In the game, Aria had been an orc—tall, strong, with features that were striking in an entirely different way. Akhil had gotten used to that appearance, had associated her with wind manipulation and a blade longer than most people were tall and the kind of tactical competence that had kept them alive through impossible odds.
He had not been prepared for what she actually looked like.
She was... there wasn't a word that quite captured it.
Her long dark hair fell in waves that caught the restaurant's warm lighting. Her eyes—brown, bright, carrying intelligence and something that might have been nervousness—were scanning the space looking for them. She wore jeans and a fitted jacket over a simple top, but somehow made the casual outfit look effortless.
And she'd apparently arrived just in time to hear something, because her face had gone bright red.
Tomato red. The kind of blush that suggested she'd caught the tail end of their conversation.
