The way his native tongue rolled so smoothly past his lips – even in one word alone – affected her. The black pupils of her blue eyes dilated and through her nostrils she sucked in a quick, small breath. She exhaled and grinned, failing entirely to show how attracted she was to him but not entirely acting upon it. This tease, the give and pull of their banter, excited her.

“Oh please,” Oswin laughed, rolling her eyes and tossing her head, strands of her creamy yellow mane jumping over the side of her neck. “The size of your ego to think I did this just to have you here with me.” But she smiled as she met his eyes and let a moment of humored pause settle between them before speaking again.

She’d love to continue their little back-and-forth, it made her feel almost as alive as she felt when they’d fought… or when they’d met each other in private just a little while past. He matched her spirit and despite herself, she enjoyed his company. But she’d been right when she’d suggested she hadn’t brought him here just so she could see him again. This was meant to be business and she meant to be the Prime Minister of the Peak now, not just the General. She couldn’t put her sister’s in jeopardy for a crush.

“Actually,” she started, her smile slipping away, “I brought you here for a much more serious reason.” She leveled her gaze with his, searching. “What do you think of your new boss? What do you know of him?”

Straight to business, then. Oswin had never been good at dancing around the fact and tricking someone into talking to her about something she wanted to know… she saw the direct path she needed to travel and she leapt for it.

oswin
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.