ValeTech had its own kind of noise.
Not the sirens and shouting Nyra was used to this was quieter, sharper. Keyboards clicking. Air-conditioning humming. Minds racing silently. She liked it. It meant nobody was watching her too closely.
She took her seat, hoodie off, locs pulled back, laptop already open. Code greeted her like an old friend. Honest. Direct. No lies.
That's when she noticed him.
He sat three desks away, hunched slightly forward, glasses slipping down his nose as lines of code reflected in his eyes. He didn't look lost just… alone. Like someone who didn't quite belong but refused to pretend otherwise, others will call him a nerd but not Nyra.
Nyra recognized that energy instantly.
"Your loop's inefficient," she said casually, rolling her chair closer.
He startled, then laughed softly. "Yeah… I figured. It keeps breaking at runtime."
She leaned over, fingers flying across his keyboard without asking permission. "You're nesting too deep. Simplify it."
The screen refreshed. Clean. Fast.
He stared. "Oh. Damn."
Nyra smirked. "Yeah."
"I'm Elias," he said. "By the way."
"Nyra."
He nodded like he already knew her name and probably had. Everyone in the intern group did. The rumors traveled fast.
They worked in silence for a while, the good kind. No pressure to talk. No fake smiles. Just two minds moving at the same pace.
"You're… really good," Elias said eventually. "Like, scary good."
She shrugged. "I survive by fixing problems."
He smiled at that. "Same. Just… different ones."
She glanced at him. "You from around here?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Big family. Big name. Big expectations." A pause. "I don't fit any of it."
Nyra understood without needing more details.
"Good," she said. "Fitting in is overrated."
Elias laughed — real, warm. "You know, most people here think you're intimidating."
"Good," Nyra repeated, lips curling slightly. "Keeps idiots away."
He grinned. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're intimidating."
"What do you think?"
"I think you don't care enough to pretend."
That earned him a look not sharp, not cold.Some like Respect.
For the rest of the afternoon, they exchanged shortcuts, ideas, quiet jokes. Nyra felt something unfamiliar settle in her chest.
Peace.
No Shark.
No Bossy spoiled CEO.
No streets.
Just code. And someone who didn't want anything from her.
As the day ended, Nyra packed up, slipping her laptop into her bag.
"Same time tomorrow?" Elias asked.
She paused, then nodded. "Yeah. Same time."
As she walked out, Nyra felt it both worlds pulling at her again. The streets waiting. The tech world building.
Two lives. One ghost moving between them.
And for the first time in a long time, she wasn't completely alone.