"Hey, no, please don't apologize!" Nikki insisted warmly. "That was entirely my fault. I had my eyes glued to the screen and I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you hurt?"
The woman paused, her dark eyes wide as she looked up. It took her a microsecond to process the vibrant red hair, the suit, and the undeniable aura of authority radiating from the woman helping her. The realization hit her immediately and she paled.
"D-Director Nikki," the woman gasped. She scrambled backward, clutching the stack of files to her chest as if they were against her. "I... I am so sorry. I should have been watching my step. Please, forgive my clumsiness."
Nikki let out a bright, musical laugh, completely shattering the tense, bureaucratic terror hanging in the air.
"I promise you, if clumsiness was a punishable offense, I wouldn't have survived my first week in sector 4," Nikki teased, offering a warm, extended hand. "Come on. Let me help you up."
