Gen didn't smile. He reached into his coat, pulled out a small, black keycard, and tossed it lightly onto Lucen's mattress.
It landed near his elbow.
Lucen looked at it.
Then at Gen.
Gen said, "One-bedroom, edge of Sector Six. No rent. Clean walls. Actual walls. Windows that open and don't leak."
Lucen didn't move. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," Gen said. "Guild-funded temp housing. I requisitioned a unit."
Lucen stared at him for a long second. "Why?"
Gen shrugged. "You're useful. Alive is better than collapsed in here under a pile of scroll drafts and guilt."
"That's a big assumption."
"You're gonna say no?"
Lucen picked up the keycard.
Felt heavy. Real.
He tossed it once, caught it again, then leaned back.
"Utilities?"
"Covered."
"Water pressure?"
"Better than this."
"Neighbors?"
"A couple. Adjacent units are off-grid though."
Lucen held the keycard up, like he was reading something only he could see.
