There's nothing like waking up to the smell of real food.
Like, actual cooked food. Not expired rations, not protein paste, not fire-roasted mutated squirrel chunks. Soup. With meat. And maybe vegetables that didn't scream when you picked them.
I sat up, stretched, and groaned. My back cracked. My arms ached.
[Fatigue: -15%]
[Bond Buff "Night Watch" Applied – Minor Energy Recovery Gained]
I blinked. Right. Raven let me take the bed last night.
I looked over. She was passed out in the chair again, jacket half on, legs up, gun in her lap.
Even asleep, she looked like she could kill a man in five seconds.
God, I was into that.
Twenty Minutes Later – The Mess Hall
Safezone 17 didn't have much, but the canteen was alive with noise. Survivors chatting, guards retelling the night's action, scavengers bargaining over leftover bullets like they were candy.
Mei waved me over. "Hero Hiro! Grab a tray!"
I smirked. "Told you not to call me that."
"You literally beat a slaver with a glowing bat. People talk, you know."
"I was hoping they'd focus on my heroic jawline."
[Reputation in Safezone 17: Increased]
Keywords: "New Guy," "Pretty Boy," "Kinda Weird, But Useful"
I sat across from her. She slid a bowl toward me.
"Meat stew. No idea what animal. Don't ask."
"Smells good enough to risk it."
She leaned in. "By the way… you and Raven. Share a bed again?"
I choked on a chunk of mystery meat. "Nothing happened!"
"Oh, so you didn't stare at her cybernetic biceps while she slept?"
"…I plead the Fifth."
"Wrong country, genius."
Before I could respond, a heavy shadow dropped into the seat beside me.
Big dude. Beard, military cut, mean eyes. The kind of guy who thinks punching walls makes him alpha.
"You the new guy?" he grunted.
"That's me," I said, flashing my best charming smile. "And you are?"
"Corvan. Head of patrol rotation B."
"Oh cool. I'm Hiro. Head of uh… not dying."
He didn't laugh.
"You got real cozy with Raven real fast," he muttered.
Ah. There it was.
"She offered me a place to sleep. That's it."
"Sure. She's not exactly the friendly type. You must've done something real special to get invited in."
I shrugged. "Guess I just have a way with people."
Corvan's eyes narrowed.
[Tension Detected – Potential Conflict]
Passive Trigger: Dominant Aura (Minor Fluster Effect – Denied by Hostile Willpower)
"You're not from here," he said. "You haven't bled for this place. And people are already whispering about you."
"I'd prefer they whisper about my muscles," I said, taking another bite of stew.
His fist clenched.
Mei put a hand on my leg under the table. "Don't. He's just posturing."
"I know," I whispered back. "It's adorable."
But just as Corvan stood, ready to flex his toxic masculinity all over the canteen—
Raven walked in.
She glanced between us. Saw the tension. Didn't even blink.
"Corvan. Patrol briefing in ten."
He glared at me for a second longer… then walked off.
I let out a slow breath.
"Friendly guy," I muttered.
"Jealous guy," Mei corrected. "He's been trying to get into Raven's pants for years."
"Yikes."
"She never let him in. Guess someone else did."
I blinked. "I didn't—!"
"Relax," she giggled. "I know. But he doesn't."
Later – Back on the Wall
Raven leaned on the guard rail beside me, watching the horizon.
"You handled Corvan better than I expected."
"He's not subtle."
"Nope."
A breeze kicked up. Her ponytail fluttered behind her.
"…He likes you, you know," I said. "Like likes."
"I know."
"And you don't feel the same."
She was quiet for a long moment.
"Corvan's a good fighter. But he only values strength. He sees people as tools. Assets. You screw up once, you're out."
She glanced at me.
"You're different. Stupid, yes. But different."
[Bond Progress – Raven: 13% → 17%]
Dialogue Trait: Honest Vulnerability
Bond Buff "Tactical Sync" Strengthened.
I bumped her shoulder. "You keep talking like that, I might actually develop feelings."
She snorted. "Please. You're already halfway in love with my ass."
"…Can't deny it."
That Night – Rooftop Shadows
Later that night, after I'd passed out from food, flirtation, and bandit beatdowns, something moved on the edge of the Safezone.
A hooded figure crouched on the east tower, watching me through a spyglass.
Her eyes glowed faintly. Her breath frosted in the night.
She licked her lips slowly.
"That's the one," she whispered. "The man with the aura. The one who makes the air taste like cinnamon heat."
Another shadow appeared beside her — taller, masked.
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yes. He's the reason the dungeon shift accelerated. His class… it's wrong. Beautifully wrong."
She smiled, slow and dangerous.
"I want him."