Embers of the Holy War

Liars Be Silenced

TW: blood and explicit depictions of gore

In the elevator returning directly to their office, Lawrence was humming, appearing immensely pleased. Jeff, however, was the total opposite of Lawrence. He was shaking uncontrollably and anxiously wringing his hands. His dilated pupils constantly flickered towards Lawrence, who seemed to not have noticed. He reached out several times, but his hands always came back to his side. Then, on the sixth try, he took a deep breath and spoke up timidly, "Lawrence, I think we should do something about that person we met earlier."

"Hm? Mr. Liar, you mean?"

"We shouldn't have told him all that. We didn't even have clearance to divulge that information. He wasn't even a client of ours," Jeff murmured. Laughing nervously, he gripped his head. "What if the higher ups caught wind of this? At best, it'll be the end of our career. At worse, we'll be-"

Hearing Jeff's worries, Lawrence became slightly uneased too. Placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder, Lawrence looked Jeff straight in the eyes.

"Look. I won't breathe a word about this, and you won't breathe a word about this. No one will find out, OK?"

"Ooh find out about what, exactly?"

Suddenly, the lights of the elevator went out. With a shudder, the elevator came to a standstill. In the dark, Lawrence and Jeff were frozen in shock, pupils dilated and quivering.

When the lights came back, there was another person in the elevator with them.

Lawrence and Jeff shakily turned to the newcomer. It was a belly dancer with a laughing mask. Instantly, their faces were drained of their colours.

"L-Lady Gatekeeper!"

Opsidia giggled, matching the expression of the mask on her face. "No need to be so formal! So, what were you guys whispering about? Let me in on it!"

Lawrence and Jeff, unsure whether to obey their superior and be truthful or lie to get away with it, stayed silent. One could feel the smoke rising from their heads from their silent contemplation. When Opsidia was greeted with no answer, she harrumphed. "What, cat got your tongue? Why are you ignoring a beauty such as me?"

"N-no, it isn't like that, Lady Gatekeeper," Jeff stuttered nervously.

"Hm, hm, I'm glad it isn't like that! So, are you going to spill the tea?"

Lawrence, despite being drenched in sweat, had the strength to pull up his lips into a smile. "It's nothing to be concerned about, Lady Gatekeeper. We were just discussing some girls we met at the bar earlier. Didn't one catch your eye, Jeff?"

Before Jeff could reply, Opsidia cut in, "That wasn't what I heard though!"

"P-perhaps you may have misheard, Lady Gatekeeper."

"Hmm in that case, this may help jog your memory."

When Opsidia pulled out her phone, showing a voice recording, Lawrence's composure was instantly shattered. Like a thirsty man reaching out for a glass of water, he desperately shouted, "Wait!"

Too late. A polished finger tapped on the play button, and the audio began playing.

A cacophony of overlapping voices, the tinkling of glasses. Then, through the phone came Lawrence and Jeff's own voices, loud and clear. Lawrence was beyond aghast. It wasn't just a phrase or two - their entire conversation with Mr. Liar had been recorded! With the cat out of the bag, Lawrence was furiously thinking of what to say. He turned to Jeff for support, but Jeff was on the verge of passing out from fear. That useless colleague!