Red Cloak (Part One)

For the longest time neither of them spoke.  They simply allowed the party to envelop them in sights and sounds, the music flowing over them until finally she broke the silence.  "Hello... my name is Anna."  Her voice was soft like velvet and sweet as the midnight air as she spoke.  The room all but stopped, everything else became a blur.  An unimportant lulling noise and motion, but nothing else.  1

"I am pleased to meet you miss Anna.  My name is Emrys."  He smiled at her, his teeth only hinting at his disposition.  "I'm rather new to the city.  Perhaps you could tell me about the things that you enjoy doing, so that I could know more of what this city has to offer."2

"You're sure that you want to hear about what I do in my free time to find things to do... or to find things to do with me?"  Her manner was forward.  Amazingly forward... but it wasn't crude.  It wasn't slanderous.  It was intriguing and exciting.  It was bold.  Boldness being a quality rarely found, but very attractive indeed...3

"How amazingly perceptive of you.  You know, I really care very little for the attractions of this city.  I think I've found all the attraction I need."  He wasn't sure if her allure had to do with his thirst, or with her, but her draw was undeniable.  His thoughts played out winding through his mind.  Who IS this woman?  How is it that in her words I find such irresistibly?  What makes her different from all the rest of these mundanes here?  How is she any different than any other meal?  His thoughts were not alone, however.  Her thoughts too, were racing.  What WAS it about this man?  Never before had she been so drawn... so entranced.  Suddenly she snapped out of her daze as he spoke again.  "Would you... care to go on a stroll with me, perhaps?  Away from all this noise... perhaps out past the courtyard.  I would love to walk and speak with you, but this noise is so distracting."4

She didn't hesitate in her response, nor falter in her thoughts.  "Why yes I would Sir Emrys.  I would love to walk and speak with you.  It is, after all, a beautiful night."  They rose, and he took her arm.  Her heart was pounding.  She was thrilled.  He led her, gently by the arm, slowly through the crowd and away from the noise of the party.  The damp stone street again echoed with footsteps; but footsteps of two this time as they strode slowly away from the party.  As they wandered further into the dark city, she held onto him tightly, and he pulled her closer.  She felt safe.  Completely and totally safe.  "Who are you Emrys?  Where are you from?  You're the most interesting person I have met in a long while."5

His voice, too, was soft.  Soft like a gentle hand caressing a lovers face.  "I am from a place where snow falls on rose blooms and the stars whisper of the beauty that they see from their heavenly post.  And I am only a citizen of such a world."6

"Why then, would you venture here?  This city of dirt and stone must seem terrible to you.  And how can I reach this place?  I would love to see such a wonderful land, if indeed such a place exists."  Her heart and mind were racing.  His words slurred her thoughts more than the wine did, and with great effect.  The world was a blur save him and the words that he spoke.  It seemed as if everything else was make believe.  Nothing else was real.7

"I came here looking for something, here, in the city of dirt and stone... ... but I can take you to the place where snow falls on rose blooms and the stars whisper and the rain speaks.  If you wish to go there, I can take you."  His own mind was cascading.  This woman who was so pure.  So honest.  Her dreams made her special.  Her fears made her precious.  But her desire made her priceless.  He stopped, and looked her in the eye.  She leaned in, and he leaned down, slowly they came closer to one another.  What would happen if he did?  Did she know what it was that she asked?... and the scent of her lips...8