INTERLUDE — JEALOUSY HAS A WAY OF SHOWING
Blackfell was closer than either of them expected. The streets were busier than the places they had passed through recently, filled with survivors, merchants, travelers, and the distant noise of generators working somewhere beyond the buildings. After days of roads, abandoned facilities, and places that seemed determined to kill them, the sight of a functioning bar was almost comforting. They decided to stop for a while before continuing toward their final destination.
The bar was crowded enough to make them disappear into the noise. L1R1 sat beside Crow at one of the tables, listening more than speaking while he occasionally commented on the people around them. It was nothing unusual. They had done this countless times during their journey—shared rooms, cabins, abandoned buildings, wherever they could find somewhere safe enough to sleep. Sitting together in a bar was hardly different.
At least, it wasn't supposed to be.
A man approached their table after a while, looking between the two of them with an amused expression.
“Are you two married?”
L1R1 looked at Crow.
Crow looked at her.
“No,” they answered almost at the same time.
The man laughed softly.
“Could've fooled me.”
He stayed for a moment, making small talk. At first, neither of them thought much of it. But after a few minutes, his attention shifted almost entirely toward L1R1. He asked where she was from, where they were headed, and how long they had been traveling together. His questions gradually became less about the journey and more about her.
Then came the compliments.
Her eyes.
Her appearance.
The way she carried herself.
L1R1 answered politely, never encouraging him, but she didn't see a reason to leave either. Crow, meanwhile, had become unusually quiet.
He crossed his arms.
His foot started tapping against the floor.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
The rhythm became increasingly impatient, the heel of his boot hitting the floor over and over while he stared somewhere beyond the conversation. He didn't interrupt. He didn't make a sarcastic comment. He didn't even look particularly angry.
He just kept tapping his foot.
L1R1 noticed.
She glanced at him briefly.
Crow stopped.
For about three seconds.
Then his foot started again.
Eventually, he pushed himself away from the table.
“I'll get another drink.”
He walked toward the other side of the bar without waiting for an answer.
L1R1 watched him go.
She didn't know what had gotten into him.
She would have asked, if he hadn't immediately found someone else to talk to.
A woman was standing near the counter, and somehow Crow ended up beside her. At first, it looked accidental. Then he started talking.
And smiling.
Actually smiling.
The woman laughed at something he said, and Crow leaned slightly closer so he could hear her over the noise.
L1R1's expression barely changed.
But the man sitting beside her noticed that her attention was no longer on him.
“You okay?”
“I'm fine.”
She took another sip of her drink.
Across the room, Crow glanced in her direction.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Crow turned back to the woman.
L1R1 looked away.
She didn't know why that bothered her.
She also didn't like the fact that it did.
The rest of the evening continued like that. Neither of them openly acknowledged the other. Crow kept talking to the woman. L1R1 continued her conversation with the man, though her answers became shorter and her attention increasingly distracted.
It was childish.
They both knew it.
Neither of them stopped.
Eventually, the man offered L1R1 another drink.
She declined.
Not long after, she stood.
“I'm going outside.”
Crow looked over at the sound of her voice.
“Okay.”
That was all.
She left.
A few seconds later, Crow stopped smiling.
The woman beside him was still talking, but he was barely listening anymore.
He looked toward the door.
Then at his drink.
Then back toward the door.
He sighed.
This was stupid.
By the time they reached the lodging house, neither of them had mentioned the bar.
The place was small and old, but it had electricity, running water, and—most importantly—vacant rooms.
The receptionist checked the records and shook her head.
“Only one room left.”
Neither of them reacted.
Crow simply looked at L1R1.
She looked back.
They had slept in the same rooms before. Sometimes on opposite sides of a ruined building, sometimes on the same floor of an abandoned house, sometimes barely separated by a few feet of broken furniture. After everything they had been through together, sharing a room was the least strange thing about their lives.
“Fine,” Crow said.
They took the key.
Upstairs, the room was simple. A bed, a small desk, a chair, a window overlooking part of Blackfell, and barely enough space for everything they carried.
L1R1 placed her things down.
Crow removed his jacket.
Neither mentioned the bar.
For several minutes, the room was filled only with small sounds—the click of equipment being set aside, fabric shifting, footsteps across the wooden floor.
L1R1 sat on the edge of the bed.
Crow leaned against the wall.
Silence.
More silence.
Then, finally:
“What did he want with you?”
L1R1 looked up.
“The man from the bar?”
Crow shrugged.
“I don't know.”
“He was flirting with you.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
She studied him for a moment.
“Then why did you ask?”
Crow looked away.
“I was just curious.”
L1R1 almost smiled.
“You're a terrible liar.”
“I wasn't lying.”
“You were.”
He sighed.
She crossed her arms.
“You seemed pretty interested in that woman.”
Crow looked back at her.
“I was talking to her.”
“So was I.”
“I didn't say you couldn't.”
“Neither did I.”
“Then what's the problem?”
“There isn't one.”
Crow stared at her.
She stared back.
There was very clearly a problem.
He pushed himself away from the wall.
“You were smiling at him.”
“You were smiling at her.”
“I was being polite.”
“So was I.”
“He was flirting with you.”
“She was flirting with you.”
“I wasn't interested.”
“Neither was I.”
Silence.
That answer seemed to stop both of them.
Crow looked at her.
L1R1 looked away first.
Neither had said anything particularly revealing.
And yet, somehow, they had both said too much.
Crow took a slow breath.
“So why were you acting like that?”
L1R1 turned back toward him.
“Like what?”
“You know what I mean.”
She remained silent.
He took another step closer.
“You were annoyed.”
“So were you.”
“I wasn't.”
“You were tapping your foot like you were trying to break the floor.”
Crow paused.
L1R1's expression softened just enough to show that she had noticed the whole time.
“You noticed that?”
“I notice things.”
He let out a quiet laugh.
“Of course you do.”
Another silence settled between them.
This one felt different.
Less defensive.
More honest.
Crow looked at her for a long moment before speaking again.
“I didn't like the way he was looking at you.”
L1R1's eyes stayed on his.
“Why?”
Crow opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He looked down for a moment, almost frustrated with himself.
“I don't know.”
It was the closest thing to an answer he could give.
L1R1 didn't push him.
She only nodded.
Then she stood.
She walked toward the small table near the window, but when she passed him, Crow's hand moved almost instinctively.
His fingers closed gently around her wrist.
She stopped.
Neither of them spoke.
He looked at his hand around her wrist, then slowly released her.
“Sorry.”
She didn't move away.
Instead, she turned toward him.
They were closer now.
Much closer than they had been a moment ago.
Crow looked into her eyes.
Then, almost unconsciously, his gaze dropped to her lips.
L1R1 noticed.
He knew she noticed.
Neither looked away.
His hand lifted slightly, as if he were about to touch her face.
He stopped before making contact.
The same hesitation.
The same invisible line neither of them seemed ready to cross.
L1R1 didn't step back this time.
For a few seconds, they simply stood there, close enough to feel each other's breath, neither willing to break the moment and neither brave enough to finish it.
Crow's fingers hovered near her cheek.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“This is probably a terrible idea.”
“Probably.”
She didn't move.
Neither did he.
Then footsteps sounded in the hallway outside.
They separated almost immediately.
Crow cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.
L1R1 looked toward the window.
“It's late.”
“Yeah.”
“We should sleep.”
“Yeah.”
Neither moved for another second.
Then Crow finally stepped away.
“Good night, Elone.”
“Good night, Crow.”
They turned in opposite directions.
But neither of them slept right away.
The distance between them had never felt so small.
And whatever had started between them was becoming harder to dismiss as exhaustion, coincidence, or the aftermath of nearly dying together.
They had both noticed.
Neither of them was ready to say it.
🎮 Once Human
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