"Done," he says immediately.
I blink. "Really?"
"You're not a prisoner, Vespera. We brought you here to save your life. If you're willing to stay, willing to try... then yes. Whatever you need."
"I want movie night," I say. Testing further. "Tonight. All four of us. I pick the movie."
Oakley lights up. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. If we're doing this—if I'm stuck here anyway—then we should... I don't know. Try to be normal. Or whatever passes for normal."
Corvus's lips twitch. Almost a smile. "Movie night. I can work with that."
So that's how I spend the day.
Reading in the library. Making lunch. Walking the property while they all pretend not to watch from the windows.
Testing the new boundaries and finding them actually holding.
Oakley asks if I want help making dinner. I let him.
Corvus tells a story about his sister. Dorian asks if I need anything from my room.
It's so aggressively normal that it feels surreal.
But also... nice?
No. Not nice. I'm not allowed to think it's nice.
Still, my body is relaxed in a way it hasn't been since before Northwood. The constant tension, the fight-or-flight panic, the bone-deep terror—all of it muted.
Being near them is doing something to me.
Something biological I can't control.
"Movie at eight?" Dorian asks as we clean up.
I nod.
Thelivingroomhasa massive sectional couch facing an equally massive TV. I claim one end, tucking my feet under me, putting deliberate space between me and them.
"What do you want to watch?" Oakley asks, holding the remote with both hands.
"Something not romantic," I say. "And not... anything with kidnapping."
"Action?" Corvus suggests.
"Sure."
They let me pick from the options. I choose something with explosions and minimal feelings. Safe.
Dorian sits on the other end of the sectional. Oakley takes the middle. Corvus settles in the chair.
The movie starts.
Ten minutes in, Oakley gets up to make popcorn. Comes back with a huge bowl that he sets between us.
"Thanks," I say automatically.
