This had to be it.

Aurya stared up at the fast food establishment. Arby’s, this one was called. The dining room was half filled with patrons stuffing their faces with whatever nefarious oddities it served. She hadn’t seen the inside of one of these places in ages, and the last time had been only out of curiosity. She didn’t eat much regular food and preferred the little she consumed to be of decent quality.

But not everyone had that luxury. For some, the quick and cheap was all they could afford to live off of. She wondered if Delgado was one such person; places like this had a reputation for not paying well. ‘Twas no wonder he needed to take odd jobs from people like her over the internet.

When he hadn’t shown up for their meeting, she’d began to worry that he’d reneged on their deal. But why would he, when she paid so well? Money didn’t entice everyone, she reminded herself, and it was too late in the game to find someone else.

He’d seemed eager on their phone call, almost excited, which led her to believe something may have happened to him. He could’ve gotten hurt, or worse. So Aurya, with her limited knowledge, had ventured out of the coffee shop to find him, and approximately fifteen minutes later, she’d found herself outside this Arby’s.

Aurya stepped into the dining room, and a wall of various scents—mostly roast beef—slammed into her. Some patrons gave her cursory looks while other let their eyes linger longer, a little too long. She pushed her power outward, and it blanketed the building in a thick, invisible haze. Thirty-seven people occupied the restaurant, and of that number, twelve were behind the counters. And of that twelve, only five were visible. Delgado could be back there, out of her sight.

A blonde woman pushed a cart along the booths on the other side, dressed in the same uniform as those behind the registers. Aurya sidled up to her, heels clicking against the tile. “Excuse me.”

The woman glanced up from her cart, then did a double take, gray eyes bulging and lips thinning to a slit. “Uh, hi. How can I help you?”

Aurya put on a smile. She had often been told by humans she had a sweet, inviting smile, and took advantage of it whenever she could. “I’m looking for Mr. Delgado. Is he here?”

“One moment, please.” The woman abandoned her cart and disappeared somewhere behind the counters. Aurya used her haze to follow her to the back part of the building, where another person was. Delgado, perhaps. She found a seat near the front of the restaurant and checked her watch. Nigh four pm.

Outside, the sun was dipping closer to the west, its golden light stretching the shadows of the buildings. The nights were getting longer, a trying thing for the humans but not a bother to her. She turned her head to let the slivers of light touch her face.

It tingled, but didn’t burn, a feeling not unlike steam wafting against her face. She’d spent an hour in direct sunlight today, and with luck, the exhaustion wouldn’t hit her too hard later. She could and should push herself more, especially now that she was inviting death to her doorstep.

Not to kill her right away. No, that would be too easy. She wanted to wine and dine death, dance with them, seduce them. Only then would she allow it to drive a cold stake through her heart.

“Uh, hi again.”

Aurya flicked her gaze to the blonde woman, who stood at her table, washcloth in hand. Gone was her surprised and borderline terrified expression, replaced by a cheeky grin filled with the mischief of a child up to no good.

“He’ll be out soon,” she said, and bounced off to her cart.

Aurya stared after the woman for a moment, before setting her attention back out the window to the parking lot beyond. It wasn’t much different from the view outside her office at the night school. A sea of metal lit up by the sun, the occasional person wading through. How boring. At least she’d found Delgado, a key to making her life less boring.

The hairs on the back of Aurya’s neck stood on edge, and she looked to the other end of the dining room. A man stood there staring at her. His dark curls were mashed against his head, and a furrow sat between his thick brows.

Delgado, is that you? she wondered.

He squared his shoulders and walked towards her with long, purposeful strides, his legs eating up the distance. As he stepped closer, she picked out more parts of his features. The sunny glow of his fallow skin, the gentle bow of his bottom lip, the smattering of freckles over his face.

“Ms. Asarr?” he asked, when he stopped in front of her.

“It’s just Ms. Sarr.” Aurya smiled, and his eyes trained on her lips for the barest moment. “You must be Mr. Delgado.”

The curious eyes of his coworkers were not lost on her. The blonde in particular had the biggest grin on her face. Perhaps they weren’t used to Mr. Delgado having female company.

Delgado laughed, a shaky, almost hysterical sound. “Yeah. That’s, uh… that’s my name. My last name, actually.”

Usually, she’d find such blathering pathetic, but coming from him, it was adorable, like a puppy falling on its face. “Well, then.” She stood and shouldered her messenger bag. “Shall we?”

“Of course.” Delgado held the door for her to step out. And they said chivalry was dead.