New York: Allie's War, Early Years

The black-haired man's eyes clicked back into focus. Shaking his head, he frowned, staring down at symbol-guy in frustration.

"I can't get through," he muttered.

"Why not?"

"I told you why." He gestured towards the man, his voice sharp. "He's dying. And someone's been messing with his light. There are a number of blocks on it, and it feels like they were put there by more than one seer..." He gave me another hard look. "...I can't even get at his impressions of what happened tonight. Most of his aleimi is behind a shield. I don't want to mess with it too much or whoever's holding the other end will be able to ID me."

I didn't understand most of that, either, but all I did was nod.

But the man was staring at me again, his eyes holding that sharper wariness.

"I did feel one thing," he said, blunt.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"He's afraid of you," he said.

"Afraid of me?" I let out a kind of strangled laugh. "Why?"

"I was about to ask you that."

I exhaled in frustration. "I have no idea! They thought I was some kind of seer, so who knows what their damage is...?"

Realizing again that I was saying this to an actual seer, I trailed, looking up at him. It occurred to me in the same instant that I'd kissed him earlier that night.

I'd made out with a seer. Some part of me couldn't quite believe that.

When I saw his eyes narrow on me, I cleared my throat.

"How is it you're walking around...like that?" I said, feeling my cheeks warm. I motioned towards his neck. "Isn't that normally illegal?" I folded my arms where I leaned against the log. "...I know you're not a cop. Even the LAPD can't afford their own seers, so I doubt the NYPD can. Are you SCARB? Or do you work for someone else? Some company?"

His frown deepened in my general direction.

Before I could think of anything more to say, he caught hold of my waist again, pulling my weight off the log and supporting it against him. The motion was rote, done almost perfunctorily, but that time I noticed the contact.

"Come on," he said gruffly. "We're done here."

Even as he said it, he was already steering me towards the arches, in the same general direction that female seer had walked out earlier. I considered arguing. Then, after a quick glance around the clearing, I realized I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

Anyway, seer or no, he'd saved my life. I wasn't exactly in the mood to argue with him.