Her eyes widened even more, and for a moment she looked like she might refuse the offered hand out of sheer terror.

Then, hesitantly, she reached out and let him pull her to her feet. Her hand felt impossibly delicate in his grip, and he was careful not to squeeze too hard.

{Okay, she's standing now and I can see her full… nope, not going there. Professional thoughts only. Very professional. Extremely professional.}

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize… I should have been more careful about where I was going…" The words tumbled out in a rush, her nervousness making her ramble.

"It was my fault," Jack interrupted. "I wasn't paying attention either."

She clutched her papers to her chest, seeming uncertain how to respond to a general taking blame for something that was clearly her mistake.

Her entire posture was defensive, as if she expected this kindness to be a trick.

{You know, for someone who's supposedly weak and insignificant, she's got a certain... presence. Like a flower growing in a battlefield. Delicate but somehow still there. Am I being poetic? I think I'm being poetic. This is weird.}

"We'll be working closely together," Jack continued, his tone remaining flat but not unkind. "The pits require a lot of administrative coordination. Slave tracking, resource management, communication with other departments."

"Yes, sir. I handle most of the logistics coordination between the generals and their various operations." Her voice was steadier now, falling into the familiar territory of discussing work.

"Good. Then you should know something upfront." Jack met her eyes directly. "You'll be treated well by me. I don't care about rank, hierarchies or breeding or any of that. You do your job well, I'll respect that. Don't worry."

The assistant stared at him for a long moment, her expression showing something between disbelief and cautious hope. Her grip on the papers tightened slightly, and Jack noticed her hands had finally stopped shaking.

{That was surprisingly kind of you. Genuine, even. Are you going soft?}

"Thank you," she said again, her voice carrying more weight this time. "That... that means more than you probably realize."

She glanced down at her papers, then back up at Jack. "I really do need to get these to the meeting though. The generals are expecting these documents and I'm already late."

"Then go. Don't let me keep you."

She nodded quickly, started to walk away, then paused and looked back.

"My name is Ashira, by the way. If you need anything for the pits, just ask for me. I'll make sure you get it."

"I'll remember that."

Ashira hurried off down the corridor, her steps quick but no longer panicked. She disappeared around a corner, leaving Jack alone in the hallway with scattered paper fragments that hadn't been worth collecting.

{...}

'Oscar?'

{I need a moment.}

'You're a weapon.'

{I'm AWARE. But did you SEE her? I mean, really SEE her? Because I'm pretty sure I just experienced something close to what humans call "being smitten" and I don't even have a functional biology to process that!}

Jack started walking again, continuing toward the fortress exit.

'You're being ridiculous.'

{Am I though? AM I? Because she was gorgeous in this delicate, almost ethereal way that completely contradicts the brutal environment of this fortress, and I'm trying to figure out how someone that fragile survives in a place like this!}

'She survives by being useful and staying out of the way.'

{And by being absolutely stunning apparently! Did you notice her figure? Because I definitely… okay, I'm going to stop talking now before I embarrass myself further.}

'Too late for that.'

{Shut up. I've been a weapon for decades. Let me have this moment of appreciation for aesthetic beauty!}

'Are you done?'

{...No. But I'll pretend to be.}

A few seconds of silence passed.

{Okay, fine, back to business.} Oscar's mental voice shifted back to its usual suspicious tone. {Why did you purposely bump into her?}

Jack allowed himself a small smile behind his helmet.

'What makes you think it was purposeful?'

{Because you don't make mistakes like that. You're too aware of your surroundings, too careful about where you step and who's around you. You knew she was coming down that hallway and you timed it perfectly to create a collision.}

'Maybe I was distracted by the injuries.'

{You weren't limping. You weren't struggling. And the moment she dropped those papers, you immediately started helping pick them up with care. So I'll ask again. Why did you purposely bump into her?}

Jack said nothing, continuing his steady pace toward the gates.

'An opportunity presented itself that I couldn't miss.'

{What opportunity? Making an ally? She's a Vile-rank administrator. What could she possibly offer you?}

'You'll see.'

{Oh, come on! Don't give me that mysterious act! What did you actually do? Did you plant something? Steal information? Mark her with tracking magic?}

'Nothing so dramatic.'

{Then what?! You're being deliberately vague and it's infuriating!}

'Good. Keeps you on your toes.'

{I don't HAVE toes! I'm a SPEAR! And you're avoiding the question!}

Jack continued walking through the fortress, passing demons who cleared a path when they saw his damaged armor and the cursed weapon in his hand.

Oscar's continued speculation provided background noise to his thoughts as he mentally reviewed what had just happened.

Ashira would deliver those documents to the generals' meeting.

Loryn, Kaedor, and Rynath would review them, sign what needed signing, approve what needed approval.

Standard administrative procedure that happened regularly in any organization.

And somewhere in that stack of papers, Jack had messed with something.

{You're not going to tell me, are you?}

'Not yet.'

{This is cruel and unusual punishment for a weapon. I demand to know what my wielder is plotting!}

'Patience is a virtue.'

{Patience is BORING! And I've been bored for decades! The least you could do is tell me what clever scheme you just executed!}

'Where would be the fun in that?'

{The fun would be in me KNOWING THINGS instead of being kept in the dark like some kind of decorative weapon!}

Jack reached the main gates, where the same guards from earlier stood watch. They noticed his damaged armor immediately, their expressions shifting to something between concern and respect.

"Rough spar?" one of them asked.

"Master Pho wanted to test my capabilities."

The guards exchanged glances, both of them understanding immediately what that meant. Their respect visibly increased.

"You survived a spar with Master Pho," the second guard said, not quite a question but close. "That's... impressive."

"I learned a lot."

The gates opened, and Jack walked through without further conversation. The frozen wasteland stretched before him, crimson sky overhead, the cave's location fixed in his mind.

{Okay, new theory,} Oscar said as they walked across the ice. {You weren't stealing or planting. You were reading. You got a look at those documents and memorized something important. Intelligence gathering disguised as helpful behavior.}

'Interesting theory.'

{But wrong?}

'I didn't say that.'

{You didn't confirm it either! You're being deliberately obtuse!}

'I'm being appropriately mysterious.'

{There's no such thing as "appropriately mysterious" when I'm asking direct questions!}

The cave entrance came into view, that small opening in the black ice cliff face that most demons ignored.

Jack altered his course slightly, angling toward it with the same confidence he'd shown when arriving the previous night.

{She seemed genuinely grateful,} Oscar said, his tone shifting slightly. {That wasn't an act from her. She really appreciated that you didn't treat her like garbage.}

'I noticed.'

{So were you being genuine too? Or was the kindness just part of whatever you're plotting?}

Jack considered the question as he approached the cave entrance.

'Both.'

{How is it both? Either you meant it or you didn't.}

'I can treat her with genuine respect while also using the situation to my advantage. The two aren't mutually exclusive.'

{That's... actually a fair point. Still, it doesn't tell me what you did though.}

'No, it doesn't.'

{I really hate you sometimes.}

'You've mentioned that before.'

{And I'll keep mentioning it until you start being honest with me about your plans!}

'You're so talkative now. I bet you stared at Aisha as she walked away. I could feel you drooling.'

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