Claws and code

Coffee and Questions

Instead of continuing to the elevator I stopped and looked at him. Rudely sizing him up, which seemed to amuse him tremendously. He looked about the same age as Mr Benedict, blond hair, bright blue eyes, very broad shoulders, dressed in an immaculate suit but with hands that screamed manual labour. His body language was relaxed and in no way did his posture issue any threat, yet when the others crowded out of the room behind me, I stepped aside. I slipped both straps of my backpack on and put my back against the wall, eye on all of them but mostly the new man.

'Hello Miss Smith. I'm Daniel, Sasha's... uncle. My son called me about the room issue but coffee sounds like just the thing to help us sort this out. Shall we?' He asked pleasantly.

'Sure. Lead the way.' I replied taking in the body language of everyone now. None of us made a move to start walking. One of the two men that had been outside took a slow step my way. This one had brown hair, was as ripped and as broad across the shoulders as the other men. If I hadn't felt completely cornered by these people and seen him at a distance, I would have said he was gorgeous. He looked about my age and had a wicked glint in his eyes, I instinctively moved into a defensive stance. Too many years in the system and the dojo had honed my senses and he felt like a predator stalking his prey. His hand came up. I flexed my hands to keep them from curling into fists.

'Hi. Cloe, is it? I'm Mark. I'm enrolled here too.'

His hand was still out and I was reluctant to get close enough to shake it but decided to risk it. Moving slightly forward I shook his hand firmly and quickly stepped back as soon as he let go.

'Nice to meet you, Mark. If you're enrolled here too, you can show us where the best coffee is.' I told him, gesturing for him to walk ahead. All the men chuckled and looked at the man that had arrived last. Sasha was hiding behind her dad when Mark started down the hall. The other men followed him and I didn't start walking until Sasha passed. At the elevator they piled in while I continued with a wave. 'Go ahead, I'll see you downstairs, I prefer to take the stairs.' I told them with a friendly smile. There was no way I would get into a metal box with those people. 

While walking to a café close to campus I made sure to stay out of reach from all of them. Mark and the other guy that had been with him in the hallway kept moving closer, like they were toying with me. After the fifth time that I had moved away, slowed down or sped up to stay clear of them, I stopped. They all stopped. The two idiots were smirking at me when the others looked at me. Deciding honesty was the best policy I glared at two of them. 'I understand that you two think you're funny but you're really not. Stay out of my personal space.'

The man who had told me he was Sasha's uncle turned to the two before they could respond to me. 'What did you do? David? Mark?'

'We were just playing, dad.' David replied for the two. This guy was a blond, like the uncle, Daniel. I could clearly see the resemblance between them.

All Daniel replied was one word 'Really?' and then he stared at both of the guys that had been messing with me. He looked for almost a full minute. After the silent admonishment they turned to look at me as one and apologised as one too. It was funny and freaky at the same time.

Instead of accepting their apology I waved my hands in a shooing motion and said. 'Coffee.'

Daniel dropped back to walk a bit off my side, maintaining a decent distance, while the rest led the way.

'You didn't accept their apology.' He stated, looking at me curiously.

'You somehow made them apologise. They thought what they did was funny. Saying sorry because you made them, doesn't mean they won't do it again when you aren't here.' I explained blandly. I knew how this worked, as soon as the authority figure was gone, they would most likely step up their antics. It wasn't like I hadn't done exactly the same thing myself, millions of times.

'I guarantee you, they won't.'

'That's nice. I'll see it when it happens... or doesn't, as the case may be.'

'You are rather cynical for one so young.' He remarked as we sat down in the corner of the outside terrace.

'Nope. Just a realist.'

Sasha's father and the man I assumed was her older brother smiled at me. David and Mark, the two idiots who had been messing with me were looking down at their menus. Daniel watched as the waiter approached us and politely waved at Sasha and myself to order before he ordered. The other men followed with their orders and I smiled at the amount of food they all ordered between them. They'd obviously hadn't had breakfast.

When the waiter left, the interrogation started. It was quite polite and I equally politely dodged most of Daniel's questions with some of my own.

'Does your family live in the city?'

'Nope, are you guys from around here?'

'We are not. Where are you from originally?'

'Around... never lived in one place too long. Where is home for you?'

'Too far from here, sadly. You said you have friends in the city?'

'I do. Are you just here to settle the kids into uni?'

He grinned at my retorts but there was a feral edge to the smile that had me gripping my backpack strap a bit tighter. I wasn't afraid but I was feeling extremely threatened and I'd long ago learned to be cautious if I felt that way.

'Lets cut to the chase. Will you be able to move in with your friends?'

'Friend I can visit. Not plural. And no, I can't.'

'If I arrange and pay for transport to and from the university and pay your rent?'

'No. I honestly can't move in with my friend.'

'What if I rent you an apartment?'

'Why don't you rent her an apartment? I want to live in the dorms, close as possible to the uni.'

'What are you studying?'

The change of questions threw me, so I remained quiet. He had no right to interrogate me and I was getting annoyed. Sasha had however been paying attention when I'd tried to engage her in conversation, she answered when it became clear I wouldn't answer him.

'She is going to do a double major. Computer science and Psychology. She is planning to start her own business when she graduates and that's why she thinks psychology will help her run her business. She hasn't said what sort of business but I presume that it would have something to do with computers. She has been either typing on, or holding onto, her laptop the whole time I've seen her. Even when she followed me to the admin building, she had it with her.'

They all looked at my bag, held on my lap. I made sure to keep a straight face when I saw the calculating look on David's face. Daniel confirmed that I was right to be suspicious of his son when he told me that his son was studying computer science as well. David shot me a cheeky wink but the waiter arrived before anyone else could comment.