Post by Lady Winter Wolf on Nov 15, 2007 4:14:50 GMT -5
Blood Make Us One
*Her heels tapped, tapped, tapped along the cobblestone street; the lacey train of her long gown swishing in time, as if to a sad melody. She passed the city stables, grooms taking care of the horses which had worked hard pulling the carriages. The nostrils on a dark sable one flared, his eyes rolled back, upward he rose in sheer terror. The groom tried desperately to calm it, a hoove driven into his skull. He falls dead, the horse running over his body as it gallops down the dark street.*
*She knew it had sensed her, the creature that she was. She watches as another groom runs after the crazed horse, while men gather around the fallen groom. But what is the point, he is dead, no more to this world.*
*She walks on, the activity around the stables too plentiful for her needs. Rounding a corner, she goes towards a small bridge that gives foot crossing over one of the many canals of the city. There, leaning against the railing, a young man, no more than 20, trying to catch the night air. He'd been out drinking with his mates, but knew if he returned drunk to his father's home one more time, he would be out on his ear.*
*She approached him, but he did not even know she was beside him until she touched his arm, so silent she was. He jumped, but quickly caught himself* "Ah, mi'lady, how can I assist one as lovely as yourself? Tis a dark, cold night, and you should not be out on these streets alone."
*She stared into his eyes, a soft whispering filling his head; he leaned close to her as if to hear her more clearly. Gently she placed one hand upon his shoulder, the other onto his head. Opening her ruby colored lips, the lamplight glinted off her fangs momentarily before sinking deep within his neck. He flinched for a second, so fleeting was the pain, and she drank long and deep, feeling his life's essence drain from him.*
*When she was done, she leaned his body over the railing and pushed it over into the murky water below. A drop of blood eased off her lips and dripped onto her milky white breast. She wiped the blood spot with one elegant finger, licked it, smiled, and continued over the bridge to her home*
*The breezes flowed through her raven black hair, lifting, teasing. The young man's essence flowed through her veins as well, revitalizing, nourishing* "Hiccup! Ooops" *she laughed* "Well at least he drank fine wine, for his blood was very fine indeed"
*She turned down Chitterton Lane and entered the wrought iron gates that encircled her home, letting them clang softly behind her. She looked up at the facade of the house, not quite a mansion by high society's standards, but still elegant enough. A short stone stairway led up to the large wooden doors, two panels of stained glass in each. Each panel itself depicting two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse.*
*Inserting a brass key into the lock, she entered her home, calling for a servant. A young maid came running from the back* "Oooh, Mistress Armstead, so good to have you home again. Shall I draw a bath for you?" "Not now Emily, the night is still young. Find Trent, I want to hear music."
*The maid bobbed* "Yes Mistress" *and hurried back from whence she had come*
*Eriana quietly walked to the drawing room, a fire set burning in the grate, but she walked on to the tall windows, drew back a thick drape and looked into the blackness*
*Looking upwards, she sees the shimmer of the waxing moon between wisps of developing fog. She learned to stop counting her time on the earth centuries ago. She'd taken the sun's light for granted once too often, and now she ruled the darkness for eternity.*
*Dropping the drape, she turned and saw a man standing at the entrance of the drawing room. Tall and slim he was, a delicate face, and yet no doubt of his manliness could be traced in it. His hair was a silvery blond, shoulder length, his hands had long, strong fingers, his eyes.....his eyes, a vacant shade of bluish-gray.* "You requested music for your pleasure tonight Mistress?"
"Yes Trent, please do me the honor of hearing you play." *One foot stepped over the threshold, the other foot hesitating until the cane he held in his hand felt the ground ahead of him. Steadily he made his way to the harpiscord that stood in the corner of the large, yet still comfortable room. Sitting down upon the bench, he leaned the cane against the wall, stretched his fingers.* "Anything special for your fancy tonight Mistress?"
"Waltzes Trent, happy waltzes that will fill my body with energy to dance, to dance till the dawn sounds it's call"
*Eriana listened to Trent's magical fingers moving over the harpsicord's keys, dancing around the room with an imaginary partner in her arms.*
*She remembered this tune very well, the Emperor's Waltz by Strauss, Trent was playing it the night she first met him, when she made him one of her own. It was at the estate of Madame Devois, her Midsummer's Ball, and Trent entertained the guests in one of the smaller parlours. A young man of 25 years, and a genius at the harpsicord and piano....unusual for a man born blind at birth.*
*After he had finished, she made her way to him, as did other ladies in the parlour, but she was able to make them leave with just a flash of her eyes into their own. Laying a hand upon his shoulder, she felt a small shudder run through him. His blindness enabled his other senses to become very keen, and he knew she was different from all the other ladies that wanted his attention.*
"Oh my, 160 years ago that was. Just a single drop in the ocean of time."
*They walked out into the gardens, lit with carnival lights, making shadows come to life. Lovers embraced by garrish statues, water flowed into a fountain, the drops falling like tears. She let him talk, about his travels and how he played for society's finest, and royalty too. And as he talked, she knew that he was to become hers, and only hers. He would play his beautiful music, he would have his beautiful looks, eternally.*
*She was able to garner out of him where he was residing, and started to make her plans. How she would go to his home, on a simple pretense. He being a gentleman would, of course, bid her to enter, and then, well.......*
*But her thoughts of the past came to a sudden standstill, she banged her fist onto the musical instrument, and Trent stopped playing abruptly.* "Yes Mistress, I feel him too" *Was all he said, but it was enough*
"Damn him, damn him, damn him to the pits of hell!!!! He thinks he can just walk back into my life, this new life I have made here." *Eriana paced angerly back and forth across the room. She thought herself rid of him some 50 years ago, but now she sensed him back once again. "I'll tear his heart out of his chest with my own bare hands”
*Trent rose from the harpsicord, took up his cane and was able to take hold of her arm when he heard her voice close to him* "Mistress, may I suggest you calm yourself first. Vengence may lead to your own downfall. Perhaps he will not come here."
*There is a knocking upon her door, and the sense of him is so strong, Eriana's feet seem frozen to the floor*
*She hears Emily coming out of the back rooms, heading for the door, and that jars her to action. She runs out of the drawing room to the entryway.* "Emily dear, I'll handle our visitor, why don't you go to bed, it's late." *Emily curtsies* "Yes Mistress, thank you Mistress" *and goes to her own room on the upper floor of the small mansion*
*Emily shuddered as she left Eriana. There were times when the very mood of her Mistress filled the room with such overwhelming emotions that Emily would be forced to tears. But Eriana's words tonight were more like hearing fingers scraped across a chalk-board. Emily fidgeted as she retreated to her room.*
*She knew she would be on edge all night and unable to sleep while such antagonised passions filled the house.*
*Eriana fluffs up her hair, and pastes on a smile, thinking* "Well, let's see why the bastard needs me now. I'll have a good laugh, and then rip out his heart."
*She opens the door, and sees Leander standing there, or the man she once knew as Nicholas* "Well, well, well, Nicholas, after so many years....why have you darkened my life again?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*From atop one of the highest buildings in the area, a hooded figure watches his beautiful lady as she feeds upon her latest victim. He is known by many names, Michael, Rainier, Bailey, Nicholas and now as Leander. Silently, he comes down into an alley between two buildings, slipping out onto the street. Passerbys are none the wiser to what he really is, as he follows her to her home.*
*Outside, he waits, thinking of her, wondering if even now, she can sense him nearby. He hears the sound of the harpsicord, one of her favorite melodies playing, and then, its sudden halt. He sighs, "Oh yes, she knows I am here, and she is not pleased, my dearest Eriana." As if he drifted forward, he is standing by the door, waiting for someone to bid him entrance.*
*Patiently he waits, but something, no, someone stirs his senses. Not her, no, a male, one of their kind, but with a hunger that disturbed even Leander. He knocks upon the door, and it is opened, by her. There stood his Eriana, as elegant and beautiful as he last saw her, what?, oh that must have been fifty years ago, and yet it seemed just yesterday.*
*A frown sat upon her full lips* "Well, well, well, Nicholas, after so many years....why have you darkened my life again?"
*He smiled, the interior light reflecting in his dark eyes* "And a pleasure to see you again my dear Eriana, and it's Leander that I go by now. But this is such a surprise, I was here looking for our dear old friend Aubrey, and I find you instead. You haven't happened to have seen the old slayer lately have you?" *He looks past her into the house, * "May I come in?"
"Looking for Aubrey you say? Why I haven't seen that old defiler in years, about twenty or so I believe. Now Nicholas, you know very well the only way you can enter this house is if you are welcomed in. I will have to think about this carefully" *she tapped her fingertip upon lips that now held a sly smile*
*But the smile quickly left her as she smelled a familiar scent upon the night air.....fresh blood* "Nicholas, either you have been feeding practically on top of my doorstep, or there is another of our kind on the prowl tonight"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*On nights like this when Eriana’s emotions were unsettlingly strong, there was only one way that Emily could ease the heavy tension.*
*Leaning against the hard headboard of her bed, she took a metal tin from her nightstand. Opening it, she withdrew a wooden board that had nails hammered into it, but were standing upward about 2 inches from the wood. There were 20 nails in all, 5 rows with 4 nails in each. Taking twine, she tied the end to one of the nails and then slowly started to wind the twine in an X pattern among the nails.*
*Faster and faster she worked the twine. It was as if the world had become tiny, and Emily's trance like state eased the disturbing emotions. Reaching the end of the ball of twine, her eyes blinked, when they had all the while been wide opened and staring, as she spun the twine around the nails. She sighed as her fingers began to unwind the string, her eyes getting heavy with sleep.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Meanwhile, in the more well to do section of town, in a gentleman's pub known as Quimby's. A group of gentlemen sit round a table chatting and enjoying some port. The gentleman currently talking is dressed in a pair of light brown pants with a billowy dark yellow silken shirt. His waistcoat conceals a holstered mahogany flintlock pistol. From the V-neck of the shirt emerges a lacy ruffle as is with current men's fashion and dangling amonst the ruffles is a simple silver rimmed monacle on a stick. His name is Aubrey Fredrick Hargle IV. The gentlemen around the table all are similiarly attired in ranging different colors. *
"So I said to him, Why don't you take your fat piglet rump down to the slaughter house, so I can have bacon for breakfast."
*Chuckles, hazzahs, and some giggles accompanied the end of that telling. Aubrey enjoyed this attention. Most of the men around him look at him as a leader of sorts, as they dressed to be like him and some have even adopted many of his key phrases. Whenever he spoke everyone tended to listen, and he was always quite witty. As the night wore on, they drank more port, he told more stories and they always laughed. But the night grew late and the men had wives to go home to. Aubrey called back to the propieter of the establishment, "Quimby, my dear fellow, tis time for our departure, could you possibly scare us up a coach?"
*Quimby replied in a stately manner, "Of course Master Hargle, right away", sending a serving boy out to find a hansome cab*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Smiling at her was all that Leander could do.* "Many odd events I have seen this night. But nothing that could send the smell of blood through the whole town." *He looked behind his back multiple times as he always does when strange happenings occur.*
"And would you please call me Leander? Now, are you going to ask me in, or keep me waiting upon your doorstep like a naughty puppy?" *She remembered the grin that sat upon his lips at this moment, and it was always hard to resist.* "Very well Nicho....Leander, come inside. You've peeked my curiousity as to why you are really here, and what are these odd events you speak of?" *She stepped back to let him enter, but his arm still managed to brush against her ample breasts.*
*Closing the door, she followed him into the drawing room* "Evening Trent, old man, time has been treating you well." "Master Nicholas, I could most probably say the same for you, if I could see you." *The two men laughed heartedly, Leander walked over to Trent and clapped him upon the arm* "Well now that we've had these pleasantries, Leander, why are you here?"
"Dear, sweet Eriana, always so impatient. I've much to tell you, but at least let me rest my weary bones upon your soft settee.", *promptly sitting upon the settee, stretching his long legs outward.* "After we separated 50 years ago, I found this place, and all has been peaceful and quiet. Now you have returned, and things begin happening again.", *frowning at him, and starting to pace. He laughs,* "So, it's my fault? Well my girl, I truly am looking for Aubrey, as evidnece of his handiwork has surfaced, but.....but there is another one here, one we do not know." *All of a sudden, his face looked very tired.*
*Her heels tapped, tapped, tapped along the cobblestone street; the lacey train of her long gown swishing in time, as if to a sad melody. She passed the city stables, grooms taking care of the horses which had worked hard pulling the carriages. The nostrils on a dark sable one flared, his eyes rolled back, upward he rose in sheer terror. The groom tried desperately to calm it, a hoove driven into his skull. He falls dead, the horse running over his body as it gallops down the dark street.*
*She knew it had sensed her, the creature that she was. She watches as another groom runs after the crazed horse, while men gather around the fallen groom. But what is the point, he is dead, no more to this world.*
*She walks on, the activity around the stables too plentiful for her needs. Rounding a corner, she goes towards a small bridge that gives foot crossing over one of the many canals of the city. There, leaning against the railing, a young man, no more than 20, trying to catch the night air. He'd been out drinking with his mates, but knew if he returned drunk to his father's home one more time, he would be out on his ear.*
*She approached him, but he did not even know she was beside him until she touched his arm, so silent she was. He jumped, but quickly caught himself* "Ah, mi'lady, how can I assist one as lovely as yourself? Tis a dark, cold night, and you should not be out on these streets alone."
*She stared into his eyes, a soft whispering filling his head; he leaned close to her as if to hear her more clearly. Gently she placed one hand upon his shoulder, the other onto his head. Opening her ruby colored lips, the lamplight glinted off her fangs momentarily before sinking deep within his neck. He flinched for a second, so fleeting was the pain, and she drank long and deep, feeling his life's essence drain from him.*
*When she was done, she leaned his body over the railing and pushed it over into the murky water below. A drop of blood eased off her lips and dripped onto her milky white breast. She wiped the blood spot with one elegant finger, licked it, smiled, and continued over the bridge to her home*
*The breezes flowed through her raven black hair, lifting, teasing. The young man's essence flowed through her veins as well, revitalizing, nourishing* "Hiccup! Ooops" *she laughed* "Well at least he drank fine wine, for his blood was very fine indeed"
*She turned down Chitterton Lane and entered the wrought iron gates that encircled her home, letting them clang softly behind her. She looked up at the facade of the house, not quite a mansion by high society's standards, but still elegant enough. A short stone stairway led up to the large wooden doors, two panels of stained glass in each. Each panel itself depicting two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse.*
*Inserting a brass key into the lock, she entered her home, calling for a servant. A young maid came running from the back* "Oooh, Mistress Armstead, so good to have you home again. Shall I draw a bath for you?" "Not now Emily, the night is still young. Find Trent, I want to hear music."
*The maid bobbed* "Yes Mistress" *and hurried back from whence she had come*
*Eriana quietly walked to the drawing room, a fire set burning in the grate, but she walked on to the tall windows, drew back a thick drape and looked into the blackness*
*Looking upwards, she sees the shimmer of the waxing moon between wisps of developing fog. She learned to stop counting her time on the earth centuries ago. She'd taken the sun's light for granted once too often, and now she ruled the darkness for eternity.*
*Dropping the drape, she turned and saw a man standing at the entrance of the drawing room. Tall and slim he was, a delicate face, and yet no doubt of his manliness could be traced in it. His hair was a silvery blond, shoulder length, his hands had long, strong fingers, his eyes.....his eyes, a vacant shade of bluish-gray.* "You requested music for your pleasure tonight Mistress?"
"Yes Trent, please do me the honor of hearing you play." *One foot stepped over the threshold, the other foot hesitating until the cane he held in his hand felt the ground ahead of him. Steadily he made his way to the harpiscord that stood in the corner of the large, yet still comfortable room. Sitting down upon the bench, he leaned the cane against the wall, stretched his fingers.* "Anything special for your fancy tonight Mistress?"
"Waltzes Trent, happy waltzes that will fill my body with energy to dance, to dance till the dawn sounds it's call"
*Eriana listened to Trent's magical fingers moving over the harpsicord's keys, dancing around the room with an imaginary partner in her arms.*
*She remembered this tune very well, the Emperor's Waltz by Strauss, Trent was playing it the night she first met him, when she made him one of her own. It was at the estate of Madame Devois, her Midsummer's Ball, and Trent entertained the guests in one of the smaller parlours. A young man of 25 years, and a genius at the harpsicord and piano....unusual for a man born blind at birth.*
*After he had finished, she made her way to him, as did other ladies in the parlour, but she was able to make them leave with just a flash of her eyes into their own. Laying a hand upon his shoulder, she felt a small shudder run through him. His blindness enabled his other senses to become very keen, and he knew she was different from all the other ladies that wanted his attention.*
"Oh my, 160 years ago that was. Just a single drop in the ocean of time."
*They walked out into the gardens, lit with carnival lights, making shadows come to life. Lovers embraced by garrish statues, water flowed into a fountain, the drops falling like tears. She let him talk, about his travels and how he played for society's finest, and royalty too. And as he talked, she knew that he was to become hers, and only hers. He would play his beautiful music, he would have his beautiful looks, eternally.*
*She was able to garner out of him where he was residing, and started to make her plans. How she would go to his home, on a simple pretense. He being a gentleman would, of course, bid her to enter, and then, well.......*
*But her thoughts of the past came to a sudden standstill, she banged her fist onto the musical instrument, and Trent stopped playing abruptly.* "Yes Mistress, I feel him too" *Was all he said, but it was enough*
"Damn him, damn him, damn him to the pits of hell!!!! He thinks he can just walk back into my life, this new life I have made here." *Eriana paced angerly back and forth across the room. She thought herself rid of him some 50 years ago, but now she sensed him back once again. "I'll tear his heart out of his chest with my own bare hands”
*Trent rose from the harpsicord, took up his cane and was able to take hold of her arm when he heard her voice close to him* "Mistress, may I suggest you calm yourself first. Vengence may lead to your own downfall. Perhaps he will not come here."
*There is a knocking upon her door, and the sense of him is so strong, Eriana's feet seem frozen to the floor*
*She hears Emily coming out of the back rooms, heading for the door, and that jars her to action. She runs out of the drawing room to the entryway.* "Emily dear, I'll handle our visitor, why don't you go to bed, it's late." *Emily curtsies* "Yes Mistress, thank you Mistress" *and goes to her own room on the upper floor of the small mansion*
*Emily shuddered as she left Eriana. There were times when the very mood of her Mistress filled the room with such overwhelming emotions that Emily would be forced to tears. But Eriana's words tonight were more like hearing fingers scraped across a chalk-board. Emily fidgeted as she retreated to her room.*
*She knew she would be on edge all night and unable to sleep while such antagonised passions filled the house.*
*Eriana fluffs up her hair, and pastes on a smile, thinking* "Well, let's see why the bastard needs me now. I'll have a good laugh, and then rip out his heart."
*She opens the door, and sees Leander standing there, or the man she once knew as Nicholas* "Well, well, well, Nicholas, after so many years....why have you darkened my life again?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*From atop one of the highest buildings in the area, a hooded figure watches his beautiful lady as she feeds upon her latest victim. He is known by many names, Michael, Rainier, Bailey, Nicholas and now as Leander. Silently, he comes down into an alley between two buildings, slipping out onto the street. Passerbys are none the wiser to what he really is, as he follows her to her home.*
*Outside, he waits, thinking of her, wondering if even now, she can sense him nearby. He hears the sound of the harpsicord, one of her favorite melodies playing, and then, its sudden halt. He sighs, "Oh yes, she knows I am here, and she is not pleased, my dearest Eriana." As if he drifted forward, he is standing by the door, waiting for someone to bid him entrance.*
*Patiently he waits, but something, no, someone stirs his senses. Not her, no, a male, one of their kind, but with a hunger that disturbed even Leander. He knocks upon the door, and it is opened, by her. There stood his Eriana, as elegant and beautiful as he last saw her, what?, oh that must have been fifty years ago, and yet it seemed just yesterday.*
*A frown sat upon her full lips* "Well, well, well, Nicholas, after so many years....why have you darkened my life again?"
*He smiled, the interior light reflecting in his dark eyes* "And a pleasure to see you again my dear Eriana, and it's Leander that I go by now. But this is such a surprise, I was here looking for our dear old friend Aubrey, and I find you instead. You haven't happened to have seen the old slayer lately have you?" *He looks past her into the house, * "May I come in?"
"Looking for Aubrey you say? Why I haven't seen that old defiler in years, about twenty or so I believe. Now Nicholas, you know very well the only way you can enter this house is if you are welcomed in. I will have to think about this carefully" *she tapped her fingertip upon lips that now held a sly smile*
*But the smile quickly left her as she smelled a familiar scent upon the night air.....fresh blood* "Nicholas, either you have been feeding practically on top of my doorstep, or there is another of our kind on the prowl tonight"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*On nights like this when Eriana’s emotions were unsettlingly strong, there was only one way that Emily could ease the heavy tension.*
*Leaning against the hard headboard of her bed, she took a metal tin from her nightstand. Opening it, she withdrew a wooden board that had nails hammered into it, but were standing upward about 2 inches from the wood. There were 20 nails in all, 5 rows with 4 nails in each. Taking twine, she tied the end to one of the nails and then slowly started to wind the twine in an X pattern among the nails.*
*Faster and faster she worked the twine. It was as if the world had become tiny, and Emily's trance like state eased the disturbing emotions. Reaching the end of the ball of twine, her eyes blinked, when they had all the while been wide opened and staring, as she spun the twine around the nails. She sighed as her fingers began to unwind the string, her eyes getting heavy with sleep.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Meanwhile, in the more well to do section of town, in a gentleman's pub known as Quimby's. A group of gentlemen sit round a table chatting and enjoying some port. The gentleman currently talking is dressed in a pair of light brown pants with a billowy dark yellow silken shirt. His waistcoat conceals a holstered mahogany flintlock pistol. From the V-neck of the shirt emerges a lacy ruffle as is with current men's fashion and dangling amonst the ruffles is a simple silver rimmed monacle on a stick. His name is Aubrey Fredrick Hargle IV. The gentlemen around the table all are similiarly attired in ranging different colors. *
"So I said to him, Why don't you take your fat piglet rump down to the slaughter house, so I can have bacon for breakfast."
*Chuckles, hazzahs, and some giggles accompanied the end of that telling. Aubrey enjoyed this attention. Most of the men around him look at him as a leader of sorts, as they dressed to be like him and some have even adopted many of his key phrases. Whenever he spoke everyone tended to listen, and he was always quite witty. As the night wore on, they drank more port, he told more stories and they always laughed. But the night grew late and the men had wives to go home to. Aubrey called back to the propieter of the establishment, "Quimby, my dear fellow, tis time for our departure, could you possibly scare us up a coach?"
*Quimby replied in a stately manner, "Of course Master Hargle, right away", sending a serving boy out to find a hansome cab*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Smiling at her was all that Leander could do.* "Many odd events I have seen this night. But nothing that could send the smell of blood through the whole town." *He looked behind his back multiple times as he always does when strange happenings occur.*
"And would you please call me Leander? Now, are you going to ask me in, or keep me waiting upon your doorstep like a naughty puppy?" *She remembered the grin that sat upon his lips at this moment, and it was always hard to resist.* "Very well Nicho....Leander, come inside. You've peeked my curiousity as to why you are really here, and what are these odd events you speak of?" *She stepped back to let him enter, but his arm still managed to brush against her ample breasts.*
*Closing the door, she followed him into the drawing room* "Evening Trent, old man, time has been treating you well." "Master Nicholas, I could most probably say the same for you, if I could see you." *The two men laughed heartedly, Leander walked over to Trent and clapped him upon the arm* "Well now that we've had these pleasantries, Leander, why are you here?"
"Dear, sweet Eriana, always so impatient. I've much to tell you, but at least let me rest my weary bones upon your soft settee.", *promptly sitting upon the settee, stretching his long legs outward.* "After we separated 50 years ago, I found this place, and all has been peaceful and quiet. Now you have returned, and things begin happening again.", *frowning at him, and starting to pace. He laughs,* "So, it's my fault? Well my girl, I truly am looking for Aubrey, as evidnece of his handiwork has surfaced, but.....but there is another one here, one we do not know." *All of a sudden, his face looked very tired.*