Eli opened his eyes when he heard keys tapping.
He blanked out for a sec - under him, the sofa felt more cushioned than that bus stop seat, though kinda bumpy, while the scent of stale brew and grit hung in air like it wasn't from anywhere familiar. That's when memories rushed in - not long ago, icy dawn, Hopper snapping orders, then the heat off the cup he gripped till his hands quit trembling.
He sat inside the police station.
He pushed himself up, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes. At the desk, Hopper hammered keys - like he'd rather smash them than write.
You're on, Hopper muttered, eyes elsewhere.
"Yeah," Eli said, scrubbing at his eyes. His gut rumbled - so loud Hopper actually looked over.
"Kid, when's the last time you ate?"
Eli paused - way too long. Yet saying so might make others wonder. Still, silence felt safer than explaining.
"Yesterday morning," he said. "…I think."
Hopper let out a breath, stood up, then shuffled off to the small cooking corner. "Alright, move it. I've got breakfast stuff - cereal. 'Cause donuts? Nah, that's not actual food."
Eli trailed behind, arms tucked tight into the baggy sweatshirt some person had tossed on him. A bowl of cereal swimming in milk appeared before him - Hopper set it down - and he dove in like food hadn't touched his lips for days. The guy watched sideways, acting clueless about how wild each bite looked.
A soft glow slipped into Eli's thoughts.
Hunger gone. Yet stamina improved by two. Meanwhile mental focus is now steady.
He almost smiled.
"Better?" Hopper asked.
"A lot."
Hopper nodded and crossed his arms. "Good. Social services opens in about an hour. Someone named Valerie will come by, ask a few questions, figure out where you're supposed to go. She's not scary."
Queries. Eli shot down the thought right away - 'cause they pointed out gaps in a tale he'd hardly pieced together.
Hopper noticed his tension instantly. "Relax. Nobody's throwing you in a cell. You're not in trouble."
I know, Eli said quietly - yet his gut clenched tight.
Morning commuters trickled into the station. Then came deputies Powell and Callahan - eyes flicking toward Eli like locals do when someone's out of place. He stared at his shoes, hoping the worn-out couch would swallow him whole.
Hopper returned with a stack of blank forms. "Flo's printing the paperwork we need. Just hang tight."
Eli gave a nod, drawing his knees close, shrinking into himself. People's doubt hung around - he knew grown-ups always side-eyed kids without parents nearby. Still, bit by bit, things eased, eyes shifting elsewhere. That quiet power the System handed him - called Calming Presence - was actually working.
Flo showed up a bit later - big bag in hand, steaming cup on the go, plus that look people get when they've already figured things out. Though she didn't say much, her eyes darted around like she was connecting dots no one else saw yet. Still, the vibe said she knew more than she let on.
"Well," she said, "aren't you just a little thing."
Eli stiffened.
"Flo - " Hopper warned.
"I know, I know. Don't interrogate him." She waved a hand dramatically. "But I'm allowed to observe. You're, what - twelve?"
He nodded.
"Pretty young to be wandering around in the cold, sweetie."
"I wasn't wandering," he said softly. "I just… woke up here."
Flo's expression went stiff, yet she stayed quiet. "Still feeling peckish? There's mint candy around."
"Yeah, sure," he blurted out without thinking.
Flo laughed, then chucked one his way. Hopper grinned back.
"You're spoiling him already."
"Better me than you," she said. "Kids need kindness."
Eli slipped the candy into his pocket - seemed important somehow.
A couple minutes after that, Hopper dragged a seat over and sat down facing him.
"Before social services gets here, I need your story straight," he said. "Not a novel. Just enough so Valerie doesn't think you're running from a drug cartel."
Eli swallowed. "…Okay."
"'Woke up outside town.' That's all you remember?"
He nodded. "I didn't mean to come here. I don't know how I got there. I don't remember a lot."
"Brain bump?" Hopper said.
"I don't think so."
"Family?"
Eli glanced at the ground. "Uh... can't say I do."
Hopper leaned back with a long exhale. "Kid, I believe you. But usually this kind of thing comes with a missing kid report."
Eli froze.
The words struck deeper than he thought they would. Not just a child gone - someone out there searching. Worried sick, maybe. One person who cares.
Only nobody did.
"I don't think anyone's looking for me," he said quietly.
Hopper's face shifted - frustration, sadness, a urge to shield mixed up. Emotions the series suggested yet rarely laid out plain.
"Alright," Hopper said quietly. "One step at a time."
A tiny spark flickered in Eli's thoughts - Hopper giving him just a bit more faith.
As soon as Valerie showed up, things felt different. Maybe mid-thirties, gaze alert, a clipboard squeezed under one arm instead of carried loose. Built to catch what didn't add up.
She smiled gently at him. "Hey. I guess you're Eli."
He nodded.
"Can I sit with you?"
"Okay."
She took a seat next to him instead of opposite - felt more relaxed that way. Clever move.
"I just want to talk a little," she said. "Nothing scary."
Eli looked over at Hopper - Hopper just barely nodded back.
Valerie began by asking basic stuff.
"What do you remember before waking up here?"
"Do you know your birthday?"
"Any allergies?"
"Any idea where your parents might be?"
Eli kept that hazy, broken way of talking - honest, but holding back. Valerie wrote things down, sometimes pausing with a scowl. Meanwhile, Hopper stayed alert, eyes sharp, always on edge.
Finally, she shut the clipboard.
"I'll need to make some calls," she said. "But… it's possible he'll need temporary placement. I'll start that process today."
"Where exactly should it go?" Hopper said, tone tense.
"With a foster family, ideally."
Hopper clenched his teeth tight. Meanwhile, Eli felt a sudden drop in his gut.
A foster home brought unfamiliar faces. Different daily habits. Hidden risks. On top of that - extra chaos in a life he barely kept steady.
Valerie stood. "I'll be back tomorrow morning with more information. Until then, Sheriff, he stays with you."
"Okay," Hopper replied - kinda quiet, like he was shielding something.
Once she was gone, Hopper waved at Eli to come sit again on the sofa.
"You did good," he said gruffly. "Really good."
"Thanks," Eli murmured.
"You're safe here for the night. I'm not letting anyone drag you around until we know what's going on."
A glow crept into Eli's ribs. Could've been dumb luck. Might mess up every little thing.
Yet now, after getting here, he sensed a bit less loneliness than before.
Hopper returned to filling out forms, yet Eli noticed those glances now and then. He peeled off the wrapper from the mint candy, letting it dissolve slowly. That sugary taste hit hard - stronger than expected - after all he'd been through.
It was tiring, yet nothing scary happened.
Right now, he's got heat, shelter - plus a person looking out for him.
[System Update Detected]
Your physical and mental state has stabilized.
Detailed numeric statistics are no longer required for normal functioning.
Core Functions Adjusted:
• Physical attributes → now regulated automatically
• Emotional balance → supported when necessary
• Passives → remain active and may evolve
• Quests → will continue to be issued when relevant
• New abilities → will manifest naturally when conditions are met
InterfaceSimplified
Numeric stat sheets will no longer appear until a major change occurs.
Eli frowned at the shifting screen as the numbers faded away.
"…So it's changing on its own now?"
The System stayed quiet, but something told him this was normal.
Tomorrow'll come with extra doubts - then tougher choices, then heavier loads.
But today?
Now, he got a break.
And he did.