Vander didn't speak right away.
Instead, he walked behind the counter, grabbed a cup, and poured some water.
Then he set it in front of me.
"Drink," he said.
Not an order.
Just… simple.
I hesitated for a second—
Then took it.
"…Thanks." the water was cold,colder than I expected.
Vander leaned against the counter, arms resting casually, watching me—but not in a harsh way this time.
"…You look like you've had a rough day," he said.
I let out a small breath.
"…You could say that."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"…Yeah. I figured."
He didn't push immediately.
Didn't question me right away.
Just gave me a moment.
Behind him, Powder edged a little closer, curiosity winning over her earlier caution.
"…So," Vander said after a bit, "you got a name?"
"Lloyd."
"Lloyd," he repeated, nodding. "Alright."
A short pause.
"…You got somewhere to stay, Lloyd?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Didn't really need to.
He already knew.
"…No," I muttered.
Vander sighed softly—not annoyed.
More like… expected.
"Mm."
He rubbed the back of his neck for a second, thinking.
"…Zaun's not kind to kids on their own," he said. "Especially ones who don't know their way around yet."
My fingers tightened slightly around the cup.
"…I can handle myself."
It came out a bit defensive.
Vander didn't argue.
Didn't shut me down either.
He just nodded slowly.
"I'm sure you think you can."
That hit a little harder than if he'd just said I was wrong.
Silence settled for a moment.
Then—
"…You hungry?" he asked.
I blinked.
"…What?"
"You heard me."
I hesitated.
Because yeah—
I was.
"…Maybe," I admitted.
Powder perked up slightly at that.
Vander noticed, a faint smile crossing his face.
"Powder," he said, glancing at her, "think we've got anything left?"
She nodded quickly. "Yeah! I mean—probably—yeah, I can check!"
And just like that, she hurried off.
I watched her go for a second before looking back at him.
"…You're just letting me stay?" I asked.
Vander shrugged slightly.
"Not 'just' anything," he said. "I'm keeping an eye on you."
Fair.
"…But," he added, his tone softer now, "you're a kid. And kids don't get tossed out on the street if I can help it."
Something in my chest shifted slightly.
Unfamiliar.
I looked away. A little guilty of taking advantage of his fondness for children
"…You don't even know me."
"Don't need to," he replied simply. "I've seen enough."
A pause.
Then his gaze dropped briefly—to my hand.
"…And whatever you've got going on," he continued, quieter now, "we'll deal with it. One step at a time."
Not suspicion.
Not fear.
Just… calm certainty.
Like he'd already decided.
I didn't respond. Didn't really know how to.
After a second, I muttered—
"…You're too damn soft towards children."
That earned a small chuckle from him.
"Yeah," Vander said. "I get that a lot."
Straightening his back he then placed a bowl of what looked like porridge
"…Get some food in you first," he said. "Everything else can wait
"I found something!"
Powder's voice echoed from the back.
Vandenced over his shoulder.
"Don't burn the place down," he called back.
"I won't!" she replied.
A pause.
"…Probably!"
Vander sighed, rubbing his temple slightly before looking back at me.
"…Stay put," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."
Before I could respond, he turned and headed toward the back.
Just like that—
I was alone.
Well…
Not exactly.
The door creaked open behind me.
Heavy footsteps followed.
Voices.
"—I'm telling you, it was right there!"
"That's because you hid it in the worst spot possible!"
"I did not—!"
I turned slightly.
Three figures walked in.
First—
A girl with short pink hair, moving like she owned the place. Confident. Sharp eyes scanning everything in a single glance.
Yeah.
No mistaking that.
Vi.
Behind her—
A skinny boy with glasses, already looking annoyed at something.
Mylo.
And next to him—
A bigger kid, quieter, carrying something metallic in his hands.
Claggor.
The moment they stepped in—
They noticed me.
And stopped.
"…Who's that?" Mylo asked immediately, squinting at me.
Vi didn't answer right away.
She just stared.
Measuring.
Same look Vander gave earlier—
But sharper.
More direct.
I leaned back slightly in my seat.
"…What?" I said.
Mylo scoffed. "What do you mean 'what'? You're sitting in our place."
"Didn't see your name on it," I replied.
That earned a small snort from Claggor.
Vi stepped forward, cutting through the tension before it could build too much.
"…You new?" she asked.
Straightforward.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Vander knows you're here?"
"…Yeah."
That seemed to matter.
Her shoulders relaxed—just a little.
Not fully.
But enough.
"…Then you're fine," she said.
Mylo frowned. "That's it? You're just gonna trust him?"
Vi shot him a look.
"Vander already did."
That shut him up.
…For about two seconds.
"Yeah, well, Vander also let Powder build that thing that almost blew up in our faces—"
"It didn't blow up!" Powder's voice came from the back.
"…It almost did!" Mylo shot back.
A clatter followed.
"Hey! I said I'd fix it!"
Vi groaned slightly. "Can you two not start again?"
I watched the exchange quietly.
…So this is the group.
Messy.
Loud.
But…
Close.
Claggor stepped a bit closer to the table, glancing at me.
"…You got a name?" he asked, more polite than the others.
"Lloyd."
He nodded. "Claggor."
Mylo crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah, introductions later. What's he doing here?"
I shrugged. "Sitting."
"…Smart mouth," Mylo muttered.