As Cassian entered Commander Sher's office—she was the one in charge of the department's treasury, from which he'd be choosing his reward—she greeted him with a knowing smile.
"I thought you'd be the first person I'd see this morning," she said with a chuckle. "But you don't seem as eager as I expected for someone about to receive a mission reward."
"Oh, I am, Commandant," Cassian replied, grinning from ear to ear, his excitement shining through. "I just ended up falling asleep really late, and all the exhaustion from the past few days hit me at once. I slept straight through the noon. Woke up and came here first thing."
Leaving out his encounter with Laureen, though still amused by it, he added with a playful smirk, "Of course, after thoroughly cleaning up."
"Well, good. You needed that sleep after everything you've been through last month," Sher said, her eyes briefly meeting his before she returned to the stack of papers she'd been reviewing when he entered. Flipping through them, she added, "Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit. There's a mage from the Tower here to inspect some of the items we recovered from the academy."
Cassian had a strong hunch that the mage she was referring to was Katherine, but he didn't mention it. There was no need to, and it was better to keep his relationship with her under wraps. Still, he found it curious—surely, Commandant Sher must know something. After all, why would she allow someone unknown and without proper clearance to work so closely within her department?
But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Dwelling on such matters wasn't useful, and Cassian preferred to focus on more immediate concerns—like what kind of reward he'd be walking out with. Whatever happened at the higher levels of authority wasn't his business, and it was probably best to keep it that way.
As Cassian let his mind wander, imagining himself getting bored while waiting, his gaze drifted around the office. It was spacious, located on one of the higher floors of the building, offering a sweeping view of the city's skyline. From here, he could see the sprawl of buildings stretching out, though they all seemed small compared to the imposing White Monolith Tower that stood tall at the city's center, its presence dwarfing everything around it.
On one side, the view showcased the bustling cityscape, while the other side revealed the towering city walls. Beyond those walls, he could see the rugged outline of distant mountains and the dense, untamed expanse of jungle that crept right up to the horizon.
It was a far more breathtaking view than the one from Katherine's room. Her chambers weren't located on such a high floor, and the only window there overlooked a modest garden.
Cassian's attention was suddenly pulled away from the view by the sound of Commander Sher's repeated sighs. She sat behind her large desk, surrounded by towering stacks of documents. Her hand moved swiftly, signing papers with practiced efficiency, occasionally jotting down notes, her expression a mix of focus and mild frustration. Despite her speed, the pile never seemed to shrink.
Cassian watched, intrigued, as she shifted in her seat, stretching her back, rolling her shoulders, and adjusting her posture now and then, her sighs growing more frequent. What surprised him wasn't the paperwork—it was seeing someone like her, an 8th Circle Warrior, display such mundane signs of fatigue. He'd always assumed that someone of her caliber, standing on the threshold of godhood as a Domain Shaper, would've shed all those ordinary human tendencies. But here she was, battling paperwork like anyone else, and having back pain.
Cassian, despite disliking the title of medic—though it technically fit given his knowledge from researching for mission tasks—couldn't stand seeing someone in discomfort when he could help. Watching Commander Sher's subtle signs of fatigue, he asked, "I thought Circle Warriors, especially high-stage ones like you, couldn't get tired this easily, Commander Sher?"
She paused, looking momentarily confused, then chuckled as she realized what he meant. "Boy, time catches up with every being in the universe, even us Circle Warriors. I'm no exception." She gestured to the towering stacks of paperwork with a wry smile. "Why else do you think I'm stuck in this room all day, drowning in these tedious documents? If fatigue couldn't touch me, I'd be anywhere but here."
Cassian nodded, a hint of surprise on his face. He'd always heard that Circle Warriors, especially those who reached the 7th Circle, could live for hundreds of years. If Commander Sher was feeling the effects of age, that meant she was likely much older than she appeared.
Curious as he was, he knew better than to ask a lady about her age—a lesson he'd learned from past encounters. Instead, he flashed a confident smile and said, "How about a massage? I'm pretty good at it," his voice laced with pride.
"I won't mind one if you insist," Sher replied, stretching her shoulders with a faint smirk. Then, with a playful warning, she added, "But don't expect me to increase your reward because of it."
"Well then, how about treating me to dinner?" Cassian asked with a cheeky grin as he moved behind Commander Sher's chair. Without waiting for a reply, he placed his fingers along the center of her spine, pressing gently on a spot he'd read about in skill manuals—an area connected to the network of blood vessels and muscles along the back.
The moment his fingers applied pressure, Sher's back instinctively straightened before she relaxed with a surprised exhale, warmth spreading through her body from just that single touch.
"I was going to say it'd depend on how good you are," she muttered, her voice softer now, "but I guess I do owe you a nice meal after this."
Cassian chuckled, his fingers moving down her spine with practiced precision, then shifting slightly to the muscles just above her waist. Normally, massages would start at the shoulders, but Cassian wasn't confident in his knowledge of shoulder pressure points—their rotations, pressure patterns, or proper sequencing. However, when it came to the lower back, just above the waist, he had the technique etched into his mind, thanks to the skill.