Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Working in the Elven District of LA came with its privileges and its down sides. Alice knew all too well just how tenuous her life here could be. She worked at one of the most upmarket and reputable restaurants in the district. Human waitresses were cheap labour compared to elves, and humans were considered the middle ground in the service industry.

“That’s shit you don’t see every day; like an elf with a mop…” Montehugh had said.

Orcs were the cleaners, the drivers, the delivery workers of the elven world. Humans were the waiters, the servants, the lower market cashiers. Alice had done them all in an effort to afford a more decent life for herself. She had very few family members left, and none of them lived in LA. Without her job at the restaurant, she couldn’t afford her small apartment in the small human community of the district. It was a small collection of apartment buildings built especially for humans who could afford the rent there. Still, they were segregated from the rest of the elven community, just to remind themselves they were superior.

Status was important to elves, and within their tight-knit community, even an elf could ‘fall from grace’, so to speak. Alice’s colleague was one such elf. Kyra’s parents had been Inferni. Killed when she was a small child during a shoot out with the Magic Task Force, she’d been placed in the only care system available; the human one. In essence, she was almost considered human herself and lived within the same apartment complex as Alice. She was small and delicate in appearance, and because her status was widely known, she often bore the brunt of elvish rudeness.

For the most part, Alice tried to take the tables and bookings that she knew would give Kyra a hard time. Abuse was something she had long become used to, and something she knew she’d have to put up with if she wanted to keep her job and her home. She’d had it all. From insults about her curvaceous appearance, to jibes about her hazel eyes and auburn hair. She’d become mostly hardened to it, and a night with a restaurant half full with Magic Task Force agents celebrating some successful mission would be no different.

Kandomere surveyed himself in his floor-length mirror. A deep purple suit, tailored to perfection, along with his customary accessories, and he was ready for what would likely turn in to a messy night. It wasn’t often that humans got to eat in one of the finest restaurants in the city, and he knew that his human colleagues would make the most of it. His partner Montehugh was a fortunately happy drunk, which, given his normally gruff personality, was quite amusing to watch, especially when he drank elven whiskey.

He surveyed his hair one last time, then slipped on his jacket as Montehugh waited for him. Kandomere drove the short distance from his apartment to the restaurant, confirming the reservation with the desk clerk and entering first. They had a selection of the finest tables reserved towards the back of the restaurant, wine, whiskey, and an array of fancy aperitifs waiting for them as they took their seats. Kandomere took a seat so he could see the rest of the restaurant. He knew it was a force of habit, but he felt more comfortable if he could see exactly what was going on. Crime within the elven district was rare. Security was usually impeccable, but he knew that anything could happen with the recent Inferni activity.

Alice had been told to come in early. A large party of Feds were expected, and given that it was a Friday night, she knew it would be manic. Kyra didn’t do well in large crowds, but there was one table she feared serving the most. Faltorin was an upmarket property developer, and a regular at the restaurant with his wife. Both blond and beautiful, they were known as purists. Any blending or changing of the elven race was considered abhorrent to them, and he never tired of reminding Kyra of her low ranking, even once telling her that she should have been euthanized as a child after her parents were killed. Alice hated him more than anyone, and the past few times he’d been in the restaurant, she’d managed to ensure Kyra was nowhere near his table. Unfortunately, she had no choice this time, and was booked to wait hand and foot at the Fed’s tables. With half of them human, it wouldn’t be such a surprise to be waited on by a human. This unfortunately meant that Kyra would have to wait on Faltorin.

“Boss, you know how he treats her… I can wait on him. I don’t care what he says to me. Let Kyra have the Feds,” Alice begged, trying her best imploring look on him. It doesn’t work.

Norkas didn’t get to his prestige position as the owner of the most high-end restaurant by being soft. He was a generally moderate employer, but he expected nothing less than loyalty and respect, and an obeisance of his orders. This time was no exception.

“Absolutely not. You know how Faltorin is. As much as he dislikes Kyra, he loathes humans.”

“But, I can handle him! I don’t care what he says about me!” Alice was pushing her luck.

“I said no! I will not lose one of my best patrons just to please Kyra’s delicate sensibilities!”

Norkas spun on his heel and strode out of the office. Alice cursed under her breath ‘fucking purists’ and grudgingly followed him out. It would be a long night.

The chatter at the Feds tables was energetic with an undercurrent of masculinity. Males within a law enforcement role always seemed to have something to prove. Even the elves who worked as SWAT for the Magic Task Force Bureau found it easy to be swept up in the macho bullshit, something Kandomere had never fully understood. Generally speaking, elves were remarkably self-assured in themselves, confidence ran through their veins. Kandomere was no exception. Humans would call it ego, but for elves it was deeper than that. It was the realisation of their innate strength and skill, of their beauty, and their ethereal connection to the world, both mundane and mystical. For the most part, they didn’t feel the need to parade themselves quite so obviously. They exuded confidence purely by existing.

As it was, his subordinates were currently engaging in a competition of drinking, seeing whom could drink the most elven whiskey and remain conscious. Montehugh chuckled, knocking back his first drink as Kandomere perused the menu, shaking his head at the somewhat childish antics.

Alice gathered herself together, smiling comfortingly at Kyra and she made her way over to Faltorin’s table, keeping her head down in an attempt at supplication. Alice hated leaving her to deal with it, but Norkas’ word was law in the restaurant, and she couldn’t afford to lose her job. She took a calming breath and made her way to the rowdy table to start taking orders.

As was protocol, she took the orders of whoever was the senior figure first. She waited patiently as the supremely dressed blue-haired elf considered a few selections, finally looking up at her smiling face to give his order.

He was immediately struck by the wideness of her smile. It was partially forced, given her status within the district, but it was kindly enough. Even as his voice spoke the words of his chosen meal, not once wavering as he took in the sight of her, he couldn’t help but linger a second longer on her hazel eyes. They were large, warm, and full of life, complimented by the flush of her cheeks, the faint dusting of freckles under her eyes, and the faint glint of red in her hair, highlighted by the ambient lighting over their table. There was no mistaking her humanity. But, unlike so many humans that worked within the Elven District, she hadn’t yet been trodden into a shadow of her former self.

For a moment, he wondered if perhaps she was a new employee, but the skill in which she simultaneously took down orders and took away menus without her eyes barely leaving her guest’s faces belied that assumption. Perhaps he’d simply never been waited upon by her, and given that the restaurant was so large, it was no wonder he’d never noticed her before.

As she walked away with the orders, Kandomere watched her. Montehugh caught the look and chuckled, nudging Kandomere’s arm.

“See somethin’ you like?”

Kandomere rolled his eyes. “I was merely curious. I don’t recall seeing her here before.”

“Uh huh… Sure…” Montehugh grinned.

Kandomere wasn’t usually quite so obvious, and it irked him that after all these years, his partner had managed to learn his subtle tells. He shook his head lightly and went back to his menu, considering a dessert for later.

The Feds orders were with the kitchen. The chef had a busy night ahead of him, given the large orders from the humans. Alice went out to check on Kyra and found her fighting back tears as she waited at the bar for drinks for her table.

“Hey, what happened?”

“Oh… just the usual…” Kyra whispered, keeping her eyes downcast.

Alice huffed, leaning in close. “He’s such an arse. Try not to take it to heart. He’s probably perpetually angry about his small cock!”

Kyra’s eyes went wide a moment, then she giggled softly. “You’re so terrible!”

“So what! He’s a prissy, rich elf. Just let him spend his money and piss off,” Alice whispered, picking up her tray to deliver more drinks to her tables.

Kandomere had been surreptitiously watching the curious exchange. He’d smirked slightly to himself at the human waitress’s words, strangely appreciating her boldness, despite the possibility of being overheard. When she returned with his and Montehugh’s drinks, his face was its normal neutral expression, inclining his head in thanks as she politely smiled.

Alice found him unusual. Not so much odd, as a little less elf-like than she was expecting. She was so used to serving snobbish elves who never said thanks, and always treated her like a glorified slave. This man was different. She wondered if his time working within a more human organisation had influenced him in some way. He was still gloriously beautiful and impeccably dressed, with the customary icy eyes and pointed ears. His hair was a curiously grey-blue colour, and looked very much as though it would be softer than a puppy’s fur, should she dare to touch it. She rather liked the longer hair on elves. The few males she’d seen with shorter hair seemed odd to her, as though they were attempting to appear more human, without looking too inferior. Elvish fashion was a minefield. Given that most of her money went on rent and bills, she didn’t have the luxury of worrying about high end fashion. Comfort and value was the order of the day, and given her more curvaceous figure, high fashion simply wouldn’t fit.

She took away some empty glasses, thinking about him. He was quite the enigma. He seemed more than happy to be served by a human, and was sitting amongst both humans and elves as though they were equals, and yet, he wore the crest many elven males wore – ‘ELVES ABOVE ALL. ABOVE ALL, ELVES’. It didn’t seem to fit his manner. She wondered if he simply counted on most humans not knowing how to read Elvish.

Just another prissy elf…

She wasn’t so convinced.

Kyra had taken a quick five minute break to compose herself, but as she returned, she could already hear Faltorin shouting across the restaurant for her. She wanted the night to be over, but he seemed intent on drinking as much as possible, which only served to make him more abusive. She dreaded what he’d say, what he’d do. As she neared the table, he yelled at her in a combination of Elvish and English, and she couldn’t be certain if he was purely too drunk to recognise the erratic shifting or he thought she wouldn’t understand complete Elvish. She tried to placate him, begging him to lower his voice and that she’d get him anything he needed. He simply shouted louder.

Alice was just bringing the first lot of meals out to her tables when she heard the screeching voice of their worst customer. Fuck. He always had to make a scene. She kept looking over her shoulder at Kyra trying to calm him down, and almost tipped Kandomere’s plate directly into his lap.

“Oh! I’m sorry…” she apologised, putting his plate down properly, fumbling with the cutlery.

Kandomere was momentarily annoyed that he’d almost ended up wearing his meal, but he watched as his server’s head moved to look over her shoulder at the yelling across the restaurant. He recognised the elf girl being yelled at as the one she’d reassured earlier. He could feel the concern coming off her. It was so strong; it tainted his palate a moment, until she moved on down the table to deliver more meals.

Alice went back to retrieve the rest of the meals. Faltorin was still complaining. She was annoyed that Norkas was nowhere to be seen, clearly more concerned with the fullness of his customer’s wallets over the safety of his staff. She shook her head, huffing loudly, and didn’t notice the moment Faltorin stood up and grabbed for Kyra’s arm.

Kyra yelped at the sudden movement, attempting to step back, but Faltorin, despite his inebriated state, was too fast. The grip he had on her was bruising, and she was begging for him to let go.

Alice almost dropped her tray as she tried to shove it back on the bar, running over to pull Kyra from him.

“Keep your fucking hands off her!!” she screamed at him as she fought to pry his spindly hand off Kyra’s wrist.

Faltorin was momentarily surprised by the outburst from the chunky, auburn-haired human. He yanked on Kyra’s wrist harder. “Fucking mongrel dog human! How dare you speak to me in such a manner?”

Not willing to let him hurt Kyra any longer, she gripped his hand and shoved her nails down hard into his pale skin, gripping until he yelled out, and finally let go of Kyra. The second he did, she shoved Kyra behind her, looking at her in warning, to keep her away from him. It was unfortunately enough time for him to gather himself together and just as Alice looked back at him, his right hand connected hard and fast with her cheek, backhanding with tremendous force. The superior elven strength knocked her back into a display cabinet, glass shattering everywhere as her eye socket exploded in white hot pain, the force of hitting glass causing semi-unconsciousness as she lay in a crumpled heap amongst the debris of the cabinet.

Kandomere had watched the whole exchange. Most of his colleagues had been talking and laughing far too loudly to notice what was going on, but he’d heard the exchange. He’d been admiring her courage and strength. Very few humans would stand up to an elf, not least because they were outmatched for strength.

The instant he saw the blond elf strike her, he was out of his chair and vaulting over tables to stop him from attacking again. The elf waitress was by the human’s side, trying to rouse her, her voice becoming more worried as the seconds ticked by. Kandomere secured the attacker with cuffs, signalling to Montehugh to hold on to him whilst he checked on the human.

Alice was far too dazed and drowsy to focus on anything that was going on. She needed a hospital. Kandomere lifted her easily, looking to both Kyra and his partner.

“She needs a hospital. You’ll need to take him in. Assault and Battery.”

“Um… we don’t have insurance… we don’t get health benefits here…” Kyra said quietly.

“Then I will take her to one of ours,” he stated, moving to leave.

“But she’s not elf-kind! They won’t treat her…”

“We’ll soon see about that.”

He turned on his heel, carrying the prone woman out to his car, setting her onto the back seats and flicking on his lights to get through the traffic. He didn’t bother to wait for anyone else. He knew the damage an elf could do to a human, and he needed to make sure the attacker hadn’t caused any permanent damage. He found it disconcerting to imagine her losing any of that fire he’d seen in her. In his mind, it would be a tragedy.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Elf-Care

Kyra had been right. It had taken Kandomere some considerable amount of cajoling and threatening to get the nearest elf hospital to take the unconscious human in his arms. His position certainly helped them make up their minds about treating her, as they were assured that he would be paying for any bills that would be produced.

Whilst she was being treated, he took a call from Montehugh, informing him that the attacker, Faltorin, had called his lawyer and would be fighting the charges. Kandomere had laughed humourlessly. The attack had been witnessed by a dozen patrons, as well as the restaurant staff. There was nothing to fight. An abuse of power was something he abhorred. Human or not, she didn’t deserve to attacked so violently.

Alice was x-rayed and monitored for brain damage. Fortunately, the socket was intact, as was her eye. The bruising and swelling would be extensive, but she would recover. AN MRI performed also showed that her brain was fine. No swelling or fluid build up. She had some cuts to the backs of her arms from the broken glass. He only hoped she would wake up soon so he could take a statement for prosecution.

He sat by her bed in the private room he’d arranged and wondered on the situation. It was his job to protect the public, but to go to these lengths for a human? Montehugh would certainly have some choice words to say about it. He looked at the battered face of the waitress. It still sickened him to think about what could have happened. It was well known that Elves were far stronger than humans. It was still amazing to him that she had no broken bones. She was strong in ways he hadn’t realised, which only served to increase his fascination with her.

Everything was blurry when she opened her eyes the next morning. Her head was pounding and her right eye was still pulsing painfully, especially when she tried to force it open fully. She could hear voices several feet away. Turning her head, she saw the blurry outline of the blue-haired elf she’d served in the restaurant. Why was he here? Where was here? She listened more closely. Elvish. He was speaking Elvish to some doctor. Wait... she was in an Elvish hospital? How would she even be allowed to be here? She tried to sit up, hissing and wincing as the bed slid against the cuts on her arms and back.

Kandomere heard the hiss and came to check on her.

“How did I get here?” Her voice cracked as she spoke, her throat dry and sore from her hours of unconsciousness.

“I brought you last night. You needed medical attention.” His voice was even, logical, and betrayed nothing of his innate curiosity.

“I don’t have insurance, especially not for elf-care.”

“You needn’t worry about that. It’s taken care of. Do you think you feel up to giving a statement?” he asked politely, taking a seat next to her bed.

“A statement? What for?” She was confused. What did she need to give a statement for?

As he walked closer and sat down, she saw he’d divested himself of his jacket. Still clad in his crisp shirt and waistcoat, she could fully appreciate the broadness of his shoulders. He wasn’t the tallest of elves she’d seen. Norkas was remarkably tall, but also remarkably slender. The blue-haired elf was broader. Well-built. His body screamed strength and skill. Her unswollen eye lingering on a little too long, she began to think she had some head trauma.

“For prosecution, of course. Faltorin assaulted you.”

Alice blinked a moment, though given only one could manage the action, it looked stupidly like she was winking at him.

“That’s a joke, right?”

Kandomere frowned. “Why would I joke about such a thing?”

“He’s a high born. He’s never going to see the inside of a courtroom for slapping a human waitress. Besides, I’d lose my job if I even considered reporting him. Norkas would never stand losing his best customer. No job means no home. No home means I’d have to find a place near the ghetto. Even in the human district, prices are astronomical. No. I’m not reporting him. No statements.” She looked away, feigning interest in the wall.

Kandomere sighed heavily, momentarily annoyed by her apparent cowardice. But she was right. High borns were virtually untouchable. Even if by some miracle they could make the charges stick, Faltorin would just pay off the courts and then sue the city for libel. If there was one thing he hated, it was feeling helpless. She didn’t deserve to be so badly treated for standing up for her friend. What he did want to know was why it was needed in the first place.

“The elf you were protecting... Faltorin has a problem with her?”

Alice looked back at him.

“She’s the elf equivalent of an unblooded orc. Her parents were Inferni. They were killed by MTF when she was a child, and she was sent to live in human foster homes. Not exactly a traditional elvish upbringing. She’s treated worse than I am, and I hate it. She’s been beaten down by it over the years.”

“Surely you must have known what would happen if you stood in her place?”

“Of course I did. But, I made the choice to do it. She doesn’t have the choice. I made the choice to work in the district, knowing what most elves here think of humans. I did it to live better. I knew what I was getting in to.”

It was admirable. Her strength of will. To put herself through such abuse so willingly, so she could live a better life. He didn’t know too many humans who would willingly submit themselves to the ire of rich elves.

“Surely there are prospects within the human community? Educational institutions? There are any number of jobs you could do.”

“Education is expensive. My family aren’t rich, and they don’t live in California. Waitressing in the human district pays very little. I thought about police work, but I wouldn’t pass the fitness tests. I have asthma. It’s not bad. But, I wouldn’t last on a prolonged chase. If I can save up enough money, maybe education is something I can consider one day. But, I need a good paying job to do that,” she explained, watching his eyes as they never once left her face.

Even with the bloodshot hazel eye looking back at him, he could see the assured passion in her. He was so used to the humans he worked with, he never really thought about the general population. He lived in the Elf District himself, owning an entire top floor of a wealthy apartment building. He certainly had no money trouble himself, and he’d never really thought deeply enough about those who weren’t as fortunate. Perhaps it was narrow-minded. Out of sight, out of mind. It was a little shameful, if he was being truthful with himself. He looked down at the cufflinks he was wearing. Expensive. Platinum. One of a kind. Not something very many humans would ever be able to own.

As he was looking down, he didn’t Alice shift in the bed, attempting to get up.

It was her job she was thinking of when she made the decision to get up. She wouldn’t stay any longer than she had to, not least because the dirty looks from the nurses outside were starting to annoy her.

Kandomere shot out of his chair and was by her side before her feet had touched the cold floor.

“You are not fit to get out of bed yet. You’re still healing,” he said gently, holding her arm as she fumbled with the drip.

“Am I broken? Got broken bones?” she replied, looking up at him, a little startled by the concern.

“No, nothing is broken. But still...”

“I’m fine. They can’t fix bruising here. I can heal just as well at home or work.” She finally stood up, letting out a cold sigh. She was in nothing but a hospital gown, and her feet were cold.

Covered by blankets, he hadn’t been able to see much of her body. The gown wasn’t exactly flattering, but it left little to the imagination as it hugged her figure, refusing to allow his eyes to linger on her nipples, the cold of the room clearly affecting her. He cleared his throat and retrieved her clothes.

“Here. You are certain you want to leave?”

Alice pulled on the black trousers, slipping off the gown. She was too tired to worry about propriety. Besides, he was an elf. She was sure she would be the last thing he would ever be interested in.

Kandomere cleared his throat and turned his back. This was not how he expected his morning to go.

She hissed as she pulled on her shirt over the cuts. They’d been cleaned and dressed, but they’d likely be sore for some time. All she wanted was a shower. And to call Norkas. She knew she’d be deducted money for leaving early, regardless of the reason why. She was already planning on asking for extra shifts, even if that meant washing dishes.

Kandomere turned back to find her tugging her shoes on. She’d been out for 12 hours, but she still looked exhausted.

“I’ll arrange for your release and drive you home.” He took one final look at her before slipping his jacket back on, leaving the room to talk to the attending doctor. Unsurprisingly, the doctor was all too happy to release her, giving Kandomere a prescription for pain killers and the full responsibility of her ongoing care, should she need it.

Upon leaving the hospital, the sunlight was almost blinding in its intensity. Taking out his sunglasses, he handed them to Alice, who took them gratefully.

“Which apartment building is yours in the human community?” he asked, buckling himself into his seat.

“First on the left. Fourth floor. It’s not a bad place. One good thing about living in the Elven District, no one wants to see run down buildings, even if they are for humans. It’s no Hilton, but it’s clean and well maintained.”

Pride. She liked where she lived, and took pride in it. He was curious to see how she lived.

He turned in to the complex of moderately tall buildings. She was right. They were well maintained and clean. Simple gardens and grey stone paths. Nothing ornate. Even the architecture of the buildings themselves was simple. Clean lines, nothing grandiose. No balconies.

He parked up and let her lead the way to her apartment, keeping close just in case she took a funny turn. He found it curious that there was no concierge in the lobby, just a few cameras. But, it didn’t surprise him. The elevator ride was equally as simple and quiet, and the hall leading to her apartment was similarly simple in its decor. No art on the walls, no fancy curtains on the windows.

Alice unlocked her door and let it swing open, letting out a small sigh as she stepped into her domain. Curiosity getting the better of him, he wandered around her living space. The living room was connected to the kitchen. Open plan. He wasn’t massively keen on multipurpose rooms, but the space was large enough. What struck him most was the amount of pictures she had on the walls. Photos of almost everything. Nature, people, cars, planes. She had a keen eye. Every person in her pictures was captured in some form of emotional display. Happiness, sadness, envy, despair, exhilaration.
Her subjects were also from every race she could safely capture. The centaur police officer made him smile. He’d braced his gun on his shoulders and held up a peace sign with his free hand. The irony.

“You’re a photographer,” he remarked, turning to look at her as she slumped on the sofa.

“Not really. Maybe one day. I won’t get a job here though. And I’d need more than a few diplomas.” She kicked her shoes off.

Kandomere moved to hand her the pills he’d been given in the hospital. “Just in case. I can’t imagine your eye is particularly comfortable.”

“Oh. Thanks.” She took them gratefully, popping two into her mouth.

He handed her a card with his contact details. All his details were in English, Elvish, and Orcish.

“Kandomere...” she said quietly.

“And you are Alice, yes?” he replied.

She looked up, nodding. “Just in case?”

“Just in case you change your mind about the statement.”

“I appreciate that. But, it wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Perhaps. But, we’ll never know,” he answered, turning to leave. “I’ll leave you to rest.”

She thanked him and watched him leave. She couldn’t understand why he was so fixated on her making a statement about what happened. Being an elf himself, surely he knew how the word worked? She shook her head. It was making her headache worse just thinking about it, so she did exactly what she’d wanted to do since waking up. She showered and tumbled in to bed, setting her alarm for four hours, knowing she’d have to face the music at work.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Rent Control

Montehugh had been predictably concerned over Kandomere’s involvement with the human waitress.

“I get that it’s an assault, but she’s right. No charges will stick against someone like that. She’s already cost you money in medical. You really gonna keep pushing for a statement?”

“Do you think I was wrong to have him arrested? Should he have been allowed to get away with it?” Kandomere countered.

“Well, no, but...”

“As for the money, I am hardly struggling in that area. Perhaps you are right, and the charges won’t stick. But, reputations are harder to rebuild. Word will spread.”

Montehugh wasn’t so convinced. It took a great deal for an elf to ‘fall from grace’, and slapping a waitress wasn’t one of them. But, he knew Kandomere well enough by now to know that he wouldn’t give up once he’d set his mind to something. He’d already spent the morning contacting everyone he could from the restaurant the previous night, including his subordinates, to take statements about the attacker. Kyra had given a weak statement, feeling a little as Alice did, that it would be pointless, but he had to try.

Alice groaned as her alarm sounded. Her head still hurt, and she still couldn’t open her right eye. Standing up, she finally gave herself a good looking over in the mirror. She looked dreadful. Tired, beaten, and the bruising to her face was mildly horrifying. This was not going to go down well with Norkas. Appearance was everything to elves, and a battered waitress really wouldn’t give the best impression.

She had a wash and dressed in her clean work clothes, trying her best to use makeup to hide the bruising. It didn’t really help. But it was all she could do until the swelling reduced.

She made the short walk to work, greeting the other staff quietly, finding Kyra huddled in the corner of the staff room.

“Hey,” Alice said quietly.

“Alice! Oh my god, are you okay?” Kyra was immediately on her feet, fretting and fussing, and feeling overwhelmingly guilty about what had happened.

“I’m fine. No permanent damage. Just bad bruising.” She waved the concern away, turning to see Norkas approach her.

“You look like shit,” he declared.

“I’m fine. I can still work. Nothing broken. Just the bruising,” she tried to reassure him.

“I can’t have you serving like that.”

“I can do other jobs then. Washing, cleaning, chopping... whatever. I’m good to go!” She tried to feign enthusiasm, hoping he would look past her physical appearance.

“No. You need to leave. Your actions could possibly have already caused damage to the clientele, not to mention, the ongoing investigation by the Feds!”

“Wait! What investigation? I didn’t give any statements.”

“The MTF Agent has been calling the staff and customers all morning for witness testimonies!”

“But... I told him not to!” She fumbled in her pocket for his card, “Let me call him... get him to drop it...”

“It’s too late for that! You’re out!” He looked at Kyra, still in the corner, eyes wide, “You too! Both of you!”

Alice stood in front of Kyra, glaring at Norkas.

“You can’t do this! This isn’t her fault! It’s mine!”

“No! It’s fine... Let’s just go...” Kyra had finally found her voice, grabbing for Alice’s arm to pull her away.

Alice couldn’t believe it. She’d been subject to many insults and prejudiced remarks, but to be fired for something an elf did to her, was more than she could fathom. Kyra kept a tight hold of her arm as they left, the blinding sun snapping Alice back into the grim reality of the fact that they had both just lost their sole source of income.

Fuck. Double fuck. Panic threatened to rise up to meet the impending migraine building like a thunder cloud in her head. No. Now was not the time to panic. Now was the time to go home and plan. She could feel Kyra trembling against their linked arms, not quite as adept as Alice at keeping her cool.

“What do we do?” Kyra said timidly.

“We’ll find something else. There’s other restaurants. Loads of them! The service industry is huge! Rich elves don’t do serving jobs. We’ll be fine! You’ll see!” Alice tried to be reassuring, but she was inwardly worried herself. Her face would not make a good impression on a job interview.

They made the short walk to their apartment complex, only to find their haughty landlord waiting for them.

“Is something wrong?” Alice asked, completely confused as to why Senvari would even set her expensive Louboutins on the grey concrete. She rarely ever came to the human complex, so to come now, something bad had to have happened.

“You both have an hour to pack your things and leave.” She had her nose upturned, a faint look of disgust on her face at the sight of Alice’s battered appearance.

It took several seconds for that information to hit Alice’s already stress-riddled brain.

“You can’t be serious?!”

“Neither of you have employment, which violates your lease.” Senvari examined her manicure, Kyra whimpering in disbelief.

“That happened barely 20 minutes ago! How do you even know?”

“Norkas called me. He’s a very good friend. And a good thing too. I’ll be you had no intention of letting me know, did you?”

Norkas. Fucking arsehole. Couldn’t even wait until they had gotten home.

“We can find other work! Today, probably! It won’t change how or when we pay our bills. Please. Just... give us until the end of the week. The rent isn’t due for three weeks anyway,” Alice begged, trying once again to throw herself on the mercy of a rich elf.

“You’re in breach of your lease, I want you out! Don’t make me call the authorities!”

Alice stared, shocked beyond words as Senvari turned on her pristine heel and waltzed off to her car.

Fuck.

She entered the apartment building in a daze, autopilot taking her up to her soon-to-be vacated home. Kyra, hardly fairing any better, followed her.

Inside, Alice paced for several long minutes, then stopped abruptly.

“Right. Go pack everything essential. Just what you need. We can’t pack everything in an hour. We’ll look into storage. I have some savings we can use to get some temporary accommodation whilst we figure out what to do long term.”

When Kyra didn’t immediately respond, Alice huffed, “Now! You heard her, we have an hour!”

Suitably startled into action, Kyra rushed off to her own apartment to pack.

Kandomere snapped his phone shut in irritation. Faltorin’s lawyer had called him, detailing exactly what was going to happen with the case. It was predictable. Even the lawyer was a High Born. He’d been fortunate enough in his work not to have to deal with blood purists on a daily basis. As far as he was concerned, an elf was an elf. But, blood purists were more concerned with long-standing lineage. High Borns floated the claim that they could trace their elven blood back thousands of years. They were the ‘cream of the crop’, as humans would say. The royalty of the elven world. If it couldn’t be traced, purity would always be in doubt.

Given the population explosion of the past centuries, it was no wonder people couldn’t always trace their family back more than several generations. Kandomere was an elf. As far as he was concerned, that was all there was to it. But, no proof meant he didn’t quite have the same level of influence within the elven community as someone like Faltorin.

What he really needed was Alice’s testimony. Even if Faltorin still managed to make the charges disappear, it could be enough to damage his reputation and knock him down a few pegs. He tried to call Alice, but got no answer, deciding that he might have more luck with persuasion if he visited her in person. He also wanted to see how she was doing with her injuries. It was barely 24 hours after the assault, so he couldn’t imagine she was miraculously healed.

He made the drive alone. Montehugh had given up asking why he was so fixated, and simply let him do what he felt he needed to do.

The apartment complex looked surprisingly brighter in the afternoon sun. Serene in its simplicity. Nothing gaudy or extravagant. As much as he liked finely tailored clothes and expensive accessories, he preferred elegance and simple style over the ornate and the ‘bling’.

Upon entering her floor, he could see the door to her apartment ajar, and could hear thuds and bangs of things being shoved around. A possible break in? His hand on his side arm, he pushed open the door, surprised to see Alice herself throwing things into bags.

“Alice?”
She spun round at the sound of her name, instantly infuriated at the sight of the man who had caused her no end of trouble, certainly as she saw it. She grabbed a vase and threw it at him, her aim dreadful, fortunately for Kandomere as he merely watched it fly past his head, utterly baffled by her reaction.

“Why are you throwing things at me?”

“YOU! You lost me my job! And my home! And Kyra’s! Why couldn’t you just drop that stupid statement?!” she screamed at him, clenching her fists in an effort to control the urge to hit an FBI agent.

“You were fired?” That had not been part of his plan. “Let me call him...”

“NO! Stop trying to fix things!” She strode away from him into another room.

Great. How had he caused such a mess from doing his job? He’d never had this happen before. He called Montehugh, finally admitting that he needed help to make things right. His suggestion however, did not please his partner, but he assured Kandomere he would arrange everything.

Within 20 minutes, several large vans had arrived, along with several subordinates, with Montehugh leading them up to the apartment Kandomere had told him about.

“You don’t think this is kinda foolish, boss?’ Montehugh said, looking around at the mess.

“I cannot allow an assault victim to be turned out onto the street.” It was a feeble excuse, but he tried to remain impassive.

Alice could hear the voices from her bedroom. Who was he talking to? Stepping out to investigate, she was surprised to see a small army of men waiting with boxes and crates.

“What the fuck is this?”

“I have arranged a place for you both to stay. These men will help you pack your things,” Kandomere explained.

“What place?”

“I own an apartment that I have been meaning to sublet. It is currently vacant.”

Alice narrowed her eye. An apartment he owned?

“So, it’s guilt?” she spat, stepping closer to him, trying to get a read on him.

Kandomere took in a deep breath, irritated. Mostly because she was right. He did feel guilty. He had not intended for her to lose her job and her home. She didn’t deserve it. He pulled out a set of keys and offered them to her.

“You would be doing me a favour. It is sitting empty.”

She looked from him, to the keys, and back. She was warring with her own pride, and Kandomere could see it. She did not want to be in debt to him, but she also didn’t want to risk staying in some seedy hotel until she could find somewhere for both her and Kyra to go.

“Kyra too? It has space for both?”

“It is two bedroomed,” he answered.

She nibbled on her lip, then plucked the keys from his hand. “Alright. I have less than 30 minutes left here. So does Kyra.”

“What belongs to you?”

“Everything but the furniture. Kyra is in the building over, third floor, end of the hall.”

Kandomere directed everyone with only a few waves of his hand. She had to admit, she was impressed by his authority. Every other agent followed his direction without question, working methodically and speedily to pack up her life. She still didn’t fully understand why. She felt as thought she’d become an unwilling mission for him. All because some rich purist had taken a swipe at her.

She collected her more personal items, sighing heavily at the stress as she popped two of the prescription pills. Kyra scurried in, carrying several bags of her own.

“These people are really moving us? Did they say where?” she whispered.

“Uh... The elf agent owns an apartment. Said we can stay there. We’ll figure out how to pay him later.”

“He’s giving us an apartment?”

“No, not giving. Just temporary,” Alice reiterated, shouldering her bags.

It had taken the agents no time at all to pack all her things. They were nothing if not efficient and had already started loading the vans they’d arrived in. She’d been in the apartment for several years now, and to close the door for the final time, she felt ever so slightly broken. She started to think she’d taken far too much for granted, living in the Elf District. She thought she’d really made a life for herself, and to have it taken away so easily and so quickly, gave her a real dose of reality that she’d never even considered.

Kandomere drove the women to his luxury apartment building, with Montehugh and the other agents following in the vans. It was everything that the human complex wasn’t. Rich, ornate, almost gilded its decoration. The greenery was exquisite, and there was even a fountain in the driveway. There was valet parking and a concierge. What a difference having pointy ears makes.

Alice wasn’t so sure the residents of this building would be so receptive to having a human live amongst them, but she decided to let Kandomere worry about that. He was so fixated on repairing the damage he’d done, she simply didn’t care what others thought at that moment.

With Kandomere’s customary minimal direction, the agents were once again moving their things into the front apartment of the top floor. The furniture and decoration were much more luxurious. High end fabrics, crystal lighting, but it was tasteful in its execution. No magnolia paint and beige carpets in sight. Both Alice and Kyra felt out of their depth.

With their boxes left in the apartment, and Kyra off unpacking in her bedroom, Kandomere dismissed his agents, giving Alice the code for the main door. Just as he turned to leave, she touched his arm.

“I don’t understand,” she stated, a confused and tired look falling over her features.

“It’s a six digit code...”

“No, not that. All this. You’d never even met me before last night. I work... worked, in an elvish restaurant, surrounded by elves... You’re an elf. I don’t get why you care.”

Her words shocked him. She truly didn’t believe he cared? Or that he should care? It angered him that he’d gone to all these lengths, and she couldn’t see it.

“Why should I not care? A crime was committed against you, and you don’t deserve to be punished for the actions of another,” he explained, his eyes never leaving hers, trying to reassure her of his sincerity.

“You really want to do all that... for a human...” She wasn’t completely convinced.

“Why would you doubt it?”

Alice sighed and lifted her hand, tapping two fingers on the elvish crest around his neck. “That’s way.” She turned away, taking her bags into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Kandomere groaned. He’d stupidly not counted on the fact that working in the Elf District would likely mean that she understood some elvish. Worst of all, he wore it mostly out of habit. His belief in such archaic sentiment was draining every day. He unclipped it, slipping it into his trouser pocket, finally understanding why any human might believe that he wasn’t really working for their best interest. There was nothing he could say right now to assure her he wasn’t so narrow-minded, so he left.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Neighbourly Concern

For the first morning in years, Alice didn’t have anything to get up for. She hated it. As comfortable as the bed had been, and it was, rather like sleeping in warm air, her security had vanished. She didn’t particularly think Kandomere would turn them out, but she’d spent her entire adult life being self-sufficient. Relying on the charity of an elf was not something she ever thought she would ever have to do, not least because elves weren’t generally very charitable. Why was this elf different? Why did he care? He wore that crest that a lot of the males seemed to wear... The same script. The same superiority. Elves Above All. There was a slight air about him, as though he knew he was superior. He held himself so confidently. Just like all the other elves she had ever met. Except for Kyra. Her years living with humans had destroyed any innate confidence she might have grown to have, had she grown up with her kind.

All this thinking about something she couldn’t really do anything about was starting to give her a headache. And it wouldn’t help her get another job. Kandomere might be another rich elf, but that didn’t mean she was happy to live off his charity, even if he was doing so out of guilt. Now there was a novel idea... An elf with a guilt complex. None of it made sense. Not to her mind. He was a senior agent of the MTF. They dealt with abuses of magic, not minor assaults on waitresses. Surely this was more the jurisdiction of the police?

Kyra was still in her room when Alice finally appeared, having taken a long shower and liberally applied some anti-inflammatory cream to her bruises. She wasn’t sure how successful she’d be in getting another job so soon, given the state of her face. Her biggest worry was that Norkas had spread news around the other restaurants that she and Kyra were nothing but trouble. If they couldn’t find work, they really would have to leave the district.

Kandomere awoke as he always did, and checked his phone for calls, texts, and emails. Several texts from Montehugh. Some small leads on Inferni activity, but very little magic activity, at least, nothing that could be detected. If it didn’t leave ripples, the MTF didn’t chase it.

The day should have begun as every other day began, but he found his mind wandering to the women living next door. More specifically, the headstrong human woman who’d had the gall to throw a vase at him. It made him laugh softly. It should have made him furious, but he couldn’t help but be captivated by her passion, regardless of how she expressed it.

Even as he dressed for the day, selecting a finely tailored suit in midnight blue, he couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing. How her injuries were healing. Was she still in pain? Would she need more medication?

He shook his head. This was becoming a dangerous obsession. Her assault wasn’t even his remit. It wasn’t magically motivated, and the case had all but dried up when she’d refused to make a statement. His superiors also wouldn’t be happy to have a high born threatening the division with legal action. It didn’t stop him from thinking about it, or her for that matter, which only served to confuse him more. He’d spent so long focusing on Leilah and the Inferni, he was beginning to think his mind was craving a distraction, and anything would do.

He surveyed himself in the mirror. To most Elves, looks were important. But, it was more than just window dressing. Deep down, how an elf dressed was a reflection of how they felt internally. For Kandomere, aside from the gorget he’d long since grown accustomed to wearing purely out of habit, he’d never felt the need to emblazon himself in gold and glitter. As fine as his suits were, and as much as he spent on the little things, an exquisite array of cufflinks and even interchangeable buttons on some of his finer shirts, waistcoats, and jackets, he preferred simplicity over flashy dressing. He kept his hair neatly brushed, his shoes polished, his nails trimmed. With all the myriad of people he and Montehugh would often encounter, cleanliness had become far more important as time had passed. Life was dirty. Magic even more so. Movies got it wrong. In fiction, magic was love and light, and glitter and fairies. In the real world, magic was volatile and earthly, and fairies were the magical equivalent of cockroaches.

When he and Montehugh had interrogated Serling, he’d been momentarily stunned by the question of holding a wand. There had been moments over the years that he had considered such a possibility. Would he do it? Would he put his hand on a wand just to see if he was a Bright? Would he risk being turned into nothing but ash, just to find out? After the resurgence of Leilah and her coven, finally securing her wand had put paid to that question. In truth, such magical artefacts were simply too dangerous, even for Brights. General magic workers didn’t pose the same threat, which was why so much of his work focused on the Inferni. They were the real danger to the world. Humans often referred to magic workers as witches. An archaic term, but one they seemed to revel in. He’d met a few in his time. They could also be quite dirty, preferring to surround themselves in all things nature. Harmless mostly. Sympathetic magic. They could often be found in tourist spots offering tarot readings and love spells. He kept a distant contact with some near the beaches, as psychics tended to be drawn to nature witches. Like attracts like, as they say.

Which brought him to his current predicament. Alice was nothing like him. Not even his kind, though that mattered little to him on a personal level. As much as he could understand why she’d aspire to give herself the best life she could have, to willingly put herself in a place that looked down on her as though she was nothing more than a slave was a little baffling to him. She showed strength in standing up for her friend, but then refused to press forward with prosecution. It was as thought she accepted her lot in life to be viewed as less than equal, despite what he suspected was her real thoughts on equality.

But that strength... The defiance... He’d felt it, smelled it from across the restaurant. So strong and... addictive. The same scent she’d had when she’d gotten angry with him. It had thrilled him. He was unexplainably drawn to her passion. To whatever natural, instinctual fire she’d been born with. So few people had the strength of will to be so stubborn. So head strong.

He thought about the pictures she’d taken. Her view of the world and the way in which she interacted with it. She captured life in its rawest form. Unconstrained and untouched. The fact that she’d even managed to take pictures of orcs, smiling and posing, or busy living within their own communities. One picture that had stood out to him, was one of an orc handing a few notes to a dwarf. What the payment was for seemed unimportant. It was a common sight, orcs and dwarves were looked upon with the same level of distain by both elves and humans. He’d had almost no dealings with dwarves in either his professional or personal life, so to see one simply living their life was fascinating to him. Of course, her assertion that she could never find a job as a photographer within the Elven community was likely true. She didn’t seem to have any pictures of elves, except for her friend Kyra. Elves were no stranger to being the centre of attention, but they would stay with their own for such publicity. Perhaps one day Alice would be the first human photographer within the Elf District. He was starting to hope she would be.

Alice was busy eating when Kyra appeared, smiling softly and asking how she was. They were both still emotionally wrung out after everything that had happened, and their usually talkative selves were struggling to make an appearance. Deciding she needed some air, Kyra went out. Alice didn’t ask if she was intending to look for work. She hadn’t fully decided when she would do that herself.

Cleaning up after herself, she was finally struck by how clean the place had been, despite Kandomere’s mention of it being vacant for some time. She wondered if he’d hired a cleaner. Would said cleaner show up unannounced? She’d need to ask him about that. She did not want to be caught in her underwear whilst a stranger bustled about the apartment.

Even cursory cleaning wasn’t enough to distract her from her boredom, so she grabbed her camera and headed out of the door, not noticing Kandomere leaving the apartment down the long corridor.

It was awkward. He hadn’t told her that he lived in the building, not even thinking it would be an issue when he’d suggested the spare apartment in the first place. Deciding to simply come clean, he strode down to meet her as she locked the door.

“Good morning.”

Alice started, having not even heard anyone walking.

“Oh! Hi... You were visiting someone?” she asked, frowning slightly as she glanced down the corridor.

“Not exactly. The other apartment is mine.” He didn’t see the point in making a big deal out of it.

“Oh... I didn’t realise... Are you sure you don’t kind us living here?”

“Not at all. As I said, you’re doing me a favour.” He noticed the camera in her hand. “You’re going out?”

“Yeah. Figured I’d use the healing time to do some more snaps. No one’s going to hire me looking like this!” She laughed nervously, making light of her injuries.

“Surely your skill is more important?”

“If it worked like that, Orcs would be waiters too.”

She had a point. He sometimes found it easy to forget that in the Elf District, appearance was everything. He spent most of his day in the human world, so such things weren’t quite as prevalent. The more he was consciously aware of the inequalities of the world, the more they bothered him.

“Point taken. Do you need a lift? I can drop you wherever you need to go,” he offered, knowing Montehugh would be further frustrated by his involvement with this woman.

“Oh, no... that’s not necessary. I can walk. I have my resident’s permit on me, so they’ll let me back in if I go out of the district. But thanks...” she smiled weakly, feeling curiously put on the spot.

He still wanted to help. It was more kindness than she’d ever encountered in an elf before. She wondered if his time in the human world had changed him enough to see humans on a more equal footing. But then, why wear the crest? Something that was once again suspiciously absent from his clothing. Did he really intend never to wear it again? Had her point about superiority really touched a nerve? It was more than her exhausted brain could handle in that moment, so she settled for ambling slowly down the hall, hitting the button for the elevator.

Kandomere watched her go, a little put out that she hadn’t really said goodbye, but also keenly aware of her discomfort. Was he crowding her? Did she feel uncomfortable living so closely to him? He’d never had to deal with a situation like this before, and he suspected that she hadn’t either.

He waited until she’d gotten into the elevator, then made his way down the multitude of stairs, exiting the building ad getting in to his car. His routine was standard from that point, from getting the coffee for Montehugh and himself, picking up breakfast for them, and dropping them off at Montehugh’s office. The larger man took his coffee gratefully, then looked at his watch, frowning.

“It’s not like you to be late, even a few minutes. Somethin’ up?”

“No, I bumped into Alice as I was leaving. I wanted to see how she was,” he explained, his tone perfectly casual.

Montehugh wasn’t buying it. He’d worked with Kandomere for far too long. As a rookie, he would have easily fallen for the elf’s nonchalant manner, but he knew there was more to it.

“You’re playin’ with fire, Kando. She’s a plaintiff in a case,” he reminded his partner.

“A closed case. She refused to pursue it, if you recall. There is no fire. She’s living in my property. I’m not going to be rude to her if I see her.” It annoyed him to no end that Montehugh had developed enough of an instinct to see through his facade.

“It’s a tricky situation. She’s a human in an elf world. They don’t take kindly to humans mixing with their kind. You know that.”

“What exactly do you think is going to happen? She’s a tenant. I own the entire floor. Who I decide to have living in my property is my right. Even in elvish law.”

“Don’t always work that way. Just... be careful. She might be a nice girl, but she don’t have pointy ears,” Montehugh warned, taking a bite of his muffin.

Kandomere huffed and took his coffee and food back to his own office. Was he worried about him getting involved with a human? He hadn’t really put huge thought into such an eventuality. He’d never dated a human before. In fact, it had been years since he dated anyone. The Inferni case had taken up so much of their time over the last few years, late nights and early starts weren’t conducive to a relationship. He imagine it’s why Montehugh’s wife had finally had enough and kicked him out. He’d stayed in the apartment Alice was now living in, but it had been months ago and Kandomere still hadn’t gotten around to subletting it. Until now. He wondered if Alice would chose to stay if he made the rent affordable to her and Kyra. He wouldn’t be opposed to the idea. It would be nice to have neighbours.

Montehugh was right. This could prove to be dangerous.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

The Gossip of Elves

Alice had spent several hours wandering around the human areas, snapping pictures of every day life. Most people didn’t seem to mind, a few even hoping that she worked for a famous publication and they were going to be featured... Alice never had the heart to tell them she was a virtual nobody, and now, was living off the charity of an MTF Agent because she’d been fired for doing the right thing... She didn’t regret what she did, but she had wondered, more than once, if she could have handled it a bit differently. If only Norkas had listened to her and let her wait on Faltorin instead of Kyra, they’d both still be in their apartments and still working.

She wandered back to Elftown, snapping a few pictures of the guards as she approached, pulling out her permit for them to scrutinise. Something they did every time. But this time, they took an extraordinary amount of time checking her details, before finally handing it back to her, sneering at her as they let her pass. The comments at her back were not expected.

“You’ll be out of here soon, human!”

Alice looked back at the guard who’d spoken; an elf, and one who didn’t necessarily appreciate the status of his job. So, not a high born, but someone who had no problem expressing his superiority over her, and who had clearly heard of her plight. Norkas’ mouth knew no bounds. At this rate, she’d never find work. If she couldn’t find work, her permit would be revoked, and she’d have no permission to be anywhere near Elftown. She was certain that even Kandomere couldn’t stop that.

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Kandomere was just pulling in to his parking spot when he noticed Alice walking back. She looked tired, and worryingly timid. This wasn’t something he had expected to see in her. He got out and walked briskly to catch up as she entered the building.

“You obtained some interesting photos?” he commented, opening the door for her.

Once again, he’d managed to startle her... How did he walk so gently? He was hardly waif-like, not that he had a weight problem, but to be so light-footed... Maybe it was an elf thing she’d never really paid attention to.

“Oh! Uh... Yeah, some good shots...”

“Is everything alright? Are your injuries hurting?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. News is spreading fast, that’s all. I thought humans could be bad gossips, but nothing seems to be sacred here...”

Before he could answer, she had sidestepped him and gone inside. He was tempted to follow her, but thought it best to leave her alone to cool down. He didn’t like the effect this whole situation was having on her. He longed to see the same confident fire he’d seen on the night they met.

As it was, he barely saw anything of her for almost two weeks. Faltorin had put in a complaint to his superiors, and whilst they commended his swift action, off the record, a note had to officially be put on his largely unblemished record for stepping into a jurisdiction that was nothing to do with the MTF. It put him in a foul mood, and he’d snapped at Montehugh when he’d remarked that it could have been worse. Working with humans had changed his perspective on class and race, and he’d come to realise many years ago that whilst it was still frowned upon for races to mix, They had more similarities than differences. He hated it when the elves working under him tried to play the superiority game with the humans who held largely the same rank as them. He always made sure to slap it down when he became aware of it, though humans could be a little defeatist.

The fact that Faltorin was able to get away with his racist behaviour, left a sour taste in his mouth. He might not be in a position to push for the charges to stick, but he could ensure that Norkas never had business from anyone in the MTF again. Montehugh thought it was petty, but Kandomere was determined. He wouldn’t give business to an employer who supported racist behaviour over their own staff. He also made it clear to Montehugh that he would have him transferred to the transport department of the LAPD if he ever went to Norkas’ establishment behind his back.

Alice’s fears had been realised. No one would hire either herself or Kyra. Not even to scrub toilets. They’d been living rent free in Kandomere’s spare apartment for several weeks, and Alice was starting to worry that they’d soon be thrown out and their permits revoked. Kandomere hadn’t bothered them for money, but she felt bad for living off his charity. Kyra was keeping mostly to her room, feeling more and more beaten down by everything as each day passed.

She listened carefully to any footsteps going past their door, knowing that if she heard him, she’d know he was finally home. As it was, he came home a little after 9pm, and Alice decided that now was the best time to talk to him about rent.

She was nervous as she approached his door. She hadn’t seen much of him. She hadn’t been purposefully avoiding him, but running into him after that first time was just a little much.

The door opened before she had time to knock. “Is everything alright?” Kandomere asked, worry creasing his features.

“Oh! Uh, yes. Everything’s fine. Uh... It’s just... Well, no. No, thing’s aren’t fine,” she replied, sighing heavily.

“Please, come in.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude...”

“You aren’t,” he said, stepping to one side.

Alice hesitated a moment, then stepped inside. The decor was a little darker than the spare apartment, though far from dreary. The carpet was plush and the seating looked bespoke. She couldn’t have imagined anything less. One thing that was blissfully absent was the gilt and gold that seemed to be emblazoned in most places in Elftown. Although his suits always looked expensively tailored, and always accompanied by the little details of his cufflinks, tie pin, a brooch, and an old style pocket watch, she rarely saw him in the garishly blingy gold that most favoured.

She tried not to stare too much as his home, and turned to face him, realising for the first time that he was clad only in his shirt and trousers, the usual waistcoat and jacket discarded, along with his tie. He was also still not wearing the gorget she’d pointed out to him. She was dying to know why he’d stopped wearing it, but his soft voice disturbed her thoughts.

“What has happened?”

“Uh, well, we’ve not been able to get anyone to hire us. I was right about word spreading. Probably couldn’t get a job as a shoe shiner.”

“Have you thought any more about your photography?”

“I already told you, I need money to study for the qualifications. I need a job to earn money. And pay rent,” she said, quietly.

“And I told you, you were doing me a favour by staying. I did not ask for rent.”

She sighed and folded her arms, a flash of defiance in her eyes. Kandomere fought back a smirk. There was the fire...

“What about where you work? Any jobs going there? I need something, or they’ll take our permits away and we’ll have to move. I don’t think even you could stop that,” she said.

He thought a moment. He wasn’t sure what jobs she and Kyra could do for the MTF, but he could easily find out. Perhaps an admin-based job in the archives. Better paid than waitressing.

“I will find out tomorrow what you could both do. I’m sure there will be something,” he said, nodding.

Alice felt a little relieved, her shoulders dropping slightly from their formerly tight position. She shuffled to the door, trying not to focus on the buttons he’d opened of his shirt, a brief glimpse of the dark hair on his chest was remarkably inviting. She hadn’t even considered that elves would be hairy in the same places as humans were.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll leave you to relax...” she said, opening the door and walking through it before he could offer her a drink, as had been his intention.

She felt odd as she walked back to her door. It was too familiar. Too domestic. She’d not seen this side of any elf except Kyra, and she’d not been around a male of any description in such a relaxed manner, in several years. Elves were remarkably beautiful. Untouchable for anyone but their own kind, but in that seemingly innocent discussion of jobs, she’d seen a more intimate side to the elf who had essentially rescued her from an abuser, and given her a place to live. She was far too used to him as the Magic Task Force Agent. Rich and powerful, and far too out of the reach of a lowly human waitress. Why was she even thinking like this? In her many years of experience, elves didn’t look at humans as potential companions, or even friends. Kyra was an exception. She was raised by humans, so partly considered herself as one.

She couldn’t possibly be developing a pathetic crush on her would-be rescuer, could she? It was ridiculous! She’d worked around elves for years, and never developed anything beyond annoyance at their snotty-nosed arrogance. So, why didn’t she think the same of him? He wasn’t quite as arrogant as she was used to, and had clearly cared enough to ensure she wouldn’t be thrown out into the street. What baffled her most was why. She had to know.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Glitter and Still Life

Most people hated early starts. For Kandomere, they were part and parcel of MTF life. Leaving for the office at 5:30 am was a regular occurrence, especially when Inferni activity was so rife. With Leilah and her coven dead and gone, there would be others hoping to pick up where they left off. Fortunately, there were only so many wands in the world, and with Leilah’s now in lock down, it would be harder for other Inferni to cause magical mayhem. It didn’t stop others from trying. Magic could be utilised in other forms, although without the drastic consequences gained from using a wand. The Shield of Light might have hoped to be a benevolent force against The Dark Lord’s supposed return, but if they were magic users, they were still breaking the law and would be dealt with accordingly.

The Shield of Light member the LAPD had captured wielding a sword, Serling, had been very little help after his initial posturing. He’d refused to give up any further information about members and where they met. Kandomere knew that the complex Leilah died in would not be the only SoL safe house. Hiding Tikka could be setting a precedent for hiding more Brights. Being a Bright wasn’t in itself illegal, but as Serling has described, the only way to discover such a fact was to hold a wand and survive. Something he had decided decades ago to never try. He valued his life and the lives of those around him too much to satisfy random curiosity. It was true that the MTF didn’t chase just any old magic. It had to cause ripples. But, his opinion on such things was slowly changing. The problem with waiting for ripples was that damage could be done before the ripples reach any form of law enforcement. It was why Leilah had become so powerful, and so close to attempting what she had set out to do. Kandomere had long since believed that after 20 years, she must have had leads on other Brights with wands. With Tikka and the woman he and Montehugh had discovered with her throat slit and body transformed, three Brights would need three wands. The problem now remained; where were the other wands?

He picked up his usual coffee and pastries on his way in, still contemplating where they might search next for Inferni activity. Montehugh would usually get in at around 7am unless Kandomere specifically asked for his presence. He’d known the man long enough to want to give him at least some time with his wife.

The first thing he always did when he got into his office was check his voicemail and email. Some minor leads, nothing substantial. He huffed and sat back in his plush leather chair. His eyes drifted around the office, falling onto a family photo his mother had sent him years ago. He was instantly reminded of Alice and her penchant for photography. She had asked for help in finding work, and he had said he would check what was available, but looking at the picture, he had another idea leading him to call on an old friend.

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It must have been gone midday when Alice heard a determined knock on the main door. Momentary panic set in as she feared that some elf official was here to kick her out of the apartment and out of Elftown, but she shoved it away. She wouldn’t be cowed by prejudice, even if she could do nothing about it.

She pulled open the door decisively, her chin held high, but then was startled when Kandomere was on the other side.

“Oh! Hi... Something wrong? Is Faltorin causing trouble?” she asked in rush.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I had a thought on what you could do for work,” he answered, smiling slightly.

“You found something for me at the MTF? I don’t care if it’s cleaning toilets!”

“Goodness, nothing like that. No, I found something more suited to your talent. Do you have a portfolio of your work?”

Alice frowned... Did he want her to sell her work? “Uh, a small one, yes... Why?”

“You will need it. And your camera. But we should hurry. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” he said cryptically.

“Who doesn’t?” Alice asked, shoving on her shoes and grabbing her camera bag, pulling a dog-eared folder off a shelf on her way out.

“You’ll see.”

He elaborated no further as he drove them to their destination, heading deeper into Elftown where Alice had never been. Glittering high-rises where dirt never touched them. It never failed to amaze her just how pristine Elftown was, down to every pointy ear. He pulled up to a particularly shiny chrome building, complete with valet parking. She could see that Kandomere had a hard time handing over his keys to the Orc waiting to park his car. MTF agents didn’t experience such things, and Alice imagined that he never needed anyone to park his car.

He was admitted inside the exclusive building with ease, but the looks Alice earned simply by existing could have cut glass.

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to be here...” she whispered as they entered the elevator.

“It’s not an issue. You’ll see.”

“You keep saying that. You’re really not going to tell me?”

“You don’t like surprises?” he quipped.

“Not if it involves me potentially being tossed from the 50th floor.”

Kandomere laughed outright, and it startled her. She’d never heard him laugh before!

“Not even an elf would get away with murdering a human in such a public manner. They’d just poison your coffee,” he joked, smirking at her.

“That’s not even funny... I’ll never drink coffee in this town again, not that anywhere here will serve me anyway.”

Kandomere was still chuckling to himself as they arrived at the top floor. He stepped out and passed numerous well-dressed assistants and stylists, each sneering with equal venom as the elves of the entrance had as Alice trailed behind him. He headed straight for an impeccably dressed older blonde elf who was ordering several subordinates around, and a barely dressed male model with glitter covering his impossibly defined pecs.

Kandomere embraced the woman as she turned, exchanging pleasantries in Elvish. It all seemed rather personal and Alice felt like an interloper, standing to one side hoping not to be noticed, which of course the blonde woman did. She gave Alice a scrutinising look, then crooked a finger at her. Not wanting to start trouble as her stubbornness reared its head, she simply walked closer, looking nervously between Kandomere and the woman.

“So, you like to take pictures?” the woman asked, nodding to the camera Alice was carrying.

“Uh... yeah... sort of.”

“She has talent, Alavara. I have seen her work myself. She brought some with her to show you,” he said, dismissing her downplaying of her ability. He reached forward and took the folder from her, handing it to the elf.

The blonde flipped through the folder, casting her critical eye over each picture in turn. Alice couldn’t tell whether she liked them or not, and she couldn’t quite work out why she would even be here... It was a known fact that humans didn’t work in high-end elven dominated jobs. Elven fashion was exclusively reserved for Elves. The most Alice thought she could hope for was as a photojournalist in the human world. This was beyond her scope.

“Interesting choices... But the proof will be, as you humans would say, in the pudding. My model; snap some shots of him,” she commanded, standing aside as Alice looked like a deer caught in headlights.

It took her a few moments to realise what she had been asked to do. The model was stood looking incredibly bored. She stepped forward cautiously, trying to quietly have him move into a more natural pose, but given her humanness, she failed to get him to move an inch. Stubbornness rearing its head again, she dumped her bag and coat down on the floor, and started snapping shots from all angles, even daring to move some small lighting stands for a better shot. Usually, a shoot would involve direction from someone, and the photographer, as well as lighting assistants, make-up artists, and clothing assistants. Alice knew she was being tested. She also knew that she had very little to lose. The fact that the elf had even allowed her in the place was something of a miracle. Did Kandomere really have such influence?

When she was done, she handed her camera to Alavara to inspect. Kandomere looked over her shoulder as she surveyed each shot in turn, his mouth lifting slightly into a smile with moment. Well, he was impressed. But, he wasn’t the one she needed to impress.

After several more agonising minutes, Alavara handed Alice back her camera. She considered the human woman for a long moment before she spoke.

“You have a good eye. You are fortunate that I am in need of a photographer. Someone who can anticipate my direction and know what I want to have shot. What qualifications do you have?”

“Uh... None. I never earned enough for that,” Alice answered, wondering if such an admission would hinder her chances.

“No matter. Human qualifications mean very little here, not that you really need them if you have natural talent. If you report here tomorrow morning at 9am, I will see that you are taken care of. Instructions will be left at the reception desk for you, so you should have no trouble getting in.”

Alice stared at the woman. She was offering her a job. A job she never thought she’d have. “I’ll be here. Though, I have a condition,” she answered.

Kandomere gave a her a pointed look, but she ignored it.

“And what would that be?” Alavara said, folding her arms.

“I’m assuming you heard about what happened to my friend and I?”

“Indeed I did. Such things do not stay secret in this town. Purists always were vulgar and hateful. What is your condition?”

“I want Kyra here with me. It doesn’t matter what you have her doing. Just something she can get paid doing.”

Alavara inclined her head. “I could use an assistant, as long as she doesn’t mind doing the running around.”

“We were waitresses. Running around was part of the job.”

“Then bring her along. On time. I do not like to be kept waiting,” Alavara warned, though there was little venom in it.

“Of course. Thank you. I appreciate you giving me a chance. I’ll try not to let you down,” she said, glancing at Kandomere. He was looking at her with a curious expression.

They left in silence, Alice’s mind still a whirlwind over what had just happened. How had he managed to convince the prestigious Elven photographer to take her on, she couldn’t fathom. Did she owe him something? Was she an old flame? She tried not to dwell on such possibilities as he drove her back to the apartment. She turned to him as he parked up.

“I don’t know how you did that, and I’m not sure I want to know, but thank you. It’s beyond anything I could have hoped for. I’ll try not to screw it up. Unless Faltorin shows up, then I won’t be held responsible for my actions,” she said, smirking.

“You’re welcome, and Alavara would never allow a purist to set foot inside her building. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Alice wanted to say more, but she didn’t know how without sounding like an idiot, so she simply got out and let him go back to work. The more she discovered about him, the more mysterious he became.

Chapter Text

Kyra had been both mystified and thrilled at the prospect of working for such a renowned elf. Alice had told her all about the brief interview and how the models had treated her. Kyra was worried that she’d actually be treated worse, but Alice assured her that just as before, she’d never let anyone mistreat her.

Heeding Alavara’s words, both Alice and Kyra were awake early and out of the door by 8am. Alice felt the faintest pang of disappointment that they hadn’t run into Kandomere on the way out, but she deduced that he was likely already at work. The Inferni wouldn’t stop just because Leilah was dead. Despite this, Alice couldn’t shake away the feelings of confusion she had around what he had done for her, for them. At first, she’d thought it was purely out of guilt, but his continued help seemed like overkill if it was only because he felt guilty.

She tried to think no more about it as they arrived at the studio a good 30 minutes early. Alavara was inwardly impressed by the eagerness, though she mostly kept a neutral expression.

She set Kyra to work on setting up modelling spaces, arranging outfits in order, ensuring all the coolers and fridges were stocked for the models, and doing any runner tasks that were needed by the staff.

As had happened the day before, the models mostly ignored Alice’s direction. She did her best with what she was given, getting more irritated as another hour ticked by.

One particular model refused to be directed at all, standing how she wanted and refusing to look at Alice’s camera. After a particularly snotty huff and some venomous words in Elvish spoke under her breath, Alice snapped. She yelled at the prissy model, throwing in some choice Elvish insults.

Alavara had let the corner of her lips slip upwards in a faint smirk. She’d been waiting for Alice to finally unveil some of the fire Kandomere had told her about.

She instantly dismissed the model, telling her in Elvish that she was not to return and would not be paid. The model had stomped past Alice, whacking her shoulder on the way.

As the model left, Alice’s ire fled and was replaced with nervousness. Causing such a ruckus on her first day wasn’t what she’d intended to do. She was anticipating getting asked to leave. A human yelling at an elf model? Surely they would never tolerate such a thing…

“I was waiting for you to say something!” Alavara exclaimed, grinning widely.

Alice looked at her with wide eyes. “Uh… what?”

“You were hired for your talent, not your race. Models will always think they are better than others, even other elves. But you are the photographer. They will follow your direction, or they will leave.”

Alice was genuinely stunned. “But, won’t they just leave and go somewhere else?”

“No one else offers what I do. No one else has the prestige that my company does. All Elvish publications buy from me. Any model who wants to be known comes to me.”

It wasn’t ego. It was years of meticulous work that Alavara had put into her business. It seemed she was true to her word. She wanted talent, regardless of what form it took. She wasn’t about to lose a great photographer in favour of an over-privileged model.

She instructed all models to follow Alice’s direction or risk losing their contracts. Alice knew they didn’t like it, but they did as they were told and gave Alice no further trouble.

After she finished the last shoot of the day, Alavara handed her some money up front.

“Oh, no, I can wait for whenever you normally do payroll,” Alice said, trying to hand the money back.

Alavara waved a hand dismissively. “Consider it a sign-on bonus. You really got me out of a bind, I’d been doing my own photography for weeks. I’d been bending Kandomere’s ear for any help he could throw my way.”

“How do you even know him? I can’t imagine you’ve had many dealings with the MTF,” Alice asked as she put her camera away.

“Oh, I’ve known the family for decades. Back when I used to do all photography myself, I attended all important Elvish events. Weddings, graduations, maturity celebrations. I’d known his mother since before she married his father, Airdan. I took all the pictures for his sister’s 16th birthday.”

“I didn’t even know he had a sister. Where is she?”

“Oh, my dear, she’s dead. Murdered by Leilah only a few months after her birthday. Solana was very much like him. Stubborn, driven, brave, honourable. Leilah was convinced that she must be a Bright, though no one every truly knows until they touch a wand.”

“Well, it’s more common in Elves. Are there Brights in his family?” Alice asked.

“Not as far as anyone knows, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Leilah tried to convince Solana to join the Inferni, but she of course refused and told Kandomere about it. He was still a junior agent of the MTF and she was his first mission. He was young and inexperienced, and hadn’t anticipated Leilah using his sister against him. He tracked her to an Inferni Coven safe house where Leilah had Solana captive. Leilah slit her throat in front of him and escaped, using his concern for his sister to get away. She died in his arms.”

Alice listened to the story feeling a multitude of emotions. To lose his sister in such terrible circumstances, she was beginning to understand why he had felt the need to step in on her behalf. He loathed injustice.

“I still don’t know how he managed to convince you to hire me. I’m grateful for it of course!” Alice said, pretending to fiddle with her camera.

“Oh, he didn’t need to do much. He told me what happened and how his insistence on pressing charges had lost you your job and home. He’s always hated the prejudice of our world, and it has increased since he decided to work for the MTF. Elves rarely take such jobs. They are considered beneath us. Jobs for humans.”

“Given his work chasing the Inferni, I would think he’d have more important things to do,” Alice said, looking at her.

“I have known him for many years. He does not give his consideration lightly. Human or otherwise.”

Alice wasn’t convinced it wholly explained his kindness to her and Kyra. She was convinced that he could be earning a fortune subletting his spare apartment to some rich elves.

The sun was setting when she arrived home and the main light in the hall on their floor was out. Not one to ask for help with something so simple, and without knowing that such a rich building would have a 24/7 maintenance call out, she dragged a chair out and set about trying to prize the cover off the light fixture.

She’d been at it for almost an hour when Kandomere arrive home, appearing beside her and scaring her with asking what she was doing. As she turned, she positioned herself badly on the chair and it toppled over, Kandomere’s reflexes instantly working to catch her. She’d fallen against his chest, the weight of them both pushing him back against the wall as he tried to settle her on her feet.

“We have people to do this. You didn’t need to endanger yourself to change a bulb.”

“Uh… It was dark and I just wanted to get it done. But, I couldn’t get the cover off,” she replied, trying not to touch him as she got her feet under her.

Kandomere noticed the faint embarrassed flush, despite the darkness of the hall. Once again, she’d ended up in his arms because of her headstrong stubbornness. She was so very human, but her strength of will was more than most elves he’d ever known.

“I will sort it. Are you hurt?” he asked, letting go of her arms.

She chuckled weakly. “Just my pride.”

He gave her a smile. Humans certainly could be clumsy. He didn’t say as much of course, it would be unkind. He was acutely aware of the physical advantages Elves had over the other species. He didn’t believe it made him better than them. He had worked alongside humans for more than 20 years and as a result he rarely even thought about their differences. He mostly saw how they were similar. Perhaps such similarities were what drew him to someone like Alice.

Even as she dragged the chair back into her apartment, the flush still staining her cheeks, he could see the stubborn fire within her.

He shook his head. He wasn’t above considering humans as worthy of intimacy, but given how they met and her current living situations, he didn’t want there to be an imbalance of power. He certainly didn’t see himself as her superior, but given that he had gotten her an apartment and a job, it wouldn’t send out the right message.

He said goodnight and went to his own apartment, already arranging for the maintenance team to replace the bulb she’d nearly broken her neck changing. He wasn’t sure if he was overthinking things, but he refused to be accused of taking advantage.

Inside her apartment, Alice was having a similar dilemma. No one could deny that Elves carried with them an air of beauty. There was an ethereal quality to them, even without an Elf being a Bright. Perhaps it was a primal throwback. She had no idea, but she couldn’t get the sight of him out of her mind, given that she’d fallen on him. She’d felt every muscle in his chest and the strength of his arms as they held her.

When he’d carried her out of the restaurant all those weeks ago, she had been half unconscious and hadn’t been able to appreciate such chivalry. She’d been so concerned with work, she hadn’t given a thought to actually look at the man who rescued her. The fact that she’d needed the rescue still irritated her, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.

She really hoped she wasn’t developing some silly crush on the man. It seemed so childish. She’d been working around Elves for years now, and she’d never had anything other than a passing admiration for them.

She was determined to ignore it and put on a crappy action film until she dozed off.

Chapter Text

The TV was still on when her alarm woke her, the film menu music playing every 30 seconds. She flicked it off and groaned. She wasn’t in the habit of being so frivolous with her electric, and now that Kandomere was paying for it, she had intended to be even more reserved.

She ate a small bowl of cereal and thought about what food they would need to buy when they got paid. She had a little money in her account, but she wasn’t comfortable dipping into it until more had been deposited.

Once again, Kandomere was nowhere to be seen when she and Kyra left for work. The blown bulb had however been fixed at some point in the night. Alice was impressed. She was certain he had been true to his word about the maintenance available in the building. In the human community, such requests would take days, even weeks. More often than not they would need to fix urgent problems themselves.

When they arrived at the studio, Alavara was having a meltdown over a model who had turned up high. That was certainly a dose of reality Alice hadn’t expected. Human models were notorious for over indulging in drink and drugs. She genuinely hadn’t expected the same to be true of elves, though she and Kyra knew ‘pixie dust’ was rife amongst the lower-class workers. The valet drivers at the restaurant often brought their stashes to work to share around the kitchen staff. Alice had never tried it and was never stupid enough to leave anything she intended to eat or drink around them/ Kyra hadn’t been quite so lucky.

Not long after they had started working for Norkas her homemade food had been spiked. Thankfully, Alice managed to persuade Norkas to send Kyra home ill, embellishing on how much she’d been vomiting in the toilets and that she couldn’t be around food like that. It would be a health code violation. She’d threatened the kitchen staff with food tampering, telling them she’d source some good and fresh orc shit. They claimed not to believe her, but they never messed with her or Kyra again. She had been secretly grateful they hadn’t. Following through on her threat was not something she would have relished in, even though they would have deserved it.

Meanwhile, Alavara had thrown the model out and ripped up his contract. She was fuming.

“That is the second model in two days I’ve had to fire!” she screamed at no one in particular.

Alice flushed guiltily. The first model had been because of her. She’d been grateful for her standing up in the way she did, but she also knew that if Alavara kept firing models she’d have none left for her to shoot.

Alavara noticed the look and waved a hand at her.

“It is good riddance to bad rubbish. Isn’t that what humans say?” she quipped.

Alice chuckled weakly. “I suppose it is.”

Alavara rambled off some orders in Elvish to her subordinate, who then rushed off to execute them. Alice understood some Elvish, though she was far from fluent, but the speed with which Alavara spoke in went right over her head.

“I have sent for more. As I told you, everyone wants to work here.”

With no model present there was little for Alice and Kyra to do.

“Can we do anything to help set up?” Alice asked, not wanting to be a spare part.

“No, we were all ready for you to come right in. As soon as the new model arrives we’ll get to work.”

Alice nodded. She was out of her element. She was so used to just finding things to do when it came to the service industry, being here as a photographer with nothing to photograph, she felt next to useless.

“I trust you healed up well after that nasty incident at the restaurant?” Alavara asked.

Alice was surprised by the question. “Oh, yes. I’m all good now. It was mostly just bruising. A few cuts from the glass.”

“It was quite fortunate that Kandomere was there that night. That awful purist might have really harmed you.”

Alice blushed. She had very little memory after the initial hit from Faltorin until she woke up in the elf hospital. Kyra had told her the whole story, how Kandomere had quite literally leapt over tables to cuff the assaulter and had picked her up without even thinking, whisking her out to his car and speeding off into the night. She’d made it sound like a fairy tale.

“Possibly. But, I wasn’t going to stand by whilst he attacked Kyra. He was awful to her every time he came in.”

“Blood Purists. High Borns. It’s all rubbish. I did not earn my reputation by relying on such archaic ideals. I worked hard. As does Kandomere. Although he reports to a superior, he is the Special Agent in Charge of the Magic Task Force. The entire department reports to him. Most elves would consider such a vocation to be beneath them. Working with humans. It’s not quite a fall from grace, as they would say, but it doesn’t elevate him. The best part is, he doesn’t care. He never did.”

It still surprised Alice that Alavara could be so verbose with her, especially about Kandomere, which she secretly appreciated.

“I don’t know about that. He still wears that gorget. I might be human but I know what it means,” Alice commented.

Alavara smiled. “He wore it. I have noticed that he stopped wearing it when he became acquainted with you.”

Alice flushed again. She was right. He had removed it the day she’d pointed it out to him.

“I’m not sure why. I just told him I knew what it meant.”

Alavara waved a hand. “It was his father’s. He didn’t wear it out of belief in the words. He wore it purely for sentimentality. His father told him it would add an air of superiority over those he was leading. At the time, he was young and naïve about the human world he’d stepped into. He no doubt felt foolish having it pointed out to him. It’s something he should have removed years ago, I think it had simply become a habit,” she explained.

“Still, he shouldn’t have taken me to an elf hospital. That won’t have been god for his reputation, especially charging the visit to the MTF.”

Alavara smirked and looked at Alice intently. “Oh, he didn’t charge it to the MTF. He paid for it himself.”

The flush that had barely dissipated returned threefold. He’d paid for her hospital stay? Why would he do that? There’s no way she could earn enough in a year, even doing photography, to pay him back.

Alavara chuckled. “I believe he’s quite fond of you.”

Alice stuttered. “No, no… I think it’s just guilt… He tried so hard to get Faltorin prosecuted it lost me and Kyra our jobs and apartments. He just… feels bad…”

“Oh, I’m sure there was some minor guilt… in the beginning. But now? I’m not so sure. He does not open so easily, not even amongst his own kind.”

Alavara’s phone interrupted them. Alice was grateful for the distraction. Kyra had been silently standing listening to the exchange and was busy grinning at her.

“Oh, stop that!” Alice whispered.

Kandomere’s morning had been more eventful. Reports had been coming in from other MTF divisions around the west coast of Inferni Coven activity. Even though Leilah was long dead, he hadn’t assumed that they’d somehow stopped the entire organisation. The Inferni were countrywide, and likely had offshoots across the globe. Capturing one Inferni wand wouldn’t be enough to stop their plans.

It still burned him that he hadn’t been the one to kill Leilah, or even bring her in, though he was smart enough to recognise that she wouldn’t have been taken willingly. Tikka was considered dead along with Leilah’s other coven members, but without any remains he wasn’t completely convinced. She might have turned against Leilah, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. He didn’t trust the Shield of Light either. They might have thought they had noble intentions, but they were just as obsessed with magic as the Inferni were.

He’d re-read the same passage of the report in front him three times before he gave up. Images of Alice in his arms had been unrelenting for most of the morning. It was frustrating. This auburn-haired woman had quite literally crashed into his life and he hadn’t been able to shake any thought of her away. He wanted to be mad about it, but he couldn’t summon any ire whatsoever. There was something just so utterly intoxicating about her presence. He’d spent so many years engrossed in his work, he’d never given any thought to sending time with anyone but his colleagues.

Montehugh’s rapping on his door was a welcome relief.

“Boss? We got a lead. Might be bogus, but…”

“No, we should check on it. We need all the leads we can get,” Kandomere said, standing up and slipping the files away into his desk drawer.

He followed his partner out, determined to shift his focus back to his job.

Alavara had been right. Models had turned up from all over the city to work for her. Most had initially tried to give Alice a hard time, but a stern word from Alavara was all it took to put them in their place. She was happy to let Alice do all direction, though she remained present just in case a model decided to get particularly mouthy.

As it was, the day went relatively smoothly after the morning’s debacle. Alavara didn’t have a single criticism for any of Alice’s pictures, or indeed Kyra’s speedy work doing whatever else she needed. The sense of accomplishment Alice found by actually doing something she loved, couldn’t be understated. She went home gloriously happy and Kyra was glad to not have to deal with the sneers from elves she was forced to serve for a pittance.

The rest of the week went just as smoothly. Alavara was just as chatty about Kandomere and she seemed to revel in making Alice blush.

Alavara was internally thrilled that her closest friend’s son seemed to have found someone to care about, though he hadn’t actually admitted it to her. Yet. All in good time. She knew him well enough to know when he felt passionate about something. She’d followed his career for long enough. To have something consume him other than chasing Inferni members was music to her ears.

Unfortunately, chasing the Inferni had meant many late nights, which had also meant that Alice hadn’t seen him all week. Was his interest waning? She felt stupid for thinking he had any interest in her other than guilt. There was still a part of her that worried he’d tell them that their stay in his spare apartment was temporary and that they’d have to start looking elsewhere. He had assured her that he wouldn’t do such a thing, and Alavara had said that he was a man of his word. Still, it made her uneasy.

Her unease was further exacerbated by their first week’s pay which had landed in their accounts. It was far more than they had been expecting and Alice intended to talk to Alavara about it on Monday. It was surely a mistake.

Chapter Text

It seemed Kandomere worked weekends as well as long nights. Alice hadn’t seen him all weekend, not that she’d ventured out for more than a few hours at a time across the two days, and mostly just to take pictures around the local neighbourhood. It was a routine she’d been doing for years wherever she lived, no matter the conditions. She found the contrast between rich and poor to be as fascinating as it was disgusting. Before she’d lived in Elftown she’d moved around many of the poorest areas of LA. Dirt and depravation were par for the course. Litter, graffiti, run down buildings, most of the places she’d lived in had these things in common.

When she’d managed to obtain a residency pass for the human community in Elftown, she’d ben stunned by how clean everything was, despite the simplicity of the buildings. The community had purely catered for humans by humans. Although humans weren’t technically forbidden from shopping in Elvish establishments, over the years it had become more common for like to stick with like. The only difference was the human community had to stick to Elvish standards of cleanliness. It had felt very much like an upgrade compared to how she’d grown up.

When Kandomere had come into her life and allowed her and Kyra to stay in his spare apartment, the contrast between the human community and the building he lived in had surprised her. Everything was more than clean; it was polished and gilded. Poor elves were almost non-existent. Kyra was an oddity. She was the unfortunate by-product of her parent’s bad life choices. As an elf she had every right to be in Elftown without any sort of permit, but when Alice had met her when she started working at Norkas’ establishment, she’d been treated worse than a human. To say she carried the sins of her parents was an understatement. Part of her hoped that she would meet a nice Elvish man, as archaic as such a notion was. Alice honestly didn’t see how Kyra could improve her standing within the community without elves to back her up. It was partly why she felt so protective of her. Her humanness couldn’t elevate Kyra, but she could stand up for her, even if it did earn her a backhand.

Monday came around and Alice made a beeline for Alavara as soon as they got to the studio. Neither of them had felt comfortable spending any of the money they had been paid, fearing that the amount was a mistake.

“Um, Alavara? Can I talk to you about the money?” Alice asked, hovering a safe distance as the older woman perused the day’s schedule.

“Money? Was the amount wrong? Were you underpaid?” she replied, not looking up.

“Uh, no… no, I think we were overpaid… Uh… We’ve only been here a week…”

Alavara looked up, turning her head to face Alice. “This is not the restaurant business. Pay reflects talent. Though, I will say, restaurant staff don’t get paid nearly enough. I know they take advantage, particularly of humans.”

Alice was stunned. The stubborn part of her wanted to argue that being paid for the equivalent of a month’s work as a server when they’ve only worked for a week in the studio was too much. Did Kandomere have something to do with it?

“Are you sure?” Alice said, looking briefly at Kyra, who was also stunned.

“Of course I’m sure. You should see how much the models are paid. It’s obscene…”

Alice had no doubt about that. Even in the human world, models were highly paid. High profile models lived very much like celebrities. She imagined that Elftown models all considered themselves to be celebrities. The distain she’d been treated with when she first set foot inside the studio seemed to highlight how they viewed themselves.

Deciding to swallow her pride, at least for the moment, she nodded and concentrated on setting up her camera as the first models arrived for the first day’s shoots. It seemed Alavara was right. Models were still turning up wanting to work under her studio name and had heeded her warning about turning up intoxicated. Although none of the models were happy to see that their photographer was human, they did as she directed without vocal complaint. A few of them had turned up wearing a similar gorget to the one Kandomere had worn, and had deliberately take their time in removing it when in Alice’s presence. She simply rolled her eyes and ordered them into various poses.

As she had the previous week, Alavara remained present to give an extra level of authority should one of the models given Alice a hard time. So far, she hadn’t needed to step in again and the day passed without any incidents.

Kandomere was frustrated. The lead he and Montehugh had followed up over the weekend turned out to be next to worthless. It had been a wasted effort for all involved, and they were no closer to tracking down the nearest Inferni coven they suspected had stepped in to replace Leilah’s coven. It seemed they had learned from Leilah’s mistakes in staying below the radar. There hadn’t been any magical outbursts detected, no reports of wand sightings. Nothing.

Ordinarily, he’d be working late into the night, but he’d done that all weekend and the previous week. Furthermore, he hadn’t had the opportunity to see how Alice was getting on at Alavara’s studio. Despite how busy his department had been researching sources and chasing endless leads, she hadn’t been that far from his mind.

He decided to clock out at a reasonable hour so he could swing by the studio and hopefully catch Alice before she could leave for home. He picked up coffee on the way, smiling to himself at the reminder of their previous conversation regarding an elf-owned coffee shop potentially poisoning her coffee simply because she was human.

When he arrived, the studio was winding down for the day and everyone was busy packing up. He spotted Alice going through her camera, so he moved over to her and held out the coffee.

She was startled by the cup suddenly hovering in front of her face and nearly dropped her camera.

“Christ! That would have been costly. For you,” she groused as she gripped her camera tightly and put it away.

He was smirking as she took the coffee from him. “I didn’t realise coffee could be so frightening.”

“I suppose that all depends on how much poison you ordered,” she quipped back then took a sip.

He actually chuckled. He looked at her for a long moment, noticing a faint flush beginning to creep across her cheeks. Before he could analyse it further, Alavara exclaimed loudly and called him to her.

Alice watched as they embraced and Alavara began talking rapidly in Elvish. It was far too fast for her to catch any of it, and she decided that it wasn’t a conversation she needed to hear. She sipped on her coffee and helped Kyra tidy up the racks of clothing ready for the next lot of models.

Alavara missed nothing. Kandomere had used the excuse that he just wanted to check that Alice was proving to be a good recommendation, but she saw straight through it.

“I have known you for far too long. I know when something has caught your eye. I can certainly understand why! She’s quite the firecracker,” Alavara said, poking him in the chest.

Kandomere huffed and folded his arms. For the most part, he wasn’t a man who was easy to read, but Alavara didn’t miss a thing. “I was responsible for her losing her employment and her home. It was only right that I fix my mistake.”

It was a crappy excuse and they both knew it.

“Perhaps in the beginning there was a small notion of guilt, but now it is far beyond that.” She placed a hand on his chest where his gorget used to be. “You removed it for her.”

He shook his head. “No, it was time. Beyond time to remove it.”

“You do not fool me. You wouldn’t have removed it for anyone. Not even your partner for the last decade. But you did for her. I’ll bet you tucked it away somewhere you cannot see it day to day,” she said.

He sighed heavily. He had hidden it away. He didn’t like to look at it.

Alavara put a hand on his cheek. “There is no shame in your feelings for her. It is past time you found some balance in your life. Solana would want you to be happy. Leilah is dead.”

His eyes closed momentarily. As good as it had been to know that Leilah had finally paid for all she’d done with her life, there was still the angry brotherly part of him that had wanted to do the job himself.

“She would have tried to set me up long ago with one of her human friends,” he replied.

“Exactly. It is time for you to share all that is good in this world with someone.” She gave his cheek a light pat.

Alice finished her coffee and zipped up her camera bag, slipping it over her shoulder. She hadn’t caught anything that had been said, and she’d been trying her hardest not to stare at them.

“We’re all cleaned up I think. Is it okay for us to go?” she asked Alavara.

“Oh, goodness, yes. Please, get yourself home!”

“I am on my way there also. I can drive us,” Kandomere offered.

“Oh, no thank you. I need to do some shopping. I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way. The human community is on the other side of the district.”

“Human community? Nonsense! I will take you shopping,” Alavara said in response.

“Uh… we wouldn’t really be welcome in elf-run places. I think I’ve caused enough of a scene recently…”

“My dear, I will take you. No one will say a word, I will make sure of it.”

Alice opened her mouth, the urge to protest rising once again. She caught Kandomere’s eye and he was smirking slightly as he gave a shake of his head, having seen the urge in her.

She closed her mouth and let out a breath. “Only if you’re sure…”

“I am always sure,” Alavara responded, smiling widely.

Kandomere said his goodbyes and went to indulge in some retail therapy of his own. Kyra made her excuses and left soon after, leaving Alice with Alavara.

True to her word, they visited every fancy food shop that Alavara knew, ensuring that Alice had the best of everything. She even paid for everything, which did earn enthusiastic protests from Alice, given she had money to pay her own way. Of course, her protests were ignored, and just to hammer the point home, Alavara also insisted on taking Alice to one of her favourite boutiques, insisting that she pick out at least one outfit. Fortunately for Alice, very little was designed to fit a more voluptuous frame, so one single outfit was all she could wear.

Chapter Text

Kandomere was pulling into his parking space when he saw Alice trudging to their building laden with bags. Alavara had clearly outdone herself and he would bet that she’d insisted on paying for the lot. He chuckled as he grabbed his own bags, far fewer by comparison, and locked his car. He hadn’t initially intended to do any clothes shopping, but the yearly Bureau Ball was coming up and given his authority within his department, he was always expected to attend.

He caught up with Alice as she was struggling to press the button on the lift to their floor.

“Do you need a hand?” he said from behind her.

The voice startled her enough that she dropped a few of the clothes bags she’d been struggling with. Bloody stealthy elves. “That woman knows how to shop!”

He chuckled again, picking up the bags she’d dropped and followed her into the lift.

“She is a woman who will do exactly what she says she will.”

“That’s rather an understatement. I just needed some food. She insisted on getting clothes, shoes, a few bits of jewellery that I could never afford…” she replied, trying to figure out which bag had the offending pieces in it.

“And she paid for the lot?”

“Yes. Yet another thing I couldn’t talk her out of. She might actually be more stubborn than me.”

He was curious as to what Alavara had bought her, but he wasn’t about to go snooping. He was sure Alavara would insist on seeing Alice in her purchases at some point, so he’d no doubt see them eventually.

He wordlessly took more of her bags as she let herself into the apartment, motioning for her to let him in so he could put them all down. He hadn’t seen the inside of the apartment since she and Kyra had moved in and he was curious as to what they had done to it to make it more comfortable.

Predictably, most of the pictures on the walls were Alice’s. There were even some new ones he hadn’t seen previously, mostly from Elftown around the local area. Perhaps something she’d kept herself busy doing whilst he’d been working weekends.

Nothing else had really changed. All the décor and furniture was still the same.

“If there’s anything you need to change, you are free to do so. I will not be offended of some of the furnishings are not to your taste,” he said as he put the clothing bags on the sofa.

“Oh, no. It’s all fine. Better than what we could afford,” Alice replied as she moved to put the food bag in the kitchen.

Kandomere followed her. “And in here? You must tell me if anything doesn’t work.”

“No, everything is fine. A washing machine and a dryer was certainly an upgrade!”

He frowned at that. “You didn’t have that in the human community?”

“They had taken a page out of the human world’s book. There were communal washing facilities in the basement. The apartments didn’t have their own.”

That seemed outrageous to him. He knew such things existed in the human world, but given the standards in Elftown, he expected the same standards to be set for the human community. Apparently not. It irked him. Prejudice was common between the races and most elves were reluctant to do anything about it. No oppressor wants to change a system that suits them so well. Being around Alice simply opened his eyes to just how badly non-elves were truly treated. His role in the MTF was hardly in keeping with Elvish ideals, so prejudice was rarer. Elves and humans worked together. Montehugh would make his cracks about elves not doing the menial jobs, but he wouldn’t pay them much attention. Something he realised now was part of his privilege as an elf. He didn’t need to address prejudice until it was under his nose, as it had been when Faltorin had attacked Alice. He couldn’t even begin to imagine just how badly orcs were treated by both elves and humans.

“I didn’t realise things were like that over there. Perhaps I was naïve to assume they would be much like this,” he answered honestly.

“They wouldn’t waste the money on such luxuries for humans.”

That stung. Not because he thought she was directing the comment at him, but because he’d been living in his MTF Inferni-hunting bubble for more than two decades and he’d barely noticed how bad things were for anyone else.

He got lost in his thoughts for a few moments and busied himself with unpacking her bags onto the dining table. In his quiet quest to understand his growing fondness and understand more about Alice as a person, he hadn’t stopped to consider how she felt about anything. Alavara hadn’t said as much, but she’d hinted at Alice’s returned interest.

Alice had worked with elves long enough to recognise when they were deep in thought. It wasn’t in the facial expressions, but in the minor ear twitches. Something a human would ordinarily miss as it isn’t something they would be looking for.

She wordlessly began taking items off the table and putting them away, glancing back at him every so often to see when his ears stopped twitching. Whatever it was that occupied his mind, she didn’t want to interrupt it. Unfortunately, his thoughts halted his movements and he had his hand on a bag of apples that she tried to take from him. The feel of the bag being gently tugged from his hand startled him out of his thoughts.

“Sorry… These were the last to go away…” Alice said, her eyes intense as she regarded him.

He shook his head a moment. “I was just thinking about work,” he lied.

“Big case keeping you up?”

“Always. The Inferni don’t rest.”

It had been the first time he’d mentioned what he does, though everyone knew what the MTF were famous for. Given what Alavara had told her about his sister, Alice wondered if every thought he put into catching Inferni members brought him a modicum of peace over what had been done to her.

“Anything I should be worried about? I’m sure they don’t exactly go around advertising their presence, but given how most elves feel about non-elves, am I in danger?”

He hadn’t considered that Alice herself might be in any danger of Inferni activity. They didn’t usually bother with humans, given that their end goal was to resurrect The Dark Lord, as he had been known in legend. Anyone who perished in the attempt would just be collateral damage.

“Not to my knowledge. Despite prejudice, most elves wouldn’t associate themselves with anything Inferni-related. The treatment of your friend would seem to confirm that because of her parents,” he answered.

“Which is bullshit. She was barely more than a toddler when they were killed, she’s hardly going to follow in their footsteps. It’s just disgusting. She’s treated worse than I am.”

He didn’t know Kyra well at all, and he hadn’t been particularly familiar with her parents, he’d only been a young agent at the time they were killed.

“I’ve spent so long working with humans, it was far too easy for me to forget how badly non-elves are still regarded. Despite how we met, I am glad that my eyes were opened,” he said honestly.

Alice flushed at the oddly-worded compliment. Aside from Kyra, she’d never really experience gratitude from an elf before. Back at the restaurant, elves rarely ever said thank you, and if they did, it was purely out of practiced habit.

He felt the corner of his lip tilt upwards at the flush. He hadn’t realised how good it would feel to elicit a physical response from her that didn’t come from stubbornness.

“I suppose it’s easy to just get stuck in your own world. The MTF can’t be an easy job to do,” she replied, shrugging in an attempt to be nonchalant.

Kandomere didn’t buy it. He stepped closer to her. “It isn’t, but I think someone with your tenacity would thrive in such a role. You give your work your all, no matter the workplace.”

The flush intensified. “I nearly dropped your dinner in your lap,” she said, looking away and giving a weak chuckle.

“You were concerned about your friend. Fighting injustice is a noble quality.”

Her cheeks were completely stained red as she looked back up at him. She couldn’t form a coherent thought for long enough to respond. She couldn’t understand why he was being so complimentary. He’d never been unkind or unpleasant in any way towards her, but she’d thought he was just following through on what he considered his responsibility to be, given his reporting of her assault had lost her her home and job.

Just as she was trying to focus her mind enough to squeak some words out, Kandomere leaned forward, tilting his head as he pressed his lips to hers. Any thoughts that she’d been trying to coalesce completely evaporated. All she could focus on was the feel of his lips as they moved to deepen the kiss, and his body stepping completely against hers, moving her backwards until she was pressed against the nearest wall.

The urge to kiss her had blossomed quite suddenly within his chest. He couldn’t rationally determine what had caused it, only that he couldn’t ignore it. The softness of her lips caused a faint groan to erupt in his throat and his lips to move more firmly against hers.

Alice was practically wedged between the wall and the elf, her hands gripping his jacket as their lips moved instinctually in rhythm. She felt him shift against her, his strong thigh slipping between hers so he could move it upwards against her crotch. In the move, he was also now practically straddling her hip, his groin pressing firmly, giving a perfect indication of just how interested he was.

A silly thought trotted through her mind, thinking back to when she’d told Kyra that Faltorin spoke down to her and spent obscene amounts of money to compensate for his small genitals. The way Kandomere was gently grinding himself against her hip definitely assured her that he was lacking in any way.

His knee moved against her crotch again, causing her to moan against his lips. The sound caused him to smile and shift his kisses to her neck, giving very gentle nips with his pointed teeth as his thumb stroked across her lips. He groaned deeply when he felt the warm wetness of her tongue lap at his thumb, the digit slipping into her mouth. A shudder ran through him at the wordless implication of what she was doing to his thumb and he ran his nose along her neck and up to her ear, inhaling deeply.

He removed his thumb and moved his lips back to hers, slipping his tongue along hers as they battled for dominance. He felt her hands slip under his waistcoat so she could untuck his shirt, her fingers dancing across the heated skin of his back.

Another firm roll of his hips and a press of his knee against her crotch had them both groaning. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to unzip his trousers, divest her of her own, and lift her onto his arousal.

The faintest voice of reason echoed in the back of his mind. He wanted to do things properly. Take her out, get to know her outside of the circumstances that had brought them together. There was no doubt that they wanted each other. His erection was twitching insistently against her hip, and he could feel the intense heat from between her thighs.

So, it was with sheer willpower that he pulled his lips away and let his forehead rest against hers, breathing heavily.

“Why did you stop?” she whispered, her hands moving to stroke his cheeks, trying to lean up to kiss him.

He chuckled, taking her hands in his and kissing the fingers. “I want to do this properly.”

“Bedroom?” she replied.

He chuckled again. “No, I want to take you out.” Then he had a thought; “There’s a yearly ball I must attend. I usually attend alone, but I would like to take you.”

“You… you want to take me? Isn’t that a little… public?” She inwardly winced at how it sounded, but she hoped he would understand the inference.

“Of course I do. I don’t care what people think. I would hope you wouldn’t. It is our business,” he said, giving her forehead a kiss.

She groaned. “You’re really going to make us wait?”

He grinned and leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Believe me, I had every thought to fuck you right here.” He took her hand and placed it over his bulge, eliciting a gasp from her as her hand gave him a firm squeeze. “I’m going to be thinking about you when I’m stroking my cock later…”

He gave her a final firm kiss before pulling away and retreating from the kitchen to retrieve his bags. Alice stumbled after him as he reached the apartment door. He grinned at her as he opened the door, winking just once before leaving, closing the door firmly behind him.

Chapter Text

The thought that Kandomere had left with her had utterly dominated her thoughts for the rest of the evening. She’d actually considered taking an early shower so she could work off the arousal he’d elicited in her, but Kyra came home before she could put thought into practice. She didn’t usually keep things from Kyra, but she didn’t tell her what had happened. She didn’t fully understand what it meant yet and what it would mean for the immediate future. Discussion about such things hadn’t really been part of what happened.

They were able to eat a decent meal for the first time in weeks, thanks to Alavara, and Kyra had made a friend in one of the other runners at the studio. They were both young and timid, and it seemed they had circumstance in common. Although her new friend hadn’t lost her parents to the Inferni, her mother died in childbirth and her father resented that she’d survived and her mother had not.

Hearing Kyra gush about having an elf friend made her smile. She’d tried to encourage such friendships where they used to work, but none of the other staff had wanted to be around Kyra outside of work. Alice had often wondered if her association with Kyra made things worse for her. Having a human friend couldn’t have helped her situation. There wasn’t anything Alice could do about that. She wasn’t about to abandon Kyra so she could focus on elf friendships.

After several hours of chatting, Alice made her excuses about being tired and escaped to her room. She was monumentally grateful for elf quality in that moment as the walls were thick enough to hide noises from other rooms. In truth, she wasn’t tired. She was horny. When she thought deeply enough about what had happened, she could still faintly remember the feel of his lips against hers, of his teeth nipping at her neck, and his erection rubbing against her hip.

She was already under the sheets and sliding her fingers between her legs as she conjured up the memory of him. She wasn’t just wet, she was sodden. A finger practically glided over her clit, the faint sound of sticky arousal echoing under the sheets as she set a quick rhythm, using her free hand to slide two fingers inside herself, her hips rocking upwards as she thrust them, wishing he hadn’t had the presence of mind to stop when he did.

She wondered how long he had waited himself before he’d given in to his own arousal. She could still hear his sultry voice in her ear as he assured her that he’d be thinking about her as he masturbated. The thought made her blush, though she couldn’t really understand why. They were grown-ups. Grown-ups had needs. He wouldn’t be any different just because he was an elf. It did make her wonder how often he needed to masturbate. Did elves have a higher sex drive than humans? She’d been led to believe that orcs certainly did, though she’d never dated an orc.

Repeating the memory of him saying he’d be thinking about her for a third time, she began to tremble and pant, her fingers working furiously but keeping a rhythm as she desperately sought her orgasm. The bed thankfully didn’t squeak as her hips bucked upwards repeatedly, a few final flourishes with her finger on her clit enough to send her over into blissful oblivion.

Kandomere hadn’t waited at all. He had already been unzipping his trousers as he left Alice’s apartment and unlocked his own door. He’d dropped his bags in a heap and shoved off his jacket, heading straight for the bathroom, his hand already pulling his cock free as he stepped up to his marble sink, his free hand pushing his trousers lower so he could grasp his balls.

His pace was urgent as he stroked, twisting his hand on the upstroke for greater sensation. Just as Alice had rerun their interaction in her mind, Kandomere focused on the feel of her under his hands, the contour of her full breast under her clothing, and the heat of her crotch against his thigh. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said how close he’d been to undressing her and fucking her against the wall.

His dating life was sparse. His work took up so much of his time, he often thought it would be unfair to subject his schedule onto a partner. He’d seen how difficult it was for Montehugh to keep his marriage afloat. Logically, he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to pursue anything with Alice, but he also recognised how unique she was. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it in some form.

Though he hadn’t told her yet, he’d been masturbating every day, sometimes twice a day since she’d been living in his building. He’d recognised early on just how delicious her scent was. Most people assumed that orcs were the race with the best sense of smell, but elves could actually rival them in that regard. Alice’s scent was musky, as most humans were, but it was tinged with spring blossom. He’d only noticed earlier that when aroused it became much stronger, as though she’d been rolling around in cherry blossom and hawthorn flowers. He’d also gotten the faint scent of her arousal. He could only imagine how she’d taste. Fruity and sweet.

He groaned loudly, his fingers becoming sticky with precome as his other hand rolled and firmly massaged his balls. He conjured up the memory of her tongue on his thumb, sucking it into her mouth. In that moment, he’d imagined how her mouth would feel around him. It wasn’t an act he’d experienced in abundance, though he’d certainly enjoyed it every time it had happened. He also looked forward to one day feeling how her pussy responded to his tongue, how her clit would become engorged as he sucked.

His groaning became panting and his hips jutted forward, mimicking how desperately he needed to thrust into her. Remembering the feel of her hands on the skin of his spine was enough to pull his climax from him, his heels lifting as he tried in vain to aim for the bowl of the sink, the force of his pleasure sending his come several feet, most of it hitting taps and splashback.

He was breathing heavily as his heels dropped, his hands leaving falling to the sides of the sink as his cock slowly deflated, hanging loosely out of his trousers. He lifted his head to look in the mirror and let out a weak chuckle. His pupils were completely blown, the irises barely a thin ring.

He was fairly certain he’d need to go again before bed.

Right as Alice had been falling asleep after her own orgasm, Kandomere had indeed masturbated again after getting into bed. He found that it was the best way to help him sleep, which he’d done quite well. His alarm woke him as usual. He’d also masturbated again in the shower, his thoughts still consumed by her.

He’d left early to avoid bumping into Alice. Not because he didn’t want to see her, but because he knew that so soon after their encounter, he’d struggle to keep his hands to himself. He didn’t want to walk into his department frustrated. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop him from being distracted by thoughts of her, having one or two moments where he’d struggled to keep his erection at bay. It was ridiculous. He felt like a teenager. He was trying to hide it, but Montehugh had known him long enough that he would soon notice.

Alice for her part didn’t expect to see him when she and Kyra left for the studio. He was often already gone by the time they needed to leave. It didn’t stop her from wishing that this morning would have been different. Not that she would have any idea what to say.

Kyra was to excited to see her new friend when they reached the studio to really notice the change in Alice, but Alavara didn’t miss a thing. She didn’t say anything of course, but nothing got by that woman.

Alice, to her credit, was completely professional throughout the day. She didn’t let the moments where her thoughts drifted to how completely she’d been covered by his strong body distract her from her job. She did flush a few times, but waved them off as just feeling the heat from the set lights.

As the day wound to a close, Alice was able to take a moment to breathe without worrying about her flustered thoughts causing an issue. Unfortunately, Alavara chose that moment to speak to her.

“It was very nice of Kandomere to bring you coffee yesterday,” she commented.

“Hmm? Oh! Yes, it was. I think he felt guilty for joking about elf-run coffee shops poisoning my coffee,” she answered, trying to wave away the generosity.

“No, no, I don’t think it’s guilt. I think it’s more than that.”

Alice flushed, her eyes wide as she looked at Alavara. “What do you mean?”

“My dear, humans have tells. Your dynamic has changed. Hasn’t it?”

Alice struggled to form words. It was a situation she had no idea how to explain, and it was made worse when the subject of their conversation appeared.

Alavara went over to him and they greeted each other as they always did. Alice’s flush deepened and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She hadn’t thought about how she would handle him coming to her workplace, even though he’d been responsible for her working there at all.

“I see you took my advice,” Alavara said in elvish to him.

“It’s… more complicated than that.”

“I wouldn’t expect it to be any different. I trust you’re being safe?”

Kandomere rolled his eyes. “We haven’t reached that point yet.”

“Why on earth not?” she questioned.

“I want to do things properly. I’ve invited her to the Bureau Ball on Friday.”

“Rather bold of you. I’ve no doubt you’ll turn some heads and set a lot of tongues wagging.”

He shrugged. “I don’t care. There’s no one else I’d rather take.”

“Oh, you’ll get no dissenting opinions from me. I merely wish to prepare you for the inevitable ‘scandal’ such a presence will cause. It might be time for a scandal,” Alavara said, smirking.

Despite his insistence that they hadn’t had sex, Alavara could tell that something deeply personal had happened. The way they both stared at each other was intense. She’d heard humans call it eye-fucking. There was a sickening amount of that going on in her studio. For Kandomere to take someone to the yearly Ball, whatever was developing between them was huge. He’d never taken anyone. Not in 20 years. She only wished his mother was still alive to see how he’d changed.

Chapter Text

Kyra was still oblivious to what was going on. She hadn’t been paying attention to the atmosphere at the studio when Kandomere arrived, and simply told Alice that she and her new friend were going out to eat at a new place, one she hoped wouldn’t know her parent’s reputation and would serve her as any other elf. She asked Alice to accompany them, but Alice assured her she was happy to let them go together. She excused herself by saying he was tired and just wanted to Netflix and Chill, her eyes flicking to Kandomere momentarily.

Kandomere for his part had heard every word. He also understood perfectly what the term meant, he’d heard it many times during his years with the MTF. He waited for Kyra to leave before making his way over to Alice, smirking at her slightly as she flushed, trying to busy herself with her camera.

“I’d be happy to give drive you home so you can chill with some Netflix,” he offered, grinning at her.

She blushed furiously. Bloody elf hearing.

“I wouldn’t want to keep you from something important,” she answered, zipping up her bag.

“Oh, I have the night to myself. I have plenty of time to run my fingers through some Netflix.”

She couldn’t help but giggle slightly at the clumsy euphemism. Despite that, it conjured up all manner of images about exactly what she’d like him to do with those fingers, so deliciously thick and dextrous. She struggled to meet his eyes as her cheeks burned and her crotch felt heated.

Elves never missed anything. He knew something he’d said had inflamed her interest. As visible as her reddened cheeks were, he could smell the intensity of her arousal. Any other elf within a few feet of her would be able to smell it also.

“Come, I’ll buy us coffee on the way.”

He turned to make his way out of the studio, kissing Alavara’s cheek as he did so, who simply gave him a knowing look. Alice said a quiet goodbye, unable to meet her eyes as she hurried past and followed Kandomere out to his car.

It was a typical government agent’s car. Black and sleek, and kitted with all bells and whistles. She’d been in the car more than once by now, but it always struck her just how well it suited him.

They still hadn’t really discussed what had happened and what it meant for them, and being alone with him in the car seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that. She just couldn’t find the words. She didn’t know how to broach the subject. Was he wanting to perhaps wait for the Ball to happen before they took things further, including any conversation about what they could potentially become.

She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realised he’d already pulled into the drive thru.

“What would you like?” he asked.

“Oh! Uh… Oat milk cappuccino, extra shot?” she replied.

He didn’t question her choice of milk alternatives, he simply filed the information away so he could make sure not to order her a coffee with cow’s milk again.

He paid for both coffees and handed hers to her. “Do you prefer oat milk?” he asked.

“I generally try to stay away from dairy. It doesn’t make my gut happy.”

He nodded. “Lactose intolerant?”

“No, I don’t digest protein very well. I try to keep certain types to a minimum.”

Digestive issues seemed to plague the humans far more than any other race. Several of the humans he worked with had various digestive issues and arguments would regularly break out about someone stealing someone else’s alternative milk from the break room fridge. Montehugh thankfully didn’t have any digestive complaints. He was happy to eat wherever Kandomere fancied.

The rest of the journey was silent, but full of tension. Alice focused entirely too hard on her coffee, grateful that he’d ordered a light roast. She wondered if it was his preferred type of coffee. Would dark roast be too strong in taste?

Kandomere could see her nursing the cup from the corner of his eye. Things were clearly unspoken and a little awkward. He thought about breaking the tension by asking her about what she thought about wearing for the Ball, but his building appeared all too soon.

Alice was out of the car before he’d turned the engine off, though she didn’t rush off as he feared she might.

In truth, she needed the air. The tension in the car had become unbearable. Cloying. She actually feared she might make him pull over and pick up where they had left off the previous night.

Kandomere for his part had sensed the tension also. In fact, he had been smelling her arousal increase with every passing second as it filled the small space within the cabin. It had certainly had an effect on him and he’d needed to do some groin adjustment as he stepped out of the car.

Alice shouldered her camera bag and held on to her coffee in a vice grip. They walked silently to the lift and ascended to the top floor in equal silence, the tension following them into the small space. Kandomere made the mistake of breathing in a little too deeply and ended up with a nose full of her scent. It actually made his eyes quiver and cross, and he wasn’t sure if he was grateful for the lift to reach their floor, or disappointed that he didn’t react.

He followed her closely as she did a quick march to her apartment, unlocking the door and stepping inside. She didn’t close the door behind her as she put her camera down and shoved her coffee aside, sucking in a deep breath as she turned to face Kandomere as he hovered in the doorway.

Her face was flushed as it had been in the studio, despite the dim light. Though she couldn’t see them properly, Kandomere’s eyes barely had any iris left, much like the previous night. Neither had said a word to the other since the coffee pick up, and it seemed neither needed words as they crashed together, the tension having finally exploded between them.

Kandomere pressed her against the open doorframe as she was trying to pull her jacket off. She dumped it on the floor and let her hands roam over him, tugging at his waistcoat buttons and untucking his shirt as he as busy plundering her mouth with his own.

His hands slipped down over her hips and pulled on her behind, pulling one of her legs over his hip as he ground his erection against her. She moaned loudly against his lips as her fingers slid along his skin. He shivered at her touch and pulled one of her hands down, sliding it between them so he could press it against his arousal, her fingers tracing the throbbing contours of him though his trousers.

He moved his kisses from her lips to her neck, baring his teeth so her could gently nip at her soft skin.

“How long did you wait last night before you touched yourself?” he whispered into her ear, his hips rocking against her hand as she stroked his bulge.

She could barely think straight and yet he was having a conversation as though she didn’t have his cock in her hand.

“Uh… bedtime…” she finally managed to squeak out.

“That must have been terribly frustrating…” he said as he slipped a hand between them and pressed his heel against her hot crotch, rubbing it along her jeans. He groaned against her ear as her hips responded, rolling against his hand as she sought firmer contact.

“Uh huh…” was all she could manage as she slipped her other arm around his shoulders, gripping his jacket as she turned her head as best she could and extended her tongue to tickle his ear.

“I didn’t wait a single second, not even to undress. I had my cock in my hand before I opened my door.”

Alice moaned at the image of him walking through the corridor in such a state and gave his bulge a firm squeeze in response. She tried to pull open his zip, but he stilled her hand, pulling his head back slightly so he could press their foreheads together.

“Not yet…”

Alice whined. Logically, she understood why he might want to wait. He didn’t want her to feel used. But that didn’t stop her from wanting him to christen the doorway.

He moved his hands to cup her jaw and leaned in to give her a final searing kiss. He pulled back slowly, physically reluctant to be parted from her, but determined in his mental resolve.

Alice tried to tug him back by his jacket, but he pulled her hands free and kissed her fingers.

“In good time. Time, is what I want. I don’t want to rush against a doorframe,” he said as he finally pulled free and backed away towards his own apartment.

It didn’t stop him from giving her a little tease as he unzipped himself, slowly pulling his cock free as her eyes watched his retreating form. She licked her lips at the sight and whimpered as he unlocked his door, stepping inside and shutting it behind him.

With Kyra out for a few hours, she wouldn’t be waiting until bedtime.

Chapter Text

Alice had been both satisfied and frustrated by her solo performance. The fact that she and Kandomere had been only walls away from each other as they took care of their respective needs, only served to heighten her frustration. She hoped that he was feeling the same frustration. She knew it was a little petty, but he was the one making them wait. She understood objectively, but it didn’t help.

Her mood hadn’t improved by morning. Kyra had been talking about the nice restaurant Ayla had taken her to and how she’s mostly been treated like anyone else. Unfortunately, Alice’s mind kept drifting to Kandomere and she missed Kyra gushing about the nice waiter that had served them.

“Are you even listening?” Kyra said, flicking a crumb of toast at Alice.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry… I’m just… thinking about things.”

“Something wrong?”

Alice bit her lip. She hadn’t told Kyra about Kandomere and his invitation to the FBI MTF Ball. “Well, not really wrong… Uh… Kandomere kissed me.”

“He… what??” Kyra exclaimed, almost dropping her plate.

“The other night. And last night.” Alice couldn’t fight the blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Just a kiss?”

“Well, it was a bit more. We didn’t… you know. He wanted to wait. He invited me to the yearly Ball the Bureau throws. I guess it’s a date of sorts…”

“He’s taking you out??” Kyra was surprised. Not because she believed he shouldn’t be, but because someone of his status usually wouldn’t date a human.

“Apparently so. I have no idea what I’m going to wear. You’ve seen how he dresses! Even with the money we’re getting from Alavara, I can’t afford the sort of clothing that would come close to the sorts of designers he uses.”

“Maybe you could ask Alavara for help? Maybe she’ll let you borrow something from the studio? She seems to like you a lot,” Kyra suggested.

It was worth considering. At the very least, Alavara might have an idea of where she could go to get something appropriate and within her budget.

“I suppose it can’t hurt to ask for help. She might have gone to these things in the past.”

Kyra grinned at her. “What was he like?”

Alice chuckled, fighting back the memory of his lips on her skin as her hand groped his bulge. “Let’s just say that if I’d had my way, we wouldn’t be waiting.”

Kyra giggled. “You know that humans spread rumours that elves are built bigger? Though, I’ll bet an elf started that.”

Alice smirked. “I think it might be true.”

Kyra gasped. “You’re so wicked!”

“Oh, I definitely hope so!” Alice replied, finishing her toast.

They were still giggling to themselves as they left the apartment, only to bump into Kandomere as he was leaving his. Kyra looked between the two of them and declared that she’d meet Alice at work.

Kandomere was the epitome of utter control. Nothing outwardly showed just how he felt internally as Kyra made her excuses and left them alone in the corridor.

As soon as Kyra was out of sight, Kandomere moved to slowly press against Alice. He didn’t kiss her as she had expected him to do, he just let his forehead rest against hers.

“You seem to have a great fondness for walls,” she whispered.

He chuckled softly. “I’m certainly coming to appreciate their versatility.”

Thinking about Kyra’s comments, Alice slipped a hand down to his groin, sucking in a breath when she could feel his arousal. She was a little startled by how quickly it had happened, but she enjoyed the gentle groan that left his lips. It certainly helped boost her confidence that she had such an effect on him.

Kandomere was struggling to resist the urge to do what he’d wanted to do the first night they’d kissed. He’d said they should wait. He had meant his words, but the feel of her hand smoothing and tracing his pulsing shaft was making it difficult to stand by his words. It took a tremendous amount of will to pull her hand away and step back slightly.

“I might end up with a disciplinary if I turn up to the Bureau like this,” he said, trying to readjust himself and will his erection away.

Alice bit her lip, her face flushed. “It’s completely your fault,” she replied, pouting.

Kandomere smirked. “I wasn’t the one groping my cock.”

Alice blushed harder. It was silly to feel so affected by his casual tone, but every time he referred to his package in such a way, she couldn’t help but blush.

“You were rubbing it against my hip, I thought you might need a hand.”

“Touché,” he replied, inclining his head.

“Crap. I don’t think Alavara will be all that understanding if I tell her I was late because I was groping you,” Alice said, looking at her watch.

“I can give you a lift?” Kandomere offered.

It was tempting. Too tempting. She couldn’t promise that she would keep her hands to herself in such close quarters. “That might not be the best idea. Besides, I could do with the fresh air.”

She was probably right. The more time they spent together, the more likely they were to progress things sooner than he intended. He wanted to spend time with her in a setting where they wouldn’t have the option of wanting to rip each other’s clothes off. As much as he was looking forward to doing just that, it was important to him to know her in every other way he could.

“I see your point. If I don’t see you before Friday, I will pick you up here at 7pm,” he said, moving to leave.

“Uh… This Ball… Is there a dress code?” she called after him.

“Formal attire, black tie, that sort of thing,” he answered. “You should speak to Alavara. She knows the sorts of things that are usually worn.”

Alice nodded. There seemed to be a consensus. It was hardly surprising, elves knew fashion.

Kandomere left for work and Alice quickly followed, making her way to the studio. Kyra was already there and deep in conversation with Ayla. She busied herself with her camera, trying to ignore all thoughts of Kandomere, though she mustn’t have been trying hard enough as Alavara made a beeline for her.

“Had a good morning so far?” she asked, her eyes staring intently into Alice’s.

“No more than usual.”

“I can smell his cologne,” Alavara pointed out.

Alice sighed heavily. “We didn’t…”

“Oh, I know. I would be able to tell.”

“You would?” Alice asked.

“Of course. Humans have tells. It’s not just scent, it’s your manner. There’s a difference in the way a human behaves when they’ve been intimate. It’s probably not even something most are aware of.”

“Well, he wants to wait until after the Ball. Speaking of which, I have no idea what to wear. I don’t own anything formal,” Alice said, sighing heavily.

“Oh, I can fix that. We have plenty here you can try on.”

“I don’t think anything here would fit. I’m not exactly model-sized,” Alice stated.

“I’m sure we can find something. And if not? We’ll go shopping.”

“And therein lies another problem; I don’t have Formal Ball money.”

Alavara waved a hand. “Don’t you worry about that.”

Again, the urge to protest threatened to burst out of her mouth, but she knew by now that Alavara wasn’t a woman to be argued with. It just didn’t feel good that she was so willing to spend so much money on her. It felt like too much and she was becoming more and more aware of just what others in the studio were starting to think. It would seem very much like an unfair advantage for someone to come in with no qualification and be given such an important job. The fact that she was human would just be the icing on the cake. Thankfully, no one had said anything to Alavara. Alice doubted if they ever would.

When the work day ended, Alavara had already rummaged through her stock of dresses and set numerous examples she said would fit Alice on a rack for her to try on once everyone else had left.

Most of the dresses were far too fancy for Alice’s taste. Lot of bling and trim that just didn’t suit her. Even Kandomere was relatively understated compared to most of the clothing elves would often wear. They were incredibly fond of gold and not just in jewellery. Gold thread was woven into many fabrics, gold edging was used in many jackets. Alice didn’t personally like gold. She felt it looked wrong with her skin, and she much preferred simplicity and elegance over ostentation.

She finally settled on a red satin evening dress with an A-line skirt. The bodice was slightly pleated in design with spaghetti straps that crossed over at the back, which dipped down slightly. She’d already vetoed several dresses that had dipped all the way down to her behind.

“I still think you’d look fabulous in the emerald green velvet,” Alavara said, referring to the low-backed dress Alice had felt far too naked in.

“You had your veto over the midnight blue dress because you said Kandomere was likely to wear blue. I like this one. It’s simple and doesn’t flash too much. I’m going to feel out of place enough as it is. I want to feel comfortable in what I’m wearing at least,” Alice responded.

Alavara huffed slightly. Alice was more curvaceous than the average elf, which was something she wanted to highlight. She understood Alice’s reticence to stand out at a formal occasion where there were going to be both elves and humans of high standing.

“Well, at the very least, you need some good pieces of jewellery. I have plenty of pieces you can use.”

She brought out an array of gold necklaces and bracelets. Alice tried to not let her displeasure show on her face as Alavara went through which ones she thought would best suit the dress. It was all just too much bling. Everything was over the top, which given what the jewellery was usually used for in the studio, was understandable.

“I have some pieces at home I can use. I have a white gold and garnet pendant my parents bought me for my 21st birthday. I don’t wear it often. It’s the only gold I own,” Alice told her, setting down a bracelet Alavara had handed her.

“White gold? With red?” Alavara questioned.

“The garnet would go well with the dress. I have garnet ring I can wear too. The only thing I’m missing is shoes. I don’t own anything dressy. It’s all black flats and running shoes.”

Alavara wasn’t sold on the jewellery, but she could tell when someone was trying to redirect a conversation. “Shoes I can do.”

“Nothing too high! I won’t be able to walk in them. Or stand. I really don’t want to be that person who takes their shoes off in the middle of dinner!” Alice called after Alavara as she busied herself with shoes.

She came back with shoes in red, silver, and black. All of them were heeled, though thankfully not all were mercilessly high. Red was the obvious choice. She understood the addition of the silver, given her insistence on wearing silver-coloured jewellery, but she wasn’t sure silver would look right.

The weather was warm enough for a strappy sandal type shoe, but they didn’t have the best support. A peep-toe would become uncomfortable as the night went on, so we opted for a red satin court shoe with inch and half heels. Alavara had also matched each pair with a bag, so a red satin clutch was handed to Alice as she stood looking at herself in the floor-length mirror.

“What do you plan to do with your hair?”

“Uh… Wash it?” Alice replied.

“Good gods… I will do your hair on Friday. We will get you ready here and I will send you home in my car in time.”

Alice opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again when she caught Alavara’s eye in the mirror. It was becoming a common theme between them. She sighed at herself in the mirror.

“Why were you so prepared to give me a job? Snapping a few shots wasn’t really an interview. It was just to make sure I wouldn’t drop the camera,” Alice asked.

Alavara had expected such a conversation would need to happen one day soon. “Kandomere has been dear to me since he was born. He is as humans might say, my godson. He knows the value of a good person. Race isn’t a factor. When he called me, I knew he wasn’t doing so lightly. When you entered this studio, I could see what he saw. The integrity and consideration you exude is more than most elves I have ever met. Kandomere does not give his faith easily, nor his heart.” She patted Alice’s arm.

Alice was blushing furiously. She’d never really doubted her worth as a person, but working with elves who did nothing but look down their noses at her had left an impression. When she’d first met Kandomere, she had thought he would be much the same. But time had proven otherwise. She hoped she would be worthy of such consideration and faith as Alavara said she was.

Chapter Text

Alice wasn’t sure if keeping busy at work had caused the week to fly by, or if her nerves were getting the better of her as Friday rolled around. She could be strong-willed and confident around elves who looked down their noses at her, but the prospect of being seen as an equal and taken out by one? She had no idea how to navigate such a change.

As had become routine, Alavara didn’t miss a thing. She made sure to keep Alice busy, even going so far as to nit-pick some of her snaps, which wasn’t something she made a habit of doing. She rarely needed to. She’d meant what she said when she said she saw what Kandomere did. Integrity and raw skill. Something that qualifications couldn’t teach.

The nit-picking certainly helped to keep her nerves at bay. It was becoming irritating. As the afternoon wore on, Alavara complained about a particular angle Alice had chosen to use. She huffed loudly.

Alavara inwardly smirked.

“Do you want to fucking do it??” Alice yelled at her.

The room went completely silent. No one said a word, not even the models. Kyra was gawping at Alice as though she’d lost her mind.

Alice swallowed thickly, the sudden realisation of what she’d said hitting her like a tonne of bricks. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to will her voice to utter something.

Alavara suddenly bellowed out a laugh. It didn’t help to reduce Alice’s panic.

“I have been waiting for you to come out of your shell all day!” she exclaimed.

“I… what?” Alice stuttered.

“You’ve been so nervous, it’s been tainting the air. I was getting sick of the smell!”

Alavara instructed everyone to leave for the weekend. Alice was still gripping her camera tightly as everyone packed up and left several minutes later.

“Relax. I quite like seeing you with such fire!” Alavara exclaimed as she took her camera off her and put it away.

“I… I can’t help it… I don’t know how to date an elf…” Alice said, flopping down into a nearby chair.
“Oh, my dear, it’s no different to dating a human.”

“Have you dated a human before?” Alice asked.

“Once or twice. Humans have such passion.”

“But humans can’t hear a quickened heartbeat, or smell scent changes. He can read me in ways I can’t read him,” Alice explained, flushing at the memory of how he’d breathed her in.

“No, but you can sense things on an emotional level. Changes in vocals, ticks and twitches in body language. You’re much more observant than I think you give yourself credit for.”

“I’ve always thought that humans were slightly out of step with the world. Like we’re disconnected. It’s hard to explain,” Alice said, shaking her head.

“You say that because of how most people view elves. That we’re magical, ethereal, in touch with nature… Have you looked out of a window here? The only green this concrete city is connected to is money. The human districts have far more green spaces than here. Even the Orc communities have more parks. I make it a point to get out of the city at least twice a year. This place makes our kind cold and detached. Humans feel things far more deeply than I think most elves would realise. You would die for those you truly care about. It would take a lot for most elves to even consider giving up their lives for another. Kandomere is such an elf. He would have died for his sister.”

Alice could absolutely believe that. She’d never thought about dying for someone. She couldn’t imagine it would be a decision anyone could make unless they were faced with it.

“What about you? Do you not have anyone special? Husband? Kids?” Alice asked. Alavara had never mentioned any family. She only ever spoke about Kandomere as though he was family.

“Goodness no. I don’t need a man in my life telling me what to do, and I wasn’t blessed with the ability to have children,” she answered.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be. It is a little more common with elves. Fertility is tricky for us.”

“You don’t want a man telling you what to do, but you’re approving of me dating Kandomere?” Alice said, smirking at the irony.

“I don’t believe for a second you’d allow him to tell you what to do.”

Alice laughed. “That’s probably true.”

“Now, enough stalling! I’ve had a shower room prepared for you. Go do what you need to do, get dressed, and I’ll fix your hair before you leave.”

Alavara waved her away to the showers. She’d never used them, thinking they were for models only. Alavara had been true to her word and had towels, soaps, and shaving equipment laid out. Alice agonised about the requirement of preparing herself so thoroughly, thinking Kandomere wasn’t quite so shallow as to insist on such things in order to find her attractive. She’d had human boyfriends who had wanted her to be as smooth as a baby’s bottom all over, except for her head, which was something she refused to do.

In the end, she decided to shave her legs so they would feel smooth under the dress. She was also eager to try a lightly shimmery moisturiser on her skin and spent time smoothing it into every area as she wrapped her wet hair up in a towel. She’d chosen red lace underwear, which she’d bought especially. It wasn’t the fanciest, but it was new and it matched.

She took her time finally slipping into the dress and shoes, packed up her things, and went back to Alavara so she could perform magic on her hair.

Alavara ran through her options quickly, testing out various looks once her hair had been dried. Sitting in front of a large mirror, Alice was shocked at how much red was shining in her hair, and made a mental note to remember the shampoo brand she’d used. She was definitely glad she’d chosen the red dress and she could see the same look in Alavara’s eyes.

Alavara eventually settled on leaving her hair down and just pinning a few wavy sections back out of her face. She also dug out a lined satin wrap that Alice could drape across her shoulders. It as warm enough to not need a jacket, but it would be more appropriate to arrive with something covering her that she could remove to give a greater impact.

Her final touch to Alice’s look was some light make up. Everything used was to highlight her natural attributes and nothing looked overdone or caked.

“Maybe you should have been a make up artist…” Alice said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Alavara chuckled. “I am a woman of many talents. But, you still need perfume.”

Alavara offered her some elvish choices, which Alice turned down. “No, I think I should use my own. Something he’ll recognise. I’ve worn some of them before when he’s been around.”

Alavara nodded, understanding her point. Elvish perfumes didn’t always work well with human physiology, and tonight wasn’t the night to find out if they would work with Alice.

“Well, I think you’re ready, except for your touches when you get home. When is he picking you up?”

“7pm. So, less than an hour,” Alice said, picking up her bags.

“Come. I’ll have my driver drop you off on the way.”

Deciding not to argue, especially given she was dressed the way she was, Alice simply nodded and followed Alavara out.

Traffic was busy, even for a Friday, and Alice began to worry that she’d arrive late. Thankfully, she arrived back at the apartment with 10 minutes to spare. She busied herself with her favourite floral perfume and the garnet jewellery she’d told Alavara about earlier in the week. Kyra was out again with Ayla, so Alice didn’t feel bad about leaving her home alone.

She was just surveying herself in the mirror one last time, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her, when a familiar knock on the apartment door sounded.

Alice took a few deep breaths and opened the door.

Kandomere was dressed as impeccably as he always was, though he’d chosen a slightly more gilded suit, a deep blue with faintly purple undertones, a platinum brooch with a sapphire on his left lapel and a matching tie pin and cufflinks, and his usual pocket watch. His shoes were shiny and new.

Alice could absolutely appreciate the effort he’d gone to. She hadn’t been able to make her voice work as she stared at him.

Kandomere was equally stunned by the visage of Alice in front of him. His feet carried him towards her without a conscious thought, his head tilting as the urge to kiss her overwhelmed him.

This action startled Alice out of her stillness and she lifted a hand to cover his lips before they touched hers.

“Alavara would kill me if you ruined her work before I’ve set foot in the Ball,” she whispered.

Kandomere groaned, moving his lips over her fingers. “You look breath-taking…”

Alice blushed at the compliment. It had been the effect she’d hoped for, but it still felt at little foreign to her.

“You should have seen some of the dresses she wanted me to wear. I don’t think we’d have made it to the Ball.”

“Perhaps she hoped to give some of the older Bureau Agents a heart attack,” Kandomere commented, using all his willpower to pull himself back.

Alice smiled and moved back to grab her clutch bag. “We should get going before we get carried away. You were the one who wanted to wait,” she said, smirking at him.

Kandomere inclined his head, grinning. “Touché.”

He offered his arm for her to take and led her out to his car. Inwardly, he had no idea how he was going to make it through several hours of boring small talk with his superiors, when all he wanted to do was worship every inch of the woman by his side.

Chapter Text

The anticipation in the car was palpable. Kandomere couldn’t stop turning his head to look at her and every time her did, all he wanted to do was turn around and go back.

Alice was smirking. She could see his head turn periodically out of the corner of her eye. It was rather pleasant to know how she was affecting him, especially considering that the dress she’d chosen was moderate compared to the ones that Alavara had wanted her to wear. The dress dropped almost to her ankles, and her cleavage was covered by the bodice. It was however, a very fitted bodice that hugged her entire torso, only flaring out below her hips. She wouldn’t have had an issue wearing something a little more scandalous, but given the formal nature of their first date, it felt more appropriate to wear something classic and demure.

As far as Kandomere was concerned, she could have decided on ripped jeans and a football shirt. She could have decided to enact a random Instagram trend and worn plastic bags. He hadn’t become fond of her because of how she dressed. He’d seen her in a server’s uniform, an unflattering hospital gown, and an array of every day casual clothing. None of it had any bearing on how he’d come to think of her. Her drive to forge a better standard of living for herself by enduring such bigotry from his people, her staunch protection of her friend, her willingness to venture into orc and dwarf communities so she could capture how they experienced life. By all accounts, she was quite friendly with most races, except for most of his own.

It still bothered him that Faltorin likely wouldn’t suffer any consequences for his assault on her, something that he wished he could change. He’d been working with humans long enough to know that elf/human relations weren’t always so easy to navigate. Elves by their nature and their long-forged position of privilege, believed themselves to be superior in every way. When he’d first decided to join the MTF his parents had understood, but had faced scrutiny from their friends because of the lowly status of his chosen profession. Elves were usually expected to work in finance or law, closely followed by medical fields and, of course, fashion. It was only when he rose through the ranks fairly quickly and became Special Agent in Charge of his department that his own people began to give him the respect he deserved. Despite what some of his human colleagues had thought, he hadn’t used his privilege to gain his position, though it had been offered within a year. He refused any promotion within the first three years, wanting to ‘earn his stripes’ and learn the ropes as everyone else had to.

Pride was something Alice had noticed in him immediately upon meeting him. The way he carried himself, the way he dressed, the way he’d sprung into action against Faltorin. Anyone who’d never spent quality time around elves would simply mistake him for just another snotty elf. She’d never experienced such concern from an elf, except for Kyra, and her initial abrasiveness towards him had come from not really knowing how to deal with an elf who cared. She still didn’t really know what they were to each other at this point, but she’d quickly decided that it was too soon to put labels on anything. Attraction was certainly no problem for them, but attraction alone wouldn’t build something more.

The Ball was being held just outside of the Elven District and Alice suspected this was deliberate due to the mixed nature of the Bureau’s employees. Her nerves only heightened when Kandomere led her into the foyer of the 1930’s era building, submitting his name, department, and rank to the human concierge checking people off his clipboard.

Eyes were on them both as they entered the main hall where many of Kandomere’s colleagues were milling about, drinking champagne and talking shop.

Montehugh waved at them as his petite wife peered around his large frame.

Kandomere led Alice over and fought the urge to shake his head at the huge grin on his partner’s face.

“Lookin’ good, boss! You brought a date?” Montehugh commented, tipping his champagne glass at Alice.

“You remember Alice? She’s now working for Alavara as her chief photographer,” Kandomere replied.

Alice flushed in response. It felt a little odd for him to volunteer the information about where she worked and who for. Montehugh would surely know that Kandomere had been instrumental in getting her the job.

“Nice. Gotta be better than waitressing?”

Alice glowered at him. “Work is work. As long as it pays the bills.”

“Yeah, true, but, you’re staying in his spare place free, aren’t you?”

Kandomere winced inwardly. He was afraid of such a reaction to seeing Alice as his date.

“As I told Alice, it is actually to my benefit to have someone occupy the apartment. Buying both apartments on that floor allows someone of my status to control who I share my space with. There are many people I would not wish to share a floor with.”

Alice could see what he was doing. But, his assurances wouldn’t stop the gossip that was bound to happen. She didn’t think Montehugh had any problem with her being with him, he just lacked any subtlety.

“Well, I definitely appreciated a place to crash when my wife didn’t like you working me like a dog!” Montehugh bellowed.

“You do work him far too hard,” his wife piped up.

“I do apologise, I try to keep the late nights to a minimum.”

Alice tried to ignore the scrutiny she could still feel from every one around them, but glancing around as Kandomere and Montehugh talked revealed dozens of elven eyes on her, many whispering to each other in apparent disgust.

The banquet hall was soon opened and they all took their seats. Alice tried not to be perturbed by the generic ‘Guest’ name card in front of her seat. Kandomere pulled her seat out before she could do it herself. Chivalry wasn’t something she was used to, and wasn’t something she was hugely fond of.

She slipped the wrap off her shoulders and draped it over the back of her chair as Kandomere took his seat next to her. The menu was limited to only three choices per course, and all were far fancier than the type of food she’d been serving in Norkas’ restaurant.

An array of wine and spirits was offered in abundance, including some elvish varieties that she’d never tried. She struggled to read the elvish descriptions.

Kandomere smiled at the deep frown. “The top one is a fruity and sweet sparkling wine. Slightly more floral than a Spumante.”

“Something you’d recommend?” Alice asked.

“Absolutely. Either that, or an elvish whiskey.”

Alice wasn’t a big drinker, so she opted for the wine over the whiskey. Kandomere ordered his whiskey, and Montehugh, who had been seated on Kandomere’s left side, made the Maître D bring him the beer menu.

Kandomere had been right. The wine was delicious and far too easy to drink. She was on her second when their food began to arrive, and Kandomere struggled to suppress the urge to stroke her flushed cheek.

“Do you work with all these people?” she asked him.

“Not directly. The man over on the far table with the pinstripe suit and grey hair is the Head of the Bureau. He is technically my boss, though I have ultimate control over my department.”

“Would you like his job one day?”

“Honestly? No. It would put me behind a desk far more than I am now. Catching the Inferni is more important than any career ambition I might have.”

After what Alavara had told her about his sister, she understood his motivation. She didn’t mention it though, not wanting to sour the night with sad thoughts. Instead, Kandomere asked her how she was getting on with Alavara. He already knew what Alavara thought, but he was curious about what Alice thought.

As it was, Alice had nothing but good things to say. Her voice had a note of disbelief as she spoke on how much she’d done for her, and not just helping her dress for tonight.

As the meal wound down, there were numerous speeches given by the elves and humans in charge of the respective divisions, waxing lyrical about performance and setting out goals for the future. Talk on the Inferni seemed to be the driving force behind every speech regarding the MTF. One Inferni coven’s demise hadn’t lessened the fervour with which they seemed to operate under. She only hoped it wouldn’t mean that she’d see Kandomere even less than she currently did.

The Ball Room adjacent to where they had been eating was opened so that the drinking and conversing could continue, along with some tasteful and, as Alice suspected, less than tasteful dancing could ensue.

Dancing. Would Kandomere dance? She’d never seen elves dance. She had no idea how to do anything formal. She’d been to many of Dorghu’s monthly parties and formal dancing was certainly not something that took place amongst orcs.

Kandomere could sense the trepidation in her as they made their way into the Ball Room, so he led her to the bar and ordered them drinks, hoping it might help to calm her a little.

Alice watched as Montehugh spun his wife around the floor, far more gracefully than she would have thought possible. They were utterly ignoring anyone who might be looking at them with anything other than admiration. Elves will always be elves, and their distaste at anything they deemed to be lesser than would always be present.

Kandomere leaned close to her ear. “I’d like to dance with you, if you’d like?”

“I don’t know how… There’s never been a need for me to learn,” Alice responded.

Kandomere took her hand. “Let me guide you.”

If she’d have pulled back, he wouldn’t have forced the issue, but she allowed him to pull her towards the dance floor, giving her a twirl, rather enjoying how the dress she’d chosen flared out before he pulled her in close. People were still staring as he guided her around the floor, Alice giggling as she stumbled a few times, treading on his shoes at least once.

She eventually got the hang of how they moved together, finally allowing herself to simply enjoy being with him. The tension that had been building in the car was back. He was holding her tightly against his chest, a hand pressed against the curve of her back. Their foreheads were touching as they moved together and Alice completely lost track of all time. They could have been dancing for hours as the slow burn of anticipation settled within them.

It was only when the three glasses of wine made themselves known that she finally pulled back, indicating that she needed to visit the bathroom.

Kandomere reluctantly let her go and made his way over to Montehugh, who was now talking animatedly to their SWAT colleagues.

Alice used the bathroom and was about to unlock the stall door when she heard a group of female elves enter, talking loudly in elvish to one another. She heard Kandomere’s name mentioned and froze in place.

“Can you believe after all these years that he would bring a human?” one elf said, disgust dripping from her lips.

“It’s utterly scandalous! He’s never dared to bring anyone before!” said another.

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s hired her! She’s an escort! A whore!” said the third.

“Such a waste of elvish seed! Does he not think he should at least ask his own kind?” said the first elf, adding more red to her overly plump lips.

“Maybe he enjoys dirty humans. They have such filthy inferior minds. With all the work he does, he likely needs a night of dirty sex. Such actions wouldn’t be worthy of an elf date,” the third elf added, spraying a musky perfume that wafted over the door of Alice’s stall.

“Whatever she’s charging, he’s overpaying. She’s not even slim!”

“Maybe he likes his whores chunky?” said the second elf.

The other two shrieked in laughter and they left the bathroom.

Alice waited 30 seconds before opened the stall door. She let out a long breath and braced herself against the sink. Although her ability to read elvish wasn’t the best, she understood spoken elvish far more. She’d been called many things in her time living amongst elves, but being called a paid whore was a first. She desperately tried not to let it sour her feelings, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that what they’d said about him never taking anyone before was suspect. It wasn’t something she didn’t already know, Alavara had told her he never took anyone. It just made her wonder; why her?

The wonderful anticipation that had been building had cooled significantly as she returned to Kandomere’s side. She gave him a weak smile, trying not to let her emotions ruin the night.

Kandomere could tell something was different. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes, it’s just the wine. It went to my head a little,” Alice lied, forcing another smile.

Even without heightened senses, he could hear the lie for what it was. Something had happened, but he wasn’t about to force the issue. Instead, he simply stood beside her, letting a hand rest gently around her waist.

His touch still felt good, but the thought that those elves were watching them bothered her more than it should. Alavara had said that dating an elf was no different to dating a human, but so far, she was finding things to be far more complicated. The racial divide wasn’t going to be undone in one night.

By the time 10:30pm had rolled around, Alice just wanted to go home. Kandomere could sense that she’d reached her limit of polite conversation with his now drunk partner. He made his excuses and went to retrieve Alice’s wrap, offering his arm to her as they left.

She was completely silent he drove them home. The delicious tension that had stayed with them most of the night had vanished. He had no idea what had caused the change.

When he pulled up, he’d barely pulled the keys from the ignition when Alice opened her door and stepped out, walking back to the building ahead of him. He raced to catch up and took hold of her hand to stop her.

“Alice, what has happened? I don’t understand what changed?” he asked, trying to get her to turn around.

Her should slumped and she let out a heavy sigh. “I was so stupidly naïve…” she said.

“Naïve? About what?”

“Being treated like dog shit as a waitress I can handle. Getting dressed up for the privilege of it, I wasn’t prepared for,” she answered.

“I don’t understand. Who was treating you like shit?” He was confused. Montehugh could be blunt, but he’d never be purposely unpleasant.

“You really have no idea, do you?”

“About what?”

She let out a harsher huff. “They think you paid me!”

“Paid you? To do what?”

“To be your whore for the night!” she yelled.

Kandomere blinked. That had been unexpected. “Who said such a thing?”

“Some elvish women. They said it was suspect that you’d never taken anyone before, and now you turn up with a human.”

“They said this to you?” he asked, horrified that someone would be so vile.

“No, I overheard them in the bathroom.”

He stroked his hands down her arms. “I’m sorry my kind are so vile to you. I wish you’d told me earlier, I would have…”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference. Besides, I didn’t see who they were. It’s not just them. Your partner also made that crack about you letting me live for free. People are going to keep seeing things like that and think I’m paying you in kind. Me being human puts us at an imbalance.”

“Montehugh likes to think he’s funny. He knows better. He certainly knows me better,” he tried to explain.

“You’re missing the point. You gave me a place to live, paid for my medical expenses, got me a job by pulling some personal strings, and took me as your one and only ever date to the Bureau Ball. Don’t you see how it all looks?”

“I didn’t realise you’d care about such things.”

“I didn’t say I did. But that doesn’t mean things are going to be smooth sailing for us. People are always going to have an opinion about such things,” she explained.

She wasn’t wrong. He hated the fact that he couldn’t protect her from such things. But, he wouldn’t let it stop him from wanting who he wanted.

He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. “If I don’t care and you don’t care, what others think Is immaterial. There are no laws we are breaking, and it won’t affect your work with Alavara.”

“Being called scum because I wasn’t born with pointy ears isn’t anything I haven’t heard. I just… I wasn’t prepared for it tonight.” She leaned closer and put her hands on his chest.

“You shouldn’t have to be,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.

No longer worried about him messing up Alavara’s handy work, she let the kiss happen, humming softly as his tongue caressed hers. She chuckled against his lips when she felt his hands drift down to her behind, gently squeezing as he pulled her firmly against him.

She left a hand move between them so she could feel his interest, earning a deep groan as her fingers slid down the outline of his shaft. It was only when she unzipped his trousers that propriety caused him to grab her wrist just as she was reaching through his briefs.

He pulled back from her lips and smiled at her frown. “Let’s continue inside…” he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her into the building foyer.

Once in the lift, she resumed her groping as she threw an arm around his neck, slipping her fingers inside his underwear and finally feeling the hot and hard flesh as she wrapped her hand around him. She tilted her head to finally get a good look at him and groaned. He was as perfectly formed as she’d imagined.

Kandomere was busy grunting against her neck as she stroked her handful. “You were such a terrible tease the other day when you walked away from me, waving this dangerous weapon around…” Alice said.

Kandomere chuckled. He’d heard many terms used before, but dangerous weapon was a new one. “At the risk of sounding cliché and continuing the weapon metaphor, I don’t regret waiting, but waiting to feel you come around me has been almost unbearable.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” she said, stroking him in earnest until the lift reached their floor.

He wasted no time in pulling her towards his apartment, fumbling with his keys in his eagerness. She had to admit, it was nice to see him so flustered.

As soon as they were through his door, the hunger returned. He pressed hard against her, a hand cradling her cheek as he kissed her, and the other smoothing over her breast. Alice had resumed her enthusiastic stroking, giving a twist on the upstroke and enjoying the rhythmic groans into her mouth.

It hadn’t been his intention to let her continue stroking him, but it just felt so exquisite to have her hand on his cock instead of his own. It had been far too long.

He’d spent the night in various stages of arousal and it didn’t take long for her warm and firm grip to elicit uncontrolled panting from him as his head dropped back. His orgasm hit him hard and pulled a deep, guttural groan from him as he spilled over her hand and her dress.

Alice was grinning widely at watching him come so undone. His legs were trembling and his eyes were fluttering. She might have been worried about a power imbalance earlier, but right now, she definitely had the upper hand.

When he was finally able to focus, he looked back down at her smiling face. She’d finally let go of his cock and lifted her hand to her mouth. Just as she was about to take a swipe with her tongue, he pulled her hand to his own mouth, cleaning her of his come. She let out a trembling sigh at the sight and gripped his jacket, pulling his lips to hers.

“No fair! I worked hard for that, I want a taste!” she exclaimed, swiping her tongue against his lips.

He chuckled and kissed her, swirling his tongue around hers, sharing what he’d not yet swallowed. Alice hummed, finally getting a taste of him. Salty and sweet, and far more pleasant than any human’s she’d tasted.

“Mmm, you taste good…” she whispered against his lips.

“Now it’s my turn to get a taste of you,” Kandomere declared, pulling away only so he could pull her to the bedroom.

Once inside, he focused entirely on undressing her, starting first with the dress he’d now ruined. He was sure it could be dry-cleaned. He unzipped the back and pulled off her shoulders, sinking down to his knees to he could remove her shoes. He tossed both items aside and focused on unhooking her bra, his eyes taking in the sight of her breasts as it slipped off her shoulders.

Now standing only in her knickers, he ran his hands over her soft belly, following them with kisses as his hands moved to cup her breasts, his thumbs brushing gently over her plump nipples.

He moved his hands down to her rounded hips and pushed gently, getting her to sit on the edge of the bed. He stood up and toed off his shoes, not bothering with the laces as he pulled off his jacket.

Alice watched him intently as he carefully removed his cufflinks and tiepin, followed by the pocket watch and his tie. He made short work of removing his waistcoat and shirt, and when he finally undid his trousers fully, Alice chuckled at the sight of his cock still poking out at her through his underwear. He was hard again, but his immediate need was no longer a concern. He pulled off his trousers and underwear, and lastly his socks, standing completely naked.

He was glorious. It was common for elves to be tall and athletically slender, but Kandomere was more of an average human height and far more broadly built. She had the oddest urge to lick him all over.

He didn’t give her chance to satisfy her urge and he knelt in front of her. She let her hands run over the dark hair on his chest, smiling to herself. Kandomere understood why.

“Humans spread the oddest rumours about my people,” he said.

“Yeah, I’ve heard the hairless thing. I’ve no idea where it came from. I’m glad it’s not true.”

As much as it would be nice to discuss a fondness for body hair, Kandomere didn’t want to wait any longer. He gently pushed on her shoulders, encouraging her to lie back as he parted her thighs and shifted between them whilst he was still kneeling. He pressed his nose against the lacy and wet fabric of her knickers and inhaled deeply, grunting as he extended his tongue, giving the wetness a lick. Alice moaned softly at the feel, her hips rolling ever so slightly. Even though the material, he could feel the heat of her swollen clit.

He moved his hands so he could pull her knickers down, finally getting a view of what he’d wanted. Her thick auburn curls were glistening with wetness. He let out a much loudly grunt of appreciation. She was exactly as nature intended.

Alice looked down, momentarily worried when he grunted. She’d dated men in the past who had berated her for not removing her hair. It was something she refused to do, but it didn’t stop her from feeling nervous about his reaction. Fortunately, his actions quickly answered her question as he pressed his face fully into her crotch. She let out a soft sigh, feeling as she moistened his chin.

For Kandomere, it was glorious. Silky soft and utterly full of her scent. He shifted so he could help her slide fully onto the bed and settled her amongst the pillows. He moved to lie between her thighs, spreading them wide as he let his tongue slide through her curls towards her engorged clit. He alternated between circling her clit and dipping his tongue into the creamy arousal dribbling from her entrance.

Alice moaned and a hand went to his head, threading her fingers through his hair. Her hips rolled with every dip of his tongue, enjoying how it felt as it slid inside her. Her hand gave a firm tug to his hair when he diverted all of his attention to her swollen clit, suckling gently at first, then flicking his tongue over it, the head swelling further as the hood retracted.

She was panting hard as her hips rocked firmly against his face, a hand thrown above her head as it gripped the pillows. Her pants became moans as he suckled on her clit in earnest, delicious tingles spreading through her body as her climax quickly built. He kept his mouth firmly around her clit as he slipped his middle finger into her, curling it upwards and stoking firmly.

Her lips parted at the added pleasure, her hips bucking uncontrollably and her moans growing louder. Her climax exploded within her abdomen as her clit bounced within his mouth, her core clenching hard around his finger. She cried out and her back arched as she pulled hard on his hair. He gave her clit a final few swipes with his tongue as she rode out her pleasure, finally relaxing into the pillows.

He pulled his finger free and sucked it into his mouth, humming pleasantly. “I was right; you taste exquisite.”

Alice gave a weak smile, her eyes still closed as she relaxed in the after effects of her orgasm.

Kandomere shifted over her, settling his hips against hers, his cock still hard. He didn’t move to slip inside her just yet, he was more than content to kiss his way across her belly and up to her breasts. Alice cradled his head as his mouth found a plump nipple.

When he finally lifted his head to look at her, he caught sight of the soft underarm hair he’d simply not noticed earlier. He stroked his fingers through it, which caused Alice to pull her arm down.

“Sorry… I get a rash when I shave,” she whispered.

“Why would you be sorry?”

“Just… I know some people don’t like it.”

“Do you like it?” he asked.

Alice shrugged. “Never bothered me. It doesn’t cause me any issues.”

“Then it does not bother me,” he said, pulling her arm back up so he could feel the softness again.

She bit her lip, then lifted her other arm above her head. He ran his fingers through the other underarm hair and leaned down to kiss her, slipping his tongue between her lips. She let out a noise as she could taste herself, her hips rolling against his.

He slipped a hand between them so he could finally position himself where he’d been aching to be for days. He pushed forward, slowly slipping inside her and groaning against her lips as her heat surrounded him.

She could feel the delightful stretch as he filled her more completely than his finger had. He spread his thigh wide so he could angle himself perfectly and press his groin against hers, moving gently at first so he could set a rhythm, her ankles locking around him as his groin began to grind against her clit.

He made sure to repeat the grinding motion when he heard her groan and felt her hips rock in tandem. He felt so good inside her, the thick head very gently prodding her cervix with each movement as his groin brushed against her clit. It wasn’t lost on her how well they fit together, given she didn’t need to stimulate herself. She’d never experienced multiple orgasms with a partner before, only ever by her own hand.

Kandomere was grateful that he’d already come once. The second he slipped inside her, he knew that he’d not have lasted more than a few seconds if he hadn’t. Her tight warmth utterly engulfed him in a way he’d not experienced before. He could already feel his balls pulling tight as he moved, his forehead pressed against hers as a hand moved to massage her breast, rolling her nipple between his finger and thumb.

She was already beginning to quiver around him as his pace quickened, a gentle flick of his hips with each thrust making a light slapping sound between them. She gave a swipe of his lips with her tongue and he responded instantly with a kiss, both moaning loudly in turn.

A particularly firm grind against her clit and a roll of her nipple with his fingers caused her to crash into another climax, her muscles clenching hard around his cock, which pulsed in response. She cried out against his lips just as his own orgasm burst from him, his hips shoving firmly forward as his cock spilled deeply, his come splashing around her cervix.

They lay pressed together for a long while, both breathing heavily in the aftermath of their pleasure, his cock still nestled within her even as he slowly softened.

He eventually moved off her, his cock slipping from her as he collapsed next to her. Alice turned her head to look at him, enjoying just how dishevelled he looked and how wild his hair was after all her tugging. Kandomere could feel her eyes on him and simply chuckled, pulling her to him so she was lying pressed against his side, her leg thrown over his. He could feel his come dribbling out of her and onto his leg, but he didn’t care.

Alice was content to simply enjoy the moment, her hand stroking over his chest.

“Worth the wait?” she asked.

“There are no words… But, I do know one thing,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“There will be no more waiting,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Alice chuckled. She wondered if he’d follow through on his first thought when he’d first kissed her and fuck her against a wall. It was definitely one for the list.

Chapter Text

She had fallen asleep fairly quickly and it had been a struggle for him to pull some sheets over them both without waking her. They hadn’t cleaned up and they would both be sticky by morning, but that was a problem for the morning. Right now, Kandomere couldn’t be more content than he was right now. Although he was old enough t have had a slew of relationships behind him, his dating life had taken a nosedive when he’d been made Special Agent in Charge. He worked long hours, which would sometimes include weekends. He’d felt that he couldn’t adequately maintain a healthy relationship with anyone when he spent so much time chasing wand tip offs and rumoured Inferni activity.

Unfortunately, he’d been lying to himself. Montehugh spent as much time working as he did and yet he’d managed to mostly maintain a healthy marriage. There had been ups and downs, as most relationships had, but he’d made it work. If Kandomere was honest with himself, he just hadn’t really been inspired by anyone he’d dated to put the work in. Not until Alice. The fact that she was human was a non-issue as far as he was concerned. He’d felt that spark the second he’d looked at her as she took his order at the restaurant. Montehugh had noticed it instantly. Most people didn’t think he was too observant, but years working in the MTF had honed his eagle-eye skills. He could rival an elf with everything he picked up on.

She’d been so fearless despite her physical disadvantages when standing up to a bigoted elf with too much ego. She’d not even contemplated that it might be a tactical mistake to turn her back to Faltorin. She’d pulled Kyra away from him and yelled as though she might actually physically assault him. To say he’d reacted on instinct when Faltorin back handed her was an understatement. He’d actually wanted to put his fist through the bigoted elf’s face. Only years of experience in controlling his knee-jerk reactions stopped him from doing so. Focusing on Alice’s injured form had helped to quell the raging fury that had threatened to overwhelm him, only to be stoked further when he’d taken her to an Elvish hospital. Elf Care wasn’t about money, though it had cost him considerably to have them admit Alice. It was about status and humans didn’t meet the requirements. The profanity that had left his lips in perfect Ovusi had raised more than a few eyebrows. The fact that she’d had no broken bones had been remarkable to him. Elf strength was no joke. They could rival Orcs in that regard. Bruising and cuts to her back and arms from the display case she’d been knocked into was all she’d suffered. It had only strengthened his interest in her.

He’d meant what he’d said when he told her that having her stay in his spare apartment would be doing him a favour. He’d bought the entire floor for exactly the reason he’d explained to her. He wanted to control who he shared his space with. He was an Inferni target, as most of the agents within the MFT were, especially the elvish agents. He wanted to know who he would be letting the place to, so he’d rarely used it since buying it. He knew Alice wasn’t Inferni. They didn’t want humans. Being involved with him could put her in danger though, which isn’t something he wanted to think about in that moment. Contemplating how he would keep a balance within his work and this new relationship was his priority. He looked down at her as she slept peacefully lying across his chest. His leg was now sticky, but he ignored it in favour of going to sleep. He’d worry about clean-up then.

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Losing Leilah’s entire coven had put the Inferni on the backfoot. Her wand was locked away in some MTF warehouse, and they’d lost three powerful Brights. Leilah had spent decades recruiting and training Larika and her sister, Tikka, but had become foolish in her trust in family. Blood was not thicker than magic.

Navarth ran his fingers over his wand. Long and sleek and less unpredictable than Leilah’s had been. She’d often taunted him about his wand not having the same power, but his wand had a quiet strength. Judging by what had happened in LA, her wand had quite literally been the epitome of a nuclear bomb going off. Wands were uniquely individual, just like people were. They came in different lengths and thicknesses, and responded to each wielder based on their own wants and desires.

Unlike Leilah, Navarth had kept his coven small. He found they drew less attention as they searched for a third wand. Unfortunately, with Leilah now dead, they would have to search for a further two wands. Navarth’s oldest friend, Keldan, was also a Bright, but he did not have a wand of his own. Their third and final member was Rina. She was young and impressionable, but she wasn’t a Bright. For three wands they would need three Brights. The Dark Lord could not be resurrected without them.

So far, they’d had no luck in finding any other wands. They’d been searching around Bakersfield, but had discovered nothing but rumours and urban legends. Navarth was beginning to think that they would need to move closer to LA. It would be risky, but he didn’t believe they would have any other option. The elf community there was large. Someone would know something.

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Even on a weekend Kandomere found it difficult to sleep in. His body clock woke him sometime after 7am. Alice was curled up next to him, but no longer draped across his chest. He slowly slipped out of the bed and went to the en suite, retrieving a wash cloth so he could clean his leg and hip.

Alice felt the loss of his warmth and groaned, opening her eyes to the sight of him wiping down his leg. He was still naked, much to her delight. But then she remembered the reason why.

She sat up, pulling a sheet around her, thinking about where the nearest chemist would be that would serve humans.

Kandomere noticed and dropped the cloth in the sink, moving to sit back down on the bed.

“Good morning,” he said, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips.

“Morning,” Alice responded, flushing slightly. “Uh… I think I need a chemist…”

Kandomere was confused. “Are you not feeling well? A headache? I have pain medication here.”

“Uh… no, it’s not that. Um… We weren’t… safe…” she explained, hoping he understood.

He did. He smirked slightly and stood back up, going back into the bathroom and retrieving a bottle of pearlescent pills. He handed it to her. The script was in Elvish, but she understood the gist.

“Are these… is this contraception?” she asked him as she opened the bottle, plucking one of the tiny pearls out.

“Yes. I had the presumptive foresight to take one before we left last night.”

Alice blinked. Male contraceptives for humans consisted of condoms and a vasectomy. Male contractive pills had been created and tested many times over the years, but the side effects - the same kind that women had suffered with from their own pills for decades – had always resulted in the pills never being granted a license for distribution.

“So… if you take one… no accidents?” she asked.

“No accidents. I didn’t want to assume you would be taking something, and I loathe barrier methods. Though, I would have used one if you’d asked. I understand some people prefer them.”

Alice shook her head vigorously. “No, I hate them too. They’re so… drying…”

Kandomere chuckled. “And that would be a travesty. I like you wet,” he said, leaning in again as she blushed.

Alice popped the pill back into the bottle and closed the lid, dropped them onto the bed. “How often do you need to take one?”

“Once a day. I have 12 hours left until the next one.”

Alice bit her lip and shifted closer, the sheet slipping away from her body as she did so. Kandomere capitalised on the movement and pulled her onto his lap.

“Whatever will we do for 12 hours?” Alice whispered against his lips, rolling her hips as she felt him harden underneath her.

“Whatever indeed…”

Chapter Text

It had been many years since Navarth had set foot in LA. He’d considered taking up residence within the Elven District, as would be his right, but his coming and goings would be more noticeable in such a high-end community. Instead, he opted for a rougher section of the human world where he felt he was less likely to be bothered. It did have the unfortunate consequence of putting him and his coven nearer to Shield of Light territory, but given that they mostly consisted of humans, he wasn’t worried.

Keldan had remarked more than once that it had been a shame that the tree in the basement of the Shield of Light headquarters where Leilah and her coven had met their end had burned down. It was the only magical connection Shield of Light had, as so few humans were Brights and most wouldn’t want to risk touching a wand without knowing first.

What wasn’t common knowledge to most people, including the authorities, was that there were spells and rituals that could be performed by an accomplished Bright to detect the presence of another like them. It was how Leilah had been able to fill her coven with three Brights, despite only having one wand. There were also spells to detect the presence of other wands in the vicinity, but they were long and complicated and didn’t have the greatest reach, a mile at most. So far, his spells had been unsuccessful and they took a toll on his energy every time he performed them. Keldan had offered to work the spells himself, but as he had no true connection to Navarth’s wand, he would likely have even less success. Despite being a Bright, he wasn’t a natural with magic. His focus was easily flustered by overthinking what he was doing and the wand knew it.

No. He needed his own wand. One without ownership so that he could begin the binding rituals and fully integrate with the wand’s magic.

Alice had spent the morning in bed with Kandomere, exploring the benefits of the elf pill he’d taken the night before. They worked up quite an appetite and only emerged from his lavish bedroom so that he could cook some breakfast for them. He donned a pair of silk sleep trousers as Alice slipped on his discarded shirt. He rather enjoyed the sight of her smaller frame in his clothing.

Although he didn’t technically work weekends, being the head of his department meant that he could be called at any moment should something important come up. For this reason, he fully intended to enjoy every second he had with Alice, pulling a large pan out so he could make them pancakes from scratch.

Alice sat at the breakfast bar and watched him move around his kitchen with surprising skill. Knowing what he did for a living, she had assumed he often bought pre-prepared food or ordered in. It made her curious to know what else he could cook.

“I didn’t think you’d enjoy pancakes. Thought maybe you’d be an eggs benedict type?” she asked, biting her lip as she grinned.

Kandomere chuckled. “I have spent the last two decades working with humans, working late nights and early mornings, surviving on whatever food and drink we can get our hands on whenever we can. I try to eat well whenever I can, but I also recognise the need to just take some comfort in carbs. I think we earned it,” he answered.

Alice giggled. His stamina and libido had been amazing. They’d taken their time making love that morning, Kandomere only satisfied after she come twice, the second time with him lapping her clean of his own orgasm as she found her own. Human men wouldn’t usually get so intimate with their own ejaculate, but it hadn’t bothered Kandomere in the slightest. Alice had to admit, he actually tasted good. She wondered if it was an elf thing. Human men rarely tasted so pleasant. One boyfriend she’d had several years ago had tasted like congealed salt water. She rarely let him finish in her mouth and was often punished by him refusing to even contemplate going down on her.

“I think we’ve definitely given those pills a good testing,” she quipped, smirking.

He smirked back as he was expertly pouring batter into a perfectly clean pan, flipping with a flick of the wrist at exactly the right time. He made two fluffy pancakes each and set the rest of the batter in the fridge, washing up everything before he started a fresh pot of coffee for them.

Alice watched him do everything, chuckling to herself at just how domestic it was that he could cook and clean. Although she’d never seen a cleaner come to his apartment, she hadn’t imagined that he would do his own housekeeping. She had a feeling that he had most of his clothing dry-cleaned, given how expensive his suits likely were.

Kandomere laid out a selection of syrups and fruit sauces, plus a chocolate spread, followed by an array of fresh fruit and some fresh whipped. He followed this up with the coffee, sugar, and cream (oat-based for Alice).

It was quite a spread just for some pancakes. Alice giggled as he sat down next to her.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, smiling as he put half a teaspoon of sugar into his coffee, followed by a splash of cream.

“All the effort. It’s almost as though you’re trying to charm me into bed…” she answered, grinning at him.

Kandomere gave a short laugh. “Maybe I’m trying to charm you back into bed,” he quipped.

“I’m only a weak little human, you might wear me out,” she responded, popping a raspberry into her mouth.

“I’ll just have to keep feeding you to keep your energy up,” he replied, offering her a strawberry.

She grinned and bit into the strawberry, humming as the sweet juice filled her mouth. “You’re going to have to tell me where you get your fruit from. Far better than the human markets I normally use.”

“I’ll make sure to buy extra on my next trip.” He poured syrup over his pancakes and added a liberal helping of berries to the top, followed by a healthy dollop of cream.

Alice did the same, though avoided the cream, taking a healthy bite of the first pancake with some blueberries. She hummed around her mouthful. Better than any diner pancakes she’d ever had.

“You’re going to have to cook these again sometime,” she stated as she cut another piece.

“I’m glad you like them. I’d like to cook other things for you. Whatever you like,” he answered.

“I’m not too fussy, except for the digestive issues. Didn’t exactly have the money for fancy food when we worked at the restaurant. Sounds ridiculous considering the kind of food they sold there. We weren’t permitted to have any of it, even as leftovers.”

“That sounds unreasonably wasteful. I’m glad I have never been back to the place. Honestly, even by elven standards, it was overpriced,” he commented.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all. Probably why Faltorin thought he was so important. It gave the impression that only the top elite elves could afford to eat there. Not even a month’s wages could have bought Kyra and I a meal there.”

Kandomere finished his first pancake and licked some syrup from his finger. He wanted her to experience finer things, though he was unsure if she would even want that. She didn’t seem overly impressed by displays of wealth, which he could completely understand. He wasn’t much of a fan of his people’s need to emblazon themselves in swathes of gold and jewels at every opportunity. He liked his suits and the simple little touches that added to the look, but aside from the gorget he’d long put away, he didn’t really indulge in what humans might call ‘bling’.

He sat and simply watched her eat for a few moments, smiling when she blushed. He reached out and tucked some hair behind her ear, letting his finger linger on the top, smoothing it over the rounded edge. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know humans had rounded ears, but feeling it was something new. She didn’t really respond as he explored the contours, only twitching when his hand moved down her neck, chuckling at the giggle as she squirmed.

“That tickles!” she whined.

“I thought your ear might be sensitive,” he explained.

Alice shook her head and looked at him. She glanced at the pointy tip of his ear poking through his unkempt hair. She knew from Kyra that elven ear tips were inherently sensitive and she inwardly berated herself for not taking advantage of that knowledge. Something she fully intended to rectify at some point soon.

As she poured herself some coffee, Kandomere retrieved a carton of oat milk he’d bought earlier in the week, remembering that she didn’t tolerate dairy.

“You really didn’t have to go to the trouble of buying oat milk. I know it isn’t cheap,” Alice responded when he opened the carton for her.

“Nonsense, I wasn’t about to leave you with nothing. Black coffee isn’t to everyone’s taste.”

He put the carton in front of her and sat back down to finish his food. Despite their evening and morning activities, he couldn’t stop looking at her as she sat nibbling on pieces of pancake as she tore bits from her plate with her fingers, his eyes very much enjoying the sight of her in his shirt and nothing else.

Alice caught him staring and smirked at him as she licked her fingers. She could see the smouldering fire in his eyes as he watched each finger slip between her lips in turn and then back out with a pop. She grinned as his eyes followed her fingers, having a feeling she knew what he was imagining.

She dropped the piece of pancake she’d been nibbling on and took a long swig of her coffee before she shifted off the stool she’d been sitting on and coming around the bar to stand in front of him.

Kandomere had a slight smirk across his lips, but it was quickly replaced by surprise when she shifted his thighs further apart and slid to her knees, her hands tugging on his silk trousers to pull him free. She hummed as she gave him a few strokes, pleased that he’d already been hard. As much as she’d enjoyed getting her hands on him the previous night, she’d honestly thought a lot about how it would feel and how he would taste when she finally got her mouth on him.

Over the past week before their date, she’d masturbated more times than she could remember, imagining taking him into her mouth. The fact that she hadn’t indulged earlier in the morning was almost laughable, but he had been extremely content to find his pleasure within her as often as she had wanted.

She gave him no chance to object as she slipped her lips over him, her tongue swirling and sliding along the head and down the shaft as she bobbed her head.

Kandomere’s eyes almost crossed at the sudden onslaught of sensation. He absolutely didn’t want her to stop as he watched her mouth swallow him, his thighs trembling as he used a hand to stroke her hair aside so he could see everything she was doing. This unfortunately proved to be a mistake as he could already feel the pleasure building quickly in his abdomen, the hair on his arms standing on end as his skin prickled and tingled.

He let his head drop back and groaned loudly. Her motions were languid and rhythmic as a hand moved to gently grasp his balls which sent a strong tremor through him. A hand gripped the bar, his fingers causing the wood to creak slightly. Every moment with Alice felt like a first. There had been nothing fantastical about their time together, no swinging from the ceiling, no endless battery powered toys… Just the simplicity of exploring each other.

Right now, that simplicity had him trembling and struggling not to slide off his seat as Alice’s mouth and tongue slid over his length, the tip of her tongue circling over the head with each bob. It was definitely a mistake to watch as he disappeared into her mouth, but the visage was beyond exquisite and he was unable to contain his pleasure as a strangled groan erupted in his throat, the hand in her hair moving to her shoulder so he didn’t yank on it as he came, his hips rolling ever so slightly as he flooded her mouth, hearing her moan softly in response.

She still couldn’t quite believe how good he tasted, humming softly as his warmth spread across her tongue, having no difficulty swallowing and licking him clean as he continued to tremble.

When she finally lifted her head, she grinned up at him, running her tongue over her lips.

“It definitely compliments the strawberries,” she quipped.

“How deliciously wicked,” he breathed out as he pulled her up onto his lap, ignoring the protest of the chair.

“I thought about doing that all week,” she admitted, flushing slightly.

“What a coincidence; I thought about doing the same to you.”

She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned in to nibble on his lip. “We should do it together sometime… See who can hold out the longest.”

He chuckled. “Oh, you’ll definitely win that one.”

“Somehow, you coming first doesn’t seem like a bad way to lose...”