Goosebumps prickled along his exposed forearm, the room's chill seeping in now that the adrenaline had faded. "Th-thank you, Sage." He pressed the bright cloth to his knuckles, the color contrasting harshly against his all-black attire. "I'll return it promptly. Clean, of course."
She shook her head, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Keep it. You need more color in your wardrobe anyway."
He nodded, processing the instruction as if logging an inventory update. "Very well."
A soft *ribbit* sounded from the other side of the room, and Sage's eyes followed the noise until they caught the gleam of Kingsley's shining crown and the glow of his golden eyes.
The frog's oddities had grown on her during her short time in the office. His charming little signs were a darling addition to what was turning out to be rather bloody work.
Literally.
"Good morning, Kingsley. Aren't you looking handsome today."
Another *ribbit* followed her pronouncement, and her boss rolled his eyes in annoyance. Too many pleasantries, clearly. "He looks like he's up to no good. What are you doing down here, Kingsley? Trying to make another escape attempt?"
"Maybe he was checking on you," Sage suggested, the last word fading slowly when the boss shot her a glare. She took a few careful steps back, veering closer to the stairs, closer to Kingsley, who was scribbling on his small board with a vengeance.
"Not likely," the boss said flatly. He moved around her and took two large strides up the stairs, a creak echoing in his wake. Which, she mused, didn't make much sense—there should be no creaking. The stairs were stone.
"What is that?" she asked, looking from side to side for the source. Foolish. She should've looked up.
"Sage!"
Before she could draw another breath, she was yanked forward like a ragdoll, a startled scream tearing from her lips as a large crash sounded behind her. She coughed at the dust kicked up by the impact and the sudden stream of light pouring in through the roof.
"Are you injured?" the boss asked. The low timbre of his voice cut through the adrenaline making her mind race.
His dark eyes scanned her, his large hands gripping each of her shoulders.
It brought her back to their first meeting in the forest. She'd thought the shock of his touch would fade as time trickled by… No such luck.
She only managed to nod before he pulled his hands away, stalking toward the ruined slab of roof that had nearly clobbered her. "Shall I send for someone to repair the roof, sir?" she asked carefully, amazed at how steady her voice sounded when her heart was beating out of her chest.
"You were nearly crushed, and you're asking about the roof?" He stared at her, mildly outraged.
She shrugged. "Still not my most life-threatening day on the job, believe it or not."
Something darkened in his expression, darker than normal. He stared at the hole in the roof for a few seconds, taking deep, steadying breaths. "You're still new, Sage. Worry not. There's time."
She laughed, and his face pinched as if he'd bitten into a sour grape. "So, uh. What happened to the roof?"
"The manor is old. It was likely natural wear. Some rusty screws probably gave way. I'll have it looked over by someone in the office and get the hole repaired. This won't happen again."
She hummed. "Too bad. Near-death experiences are a very efficient morning jolt."
"Stick to the cauldron brew, Sage. Specifically, for me. Even more specifically, on my desk, in twenty minutes. But be careful getting around this mess."
He kicked at the broken piece of roof like it had deeply offended him, and Sage took it as her cue that she was dismissed.
She lightly skipped around the debris, coughing a bit when her feet kicked up extra dust. Something slid under her shoe, a tiny ringing sound accompanying it as it skidded across the floor.
She nearly stumbled over another as she leaned down to pick them up.
The metal glinted in her hand. Screws. Not at all rusty. In fact, they looked perfectly intact.
"I told you to be careful." The words stopped her, and when she turned to look at him, he appeared older than she knew he was. Weighed down by some burden he'd never share with anyone but himself.
She smiled brightly, trying not to take offense when he winced. "I'm a terrible listener."
"That'll get you into trouble someday, I think."
She scrunched her nose before spinning around, her dress swishing about her legs as she made for the stairs to get them both a cup of cauldron brew. Kingsley hopped beside her, expertly balancing a sign in one webbed toe, whatever word he'd been trying to convey earlier written plainly.
Danger.
She offered a small smile. "Little late for that warning, Kingsley."
Gently straightening his crown, she continued up the stairs. She called back cheekily, tossing the screws through the air. The boss caught them with ease and frowned down at them. "I think my terrible listening will actually get you into trouble someday."
She almost stopped again at a sound. It was as if The Villain was whispering something behind her.
Something that sounded an awful lot like…
"It already has."