Javir's office was, as always, a perfect reflection of the woman herself—organized yet somehow cozy, with shelves of meticulously labeled stuff alongside worn, comfortable furniture. Scrolls and tomes were stacked in neat piles, and today the air smelled faintly of jasmine and parchment.
Melisa and Jaylin stood side by side in front of Javir's desk, looking for all the world like two students caught setting the alchemy lab on fire.
"Let me get this straight," Javir said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You found a secret passage in the restricted section of the library, decided to explore it without telling anyone, and then removed an unidentified magical artifact from its resting place?"
"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds bad," Melisa admitted with a nervous smile.
"That's because it is bad," Jaylin hissed.
"It's not like I was trying to steal it," Melisa argued. "We brought it straight to you!"
