“Elder Dai is ready for you, Master Jack.”

  “Very well.” Jack said, not sparing the maid a single glance as the doors to the Elder’s quarters swung open.

  A wave of pressure engulfed him as soon as he set foot inside the room carved out of stone, the only light coming from the small torches hanging at each ceiling corner.

  Must she always use these theatrics?

  “Jack, you were sent to subjugate the border months ago.” Elder Dai’s voice echoed off the stone as her qi filled the chamber.

  Jack didn't make eye contact with the diminutive woman as he strolled deeper into the chamber.

  “And? It’s done.” Dai's jaw clenched as Jack waved his hand in reply.

  “And… why did it take you this long!?” Elder Dai's voice cracked as she stared at the man before her. The torch flames rose along with it.

  “Do you take orders seriously? The sect entrusted you with this task for a reason. You are not above it!”

  “The sect? Interesting. I seem to remember Muchen and Gen wanting me to lead one of the attacks.” Jack finally looked at the woman that sat before him.

  “Only one member of the council brought up the idea of me babysitting.”

  Elder Dai's eye twitched as she rose in the air to meet him at eye level. “Watch yourself.” Her voice quieted as her qi flared. “Your status doesn’t put you above the sect.”

  Jack slowly exhaled. The air cracked around them as he raised his qi to match hers, and the stone walls began to warp.

  “Oh, please,” he said calmly. “Do tell me my error.”

  Elder Dai's brows furrowed. “You were to stabilize the border, then return to the sect an—”

  “My mission was to subjugate the rising groups along the border. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  Elder Dai drew a slow breath. “How you left the border is what you call subjugation? You don’t get to put your own spin on an order given to you directly from the council. Especially not when every major faction is watching how this ends.”

  “I know the council’s watching. I also know how this ends.”

  Elder Dai's eyes narrowed. “Watch your tone.”

  “Watch my tone but ignore my results? Spare me,” Jack said, calm as ever.

  “Is that all? Elder Dai.” Jack asked, his voice light.

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  A tense silence filled the chamber. For a moment, Dai’s composure wavered.

  “Leave.” Her qi spiked one last time before she floated to her seat.

  “I grow bored of that incessant grin.”

  Jack had already turned and begun making his way to the exit before she finished.

  He paused at the door. “I spoke to Muchen before I came here.”

  He afforded her only a sidelong glance as he let the silence permeate the air.

  “I hear the boy you recommended for the assault on their supply port is failing. Miserably.”

  The torches exploded. Violent flames surged along the walls as he finished speaking.

  “Choose your words carefully, Jack.”

  “Calm yourself, Dai. Muchen already authorized me to correct the issue at the port.”

  He slowly turned his head to get a view of her in the fully illuminated room.

  “Your problem is no longer yours. Elder Dai.”

  Dai, expression tight, watched the back of the man grow smaller by the step, before fully disappearing behind the closing doors.

  Such arrogance.

  ~~~

  Several hours had passed since Jack's meeting with Elder Dai. Jack lay in the sunshine of the meadow at the base of the mountain Elder Dai called home.

  “Your bluntness isn't cute, ya know.” A familiar voice came from a nearby treetop.

  Jack's eyes remained closed. The chemical scent in the air made it clear he wasn't alone long before she opened her mouth. “How long has it been? Sella.”

  The pink-haired woman glided down with the grace of a leaf dancing in the wind. The blades of her shoes kissed the ground as she rode out the landing.

  Sella settled gingerly next to Jack's head without a care.

  “Aww, po baby. I knew you missed me.” She leaned in close, her nose twitching as she took a deliberate sniff.

  “Sella.”

  “You’re still no fun.” She puffed her cheeks into a brief, exaggerated pout and patted his forehead.

  Jack took a deep breath before opening his eyes to see two light pink braids dangling over him, accompanied by a grin nearly as wide as his own.

  “Sella.”

  “Fineeeee.”

  The vials along her belt jingled as she swayed back and forth. Clearly pleased with herself.

  “Notice anything different about me?”

  Jack raised an eyebrow in contemplation. “I don't recognize some of those.”

  Sella's face lit up. “Hard to know about new products. The boss thought this was the perfect time for field tests, so when we leaving?”

  “You were eavesdropping.”

  Sella raised her hands in feigned astonishment “Jack! You really think so low of moi? Why, I'll have you know I was waiting for you to come out when I got hit with you and the bald lady’s qi.”

  Jack rolled his eyes at the flamboyant retelling.

  “And that po servant… you two do remember the seals only work if the doors stay closed, right?”

  The grass broke with a satisfying crunch as Jack sat up. “I thought your sect was staying neutral.”

  Sella jumped up with an outstretched hand. “Oh? So you wanna give my talismans back?”

  Jack snorted at the notion. “Now that one was funny. Let me know when another batch is ready.”

  “You used all ten already?” Her lips thinned. “When'd you start collecting so many friends?”

  Jack rolled to his feet, brushing grass from his shoulder. "Walk if you're going to joke. The port is a couple weeks away.”

  “So what are they like?”

  “Sella.”

  “Fineeee.” She dragged the word out as she fell into step beside him, her eyes darted toward the satchel at his hip she knew he kept hidden in his inner robe. "Seriously, the scent is driving me crazy. Did you find a new grove?"

  Jack didn't answer immediately. He reached into a fold of his robes and pulled out a small, circular petaled bloom. A Coco Karma Dahlia, its wine-red petals curled toward an obsidian center, shimmering with a faint oily sheen.The moment it hit the open air, the rich, spicy bittersweet aroma filled the vicinity.

  He held it out without looking at her as she stopped mid-stride, her eyes widening as she brought the stem to her nose, inhaling so deeply her eyes fluttered shut in genuine bliss.

  "Don't eat it. I need the seeds."

  Sella hurried to catch up, cradling the flower like a relic. "No promises.”