Zindra slumped in her chair, her head resting on her desk, her gaze fixed on the small stack of papers in the corner. It had been a painstaking few months, but the towering stacks of papers that once overwhelmed the room had now dwindled to this handful. However, these papers were not just any documents; they were a list of names of Seedlings that required immediate attention, but therein lies the problem.

squeak squeak

"What a smart creature!"

Zindra fixed a steely gaze on the man casually toying with a filthy pest in her clean, organized office. She lifted her head, her gaze shifting to the shrefin perched on her clean table, its two legs firmly planted as it clapped its hands, eagerly awaiting the fruit held by Arc. Zindra couldn't deny that even a repulsive creature like a shrefin could be endearing under the right circumstances. However, she certainly wouldn't voice that thought, especially not in front of Arc.

Arc extended his hand, carefully offering the shrefin the fruit cradled in his palm. The fruit appeared comparable in size to the small creature, yet it seemed unfazed by the size of the large fruit. Impatiently clapping its hands, the shrefin eagerly waited for when Arc would release the fruit into its tiny hands. Arc placed his hand on the table, watching the shrefin pounce onto the fruit, and the sweet scent of the fruit wafted into the room as the creature ate with happy shrieks.

"Are these creatures not interesting?" Arc asked

"They are disgusting creatures that eat waste and byproducts; they are nothing more than trash," Zindra said

Arc moved his eyes to Zindra, who looked at him with an emotionless and annoyed stare. He didn't pay much attention to Zindra's words, too busy with his thoughts about the creature.

"Why do you think their fur and feathers change when they eat? Is it not strange?"

"Does it matter? They are just pests that eat the scraps we leave behind."

Arc turned to look at the shrefin with its dark green fur and light green feathers. The creature could feel the gaze of the one who fed it and turned its bright green eyes toward him, emitting a happy squeak before eagerly diving back into the fruit it was enjoying. Arc couldn't hold back the smile as he watched the creature enjoy its food with happy squeaks as if nothing else was happening in the world.

Zindra rested her head back on her desk, her eyes still locked on Arc, her lips moving as if debating on saying something before a teasing light flickered in her eyes.

"The guards woke up."

"Oh, I thought they had died since everyone was so quiet about everything."

"You're not even going to deflect or defend yourself?"

"There is nothing you can do," Arc turned to look back at Zindra, "You're just bored."

Zindra raised her head sadly before grabbing the papers on her desk.

"I'm annoyed! I've been asking the council for help for over two months after we finished the investigation, and they have ignored me! Even when I asked for more personal months ago, they ignored me! I'm frustrated, annoyed, and, yes, bored! I have been stuck here for months with no word from Pilosophis, and they are refusing to send a replacement like I have been asking! Even Erkden, who was supposed to replace me, hasn't shown up!"

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"I am aware! You keep trying to take everything out on me."

"Don't disappear for weeks!"

"I told you I did not disappear; I was inconvenienced by unforeseen events."

"Tch, I'm sure you were just hiding somewhere so you wouldn't get in trouble for what you did to those guards. That or you were playing with your new pet."

"Think what you want."

Arc fell silent once more as he watched the shrefin nibble on the last of the fruit in his palm. The creature emitted a grieving squeak as it licked his palm, seeming to express regret at having eaten all of its food. Turning its head towards Arc, it almost appeared to be pleading for more food. However, Arc shook his head, causing the shrefin to emit another sad squeak, realizing there would be no more food.

"If you behave, little one, then I can give you more."

Zindra watched the exchange between the beast and Feyrishian but remained silent, lost in thought.

The silent atmosphere of the room was suddenly broken by a gentle knock on the door, accompanied by a hushed, faint whisper from the other side.

"Grandmaster Zindra?"

"Grandmaster Zindra?"

"Grandmaster Zindra!"

The voice from the other side gradually increased with each call, but even at its loudest, it only reached a level slightly above a whisper.

"Come in," Zindra said

The door creaked open, and a small girl with ruffled pale pink hair walked in. Her freckled face seemed flushed, and she seemed skittish. Her pale pink eyes glanced between Arc, Zindra, and the shrefin as her lips seemed to quiver.

"uhm...uhm," the little girl blinked

"Girl speak," Arc said harshly

"I-I was t-told to a-ask for Gra-Grandm-master Zindra," The girl said

"Well, grandmaster, it seems like you have something to do, so I will be taking my leave," Arc said

"Oh no, you don't! You and Carter are supposed to be the representatives! Gods know that the child can't perform, but you can, and yet you have done nothing but make me do all the work! Not this time!"

Zindra jumped up and kidnapped the little shrefin, who shrieked in panic at the abrupt attack; Arc was no different, not expecting his new pet to be taken so easily.

"What do you think you're doing!" Arc screamed

"Taking a hostage! Now come with me; I'm putting you to work."

"Give him back! You're hurting him!" Arc screamed a bit of panic in his voice as he watched the shrefin struggle in Zindra's grasp.

"Well, then do some work, and I might let you see him."

The little girl, still in a bit of a panic, watched the two fight over the shrefin. She couldn't understand why they would be fighting over such a thing, but then again, who was she to question anything? She just had to do what her parents told her, watch what was happening, and help when she could.

"Fine, just be careful. He is sensitive," Arc said

"He's a shrefin; what could he be sensitive about? I'll give him some trash, and he'll be fine."

Arc jumped at Zindra's words, "DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY WASTE! Huff, he has a strict diet of fresh fruits, specifically the Abrasican watulumin."

"Sigh, I hate you, I really do."

"The feeling is mutual. Now give him back!"

"Then follow."

Zindra hurriedly exited the room with Arc on her heels, leaving the little girl alone. Wide-eyed and confused about what had happened, the girl quickly gathered herself and followed behind, worried that the two had no idea where to go.

"Grandmaster! Wait!"

But yet again, her screams amounted to nothing more than a whisper.

Zindra ran through the halls of the central building with the crying shrefin in her arms. She garnered many strange looks from everyone she passed by, probably wondering what someone like her was doing running, but at this point, she was bored and couldn't care less about what they thought, probably the last bit of her youth jumping out. She also realized her mistake as soon as she ran out of the room; she had left the little girl behind without even asking where she needed to go, and with Arc close behind her, it would be difficult to run back and ask.