The connection buzzed as background noise filled her head. A little screen popped up in the corner of her vision, only visible to her. It wasn't often someone other than Em or her Mom would call. She wanted to ignore it but knew that she couldn't. His name had instantly stood out to her.

Ryuu, Fri sighed.

It had been a few days since they had seen each other. She never thought calling her was part of their new deal. It was something they would need to discuss. They needed boundaries if she was going to make it out in one piece this time. He hadn’t called or messaged her back all these years. So, why start now? What had moved him to get in contact with her still puzzled Fri. But so did most of his actions. What drove the man was outside of her understanding. Keeping it that way would be best. If she dug too deep, maybe she would start to feel sympathy. And then- he would seem more human. Ryuu had to remain an emotionless aristocrat. He had to stay the villain in her eyes.

Before he had called, she had been cooped up searching for details to help put her mind at ease about the man they had found. There was nothing. There were no mentions of Gambie-like creatures, nothing on the news, and the web was void of information. Hours had been spent laying on her bed and searching in vain. The next step would be to ask around, she thought.

“How are you?” he asked, his voice was deep and cold. Void of any emotions that would give away what he was feeling. Unlike Xan, who always seemed to be happy or at least amused, Ryuu was always in control. That control was reflected through his steal poker face. As the CEO of such a large and powerful corporation, did he have a choice? He had to always be on guard because a moment of weakness could lead to death. Ryuu was still that emotional child she had met years ago. He had just learned to hide the whirlwind of thoughts that filled his head. His emotions choked down. He probably considered them useless or a weakness, at the least.

“Fine,” she mumbled. Her search hadn’t gotten her any closer to reassurance; instead, it seemed to stress her out even more. Maybe a distraction was what she needed. Perhaps he could be that distraction… She thought about Xan, his deep and warm laughter, sweet like chocolate. A man who smiled like the sun but stuck his fingers into a corpse without a second thought. Maybe he wasn't that different from Ryuu. She was surrounded by insane people.

“Are you working?” Fri asked.

“When am I not?” Ryuu replied. A moment of silence passed between them. A moment of unspoken words. She wanted to tell him things, but she bit her tongue. They weren’t that close. Why would he even care to hear about her troubles? If he didn't care when the city had chewed her up and spat her out at the lowest level, he wouldn't care now. She didn’t matter. Fri bitterly thought. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t get too close to him. It was a promise she was planning to keep.

“There’s an event at Station X. I want you to come,” he declared. Even though he said he wanted her to come, she knew it was a command. Ryuu never asked; it was always implied that he would get what he wanted. Now that he paid her, it was more than implied. Even now, he was getting what he wanted. He had gotten her in the palm of his hand again.

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“Will we be staying?” Station X was as elite as any event could get. A space hotel where only the most VIP events were held. She had only seen photos and heard stories. The station could house over a few thousand people and had many event halls. The most exquisite was the star room. A hall covered with beautiful plants from all over the galaxy, rich red carpets, furniture from dark wood, and tableware made from a gold-esque material gathered from Sol-201. The hall had an entirely transparent dome ceiling that allowed a view of the Earth. Back at the academy, she had always dreamt of being invited to an event at Station X, not only for the rumored beauty of the station but also because she had never traveled off Earth. Back in the academy, she was one of the few who had yet to travel off the planet. Now, that was the norm.

“Three days,” he replied. Ryuu was never much for explaining.

“Which hall is the event being held in?” she asked. Some childish part of her hoped she would get to see the star hall.

Ryuu hummed, "I closed off the whole station; why is there a hall you prefer?”

Of course, she wasn’t surprised; she had expected nothing less from him. He was the most arrogant man alive, but his arrogance allowed her these experiences. “No, just making small talk,” she said. Nothing in the world could make her ask him for something.

Ryuu had spent his childhood all around the galaxy. To him, this must have been nothing. Just like the view of the sky, she could never turn her gaze from what was normal for him was astonishing for her.

“I’ll get someone to prepare clothing for you,” he replied, and the line went cold. Ryuu did not wait for her response. Once again, there was little time to prepare mentally. This time, she would need to interact not only with Ryuu.

She stood in the middle of the empty Condo. His smell lingered in the air. It was strange to be here without him. It felt alien. She felt like an unwelcome guest. She scanned the spotless room, and her eyes stopped at the bed, with sheets still scrunched up; Ryuu had probably worked from bed earlier. Making her way to the bed, she fell into a soft cocoon of blankets, sheets, and his smell. Was his bed always this comfortable, or was she just so tired?

Fri came to the conclusion that she was, in fact, just tired. Drained from the strange encounter a few days ago and drained from looking for answers. Why had the Gambie-like man even bothered her? Maybe she was getting herself riled up for nothing. Xan had thought nothing of the body. If the big criminal bossman was unphased, she also should let it go. The man had probably seen enough to judge what was dangerous and what was not. Still, she had been unable to sleep since that day.

She never felt safe in that apartment with the old malfunctioning door she couldn’t even trust to stay closed. Nightmares plagued her. The same man came to get her every night. It had gotten so bad she had even considered going to Xan for help. Maybe he could fix her door. It was an awful idea. Who was crazy enough to bother the mafia boss with something like this? Apparently, she was when sleep-deprived. She hadn't even gotten a chance to tell Em about Xan. Fri didn't know if her friend would be able to handle it.

There was some solace in her situation. The station was far from the Earth and even further from level 1. At the station, she could sleep.

Ryuu's sheets smelled aphrodisiacal, a mix of woody scents, truffles, and warm florals. She grabbed the sheets, breathing in his scent. Disgusting, she thought. Her body felt heavy, her eyelids closing from invisible weight. Now was not the time to sleep. Soon, they would leave, and even sooner, she would have to face those whom she never thought she would see again. Her old friends. Suddenly, spending time with Ryuu did not seem so bad.