Eva Jaeger

—

The Book of Life

I’m gonna start a conspiracy theory stating that Eva is Baldwin’s source in New Haven. Can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before. 

Matthew stood in the doorway long before he spoke.Not looming—he never loomed—but occupying the space with that unnerving, deliberate quiet that always preceded him. The library’s low lamplight caught the edge of his profile, turning him into a study in restraint: hands clasped behind his back, shoulders held with monk-like discipline, gaze fixed on the woman who had so effortlessly unsettled his equilibrium.

"Eva."

Her name left him on a breath rather than a greeting, as though he’d been holding it in his mouth for too long.He stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him with a softness that felt intentional. His eyes, so ancient, assessing and far too perceptive traced the line of her posture, the tension in her jaw, the way she didn’t look away.

"You’ve been avoiding me."Not not meant as an accusation, it is a conclusion.Matthew moved closer, each step measured, as if approaching a creature he respected enough not to startle. He stopped just short of her reach, the air between them charged with the kind of silence that demanded honesty. "I’d like to know why."A pause. A flicker of something unguarded in his expression—concern, curiosity, something darker he refused to name. "Because whether you intend it or not, Eva… you leave an impression and I’m not accustomed to being left wondering."

It'd been a while and yet he was still the same silent shadow she'd come to know in the past. Always catching her reading somewhere in Sept-Tours when she'd been invited. It was weirdly comforting to find this similarity with their past was still there.

"Avoiding doesn't seem a harsh enough word, Matthäus," she said, correcting him. "Evading maybe. Giving you and your family a wide berth."

She watched him carefully, with a little curiosity as he came closer, closing the door of her little study room. Of all people she thought that Matthew would have been doing the same. Not that she was really to be viewed as a threat. Just an ex of his brother whom he still didn't get along with. She admits she was mostly assuming the last bit.

"Ich schulde dir absolut nichts dergleichen." I owe you absolutely nothing of the sort.

"I am here for my work. It just so happens your little family took up residence nearby." It wasn't a lie. Per say. She held his gaze. "Would you rather I seeked you out? Last time I checked we weren't exactly the best of friends. There is a lot of history between us. Perhaps I was hoping for some quiet for once. New Haven can be quite peaceful at times you know if you let it."

She hadn't been here long but she was growing a fondness for it she had to admit.

When Baldwin had originally called her she'd hung up. Twice. Then he'd shown up at her place of work. The drama queen that he was. No 'hi eva' or 'sorry eva' or even 'sorry about that time I broke your heart's. Just straight to the point that he needed her help and it would be beneficial to her if she did. She'd had no interest in the second but the first had intrigued her. Baldwin? Needing help? From her of all people.

It had been a short chat and Baldwin knew better than to try and play on her emotions as an ex. Instead he'd appealed to her with a story of the future of creature-kind. And she'd been interested. Damn him.

But she wasn't going to do exactly as he said and be a lap dog. She'd agreed to look on in her own terms. Currently that meant from a distance. She hadn't been planning on getting involved at all. But now here was Matthew throwing a wrench in her plans of a nice vacation.

The pictures :

bonus :

What do we have? And please don’t say ‘each other.’

Maybe we’ve both gone mad.