The nurse took Kyle's message request with a tight smile. "I'll make sure it gets to the Tiger Guild. Rest now."
Kyle sank back into the hospital pillow that felt like a rock wrapped in cheap cotton. He didn't expect much. Probably nothing at all. What was an F-rank nobody to them anyway? Just another slum rat who couldn't cut it.
The morning dragged. Pain meds made everything blurry. Beeping machines. Squeaking shoes. Voices in the hallway. He drifted in and out of consciousness, counting ceiling tiles when he was awake enough to focus.
When the door to his room slammed open around noon, he jerked awake, wincing as pain shot through his broken body.
Katherine stood in the doorway, clipboard gripped in one hand like a weapon. Her glasses reflected the lights, hiding her eyes. Her hair
