Part 10

By some miracle, Aylin, Noah and Saint Germain return to the mansion.
Although physically undamaged, the trauma of personally witnessing a gruesome murder is starting to sink in.
They sit in silence.
Saint Germain's anger is palpable.

They dare not look at his face.

"Now then," Saint Germain says, leaning in towards Aylin, "I recall specifically instructing Noah to not leave this mansion."
His eyes are piercing, and she looks away, cowering like a small child being scolded.
"Considering the events of today, am I to believe that he has deliberately disobeyed me?"
As brave as she is, even she fears this man.
"Perhaps is there more to this story." Saint Germain stands still like a statue, staring at the girl, waiting for her to crack.
"I-- it was my fault," she says, her voice shaking, "I suggested we leave the mansion. Please, don't be mad at Noah, he tried to say we shouldn't go but--"

Her words are cut short as Noah abruptly stands, his body rigid and his mouth tense.

He looks Saint Germain in the eye, no hint of fear present.
"She is lying, master."
For once he doesn't fall over his words, but it sounds unnatural all the same.
"It was my idea to leave the mansion. I thought it would be pleasant to go outside because it was such a nice afternoon," he continues, "Please, punish me as you see fit."

Saint Germain lets out an exasperated sigh.

He looks back at Aylin who still avoids his face. The obviousness of this ruse is starting to wear on Saint Germain's patience. Noah realizes the futility of lying to this man, and he scratches the back of his head nervously.
The two young people's anxiety spikes to unfathomable levels.
"How lucky you are, miss Aylin, to have a friend like he who is so willing to throw himself under the carriage for you." Saint Germain's expression is unreadable, but his voice sounds cold.
"I do hope you don't let it go to your head."

Aylin starts to sob quietly, covering her face with her small hands. The guilt she feels, coupled with the memories of what they had witnessed earlier, makes it impossible for her to stop the flow of tears.

Saint Germain turns away from her, sighing again. A pained expression covers his pale face. He hadn't meant to make the girl cry, but he too was upset and his usual tact was lacking. The horror he had felt seeing the two of them in that alleyway was almost more than he could handle.

He stares into the fire burning brightly in the hearth.
Noah too, watches the flames flicker rhythmically.
"Why were you there tonight, master?" he asks, "It seems too fortunate to be a coincidence."
Saint Germain continues staring into the fire.
"I was there for the same reason you should not have been," he finally says.

"If you recall the reason I told you to stay put here in the first place, then you would know there is a rogue vampyre on the loose, feeding on the blood of the innocent!"
He raises his voice on the last word, making his point ever clearer.
"I had a hunch that perhaps our strange visitor had something to do with these rumors, so I followed him since this morning up until the incident in the alley. By some stroke of luck, I found the two of you as well, but unfortunately by that point... there was nothing I could do to save the young girl."

"My priorities were clear," he says, as his voice turns to one of dismay.
He looks at the rug beneath his feet.
"I could not allow three casualties this night."

Saint Germain looks to Aylin, who has stopped crying and is now staring blankly at nothing.
"Come," he says to her, "I will escort you home."
She stands slowly, wavering slightly.

Saint Germain looks down at Noah.
"Say your goodbyes," he says quietly, "I shall be waiting outside."

Noah stands and faces Aylin who, at the sight of him, begins to cry again. No words will come. He stands before her uncomfortably, watching small tears gradually make their way down her pretty face. He wishes he could brush them away, but he thinks that perhaps that is only something done in books, and so he does nothing. He has no experience with crying women, and even less experience comforting somebody who has just witnessed something so traumatic.

As Noah debates with himself about what to do or not to do, Aylin suddenly falls into him, wrapping her slight arms across his back. Her tears soak into his shirt. He feels her struggle to breathe as she silently sobs, her shoulders shaking violently. He puts his arms around her.

Noah's heart pounds. Her body feels warm against his. He thinks he can't hold her close enough and so he hugs Aylin into his chest.
"It's okay," he says softly. Her grip tightens. His lips are so close to her. He can smell her hair which is soft against his cheek.

They stay like this for an unknown amount of time.
Gradually, Aylin's sobbing begins to subside and her breathing becomes even again. She wipes her tears from one side of her face as the other dries against his shoulder. Noah's arms are still wrapped tightly around her as she does this. He won't let go until he has to.

Eventually they separate, albeit reluctantly on Noah's part.
"Well, I..." Aylin says shyly, staring at Noah's chest. "Saint Germain is waiting for me, so I should probably get going now..."
She sees the spot on his vest where her tears have soaked through to his skin. She blushes and lets a tiny smile form across her face.

"O-of course," says Noah, blushing as well.
He stands awkwardly.
"Please... get home safely."

Aylin departs, and the wet spot on Noah's shirt starts to turn cold.

Continue to Part 11...