Superstition

Meetings

The first time Julius Root set his eyes on her he knew he had fallen in love. He had never believed in love at first sight, but just this once he went against the rules. He'd never been to this particular café before mainly because he had never had time. He was glad he had come tonight.

She was a waitress, nothing special, a little shorter than average height with curly shoulder-length auburn hair that shone when she walked underneath one of the lights. Most people ignored her but he found himself watching her doing her job. It was quite obvious that she was rather shy and she had a tendency to tuck her hair behind her pointed ears.

"Excuse me sir, what would you like to order?" Her voice was kind and gentle as it pulled him out of his musing. As he had been watching her reflection in the window he hadn't noticed her come to stand beside his table.

"Coffee, no milk, one sugar thanks." He replied, short sharp and to the point. She smiled shyly and he got the chance to read her name tag, Maya.

"Is that all sir?" Maya asked quietly. He glanced up and found himself staring into her beautiful green eyes, grass green.

"It'll do for now." Julius replied. "You want anything?" She looked at him in shook.

"Me?" Maya asked, pointing to herself. Julius nodded, "that's very kind of you sir."

"Julius," He promptly corrected her, "not sir, Julius. I'm fed up of people calling me sir. It's a major downside of being in the LEP." She smiled slightly as his attempt to cheer her up. But she shook her head to his offer and moved on.

-

That's how it worked. Every night after work Julius headed down to the café and every night he offered to get her something. Every night she politely declined. It went on for a few weeks until he arrived at the café to find that Maya wasn't there.

Disgruntled he walked home, avoiding the major roads to make sure he didn't bump into any of his colleagues. They had caught on to his changed mood and were probably following him to find out who had fallen for.

"Back off!" The shout came from around the corner and Julius stopped dead. He knew that voice, it was Maya and she was in trouble.

"Oh look! Pretty girl's getting feisty!" He walked hurriedly around the corner pulling out his Neutrino 200, setting it to stun. Maya was been backed against the wall by a gang of sprites, she looked terrified but she was holding them off, for now. He recognised the sprites as one of the gangs known for attacking young elves, mostly girls. Now they were going for Maya.

"Stay where you are!" He called pointing the gun at the sprites, it was an easy shot and he did this kind of shooting in his sleep. The sprites, distracted by the new threat turned on him instead.

"You gonna stop us?" One of the sprites teased, reaching out to Maya. He pulled the trigger and the sprite hit the ground. The others, seeing this, backed off slightly. Maya took advantage of their hesitation and showed off sparring skill that he had only ever seen true master manage. Within seconds the dazed sprites, all four of them, were on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs.

Only one thing came to mind.

"Wow." Julius exclaimed as Maya leaned against the wall. He then seemed to notice that Maya wasn't looking too good and raced forwards, catching her as she fainted.

-

In the end Julius only had one choice; he carried Maya back to the Police Plaza and sent a group of nervous corporals to pick up the unconscious sprites. Much to his dismay he didn't manage to get to the medical wards before he bumped into someone he knew. Captain Briar Cudgeon instantly began to laugh as he saw Julius Root carrying a young female elf.

"So this is who you've fallen for is it?" He asked, barely able to contain his laughter. Julius groaned and elbowed his way past.

"No Briar, I just happened to find five sprites attacking her, she fainted so I brought her here. We'll need to question her when she wakes up." Briar abruptly stopped laughing at Root's tone of voice. He was deadly serious.

"Sorry mate, I was just kidding." He said, moving out of the way. Julius didn't believe him but ignored that thought, Maya was stirring. He hurried the rest of the way to the medical ward and handed her over to the medics. He didn't get another chance to see her that night, he was sent to clear up a rouge troll above ground.

-

The mission hadn't exactly been friendly. Julius stumbled into his apartment two days later and headed straight for the shower to get the mud and grime off. He changed out of his uniform and acting on instinct went straight to the café.

He was greeted by the one person that made his days of toil worth every second. Maya was back at work. She looked a little better than she had when he had last seen her. The small cuts had healed and her hair was shining again. But the biggest change was the one in personality. She didn't look shy anymore. Her hair was brushed back off her face into a delicate French plait, showing off her high cheekbones and perfect chocolate-coloured skin.

"Thank you," She said when she reached his table, "for saving me from those sprites." He just smiled and nodded his head towards the seat opposite him. Much to his surprise she took up the offer and sat down, resting her hands on the table, "It's the end of my shift." She explained.

"I think you did most of the work." He commented. Maya blushed and bowed her head slightly. Somehow he found the courage to reach over and tip her chin up so he could see her eyes. She looked ashamed.

"Don't be scared Maya. It was pretty amazing, not many girls could have done that."

"I didn't mean to do it." Maya whispered, closing her eyes. Julius sighed in annoyance and took her hands in his. She looked up at this.

"You did it in self defense Maya, you're not in trouble. Any idiot could see that. Look, how about you come round mine and have a cup of coffee, you look like you need one." Maya thought it over before nodding slowly. Julius smiled and helped her stand up. She stumbled slight and he reached out an arm to steady her. She blushed again and went to collect her things. He waited by the door for her.

-

When she returned she had clearly tidied herself up. Her hair had been redone and the streaks from the few tears that had escaped were gone. He smiled as he took her hand and led her out, across the street and down the few blocks to his apartment.

His apartment wasn't exactly large but it was comfortable enough. He led Maya into the sitting room and sat her down on the sofa before heading to the kitchen to get the coffee. When he returned with the two steaming mugs she was curled up on the sofa her head resting on her knees. She smiled as he gave her the coffee and they drank in silence. Eventually Maya fell asleep on the sofa, cuddled up to Julius as they watched a film on the TV.

Julius found himself picking her up and carrying her into the next room, his bedroom and laying her down on the bed. He pulled the blanket over her sleeping form and headed back to the sofa. He didn't mind sleeping on the couch if it meant Maya got a good nights sleep.

Over the next three months their relationship grew steadily stronger. More and more often Maya found herself at Julius's apartment after work, teaching him some of the martial arts she knew. He was a quick learner even if he did struggle at first. Meditation had proved very useful at helping Julius keep his temper in check. They grew closer together and soon Julius had begun to consider asking the big question. But although he now knew a fair bit about her eh wasn't willing to risk a bad reaction.

Maya was one of the last elves to be born above ground. Her parents had been killed by the Mudmen when she was five and she had ended up living with her uncle. Over time she had attended various martial arts classes determined to make a team one day. But she was a girl and they had rejected her. Upset and suddenly shy she had worked hard at school, earning some incredibly high marks and had got herself a job at the café and begun martial arts classes.

Julius on the other hand had had a peaceful life so far. He had done well at school, had many friends and had joined the LEP. He had done well in his job as well, rising to be one of the youngest captains in history. He was popular with the girls, considered very handsome among his comrades. He hadn't had the sorrow that she had gone through and at such a young age.

That evening they were meditating in the lounge when Julius's communicator in his helmet beeped. At first they both ignored it, focusing on their inner peace but it persisted into Julius eventually answered it. They quickly found out why the LEP hadn't left him alone.

"I'll be right there." He promised, gave Maya a quick kiss, and was gone.