Don anxiously checked his watch again.
He had thought that his speech was enough to convince Hermione to show up, but there he was, waiting at the table for two with no sign of her in sight.
He peeped out through the window and observed the streets drenched in water as the rain continued to pour heavily.
He watched as people hurried past the café where he was sitting, most making judicious use of their umbrellas.
A few flying cars also went by overhead, speeding away into the dark night sky.
His attention was drawn to a group of young men and women who were walking past, all banded together.
However, the strangest thing about the group was the fact that the raindrops seemed to avoid them.
As they walked past, they created spots where the rain diverted around them, allowing them to stay dry.
Don could only guess that someone in the group had an ability that allowed them that luxury.
Don watched as they giggled past and could not help but notice how much the world had begun to heal.
Despite the Sentients now basically ruling the planet and enslaving its inhabitants, it was so obvious that people were happy.
Don's mind drifted to the world before the Sentients' descent on the planet, the time after the aura shower, the sufferings and deaths that suddenly enveloped the Earth.
He didn't know how to feel, whether he should be happy or extremely infuriated that the world had healed.
"You seem quite preoccupied," the voice spoke from behind.
He had noticed the sudden presence a while back but had decided to play along with what the person would think was creeping up on him.
He turned around to see Hermione standing, a wet trench coat covering every inch of her body.
She held a black cane, which tip touched the terrazzo floor in her left hand and held a small purse in her right.
Across her face was the same cloth Don had seen her wear back in her office, its mere existence still felt strange to him.
"How can you tell?" he asked, now facing her. He still found her kind of creepy.
She proceeded to put her purse on the table and began folding her cane with both hands.
As Don watched all of this, he could not help but wonder if she was truly blind or was just putting up an act.
She reached out for the seat opposite Don and sat down. All of this was done in the manner of someone who could clearly see what they were doing.
At that point, Don had had enough; he couldn't hold the question back any longer.
"Can you actually not see, or is this all just an act?" he asked bluntly.
"Well, to human perception, I am indeed blind," she replied without looking up at him.
"So what's up with the cane and blindfold? It seems you don't actually need them."
Hermione gave no reply to his question.
"So I'm guessing this is a date then," she proceeded to say, now staring directly at him.
Don chuckled.
"I see you have played out the scenario in your head," he said with a little smirk, which he later doubted Hermione could see on his face.
He had gone into playboy mode.
There was only one goal for this meeting he had organized, and it was so that by the end of the night, he would have gotten her completely naked into his bed.
He had long begun to strategize how he was going to carry out this plan.
Most of the time, his charm and physical appearance were enough to get the job done, but this time around, he was dealing with someone who claimed to be blind.
He was still figuring out how he was supposed to charm her and get her to sleep with him.
"So what would you like to eat?" he continued to say.
"I don't think I'm hungry," she quickly dismissed him.
Don noticed it now, the wariness in her voice, the way she sat—she was uncomfortable.
It was as though something was seriously bothering her.
Don could only guess that it was him and the idea that the Sentients could be after her that was responsible for that.
It finally clicked; all of his old playboy tactics were not going to work on her. She seemed too intelligent and discerning for that.
He was going to prey on her vulnerability, her fear.
"You seem tense, is everything okay?" he asked, faking a compassionate tone and reaching out to calm her trembling hands with his.
Oh, Don, what a bad boy you are, he thought to himself.
She calmed a little, then slowly pulled her hands away from his.
"The only reason I am here is because you threatened to sell me out," she answered after a brief moment of silence.
"I never said that. I just want you to know you need protection."
"And that is all you want to offer me?" she asked.
"Well, that and anything else you need, all on one condition," he said.
"You want me to come work for you?" she answered.
"Um, more like work with me," he answered calmly.
He had given her the half-truth. He needed her ability and wanted to protect her.
He had, however, failed to explain their working relationship—that of a master to a slave—and how he intended to make that happen.
Don got up on his feet and gestured to Hermione to do the same.
"I think we should take a walk, perhaps I could help you back to your apartment."
He needed to get laid, and there was no way that was going to happen in a café, at least not with her.
She hesitated at first, but soon she was up on her feet and minutes later, they were walking side by side on the sidewalk.
The rain had ceased by now, with only tiny droplets of water and the puddles that had formed in a few areas of the road to testify that it ever existed.
They continued walking and they passed a few shops, malls, and even apartments.
The world now seemed like a better place compared to what it had been before the apocalypse, at least this side of it.
Suddenly, Hermione halted her steps.
Don was already a couple of paces ahead before he noticed this.
He turned around to face her and, despite the blindfold that was covering her eyes, he could see a shocked expression written all over her face.
"What is wrong?" he asked, confused by the sudden change in mood.
"Who really are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.
It was as if she had seen a ghost.
He became visibly confused. What in God's name had happened to make her so frightened?
"You're the Seer, you tell me," he said, trying to lighten the tension that was now in the air with humor.
He tried moving closer to her, but she reflexively backed away from him, stumbling in her backward steps and almost falling.
Don hurriedly grabbed her by the waist, cutting her fall.
"What is the problem?" he asked, still holding her and staring into where her eyes should have been.
"I don't know who... or what you are," she stated, her voice still trembling.
"But I can see tonight only ending one way."
Don's expression tightened with suspense.
"I... I become enslaved to you," she concluded, stammering.