Invisible string

CVR + AMR, SS, VC

The city lights shimmered like stars scattered below the horizon, as the soft hum of evening settled over Stellis. Mialotte sat at a small outdoor café tucked into a quiet corner of the promenade, her fingers curled around a warm porcelain cup. She had chosen the spot for its quiet charm—but mostly because Shivian had once mentioned it in passing, saying the tiramisu here was "almost criminally good."

She wasn't waiting long.

Shivian approached with that effortless poise of his—cool, deliberate steps, a subtle smile that tugged just at the corners of his mouth. He wore a charcoal blazer over a black turtleneck, understated but sharp. She couldn't help but notice the way his gaze softened the moment he saw her.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting," he said, slipping into the seat across from her.

"Only long enough to memorize the menu," Mialotte replied with a teasing smile.

He chuckled, low and quiet. "Then I'll trust your judgment. Order something sweet?"

She nodded. "I got the tiramisu. For scientific verification."

The waiter brought it over, and Shivian leaned slightly forward, a glint in his eye. "Shall we share? I'd hate for your verdict to be... biased."

She cut a forkful and offered it to him without a word. He raised a brow, amused but not surprised, and accepted the bite gracefully.

A pause.

"Verdict?" she asked.

He wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin, then gave a mock-serious nod. "You were right. Criminally good. I might need to open a case."

Mialotte laughed—a sound that came more easily with him than it did with most people. "Then I'll be your co-counsel."

Their conversation wandered like the stars overhead—through memories, through work, through things neither of them had said out loud until now. Shivian rarely let his guard down, but tonight... he did. At least a little.

He leaned closer, voice quieter now. "It's strange. I spend my days untangling lies, reading faces, waiting for the worst in people. But when I'm with you, I don't... look for anything. I just am."

She blinked, the sincerity in his voice catching her off-guard. He wasn't always this open. But tonight wasn't about masks.

"I know what you mean," she said softly. "With you, I don't feel like I need to prove anything. Or hide anything."

A beat of silence passed between them, filled with the low music playing in the café and the occasional clink of plates. Then Shivian reached across the table and gently took her hand.

No more words were needed.

In that moment, under the quiet glow of fairy lights and stars, they weren't lawyers, or investigators, or burdened by the weight of justice.

They were just two people. Sharing something real.