Overwhelmed [3] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Twenty-Six

Between the increasingly heavy blinks that had taken hold of Clary's eyelids, she was offered the sight of Isabelle Lightwood's constant pace, each frame akin to a glimpse upon a gallery of greek statuettes. Anger was visible in every movement the woman made – her arms would swing forward, muscles hiding the light from underneath her biceps, and the loose flares of her purple sweater thrashed like whips to and fro when she decided to turn back. And then her heels cut the carpet in the opposite direction.

The pair were as close as they could get to the main office without drawing too much attention from the guards, who hung in wait for their own leaders, strewn about like papers around the convergence of halls. On the other side of the thick door that the gathered company hoped would soon be opened, Kyler von Mainz stood tall opposite the heads of the New York Institute.

His working partner, Liz Longford, was stiff in the space beside him. The invaders had made it clear that the Clave had sent them in order to question the leaders of the building. As one could come to expect, Andina struggled to cooperate, and she was sure that her behavior would have been much less managed if Alec had not been present to keep her tame with his silent expectations.

The two elites were close to them in age and they had that pompous air that Andy had begun to imagine came free with working in a position close to the acting Consul. Their fancy clothes held not a single crease, and if it weren't for their obvious athletic builds, it could have made her wonder if they still picked up their own weapons at all. Even their posture matched those who had grown up into the Nephilim's government and lost their warrior side, for they were now flanked by plenty of fighters when they were sent off to complete tasks for bureaucracy's sake.

Despite all of this, Alec and Andina knew that they were lucky to be treated as relative peers. Although, the intruders still had to maintain an edge of antagonism, because they were trying to figure out if they could trust the pair before they revealed anything crucial. The Herondale failed to hide the offense from her expression when the taller woman gestured to the couch, as if asking them to take a seat. And Alec did so. Andy felt the need to follow, though her hesitation wasn't unnoticed. 

And it wasn't entirely unwelcome, either. Liz and Kyler had much experience with defusing disgruntled leaders, whether it be their own bosses or those that ran the places they were commanded to investigate. They knew it wasn't entirely comfortable to be asked to conform for the Clave's standards. They just didn't know how degrading it was for the Head of the Institute they stood in front of to be asked to sit on the scolding couch, as his mother had used the long piece of furniture for during his childhood.

The irritation rolled off of Andina heavily when the newcomers began to interrogate them, not just about their portal, but their lives – the status of their family, who they spent time with in and out of the building, and how much they trusted their own workers. All this before they were ever told why the two were there with a gaggle of Centurions, and all of which were things too deep for Andy to wish to answer. Even if she knew they were topics of rather important interest to the Clave, it took Alec forcing replies from his own lips to make her reconsider her silence with a huff. The more they went along with, the less suspicious they might seem. And the more they might be told.

It was a notion also held by the Lightwood that remained in the hall. Izzy attempted to brush off her obvious aggression for a more calmed approach and awkwardly drew closer to a huddle of soldiers in the hall. She offered to point them to one of the sitting rooms nearby, but they insisted they could find it for themselves later. Clary stayed against the wall, the only sturdy thing keeping her frame up, as Izzy dragged her feet back to her side. "I don't like this," Iz muttered.

The redhead didn't quite know how to respond to that, offering a measly shrug. Isabelle followed the girl's lead in supporting herself on the wall, ignoring the notch of the wooden runner that cut against her lower back. Clary lost herself in thought, hoping that the darkness wouldn't stretch on too long without their missing soldier returning home. She had drawn the purification rune on Jace every night when she could catch him training after dinner. She did not think that he hid from the process, but it was not hard for her to notice the pain he felt each time he saw her.