Cairo

The office where Cairo and Aerie were redirected was upstairs, four doors down to the left. Everything in the house screamed "rich," from the imported, polished wood to the hand carved railings. The stuffy panelings and sturdy doors only furthered the image, but left a overwhelming feeling of a loneliness that was almost painful. Without a presence of life, Cairo thought as he glanced at the pristine cleanliness of the office. There wasn't a book out of place or a spec of dust to be had. The desk wasn't littered with papers, instead they were all tucked neatly into a paper tray in the corner, while the smaller accessories were lined up neatly next to one another along the back desk. Everything looked in order, in place, and like it hadn't been touched. Ever.

Sera walked into the office with a tray that held two cups of steaming tea. They were small and wide, white with barely visible decorations circling around the outside. She placed the tray on the desk and handed Cairo and Aerie each a cup on a saucer. A plump man, who Cairo could grudgingly remembered was Cane's father, walked in the room next as Sera was dumping sugar into their tea. He had the same kind of intimidating aura as Sera, but with his massive body, eyes that looked ready to kill, and the smell of death all around him, he did a much better job at getting it across. Cairo nodded to the man who took a seat at his desk chair. His shoulders stiffened as he sat back in his seat, crossing his arms as his glare intensified.  

Cairo could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. He rubbed the temple of his forehead between his eyebrows as he let out a sigh. Aerie shifted in her seat next to him, drawing the man's gaze to her momentarily.

"It's no wonder Cane wanted to escape," Cairo said, "I've been here for less than five minutes and I feel like bolting for the nearest exit."

An audible gasp escaped Sera as the tray clattered against the glass desk. She fiddled with the sugar bowl and dirty utensils for a moment before walking out. As soon as she closed the door, Cane's father shifted his gaze back to Cairo.

"My name is Borvo. I am the owner of this house and father to Cane, though I'm sure you remember plenty well as I remember you. You may address me as Sir while you're in my presence and only as such. Failure to comply will have you immediately removed with no room for negotiation."

Almost mimicking Borvo's posture, Cairo leaned back into his seat, crossing both his arms and legs, tilting his head slightly back. His gaze was semi-distant as he watched the oversized man kick his feet. He lightly bounced his foot every couple of seconds.

"I understand, sir," Cairo said.

Borvo nodded his head, tapping his fingers on his triceps. "Sera told me what happened with our staff earlier." His eyes quickly looked over Cairo before his face curled into a quick snarl, the corners of his mouth slightly twitching. "I'll write you a blank check to pay for any medical expenses you might have sustained from your fall. The other matt-"

Cairo held up his hand. "The money isn't an issue here, sir. I've said this to your wife, however, she seems incapable of understanding these simple words: I have enough money to cover any medical or other expenses I require. I won't be put into any kind of debt you can use against me in the future."

"Nonsense, boy!"

His voice was articulated loudly enough that if there were people in any of the rooms next to the office, they would have been able to clearly hear what he was saying without struggle. He leaned in closer to Cairo, his lips tightening. When his eyes landed on Aerie, he raised his chin so he was glancing downward at Cairo. Something sparkled behind his eyes like it had in Sera's earlier. Cairo didn't care enough to discern what it meant. He'd rather let the events unfold as they were: he was already treading in dangerous waters and knew one mistake was all it was going to take.