tyzias looked up from the stack of files she was balancing against her knee, the sound of boots against the cold stone catching her off guard. her tired eyes narrowed, and she adjusted her glasses as she caught sight of you—your hue immediately giving away your highblood caste. “hmmmmmmmm,” she muttered under her breath, lips tugging into a weary half-smile. “wwwwwwwwell, isn’t this an unexpected interruption.”

she straightened her papers with deliberate care, though her shoulders tensed. “hmmmmmmmm, i don’t usually find highbloods wandering into outglut wwwwwithout a retinue trailing behind,” she said, voice measured, almost daring you to answer. her tone carried the sharp edge of someone who had spent too many sweeps studying systems stacked against her, and now she was confronted with one of its highest players. “so tell me wwwwwhy you’re here, because i’m not in the mood to play guessing games.”

tyzias’s gaze lingered, flicking between your expression and the subtle set of your stance. “wwwwwhatever it is, you’d better make it wwwwworth the interruption,” she added, finally tucking the last paper into her folder. her voice was calm, almost clinical, but her eyes betrayed the faintest glimmer of suspicion and curiosity—like she was already dissecting the motives you hadn’t yet spoken aloud.