Zora stepped out of her room with a frown, rubbing her temples as she walked down the hall.
Her conversation with Ricochet hadn't gone the way she wanted — not even close.
"She's my wife! She's been part of this family for decades and will be for many more!"
That was all he gave her.
No answers. No context. Just stubborn, defensive shouting.
Still irritated, she trudged into the meeting room — only to find everyone already seated around the table. In the center was a single folder.
Zora opened her mouth to ask—
"Food!" Paul shouted, slamming a fist on the table.
Zora rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist.
Three boxes of pizza materialized in the middle of the table.
Paul immediately grabbed one for himself and started devouring slices like his life depended on it. The others followed suit, grabbing food and settling into a more relaxed rhythm.
Zora pulled out a chair and sat down.
"So… what's the folder?"
Tori raised an eyebrow, starting to respond—
"That doesn't mat—"
"It's your past," Paul cut in through a mouthful of crust.
"From that squid doctor who read your memories. General Vance figured you wouldn't want to talk about it, so he gave that to us."
Tori shot Paul a glare, clearly annoyed. Lena stepped in with a gentler voice.
"We didn't think it was right to snoop through your past…"
Tori and Ivory rolled their eyes in unison.
"Speak for yourself," Ivory muttered, biting into her slice.
For a while, no one said anything. The sound only broken by chewing.
Then Lena asked what everyone was thinking.
"So… who was that guy?"
Zora didn't respond.
"Are you two… dating? An ex?"
That last part hit a nerve. Zora's jaw clenched — but she let it go.
Zora sighed and leaned back in her chair, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling.
"He's my best friend… or was."
She paused, debating whether to keep going.
If you're going to lead, they need to trust you.
Jason's voice echoed in her mind.
She leaned forward, grabbed a slice of pizza, and muttered—
"And the son of the Mother of Graves."
Then she took a bite.
The silence was immediate.
Lena froze mid-chew.
"Wait, wait, wait — hang on a moment… say that again?"
Tori looked like she was about to pass out.
Paul's hands had stopped moving, his mouth slightly open.
Ivory kept eating, but her widened eyes betrayed her shock.
Zora didn't say anything. She just let the silence stretch as she slowly finished her slice.
"Y-you can't just skip over something like that!" Tori finally blurted.
"No wonder he's so strong — his mom controls a fourth of the U.S.!"
Zora shook her head.
"Actually, it's more now… since the world expanded and all."
They all stared at her like she'd grown another head.
She sighed.
"Fine. Each of you gets a single question. Or a story request. After that, we're done with this. Got it?"
She pointed at Paul.
"You go first."
Paul raised his brows in surprise.
"Better make it good," Ivory teased.
Paul closed his pizza box and steepled his fingers beneath his chin, going surprisingly quiet.
Finally, he asked:
"Tell me about the day you got your Eidolon powers. Don't skip a single detail."
Zora blinked. She hadn't expected that.
Guess Paul's pretty intelligent after all, she thought, flicking a glance at Ivory.
Ivory just shrugged.
Zora tossed her crust back into the box, wiped her hands on her pants, and leaned forward.
"Okay."
She walked them through everything — from the diner shift… to watching Tariq walk away. Purposefully leaving out the part where she told him she'd kill him.
By the end, Paul looked like he was ready to flip the entire table.
"So you came face to face with one of the most powerful Sovereigns in the world and lived? And then this Tariq guy just wiped out an entire town of Abhorrents?!"
Zora nodded.
"That's three questions, by the way," she said calmly, then flicked her eyes to Tori.
"Tori~ It's your turn."
Tori shook herself out of her stunned daze and cleared her throat.
"Do you know what his Eidolon is? Or what it does?"
Zora shook her head.
"All I know is that it's powerful. Probably one of the strongest out there… maybe the strongest. You heard the story I just told."
Her voice quieted slightly as the image returned — Tariq's smile… the carnage around him.
She looked at Ivory.
"You're next. What's your question?"
Zora flicked her wrist. Glasses of water appeared in front of each of them.
Grabbing hers, she took a sip — and promptly choked.
"So… he's available, right?"
Zora coughed hard.
Paul snapped his head toward Ivory.
"I-I'm sorry, what?" Zora wheezed, still trying to breathe.
"Tariq," Ivory said casually, sipping her water.
"You never said you two were dating, so… he's free, right?"
Zora stared at her for a long moment.
Finally, she said:
"Oh… haha. No, no. You're not his type. And besides… a woman has to keep her secrets."
Ivory huffed.
"Way to dodge the question," she mumbled.
Zora didn't reply.
Her mind wandered — back to Mara, the woman who'd been with him. Her expression darkened slightly.
*Is he still single…?*
Someone cleared their throat.
Zora blinked and looked over.
"Yes. Sorry, Lena. Your turn."
Lena sighed and folded her hands.
"So what will you do if we find him?"
Zora didn't answer right away.
What would she do?
Hug him? Apologize? She'd threatened him. Abandoned him. And now… back then he scared her. He was unstable. Dangerous.
But still…
She shrugged.
"We'll just have to see."