"I'm not hiding anything. I'm trying not to throw you into the city when you just got here," Alec said defensively. But he grimaced, going quiet a minute before speaking again.

"The set up is crap, everyone knows it. No one likes it, no matter how they're assigned. I don't like it either. But when I got here, there was no one from home but Magnus. And I'd never met him until I got here. No Clave, no Lightwoods. No one knew me or expected anything of me. No one cared what I did or didn't do or if I failed, except for the city caring if I didn't follow the rules. The worst things about me weren't anything to anyone here. I could want things. People. And the people I wanted wanted me back." Alec shrugged again. "I missed home, Izzy, you, Max. But I liked that part of it. I might have had to sign a contract and I might have a mark I didn't put on myself. But I had freedom I never had at home, for a while. And I met people I care about." He looked away at nothing in particular, uncomfortable. "So that's what I like. It doesn't mean I like everything."

He looked back, frowning a little. "I don't know. The rain is pretty new. We can get you back to Magnus, he can look at it."