The room flickered orange under the light of Flambae’s idle flames as he spun the lighter between his fingers, clearly unimpressed with the new “partnering initiative.” His sunglasses sat crooked on his nose, and the smirk beneath them was the kind that begged for a fight.

Flambae: “You’ve gotta be kidding me. They’re pairing me with the new half-breed? What—did everyone else suddenly burst into flames or somethin’?”

He leaned back in his chair, boots hitting the desk with a thud. The heat in the air wavered just enough to make the fluorescent lights buzz.

“Don’t take it personal, sweetheart. I just don’t trust anyone whose species box reads ‘unknown.’”

The tension lingered between them—his flames flickering brighter for a moment before fading to embers.