ZZZ:Through the Frosted Mirror

The faint scratching of pen against paper filled the silent office. The Lotus sat behind her desk, surrounded by twin mountains of paperwork that seemed to grow larger each time she blinked. Her normally composed expression was worn thin, and the tired look in her eyes betrayed just how long she had been at it.

She sighed, setting her pen down with a soft clatter and cracked her knuckles one by one. "One of the things I hate most about this job is the paperwork," she muttered to herself. "Seventy percent of it is just... nonsense. Look at this—an entire report about how hard the wind is blowing in District Nine. What does that have to do with the state of New Eridu? Or potential world-ending hollows? Or even hostile organizations?"

Running her fingers through her hair, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts began to drift as her eyes unfocused, lost in the mundanity of her eternal responsibilities.

Then, without warning, the space in front of her desk began to ripple. Reality warped and collapsed in on itself like a piece of paper folding and tearing along invisible seams. A tear in existence opened wide—and from it, Ellen climbed out.

The Lotus bolted upright, eyes wide in surprise, her fatigue immediately pushed aside by the shock of what she was witnessing.

Ellen stood before her, clad in her wanderer's garb, the red scarf around her neck fluttering despite the still air. Her presence was muted, yet undeniable—a weight in the room that bent everything around it.

"Lotus," Ellen greeted, her voice calm and even. "Can we talk?"

The Lotus blinked, slowly rising to her feet, still caught off guard. She nodded once. "Yes... Yes, of course. Please. Sit."

Paperwork no longer mattered.