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This was the fourth time Cetra had to set down the box - who had known parchment could have been so heavy? When W'tarl had asked her to run it up to one of the Goldrider's chambers - at their request - she'd more than jumped at the chance, though she'd admittedly sulked a bit when he told her he'd be sending another candidate up after her with another one of the boxes. "I don't need any help," she'd insisted. She was still insistent of it with it rested on a step, leaning her weight into it miserably.

Four rest breaks wasn't bad, right? She took another deep breath, willed her body to be ready for another stretch of walking, hoisted the box back up and continued her way up to the top of the stairs. It was a more difficult stretch than she would have liked and again, she had to set it down with a rather pathetic wheeze.

She was close...right?

And here was that help W'tarl had said would be on their way, already outpacing her. Typical, but it didn't damper Cetra's spirits at all. Instead, she perked up, already hoisting the box back up (and in poor form, at that).

"Oh, no no. I have it. I just...haha, I just needed a minute," she said, offering up the best smile she could muster while also wanting to just wheeze. She didn't actually have it as well as uh... well, she didn't know everybody's names all that well. "Thank you for asking!" it had been awfully nice of him to ask! She'd just get this box down the hall and then it'd be back downstairs for the next one, right?

Oof, the hall looked awfully long, though, and Cetra was already mentally planning where her next break would be. That much was obvious and written on her face.

First box down, back for another.

She'd not exactly been counting as Hunthyex outpaced her - though she did move notably faster unencumbered than she did when she was trying to carry a box with her. So at least she didn't take twice as long as he did. But she still took longer - and it seemed he'd noticed it based on the change in his tone.

Cetra stuck her lower lip out as she furrowed her brow in thought at his accusatory question. "Well, obviously less than you. I have short legs," she answered, perhaps a little sharply, "I can do the rest if you think I'm holding you up." if there was a bit of bite in her tone, it was entirely on purpose, though not aggressive.

Except she wasn't exactly eager to let go of the box, holding onto it with the edges of her fingers and digging her heels in - mostly ineffectively. Cetra felt half his size, even if she was more like 2/3rds of it, really. Maybe 3/4ths. She just felt very small - and she wasn't going to let him snap at her worth like that. Though it had stung in a way she wasn't about to admit to.

"I said I have it." she hissed through her teeth, "It can be my own time, I told you that you can stop!"

There was a clear difference in strength between them - Cetra wouldn't have been able to hold herself up off the ground even if she'd had a better grip and her fingers slipped off the box - and she went stumbling back from her lack of balance. She caught herself and took another determined step forward.

"Just because I'm not as big and strong as you doesn't give you the right to undermine me doing my best!" she hissed, though she restrained herself from any physical swats or thumps. Barely. "Now give it back!"

And if he just tried to walk off with it...she'd be right on his heels.

"I have given you an out and it is your pride that is wasting time," she hissed back, unwilling to bend on the matter. Though she knew it was unlikely that he'd just give it back to her.

Still, she had too much pride to lash out, even if the back of his knees would have made a tempting target. She'd not do her best elsewhere. She would do it here and she would take the box back. Once they'd cleared the stairs she made a grab for it again.

It was frustrating. That this...a*****e was bigger than she was made getting HER box back - one he'd stolen right out of her hands - made a well of anger bubble in her chest and it threatened to be too much. Cetra didn't like the feeling of impending tears, and she didn't like that he was going to be the one to push her to that point. She wasn't a helpless animal.

But he made her feel like one.

She wanted to curse him, though she had a distinct feeling he wouldn't care about anything she could have set upon him no matter how dire it was. "Well enjoy the rest of your day, because you may have freed yourself but I'm not done," she hissed, knowing he wouldn't care. But she couldn't change his mind.

And all she could do was storm off, as though the very stomp of her feet could set a hurricane about her as she headed back down towards the barracks. She'd hunt down W'tarl, or F'dral, or whoever would have her and find another task to prove herself with - and one that he would hopefully not be bid to help her in. She'd work herself raw that day out of spite.

She'd work herself sick if she had to.