Late-night assignment

[Noémi Jourdain]

Noémi was comfortable amongst the quiet shadows of the empty office; moreso, she realised, than when it was bustling with her colleagues. The job was the best she had ever had, and not just because of its salary and perks, yet this elite world felt utterly unknowable to her - a world that would never truly be hers. She was still getting to know the new faces around her, was warm and friendly in her interactions, but she was reticent to share too much of her own beginnings lest that too revealed her to be an imposter. It was a delicate balance, one she hoped would become easier in time.

The door flew suddenly open; likely not Alexandrova returned for something forgotten, though, not by the way it swept so grandly on its hinges. The gesture actually made her jump a little, so engrossed in the pleasant quiet and her work; she hadn’t exactly anticipated interruption. But her heartbeat never quite returned to normal, even after the initial surprise; when the voice, and then the face, shivered recognition that sped her pulse for an entirely different reason.

It was difficult not to think of obsidian roses.

Noémi was quiet a moment, not shy of taking a moment for composure. She held his gaze. If there was curiosity, it was well managed beneath a layer of propriety. Gifts were not invitations, not when the man concerned was the Ascendancy. And it had meant something to her; enough that she would protect herself from misunderstanding.

“No,” she said eventually. “I’m afraid you have just missed her. I am just finishing up here.”