Nancy slipped into her favorite grey sweatshirt and black shorts, then added a pair of small silver earrings, glancing at herself in the mirror with a smile. Her fingers brushed over the triangular pendant resting against her chest, a gesture that had beco her everyday habit.
Tyson had given her the most precious gift, but she was also looking forward to getting another from him tonight. When she checked the ti, it was almost 5: 30 p.m.
At the bedroom door, her mother leaned against the fra, a soft smile on her lips. She didn’t need to ask why Nancy looked so excited—she could feel it, even if Nancy had only called it "just a date with Tyson."
Nancy took a deep breath and gave herself one last look in the mirror before slinging her purse over her shoulder. There were butterflies in her chest. She knew Tyson was planning sothing. He was an open book to her—nervous, fidgety, overthinking everything. Still, she hadn’t said a word, she did not want to ruin his mont, or the process and besides she herself had been nervous ever since Seraphina got married.
Thinking that at any ti Tyson will aslo propose her and the day has finaly co, even if he wanted to be a secrete, She could tell from his eyes what he wants...maybe be more than himself.
"I’ll be fine," she whispered to herself. But as she turned to leave, she nearly jumped. "Mom!"
Mrs. Winters raised an amused eyebrow. "Just make sure you enjoy every mont, sweetheart."
Nancy blushed and nodded, then waved goodbye before stepping out.
As she walked down the street, her phone buzzed. A ssage from Emily "Congrats in advance"
Nancy’s heart skipped, her lips curving into a wide smile.
It seed to her Tyson was seriously going to propose tonight. And she couldn’t wait to say yes. "You silly guy... why’d you make wait this long?" she whispered to herself.
Her phone buzzed again, speaking of the Devil.
Tyson’s ssage ca, "Sorry, I’ll be late."
She paused, smiling, "I’ll wait for you." She almost added as long as you need... but stopped herself. that will be overkill no?
She was ready—ready to start a new Chapter in their lives. But then sothing in her chest stirred uneasily, a flicker of doubt she couldn’t na. What if things didn’t go the way they imagined? What if sothing bad happened? What if their happy mont got ruined by soone or sothing?
She cupped her cheeks gently, trying to calm herself. "Don’t be anxious," she whispered to her reflection in a shop window. "What could possibly go wrong?"
----
Tyson stared at the triangular-shaped diamond ring resting in his palm. He had spent the whole day running around town just to find this exact design. The plan had co together only the night before—with a lot of help from his unofficial love guru...Seraphina Carver-Roger, his sister-in-law.
Sera had planned everything. From the dinner location to the suit, he was wearing. She had even roped in Lucy, quietly asking her to assist Tyson without letting Nancy suspect a thing.
His phone buzzed. A ssage from Sera lit up the screen "You can do it!"
"I can," Tyson said aloud with a smile and took a step forward—then stopped dead in his tracks. "Shit. Flowers. I forgot the flowers."
He groaned, rembering how disappointed Nancy had been the last ti he’d shown up at her ho, and only got flowers for her mother but this ti, he wanted everything to be perfect.
Quickly, he typed a ssage to Nancy "Sorry, I’ll be late."
Then he turned to rember where the location was, the sa shop Lucy had told him where the most beautiful flowers were sold. "I’m coming," he whispered with determination.
Across the street, hidden in the shadows, Ryzen watched with narrowed eyes, visibly confused.
"What the hell is he doing?" he muttered.
"Humans," his ta-bot chid, voice laced with sarcasm.
"Shut up," Ryzen snapped. His lip curled as he kept watching. "Why do I feel embarrassed on his behalf? That idiot just spent the whole day stumbling around like a zombie, finally got the ring, and still forgot the damn flowers?"
The ta-bot humd. "Hmm... and what about them? Why have they been following him since morning?"
Ryzen’s eyes shifted to the group lingering not far behind Tyson—three odd-looking youngsters and a girl who stood out instantly. She grabbed the tall guy by his hair and yanked hard.
"Shut up before I kill you, Ken," she snarled.
"I just stated the obvious!" the guy shouted, flailing. "And why do you even care? You have !"
"Fuck you," Lara spat, then dashed after Tyson, the rest of the group trailing behind her. One of them lagged behind, barely keeping pace.
Ryzen tilted his head, intrigued, "The hunt just got interesting."
---
Nancy sat at a small café table by the roadside, her grey sweatshirt sleeves pulled slightly over her hands. The evening lights flickered as Her purse rested in her lap, her fingers gently tracing the edge of the triangular pendant around her neck.
She glanced at the empty chair across from her and smiled faintly, then looked down at her phone screen—still no new ssage from him and he was late as usual.
Cars passed. People laughed in the distance. A couple walked by holding hands But in her chest, sothing stirred. A strange restlessness. A soft unease she couldn’t na. Like the sky before a storm, still and beautiful, yet heavy.
She exhaled, trying to shake the feeling, then rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed on the street corner where she expected him to appear.
At a distance, Ryuk stood watching her.
She looked even more beautiful than the photo Steve had shown him—like the female lead from one of the novels he read. The wind teased her hair, the way it looked made his chest feel tight.
"Hi, I’m Ryuk. You probably don’t know , but I’ve known you for a while," he whispered to himself. "No, no—don’t take it the wrong way. I’m from Babylon. You know Steve, right? H-he took in when—"
"Jeez, just go talk to her already," the black ta-bot buzzed from under his hoodie. "Oh, don’t tell her beauty got you all srized."
Ryuk looked at her again—the way she sat so calmly, how her pendant caught the light, how her fingers drumd gently on the table. A small smile crept onto his face.
"So, you’ve finally taken interest in soone," the ta-bot teased. "Don’t try to deny it. I can read the chemical reactions in your body. I might not understand feelings, but I sure as hell can detect them."
"It’s not like that," Ryuk muttered. "Besides, I don’t even know who she’s waiting for. What if it’s her boyfriend?"
"Or a friend?" the ta-bot replied casually. "You never know unless you shoot your shot... Man, I’m getting good at human lingo."
Ryuk ignored the comnt and took a deep breath. It’s just talking. It’ll be fine.
"If I had eyes," the ta-bot added, "I’d be rolling them right now. Like those characters in your dramatic romance books—"
"Quiet," Ryuk hissed. "You’ll scare her."
"Excuse ? What am I, a monster?"
Ryuk stepped forward despite his wobbling legs. His voice ca out louder than expected. "A-ah, miss—I know you!"
Nancy looked up from her table, puzzled, at the figure in the dark hoodie with a half-hidden face.
"Sorry! I didn’t an it that way. I just..." Ryuk fumbled, his words collapsing. "C-can you tell where this is?"
He showed her the sa bus station address he’d arrived from, his hand trembling slightly.
Nancy arched an eyebrow, then pointed down the road. "That way."
Ryuk nodded quickly, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "Thanks a lot."
"RYUK!" the ta-bot suddenly spoke up, a red light flashing under his hoodie.
Nancy blinked. That voice—chanical, yet unlike anything artificial she’d heard. It wasn’t like a standard AI assistant. There was sothing deeper. Older.
"I told you to shut up!" Ryuk hissed, noticing her curious gaze. "It’s just my AI. It... makes music. Sotis."
"HE IS HERE," the ta-bot spoke again. "I CAN SENSE HIM."
"Who?" Ryuk whispered, now looking around.
Nancy’s eyes widened slightly. Ryuk? Did he just say... Ryuk?
She had heard that na before. A rising ranger. Around 54 Power Point. Predicted by her father—years ago—to hold a ta-bot Pri. The sa ta-bot Pri that hadn’t been seen in decades. A potential future powerhouse.
"Wait... are you Ryuk—the Black Pri?" she asked, stunned.
Ryuk blinked, his face half-hidden. "Y-you know ?"
Nancy stood, intrigued. "Uncle Steve told about you."
"He did?" Ryuk murmured. If he’d known she had been briefed about him, he could’ve skipped all that awkward rambling.
"RYUK!" the ta-bot blared again. "THE PURPLE IS HERE!"
Ryuk’s eyes widened. Across the street—sothing. A flicker. A pressure. His ta-bot had sensed another Pri.
The Purple.
"Are you okay?" Nancy asked.
But before she got her answer, Ryuk darted into the street, weaving between cars.
"Hey! Where are you going?" she shouted.
"I’ll be back!" he called over his shoulder.
Nancy stood wondering, That was weird but again she was here for Tyson. She took a sit back, thinking about the event just happned.
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