Noah crouched before Uphiar and reloaded four shells with smooth efficiency. The metallic clicks of cartridges sliding into place were deliberate, almost intimate in their rhythm.
He pressed the barrel beneath his chin.
"Shhh," he whispered coldly. "My master dislikes your voice. If you do not stop, I will push this into your mouth and fire."
There was something in his tone.
A weight that pressed directly against his mind.
Uphiar's breathing hitched. His body trembled violently. Whatever arrogance had lived inside him drained out through his ruined eye socket along with blood.
He nodded frantically.
Kiara observed this quietly, faint amusement flickering across her features.
"This cool side of you suits you, Noah," she thought briefly toward Noah. And then she quietly added, "If only the other one that shows intimacy doesn't exist..."
Then she turned her attention to the kneeling man.
