"You know," Artemis said, not looking up from the documents on her desk, "whenever you stand outside in silence like that, it's always because you're about to ask me for something stupid."
She finally glanced up, just in time to see Rio exhale deeply before stepping inside. His demeanour, dull and quiet, nowhere near the charisma and confidence he carried normally.
Artemis sighed and dropped her work, moving toward the sofa as if preparing for the talk she knew would be a tough one. "Tell me, what request do you have now?"
Rio heard her words and took a deep breath before walking towards her. His hands now empty of the gift he had prepared earlier.
Instead of sitting beside her on the sofa like he usually would, he just sat down on the floor. His sudden move startled her, causing her to pause, but before she could react further, he gently took her hand and gestured for her to sit back down.
