Sunlight slid through the broken shutters, turning the dust in the air to gold. For once, the morning didn't smell like smoke or iron — it smelled like bread. Real, actual bread.
Cass was the first to stir, blinking at the ceiling beams like he didn't trust them. "Huh," he muttered. "Still alive."
Lynx yawned from her spot by the hearth, stretching all nine tails with a lazy grin. "Barely. You snored loud enough to scare off ghosts."
"I don't snore," Cass said automatically.
"You absolutely do," Mira called from the doorway, holding a bucket of water. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot, sleeves rolled to her elbows. "Loud enough that the innkeeper thought there was a dying animal in here."
Cass gasped, clutching his chest. "You wound me."
Rowan, sitting on the edge of the table cleaning his revolver, didn't even look up. "She's right, though."
Cass shot him a look. "You were awake the whole night again, weren't you?"
Rowan shrugged. "Somebody's gotta keep watch."
Mira rolled her eyes. "We're in a village, not a war zone. You can sleep for once."
He smirked faintly. "If I sleep, who's gonna make sure you don't burn breakfast again?"
That earned him a look. Mira set the bucket down with a splash. "Oh, so that one time—"
"The only time," Lynx interrupted, "the stew nearly ate me."
Cass cackled. "To be fair, Mira, that pot was growling."
"Oh, shut up!" Mira grabbed a damp cloth and chucked it across the room. It hit Cass square in the face with a wet slap.
"Hey!" he shouted, peeling it off. "Assault!"
Rowan didn't laugh — but his mouth twitched.
---
Later, they hit the village square for supplies. The place was alive in that sleepy, countryside way — vendors shouting prices, kids chasing chickens, and the smell of fruit pies wafting from the baker's stand.
Cass wandered too close to a jewelry stall and got scolded for "breathing too suspiciously." Lynx was surrounded by a group of curious children who kept tugging her tails, amazed they were real. She tolerated it. Barely.
Meanwhile, Rowan and Mira handled the boring part — trading old bullets and scrap for food and a few new cloaks.
"You're good at this," Mira said as she watched him negotiate with the merchant.
He raised an eyebrow. "At not getting scammed?"
"At talking," she clarified. "Didn't know you had it in you."
He handed her a bag of dried meat. "I only talk when it's worth the effort."
"Oh, so now I'm not worth the effort?"
His lips twitched again, that ghost of a smirk. "You said it, not me."
She glared, but her cheeks warmed. "You're insufferable."
He just turned away, hiding the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
---
They stopped by a small café — one of those crooked-roof places that looked like it'd collapse if someone sneezed too loud. Cass had somehow already made friends with the owner, who insisted they stay for a "free" meal.
"Free," as it turned out, meant they'd have to help peel apples first.
Cass and Mira sat at a long table by the window, surrounded by bowls of fruit. Rowan leaned against the wall nearby, silently slicing through apple skins with a knife so precise it was unsettling. Lynx, of course, was taste-testing more than she peeled.
"This is actually kinda nice," Cass said, flicking a peel at Rowan. "Domestic life suits you, boss."
Rowan didn't even flinch. The peel landed on his shoulder, slid off, and hit the floor.
"I will shoot you," he said casually.
"Not before I finish this pie," Cass said, grinning.
Mira chuckled softly. "Careful, Cass. He might actually mean it."
"Oh, he totally does." Cass leaned forward conspiratorially. "But that's the fun part, right? Guy threatens you, then secretly saves your life like it's no big deal. Classic outlaw romance."
Rowan glanced up with one raised brow. "You calling this a romance?"
Cass gestured between him and Mira. "Not mine, obviously. Yours."
Mira froze mid-peel, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"Oh, come on!" Cass said, grinning wider. "You two have been making eyes at each other since the rebellion camp. The tension's so thick I could cut it with—"
Thunk. A knife embedded itself in the table between his fingers.
Rowan didn't even look up from his apple. "Finish that sentence."
Cass gulped. "...with love?"
Mira hid her face behind her hair, cheeks crimson. Lynx just snorted. "You humans are exhausting."
---
After lunch, the group sprawled out by the river behind the village. The sun shimmered on the surface, the world quiet except for the rustle of grass.
Lynx napped under a tree. Cass skipped stones and somehow managed to hit himself in the shin. Mira sat beside Rowan, sleeves rolled up, legs in the water.
"So," she said, glancing at him. "You gonna pretend that knife thing wasn't overkill?"
Rowan's eyes stayed on the river. "Cass was talking too much."
"He always talks too much."
"That's why I threw it near him, not at him."
Mira laughed — that rare, light sound that made Rowan glance her way. Her hair glowed in the sunlight, and she had that same spark in her eyes he'd seen back when things weren't so heavy.
"What?" she asked, catching him staring.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"Just… nice to see you laugh," he admitted.
Her smile softened. "Then maybe try doing it yourself sometime."
He looked down at the water, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I'll think about it."
"Do more than think." She nudged his arm gently. "We're allowed to have moments like this, you know. Between all the running and bleeding."
He turned his head, studying her. "You saying this is peace?"
"I'm saying it's close enough."
The breeze carried her words away like a promise half-believed. Rowan didn't reply, but he didn't move either.
---
By sunset, they made their way back toward the house, Cass humming some off-key song while Lynx bickered about him stealing her blanket again. The air smelled of rain and apples, of a world that—for now—had chosen not to fall apart.
Mira glanced over her shoulder once, catching Rowan's gaze. He looked away too late.
She smiled. "You're terrible at pretending."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not pretending."
"Then stop acting like you don't care."
He met her eyes then — steady, quiet, like the last light before dusk. "If I start caring too much," he said, voice low, "I might not survive the next time."
Mira didn't look away. "Then we'll make sure there isn't a next time."
For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Cass tripped over a bucket, cursed loudly, and Lynx started laughing so hard she fell over.
The spell broke.
Rowan exhaled, almost smiling. "You call that peace?"
Mira chuckled. "It's close enough."