I lingered in the shadows, eyes tracing the subtle tension curling through the room. Lyric leaned against the wall, smirk sharp, eyes darting for weakness. Carrow paced, restless, fingers twitching over a concealed blade. Perfect. The seeds were already planted.
Soft scrape… distant echo of shifting metal…
A whispered suggestion here, a misremembered fact there both flavored with Elliot's old phrases, his cadence, the little ticks that would make either lieutenant pause, reconsider, doubt. They didn't know me as I knew them. I let that advantage breathe, savoring the quiet before the storm.
Faint clatter… muffled thud…
Lyric caught wind of a supposed slight by Carrow; his smirk faltered, a twitch of distrust creeping into his posture. Carrow's pacing turned jerky, suspicious, convinced Lyric had overstepped. I let a dry chuckle escape me. "Like puppets arguing over who gets the bigger string," I muttered, voice low.
Rattle… metallic groan…
Every glance I allowed, every half-word I dropped, nudged them further into collision. Timing was everything. A delayed echo here, a shadow crossing there, small enough to be unnoticed yet large enough to seed paranoia.
Soft hum… distant scrape…
I stepped closer, lips curling in a faint, almost polite smile. "I swear, manipulation should come with a medal," I muttered. Watching, waiting, letting them dance exactly where I wanted. Lyric's teeth ground, Carrow's fists clenched, and I stayed the invisible hand guiding both toward collapse.
Rattle… faint echo…
The beauty wasn't in their conflict it was in the precision. In the way the chaos mirrored my calculations, my memory of Elliot, and my understanding of ambition and fear. I had orchestrated the stage, and now, the actors moved without realizing the script existed.
Soft clink… distant shift of weight…
I leaned back against the wall, smirk tightening. "I taught them too well, apparently." Every glance, every misstep, every flash of doubt they were exactly where I needed them. And soon…
I'd be the last one standing, smiling at the ruins I'd choreographed.