"Hello?" Aurora blinked and pressed the phone closer to her ear, the cracked speaker muffling a warm, tired voice. "Hi," the voice said, soft and steady. "Is this Aurora?" She almost dropped the phone into her cup of instant noodles. "Who is this?" "Jonas," he answered. "From Wake. You posted the night shift photo. I thought—might be the same Aurora." She laughed, too loud for the alley behind the coffee chain. A man walked past, glanced, and walked on. "You're joking." "No joke." A pause. Then a sound clip played in her ear: a short laugh, a clatter of mechanical keys, a background hum she couldn't place. She closed her eyes and heard herself smile. "That's... weirdly normal." "You sound tired," he said. "Night shift?" "Yeah." She lifted the styrofoam cup and took a bite, the noodles too hot and perfect. "You work nights too?" "Depends," he said. "Mostly caffeine and pixel light. Gaming cafes, streaming rooms. I study at TechCore in another town. I come online when I'm supposed to study and when I'm supposed to sleep." "That sounds chaotic." "It is." He made a small, amused sound. "But it works. Tell me about these noodles." She described them because it was safe. Descriptions felt small and manageable. "Plain, too salty, I sprinkle chili oil." "Aurora sprinkles chili oil like it's a secret rebellion," Jonas said. "Cute." She snapped the phone shut with a short laugh. "Stop. You're making me blush