Heart of Ashes

The Measure of a Man

I wanted to laugh when I saw Rae walk into the living room of their home, having insisted on meeting someplace other than my own place, with a blindfolded man following carefully behind. The thick strips of black cloth wrapped over their eyes multiple times hid most of his face from view, the man's soft looking dark hair sticking out over the edges of the fabric as if trying to escape. However, the cautious look on Rae's face each time they glanced at the man had me seeing this as funny for more than the initial sight.

What in the world could this man have done to make Rae seem so on edge? Had they threatened them? No, Rae wouldn't have brought him here if he had threatened them. After all, they were perfectly capable of taking down anyone who tried to mess with them. I'd learned that the first time I met them, when they had stopped the man who'd grabbed me in that alleyway years ago.

Shrugging, I stood up from the couch I had been waiting on, stepping closer when Rae stopped the man on the far side of the room.

"Umm, hello. So Rae tells me you are interested in having some clothing made? My name is-" I began, only to be interrupted by Rae as they placed their hands over the man's ears, eyes wide and shaking their head rapidly.

"No! Don't tell him your name! He's only here to get measured! Nothing more than that! He doesn't need to know anything beyond what is needed for making his clothing," they spoke rapidly, gently slapping at the man's hands as he almost boredly attempted to pull Rae's own hands from his ears.

Eyes wide as I stared at the actions of my friend as they turned and began shaking the man as they told him to "behave", I couldn't help bursting into laughter at the sight. I'd never expected Rae to behave like this, as if they were some kind of blend between an overworked mom and yet also a kid who didn't want to share a toy. And I didn't like feeling like someone's toy, no matter who they were.

"Azrael! Stop right now!" I spoke clearly, the smile that had been growing on my face falling away. "I thought this man was your friend. Don't you trust him?"

Thinking about the reasons that Rae would have to hide my identity had me wondering if maybe it was not just my identity they were hiding. After all, I had no idea who this man was, other than Rae having called him a friend. I had no name, and the man's face was well covered with the blindfold he wore. Maybe this man was...

"Or perhaps it is me you don't trust... If this is your boyfriend, Rae, you don't need to hide him from me. I wouldn't steal him from you. I thought you knew me better than that," I lowered my eyes to the ground, turning away a little as I felt a twinge of pain in my chest.

"What?! No! Eww, no no no! Just no!" They pushed the man away from them as they turned towards me, their onyx and amber eyes wide as they rushed over to my side. "I swear, he's just a friend! I don't feel that way about him! I promise!"

"Oh? And who is it you feel that way about, Azrael? Hmm?" The question slipped into the room with as much warmth as a winter's day.

Looking over at the source of the words, I saw the man standing there, arms crossed in front of him as he turned his head slowly as if trying to scan the room. Even as I watched, one hand reached up and began to push up the blindfold.

"No! No peeking! I told you, you are not allowed to peek!" Rae shouted, pulling the man's hands away even as they fought the blush that had darkened their cheeks even more than they naturally were.

"Avoiding the question?" The man asked, a hint of curiosity in his otherwise bored sounding voice. "I wonder, could you have fallen for-"

"Stop teasing Rae, please, or I will have to ask you to leave. You're making them uncomfortable," I spoke softly, turning to Rae before continuing. "I'm sorry if I brought up something you really don't want to talk about. I just wish you had talked to me about this before you brought over someone in a blindfold. I mean, do you know how uncomfortable this is going to get for both me and him?"

"What do you mean?" Rae looked at me, head tilted slightly to the side in confusion. It was so obvious they had no idea what I was talking about, the poor innocent soul.

"What happens when you take away someone's sight?" I asked slowly, pausing for a bit to let the idea sink in before I spoke again. "And remember when I was taking your measurements for the first time? You got plenty uncomfortable and you had both eyes wide open, making sure I only measured where I was supposed to!"

I really couldn't help the shameless grin on my face as they began looking slightly panicked, their eyes darting between me and their friend. Glancing at the male, he seemed like he couldn't care less about our conversation. Shrugging, I moved back over to the couch, grabbing one of my tape measures from the bag I'd left there when I stood up.

"Might as well get this over with. So, I'm gonna start with your neck and shoulders, then move to your arms before moving downward. I'll tap the area I will be measuring, so when I tap your arms, please move the arm I tap out from your body until I tap it again when you can put it back down. When I get to your legs, you can keep them still as long as there is enough room for me to measure the inseam." As I spoke, I reached one hand out to tap his neck, letting him know what I meant with my explanation.

I had a feeling this was going to be a long session.

~~~~~~~~

He still couldn't believe Azrael had blindfolded him before taking him to what seemed to be their home, if the feeling of the shadows in the area were anything to go by. Did the angel honestly think that would hide this person from him if Ashe really wanted to know who she was?

Of course, hearing the female go from soft-spoken to angry and back had been a bit odd, but nothing of concern. Too bad she had stopped him from trying to see if Rae actually had any feelings beyond friendship for the female, as he had only grown slightly more curious during the short conversation they'd had this far.

After all, it was not like Rae to hide anything from him.

When the female had commented about the supposed effect of being blindfolded, Ashe had barely been able to stop the sigh, having worked in dark places before and already knowing what to expect from being blinded. Or so he thought.

The moment he felt the first tap, he felt his shadows writhe. Something was... not wrong, but not how it was supposed to be either. And with each following tap upon his body, each brush of her hands against his clothed skin, Ashe felt as if he was sinking into a darkness like none he'd ever experienced before outside of Egypt. For the first time in several thousand years, his shadows felt warm.