Jem leaned casually against the wall of the New York Institute, his hands in the pockets of the jeans Tessa had helped him find and purchase in a shopping mall full of people. It had been a bit overwhelming, after decades of silence, but overall, Jem was pleased with his purchases. He looked like a person again. An individual. Children no longer recoiled from him when he walked down the street, afraid of the parchment colored robes he wore, and what they suspected lay beneath his over-large hood. While Jem had never been quite as disfigured as his brothers, he had never been in a hurry to showcase the runes and scars on his face. They were still there now, but faded enough that he would not terrify anyone, at least.
Footsteps sounded in the Institute corridor, and Jem looked up, smiling pleasantly in welcome as Jace neared. “Hello, Jace,” he greeted, lifting a hand in a short wave. “I hope you are well. I was wondering if I could prevail upon your time today? I am not told much, now that I am no longer an active Shadowhunter, but I would very much like to know what in bloody hell is going on!” It was still Jem’s first instinct to search out the nearest Herondale in times of crisis, evidently, though this was not his parabatai. There was some of him there, though, when Jem looked very hard -- some of the same mischief in his eyes, and some of the same instinct to take the weight of the world on his shoulders, despite having plenty willing to help.