Carrying her backpack, Aurora Sinclair walked into Chester Greene's office as usual.
She set down her backpack, opened the container of chicken drumstick over rice on the desk, and began to eat in silence.
Alvin Morgan rested his chin on his hand, his eyes drifting to her hair, which was gradually growing longer. "What did you get up to this afternoon?" he asked lightly.
"The hot springs," Aurora Sinclair replied, taking a bite of her chicken drumstick.
"With your aunt?"
"Yeah." As if remembering something, Aurora Sinclair pulled two boxes of handmade pastries from her backpack and set them on the desk. They were a gift from Neve Sherwood.
"They're delicious," she said, pushing one of the boxes toward him.
Alvin Morgan picked up the box and turned it over in his hands. The packaging was exquisite. It had a handwritten blessing, and in place of a signature was a unique symbol—the crest of the Sherwood Clan, one of Niphoria's Ancient Martial Families.
