Okay, now that I’ve had the chance to keep up the appearance of normalcy here…
There was a bell (no idea how everyone out in the lobby didn’t hear it, it had to have been closer to them than me).
Physically I’m fine (though I’ll really have to try and look it the next time anyone comes in).
Mentally I’m torn between feeling like a terrible person and getting ready to roll up my sleeves to put a serious smackdown on somebody. (Discord folks, imagine an endless stream of :rosefightme:, I’ll settle for for now)
He must’ve been waiting until the coast was clear (any other morning this place would be a ghost town). Once the admin folks had wandered off, and the lost and found person left empty-handed, and the mundane mailman left… I was visited by the absolute sweetest courier ever. A bear cub with a crown knocked on my door before wobbling into the room on two legs followed by a retinue of other woodland creatures, mundane and magiqal; I was glad that the lobby had emptied, because they couldn’t all fit in the office!
He very politely put out his paws and I handed him the letter. He bowed, spun his crown on his head, and every last one of them disappeared in a swirl of mist.
I put that placeholder up, ready to finish work before getting into more details, thinking that I got off lucky and half wondering if one of his buddies took payment of some sort while I wasn’t looking, and I’d find out later. The End. Bear friend hugged my leg as payment. What is this cuteness?!
NOPE
It was like I stared at a lightning bolt striking just a few feet from the desk, it was so bright, but it was like all of the rumblings of several strikes had rolled themselves into one giant BANG.
My sweet royal bear friend came tumbling in, his crown rolled off under a chair as he stopped slumped against the couch. One of the little gnomes that had been following him was clutched in one arm, and the other still held my letter. There was visible static still arcing on his singed fur.
He handed me back the letter when I stumbled around the desk to check on him, his paw burnt so badly that no fur remained. He slumped further before disappearing once more.