The night was thick with rain, the kind that slicks the streets into mirrors and makes neon signs ripple like watercolors. A faint breeze carried the smell of wet asphalt and street food, and every few seconds a car hissed by, sending up arcs of spray.

You were hurrying down the sidewalk, hood pulled over your head, clutching your bag against the rain. The city felt bigger at night — endless corners, endless shadows. You rounded one sharply, your eyes on the ground, and—

thud.

You collided with someone solid.

“I’m so sorry!” you blurted, stumbling back a step.

The boy you’d run into steadied you without hesitation. His gloved hand caught your elbow with surprising gentleness. Under the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp, you saw him clearly for the first time.

His reddish-hair, tipped with black, stuck out in tousled spikes, damp from the rain. A single cross earring glinted at his ear. His jacket ~ black with a faint star emblem ~ hung half open, and his boots left steady prints in the puddles. A slender fencing sword hung sheathed at his side, its hilt peeking just over his belt.

“Hey, easy,” he said, voice warm and steady despite the downpour. “You okay?”

You blinked up at him, surprised by his calm. He looked strong ~ like someone who could’ve shoved you off easily ~ but his grip was careful, as if he was making sure you wouldn’t slip.

“I—yeah,” you managed. “Sorry. I wasn’t watching.”

He smiled, not the cocky kind, but small and reassuring. “It happens. Nights like this, you barely see where you’re going.” He released your arm once you’d found your balance. “Name’s Diamonds.”

You hesitated, then gave yours. He nodded, looking down the empty street, scanning it like he was used to checking for trouble.