AI "Rory? Is that—"
The glass slipped from Aurora's hand, shattering against the bar's polished oak surface and sending shrapnel-like shards skittering across the floor. Her eyes widened, a deer caught in headlights moment.
"Eva?" She blinked rapidly, as if clearing the fog of a distant dream.
There stood Eva, or at least some version of her that Aurora half-recognised. The intervening years had sculpted sharper lines into her friend’s face, wisdom or weariness, it was hard to tell. Her once auburn hair now glinted with an artful streak of silver, her form draped in a sleek, dark coat that whispered wealth.
Silas, ever the sentinel behind the bar, moved with swift precision, towel in hand, capturing the rogue liquid that escaped Rory's fallen glass. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod, a reassurance that the world wasn’t crumbling —merely shifting.
"Well, look at you," Eva spoke first, voice a familiar melody, tinged with the sophistication she had once only dreamed of.
Aurora ran a hand through her black hair, the tremor unmistakable. "I could say the same about you. It's been—years."
Silas withdrew discreetly, his role as the silent observer intact, as he tended to a patron across the room. The ambience of The Raven's Nest cradled them in its dim glow, maps and photos a silent testament to their history.
"Too long," Eva agreed, sliding onto a barstool beside Aurora. "Last I heard, you were in Cardiff, buried in law books."
Aurora laughed, a hollow echo . "That was another lifetime ago. Now, I moonlight as a delivery gal for Yu-Fei’s Golden Empress. Life, eh?”
Eva’s brow arched. "Delivery girl? Really?" Her eyes flicked to the small crescent scar on Aurora's wrist—a memory preserved in skin.
"Yeah, it's a good gig. Free egg rolls." Aurora’s attempt at levity faltered in the face of Eva’s scrutiny.
Silence thickened between them, punctuated only by the hum of the bar and the muted clink of glasses. From the hidden back room, a low murmur hinted at clandestine conversations, the kind that suited Silas' reputation as the Spymaster.
"So, what brings you to London?" Aurora ventured, desperate to fill the void.
"Work," Eva replied, her tone clipped . "I've been in and out of the city for months."
"Work, huh?" Aurora studied her friend's face, seeking hidden stories in the lines of her expression. "What kind of work?"
Eva paused, a shadow crossing her features. "Finance. Investments, mostly."
Aurora leaned back, the gesture casual yet laden with disbelief. "Finance. You always did have a knack for numbers."
"And you always had a knack for trouble," Eva shot back, a smile playing at her lips.
"Wouldn't be me otherwise," Aurora smirked. "Remember the time we climbed up onto the school roof?"
"To steal back our confiscated cassette tapes?" Eva laughed, genuinely this time. "Mr. Howard was furious when he found out."
Aurora's eyes softened, nostalgia briefly dissolving the present tension . "Those were the days. Everything seemed simpler."
"Everything was simpler," Eva said, almost wistfully . She looked down, examining her hands as if they held a secret.
Eva’s silence gnawed at Aurora, who leaned in, voice a low murmur. "I've missed you, you know. Missed us."
Eva's gaze met hers, a flash of something raw and unguarded. "I've missed you too. But, life... it gets complicated."
"Complicated how?"
“You ever think about the path not taken?” Eva’s question hung heavy in the air .
"All the time," Aurora admitted. “But I made my choices, for better or worse.”
Eva reached into her coat pocket, fingers brushing something unseen. “We both did.”
”And yet here we are,” Aurora said, glancing around the cozy bar. "Funny, isn't it?"
Eva followed her gaze, absorbing the myriad details—the aged maps, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows. “I always liked this place.”
“Silas keeps it interesting,” Aurora said, her eyes finding the older man polishing a glass at a distance, his presence a comforting anchor.
Eva hesitated before speaking again. “Aurora, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Aurora stiffened, sensing the gravity of Eva’s tone. “What is it?”
“I’m not just here for work,” Eva admitted. "I’m here because I need your help."
"Help?" Aurora’s mind raced through the possibilities, none of which seemed likely. "With what?"
Eva glanced around, ensuring no one was within earshot. “There’s something I got involved in, something big. I thought I could handle it, but...”
Aurora felt a familiar pit in her stomach . The calm before the storm. "Eva, what did you do?"
Eva bit her lip, a gesture from their past. "There’s a man, someone dangerous, who's after me. And I have something he wants."
Aurora’s pulse quickened . "How dangerous?"
"MI6-level dangerous," Eva confessed.
Aurora’s eyes flicked to Silas, who was now animatedly conversing with another patron. She knew what that kind of danger entailed. "Eva, what did you steal?"
"It's classified." Eva's voice dropped to a whisper . "But I have to get it out of the country. Tomorrow."
Aurora rubbed her temples, trying to process the whirlwind of complications. "You've stepped in it deep, haven't you?"
Eva nodded, her eyes pleading. "I thought maybe you... We could do it together, one last time."
Aurora exhaled, a long and tired sigh. "We might. But things aren't like before."
"They never are," Eva said softly . "But you once told me that it's not about where you end up. It's about who you end up with."
Aurora looked deeply into Eva’s eyes, searching for the truth behind her words. "And you’ll leave again, won’t you? Once this is done?"
Eva’s silence was answer enough.
"Fine," Aurora said, standing up. "For old times' sake."
A sense of urgency replaced their sentimental reverie. They both knew the plans had to be laid quickly and quietly. Aurora approached Silas, tapping the bar gently to get his attention.
“'Evening, Aurora. Everything alright?" Silas asked, his voice warm but lined with curiosity .
“Silas, we need to borrow the secret room,” she said.
“Can I inquire as to why?” Silas' tone remained controlled, but Aurora noticed the concern in his eyes.
“It’s complicated," Aurora replied. “Just an old friend who needs help.”
Silas hesitated, then nodded, his hand sliding behind the bar to press a hidden mechanism. The bookshelf nearest them creaked open, revealing a narrow stairway descending into the shadows.
Silas offered a silent warning in his gaze, which Aurora acknowledged with a nod. Eva slipped down first, and Aurora followed, the hidden door closing behind them with a whisper .
In the dim light of the room, surrounded by the relics of espionage past, Eva set her bag on the table between them. She unzipped it, producing a small, metallic case. "This is what he’s after."
Aurora stared at the case, understanding the enormity of what Eva had just unleashed into her life. "So, we run tonight and move it first thing?"
Eva nodded. "Can you still drive a getaway car?"
Aurora smirked, the adrenaline beginning to drown out her doubts. "Like riding a bike."
They worked out their plan with a focus and urgency forged in years of shared history. The quieter side of The Raven’s Nest walls witnessed their reunion as it always had—silently, steadfastly, the shadows their only witnesses.
Aurora glanced at Eva one last time before they headed upstairs, the years between them melting into the resolve of their shared mission. Whatever the future held, tonight they were who they had once been—partners in crime, forever tied by the scars of their past.