Black || Jace Wayland [1]

|20. just talking

"Trust me." Isabelle glanced at the redhead across from her. "If Magnus is coming out of hiding, he's going to one of the biggest parties of the year." "Never underestimate Magnus' hedonism." Hodge stated, agreeing with Isabelle and Jace. "Or his greed." The weapons trainer stepped around the table and beckoned the five Shadowhunters in his company. "Come with me."

Asher quickly stood and lined herself up right behind Hodge as he lead her and the rest of her companions to another location. She could feel a certain someone's brooding glare on the back of her head, making her uneasy. Biting her lip, she merely continued walking quietly behind Hodge to prevent any unnecessary attention to herself and her predicaments.

The weapons trainer led everyone into the training room and continued walking until he reached one of the runes in the center of the floor. Kneeling in front of the tile, he slowly traced his stele over the specific rune, causing the tile to glow brightly. The sound of gears turning filled the area before Hodge lifted the tile to reveal a beautiful ruby necklace encased underneath.

Asher's jaw dropped open as he gently picked it up by the chain to show everyone. Isabelle had to blink a few times to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. "Is that real?" The younger Lightwood stared in awe at the most captivating, and probably most expensive, object she had ever seen. "A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby." Hodge confirmed for everyone. "And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane, as it was a gift for his then lover, Camille Belcourt."

"What? Camille and Magnus were lovers?"

"Warlock gets around." Asher caught Jace out of the corner of her eye smirking in her direction from his response to Clary. His smirk quickly turned into a sour frown when she didn't look his way. "Magnus bought it in 1857 for the price of his London townhouse." Hodge explained to them. "Now, the jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer to the presence of demons." "How romantic." Asher muttered as Isabelle reached out to hold the ruby in the palm of her hand. She ran her finger down the side of the pendant. "It's so beautiful." She breathed out.

"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace. " Hodge stated. "Offer it to him. He might just take the bait." "Well it depends on how deep his distrust is for Shadowhunters." Asher pointed out whilst crossing her sweater-cladded arms together. "I get Magnus wants this necklace, but would he really risk his security for a gift he got for his ex?" Isabelle gaped at her, thinking that she must be blind for saying something like that about a nearly priceless artifact.

"Well, not every Shadowhunter has a reputation like yours." Hodge reached out for Asher's hand. Once she reluctantly held it out for him, he slowly placed the pendant in her palm. "I can assure you if Magnus knows you're coming, he will definitely be there." The brunette felt unsure about this; she knew that her reputation exceeded the bounds of Los Angeles and Idris, but she didn't think that it would lead to Downworlders wanting to actually meet her.

Despite her doubts, Asher pushed them away and pocketed the ruby necklace. She turned to Jace. "Can you get in contact with Magnus?" Her heart hammered against her ribcage from the interaction, but her features remained stoic. Right now, she had to focus on the mission at hand.  If Valentine is looking for warlocks, they don't have much time to waste.

Jace was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to speak directly to him. Nonetheless, he nodded his head and cleared his throat. "I'll send him a fire message to arrange the meeting." "Good." The brunette turned to the rest of the group. "We have to get to Magnus before Valentine does."

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Asher found herself lost in thought until a piece of clothing smacked her in the face. She swiftly removed it, sending a glare towards the culprit.

"We're supposed to be finding you an outfit, not daydreaming about Jace." Isabelle sang out, smirking mischievously. Asher grumbled in annoyance at her friend. The younger Lightwood walked over and sat beside her. "I can tell that something's bothering you." She nudged Asher softly. "More than just something."

In an attempt to steer the conversation away, Asher quipped, "Maybe it's the fact that you want my ass to hang out of one of those dresses." Her blunt attempt at a conversation-change went completely unnoticed as Isabelle continued to stare at her quietly.

Asher sighed and pushed herself up from the couch to walk towards the window. "It's nothing." "Clearly it's not nothing if Jace is brooding everywhere." Isabelle countered and took her previous spot.  Asher rolled her eyes. "He's always brooding."

"Not like that." Isabelle leaned back onto her elbows, examining her friend's movements. "You know better than anyone how observant I am." She grinned. "You like him." "I don't like him." Asher scoffed and turned back around. "I can't like someone I barely know."

"You seemed to know him pretty well after hanging with him in your room."

The look on Asher's face made Isabelle's smile bigger as she continued taunting her. "One can only assume what happens behind closed doors-"

Asher cut her off with an exasperated look. "We were talking, Izzy. Just talking." She couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed at the insinuations. "And no, there's nothing more to it." Isabelle's grin softened, turning into something more sympathetic. "Ash, you're allowed to have feelings, you know."

"No," Asher sighed and looked down at her feet. "I'm not." She wrapped her arms around herself before sitting down slowly on the edge of the bed. "Feelings make everything messy." She looked back to the window, catching a small glimpse of a streetlamp. "With Clary running around and now finding out that Valentine is alive, I-" Asher exhaled deeply. "It just makes it more complicated."

Isabelle frowned at her confession and rose from the couch. She made her way over before settling down next to Asher. "Don't do that to yourself." She whispered and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay to have feelings for him. You've been through enough; you deserve some happiness."

"I can't afford to be happy. Not until Valentine pays for what he's done." Asher attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. "They won't be at peace until he does."

Isabelle tightened her grip on Asher's shoulder, offering silent support. "And he will." She assured her. "And we'll all be there with you when he does. You're not alone, not anymore."

The brunette acknowledged what Isabelle said, but made no move to answer. Her friend rubbed her back. "Maybe you should go and get some rest." Isabelle suggested. "We can figure out everything else tomorrow."

Asher opened her mouth to protest when a wave of fatigue washed over her. She found herself agreeing with her friend. Maybe she should have been resting instead of training with Hodge.

As Asher prepared herself to leave, Isabelle's pulled her into a deep embrace. The brunette closed her eyes in content as arms squeezed around her. "Just think about what I said." Isabelle murmured. "Okay?"

Breaking apart, the younger Lightwood offered a reassuring smile before Asher made the small trek back to her room.