Bode, Interrupted

[Nesrin Aziz]

He didn’t reach across, not even to prove a point, though clearly he felt her caution was unwarranted. It left a surprisingly poignant impression. Nesrin made light of her past, even in her own head, but her childhood had not been filled with men who knew how to respect a boundary, especially one with so flimsy a deterrent as a request. She’d seen abuse unfathomable as a child, and while she’d fled before it had become an inescapable future, the tension wasn’t something ever forgotten. Refusing his hand hadn’t been a test. But his response was something she’d remember.

She liked the idea that he might come back to ask for her; it made no difference whether or not it was just performative flattery, it all amounted to the same game. Not that she was sure she’d actually be here – Kallisti had only ever been a short term measure. But the intent, at least, made her smile grow slow and feline. She contemplated her answer like she was considering whether to recommend a drink rather than deciding how much of herself to hand over.

“Ness,” she said simply. The name sat lightly on her tongue, practised, worn smooth from use. The sort of name meant to pass beneath notice, belonging to a girl who poured drinks and listened well and went home alone. It was what they called her here of course. None of her aliases were too far adjacent to her legal name. Truth was, Nesrin Aziz was a nobody. But that wasn’t why she used different identities.

She could have left it there. But it wasn’t like Jaxen didn’t know she’d just told him a lie, which made it a more interesting encounter than most.

“And if you ever hear a different name,” she continued softly, eyes glittering, “one I give without you asking – then you’ll know you’ve lasted long enough to deserve it.”

She turned away, headed back to the bar (or in reality, the staff area behind it; she had no intention of finishing her shift now). 

“But until then,” she tossed over her shoulder with a wicked grin, “Ness will do just fine.”