Cassian sat there, still chewing on Naset’s question. The idea of becoming a spy had rattled him a bit, sure... but in the end, he didn’t really mind it. Charging into the frontlines brought glory, yes—but the commander was right. The survival rate was abysmal. More than half the people in this war wouldn’t see the end of it.
And honestly? Spying suited him better. Sneaking around, gathering secrets, slipping in and out of camps—yeah, that felt more his speed than standing in a shield wall waiting to get skewered. And on the cult’s side? His domain blended in perfectly, and his little bit lack of morals didn’t raise eyebrows there. If anything, it made him fit right in.
Now, with Naset’s blessing to "act freely," Cassian had the perfect setup. He could head to Magisteria, regroup with Brigid, continue spying... do things on his terms.
But before all that?
He needed to deal with Robert.
Anger simred under his skin the whole walk. He wanted answers. He wanted to confront him. He wanted to believe the whole scene in the jungle had been so twisted prank.
Then Robert spotted him.
The man’s eyes went wide, lighting up in pure relief before he practically charged Cassian and wrapped him in a crushing hug.
"You absolute fucker!" Robert laughed, slapping his back. "I was sure the cult had you strapped to so altar or chopped up in a ritual by now!"
The familiarity hit hard. The friendliness. The joy. The normalcy.
Cassian managed a tight smile back—because behind it, his thoughts were a ss.
Cassian forced a stiff little smile, trying not to flinch at Robert’s hug. "It was... fine," he said, the words tight in his throat.
He was still fumbling for a response when Lumine’s bright voice cut right through the air.
"Yeah, it shows," she said, walking toward them with that teasing smirk she always wore around him. "You look a lot better than ’fine.’ Don’t tell the cult brainwashed you or sothing."
Her tone was light, playful—but the mont the word brainwashed left her mouth, both Cassian and Robert stiffened. Robert shot a quick look around the camp, lowering his voice.
"Hey—don’t even joke about that," he muttered. "The higher-ups are grabbing anyone who even looks suspicious these days."
Cassian swallowed hard, forcing his face to stay neutral.Lumine had no idea how close her joke had landed.
"Nothing like that," Cassian said quickly—then leaned in and wrapped Lumine in a tight hug. His smile softened in a way it hadn’t since he left the camp. "Can’t lie though... they almost got into my head. Only thoughts of you kept sane."
Lumine flushed instantly, her arms sliding around him in return, she whispered "I Missed you."
" too," Cassian murmured right back.
"Alright, alright—get a room, you two."Wanni pushed aside the tent flap with a grin, looking like she’d caught them doing sothing scandalous.
A mont later Theon and Althea appeared behind her, both of them wearing matching smirks.
After a round of playful insults and half-hearted greetings, the old squad finally drifted apart, leaving Cassian alone with Lumine. She lingered beside him with that soft, relieved smile of hers—while across the clearing, Robert was already laughing and teasing Wanni about sothing. She shoved him away with a scowl, the kind she always wore when he went too far.
If Cassian hadn’t watched Robert the previous night—hadn’t seen the truth with his own eyes—he might’ve believed it was all normal. He might’ve believed Robert was still just a comrade ssing around, not a man hiding a knife behind his grin.
"Sothing up with him?" Lumine asked, catching the way Cassian’s eyes lingered on Robert longer than they should have.
Cassian tore his gaze away and forced a grin. "Nah. Just... admiring Wanni’s ass a little."
That earned him a solid punch in the arm.
"Asshole," Lumine muttered, cheeks reddening just enough for him to smirk.
Cassian rubbed his arm where she hit him, putting on an exaggerated wince. "Ow. Spirits, Lumi, you’ve gotten stronger. What’ve they been feeding you while I was gone?"
"Discipline," she said dryly, crossing her arms. "Sothing you should try soti."
He grinned. "I’ll consider it... tomorrow."
"So," Lumine said, tilting her head at him, "you gonna tell what really happened in that cult camp? Did you find anything about their spy here?"
Cassian hesitated—a tiny pause, barely half a breath, but Lumine knew him too well. Her eyes narrowed as she tracked his gaze drifting again toward Robert, who was busy offering a pathetic apology to Wanni while dodging her increasingly violent swats.
Lumine’s brows lifted. "You sure nothing’s wrong?"
Cassian forced a lazy shrug, slipping his hands into his pockets like he didn’t have the weight of betrayal grinding in his gut. "Everything’s wrong. It’s a war," he said lightly. Then, quieter, "But I’m fine."
"And the spy?" she pressed.
Cassian smirked, stepping into the tent. "That’s confidential. If I told you..." He paused deliberately, glancing over his shoulder with a slow grin. "I’d have to silence you."
"Ooh?" Lumine followed him in, amusent sparking in her eyes as she grabbed him by the collar, tugging him closer. "Silence ? And exactly how were you planning on doing that?" She arched a brow, lips curling into a dare.
Cassian’s smile stretched slow and wicked."Like this," he murmured.
Before Lumine could fire back another playful insult, he caught her by the collar and pulled her in—pressing his mouth to hers.
Her lips curled into a smile against his, eyes fluttering half-closed as she leaned in, returning the kiss without the slightest hesitation. Her fingers hooked into his shirt, tugging him closer like she’d been waiting weeks for this exact mont.
"Mmm... so that’s how you ’silence’ ," she murmured against his lips, her breath warm and teasing.
Cassian grinned, hands sliding to her waist. "Oh, I’ve got other ways too... and not all of them are ant to shut you up."
Lumine arched a brow, her fingers curling into his shirt as she pulled him a little closer. "Then what," she asked with a sly smile, "are they supposed to make ?"
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