"Eventually soulmates meet, for they have the same hiding place."
—
Robert Brault
Officially, the biannual Campus Security Inauguration Ball was a final chance to let loose before a semester of hard work and dedication. It was also everyone's last chance to really settle their partner preferences before the paperwork was due Monday morning. Of course there was always the option of random selection for those who didn't know or care for anyone in particular, but Maka Albarn, first year criminal psychology student and new recruit, had never been one to leave such an important assignment up to fate. To fulfill her scholarship requirements she had to work in a campus job for a certain number of hours a week and her work had to be good. She wasn't going to risk winding up with some lazy half-wit who would drag her down. She didn't particularly relish ending up with a man either and the female recruits though not few nor far between, were definitely limited in numbers compared to their male counterparts. The worst part was, she had already spoken to and covertly (she thought) interviewed each and every one of them. Though they were largely a good bunch, none of them had felt quite right. Not that she expected car chases, shoot outs or undercover work, but she still would like a sense of being able to trust her partner inexplicably. Maybe she was fooling herself. Her Mama had said it could take years to be properly intuned with a partner and her Mama would know, having worked with the FBI for fifteen years. Though her Papa, whose years with the Bureau now exceeded her Mama's, had always said when you found the right partner the connection was instant, even if not always what you'd expect. Then again, he had been describing her Mama and that partnership had ended in betrayal, divorce and her Mama's resignation. Maka sighed and swirled her sparkling apple juice around in its wine glass. She supposed she could work fairly happily with at least three of the women she had spoken to. Perhaps she should go find them again, try to strike up a real friendship.
As she wandered through the crowd, Maka found herself fading. Usually she loved parties, the interaction with other people and all the life stories that came with them, but not tonight. She had too much to think about. She drifted away from the crowd, through a room occupied only by furniture and a grand piano and found herself out on a balcony. With a heavy sigh she walked straight out to the edge and leaned against the railing to marvel at how despite all Death City University's claims of improving their carbon footprint, half the buildings were still lit at nine-thirty at night.
"Pretty hypocritical huh?"
Maka jumped and spun around at the sound of a strange deep voice.
"Jeez you're jumpy. Didn't mean to scare you."
A man came into the light spilling from inside the building. Maka was taken aback, but only for a moment. Despite his unnaturally white blonde hair and garnet eyes he didn't appear threatening at all. He slouched with his hands deep in his pockets as if he thought he could make himself invisible if he tried hard enough.
"Didn't know anyone else was out here." she countered.
He shrugged and walked slowly towards her to lean against the balcony.
"These kinda parties aren't really my thing."
"Then why come?" Maka probed, turning slightly towards him.
The man looked startled. Maka wondered if not many people asked him about his motivations, or maybe even bothered to talk to him at all.
"I'm campus security and friends with the boss' kid so I'm kinda stuck."
Maka nodded,
"So is that what's hypocritical?"
"Huh?"
"Your being here."
He squinted at her as if trying to detect some sick practical joke. Maka held his gaze and raised one eyebrow slowly. He looked away from her and muttered something.
"What?"
He sighed heavily and begrudgingly spoke up,
"They want to save energy but all the lights are still on."
Taken aback Maka spoke without thinking,
"Have you got a partner?"
Beside her the man jumped and peered at her wide eyed and confused. Now up close Maka could safely say that she'd never seen eyes that colour before. They weren't exactly red, but they weren't brown either. Caught up in trying to determine whether his strange appearance was natural or not, she didn't hear him the first time.
"Sorry, what?"
"I said, you don't even know my name."
Hands on her hips Maka smiled up at him,
"Then tell me."
"You don't know what kind of person I am."
Maka hesitated. He wasn't wrong, she'd only known him for minutes, but somehow that didn't seem right. She hadn't been able to tolerate any boy except Blake (and he didn't count because he might as well have been her brother) since her parents' divorce and yet here she was talking with a strange man of her own volition. Stranger still, she didn't hate it. It took her a moment to put her finger on what exactly it was about him that put her at ease and when she did she couldn't help but smile a little. Maybe she didn't know his name, but she did know some things about him.
"You don't like or care about parties, but you go anyways because it's important to your friend. You know that a strange man appearing out of the shadows might scare a young woman alone so you announced yourself, kept your distance and not once have you been between me and the only exit."
Red eyes wide, he looked at his feet and scuffed his shiny dress shoes against the ground.
"You read soul's or something?"
"I'm not done."
He quirked an eyebrow at her and gestured for her to continue.
"And, you think that if the university says they care about lowering greenhouse gas emissions they should turn off the lights in empty buildings at night."
He ducked his head, hiding his face under his bangs.
"You a psych major?"
"Criminal psych."
He nodded slowly, considering her judgment of character.
Impatient, Maka pushed forwards,
"So, do you have a partner?"
He held her gaze for a moment before turning towards the door.
"Where are you going?" she called after him, hot on his heels.
"C'mon, I'm gonna show you something and if after I do you still want me to be your partner, I'll tell you my name."
"Show me your penis and I'll break it." Maka muttered.
He turned to glance over his shoulder at her with a disgruntled look.
"Gonna take bigger tits than that." he muttered with equal distain.
Maka huffed and wished she'd brought a book with her. This man deserved a good chop after that comment.
"Maybe I judged you too soon."
"We'll see."
He paused in front of the piano she had passed to reach the balcony. Somehow sensing that she should wait quietly, Maka watched curiously as he slowly pulled the lid back from the keys. He slid into the seat in one graceful movement that despite her lack of musical knowledge, Maka was sure could only come from years of performing. He grazed his fingers over the keys gently, caressing like a lover before crashing down in a killing blow. Entranced immediately, Maka barely twitched at the sudden sound. His fingers flew across the keys in a cacophonous melody full of sharp sounds and twisted chords. His hands moved with such speed and intensity that they were tan blurs across ivory and that's when Maka looked at his face instead. She had expected him to look angry or grief stricken. His music was haunted and bittersweet, surely his face should match. Instead he held an expression of such serenity that she knew snide comment aside, this was a man who dedicated himself wholly to whatever task was at hand. His playing ended much less abruptly than it started, trailing off in softer notes added almost as an afterthought. After a moment of silence, where his fingers hovered over the keys and the tension slowly left his shoulders, Maka clapped to fill a concert hall.
"You liked that?" he asked incredulously, still slouched on the piano bench.
"It was like nothing I've ever heard before! What composer was that, Bach?"
He chuckled ruefully.
"You really don't know music."
She blushed. Though she had read about music and studied it in high school, she seemed to have no aptitude for it whatsoever.
"It was me, no one else."
Maka's eyes widened in surprise.
"Still think its good?"
Instead of answering she stuck out her hand,
"I'm Maka Albarn."
He considered it for a moment before meeting her gaze and taking her hand.
"Soul Evans."
His grasp was firm and warm in hers and when he smiled tentatively at her, she smiled back.