Cecilia stared at the dripping bundle of paper, a muscle twitching in her cheek as her pulse pounded behind it. Every tick of the clock burned brighter in her vision, a physical ache that spread through her skull.

"I—" she began, only to stop and swallow hard. "I have a meeting in twenty-five minutes." Her voice was flat, tone drained of all inflection but somehow conveying volumes of irritation and despair. She used her pen to lift the soggy corner of a page, staring in horror as ink dripped and blurred. Key evidence. Devastating testimony.

This—this soaking wet disaster—was supposed to be her salvation. Instead... she glanced to her empty coffee cup, feeling the sting of caffeine withdrawal just then kick in.

Casting one last displeased look at the sodden papers, she closed her eyes, held back a sigh, and schooled her expression to practiced neutrality as she rose from her seat. As much as the sight pained her, Cecilia reminded herself that she was hardly in a position to critique professionalism. Not these days.

Crossing the room with impatient strides, she retrieved a spare hairdryer from her personal storage, knowing that this wouldn't be the first nor last time she would need to make document rescuing maneuvers. Inwardly lamenting the amount of water that just interfered with her desk, Cecilia handed the device towards June, taking care to lift some papers away from the brewing puddles.

"Faster than the last courier," she noted blandly, flipping idly through the damp sheets in resignation as she returned to her seat behind the fortress of paperwork. It was now abundantly clear the night just got a lot longer, whether she wished it or not. "Now go ahead and fix your mess."

june sleigh

Cecilia paused midway in responding with a reflexive witty comment, her expression twisting subtly into what looked like genuine annoyance only for a split second before it was wiped clean by practiced smoothness. She resisted the urge to point out that June's curiosity seemed quite misplaced given her nonchalant handling of the situation.

Instead, Cecilia clasped her hands together atop her desk, composing her answer deliberately. "It's a complicated matter," she replied evasively, leaving out most details as she studied June's expectant expression. Did she really imagine Cecilia would divulge classified client information? Perhaps inane chatter helped some digest the gravity of legal matters – but Cecilia despised chit-chat, especially regarding a case at risk thanks to said chatty courier's error.

As she gauged the younger woman's reaction, Cecilia silently acknowledged that June was only doing her job, albeit somewhat ineptly – and that she was technically at fault for not clarifying deadlines. A more thoughtful employee might've ensured the condition of the documents pre-delivery. Yet... blame didn't solve problems.

Struggling to quell mounting frustration, she reached over to pluck one of the slightly less soggy pages from the floor. Squinting at the still-readable print, she drummed her nails on the desk in agitation.

"No one died," she finally bit off wryly as realization struck. This whole ordeal reminded her far too keenly of how thin her veneer of control was lately. Why her recent activities were such a gamble - she hated unpredictability. Clients bleeding cash with delusions of grandeur, junior associates sticking their noses where they shouldn't...

"But I'm sure we both know that there are varying degrees of what it means to 'die'," Cecilia continued, eyebrows lowering. "And I am certainly one of these degrees of death if I don't figure this case out."

june sleigh