Larten took a deep breath to compose himself and made sure he looked presentable in his new clothes. He had chosen the black-and-red pin striped shirt and red pants. If only he had his red jacket or waistcoat. But these girls, he couldn't help using the term "girls" interchangeably with "women" given his vampire age, even though the woman, Erin, was nearer to him in "human" years. The young Brigid was just on the cusp of entering young adulthood. Larten allowed a small smile to himself. He remembered that age. She'd give Seba a run for his money.
Giving himself one more look over, sliding his feet into his sandals, Larten grasped the door knob and stepped onto the landing. He cleared his throat and slowly descended the stairs making sure his steps were audible. He didn't want to do anything overly "vampire-y" that might startle them. These two had saved his life. And he would be the perfect gentleman considering the great hospitality they had shown him.
Larten's mouth was watering. He had smelled the stew upstairs but now that it was just in the other room, he craved it even more. As he stepped off the last step, immediately to his left stood the woman, Erin, holding warm plates of bread. Her face broke into a large smile as if he was someone special she hadn't seen in years. He looked into her eyes. Their deep, deep brown exuded so much warmth. Larten felt himself relaxing under her gaze. Her auburn-brown hair was still pushed back and hung loosely around her shoulders. Larten thought her quite lovely in green. He stopped himself. Those were unnecessary observations. Her smile and eyes had come off as very welcoming was all. It pleased him and helped him relax. Yes, she was beautiful. That was it. Larten carted off the thought to the back of his mind where it would stay.
"Hope you're hungry." She said garnishing the plates of bread towards him. "Everything's set. Follow me."
Erin brushed past him and he followed her into an adjacent open room that must have been the dining room. There was a pot of stew in the center, glasses of water, glasses for wine, a crystal bowl filled with salad, and the plates of warm bread between the three of them.
"You sit here." Erin said, pulling out the chair at the head of the table.
"Larten, you look great! Nice combo." Larten stood a bit taller pleased with the compliment. He had always taken pride in his appearance and presentation to those around him. "I can't wait to look for jackets. I still don't get the sandals but you do you." Brigid said excitedly. Larten could tell she was sincerely happy he was wearing what she had bought for him. She sat down to his left and cris-crossed her legs on the seat, covering them with a large cream colored napkin.
Erin gave an imperceptible shake of her head that Larten noticed. Apparently this was just how her younger sister sat in chairs, even when company was over. Larten smiled inwardly.
He glanced back at Erin to find her filling his bowl with stew but mainly containing only broth. Larten's stomach gave a confused grumble.
"Come sit down, Larten." Erin motioned again at the chair she had pulled out.
Larten straightened his shoulders. "It is customary for ladies to sit first. Please, allow me." He said going to the chair on his right that was obviously Erin's spot and pulled it out for her.
"You didn't pull out my chair!" Brigid said pouting her lips.
"Brigid. Really?" Erin hurriedly finished filling his bowl with stew, placed some salad in a smaller bowl-the woman would simply not sit down until she had everything set out for him.
"Miss Erin, please sit." Larten said somewhat sternly.
Erin looked up at him with eyebrows raised. He could see in her eyes she was fighting between saying something or not saying something. She decided on nothing and slid into the chair as Larten scooted it in for her.
Larten took his seat, scooting in towards the table and placing the napkin into his lap. His eyes caught her looking at him from the side. Larten flushed for a second, confused.
"Thank you, Larten. But between the three of us, it's Erin, not Miss Erin." She smiled. "Unless you prefer to be called 'Mr. Crepsley.'" She smiled jokingly.
"Actually, Mr. Crepsley is precisely how I am referred to among the cirque." He smiled smugly. Her eyes dropped, downcast.
"Oh. I didn't realize. You've always been 'Larten' in my head. If that's how you prefer to be called I apologize if we've made you feel uncomfortable by using your first name." He couldn't read her dark eyes. They were closed to him. He felt ashamed of himself for upsetting her. He was 'Larten' to her which indicated there was an intimacy beyond being mere acquaintances. Well, they had both saved each other's lives and she had given him nothing but complete generosity and made him welcome in her home.
Larten cleared his throat grabbing the wine bottle and filling her glass for her. He looked up at her with a shake of his head. Gavnur would say he was about to get too stuffy but it was the only way Larten knew how to settle a matter properly.
He looked straight into Erin's eyes, replying firmly. "Larten is exactly how I wish to be addressed by you both. I would say after all we have been through so far, being on a first-name basis is practically required."
He sat the bottle down and tugged at the cuffs of his shirt before lifting his spoon. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile as she brought her wine glass to her lips.
Erin smoothed out the creases in her napkin and saw it on her lap before reaching to fill her bowl with stew and the other with salad. She glanced over at Larten who had already finished his mainly broth portion. Erin grabbed his bowl and filled it with the full contents of the stew and set it back down in front of him.
"I only wanted to start you off with broth since you haven't eaten anything in a few days. Nights, I assume you would say, not days. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure your stomach wasn't immediately filled with a dumptruck of food that would end up making you sick. Just try to eat slowly for tonight." Erin smiled cooling a spoonful of stew before eating it. "Here's some bread if you'd like." She scooted one of the bread plates closer to him.
"Thank you." Larten said graciously. It was all so very, very delicious. It was taking him some concentration to keep himself from eating like a wolf would. The wine was good and Erin re-filled his glass for him.
"Save a little room for desert." Brigid said, her eyelids fluttering to keep herself awake for said desert.
Larten wiped his mouth with his napkin. "That was delicious. My compliments to you both. I very much enjoyed it." Larten was feeling better now that he'd had a good meal and wine. "And what is this desert that was just mentioned?" Larten asked giving a small innocent smile to Erin.
Erin laughed at him. "It's a couple of custard cream pies chilling in the refrigerator. Nothing special. I hope you like them."
Larten nodded his head graciously. "As good as this meal was I am certain I will enjoy the pies as well." He gave a genteel smile to Erin as she stood. He stood as well to help pick up dishes. Erin swatted his hands.
"Quit. You're a guest. Sit back down. Brigid will help."
"Yes, Brigid will help. Brigid loves to help." She said humorously popping out of her chair and picking up Larten's dishes and her own.
Once the table was cleared, Erin walked in with two custard pies.
"I have half a bottle of brandy if you'd like some to go with the pie?" Erin offered.
"Yes, I think I would like that very much. A nightcap is always welcome."
Erin left in search of the brandy as Larten sliced the pies. He placed a piece onto Brigid's plate, Erin's, and his own. Brigid was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. It wasn't too close to dawn but it was definitely well into the early hours of the new morning. He felt guilty. He had disrupted their lives and schedules. He would make amends somehow.
Erin returned and poured a small glass for both of them. She really wasn't going to drink hers, she just didn't want to make Larten refuse by being the only one. She was getting very, very tired but fought to not let it show. Her stomach was sending the signal to her brain that it would like to be digested while sleeping.
She took a small sip of the brandy and cut a piece of the pie eating it. Brigid had already consumed half of hers. Tired or not, Brigid didn't turn down her sister's custard cream pies.
Larten smacked his lips. He had helped himself to a rather large piece. He finished the brandy and looked at Erin very, very pleased.
"My compliments again." He said. He wasn't drunk. Vampire metabolism and all; but he was feeling full, flushed, and relaxed. He might even go as far as to say he felt 'happy.' His signature reserved, stoic, often dismissive and cold, demeanor was taking a back seat for the evening. It kept crossing his mind as to why but the only answer was that he felt relaxed. Completely at ease, not on edge at all. He hadn't felt or had the opportunity to let his guard down in so long...
Erin smiled at him as she finished her pie. "Will you finish my brandy for me, please? Really don't want to waste it."
"As a lady who has welcomed me into her home, I must obey her commands." Larten finished her glass in one gulp and laughed setting it back onto the table.
Brigid gave a snort startling herself awake, uncrossing her legs. "I'm going to bed. I don't have track practice tomorrow so I'm sleeping in." She shuffled out of the dining room with a muffled yawn 'good night.'
"Her new school term hasn't started yet but track practice has and so her sleep schedule is going through the 'start of school' change." Erin said reaching across the table to pick up Brigid's plate, Larten's, and her own, stacking the two glasses on top.
Larten stood as well, picking up the two pies, following Erin into the kitchen. He saw her try to hide a yawn from him. She turned, taking the pies out of his hands, opened the refrigerator, and placed them inside. The pot of stew was in there as well.
Erin pushed the refrigerator door closed with her foot as she rinsed the plates off before setting them in a small rack in the adjoining sink which indicated they were to be scrubbed clean and then put away later. Erin stretched her arms behind her and faced him. He was leaning his arms against the kitchen island. He, once again, enjoyed that she was wearing green.
"Okay, so let me run by you what I've decided to do to make it easier for you to live here until you are fully healed. No need to worry about that or argue over it. When we come to that bridge, we'll cross it. Just listen and add changes when you want about what I've thought of."
Larten looked at her and nodded.
"So what I'm going to do is keep the curtains closed all throughout the house keeping it dim. Light is still going to come through but it's not direct sunlight. Will that work?"
"Yes. The shade of a tree can be enough at times. Closed curtains will definitely work. I will not be harmed at all." He replied.
"Okay, that's good to hear. I don't want you to feel trapped in my bedroom. You have complete freedom to roam the house. Please, do think of it as your own, there are no limitations. If you get hungry, eat all that you want. You can leave the dishes in the sink and I will take care of them later. There is the t.v. obviously. I have taped my phone numbers by the phone in case you need anything. Don't be afraid to call. I'm doing my final third shift of 12 tomorrow for the week. No, I mean, today. I won't be home until late tomorrow-no-later tonight." She rubbed her eyes. "I know you know what I'm trying to say. Again, you have free run of the house. And if you do need anything and can't reach me, Brigid will be here. I've warned her not to be cranky if you have to wake her up." Erin gave a small chuckle.
Larten chuckled as well. There was a little less than an hour until dawn, he noted. He wished he could stay standing here, listening to her, admiring the green. He felt slightly light-headed. He could tell she was struggling to stay awake. She was struggling to stay awake for him, for his comfort, entertaining her special guest. He smiled to himself at that. But then his face become serious.
"You should go to bed. You do not need to stay up to entertain me. As you have said, you have your work to go to."
"No, no, it's okay!" She said covering her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Really, I'm fine."
Larten shook his head firmly. "No. I will be fine. You are the one with a long day ahead. Come." He offered her his arm.
Her forehead crinkled in confusion. She really was quite tired.
Larten grabbed her left arm, placing it into the crook of his right, and lead her upstairs into her bedroom. He spotted Brigid sprawled on her bed in the doorway adjacent to Erin's room.
Erin stopped in her tracks. "No, no, this is your room. I'm fine with Brigid. She has a full bathroom, too. I have scrubs for tomorrow and I'll grab clothes when you're awake and I can come in."
Larten dropped her crooked arm but kept his hand grasping her forearm. It felt so small.
"I do not mean to argue since you must get some sleep but-" He started.
"You're right. No arguing. Which reminds me. I want to check your wound. I won't press on it, I just want to check it. It's still very early in the healing process and I don't want you to do anything that will re-injure it and end back at square one. Lay down real quick." Erin pointed releasing her arm from his hand. He wasn't moving. "We can discuss sleeping arrangements tomorrow. Lay down."
Larten hadn't noticed his pain at all tonight. He still felt light as he laid down on the bed. He rested his hands across his chest as Erin tugged his shirt up, her small warm hands on his abdomen, then the feel of them sliding down his sides as she moved his shirt back down. Larten's eyes were closed feeling his body react. There was a lot of pain but there was a much stronger sensation he was feeling. He slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head a touch, making eye contact with Erin standing above him. She smiled at him sleepily with those warm, dark pools for eyes. His green-blue ones hopefully matched their sincerity.
"You check out okay for the night. But be careful raising yourself up and down. Don't do anything that makes it feel like it's pulling or causing intense electric pain. I could leave a heat compress in case you wake up in the middle of the day-"
"Miss Erin." Larten said easing himself slowly up, holding a hand over his wound. (Ah, yes, pain still there, check.) She squinted her tired eyes at him. He gave a joking smile. "I will be fine and will follow your medical advice exactly as you have given it. Please. Go to sleep. I will see you when you come home tonight."
Erin nodded her head as if in a daze. Larten lead her by the elbow into Brigid's room and helped her onto the bed. There was just enough space for her. Her eyes closed immediately as she exhaled and fell asleep right away. Larten exited the room. He shut Erin's bedroom door behind him and leaned against it. He hadn't meant to hypnotize her but her mind was obviously not stopping any time soon so he gave her a little help. Larten was beginning to feel quite sleepy himself. He slowly undressed laying his clothes neatly onto Erin's desk chair. The other selections he had had been given a spot to hang in her closet.
After drinking a glass of water in the bathroom, he stopped in the doorway of the closet and took a deep breath. It smelled clean and distinctly feminine. It smelled so good to him, it was almost making him heady. He flipped off the light and climbed into bed. His mind was quiet, surprisingly, and he felt so relaxed; fed with a full-stomach and relaxed. He stretched and rolled onto his side letting sleep overcome him. He had decided that he liked green.