between them. She drew a deep breath, steeling herself. She needed Eva's help, so it was time face the music. Scowling at her own hesitation, Aurora knocked decisively. The door swung open in a flash. Perched on the threshold, Eva glared up at Rory, her stance rigid. "What the hell, Carter? It's 3 AM. I expect better on my doorstep." Rory tried to suppress a wince at the harsh greeting, but her smile felt wobbly on her face. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I should have called first. But it couldn't wait." Eva pursed her lips, her gaze narrowing but drifting over Rory. "You look like you've been through the wringer." Rory couldn't stifle a bitter laugh. If she was wearing her exhaustion on her face, that was nothing compared to how ragged she felt inside. "Would you believe '-Hungover in London and Trying Not to Panic Attack?'" Eva quirked one slender brow. "Bad as all that, is it?" Rory nodded mutely. She swallowed hard and her voice emerged in a hoarse whisper. "I need somewhere to bunker down, Eva. Formally petition for sanctuary, if you'll have me." Eva's dark eyes flashed. "Fuck. Alright, get in here." She turned on her heel and stomped towards the back of the cramped flat. Rory followed, an old ache softly thumping against her ribs. This place hadn't changed. It still reeked of incense, cats, and... danger. Eva herself looked much the same too, her skin the color of polished wood and her dreads a tangle of curls. With a sense of priced Championnats, Rory closed the door shut and clicked the three locks. Eva had already parked herself in the armchair, one shapely leg crossed over the other. Rory noticed the way the threads of Eva's dress stretched taut across her thighs and across her chest. Rory swallowed hard. "Hello, my darling." Eva pursed her lips, looking up at Rory with perhaps more than a hint of irritation. "Hello, Aurora." Eva leaned forward, her elbows propped on her knees, as if preparing for a confession. "It's an awful hour to drop by out of the blue, but..." She trailed off, glancing down. Aurora waited, hating the weight of the pause, what it meant. Eva was the first to crack a line, answering Rory's plea for sanctuary. "You declared. I tested. All to find this passion hot and growing, Prisoners by other fates disjoined." Rory exhaled hard, throat tight. "Eva, you aren't..." She shook her head. "...exactly what I expected. If I said I never thought of you, I'd be lying. There was always something between us." Eva kept eyeing the rivulet of sweat beading down Rory's neck. Finally, managing a strained smile, she spoke. "You're in luck, Carter. Sanctuary crashes are my day job. We'll get you patched up good as new." Rory exhaled a wry chuckle. "Sorry for the short notice. I'm not usually one for dramatic entrances." Eva raised one skeptical eyebrow. "This definitely qualifies. Though I gotta say, I never pegged you for a stuntwoman. You sure you're alright?" Rory's wince of physical discomfort was plain. "I've been in fights that were less of a fight, to be honest. Definitely been in cleaner gullets." "I can see that. What happened to you, Rory?" Rory drew in a slow, careful breath. Her hesitation gave her away, unsure how to even begin to explain herself. Eva looked her over, taking in the disheveled state of Rory. She frowned slightly, concerned. "Listen, I'll play nice. I'll ignore your heartbreak and your death riddle. But you should rest." Rory bit back a pained moan as she gingerly lowered herself into the armchair. "I have to admit, as tempting as the pity-party sounds, there's a lot on the line for me." She paused, eyeing Eva solemnly. "You've got real potential." Eva raised an eyebrow. "Oh, have I now?" She paused, looking from Rory to the bottle in her hand and back again. "Drink?" Rory held up a hand. "No thanks. I'm in a bad way today. Maybe another time." She paused, seeing the look on Eva's face. "What about you? You look like you're doing all right." Eva raised her hips in silent confirmation. "Boredom is the only poison I've encountered. I've had almost too much since then. But you?" Rory scrambled to respond in kind. "No, no, work's been great!" Eva leaned forward, young and interested. "Yeah? Good. I'll tell you more." She gestured to Rory's shifting appetites. "What do you think? As for myself, this obsession has caught me, meat." Rory plunged forward, desperate to keep something going with Eva. "That work?" Eva smiled up at Rory's body, careful and precise. She tilted her head, motion still in her hands. "Not finished." Rory held out her hands helplessly. "But I'm..." "Can I be honest? That doesn't sound so bad." Rory frowned. "But you're going to need someone to talk you through it." Eva stared at Rory for a long moment. "You haven't slept a wink, have you?" Rory shook his head. "Not in ages." "Walk me through the worst of what happened to you." Rory took a deep, shuddering breath. "I split with Lucien last night. He caught wind of my -- my moonlight initiative." Eva raised an eyebrow. "So that's what had you preoccupied lately?" "And panicking?" Rory concluded. "More than you can possibly imagine. Though, if I'm being honest, it was always a forgone conclusion. It was only a matter of time before he crossed paths with Runt." "You should pick one fight at a time." Eva reached forward, her hand briefly, almost accidentally brushing Rory's wrist. "Any chance you came here to tell me about it?" Rory froze as the name left her mouth, realizing how that sounded. She backpedaled weakly. "I came here for help, sure, but I..." Eva just gazed at her steadily, as if waiting for Rory to say her piece. Rory flagged her hands. "I don't normally take up space in this kind of hard-road narrative. I mean, I still know what I've lost. What it is to feel whole first, before I understand what is broken -- and then I know the price of a loss, love, that doesn't last forever." "When you say your moonlit activities led to a break-up, what exactly did you - and Runt - get up to?" Rory shivered, trying to run a hair through her fingers and coming up empty. "We... spirited people away to a safe place off grid. Helped avoid a digital surveillance state." Eva paused, an eyebrow raised. "To enable that kind of escape requires a significant network." Rory nodded. "I can get theState to look away." "What does theState give up in exchange?" Biting my lip, I had to think. "I... try not to think about that pa-" Eva sighed, slumping back in her chair. "Fuck. I thought I was done with this. With you." Rory swallowed hard and kept her gaze fixed on the old books piled by Eva's elbows. "I know it seems like I leave a trail of chaos everywhere I go. That I chase trouble like it's a love potion I can't get enough of..." Eva snorted. "Doesn't stop you from drinkin' it down like a cheap shot." She rose slowly, old bones creaking, and padded over to lean against Rory's knee, tilting her head to look up at Rory's face. "You're a walking apology for the fact I haven't found a steady away, yeah. But it's not the same thing - not for me." Rory pouted. "I'm not chasing problems. I'm chasing solutions. And maybe sometimes those problems are solutions too." Eva rolled her eyes. "You're not wrong. But you're also not right." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the door. "I love you because you won't settle for easy answers. But that doesn't mean you won't waltz out of here into danger's arms again." Rory closed the space between them, her hands moving automatically, soothing, massage. "But my dangers and yours are different." Eva cringed. "Right. Because you're the only one whose heart's entirely in the hunt. The game. The prize." She leaned back, studying Rory closely. "You know, there was a time that the only problem in the world was our backs butting heads over something." Rory pursed her lips ruefully, resuming its massage of her chest. "Much as I appreciate the reference, I think I can manage my affections without it." "You don't want to hear what I think about what you've been up to?" "No. Not now, at least. Not until I have more information. More evidence of an outcome." "Fuck. Well, okay. But I reserve the right to give you shit when you get back." "I'd look forward to it." Eva paused for a moment before nodding sharply. "Alright. Let's do this. Fair warning though - it's gonna get weird before it gets better." Rory smiled wryly. "I'd expect nothing less from you." Eva smiled and poured out the drink she abandoned, the wine glinting in the low light. She took a long sip, the two women gazing over each other. "You think we're good to go?" Eva nodded, handing Rory a glass of wine. "Cheers." "One more thing. Tomorrow we'll go back to the restaurant and put everything back in order. I'll be right beside you. We'll rebuild the web together" "Yeah. You saved my ass. I'll return the favor." She turned, the effort of the conversation visibly wearing on her. Rory reached forward, clasping her hands. "I don't know what it is about you," she said, "but the whole thing was your idea. It's you who cooked it. It's your equation." Eva gazed at Rory suspiciously. "Oh? What equation?" "You know the one. The 'if I can do a thing, I might do them along the way' equation." Eva snickered, tapping her on the nose. "Right, it's all my fault." She snorted. "But you're not wrong. You and your schemes do seem to show up no matter how big or small I need 'em to be. Still, even with an equation as complex as that, you know what counts most on the track?" "A steady wager?" Rory winked. "I pay my way." "I knew you'd have the answer." Eva refilled their glasses. "Um. After all, I'd be sorry not to have you at my side. Just listen to the stillness of your heartbeat. Your intimacy." Rory eyes catching her. "I know it all comes down to you, mine." "Good. No matter what comes, we get through it together. No matter the riddles or demons or dangers." Eva's gaze hit Rory's eyeful of a kind, an undeniable understanding. "Things certainly didn't get too easy between us last time we talked. It's on me, so I'll work that field first. Then we talk."