Tim Fortune

Tim Fortune

Presents

COGNITO

Interlude Part 3: A Winter's Tale

Edited to remove previously offensive content.

Five Months Later…

"And here we have another fine specimen." The auctioneer said as one of his assistants paraded a large African man onto the stage "This guy here will do anything for you. And if you look, he's fairly obedient. No need to be shocked or beaten here. Now what is the opening bid?"

"2000!" a voice shouted from the back of the smoke filled room.

"2000?" the auctioneer said "I think we can do better! This is prime stock I've got here. He's worth a lot more than 2000."

"6000!" another voice shouted out.

"That's more like it! I have 6000! 6000! Anyone gonna beat 6000?"

"10,000!"

"10,000! The bid's now 10,000! I've got 10,000! Anybody? Anybody?"

"12,000!"

"Now it's 12,000! The bidding war continues! Who can top 12,000?"

"15,000!"

The auctioneer's eyes opened wide.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" he smiled "15,000! 15,000 for this fine piece of property! Anymore bids? Anyone?"

He looked around at the crowd that was sitting in the small back room. The auctioneer banged his gavel on his podium.

"Sold for 15,000 orbs. Come on up and take your property."

A man in a leather jacket jogged his way up to the podium. From his pocket, he pulled out a median sized bag and handed it to the auctioneer. They conversed a little bit, but it was inaudible to the rest of the room, as they had returned to talking amongst themselves.

In the far back of the room, underneath a cloud of smoke, Rutonfex sat smoking a large cigar. A cocktail of sorts sat next to his ashtray, which contained the remains of several other cigars. He was dressed in pure black, a black suit, a black shirt, with shiny black shoes. The only part of his outfit that wasn't black was the large purple necktie that he wore. His hair was gelled back behind his ears going straight down the back of his neck. All in all, he looked rather stylish.

Now, what was he doing in a place like this? Entertainment, nothing less.

After his sojourn on the various beaches on the various worlds, it was time to do something else that was in the high life. Now, he spent his days visiting clubs and casinos, mingling amongst the crowd. Sure, sometimes black market games and activities drew him, but just because it was all fun. This wasn't the first slave auction he'd been too. In the five months since he acquired Ian, he'd been to nearly all underground auctions, mainly to have a drink and a smoke and just see what the slavers parade out in front of him.

He never bought any himself. He had no need for them. Ian and his Eva copy filled those servitude roles nicely. He didn't need anymore people.

Since he now had companions on his journey through the stars, he needed a more permanent place to live. He couldn't spend the rest of his days in hotel rooms now could he?

So, on a long forgotten world in the outer territories, he set up his manor, a place he jokingly called the Hotel California. Ian didn't quite get the joke, but he thought that it was an interesting name.

So, the Artisan sat in the back of the room witnessing a slave auction. Compared to some of the others he had been to, this one really wasn't that impressive. At those others, he'd at least been tempted to buy some, even though he had no real use for them. This time, there was nothing that particularly impressed him. He decided that one more cigar and he'll leave. Maybe go back to the manor and read in his library for a bit and enjoy another cigar. The cigars were one of his few vices. He'd always enjoyed smoking them, but during his time with the Organization and then his year as a disembodied memory he'd never had the chance. Xemnas, for some reason, had banned smoking, even though that didn't stop Xigbar from sneaking down into the city and lighting up a cigarette. But they were easy to come by. Cigars were a different story. So, as soon as he hit that first resort world, Rutonfex just bought boxes upon boxes of cigars and smoked nearly half of them that one day. It had been over a year since he had one down in the bowels of the Underworld, as he was working for Hades.

He lit up his last cigar, took a puff and let the smoke join the massive cloud above his head. He drained the last of his cocktail and didn't bother to order another one. He'd dive into his liquor cabinet when he got home. Why not? It was all in good fun right?

"And now that we've got the last of the men out of the way," the auctioneer said putting the bag of munny under his podium "Let's start with the ladies!"

He turned and stuck his head behind the curtain that was on the makeshift stage. Shouting something in an unintelligible language, a hand shot out two young girls. They were both around eighteen and were twins. Sort of. While they had the same height and facial features, one had long blonde hair that fell slightly behind her shoulders and the other had black hair that ended just above hers. But the black haired one looked like she had a piss poor dye job, with various bits of blonde hair standing out from the uniform black.

Another difference was in the way they were carrying themselves. The blonde seemed to be the more nervous of the two, slightly shaking as she peered out into the crowd which was hidden by the spotlight on the stage and the massive cloud of smoke that filled the room. While the black haired one was still nervous (after all, she was about to be sold into slavery), she looked to be the more assertive one of the two. And while she and her sister had the same body type, there was something about her that made it seem like she had filled out more.

"For our first group," the auctioneer said to the audience "We have these two lovely ladies. Guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and fulfill you." He winked. The audience laughed, while Rutonfex just dropped the ash from his cigar into the ashtray.

"Now, what is our opening bid?"

"5000!" a voice shouted.

"Wow, you must really like what you see!" laughed the auctioneer "But I feel we can do better."

He looked out into the audience.

"Can anyone top 5000? Anyone? Maybe you need a little more incentive."

Turning to the girls, he twirled his forefinger at them and pointed. At that moment, they dropped their ragged garments revealing, well, everything to the crowd.

The audience whooped and hollered like one wouldn't believe. Even the Artisan himself sat up in his chair to get a good look.

"Now," leered the auctioneer "What do we bid?'

Barely able to help himself, Rutonfex shouted "10,000!"

"10,000!" exclaimed the auctioneer with a huge smile "I was right that was some extra incentive! Anyone gonna top that?"

"13,000!" another person shouted.

"15,000!" shouted Rutonfex. He didn't know if it was blind lust or just some feeling of pity, but for some reason he had to have the twins. Maybe it was just lust. He figured that he'd get what he could from them, give them a slight neural re-ordering and set them on their way, no longer his problem.

"15,000 then! We got us a high roller! But I'm sure we can do better, after all, this is a package deal!"

"20,000!" shouted a voice with a harsh, raspy tone. It was the same man in the leather jacket who had bought the man who was previously on the stage.

The auctioneer took a joking step backward.

"Well then, the bid's now 20,000! But I know we can do much better than even that!"

"25,000!" was what Rutonfex shouted next. He was getting in deep, but it was just munny. He could just easily recreate it and he still had a bunch left over from when he cleaned house at one casino a few weeks back.

"Now there's a good size wager!" smiled the auctioneer "Now, I'd be perfectly content with that, but I still feel like someone could do…"

He didn't get a chance to finish as the man in the jacket shouted "32,000!"

The auctioneer's eyes grew wide, as did his smile.

"Now we're getting somewhere! 32,000! Who can top…"

"40,000." Interrupted Rutonfex. He looked up and saw the girls shivering in the cold air, using their arms to hide what they could.

"40,900." Was jackets' reply.

"42,500." Said Rutonfex. Sure, he could have just ended it there with a wave of his hand, but where was the sport in that? He was having some fun bidding munny that he easily had to spare.

The man in the jacket tugged at his collar. It was getting to well over what he wanted to spend, but goddammit, did he want those girls.

Checking the numerous bags of munny that hung in his coat, he shouted "48,728!" It was all the munny he had left.

With a smile, Rutonfex merely said "50,000."

And the bidding was over.

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Ian leaned back against the limo, taking another puff of his cigarette. The snow and wind whipped around him, so he lifted the collar of his jacket up to protect his face. If he didn't need a cigarette badly, he wouldn't have stepped out. He knew that his beloved Eva hated the smell of cigarette smoke, so he made sure that he lit one up away from her.

She currently sat in the passenger seat of the median sized black limo, just staring, without blinking, out into the snowstorm that was blowing outside. That was all the copy ever did, stare out into space. Rutonfex tried not to make eye contact with it or even to have any sort of contact with his creation. Ian spent nearly all his time with her and, making the Artisan slightly worried about his assistant's mental state, had conversations with her. When Rutonfex was in the room listening to him, he'd hear Ian say something and then respond as if she had replied to him. Even though all she did was just stare unblinkingly into space, never even changing her expression, which was just blankness. There was nothing going on behind those beautiful blue eyes, which was the case as she was just a copy created by Rutonfex to ease Ian, who had earlier in a fit of depression and rage, ended up killing the real Eva, as well as her fiancé.

Now he spent his time working for the Artisan as an assistant of sorts. Previously it had been his job to book the various hotels that they had stayed at, but now, because of the construction of the Hotel California, it was his job to be his driver when he went out to his clubs, cook meals for the group (even though "Eva" never touched what he put in front of her), and do the cleaning around the manor, which was simple, as he and Rutonfex were relatively clean people. Every so often, he'd get to go to the clubs and casinos that his master visited, but most of the time, he just sat out in the car. He didn't mind of course. He had his Eva and life was fine. He actually found himself enjoying working for the Artisan. Of course, it could just be eternal gratitude for giving him his Eva back.

Oh, deep in his heart of hearts Ian knew that the Eva who was with him wasn't the real one, but he ignored it. That was how deep his madness and love ran. He refused to admit that he had removed her spark from the Universe forever and that he was living with a lie. And Lord help anyone who tried to tell him this little fact.

As soon as he finished his cigarette and flicked it away, his boss came walking out of the club. About an hour ago when he entered, he was wearing a black felt fedora (which he had received from some girl during his travels) that kept the snow off his head, black leather gloves (souvenirs, he said, from his time with the Organization), a scarf (knitted for him by the Fates in the Underworld, from his time working for Hades), and a giant black fur coat.

Now, he was lacking the coat. Close behind him, two girls stepped out covered under it. It was lucky that the coat was big enough to cover both of them.

"Ian," Rutonfex said "Could you get the door for my lovely companions?"

"Certainly sir." He replied, opening one of the side doors of the limo. He motioned his hand as a sign for them to go in. They just stood shivering in the cold, unsure of what they should do.

"It's alright girls." Rutonfex said nicely "It's warm in there."

They moved slowly and stepped in. Before the Artisan himself could step in, Ian closed the door.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"They're, um, my purchases." Rutonfex replied, slightly nervously.

"Purchases?" exclaimed Ian "I thought you never bought! I thought you just watched."

"Can't a guy have a change of heart?" his boss replied with a smile.

"But you don't…" Ian began, but Rutonfex stopped him by holding up a hand.

"You know what I mean."

"Anyway," the Artisan continued, adjusting his tie "We now have some new guests who are going to stay with us back at the Hotel."

"Are you gonna tell them, that you're…you know."

"If the need arises, yes." Replied Rutonfex, brushing a little snow off his shoulders "But until then, I'm no different than you my friend. Just a normal, simple guy."

Ian looked at his friend for a bit. After a while, he spoke.

"But why buy them in the first place?"

"Come to think of it," said Rutonfex with a smile "I don't really know. Lust was a probably a key factor, as they both looked so angelic standing there on the stage, hiding nothing from the crowd."

One of Ian's eyebrows went up at that comment.

"Oh yes." Continued the Artisan, his smile growing a bit wider, but then faded a bit when he spoke his next sentence "I'm beginning to think pity had something to do with it. My main competitor was some guy in a leather jacket and well, something inside of me told me that I was the ideal one to have these girls."

"Developing a conscience?" teased Ian.

"You know full well that that was one of the first things I lost when I lost my heart." Rutonfex responded. Shrugging and knocking some more snow off his shoulders, he added "Of course, maybe spending time around you has made me grow one."

Opening the limo's door himself, he turned and said to Ian "Anyway, all I know is I've got two beautiful women who completely belong to me. Play your cards right and you can have one for a bit."

"And cheat on my beloved?" asked Ian, playfully shocked "No way man."

"Your loss." Said Rutonfex as he stepped into the warm interior of the car. Ian shut the door and jogged his way over to the driver's side. Opening the door, he settled into the driver's seat and put the car in drive. He pulled out onto the street and drove away from the club.

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In the warm interior of the limo, Rutonfex sat looking over at his new property. They were still huddled under his coat, despite the heat. Given that he was a gentleman, he tried to start conversation.

"Well ladies," He said leaning forward in his seat to look at them "I guess a little introduction is in order. My name is Rutonfex. Nothing more, nothing less. Just plain Rutonfex. Now, so we can get to know each other better, what are yours?"

"I don't see a point to this." The black haired one said, her voice a harsh alto "All you're gonna do is just use us. So what's the point of the pleasantries?"

"Well, Ms…" Rutonfex said, twirling his fingers to give her indication that he needed her name. She just glared at him.

"See, if I'm going to talk to you," he continued "I'm gonna need a name."

"Nora. Nothing more, nothing less. Just plain Nora." She replied, turning his earlier statement against him.

"Nora." He said, letting it sink in "That's better."

Turning to her twin, he said "And now I just need yours and we can continue."

"Lora." She said meekly. Unlike her sister, she had a clear, melodic, soprano voice.

"Lora and Nora." Said Rutonfex with a laugh.

"You think that's funny?" Nora, the black haired one, replied.

"A little bit, yes."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you kept your dumbass rhyming jokes to yourself." She said, a lot of venom in her voice "We may belong to you, but that doesn't mean we have to like you. We'll do what we need to do, but don't think we'll enjoy it."

With a smirk, Rutonfex added "Oh, I think I can make you."

"What?" Nora responded incredulously "You some sort of great lover or something? Well, you're gonna hafta prove it."

"And I will, when I feel inclined." He said, his smirk turning into a full fledged smile. Turning and looking out the window, he pressed a button on his armrest.

"Ian, make a turn here."

After waving his arm in the air, an act which confused the girls and slightly annoyed Nora, he pulled out yet another cigar.

"You mind if I light this up?"

"By all means give us throat cancer." Nora replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she said it.

Rutonfex put the cigar back in his shirt pocket. His smile grew a bit wider.

"You and I are going to get along great." He said "I can tell."

"Wonderful." Was her response.

Nora leaned back into the leather seat and closed her eyes, while Lora just sat huddled under the coat, staring with wide eyes at the Artisan. It was a bit unnerving to him, especially since he spent five months having to deal with the exact same thing from the Eva copy.

"Okay, that's really creepy." He said to her.

"What?" she replied.

"That whole staring blankly into space thing." Was his response "I get enough of that from Ian's squeeze, I don't need anymore."

"Sorry." Lora said and turned her head to look out the window.

But instead of the snow she was expecting, she completely shocked to find something else.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping a bit in her seat and accidentally elbowing her sister.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed.

Lora just pointed at the tinted window. Nora leaned over and looked out. She too was expecting to see the snow storm that was happening when they left the club. Instead, they were in a weird sort of nowhere, filled with swirling shades of red and purple.

"Jesus Christ!" she shouted, also jumping back in her seat "Where the hell are we?"

Rutonfex just smiled.

"Betwixt and between my dears." He replied.

"No, seriously." Nora said rolling her eyes "Where the fuck are we?"

"There's really no other name for it." Rutonfex said leaning forward "Even Xehnie himself couldn't come up with a name for it, despite naming pretty much everything else. Unfortunately, Braig gave it that dumb name and it pretty much stuck."

Nora just stared at him, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"I have no idea who those people are." Was her response.

"Don't worry," said Rutonfex, leaning back into his seat "They're just old friends who I hope I never see again."

Looking out the window again, he pressed the same button he had pressed before.

"Right up here Ian." He said, letting go of the button.

The limo moved forward and when Nora looked out the window again, the snow was falling again, but softer than it was when they left the club earlier.

"So, we're back where we started?" Nora asked angrily "What was the point of that little trip 'betwixt and between'?"

"Well, you'd be surprised." Was all Rutonfex said as the limo came to a stop.

Ian came over and opened the limo's door. Rutonfex stepped out and extended his hand to let the ladies out. Nora just shoved his hand out of the way and stepped out into the snow. Wherever they were, it wasn't any where near the club.

Instead, a tall three story house with a large central tower loomed over them. Made of black brick, the snow that fell on it stood out immensely and helped it stand out in the darkness.

"Welcome to the Hotel California!" Rutonfex said holding his arms as wide as his smile.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nora asked angrily.

"Never you mind my dear." Rutonfex said turning and walking towards the door "Never you mind."

Nora helped Lora out of the limo. The two sisters stood shivering in the snow, despite the coat that still hung on Lora. This was to be their new home, a tall gothic structure in a land of endless winter and night.

"Well sis," Nora said, turning towards Lora "What do you think?"

"It's better than where we were." Replied her sister, the most words she had spoken for a while.

"Maybe. But, what do we really know about this guy?"

"He's rich. Come on, he laid down 50,000 orbs for us like it was nothing. And he has to be better than that creep in the jacket."

"Don't be too sure." Nora replied "I don't know how you've spent the last three years, but I trust me I know these things. Besides, this guy kinda comes off as an asshole don't you think?"

"Maybe if we gave him a chance."

"A chance!" exclaimed Nora "You're just way too trusting. Listen to me, no matter how nice this guy may seem at first, next thing you know a lotta creepy shit is going down."

"And you must know from personal experience." Lora replied rolling her eyes.

"Exactly! Just trust me on this."

"I trusted you three years ago and look where we are now."

"This wasn't my fault!" yelled Nora pointing her finger at her sister "If you hadn't run out on me at that club…"

"If we hadn't gone into that club to begin with then maybe we wouldn't be here!"

"As long as we're talking about maybes," said Nora staring directly at Lora "Maybe we shouldn't have ran away from home in the first place. I could stand here and argue this with you, but it's too fucking cold! Let's just go into that asshole's house."

Nora walked through the snow to the front door of the Hotel California, with Lora close behind.

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The girls stepped into the warmth of the house. Right away, they noticed that interior was a bit odd. With the exception of the gigantic red stairway in the middle of the room, the carpet and walls were all the same, black with tiny white specks painted on them. Lora thought that the specks were supposed to be stars. It certainly added to the mystique of the room.

On the stairs, Rutonfex came down. He had discarded his fedora, jacket and tie, and had undone a few of the top buttons of his black shirt, as well as rolled up his sleeves.

"Interesting place, no?" he asked with his usual smile.

"Yeah." Lora said, slightly awestruck at this faux portal through time and space. Nora just continued to look slightly annoyed.

"'Yeah'." Repeated Rutonfex walking towards Lora "That all you say? Monosyllabic answers to questions?"

"No…sir." She said shyly.

"The first time so far I've heard you say more than one word!" he exclaimed "This calls for some celebration!"

Turning towards the stairs, he shouted "Ian! Bring some champagne and three glasses to my study!"

Back towards the girls, he said to them "Now, if you head upstairs, you'll find two marked bedrooms. They'll be yours for the duration of your stay in my wonderful Hotel. Laid out on the beds are some lovely new clothes that I feel you'd find much preferable to the rags you're currently wearing. When you've changed, come to my study."

Looking at their faces (and doing a little mind reading as well), he said "To talk. Nothing more."

And with that, he walked over to a section of wall, turned a white knob that the girls had just noticed was there and stepped into another room.

The girls just stood in the front entrance hall, letting the snow that accumulated on them during their time outside felt. Lora let Rutonfex's coat fall to the floor as they fully appreciated the warmth of the manor.

Lora and Nora then looked at each other.

"You think we should listen to him?" Lora said to her sister.

"Got nothing better to do." Nora replied as she walked towards the staircase "But I still believe that this guy's no different than all the others."

"What have you been getting into these past three years?" ask Lora as she followed closed behind.

"Good times, bad times, and just…" she paused and her eyes went practically dead "I don't know. But it wasn't all good."

"Yeah, well." Lora said as she moved further up the stairs "At least we're in a reasonably comfortable place. Compared to what I've been through…"

"Compared to what I've been through," Nora snapped "You've done shit."

And in a huff, she continued up the stairs.

They came to the second floor of the house. It was different than the lower level, as it was painted bright red. The walls were all red, as was the carpet. It kind of stunned the eyes to see after the darkness of the foyer. They walked further down the hallway. They passed a door marked "Ian and Eva", but paid no attention to it.

At the end of the hallway, they saw a large black double door that stood out from the all the red. In gold letters across it, it said "Number IX, The Dark Artisan" and underneath, still in gold, was two crossed cutlasses.

"So that's the egomaniac's room." Nora snorted as she looked at "Get a good look sis. We're probably gonna spend a lot of time in there."

"When did you get so cynical?" Lora asked sharply.

"About two years ago. Big guy. Promised me the world. Took everything." Sneered her sister "And I mean everything. So I hold every right to be cynical. I don't what bubble headed fantasy you've been living, but I've seen the real world."

She turned and found herself facing a red door with a sheet of paper labeled "Nora" taped to it. Across the hall, her sister found a similar thing.

"This must be it." She said opening the door.

Lora stepped into her room at the same time. Compared to the ostentatious exterior, the actual room itself was rather nice. The walls were painted a simple dark blue to match the light blue carpet. In fact, blue seemed to be the unifying theme of the room. The bedspread was a dark blue, as was the dresser. Even the sweater and pants combo that lay on the bed was blue, albeit a light blue. Lora smiled a bit at this notion. Blue was after all her favorite color. But something else in the room shocked her.

In the corner, sitting in a light blue armchair, was a violin. She stared at the instrument. It had been years since she had even picked one up. She hadn't quite forgotten how to play; in fact she had been incredibly good at it. But its appearance here was a surprise.

"How did he know?" she said softly just looking at the instrument. Picking it up, she plucked a string. A soft melodic sound emanated from it. The bow was next to it on the chair. She picked that up too and drew it across the strings. The sound was even sweeter than she remembered.

Memories of a simpler time flooded her mind and she began to play. The sound was low, sweet and soothing. Despite the snow that was falling outside her window, Lora felt as if she was standing in a beautiful sunny field as she played. A smile crossed her face as she continued playing.

She would have kept playing if not for the loud knocking on her door.

"Lora!" she heard her sister yelling "Get your ass in gear! We have to go see that douche now!"

Lora put the violin back down on the chair. She'd return to it later.

Stepping out of her rags, she looked over at the clothing that had been laid out for her. While they looked comfortable, something was missing.

"He didn't have the foresight to leave underwear?" she asked herself. Looking over at her dresser, she shrugged and went over and opened the top door. Lying neatly were several bras and pairs of underwear of varying colors.

"Maybe he did think of everything." She mused as she pulled a bra and a pair out of the drawer and put them on. They were even the right fit.

It was beginning to get a little creepy. How did this guy, Rutonfex he called himself, know all this? How did he know her favorite color, her passion for the violin, and even more personally, her underwear size?

"It's unnatural is what it is." She said as put the clothes on her bed on. They too were a perfect fit and comfortable to boot. Looking in the closet on the other side of the room, she found a nice pair of icy blue slippers to put on her feet. It seemed like he had prepared everything for her.

Lora walked out into the bright red hallway. There stood her sister in a sweater and pants combo identical to hers, except hers was orange.

"Weird huh?" Lora said with a smile.

"I know." Nora agreed "This guy knew everything somehow. I wonder how."

"Maybe we should ask when we go down there."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll get a truthful answer from him." Snorted Nora.

"Couldn't hurt." Her sister added.

"Fine whatever." Was all Nora said as she started towards the stairs. Lora followed. In the bright red hallway, Nora seemed to blend right in with her orange outfit, while Lora stood right out in her blue one. But, both stood out when they entered the cosmic foyer. After feeling around the walls for the knob into the study, they eventually found it and walked in.

The study was painted a duller red, almost maroon. But, not a lot of the wall could be seen, as bookshelves covered a bit of one wall, while another was taken up by a massive fireplace with a bearskin rug in front of it. A reasonably sized fire was blazing in it at the moment. On the wall where the entrance was, a stereo and a wall of CDs sat and hung, waiting to be used. The stereo was already playing some power ballad at decent level, while on the remaining wall, bobbing his head to the music as he smoked yet another cigar, Rutonfex sat. His eyes were closed and he was moving his hands as if he was conducting the musicians playing over the stereo.

"Hey!" Nora shouted towards him.

His eyes shot open and he looked at them.

"Ahh, welcome ladies, welcome." He said sitting straight up in his chair. He dropped ash into an ashtray that stood next to his chair. It was a bit perilous, as a minor mountain of ash had built up in it.

Nora looked at it and said "Jesus, how many of those do you smoke?"

Taking a puff of his current one, he let the smoke slowly escape his mouth.

"Enough." He said, a smile still plastered on his face "But take a seat ladies. I just want to have a friendly chat with you."

"For now." Nora said under her breath as she walked over to a nearby armchair. Lora followed suit. Rutonfex noticed this and turned over to the blonde.

"Do you just do everything she does or something?"

"No." she said. She couldn't help it. Every time she was around him, she just uttered a single word as an answer. She didn't know why. He didn't seem to be that bad, no matter what her cynical sister thought. So far, he'd been nothing but genial towards the girls. Granted that smile that was always on his face was a bit unnerving, but he described her staring blankly into space the same way. She had gotten a good look at him during their time in the limo. She thought that he was rather handsome in an offbeat way, what with the goatee and all. Plus, she thought that he had an odd charm about him. The kind of thing that could either repulse you or entice you. It seemed that his personality was doing that to the twins.

He seemed like a nice guy. After all, he had given them nice rooms with nice amenities, despite the fact that he could have easily thrown them into a basement dungeon to wait until he felt like having them. Lora didn't know what to think. On the outside, there was no reason to hate or be fearful of him, other than the fact that he had just purchased them at a slave auction. But what were his motives? Was he trying to get them to trust him so that what he probably intended to do could go easier?

It was a bit complicated. Lora had never really been good at reading other people, nor did she have the level of cynicism that her sister did. Most of the time, she didn't know what someone was going to do until they actually did it.

Maybe Nora was right. Maybe she was too trusting. But trust didn't have anything to do with it. With his offbeat personality and slight good looks, could she be falling for her new owner?

Impossible she thought. She had only known him for maybe a half-hour. She was supposed to be the clear headed rational one of the two. How could she fall for this strange man?

Maybe she was jumping the gun a bit with that thought. After all, he could turn out to be a complete bastard later on.

"Again with the one word answers!" he exclaimed with mock annoyance "Jesus! Not much of a conversationalist are you?"

"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk to you." Nora said firmly "You ever think of that?"

"Excuse me," he replied looking at her "But do you speak for her? I don't think so. Christ almighty, you two hadn't seen each other for three years prior to being bought by the same slaver, so now you're thick as thieves?"

"How did you…" Nora began. Rutonfex's eyes went wide at his little Freudian slip. True they didn't outright tell him, but he had gotten the information from their minds almost as soon as he bought them.

"Well, um…" he stammered. That was probably the biggest mistake he made since he had taunted Xehnie into attacking him way back when. How was he going to explain this to them? Mentalists weren't anything new, but most of them were charlatans and frauds. A real one was hard to come by. And then he'll have to explain where he'd got them in the first. Doing a quick mental scan, he found that Lora would probably believe whatever he told her, but Nora was a whole other story.

"Well, you see," he began, as he was pretty sure he had a convincing lie "I'm kind of a mind reader."

Both girls' eyes grew wide at that.

"So that's how you knew about the violin!" Lora said.

"Ahh, you found that." Replied the Artisan with a smile "Always glad to be of assistance."

"Alright Kreskin," Nora said looking over at him "If you can read minds, what number am I thinking of right now."

"17,884." He answered calmly.

"Hmm, maybe you can read minds." She replied.

"Why yes of course Nora Elise." He smiled. Her eyes grew a little wider. He had just used her middle name, something she had dropped years ago, when she just became, well, Nora.

"Now don't be too alarmed." He said, taking another puff of his cigar "I can control when I do it. So if you don't want me intruding on your mind, just let me know. It's as simple as that."

The girls just looked at each other, as Rutonfex let the smoke slowly exit his mouth. With another quick scan, he found that they were somewhat believing him, but there was some doubt. Thankfully, it wasn't much.

"Well then," he said, dropping more ash onto the mountain that already was there "Not that we got that out of the way, we can move onto more pressing matters. First off, the Hotel is your new home. I know it's not big and all, but feel free to go anywhere you like. Since you really can't hide anything from me, why should I from you?"

Although gracious on the outside, he would still be concealing the most major fact about him; that of his status as a being who was not quite human. He'd let them know if he felt like it, but what would be the point now? Better to keep them in ignorance than have to deal with awkward questions. Besides, they'd probably have no clue what a Nobody was. That race was still unknown to all except the highest intellectuals and for most them they were a theoretical race any way.

"Next," he continued "Please don't consider yourselves my property. I don't see it that way. You're more along the lines of…permanent guests."

Nora snorted at that comment. Rutonfex snapped his head to look at her.

"Yes?" he said, turning his head slightly to the side.

"Oh nothing." Said Nora flippantly.

"You may not like me very much, but at least respect that I'm trying to be nice to you!" he responded, slightly annoyed "I could have easily allowed you to be bought by that other asshole. Would you have preferred that?"

"I'd prefer that I wasn't in this situation." She replied with gritted teeth.

"Sweetie," Rutonfex said a little too sweetly "If you didn't want this fate, you never should have listened to that guy in the Ox Club. But you did, and now you're here. Besides, your sister isn't complaining. Hell, she's barely talking at all."

Nora just snorted again and remained silent. Lora just continued to look at him with wide eyes.

"Forgive the not talking comment." He said turning and looking at her. When he did, she looked away from him. "Now, now there's no need for that. I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Nora muttered under her breath. Rutonfex just ignored her.

"I'm not the bad guy here." He said reaching over and taking her hand "I'm just a simple man with extravagant tastes. I may have purchased you two at an auction, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Hell, I give you your freedom! You two no longer belong to me."

"Then I'm outta here!" Nora exclaimed as she jumped out of her armchair "C'mon sis. We're leaving."

"To where?" asked Lora.

"Any where! As along as it's far away from this maniac."

"Go ahead." Rutonfex said, taking a puff of his cigar and letting the smoke slowly leave his mouth "I'm not going to stop you. You're free. But just a little piece of advice. The snow outside will never stop, as well as the darkness. The entire size of this place is only slightly bigger my house here, so there's no where to go on this world. Plus, Gummi ships don't come here. All travel is dependant on my car out front."

That was another lie. Like most Nobodies, he opened paths to Betwixt and Between to get where he needed to go. But since the girls had only traveled with him in the limo, it made some sense.

"But don't try using it." He continued "That function only works for me and Ian."

"Alright, alright, alright!" Nora exclaimed angrily "What the hell is going on here? You purchase us, bring us here, free us, and then tell us we can't leave? What the fuck is up with you? What do you want from us?"

"Is a little companionship too much to ask for?" he replied, hanging his head, but still keeping his eyes on Nora.

"Oh, so you got lonely and bought yourself a couple of fuck buddies, right?" Nora said rolling her eyes.

"That's what probably made me make the first bid." Rutonfex responded with a shrug.

"And every orb more was because of my tits, huh?" said Nora folding her arms across her chest "Admit it."

"God almighty," exclaimed Rutonfex leaning back in his chair in exasperation "Do you ever shut up? Jesus! Ever since you got here, it's been 'blah blah blah blah blah' with you! I'm giving you a good thing here. A nice house, nice clothes, the promise of nice food, hell, practically everything you could ask for and I all I get is bitched at. You just can't accept that I'm a nice guy?"

"They're always the worst offenders." She replied icily.

Okay, sure, he had planned on using them for what the slaver probably intended for them to be used for, but somehow, he felt maybe a twinge guilty at forcing them. Of course, it was the memory that such a thing would be wrong that drove him, but never the less, he didn't want to force these two girls into anything. After all, conquest was a thrill in and of itself.

"Well, just accept my hospitality." He said stubbing out his cigar "It's the best thing that could possibly happen to you."

"Fine." Nora said walking towards the door out "I'll accept your 'hospitality', but don't think I'm gonna do anything for you. Ever."

And with that, she walked out the door and slammed it, leaving Lora alone with Rutonfex.

"Wow, just wow." He said leaning over to his other side, pulling the champagne bottle out of the ice and pouring himself a glass "I really can't see how you're related to her and are actually her twin. It's mind boggling."

He took a sip of the drink. Lora just stared at him again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he said when he noticed "Please stop! Seriously. I'm told I creep people out when I smile, but goddammit, being stared it creeps me out."

"Sorry." She said, lowering her head, but still keeping her eyes on him.

"And we continue with the one word answers!" he exclaimed "Your sister isn't here; you can talk to me like an adult."

"Alright." She responded. She couldn't think of what else to say. Although she had her suspicions deep in her head, she always was kind of shy. Back on her home world, she really only had one friend. A weird guy named Ela. He was an interesting fellow who was about 3 or 4 years older than she was, with long red hair that he normally wore spiked. He had a weird habit of flicking a lighter open and closed, as well as memorizing trivia and relaying the facts back to people, all while asking "Got it memorized?"

He was weird, but he was a good friend. Really, he was her only friend. She had always had trouble meeting new people, but he came up to her one day with his care-free attitude and devil-may-care smile. He had become a minor celebrity of sorts for nearly burning his face off. It wasn't serious enough to warrant skin grafts or disfigure him, but he had suffered a few burns underneath his eyes. To disguise and perhaps draw attention to it, he tattooed green teardrops over the burns.

He had found her sitting under a tree and did what he usually did to people, ask them a question, give them an answer and then just say "Got it memorized?" Most people found that habit annoying, but Lora found it particularly funny and they became fast friends. When she ran away from that world with her sister, she didn't tell Ela, worried that it might break his heart to see her go. She never did find out what happened to him after she left. She hoped that he hadn't set a fire that burned him worse than the previous one.

Rutonfex had pretty much drained his glass and was about to pour himself some more. Leaning over to her he asked "Care for some?"

Lora just shrugged and said "Sure."

The Artisan handed poured himself another glass and then poured hers. Handing to her, he raised his glass and said "Cheers", before downing about half of it.

Lora just took a tiny sip. She hadn't really drunk much during her time on the road. Mostly, after being separated from Nora early on, she stayed near universities and libraries, blending in as best she could. Before being captured by that slaver a few weeks back, she found a world that really appealed to her. Sure, the technology was lacking, but the air and scenery were nice. There were even some interesting people. She particularly enjoyed conversations with the Commodore in charge of the military forces. If she never went anywhere else ever again, she'd be content just to remain in Port Royal.

There was an awkward pause between Lora and Rutonfex. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the far wall. Lora finally broke the silence.

"So what now?" she asked.

"Hmm?" murmured Rutonfex as he looked over at her.

"What's going to happen now? Do we just stay here? What do we do?"

"Ahh," Rutonfex nodded "Well, what happens now is entirely up to you. The house is yours to run free in, so enjoy it. As for what do you do, well anything. You can avoid me for the duration of your stay. I won't mind. If I need companionship, I've got Ian." He chuckled nervously.

"But why?" she asked. Nora may not have gotten the answer to that question, but Lora felt that she could.

"I'm just a nice guy who took pity on two girls." He replied with a smile "Nothing more. I'm no saint, but occasionally I surprise myself with my good deeds."

Lora just looked at him sideways. There was definitely more going on with this man than he was letting on. Or maybe there wasn't. She certainly couldn't tell.

Putting her still full champagne glass on her armrest, she got up from the chair.

"Well Mr. Rutonfex," she began, but was cut off by him.

"No, no. Not 'Mr. Rutonfex'." He said "Just Rutonfex. That's all."

"Well, Rutonfex," she said again "I thank you for your hospitality."

"Any time love." He smiled and raised his half full glass to her.

"But I just don't know." She sighed "You seem like a good guy, but I just don't know. What are your real intentions?"

"If you want the truth," he said, placing his glass on his armrest and standing up "My intentions are for you to not do anything you're uncomfortable with doing. If you ever want to just talk, well, I'm in here most of the time. Just stop over and we can chat. Nothing more."

He gave her a slight smile and it made her blush.

"Okay, well…um…good night." She stammered as she walked out the door.

Rutonfex sat down in his chair. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he pulled out another cigar and lit it up. Tilting his head back, he watched the smoke escape his mouth and float towards the ceiling.

"Interesting pair those two." He said with a smile.

They really were. Reaching into Lora's mind, he was cheered at the fact that she really didn't think he was up to anything. She was actually beginning to trust him.

Normally, that would be great, as it would relatively easy to get her into bed down the road. But, the Artisan found that she just didn't see her in that way. For some unknown reason, he found himself looking at her like that of a sister or a niece. More that he'd like to spend time with her rather than lay her. For him that was an odd feeling. For the past few months he had done nearly everything in his power to get women into his bed. He hadn't been above using a few mental pushes to achieve his ends, but he still liked working for it a bit. Again, it was the thrill of victory.

But with Lora, he just couldn't see himself doing that. Instead, he found that it would be preferable if he just talked with her.

"Maybe Ian's right." He laughed as he took a drag of his cigar "Maybe I am growing a conscience."

Nora on the other hand…

That would be a sweet victory if he managed to turn her. He smiled as he looked into her thoughts and found that behind the bitchiness and cynicism, there was just a scared girl who had to grow up too fast and who didn't want to get hurt again.

If he had a heart, he'd have found that touching. If he had a heart. But since he didn't, all he could do is smile and see what the following days would bring.

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Lora woke up with her alarm blaring classical music loudly. Reaching over, she shut it off and sat up in her bed. Yawning and stretching, she looked out the window of her room, but remembered that view was still the same: Dark and snowy.

It was her seventh day of staying at what Rutonfex had called the Hotel California, a name that Lora didn't quite understand. The place wasn't a hotel and with the weather like it was, it was certainly no where near California. So what in the world could it mean?

Early on, she decided that she wouldn't waste a lot of time pondering about it. The guy had a few eccentricities, so what was that one? Come on, he lived in a place that only had one season and one time of day as far as she could see: winter and night. How he could live like this was just one of the mysteries about the man.

Stepping out of her bed, she went over to the bathroom and ran the shower. When it reached the right temperature (very hot, to combat the outside cold that seeped in), she stepped out of her nightgown and into the heated paradise.

The hot water felt good against her skin as she ran her hands through her long blonde hair. Despite living there for seven days, Lora still didn't feel at home in the manor.

Sure, she had everything she could ever want, but there was just something missing, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was discomforting, like an annoying gnat on the back of her neck.

She was sure that maybe things would be better once she spent more time there. Plus, she hadn't really "felt at home" in most of the places she stayed during her three year trek through the stars. Port Royal came close, but its lack of modern technology got to her sometimes.

Here though, the whole place was thoroughly modern. Electricity ran through the entire house, even though she didn't see any electrical wires attached to the house on the few times she ventured outside, all bundled up just to walk in the snow and think. The whole place was kind of weird. The foyer always kind of freaked her out whenever she stepped foot in it and she was always blinded by the red of the second floor.

But on the third floor, she felt a bit at home. First off, it followed the same scheme as the second floor, but this time, everything was in shades of blue. The carpet was incredibly soft and sometimes she would go there and just lie on it. In fact, two days earlier, she had actually fallen asleep on it. She hadn't even realized it. It was only when Nora came and kicked her in the side that she even knew she had nodded off.

The third floor did kind of remind her of a hotel, as it was just a long hallway with six doors on each side and one at the end of the hallway. It seemed like he was expecting visitors, but they never came.

On the ceiling, a string attached to a trapdoor hung in the middle. The trapdoor led to the tower that was seen on the outside of the house. Lora didn't go up there. Who knew what he had hidden away there? She didn't want to think about it.

After finishing with her hair and all that, Lora turned the shower off. It was a shame to lose that heat, but she couldn't spend all day in there. Reaching over, she grabbed a towel and after drying her face with it, hung it around her body. Another towel was then used for her hair.

Stepping back into the cold air of her new bedroom, she went searching through her drawers for something to wear. It seems that with his telepathic abilities, Rutonfex had managed to get pretty much everything she liked. The question still remained as to how he had acquired everything prior to their arrival there, as it was all there when they had arrived at his house a week earlier.

After drying off and putting underwear on, Lora chose a pair of black sweat pants, a gray t-shirt and a black hoodie to wear. Despite the relative heat of the house, the cold air from the endless winter still got in, so they needed to dress warm. Going back into the bathroom, she tied her hair back into a ponytail and brushed her teeth.

When that was done, she left her room to head downstairs. She passed by her sister's room and hearing the heavy breathing coming from behind the door, she figured that Nora must still be asleep. It was like this back home. Lora would always be up relatively early, while Nora just slept most of the day away. It drove their parents crazy, but was always brushed off when Sleeping Beauty finally emerged.

Lora headed downstairs and went over to the kitchen. When she walked in, she saw Ian standing over the stove making breakfast. He then turned and looked at her.

"Mornin'" he said as he continued to push the eggs in the frying pan around with a spatula.

"Good morning to you too." She responded as she headed over to the coffee maker. Nearly all the coffee was still in the pot, which meant…

"He not awake yet?" asked Lora as she grabbed a mug and started pouring.

"He had a bit of a busy night." Said Ian, putting the frying pan down and opening the oven to check on the bacon "So, he won't be down for another hour or so. In the meantime, I've got a good breakfast going."

Lora took a carton of half and half out of the fridge and pour a bit into her coffee. The breakfast that he was making smelled delicious.

"What do we got?" she asked as she dumped spoonful after spoonful of sugar into the mug.

"A little bit of everything." He responded as he flipped a pancake in another frying pan in the air.

"Nice." Lora replied, taking a seat at the small 6 person table that sat in the middle of the kitchen "I'll take a few pancakes."

"Coming right up!" said Ian putting the pancakes down. A small stack was already sitting on a plate in the corner.

"How long were you making this?" she asked, as he put a plate and a fork and knife in front of her.

"I got up around two hours ago and just thought 'I'll make everyone breakfast.'" Replied Ian with a smile.

Lora hadn't really seen much of Rutonfex's assistant around the house. Usually he was off doing some errand, driving Rutonfex off to wherever he went or spending time up in his room with Eva. Lora hadn't met Eva, but she had been mentioned frequently. Rutonfex had said that she mostly just stares into space and it freaked him out. If that was the case, Lora wasn't sure she ever wanted to meet this Eva.

Ian placed a few pancakes on her plate, as well as a bottle of syrup next to it. She immediately dug in. They were delicious. That was to be expected of course. Ian did most of the cooking and he certainly had a talent for it. Why two days ago, he cooked everyone a massive Italian meal. While everyone didn't eat at the table, they still enjoyed it. As she was taking a plate back to her room, she had overheard Rutonfex talking to Ian about how the sauce he used was good, but it couldn't compare to that of his fathers.

When she was finished with her meal, she put the plate into the sink, grabbed her mug and left the kitchen. She then went into the study. While most of the books were of the kind that interested Rutonfex (mostly comics and science fiction), he did have a few that looked pretty interesting to her.

Grabbing a few, she went back into her room, sat down in her armchair and began to read. It was an alright existence. The comfort that she had was great. Even though the place didn't feel like home, she felt that it could if she gave it some time.

After a few hours, she put her book down and left the room. Going up to the third floor, she went into one of the rooms. This was a music room of sorts. Shelves of sheet music were up against one wall, while right in front of the picture window, which gave a good view of the moon and the snow, was a white grand piano. In the corner, stood her violin as well as a music stand.

When she discovered this room two days earlier, shortly after she woke up from her nap on the carpet. It was the ideal place for her to place that violin that had been given to her by Rutonfex and the vibe the room gave off just felt right whenever she played.

Picking it up from the floor, she drew the bow across the strings and began to play. Slowly at first, but eventually she picked up speed. The notes flowed out melodically and the room was filled with the beautiful music. Lora closed her eyes and let the sound take her away. In her mind, she traveled the far distant stars and saw the universe as a whole. If this wasn't inner peace, she didn't what was.

"Beautiful, just beautiful." A voice behind her said.

Lora opened her eyes and saw Rutonfex standing there, his hands in his pockets just looking at her.

"I'm glad you liked it." She replied with a slight bow.

"I always appreciate good music." He smiled as he walked towards her "Tis but one of my many passions."

He didn't walk up to her, but instead sat at the piano. Cracking his fingers, he began to play. It was the same song that Lora had been playing earlier. Picking up on this, she drew her bow across the strings and joined in.

The sound of the two instruments filled the room. It was captivating. Wherever he learned how to play, Rutonfex was good. His fingers flew up and down the keys, striking each with mathematical precision to produce sounds of such beauty. Lora moved the bow up and down across the strings to complement and add to the sound that was emanating from the piano. For that moment, the entire world completely slipped away and all that remained was music.

The snow danced beautifully outside as the duet continued. In a way, it almost seemed to move in time to the rhythm. Twisting and weaving as it fell to the ground, it kept perfect time. It was if the heavens themselves had shown that they loved the art that was being produced in that room.

They both finished with a flourish. Rutonfex leaned back on his piano stool and smiled as he looked up at the ceiling.

"That was amazing." He said after a while "Usually I just come up here myself. Ian can't really play anything, so I have to just play my piano all by my lonesome."

"You were great." Lora said, putting her violin down on the floor.

"Please," replied Rutonfex with a wave of his hand "I'm not that good. Well, maybe a little."

"No." said Lora, now sitting next to him on the piano stool "You were brilliant."

It was unknown what kind of electricity had sparkled through the air, but almost on impulse, Lora leaned over and kissed the Artisan. His eyes were wide with shock at first, but slowly closed as he placed his hand on her hair and began to stroking it. After a blissful eternity, their lips parted. Lora's face turned bright red and her eyes shot open.

"Sorry…I just…I gotta go!' she stammered as she ran out the door.

Rutonfex watched her leave and when she was gone; he put his hands behind his head, leaned back and smiled.

Lora ran the stairs and back into her room. Throwing herself on her bed, she began berating herself for the stupid, impulsive move she made up there.

What had come over her? Was it just the emotions that had ran through the room at the time? The sheer beauty of the music? What? What? What?

She didn't know. She didn't want to face him again, because that was really embarrassing. So, she just sat on her bed and looked out the window to watch the falling snow.

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Rutonfex left the music room humming the same tune that he and Lora had been playing earlier. Even with his mental powers he couldn't have guessed that she would have kissed him like that.

He smiled at the thought. Whatever he thought of her, it was still uplifting that she thought of him that way.

He gave her head a quick scan and found that she was incredibly embarrassed what had she had done. A small nagging voice in the back of his head told him that he should go up there and talk with her. But he ignored it. The long dead memory of the conscience he never had sometimes bugged him, but it was always ignored. Why should he listen to it? It was a memory, nothing more. His real conscience disappeared when he lost his heart.

So, he kept walking. He was sure that in a few days, the embarrassment would die down for her and things could go back to the semi-normality that existed in the Hotel California for the week since their arrival.

Lora had at least tried to make the best of the situation she was placed in. She may have felt a bit of discomfort now, but Rutonfex knew that she was slowly getting used to life there.

Nora, on the other hand, was seemingly resisting every single urge to feel at home. While he saw Lora out and about a few times during the week, Nora almost exclusively stayed in her room. She'd come down for food, but would always make sure that he was nowhere to be found whenever she did.

Rutonfex couldn't help but smile as he thought about it. He knew that underneath the façade was just a girl who plainly wanted some stability after three years of almost exclusive uncertainty and to be able to trust people again after being let down and abused for so long. Again, he would have felt bad for her if he had a heart.

Putting no more thought into it, he went down to the first floor and into his study. He'd listen to a little music, maybe have a drink, or another cigar, and just relax. He had no plans to leave the house that night. It was to be a simple relaxing evening at home. Nothing more.

Rutonfex walked in and went about his almost pre-programmed path. He went over to the stereo and turned it on. Having left a CD in there the night before, it automatically began playing Bohemian Rhapsody. Moving his hands in time to the beat, he walked over to the liquor cabinet and fridge. Taking a glass, he poured a can of Dr. Pepper into it, and then proceeded to add rum, all while moving in time to the rhythm of the music and singing along.

Taking a seat in his favorite armchair, he slowly sipped his drink staring at the fire that was roaring in the fireplace. That's when he noticed that he wasn't alone in the room.

On the other side of the room, standing in front of the book shelf, was Nora. Despite the cold that routinely seeped into the house, she was wearing a plain black tank top along with tight black jeans. Rutonfex had to admit that she pretty damn attractive in that outfit, even with the slight scowl on her face. She apparently had been watching him since the moment he entered the room.

"Oh, hello." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, hi." She replied with a glare.

"Jesus," said Rutonfex, standing up and walking over to her "Still with this! It's been a week already!"

"Duly noted." She said crossing her arms across her chest.

"You may not have to like me…" he began.

"I don't." interrupted Nora.

"But," Rutonfex continued "At least don't act like a bitch."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said sarcastically "You're right. I have no reason to 'act like a bitch'. All that's happened to me is that I was purchased as a slave to a bizarre egomaniac."

"Have I made you do anything that you'd imagine a slave like you would have down?" he asked "In the past week, how many times have I ordered you to go to my room? Not one fucking time!"

"Doesn't mean you don't plan to." Was her response, her scowl getting bigger.

"Oh give it up!" Rutonfex exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation "You forget! I'm a mind reader! I know what's really going on in that head of yours! You may act like a tough as nails cunt to my face, but I know that deep in your mind you're crying your eyes out! All you want is some stability! And I'm offering it to you! All you have to do is drop this ridiculous façade!"

"You want me to drop the façade?" she screamed back at him "Okay then!"

Rearranging her face so that her eyes grew wide and innocent, she began talking in a voice that was higher than her usual speaking voice.

"Gee, I don't really know you all that well, but you seem to be a nice guy and all! Of course I'll take a drink of that. Ooo, I'm feeling a little woozy. Keep drinking you say? Alright then! Gee, what are you pulling out? Oh, that's really interesting. Put it in my mouth? Okay!"

With the same wide eyed innocent look on her, she began to imitate a very obscene act. Rutonfex's eyes also grew wide, but in shock.

After wiping some imaginary substance from her mouth, she continued with the routine.

"That didn't taste very good. But as long as you're happy! What now? Take off my top? Well, since you're a nice guy and all…"

She then mimed taking off her shirt. When that action was done, she continued the act.

"I'm happy that you like what you see! Oh my, I'm still feeling a little woozy. I think I'm gonna sit down."

Then, her face changed from wide eyed and innocent, back to her scowl.

"Then, I pass out," her voice had returned to its normal pitch "And I wake up to something horrible. That's what acting like a sweet little ingénue got me. So, I guess I'll remain a 'tough as nails cunt', as it's served me well for a good deal of the time."

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while. In the background, the music was still playing, but they ignored it. There was too much tension in the room.

"Alright fine." Said Rutonfex breaking the agonizing silence "Just keep doing what you're doing. Believe me, it suits you well. That whole naïve ingénue thing was a little unsettling."

"Could you believe it was actually me up until about two years back?"

"That, my dear," Rutonfex said with a smile as he walked back towards his chair "I don't believe. There's no way in hell that that person ever was you. Lora, maybe…but you? No chance."

"And why's that?" she asked, dropping her scowl for real and placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, let's see," he responded as he sat down and took a sip of his drink "Probably because…oh I don't know, you just seem to be a more assertive person than that. I don't believe for a second that you'd let a guy walk all over you like that."

"Believe it, because it happened." She said walking towards the chairs. She took a seat in one right next to the Artisan.

"Nah." He said with a wave of his hand "Not a chance. You can handle yourself pretty well."

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" she asked with a smile instead of a scowl.

"Is it working?" he smiled back.

"Not at all." Replied Nora, the smile still remaining on her face. It was a more pleasant sight than her usual scowl.

"What do you got to drink around here?" she asked looking around.

"Check the liquor cabinet." Said Rutonfex pointing it out. She got up from her seat and went over to it. When she walked back, she had an entire bottle of vodka in her hand. She unscrewed the cap and took a long swig.

"Ahh," she said after she finished drinking "That's the good stuff."

Rutonfex smiled and took a sip of his drink.

"What?" she said, snapping her head in his direction.

"I didn't say anything."

"I know." She replied, taking another swig "But you were thinking something?"

"Was I now?" he said with a laugh "Excuse me, but I thought I was the telepath here."

"Well then Mr. You Can't Keep Secrets From Me," she said with a smile "What am I thinking?"

Rutonfex looked right at her. Slowly his face turned a little white and then he burst out laughing.

"You got some real lady-like thoughts in there!" he could barely contain his laughter "I mean…wow."

Nora's smile just grew a little wider and she shrugged.

"Hey, it's just who I am." She replied, knocking back another sip from the bottle. Rutonfex drained his glass and went over to the liquor cabinet. He returned to his seat with a bottle of rum.

"If you're just going to drink that all by yourself," he said unscrewing the cap "Then I guess I'll knock this back."

He lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long drink. When he finished, he coughed a bit and winced.

"Damn, that's some strong shit!"

"Wuss." Replied Nora drinking from her bottle.

"Oh it's on now bitch!" he shouted playfully "Let's do this! You and me. First one to finish is the winner."

"You're on."

And they each took long drinks from their respective bottles. They stopped only to breathe, and once they caught their breaths, they just continued.

They both finished their bottles at the exact same time. Each began panting.

"Gonna call it quits?" Rutonfex said, feeling pretty light headed.

"Not yet." She smirked back.

The two of them grabbed smaller bottles from the cabinet and began pouring them down their throats.

30 minutes later…

"Can anybody find me somebody to love?" Rutonfex sang along to the song currently playing on the stereo. After downing one two-liter bottle of rum and three smaller bottles, he was pretty much off his ass. Since Nora had nearly exactly the same amount, she swaying a bit back and forth in her chair.

Rutonfex stood up and felt a little dizzy, but he still kept singing.

"Each morning I get up I die a little, can barely stand on my feet."

Ironically, he nearly stumbled on that line, but caught himself before he fell. Nora laughed and hiccupped at the same time.

"Take a look in the mirror and cry 'Lord what're you doing to me? I spent all my years in believing you, but I just can't get no relief! Oh, somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody, can anybody find me, somebody to love?"

Nora then stumbled to her feet and joined in.

"I work hard," she sang her voice surprisingly beautiful, even while completely off her ass "Everyday of my life; I work till I ache in my bones."

"At the end of the day, I take home," Rutonfex continued "My hard earned pay, all on my own."

The two of them sang in drunken unison.

"I go down on my knees and I (praise the Lord) start to pray, till the tears run down from my eyes. Lord! Somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody, can anybody find me, somebody to love?"

Rutonfex then took over singing, and began dancing as he did it, to Nora's delight.

"I work hard, everyday, I try and I try and I try! But everybody wants to put me down! They say I'm going crazy! They say I got a lotta water in my brain! I got no common sense; I got nobody left to believe in!"

During the guitar solo, Rutonfex grabbed Nora and they began to drunkenly waltz across the room, continuing as the vocals picked up. When the next verse began, they sang along as they continued dancing.

"I got no feel, I got no rhythm, I just keep losing my beat. Yeah, I'm okay, I'm alright, I ain't gonna face no defeat! I just gotta get out of this prison cell, someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!"

And as the song continued with its slow chorus of "Find me somebody to love", Nora and Rutonfex stopped dancing and looked straight into each others eyes. Taking her head in his hands, he lowered his face down and kissed her passionately. She closed her eyes and enjoyed every blissful second. Their lips parted and as soon as the final "Somebody to love" played, they embraced and kissed again, this time with even more passion.

They broke apart and Rutonfex ran and locked the door to the study, taking his shirt off as he went. After dimming the lights so that only the light from the fireplace shone, he made his way over there, as a black tank top and jeans flew past him. Curled up in the bearskin rug on the floor, Nora waited for him coyly.

His smile grew wider with every step he took towards her. Sitting down on the floor, he undid the belt to his pants and slid them off. Grabbing her, he softly kissed her neck as she moaned with passion. He gently laid her down on the floor and pressed his lips next to hers. Up above the fire place, a window threw some moonlight into the scene, as the snow raced down from the sky.

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Rutonfex awoke slowly. It took him a while to figure out that he wasn't in his bed, but a little longer to remember that he was on the floor in his study. The fire that had been roaring earlier was now down to smoldering embers, so that the only light was that of the moon.

Turning on his side, he saw Nora leaning up on the floor just looking at her.

"Morning." He said with a smile as the memories of the previous night came back to him.

"What are you?" she asked softly.

"Huh?" was all he said as he sat up.

"What are you?" she asked again.

"What do you mean 'what am I'?"

"I mean, what kind of man lacks a heartbeat?" She answered "During a night such as that, hearts are usually being in unison, but I heard only mine. Where was yours?"

"Oh boy." Rutonfex responded hanging his head. Passions had run so high the night before that he had forgotten about that little detail. With his previous conquests, he had always managed to manipulate their minds so that they heard the corresponding heartbeat. He had completely forgotten to do that.

"What are you exactly?" Nora asked in slight confusion "Why don't you have a heartbeat? Are you like a vampire or something?"

Despite the awkwardness of his position, he couldn't help but smile at that comment.

"No, I'm not a vampire." He said. With a sigh, he continued "What I am is something completely different. Something that few had ever heard of. Something that I had wanted to keep hidden from you until the time was right for me to reveal it. But since, we've gotten to know each other so well, I feel like maybe you should hear the truth."

With a deep breath, he said "I'm a Nobody."

"A nobody?" Nora said with a smile "I think you're selling yourself a bit short there."

"No, no." he replied "That's the name of my race. Nobodies. Beings that continue onward after their hearts are lost."

Nora sat up in amazement.

"After their hearts are lost?" she repeated "What does that mean?"

"I'll simplify it a bit. You see, a human is made up of three parts: a heart, a soul and a body. The body is the shell that they all reside in, while the soul gives the body life. The heart, according to some theories, is where emotions and the conscience lay. It's also home to the darkness and light within people. People who have a high amount of darkness are sometimes consumed by it and become something known as a Heartless."

"Ah, I know about those." Replied Nora.

"Of course, they're a big thing in the news right now." Continued Rutonfex "But what is unknown to most, is that when a Heartless is created, the body and soul are left behind. Most of the time, they just disappear into nothingness. But sometimes, if a person's will is strong enough, they continue onward and become Nobodies."

"So, you lost your heart at some point?" she asked, her mouth slightly open.

"Yes." He said "It was about two and a half years ago. A creator of Heartless, an old friend of mine from way back named Ienzo found me. He had gone through the process and now was a Nobody by the name of Zexion. He was a high ranking member of a group of Nobodies that had still retained human form."
"Still retained human form?" repeated Nora "But I thought…"

"No, no. Usually a Nobody is some grotesque barely humanoid creature. Somehow, Ienzo and seven others in the group had managed to keep looking Human. He theorized, and their leader and chief scientist backed him up, that because they had exceptionally strong wills, they managed to keep looking normal. But they found that although the loss of their Hearts gave them great power, they lost more than they would have liked."

"Gained great power? Is that why you can read minds?"

"Yes. Each of us had power over a distinct element. My element was Mind. Not only can I read minds, but I can rearrange memories, create things with mere thought, and have a degree of mind control."

"So that's how come we had the closet full of clothes that we liked." She exclaimed "Now it makes sense!"

"Of course." Rutonfex said with a nod "That is my power. The others had similar powers. Powers such as control of the wind, control of fire, mastery of space, mastery of illusion, the list goes on. But despite these gifts, they found that it wasn't good enough. As the heart is thought to be the center of emotions, they believed that they had completely lost their emotions when they lost their hearts."

"But, if you have no emotions…" Nora said taken slightly aback "Then last night…"

"Calm down." He said holding a hand up "I didn't say it was true. Yes, we may have lost the ability to feel strong emotion, but we still can feel it. It's more along the lines of numbness. If you concentrate hard enough, you can still feel things. They jumped the gun a bit and thought that they had no more emotions and in an effort to try and be normal, they deluded themselves into thinking that they should merely pretend to have emotions. To draw on the memory of emotions. Of course, they didn't realize that by doing that, they were just concentrating enough to actually feel something. But, they were already in a state of delusion, so they thought that they were just remembering the emotion, not actually feeling it."

"Another consequence they thought they found," he continued "Was that they thought they no longer existed."

"No longer existed?" inquired Nora "But, wait, if they were walking around and doing all that…"

"Their theory was that because the world is divided into light and dark and they have no Hearts to filter it out, then they must not exist. They bought so much into this dogma, that they completely ignored the true basic principle of existence 'Cognito Ergo Sum'. 'I think, therefore I am'. When I joined their group I tried to tell them this, but they didn't listen. Because of their incorrect dogma, they thought that they were flawed in some way. So, they set about completing an impossible task: becoming whole again."

"How would they do that?"

"As I said, it was impossible. The surest way was to find their respective Heartless and rejoin with it. But, there are a lot of Heartless spread across nearly all the worlds, so finding them were out of the question. Instead, they turned to legend to complete their task."

Looking right her, Rutonfex asked "Tell me, what do you know of Kingdom Hearts?"

"Kingdom Hearts?" Nora said, looking confused "Nothing. What is it?"

"The combined Heart of all worlds. Every heart of every living being makes it up. The Organization Nobodies heard the legend and went searching for it. For decades, it had been considered a mere legend and that it had no factual basis. But, upon wandering into the Realm of Darkness, they found it. But to them, all it was was a Heart-shaped moon. Its light didn't automatically give them back their Hearts and return them to the existence they once knew. Instead, it shone down on them like a normal moon. So, one of them came up with the idea of using unlocked Hearts to power it up and then siphon its power over to them, which would in then make them whole. It then became a painfully slow process. They knew how to unlock a Heart, but it took an agonizingly long time, as the only thing that can quickly unlock a Heart is a Keyblade. If you paid attention to the news recently, you'd know about what that is."

Nora nodded and Rutonfex continued onward with his story.

"At the time I joined, there were only eight members. Initially, there were only six, Ienzo and his fellow apprentices from back in Radiant Garden. It seems along the way, they found two more. But the work was still slow. I joined as Number IX and went right to work. But while I was doing so, I realized that their dogma was flawed. As Descartes did before me, I started from 'Cognito Ergo Sum' and went from there. Before long, I saw their plan as moronic and pointless. We had been given the power of Gods, what with our elements and all. They didn't see it that way. All they saw was their flawed system of beliefs. I then figured the only way to make them see the light was to sabotage their plans. At the rate we were going, we never were going to complete the task, so what did my sabotage matter?"

"It mattered a lot to them. When they found out, I was placed on trial. Ienzo was my defense, even though he was playing Devil Advocate. I was found guilty and sentenced to their most severe punishment: banishment to the Realm of Nothingness. With self-preservation as my only option, I quickly spread my consciousness to the eight remaining members. Thinking that my mind had gone in, my body was taken by the group's scientist, a pretentious little fuck formally known as Even, then called Vexen. He held on to my body in an attempt to learn more about our physiology, as it was for all intents and purposes dead."

"But I lived on in their sub-conscious. They, on the other hand, continued on without me, even acting like I never had existed and recruiting a new Number IX. That was what bothered me the most. So a little over a year ago, I attempted to get back at them. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan and they stopped me. They made me swear to not deal with them again, so I erased myself from their memories. All except for one. I kept a toehold in Ienzo's mind, thinking that I'd get another chance. But I didn't."

"Nine months ago, he was killed because of one of his botched plans. Before he died, I left and returned to my body. With my plan in ruins, I realized that my vengeance wasn't worth it. I washed my hands of the Organization and left to travel the stars. Because of a desire to remain incognito, I've hidden what I really am. Aside from you, the only other person who knows is Ian."

Nora's eyes opened wide.

"Ian knows?"

"Of course." Continued Rutonfex "I had met him on a resort world a few months back. I quickly became his closest confidant and we became friends. A while back, in a fit of rage and depression, he ended up killing the love of his life, as well as her fiancé. Because he was such a close friend, I ended up rescuing him from the prison. That was when I told him what I really am. I then gave him a choice: he could stick with me or go off on his own. He chose to stick with me and has been an extreme help over the past few months."

"What about what's-her-face, that girl he's always with? The one that does nothing but stare?" Nora asked.

"That was how I was able to get him to come with me." Said Rutonfex, shifting his position on the floor "You see, she is actually a copy of the girl that he murdered."

Nora's eyes widened in shock at that statement.

"What do you mean a copy?"

"A duplicate, a doppelganger. Call it what you will, but the basic fact remains is that that is not the real Eva. Using a tremendous amount of strain, I was able to create the duplicate. It's imperfect, as I never met the girl, so I only had the image. I think deep down Ian knows that it's not the real one, but he was so in love with her, that he accepted it without a second thought."

"Wait," she asked incredulously "You created that?"

"Remember, I said one of my powers was the ability to create things with a mere thought. Since it works on inanimate objects, theoretically it must work for living things. She's proof that it does, but it takes a huge toll on me. She's the only one I ever created."

Turning over and laying on his back, Rutonfex continued speaking "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Said Nora eyeing him up and down "I think that Heart or not, you're still an amazing man."

A smile crept across the Artisan's face.

"What happened to the girl who last night was willing to stab me if I so much as looked at her the wrong way?"

"Consider her world rocked." She said, cuddling next to him. He placed his arm around her.

"What's it like?" she asked, turning her head to face his.

"What's what like?"

"Not having a heart."

"Oh." He said stroking her hair "It's really not much different than having one. Sure, it took a while to get used to not hearing it beating, but now I find anything else odd."

"Huh." She said as she placed her ear on his chest. Instead of the familiar thumping, there was different noise. Like the sound one hears when they put their ear next to the inside of a sea shell, that was the sound that Nora heard in his chest.

"It's peaceful." She said.

"I know." And he lifted her head off his chest and gave her a kiss as the snow fell softly to the ground outside.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: Page count in Word: 36

Number of words in story: 15,449

Sweet Jesus this was an epic undertaking. This was the chapter I had wanted to write for a long time and I'm glad that I'm done with it. Especially considering its length. Now you know why it's been a week since I updated. Except for Tuesday, I've worked on it practically everyday during the past week. So, writers block was not an issue.

This chapter introduces two of my favorite OCs. In terms of story importance, they rank at numbers three and four. Expect big things from Lora and Nora in the future.

Some notes. The fact that he refers to his home as the Hotel California will be important later on. I kinda give a hint in this chapter, but you'll only get it if you're familiar with the song. It's by the Eagles and if you listen to the lyrics, it'll give you a clue as to what I'm planning for Act II of this story. If you don't get it right away, that's fine. You can just wait and read the chapters when they come out.

Rutonfex's constant smoking of cigars is because that's a habit of mine. I don't smoke any where near the amount he does, but I enjoy one every so often. Plus, it gave him things to do as he talked, so that helped from a storytelling point of view.

The song that Nora and Rutonfex drunkenly sing in Somebody to Love by Queen. Great song. Try and listen to it while reading that part.

As for the reason for all the snow, it comes from where I live. From November to March, my far Northern kingdom is covered in white. It's great for inspiration and sparking the imagination, but unless you've lived through a number of winters, it's hard to describe exactly how it does it. It just does. Plus, it felt right for this chapter.

And I gave you a bit of Rutonfex's beliefs and theories about Nobodies, as well as his history according to him. Just remember that it's coming from a rather unreliable source.

And an apology to cursedchaos13 for the review I sent her on her story The Seven Deadly Sins. I was just taken aback at the similarities and it got to me a little. I'm sorry for that. But, I returned the favor by cribbing a bit off you with the drinking scene. Slightly. If you want to get mad at me for that, go right ahead. Few barbs can pierce the stone heart of the Magnificent Tim Fortune.

Well, please enjoy. I want to hear the reviews I get for this one.

The Magnificent Tim Fortune 9/27/08 1:19 AM