Clear Skies

Chapter 2: Questionable Competence

Duke Devlin whistled a tune as he strolled through Domino City's largest green park. The sunshine through the leaves and the sweet scent from the bouquet he carried were a gentle refrain from his industrial commute.

A bench by the path ahead caught his eye, and the sight of the person sitting on it inspired him to stop. In the early afternoon, the other parkgoers were young mothers with small children or dog walkers. The girl on the bench was neither; judging by her giant, tan shirt that struck Duke as a potato sack dress, she could have been homeless.

He glanced around and, spotting a nearby trashcan, stashed his bouquet behind it. Duke raised his chin, closed his eyes, and whistled as he walked forward. He peeked at her as he strolled past. The girl had her knees hugged to her chest, and she stared squarely at them with her one eye. Duke stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel towards her. "Hey."

A green leaf spiraled from the tree above her and landed undisturbed upon the crown of her white hair. Duke cleared his throat. No response. He placed more urgency and volume behind the word when he repeated, "Hey!"

The girl jolted to attention. Her blue eye sharpened while scanning him up and down. He basked like a god soaking in praise and flashed a bright white grin. "What's someone like you doing out so early? You cutting school?"

Her eye thinned. He laughed and slid into a comfortable sitting position beside her. "Hey, hey! No worries. I am, too. You keep my secret and I'll keep yours, aight?"

Duke tossed her a wink. Her unamused expression didn't so much as twitch, which was fine with him. He wouldn't expect a complete stranger to be immediately friendly. There were ways to further break her ice. He palmed a die, set it on his fingertip, and spun it like a top. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

Her head lifted. The sign of piqued curiosity inspired Duke's smile. He snapped the fingers of his left hand and curled his right, causing the die to tumble down his sleeve. He caught it in the crook of his elbow. He showed her his empty palms. She cocked her head, and her eye widened. "Pretty cool, right?"

Her glare was softer this time. He took the opportunity to extend his hand and say, "The name's Duke. Duke Devlin."

She stared at his hand for a solid minute before accepting. He was surprised by the rough callouses on her palms. When they separated, the die was left in her hand. She observed its red dot on the top face with wonderment. "I'm... Rahlin."

"Rahlin! That's an interesting name."

"I'm from a different-" Her eye unfocused for a moment. "Country."

"I see! You're new in town, huh? I could show you around, if you'd like." He fired another wink, but she was unmoved. "Anyway, uh, what happened to the eye, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rahlin's finger moved to touch the soft, white cloth of her eyepatch as though it had a mind of its own. She murmured, "I lost it in war."

"War? How old are you, exactly?"

She thought for a beat. "Seventeen."

"What country lets seventeen-year-olds go to war?"

Rahlin pursed her lips. "You come off as awfully judgemental."

Duke waved his hands in front of his face. "I'm just making conversation, I swear!"

The die was pinched between Rahlin's first two fingers. "Don't worry over it. To tell the truth, I'm also the judgemental type. Could I show you a magic trick, too?"