♡ ⸻ ˚ ❛@brokerofsecrets, continued from here ❛ ˚ ⸻ ♡
Mercy didn’t look away, not even when the word obviously settled between them like a challenge. Truth be told, she had far better places to be, department stores still buzzing with last-minute shoppers, half-wrapped gifts waiting on her bed, a dining table that was absolutely not going to decorate itself before her family descended like festive vultures. And yet, here she was, again. Sent on another errand by her Watcher for reasons that never seemed to fully add up.
Her gaze flicked briefly to the scattered books and papers, the familiar scent of old paper and dried remains of whatever fragrance her Watcher dosed himself in, clinging to the office, before returning to him just as steadily.
“Obviously?” she echoed, head tilting, tone light and almost playful. A beat passed before she finally added, dry and decisive, “Wrong answer, Candy cane.”
Mercy didn’t relax, especially not when his hands lifted, if anything, it only sharpened her focus. She knew exactly what this place held, far more than dusty books and overlooked paperwork. Grimoires, artifacts, and files that should never leave these walls, files with names, faces, Slayers, Potentials.
“Really,” she echoed, flat. “Because as far as I’m aware, this building is empty at night. No students, no staff… just one night guard who’s probably parked downstairs with a cup of coffee and a bag of marshmallows, pretending he’s not terrified of his own shadow.” She tilted her head slightly, a smile tugging at her lips, almost friendly.
Keyword being ‘almost’.
“But if you’re in need of a snack, I could always call him up here,” she went on. “Ask him to bring you a candy bar or two. And then ask him to escort you out… Kindly.” Her gaze slid away for the first time as she stepped closer to the wall, fingers brushing the hilt of a medieval sword hanging there more as décor than defense, though she knew better.
“Or,” she added, eyes snapping back to him, “I could remove you from here myself.”
