The night was thick as ink.
Wispy clouds drifted across the sky.
A Mercedes-Benz van was parked beside a flowerbed shrouded in darkness.
This was the scene Stella Sterling saw when she stepped out of her building, wrapped in a trench coat.
In the driver's seat sat Brandon Coleman, whom she hadn't seen in days.
Upon seeing Stella Sterling, he got out and walked toward her.
"Miss Sterling, please get in. Mr. Rhodes is inside."
Stella Sterling looked at Brandon Coleman. Under the glow of the entryway light, she could clearly see how haggard and travel-worn he was.
"Where... where did you guys just come from?"
Brandon Coleman rubbed his bloodshot eyelids. "We were supposed to fly directly from Qadira to Port Vesper, but we had to change our route mid-trip and fly to Calderin instead. It delayed us by a few hours. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Sterling."
Stella Sterling snapped back to reality, a warmth swelling in her chest.
