Fallen (Lingorm)

Chapter 19

The meeting ended, and Orm wasted no time gathering her stuff, ready to escape. But before she could slip out, she saw Lingling by the door, standing there like a statue, holding it open with this annoyingly polite expression on her face. She was staring at Orm expectantly, eyebrows raised.

Orm slowed down, her eyes narrowing. What is this idiot up to?

Lingling kept her face straight and said, "After you," gesturing toward the hallway with a little nod, like she was some kind of butler.

"Uh... thanks?" Orm muttered, walking past her but keeping an eye out for any sudden moves. 

Again, she half-expected Lingling to shove her or pull a prank, but Lingling simply followed her into the hall, still with that forced smile.

They walked side by side toward Lingling's office, where they were scheduled to go over some case files. It was supposed to be business as usual, but with Lingling acting like she'd been possessed by Miss Manners, Orm's mind was racing with suspicion.

Once they reached the office, they each settled down at the table, setting up documents and laptops, but Lingling kept sneaking these awkward glances at Orm, who was too absorbed in her work to notice at first. 

Lingling cleared her throat a few times, trying to think of something to say, while Orm was blissfully ignoring her.

Finally, Lingling forced herself to speak. "So... how was your weekend?"

Orm's head snapped up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She blinked. "What?"

"Your weekend," Lingling repeated, feigning casualness but failing miserably. "Was it... good?"

Orm's suspicious glare intensified. "Uh, yeah? It was fine."

Then, just like that, she turned her attention back to her work, totally uninterested in whatever Lingling was trying to get at.

Lingling bit her lip, mentally cursing her awkwardness. She wanted to say something, open up a conversation, but it was like Orm was determined to make it as difficult as possible. The silence stretched on, making Lingling even more frustrated, and finally, she just gave up, diving into her work, though her mind kept wandering.