Veil of the forsaken.

"Sudden mission."

The room hummed with a quiet coziness, the kind that settled in after a long day. Lady was perched on her bed, her raspberry-red hair catching the light of a small desk lamp. She'd been going over notes, but the commotion of Arlos and Sei-do entering had quickly derailed her focus.

Arlos, with his dark skin and purplish-blue eyes shimmering with excitement, flopped onto the bed beside her, holding out a rock like it was a trophy. "Check it out, Lady! This one looks like a dragon's tooth if you squint and tilt your head."

Lady raised an eyebrow, barely glancing up from her notes. "If I squint and tilt my head, it's still just a rock."

Sei-do followed in behind him, her steps measured as she made a beeline for Lady's desk. She picked up one of the notes, her sharp eyes scanning the text. "You could probably use this as a weapon," she muttered, holding the paper like it was some kind of tactical blueprint.

Arlos grinned. "See? She gets it! Rocks are versatile. Weapons, decorations, conversation starters..." He trailed off, suddenly distracted by a poster on the wall. "Whoa, when'd you get this one? It looks like some kind of alien blueprint."

Lady smirked, setting her pencil down. "It's not an alien blueprint, Arlos. It's a chart of muscle groups. You'd know that if you didn't skip anatomy lessons to go rock hunting."

"I don't skip," Arlos shot back, turning to face her. "I strategically take breaks to gather important resources."

"Strategic, huh?" Sei-do said without looking up, flipping to the next page of notes. "Strategic would be doing your work and leaving the rock-collecting for after."

Arlos huffed, leaning back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. "You two are no fun. I'm trying to enrich your lives, and this is the thanks I get?"

Lady laughed, shaking her head. "Enrich our lives? You brought me a rock, Arlos. A rock that's probably going to end up in the corner with the others you've dumped here."

"That's not just a rock," Arlos said, sitting up abruptly. "It's got history! Look at the texture—it's practically ancient."

Lady leaned closer, pretending to inspect it. "You're right. It's ancient. Definitely from, what... yesterday's training ground?"

Sei-do, now sitting on the edge of the bed, finally let out a low chuckle. "You know, Arlos, one day someone's going to ask you what your greatest achievement was, and you're going to have to say, 'That time I gave Lady a rock.'"

Arlos pointed a finger at her, his expression mock-serious. "And I'll say it with pride."

Lady couldn't help but laugh at that, and she nudged him lightly with her elbow. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll keep this one. It can sit right here on the desk as a paperweight."

"Paperweight?" Arlos groaned. "No appreciation for art."

Sei-do put the notes back on the desk, glancing at Lady's wall of posters. "You've got quite the collection here," she said, her voice softer now. "Most kids would have drawings or photos. You've got..." She trailed off, pointing to a detailed anatomical chart. "This."

Lady shrugged, running a hand through her hair. "I guess I'm not most kids."

Arlos grinned, rolling onto his stomach to study one of the posters more closely. "You're definitely not. But hey, if you ever get tired of all this medic stuff, you could join me as a treasure hunter. We'll collect rocks and fossils, maybe even some old coins. It'll be legendary."

Lady tilted her head, pretending to consider it. "Tempting, but I think I'll stick to saving lives."

"Suit yourself," Arlos said, flopping onto his back. "But don't come crying to me when I discover a golden treasure chest and you're stuck here with anatomy charts."