Chapter Four: He Who Hesitates is Lost
"Listen, dear Annette," said the prince, suddenly taking his companion's hand, and for some reason bending it downwards. "Arrange this matter for me and I am your faithful slave for ever and ever. She's of good family and well off. That's all I want."
And with the freedom, familiarity, and grace that distinguished him, he took the maid-of-honor's hand, kissed it, and as he kissed it waved her hand, while he stretched forward in his low chair and gazed away into the distance.
Count Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace", page 5
Dawn awoke to the noises and aromas of the Paper Lantern. Soft Chinese music clinked gently in the background, and golden lights loomed over her head.
"Hey, welcome back to the land of the living." The familiar bass voice of Warren Peace was present not too far from her.
"Thanks," Dawn mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Things are kind of fuzzy. What happened?"
"I was hoping you could tell me. You left, then everybody else left soon after - we close at nine, y'know - , and I was locking up when I saw you over by the road. I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you in for a while."
Dawn's breath caught in her throat. "So everybody's gone now but you and me?" He didn't respond to her question, so she took the chance to clear her vision and observe her surroundings. She appeared to be in an office at the back of the Paper Lantern; possibly that of Warren's mother. Three armless chairs set out in a row served as a makeshift bed, and the young pyrokinetic who had taken her in was sitting on the floor at other side of the room, watching her. Strands of hair had fallen from his ponytail, now hanging in his face and framing the dark eyes which so fascinated Dawn.
"I had to carry you in." Warren remarked abruptly, catching Dawn off guard. She wasn't sure if he was expecting thanks for his services or if he was just subtly mocking her newfound affection for him.
"Carried…"
"Yeah. You came to once and asked me if I was an angel because – and I quote – 'I must be dead, and faces like yours can't exist in Hell.'" His voice became higher as he imitated her, and she turned horribly red, looking away to hide her face. "And then," he continued, "you told me I smelled like Chinese food and leather, and then you passed out again." He said wryly, his tone indicating that he was fighting to hide a smile.
He's so easy-going when he's here; I wish he was like this more often. Dawn mused, trying to force her blush to subside. She decided to test her legs, and she shakily got to her feet. "Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna hurl." She steadied herself on a chair and casually checked her pocket, knowing she would feel the handle of her knife there.
Her pocket was empty.
"My knife; where's my knife?" She yelped, suddenly alert.
Warren gave her a mildly confused glance. "Maybe you dropped it. I seem to remember something gleaming on the ground, but I didn't give it a second thought. All I did was carry you in; sorry if you lost your blade."
"Well I'm going out there to find it." Dawn informed him, exiting the restaurant. She approached the area where she knew she had been, and she discovered that a street light had recently turned on. She wished it had come on sooner, and she might not have been so paranoid. She searched the ground thoroughly before coming back inside the office, dejected. "It's not there. You sure nothing else happened?"
"I said I was sorry." Warren replied curtly.
She half-heartedly assured him it was okay, but inwardly she sulked. Because of a spurt of paranoia and a fainting spell, she had not only inconvenienced her new friend, but had also lost her best knife. It just wasn't her day.
As Dawn examined her personal conditions, she noted apprehensively that she had burn marks on her shirt, and her right upper arm had been dotted with bruises shaped like fingertips, as though someone had seized her roughly. She thought momentarily that it might have been Warren, but that thought was quickly banished from her mind. He may not have been the most friendly, chivalrous young man, but he wouldn't have been that abusive.
"Warren, there's something you haven't told me."
"Observant little runt, aren't you."
"Hey!" She exclaimed, drawing herself up to her full height of five foot seven.
"After I locked up the Lantern, I was pulling out my motorcycle when I saw a…a…" He sighed, "You're going to think I'm insane."
"Oh?" Dawn shot back, "I didn't know you were concerned with what other people thought."
Warren growled at her taunt, and his hands started to smoke. "Don't mess with me, kid." He clenched his fists and continued. "I saw you on the ground surrounded by a black shape. There was a street lamp hitting you dead on; there shouldn't have been any shadows. It was like a swirling mist; definitely not human."
Dawn was becoming breathless, and she pulled up a chair near Warren, motioning for him to go on.
"That's it."
"No, it's not."
"…Before I continue, I want you to understand first that the only reason I came to your defense was because I didn't want this thing lurking outside my mom's restau - "
Dawn whacked him on the shoulder. "I don't care, Warren."
"Right. I ignited, charged it, and it…it…shaped itself into a person. It grabbed you by the arm and started to drag you away before I nailed it with a fireball. Then it fished around on the ground and took off." He let down his hair and shook it back with his fingers, like he needed to be doing something with his hands. "Now, that's all that happened; I swear."
Dawn nodded and paced restlessly around the room. "But why me?" She thought out loud. "I am a very unimportant, unconnected person." She wasn't trying to gain Warren's pity, and she didn't expect to get a quick 'oh, yes you are' assurance that you would get from most people. She was just stating facts. "I'm not even interesting!"
"That could be contested." Warren muttered under his breath, but to stop another awkward situation, Dawn pretended she hadn't heard him. "Heck, this was my first day of school! What could this…this thing possibly want with me, and why did - " She was cut off by the chiming of a clock.
Dong.
Dawn gaped. "Oh my gosh, Warren; it's one in the morning! How long was I out?"
"Couple of hours." He mumbled, trying to be nonchalant.
"And you've been watching me for a couple of hours."
"Yeah."
Dawn rolled her eyes and grabbed her jacket, which had been removed. "I'll see you later, Warren; I gotta get home. And for what it's worth, I'm…I'm really sorry about this whole thing."
The young man snagged her jacket from her. "Forget about it."
Dawn smiled, in spite of the situation. "Well, that's awfully nice of you."
"I meant the jacket." Warren examined it briefly and then threw it into a large restaurant-style waste basket.
"What?" Dawn's smile faded, and she stared at him blankly.
"That thing was all around you. For all you know, it could have a tracking device on your jacket."
"It could've put tracking devices on all my clothes!" She protested.
Warren smirked subtly and looked away, mumbling something that sounded like, "You asking me to throw those away too?"
Dawn's jaw fell open, forgetting she was trying to avoid awkward situations. "I…I…Warren, that's not like you." Wheeling towards the door of the office, she quickly trotted to the exit of the Paper Lantern. Warren followed her, however, and grabbed her un-bruised arm.
"You're not walking home, you're not going alone, and you're not going without a jacket."
Her stunned frame of mind faded, and she slipped back into the feelings of dizziness and nausea. "I…I guess you're right."
"I know I am."
Leading her outside, he turned out the lights and locked the door behind him. "Ever ridden a motorcycle before?" He asked, taking off his jacket and slipping her arms inside the sleeves.
Immediately, Dawn was immersed in a comforting, hot, and cozy feeling, and she hugged the leather to her. It bore the vague scents of Chinese food, leather, and a spicy cologne she had come to subconsciously associate with Warren.
"Ahhh…are you about to faint again?" Warren waved a hand in front of her face, and she snapped out of her reverie.
"Oh, um, motorcycle? No, no, I haven't."
He smirked subtly. "That's too bad."
He swung a leg over the seat and revved the engine, beckoning for her to get on the back. She slid onto it and hesitantly put her hands lightly on his shoulders. He groaned. "You're gonna get thrown off before we hit twenty miles per hour. Wrap your arms around my waist."
"…Warren, I don't - "
"Shut up and wrap!"
She wrapped. Sliding both her arms around his lower chest area, Dawn could feel Warren's heart beating rhythmically. Now, if only hers would stop leaping in her chest.
"Dawn, you're gonna have to squeeze tighter. You won't break me."
She flushed and nodded, and as she tightened her grip, she realized it was the first time he had addressed her by her name. With a final disgusted shake of his head, Warren roared down the alley and up the road.
Dawn was caught off guard by the speed of the wind hitting her face; she was so close to Warren that even his long hair seemed to be attacking her eyes and mouth. Determined to remedy the problem, she turned her head, took a deep breath, and moved her head forward, pressing her right temple to his back and hugging his body closer, effectively creating a human shield.
As she did so, she felt a shudder pass through Warren's body. Whether it was from cold - he was jacketless, after all -, the wind, or something else, Dawn didn't know. But it was definitely a shiver.
Minutes seemed like seconds as Dawn clung to Warren, and the ride was over much sooner than she would've preferred.
"Dawn, we're here. We've stopped." He did it again; called her by her first name. Not that she was complaining.
"We…have?" Dawn removed her face from Warren's back and took the opportunity to open her eyes and actually listen to the engine. It was idling; they definitely weren't moving anymore. Not to mention that the fact the houses and trees weren't speeding by them anymore was a dead giveaway. "Oh, sorry, Warren."
Neither of them moved.
"You can let go now."
"Oh."
She hastily released her grip and slid off the 'cycle.
"I'd ask you how you knew where I lived, but I don't think I'd like the answer, so I guess I'll catch you later." Dawn turned to flee up the sidewalk to her front door when he called out her name. She stopped, looking back at him.
Her eyes once again caught his, and she was reminded of their moment in the Paper Lantern. Her hand slipping into his own as he helped her out of the booth, his affectionate jab to her shoulder, his eyes radiating warmth…might he hug her goodbye this time?
Slowly, Warren dismounted his motorcycle and approached her, his eyes never once breaking the gaze with hers, just like in the Paper Lantern. He leaned down by her ear - she could feel his hair tickling her cheek - and whispered softly the reason for her requested halt.
"You've still got my jacket."
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My favorite chapter of all the ones I've written! Hope you enjoyed reading itas much as I enjoyed writing it.
I won't have another update until (probably) Sunday afternoon, but it'll be another fairly long one, which y'all deserve greatly.
Read! Relax! Review! Enjoy!
Corvaisis
