Aera Starfall glided among the shadows, her eyes wide open and scanning for any sign of trouble, when she felt a tingle slide down her spine. It wasn't a warning sensation at all; instead, it seemed to be trying to make her look in a certain direction. So she turned in a single, fluid motion, her right hand automatically going to the leather and wire-wrapped hilt of the corresponding shoto.
He was tall and lanky, somewhat handsome and clearly athletic, as most Shadowhunters are. His shoulder length hair, a strangely metallic brown and auburn, was sloppily pulled back into a simple ponytail that he had tied with a short length of black cord. His intense brown-eyed gaze held hers for a moment, before she let herself fade back into the shadows.
She would have growled is she had a voice; she instead settled for a quick shake of her head as she pressed her back to the wall. With all of her not-inconsiderable strength she furiously punched the concrete, then formed her hand into a fist in front of her eyes. The split skin and leaking blood were a marked contrast to the bright off-silver of her family ring, which was decorated with a delicate pattern of Celtic knots.
The pain was a welcomed respite from the numbness that normally consumed her like the nighttime consumes the day. It was the only feeling that she allowed herself to experience except for anger- cold, unadulterated fury that she had been unable to prevent the slaughter of her family. The need for revenge was what permitted her to drag herself from her bed every morning, and kept her on her feet whenever a scent or image triggered a flood of memories that threatened to drag her to her knees.
For a brief second, she let herself sag against the wall, safely concealed in shadow, hidden away from questioning glances and pitying stares. As she pushed herself upright, squared her shoulders, and placed a totally blank expression over her features, Aera felt someone approaching.
It was the young man who had been staring so intently at her earlier. He had a cautiously hopeful expression on his face as he said," Hey…Aera, right?"
When she nodded, careful to keep an expressionless mast on her face, he smiled and held out one hand. "My name is Loren Stillwater." Aera accepted the handshake, only to be shocked when the young man- Loren- pulled her calloused hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, which she was grateful she had wiped on her hand to get rid of the blood. A pre-existing iratze that she had traced on her arm before being her shift as a guard had taken care of the damage to her skin.
Then he caught sight of her scars- bands of silvery, thickened skin that criss-crossed her body everywhere- even visible under the tight-fitting material of her Gear. Loren had a horrified expression of his handsome features, but Aera was so used to that reaction that she barely even registered the look on his face. His wide eyes- a rather pleasant light brown flecked with green, she noted- finally settled on the two scars that marred her face from the hinge of her jaw to the point of her chin and across her left cheekbone, connecting to the corner of her mouth and creating the illusion that Aera was smiling slightly. The wide, angry marks might have been caused by claws, he finally concluded.
Holding up both hands, palms out, Aera signed, Do you want something? as slowly and deliberately as she could, though she figured that Loren would not know American Sign Language.
Loren noted that she was missing half of her pinkie finger on her right hand and the first knuckle of her index finger on the same hand before signing back, Yes, I do.
Aera's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile, the closest she had come to actually expressing pleasure in the years since her family's murder. You know ASL.
Loren grinned in reply and answered verbally, "My dad was born deaf, so I had to learn."
Is he a Shadowhunter? inquired the young woman with quick gestures of her slim-fingered hands.
"No, but my mother is."
I see. Aera cast a quick look around and the blank expression once again settled on her fierce, aquiline features. I need to get back to my duty. What was it that you needed?
The grin faded from Loren's face and he suddenly appeared nervous. "I-I was w-wondering, w-would you like to go out w-with m-me? Like f-for coffee or something?" he managed to say, in spite of the nervous stutter suddenly marring his words.
She quickly ran the request through her mind, studying the pros and cons with as much dispassion as she could muster. She did not know Loren, did not know his family or his background or even if he had a girlfriend or lover in another town, but her instinct told her to accept his offer. After all, she was not promising him anything other than a single meeting.
Sure, she signed quickly, before she could change her mind. Where and when?
Loren was surprised. Clearly, he had not expected her to accept. "Um, how about Taki's, Tuesday night at about nine?"
See you there. Aera attempted a smile, but quickly abandoned her effort and faded back into the shadows that seemed all too ready to consume her once more.
She watched Loren walk back to his seat at the table, and cursed herself for letting his kindness penetrated her cold armour, even if only for an instant. A short, broad-shouldered figure, one that Aera knew by name, though they had never actually spoken, joined Loren as soon as he was seated. Kavan was his name- Kavan Nightwine, one of the Shadowhunters who had been present when she had waken from the coma. He had been 18 at the time and she 10. Again, she cursed herself from becoming involved with someone, even if it was only to have coffee with him. But she resigned herself to the fact that she had to go out with him, even for only one time, and decided to make the best of the situation she found herself in. Hell, maybe she would even make her first friend since her parents and siblings died. Maybe Loren would turn out to be the person who would help her track down the thing had killed her family.
A/N: I'm working on getting the next chapter up soon. Any and all reviews are welcome- tell me what you think of Loren and Aera, their maybe-relationship, how my writing is, etc. Thank you for reading my little story!