"Sh. Quiet..." FrostNova's breath misted in the chill air as she glanced towards the sleeping figures. "They're sleeping."

"Oh, sorry. Shh," Talulah replied, her voice soft, treading the line between concern and curiosity. "They trained all day?"

"The kid with the dark hair looks like he could handle a bow," FrostNova observed, her gaze lingering on a slight figure huddled under a rough blanket. "But he'll need to grow a bit."

"Then let them sleep. But..." Talulah's voice trailed off, filled with a lingering worry.

"I'm about to leave. I'm dropping the temperature too much. They'll catch a cold," FrostNova murmured.

"Sorry to bother you,"

"You didn't. It's just the one with the white hair... he's a light sleeper. If I don't sing to him, he has night terrors. I don't know what he's been through," FrostNova confessed, a note of sadness threading through her words.

"Time heals all wounds." Talulah tried to sound reassuring, though her eyes were troubled. "Is your father still working on tomorrow's battle plan? He told me something about an Ursus Infected transport center."

"He has to think carefully, keep our losses low. He always tells me to pay attention to that," FrostNova said.

"It's already so late," Talulah murmured, her gaze drifting to the window where the night pressed dark against the glass.

"I've never seen him sleep. Not once,"

"Heroes need rest too. The other fighters should've taken some,"

"Think of yourself before him. Who was that you reached out to a few days ago? Where were they from?" Talulah asked, trying to divert the conversation to lighter matters.

"Lyudmila and Alex. Looks like they've been around Chernobog. They know the city well,"

"That's a big city," Talulah noted, pondering the possibilities.

"Yes. And with lots of Infected in it. We might be able to bring them in... with the right plan," FrostNova considered. "Lyudmila and the people with her seem strong. I think they might become dependable allies, even if they're a little ornery right now."

"Ornery as those of us fighting the Ursus Army all the time?"

"Chernobog. It's too far, and too many things stand in our way. How many years would it take? Three or four still wouldn't get us there," FrostNova sighed, the weight of the reality pressing down.

"Even if we don't fight it or stop it... it will have to come to us. With the efforts of the Infected in the city, we can build a city of our own," Talulah mused, hope flickering in her voice.

"And maybe, in three or four years' time... we'll be looking at tomorrow. Tomorrow is so close."

"I like the sound of that," FrostNova admitted, a small smile gracing her features. "Get some rest."

"Right. Good night," Talulah replied, her voice now steady, imbued with newfound determination. "Good night, Sasha, and Eno."

"Hurry back. I'll send the kids to the settlement soon," FrostNova called softly as Talulah departed.

"Right. My brothers and sisters..." Talulah whispered, her voice fading into the night as she stepped out into the cold.

...

If that dream had only continued on... Her rage had burnt it to ash, and the idea of Reunion was nothing but cinders. Lamenting on what Kashchey- no, on what she had done,Talulah stared listlessly in her cell, her mind wandering through the corridors of the past. The door creaked open, and Blaze pushed FrostNova's wheelchair in. The caster was now clad in the clothes of a Rhodes Island operator.

They stared at each other, the air thick with the history and hardships they had both endured. Silence stretched between them like a chasm until FrostNova, Yelena, finally broke it, her voice resonant with the weight of resignation and resolve.

"Reunion has disbanded. My father, that stubborn old man, along with the shieldguards, plans to head back into Ursus territory to continue the fight for the Infected." Her eyes flickered with a hint of pride mixed with sorrow.

"Faust has joined them. Crownslayer has disappeared, W has allied with Rhodes Island, and Mephisto... he's dead." She sighed deeply, the loss evident in her posture. "After the masked man dealt with that monster, there was nothing left of Eno."

She shifted her gaze to the ground, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "Nine has rallied those who still believe in the cause, along with some of Lungmen's infected. They're trying to revive the movement." Talulah's eyes lit up slightly, a spark of hope in the dullness of her confinement. She expressed a genuine wish for their success, a stark contrast to her own perceived failure.

FrostNova nodded appreciatively, then shared more of their plans. "Rhodes Island is plotting a course to Victoria, planning stops in Leithania and Kazimierz along the way."

Intrigued, Talulah leaned forward. "Is it because of the rumors about Londinium being occupied by Sarkaz mercenaries?"

"Exactly," FrostNova confirmed. "And I'll be part of a team heading through Sami to the Icefields. We need to intercept whatever those foreigners are planning."

Curiosity mixed with concern furrowed Talulah's brow. "What has Rhodes Island discovered about them? Even the Deathless Black Snake didn't recognize their arts."

FrostNova shook her head, her expression grave. "It wasn't arts they used. The masked operator, Roland, is also from there and explained a bit about the City. It doesn't employ arts but relies on advanced technology. They're governed by The Head and other Wings, entities that allow corporations to experiment freely on its citizens." Her voice grew soft, filled with a grim acceptance of the harsh realities of that place.

"Syndicates there kill for inscrutable reasons and fight deadly turf wars. Sweepers emerge nightly to prey on any unfortunate souls they find. It's a place where violence and cannibalism are simply facts of life."

Talulah recoiled slightly, her face a mask of horror. "That's horrifying..."

"Indeed," FrostNova agreed, her tone hardening with determination. "The agents who defeated you were from The Head and need to be stopped." She pulled out an Operator recruitment form and slid it across the table toward Talulah. "We can make arrangements for your identity; it's manageable."

Talulah hesitated, her eyes tracing the lines of the form but not touching it. "I turned Reunion into something monsterous. I have to atone for that."

Yelena's expression softened, empathy coloring her stern features. "You were driven by grief after Alina's death and manipulated by that Snake in the end. It's not all on you."

Talulah's voice was thick with emotion as she posed a poignant question, "Do you think the Infected can genuinely find happiness, or are they doomed to be used and discarded?"

"You know the answer to that," Yelena responded gently, pushing the pen closer to Talulah.

After a moment of contemplation, filled with the weight of their shared past and the potential of a redemptive future, Talulah picked up the pen. Her hand was steady, her resolve clear. "Perhaps it's time I start making amends."