HANGOVER CURRENT

Hungover and stubborn, Mara insists on personally observing route entry from the Current Nave. The enormous navigation organ builds sub-bass pressure around her until the Star-Sea locks into beautiful ordered current lines—and Mara dedicates every ounce of discipline to not vomiting. She releases the rail to prove a point, immediately grabs it again, then loses the fight with her stomach while still hitting the wash station with perfect tactical accuracy. A low pressure note follows that sounds suspiciously amused. Relationship insight: Mara realizes Grievance may actually have a sense of humor, while Grievance demonstrates that it knows her limits better than she wants. Their intimacy now includes embarrassment, not only danger.