A/N: Chapter 2 coming your way! It gets tricky here.
City of a Broken Smile- Chapter 2: Within these Walls
The loud, annoying tick of a grandfather clock kept beat in the almost eerily silent room. The crimson drapes were pulled shut so as no light that dared peek into the ancient room could get through. Seifer, and his fiancée, Rinoa, sat on a loveseat that looked to be 50 years old, the material ratted and torn. Erik, himself, was on a well-cushioned chair, the look of it also outdated and overused. Within the house, there were no electric appliances; there were no lights, TV's, refrigerators, stoves, or even telephones. Mr. Eschner seemed to have lost grip of the current time, or maybe even the current century.
His voice crackled over the silence like a fire does wood, bringing every person in the room to a slight jump. "I believe you have some questions in order, Mr. Almasy?" he asked, more aware of the current situation than he was the date.
Seifer questioned the old man, how he knew about the fire, about his coming to Timber, or even that he was plotting a series of questions to ask him. He put his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, "Yes, yes I do, Mr. Eschner."
"Please... Call me Erik," he responded kindly.
Rinoa listened as Seifer pummeled out questions as Erik quickly responded back with a reasonable, logical answer. She looked at her hand, the ring on her finger, noticing that the diamond, also, was dull, just like the room she was in, just like the life she led. Her big, childlike eyes narrowed as she slowly twisted the ring around on her finger, entertaining herself while her fiancée thought up more questions.
As she turned her ring to the left, she noticed a shimmer in the stone, arousing her curiosity. Quickly, she turned her head in the direction that the diamond was shining in and noticed a darkly dressed figure, rapidly moving up the spiral staircase that they had passed when they entered. She stood and pointed at the man, "Hey!" she said, panicked.
Seifer looked past her and seen nothing except the wall she was pointing towards. "Hun, what is it?" he asked, concerned. Erik let his smile droop as he cast a glare in the direction of the staircase. He slid his long fingernails down the rough texture of his face and called to Seifer's attention.
"Mr. Almasy, if we could pardon the interruption and get back to the questions, I do have some business to attend to soon," he said, sounding rather agitated.
Rinoa clenched her fists and frowned harshly at the old man, quickly sitting back down and crossing her arms. She watched the staircase, knowing that in fact, she had seen a man. She waited for a few more questions until her suspicion could hold out no longer. "Mr. Eschner, where's your bathroom at?" she asked quietly.
He raised his furry, white eyebrows and pointed towards the kitchen. "It's to the left of the kitchen, dear," he said as softly as he could. Seifer smiled at Rinoa as she darted off in the direction of the kitchen, hoping to catch a peek up the stairs.
"Sorry about that, Erik, I'm afraid my fiancée must keep her appearance updated frequently," he let out a laugh and this time, began a small conversation with the old man instead of hounding him with questions.
Rinoa listened around the corner as the two engaged in a chat about politics and the current President of Deling and how Timber was rapidly gaining their independence, a subject that Erik seemed strangely up to date on.
She sneaked around the other doorway of the kitchen and watched as Seifer kept his attention towards Erik, and slowly, she crept up the spiral staircase, aware that they hadn't noticed her being away for so long. She played with the ring on her finger, a habit she had developed when she was bored or nervous, in this case, a little of both.
As she passed by a closed doorway, her stomach tied up in knots and she froze on the spot, her feet not allowing her to walk properly. She gazed down the empty hallway and let her eyes switch to each open doorway until she landed on the closed one beside her. Her breathing grew heavy and seemed so loud to her that she feared Seifer and Erik might hear it from downstairs. She closed her eyes and prayed that what lie behind the closed doorway was nothing but a bathroom or a guest bedroom. She pushed through the door and as quietly and quickly as she could, shut it once again, and suddenly felt enveloped in safety and security.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned and rested her back against the door, only to find a man sitting before her on a cleanly made bed. She let out a sharp gasp and glued her body to the door, her face stricken with worry and fear. She had no idea who this man was, whether he was any relation to Erik or whether he was a stranger who had wondered in from outside. His clothes were rather baggy on him; the ends of his pant legs were torn from walking on them.
He held a finger to his soft lips, "Shh," he whispered. "I don't want him coming up here."
His voice calmed her, her body now more relaxed as she slid down the oak door to a sitting position. "What... What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I live here," he said, "Erik is my uncle."
Rinoa gazed at his clothing and noticed a resemblance to Seifer's description of the stranger that appeared after the fire and after visiting the Art Supplies store. She cocked her head to the side and nodded towards him, "Were you... the one that told my fiancée to come here?"
He smiled slightly, his features lighting up as he did so. For a moment, his deep blue eyes shined over with an innocence that Rinoa herself, had never seen. However, once he made note of her staring, he quickly turned his small smile to his stone cold expression that he had before.
"I am," he said, without wavering.
"Why?"
He was silent for a minute, "... You must stop it."
Rinoa raised an eyebrow and stood slowly, "Stop what?" she asked.
His eyes cast to the ground as he stood as well, making his way over to her. She looked up at him, his pale complexion covered in shadows from the lack of light in the room. He grew closer to her, and somehow, she didn't feel like moving away. Rinoa tilted her head up a little more as the man finally brought his eyes to meet hers. She felt paralyzed by his stare, she felt as if he could see her soul and yet she was so entranced by him, so curious about him that she couldn't help but swallow the butterflies that were building up inside.
His messy brown hair brushed across her skin, which resulted in goose bumps climbing up her arms. He had his face against hers now, his cheek against her forehead as he leaned in towards her. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes; reveling in the feeling he had given her, a feeling of passion and curiosity, a feeling she had never experienced.
"Please," he whispered, "Stop it..."
Her hand moved its way towards his chest and she placed her fingertips upon his solid body. She bit her lower lip and gave into him, gave into everything about him, his addicting scent, his soft lips, his pale complexion, his shaggy locks, his incredible blue eyes, everything, she wanted it all. She felt him hold her up as her body went limp, and her mind numb.
His scent lingered in her senses, his face embedded in her memory..."Rinoa?" a voice called. She felt hands shake her until her eyes snapped open and she rested her blurry vision on her fiancée. "Rinoa, are you ok?" he asked worried.
She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed Mr. Eschner standing in the doorway, looking rather furious and bewildered by her. Seifer helped her out of the bed and kissed her forehead, "Hun, are you ok?" he repeated.
She nodded and looked at Erik. "I'm so sorry," she said, "I don't know what happened, somehow I wandered my way up here and... he..." she drifted off.
"He who?" asked Seifer.
Rinoa shook her head and brushed past Mr. Eschner as she headed down the stairs and out the front door for fresh air. Seifer shrugged and offered his sincerest apologies to Erik.
Seifer went after his fiancée, finding her on Erik's front steps, rocking back and forth slowly. He put his arms around her, hoping to comfort her in some way, although not succeeding. She stood and turned around to face him, her eyes foggy as she tried to hide her emotions. "I... need to ask Erik something," she began to open the front door as Seifer followed her. "Seifer, please, I need to speak to him alone," she said firmly.
He stood back stunned for a minute and nodded at his lover's request. As he watched her go inside, he took a seat on the steps as she once had and stared out at the barren cul-de-sac that the house was positioned in.
"Mr. Eschner?" she mumbled quietly. He stopped stirring his coffee, which he had made from hot water and coffee grains; the water had been boiled on an old gas stove, ancient enough to be in a museum.
He looked at her through droopy eyes; "Yes?" he carried his small coffee cup over to a wood table and took a seat, placing his hands around his cup to warm them.
She sat across from him, her hands folded on her lap. "What's your nephew's name?"
Erik choked on the coffee he was trying to drink and coughed madly as he placed his cup back upon the table. She stood, "Are you okay?" she asked. "Erik?"
He nodded and shooed her away with his hand, finally regaining his composure. "Yes, yes, sorry, must have been a coffee grain that I didn't get ground up. Now, what was it you were wondering, dear?"
"Your nephew. What's his name?" she repeated yet again.
Mr. Escher's pupils dilated as he focused on an object in the distance, averting his eyes from Rinoa. "I'm afraid I don't know who or what you're talking about, dear."
"What do you mean?"
He watched her for a minute before responding, "Are you sure you're feeling well, dear?"
Rinoa frowned at the man's response and crossed her arms. "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"
"... I have no nephew."
His answer, his voice, and the stranger's memory hit her like a ton of bricks as she became light headed and her vision enveloped in darkness.
A/N: I hated writing this chapter. I needed to bring the "stranger" into the picture immediately here, and that's basically all I did. The storyline still hasn't revealed about what will happen later, but that's all coming in the next chapter. This chapter was incredibly short but bear with me for the next chapter will explain the storyline and the events that will be taking place. Drop some reviews!