[center][h1][b][color=red]A[/color][/b][/h1][/center][sub]Interactions/Mentions: VV-[@Estylwen][/sub][hr]
[indent][i]D[/i].

The memory struck like a sledgehammer to the ribs, driving the breath from her lungs. The way D had slumped, his breaths shallow. The look in his eyes when he told them to leave him behind. The escape pod door sealing shut, cutting off any hope that he would somehow crawl his way back to them. The regret, sharp as glass, still lodged itself deep in her chest.

She forced herself to focus on the present. On VV’s hand, shaking against her arm.

A turned her head slightly, locking eyes with VV. The hardened edge in her friend’s voice was one she knew well—it mirrored the same bitterness coiled inside of her. But there was something else beneath it, something A wasn’t sure VV even realized. Fear. Not just of Vin, not just of the situation, but of losing again.

A swallowed hard. “I remember,” she murmured, the words heavy, ironclad. “I won’t forget.” Taking a breath, A lowered her voice just enough that only she could hear. “We take Vin down, but we do it smartly. No mistakes.”

Because the last time they made one, they left someone behind.

And this time, A wasn’t leaving anyone.

Then, the offer was made, tempting in its simplicity: if they stood down and abandoned the mission, they would be spared. The Wild King would extend his mercy.

But at what cost?

“We’re not actually considering this, are we?” She could already anticipate VV’s answer, but she needed to hear it aloud. She needed the confirmation that they weren’t about to make a mistake that would cost them everything. [/indent]