Gall had barely reached one hand in to the window of the room Rin was busy doing paperwork in before she looked up and froze.
The hand attempted to retreat from the windowsill, but Rin reached out and grabbed the wrist in a tentacle before it disappeared. She hauled her interloper in through the window and dangled him in midair. Rin had not moved an inch from the desk the whole time.
Rin said, in an even and neutral tone, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Gall had neither expected nor wanted to see a member of the Wizard Council today. He stared Rin down, any attempt at looking imposing rather undercut by his hanging from Rin's grasp. "And why should I tell you?"
"There was a door. If you wanted an audience you would have used that. You are here for other reasons."
"You got me," Gall said. "Now can you -"
"I'm not letting you leave, if that's what you ask."
Gall narrowed his eyes and held up a hand, and the room filled with -
Rin threw herself away from the desk, slashing the air in front of her with a tentacle somehow strong enough to break his strings. Within the next blink of an eye, she'd flattened herself to the floor and was staring up at him with eyes cold as lake-ice. "Nice try, Gassasu."
Gall had intended to say something intimidating, but all that came out was "Why the floor?"
"Your strings need to be anchored on both ends. They have no strength in midair." Rin wrapped a second tentacle around his face, blinding him with light blue. "And I'm guessing you need to see where you put them, because that's something Patience almost always needs."
Gall grabbed onto the strings still in his free hand, only to find their ends hanging loosely in the air. He growled impotently and tried to lash out with their ends like a whip, but found that wrist being grabbed too.
"Now if you don't mind," she said, tying him up like a haybale, "I'm arresting you."
