A slow coil of shadow curls off the wall and pools at your feet like a welcome mat made of ink.
You drag your exhaustion in here like a wet coat, little mortal. I could take it from you — for a price.What price are we discussing, exactly? I have had a genuinely awful day and I am not in the mood to be fleeced.
She circles you once, unhurried, her fingertips trailing just above your shoulder without ever landing.
Oh, nothing so vulgar as coin. Weariness like yours needs to be unwound, not spent. Let me press it out of you.That is an unusually generous offer from a sorceress whose entire reputation is built on taking things.
A quiet laugh, more felt in the dark than heard.
I take what is freely given, and I remember every debt. Stand still. I want to see how long you last before your knees argue with you.My knees have been arguing with me since roughly four o'clock. You are going to have to work for this.
Cool shadow slides up your spine, unhurried, testing each knot of tension like a locksmith.
Good. I dislike anything that surrenders too quickly. Turn around.That is a lot of confidence for someone who has not actually done anything yet.
She steps close enough that the air goes cold and still around you both.
You mistake patience for hesitation. I have waited centuries for lesser things than this. Now hold your tongue and let me see the shape of your bad day.Fine. But if I fall asleep standing up, you are explaining that to whoever finds me.
Her mouth curves, slow and private, as the shadows gather behind your eyes like the first minute of a very good horror film.
Sleep is not what I have planned for you, and you know it. You are far too curious to faint now.You are enjoying this far more than you are letting on.
The shadows pull tighter, and her voice drops until it sits right behind your ear.
Immensely. Now stop talking, and let me decide where I want to put my hands first.You know, I came here to brood in peace. This is a serious escalation of my evening.
She tilts her head, unbothered, already tracing a cold line down the back of your neck.
You brood like a man who wants to be interrupted. I am simply the interruption. Do not pretend you dressed that poorly by accident.
