You slipped your phone back into your pocket, still smiling at the thought of catching up with Julie. It had been ages since you'd last seen her, and the idea of reconnecting filled you with a sense of anticipation.

The more you thought about it, the stranger it seemed. The supplies you were gathering—basic things like cleaning products, a few tools, and some miscellaneous parts—weren't exactly rare or difficult to obtain. In fact, they were the kind of items that could easily be ordered online or delivered straight to the factory.

You paused in front of a shelf lined with various medical tools, your fingers lightly brushing over a set of syringes. Solaria, who had been trailing a bit behind, stopped as well, giving you a sideways glance.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, his tone casual but tinged with curiosity. His single ruby-red eye fixed on you, the other covered by that ever-present shadow, making his expression hard to read.

You hesitated, picking up one of the bigger syringes and examining it absently. “Just thinking,” you replied, your voice distant as your thoughts continued to spiral. “I mean, why are we even here? All this stuff… we could’ve just ordered it online. It doesn’t make sense to come all the way out here for something so trivial.”

Solaria tilted his head slightly, a small, almost imperceptible frown creasing his brow. “Maybe Sir Darling just wanted us, technically speaking you out of the factory? You've been cooped up for a while, right?”

You nodded slowly, but that explanation didn’t sit right with you. Walden wasn’t the type to do anything without a reason, especially something as mundane as running errands. If he needed supplies, he would’ve just sent someone or arranged for them to be delivered. The fact that he insisted on making this trip himself, especially so soon after recovering from his illness, felt off.

You shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts. “Maybe,” you finally said, putting the wrench back on the shelf. “But it still doesn’t add up. There’s something more to this, I just know it.”

Solaria sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the shelf. “You’re overthinking it,” he said politely, though there was real conviction in his voice. “ you’re just tired. ”

“tired,” you echoed, but you didn’t believe it. . And the more you thought about it, the more you realized that Walden had been unusually quiet during the drive, more so than usual.

Your mind drifted back to the supplies you were gathering. Some of the items on the list were definitely needed for the factory, but others… they seemed out of place, like they were part of something else entirely. Something Walden hadn’t mentioned to you.

And then there was the way Walden had insisted on coming along. He had always been meticulous about his health, especially when it came to his work. For him to leave so soon after recovering, and for something as minor as a supply run, seemed uncharacteristic.

You turned to Solaria, who was watching you with a mix of concern and curiosity. “Have you noticed anything… strange about sir Darling lately?” you asked, trying to gauge his reaction.

Solaria raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting slightly. “Strange how?”

“I don’t know… just different. Like he’s more distracted, or like he’s keeping something from us.”

Solaria’s gaze flickered for a moment, and you could see the wheels turning in his mind. “He’s been under a lot of stress,” he said carefully. “With everything that’s been going on… it wouldn’t be surprising if he was acting a little off.”1

You nodded, but Solaria’s words didn’t do much to ease your concerns. Everyone, you and Darling had always been busy and stressed and he never acted like that. The nagging feeling in the back of your mind wouldn’t go away, no matter how much you tried to rationalize it.

As you and Solaria wandered through the store, lost in your thoughts and growing concerns, Walden suddenly appeared, striding towards you both with a calm, measured pace. His presence immediately drew your attention, and you felt a slight sense of relief wash over you, even though the uneasy feeling still lingered in the back of your mind.

Without saying a word, Walden reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, intricately carved wooden box. It was polished to a fine sheen, the dark wood catching the light in a way that made the simple object seem almost ceremonial, like wedding proposals.

You watched, puzzled, as he turned towards Solaria, holding the box out to him with a certain gravity that made your heart skip a beat. For a split second, it looked like some kind of proposal, and you found yourself holding your breath.

Solaria blinked, his single visible eye narrowing slightly as he tilted his head in curiosity. He didn’t reach for the box immediately, instead glancing up at Walden with a look that was half questioning, half skeptical.

Walden, however, remained silent, simply nodding towards the box 'Go on, take it.' His expression was unreadable.

After a moment of hesitation, Solaria finally extended his hand and took the box from Walden. He held it carefully, almost gingerly, as though he was afraid of damaging whatever was inside. You could see the slight tremor in his hands as he slowly lifted the lid, revealing the contents.

Inside the box, nestled in a bed of velvet, was a prosthetic eye. But not just any eye—it was a ruby-red prosthetic, gleaming with a depth and intensity that matched the color of Solaria’s own remaining eye. The craftsmanship was impeccable, every detail painstakingly designed to resemble a real eye, but with a gemstone's brilliance.

Solaria stared at the prosthetic in stunned silence, his visible eye widening slightly as he processed what he was seeing. He glanced back up at Walden, his expression a mix of confusion, surprise, and something else—something you couldn’t quite place.

Walden, for his part, simply nodded again, his gaze steady. “It’s for you, had it mad, thought it might be something you’d appreciate.”

For a moment, Solaria didn’t move, his gaze flicking between the eye in the box and Walden. His usual deadpan expression wavered, and you could see a flicker of emotion in his eye—something rare, almost weak. He finally managed to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. “Why…?”

Walden deadpanned. “I thought it was time you had something to make things a bit easier, as per my factory's code”

Solaria’s hand tightened around the box, his gaze dropping back down to the prosthetic eye. “I....I see...” he murmured, his voice thick with something you hadn’t heard from him before—gratitude.

After a moment, Solaria shook his head and nodded to look up to Walden “much appreciated sir”

Walden simply nodded, “good,” he replied quietly, before turning to you with a look that said it was time to get back to the task at hand.