Alteea closed the thick book and set her palm on the cover. The lab hummed like it usually did. Low fans. Soft lights. One stubborn monitor blinking in the corner.
She rolled her shoulders and looked around. The Heart felt larger at night. Workbenches stretched longer. Cables made long lines on the floor. The pad where Feris had fallen kept its new crease. She told maintenance to leave it.
A scar belongs to the story.
"Writing in that old book again, huh?"
Alteea didn't even react. The door had sighed a second earlier, in perfect silence. Saffi stood in the dim hallway light, a small tray in her hands.
"This old book keeps me sane. And, what can I say? It makes me honest, for once" Alteea smiled.
"I brought peace offerings" Saffi lifted the tray. "Your favorite coffee. And pastry stuff that supposedly taste like sweet clouds. Kori recommended them"
"How's the subject?" Saffi asked, glancing at the empty ring where Feris had floated.
