"Le Histoire."

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

A free flowing roleplay between Ledron and I.


Genre: slice of life, mystery.


Setting: A slight if not more advanced version of steampunk, somewhat Jack the Ripper sorta of setting as well.


Tick.. tock..


Tick....tock..


Tick...tock...


Tick....tock...





Can you hear it...? Listen.. listen..





Tick.. tock... tick.. tock... tick...tock...





Listen very closely...


I'm closer than you think....


come closer...


come closer...


come closer....


The ticking of the clock... the pendulum hypnotizing the senses of anyone who would look upon the Great Grandfather's clock in a messy, messy room. Shall we take a look to the whole view? Now... if you may.. let us make the camera widen its horizon.





It wasn't a large room, it wasn't a small one either. Books, books everywhere, that, you can see quite clearly. Mountains, towers of books here and there to every corner, the dark red of golden linings of the Persian carpet was now covered and long forgotten due to papers fallen here and there, scattered. Each having peculiar numbers, symbols, languages and calculations. Some even have these odd drawings, drawings that would rival Da Vinci himself or Michaelangelo. On the ceilings, if you could move some more books away and shelves, were paintings, the paintings of the garden of Eden. If you would lift your head up, the ceiling was glass, entirely made out of glass casting the soft light, that was now clear the glass was sepia tinted for convenience of light adjustment to its brightness. If you look closely, there are silver linings on the glass, but it was a tad too bright for you to fully see the whole picture of what seems to be linings of constellation laces.


There was only one tall window, made of stained glass, it was in a design of a blue rose said to never natural exist in the natural world. And not so far from the writing burgundy coloured study desk filled once more with ripped pages and pens here and there with some popene dpocekt watch cogs and open clocks. Was a huge black and white globe showing the world, there were needles here and there pin pointing locations, but they were actually forming the constellations on the sky. There was a brass telescope, assumed for star gazing. And some slightly draping translucent soft warm coloured curtains hanging at the corners of every ceiling here and there as if this was like one of those rooms from Persia or Arabian Palaces, to where a class of English came to the picture.


And against the wall that an angel, a Seraphim who guarded the doors of the Garden of Eden, pointing down with the flaming sword, was a brass Victorian Queen sized bed, with mountains of blankets, comforters and pillows, hiding a groaning girl inside as the Grand Father's clock struck 10 am in the morning the bells just clanged for her wake.


And because of that, she groaned.


And then, here came to the following, the old English wall clocks following suit in their choir of wake.


"Goodlord...." she mumbled in irritation... she wasn't much of a morning person as her features are still concealed in the blankets alone.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

The clocks just wouldn't stop ticking! Good heavens.. she groaned in under the covers as slowly an arm came out, it was a peach milky white hue from the warm colours and other colourful surroundings of the room. Milky peaches, that was the hue of her skin, she went to clumsily hit the wall, finding a close switch she had invented and finally found the small button panel on the wall. She punched it slightly and the small cubic panel just sunk into the wall. Cogs here and there could be heard clicking, running then clanging, finally cracking and adjusting till the glass ceiling above her slowly had extra layering of thinned glass upon it, turning into a more tinted hue for the light not to shine upon her like the heavens singing a song.


Besides, the noon sun was scourging, and she didn't like to much of a hot weather. Once the clocks finally stopped their songs, the huge lump on the bed finally began to move even more, she sighed warmly into the blankets as she slowly pulled her arm back into the burying of her comforters. Slowly, she would finally sit up, moving them off, revealing her snow white hair. Yes, they were, indeed, snow white. They were platinum blonde, that would wave at the lengths, and spiral swirl to the ends, they were long, beautiful, and the lengths, if she would stand up, would be inches below her backside. She wore a thin crème night dress, that had frills to its vintage design of laces. Her lips were plum, rosy blood apple red, and lashes were long.


She gave a yawn as she slowly got out of bed, the crunching of the papers beneath her feet were the next music that came into line. The stained glass window was soon lighten more by the sunlight outside, and the colours reflected beautiful upon her skin. When she opened her eyes, you have the such curiosity.


Her eyes, were stained glass in hue. In a sense that it was as if you took a huge and colourful stained glass window, shrunk it and made it into contact lenses, then turned them into her permanent eyes. Though this time, they were real, her eyes were just like that, so colourful yet there were only two hues that she didn't have.


She didn't have the colour of blue and violet.


As much to her beauty she was concealed in her own room, she turned to the stained glass windows that reflects through and against her eyes. She gave a soft smile and grabbed the latches of the window when she rested her knees on the sofa sill. She opened them to reveal the minty air that hinted cold weather, she was located at the near suburbs, watching a car just dropped a man off to his house. Her house.. was an odd one...


It looked like a gothical cathedral Chapel, though, it was like, a miniature version.


When she looked down, she saw the newspaper at her front lawn... she saw the red hue of the headlines and blinked.


Red hue... usually means trouble on the newspaper..

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

"MADEMOISELLE DO-" one of the neighbors who had came out in the morning of a 'WHAT A WONDERFUL DA-OH GOD DON'T JUMP!" kind of setting as the girl with stained glass eyes thought it was a good idea to suddenly ignore the fact she has a stair way going down to the first ground floor and had a front door to actually use like a normal citizen.


But then again, there's no such things as normal, oui?


The French woman nearly fainted if not only her husband came and ragged her back inside their home with a sigh and shook of her head. By the time he did, the girl was already sliding down the arcs of the designs of the house's exterior, landing upon the bushes with a chuckle, still on her dress. She was quite the dare devil, and the adventurer so it seemed. She got out of the bushes and ignored her neighbors, Mrs. Fillet does have paranoia anyway.


She walked to the newspaper at her lawn and leans down to take a hold of it, turning back to her huge rosewood doors with a frown as she grabbed the crystal doorknob and pushed it forward, making things click here and there, which was a secret to unlocking her door. She made sure no one saw though, despite her small yet slim and healthy frame, she covered it so no one saw making a gesture as if she was turn the knob. She walked inside and closed the door shut with her back against the protruding knob at the otherside and the door itself as it automatically locked.


She began to read as she walked over to her kitchen, the inside and interior was old English Victorian setting, not a chapel inside to what you expected. Turning on the coffee maker with a distant master's switch, she read on.


'Ripped Murder Down Bailey's, 2nd Ave. Ford St.!! '


Exactly 12 Midnight, 12th of October, a--


That instant though before she went on she dropped the newspaper, as she ran to her coffee, suddenly seeing it overflow from the coffee maker.


"Sacrebleu..!" she gasped as the café drips off the counter and slightly stained the black and white newspaper, now sepia kissed by the coffee.


A murder of a young woman, unrecognized due to her face being distorted. And the rest of the details of the murder was just summarized of being 'murderly ripped'. Assumed and horrified, it seems like they had to keep down the details. Warning details at the bottom where there, though to her, partially, it was no surprise.


Crimes and murders happens a lot don't day? Especially in these modern times.. yet.


Why must this be directly unto red ink and front lines?

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

"No no no no AGH!" She cursed in French but not in the filthy kind of French, she just rambled things about how horses went backwards for French fries... whatever to how did that ever made sense to any context. Either way she had made mess of her own kitchen and sighed, shaking her head with a small ache in her head.


After she had cleaned and fixed everything up, she made her brunch seeing it was now 12 n.m. On the wall clock, sighing softly at it she looked over back to the newspaper that was slightly sepia now. She read the rest, and frowned again at the headline. Oddly enough it seems like the worse cases were now just, being so, odd. The City was getting dirtier now? Crimes just seem to be the only news she sees everytime she gets into the news paper.


That or some president from Russia drinking too much Vodka and just ended up arguing with America again. The details weren't so interesting to her in that past of view.


Sighing, she finished her coffee and some French toast, bacons a eggs which were barely enough to be called a brunch but was a start, and went back upstairs to get changed. Her barefeet soft on royal blue carpet as she walked down the 2nd floor hallway, which had roses on the floor here and there, blue roses, in fact, unnatural to the natural world. Wall clocks ticking everywhere, self made paintings on the wall, she walked over to her glass door and opened it to reveal the earlier room of her wakening. She started to pull 3 strings from the back simultaneously in such swift that her dress dropped to the floor. And to her freedom she walked over to her hidden walk in closer that the knobs were in shake of ruby grapes.


She opened it and revealed a vary of clothes, and walked inside to get changed as she hummed along. Outside, she could heard the truck made of brass train like steel, cogs here and there like a choo-choo train, and guess what? It was a school bus now that if you would look carefully. It was a very, very odd design, and very questionable sometimes.


It was for the preschoolers to get back home, they were being dismissed early today.


Besides, Halloween was near it seems, and word comes to wise for the folks near to the city. It is an occasion popularized and widely celebrated to every corner.


God knows why..

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

Coming out of her walk in closet, she sighed and stretched slightly. She was wearing ashen grey short shorts, with long black socks, she wore for her feet, long black foots that were only one inch in their heels, the boot was long enough to stop below her knees just to cover her limbs. They were belted for a good seal, good for running for any surface and any terrain, well, nearly any terrain that is. On her upper torso, she wore a dark grey long sleeved dress shirt that frills down the button line at her front, which was covered now by a black and silver striped vest with these silver button chains to enclose the deal, the tail coats of the vest were long just at her knee levels.


She went back to grab her long coat just in case of rain or any cold weather, it was a black long coat, just like Sherlock Holme's coat except the checkered pattern was in the inside of the coat, giving it a rather illusionary design, she let the coat hang over her shoulders, and locked the chains up front before her neck using its collar locks for it not to fall, making it look like a cape now.


She began to walk out of her room and downstairs as she put on her glove to her left hand, which was a chess board pattern just the same as the one she had inside the coat that hanged over her shoulders. Her right hand though, was bare. She pulled out her silver pocket watch, that had the engraving of St. Peter's Cross with a blue rose growing out from the blunt end of the Cross making it look like the Greek's design of an ancient cross. In the middle craving was Constantine's Cross pierced by key blades of the Roman Catholic Church of Rome. The pocket watch was made out of pure white gold, and elegantly swung around her neck by its chain as she wore it like a necklace. Her long flowing snow white hair just sways elegantly as she made her way down, grabbing her dark brown sachet and slung it diagonally on her shoulders as she grabbed her keys, hitting the 2nd master switch to shut down electricity in her home.


Now walking out and locking up, she stretched with enthusiasm. "Well.... ~ off to see this investigation!" she said oh so excitedly, as she brought out these silver and black goggles and wore it around her neck, just in case.


The girl seemed to have a knack for mystery, and crime scenes, besides. She is a private Eye after all. A private practice all to herself.


That is infact, how Ms. Xeirelle Resvoir Cygne is after all.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She walked down her lawn in a refined way, and before she finally left her lawn she stopped and looked back at her house. Indeed it was sticking out of the neighborhood, some religious people often mistaken her house as a real cathedral for praise and worship. She sighed at that thought, shaking her head as she finally went to take something from her pocket. It was a..


..a..


What is that?


It looked like a whistle, it was white gold and had a skull on the end, it looked like it was custom made. And to her, this was one of her finest creations. The Deadman's Whistle. She gently placed it inbetween her lips and blew, giving out a ghostly yet sweet and eerie whistle, it echoed around, and it was an odd echo, as if it just clang like static to someone's ears.


"There we go.."


Inside her house a lot of clicks, and cogs were heard, and the stained glass looked like it was shifting one design different. It was her security system, she was an advance and gifted inventor indeed. She smiled contently, and placed the whistle inside her shirt as a necklace and walked out of her small waist height gate fence. And walked away, down onto the main road out of the neighborhood, without the slightest idea there was a man waiting for her to exit.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She continued to walk on, of course, she didn't suspect a thing..


But after sometime, you would expect something, like, her asking a ride, a cab? carriage perhaps? No, she didn't, her walking picked up speed as she was walking even more briskly. Her snow white hair swayed in contrast to her long black coat, she was looking over her shoulder a few times. She wondered, perhaps, maybe, he was a like any other citizen who just didn't like commuting and just rather a long.............long walk to the city.


But she speeds up, as more and more people she came to pass by, she decided to act natural though and sighs, perhaps she was getting too edgy? She didn't know, all she did was just adjusting her left glove with her bare right hand.. and the sound of something clicking could be heard from her gesture, but it was so.. so faint.


It wasn't long before she finally entered a tunnel that had bright spotlights above, cars passing here and there and steamed up mechanical clock working carriages with brass made toy life sized horses. She continued to walk, her shoes clicking and echoing at the tunnel, people walking along side her with their own business..


Is he still following..? she asked herself as her eyes softened slightly, glinting in multi-coloured stained glass illusions of how they are...

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

"SACREBLEU!!!! ZE KNIFE!!!"


Random.. screaming, she instantly turned around seeing everyone suddenly panicking as the man who was.. unfortunately to the french racists around, an american, he had to run before someone called the police. "W-W-WHAT I DON'T I DON'T!!! C'MON MAN!!"


But as the blaring chaos was now in the tunnel, the cars stopping here and there as people were running clearly everywhere in due panic. Her eyes slowly narrowed, she.. can't see the man earlier..


She turned around and began to walk even briskier, as her eyes looked over her shoulder, she was adjusting her glove again as it gave another clicking sound. She was looking for him in the scanning map of her mind, why was this happening? Where is he?


What did he want?..


She suddenly decided to play cat and mouse.. and she was willing to be the small mouse.


By the time she saw more crowds before her, her hair and coat swaying and being blown from the wind.


She sprinted.


..I know you're following me... . Her eyes narrowed as she sprinted perfectly now blinding through the crowds of people, the sea of them as she was now out of the tunnel, screaming here and there. "ZE MANIAC IZ ZE 'ERE!!" She repeated as soon a chain reaction of panicking was following, causing great confusion as she continued to run, looking over her shoulder often.


Come and get me..

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She clicked her tongue.. she still felt that odd human instinct that would tell us that someone was following them...


She placed her hands into her pockets as she continued to walk, and walk, and walk.. till the crowd lessened and lessened. They were now down at the streets was slowly crawling into the town, with people minding their own business, the place looked like Paris and London had a love child, creating this beautiful country of a place. But this wasn't a time to admire the scenery right now...


She was still walking quite briskly as she turned and wanted to know why already. She can't risk leading someone to the station, it'll be too noisy. So she decided to continue to her plans and go where she originally was going to before the newspaper.


She took a sharp right turn and went into a down alley, where clothes hanged up at wires, and some lady still watered her balcony plants as she entered an alley of cobble stone. She only stretched slightly, as she just went on walking her own pace, humming a song.. no.. more like.. singing it.. gently..


"...Are............you going... to scar...~..borough fair..~?" it was as if there was a question inside her song as she continued to walk, her voice seemed to echo like how a choir would in a baroque chapel, turning right, then left, into different alley ways like it was a whole labyrinth, a maze. As her voice created an illusion that she was nearly and could be in every corner and perhaps to which corner or way he will take it would only be a 'maybe' if he took the one she took.


She was watching him, this was nearing her own domain..


Who was he? she could somehow make out the shadow figure or the heavy feeling..


Why was he following her?


What did he want?..

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She turned into a sharp left and calculated him.. she calculated his footsteps, the area, how long did his footsteps have to travel in an echo before it would reach her ears? Her eyes grew narrow, stained glass eyes glinted, she didn't mind being the mouse, the mouse has a lot of advantages. In a way it had a lot of disadvantages as well.


Though, she did not walk out of her own alley maze, she stood in the middle of the 5 way intersection of the alley. She only smirked as she stood at the middle as if she loved this kind of Cat and Mouse kind of game to where the mouse purposely placed itself in death's road. Standing in the middle of the intersection in the alley, her hands were in her pockets, her coat over her shoulders swayed, she was still singing softly though as she slowly looked up at the sky..


"...Parsley sage....rosemary...and thyme..." she continued as she slowly starts to walk forward, going towards the street, ever, so , slowly, as if she was sashaying her way there, taking her sweet time as she listened to every echo, every water drip. Her eyes nearly scanning everything silently beneath her bangs as she sang, "....remember... me... the one..who lives there..." She took another turn to another alley way where it lead her to a 4 way intersection.


She was back at the middle as she slowly lifts her head, to listen.. where was he? which way? which way? which way would the cat come out to play?


"..She.. was once.. a true love..." her eyes slowly shifted as she heard his footsteps to her east.. "..of.."





And slowly.... she sat him pass one alley way entrance, seeing him walking on where the original path she walked on before coming to the alley would lead.


"...mine....." She smirked, Checkmate. She confirmed it, indeed, the man, he was following her exactly. And not only that, he was reading her, and he was quite amused. She stood at the intersection and pulled out her chess board game patterned left gloved hand, tightening it in its fitting as she gave a soft chuckle. She gave one step forward, and she saw him vanish in his passing of the entrance of the alley way, and she walked on, but not forward..


She walked.. downward.. as the bricks she now stood on became a stairway going down into an underground passage... clocks, gears, cogs, the shiftings along with a soft whistle of steam. She walked down, vanishing in that area, as the stair case slowly concealed itself back, and slowly till it was once more the solid brick ground she once stood on there.


..Come and get me...

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

The boy pressed onto the cobble stone, it was enough pressure for the button to suddenly be triggered, and once it did, the same brick stairs came down but something else came in a surprise.


A burst of black and white, yes, white, ravens just came out flying out of the dark down stairway alley that was hidden no more, surprising the boy as hundreds of them, as if they were pigeons, just came all flying out and went on everywhere, nearly to every alley way. Feathers of black and white just rained down on the boy and at the alleys as there was a soft voice behind the boy's ear. "Shhh... I have what you are looking for..." a sweet voice of a half english and a half french young lady was heard. It was the girl again, as she slowly and gently placed the white gold whistle into his hands, the one with a skull on its end. "..Be sure to use the money you earn..wisely.." She was mostly concealed because the birds just kept flying out of the stairway alley that went underground.


She slowly turned to look directly at the man who was at the end of the alley and winked at him as she placed a gloved finger inbetween her lips and gave a 'shhh' sound along with a 'tsk.....tsk...tsk..' as she waved her finger gently. She gave a soft chuckle, and all of a sudden one the birds were gone along with the hidden passage.


She was gone too..


Like magic..


Unknown to him, she had entered another secret passage, which was a small air vent that she could only fit just nearest to the sharp end curve of the 2nd alley was of the 4 way intersection. She was very clever indeed, she liked playing around like how a mouse would just scutter and run everywhere and almost anywhere to confuse its chasers.


Now escaping the man, she finally ran down a secret down way, which was actually the sewage. As she ran, mystery to the man, beneath him. And without a further adieu, she now arose up to a ladder and pushed the lid of a manhole which was located on another alley way not far from his location. She huffed and closed the lid, whistling as she looked in the distance, grinning as she brought up the original whistle with her with a grin. "...Let's see how far my predator could hunt me down.." she chuckled softly as she turned and walked away now.


On her way, to the Great Engel Library.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

And it would make us shift to that location exactly.


It's high and wide variety of books and shelves that goes beyond, seemingly forever. People from all over the world would come over to see just how vast this Library was. Known for its archives that hold a bank of information, and the amount of people needed for it to maintain its own persona. It did not go unnnoticed to how bloody important each individual was.


Which was probably a good thing to why she didn't work there, now sitting on the 2nd floor of the library. She was on the couch, with books here and on there, as she was still thinking about the odd man that had followed her earlier, a few more booklets just slid off her stomach but she gave no attention, her mind was very, very busy.


Why was that man following her? What did he want from her? did he realize where she is? does he know where she is?...


So many questions, the mouse can only run so far...


yet.. why does she always feel.. cornered?...

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

Oddly enough, so much for her cunning clever self, she did not even notice the new guest of the library as she sat up with a long yet cat like sounding yawn. Stretching ever so much as she would carry off the books on her body and place them down flat to the goldish long study table of the Great reading area. Huffing, as she pushed off old scrolls or parchment and maps, she began to flick her hand to open one huge book that have out a rippling sound as its pages just shifted here and there, finally stopping to the mid page as she looked down to it.


Grabbing the notebook from her sachet, she puts the notebook down the table and she began writing whatever came into mind, forming numbers and odd codes onto the paper so fast it was if her hand wasn't quite human. Giving a soft sigh, her eyes scanned down.


There has to be an explanation... she thought to herself as she was making a mini map of where she remembered the news paper had told her. Creating a small map, only then was it clear that the book she had opened was a mini map to their country area. She was forming a line as if there was a constellation, her eyes shifting from word to word, re-translating them into the binary. ...There's always an explanati- but before she could complete her thoughts, she had raised her head to look for another book.


And at the mini tower of her books that was to her right, that was when she saw him. The predator.


he was just there, straight and through the reading area.


Her stained glass eyes widened as the glowed brightly due to the light that the ceiling generously offered, along with the imitation of the Sistine Chapel painting of it if anyone would care to even take their time to look up in a gaze.


..How? she thought.. and she felt like she froze...


Had she just cornered herself entirely somehow?

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She clicked her tongue.. hoping it wont give her away from the sound, she was steady, edgy, like a mouse knowing that one false move she would be pawed by the cat. Yet as she gazed upon his stature, she can't help but to analyze him, and she was in momentary awe to how he seems to be quite the puzzle. She would sometimes doubt that this was the same man she had seen in the alley, perhaps, she was seeing things, perhaps, she was mixing him up? She liked chases, she liked games.


But for the unexpected outcome coming out from her beyond her calculations? No, that doesn't happen, it never happens.


Shaking her head in her due thoughts, she remained focused, and saw what section he was. Sound frequency? Was he trying to figure out the fake whistle she have given to the boy? Indeed she was correct, but, why? Who was he? Why does he even bother? she asked herself this as she found herself conviniently sitting on the table, crossing her legs with her gloved hand holding her chin, gloved fingers tapping her jawline in her own confusion.


He looked royal, royalty, refined and sharp. She was scanning him down, as she saw his belt, and narrowed her eyes, too sharp she added to her notes in her mind. He seemed odd to her, something like a trickster, he clothes of gentlemen, where they his disguise? Something to cover up? Something sinister? he seemed so sly to her already, like a..


A...


"Foxxe.." she whispered softly, yes, that was the correct term she would address the man right now. He was like a fox to her, he didn't look like a cat now she had a better view, he looked like a fox to her, cunning and swift. He seemed to come here and there nearly everywhere, and it baffled her, she was unknown this was all by chance.


Next thing she had to decide, should she confront him? No, she shouldn't. Whoever this man is, if he had won't confrontation, he would've done so when she stood at the intersection, yet he didn't. Was there something more? Was he a killer? No no, he did not suite that kind of facade. Who exactly is he?


She was now off the table and walked to the other shelf just behind the one he was facing as she watched him move and remove books here and there, she rested her elbows on the empty shelf on her side as she watched him. She doesn't quite get him, and did he know she was just right infront of him? Did he know she was actually just here?


She saw the books he was looking at.. suddenly her thoughts shifted when she saw he picked up a book he didn't need to understand the whistle.


"...You won't find my invention in those books." she said suddenly and softly, the last book he would remove have finally revealed her face as she was at the otherside just looking at him, facing, infront of him. Calm, curious, beautiful stained glass eyes staring up at him as her plum rosy red lips parted, her snow white hair was slightly a mess as she looked at him into his lake fog eyes that was hiding a poisonous mist. "...My whistle is one of a kind..." she still though..


Took pride in her creations.


Was this the creating approach? Did she just triggered the wrong path that goes to the bad ending?


She did not know...


But she loves flipping coins.


She'll take her chances.


Come and get me.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She gave a tilt of her head, and suddenly moved away.


You would've thought she had walked away, but she simply climbed up the book shelves, she seems to be a gymnast too, perhaps, she was the cat that pretended to be a mouse? Who knows really?


Finally landing on the top of the shelf, she looked down at him, "...Hm... odd.. should I tell my name to a man who says things as if I'm trying to impress him..." she gave a soft, amused chuckle. He was very odd, very odd indeed! It amused her greatly, she has never encountered anyone like him before. Or would rather, no one really bothered to even talk to her. But she wouldn't say that, why would she?


She thought against not telling him his name, and decided to role her dices. "..Je 'mapelle...Xeirelle Resvoir Cygne..." she said in her accent full of french, yet she mostly spoke to him in her English. She gazed down at him, tilting her head, she really does wonder who he is, his profession, is aim, his goal.


He was a puzzle, a myster-Yes.. a mystery.. and to her.. mysteries must be solved...


Or else.. Or else... I won't stop thinking about it she told herself in her mind. "..and you are?"

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She raised her brow at him, "....It does a lot of things.." she gave a smile to him, crossing her arms as she tilted her head. His name was hard, she had a knack for having her lisps play around with her Ls and Rs, it would now sound like she would be rolling her tongue in his name, wouldn't that sound sometimes a bit more Russian? she wouldn't know. "Yes.. I am aware you are of high stature.. I have been observing your mannerisms.." she said as she swung her legs gently and slowly.


"You move with your left foot first, and walk in a perfect line with your chest out, thus, showing confidence, perhaps you have walked in through a line of people who bows before you in respect or in authority.. " she began to say as her eyes looked at him up and down, her glowing eyes glinting, she was more colourful compared to his appearance. He was a chiascuoros, and she was a colourful window. "...The mannerisms of how you thought showed that you are well educated, self taught or of an prestigious school would not matter...the way you speak is of to lead something.. yet solid to the point. You are a business man if I may assume to my observations..." she said as she lifted herself and jumped off the ledge, landing gracefully down to a sit on the floor and slowly standing upright.


She was quite short, the top of her head only reached below his chin as she looked up at him, not dazed about the height difference, though would notice he could tower her very easily. "...You're also very cunning...." she looked down at his belt. "And you excel in blade works so expertly you do not need a full sword nor a gun... you may be of royalty ... but I am not quite sure.. you might be hiding an insignia, but that is of to no concern to me." she added as she breathes in slowly and softly, and looked back onto the books.


She took one big fat book from the shelf and looked up at him, "Monsieur Voleur..." his name would slur and roll on her tongue due to her habit of lisps. "What business did you want of me, did you have to follow me ?" her eyes slowly narrowed at him in her stern and suspicion. "...Are you one of them?"


But she didn't expound on what she meant, if he would ask what she means, then she'll confirm he isn't, due to no knowledge of her indication as she moved back towards the table, putting the book down, her back facing him now.


Oddly, it seems like, she avoids as much eye contact as possible.


Is that why she would just move so much?


How odd.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

If one would be like Sherlock Holmes.. would they believe the story right away?..


"I see.." she nodded. Of course not, they would just play along and see where the river would take them. When he remarked about her habit of not making eye contact, she slightly flinched and suddenly grew flustered to her own failure that she had not being keeping herself composed. She was not good with men sometimes, in fact, sometimes, men scare her, they frighten her but not to an androphobic extent. She gave a soft sigh as she slowly looked at him over her shoulder, "..Beauty does not exist within mutation of my eyes." she said rather calmly and sternly as well. ".. I do not make eye contact simply because I don't...I find it difficult...since no one dares to look at me the same way." she said, talking as if she was an isolated being.


And indeed, indeed she was, the mutation she has in her genes had caused an effect similar to the albinism, and the Alexandrian Genesis Mutation, but right now, no, it was a rare mutation, and it was named only by her family. Because only she had it, and was therefore, labeled, an abomination.


But that wasn't important right now, she set that aside. "..My work? You must have been bored then..." she noted him as she looked over to him but only managed to look at the shelf beside him, doing the habit he had noted and remarked her on. "....My own work on books have been labeled a wishful day dream by the courts and of by the people of even the literature magic arts." she scoffed at her own words though, moreso, scoffing at some memory she kept her eyes distant to. "..I wish to spare you from such boredom...as you are a man who detests the untimely and wasting of your time.. judging on how you occasionally check your pocket watch every now and then as if calculating the worth ..." she tilted her head at him as she crossed her arms.


She looked at his eyes once more, and quickly looked away. "You are good in speaking and with your words.. I see..." she added absentmindedly, it wasn't so clear what she meant to imply, but she did no expound on it as she started to turn back to the table.


"..If you insist on seeing my work, then I shall bring you to my home instead of our previous 'chase'." she said as she piled up some books due process. "...please do not attempt to put an innocent man on the line of wrong conviction again though.." she though, smirked at this.. she had to admit.. it was quite funny.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She eyed his hand, then at him. "..I have no need of money..." she said as she raised her left hand, the gloved chessboard patterned one, it was hand to which it had another meaning into the story. Something was off about the man, and she did not know what it was exactly.


As if he had a fox mask on, she could not exactly read him, if this was an odd man that would be enough to be a swindler into her account, he wouldn't be the first, no, he wouldn't even be the tenth one to have done it to her so far. She gave a soft sigh and looked at his hand, she had second thoughts about this but she cannot take back her words any longer.


Another gamble..


Another game..


Another flipping of a coin..


Honestly, what an interesting day... she mentally sighed, has she took hold of his hand, and striking enough, it was if he had held solid ice. Her hand was very cold, as if she was handling large ice sculptures that even her glove did not give any protection nor warmth. She already had her sachet ready, and decided to go along in this game of cards of deep drunk poker.


"..You do not need to flower me with words...shall we be on our way now?" she looked up at him, and oddly there was something.. wrong with her expression.


But.. what was it exactly?

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She slowly blinked at him, she found it amusing suddenly, as if he was changing facades, his hand on his masks hesitating where to change here and there. She slowly tilted her head, and she began to suddenly give a soft chuckle..


A chuckle that suited an angel in a chapel and not of a library with cold hands.


"..You are too tense.. and you get quite nervous.. you are a man who thinks too much.. it is intelligence indeed.. but a heart of conflicting is somewhat of what you are..." she began to say softly to him, "...you need not to panic.." she held his hand a bit more firmly right now and began to lead him to the stairs, the golden twining down stairs as she did lead him out of the library with occasional stares, glares and mutters as if she was someone who shouldn't be around with people, much more, with refined people such as he.


Once they were outside of the library, she only walked in his pace as she looked up ahead, she felt his hand was quite warm, and it was lovely, the feeling, so to speak. She had not any real human contact in a long time, not that it was a disgusting kind of urge. It was the fact she had isolated herself too much she had forgotten that humans consists of 36 tempt. of heat. "..You apologize quite easily.." she said suddenly as she remembered his apology, it's as if she was just analyzing every single bit of his words and being, his behavior, his body language. "...Those who speak like that keeps secrets, now don't they?--According to psychology, of course."


..But not his eyes...

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

Actually, the time he had said his blunt words, she paused and looked up at him as he asked another question.


She gave an odd look, a look of Oh.. I didn't know that. ".. ..Was.. it offensive?" she asked suddenly, rather shyly as she suddenly grew red from her embarassement. And all of a sudden, the slightly, real, persona of the lady that held his hand was peeking from her stained glass shell. "..I-I'm sorry... I didn't know it was rude.. I was raised and taught to be as such... but apparently my social skills aren't as good as I thought... I have been over confident and rather insensitive.. I do apologize.. I did not mean to offend.." did she stuttered? She clearly stuttered, she was embarassed and.. afraid perhaps? Her hand gripped into his own hand and she gulped. Her eyes begin to dazzle and sparkle as if she was going to cry, but she did no such thing, only a saddened embarassed face. "..I-I didn't mean to be rude.." her voice had gotten... higher? smaller? a lot girlier than it was before? It's as if she had a different persona, as if she was different person.


She was blushing so darkly as she now re-analyzed herself and realized her mistakes, she bowed her head as she when into a slight and short term depression, walking ahead now as she held her head, and gave out a soft sad sigh.


This is what happens to you if you don't have any friends nor any proper human interaction or maybe when you lack interaction to people who actually gave a damn to tell her she was going over board.


She looked up ahead with a frown pout that made her look cute yet the sadness did not suit her at all. "...I taught myself everything... and I was raised by a man born with a sharp tongue and an ice cold heart... yet he is kind enough to protect me when I was.." she stopped herself there, she noticed she was going to talk too much and trailed off there. She didn't continue. She walked down with him, through the now slightly crowded streets, to where they were back into nearing the tunnel, which was amusingly cleared by people.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

"It sings..." She spoke in riddles, and that was the only response she gave to him on that question as slowly her walls came back right up as she looked up ahead, it was obvious, because she did nor remark about his apologies and all that, but it did not mean she didn't acknowledged it. She did with a whole heart, she tried to show this with a smile to him, but yet it was heart breaking in a way, her expression made an illusion that the girl she truly was, was forced to turn her back and go back into hiding inside a locked down stained glass chapel she had built for her own, lone, defense.


She walked with him out of the tunnel, finally, and onto the streets that hinted the suburbs to where they, possible, could've both lived at the same place. She wouldn't know of course, she may have deductions like Holmes, but she didn't know everything. She was no psychic, she was no magician. She was only an observer, and inventor, a philosopher, and someone who just studies and studies until she dies.


She is only called when needed.


And disregarded when done with.


Like a toy getting so sick of it.


She was nothing but a magnifying glass to the ones she worked with.


Now into the gallery with the noisy paranoid lady at the corner, it was an everyday sight to her, and secretly found it peaceful, made her feel, normal, in an odd way that she could not explain herself. She slowly starts to reach for the whistle, dragging it out of her shirt with the thin chain as they arrived to her lawn. And blew the odd whistle tune once more, yet, why was the pattern of wave lengths different now? Was it because he was there? Or---


The sound of cogs were heard, clicking, the sound of numerous clocks suddenly clang upon her arrival, her Cathedral like exterior home was that.. how can you say, eerie to her neighbors.


The stained glass window suddenly shifted back its carvings onto how it was before it was changed, and a lot of sounds came, as if everything was being unlocked yet locked again in some areas. "...Here we are..." she said, letting go of his hand as she walked on ahead to the front door, doing what she did this morning fast and hidden so he wouldn't see the hidden trick she did. And opened the door, she gestured her hand, she beckoned the fox inside.


In the back of her mind, she felt like she would be devoured by this fox in her own territory...


She still wondered..who exactly was he..


And now.. she was just playing the dices..


But like again, and once said before...


He wouldn't even be the tenth one to have done this to her.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

In the insides of her home, the walls just hummed her and there. The door would close and lock behind him securedly, as she walked on forward, the insides seemed normal. The beautiful victorian of its design, there was no altar, no benches, no paintings of religious settings. But a home, inside a Cathedral. Stained glass windows, the colours reflected everywhere as if everything was lit up when there were few lights on in her house.


The walls, floors, ceilings, they were all painted, expertly painted into the depiction of the Garden of Eden. Incredibly detailed, rivaling the Fathers of Art themselves. The lone carpet that led to the spiral white gold stair case was where she walked on, passing a room with a big fireplace of brass that seemed to bring out more head here and there yet cooled down by some kind of machinery or surface on it, which was glass, an odd, glazed, glass. It warmed up the place, and books, books where everywhere. On the floors, on the sofas, they were just, everywhere here.


"...You do not need to worry about your shoes being removed... no dirt could stain my floors.." she said softly and she showed it to him, putting her shoe down against the seemingly rosewood paneled floor, the bits of dirt suddenly vibrated and slowly, crumbled and seeps into the cracks so fast as if it wasn't there at all. She removed her coat as she hits the master switch, and an accordion came from the wall disguised as a lamp holder, she hooked her jacket there, and twisted the knob, making it turn like a music box in tune and extended to him for him to hang his coat. And once he did, it will return to the wall, but slowly unfolds itself out of the wall, becoming a coat stand rack. "...follow me please.." she said to him as she walked upstairs.


The scents of roses just bursting and caressing the being of your senses would follow when you would. The hallway was a tad narrow, but could fit them both quite well. There were roses on the walls and on the floors, just about everywhere on the carpets. The small tables had vases filled with blue roses, every rose was blue, the unnatural rose that did not exist in the natural world. The walls were painted, cherubims pointed to where her would would be, though she had more other doors, there were even small tiny doors.


As if they were in Alice in Wonderland, if he would look up, the painting of the Sistine Chapel's Ceiling that was long forgotten was there.


Everywhere you would look.. was just.. art.. every single thing... was art and clock work. Clocks, here, there, wall clocks and a grand father's clock.


"..Though..please do remove your shoes here..." she noted as she did what she had said, setting the long boots aside.


She turned to her right facing a beautiful stained glass door, she turned the crystal knob and revealed her messy room. The most depicted paintings of the Garden of Eden was there, beautiful in its sorts, towers and mountains of books just about everywhere. Her feet crunching to the pages on the floor, mysterious writings, numbers sketches, work was just about everywhere. A seraphim pointing to her bed with the flaming sword as depicted at Genesis in the bible.


The stained glass windows now slightly covered with black velvet curtains. And if you would look up, the skyline crystalized ceiling like dome, that had these mysterious silver linings now tinted in sepia, adjusting by itself as the skies changed colour, giving the room some more warm setting and colour to it. "Watch your step please..." she softly said, being more gently as she was now in her room, turning her head she pressed her right hand on a secret panel that sunk into the wall. And the glass ceiling above them adjusted in a small radiating glow. Absolutely beautiful.


Clocks, a grandfather's clock made of brass, there were clocks just about everywhere.


Her room of isolation...


Her own sanctuary..

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She slowly blinked and looked at him, tilting her head...


She..


was.. confused?...


"...So this is not how people bring others to their houses?..." she asked and thought a bit as if she couldn't comprehend, only then to realize it did make sense and only chuckled. She nodded slowly, "..ah.. it does look weird now isn't it...? Everyone's a stranger...thus, everyone is suspicious..." turned her head as if she was finding something, opening some drawers here and there. Opening it for papers to suddenly spring out here and there, it was like her mind, this room, so much things yet placed in small places concealed and never to be sought for by others.


She finally brought out a piece of parchment, now closing the drawer with her hip as she looked down at it as if she was making sure on what she was seeing, and sighing softly. She nodded a this, and gave it to him. "...Here.. your question was what my whistle does...." she said, she was showing him the sketch of it. And there were lines, showing some parts, here and there. "..It is called the Deadman's Whistle." she slowly placed it in his hands. Then finally walked passed him, the crunching of papers were evident as she moved.


"..You said you wanted to see my works, and I show you that..." she said to him as she stopped before her glass door, ".. The Deadman's Whistle is from my novel.. you see.. " if he would look closely onto the paper, there was a paragraph written on it bad. "...I am sorry if this action of mine.. is quite unsettling and improper.... I am not that..informed.. to such things.." she turned red slightly, indeed, even with these things she had, these creations she made. She had her flaws, small, ridiculous and humorous flaws. She gave a sigh to this, and she remembered his words, her eyes only softened as she looked at the door. "..You are the first to say sweet things.... I do hope they do not hide a catch.." and with that she stepped outside. "Come... I shall make us tea... if you would like of course.."


Upon the paper, it read...


And as they took the noose's embrace, Death had cling me around her neck, and the embrace was tight as I swallowed the whistle and prayed for thy redemption.


And once I was hanged, I blacked out. When men left to celebrate my death, the wood broke out and I dropped down to the stage where the trap door was opened for me to lay upon the dead bodies of the executed ones, justified, or not.


Yet I awoke, and I felt the sensation of something stuck in my throat.


I choked it out as my mind screamed that I was alive, once I was able to cough the choking object out of my throat. My hand caught it, and there glinted the Deadman's Whistle.


I was a thief, the thief that took lives and many more. Yet the one life I took, she had given me life, and I took this chance from her, my life was a selfish one. Due upon my realization, I have realized, when I had everything, Death didn't steal my life.





Unfortunately, I was dumbfounded, when I discovered, Death was much more devious than I, it was not my life it was aiming to steal. But it was hers... and as I gazed upon the whistle, I suddenly wished for Death.





I stole her life... something I never wanted to steal.


Oddly enough she didn't mind having company. More so, it's like she welcomed it, she was odd, as if there were two people inside of her, once that rejects, one that accepts. Yet she wasn't foolish, she knew what she was doing. And if certain things would take into a turn.... then she would have to handle the consequences...


What was there to lose? All these things will vanish anyway one day...

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She blinked, as she raised her head to look up at painted ceiling as she heard a loud thud from the upstairs. "Are you alright?" she asked out loud, she didn't have an invention for constant echo, since it was just her living there right now. Her right hand moved to the wall panel, and pressed onto the painting of an apple the sunk into the wall, revealing the master switches again, as it shifts its cogs to reveal these circular buttons.


She pressed three of them without looking, as her left hand dealt with bringing the teapot up to a now, raising and appearing from the counter top, railroad tracks. A toy? toy railroads? had she used these toys for her own fun and inventions?, she again lifted the hot teapot of china porcelain as the sound of a choo-choo train came, she couldn't help but to chuckle everytime she used this feature she made on her own. When you are alone, you get to create your world into various of settings. The train came, the steamed classical train of England that dragged a blank car for the teapot to be placed along with its other connecting carts.


She placed the cups here and there, macaroons on another car on a silver plate. The teacups were porcelain yet they were in a silver hue, the reason was for accuracy, to see if there was any poison in the drink, she would instantly know, the liquid will change colour due to the poison coming in contact with silver. She had to learn that by experience.


She whistle once more, clasping her hands together as the train traveled safely over the counters and unto the long rectangular table. She placed some plates, it was an odd feeling she put two plates this time. And she had to admit, it was making her smile, to the point she had gone too comfortable it was dangerous. But she can't help it, can you blame her? She was, at heart, and in fact, still a little girl who was shunned by society. Labeled insane, and useful in certain situations where sanity isn't needed apparently.


She walked back to the wall where the master switches are, and turned one middle knob, that sent on the sound of a music box, she gave a smile to it as the music box tune died out, and that was when the panel apple box slowly blends back onto the solid wall, as if there was no way it sunk ever into it.


She starts to peek her head out of the door way, "...Voleur ?" she called out to him, hoping he did not get lost..


Or venture into any other room.. which was oddly colour coded with roses at the front of its door.

 

[Ashen Ashes of Eve]

She gave a soft sigh as she rests for a while at the door frame, then smiled.


She then leaned off, then went off easily to the direction of his voice, going upstairs to see that the doorknobs had silver greyish markings of a hand, he must be trying to find the door to the kitchen.. But her eyes narrowed.. or maybe... he's.. she was still quite suspicious now. But she set it aside as she looked around, finally finding him at the 2md left hallway and chuckled softly.


But that was when she saw him nearly going towards a black glass door, she quickly called out to him. "Voleur." she said nearly urgently, but she tried her best not to make it obvious that, that door he was about to test out, was strictly off-limits.


She beckoned her finger to follow her, then slowly points to the paintings on the wall, "If you look closely, you will see vines of various colours forming this long line from tree, to grass, to ground, to bush to tree.. oui?" she began to say as she looked at the wall, and traced the line of the slight brass coloured vine that was accenting through the greenery was leading to one direction, one path, like a golden string to lead him out of the labyrinth. "...This leads to the kitchen.." she smiles softly at the wall..


She felt.. proud.. of herself... and she had always loved her creations, her ideas, because who will? "...Come along.. the tea will get cold..I only have Earl Grey Gentleman though...I did not go into the market yet for the new stashes of tea.." she said softly as she began turn and walk away, looking over her shoulder to see if he would follow her. One indication of his step, she continued to walk through the rose scented hallways of the 2nd floor.


Inside of her.. she was.. happy..


It was the first time she actually was explaining what were the things around...


It's as if she did exist after all.


What an odd feeling...