[Flashback]
Lola leaned against the headboard, a tablet resting on her lap, fingers dancing over the holographic map of the Ravah Territory. She zoomed in, added routes, annotated blind spots — every detail counted. But after a moment, her hands stilled, her eyes losing focus on the glowing screen.
Atlas, who had been reading beside her, caught the shift in her breathing before he even saw her expression. Slowly, he closed his book, turning not just his head, but his entire body toward her. His arm slipped behind her shoulders in a subtle protective gesture.
"Something bothering you?" he asked softly, though he already suspected the reason.
Lola pressed her lips together before determination flickered in her eyes.
"I need to go," she said.
Atlas blinked once. "Where?"
She tapped the map. "Here. Ravah."
"No."
She sighed. "Baby—"
"No," he repeated, this time with razor-sharp firmness. "I'm not sending you to Ravah, Lola."
