A pair of dress shoes and heels clicked against the ground, following the soft thud of two vehicle doors closing. Governor Vale had arrived for her interview, accompanied by her bodyguard and most trusted assistant, Callum.
The vehicle was a sleek prototype, gifted on behalf of the never-before-seen ruler of Akrion City—a luxury car engineered to convert its own thermal energy into usable power. In most parts of the world, such a design would seem impractical. But in a heat dome like Meteor Kingdom, its conversion rate was boosted by 10%, making it an invaluable asset.
The building before them stood in stark contrast to the modern car—its structure forged from old stone and rusted metal. Vines clung stubbornly to its walls, burrowing deep into its surface and giving life to blooming morning glories. Time may have forgotten this place, but somehow, it still pulsed with a strange, quiet vitality.
"Is this really the location?" Vale asked, removing her shades for a clearer view of the building and its grounds.
"It's the address that Ms. St. Claire sent in her email," Callum replied skeptically, stopping just in front of her. "Wait here. I'll knock."
He ascended the short flight of stairs and knocked on the rusted white metal door, waiting for a response.
Do we still have places like this around the kingdom? Vale scanned the lot with a growing sense of disbelief. Surely this land could serve a better purpose than hosting a graveyard for a forgotten building. Her eyes caught on the patchy dead grass scattered along the ground. Just as she raised a finger to act, the front door creaked open.
"Hello! My apologies for taking so long to answer." Iris cleared her throat. "I was trying to get some dough off my hands. How can I help you?" Iris smiled at Callum, drawing a blank on who he was.
"You haven't forgotten about our interview now, have you, Ms. St. Claire?" Vale called out from near the car. "I apologize for how long it took to arrange this. I've been all work and no play lately—my schedule hasn't had any real room for us to sit these past few months. You wouldn't believe the amount of letters we've had come in about our delayed response."
Looking past Callum, Iris spotted Governor Vale smiling as she shaded her eyes from the sun—a gesture she'd learned to mimic to seem more human.
"Oh, Governor Vale!" Iris glanced at her watch, expecting the time—only to realize she'd mistaken her timer for the clock earlier. She was off by an hour.
"You're… right on time," she said, quickly switching off her timer. "Please, come in."
Stepping into the age-old building, both Callum and Vale were taken aback by its clean, aesthetically pleasing interior. Earthy tones painted the walls, and plants hung gracefully from the ceiling. Sunlight poured through skylight windows, softening the atmosphere. Light wooden floors, warm fuzzy rugs, and sturdy furniture completed the unexpected warmth—nothing like the rundown exterior they had seen.
"Oh wow, it's so spacious yet cozy," Vale said, captivated by the beauty of the home's interior.
"That's exactly why I was drawn to it," Iris explained. "The outside might look like a dump, but I had a vision for the inside that I just couldn't let go to waste. This place reminds me that it's not about what we look like on the outside, but what we carry within."
"That's a beautiful sentiment—and one I can wholeheartedly agree with," Vale replied as Iris gestured for her and Callum to take a seat in her living room. Vale sat down, but Callum remained standing, ever vigilant in his role as bodyguard.
Once Vale was settled, Iris disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the snacks she'd been baking in preparation for the interview.
"Do you live out here all alone, Ms. St. Claire?" Vale's voice carried gently from the living room.
"Yes, I do, Governor. Why do you ask?" Iris called back.
"Well…" Vale glanced over at Callum. Somehow, he already knew what she wanted to ask. Her eyes silently sought his approval.
"It's just… How do you manage so well on your own?" Vale asked. "At the conference, you wore a blindfold, so I assumed you were blind—but now, I'm not so sure."
"That's a fair deduction," Iris said with a slight smile as she pulled a baking sheet from the oven. "Most people assume that actually." She paused, closing the oven. "I wear a blindfold for two reasons. The first is to cover the burns around my eyes. They can be… unsettling to some. I'm not ashamed of them, but I've found it kinder not to draw attention when I'm out in public."
Feeling as if she might've overstepped, Vale began to apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to–"
"The second reason," Iris said, cutting in gently, "is that I have a rare condition that causes my vision to come and go. Technically, sometimes I am blind, which is why I keep a blindfold—to indicate when I'm unable to see."
"Ah, I see. How smart of you. I had no idea such a condition existed." Vale still had questions—particularly about the burns around Iris's eyes—but decided she'd done enough digging for now. After all, she was the one who was supposed to be getting interviewed.
Returning with a tray of cookies, biscuits, and herbal tea, Iris arranged the spread carefully on the coffee table. "Like I said, Governor, it's a rare condition."
Taking her notepad and pen in hand, Iris sat down in the chair across from Vale and Callum. "So, I suppose I'll begin with what's on everyone's mind—across the kingdom, and really, the world. Why exactly did you cancel the Wetland Trials?"
Prepared for the question, Vale calmly sipped her tea before answering. "I'm not sure how old you are or how well you remember the last Trials, but they devastated the bordering parishes of Mille Dan. That decade's contestants were far more powerful than anticipated, and it took quite some time to rebuild."
"If I remember correctly, the winner of that year's tournament was never announced. Why's that?"