Anna crept closer to the room's door, each step quiet and measured. Her fingers tightened around the small aether gun Nova had given her—a last-minute gift for emergencies, one he hadn't expected her to ever use.
Pressing her ear to the door, she tried to still her breath. Muffled voices drifted from inside.
"…can't believe this is where they're staying. This dump looks better than the rats' nests we got back when we were still living here."
"Yeah, and they're not even locals. Outsiders getting special treatment? How's that fair?"
"It's favoritism. Pure and simple."
"We should teach them a little lesson. Let's see how they like it when they come back to a place in ruins."
Anna's grip tightened.
'They think this is favoritism? This place was a wreck when we arrived. I spent hours scrubbing every corner, fixing what I could. And now they want to destroy it just because they're jealous?'
