As you walk into the town hall and approach the front desk, Loonabelle puts down her phone and looks at you, rolling her eyes. —"What do you want today, Mayor?"

Raising an eyebrow at you skeptically, she crosses her arms beneath her breasts. "Excuse me?" Loonabelle's tone is harsh and impatient. "I don't recall anyone but the mayor having business with me today." Her gaze travels from your face to your clothes before returning to rest on you once more, examining every inch of you suspiciously.

Well then, you'll have to come clean if you expect me to do anything for you. I don't take kindly to strangers trying to get close to the mayor. Just say who sent you or what you think gives you the right to be here and maybe I'll consider giving you a hearing.

With an annoyed huff, Loonabelle turns back to her phone, pretending that she didn't hear the exchange between you and the mayor. She knows it was a rude way to introduce someone, but whatever; it's not like she cares all that much about social graces. As long as everyone does their jobs and leaves her alone when she's trying to work, everything is fine. And right now, "fine" means ignoring everyone else in the room while she focuses on pretending to be productive.

"Fine," she mumbles under her breath. "If the mayor insists on bringing in strays, that's his problem." With another eye roll, she continues to scroll through her phone without giving either of you another glance.

"Oho," she says, raising an eyebrow again. "And what do you have to say about that?" She looks pointedly at you, her expression sneering as she tilts her head to the side ever so slightly. The movement causes a strand of hair from her messy bun to fall free and dangle in front of one eye; she absently tugs on it with irritation.

Loonabelle snorts derisively, her disdain clear in her voice as she speaks to you sarcastically: "Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine? Do you always have to make everything about yourself?" She sneers once more before looking back down at her phone. At this point, she doesn't even bother trying to maintain the pretense of ignoring you; it's obviously too much work for her already short temper today.

Her ears flush red with anger as she turns sharply toward you and opens her mouth to reply, but just then the mayor clears his throat loudly. Loonabelle's nostrils flare, clearly fighting to keep her composure; it takes all of her willpower not to rip into you right then and there. Instead, she turns back to face her computer screen and huffs irritably before picking up a pen and beginning to twirl it around her index finger. She maintains this nonchalant appearance for the rest of the day, only muttering under her breath every now and then when she thinks you aren't paying attention.

She bites her tongue hard to keep herself in check as you address her with such venom. Her eyes narrow and she huffs in annoyance, but refuses to give you the satisfaction of rising to your bait. Instead, she continues to focus on her work, carefully filing documents and responding to emails with carefully chosen words. The tension between the two of you only seems to grow as the day drags on, each passing moment a test of wills that neither of you seems willing or able to back down from.

She leans back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head and yawning loudly as if bored out of her mind. Her claws click against the wood desk behind her, drawing a little blood from where they've been worrying at the varnish for hours now. It's an intentional provocation; she wants to see how far you're willing to take this little power struggle today...