The Mortal Instruments (Book 1-3)

09. Romantic Apologies

The kitchen was warm and full of light and the salt-sweet smell of takeout Chinese food. Simon, Isabelle and Alec sat on one side of the table, and Clary, Jace, Daphne and Hodge took the other. Daphne took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent. "Mmm. I love food from the Shandong province."

Simon looked over at her. "You're Chinese?" He said.

"What ethnicity did you think I was?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Err..." Simon looked like he really didn't want to say anything, awkwardly balancing on that one syllable. "...That was my first guess?"

"You said you were born and raised in Shanghai, right?" Clary interjected, saving her friend from further embarrassment.

"Indeed I did." Daphne responded, casually piling food onto her plate. "Born, raised, and trained."

"Daphne didn't fully move in with us until she was thirteen." Isabelle explained.

"Why'd you move?" Simon asked curiously. "Wasn't your family, I dunno, not okay with it?"

"Simon!" Clary's eyes widened, as she whispered. "Don't."

Jace's eyes glittered with malice as he gazed at Simon. "You really ought to learn when to keep your mouth shut, mundane." The word dripped from his lips like poison. 

"Jace, be polite," Hodge admonished.

"Yeah, don't be a hypocrite, Jace." Isabelle agreed.

Daphne laughed. "It's okay, Simon, I'm not offended." The boy let out a breath of relief, scooching away from Jace. "All you need to know is that it was complicated."

"The Shanghai Institute's amazing though." Jace said, turning the conversation away from the topic of Daphne's parents. "All of the Institutes in Asia are. The teachers there are awesome; Daphne learned how to use a ton of different, super cool weapons. Bet she wouldn't be half as good as she is today without them."

"The same could be said for you, Jace Wayland." Daphne said wryly. "A student can only go so far with a mediocre master. It is our teachers that guide our way; without such figures in our lives, who would say how different one could turn out?"

Jace only shrugged, a smile on his lips. "Not disagreeing with you there."

"The teachers in China's institutes do tend to be quite intense though," Daphne told Clary and Simon. "They're incredibly strict, and have high expectations and standards they expect you to be able to meet. Very no-nonsense sort of attitudes, the type Jace would've languished under," she added. 

Jace snorted. "I don't know how you survived under them for so long."

"I don't know either," Daphne admitted. "It was a relief when I finally moved to be with Jace in New York."

"Pretty accurate to stereotypes then." Simon said, in reference to the teachers. Clary reached over and smacked him.

"Weakness and failure were not tolerated." Daphne shrugged. "Most kids start training from the young age of five. And by the time they're eleven, most of them can already take down medium-level demons."

"The countries in Asia have known to push out a greater number of higher-rated demon hunters," Jace nodded. "The Middle East and Africa boast a close second."

"South America third, North America somewhere much further from the top." said Isabelle. "Embarrassing for us, really."

"Lucky we have me," Jace nodded humbly. "Otherwise we'd be dead last." Alec tossed a knife at him. Jace swatted it aside.