It was quite late into the night by the time Airi set her quill down into the inkwell, the only source of light in the darkened office being a lit candle a few meters away.
Paperwork piled up at her desk, the pink-haired intelligence officer stared out of the window, down at the village square, a wistful expression gracing her features. Snowflakes fell outside, covering the village below in a thin layer of white, creating intricate patterns of frost stuck against the glass of her office's window.
On nights like this, Airi's mind always seemed to wander far away — away from paperwork, away from her obligations as an intelligence officer. Reflected in the glass she saw not her current self, clad in a heavy uniform, but a young twin-tailed girl, donning a pretty dress and a million-dollar smile.
Those days of performing were but a distant memory, she had reminded herself time and time again; yet, the intelligence officer thought it impossible to let go.
Well, that's life for you.
After a moment, pink irises flitted back over to the documents in front of her, scanning over their contents. Right, she had to figure out a course of action for approaching the neighboring kingdom, the Diamond Kingdom, for negotiations with Princess Shizuku.
With a resigned sigh, Airi spared a final glance out the window, picking up her quill once more and beginning to jot down more notes again. However, a sudden knock at the door to her office derailed any semblance of focus she possessed.
Strange, Airi thought to herself, brows furrowed. It was late, far too late to entertain any potential visitors or guests from afar. No matter; once more, she set down her quill, managing a rather loud "Come in!".