Crimson Roses & Crimson Wine

The chain slipped out of her hand, swinging over to tease the senses of his knee before swinging away, coming back to tease again and repeat the vicious cycle all over again. Eugene watched it twinkle and sparkle in the light of street lamps as the carriage hurried along, bouncing here and there at the occasional pothole or lost stone.

The girl in his arms, appearing to be barely aged ten, slept soundly. Maria-Elizabeth, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl child, young and yet so void of life, drunk of her last meal, full of fury and bitterness at the world, cursing it all for having being turned so young. Yet still so full of wonder and childish curiosity.

Eugene looked out the window, watching the snow coated bridge railing rush past, and then a large cathedral come into view in the distance, vanishing soon enough behind closer buildings. He closed his eyes. As he did, he felt the carriage slow to a stop, peculiar, for they had still quite a way to go. He listened, hearing the distinct deep voice of his coachman talking to someone else in a questioning tone, asking the unseen other if everything was alright. They conversation dragged on, Eugene became impatient and opened the carriage door, peering out. "What is the matter?"

Given the time of year, and the snow steadily falling from the sky, Rosalyn probably hadn't made the best decision. She had lived a fairly sheltered life thus far though, primarily due to the supposed dangers that the city and the surrounding area provided, but that all had changed on that particular January evening. Jane, Rosalyn's best friend and one of the Walcroft family's servants, had convinced the other young woman to sneak out for a night on the town with her. Rosalyn's parents, of course, were unaware of their daughter's plans for the evening. Once she was certain they had gone off to bed, Rosalyn changed out of her dressing gown and into an outfit Jane had lent to her, and they were off to a portion of the city Rosalyn was certain her parents never expected their daughter to set foot in.

Now, that wouldn't have been a problem if Jane wasn't known for her slightly more promiscuous ways, and she hadn't gone off with some lad she and Rosalyn had encountered in the first tavern they entered that evening. If Jane had stayed by her side, Rosalyn would have gotten home just fine, but alas her friend hadn't, and now the young Walcroft girl found herself wandering about a strange and unknown section of the city. She didn't know how long she had been wandering about, and she was fairly certain that she had passed by that building ten different times already, when she spotted the carriage riding across the nearby bridge. She knew that only someone well-off would be inside of it, and was quick to make her way towards it, nearly slipping on the snow-covered ground in the process.

Thankfully, the coachman spotted her, and the carriage slowed a bit as it neared her. "Is something the matter, miss?" He asked the clearly distressed woman. "Yes! I've been trying to find my way back to Ashmole Street, but I seem to have lost my bearings, would you happen to know which direction I should go in?" Rosalyn asked, silently praying to whatever celestial being heard her that the coachman would be able to help her. "Ashmole Street, you say? Well that's quite a ways away from here, miss!" Before either of them could say much of anything else, the carriage door opened and another man spoke up. Rosalyn was quick to apologize the moment she had the opportunity to do so. "My apologies, sir, I was just asking your coachman if he knew how I could get back to Ashmole from here. I didn't mean to delay your trip by any means."

Eugene eyed the girl in front of him. She was dressed…. not as warmly as he would have thought human girls would, nor as warmly as he had seen them. He briefly wondered how she was not cold, and instinctively took a small breath, but her scent was as human as the soil smelled of dirt. There was no mistaking it. He looked to his coachman, then back at the girl.

"Ashmole?" he furrowed his brows, looking concerned, "That's quite a way away." Mimicking human concern, he looked around and huddled into his coat some more. It was cold, not that it bothered him. But this would work in as sympathy, or empathy, it gained that human trust. "You'll freeze to death, come on, we can drop you off." He looked at his coachman, and no words needed to be said. The coachman nodded. They could drop her off, better than letting her freeze out here, or worse.

"It is along our path, and it is late in the night. Hooligans would be around for sure," the coachman said, looking all concerned. He was as human as she was, and he was concerned for her safety as any good father would be (he had his own two kids), but he was also concerned about her hopping in to the carriage with two vampires. Eugene would control himself, as for the younger one…

Eugene stepped down from the coach, offering his hand to the girl. If she was taught any stranger danger, she would hopefully dispel her concerns. He was dressed rather wealthy, and his eyes were void of any hostility, and he angled the door of the carriage so that she could see the head of his sleeping sister. Girls seeing other girls often relaxed. No? This was one thing Eugene had seen many times, throughout both lives, and he had exploited that more than once. Tonight would be no different if he chose to have a snack, but he was full, and he was not exactly a mindless vampire who bit everyone. He preferred to stay sane, to have class, to keep his name pure in this town. He would not harm her tonight.

The man inside the carriage was rather attractive if Rosalyn was being completely honest. She knew that the last thing she should be worrying about right now was the attractiveness of her potential rescuer in that moment, but she was still a young woman with eyes. If she was a bit more promiscuous like Jane she might have very well sent a flirtatious comment his way, or giving him "the eyes" as Jane called them. But she wasn't Jane and she certainly wasn't promiscuous either. Right now, she was cold, and though the fact that he was attractive was still there in the back of her mind, her main concern was finding her way back home just as she had said to the coachman and the man in the carriage. There were no ulterior motives by any means whatsoever.

Dark eyes widened slightly in surprise when the stranger offered to give her a ride back to her home. Truthfully, she had only hoped to get directions back, and if it weren't so cold she probably would have turned down his offer, but it really was freezing, and the snow didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon. She really would freeze to death, he was probably right about that. "Are you sure? I really wouldn't want to impose." She said, shaking her head, though she subconsciously took a few steps closer to the carriage that she could tell already was much warmer than where she was standing right about now. "If you really wouldn't mind..." She hesitated briefly, lower lip catching between her teeth, before taking his outstretched hand.

"No, no," Eugene waved his hand lightly, dismissively, "We are in no rush, and it's sort of the on way. It won't take up our time. Come." He stepped down from the carriage, watching as she came closer. She did want to get in, he could tell. She was freezing. Poor human. So susceptible to death and cold. He held his hand out so that she may use it as a support to get into the carriage, letting her settle on the seat across from them. It was spacious inside, they wouldn't bump knees, and it was toasty warm. He hurried in, shut the door. The coachman knew where to go.

The carriage started off, and continued to ride along, gently and evenly. Eugene studied the girl in front of him. Remembering his manners, he flashed her a gentle smile, and introduced himself, "Eugene Lasco. You may call me just Eugene." He didn't bother with his last name, she was near his (biological) age, they could be friendly. If she wished it so he would call her by her last, but his name was very well known anyway, so he had made a mashup of his two surnames and put it into one. No need to go around telling everyone he was the son of a wealthy, though somewhat infamous, family. It was unnecessary attention.

"And you are?" he prompted. As he did, his sister stirred, but she only adjusted her head onto his lap again and turned away, falling asleep, lips parting softly. And he was glad she turned away, for in her sleep, her fangs peeped out, and it was rather annoying.

If it wasn't so bloody cold out Rosalyn probably wouldn't have taken him up on his offer. She was normally a very rational person, that's how she saw it though others might argue that she didn't take enough risks, but she'd been wandering around in the bitter cold and snow long enough that evening and these were the first people she'd come across since wandering out of the pub earlier that evening. Eugene seemed trustworthy, and the coachman did as well, and she liked to think that she was a decent judge of character anyway. If either of the men seemed like ruffians or serial killers, she liked to think that she would have gotten a gut feeling of sorts and known not to take Eugene up on his offer.

"If you're certain it isn't too much trouble..." Rosalyn said, trailing off a bit at the end. Truthfully, she didn't need much else convincing. If he said it wasn't a problem, and he really didn't mind taking her home, well, she wasn't about to tell him no. Mustering a small smile, she took his outstretched hand and allowed him to help her get into the carriage before settling onto the empty seat across from a young, sleeping girl. "Rosalyn Walcroft, Rosa or Rose is fine though." She told him. "I don't think I could possibly thank you enough for doing this, Eugene." She genuinely appreciated his offer to give her a ride back to her home. "I'm not quite sure how long I was wandering about out there, but thank you, really."

Rosa, a pretty name. Like rose, a beautiful flower, a lovely red. Or white, or orange. They came in all various colours and yet Eugene didn't really bother with them - they had thorns and they drew blood and caused many a woman fainting inconveniences. Back a few hundred years ago, to be found with a passed out woman and trying to bring her back to consciousness while she had blood dripping from her finger was suspicious and he would be sent out of the house with wooden stakes and silver crosses and garlic. He would, of course, hurry and leave as they cursed him - not because there were wooden stakes or silver crosses but because the garlic would embed its scent into his clothes and it was most vile.

He inclined his head in response to her thanks, and decided to switch the subject for humans had a tendency of apologising and thanking far too much than it was really needed. "Are you new in this town?" He asked, as a mere curiosity to this town. He only allowed a small pause for her answer before he continued, gesturing with his hand out towards the window, "I've only been here a month myself. It's a large city, compared to my previous livings." Eugene set the hand down back onto his sister's shoulders, rubbing small circles into her coat with his thumb. "I heard there's a magnificent park nearby, I think it was called… Fer- Far- Fair- field? It has great woods and a lake, and little paths." He faked the poor recollection of the name with great ease. "Do you recall it's name by any chance? Pray, help me please, I'm eager to visit it." Eugene smiled, letting the unsaid invitation of a little walk hang in the air. It was open, and it was unsaid, and if she did not wish to accept it then she could play off as if she did not understand it, and nobody would be offended. It was a mere little proposal.

And the woods would be a fine place to have delights, if they were as thick and dark at night as rumoured.