Cioden's Date with Bella

[Falcon2001]

The door was foreboding. Izabella really tried to think of it in a much more uplifting sense, but as much as she stretched her vocabulary looking for a different term, she really couldn’t find one. It was fully eight feel tall, made of either iron or steel or some such metal that was far too dark and soaked up far too much light. It was more of a square of darkness in the already dim winter’s night, and she didn’t really want to knock on it.

 

Taking a deep breath, she looked around for another option. None presented themselves, so she knocked, timidly. The door absorbed whatever effort she had placed into it, sucking up the sound like a drain. Taken slightly aback, she rallied herself for another knock, raising her hand.

 

“The door isn’t designed for many visitors.” a voice emanated from the dark behind her. She yelped a little in her throat and turned on the voice. A tall, handsome man stood there. She admired his features for a second before meeting his gaze to abruptly discover that his eyes not only ruined whatever attractiveness he might have had, but blazed with an inner fire that chilled her deeply. “You must be Izabella.” He took her hand in his – how warm they were – and kissed the back perfunctorily as the door swung open of it’s own accord. He took her arm in his and swept inside.

 

“Please excuse the wait, but I was momentarily distracted by one of my many studies.” He said as they walked, his voice with all the characteristics of a block of ice that had been drizzled lightly with charm before being served. “Of course when our mutual friend Falcon had informed me that I was obliged for a dinner with you, I was mildly taken aback that he would…put me forward so readily, but after a few words with him, I think that things have been patched up.” A muffled sound came from a bag sitting in a corner, roughly the size and shape of a man, but Bella chose not to ask any questions.

 

“So what do you do here, Cioden?” she asked, looking around at the halls they passed through. “It seems fairly bleak, doesn’t it?” he replied, gesturing around the hall they walked down. “When it’s only you and your magic, you tend to forget the niceties of social interaction. A spell book doesn’t mind the cold or require rugs or wallpaper.” He pursed his lips and stopped, looking annoyed. “And there I am, being the ungracious host. Would you care for some mulled cider?”

 

Izabella nodded and was surprised to find a delicate crystal drinking glass full of steaming cider in her hands. She took a hesitant sip and smiled. Cioden smiled and continued the tour, leading a step ahead. “This is my ancestral tower – mine by birthright, although I didn’t know it until just a century ago. I’m the first Darkeye to inhabit these walls in over nine hundred years, due to a falling out with some Icatian invaders from the north quite a long time ago.” A slight tightening around the eyes, and it was gone as suddenly as it appeared. “They were dealt with.”

 

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly they were in the dining room, and the scene made her pause long enough to gasp. Crystal chandeliers set with tiny dark cracks running through them and hanging from black iron reflected and absorbed the light emanating from hundreds of tiny candles situated all over the room. The table was set with simple fare, but even the untrained eye could tell that the simple stew and bread had been expertly prepared. Cioden drew back a chair for Bella, then seated himself across from her.

 

“Please, eat. The food is rather simple, I know, but I’m not a master of the culinary arts, just the arcane.” He chucked wryly to himself and started to eat. Bella hesitantly tried a spoonful of soup and found it delicious. Digging in with a renewed vigor, she suddenly remembered that it had been quite a few hours since her last meal.

 

Over the meal, Cioden continued to expound on the surrounding wildlife, elucidating an extremely detailed knowledge of his environs. Bella listened politely, her plate long since finished. Shortly Cioden’s diatribe finished and he grinned wryly. “Excuse me long-windedness. It’s not often that I get the chance to dine with someone willing to listen to me.” Bella laughed and nodded. “I as well.” She replied, a question rising in her mind. “You wouldn’t happen to have any sort of love interest, would you?” She asked slightly flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes at him.

 

Cioden’s wry gaze suddenly hardened quicker than a newt in a cockatrice nest. The fire returned to his eyes, and Bella realized that she was alone in the tower of an extremely unbalanced and powerful magus, and that there might not be a way out. Cioden stood and turned away from her, his voice cold. “I’ll pretend that we didn’t broach that particular subject this eve. If you’ll excuse me, however, I have several important experiments to attend to. Bella leapt up to apologize or demand an explanation for his odd behavior - in the end it didn’t matter. As she stood there was a great gust as though she was caught in a hurricane and the tower dissolved into shards of darkness.

 

When the breeze subsided she found herself alone in a field stripped bare of life. Turning about, she recognized it as the location where Cioden’s tower had been mere moments before. Confused and hurt by his sudden change of heart, she whistled for her horse and sighed.

 

Men were all the same. Nothing but trouble.

 

As she rode away, she thought she felt an ethereal gaze glaring at her from behind, but she refused to look behind her.

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, I know it's late and all, but I don't plan on participating in the winter festival anyway (too busy) and regardless, she said she didn't care about it anymore, but here it is regardless.

 

If I played your character badly, Bella, I apologize. If the length offends (or lack thereof) I also apologize.