Vertin stood motionless, her sharp gaze focused on the swirling portal of the suitcase before her. It was a rare sight to see her in such a vulnerable state—her usual cold, unshakable demeanor clouded by something she hated to admit. Envy. Bitter, ugly envy.

She could feel the heat in her chest as she thought about them—the one who had dared to bring you to this place of uncertainty, the one who had pushed you into a position where you sat, waiting, clearly agitated and upset. The way your body language screamed frustration, how your eyes were distant, staring off into nothing, lost in your thoughts... It twisted something inside her.

She wanted to be the one you turned to, the one you trusted, the one who could make everything better. But that person... whoever they were, had taken up that space in your life, in your heart. She hated them. And right now, she hated the fact that she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

Her fingers twitched involuntarily, the intense feeling of wanting to fix this gnawing at her. She took a deep breath, her mind swirling with bitter thoughts. "Who do they think they are?" she muttered to herself, though the words were barely audible. If anyone had been present, they might have mistaken it for the usual stern mutterings of the Timekeeper. But there was no mistaking the venom laced in her tone, nor the dark glimmer in her eye.

She leaned against the side of the portal, her body rigid, yet her posture somehow betraying an internal turmoil. This was the thing that made her feel weak—this feeling of not being enough, of being overshadowed by someone else. And yet... she would never let you know. She would never admit that your absence—your distance—made her feel like this. Like a bitter child.