Solitaire ♡₊˚✧

𝟙.𝟙𝟘

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Mavis followed The Handler, her hands deep in her jacket pockets, her expression blank but her eyes burning with suppressed anger. The Handler led the way with her usual grace, heels clicking rhythmically against the floor.

"You've grown so much, my darling," The Handler remarked, a falsely sweet tone in her voice. "Such a pity it took all this chaos for you to find your way back to where you belong."

Mavis didn't dignify the comment with a response.

"Silent treatment, hmm?" The Handler glanced over her shoulder, smirking slightly. "Well, that's very mature of you."

Mavis' fingers twitched, her nails biting into the fabric of her coat.

In the adjacent office, Five sifted through the file The Handler had handed him, his sharp eyes darting over the pages.

"You trust any of this?" Will asked, leaning back in his chair, his arms folded loosely across his chest. His voice was calm, deliberate, but there was a quiet undercurrent of distrust in his tone.

"Not for a second," Five replied, not even glancing up from the file.

Dot, seated nearby at her desk, leaned in slightly and spoke in a hushed voice. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your heads down. The Handler doesn't take kindly to rebellion."

Will let out a low chuckle, his gaze fixed on the far wall. "Then she's not going to like me very much."

Five smirked faintly at Will's words but didn't comment. His eyes remained glued to the document in his hands, though his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Inside The Handler's office, Mavis remained rigid in her chair, her fingers gripping the armrests as The Handler settled behind her desk, the perfect image of calm authority.

"You're angry," The Handler said smoothly. "I understand. I'd be angry too if I'd wasted my potential chasing after... distractions."

Mavis' lips thinned. Her voice, when she spoke, was quiet but firm. "You mean my life."

The Handler's expression didn't falter, but her gaze sharpened. "I mean wasted potential. You're better than this, Mavis. And you know it."

"You don't get to define what I'm better than," Mavis retorted.

The Handler's voice dropped to a dangerous purr. "And yet here you are, back where you started. Funny how that works."

Back in the outer office, Will's restlessness finally got the better of him. He stood abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor.

"She's been in there too long," he said quietly but with unmistakable conviction.

"She'll handle herself," Five replied, his tone clipped.

Will's gaze shifted to Five, his arms still crossed but his stance tense. "It's not her I don't trust in there." Five exhaled sharply, snapping the file shut. "Fine. Five minutes. Then we move."

Dot glanced between them, concern flickering across her face. "You two don't want to do this. Not here."

Will gave her a faint, wry smile. "Dot, trust me. I don't want to do this. I just don't see another choice."

The door to The Handler's office swung open, and The Handler's smile was firmly in place, though her eyes were as sharp as daggers.

"Gentlemen," she greeted Five and Will as they entered the room. "Is there something I can help you with?"