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The introductions had been cut short by Hodge when he came to escort them all to their rooms. He insisted that they would have a long day ahead of them tomorrow, and that they could get more time to know each other then.
Lyra had been more than thankful that the man had come. Mostly because she hadn't gotten any sleep in the flight due to her anxiousness.
She also found the three Shadowhunters she'd met that night to be quite intense, and rather cool, unlike what she'd expected. Then again, not many people had the southern hospitality mindset, as her mother had warned her.
City Shadowhunters are different.
Despite all that, she didn't want their stoic first impressions to deter her from being a proper guest. She was eager to learn and study and remained restless through the night until the sun rose. Thankfully, she had been up and ready when the soft knock came at her door.
When she opened the door, she was met with the stunning brunette from last night. Isabelle, if she remembered correctly.
Lyra smiled right away in her politeness. Her eyes traveled down just as Isabelle's do, too.
The two took in each other's vastly different appearances with both amusement and interest.
Isabelle dressed in a way that not many others did back at home. She wore a bright red top that stopped at her mid-drift, the sleeves short and neckline in a deep set V line to show off the angelic rune etched just above the ridge between her breasts. She wore leather pants that slung to her like a second skin. And only the angels above could possible know how on earth she could walk in those high-heeled boots all day.
An enchantress, Lyra instantly thought of.
With a beauty like her, she wondered for a moment how well this woman could have anything she wanted, from Nephilim to Downworlders.
Then, there was Lyra's chosen outfit of the day.
It was nearing September, and with the temperature dropping, she opted for the best she could with her usually warm clothing.
Her pale-yellow crop top was unusually bright compared to the other's style. It was hidden beneath faded black short-overalls. She had combat boots that were faded and dirty from years of use, making her appearance less than seductive and more of that like a child.
But her own appearance didn't strike her as odd one bit, at least not as much as Isabelle thought it was.
"Hi," Lyra's eyes widened, impressed, "Wow. I really like your boots." She grins at the other. "You're Isabelle, right?" She recalled, her southern twang slipping just slightly.
Isabelle broke out of her reverie. "My mother calls me Isabelle. You can just call me Izzy. And thank you," She forced some sort of smile, "I like your, uh..." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm making breakfast for you and our other guest. I wanted to invite you and our other guest to join us before we train with Hodge, first thing. The Institute is usually quiet til around ten when others come around," She explained.
The other guest, Lyra had not met him.
It was well and all. She would surely meet him soon anyway.
"Breakfast sounds amazing. I'd be happy to join," She stepped out of her room, already following as Isabelle began leading the way.
On her way, she made a mental note of all the twists and turns. This Institute is far bigger than the one back home, and she almost gotten lost last night just following Hodge.
When they found their way to the empty dining room in silence, Lyra decided to speak up to offer some sort of conversation. Though, the first thing she could manage to say happened when she inhaled the smell that seeped into the room when Isabelle disappeared into the kitchen.
"What's that horrible smell?" Lyra almost gagged. She searched for the source, momentarily a flicker of caution ran through her at the possibility of a demon having infiltrated the Institute.
Isabelle appeared with oven mittens and a large tray of something dark-brownish and still liquified. Her smile big and welcoming.
Lyra's face faltered with horror when the smell intensified. Soon she realized that the smell was coming from the woman's dish.
The one that she was about to eat.
"Oh, by the angel, save me," She tried her best to keep a polite smile before turning away from view to cover her nose.
"Bon appétit!" Isabelle had already set the tray down and was using a large spoon to scoop the brown goop into the bowls already laid out on the tables. "Eat up before the boys come. They've got endless pits for stomach," She quickly advised.
Lyra's eyes widened. Her true horror escaping for a brief second with the other distracted. She began backing away.
Maybe if she ran fast enough, Isabelle wouldn't be able to catch her.
A small oomph sounded from her as she hit a wall, swiftly she whipped around to see she had bumped into the blond guy.
"Sorry—I'm sorry," Lyra apologized. Her words falling with her own awkwardness.
His height towered her and the low lighting did not help the dark expression on his face. He raised a brow before smirking down at her. His arms crossing over his chest.
Beside him was the other dark-haired man. His arms were crossed, and his presence was even more intimidating than the one she had bumped into. His face was hard and somewhat cold. And she truly believed that it wasn't intentional, he was just naturally distant it seemed.
"You should watch where you're going," Jace warned with some kind of teasing smile, "I don't even have my stealth rune activated and you couldn't hear us coming."
"I was distracted," Lyra glanced back at Isabelle before her fearful eyes went to the boys, "I think she's trying to poison me with some mythical concoction used to torture people." She quickly slipped between the space of the two to hide behind them. "Help me," is all she squeaked out.
Jace snorted while Alec turned to Isabelle with a hard stare.
"Izzy, I don't think the Clave would appreciate us poisoning our guests," Alec stated with a hint of humor in his tone.
Isabelle placed her hands on her hips while glaring at the three. "I wanted to give them a proper welcome. And you boys were supposed to fetch the other one—"
"He isn't in his room," Jace interrupted, his foul mood returning.
Lyra perked up. Her attention now on the sudden tense atmosphere.
"What?" Isabelle frowned deeply. "Where is he?"
The men shrugged.
"The bed was still made and his bags were still packed. It doesn't even look like he slept here at all," Alec pointed out.
Everyone looked around at each other silently.
"He couldn't have snuck out without us knowing," Alec turned to lead the others as they follow wordlessly, "Fan out. Isabelle, let Hodge know he's gone. If he's not here, we'll search the city. He couldn't have gone far," He shot out orders without missing a beat.
Lyra followed the three, though her stomach grumbled from hunger. She stared at their backs with disbelief at their quickness to organize some type of mission, this early in the morning. She couldn't understand how they had turned something so simple into some kind of life-threatening ambience.
"Are we sure he isn't just in the bathroom?" Lyra suggested the alternative.
They entered the entry room, where all the monitors and large boards showed maps, statuses, perimeter checks, and other jumbles of information.
The three stopped and turned to her abruptly. Their faces intense.
Lyra stopped suddenly, immediately shutting her mouth. She held her hands up in a surrender. "I'm just saying, maybe we shouldn't be so callous..." She chose her words carefully, "...We shouldn't jump to conclusions," She offered with a weak smile.
"It's kind of what Alec does best," Jace stated with a smirk thrown at the man.
"Shut up," Alec glared back, "If something happens to him under our jurisdiction—"
There is a flutter of wings.
Everyone quickly whipped around to the staircase where Henry stood with his hands behind his back. The raven perched on his shoulder caws at them.
Unlike last night when he appeared in sweats, he looked more formal in his attire. His black button up was mesh and offered everyone the view of his chiseled torso and the runes decorating most of his chest. A leather weapon's garment was tied around his shoulders and upper chest. His dark leather pants clung to him, and he wore shiny leather boots.
To Lyra—he dressed like the male counterpart to the darling woman beside them, Isabelle.
"I'm glad to see you care so much about my well-being, handsome, but I'm quite alright." Henry smirks at Alec, before scanning the others.
The moment Lyra locked eyes with him, her eyes widen with awe. She smiled her greeting and waved happily.
Henry wiggled his fingers in a wave back, bowing his head just slightly in greeting back. He inhales deeply and his nose scrunched. His black-polished fingers go up to squeeze his nostrils. "By the angel, what is that smell?" He gagged in disgust.
Jace pointedly looked to Isabelle.
"Not a word," She warned him.
"Where were you?" Alec questioned, his tone no nonsense.
Henry walked down the steps with a cool grace. His aura alone filled the room, at least, to Lyra it did. He was the type of man whom garnered the attention of everyone when he entered the room. "In the bathroom," He answered simply and walked past the group to head for the monitors. He began to swipe through files, boredom on his face.
When everyone looked to Lyra with frowns, the young brunette smiled back victoriously.
"I meant, where were you last night? You shouldn't leave the Institute, not without authorization." Alec corrected himself. He swatted the man's hands away from the screen. "Don't touch that."
Henry rolled his eyes to the much taller man. His chin lifted in a righteous manner. "I never left the Institute," He sweared, this time more serious, "I was here all night." His eyes burrow into the other to het his point across, to show for the first time that he wasn't joking.
He and Alec enter a silent stare down, the latter trying to figure out the odd swirl of uneasiness that swirled in Henry's eyes.
The others watch the two men, quietly.
The longer she stared upon them, Lyra began to realize that Henry's handsome features were tainted with dark shadows under his eyes. Were those natural or...?
After a long moment, Alec breaks out of some trance. He backed away in realizing how close he had gotten to the man. "I believe you," He finally said, his tone softer.
Henry scowled back at him, but nodded anyway.
"Your room was untouched," Jace intervened, "If you never left, then where were you?"
"Training," Henry shrugged, as if the answer was obvious.
"You like to train in the middle of the night?" Isabelle countered with disbelief.
"I don't sleep much," Henry stated, his expression shifting for a moment. His eyes shoot to Lyra, who had yet to be as accusing, and his eyes narrowed as if he expected her to interrogate him to.
Lyra did no such thing, completely oblivious to his harsh stare. "You're Henry Darkblood," She speaks with awe and steps forward. "You're a legend—one of the best Shadowhunters of our generation. You have the most demon kills of someone our age, second only to—"
"Me," Jace smirked with arrogance as he crossed his arms.
Henry ignored him. Instead, he stepped forward to the short brunette and leaned down to her height. He placed a hand on top of her head as his face grew close. "No need to be so formal. I'd be happy to give you an autograph," He joked playfully.
Lyra giggled back.
She liked his confidence, admired it, actually.
"Good, you're all here." Hodge entered the room with a bo staff in hand. He didn't take much of a look at them as he passed and three the bo staff their way.
Isabelle caught it with one hand.
"Follow me. We're gonna do some sparring. I want you all to get a feel for each's other fighting style before the week's end," Hodge explained.
"What happens at the end of the week?" Lyra wondered, asking the question that they all thought to themselves.
Hodge glanced back at them, halting only for a moment. "You're first field op."
The group glanced at each other, deterred with the idea of working—nonetheless with people they didn't know.
Alec, Jace, and Isabelle followed Hodge into the training room. Thus, this left the last two alone as they watched the others.
Lyra looked around warily. "Where did your raven go?" She wondered.
Henry winked her way. "What raven?" He asked her, continuing forward with the others. "Come on. Let's go have some fun, shall we?" He offered his elbow out to her.
Lyra stared at his back, chuckling, before rushing forward. She looped her arm through his.
The two smiled at each other as instant friends.
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thoughts?