She had dragged herself into a storm without meaning to. She has no one to blame for her bad luck. Or maybe the crop was just an excuse for their earlier meeting... Liora had a hunch that even if she had not taken the crops, she would have still met him under different circumstances.
After all, she did not plan to lay low, and one day her base would definitely catch his attention. She could fool people from her planet, but not the people from the Spire.
She looked up again, but before she could say anything, Atlas suddenly stopped walking. Liora bumped into his arm slightly and looked up at him.
"Why did you stop?" she asked.
Atlas looked at her for a long second, his face unreadable.
Then he smiled softly, reached out, and flicked her forehead with his finger.
Liora blinked, stunned for a second.
"Don't worry," he said quietly. "As long as I'm here… he won't be able to touch even a strand of your hair."
That warmth… that gentleness…
