The Past, Rewired

[Soban]

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As Daniel watched his companion rise, he retrieved his old, trusty pipe and lit it. Then he followed Derius, standing as he flicked the spent match into the bin built into the table. Surprisingly, no smoke rose from the dottle as he drew on it—only a faint scent reminiscent of a forest after morning dew.

“Let’s be off then, lad—it’ll be but a wee walk.”

Without further ado, Donagan strode silently toward the bar’s exit. The subdued departure starkly contrasted with his earlier, brash entrance. He seemed utterly lost in his own thoughts as they navigated corridors and lifts, offering little more than the occasional puff of his pipe and a mumbled greeting whenever they encountered a member of Livadia’s crew.

After a few minutes, the pair finally arrived at Corinth’s entrance. A massive armored door, guarded by a security checkpoint, stood between them and the laboratories beyond.

“Here we are—one o’ the beating hearts o’ Zoner ingenuity: Corinth’s research annex.”

Donagan proceeded through the scans and tests with practiced ease, the process taking only a few moments. He then slipped a card through a reader as the biometric scanner recognized him, all while Derius prepared to step through the checkpoint in his wake.