The battlefield had fallen quiet after the brief skirmish, smoke still curling throughout the streets. The reporter Irene Ellet had ventured out hoping to interview a few soldiers, but the moment she spotted four tiny figures darting between rubble in the gravel roads, all thoughts of her original mission vanished.
“Tinies!” she gasped, her voice bright with delight. “Actual Tinies, right here!”
Without hesitation she hurried over, her polished black boots thudding heavily against the earth. The ground shook violently beneath the group of tinies as Irene dropped down abruptly, lowering herself as close as she could get. Her enormous form cast them completely in shadow while she leaned forward, her hair swaying like ropes above them.
“Hey, Hey!” she exclaimed rapidly, her refined tone bubbling with excitement. “How do you Tinies deal with the war? Do you have your own settlements? Where do you procure your supplies Do you-”
She paused mid-sentence, tilting her head slightly as her sharp eyes narrowed in mild confusion. Her gloved fingers tapped thoughtfully against her cheek.
“Actually, weren’t there four of you guys…?
Irene shifted her weight, unaware that the thick soles of her boots had come down directly on top of two of the tiny figures in her eager rush to reach them. The faint crunch beneath her had been completely lost beneath the sound of her own footsteps and excited voice. She leaned even closer, her warm breath washing over the two remaining tinies like a sudden gust of wind.
“How strange… Well, no matter. Where was I? Ah yes! do you have families to return to? Have any of you ever spoken with an Imperial officer before? Would one of you like to stand on my palm so I can get a real good look at you? I promise I’ll be ever so gentle.”
She smiled down at them with genuine, sparkling curiosity, completely oblivious to the two small red stains now pressed into the tread of her boots.
The two surviving Tinies laid frozen in terror, staring up at the massive reporter who had just accidentally crushed their companions under her boots. Neither of them dared speak a word.