Reconnecting (Habren Ashe)

[Jonah]

The sound of nails tapping against glass was the only sound in the small store. It was raining and cold outside and no one in their right mind would be out shopping in this weather. He would be covering the store on his own for a the next couple weeks, the usual closer having asked for a few weeks off to get ready for mid terms and a trip home to the states for thanksgiving.

In all honesty, he was grateful for the time alone. It gave him time to think, something he didn't have very often now. Between both businesses, hunting, and faction obligations, he was always going, always doing. For months, it had been ok, the constant movement allowing him to function, but now it was time to try and work through some of the crap that had been hanging around in the less traveled parts of his mind.

He was a killer, cold and calculating most of the time, but his humanity still existed and the way things had ended with Char...they weighed on him. To most, he had cast off the event as inevitable and something that didn't bother him, but it wasn't the complete truth. For the most part, he saw that Charlotte had been the primary force in her demise, and it was her weakness that kept her from returning, but he had not helped, and he had loved her in his own way.

Someone had helped him once, years ago it seemed, when many of these feelings had first come upon him. The path of the allurist had opened to him and much of the world that he had been blind to had come in to...if not perfect clarity, at least a semblance of clarity. He had not spoken to Habren...since then as far as he was aware, but he still considered both her and Mircea important people in his life.

With a few key strokes, he had his email up and was sending her a message

To: Habren Ashe
Subject: Hello
Message: It's been awhile since I've heard from you and I thought I might drop you a line and see how you were. Hopefully, both you and Mircea have been well.

Jonah

It was a simple message and didn't really say what was really on his mind, but it was better in his opinion to try and reconnect with her before jumping in to the minefield that was his mind. He wasn't sure that Habren would actually even want contact with him anymore. Both she and Mircea were followers of the old code and while he wasn't a necurat any longer, there was a good chance that his time as one would make him a pariah to them.

There would be only one way to find out though, and he quickly hit send before he changed his mind and moved away from the computer, afraid of seeing both a response and a lack of one.

[Habren Ashe]

The witch had slipped away from Mircea's side with a swift kiss and a sly grin. Fully rested, it was time to hunt those creatures in the caverns once more. They were having a good bout of fun in there, gleefully teasing and chasing one another as they dashed around corners and explored new nooks, all the while slicing through flesh, bone and, sometimes, sheer magic. And retrieving the occasional trinket here and there, too. All in all, between that and the occasional rumbles beneath the catacombs, Habren was finding herself more refreshed and full of life, such as it was, once again.

It was seemingly going to be another night like many others before it, to her growing delight - with the exception of that little blip in her mind that suddenly sounded off and tugged her attention toward the ever-present connection in her head. Telepathic gifts had shifted in the present, and now rather than simply being able to see memories or 'read' a person, the gift of the internet and Crow's connection to it had initially taken some getting used to. Now, it was almost second nature, and the heralding of an electronic message was often greeted with a little flicker of excitement. Habren re-sheathed her sword and made sure her firearm was slipped securely back into its holster before she leaned against a wall, pressed her palms flat against the rough stone, and mentally opened her mail.

A smile crossed her lips as she read the short message from Jonah - they hadn't seen or spoken with him in some time, but after the time she spent with him to help him hone his allurist traits, Habren counted the large male among her dearest of friends. He reminded her greatly of her Mircea - a Killer, with all of the traits that entailed, but for all the cold and cunning calculation there could be in those who walked that path, she found a pleasant mix of warmth in her husband - one that had been cultivated throughout the many years and which provided a perfect balance to him, to his very soul. Jonah had been keen to learn the same, and Habren had been all too happy to help him, and very pleased with the results.

She made a rapid reply, her skill with mentally writing a message having grown into something almost easier than sitting down at a proper computer to type it out:

To: Jonah
Subject: Re: Hello
Message: Dearest Jonah! I am so pleased to hear from you. Mircea and I have been out exploring for much of the last year, but we are home now and settling back into the gentle (I say that tongue-in-cheek) sway that is Harper Rock. We are both well, but how are you? What has been new in your life? We should make plans to sit down and catch up. Your company has been missed.
All my best,
Habren

[Jonah]

A customer had arrived and he was in the stacks assisting them in finding some book or another. He heard the computer ding but he was distracted and thought nothing of it as he finally checked the patron out. Adding the money to the till, he turned to the computer as the door shut again.

He was honestly surprised when he saw the reply so soon and read over it quickly. She asked what was new in his life, there was much to tell, that was the whole reason for contacting her in the first place. But that would not do to bring up over email.

To: Habren Ashe
Subject: Re: Re: Hello
Message: I am good for the most part. As good as anyone can be in this city. There's a lot that I'd like to catch up on. Maybe you can come to my bookstore in the mall sometime? I've got some texts that you might find interesting. Just let me know when you're free.

[Habren Ashe]

The witch smiled as she read the response, one that had come just as she put her gun away once more - she knew just the place Jonah spoke of and had even been there a time or two. Even without the prospect of reconnecting with an old friend, the books were a draw all on their own, and she was happy to make the short trip there. And so, she made a quick reply:

To: Jonah
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Hello
Message: I am so pleased to hear that you are well, my dear. I am not too busy at all right now. Give me a few moments and I will be to you within the hour, if you are at your store now. Unless I hear otherwise, I shall see you then and there. :)

Habren

The witch smiled as she sent the electronic message off and away and sauntered back over to where she had last seen her Mircea. Please when she spotted him in the very same place she'd left him, she leaned up to murmur everything to his ear with a soft smile gracing her lips and, with a soft kiss and a promise to return as soon as she could, she was off to their apartments in the Watchtower. She was certain there were plenty of unsavory dribs and drabs covering her clothing, and likely in her hair as well and so, the first stop was to make herself presentable once more before venturing out in public.

It was impossible to tell in writing, but Habren thought she detected a telltale distress underlying Jonah's words and didn't wish to keep the man waiting.

[Jonah]

When the message arrived he read it over quickly and nodded, letting himself smile. It would be good to see Habren again and catch up. He was positive she had had as much going on in her life recently as he had going on in his. It was too easy these nights to forget about those that mattered and let those relationships whither.

The foot traffic through the second floor of the mall this late was basically negligible and Jonah was already caught up with all the book keeping that needed to be done. If he had more drive, he might have started hauling books from the shipping room and began checking them in but there was always tomorrow to do that and the shelves were over full as it was.

Instead, he picked a book up at random from under the counter. Those were ones that had been recently sold to them from one of their customers for either store credit or cash (most took the cash because they didn't have any interest in buying more books). It was always interesting to read the notations that others had filled the margins of the books with. He didn't know what the topic of the book was but soon he was enthralled with the act of reading more than the book itself and when the chime dang, he called out without looking up to see if it was his guest, "Welcome to the Book Nook, how may we help you?"