Cydney opened her eyes to a pair of piercing, vivid emeralds. She blinked a couple more times, before realizing what they were. Then, a smile tugged on her lips.

"Lyn. You're awake."

"Good morning, Cinnamon." Lyn turned on her back while extending her arm.

As if by instinct, Cydney shuffled over and laid her head into the little pocket of space next to Lyn's neck. Red, fluffy strands of hair tickled her face as she took a deep breath; the faint lavender shampoo was as intoxicating as their shower together last night.

"Shall I make you breakfast?"

"Mm," Cydney mumbled as she threw her hand around Lyn's waist, pressing their bare skins closer together.

Lyn chuckled. "I'm taking that as a no?"

"Not yet," Cydney corrected. She craned her neck and returned Lyn's unwavering gaze. "So, why were you just staring at me like that?"

"Why can't I?"

"Creep."

That deflated Lyn's energy. "Wow." She slumped back on her pillow and closed her eyes. "Fine, I won't look at you anymore."

Cydney giggled as she propped herself up with an elbow, planting her head right above Lyn's. "Are you sure you can keep that up?"

As predictable as ever, Lyn's eyes fluttered open. "Of course not... Stop teasing me, Cinna," she murmured, a small pout forming on her face. "I just... I just can't believe you're really here. I've been waking up every day, wishing you were here, next to me. I'd spend the next minute looking for you, before remembering that... you were gone." Lifting her hands, she cupped Cydney's cheeks in her palms. "But you're here now. Next to me."

Knives rained down on Cydney's heart. She could finally see the melancholy behind those green eyes, the heartbreak, the regret, the slight disbelief. The months of silent pining, the excruciating pain of waiting. She leaned forward and gave Lyn a peck on her lips. "I'm sorry, Lyn. I won't leave like that ever again."

Lyn shook her head. "You did what you had to. I was the one who wasn't strong enough. I was the one who couldn't keep you safe." Her lips pursed for a while, before she continued, "But I will now, I promise you."

Cydney smiled encouragingly. "I feel very safe with you right now."

"And I want to make you feel this way with me forever," Lyn insisted, her brows furrowing and her grip tightening. "I'll do everything I can to win your trust and to keep your trust in me. I promise to protect you from now on."

The sheer earnestness in Lyn's voice, coupled with the ridiculous position Cydney was forced to be in, made Cydney burst into laughter.

Lyn deepened her frown. "Why are you laughing? I'm being serious."

"Sorry, Lyn, it's just..." Cydney grinned as she pointed at the redhead cheekily. "Your eyes are so swollen from crying last night, you look like a pufferfish."

"Hey, you cried like a baby last night too." Lyn huffed. Then, a smirk replaced her scowl. "And you screamed like one too."

"I do not scream like a baby."

"Yeah, you do." Lyn's voice turned into almost a low growl as she wiggled her eyebrows. "Want me to show you again?"

She flipped Cydney over, pushing her down on her pillow.

"Lyn!"

They jostled on the bed as Lyn tried to climb on top of Cydney. The ankle bracelet must have hit Lyn's shin in the middle of the scuffle because the woman ended up jolting away from Cydney, as though she had been struck by lightning.

"Argh, I hate that thing!" Lyn yelled, holding her injured leg and rolling around dramatically.

"Sorry, Lyn," Cydney said with a chuckle.

"Why are they making you wear it even at home?"

"Well, I'm not allowed to use magic ever again, so I have to wear this... for the rest of my life, I guess." She made a face. "Why? Do you hate it that much? Will you leave me because of this?"

Lyn immediately stopped what she was doing and sat up. Genuine fear and nervousness plastered all over her.

"Never! Cinna, I will never, ever leave you because of this—" She cut herself off when she saw Cydney laughing again. "Okay, you really like teasing me, don't you?"

"Not as much as you love teasing me."

"I don't tease you... that much..."

Despite her grumbling, Lyn still followed Cydney's body cues, moving back to her previous position and allowing Cydney to snuggle back into her arm.

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Once again, Cydney relished the warmth of Lyn's body and the smell of her hair. She could hear Lyn's throbbing heart; so deep and so steady, it drowned out the sound of her own heart. Every part of her, inside and outside, was cozy and toasty. It was as if her life finally felt... right.

A question formed in her head; a question she had always wondered, but never asked.

"Lyn, what do you love about me?"

There was a long pause. Cydney waited a while before looking up to see Lyn deep in thought.

When Lyn spoke, her voice was so unlike anything Cydney had ever heard—deep, breathy, solemn, and delivered like a poetry recitation.

"Everything," she said. "I love everything about you. I love how strong you are. You're not strong just because you can fight, mind you. You're strong because you fight, no matter how terrible life gets."

She tapped her fingers at Cydney's forehead. "I love the way you see the world, the way you see the people around you. I love how you see the good in everything, even if they are the trash that is me. I admire you so, so much, Cinna."

Cydney stared at the redhead, dumbfounded and speechless. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to hear, but it was certainly not this long, heartfelt, and almost lyrical confession.

Pulling her closer, Lyn added, "Also, you're hot as hell, you know that?"

Cydney was already a puddle of warm, flowery tea, but she managed to let out a light giggle. "But I'm not as pretty as you."

"Bullshit. You're the prettiest girl ever and I'm so fucking attracted to you."

"Shut up... And also, you're not trash, don't say that."

Lyn shrugged. "All my exes call me that." She looked at Cydney expectantly. "What about you? What do you love about me?"

Cydney pretended to consider. "Your hair."

Lyn blinked as if doused by a bucket of ice water.

"Huh. To be honest, I didn't think too much about my hair growing up," she admitted as she pulled at her bristles of red, "but I'm- I'm glad you like it." She glanced anxiously at Cydney. "Is that it?"

"Of course not, silly." Cydney chuckled. "You are very strong, very kind, and very sweet. But you do need to keep your flirting under control."

"Argh, you say as though I'm a flirt..."

"You kinda are."

"I am just a very friendly person."

Cydney raised her eyebrows. "Mmhm. So, are you making breakfast, or not?"

"Oh, now you want breakfast."

"Are you not making it for me?"

"I am, I am."

Lyn gave her a kiss on the forehead before jumping off the mattress. Within a few seconds, she was dressed, her hair brushed and tied up, and she left the room by the time Cydney even managed to drag herself out of the bed. Cydney took a lot longer preparing herself, and when she made her way out of the bedroom, the entire apartment was already smelling of omelet and bacon.

She hopped next to Lyn, who was hard at work by the stove. "Smells very good."

"You know it." Lyn winked. "By the way, I was thinking, since you can't use any magic now, I'm thinking of installing magic-free appliances around the apartment. Like maybe a stove that can start a fire by itself, so you can cook too if you want." She sprinkled some pepper on the pan. "What do you think you're gonna do from now on?"

Cydney leaned against the countertop. For the first time in her life, she was completely free; she had no training, no job, no end goal of trying to go home. "Other than my mandated community service, I'm not really sure..."

"Well, you can take your time figuring out. I may also hire specialty mages to protect the apartment. Just in case, you know, if I go to work and- and something happens to you." Lyn's voice faltered. "Since that- that guy is still alive..."

"Oh, right..." Cydney had almost forgotten about Zǐ-Hán. To her, that guy, as well as Gazini and the Masked Ninja, were the most dangerous people in this world. And she was now powerless against them. "What happened to him, by the way?" The last thing she remembered was the fact that Zǐ-Hán had been calling for the Masked Ninja in the cave. The ninja had been among the questers, and he had activated the runes that affected everyone...

"The QA is trying to find him now. Him and Gazini and that masked guy from your memories." She glanced at Cydney. "They're no longer your problem, but I'm just... worried since you can't defend yourself anymore."

"I'm sure I'll be fine in your apartment," Cydney said with a reassuring smile. "None of them have ever done anything in public, so I doubt they'll show themselves anywhere in Boston."

"I'm not taking any chances." Lyn frowned as she scooped the cooked eggs into plates. "Also, are you still... trying to figure out how to get home? Or are you completely giving up?"

"I don't know..."

"Would you want to talk to the Witches? Or, like, the rest of them? To... continue what you've been doing?"

Cydney shook her head. "I could, but I might have to give them some space for now. They just lost Sy, after all. Freya probably hates me so much right now."

"Who's that?"

"Oh, she's a fighter among the Witches. She's very good and also... very scary." She gulped. "She's also... Sy's lover."

Lyn almost dropped the plates on the floor. "Wait. Lover?" The expression on her face was unreadable. "You- You mean, you weren't..."

Cydney blinked, before doubling over in laughter. "No way! You think I have a thing with Sy?"

"Well, you... you did give her a nickname..."

"Oh Lyn, are you jealous over that? Your name is Lyn, it can't get any shorter than that." When she saw that Lyn was still a little miffed, she added, "Fine, I'll come up with a nickname for you, okay?"

Lyn looked like she was about to offer a few suggestions when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Lyn said. Her energy shot up when she saw the visitor. "Oh hey, Neil! What's up, man!"

"Hey Lyn," a low voice replied. For some inexplicable reason, a shiver ran down Cydney's spine. She stiffened.

"How have you been?" the voice continued. "I haven't heard from you ever since that day, and wanted to check up on you."

"I'm doing good, thanks, dude. How about you? Were you hurt?"

"Not really. The QA did question me for like hours though."

"Argh, that's rough. They did the same thing to me. Fuck them. Oh hey, let me introduce you to someone!"

Cydney was still frozen to the ground when Lyn rushed over to her, grinning eagerly. With Lyn's hand placed firmly behind her back, she had no choice but to lug her feet towards the mysterious person at the door.

"Allow me to introduce you to the best fighter in the world, Cydney Yen! Sorry, Neil, I didn't mean to take a jab at you, but I stand by my belief."

"That's not true, Lyn, I can't use magic anymore," Cydney whispered.

"I know, I know, but when you could, you were definitely the best in the world. And Cinna, meet my team's new fighter, Neil."

Oh right, Cydney's spot had to be replaced after she left. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at the visitor. Very tall and very muscular, his hair was cleanly cut, while his eyes were as golden as his skin. A breath caught in Cydney's throat. This new fighter was... good-looking.

And he looked even more charming when he smiled.

"Oh hey, I've heard so much about you, Cydney. Nice to finally meet you," he said as he held out a hand.

Cydney forced a smile. When she grabbed the hand—strong, firm, and full of calluses—a strange, indescribable sensation filled every bone in her body. A lump formed in her throat, but she managed to choke out a polite greeting.

"N- Nice to meet you too, Neil."