Chapter Text
The day after a festival—especially the Winter Solstice—was always a slow one for the residents of Sandrock. Most were recovering from the previous night, unaccustomed to staying up late and indulging in so much frivolity. Elise, with her few hours of sleep, blended right into the scene.
To her great relief, no one mentioned any prisoner escaping from jail. Justice merely gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder when they crossed paths in front of the Commerce Guild. She made sure to greet him without meeting his eyes—she couldn’t bring herself to hold his gaze, knowing that he must have some inkling of what had transpired last night.
She would have loved to skip taking commissions today, but out of habit, she checked the board anyway. Of course, new requests had popped up that she couldn’t afford to ignore. Thankfully, she already had the materials on hand to fulfill them, allowing for a relatively easy day. In any case, she needed to meet Director Qi to finalize plans for their expedition into the ruins the next day, and knowing the scientist’s verbosity, that alone would probably take hours.
As she carried the glass panels commissioned by Jensen, precariously balanced on the back of a suspiciously cheerful Oscar, she spotted a figure on the train station platform. It took a moment for her tired eyes to focus properly, but when she recognized who it was, she stopped short in surprise. Grace!
The young woman waved enthusiastically before hurrying over. Once there, she grabbed half the glass panels to help Elise carry them inside the station. Elise fought the urge to blush as memories of the previous night flooded back, coughing awkwardly to mask her embarrassment.
“Elise! I’m glad I got to see you before I leave.”
Grace had always been reserved in her displays of affection, and Elise had never been particularly close to her. All the more reason she felt touched by the genuine happiness in Grace’s tone.
“Grace, when did you get back?”
The spy flashed a dazzling smile. “Yesterday. And I’m leaving on the next train.”
“Oh… that was a short trip.”
“They only gave me two days off, but I really wanted to see… you know.”
Grace trailed off, and Elise’s eyes widened. Haru, of course! If she hadn’t seen Grace at the festival yesterday… realization suddenly struck. Of course. Grace must have spent the night with Haru in the jail. Or maybe he escaped for the occasion too that night.
Grace must have read the realization in Elise’s expression because her smile turned into a triumphant smirk.
“I hope our favorite yakboy didn’t wear you out too much last night. According to Haru, he was like a caged mountain lion.”
Elise nearly stumbled on the edge of a glass panel but managed to catch it just in time.
“Hush! You’re insane. If someone hears you—”
Grace laughed. “There’s no one around. Don’t worry.” Her face grew more serious as she added softly, “I hope that dumb man realizes how lucky he is to have you.”
Elise waved her hand dismissively, flustered. Grace had been one of the first people to witness the mutual attraction between her and Logan, but her bluntness about it was still hard for Elise to handle. Yet she smiled, and after ensuring once more that no one else was nearby, she barely whispered, “I think I’m the lucky one.”
Grace snorted, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, but the friendly pat on Elise’s shoulder spoke otherwise. Just then, the distant horn of the train sounded, and Grace’s smile faltered slightly.
“Well,” she sighed, and Elise was sure her lips trembled a little before she continued, “guess that’s my cue.”
Now it was Elise’s turn to gently place a hand on Grace’s shoulder. If Grace felt the same way about Haru that she herself felt about Logan, she could completely understand her sour mood. The former spy awkwardly patted Elise’s hand in return, and the two stood in silence as the train arrived in a cloud of steam.
As the train slowed to a stop, Grace leaned down to grab her backpack.
“Goodbye, Elise. See you next time.” Her tone was back to its usual cheerful self, with no trace of negative emotion.
“I suppose we’ll see you in three months, maybe?” Elise ventured with a tentative smile, but Grace shook her head.
“I’m not sure when I’ll get my next leave. Who knows—maybe the next time we meet, it’ll be you all visiting me in Atara!”
Elise’s brows shot up in surprise, but Grace simply gave her one last big smile, more sincere than any before. As she hopped onto the train, she turned back to wink at Elise. Elise barely managed a final wave before the doors closed and the train began to pull away.
“Ah, Builder! Come in, come in. I’ve been expecting you.”
Elise stepped inside, brushing snow off her shoulders. It had started snowing on her way from the station to the research center.
Director Qi led her to his laboratory and immediately hurried over to his kettle, pouring tea as he began speaking at a rapid pace. Excitement radiated from him as he adjusted his glasses.
“Good, good. Builder, I must tell you about the latest developments! Things are getting very interesting, especially now that Gloriane is on board—I’ve officially appointed her as my new assistant, did you know that? Her insights into the cryopods and the Old World’s spacefaring technology... absolutely fascinating!”
He thrust a steaming cup of tea into Elise’s hands, nearly causing her to drop it. Qi didn’t seem to notice and continued talking, darting over to his desk where stacks of blueprints lay scattered.
“I’ve been reviewing some of her findings, and you wouldn’t believe it—those cryopods? They weren’t just healing storage for people, as we first thought. They were part of a grand space exploration effort! A long-term plan to traverse the stars. Gloriane is convinced these pods weren’t merely for survival; they were designed for interstellar travel. It appears the Old World may have been experimenting with time dilation technology—a way to freeze people for centuries, even millennia—”
Elise blew on her tea and inhaled the comforting steam as Qi’s excited monologue washed over her. Her sleep-deprived mind struggled to keep up.
“But that’s not all! Gloriane has also helped me develop ways to integrate the water tank generator with the city’s infrastructure. Specifically, she’s mapped out how to connect it to the oasis with a multi-stage filtration system. It’s a brilliant solution—not just providing clean water but also ensuring the generator runs at optimal capacity. It’s about balancing water flow, pressure, and energy input—preventing waste while maximizing output.”
“That’s wonderful, Director…” Elise began, but Qi cut her off mid-sentence.
“And here’s the real kicker: with her expertise, we now know we can connect the generator to every part of Sandrock that needs water. This system doesn’t just pump water; it uses the water itself to generate additional energy. A full-circle solution that could revolutionize our city’s infrastructure, potentially even reducing our reliance on external energy sources to pump the water to Sandrock. It’s incredible!”
Elise pressed her lips together. While the prospect of increased efficiency and self-reliance was appealing, something about Qi’s enthusiasm didn’t sit right with her. And that something was…
“…Gloriane,” she said, cutting him off, raising her voice just enough to be heard over his rapid chatter. Qi adjusted his glasses, visibly surprised by the interruption. Elise sighed and pressed on. “You seem to be getting along quite well with her.”
Qi frowned slightly. “It’s not about ‘getting along.’ It’s about working efficiently together,” he replied, his tone mildly reprimanding. “It’s rare to find someone as capable as she is these days, especially with such a deep understanding of Old World technology. Honestly, it’s remarkable, even unexpected.”
A flicker of unease stirred in Elise’s chest. She hesitated before continuing. “Doesn’t that strike you as… odd?”
“Odd?” Qi looked genuinely puzzled, but to Elise’s relief, he seemed to take her question seriously. “Well, yes, Gloriane’s knowledge is certainly surprising for someone who hasn’t even completed her formal education. But then again, hands-on, self-taught experience can often surpass academic knowledge. In fact—”
Elise tuned out as Qi started debating with himself, firing off questions and answers in a one-sided dialogue about whether or not Gloriane’s expertise was unusual. Her distrust of the woman, heightened by her recent conversation with Logan and Haru, lingered in her mind, but exhaustion dulled her resolve to pursue it further. Whatever was going on with Gloriane, would wait.
Suppressing a sigh, she focused on sipping her tea while Qi droned on. After what felt like hours of his monologue—primarily about their upcoming expedition—she finally rose to leave.
As she was exiting the lab, her eyes caught an unusual blueprint spread out on a shadowed corner of the desk. It stood out starkly from the other precise, technical designs in the room. Crude, almost childlike, with rough sketches and large, blocky handwriting.
“What’s this?” she asked, picking up the paper and squinting to make sense of the strange diagram. It depicted something she couldn’t quite understand, though crude in appearance, it somehow held a coherence that her builder’s instincts immediately recognized.
“Oh, that,” Qi muttered, glancing over her shoulder before turning back to his workbench. “It’s Andy’s.”
“Andy’s?” Elise regarded the drawing with renewed interest, then turned to Qi, who had already moved back to tinkering with his equipment. “Why did Andy give you a diagram?”
“The boy wanted my approval for it,” Qi replied absently.
Elise studied the paper more closely. “He drew all this by himself?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Qi said, his voice laden with resignation as he cleaned his chemical apparatus. “At first, I thought it was a joke—an ejection system of all things! But, well, it wasn’t entirely absurd. With some refinement and the inclusion of memory foam, it might even work.”
Elise’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t know Andy was interested in engineering.”
Qi gave her a tight-lipped look over his glasses. “I wouldn’t go that far.” He sighed, adjusting his frames. “But I must admit, the boy has ideas. And determination, plenty of that.” He ran his fingers along a glass distillation column thoughtfully. “I promised him I’d tweak the diagram and return it as a functioning designed one.”
An idea began to take root in Elise’s mind. “Could you send me a copy too when you're done?” she asked.
Qi shrugged and nodded, already distracted by his work. “I’ll have one prepared.”
Satisfied, Elise left the research center, her mind already racing fast.
The two-day expedition to the ruins proved grueling. Gloriane, unsurprisingly, remained as aloof as ever. While Qi might have admired her brilliance, Elise didn’t share the same enthusiasm.
Whenever possible, she avoided interacting with the woman, instead sticking with Justice and Heidi. The sheriff was there to oversee security, while Heidi lent her expertise to the construction of the pipelines designs. During the two days, Elise focused on her tasks: measuring, assembling the initial pipe sections, and noting materials for further work.
In quieter moments, she retreated to corners of the ruins for brief respites. She made a point to avoid the storage closet where she and Logan had shamelessly made love during their first expedition. But every time the team passed near that area, she was struggling to keep a neutral expression.
Logan was a constant presence in her thoughts. Whatever she was doing out there, he never left her mind, and every day, she regretted his absence in the ruins. She felt safer when he was there.
Not that Justice or Unsuur were unreliable, far from it. And the ruins had long been secured from any real threats since their first expedition. Still, an inexplicable weight hung in the air, a sense of unease that Elise couldn’t quite shake.
On the final night before their return to Sandrock, Elise lay alone on her cot in the old dormitory area they had repurposed as a campsite. Staring at the faintly glowing ceiling panels, her thoughts wandered to Andy and the conversation she’d had with Qi.
The seed of an idea that had sprouted during their discussion had taken firmer root. Qi had surprised her by handing her the modified diagram the morning they set out for the ruins.
“I made the required modifications at my leisure,” he’d said. “As discussed, here’s the copy of Andy’s diagram.”
Elise hadn’t expected him to act so quickly, or even to remember it at all, but she was delighted nonetheless. Now, she was using each quiet moment in the ruins to study the blueprint carefully. Qi’s modifications had turned Andy’s concept into something viable, and her mind was racing with possibilities.
That night, as her teammates slept, Elise mentally compiled a list of the materials she’d need to bring Andy’s design to life. The excitement bubbling inside her was enough to stave off her usual exhaustion. She maybe had found a way to get closer to the boy, and to share the passion of her job with him.
"Hi, Elise."
Andy’s tone wasn’t exactly enthusiastic, but at least it wasn’t sulky. Flat politeness was still better than teenage grouchiness. Elise, for her part, was in too good a mood to mind the boy’s lack of excitement.
She looked up from her furnace and greeted him with a casual, “Howdy.”
As he made his usual beeline for the garden section of her yard, she called out, “No gardening chores today, Andy.”
He paused mid-step, glancing back at her with raised eyebrows, his curiosity betrayed despite his attempt to mask it.
Elise smiled gently. “How about helping me with the machines instead?”
There it was—a flicker of interest he couldn’t quite hide. His posture straightened slightly, as if against his will, and Elise’s smile widened.
She nodded toward the furnace. “Have you ever used one of these?”
Andy hesitated, then took a few cautious steps toward her, shaking his head.
“Come closer and take a look,” she encouraged him.
For almost an hour, Elise patiently teached Andy through the workings of the furnace. To her pleasant surprise, he was unusually attentive as she explained how to light it, use it safely, and adjust its settings depending on the type of ore being smelted.
At first, he just listened in silence, but eventually, tentative questions trickled out. Slowly, his guard gave way to genuine curiosity, and soon enough, he was asking questions eagerly. Secretly, Elise was thrilled to see his growing interest.
By the time Andy left for the day, having finished his usual chores with the mounts, his goodbye seemed warmer than usual. Elise couldn’t stop smiling the rest of that day.
As days turned into weeks, Andy’s visits to Elise’s workshop became more frequent. And if it wasn't for the days Elise spent in the ruins working on the water tank, they'd been a daily occurrence.
Andy still didn’t share anything personal with her, but his undisguised interest in Elise’s machines and work spoke volumes. It took him a day to learn the basics of the furnace, and then two more to understand how to run the recycler correctly. By the end of the second week, he was able to help her feed the two machines and collect the materials. Teaching Andy to handle the forging machine took Elise one additional week. Then, carefully and under her watchful eye, she introduced him to the processor and grinder. By the end of the month, he had learned the very basics of each of her machines.
At the beginning of the following month, and gradually, Elise let him handle some of the simpler, safer tasks on his own. The first time he successfully completed a small job, Elise caught a rare, fleeting smile on his face—a reward in itself.
After each lesson, Andy would dutifully return to his usual chores, helping Elise take care of the mounts.
Elise’s routine remained largely unchanged, save for her discreet late-night visits to Logan and Haru. Surprisingly, she had managed to avoid any major social confrontations or outright gossip about her relationship with Logan. She wasn’t naive—she knew most of the adults in Sandrock were aware of the situation. But for now, no one brought it up directly, and that suited her just fine.
In truth, she barely had time for socializing anyway. Most of her interactions were professional. Sandrock was bustling with activity, and everyone was buried in their own work.
Mi-an was pouring all her energy into the tunnel and road to Portia project. Elise couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought that her friend might also be pouring herself into a certain engineer.
At the scrapyard, Rocky and the team, including Venti, were working tirelessly to supply materials for both the big construction projects of the city.
Even Mabel, Cooper, and Elsie were swamped with work at the ranch. The recent growth in Sandrock’s tourism had brought an increased demand for food, and the ranch was Sandrock's primary supplier. Meanwhile, Owen had his hands full running the Blue Moon Saloon. Even Ri-an's workload was increasing, to Dan-bi’s utter pleasure.
Thinking about Elsie, however, made Elise’s heart sink a little. She still hadn’t had the chance to talk to her since overhearing her conversation with Mi-an, months ago. It was clear that Elsie harbored feelings for Logan, and the news of his relationship with Elise had hit her hard.
Elise hated and feared confrontation, and she couldn’t imagine how to approach the subject with her. The mere idea of walking up to her and saying, “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about Logan and me…” felt utterly absurd, and scary too.
For now, Elise decided to avoid the problem entirely, hoping time might soften any lingering tension.
“Check.”
The shabby table was pushed up against the iron bars of the cell, its battered surface just wide enough to accommodate three stacks of chips and the scattered cards. Logan and Haru were lounging on the other side of the bars, comfortably seated on mismatched chairs they'd dragged from the dimly lit cell.
Elise sat outside the cell, balanced on a creaky wooden stool. She leaned forward, her hands reaching through the bars to manipulate her cards and place her bets.
Her current hand was awful—probably the worst possible combination she had for the entire night, she thought miserably. She shifted nervously on the stool, her movements making it wobble slightly.
“Someone's got itchy feet tonight,” Logan’s voice was dripping with amusement. He tipped his hat back and smirked at her, his piercing eyes watching her every move.
“She’s hiding something,” Haru added, narrowing his eyes at her over his own hand.
Her cheeks flushed and she quickly looked down at her cards.
Logan chuckled. “Darlin’, you’ve got the worst poker face I’ve ever seen. It’s adorable, but it’s not gonna win you the pot.”
Elise pursed her lips but said nothing, though the stool creaked again as she squirmed, her hands gripping the edges of her cards tightly.
“Definitely hiding something,” Haru said with a smirk, tossing in a few more chips. “Let me guess. Pair of aces? She’s probably got us both beat, Logan.”
Logan’s grin widened. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, gazing at her intently.
“Stop it!” Elise mumbled, her ears burning as she dropped a handful of chips into the pot. “I’m just… focusing.”
“Uh-huh,” Haru said, glancing at Logan. “She’s bluffing.”
Logan tilted his head, his expression mock-thoughtful. “Or maybe she’s terrible at it and actually has a killer hand. What do you think, Haru? Should we call her out?”
“Your bet,” Haru replied.
“Fine!” Elise huffed, crossing her arms briefly before remembering the cards in her hands. She straightened up and stared at the two men defiantly, her heart pounding. “You think you’ve got me figured out? Then go on.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, his grin never faltering. “All in,” he said, pushing his chips forward.
Haru groaned. “Oh, come on, Logan! Now I’ve gotta fold.” He tossed his cards onto the table with a dramatic sigh, leaning back in his chair. “She’s all yours.”
Logan’s teasing gaze locked on Elise. “Well? What’s it gonna be, Darlin’? Got the guts to see this through?”
Elise's fingers were trembling as she pushed all her remaining chips to the center of the table. “Call,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Logan flipped his cards over—a pair of kings. Haru let out a low whistle, glancing at the cards at the deck.
“Three of a kind. Not bad,” Haru said. “What’ve you got, Elise?”
With a deep breath, Elise turned her cards over, revealing her miserable seven and two.
Logan blinked. “Wait… what?”
The room fell silent as the final community card—a seven of diamonds—was turned. Haru’s jaw dropped.
“Full,” Haru exclaimed, pointing at the board. “Sevens over twos! She actually won!”
“I fleeced you, Yakboy,” Elise whispered, bending down as much as she could to pick up all the chips while never taking her eyes off Logan.
His nostrils flared, and a dangerous grin spread across his lips, but he said nothing while Haru burst into laughter, far too pleased to see his friend bested.
Elise's smile turned mischievous, but just as Logan's grin grew even more dangerous, she let out a jaw-popping yawn, barely managing to cover her mouth in time to avoid outright rudeness.
Logan’s smile softened, and when he spoke, it was in a soft, low voice. “You’re exhausted, sweetheart.”
Elise stretched, another yawn escaping her. It was true. She’d just returned from yet another expedition to the ruins. She was sore from hours of riding in the sand, and days of working in the ruins; her eyes were starting to blur again with fatigue. She’d only had time to shower at home before heading straight to the Sandrock jail. She hadn’t felt like waiting until the next day to see Logan.
Haru rose to withdraw to his cot. With time, he no longer even bothered to invent an excuse to leave them alone—at least, as much as was possible in such a shared tight space. With his glasses perched on his nose and a new book Mi-an had brought him resting on his lap, he settled on his bed and vaguely gestured a goodnight sign to Elise, ending their interaction for the day.
Elise settled into her now-usual spot on the floor against the bars, and Logan sat on the other side, mirroring her posture.
She knew she had long since exceeded the 20-minute limit for visits, but Rosy had been increasingly lenient with her schedule. Maybe it was a silent order from Justice—she couldn’t be sure—but whatever the reason, she was grateful for the additional time offered to Logan and her.
Shoulder to shoulder, they rested their heads against the bars. She listened quietly as Logan recounted in a low voice the visitors he’d had that day.
Elise really was utterly exhausted. So much so that she didn’t realize when she dozed off, her head lolling to one side.
It was Logan’s hand, gently tangled in her hair and stroking it tenderly, that woke her, later on. She had to summon every ounce of willpower to leave, forcing herself to stand and head home alone—and leaving Logan behind.
The longing look Logan gave her as she rose to leave stayed with her and haunted her all the way back.
Only one month left.
When Elise told Andy about the plan to build his own creation, the explosion of joy that followed warmed her heart. If she was entirely honest with herself, she had never seen the kid this thrilled since before Logan was imprisoned. Perhaps the prospect of Logan and Haru's release in a month also added to the boy's cheerful mood.
Now capable of crafting simple things, the challenge was a significant step up, but Andy’s eagerness to learn and build from his own blueprint far outweighed the difficulty. He turned out to be a brilliant, albeit occasionally hard-to-focus, student.
It was the first time Elise had ever shared her knowledge with someone else. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it right—sometimes she could see she lost Andy in overly technical monologues. Teaching, she quickly realized, was a craft in itself. And yet, to her surprise, she found herself enjoying it immensely.
“Not like that. You need to hold the end of the rod more firmly when tightening here. That’s what we call torque pressure,” she instructed.
Letting Andy handle certain tasks was often nerve-wracking—her anxiety spiked whenever she saw his still-clumsy hands working near machines that could be dangerous.
One time, Andy nearly cut his finger with the wood saw, and Elise categorically refused to let him use the machine on his own afterward. This led to a short-lived sulking episode from the boy, quickly forgotten when they moved on to the next part of the project.
Expeditions. Ruins. Commissions. Andy. Jail visits. On repeat. She hardly had a moment to catch her breath, and sometimes the exhaustion was so overwhelming that her vision blurred faster than usual, making her eyes strain in the middle of the day.
Andy noticed it one afternoon, after she made an uncharacteristically careless mistake and lightly injured herself.
Frowning, he watched her press her finger to her mouth to stop the small cut from bleeding.
“What’s wrong?” Andy’s tone was skeptical, his eyes narrowing at her as if he were trying to solve a puzzle.
Elise raised her eyebrows at him, confused. Andy pointed to the offending machine.
“You don’t usually mess up like that,” he added, his voice holding a faint hint of accusation.
She shrugged with a soft laugh. “I’m just seeing a little blurrier than usual today, that’s all.”
The boy straightened up, setting the large wrench he had been holding onto the edge of the table. “What do you mean, exactly? How do you see?” His tone betrayed an almost ravenous curiosity.
Elise guessed that he must have wanted to ask this question for a long time. He never pried before, and it struck her that he probably never really had an explanation about her vision.
She sighed softly, taking a seat on a nearby wooden stool and resting her elbows on her knees. Andy came nearer, staring at her intently, his arms crossed; clearly not planning to drop the subject. She reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, thinking of how best to explain.
“Most of the time, I can see almost clearly—but never totally. Everything’s… always at least a bit blurry, like looking through slightly fogged-up glass.”
Andy tilted his head, his curiosity unabated. “So, like, all the time? You never see clearly?”
She shook her head. “Sometimes it’s better than others. When I’m tired, or if I’ve been straining my eyes too much, it gets worse. The blur becomes more intense, and focusing on anything is exhausting.”
Andy frowned, processing her words. “That’s… kinda crazy though. How do you even manage to build stuff?”
She gave him a small smile. “Pure unadulterated talent.” Andy blinked, and she chuckled. “Training, Andy. And practice.”
He nodded slowly, still seemingly dumbfounded.
She raised her hands to her face. “My hands know what to do most of the time, even without seeing all the details. For the rest, I rely on touch; repetition, and muscle memory.”
“Wow. That’s… kinda cool.”
Was it a flash of admiration she could read on the kid’s face? Elise wasn’t sure, but her smile widened nonetheless, and she got up swiftly. “Now, let’s get back to work. We’ve got an ejection system to finish.”
That same evening, after Andy left her workshop, Elise decided to head to the Blue Moon for dinner. There was always some liveliness in the saloon since tourism had picked up again, but she decided to brave it for some fancy good food.
When she entered, Owen and Larry were busy alternating between the bar and the kitchen, serving the growing crowd. Without much thought, she walked straight to the bar and sat on her usual stool next to two unknown tourists.
These two women were deep in an animated conversation with a radiant Catori, who didn’t seem to notice Elise at first, too caught up extolling the virtues of The Golden Goose. Elise ignored them, giving a small, warm nod of greeting to Owen, who quickly took her order.
While waiting for her meal, she drifted into her thoughts, tuning out the chatter nearby. That is, until a certain name spoken aloud with excitement broke her distraction.
“Logan, yeah, that one!”
Elise blinked, suddenly paying more attention to the conversation beside her.
“What a sexy man,” one of the tourists said, her voice full of mischief. “I’m honestly tempted to visit him in prison. Ilda and I read all about his story when we got to Sandrock. So hot!”
“His second isn’t bad either. You know, more the exotic type,” chimed in her companion.
“Oh, I prefer the silver-haired one,” the first added with a dramatic sigh. “What I wouldn’t give to have him take me behind the stables—rough and wild, yakboy style!”
The three women erupted into gleeful laughter, their high-pitched giggles grating on Elise’s ears. Her eyes widened, and she hunched forward slightly over the bar, instinctively hiding behind her long hair. She froze when Owen placed her plate in front of her, terrified that the group might notice her.
Of course, what she feared most came true.
“Ooh, Elise, I didn’t even see you there! Good evening!” Catori’s cheerful voice rang out as she stepped closer, placing a hand on Elise’s shoulder. Catori then turned to the two other women, flashing her brightest smile. “Ladies, meet Elise, she’s one of our star builders here, isn’t she! Elise, this is Ilda and Frida, all the way from Walnut Grove.”
Catori’s tone was so overly enthusiastic that Elise couldn’t help but suspect the faintest trace of insincerity. She gave the women a stiff nod, noticing they didn’t seem genuinely interested nor enthusiastic in her presence.
“And guess what, I was just telling these lovely ladies about the Catori World project!” Catori gushed, squeezing Elise’s shoulder.
She stiffened, her muscles tensing under Catori’s grip.
“Elise is sure to be one of the key contributors to making this dream a reality! I mean, as a builder, how could she not be involved in such an important project for Sandrock’s future?” Catori’s voice was syrupy sweet.
Peach above, Elise thought with mounting dread. She regretted every decision that led her to the saloon tonight.
She barely managed a polite half-nod, but Catori, either oblivious or deliberately persistent, didn’t let go. She launched into another glowing monologue about the “incredible potential” of her grand plans.
Eventually, Elise cracked under the pressure. Mumbling a hasty excuse, she slipped out of Catori’s grasp, leaving a few gols on the counter next to her untouched meal. She made her way toward the nearest exit, half-fleeing. As she pushed through the saloon doors, she caught Catori’s voice behind her, addressing the tourists in a falsely regretful tone.
“Oh, I forgot to mention—Elise has a complicated past with the Valley of Whispers, you see, she…”
The nausea that hit Elise was almost overwhelming, and she quickened her pace into the cool night air. The biting cold was a welcome relief, grounding her as she hurried back in the direction of her workshop. The night had already settled, but it wasn’t so late—the early sunsets of the season left the town shrouded in darkness far too soon.
As she walked in the dark, voices broke through the quiet, startling her.
“I told you, Jaz, that’s what I heard!” It was Andy’s voice, and it sounded furious, coming from the shadows further ahead.
“Shh! Someone might hear us! We were supposed to go straight back to Grandma’s!” Jasmine’s nervous whisper followed.
“I don’t care!” Andy’s tone rose in defiance. “I’m going to see Logan, right now!”
“That’s pointless, and you know you’re not allowed,” Jasmine protested.
“I—don’t—care! He should have told me! I can’t believe he hid this from me!”
“You know, Andy, this is adult stuff, and—”
“We’re not kids anymore, Jaz!” Andy snapped. “And I had every right to know, before anyone else!”
“I know, but—”
“JAZ! Listen to me! I just overheard that the builder sneaks visits to Logan whenever she can—and apparently, they even kissed in the Blue Moon! Months ago! In front of everyone!”
Elise clapped a hand over her mouth, her breath catching. Uh-oh.
“Andy…”
“I just can’t believe it! When he said she was part of the gang, I didn’t think he meant—that—with her! Eew!”
Elise’s heart sank like a stone in her chest.
“But she’s nice… What do you have against—” Jasmine began.
“I just don’t want Logan to be with anyone,” Andy interrupted, his voice breaking slightly.
There was a long silence, and Elise took a steadying breath, preparing to step forward. She couldn’t let this fester. But Jasmine’s next hesitant words stopped her.
“You know, Mi-an is really nice. I’m sure Logan and she—”
“No. And besides, I’m pretty sure she’s not serious. I saw her making all lovey-dovey eyes to that Ataran engineer! Just yesterday! While Logan gets out of prison in just over a week!”
“ANDY! Jasmine!” Vivi’s sharp voice broke through the night. Elise pressed herself against the shadow of a nearby building as Vivi stormed into view.
“Where have you two been? You were supposed to go straight home!”
“Sorry, Vivi…” Jasmine muttered.
Elise watched silently as Vivi ushered the two adolescents away, none of them noticing her. When they were gone, she exhaled shakily.
Motionless in the dark, she blinked. Mi-an…? Why did Andy think Logan and Mi-an were together?
The Builder visits Logan. He said she was part of the gang.
Sudden realization struck her. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard Andy refer to ‘the gang’—it included everyone who helped Logan expose Pen and Miguel’s water trafficking scheme. Mi-an played a pivotal role in that effort, so it made sense that Andy would see her as a full-fledged member of the gang.
He had assumed the builder could only mean Mi-an. And the very idea of Logan dating anyone seemed to somehow horrify him.
Elise tossed and turned in her bed that night, unable to sleep, replaying the overheard conversation over and over. Should she tell Andy the truth right away? Or should she keep quiet and let him bring it up with Logan, leaving him to straighten things out and calm the boy down? Yes, maybe that was the best course of action. Andy wasn’t her responsibility—and clearly, Logan must have his own reasons for never telling Andy that he was… seeing… her.
Whatever those reasons might be, the weight in Elise’s chest and the tightness in her throat lingered all night and well into the following day.
She was cleaning the stables when the inevitable finally happened. The door to the barn swung open violently, and when she saw Andy storm in, fury radiating off him, her throat tightened.
Andy stopped a few feet in front of her, stiff as a board, nostrils flaring, his face painted with a look of pure betrayal.
Taking a deep breath, Elise slowly set her broom against Dybet’s stall door. The mare nuzzled her shoulder affectionately, but Elise ignored the gesture, her focus entirely on Andy. She waited, knowing he needed to speak first.
The disaster followed. Breaking free of his frozen stance, the boy threw his arms into the air and began yelling, his movements wild and erratic. His anger startled Dybet, who backed up in her stall with a loud snort.
“It was you?! All this time! And you said nothing to me! Why?”
Silent, Elise watched him pace back and forth, his words cutting deeply into her chest. So, he had spoken to Logan.
“I can’t believe it… Why didn’t you say anything?”
Despite having anticipated this moment, she found herself at a loss. The raw anger in Andy’s voice, the harshness of his accusations, left her unable to form the words she had practiced in her head.
“All these months,” he spat, his voice trembling with frustration, “it was just to butter me up, wasn’t it? You never really wanted to teach me anything!”
Elise blinked, her expression falling, but Andy’s fury wouldn’t let him stop.
“All you cared about was getting close to me so you could get close to him! I can’t believe it! I don’t ever want to come back here! Ever again!”
And with that, he stormed out, leaving the barn door wide open. Elise stood frozen by Dybet’s stall, her heart shattered in a thousand pieces.
She didn't have the heart to visit Logan that night.
The day after her altercation with Andy, Elise remained secluded in her workshop, working despondently. Early that morning, she had visited the Commerce Guild to pick up new commissions, enough to keep her occupied for several days.
It was the second day in a row she missed visiting Logan. With his release now only seven days away—the closest it had ever been—she knew he must be questioning why she hadn’t used the visitation days she rarely ever missed.
She couldn’t bring herself to face Logan yet. Talking about Andy with him felt unbearable. She wasn’t sure where her place was between the two of them—or if she even had one at all.
I need a plank of acacia wood.
Focus on work. It was the only way to avoid dwelling on the ache in her chest.
Slowly, she made her way to the materials shed and stepped inside. Within the wooden cabin, her movements were automatic, guiding her straight to the correct shelf. She was reaching out for the nearest acacia plank when an unmistakable cry pierced the air.
She froze. A rocket rooster. That sound could only mean trouble.
Elise bolted out of the shed, just in time to see Andy drop the bird in the middle of her yard and sprint away like his life depended on it.
What the…?
She barely had time to process what she’d just seen. The rooster wriggled free of the blindfold that had kept it calm, and the moment its eyes were uncovered, chaos erupted. The bird let out a furious, shrieking cacophony, sparks flying wildly from its feathers. Next thing, she was sprinting for her home where she’d left her daggers. But she had hardly started running when a new cry froze her blood.
The unmistakable roar of a cock-a-doodle-doom echoed over the yard, making her skid to a stop. Her head snapped around just in time to see the massive bird land, its fiery plumage and murderous glare locking onto her. Drawn by the commotion, it had arrived, and it was every bit as dangerous as its name suggested—bigger, faster, and catastrophically explosive.
A rocket rooster? She could handle that. But a cock-a-doodle-doom? That was way beyond her league.
Heart hammering, she began to back away, trying not to provoke it. The beast, however, had already chosen its target. With a terrifying screech, it charged her.
Elise turned on her heel and bolted back toward the shed. She barely made it inside before the monster reached her, its talons slashing through the air. One hooked into her shirt as she dove, tearing away a piece of fabric and narrowly missing her skin.
She hit the ground face-first, sand filling her mouth and nose. The impact might have saved her life; the cock-a-doodle-doom overshot her, its momentum sending it hurtling into the shed.
What followed was pure, unfiltered chaos.
Trapped in the confined space, the furious bird ignited like a living torch. Sparks and flames exploded, and everywhere, wooden shelves caught fire.
Terror rooted Elise in place until the monster burst out of the shed, roaring past her and scattering flaming debris in its wake. A burning plank crashed onto her, slamming against her shoulder and sending fresh pain ripping through her body.
Screaming, she clawed at the plank, batting away the flames licking at her hair. Smoke choked her lungs as she rolled in the sand to extinguish the fire. Somewhere in the distance, she heard shouting, but the words were drowned out by the roar of the flames and her own frantic heartbeat.
Instinct took over. Elise staggered to her feet, barely aware of the burns on her hands or the searing heat around her. Her shed was ablaze, the fire spreading rapidly toward the shelves. If she didn’t act quickly, the flames would consume everything—and worse, they’d threaten the rest of her yard, and her house.
Sandrock wasn’t built for firefighting with water; it was too scarce. But every resident knew to keep buckets of sand at the ready for emergencies like this. Elise spotted the nearest one and lunged for it, ignoring the heaviness in her arms as she hoisted it up. She threw the sand onto the nearest blaze, smothering the flames in a hiss of smoke.
No time to think. No time to rest.
Her body moved on autopilot, grabbing another bucket and dousing another patch of fire. The smoke burned her eyes, and her lungs screamed for air, but she pressed on. Her hands shook as she hurled a tarp over the stubborn embers, tamping them down with everything she had.
Someone called her name, but the voice barely registered. The fire wasn’t out yet. She couldn’t stop.
“Elise!” The shout came again, louder this time. She barely turned before a figure emerged from the smoke, grabbing her arm with a strength that left no room for argument.
“Over here! She’s here—quick!”
“No!” Elise thrashed, trying to break free. “I can’t leave it! I can’t—”
Her protests were cut off as the person hauled her rudely toward the exit, dragging her through the thick, choking haze.
Fresh air hit her like a slap, and she stumbled out into the open, coughing and gasping. Around her, another kind of chaos reigned. Voices shouted orders, buckets of sand were passed from hand to hand, and the roar of the battle with the monster echoed somewhere around her.
“Elise!”
Gentler hands replaced the iron grip that had dragged her to safety. Dizzy and disoriented, she barely recognized Krystal’s voice as the woman guided her further away from the shed.
“Stay here, Elise. You’re okay now.”
Someone plunged her hands into cool water, soothing the superficial burns. Gentle hands worked to clean the soot from her face and rinse her stinging eyes. The same hands carefully poured water over her hair.
“Peach above, your hair…” Krystal’s soft lament finally pulled Elise’s eyes open.
Still dazed, she blinked, her mind struggling to catch up. Gradually, she became aware of her surroundings. The chaotic flurry of moments ago had quieted. Her materials shed, though charred and scarred, still stood, and the fire appeared to be under control. Her yard and her house had been spared from the fire.
Several persons still moved around, voices murmuring as they carried buckets of sand and cleaned up the damage. The worst seemed to be over.
“ELISE!”
A small cannonball of a boy hurtled toward her, slamming into her arms with such force that she stumbled, a sharp pain flaring in her shoulder. She grimaced, unsteady and aching, as Andy latched onto her, his sobs hysterical.
“I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t mean—this wasn’t what I wanted!”
His words spilled out in a panicked torrent. Elise, running on reflex, wrapped an arm around his back, her hand gently rubbing soothing circles there despite the pain in her burns.
“I just… I thought that the rocket rooster… they’re so harmless! I didn’t think it would attract the big one… She didn’t mention anything about this…I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen!”
“Andy…” she murmured softly, her voice heavy with exhaustion and sorrow.
She continued to hold the boy—though he was almost as tall as her now—rocking him gently even as the ache in her shoulder protested and the stinging burns on her arms perpetually reminded her of their presence.
She didn’t feel anger toward Andy. Not yet at least. His actions had been reckless, even dangerous, but she suspected he’d acted out of frustration and not true malice. Rocket roosters, after all, were usually harmless enough—troublesome, but manageable. It wasn’t even the first time she’d had to chase a lost one out of her yard.
“You believe me, don’t you, Elise?” Andy asked, his tear-streaked face tilting up to look at hers.
Her gaze softened, but Andy’s eyes widened. His expression shifted from grief to alarm as his lips quivered.
“Elise… oh, Elise, your hair!”
Slowly, hesitantly, she raised a hand to her head. Her fingers brushed against something unfamiliar, and the realization hit her like a brick.
Her long, wavy hair—her hair that she’d always liked, as savage and untamed as it was—was no longer there.
Instead, her fingertips found jagged, uneven strands, too short, too charred. The blood drained from her face as the truth sank in. Her hair had burned in the fire.
Slowly, her hand drifted toward her neck, and in a gesture both familiar and distant, she grasped her locket, clutching it so tightly that the embossed patterns imprinted themselves into her palm.