A Meeting of Threads

[Emily Shale]

Jared Vanders. The name matched the accent. Emily had known that he wasn't Russian. He had struck her as American. Jared walked beside her, but he was following her lead. She noted that he walked very tall, and even though he seemed relaxed, he seemed ready for anything to happen. Even though her companion didn't seem to be looking around, he seemed to have an idea of what was going on around him.

Emily summoned her magic, and it allowed her to see and hear things more clearly. She noticed a slight hesitation in Jared's steps as she did so, and she wondered if Jared had felt something. She knew Nox felt cold when she did it. Had the other man done the same?

As they walked, Emily couldn't help but wonder what was happening. She felt like she was having a high school crush again. She couldn't believe it. She invited a stranger to coffee - by herself! Emily knew she was acting strangely, but she had to figure this out.

They arrived at a nearby coffee shop, and Jared moved forward to open the door for her. It was a polite gesture. "Thank you,"

Emily said with a smile.

Jared smiled and nodded, following her inside and they took a seat at a table. She sat across from him and smiled. "You're American - I can tell from your accent. Where are you from?"