"Apologies, huh?" she said, her voice chillingly calm. "Don't you think you should be directing those apologies at the right person?"
Esme and Aron, still balancing precariously on one leg, exchanged a quick look, realizing their situation was about to get much worse if they didn't tread carefully.
"Oh, absolutely, dear," Esme said with an awkward smile, trying to placate Helga. "We were… just warming up. No need to get upset!"
"Right, Helga," Aron added, his smile wide and disarming. "No harm done, really. Just a friendly… uh, sparring session."
Helga's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly unimpressed. "Wrong answer."
And with that, she tightened her grip on their legs, sending fresh waves of pain through their limbs.
"Ouch! Helga, please!" Esme squeaked, her hand flailing as she tried to keep herself steady.
"Yeah, we're really, really sorry!" Aron practically whimpered, his once-confident grin replaced by a look of genuine discomfort.
