Lucia and Clover sat across from each other in the cramped inn room. The others were downstairs below. There was silence. Clover surveyed Lucia with unusual coldness. Their eyes a malevolent red in the shadowy room. Tapping one finger against the table, Clover looked out between the crack in the curtain, listening to the sound of the sea hitting the port.
"You will open a portal to the other side," Lucia dictated.
"Will I?" Clover scoffed, not making eye contact.
"You will," Lucia didn't break her gaze.
Clover cast a wary glance over, then quickly back out the window. They gave no rejoinder.
"I imagine these past months haven't been much fun for you, Clover," Lucia continued, "But you should know I can make it a lot worse for you."
"By all means try it," Clover smirked.
"You are already considered to be a criminal in the Empire. I would be in my rights to confine you right now," Lucia warned.
