A/N: Well, these are nowhere near as fun as your last chapter haha, but anyway, here it is… Two are in the past, and one is more present.
~~ Jai ~~
Working late at a bar one night with few staff, Jai wished the hours away. Every time he glanced at the clock on the wall, it seemed no later than the first time he'd looked. But there was only three hours left, he reminded himself, and that was better than five.
Someone ordered a gin, and he poured it, pushing the glass over the bar to them. There was a mix of Downworlders that night – werewolves, vampires and warlocks. No faeries, so he was in the minority. It was no surprise though, as the bar didn't have a large faerie drink menu.
"Refill!" someone called, passing their glass back to him. Jai stared for a moment – he served so many people, did they really expect him to remember what he'd poured for them? A quick sniff of their glass gave away which alcohol it had been however, and he kept quiet, pouring another glass, before sliding it over the counter for them to catch. Someone else left some cash behind, and he counted it, before adding it to the till, and the small tip to his pocket.
Something was in the air that night, and the atmosphere felt loaded, as if it could explode at any moment. He'd already seen a drug deal go down in the back corner, but he didn't want to get involved in that. Sighing, he knew the Towns would never change, no matter what rules the Shadowhunters decided to impose on it.
Some voices rose nearby, and Jai hesitated, turning his attention there. A werewolf appeared to be arguing with a vampire, his other werewolf friends egging him on.
"You got a problem with me?" the werewolf growled, narrowing his eyes.
"How could I, when you're such a charmer?" the vampire retorted, looking annoyed, as he adjusted the drink in his hand. "Leave me alone, dog. I'm trying to enjoy my drink."
"Don't you know this is our turf, now?" the werewolf said, a couple of the other werewolves making a sound in ready agreement. "Your kind shouldn't be here."
One of the other workers looked over at him, a younger female bartender who hadn't been there for long. Jai sighed again, adjusting his glasses. Some of the other customers were getting worried at the commotion and a couple had already slipped out. Of course, his boss wouldn't be happy if they asked the Shadowhunters for help. He had little choice but to try and break it up himself before it got ugly.
Stepping out from behind the bar, he approached them slowly. "Just go your separate ways," he said, keeping an eye on both of them. "We don't need any trouble tonight."
"He's the one causing the trouble," the werewolf said with a drawl, while the vampire just looked unimpressed. "Are you taking his side, or ours?"
"I'm not taking any sides," Jai replied, trying to keep his tone carefully neutral. "I'd just prefer if you settled this outside. We have paying customers here."
"Which is what we are," one of the other werewolves called out. "Typical faerie, trying not to take sides. Thinking you're all haughty and special."
What had he done to deserve such a bad night? Inhaling slowly, he tried to think of something that might appease them, but his mind came up empty. The werewolf was starting to look fired up and jumpy, and all he could think was that he'd rather be at home, then dealing with this mess.
"Look, I'm not taking any-…" Jai couldn't finish the thought, the werewolf taking a swing at him, while a commotion broke out. The last thing he saw was a fist coming towards him, before he blacked out, hitting the floor after a moment.
ooOoo
Coming to, Jai groaned, his head throbbing. Pressing a hand to his head, he tried to sit up, before wincing.
"Careful," the new girl said, walking over with a bag of ice. Bending down, she pressed it to his face. "You're gonna have a black eye."
Taking the ice from her, he was grateful when she helped him to sit up, and he waited for the room to stop sitting. "Where's everyone gone? Where's my glasses?"
"Everyone cleared out after a few punches," she shrugged, before scanning the room. "Oh, your glasses? Umm… I see them over there. Looks like they're broken."
"Great," Jai muttered under his breath, although he didn't mean to direct any anger towards her. It wasn't the first time his glasses had been broken. "You okay?"
"Mmm, yeah," she nodded, rubbing at her arm where there was a number of demonic looking patterns on her skin, being her Warlock Mark. "I'll be fine." Straightening, she walked over to pick up his glasses, before brining them back. "… Sorry."
"It's not your fault," Jai said, putting them on as best as he could, finding the glass in one of them was all cracked. At least he could see a little more with them on. The room looked like a mess, some glass broken on the floor, and some kind of drink spilled, as well as the bar stools in disarray. "Can you help me up?"
She came over closer, offering him her arm. Taking it, he used her help to pull himself up, inhaling as the throbbing in his head worsened. Releasing her hand, he leaned against the bar instead.
The owner – a Warlock with a hand in a few different businesses - strolled out of a back room, looking him over. "Good, you're up," he said, nodding towards him. "We'll close early. I just need you to clean up and to help Kaylee close. She hasn't been here on close before. I trust you can manage that."
Jai hesitated for the longest moment, pressing the bag of ice on the side of his head. It was one of the many times he'd been tempted to quit.
He imagined it going something like this:
Grabbing a bottle of some kind of alcohol, Jai took a swig, just to annoy him. "Seriously? You treat your workers like shit. Clean up your own damn shop," he said, narrowing his eyes, and placing it down. "I quit. I should've quit a long time ago." Then he'd watch his gobsmacked face as he walked out.
Of course, he couldn't do that in reality, even if he'd imagined it many times before, so he just kept quiet. He couldn't quit his current job until he found a new one. And unfortunately for him, faerie workers were not always trusted. "… Yeah. Fine," he said instead, the words tasting sour in his mouth.
"Good. See you tomorrow night," the owner said, eyeing him for a moment longer, and giving Kaylee a nod, before he started out, into the night.
"I'll clean up," Kaylee offered. "You just talk me through how to lock up."
Jai made a sound of agreement, sighing as he leaned against the bench, wondering how he was going to make it home. "… Thanks," he said, wishing the night was over already.
~~ Savannah ~~
Once she headed away from Blake's place, Savannah considered her options. She needed to clean herself up before she returned to the Institute, not able to deal with any questions at that moment. Besides, she needed time to collect her thoughts. She looked too suspect for a mundane hotel, so she turned back to the Towns, careful as she headed down some alleyways, her hood pulled up over her hair. Her steps were slow, but they took her towards the place that she had a key for that she'd once taken Blake to. It was her go to place in the Towns, the owner not minding if she came and went, especially because she paid them nicely for it.
Reaching the door, she knocked, just to make sure no one was about. When there was no answer, she pulled out her key, unlocking the door, before pushing inside. She was aware of the constant sting from the cut to the back of her leg which had reopened, and the graze to her side. Clicking the lock on the door, she then walked to the bedroom, pulling out her stele and drawing a couple more iratzes, hissing at the pain. Setting her stele and weapons down on a side table, she glanced at them, knowing she'd have to clean the blood off when she got back to the Institute. Removing her cloak, she folded it and placed it on the ground – it was just another thing she'd have to clean – before peeling off her clothes, finding the dried blood had made some parts stick. She had an urge to have a shower to wash off all the blood, dirt, and the events of the evening.
Stepping into the shower, she flicked the water on, keeping it cold to help give her thoughts some clarity. She was meticulous as she scrubbed the blood off her skin, disgusted by it all. She should have been better prepared when she received the note, instead of walking right into it. The sting of the water against her cuts was just a reminder of how reckless and stupid she'd been. She still didn't feel quite right in her skin, only just able to suppress an involuntary shiver.
Her thoughts went to the smirk that the Unseelie faerie leader's face had held. The pleased look and satisfaction that had lingered. He had enjoyed the power play and being able to order her around. She could have easily killed him, finding leaving only a slice to his cheek was entirely unsatisfying. Especially when he could likely get it somewhat healed. But the Clave's relations with the Unseelie were already precarious, as well as her own place in the Clave, and she couldn't afford to bring more havoc down on herself. Her training had also been clear on such things – a Shadowhunter shouldn't kill for revenge. Perhaps that was what Unseelie liked to do, but it was not something excusable within the Clave.
Blake had been as stubborn as ever as he went to nurse his wounds. Her own pain was likely nothing compared to the pain of his wings, and she had no idea how severe his other injuries were. While she didn't doubt that he could defend himself, he was in over his head when it came to the numbers that the Unseelie held. It was her first glimpse into that part of his life, and it did not look good for him. It had been strange, seeing him restrained on the ground like that. She was always careful to keep herself unhindered from any meaningful attachments so that it would not impede her work. She did not want any weaknesses. But she couldn't quite deny that Blake had been a weakness that night. If another Downworlder had been in his place, would she have followed the demands? She couldn't know for sure, but it felt unlikely. It was an uncomfortable idea, but she had done it to herself. To make herself feel better, she told herself it had all been a part of her plan.
Turning the tap off, she stayed in the shower for a long moment, working on collecting her thoughts. She was not the emotional type, and it was important that she got ahold of herself. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself, before going to browse the clothes left behind in the bedroom wardrobe. She couldn't face the thought of wearing the same shirt again, deciding it was better to throw it out. Instead, she chose a neutral black shirt, slipping it on with some pants after checking her injuries were healing properly.
She decided she would stay there for the night. It wouldn't be a good look if her brother decided to stop by her room at the Institute and she wasn't there, but it was better that her brother assume she had possibly slept with someone for the night, than find out the truth of what had actually happened. He might have been visiting the Institute to see if she was okay, but he was also there to check up on her for their family, and she wasn't likely to forget it.
~~ Maeve ~~
Maeve had certainly been infatuated with the first guy she'd ever dated. His name was Klaus, and he had been visiting Dublin from the Berlin Institute for a number of months. He was certainly gorgeous – with his brown hair curling over his forehead, and his chocolate-coloured eyes. He had just the right amount of stubble and a secretive smile that she was sure all the girls must go crazy for. He was only a couple of years older than her, and they started off going on hunts together in the late afternoon. From there, they started going out for dinner and to events in the city during the evening. They'd developed their own secret language, and she also helped him improve his English, of course. He found her accent adorable – his words not hers – and often traced the small moon tattoo on her wrist. It had certainly helped to fill the lonely void left behind after her brother had moved.
The only problem was that he didn't know about her condition. Sure, she'd told him she had a weird sleep pattern, but she'd only mentioned it casually, not going into much detail. How could she explain something that most Shadowhunters wouldn't even believe in?
Laying beside him one night – she spent most nights in his room – she lay on her side, wide awake. But she didn't mind watching him sleep, sometimes sitting up and typing on her laptop while he slept. She really did feel like some kind of vampire some days – besides the unfortunate thirst for blood, of course.
He made a sound as he woke up, drawing her closer. "Come have brunch with me on Thursday," he murmured, sleepily. "I have a friend from Berlin passing through. I'd like you to meet him."
She froze. "You know I'm like, a zombie at that time, right?" She said it jokingly, but she did kind of mean it.
"Come on," he urged. "He'll only be here an hour or two. Besides, we never go out during the day. Don't you miss the sunlight?"
"Of course," she said, trying to push away her hesitation. "Just give me the details and I'll be there."
"Mmm, I can't wait," he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, and she gave a small smile in return.
She had to make an effort, especially when he asked so nicely. Besides, it wouldn't be a good look if she didn't go.
ooOoo
While Maeve had set multiple alarms for when Thursday came, she woke up an hour later, swearing when she looked at her phone. She'd somehow missed them all, and she had heaps of messages and missed calls from Klaus. Jumping out of bed, she pulled on some clothes and ran a brush through her hair, quickly cleaning her teeth. Grabbing her phone, she hurried outside, squinting at the sunlight that hit her, nearly blinding her. The park they were to have a picnic brunch at was only a short walk away. However, she found that the pathway was busy with commuters that she was used to avoiding, and she finally made her way there, spotting Klaus sitting on a picnic rug.
"I'm so sorry I'm late," she said, feeling guilty. "I didn't hear my alarm… Where's your friend?"
"He's already gone," Klaus replied, slowly rising to his feet and turning to her. "Over half an hour ago. He was sad he didn't get to meet you."
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling like she couldn't come up with any words that were more appropriate. "I really wanted to meet him."
"What is this to you?" he asked, folding his arms, and she could sense his disappointment. "Do you even take this seriously?"
"Of course I do," she swallowed, still feeling half-asleep and like a mess. "I'm just-… my sleep's really-…" She trailed off, not knowing how to explain it. "It's an actual condition. It's not like I do this for fun, okay?"
"A condition?" he repeated, shaking his head. "I can't exist on just seeing my girlfriend at night-time. I need someone I can spend the day with, in the sunshine. Someone who I can introduce to my parents and my friends at a normal hour. Someone I can actually meet for brunch with."
Feeling herself withdrawing, she mostly felt a little numb. "Guess that's not me then, because I can't promise all those things. I'm sorry, but I'm just not cut out for a normal kind of relationship. You always knew I was a little strange, going into this."
He stared at her. "This is more than 'a little' strange," he stated, starting to pack up his things, and roll up the picnic rug. "I guess it's best if we end this here, then, rather than drag something out that isn't going to work. I need to get back to Berlin soon, anyway. I've been gone for too long."
"Yeah… I guess," she replied, already feeling like she'd lost something important from her life. Somehow, he'd become an integral part, even in just a few months. "I wouldn't want to hold you up."
Once he'd finished packing up, he looked back at her. "I do wish you well, Maeve."
She avoided his gaze, taking a few steps away. "I um… better get back."
Over the next week before he left, Maeve was careful to avoid him, keeping mostly to herself. She'd failed at a relationship with the one person she actually cared for. Just like she'd failed at everything else.
It was foolish perhaps to have thought that she could work with someone else long-term.