Life had been relatively quiet for the most part; she'd managed to blend in with the people here fairly well. Well, not so much 'blend in' as it was 'disappear in the background of.' She wasn't much of a talker, and kept to herself most of the time. She left her home very rarely, only venturing out into the city for basic necessities, her job at the library, and church services. She was a background character in the stories of the people that lived here, and that was exactly what she wanted. She didn't want to be noticed. Attention was dangerous. That was the whole reason she dressed like them when she went out; with the long dresses that reached to her feet, the flat heeled shoes that covered her ankles, and the soft grey hood that covered her hair and hid most of her face. Besides variations in color and cut, the citizens of Fortuna all shared the same overly conservative wardrobe. The reasons for this had always been plainly obvious to her, but she had nothing to fear from the Order and their intentions. No one ever took notice of her, she was just another civilian. It was the safest she'd ever been, so easy to become a faceless, nameless entity in this city. She had spent years running, playing cat-and-mouse with those who would use the power in her blood to further their own nefarious goals, and those who would simply wish her dead for daring to exist, before she found this place. It was here that she was able to escape them, fading into hooded masses of the Faithful. She'd been here almost a full year, and no one so much as knew her name. It wasn't perfect, but it worked for her, and it was all she needed. But when she saw him, she knew that change lingered on the horizon. He would be the end of her nonexistence.
He didn't dress like the rest. It's what made her notice him, how she knew he didn't belong there, that he knew nothing of Fortuna and its inner workings. His clothes were bold and ornate, colored in variations of blue and gold that contrasted the deep red of the dress she'd chosen that day; the tails of his coat trailed behind him as he walked, an air of stiff pride in his step. His eyes were cold and stern, and his face held little to no expression. She could feel her chest tighten as she passed by him on the street, sensing the power that radiated off of him. He was like her, but stronger, and if she had noticed him, then the Order certainly would as well. Nothing good would come of that.
She hesitated for a moment after they had passed one another, then turned and looked over her shoulder to verify that she had actually seen him. She had hoped that he was just another vision, that she was seeing things that weren't really there from the instability of her abilities, but he was still there, and he must have noticed her too, because he had looked back as well, their eyes locking in the moments before she turned back and hurried off into the crowd.
He knew. He knew what she was, just as she knew what he was.
Her stomach sank as she accepted the realization that this wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.
There went her peace and quiet.