He was definitely different, that even Serafina was distinctly aware of as he stood so incredibly close to her. Still, she supposed time had a way of doing that. He still smelled the same, still had those same depthless eyes she'd once so naively stared into with thoughts of eternity upon her mind. That demeanor, however, spoke volumes of whatever had so occurred to him since that time he'd so left her. His whole body seemed tense and that blade he'd pressed against the girl's slender neck was far too peculiar for her to simply ignore, even if she could hardly help that anger that still rushed through her veins after all this time. He knew, after all, what her life consisted of. He knew of her childhood on the streets, of how her mentor had near kidnapped her, of his efforts to teach her magic and her eternal failure to be decent at anything and he'd still left her alone with all of that. For a while afterwards, she'd hated him for so taking her heart and dashing it against the rocks. She'd hated him for leaving her. She hated him for those childish hopes that, one day, the pair would be together and find a way to leave her mentor behind. How foolish she'd been and yet, maybe it had been for the better. After all, look at her now. She was free of her captor, she'd grown into her affinities, and she'd found someone whom, despite all odds and her continually bleak outlook, still decided to stay at her side.

Even despite all of this, she still found herself unable to throw such things in his face. There was a part of her that still cared for the man that stood in front of her, even if he didn't deserve it. Serafina allowed that ice to thaw from her umbrella before she nudged his chin with the tip of that umbrella, calling him out near effortlessly for that fashion in which the man so stalked her, as if she was oblivious to his eyes upon her shop - much less upon her. She was aware, vaguely, of that twitch of amusement upon the corner of his lips and mirrored in those warm eyes and yet, even so, the man stepped away from her just enough to provide her the smallest hint of breathing room. She watched as he pinched the tip of her umbrella, pushing it away from his chiseled features and against the wall behind her. A small frown crossed her lips as her fingers let go of the offending object now that it was no longer of use to her. She was hardly perturbed by the fashion in which his arm stopped any hint of escape. Rather, her eyebrows simply furrowed at that idle comment that she was being cynical. "When am I not?" She inquired, with a certain measure of bluntness. Truly though, the girl tended to be pessimistic in every fashion. This claim merely stating a truth of herself that she already knew well.

Serafina was hardly oblivious to the way the man before her simply failed to answer her own inquiry, providing her yet a question in return. She could hardly help the soft sigh that left her lips as she truly considered those words he spoke to her. Was she really that disgruntled to see him? Though the young witch was fickle by nature, even she was ever truthful. "I don't know." The witch answered quite bluntly, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered those words. "Why did you come back now? After all this time?" She paused before adding, "Think over your words carefully, Brennan. It will decide whether or not I forgive you." Serafina crossed her arms of her chest as she regarded him, unaware of that vulnerability she could so coax to life within him. Rather, the girl was so selfishly focused upon her own emotions of betrayal as her body so subconsciously shuddered in the coldness of the rain pierced her clothing and saturated her skin. That frown once again crossed her features at those goosebumps so rose upon her arms, her hands raising to rub against her bare skin as she grumbled that he might as well follow her home. She was cold and she needed answers from him after all these years.

That insistence that he required booze, however, was met with a small shrug to her shoulders. "I have plenty of drinks that might quench your thirst." She answered in return, her voice remaining as blunt and disgruntled as ever. That promise of an arrangement, however, merely caused her eyebrow to twitch ever so slightly though she offered that devilishly handsome man naught a word of agreement. Rather, she stepped away from him, leaving him holding the body of her umbrella as she braved the cold, wet rain. A chill ran down her spine at the gentle caress of the wind and slowly, she glanced back at him, inquiring if he intended to follow. She watched as he regarded her with a near blank stare before, softly, a sigh of acceptance seemed to leave his lips. That addition of a condition, however, caused Serafina's eyebrows to raise in a questioning fashion. She hardly expected the way the man so shrugged out of his jacket, offering it open for her. For a moment, Serafina simply watched him, noting the way her own element reacted to...well...something. Eventually, however, the girl nodded in a small agreement, fully intending to ask him after what she saw once they were comfortable and warm. Her steps were feather light despite the way her clothes had become near soaked, clinging to her petite frame. She turned upon her heels, placing one arm into a sleeve, followed by the next and soon, that familiar weight of that trench coat so embraced her slender frame.

She reached for that umbrella, pressing the button to so pop it open as she held it overhead. "Stay close." Her words were soft, missing that usual bite as she started down that sidewalk, fully attempting to keep him as dry as possible in the wake of that spring storm. That inquiry of demons, however, saw her silver-hued gaze shift towards him before a small shrug crossed her features. "Demons." She paused before launching into what knowledge she held of them. "Came from the greek word daimon. They're malevolent, supernatural spirits. They are often associated incorrectly with witches though we are capable of harnessing negative energy. I've seen several spells for summoning them, most require blood or a sacrifice of some kind. I haven't attempted any, naturally. I've been told the ignorant attempt to harness them though, they truly cannot be controlled." And therein laid the entirety of her knowledge on such a race of creatures. Serafina herself was unsure whether or not she truly believed in their existence and yet, she hadn't ever chanced it enough to try those spells in those darker books all the same. She glanced towards him, easily connecting their dots. "Do my answers lie with demons, Brennan?"

serafina dubois