Hex and Perus looked at Dahlia in astonishment, hardly believing what she had just said. Perus broke the silence first, glancing between her and Hex as though hoping someone else would chime in first.
"Are you mad?" he finally sputtered. "You can't break a criminal out—you'll become an accessory to his crimes!"
Dahlia just smirked, folding her arms casually. "I'm not breaking him out. I'll just politely ask the captain to lend him to me for a bit."
Both of them stared at her and Perus raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you're capable of doing anything politely."
Hex let out a dry chuckle and shook his head. "I'll second that. Though I've only known you for a few days, I've seen enough."
She rolled her eyes, clearly undeterred. "Then I suppose I'll just have to prove you both wrong."
Before they could respond, she turned and headed toward the door. Perus shifted uneasily. "You do remember you just had a fallout with the captain, right?"
Hex stood his chains rattled as he shifted his weight, he settles and looks at Dahlia. "Yeah, I'm confused too. You came here pouting and cursing about what happened."
With a sly smile, Dahlia brushed off their concerns. "Fret not—I have my ways."
Perus and Hex exchanged skeptical glances, both sensing how stubborn she was about this. Hex leaned closer to Perus, muttering under his breath, "She's going to seduce him, isn't she?"
They both cringed at the thought, imagining how awkward that scenario would be since neither she nor the captain were exactly social types. The very thought made Hex gag, and Perus looked visibly queasy.
"You morons! Banish the thought!" Dahlia shot back, cheeks tinged red, though whether from anger or embarrassment, neither could tell.
She stormed toward the door, and Perus reached for the cart to follow her, but she stopped him. "You wait here. I'll need you and the cart when I get back."
Perus looked at her, brows furrowed in confusion, but he nodded and stepped back. She knocked on the door, and the guards opened it. As she stepped out, she instructed them, "Don't let anyone in until I get back. He's... a bit of a mess right now. Clear?"
The guards exchanged puzzled glances, but then straightened and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
As she walked away, one guard muttered, "Poor man."
Inside the metal chamber, an awkward silence settled between Hex and Perus, broken only by the soft clang of chains as Hex shifted in his shackles. Perus cast him a sideways glance before quickly looking away, clearly uncertain.
Finally, Hex broke the silence with a grin. "So… are you courting Dahlia?"
Perus's face turned red in an instant, his wings fluffing up in embarrassment. "Wha—what? No! No… we're just—" He took a shaky breath, trying to compose himself. "I'm just her assistant," he finished, sounding far from convincing.
Hex's grin only widened. "Are you, though? You looked pretty flustered just now."
Perus's face reddened even more. "No, I wasn't!"
"Oh, yes you were. Don't be shy, give it a try. You're a big, stron—" Hex paused, giving Perus an exaggerated once-over, eyebrows raised. "Actually, now that I think about it… you're a bit short for an Ikariin, aren't you?"
Perus's wings ruffled, a flash of irritation in his eyes. "I'm still taller than you!" Which was true, though barely. Even with Hex's height boost, he stood only around 6'3". Perus, on the other hand, was 6'7"—but for an Ikariin male, that was still on the short side, most of them were about 8'0". The thought stung more than he cared to admit.
Hex chuckled, unable to resist a jab. "Yeah, but I'm human; we're supposed to be smaller."
Perus's frustration was clear as he stumbled to find a retort, his wings twitching with irritation. "At least I'm not the one chained up!" he finally shot back.
Hex burst out laughing, and Perus looked even more flustered. "What's so funny?" Perus demanded.
"You are," Hex managed between laughs. "You're not very good with words, are you?"
Perus, embarrassed and out of comebacks, fumbled for something to say, but before he could respond, the door unlocked, and Dahlia stepped in, holding a scroll in one hand and what looked like bracelets in the other. She wore a triumphant smile.
"All done," she announced, glancing between them. The scroll's symbols glowed faintly, casting an eerie light over the metal walls.
Hex looked at the scroll with a baffled expression, but Perus's mouth dropped open in shock. "This… this can't be possible… there's no way!" He stepped closer, holding his hand over the glowing symbols. His hand began to glow in response as he murmured, "It's… it's real."
Still confused, Hex asked, "What is that?"
Perus turned to him, eyes wide. "It's a Vykan scroll."
Hex raised an eyebrow, still clearly lost. Perus sighed, "Oh, right. You don't know anything about magic. Vykan scrolls are used for official messages because they store mana traces. Think of it like using your mana as a signature—this way, you can be certain who sent the message. And this one carries the captain's trace."
Perus turned back to Dahlia, a new glint in his eye as he shook his head. "I think you were right, Hex. She definitely seduced him."
Dahlia punched Perus in the gut, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach. She sighed and held up the bracelets. "There's just one thing left. You have to put these on."
Hex eyed the bracelets suspiciously. "What for?"
"Call it insurance." Dahlia unlocked one of his wrist shackles and slipped a bracelet over his hand. It glowed, seeping into his skin and transforming into what looked like a tattoo. She repeated the process with his other hand, and once finished, the ring on her finger glowed and became a tattoo as well.
Dahlia explained, "If you try to run, these bracelets will paralyze you. You can't move more than 50 feet away from me, and the same thing applies if you try to harm anyone."
With a swift motion, she unchained his feet. As he stood, an unusual silence fell over the room. Hex shifted, rubbing his wrists, then finally broke the silence. "So… now what?"
"Now, you get in the cart," Dahlia replied simply.
Hex gave her a skeptical look, clearly expecting some kind of trick. Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Just get in. I'll explain later."
With a resigned sigh, Hex climbed into the cart. Dahlia pulled a drape over him, then motioned for Perus to push. She walked over to the door and knocked. The soldiers opened it, and she and Perus made their way out, cart in tow. Once again, Dahlia instructed the guards, "Don't let anyone in here until I return."