Sunny walked over with a familiar smirk, towel slung over his shoulder and a lazy grin tugging at his lips.
Without warning, he ruffled Aveline's pink hair with a hand that was far too casual for someone who'd been punched just minutes ago.
"Hey, brat."
She scowled immediately. "Don't touch my hair, you idiot!" Her voice cracked halfway between a growl and a shriek as she pushed his hand away. Then she turned on her heel with dramatic flair, arms crossed and back rigid, stomping toward the broken slab that served as her throne of concrete.
"Hmph."
Sunny laughed under his breath, watching her flop down in that regal way only little girls trying to act grown-up could manage.
But then her gaze, casually scanning the ruined threshold, landed on Jet — silent and observant at the doorway.
Aveline froze.
She stared. Hard. Eyes narrowing.
Then, like a wild cat scenting danger, she whipped her head back toward Sunny.
"You… scoundrel! You traitor, sneak, degenerate little—"
She stormed toward him with deadly purpose, face flushed with something between fear and rage. But then her steps faltered. Her voice dropped to a sharp whisper, her tone suddenly conspiratorial.
"…Who is she?"
Sunny chuckled, trying — and failing — to hide his amusement.
"Oh, her?" He shrugged like it was no big deal. "She's an Ascended."
Aveline blinked.
Then she blanched.
Her mouth opened. Closed. Then she spun around like a mechanical doll and marched toward Jet with stiff, puppet-like grace.
Jet raised an eyebrow.
Aveline bowed so low, she nearly fell over.
"H-Hello, ma'am! You're… you're stunning! A goddess, honestly! Beautiful! I don't know that idiot at all. Never seen him. In fact, if you'd like to arrest him, or execute him, or exile him to the moon — I fully support your decision!"
Jet stared at her.
Sunny groaned, rubbing his face. 'So much for the gifts…' he thought, dragging himself forward.
He coughed politely, then gestured between the two.
"Master Jet, this is the girl I told you about. Her name's Aveline. And… just between us…" He gave Jet a side glance. "She's just like you — kind, polite, and well-behaved."
Aveline snapped back toward him. "Huh?! I'm like her how?!"
Sunny grinned.
"Oh, I told her you're as beautiful as she is."
There was a full moment of silence.
Then:
Aveline's face turned crimson. "Wha—You—!"
She launched a kick that caught Sunny squarely in the shin.
"OW! Hey! What was that for?!"
"You deserve worse!" she barked and turned sharply away, storming to her corner like a sulking storm cloud. She dropped down cross-legged, opened the food container with far more force than necessary, and began to eat with furious dignity.
Sunny limped after her, still wincing, and sat a safe distance away.
Jet observed all this with unreadable eyes, arms still crossed at the doorway. Her amusement was muted, but not absent.
She studied Aveline more closely now.
The girl's complexion was almost unnaturally pale, offset by the smooth shimmer of pink hair — a hue rarely seen even among the genetically-enhanced elite, much less in the outskirts. Her clothing was nothing more than an oversized, patched-up shirt that might've once belonged to someone twice her size. She was barefoot. Her limbs were stick-thin, her collarbone too sharp, her cheeks slightly hollowed.
And yet… she smiled. Even if behind gritted teeth and rolled eyes — she smiled.
Jet took in the fire pit in the corner, the rusted bed frame with a mattress sunken by age, and a second makeshift mattress made of sewn rags and hay. A few rusted utensils. A chipped kettle. A curtain acting as a wall for what passed as a bath. There was order here — meager, yes — but intentional.
It was humble.
But it was also a home.
Better than most, Jet thought.
She remembered what it was like, sleeping between trash heaps. No walls. No warmth. No one.
And this boy…
Jet looked at Sunny again. The way he chased after Aveline with the extra tracksuit like a flag of war. The way she threw pieces of dry bread at his face when he teased her. The way he played along, laughing, joking, arms raised in mock surrender as he ran circles around the mattress while she screamed bloody vengeance.
And yet...Aveline had a large smile on her face.
Despite her angry act , the girl was really happy to see him. And that he had comeback.
After all, he could have just forgotten and looked toward his own future ,abandoning the outskirts and his previous life , yet he had comeback.
He was still that sarcastic brat who couldn't lie to save his life.
But he was also… something else.
Someone who tried. Who protected.
Jet found herself smiling — a small, private smile. She leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, gaze softening.
"A real-life tsundere," she muttered, watching Aveline sneak glances at Sunny and smiling at random intervels , even as she pretended to ignore him. "Wouldn't have thought I'd see one outside of fiction."
She chuckled to herself, quiet and amused.
Sunny, meanwhile, had finally relented and handed over the tracksuit. Aveline yanked it from his hands and huffed.
"I still think you're an idiot," she muttered.
"And I think you're a gremlin," he replied, sitting beside her with a smirk. "We're even."
Aveline looked away but didn't argue.
Aveline, the runes for cherished and desired.
A unique but beautiful name.
Jet watched them both, a warmth flickering behind her icy gaze.
The streets raised monsters.
But sometimes… they raised survivors.
A few minutes later, Sunny and Jet were standing outside, the sun hanging low in the hazy sky. The dry air of the outskirts settled around them, thick with the scent of rust and ash.
From behind the cracked frame of the doorway came the soft sound of footsteps.
coughcough
They turned.
Aveline stood there, freshly washed and dressed in her new tracksuit. Her long pink hair had been brushed and tied back into a neat ponytail that reached the middle of her back. With the dirt scrubbed from her face and limbs, her pale skin seemed almost luminous in the fading light.
Jet looked at her and, for the first time, offered a sincere compliment.
"You look cute."
Aveline blinked and looked down, a little unsure. "Ah… thank you, miss… uh…"
"Jet. Master Jet," the tall woman replied calmly, her sharp blue eyes studying the girl. "And what's your name?"
The girl hesitated before answering, "Aveline."
Jet gave a small nod. "A lovely and unique name. Unlike a certain pale brat I know." She cast a sideways glance at Sunny, who groaned theatrically.
"Okay, okay, stop slandering me already."
Jet turned back to Aveline. "Do you know what your name means?"
The girl tilted her head. "Not really, miss. That idiot over there told me it meant 'pink flower' when he gave it to me."
Jet raised a brow, her eyes narrowing toward Sunny.
"It was the name of a pink-haired girl in a webtoon," Sunny said defensively. "It fit. Why, does it mean something else?"
Jet gave a sharp exhale through her nose. "Actually, yes. The runes for 'Aveline' mean cherished… or desired."
Aveline, who had just drawn a breath to insult Sunny again, went quiet. Her mouth stayed open for a second, then slowly closed. Her eyes fell to the dusty ground, and she didn't say another word.
Jet turned to Sunny again, her voice curious.
"Wait a moment… what do you mean you gave her that name? She didn't have one?"
Aveline flinched.
It was so fast, so sudden, that even Sunny blinked.
Without a word, she turned sharply and dashed back through the broken doorway into the ruined house. The curtain fluttered behind her like a retreating flag.
Jet's expression sobered.
"…did I pried something I shouldn't have?," she said quietly.
Sunny stood still for a moment. The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching out on the cracked concrete. He didn't look at Jet, only stared at the door Aveline had vanished through.
Then, at last, he spoke.
"She didn't remember anything when I found her."
Jet was silent.
"Not her name. Not where she came from. No family. No allies. No one."
She opened her mouth, hesitated, then gently asked, "If you don't mind… what was her—?"
Sunny cut her off.
His voice was flat.
"She was being trafficked."
Jet inhaled sharply.