{ Occam's Mirror - scene "In the Rain" }
Even in the pouring rain, she could see as brightly as midday. Each drop was like a perfect diamond as it reflected the light of the streetlamps. She could smell the ash of the pavement, and the sour garbage of the Chinese take-out place a few blocks away. Dark reveled in it, stretched her arms up to embrace the rain and the night, closing her mind to everything but the sounds of the city and the falling drops. She was hunting alone tonight, the way she liked it best. But the rain kept her company, and that was better than anyone spotting for her anyway.
She felt him long before he appeared. She could always tell it was him. He had a kind of lazy grace that both intrigued and infuriated her. Ever since the first moment she had laid eyes upon him, fighting for his life, she had been intrigued. The sound of his voice and the forbidden nature of who he was only made it worse. It didn’t help that every time she looked into the honey gold of his eyes she felt like she was dancing under the summer sun in a field of wild flowers. He chased away all reason, which was more dangerous to her still because of who she was.
“You gonna perch up there all night?” He called laughingly from street level. He had a black leather coat tossed across his shoulders, letting the rain soak the white of his t-shirt so that is clung to his athletic torso. His golden brown hair was plastered to his face, and the smile he wore was amused and alluring all in the same moment.
“Dunno. Trying to decide if there’s something worth abandoning my post for.”
He frowned. “You on duty tonight?”
She shrugged. “I’m always on duty. A Hunter always is.”
His frown deepened. “Oh. I thought…”
Dark sighed. It was always like this with him. Any time she reminded him who and what she was, he would cloud over. It never ceased to hurt her, but she had no other choice. She had to make sure that he understood where they stood, and that there were some things that would never change.
“Can we not fight? Please? The rain is so beautiful, and I don’t have any mission that needs completing tonight. I thought you might wanna walk down by the pier.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Daks?” There was something in the look on his face that told her he was thinking again. It never went well when Skyler was thinking.
“Hmm?” She still hadn’t jumped down from the rooftop to join him. There was something safe in the distance.
“Do you like being a Hunter?”
Dark knew that even in the rain and black of night he could see her shrug. After all, he was a vampire too. “I guess. I never really gave it much thought. It’s just something I’m good at.”
“Have you ever thought about quitting?”
She laughed. “You’re joking, right?”
“No.” Dark noticed that he looked sad.
“Why?” Now she was worried.
He met her gaze directly. “I just fear a day will come when you have to hunt me. I wish I knew what you would do.”
She stood up, all pleasure at the rain and seeing him gone. “You know what I would do, Sky. What I was bread and trained to do.”
He gave her a sad little smile that held no joy at all. “I know. That’s what worries me.”
“I care about you, Sky, but…”
“I know that too, Daks, and that’s what worries me even more.”
With that, he turned and left her alone with the rain and her regrets.