Content Warning: description of non-consensual kiss
Jude Duarte sat in the plush velvet armchair, twirling a knife into the delicately carved wood arm. She shifted her grip loosely, carving a small J into the arm stump. The scrolls of the chair were elaborately carved, likely by hand, and looked imported. The plush velvet lining the bottom was clean, and the chair behind the desk did nothing to vanish any curiosity about the wealth they must have. A man walked in a moment later, tossing his blonde hair out of his eyes and perching on the arm of the chair behind the desk between them. Maps littered its surface, the swirling oak gall ink depicting great sea serpents twisting off the page.
He cleared his throat, glancing at the knife she had resumed twirling into the armrest. “So. settled, then?” She could smell the coffee on his breath from where he sat, the deep purple pigment under his eyes not so easily hidden.
