The Eastside didn't whisper.
It greeted Nyra with noise.
Car horns. Shouting. Music leaking from half-open doors. The smell of fried food and hot asphalt clung to the air like memory. The moment she stepped out of the car, her shoulders loosened.
Yeah, she thought. I'm back.
ValeTech's black SUV looked wrong parked on her street.
Too clean.
Too quiet.
Too expensive.
Adrian stepped out behind her, scanning the block with careful eyes. He clocked everything the men on corners, the way conversations paused just half a second too long, the subtle weight of attention.
This wasn't Zurich.
This wasn't his world.
Nyra noticed his stiffness and smirked. "Relax. Nobody's jumping you."
"That's not comforting," he said.
She laughed softly. "It is if you know the rules."
They walked.
People nodded at Nyra. Some smiled. Some just looked relieved.
"You good?" someone called.
"Always," she replied.
Adrian heard it.
Not questioned. Not doubted.
Accepted.
That unsettled him.
Her building was worn but alive. Paint chipped. Stairwell buzzing with voices. Someone arguing upstairs. Someone laughing below.
Nyra moved through it like it belonged to her.
Because it did.
"You live here?" Adrian asked quietly.
"For now," she replied.
That answer carried layers.
Inside her apartment, the air smelled like smoke and home. Not cigarettes life. Clothes draped over a chair. Books stacked beside her laptop. Controlled chaos.
Adrian took it in silently.
This wasn't neglect.
This was survival.
A knock hit the door.
Three sharp raps.
Nyra didn't flinch.
She didn't rush either.
She opened it calmly.
Shark stood there.
Still.
Tall.
Eyes sharp as ever.
His gaze flicked to Adrian once cold, measuring then back to Nyra.
"You're home," he said.
"Yeah," she replied. "I am."
Adrian straightened instinctively.
Shark didn't offer a hand.
Didn't need to.
"So this is Vale," Shark said flatly.
Adrian nodded. "Adrian Vale."
Shark smiled.
It didn't reach his eyes.
"Come in," Nyra said easily, already turning away.
Adrian hesitated only a fraction before stepping across the threshold.
The door closed behind them.
Two worlds, finally standing in the same room.
And Nyra calm, grounded, unafraid stood right between them.