Vonessia and Assad strolled side by side down the long, dimly lit hallway of the Sweepers Agency. Their footsteps softly echoed against the floor, the only sound piercing the heavy silence that enveloped them like a thick fog.
Assad kept his gaze straight ahead, uncertain whether he should break the quiet with words or even breathe too loudly. Next to him, Vonessia glided along with an effortless grace, quiet, controlled, almost as if she were floating. Her presence seemed to fill the corridor far more than the sound of her footsteps.
After a full minute of walking, with only the distant hum of the building surrounding them, the silence began to feel oddly unnatural, it was just too quiet.
Vonessia suddenly let out a soft hum, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Isn't it a bit too quiet in here?" she asked, her voice steady but with an unexpected edge to it.
"Absolutely, ma'am," Assad responded without missing a beat.
"Don't get that scared Assad we are simply talking like how normal people interact, so don't jump like that okay yes it was silent for a moment but calm yourself okay." Vonessia said.
Assad nodded and they continued walking until they reached the elevator, this already made Assad a little bit scared because the last time he was on the elevator he could not hold himself and he went down to fight Kiichi which was not good at all.
"Oh is that so I did not think about it that way, even if I was told that the spar was not even a spar but that's how Kiichi is and there is nothing you can do about it." said Vonessia.
Assad froze for a second. He did understand what she meant about what she said. How could she know about the spar, well she did say that she was told but he never even thought about it in his head. His thoughts were fully quiet this time and the reason was already there in front of him.
They enter the elevator and Vonessia clicks the up button, the doors close and Vonessia looks at Assad and smiles with that calm elegant face of hers that still cannot be read even if you wanted to. The elevator starts going up and Assad waits for the worst believing that he will start wobbling like last time but nothing happens, which does shock even him.
The elevator hummed softly as it made its way up, a gentle vibration coursing through the floor, but it was just enough to keep Assad steady. He blinked, surprised that he didn't feel any sudden shifts in weight, no dizzy spells, and no swaying like he had before.
It almost felt… normal.
Vonessia watched him with her calm, glowing eyes, her smile sharpening just a bit, as if she already knew what was on his mind.
"Oh? No wobbling this time," she said gently, tilting her head. "That's great. It means you're adjusting faster than I expected."
"I… I suppose so, ma'am," he replied quietly.
Vonessia clasped her hands behind her back, standing tall and poised.
"You should be proud," she continued, her voice smooth and reassuring. "Most new recruits can't even stand straight on their second try. Kiichi's little 'welcome greeting' tends to rattle the less resilient."
"Yea I'll keep that in mind." Assad replied.
Vonessia smiles after Assad's response and then they arrive at the floor they were going to
Ding.
The doors slid open then outside the elevator is another hall but it's short. Vonessia starts walking out, Assad still confused about the fact there is another floor especially up top is surprising but then the fact that it was a down floor with a big arena type of place made him remove the thought anyway.
Then he follows after, as they go through the hall there are only three doors and another door looking at them, seeing that Vonessia is not going inside the other three doors that are on the sides means that the one in the middle is the one that has to be her office.
Vonessia reaches the door and opens it with a slow elegant turn and inside the office is much more beautiful then Shuren's office itself, almost looks like a palace of an emperor but too much it's simple and amazing at the same time.
"Fascinating isn't it?" Vonessia asked.
"Yea it's more insane then Shuren's office
She glided past her desk, not touching a thing, moving with that same quiet elegance she always had.
"I wouldn't say they're exactly the same when it comes to the design," Vonessia chimed in.
Assad trailed behind her, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny.
There were no stacks of papers, no weapons, no odd machinery. Just shelves lined with old books wrapped in dark leather, a few framed artifacts, a ceremonial-looking tea set, and a single glowing crystal nestled in the center of the desk.
Vonessia motioned toward the chairs in front of her desk.
"Please, have a seat," she said gently. "Now we can start our little chat."
Assad settled into the chair, his heart racing once more. The air in the room felt thick, as if every secret of the empire was hanging around them. Vonessia didn't sit right away. Instead, she walked over to the window, gazing out in silence for a moment.
Then, without turning to face him, she spoke.
"Assad," she said. "Do you know why I brought you here?"
"No, ma'am."
"As expected, it's fine even the mightiest eagles that have high intelligence sometimes still have to listen to orders some days."
Assad tilted his head in confusion. He did not understand what that even meant.
"It's alright, Assad. No one in this agency really gets what's going on in my head. Even when I try to simplify my words, make them clear and straightforward… they still don't seem to understand."
Her voice was steady, almost like she was stating a fact rather than venting. She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other with a graceful ease.
"Anyway, since you're our new recruit though not officially yet, since you haven't gotten my go-ahead you did take on that rescue mission to, as you put it, 'prove yourself,' right?"
Assad tensed up.
"Yes, ma'am. I… I wanted to show that I wasn't useless."
Vonessia raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching just a bit not quite a smile, more like a hint of amusement.
"Hmm. Brave. Reckless." She paused for a moment. "And completely foolish."
Assad winced.
Vonessia tapped her finger lightly on the armrest, a slow rhythm that somehow made Assad's heart race even louder.
"Tell me, Assad, why did you feel the need to prove yourself to us… before you even proved yourself to me?"
She leaned in just a bit, her bright eyes piercing into his as if she were reading his very soul.
"Answer honestly," she whispered. "Think carefully before you respond."