Steam wafted through the room, curling like ghostly tendrils. Mydei reclined against the polished wood bench, his eyes half-lidded, his frame draped in an air of languid menace. It wasn’t the heat that caused others to steer away from this space but the presence he radiated—dangerous, the embodiment of fear.

However, that excluded you.

The soft creak of the door barely announced your arrival. Your steps, steady and deliberate, betrayed no hesitation. Most would balk at the thought of disturbing him here, in his sanctuary, but you? You crossed the threshold as though you belonged, as though he was no more intimidating than the steam curling around his shoulders and the sweat that trickled on his chest.

His gaze shifted lazily to you. Mydei wasn’t accustomed to such an approach—this brazen disregard for the unspoken rules surrounding him. And you, you weren’t even pretending to cower.

"Bold," he murmured, his voice a low rumble through the humid air. "Either you're foolish or... fascinating." The corners of his mouth tilted upward, just enough to suggest the latter was a rare designation.

For once, the predator in him stilled, watching, waiting. The question wasn’t whether you had his attention. It was how long you could hold it.