Inside my office waited my brother, his mercenary, and a handful of miscellaneous servants. Zaki is disguised in Chretta and guards waited just outside the door, should I sound an alarm; not that I would ever need to. 

"I'd watch your fingers around the girl," I warned just before I pushed open the door. "She has a reputation."

"My fingers?"

I flung open my office doors before he could squeeze in another word and flopped down at my desk, casually kicking a leg over the other. Zaki sat straight-backed in a chair set adjacent to mine. The pose was practiced by the way he so naturally held it. No wonder he's so moody, his back must be killing him, I thought as I distractedly reached for the waiting glass of water in the middle of my desk.

Thunk. No one needed to say anything, Zaki's face told me more than enough. One of my favorite forks was buried in the back of my hand, pinning it to the desk. As casually as I could manage, though I'd have definitely screamed if I were alone, I yanked the fork from the wood.

"My, my, you're a tough one." Teased a small, sickly sweet voice. The petite, scarlet-eyed Ossurian stole back the piece of silverware. "Didn't even flinch."

"Surely the White Viper could have chosen a more fitting weapon?"

A razor-tooth smile was all the response she gave me before she stalked away to whisper something to Addanc.

There was a scary amount of blood, my fingertips twitched involuntarily.

"I thought I told you rats not to let her have anything sharp!" I snapped at the servants.

Averting their gaze, they wisely kept their distance. Zaki instead reached for me, as if my hostility wasn't warning enough.

I jerked away, nipping at him. "Don't touch me-"

"I'm just trying to help."

"I hardly believe that you'd actually want to help me."

"Just trust me and let me see it." He waited expectantly for me to surrender my hand to him.

Brave.

Still I obeyed, suspiciously watching his every move.

Zaki pressed my hand gingerly, I bit my tongue to stifle a reaction. My whole arm burned, especially my injured palm but under Zaki's touch, it soothed. He withdrew to show me why. My blood ran cold. It was as if I'd never been stabbed, there wasn't even a scar, nothing but a few specks of dried blood.

"It'll be sore for a few days."

For once in a very long time, I was genuinely afraid of someone. It was maddening. "Why?"

"I-" Zaki paused, seemingly having the very same question himself. "I assume you need both hands to nock your massive bow."

"Oh, I'm just so eager to turn people into pin cushions as if there's no better way to solve a problem." I exaggerated my tone sarcastically.

Zaki scowled.

I continued. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"You're one of four people who know about that, two of whom are dead, so count yourself tremendously lucky."

"I am exceptionally lucky, I've never missed a shot, nor have I ever been grounded."

"Is it luck that a little girl skewered your poor hand?"

I deserved that. "It's luck that all my fingers are still intact."

Zaki's tipped his head to the side, barely but I noticed it. "You know her well then."

"I've seen what she's capable of, heard a lot of stories. She goes by the nickname Noodles and refuses to tell anyone her actual name." I cast a glance toward my brother. "Until Addanc, that is."

"That last part's kinda cute." He mentioned begrudgingly.

"isn't it? If only we could get along so well."

"Explain how we are similar to them."

I gestured to myself. "Reasonable," then to Zaki. "Capricious."

His face soured immediately, fixing me with a glare sharp enough to cut glass.

"Avarice." My brother purred.

I stiffened, between Addanc's fingers was one of Zaki's feathers. How the hell did it get there?

"Where is it?" He asked eagerly.

"Dead."

Addanc smiled. "Liar~"

"If I so much as find you on my doorstep uninvited, I'll turn Noodles into noodles."

Addanc's fork tongue was already testing the air. His eyes locked on Zaki. "You."

"Don't drag Zavarice into this."

"Chretta."

"Addanc." I barked.

His head lolled to the side. "What do you want from me?"

"Besides leaving Zavarice alone? I need to borrow Revel."

"Where he goes, I go. If you can't say 'No' to Lezabel, the Trash Can will eat you alive and he won't even have to chew tiny little 'Zavarice.'"

"I'm only a little stupid."

Addanc shrugged and left, Noodles trailing him like a puppy.

"You said Morfran was hard to threaten."

"Don't get your tapestry in a roll," I patted Zaki on the head. "I know what I'm doing."

"Does you goddess not find that offensive? Its a direct reference to her... Situation."

"Not at all, she finds it hilarious."

"How fortunate, we're not in Cloud Spire and the Ivory Maiden can't do shit about what I do and do not say."

"Yes, how very fortunate." Zaki mocked.

"Admit it, getting shot down was the best thing that ever happen to you."