Page 86 of Darkness

“Not exactly a hard time, but most of the humans around here see me as lesser. Devon told his supervisor he wanted to ask me out. The supervisor curled his lip and said”—she mimicked a deep voice— “’I wouldn’t. She’s one of those.’ Now, whenever I see Devon, he blushes and hurries off. Hasn’t spoken a word to me since. I think I could’ve liked him too.” Dejection radiated off Arianna, nearly more than Farren could bear. She’d become his closest friend and deserved better.

“How about other travelers?”

Arianna sighed. “They avoid me. Many believe I've sold out because I work for Leary."

“I suppose they think I’m a sellout, too.” Farren tried to sound amused. Rejection stung no matter how much time passed.

"The difference is, you couldn't care less about what they think of you. You outrank them.” Arianna sighed again. “If I wasn’t so afraid of the outside world, I might take an apartment in town and try to make some human friends.”

Farren arched an eyebrow. “You go out. I’ve seen you. Hell, I’ve gone with you.”

“Clubbing doesn’t count. I’ve never met anyone there I’d be interested in seeing again.”

Poor girl. Farren didn’t feel the need for many friends, except for her. His remaining relationships were professional. Then again, his social class had existed to protect the citizens and uphold laws. Being a loner fit the job description.

Arianna, however, came from the public service sector and needed interaction. While other travelers worked for FAET, no civilians were employed as members of the actual team, except Arianna’s position as Leary’s assistant, though her direct involvement remained minimal.

Guilt hit Farren. How long had it been since he’d taken Arianna anywhere except a club? “One day soon, we’ll have to go out. Maybe go to the zoo again.”

Arianna brightened. “Oh, I’d love that. But…” Her smile turned sly. “What about Morrisey?”

Farren’s heart gave a lurch at the name. “What about him?” Once more, he had to stop himself from drumming on the desk. He pushed the pen out of temptation’s reach.

Arianna’s painted lips curved into a knowing smile. “I’ve caught him watching you when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

He had? Farren didn’t hate the idea. He attempted to sound casual. “So? We work together.” And do more on occasion. Morrisey had spent most of one night, though he’d left before most of the compound stirred.

“Looked like he’d gladly do other things besides work.”

Farren’s cheeks heated. He and Morrisey had done other things. Other highly pleasurable things. They just didn’t talk much afterward. “You’re making shit up.” While some humans found travelers good enough to fuck, they refused to associate with them in daylight. Would Morrisey be the same? From what Farren had gleaned, Morrisey didn’t really want to associate with anyone in daylight outside of work.

“No. I’m serious,” Arianna insisted between bites of cookie. “He looks at you like Leary looks at doughnuts. And after my most recent Krispy Kreme run, I thought about asking if the boss wanted to be alone with the jelly-filled. The moaning! Gah!”

Yes, Leary had a thing for sweets, which made Farren wonder why he didn’t appreciate Arianna’s cookies. “I get the feeling Morrisey doesn’t like many people.” Since visiting Morrisey’s mind, Farren actively had to banish thoughts in order to avoid taking peeks where he shouldn’t.

“Oh, he likes you.” Arianna flashed a smirk from over the rim of her teacup. “Kind of like Devon looked at me before his asshole supervisor ruined things.”

“Maybe you should talk to him.”

“Morrisey?”

Farren rolled his eyes. “No, Devon.”

“Oh.” Arianna waved away the answer with a graceful sweep of her hand. “But if I did manage to connect, his supervisor might give him a bad review or blacklist him or some shit. I’ve never seen such prejudice in my life as among humans. Any differences at all they’re willing to hold against each other. Even sports teams, can you believe it? It’s like, since they lack a tier system to tell them where they’re supposed to be, they have to push each other down to work their way higher.”

Understand? No. Believe? Sadly, yes.

“Back home, we valued differences. Appreciated everyone’s job.” Arianna stood, brushing cookie crumbs off her skirt onto the floor.

“Clean that up,” Farren growled.

Arianna glanced behind her, checking the open door for passersby as travelers did before employing hidden gifts. No one was there. She held out her hand, palm down. The trashcan by the desk rattled. The crumbs were gone. “All done. I think there were a few paper clips in there, too. I have to paint my nails before bed. I’d better be going.”

So unlike her to run from a conversation. Farren let her. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t work too late,” Arianna called over her shoulder while leaving.

“I won’t,” Farren lied. He remained seated at his desk for a while, idly chewing a cookie. Morrisey watched him? Really. Loyalties clashed. While Farren felt a certain protectiveness for his new partner, he owed Leary complete honesty.

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