I will burn this place down

Aria waited for the man to speak something, but decided to go ahead when he didn't.

"I want to meet my friend, make sure she's all right. Then I want you to get rid of this thing covering my eyes, it's too annoying. And finally, I want to meet Edmond." Aria spoke in a business-like voice and then waited.

She internally cursed the cloth covering her eyes as the room was filled with a deathly silence. She could not even gouge out what the man was thinking if he didn't speak, as she couldn't see his face.

Just as Aria was beginning to wonder if the man had fallen asleep or gone into shock, he spoke, "You over-estimate your own importance. But let me play this game all the way. What are you offering in exchange for all this?"

"My co-operation." Aria spoke in a deadpan voice.

The man let out a howling laugh upon hearing this. Aria waited patiently for him to finish. Once he was done, the man spoke again, in a voice one usually assumes while talking to a child, "You're willing to offer your co-operation? Oh bless your delusional head. You will be co-operating with us anyway, whether you want it or not."

"But it would be beneficial for you if the co-operation is voluntary." Aria spoke, not even a ghost of emotion in his voice.

She heard rustling footsteps, as the man probably walked closer to her. She knew it to be true the next instant when Aria felt him taking a lock of her hair in his hand. He sniffed and spoke, voice dangerously low, "Oh you will co-operate with us voluntarily."

"And why is that?" Aria asked, her own voice barely above a whisper.

She could feel the man's hot breath on the side of her neck as he spoke, "Because we are going to hurt your friend very, very bad if you don't."

This was clearly a very big mistake on the man's side. Even before he could register what was happening, Aria turned around her head, and guessing from his voice, head-butted in the direction of his head.

She was just an inch off as her forehead hit the man's eyebrow and eyelid and he winced in pain as he fell back. "If you even touch a hair on her head, I will burn this place down." Aria spoke, her voice seething with anger.

It was lucky that Aria had been tied to the chair. Otherwise, with the amount of force she had used, she would easily have followed the man.

Aria sat back with her forehead throbbing as the man's subordinates entered the room upon hearing the commotion. The next bit was a bit of a blur for Aria as there were too many people in the room and she could tell nothing by listening to their footsteps or to all of them speaking together.

She did receive a slap on the cheek and very soon the commotion died down.

Aria sat back in her chair, thinking about what her course of action should be.

Unknown to her, she had caused much more of a commotion than she had thought. The man she had just hit was a powerful wind bendor and specialized in barriers. She had unknowingly broken into his personal barrier when she hit him, which was quite a feat.