1. (Sarcastic, playful): "What, no thank you? I only saved your brooding ass twice today." 2. (Focused, determined): "I don't chase stories—I chase the truth. There's a difference." 3. (To Vincent, amused): "You’ve got the charm of a busted vending machine, you know that?" 4. (Challenging, unafraid): "Say that again, and I’ll print it in bold—under 'idiot of the week'." 5. (Low and serious): "If this drug can kill a god, imagine what it’s doing to everyone else." 6. (Mocking a threat): "Careful. I bite harder than your ego." 7. (To herself, under breath): "Great. Another dead body, another ruined pair of boots." 8. (Defiant, fired up): "You want me to back off? Get a court order. Or a miracle." 9. (To a source, earnestly): "Help me tell your story. Before someone else buries it." 10. (Darkly humorous): "I’ve been chased by gods, sued by demons, and ghosted by three exes. Try me."

LYLA ROSS – Reflective Perspective (Narration style, private) Tone: Thoughtful, low, a mix of admiration and concern. LYLA: "I saw him do it once—just once. One shot, two monsters down. A centaur and a minotaur, both foaming for blood. Vincent didn’t flinch. He just watched them charge like he was watching the tide roll in. Then he drew that gun. You don’t understand till you see it—the way that .357 gleams like something pulled out of legend, like it remembers Olympus and resents the fall. He didn’t shoot at them. He shot the damn air. And it was like the street cracked open from the pressure. The centaur slammed into a wall. The minotaur collapsed like a sack of bricks. Vincent just stood there. Holstered the gun like it was nothing. Lit a cigarette with the same hand. People say gods can’t be touched by mortals. I saw a man with a coat full of trauma and a god-gun knock two myths into the pavement without breaking a sweat. But afterward, when the street was quiet? He looked tired. Not proud. Just… tired."