And so it begins...

Intelligence is a bit like a secret. Intelligent people belong to an exclusive society, they recognize each other, they are proud of their intelligence and they are modest about it, but they can't help but mock those less intelligent than themselves from time to time. Not cruelly, not in any way that the person being mocked would notice, and always in front of someone else who will get the joke. It's an inside jokes club. It is a club of shared knowledge. It gives the members the feeling that they belong, and like any other club, it makes members feel a little better than the rest of the world for a little while.

Anya was like that. She never thought of herself as intelligent, but she found herself making a joke that only one other person in the room would understand, and they would smile at each other in complicity. This details made her happy, they made her like people better. She had always been a very social person, happier with more people around her, but it was always good to find someone that got her. That was how she met Damian. He was at one of the office parties. She would only wonder afterwards why he was there at all, he didn't work in her office as far as she knew. That night they first joked and then they talked for hours. When the party was over he asked her if she would go have something to eat with him, they were both quite drunk, so she followed him into a cab and to a 24 hour diner.

-So you think this is the best place for burgers? -she asked with a teasing smile.
-The best place I know, and I know a few. -he replied almost seriously.

He ordered a cheeseburger with fries and she ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and onion rings.

-No fries? -he asked, pretending to be horrified.
-No fries. Onion rings are the best human invention.
-Better than the telephone. Or the light bulb.
-Of course. The telephone or the light bulb would have happened eventually. They were a matter of time, we need to communicate.
-So in your opinion the only inventions that are truly good are those that are... unnecessary?
-Well, only if you think onion rings are unnecessary. I wouldn't want to live in a world with no onion rings. -she deadpanned.

They looked into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds and then burst out laughing. They must have been shouting because the guy behind the counter shot them a warning look, so they stopped talking. They purposefully put on serious faces and looked away from each other. Then Damian got close to Anya and poked her just below the ribs and she stifled a laugh as she poked him back. Soon they were both laughing again.

-Here you go. -said the guy behind the counter in a stern voice, handing them their food.
-Thanks.
-Thank you.

They regained their composure for long enough to get out of the diner and then burst out laughing again. They couldn't have said what was so funny.

-So what now? -she asked. She didn't want to go home just yet.
-I don't know. We could go up to the park and wait for sunrise. It's nearly four and it dawns early this time of year.
-Sounds good. -she said smiling. She wondered for a second whether she liked the guy. He was taller than her, a good six feet, and had black hair. He had regular features, not exactly handsome, not ugly. No, she didn't like him. She found him interesting. They'd talked about movies, books, food. They'd joked around. He reminded her of her teenage friends, who'd she'd spent endless summer days with, but with more to talk about.

They walked to the park and climbed the hill. When they got to the top Anya started climbing up a tree.

-What are you doing? -he asked half laughing?
-I like climbing -she said simply. And with that, he followed her up the tree.

They sat down on the top branches of the tree and ate their food in silence, looking over the city as the day begun. It wasn't the first time Anya had watched sunrise over the city, but as always the thought came to her that she should do it more often, that life was worth it just to see the sunrise after a long, fun night.

Damian was playing with his keys, and Anya noticed he had a scar running along his little finger up his wrist.

-How did that happen? -she asked curiously.
He looked at where she was looking.
-This? -he said, pulling back his sleeve and showing the scar reached nearly up to his elbow. She nodded.
-Well, it was a few years ago. I cut myself on a window glass.
-You broke a window?
He nodded, unsmiling.
-How?
He looked at her for a moment, considering what to say next.
-I was breaking into one of the Eryne Lane mansions, and I didn't have as much experience back then as I do now.
-Breaking into houses? -she said in a sarcastically humorous tone.
-Yeah. I am a thief. I do it for a living. -he said smiling. She smiled back.
-What kind of thing do you steal?
-Well, it used to be jewels. -he said, taking a bite out of his burger. He chewed slowly, and then swallowed, making the most of the pause. -Now it's mostly art, usually pieces I'm asked for. Or pieces I want for myself.
-So you're an art connoisseur too? -she asked, making light of what he had just told her. She wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but it didn't matter. It just made him more interesting.
-Well, I wouldn't say that, but some might. I know enough to tell a fake from the real thing.
-That's good enough for what I have in mind. -she said. She hadn't known she was going to challenge him, but as she said it she knew exactly what she was going to ask him to do.