Huge grin planted firmly on my face, I slip into my apartment where River and Kirby already sit at the kitchen table, boxes of board games stacked beside them. I can feel their eyes on me as I tug off my shoes, plop my backpack on the living room couch, and pull open the fridge, looking for a quick snack.

Kirby’s the first to speak up, “Looks like someone pulled themself out of the gloom gutter.”

“Got a little bit of a pick-me-up at the coffee shop today,” ...