Round 24

Jeane's dismissive laughter cuts through the tension like a knife. "Predictable? Is that what you think you are?" Halia spits back, her voice shaking with barely contained rage. "I won't be your plaything, Jeane. I won't debase myself for this… this thing." She gestures wildly at the entity pulsing behind them both, then clutches her cross necklace like a lifeline.

Jeane merely arches an eyebrow, her expression bored and contemptuous. "Debase yourself? Oh please. You're already halfway there just standing in that room. The only thing holding you back is your pathetic clinging to a religion that abandoned you the moment we stepped through that door." She rises from her seat with fluid grace, wings unfurling slightly before settling back against her shoulders.

I watch the exchange unfold from my position by the door, heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. This is spiraling out of control far too quickly for my liking.