{Author's Note: I have gotten quite a few very sparkling comments from readers in my email box, It is definitely nice to know that people love
what I write. It is probably the sole motivation that I have to kick this stuff out. My Magus and Corrine muses -love- attention. Want more,
by all means pester me! And leave comments! There is nothing more
flattering to my ego *says this modestly*)

Chapter Eight

"Once I thought that I was in control,
But that was just a trick of fate..
Playing with my mind."
-Duran Duran, "My Antartica"

Corrine was sitting at the dressing table brushing through her hair to make sure it shone with winter's silver fire and at the least make herself somewhat presentable after the snow sport of the evening. She had come back on the ship with her hair in a tangled mess from all the snow that her hair had accumulated hence the real challenge had been to comb the mutinous tangles out. Toma had pushed her off to the room to straighten up for dinner with the admonishment that she was going to meet Magus and hence she should strive to make a good impression on him.

No doubt was there in her mind that she wanted to. After all her mind was a little bit in awe of what happened out there in the snow drift. Never had she anticipated such a draining expirience as looking into his eyes and yet it wasn't what she had expected to say the least. ~*What was I expecting?*~ Corrine questioned as paused the brush midstroke and looked intently into the mirror at the girl reflected therein.

~*I was not expecting what I saw. He was nothing more then a child in a man's body. Just as surely as I am a woman in a body that will never see the light of being anything more then a child.*~ Corrine bit her lower lip and furrowed her brows. It was saddening to think that the person reflected in the mirror would always remain skinny and delicate, possessing no real curves to think of. No matter that her face was elven and petite, her lips just lacked the sensuality that her mother and Fiona possessed. In so many ways she found herself lacking pitifully. ~*Toma says that I am beautiful but my beauty will be gone when I die. And while I live it will never evolve to maturity, it will remain childlike in its essence. -I- will remain a child*~ Corrine thought sorrowfully and set her brush down on the vanity. That was all she could see and it frightened her. The actual act of dying did not bother her at all, it was to die without knowing and enjoying the things that everyone else did. In the scheme of things she was getting jipped and a healthy part of her wanted to struggle at the lot that fate cast at her.

~*You brought it on yourself, Corrine. You wanted this death and what you asked for, you got.*~ The voice was hers and yet she could also hear her mother speaking those same words. It brought down her calm anger and made her see how futile it was to resist and complain. With a resigned sigh she got up from the little chair and reached for her forest green dress that died up the front over a mass of ruffled petticoats and her linen shift shirt. The effect was altogether peasant however it was one of the best dresses that she had and while she didn't want to appear provincial, she knew that Magus would no doubt understand. Her family had never been wealthy and most often she had to fit into Fiona's hand-me- downs, altering them so that the bosom material didn't bag out or the waist didn't make her feel like she weas playing dress-up in adult clothing. Nimbility with a needle and thread was her only saving grace for it was by that gift alone that the clothes fit her lithe form well.

Very simply she tied her hair back and carefully studied herself in the cheval glass. Somehow a few whisps of very fine hair struggled out of her bonds and framed the subtle elven curves of her face. There were times when she hated them for she didn't find her otherworldy features at all attractive, not in a world where a woman's beauty was based on earthly sensuality personified in undulating hips and the ripe full breasts ready for motherhood. Pushing those thoughts away she reached for the silver hair clips in her small jewelry case and used them to placate her hair.. A smile played over her rosebud lips as she remembered her father giving them to her and bading her to put them away in the bridal chest in the event that she should marry. Only a few weeks ago she had taken them out of their little velvet pouch and put them in her jewelry box for safe keeping. She had known by then that there would be no need for a trousseau. To her delight they did the job of stifling her curls quite well, sparkling as they nestled into her white hair.

Satisfied with the results, Corrine went to the china pitcher and powl to wash her hands before the dinner meal. A knock sounded on the door and she glanced over her shoulders as she shock her hands of any excess water.

"Yes?" Corrine reached for the lavender scented hand towel and thouroughly dried her hands against it, marveling at its softness.

"Tis your escort, the dashing Toma Levin. Are you decent?" The voice on the other side of the door chuckled in amusement.

"I don't suppose that is a request to come in." Corrine murmured as she walked over to the door to pull it open and then peeked out with purple eyes full of laughter.

"Didn't want to catch you with snow in your ears." Toma grinned sheepishly. Corrine opened the door a little wider and looked over Toma with wonderment and just a little bit of teasing thrown in to cloak how impressed she was. This was the first time she saw Toma dressed up in something other then his traveling gear, his hair combed into submission and what was that nice woodsy smell? Was it cologne? She stood back and took in the crisp linen shirt and black wool breeches that clung to his slim hips. Soon she realized she was staring and turned around to supress her blush.

"Never have I recalled you being so well dressed." Corrine smiled as she walked into the room to straighten up the vanity table.

"I try to avoid it when possible however Magus is a snob and doesn't like me to be unkept when I sit down at his dinner table. He calls it bad manners." Toma said grumpily as he fidgeted slightly and looked into the room. It was so easier to barge into the room when he felt like himself in more comfortable clothes however these garments demanded that he act like a gentleman, hence his hesitation.

"It seems to me that Magus has the right of it." Corrine smiled, arranging the decorative perfume bottles in a neat little row. Each vial filled with a different lovely scent, varying from roses to lilacs and gardenias. Through it all she had been drawn to apply a light scent of violets

"Aww, let's not take Magus' side." Toma said petulantly. He didn't want to talk about Magus and most importantly he didn't want her to either. "Are you ready to go to dinner, my lady?" Toma offered his arm coupled with the dashing smile that was indeed his trademark. Corrine nervously smiled and it went straight to Toma's heart, endearing her further when she tentatively took his arm. ~*She still needs me*~ Toma thought with a joyous pang in his heart. "Don't worry about what Magus thinks, he tends to have really narrow minded views about most things. Just don't let his hawk gaze eat away at you or affect you in any way." Toma took one of Corrine's delicate pale hands in his own rough and tanned ones and then pulled her out of the room.

"You and Magus are friends? Best friends, even?" Corrine asked, aware that Toma had been holed up in Magus' study for a good part of the afternoon.

"We go four years back when he contacted me with a few odd jobs he wanted done. It is hard for anyone of his noteriety to get things accomplished you can imagine. On and on he kept summouning me and slowly but surely a friendly rapport established between us. Now whenever I am in the area I drop by for a visit, it isn't all about work any more." Toma said as they made their way up the narrow steps leading to the deck.

"Do I look alright?" Corrine's voice bore testimony to her nerves even after Toma cautioned her not to feel that way around Magus.

"Listen, my word might not really count for anything but I can attest that you are perfection in itself. If Magus tries to find any fault it is likely that he won't. You can't mess with that special beauty that you have, it is centered in your spirit." Toma blushed faintly and then opened the door leading to the deck, thankful that she couldn't see him or his disconcertion. Night had descended quickly and left its cold embrace to dominate over everything in its path.

Corrine shivered however she knew that it was only a short walk to Magus' cabin, surely not long enough to truly feel the chill settling into her bones. Maybe it was only her nerves heightened by the extra stimulai of cold, the two feelings could of mingled to become one force to be reckoned with.

"Maybe I am a little worried over the impression I make with Magus." Corrine admitted as she tugged at her lower lip with her teeth.

"Magus doesn't matter and neither do I. In the end it is all about how confident you feel with yourself. Think yourself beautiful and so it shall be and everyone will think so as well." Toma said as he paused her right by the door and looked into her eyes with all seriousness. If there had been starlight in the sky, they would of been envious in the sparkle of his eyes. "Damn I should of been a motivational speaker, don't you agree." Toma snapped his fingers to prevent himself from growing too sappy. A grin followed suit, dancing about his lips merrily.

"Evidentally you missed your calling." Corrine teased, tilting her head to regard him fondly..

Toma winked in response as he knocked on the door once to announce their entrance and then he pulled it open, waiting aside for Corrine to enter before him.

The first impression Corrine got as she entered was a sense of mystery that lay in the mixture of light and shadows that played against the walls and crept into the corners. Candles were lit everywhere to provide illumination however they also drew out and enhanced the shadows in their mysterious play. Bookcases lined the walls and instinctively her eyes were drawn to them, causing her to wonder how many books she had read or perhaps more importantly how many she -hadn't-. It was only Toma's hand encircling her own that kept her from making a beeline toward the cases to peruse the titles. Away she finally tore her attention away from the books and turned it back toward the rest of the cabin. The next thing that caught her eye was the welcoming fireplace, just the sight of it gave her warmth, a few purple covered wing chairs flanked its sides providing the means to bask in its warmth.

It was a room that demanded to be lived in, read in, dreamed in and it filled Corrine with a wistful longing that had root in something that teased at her mind but would not let her know its source.

Central to the room was a make-shift table covered in an ornate spun white damask tablecloth, threads of silver shooting here and there with aesthetic abandon. Five settings of crystal and silver denoted the number that would sit down at this evening meal. Atop the china plates were intricately folded linen napkins that demonstrated the very best of Slash's homemaking skills as well as silverware edged with amethyst enamel. This just wasn't the type of thing that Corrine was expecting.

Inexplicably her attention was drawn by the queer sensation she felt tickling the bottom of her stomach, the butterflies were acting up with a vengeance and they seemed reluctant to give her a moment's respite. The hair on the back of her neck prickled with anticipation, it was a presence that she sensed in the room, one which she hadn't noticed when she first entered the door with Toma. Hard to ignore and completely disquieting, she was completely defenseless against the sheer wall of power that slammed against her aura receptive body. Instincts drove her closer to Toma though she knew that there was nothing to fear whatsoever.. she could feel it in the growing familiarity that she didn't think she posessed with the presence in the room.

Very slowly she looked up in the direction where the feeling was pulsating from, it was only a simple lift of her head but she couldn't imagine being anymore scared or trembling then she already was.

Standing near the hearth was Magus, it could be no other. He leaned against the mantle piece with a feline grace though his his defenses were drawn up strongly despite the fact that this was his hallowed ground and he had no need for such. Their previous encounter Corrine and Magus maintained eye contact though now they were free to look each other up and down though Magus's gaze was made with more inpunity then Corrine's half veiled observation.

Corrine noted that Magus was dressed no more carefully then he had been up there on the deck. His slim hips encased in doeskin while a burgundy red tunic covered most of his torso, belted at the waist and highlighting his fair colouring, finally hugging his calves were a pair of brown leather boots. Despite the informality of not changing for dinner he was still well turned out. However due to the fine figure that he was, she knew that it would be impossible to speak for her tongue seemed to have turned to the finest of sawdust that seemed to accumulate at the core of her voice box.

Magus had cloaked his presence when they first entered the room so that he could observe her without being observed in turn. It was a good thing for when he allowed himself to become noticed, there was that instant glimmer of hesitancy that hadn't been present when she initially entered the room. ~*Is she scared of me?*~ Some lurking fear that was ushered in by the rumors that she heard, no doubt. Oh but he had to admit that she was beautiful. First and formost it was those eyes that seemed so wise beyond their years. Toma had mentioned her age in passing, surely those eyes had seen more then sixteen summers, certainly more then the 27 that he had seen of his own. Next he was drawn to her form, so fragile and lithe that he was hesitant to go over and shake her hand for fear that it might just break off. Beside that he wasn't sure if a simple handshake would fit. ~* I don't think you shake hands with a lady, it doesn't seem right.*~ He didn't know the proper rules of society so he just stayed there, training his unreadible grey eyes on Corrine and Toma.

She bit her lower lip as Toma led her to Magus. Imagine her surprise when she found out that Magus had been in the room all along and while it made it easier it also made it harder especially when she was acutely aware of the way he looked at her. Barely aware that Toma stopped, she kept walking foward til she tripped over Toma's shoes and went stumbling forward.

A strong pair of hands caught her and steadied her but they weren't Toma's hands and she let out a very soft gasp as she looked up into Magus's face. Close enough that she could look into his eyes, drown in the stormy depths. ~*Oh please don't do this to me.*~ She pleaded to her body, hoping that she didn't grow weak right there. That was the last thing she wanted to come across as being.

"Are you alright?" Toma and Magus both said in unison though Magus's voice was edged with less protectiveness.

"Umm.. yes. I am fine. I am just a klutz." Corrine said as she straightened up considerably.

Magus removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them at his side though now they felt strangely empty and useless. He had never had an awkward moment in his life and yet here it graced this whole first meeting. ~*There is a first for everything.*~

Seething inside with jealousy, it wasn't the fact that Magus steadied her.. it was the look that Corrine bestowed on Magus that made him hurt, there was no chance that she would ever look at him like that. His heart crumpled up into a compact ball and dragged itself to the bottom of his belly where his hope lay in wait to swallow it up. He came smashing back to reality when he realized he had yet to make introductions.

"Magus, I would like to introduce Corrine Graie. Cori, this is Magus Zeal." Toma effected the introductions as smoothly as he could under the circumstances. His eyes darted betwixt the two and he saw Magus smile faintly, smiling enough to make him irresistable. The rosy blush staining Corrine's cheeks was too much to handle and Toma had an urge to go outside and colour the sea with his sickness.

Offering his hand, Magus let the smile slip away from his lips though it still played like a shadow in Corrine's memory and warmed her up better then the fire in the hearth could of done. Very shyly she put her hand in his and watched him as he raised it up to his lips, how could she of known that he was only doing it because somewhere in his mind he remembered that was a courtly gesture of Zeal. He did it with so much practiced ease, a perfectly placed kiss onto the smooth porcelain skin. A touch as delicate as sakura petals with just the barest whisper of his breath to tease.

"I have heard many things about you, Miss Graie. Toma certainly enjoys regaling me with stories of how wonderful you are."

"Toma does not know what he is saying most of the time, He likes to exaggerate."

"I know what I am saying and I promise I won't say anything else, it might give you a big head. And I will thank you not to talk about me in the third person." Toma snapped out at both of them, petulance mirrored in his voice as he folded his arms across his chest. It disturbed him that they were so eager to shut him out and he didn't like the feeling of feeling less then important to them.

"So you testify against all that Toma has said?"

"Toma is a gifted storyteller and with every tale that he tells, he tends to embellish it. Naturally he would make me out to be something that I do not think that I am." Corrine said as she darted an amused glance at Toma. Magus followed suit and caught instantly the frustration in Toma's demeanor.. was that frustration? Very briefly he analyzed the situation. ~*Can it be possible that Toma is jealous? Toma who could no doubt twist -any- female around his pinky with ease?*~ The idea was laughable. But just in case Magus dropped Corrine's hand and stepped back a little bit, averting his eyes to the roaring flames. He had strayed beyond the bounds of host and temporarily got caught up in starlight mirrored in Corrine's magical eyes.

"I take it you enjoyed the snow earlier this evening. Really I don't recall when I have seen Ozzie and Slash have such an enjoyable time." Magus ran his hand over the mantle and instinctively raised his hand up to eye level, spying if there were any sign of dust. Merely a habit of his when he was nervous though he didn't get nervous enough to recognize it as such.

"Oh yes!" Corrine smiled with the exclaimation reverberating through her soulful eyes. "I was never really allowed to step outside that much. The only alternative was to sneak out and even when I did that I still got exhausted easily."

"That must of made the adventure of it all the more fun. Forbidden fruit has always been the sweetest and most hard to resist."

"Strangely I felt like I could breath easier not having to worry about whether my mother would catch me or not. There is something to be said about a clear conscience." His aristocratic profile Corrine's gaze lingered over, admiring it.. longing to feel the cheek to see it felt as cold as it looked.

Of course Magus wasn't one to exactly -know- what a clear conscience felt like, not when he had so many deaths knelling over his soul to begin with and he had never thought about it before. But why was it that looking into Corrine's eyes, he immediately felt guilty even though he didn't think he had any reason to whatsoever? This he allowed his mind to mull over with while he played the part of cordial host, a role that he was totally unfamilar with yet something in him was compelled to impress Corrine and show her that he could be just as civilized man as Toma.

"Believe me, running away from home is not the most vile of the Seven Sins" Magus murmured as he took one look into Corrine's eyes and then immediately averted his gaze to another direction. Those purple eyes he sensed could read alot more then they were given and strangely his soul felt naked to their probing depths.

There was something about Corrine and he couldn't put his fingers on it exactly. Her beauty affected him in a way that he had never felt before, and he realized that it is very little that could move him to such longing in his heart. Could that be why he averted his eyes? Because she was too beautiful for him to look at her. Most certainly he felt he could taint her with but glance no matter how fragile it was.

"Gee Magus, I am getting kinda hungry." Toma murmured, his arms still folded across his chest as he eyed his "dear" friend with brown earthquake filled eyes. Had Magus been any less grounded, he would of been deeply affected by such a sight. However nothing short of world catastrophe could even attempt to phase the mighty Magus.

Corrine felt the vibes run like a line of wildfire between the two men and she slowly stepped backwards a few paces, making a pretense of turning around to look even more closely at the bookcases that lined the walls of the cabin. Soon her attention was drawn away and her purple eyes were cast upon the tomes of knowledge with a hunger that even surprised herself.
Very slowly she stole away toward the cases before Magus and Toma could notice her, her fingers running their tips against the smooth leather bound spines.

"You didn't tell me she could read." Magus murmured as he turned to look at Corrine's profile as she opened a book and scanned through a book.
He was trying to ignore the pointed animosity that lurked in Toma's eyes and so he was pretty much at a loss; he could not look into Corrine's eyes, but neither he could look into Toma's. It only seemed like he was just causing awkwardness in the cozy little group and while with anyone else he wouldn't of minded, it seemed like he was torn between being polite to Corrine and being sociable with Toma. There was just no middle ground.

"Of course she can read! Did you think she was some sort of provincial ill-read village hick?" Toma nearly snapped Magus's head off in what was an uncharacteristic tremor of crankiness. Magus had not seen the likes of this before and he decided to just avoid looking at Corrine for the time being. Toma was his friend and Corrine was, dare he say, just a woman.

"No," Magus seemed to develop a strange preoccupation with the flickering of the fire, wondering absently why it wasn't casting more light around the room. Normally he was quite at home in the shadows, but right now they seemed to be casting accusations at him and making him feel less at home. ".. Not many females of my aquaintance know how to read is all that I am implying." Magus murmured. Toma laughed derisively.

"Oh? I suppose you are counting Flea as a female nowadays. Really you are pathetic, you haven't had any encounters with real females up to this point in your life, I am surprised you don't think them one big myth or fairy tale."

Corrine looked up from the book that she was reading, her purple eyes scanning the two friends; at least they appeared to be friends but she could sense the tension between them and for one sinking moment she pondered that it might he her that was causing the rift. She shut the book with a soft thud and the two men turned to look at her as if awakening from a hazy daze which they had no seeming recollection of. Using all the female wiles that she innately possessed, she smiled ever so enigmatically and softly whispered. "I am rather famished after today's sport..." She knew that the only way to stop them was to appeal to the masculine in them that wanted to look after her. Not quite so certain of Magus's reaction but positive of Toma's.

Of course Magus was the first one to truly respond to this statement and as it were glanced toward the gold tasseled bell-pull. His finely tuned senses could make out the aromas wafting from the kitchen gallery, all apart of Slash's wonderful cooking. It should be done by now, shouldn't it? "I will check to see what is keeping them." Magus cleared his throat and started toward the door, his normally astute mind reeling with the confusion that his entire being was feeling. A sweeping sense of disorientation that made the room spin and his logical mind ache. Stomping toward the door, Magus hurried as fast as he could, but he paused with his hand on the doornob and looked over his shoulder. "...But please, Miss Graie. Make yourself at home with my study and my books. I will be back with some repast shortly." Magus schooled his features into a mask of impersonal urbanity and then walked out the door, shutting the door firmly.

When Magus had left the room, Corrine sat down on one of the oversized wing chairs and looked up at Toma with eyes that were suddenly very melancholy and wistful. All the weight of the past 16 and a half years crashing down upon her shoulders.

"Don't make me the cataclyst that tears you both apart. I will not be here too much longer.. you both shall remain far after my time."

That left a bitter taste in Toma's mouth.