---
Sekhmet's gaze turned colder. "No. I am telling you the truth. If your son is missing, your house should look for him. It is not my job to babysit your trash."
A few people in the hall flinched at the word trash. Lily's lips pressed together, half amused, half tense. She loved Sekhmet's courage, but she also understood that courage in Null often led to blood.
Dickoff held still for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, and that quiet carried more threat than shouting ever could. "You speak boldly for a boy who just returned."
Sekhmet replied evenly, "You speak politely for a man whose son plays thief."
Dickoff's gaze flicked briefly to the side, as if noticing how many ears were listening. He did not like witnesses. Witnesses turned private punishment into public politics.
"You will answer properly," Dickoff said.
Sekhmet's voice remained calm. "I already did. He might be playing with some shit, most likely swimming on them."
