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[color=7bcdc8][INDENT][B]
[SUP][SUB][H3]Ember Grove Mall[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][color=silver]Early Afternoon | [@FunnyGuy] (Interaction) [@Vixen58] [@MsMorningstar] (Mentioned) [/color][/sup][/INDENT]

It was unlike Damien to be so clumsy... Oh wait, he wasn't. Sure, he his focus had been occupied by the reactions to the comment he made towards the group of werewolves conversing, but the young woman or whom he assumed to be a young woman ran right into him. The sound of fluttering pages were followed by several low thuds.

A scowl was his initial expression, but the foul look faded once he identified the apologetic culprit of golden locks. He noticed that despite her quick apology, her focus was on gathering the books scattered about on the floor. It was a pitiful sight, and made Damien frown in slight contempt for the stranger, but perhaps there was something here. The werewolves had been of interest, but his expression shifted neutral in order to seize a moment with this stranger. Like Nathalie, she could prove to be useful to him, to shroud his darker intentions in her innocence. Having met both women in the same place was what Father Xavier might call a blessing. So Damien made his move, quickly picking up one of the dropped books off of the ground before it was kicked about too much by passerbys.

Brushing it off a bit and shutting it appropriately, Damien was able to take a peek at the title. "Shatter Me" A smirk quickly etched his face as the title caught his eye the way it was meant to but not reasons intended. Damien thought of Kyran once more...

Once his eyes found the stranger's, as blue as blue could be. He could tell she had been the first to gaze judging by the look she was giving him. It was as if she had been given enough time to discover something that filled her with a hint of sadness. [Color=darkgray][i]Why is she looking at me that way?[/i][/color] Everything in him shouted at him to back away from her, but he stood his ground and broke his discomfort with a smile and the offering of stranger's novel.

[Color=darkgray]"Don't be. It was technically my fault... I was following my nose, instead of paying attention."[/color] Not a total lie. 

[i][color=7bcdc8]Following his nose...[/color][/i] Astraea's heart began to race as a realization took form.
[i][color=7bcdc8]That confirms it... He's a werewolf.[/color][/i]

The kind witch did not have anything against werewolves, far from it. In fact, back in the year 1867, she was involved in a serious relationship with a female werewolf by the name of Lily. Lily had saved Astraea from being burned at the stake by hiding her under the floorboards of her home. The two were inseparable and had dated for quite some time. They had even considered the idea of marriage. It wasn't until Lily's pack had found out about their affair when issues transpired. The Black Forest clan were notorious for their prejudice against witches and vampires alike.
Their malice and judgement were key components to the destruction of the unusual pairing. Having been left with a choice between the love of a woman and the acceptance of her family, Lily chose the latter. Being apart of a wolf pack created a deep bond. One of which she felt obligated to protect. Immediately she cast Astraea out of their home. The poor witch had nothing to her name but the clothes on her back and the tome in her hand. The betrayal had led to months of Astraea being chased by hunters of the supernatural. With no home and no weapons to defend herself, the blonde had barely escaped with her life.

Over the past few centuries, she had seen and experienced many different cruelties. All of which made her wary of strangers. Her loving nature made Astraea crave companionship. A family. All the while her fear of letting someone in kept her alone.

[color=7bcdc8]"Thank you."[/color] Her voice cracked, scratchy with nerves. 

Almost reverently she placed the novel back in her bag with its' siblings. It had been a while since she talked to anyone outside of Jinx and the few citizens she was forced to interact with. Cashiers were hard to ignore when running errands.
Unsure of what to do with her hands she crossed her arms effectively hiding them. Her socially awkward tendencies caused Astraea to rock back and forth on her heels. 

[color=7bcdc8]"Um... my name is Astraea?"[/color] She mumbled, the words sounding more of a question than an introduction.

Damien's friendly smile faded a bit as he watched the woman place her scuffed book into her bag. His gaze stuck to the bag for a moment as he took note. He had heard her give thanks, but he did not want to accept it. He saw his action as just being decent to someone else. Thanks was not needed. To deserve that, he needed to do something with a lot more kindness behind it. When she introduced herself, he couldn't help but to let out a small chuckle. Almost as if to let her know that there were no ill feelings and that she didn't need to be so nervous. 

[Color=darkgray]"I'm Damien."[/color] His introduction was a stark opposite to Astraea's, giving off a strong sense of confidence.

[i][color=7bcdc8]Damien. That name suits him.[/color][/i] Astraea thought, smiling politely.

[Color=darkgray]"And I should be the one saying sorry… Actually! Wait here for a sec.[/color]

Astraea's eyebrows knitted in confusion. She opened her mouth to protest but was immediately interrupted by his insistence.

[color=darkgray]"Just stay right there, I'll be right back."[/color] Damien walked into the sea of people lightly crowding the walkway of the mall, destination in mind.

Meanwhile the kind witch looked around the edge of the food court perplexed. Should she stay here? She barely knew him. Despite all rational, her intuition caused her to stay put. Curiosity getting the best of her. As she waited she took notice of a few of the pedestrians milling about the mall. A lot of citizens were human, looking to be in their mid-teens and spending time with friends. 

She spotted a group of individuals out of the corner of her eye. A male and two females. Nothing out of the ordinary, the three of them stood talking just like any other group. Belatedly she noticed another male standing to the side. His headphones were on, but seemed to be paying attention to the conversation.

[i][color=7bcdc8]More werewolves?[/color][/i] Astraea gulped, her heart jumping into her throat.
[i][color=7bcdc8]That's too many creatures for comfort, I gotta get out of here.[/color][/i] 

Before she could escape, however, Damien had returned with something familiar in his hand. [Color=darkgray]"Shatter Me, right? The new one?"[/color] Damien held the book up towards Astraea while his free hand reached for her bag. [Color=darkgray]"We'll trade and we can call it even."[/color] Astraea had other books that were probably in worse condition, but Damien figured the girl wouldn't accept the large gesture of replacing all of her tattered books. 

Normally Astraea would not accept something so generous from a stranger. Gifts could leave strings attached inadvertently creating a bond between two people. Unfortunately, her fear was overtaking her, choking off her air and taking control. The walls of the food court were closing in. Panic was causing her vision to blur.
With shaking hands, she grabbed the copy in pristine condition and dumped it into her bag.

[color=7bcdc8]"Thanks. It was nice meeting you."[/color] In an awkward attempt to end the conversation she bowed before whirling around and running towards the exit.

[i][color=7bcdc8]Air... I need to get some air.[/color][/i] Her mind screamed as she slammed her body against the exit, finally free of the building.

It wasn't until after a few heaving gulps of oxygen that she realized what she had just done could be considered rude, if not severely weird. This wasn't the first time that fear had overtaken Astraea. A few decades ago, her most recent near-death experience had plagued her with nightmares, panic attacks, and social isolation. 
After sensing the group of werewolves, her paranoia turned a casual interaction into a possibly lethal ambush. Frowning, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment, she started walking towards home before coming to a sudden stop.

[color=7bcdc8]"Fuck."[/color] She cursed, stomping her right foot in frustration.
[color=7bcdc8]"I forgot the cat food."[/color]

She began to rummage through her bag in an attempt to find her wallet when she noticed two copies of the same novel.

[color=7bcdc8]"Double. Fucking. Fuck."[/color] Astraea growled, cursing her neverending bad luck.
[color=7bcdc8]"I forgot to give him his book."[/color]