The agent handed back my passport. "Have a pleasant flight."
Every system I'd trusted, security queues and credential checks, suddenly felt porous. Breakable.
I pulled my hoodie up and kept walking.
At the gate, Taemin dropped into the seat beside me, earbuds in, scrolling through his phone. He nudged my shoulder. "You good?"
"Fine."
"You're doing the thing where you pull into yourself." He glanced at me, one earbud out. "The hoodie's up. That means either you're exhausted or you're anxious."
"Both."
"Fair." After a beat: "The new security guy's watching the room like someone's going to attack."
I didn't turn to look. "He's doing his job."
"Mm-hmm." Taemin's tone was light, but his eyes weren't. "You trust him?"
I thought about Griffin coming to my room at midnight. About how he'd stayed, not to control, but to steady me. About the way my body had trusted his redirection instantly in San Francisco, without thought or hesitation.
"Yes," I said. "I trust him."
Taemin studied me for a few seconds, nodded once, and put his earbud back in.
The plane ride was turbulent over Oregon. Rough enough to trigger the seatbelt light. The aircraft dropped and then caught itself. My stomach followed half a second later.
I looked across the aisle. Griffin sat one row back, completely still. His hands rested loosely on the armrests, postureunchanged. He didn't brace or hang on to anything. Turbulence was merely another variable, assessed and managed.
My breathing slowed to match his. I grounded myself against his calm.
This was what I was choosing. His specific version of safety.
Vancouver customs moved slowly. When I reached the booth, the officer scanned my passport and asked the usual questions. My pulse raced when she looked at her screen longer than expected.
"Who's your employer?"
Soo-jin appeared at my elbow before I could speak.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly, placing a document folder on the counter. "I'm the tour manager for Violet Frequency. We have the work permits and venue documentation here."
The officer reviewed everything and stamped my passport. "Welcome to Canada."
Soo-jin had stepped in front of me and solved the problem by making himself the point of contact.
Griffin came through customs last. He looked across the arrivals hall and found me. Held my gaze long enough to acknowledge the connection without making it visible to anyone else.
I thought about the difference. Soo-jin manages by controlling. Griffin protected by letting me choose.
Rogers Arena was massive, with a nineteen-thousand capacity. We entered through the loading bay for the venue walkthrough.
Griffin moved through the space systematically with Kang and the venue coordinator. I followed with Soyeon, watching him work.
Soo-jin appeared at a corridor junction, tablet in hand. "How does the layout compare to previous venues?"
Griffin glanced at him. "Better infrastructure. Wider corridors reduce collision points. Camera coverage is more comprehensive."
"These temporary measures should help until things settle."
