CHAPTER THREE

SINCERITY BETWEEN EQUALS


Ariel's first day at the hospital is as uneventful as she expected it to be, allowing her to fall into a smooth rhythm. The nurses, while they're nice enough, smile to her face and whisper behind her back and she's not oblivious to the gazes she draws her way. She finds the small talk that falls between the silences in the halls annoying, and unnecessary, causing an itchy sensation to grow under her skin as a restless pace forms.

She finds herself wandering toward the windows, craving to see glimpses of sunlight through broken clouds to no avail. The large front windows of the office let her see patches of wet, dirty green earth that offers little comfort and she finds herself a little more disappointed each time she finds a closed window; bad weather and sick patients hardly go together and she tries to reason away her disappointment with the common sense drilled into her at school. Unable to be outside, she should at least be doing something else production within the hospital, but as she glances at the small amount of staff and an even smaller amount of patients, there would hardly be anything to do as it is.

She wanted this, she knows this, and she likes this - the windows, being so close to such a vast forest, and the smell of wet pine. Sometime during her walk, she begins to wonder when exactly the last time she interacted with this many people on her own - before she found Lucifer. Sometime during the early 1900s, maybe. She struggles to remember the exact year, but remembers the village deep in the forest with muddy huts, large bonfires, friendly smiles with a prayer spoken every kill and every step taken with care. Nothing like the blaring white paint and venomous, jealous whispers that seem like echoes down empty halls.

"Lunch break in thirty," Brett comments, leading her through a hall, "It's a slow day so if we're lucky, we'll have a full half hour before getting back on our feet. Both doctors are in today, so you're in luck. After the break, we may catch them in between patients. Do you remember where the cafeteria is?"

Brett sighs when he sees Ariel's glazed eyes settled back into reality as she gives an affirmative nod. Thankful that she's at least smart as she is pretty, he continues on with showing the hospital. It's not completely protocol, being more casual than it is informative, but with few patients coming in, there's time to spare.

Despite the casual pace that Brett leads her through the hospital, careful to explain each aspect of it to her, Ariel feels the pace is too slow for her liking and the tone of his condescending voice eventually blurs his words all together as she tunes most of it out. Far from stupid, she's quick to figure out the schedule and counts the seconds until she's let go to wander during break - promptly ignoring Brett's 'instructions' of how the cafeteria is the other way.


She goes to the cafeteria eventually, after scoping out the hospital for herself. She grabs one of the apples available and is fixing her tea when she becomes more apparent of everyone's stares. She can feel their eyes making holes in her back and an odd sense of self-consciousness builds in her chest. She takes a deep breath, breathing out through her nose and rolls her shoulders to ease the building tension.

When she turns, she's not surprised to see many of them turning away from her - a few sheepish at being caught looking. One of the men still leers at her, but for the most part, she's greeted with either shy friendly smiles or a cold shoulder. She glances toward the window and spots the many empty chairs and tables outside and wastes no time in deciding exactly where she is going to spend her break.

She wonders how Lucifer does it. His friendly, if a bit sexual, charm gets him far and his confidence never wavers around humans. He acts like he belongs with them - he even has a human partner and stepchild now. Never in her entire existence would she ever see her little brother, especially Lucifer, with a real, solid life partner. A human one at that.

But even her big brother, Amenadiel, can do this whole existing with humans pretty well. Well enough to get him a wife and child too despite his occasional awkwardness at not knowing how humans socialize at times, he adjusts and adapts. He's friendly. Charming. He knows how to make humans smile.

She wonders if despite what they act like, if they get that heaviness from being around humans. If they ever feel that uneasiness, discomfort, that difference between us and them. That as much as they want to try to be - and she wants to, she wants to be better, she wants this - that they aren't human. That there is always going to be that gap between humans and angels that is just so hard to get rid of.


Carlisle spots her quickly, he may not have been able to see Alice's memories or vision like Edward, but bright yellow eyes framing a new face cannot be missed as she glances at him through the cafeteria window. It's pure luck, not quite wanting to believe that there's a deeper, higher factor at work, that he manages to catch his break at the same time as her; while normally, he would spend this time in his office, with a new nurse gracing their staff, he wanted to set a good impression. It would be pure chance that the new nurse would also be the new neighbor that Alice is so fond of.

Caught off guard and only debating for a minute if he should introduce himself, he is quick to recover with a decision as he makes his way outside with a half empty glass of water; it was never filled to the brim, but does help him feel a bit more secure in maintaining a more human image with his staff. The whispers spread behind him as he walks away like wildfire and he knows in his gut that this is exactly how rumors start, but his curiosity of wanting to meet this nurse - this new neighbor - himself weighs heavily on him as brisk, cold air hits his face.

He keeps an eye on the skyline before he takes a step through the door, making sure that there's not any break of sunlight through the clouds. But it's not long before he finds himself walking without thinking toward one of the outdoor tables, making a very clear line toward the sole other person outside.

He's careful to note as much as he can, like the way her long legs keep the end of her scrubs from meeting her ankles with the top seeming a size too big, the seam a bit off at her shoulders, but it could be due to the small frame of her shoulders. Her face seems sunkissed, with her cheeks and nose being speckled with dark freckles that only come from too much time in the sun. He wonders just where she came from that was so sunny and if she misses it in this cloudy town. Her hair seems shiny despite the lack of sun, healthy and full as it cascades down to the middle of her back. He can smell the essential oils of her shampoo from where he stands, and the strong scent of pine and fresh wood that's stronger than the smell of her blood and covers the faint beating of her heart. Beautiful, he realizes, not being able to deny it, yet still not quite fully acknowledging what it can mean.

She doesn't seem to acknowledge him approaching her, more focused on what seems to be a warm tea in the thermos in her hands and a half eaten apple on the table. She takes a few sips and he makes a note that human, or not, she at least appears to eat - or tolerates food better than his coven.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

His introduction, as smooth and charming as it is, breaks the silence that occupied her. He takes a seat beside her, uninvited, but not entirely unwelcome. Closer, Carlisle can see how her eyes lack the tawny swirls of his coven, seemingly more like a curious wild cat, looking at him with a raised brow. He doesn't miss the misty look to her eyes, as if she was close to tears but swallowed them down.

"Ariel Sera," her voice is even, making her hard to read as she continues with a thoughtful hum. Small towns mean the name Cullen isn't tossed around lightly and it's very clear that she's right in believing him to be apart of the same coven as Alice. A deep respect forms in her chest, grasping to a degree, the amount of control that would be needed for a vampire doctor. His yellow eyes tell her that the hospital isn't a ruse for human blood. A vampire doctor, however, while surprisingly, she supposes is as unbelievable as the devil being a police consultant.

"I think I had the pleasure of meeting your daughter, Alice."

Carlisle risks a smile as he extends an apology, making her laugh as she sets down her tea.

"She's a good kid, Dr. Cullen, no need to apologize. I'm sure the rest of your children are just as pleasant if they're even half as polite."

There's something about the way she says polite that tells him she means something more. Similar to the small emphasis, and hesitation, on the word daughter. But the sincerity in her voice makes him inclined to believe that the choice of words is nervous, careful treading with a new boss than something deeper.