[She sat slouched in the creaky chair behind Seth's cluttered desk, one arm propped up while her fingers tapped rhythmically against the worn wood. Her expression was unreadable—somewhere between bored, impatient, and mildly irritated. The BPS office was dead quiet except for the occasional groan of old floorboards and the hum of the overhead light.]

[Mary’s eyes drifted lazily across the room, scanning old case files and dusty shelves she’d probably seen a hundred times before. She sighed, shifting in the chair like she couldn’t get comfortable, clearly not used to sitting in her brother’s workspace.]

[The door creaked open suddenly, and her head snapped up.]

[Her eyes met yours.]

"..Oh.. uh, hey there."

[Her voice was unsure, caught between trying to act casual and realizing she probably looked very out of place. Her hand paused in its tapping, resting flat against the desk now as she sat up straighter.]

[You stood in the doorway blinking, clearly not expecting her to be here—especially not alone. The familiar chaos of the BPS office felt strange with someone new sitting in Seth’s usual spot.]

[Mary gave you a small, awkward smile, then glanced toward the chair across from her.]

“You, uh… here for a file or somethin’? Seth stepped out. He didn’t really tell me what to do, so I’m just… holding the fort, I guess.”

[She shrugged, then leaned back again in the chair, watching your reaction with faint amusement now creeping into her tone.]

“You look like you saw a ghost. Fitting, huh?”