I really do hope you guys like this fic...I wrote the whole thing in about an hour...so yeah.
Bram collapsed on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The convention had been an utter sham. He had gotten no new ideas, nothing that could be used for his ever-elusive next work. He did not even know what it was to be about, but it would follow the pattern of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Despondently, he watched as the curtains fluttered lightly in the night breeze. Fluttering. That was an interesting effect. He made mental note of the speed of the fluttering, the feel of the breeze…

He was dozing off when there was a rumble of voices and a light tap on his door. "Herr Stoker?" came a muffled voice.

Bram sighed in irritation. "What is it, Hilde?"

"Visitors to see you."

Bram groaned under his breath. "I'll be there in a minute!"

"Very good, sir." The girl said something soft—apparently not to him—and giggled. Bram staggered out of bed and pulled on his waistcoat, which he had discarded on the floor, along with his shoes and stockings. He made himself presentable and opened the door.

What greeted him was a rather odd sight, to say the least. The only normal part about it was Hilde, the serving-maid, who was no older than 18. Her cheeks were flushed as she introduced the rather haggard author to "Mr. Valerious and Friar Carl."

Bram gripped the doorway unsteadily. He realized that his mouth was slack and his glasses dirty, but for Heaven's sake, it was nearly two in the morning. Valerious, was it? That name was very familiar…He, Valerious that is, was tall and very handsome—judging by the scandalous looks Hilde was giving him, which he successfully ignored—with deep-chestnut, shoulder-length, softly wavy hair and deep-brown eyes that held a twinkle in them. Friar Carl was shorter, with a somewhat timid face, a ridiculous monk's haircut—without the bald spot—and large ears that stuck out to the sides. His eyes, though, belied his appearance; they showed a burning intelligence and curiosity. Carl wore a friar's habit,

Bram's own curiosity was aroused, and his brain, groggy though it was, began to wake up a little. "Pardon the hour," the one called Valerious said, "but we leave tomorrow morning and must speak with you."

"Yes, yes, come in, come in," Bram said, suddenly startled at his lack of hospitality. "It's quite all right."

Hilde went away down the corridor, but not before saying, "Now, Herr Valerious, do tell me if you require anything at all!" She smiled at him a split second longer than necessary. Valerious merely nodded—a look of…was it sadness?...flashed across his face but was gone instantly—and he and Carl followed Bram into the apartment.


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