At a bar where Ruhn and Ithan are lying low, the Hind arrives with the Harpy and insists on joining their poker game. Ruhn answers with sarcasm while trying to hide his fear, and Ithan plays the part of a bored, dim jock. The Hind quickly proves that the visit is really an interrogation: she knows Ruhn is Hypaxia’s fiancé, knows he spent the night at Bryce’s apartment, and asks after the Starsword, showing that imperial agents are closely tracking him.

The Harpy needles both males, especially Ithan, and the Hind escalates by exposing intimate information to destabilize them. She reveals she has investigated Bryce’s history and uses that knowledge to taunt Ithan about his long-hidden love for Bryce, his resentment and guilt around Connor, and his shame after Connor’s death. The attack lands hard, leaving Ithan furious and shaken, while Ruhn realizes the Hind is trying to break them psychologically as much as gather information.

The poker game ends with the Hind narrowly beating Ruhn, underscoring her control of the encounter. As she and the Harpy leave, the Hind delivers a final pointed message for Cormac, implying she knows or suspects more than she has said. Their visit confirms that Ephraim’s people are already active in Lunathion and that the group is under dangerous scrutiny.

Back at Bryce’s apartment, Bryce returns from the Bone Quarter battered and panicked, only to find Ruhn and Ithan safe. The group compares information: Bryce learns that the Hind and Harpy confronted them, while Ruhn and Ithan hear that Emile and Sofie were not found in the Bone Quarter but that Bryce’s team uncovered major new information. Hunt then receives orders from Celestina to report for Ephraim’s arrival, forcing him to leave Bryce and postpone their plans. After Hunt departs, Ruhn notices that Bryce smells different, hinting that something important has shifted around her even if he cannot yet name it.