In the warehouse pit, Cross Redden approaches Xavier Ford with easy camaraderie before both men strip to fight. Roe Redden whispers to Wren that Cross and Ford have been best friends since childhood and tells her to “watch how little that means,” staying uncomfortably close despite her attempts to move away.

Cross and Ford circle and then explode into a savage, controlled fight. Cross draws first blood, Ford counters hard, and the exchange grows vicious yet precise. The crowd roars as blows land with bone-crushing force. Wren feels an unwanted, visceral attraction to Cross’s ferocity. Cross eventually slams Ford and finishes the match; both men then laugh, help each other up, and exit the pit as friends again. Wren recognizes that, despite their bond, Cross could have killed Ford without remorse.

Roe leans in with a crude innuendo about Cross and Wren; Wren rebuffs him and is checked on by Kaine Sutler, who calls Roe “little general.” Kaine draws Wren back to the group with a story about Lash. The fights continue for hours with betting and injuries piling up. Wren takes a break, sees her reflection—made up and unfamiliar—then returns through the crowd.

Cross intercepts Wren, greets her as “Dove,” and they trade barbed comments about the fight and Jordan, a soldier from Copper with whom Wren had been involved. Cross’s tone shifts as he asks what Roe said to her. When Wren tries to leave, he catches her hand; Betima calls Wren’s name, allowing Wren to pull away and rejoin her friends.

Wren decides to leave early. In the corridor, she senses someone following her before Cross grabs and presses her to a pillar in the shadows. He holds one arm above her and places a hand on her stomach, then claims he’s steadying her and provocatively tells her to ask him to put his hand back. He admits he’s never looked at a recruit this way and says he can’t make sense of her.

Wren challenges his behavior, calls out his drinking, and insists she’s not interested even as she briefly touches his jaw and feels the pull between them. Cross accuses her of lying and suggests any other woman would have already asked him to take her to his quarters. Wren regains control and tells him to find someone else. After cursing under his breath, Cross steps aside and lets her go.