Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTXF4YAE317JN95W5HWK44W

Rory pushed through the heavy oak door of The Raven's Nest, the familiar creak of hinges announcing her arrival. The bar's dim lighting and the scent of aged whiskey wrapped around her like a well-worn coat. She scanned the room, her eyes adjusting to the low light, searching for Silas. He wasn't behind the bar as usual. Instead, she spotted him in the corner booth, hunched over a newspaper. As she approached, Silas looked up, his hazel eyes widening in surprise. "Aurora," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "I didn't expect to see you here." Rory slid into the booth across from him, her straight black hair falling over one shoulder. "I needed to talk to you, Silas. It's been too long." Silas folded his newspaper, setting it aside. His neatly trimmed beard caught the light as he leaned forward. "You're right. It has been too long. How have you been, Rory?" She hesitated, her fingers tracing the rim of her water glass. "I've been... coping. Working at the Golden Empress, trying to move forward." "And Evan?" Silas asked, his tone cautious. Rory's jaw tightened. "He's in the past. Where he belongs." Silas nodded, his expression softening. "I'm glad to hear that. You deserve better." A moment of silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. Rory glanced around the bar, taking in the old maps and black-and-white photographs adorning the walls. It was a place frozen in time, much like their friendship. "I've changed, Silas," Rory said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not the same person I was when I left Cardiff." Silas studied her face, his eyes lingering on the small crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist. "I can see that. Life has a way of changing us, doesn't it?" Rory nodded, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "It does. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice, leaving everything behind." "You followed your heart," Silas said gently. "That's never wrong." "But at what cost?" Rory asked, her bright blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I left my family, my friends... I left Eva behind." Silas reached across the table, his weathered hand covering hers. "You did what you had to do to survive. Eva understands that. She always has." Rory's breath hitched as she looked down at their intertwined hands. "Do you think she'll ever forgive me for not being there when she needed me?" Silas squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Eva loves you, Rory. She knows you love her too. Time has a way of healing wounds, even the deepest ones." Rory nodded, wiping away a stray tear. "I hope you're right, Silas. I really do." They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of their shared history hanging between them. Silas' silver signet ring caught the light as he withdrew his hand, his hazel eyes filled with understanding. "You know," he said, his voice taking on a lighter tone, "I still remember the first time you walked into this bar. You were just a kid, barely out of university." Rory chuckled softly, the sound a welcome relief from the tension. "I was so nervous. I thought you'd turn me away." "Never," Silas said firmly. "You had that look in your eye, the one that said you were ready to take on the world. I knew you'd be an asset to our network." Rory's smile faded as she leaned back in her seat. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this life anymore, Silas. The danger, the secrecy... it's starting to wear on me." Silas nodded, his expression serious. "I understand. It's not an easy path we've chosen. But you have a gift, Rory. A talent for seeing things others miss, for finding solutions where there seem to be none." Rory shook her head, her black hair swaying with the motion. "I don't know about that. Lately, I've been feeling lost. Like I'm drifting without purpose." Silas leaned forward, his voice low and intense. "You have a purpose, Aurora. You always have. It's just a matter of finding it again." Rory met his gaze, her bright blue eyes filled with a glimmer of hope. "Do you really think so?" "I know so," Silas said firmly. "You're stronger than you realize. And you have people who care about you, who believe in you." Rory's lips curved into a small smile. "Like you, Silas?" "Always," he replied, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll always be here for you, Rory. No matter what." Rory reached across the table, her hand covering Silas'. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything." Silas smiled, his weathered face softening. "That's what friends are for, Aurora. That's what we've always been for each other." As they sat there, hands intertwined, the weight of time and unspoken regret seemed to lift, if only for a moment. In that dimly lit corner of The Raven's Nest, two old friends found solace in each other's presence, a reminder of the unbreakable bond they shared. The door creaked open again, and a gust of cold air swept through the bar. Rory and Silas looked up, their hands parting as a new customer entered. But in that fleeting moment, they shared a look of understanding, a silent promise to face whatever the future held together.