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Scarlet gritted her teeth, trying to keep her back straight and her hands clenched as she tried and failed to sidestep around Alrik.
The creep liked to lurk, watching everything out of shadowed corners with those terrifyingly bright blue eyes, second only to Meredith's. Maybe it was the air of 'I could kill you and nobody would ever find the body' that she carried with her at all times that gave the Knight-Commander's eyes that certain healthy shine.
With Alrik on the other hand, Scarlet was pretty sure that whatever he wanted wouldn't end with her being dead. Just wishing that she was.
She was just weighing her chances on whether she could get away with electrocuting him (the armour would conduct SO well, she was sure) and then running away to hide. Slim to none, to say the least.
Second option, kicking him in the balls. The armour wasn't going to let that happen, but she could consider it. It would give her a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. She was busy considering it when she heard the over-familiar sound of armour and marching steps behind her. Another Templar on patrol. If she was lucky it would just be one who'd pass on by, otherwise it'd be another prick like Karras who liked to make things worse.
Scarlet was wrong on both counts. Someone incredibly tall, with armour so impeccably polished it looked like it was brand new, stepped between them. She saw the back of a blonde head with short hair, a perfectly postured back, and heard a flat, measured voice remind Alrik that all mages were meant to be either in the library or their quarters.
This hadn't been the first time the blonde woman had quite literally stood between mages and the worst kind of templar. She never argued, just had some flat, unavoidable excuse for why either mage or templar would need to exit the situation. Curfew. Prayers. Loitering in the halls. No amount of glaring or threats had managed to intimidate her, though Alrik seemed to be trying to do his best.
Alrik said something in a low, angry voice, but Scarlet was not listening, staring at the back of Lux's neck, barely visible above the collar of her armour.
Developing a crush on a templar, particularly one in her own Circle, would be perhaps the worst romantic decision Scarlet had ever made. Would be, if was a decision she was in control of making, but her brain had never been consulted in these situations. As Alrik finally moved away like a nasty deepstalker (an insult to deepstalkers, frankly), her literal knight in shining armour turned to look down at her with an impassive face.
"You are alright?"
Scarlet's mouth went dry. "Maker's tits."
Those big, beautiful grey eyes flickered with confusion, and Scarlet was a little beside herself to realise how expressive they were even as her face didn't change. Lux didn't respond beyond a very faint furrow of her forehead, waiting for Scarlet to… what? Apologise? Change the subject? Elaborate on the Maker's tits?
Thank you, say thank you, you idiot!
"I mean—" she tried again, floundering, failing completely.
"You were going to the library?"
"No," Scarlet said quickly. She wasn't in any mood to get stuck studying after a nightmare like Alrik.
Lux nodded, a single sharp motion. "Then I will walk you back to your quarters."
"You're what?" But she was already marching, her steps long and eerily regular, forcing Scarlet to hurry to catch up. Trying desperately to come up with some sort of witty remark or even a smidgen of conversation.
Thank you.
I've seen you around, helping other people.
So is Lux your first name or your last name?
Did you know you're really tall? I mean pretty? I mean could you lift me?
NO I'm not asking that.
But could she?
She wasn't able to come up with a Maker-damned thing by the time they reached the door. Without any further delay, efficient as clockwork, Lux nodded again, turned on her heel, and marched away to conduct the rest of her patrol before Scarlet could so much as botch another 'uh'.
Smooth Scarlet, really smooth.
And now she was going to be thinking about being lifted and pinned against the wall all night.
Tits.