The one and only job he’d been given was to lock the door. Somehow, he didn’t even do that much.

  Azia figured it out the hard way. She’d been courteous, initially, rapping her knuckles against the wood at the crack of dawn. Gentle knocks became pounding fists. Pounding fists became angry shouts. Angry shouts became a fist clenched around the doorknob, invading of her own accord. He’d deserved it.

  She knew nothing of his sleep schedule, nor did she particularly care. The tiniest part of her felt bad, by which it was possible he’d been left in the desert for longer than she could imagine. She still hadn’t figured that out, nor had she bothered to ask. For now, forcing him to pull himself together took priority.

  “Seleth,” she hissed, somewhere between loud and not. “Get up. It’s sunrise.”

  She couldn’t outright shout. She’d already have enough of a headache simply trying to get through the next several hours, and attracting attention to him before that would be miserable. Already, footsteps that weren’t her own were beginning to echo down distant corridors. Azia gave him one more chance, bashing her fist against the door. “Hey. We talked about this. Get up. I told you, we have stuff to do today.”

  Nothing. The growl was a reflex.

  He’d formally lost the benefit of the doubt. Azia opened the door herself, more or less stomping into his graciously-given room. Resisting the urge to slam the door shut behind her was difficult. Seleth couldn’t have been much older than her, if even. Sloppy sleeping habits were believable.

  The bubble wasn’t. Every word of scolding that she could’ve conjured died on her lips instantly. She could do little more than stare.

  Seleth had forsaken the bed altogether. He’d started out in it, maybe, and his proximity still left him close enough. Azia had never seen someone sleep in mid-air before. She’d never seen someone sleep submerged before. She’d never seen the two in tandem, and she’d never seen water until precisely last night. What sweet bubbles and shimmering tides he’d crafted from his touch before were infinitely larger here, ensnaring him with love and suspending him with grace.

  Seleth rested at the center of his own droplet, a boy smothered in the middle of a glimmering bubble. What sunbeams bled through the curtains beyond breached the placid curves of his sea. He was all the more resplendent for it, his messy locks adrift in the same. Curled in on himself as he was, it was the most peaceful Azia had seen him thus far. Within his silent tide, he was almost angelic.

  Azia blinked. She was amazed Seleth could breathe at all. Sure enough, the steady rise and fall of his shoulders confirmed that much. The tiny bubbles that subtly coated his soaked breaths spoke for themselves, in turn. If she cared to look, the rest of his clothes rippled along with him. Not one stray fleck of water dripped onto the covers below, perfectly captured in the orbit of his personal pond.

  It probably wasn’t in her best interest to crawl onto the bed, inching near to the suspended bubble on her hands and knees. When she came to rest on her heels, it left him hardly above her, the distance between his tranquil face and her inquisitive eyes far too small. Kassy had gotten to touch it. Azia couldn’t help but do the same. Given how much of it there was, she strongly doubted Seleth would mind.

  She’d technically already touched it once, albeit without her consent. It had touched her, rather, blighting her in full in a moment of panic and fear. Now, steady fingers reached out, just barely grazing the surface of the bubble. The cool sting of the liquid was enough for her to flinch, at first, and she regretted that she shied away from it at all. It took a moment to collect herself and try again, her curious palm coming to lay flat against the same shimmering wetness.

  Beneath her touch, it was malleable, bending and rippling where she pressed in the slightest. Azia embraced the cold that came with it, in stark contrast to the warm air beyond. If she pushed, she feared it would burst altogether. For the sake of preserving something equal parts fragile and gorgeous, she was still. Treasuring the sensation was enough.

  “You having fun?”

  Seleth’s voice nearly killed her. Azia recoiled with such force that she physically bounced against the mattress, almost hitting her head in the process. What droplets had snagged on her skin came along with her, splattering against the covers. She kept the chill as a souvenir and left embarrassment in its place.

  “I-I’m…I just…you wouldn’t wake up. I tried to…call for you.”

  He was unfazed by the bubble, and by his miraculous suspension in turn. Seleth wrapped his arms around his knees, pulling them up to his chest as his eyelids fluttered open. Even encased in the smallest sea, blue walls didn’t save her from his grin. “Hey, if you wanted to look, all you had to do was ask. No need to be shy.”

  Azia cobbled together what composure she could, coming to rest on her heels. Even now, he was afloat, and he carried his crystalline blanket with him. “How are you…doing that?”

  Still curled into his little ball, Seleth shrugged. “It’s just how I sleep. It's a reflex.”

  “Reflex?” she pressed.

  Seleth rested his head against his knees. Somehow, his voice was hardly hindered by the sea between them, only garbled in the absolute slightest. Where he spoke, the most miniscule of bubbles followed. “Happens whether or not I want it to. I always wake up like this.”

  “And you can…breathe in there?”

  His nod was muffled by his angle, somewhat. “Yeah.”

  “Like…in the water?”

  Seleth raised an eyebrow playfully. “What, you can’t?”

  When Azia only stared, he chuckled. “You keep lookin’ at me like that, you’re gonna get me flustered. Can’t handle all this personal attention.”

  Crass words were enough to break the spell. She'd had a feeling they would've been, eventually. “You’re going to end up with a lot more attention in a few minutes," Azia muttered. "Get out of there and get ready.”

  He had a startling range of movement, in truth. When Seleth uncurled his body, he was more or less lazily adrift upside-down. “Yes, ma’am,” he offered, just as playful.

  She should’ve left it at that. Instead, Azia couldn’t help but pry. “How do you…actually get out?”

  Seleth gestured to his watery cocoon. “Of this?”

  “Yeah.”

  The grin she was growing used to softened into something less concerning. It took him a moment to readjust his positioning, by which gentle inversions left his feet pointed towards the floor. Seleth raised his head, spread his arms wide, and ruptured a sparkling sea of his own accord.

  He practically tore it to shimmering shreds, a bubble popped in the time it took Azia to blink. It glistened all the way out, once more fizzling into thin air. Little more than speckled droplets kissed the floor in the aftermath, silky mist just barely splashing against her skin. Azia didn’t hate it. One moment, he was encased. The next, he wasn’t. It was as disorienting as it was lovely, and it took time to process.

  Seleth’s aim sufficed to guide him to the floor, and his feet touched the carpet without issue. Raised arms came to stretch, instead. Azia could’ve sworn the same flaky mist still dripped from his fingertips in the process. “Remind me what we’re doing, again?”

  Azia rose to her feet in turn, doing what she could to reorient to tasks less surreal. “Dissemination. Our weekly findings meeting. Remember? You’re my finding. I’m…gonna have to explain you.”

  Seleth stretched his shoulders sequentially. “Ah. I’m your little science project. I’m good with that.”

  “They’re going to ask you a lot of questions,” she warned quietly. “And I do mean a lot. You’re not natural. You’re not…normal. You shouldn’t be able to do what you do, and you shouldn’t have what you have. Whatever you’ve got going on is a scientific anomaly. You’re in for it.”

  “You wanna show me off, right?” he asked, his tone just barely teasing. “I can be dramatic. I’ll play this up however you want. Just say the word.”

  Azia paused. “Can I ask you something?”

  He tilted his head. “What’s up?”

  She’d debated pressing him on it. There wasn’t particularly a good time, and his offer was a solid catalyst for the thought. “I know I was…aggressive last night.”

  “Oh, yeah, you were,” Seleth mumbled much too happily.

  Azia stifled a groan. “I dragged you here by force. Still, I left you by yourself overnight. You could’ve run. You could’ve gotten me back. You could’ve done whatever you wanted. I’m well aware that you’re strong enough for it. Now, you’re here, and you’re helping me of your own volition. Why? I attacked you. I threatened you. We just met.”

  His endless grin faltered, slowly but surely. He was quiet. He was quiet for long enough that Azia nearly prodded him again. Still, Seleth reclaimed his sparkle eventually, and his hands settled onto his hips. “How could I say no to a cute face like that?”

  So far, it had been incredibly aggravating. For once, it caught Azia off guard enough to make her blush--if only for a moment. “Just…let’s just go. I…appreciate your help. Behave yourself, alright? I’ll handle the talking. All you have to do is stand there and do what I tell you.”

  It was gradually coming to her attention that she very much needed to learn to watch her wording. Seleth didn’t need to say it. She could see it on his face.

  Not once since she’d taken up the title of alchemist had Azia ever feared sharing a singular discovery. If anything, it warmed her heart each and every time she was granted the opportunity for camaraderie. Seleth surpassed any formula she could conjure, any hypothesis they could borrow from afar, or any idea they could dream up.

  If Azia had once offered them discoveries, she now presented a revelation. All that offset the anxious burn in her blood was the kind chill still nestled against her palm. For the time that it was hers alone, she embraced it.

  The wait was as agonizing as it was unnecessary. It was probably her fault for not actively volunteering, straddling the line between facing anxiety head-on and hiding from it as long as possible. Azia was practically vibrating in her seat, left to peer down towards the podium and dig her nails into the tabletop. It was better than biting them again. Seleth outright had his feet up on the wood. She’d figured that would happen eventually.

  It wasn’t that ions and electrolysis weren’t interesting, nor that calculus bored her. Some of the material was different, at least, if not vaguely expanded upon. Azia had been guilty of presenting the same time after time, and she was in no place to judge. Prior to last night, she’d planned on doing so again--with fresh residue to support her theories, ideally.

  She’d traded bleeding Rain for an ethereal boy, instead. Sickening as one of those was, it was still easier to discuss aloud. She was drawing enough eyes in silence already, her turn or not.

  “Who is that?”

  Azia didn’t want to answer. She didn’t have a choice, and she blunted what she could in a whisper. “You’ll…find out in a minute.”

  The alchemist to her right only stared at Seleth yet more. He waved, and his usual grin followed along. Lila raised an eyebrow.

  “Nice to meet you,” Seleth said quietly, leaning across the desk. “It’s my first time at Insemination.”

  “Dissemination, you idiot.”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Lila was more or less boring holes into him with her eyes. Azia resisted the urge to slam her head against the tabletop.

  “No, seriously, who is that?” Lila pushed.

  “Wait for a bit,” Azia hissed. “He’s part of my findings.”

  “You found a guy? Is this supposed to be a pun, or something?”

  “No, he’s literally part of my findings. It’s…I’m not explaining it now. It’s too much. You’ll see when it’s my turn, okay? Give me a minute.”

  “When is it our turn, anyway?” Seleth whispered from her left.

  She sighed. “When I say it is. Give me a minute.”

  “Where did he even come from? Why is he dressed like that?” Lila pushed.

  “Give me a minute,” Azia growled thrice over.

  “Volunteers?”

  She almost missed the offer entirely. She’d missed the entire prior presentation, and what questions from an onlooking audience had come with it. Usually, she’d participate. Right now, she’d be lucky if she could remember how to speak. Part of her still contemplated keeping her mouth shut and stalling until the end. Even so, Lila was watching. Seleth was waiting. Azia was already miserable, and her hand went up from the back of the room.

  “I’ll go,” she called. “I have something.”

  The woman at the podium below raised her eyes high. “Azia?”

  “Yes.”

  “When you're ready.”

  She wouldn’t be rising from her seat alone. That much by itself would cause a problem. Azia inhaled, she exhaled, and she did what she could to brace for the trouble to follow. Most of it came directly at her back, anyway. Seleth stretched. It wasn’t subtle.

  Every step down the aisle was steeped in more apprehension than she would’ve preferred. She did what she could to cultivate confidence, although the sea of hushed whispers did a poor job at letting it thrive. Where it took effort just to will her eyes forward, Seleth’s self-doubt was nonexistent. His hands settled comfortably into his pockets, and he met every sharp gaze with easy eyes and a smile.

  “I’ve got absolutely no idea what we’re doing,” he whispered behind her, “so just tell me what you want.”

  Azia didn’t bother turning her head. “You’ll know. Let me talk,” she murmured through gritted teeth.

  Taking center stage felt deeply uncomfortable. It was a new feeling, given that she’d long since grown used to public speaking. That much wasn’t negotiable anymore. She could’ve sworn her steps were echoing, somewhat, and the sound only left her more distressed. Yvette eyeing her suspiciously didn’t help.

  “Who is this?” the woman asked calmly.

  Azia stiffened. “This is…he’s…I need him for today. He’s important to my findings. I’ll explain.”

  Yvette pinned her with her gaze alone for just long enough that Azia began to sweat. The moment she was freed of the alchemist’s glare, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Very well. Do what you will. You have the floor.”

  “T-Thank you.”

  The woman made for her own seat not so distant from the podium, more than near enough to throw wary eyes towards bright lights. They hit Azia once. They stung Seleth, mostly, and he took the attention with too much grace. He waved. Azia wanted to scream.

  In truth, she had no idea where to start. For a moment, she froze entirely, her heart skipping too many beats in a row. It wasn’t usually this difficult. She inhaled again, she exhaled twice as hard, and she went sequentially.

  “Last night, at approximately ten o’clock, it Rained. The severity was Tier One, as forecast. I took advantage of the situation and went outside to gather residue. At that time, given the threat level, I was armed by choice alone, and I didn’t wear my gear.”

  Azia paused. She clasped her hands behind her back, choosing her words carefully. “In the process of specimen collection, I observed what I'd believed to be Precipitation. Relative to the severity, I went to investigate the discrepancy. In the process, however, I instead found a boy in the middle of the desert--in the dead of night, no less. He was unarmed, unaccompanied, and…”

  Her eyes flickered to Seleth. Seleth offered her little aid in return--visually, at least. Admitting to combat was a colossal risk, given what she’d willingly brought into the Institute. All he gave her was a smirk, and she prayed he wouldn’t say it on her behalf. Azia bit her lip.

  “I…brought him back to the Institute to ensure his safety. After confirming his health, he…uh…”

  There was no nice way of saying it. Azia mentally went over every manner of phrasing his existence that she could think of. Each one sounded insane, at best. There came a point where she gave up entirely. She sighed.

  “Your turn,” Azia whispered.

  Seleth took it well. She'd known he would. The stretching was utterly unnecessary. His hands settled onto his hips, and his grin settled back into place. Where her confidence had faltered, he radiated nothing but. Again, he waved.

  “Hey, there. Nice to meet you all. Name’s Seleth. I appreciate the hospitality. Thanks for having me here today.”

  Azia side-eyed him. She wasn’t the only one staring, anyway. With what subtle motions she could, she gestured for urgency. Seleth rolled his eyes playfully.

  One hand came aloft, and five fingers came unfurled. “You guys wanna see something cool?”

  Azia was fairly certain no less than half of the room tilted their heads at once. If confusion could poison the air, she would’ve choked to death already. Still, she took several steps back. At this point, his movements spoke for themselves, and she knew what to anticipate.

  Seleth raised his other hand, too, actually. Not since their quarrel had Azia seen him use both. The only thing that sparkled more than his grin was the river he brought to life under shining lights.

  Where he’d offered up rippling droplets and pulsing bubbles that so gently coated his fingers, he now forged the sea. Seleth’s hands went high, his arms went wide, and gushing purity was born above. “Excessive” was a strong word, and Azia hesitated to use it. Regardless, what streaming crystal he wove from nothing was resplendent and shimmering.

  Every deft motion of his fingers left the thick sounds of frothy tides in their wake, and Azia half-expected his crashing pressure to pin her down once more. Instead, it was beautiful, glistening and draping air once dry and strangling. Seleth spread his rushing veil thin, splintered and swirling as stray mist kissed Azia's skin from afar.

  Yet again, he was angelic, a boy shrouded in streams that called him home. He was the center of a fluid galaxy, flaking droplets twisting and dancing at the behest of skilled hands. Azia didn’t bother processing how. It was all she could do, as always, to soak in his splendor. Where she was captivated, the room was no better.

  Gasps were audible, as were erupting exclamations. Azia was fairly certain a significant number of onlookers had risen to their feet, although she hadn’t bothered to count how many. He was of most importance, and she was spellbound by him alone.

  Seleth had their attention, and he never let it go. So, too, did he paint the air with his personal tide forever. Each droplet that called him home was lovely. He, by comparison, was cocky. Azia should’ve expected that much.

  “Tada,” he said plainly, sporting a predictable grin to match.

  The subsequent silence he earned was shocking. It didn’t last. What commotion erupted exactly four seconds later was enough to gift Azia an instant headache. Every question hurtling in her direction more or less blurred together.

  “How is he doing that?”

  “It’s staying there?”

  “Is that water?”

  “That’s really water, right?”

  “Where is that coming from?”

  Azia groaned. It was the best she could do, given the rising volume. For how much she’d warned Seleth about questions, she wasn’t much better at handling them.

  “Is he human?”

  “Is it corrosive?”

  “How could it be corrosive? It’s water!”

  “You’re positive?”

  “Why was he in the desert?”

  She couldn’t answer most of them if she'd wanted to, anyway.

  “How old is he?”

  “And you’re certain this isn’t a trick?”

  “How long has he been at the Institute?”

  “You said he was unaccompanied?”

  Azia's pleading eyes flickered to Seleth. Ultimately, there was nothing he could do, either. She wasn’t sure why she bothered to begin with. She’d dragged him here, after all.

  “Quiet!”

  The booming demand resonated loudly enough to startle her, and Azia jumped. If nothing else, she appreciated not having to yell of her own accord. Yvette did the hard part for her.

  A silent room was Azia’s one reprieve, whether or not dozens of alchemists still remained on their feet. Crowned by burning lights and high-rising seats, she couldn’t have felt smaller if she tried. Where queries had beaten her down, it was only the softest trickles of ethereal currents that graced the lecture hall. When Azia peered over her shoulder, she found the same gorgeous blues ambling eternally above.

  Yvette traded peace for questioning. One spearing finger came swiftly leveled with an impossible boy. “You. Explain yourself.”

  She was sharp. Seleth was smug. It was a concerning combination, given who he was speaking to. His gentle grin was deceptively innocent, and Azia knew him better than that. It was all she could do to pray that he would behave.

  With his hands still extended to guide his rippling currents, Seleth was unshaken by the woman’s tone. “This is just what I do, ma’am. It’s the way I am.”

  Yvette raised an eyebrow, lowering her hand. Never once did she do the same with her gaze. “What did you say your name was?”

  He cocked his head. “Seleth. Nice to meet you, too.”

  “Seleth,” Yvette repeated, her cold voice softening somewhat. “What is it that you’re doing?”

  Seleth’s focus drifted above his head, following every wavering droplet tethered to his touch. Where his fingers moved, they trailed so close behind. What patterns he lazily wove as he spoke were enough to garner yet more scattered whispers. “It doesn’t have a name. It comes naturally to me. I mean, you don’t have to think about breathing to actually do it, right? Same goes for this.”

  When she only continued to stare, he took her harsh focus with grace. He shrugged, never stilling the same half-hearted motions aloft. “I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t even think it was weird until I got here. You guys really seem to like this sort of thing.”

  Yvette held fast to her silence for a moment. “Is that water, young man?” she finally asked.

  Seleth didn’t hesitate. He hardly so much as emoted in response, by which the gravity of the confirmation was utterly lost on him. “Yes,” he said calmly.

  Whatever cacophony threatened to erupt was stifled by one raised hand, thrust high and strictly steadied. Yvette didn’t so much as turn her head towards all who could interrupt. Even now, her curious gaze was on Seleth alone.

  “For how long have you had this…ability?” she tried.

  Seleth shrugged. “Always. For as long as I can remember.”

  “Where did you come from?” she asked.

  It was a question Azia had feared, in truth. She tensed. For once, Seleth did the same. He didn’t hush his streams gently, nor with the same specific motions at all. It was the first time Azia had seen his fingers relax--albeit with far more flair than seemed necessary. She still hadn’t figured out how dispelling such perfect purity worked in the first place.

  In excess, his banished blues shriveled to mists, peppering her in passing as they surrendered to the air. Beneath every helpful light, the sparkling display was resplendent. It earned its fair share of commotion. He didn’t bother soaking in the attention.

  “Dunno. I don’t really think about it much,” he answered simply.

  Yvette’s glare shot to Azia. She'd figured it would. She gulped.

  “He, uh…” Azia began, “I haven’t…confirmed that it’s amnesia, but I have suspicions. What you see here, everything that he’s said today, that’s most of what I know about him.”

  She was lying, somewhat. Yvette didn’t need to know about their quarrel. The sleeping bubble was still a mystery. Azia would die before she brought up the flirting. Ultimately, he’d said what mattered. That was plenty.

  When Yvette’s focus fell back to Seleth once more, Azia breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you have any living relatives? Family, friends? Where do you live?”

  Azia hadn’t bothered to ask. She turned her head towards Seleth. The way he bit his lip was unexpected. “I don’t…live with anyone. I don’t really know anyone. I’ve been on my own for a while. I’m fine with it being that way. Azia’s been good to me, though.”

  The quantity of eyes that drifted in Azia's direction were miserable. Now she could’ve died.

  “And this place is nice,” he complimented, gesturing broadly at the ceiling. Devoid of crystalline splendor above him, the sight was infinitely less impressive. “Alchemist Institute, right? So, all of you are alchemists, I’m guessing.”

  Yvette nodded slowly. “Indeed. Seleth, tell me, are there others who can…do the things that you do?”

  His hands slipped into his pockets. “‘Things?'”

  “With the water.”

  He shrugged again. “If there are, I’ve never met ‘em.”

  She fell silent. Interrupting wasn’t in Azia’s best interests, probably. She couldn’t help it, given what was burning her tongue. “Yvette.”

  The cold stare she earned was her own fault. It took effort not to sweat. Already, Azia was fidgeting.

  “I have…reason to believe that his general knowledge is limited.”

  “Okay, rude,” Seleth whispered.

  “Hush,” she hissed.

  Yvette stared harder. “In regards to?”

  Azia cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Everything. Mostly everything, I suppose. I don’t…think he knows about the Sunburst. Or the Precipitation, more than likely. As to how much else, I couldn’t say.”

  The befuddlement on Seleth’s face was a testament to that much. “What?”

  Yvette caught the same, apparently. Her eyes flickered between them both. “Then educate him.”

  Azia flinched. Echoing Seleth was an accident. “What?”

  Questioning Yvette was, too, an accident. She threw one hand over her mouth immediately, and she thanked every star in the sky that Yvette never called her on it. “Educate him. Obtain what you can, in the process. I’m entrusting you with the study of this boy indefinitely. You are to report your findings on a weekly basis, as usual. I expect a thorough assessment and exhaustion of all methodologies.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Y-Yes, ma’am.”

  Seleth blinked. “Excuse me?”

  So rarely did Azia see Yvette’s gaze fall anything short of piercing. When gentle eyes graced Seleth’s own, the world could’ve come to a standstill. For a moment, it did. Her voice, in turn, was every bit as gentle, and she folded her hands calmly in front of her. “Young man, whether or not you are aware of it, you possess something unique. What makes you special is not as natural as you believe it to be, in today’s world. You carry within you something precious and irreplaceable. Should you cooperate with us, we may very well be in your debt for all eternity. We will offer whatever we must.”

  It was the first time in a while that Azia had seen him grin. Versus the discomfort Seleth had worn before, she preferred it--for once. “Azia’s in charge of assessing me?”

  Yvette nodded. “Yes. You are to collaborate with her, should you accept our request. Whatever inquiries and investigations she engages in, you would be politely asked to entertain. Please understand that your participation serves a greater cause. If there is anything that you might ask for, we could--”

  “Azia’s the one investigating me.”

  Yvette only watched him, for a moment. “I…yes, it would be Azia.”

  “Specifically Azia.”

  “Yes.”

  Azia no longer enjoyed his grin. She hated the way it was getting brighter.

  “What does ‘assessing’ consist of?”

  Yvette paused. “Whatever she determines to be necessary.”

  Seleth withdrew his hands from his pockets, and they found a home on his hips instead. “I’ll do it.”

  Yvette’s eyes widened. “You accept those terms?”

  “One condition.”

  He raised a single finger to match. Given the context, Azia had a strong feeling she knew where this was going. She hated that, just as much. She hated him infinitely more for bringing his perversion to Dissemination.

  “Azia can study me. Only Azia. Nobody else,” Seleth insisted. “That fair?”

  It was vague enough that Yvette didn’t have any disgust to offer him. No one else seemed to grant him the same. In their defense, they had no way of knowing, and that was how Azia hoped to keep it. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking what deep breaths she could. Given what she’d been entrusted with, strangling him in full view wouldn’t have made a good impression.

  She found gazes. She found more gazes than she knew what to do with, and she prayed that she didn’t earn whispers in turn. Of the faces she knew, she didn’t want to imagine the looks on half of them. Where Seleth had sent the purest of blues spiraling to life, he’d left her steeping in too many flavors of scarlet under watchful eyes.

  For his sake, Azia hoped Seleth had been serious about his commitment. The alchemist in her had questions, infinite and all-consuming. The sadist in her mentally calculated every way she could make earning her answers hurt.