Arken, on the other hand, was picking small bites out of a fluffy scone, seemingly quite content with the meal and her warm tea.
“Perhaps I’m just a memorable individual,” I suggested.
She snorted, practically choking on her food.
“What? Are you suggesting I’m not memorable? You wound me!”
I continued to feign offense—but Arken didn’t take the bait. She was too clever for her own good. And mine, really.
“Mm, it’s hard to gauge how memorable a man can even be when yourepeatedlyrun into him,” she replied with a sly grin. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. But you’ll have to stay away long enough to become a memory in the first place. You’re certainly a noteworthy stalker, though.”
It was my turn to snort, and I crossed my arms with raised brows, challenging her notion that our repeated encounters were by design.
“I’m hardly a stalker, freshling. If I was stalking you, trust me when I say that you wouldn’t even know.”
“I thought we’d already established that I’m quite observant,” she noted over a sip of tea.
“You are indeed, I’ll give you that.” I laughed under my breath. “But you still wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Arken looked mildly offended by that assertion, which was cute.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Aside from being a verifiable specialist in reconnaissance?” I laughed, gesturing at my uniform coat.
“I mean, is there another reason?”
Hmm. Decisions, decisions. I paused for just a moment, deliberating on whether or not I should show her now, or let her figure it out on her own.
I chose to be self-indulgent for once, knowing that her reaction would entertain me. With a smirk, I lifted one hand lazily, calling towards the aether within. I pulled from the arcane energy of the sunlight and the gentle breeze, converting Light and Air to smoky tendrils of Shadow. There, in the palm of my hand, they formed a shifting, dark orb of energy in my palm.
“Holy Hel! You’re a Shadow Conduit?!” Arken crowed, almost shouting in surprise.
Something like that.
I stifled my laughter, giving her a wink. Thankfully, this corner of the Academic Quarter was fairly quiet this time of day. It was no secret that I was a Shadow Conduit, but there were only a handful of us in Sophrosyne these days. And I really wasn’t one for unnecessary attention.
Still, her reaction had been worth it. I was beginning to likeherattention, specifically—whether it was necessary or not.
“I am, indeed,” I replied.
There was something about the way Arken studied the ball of umbral arcana in my palm, with hungry fascination and intrigue in her golden eyes, that was doing very, very distracting things to me. She looked utterly transfixed, and then vaguely disappointed when I exhaled and let the Shadow return into the aether.
When her gaze returned to me, those gorgeous eyes were still glimmering, a shy half-smile curling up one side of her face.
Gods.
“I am so godsdamned jealous of you right now,” she confessed.
“Jealous?” I asked incredulously.
Why? She was the rarer one between us. Light Conduits were almost unheard of.
“I’ve always found Shadow to be the most interesting element on the aetheric spectrum,” she explained.
“What makes you say that?” I asked, legitimately curious.
“Shadow just feels so… constant. Eternal, compared to some of the other elements. Darkness is this constant presence in life, no matter where you are. Even in the Light of day,” Arken said gesturing above us where the wisteria branches and their handing flowers were casting shadows on us both.