"Zara," Cain said slowly, rubbing at his temple, "you cannot keep going around making enemies like this. Sooner or later, someone is going to lose patience with your little scams. Especially over small change"

Zara scoffed loudly as if the idea itself was ridiculous. "Scams? It was not a scam. Five silver is not change, Boss!"

Cain looked at her for a long moment. She puffed up her chest like she was defending her honor, but the effect was ruined by the way her boots barely touched the floor as she sat on the table.

Without a word, Cain slipped his hand into his pocket. When it came back out, a gold coin caught the light.

The change in Zara was immediate.

Her eyes locked onto the coin like a starving cat watching a fish dangle over a pond. There was no shame in it, no attempt at subtlety. Her entire body leaned forward unconsciously, her gaze tracking it as Cain turned it between his fingers.

Cain had practically stared death in the face back in the Abyss, but the way Zara looked at that coin was somehow worse.

It was unnerving.

He flipped it lazily toward her.

Zara dove for it like her life depended on the catch, landing in a crouch with both hands wrapped around the coin. She hugged it to her chest and let out a sound that was far too close to a giggle for Cain's comfort.

Then he heard her mutter under her breath.

"Finally… I can add meat to my soup."

Cain blinked.

Jayden blinked too.

They both stared as Zara cradled the coin like it was precious treasure. She was mumbling about prices, vegetables being a scam, spices costing extra, and something about instant noodles going on sale next week.

Cain was fairly sure she was drooling.

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You live off soup?"

"And noodles," Zara added quickly without looking up.

Cain leaned back slightly, studying her. Now that he was paying attention, the girl looked thinner than he had realized. She made plenty of noise everywhere she went, but the sleeves of her coat looked too big around her wrists, and her cheeks had no real softness to them.

Guilt pressed faintly at his chest.

He sighed, pushed away from the wall, and stood.

"Zara," he said.

She tensed instantly, clutching the gold tighter like she thought he might take it back.

"Follow me," Cain said.

She blinked up at him. "Uh… where?"

"Just follow."

Zara hopped down obediently, though her eyes stayed locked on the coin in her hands like she was afraid it would vanish if she blinked.

Jayden had a faint smile tugging at her lips as she fell into step beside Cain. She did not say anything, but the look she gave him said she already knew what he was planning.

Zara clearly did not.

The girl trotted after them like a confused stray cat. Twice she opened her mouth like she wanted to speak, then shut it again when Cain's expression stayed unreadable.

Finally, she gathered the courage.

"Uh… Boss?"

Cain didn't slow his pace. "What."

"Where are we going?"

Cain glanced over his shoulder briefly. "The cafeteria."

Zara stumbled for half a step. "The… cafeteria?"

"You need to eat some real food for once," Cain said.

Zara froze in the hallway. Real food?

She jogged to catch up, her voice climbing in disbelief. "You mean like… like meat? With flavor? And spices? The kind of food rich people eat?"

Cain did not bother answering.

Zara was practically vibrating now, muttering to herself about rice and bread and whether or not she should get something fried if they had it. Jayden walked beside Cain, quiet amusement in her eyes as she watched Zara unravel.

By the time they reached the cafeteria doors, Zara looked like someone approaching the gates of heaven.

Cain pushed the door open, and the smell hit them immediately.

Savory meats. Fresh bread. Stews simmering somewhere in the back.

Zara froze completely, her eyes going wide.

Jayden tilted her head. "You good?"

Zara's voice cracked. "It smells like money in here."

Cain exhaled through his nose. "Go order something."

Zara darted to the counter like her soul had been set on fire, startling the cafeteria worker.

"Give her whatever she wants," Cain told the worker calmly.

That opened the floodgates.

"I want that. And that. Oh, is that cheese? Yes, cheese! Extra meat too. No, more than that!"

Cain rubbed the bridge of his nose as the plates started stacking up. By the time Zara carried her tray to a table, there was enough food piled high to feed three people.

She sat down and immediately started eating like she thought someone might snatch the plate away if she slowed down.

Jayden stared for a long moment. "How have you survived this long?"

Zara looked up briefly, cheeks full. "Soup."

"And noodles," she added before returning to her food.

Cain sat across from her, his arms crossed. "Ridiculous."

Zara frowned mid-bite. "I could not afford this stuff, Boss. Do you know how much a single plate costs here? It is robbery. I have been living on instant noodles and soup for months."

Cain stared at her. The guilt in his chest twisted tighter.

Jayden leaned back in her seat, studying him with that faint smile again. "You feel bad, don't you?"

Cain ignored her.

Zara was humming now, a soft little tune between bites, the kind of sound people made when they finally tasted something warm after too long. She tore into a piece of bread like it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Cain let out a slow breath.

Surviving the Abyss had been easier than dealing with this girl.

However seeing her eating so heartily with tears in her eyes was a sign that he had done a good deed. Whether that good deed would be returned in kind was another matter

However it would see that Fate had different plans in mind as from the other end of the hallway, a large muscular man entered the dining room. Paigos had arrived

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