The words came out far meaner than Sonder had intended.
She just wanted to express her general annoyance, but something in her pulled the words out of her anyway.
Even now, something sharp pricked inside her.
It felt like something more than the mage himself was irritating her.
Her thoughts went from patient to annoyed and then began to angle towards cruelty.
She couldn't stop herself.
It was very hard to stay kind when someone was throwing cupboards at your head.
Still, she continued.
"Enough," Sonder said.
Her voice was authoritative and laced with a sharp edge, unfitting for her stature.
The same was true of the words she chose. As if someone else was speaking through her.
I can no longer tolerate your insults or your arrogance. The arrogance that makes you think I would bow to being attacked by furniture and kitchenware. It offends me. It disgusts me
A cracked plate dragged itself across the floor, scraping loudly. A chair rushed toward her, bashing itself against the barrier.
"This is ridiculous."
Another drawer lunged. It shattered against her barrier and slid to the floor in splinters.
Sonder stood and leaned forward slightly, staff planted firmly against the ground.
"If you throw one more thing at me," she warned, but her tone was perfectly calm, "I will simply blow your house apart."
There was a pause. Everything attacking her went still.
Then there was a laugh that echoed through the house, from every wall at once.
"Oh, please," the mage's voice scoffed at the suggestion. "That's a bluff. You wouldn't. And even if you wanted to, you don't have that kind of power."
A hard, mean edge settled over Sonder's face.
She let her mana surge, flooding down her arms and into her staff like a river breaking through a dam.
The floor trembled.
Dust rained from the ceiling. The wind chimes outside were forced into sudden, violent song as a wave of pressure rippled outward.
She lifted the staff just slightly.
The wood beneath her feet groaned and cracked.
The laughter stopped, and the animated objects fell still, clattering lifelessly to the floor.
"One last warning," Sonder said slowly.
After a few seconds, a figure shimmered into existence a few steps in front of her.
The mage reappeared, smoke curling around him.
All four of his eyes were on her. The metal stick in his grip was aimed at her.
"…We can talk about this," he said hoarsely.
"No," she said. It was an order. "You are going to listen to me and answer me when I ask you something."
The staff continued to glow.
The power hadn't diminished.
"If you refuse, you'll have to say goodbye to your house, your belongings, and maybe your life."