8. Hollow City

The Present

Naia tucked a piece of silver strand behind her ear and cleared her throat.She did not know what to say.

It was the first quiet moment between her and Ronin since rushing to leave the island. The shock and panic of Solaris finding her tangled in the pit of her stomach through the entire ferry ride across the bay and as they waited in line for a train ticket. She barely registered Ronin's guidance, her eyes too busy scanning every face surrounding them.

Like a two-year-old, she found herself captivated by the smallest of things. Vehicles and trains hadn't been invented when Naia first emerged on mortal soil.

When they first boarded, she tried to hide her awe-struck behavior as they passed down the aisles of the passengers sitting neck and neck. She followed Ronin to the next train car filled with individual little nooks, isolated from the others.

Their nook held the scent of leather, the color of a pecan, and a large window to gaze out of.

The constant mix of fascination and worry left her mentally exhausted.

"Wouldn't it have been faster for us to travel by quicker transportation?" The question left her in an attempt to strike up conversation. Anything to fixate on beside her thoughts.

Not that the train wasn't traveling at a great speed. Public transportation unsettled her greatly. They were out in the open, exposed for Solaris to appear at any moment.

"My car is at the station, about four hours from the city." Across from her, Ronin lowered his canned beverage to answer her. "I take the train to the ferry when I travel to and from the island."

He rested casually in his seat, long legs spread, like a cat lounging in its tree, his expression so at ease that it grated on Naia's nerves.

Do you know how close you were to death earlier? She wanted to snap at him.

He could've become a charred pile of flesh in less than a second. Though Naia couldn't fathom Solaris killing a mortal, their praises meant too much to him.

Naia pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to not bite Ronin's head off, because doing so would ultimately confess to her situation. If Ronin knew the dangers chasing her, he would no doubt abandon her. And as much as Naia's pride loathed to admit, Ronin leading the way into Hollow City made her life abundantly easier.

"I suppose that makes sense," she murmured.

It would take minimal effort for Solaris to infiltrate the train. He could hide in plain sight, his presence masked, silently scheming to bring her back.

Naia suppressed a shudder, trying not to think about how long Solaris had spied on her at the festival before making his presence known. Worst of all, she had not sensed him whatsoever—his aura, his power, his eyes on her. Her failure only plummeted her confidence to make it to Finnian before getting caught.

Ronin took another swig of his beverage in a can.

Naia squinted her eyes to read the crisp font plastered on the front of it. NITRO COLD brEW.

"What are you drinking?" she asked.

"Coffee. You want some?" He extended the can to her.

She shook her head."I was simply curious."

"Do you like coffee?"

"I've never had it."

He choked on his large swig—a dramatic fit of coughing and bloodshot eyes collecting with moisture. "Are you shitting me?"

She blinked at him, the visual of his choice of words hard to imagine. "No, I am not shitting you. Where I am from, we drink tea."

Ronin continued to stare at her as if she were an anomaly.

She held her breath, hoping he would not ask a personal follow-up question.

"Okay," he said after a beat. "Well, it has caffeine in it, so it helps if you're tired."

Naia hadn't considered the annoying daily needs mortals faced—hunger, bladder capacity, sleep. It prompted her to steal a closer look at the exhaustion tugging on the corner of his eyes, noting how his complexion had grown dull since leaving the island, and the texture of his hair now had a glossy shine to it from an oily scalp, indicating he needed to bathe.

It made her a little more grateful for her divinity, while also making her painfully aware of how abnormal she probably came off to him at such an odd hour.

"Thanks." She turned her head towards the window. "But I'm an insomniac. The late hours don't affect me."

Another term she knew from studying the health of mortals—or rather the anxiety-inducing diseases that could plague them.

She could feel the bristling of his gaze against her cheek, studying her further as she peered through the light thunderstorm. Soft flashes of lightning illuminated the land, revealing fleeting silhouettes of majestic mountains and towering trees. The patter of raindrops against the glass created a mesmerizing pattern of miniature rivers.

"Are you going to tell me what has you so on edge?" Ronin asked.

Solaris. Mira. Marina. The fact that I could be cursed at any moment?—

A burst of anxiety shot through her bloodstream. She swallowed through the tightness in her throat.

Don't think about the curse. It doesn't exist. Store it away and move on.

Naia's eyes flickered to Ronin.

He was infuriatingly nonchalant as he waited for her to reply.

"Are you going to tell me what you do for a living to afford to seat us in such a luxurious part of the train?" she asked in return.

While she was half-paying attention during their journey to board the train, she did not miss the amount of money the gentlemen Ronin bought their tickets from said back upon payment. Naia had learned a thing or two about mortals and their money the first time she appeared on their land.

"A roomette is hardly luxurious. I'm no cheapskate, I like comfort over those cramped seats in the next car."

She glanced down at his knees resting a few feet from her own, when she understood what he meant.

They were both tall. The seats in the other train car were one right next to another from what she saw as they strolled down the aisle upon boarding. Their legs would've been cramping after the first hour.

She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "You didn't answer my question. What do you do for a living?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, as if he found her stubbornness amusing. "Answer mine first, considering I helped you off the island. Are you on the run?"

She did not respond.

Her silence only seemed to motivate his curiosity. He lifted an ankle onto his knee, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Are you a serial killer?"

She continued to ignore him.

"A psychopath?" He rubbed his jaw. "A convict?"

Naia rolled her eyes. "If I were any of those things, do you honestly think I would tell you?"

"Probably not."

Ronin discarded his can in the small trash dispenser near the door with an underhanded toss.

She fixed her attention out her window again. The movement of her head brushed Wren's tassel along the side of her neck. Knowing the hairpin was still in place brought her a wave of comfort. She'd secured it in a lousy bun to get her damp strands off her neck.

The train ride was peaceful—aside from Ronin's interrogation. It was a little past 3 AM, according to the clock above the door. The cabin was tranquil, with most passengers lost in slumber.

The storm persisted outside, the raindrops streaking down the window like veins.

"Have you ever been to Hollow City?" Ronin asked."It was founded by Finnian—the High God of Witchcraft and Sorcery."

A hub for witches and sorcerers to gather. Deities were not welcome.

Finnian's cleverness was always his second most troublesome quality.

"It's why most of its population are mages," Naia replied, proving she wasn't completely clueless about the place. "Tell me, is that why you live there?"

From the moment Finnian's name scoured the Mortal Land, Naia had kept up with his endeavors. She studied everything she could get her hands on about Hollow City. It was easy since she'd managed ways to keep the stock of library books up to date in the palace through servants' help. Once Finnian became a High God, researchers and historians wrote biographies about him.

Ronin gave a small laugh. "Mages?"

Naia blinked, unsure of what he found to be entertaining.

"Nowadays, we just call them witches," he said, smiling. "And you are partially correct. There are quite a few in the city, but I'd say the population is about sixty-forty."

Naia berated her out-of-date way of speaking and asked, as casually as one could, "Do you know where Finnian lives?"

"He stays hidden." A dark look passed across Ronin's face—a shadow of an emotion Naia could not decipher.Then she recalled what he told her earlier, before Solaris appeared, about despising the gods. The same discomfort she'd felt then deepened the crater in her chest.

"With the help of his ghouls, no less." It was impossible for Naia to withhold her animosity towards the foul creatures created by her brother's hand. "They are his eyes and ears."

Ronin cocked his head, conveying Naia had misspoken once more. Implying she knew miscellaneous details about the gods wasn't odd, per se, but how she regarded Finnian in a familiar and personal way was suspicious.

She sighed, tempted to tell the mortal the truth. It was too hard to filter her words and the way she spoke them.

"I have a past with the god," she said in dismissal.

"What kind of past?"His tone was wary.

She lifted her eyes to his. "If I ask you not to ask questions, will you do so?"

Ronin leaned forward again with his elbows propped on his knees. Loose strands of his hair slipped into his face. "You just asked if I am a witch. The only way you'll get a straight-forward answer from me is if you give a little too."

Naia rolled her lips to keep her truths from blurting out. "I cannot do that."

Ronin sighed in defeat and rested back in his seat. "What is it you need from me in Hollow City?"

It was a good question—one she couldn't evade. Fact was, she needed him.

"A place to stay hidden," she said. "And help to locate Finny—Finnian."

Ronin's eyes narrowed at the sound of her nickname for the god. She ran her fingers through her hair, shifting around as an excuse not to look at him.

But he continued to stare at her, and she could feel the intense weight of his eyes scouring over her face, cataloging every movement of her expression.

Among the whistling of the train against the wind and the muffled sound of wheels pedaling over the tracks, a long silence settled between them.

Knots coiled in Naia's stomach, and she forced her hands to lie on her thighs.

It is fine. If he abandons you, you will figure out a solution.You always do.

"Okay," Ronin said. "I'll help you find him."

She blinked up at him, surprised by his willingness. Shaking her head, she asked, "Why?"

He gave another insufferable shrug. "Because I feel like it."

"Do you wish for something in return?"

"Nope."

She crossed her arms, annoyed. "Do you have a death wish?"

He laughed lightly. "Did you not figure that out the moment your hair pin met my throat?"

Naia searched his face for any signs of ulterior motives. If she passed by the hall outside the roomette doors, one glimpse at his expression and she would've assumed he was bored. She envied his calm personality, while she sat with forced effort in an attempt to keep her emotions from spilling out of her throat.

Everything she'd learned about him pushed to the front of her mind—his mother and father were deceased, he had a sister and a niece, and he lived in Hollow City. And lastly, he hated the gods. This information was the extent of what she knew of him, leaving her with hardly anything to go on.Why would someone who loathed the gods agree to help her find one?

Before she could think any further on it, the train screamed to a stop.

Naia straightened in her seat, hearing the stir outside their cabin to the crackle of the intercom.

Ronin was already up, the movement sending a faint aroma of barbecued meats from the festival and seaweed from the ferry ride up her nose.

"Attention, passengers: we have arrived at your destination."

Once they unloaded the train,Ronin had held open the passenger's side door for her to get in. She marveled at the slick, black body of what Ronin referred to as his car before finally bringing her eyes up to his glittering, amused ones.

She muttered a sarcastic quip about his chivalrous gesture—I can open my own door—and climbed into the seat.

The first few minutes of the drive were smooth asphalt and a giddy rush of ecstasy.

Once her high of racing alongside many lanes of traffic wore off, she peeked over at Ronin, lit up by the blue lights of the dashboard, and secretly appreciated how effortlessly he drove—lounged back in his seat, one hand on the bottom of the wheel, eyes flashing from the rearview mirror to his side mirrors and back onto the road.

His confidence was agonizingly attractive.

Riding in a vehicle wasn't much different from riding on a train. Both pieces of machinery moved impeccably fast within a great distance. Only, unlike the train, they were alone, traveling at what felt like the speed of warm butter gliding down a hot knife.

Naia switched between staring out her window, gawking at whatever outline of landscape she could make out in the hazy distance, to listening to the low melody of the tune playing through the speakers on the side of the doors.

"I won't ask questions," Ronin said, breaking the comfortable silence.

It was a request she'd made from him earlier. A pointless request, she'd assumed, because he asked anyway. What had changed his mind?

"I'd appreciate that." Naia fidgeted with her fingernails in her lap, flicking her gaze over at him and back down on her hands.

"Whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

She turned her head, slightly stunned by his consideration.

He fixated straight ahead on the road, his expression at ease. He must've sensed her eyes on him, because he gave her a sidelong glance. "I, however, am open to answering some of your questions."

Against her will, her lips formed a smile. "You seem enthused by the prospect."

He gave a small shrug. "I'm curious to know what you're thinking."

She bit her bottom lip back, peering down at her knuckles. "Were you close to your father?"

Ronin brought his hand up to push the hair from his face. "Starting deep, are we?"

Naia leveled him with a confrontational look. "Or you tell me if you're a witch or not."

He smiled. "I think I'll keep that one a secret until you're ready to open up."

Naia gave a derisive snort. "I think you refuse to give me a straightforward answer because you are one. What other reason would you have living in Hollow City?"

"I'll show you when we get there." He sighed, dropping his hand back down on his thigh. "To answer your question, my dad and I were close in my childhood, but shit got complicated. We had an okay relationship, but I did a lot of things he didn't approve of."

"Sounds complex," Naia murmured. Did a parent/child relationship exist in the world that could be defined as simple? She doubted so. "You seem close to Yuki and Akane."

Ronin kept his eyes on the road straight ahead. "Well, Yuks was protective of me when we were kids, but then when she had Akane, I guess you could say, I became the protective one."

"I know how that goes." Bittersweet nostalgia swept memories up from Finnian's childhood. "I was protective of my younger sibling as well… Until he grew up to be stronger."

It had been over a century since she last saw Finnian and he was only a middle god back then.

Ronin fell quiet for a beat. "You have a younger brother," he commented, and she smirked at how he purposely phrased it to not be a question.

A giggle sprang out of her. "You're trying desperately not to pry, aren't you?"

He rolled his eyes, a grin following. "Shut up."

Their travels ranged in a variety of views. Tall street lamps lined the overpass, with exits Ronin used to stop for gas.

She'd read about vehicles and how they operated. Thanks to Solaris, who had brought her books and vehicle manuals from his visits to the Mortal Land to sate her curiosity.

When Ronin returned from paying inside the establishment, the sound of a can popping open filled the car. Naia noted it was another nitro cold brew, and it reminded her to feign tiredness.

She made a point to yawn.

"It's been ages since you pissed," he said before they pulled out of the parking lot. "Do you need to go before we get back on the interstate?"

Bodily needs. Naia tried not to wince.

"I haven't consumed anything since the festival. I'm fine for now."

He gave a faint nod, but she didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on her, as if he didn't buy her excuse.

Regardless, he didn't push any further on the subject.

It got her thinking, though.

After another hour on the road, she shifted her body towards him and searched for visible traces of his exhaustion.

His gaze was bloodshot, unblinking, fixated straight ahead. His expression reminded her of one of Finnian's ghouls in the seconds before he brought them back to life—peaceful and immobile.

Naia dropped her eyes down to the empty can of coffee in the cupholder. Ronin had downed it in less than five minutes, and she was prepared to argue the amount of caffeine consumed so quickly couldn't be healthy for a mortal's heart, but she refrained, given Ronin had grown intensely quiet.

"Do you need me to take over?" she asked.

He would have little use to her if he crashed the vehicle and ended up dead.

His eyes came to life, glancing over at her. "Does that mean you have a driver's license?"

She had no recollection of what a driver's license was, but she could presume it was required to operate his car. "No, I do not."

"Do you know how to drive?"

"No."

He sputtered out a laugh. "Then why did you offer?"

"You resemble the undead right now." She gestured to her own eyes, emphasizing the dark circles puddling beneath his.

He repositioned himself in his seat and exchanged hands on the wheel. "I'm fine. I've stayed up a lot longer than this before, and besides, right over this hill, we'll be in city limits."

Naia spun her head to look through the windshield.

The dawn split in the sky like pomegranate arils, spraying the clouds of burgundy and patches of blood orange.

She bit her lip back to contain her excitement as they topped the hill and skyscrapers came into sight. A view she'd only seen in pictures in her books.

The lanes of traffic veered from two to six. Vehicles whipped past them. Ronin stayed in a center lane, cruising at a tolerable speed.

Naia was all but pressing her nose up against her window, taking in every large sign and tall, enormous building, hypnotized by the looping of the bridges above and underneath them. Her heart sped up as she took in the open sky ahead of them. The sun climbing over the edge of the earth, its rays bursting like an egg yolk backdrop behind the city.

"Have you ever been to a city before? You look like Akane when Yuki got her a tablet for her birthday."

Naia had no clue what a tablet was, nor did she care how her reaction came off.

"Never. This is my first time," she confessed.

"You appear on the shore of the island, and you've only ever watched the festival from afar… Sounds like you're a mermaid."Ronin flipped his blinker on.

She toned down her awe-struck reaction by settling back in her seat and clearing her throat. "Tell me, how do you intend to track down Finny—an?"

Dammit. Her tongue pressed on the roof of her mouth.

He looked from his rearview mirror over his shoulder before gliding the car two lanes over to the right. "He holds a charity event every year around this time. The guests are always wealthy as fuck, and they end up raising close to a mil. The event is about a week away."

Naia found it hard to imagine Finnian hosting an event and mingling with people.

"And you're invited to said event?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it." Ronin brushed it off with a shake of his head. "I'll get us an invitation."

The prospect didn't sound promising. "What are we to do until then?"

He flashed her a smirk. "I guess you get to hang out with me."

Naia had onlyexperienced life above the surface once, and even then, her time was limited and cut short in such a traumatic way that it took her decades to crave the opportunity again.

However, when Ronin turned off the narrow street with flickering lights and faded yellow lines, she could feel the energy of the bustling city engulf her as people hurried along the crowded sidewalks.

He pulled into a parking lot lined with a wooden privacy fence and a grove of oak trees beyond it.

Exiting the car, Naia took in the large, white brick exterior of the establishment before her. Positioned off to the side of the entrance was a patio with tables beneath an awning, embellished with hanging lights. Above the entrance was a sign reading: Foxglove Brewery. A foxglove flower, the lavender colored petals of fat bells on a stem, blossomed beneath the name.

Ronin was already across the parking lot, holding the glass door open for her.

Nothing about his demeanor insinuated impatience. In fact, he intently watched her with a small curve to his lips, as if he were enjoying her child-like awe with her surroundings. It was the same look he wore in the car with her nose pressed to the glass as they entered the city.

It caused her cheeks to heat and her hands to stir.

She crossed the parking lot and stopped right before him.

"Where are we?" she asked, refusing to go any further until she was aware.

"A brewery."

A place that brewed beer. Among the Mortal Land, establishments serving alcohol was popular—something she'd learned during her first adventure on their soil.

"Does a brewery serve food?"

An amused smile danced across his face. "Yes."

It was enough to convince her as she crossed the threshold into the building.

A blast of cool air rushed through her hair—air filled with a yeasty, dough aroma and a savory after smell of something salty.

Ronin walked ahead of her, navigating his way through the open room full of empty tables. More hanging lights decorated the rafters of the industrial ceiling. The interior walls, constructed of sturdy brick, showcased an array of captivating surrealist paintings depicting flowers sprouting from heads and eyes.

"Thank fuck you're here." A man towards the back of the room called to Ronin. "Theon's been working me like a…" He peeked around Ronin's approaching figure to Naia. "We're still closed. She with you?"

"Yup. This is Naia. Give her whatever she wants. On the house." Ronin stalked behind the register and picked up a square device on the counter, his eyes darting across the screen as he swiped his finger on it. Similar to how he'd done on his cell phone earlier.

The man straightened up from leaning on the counter. "I've been keeping up with inventory," he said in defense.

"More like Theon has." Ronin set the device back down and looked at the stranger.

He threw his tattooed arm, resembling a vibrant mural, around Ronin's neck. "The place is still standing, isn't it?"

Ronin rolled his eyes, signaling towards the man with his thumb. "This is Avi. Stay here in the taproom with him. Eat and drink, chill out. I need to go take care of some business in my office."

"You're leaving me?" Naia cringed internally at how distressed she sounded.

Despite having no reason to worry about being alone in a big city, her old fearful habits were returning. She had to remind herself she was not as small as she felt. Compared to Hollow City—full of mages—Kaimana—full of her family—was far worse.

"Don't worry, I'll be upstairs. Nice to know you're warming up to me, though." Ronin gave her a wink before he sauntered around an adjunct wall to where Avi stood.

The wall was full of various levers with different logos and unique names. Naia gathered the spouts were full of whatever they brewed and sold.

She stood awkwardly in front of the glossy wooden bar, eyeing the man's short bronze strands and the variety of metal hoops lodged through the lobes of his ears.

He was quite large. Taller than her and Ronin, shoulders as broad as a bull, and struck Naia as the type allergic to tunics with sleeves. If she were to measure, she had no doubt the size of his rippled muscular biceps was the same width as her skull. Based on his appearance, she pegged him to be the arrogant type.

He turned to address her with a light-hearted smile, proving her wrong. "Nice to meet you. Are you from the island, too?"

"Ronin works here, I take it?" she asked, bypassing his question.

"He owns the place."

"Of course he does," she muttered.

Avi grabbed a piece of laminated paper and slid it across the bar to her. "Here, it's the menu. I can make you whatever you want."

Naia's reservations faded into the background as her curiosity took hold, causing her to crane her neck to read the delicate font.

Several items were completely unknown to her. The list of beers and upscale descriptions of sandwiches. One thing caught her eye, though. A mortal delicacy she had yet to try.

"The pancakes sound appealing."

Specifically titled: The Hangover Pancakes—honey-batter pancakes served with mixed berry compote, whipped butter, and cinnamon maple syrup. The inside of her mouth salivated from the description alone.

"Nice," Avi nodded casually. "What about a beer? We've got a good grapefruit IPA on tap that would pair fucking fantastic with it. It's also Ronin's favorite."

Feeling at ease, Naia pulled the stool out from under the counter and sank into it. "Sure. Though I have no idea what an IPA is."

He walked around the adjunct wall. She could hear him clinking around what sounded to be dishware and metal utensils.

"India Pale Ale. It's a type of beer. Give me a sec and I'll get it for you."

She kept a close listen to his movements. A cracking of an egg, the scraping of dough mixing in a bowl, sizzling of meat on a stovetop. The salty-sweet smell was like a dream.

Naia swept her eyes around the room at all the empty tables. Prior to getting out of Ronin's car, it was a quarter after eight in the morning.

"When does the brewery open?" she asked.

Avi reemerged with an empty glass in hand. Stamped on the front was the same foxglove flower insignia outside above the entrance. "Ten-ish for brunch and then we close until five. I'm still pissed I got stuck working the goddamn taproom tonight."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked.

He stopped in front of a specific lever on the wall in front of her and filled it to the brim with frothy, butter-colored liquid."Since it's a Saturday, yeah. Weekends are always busy in the city because everyone has off from work."

Naia gaped down at the topped-off glass as he placed it in front of her, the foam threatening to spill over the rim.

"It's all Theon's fault," he continued. "He worked at HQ all week while Ronin was away. Bastard thought it would be hilarious to make me slave away in the brew room, cleaning mildew shit tubes for three days, and then sticking me in the taproom during our busiest nights."

She held her glass to her lips. "Sounds rough."

Naia was unsure about his terms and theexact nature of cleaning tubes, but she could deduce they were currently in the taproom, and he was responsible for serving food and beer to customers.

One sip of beer turned into draining her glass in a matter of minutes. The tangy, carbonated beverage filled her belly and warmed her blood. She licked her lips and politely asked for another glass as the sweet aroma of her pancakes filled the air.

Avi tottered back and forth between the kitchen to flip them and the counter to continue ranting about this so-called Theon person.

The conversation transitioned into the week he was having, how he pulled a muscle in his calf during his last gym session, and how bummed he was that he'd ran out of storage on his phone. Avi seemed acutely aware of Naia's lousy head nods and two worded replies of, oh yeah, or that sucks. Regardless, he persisted with his ramblings.

Naia had never been more grateful when he delivered her pancakes.

It turned out Avi was correct—the beer complimented her sweet, battered bread and crisp bacon perfectly.

Naia barely listened to him as she ate, deciding if she was found and dragged back to Kaimana again, this meal would've been worth all her troubles of escaping.

She licked the stickiness of the syrup and grease off her lips and washed down another bite with the last swig of her beer.

As she wiped her fingers on her napkin, she silently observed Avi. Resting against the counter, he absentmindedly spun the ring on his index finger with his thumb. Only a few short minutes had passed since he fell silent.

He read something on the screen of the technological device that Ronin swiped through earlier.

Sixty-forty of the population, Ronin's words echoed in her mind.

All the mages she'd crossed paths with extorted confidence, and they never hesitated to display their power. Yet, since arriving in the city, Naia hadn't witnessed a trace of magic. She expected wards of the city to be floating with oddities and incantations, but from what she'd seen, it appeared to be… normal.

She stared at Avi as he swiped on the screen, hyper focused.

Her gaze wandered over the bare skin of his inked arms, down his loose-fitting trousers and the sneakers he wore. She wasn't sure what she hunted for. Something peculiar. Mage-worthy?

She brought her eyes back up to his face, taking in all the piercings on his earlobes and nostril.

It was clear Ronin would not give her an answer without an exchange. Avi, on the other hand, seemed to only need a reason to talk.

"Are you a mage?" she asked.

He lifted his chin up, slightly perplexed by her bluntness as his eyes went big for a moment. "Haven't heard that term since my grandma's days."

"Witch, I mean," she recovered clumsily.

Avi's eyebrows scrunched, creasing his forehead. "Why you wanna know?"

His reluctance to answer, and the twinge in her gut, told her she was onto something.

She shrugged with an innocent expression. "I am curious, since you live in a city full of witches."

He fidgeted with his ear piercings. "Hollow City has humans too."

Naia propped her elbows up on the counter, holding his eyes. "What about Ronin then? Is he a witch?"