"Eamon called last night," he said. "After you went upstairs. He thinks Soo-jin is setting something up in Seattle. Something bigger than what happened in LA."
My stomach clenched. "How much bigger?"
"I don't know yet. Yesterday someone got hurt—badly. The pattern suggests—" He stopped. "That might not be enough anymore."
I understood what he wasn't saying.
The next time someone might die.
"That's why you're here," I said. "To tell me that."
"No." Griffin looked into my eyes. "I'm here because your light was on and I thought you might be struggling."
I turned and stepped further into the room. Griffin stayed near the door, giving me space but not leaving.
"I'm thinking about quitting," I said.
I hadn't planned to tell him, but with him standing here at dawn, the truth came out.
"The tour?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Before Seattle." I stepped up close to him. "If I leave, the threat loses focus. Management can redirect resources. The band finishes without me creating complications."
"That's very logical."
"It is."
"You don't sound convinced."
I wasn't. That was the problem.
Griffin reached out for me, placing his arms around my waist. "Eighteen months ago, I walked away from a situation I couldn't fix. I told myself it was the responsible choice."
"To keep everyone safe?"
"That's what I told myself." His voice was calm. "But I don't know if I was protecting them or protecting myself from having to fight."
"You regret it now," I said.
"I regret believing that disappearing solved anything. You don't get protected. You just get gone."
I looked down at my hands, callused from microphone grips, and scarred from a wire burn two years ago. They were hands that wrote lyrics and learned choreography and existed in service of Violet Frequency performances.
If I left, someone else would write the lyrics. Someone else would learn the choreography.
They could replace Rune.
"I'm afraid someone will die," I whispered.
"Someone could always die." Griffin said the words without drama. "The question is whether you choose the risks you take or someone else does."
We were both silent for several seconds.
"I need to talk to Jinwoo," I said.
