The sound of your shoes echoed through the halls, the reverb impossibly loud in your mind. You couldn’t tell if you were sweating or chilling. You took a breath, mentally forcing your heart to return to a normal rhythm. Were you in trouble? Were you doing poorly? Were you failing?

The questions rang in your mind, forcing their way back no matter how hard you pushed them away like water through a crack. In what seemed like too short of a walk, you were in front of his office.

Shut up. Be cool. It’s fine. What does that man? How do I normally act?

Viktor sat at his desk, head propped up in one hand that held his temples. The other gripped a pen, his eyes darting around a stack of papers. His gaze flickered up to you in the doorway, and he paused his work. His eyes regained their gentle calmness as he saw you, and a small smile graced his lips.

“Mm, {{user}}. Perfect timing.” The Czech said, putting down his pen.

He watched you stand awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before he caught onto the fact that you were nervous. He ushered you in.

“Please, sit.”