Aeris sat stiffly in her chair, her nails digging into the polished wood of her desk. 

A suffocating malignance spread through the air, thick and clawing, as Vali leaned back in the chair across from her. 

He watched her, his smirk a dagger to her pride.

“You know,” Vali finally broke the silence, 

“I appreciate that trademark noble hospitality. Really warms my heart.”

Aeris’ glare could have burned holes through steel. 

She bit her tongue, willing herself not to lunge across the desk and carve that smirk right off his face.

Vali stretched leisurely, then sighed dramatically. 

“A cup of tea would be nice, but I suppose I’ll have to do without.”

Aeris scoffed. “Drink toilet water if you’re that thirsty.”

Vali laughed . “Ah, there she is. I was afraid I’d broken your spirit.” 

He leaned forward, eyes flickering with something between amusement and admiration. 

“You’ve gotten stronger, Aeris. I can see it in your eyes.”

Her scowl deepened, but she held her silence.

“If only looks could kill, you might actually stand a chance at putting me below ground.” 

He cracked his knuckles, his smile widening.

Without further preamble, he reached into his coat and tossed a sack onto her desk. It landed with a dull thud, the unmistakable clink of gold.

“Eight thousand gold,” he said, nonchalantly.

 “A paltry sum for a Marquis’ daughter, I’m sure, but consider it an apology for any emotional distress I may have caused.”

Aeris’ fingers twitched. 

She wanted to throw it back in his face. But having coin that wasn’t controlled by Father? That was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to ignore. 

With a begrudging sigh, she pulled the sack toward her and tucked it away.

Vali watched, clearly entertained.

 “You like riddles, Aeris?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, for the love of”

“Me neither,” he interrupted, chuckling. 

“But my Master? Big fan. So, lucky you, I’ve been instructed to deliver one on their behalf.’

Aeris folded her arms, exhaling sharply through her nose. 

She already wanted to kill him, but she knew better than to bite off more than she could chew at the moment.

Vali grinned and recited: 

I have eyes but I cannot see.

 I have ears but I cannot hear. 

 I have a mouth but I cannot scream. 

What am I?

Aeris stared at him, unimpressed.

 “That’s it?”

“That’s it.” He stood, stretching with exaggerated satisfaction. 

“Well, this has been delightful, as always.’

‘Be seeing you, Garland’

Then, before she could even form a response, he vanished into flickering blue light, leaving nothing but the weight of his presence lingering behind.

For a long, tense moment, Aeris sat motionless.

 Then the rage boiled over.

With a furious snarl, she slammed her fist through the surface of her mahogany desk.

 Wood splintered, papers scattered, and the room trembled with the sheer force of her anger.

“Shit-eating bastards!” she screamed. 

“Take your riddle and shove it up your goddamn ass! ‘Please, Master this, please, Master that’” She threw an ink bottle across the room, watching it shatter against the wall.

 “Oh, please peg me in the ass, Master!”

She kicked her chair over, breathing hard, hands trembling as raw fury pulsed through her veins. 

Her chest heaved, her thoughts a whirlwind of violence and indignation.

“How dare they mock me?” she seethed. “I’ll kill them! I’ll fucking kill them!”

She grabbed the remains of her ruined desk and sent them flying. 

The bookshelf wasn’t spared either volumes of meticulously arranged tomes now lay scattered like fallen soldiers. 

The curtains were next, ripped down in one savage motion, flooding the room with cold starry light.

By the time the storm passed, Aeris stood in the wreckage of her once-organized space, her breaths ragged, her fury still simmering just beneath the surface.

A sharp knock at the door cut through the chaos.

“Aeris?” Talia’s voice, soft but firm.

 “Are you alright?”

Aeris’ face burned as reality settled in. 

Embarrassment crawled up her spine like a spider

. She glanced around at the destruction she’d wrought and swallowed hard.

Shit.

“Aeris?” Another knock, more insistent this time.

Flushing, she wiped a hand down her face, forcing her breath to steady. 

“Yeah,” she croaked. “I’m fine.”

Liar.

The door creaked open slightly, and Talia peeked in, her eyes widening at the disaster. 

Then, with a small, knowing smile, she leaned against the doorframe.

“Want to talk about it?”

Aeris groaned, rubbing her temples. “Not even remotely.”

’How about a walk, fresh air does wonders’

‘With you, that sounds lovely’ Aeris sighed

The tension in Aeris’ shoulders loosened, just a little. 

As mortifying as this was, at least she wasn’t alone in it.

And, for now, that was enough.