It was July which meant the rain was only just starting. The clouds were ominous- heavy with envy and foggy with rage. Lightning twitched and danced in the sky and the thunder roared alongside it. The upper part of the Belltower lurked behind the dark clouds but if you looked hard enough, especially when the lightning flashed, a meeting was underway.
The rain was falling fast, drenching the Penrose Row. Andrea strolled down Harmony street hunched over in a bland grey trench coat reaching his ankles, his shoes squished with every step. The sweet aroma of the roadside suya just up by the curb taunted him like Destiny in latex. If he wasn't so gloomy he'd stop and indulge but he hated the rain. Unlike the rest of the world, Summer in Alverton was only rain.
He turned left on the curb, into the alley that'd bring him to the abandoned bridge where the others were waiting. He would be tucked in bed right now, honing his mind and pushing his ability to its limits if that call hadn't come in. It was short and urgent- they needed to transport a defector, was all he could surmise.
Andrea halted halfway through the alley. His psyche picked up a sinister presence nearby. He untucked his hands from his trench, his eyes darting back and forth seeking everything around him out.
The red energy blast threw her against the dumpsters in front of him. She rolled onto her side into the puddle of rainfall with a low wince. He watched the young lady quietly- short brown hair with a much too familiar and peculiar tattoo on her entire right arm. His eyes shot to her attacker, strolling up to her with a sociopath's delight.
He looked over his shoulder, cast Andrea a dismissive glare then turned back to the lady.
"I will not ask you again, Veronica." His sombre voice echoed through the alley, almost drowning out the sound of the rain.
Andrea turned his gaze on her. She was why he was down here in Penrose. Whoever this man was, he'd snatched her from his associates. The alarm went off in his head for a moment- where were they?
"Who are you?" Andrea asked.
The man turned to him and a frown drew his heavy brows together. "You're still here?" he said more to himself. "Get lost invalid, this doesn't concern you."
Andrea drew closer, ignoring the rain beating down on in his face and the nerve of the stranger to call him an invalid. "Who are you?" His voice was soft like silk, slipping through the walls of the man's mind and invading his cognitive. He blinked rapidly in response, unable to fathom what was happening. "Speak," Andrea urged, the velvety softness of his tone carrying the weight of his ability.
"Aries, Squire of the Saffron Seal," Aries replied begrudgingly. His eyes narrowed in spite as they held Andreas'. "How are you doing this?!"
"Be still," Andrea commanded, the softness of his voice replaced with a menacing rashness. "Count to a thousand and then throw yourself off the bell tower."
He went to Veronica. She was sitting up against the dumpster now and clutching her side with her tattooed arm. He helped her up, glanced at the Squire counting angrily away before scurrying down the alley with her.
"You're Andrea, right? The one who'll take me to the haven," Veronica asked when they reached the abandoned tracks underneath the bridge. Andrea eyed her quietly, he set her down against one of the columns holding the bridge up and turned to survey the area.
"If it's the men who smuggled me here you seek, you're too late. Aries scourged them in his fire," she revealed. He turned back to her while he wiped the rain from his face with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry." No response came from him, his jaw only appeared to tighten as his deep blue eyes held hers for an endless second.
She looked away from him towards the tracks closer to the wired fence. All that remained of his friends was ashes washed away by the downpour.
"What do they want from you, the Saffron Seal?" Andrea asked quietly. "Please do not attempt to lie to me, I will know and I'm already upset."
She exhaled a heavy sigh and tried to mask a shiver. Her grey tank top and black pants were drenched and revealing a fine form. "Shall we at least head someplace safe and warm first?"
He folded his arms across his chest, his eyes scrutinizing her while his psyche poked at her mind, fetching the answers he sought. Whatever it was she had would only bring him trouble, but he wouldn't- couldn't pass up a chance to engage the Saffrons. He removed his trench and held it out to her. Victoria took it and slipped it on without hesitation.
"Keep up." He turned and started down the railway path towards the wired fence. She hurried after him and fell into place beside him.