Reflections Of Angels

Attempts Were Made

On the dot of lunch time, Nyx was hammering on the door to his study, a plate with a sandwich in hand. She smiled brightly as he opened it, handing him the food.

"How's it going? What have you been doing?"

"Just some work." He shrugged.

"Oh yeah, me too. Do you need any help?" As they were talking, Nyx was slowly craning her neck, trying to look past him over his shoulder; eyes scanning the small section of the room she could see.

Noticing her distraction, he paused mid-bite and looked around. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing!" She smiled, snapping her attention back to him.

He raised a sceptical eyebrow, but, thanking her for the food, retreated back into the room and closed the door.

"Yup." Nyx repeated to herself, standing uselessly in the hall. "Absolutely nothing."

***

The next time she knocked on his door, she actually had a plan. Of sorts.

"Do you have anything I can read?"

"Anything you can read?" He repeated, stunned by the speed at which she had blurted out the words. "... I don't really have those kinds of books."

"No, no, no, that's the point!" She said hurriedly. "You see, you've been training me, and I've realised there's a lot that I don't actually know- and I should know. So I wondered... if perhaps... you had anything you could lend me that I could study by myself whilst you're in here." She bit her lip, looking hopeful. "Being that I'm such a good student and all." She teased.

This was going to work; she could see it in his face. She was going to get inside that room.

"Alright." He said, happy at her sudden keeness to learn. "I'll see what I can find for you."

And then he disappeared back into the room and closed the door.

Or not.

***

In the evening, when he had gone downstairs, Nyx walked past the door and quickly tried twisting the handle. Locked.

Worth a shot.

***

So where did he keep the keys?

"Do you want to do some training tonight?" Nyx asked, sidling up to where he was seated at the kitchen table. "I could go get changed after this."

He put his arm around her waist and gently tugged her forward until she was perched on his lap. "I think... we might have to take a break from that for a while."

Nyx started in surprise. "What? Why?"

He avoided the question. "Besides, don't you have some studying you can do? And you're of course allowed to practice on your own."

"Fine." Nyx huffed, putting her chin on his shoulder. Casually, she swiped her hands over his jacket pockets, and then over the pocket in the front of his jeans, searching for the shape of keys. "Do you want to do... something else?"

He stiffened and drew back from her. "Nyx, I don't think..."

"What?" Nyx looked confused; and then her mind caught up. "Is this about... the incident which neither of us can remember?"

"Nyx." He said meaningfully, looking into her eyes.

Nyx conceded; tucking her head back into his shoulder and holding him softly around the middle. "I just miss you."

***

Nyx was seriously debating trying a hairpin. Not that she knew how to pick locks, but trial and error was a thing; she'd have to figure it out eventually, right?

Sighing in annoyance, she dropped the hairpin in her fingers down on her dressing table where she was seated and turned to face the rest of the room. On her bed rested a stack of books; good to his word, he had found her some, and she was currently part way through a large, leather-bound compendium on different kinds of demons, which she was actually finding very interesting. She had also gotten with it a handful of fiction books; titles which both of them knew well she would find appealing.

Standing up, she wandered over to her window; pushing it open and leaning her head out. The small rose sprig in her window box had begun to grow already; coils of green blooming out from the dirt.

Looking across to the room next to her, she could see the window of his study, and even the shape of him moving around inside. It was reassuring in a sense, to have him so close; just a small ledge of gutter and stretch of rooftop away.

An errant thought crossed her mind.

...No, she couldn't...

Please forgive me if this isn't up to usual standards, I'm a little off colour today. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it regardless! Please like and comment!