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Description
"Have some tea, at least." Jin-Mei sighed and held up the simple terracotta colored teapot. She had been quite surprised when she'd found Lanhua on her threshold in the morning. She very rarely visited the servant and even then she never stayed for too long. With a raised eyebrow she examined the other woman's face. She couldn't describe her mood with other words than 'cheerful and confident'. This was a rather unordinary sight. Lanhua was a stubborn, friendly and sometimes irrational person but she never used to overflow with energy and happiness like this. Frankly, it was a little bit annoying. Wondering what had caused that change of heart Jin-Mei poured her friend some of the steaming fluid in her hands. "Are there any news?" she asked, as casually as possible. Taking a sip of her cup her guest shrugged and tried to hide her smile. "I made good money yesterday." She told her.
"So, that's the reason." Jin-Mei muttered. She didn't approve her way of making money. She spent a solid amount of hours worrying about her every day. Of course she didn't tell her.
"Yeah, it's enough for me to actually rent a nice apartment downtown." Lanhua exclaimed and clapped her hands childishly. Wearing a doubtful expression the older woman began to clear the table. "You must have worked hard for that." She commented without meeting her gaze.
"Now that you mention it… I didn't. He didn't order anything extravagant, we just had a little conversation afterwards -which was weird enough -but then he also gave me a huge sum of money. All in all he was very friendly, not like those other jerks I have to serve usually. I think he is a lord, but he didn't tell me his last name so I can't be sure. He looked quite wealthy to me, though; poor men wouldn't throw money around like that.
"I kind of hope he comes again, it was a nice change. You should have seen him, Jin, he looks great. He seems to be about my age, isn't that a coincidence? I always thought men like him don't have to…"
"Lanhua?"
"Yeah?"
"You talk pretty much today."
The two women eyed each other for several seconds; one with a puzzled, the other with an annoyed expression. After a while Jin-Mei sat down again and rested her chin on her folded hands. "Listen, I'm happy for you but you should hear yourself. You sound like you had a crush on this guy."
It took Lanhua some effort to control her features. "Don't be ridiculous, Jin. I'm just happy that I can move out of my place now. I'm grateful to him, that's all." She hurried to explain. How could anyone believe that? She had met Jian just once in her life and even that had lasted at most twenty minutes. As if that would be enough to fall for someone. She wasn't that naïve.
"Fine. I just don't want you to waste your thoughts on someone you'll probably never meet again." Jin-Mei said. Before she could respond the door opened and a tall figure entered the small living room. Internally Lanhua rolled her eyes. At once her friend's body posture changed and you could practically see her mood brighten.
"Good afternoon, ladies." The dark man grinned and came to his wife's side. One arm around Jin-Mei's waist he turned to the brown haired woman.
"Long time no see. Are you joining us for dinner?"
"Hello, Feng. No, I have to go now, anyway." She told him and rose to her feet. She took her jacket and after hugging the couple goodbye she left. The moment he thought Lanhua wasn't watching Feng kissed his woman's cheek.
She always left when Jin-Mei's husband arrived. The loving atmosphere those two created immediately chased her away every time. That was what she wanted. Someone to hold her, someone she could trust. At night she often envied these two. They had the same status as her, they didn't make more money, they didn't live very differently from her, so why couldn't she be as lucky as them?
In contrast to this morning a very chilly wind howled through the streets. Judging by the dark clouds gathering above her head it would rain soon. No ray of sunlight could break through the thick layer of gray covering the sky. The dead, brittle leaves rustled in the tops of the few trees that lined the alley. In some hours her shift would start. She should relax as long as she was still able to. With these thoughts she steered onward. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if Jian would come tonight.

His pen-nib scratched over the thick piece of parchment without writing any words. The ink had run out a few moments ago but Jian couldn't bring himself to move yet. Again and again he traced the last letter he'd written without paying attention. From time to time his sight blurred and he threatened to doze off but every time his head sank down he woke up abruptly. He tried to chase his exhaustion away by blinking several times and then forced himself to proof-read his work. At first he could clearly recognize his hand-writing but after a few paragraphs the sentences began to become sloppy and the breaks between the words were simply not noticeable. The last lines were hopelessly illegible. He fought the urge to throw the whole roll into the red flames crackling in the open fireplace behind him. Heat brushed against back. With a defeated sigh he pushed his work away from him and rested his forehead on the cold marble tabletop. He wouldn't get this done today anymore so he decided to ignore his remaining work altogether. His thoughts had been somewhere else, anyway. Jian stood up and shuffled to the armchair by the fireside. Releasing a low groan he sank against the backrest. He wondered briefly why he was so incredibly tired. It was probably the everyday life that fatigued him so much. Almost involuntarily he groped for the small wooden case standing on the low table next to him. He was too tired to sleep and too awake to dream. A pinch of this powder would help. He opened the box and stared at the violet contents with half-closed eyes. With lazy fingers he stroked over the sand-like substance.
One pinch… two pinches… five… Where was the difference?
He hesitated a moment. The effect would vanish after an hour that way, no matter how much he'd take. Sighing he stood up and went over to the glass cabinet in the back of the room. He didn't measure the amount of powder he poured into the golden cup but in the end a considerable violet hill had formed at the bottom of it. He didn't know why exactly he did such a reckless thing, probably out of boredom. Shrugging a little he took the carafe filled with red wine waiting on the counter and with quick hands decanted the alcohol. An indifferent expression on his tired face he watched the drugs blend with each other. A full, exotic color bloomed in the glass; it reminded him a bit of blood. Licking his lips he returned to his seat and stared into the flames for a while. Then he raised the goblet to his mouth and emptied it in few drafts. He didn't have to wait for its effect. At once a dreamy look appeared in his eyes and his whole body relaxed. The colors around him intensified in a matter of seconds and went blurry in a steady rhythm. What held his interest, though, was the fire. Green, blue and colors he didn't even know danced among the flames. He knew his senses were fooling him, creating a beautifully surreal world. He couldn't care less. He didn't care about anything right now. Everything seemed to be so far away from him; it was as though he was nothing but a ghost in his house, a silent spectator. Flowers bloomed at the core of the fire which grew and grew. It swelled on until it didn't fit into the fireplace anymore and began to wind its way through the room. A slow beat filled his ears, hypnotizing and captivating. Then he understood that it was his own heart pounding in his chest. He listened and slowly closed his eyes. He drifted in and out of a dreaming state while time passed him by. Sometimes it felt like hours were flying by, sometimes like they were creeping. He felt a great, all-consuming satisfaction, as if all his problems simply vanished in the dancing flames. He was sure he was dreaming, but never before his dreams had been so lively. He saw all kinds of shapes and places, he saw singing moonbeams playing tag in the fields, he saw crying oceans drowning themselves, he saw shadows making love to the night, he saw the whole world as a giant fireball somewhere in an endless blackness, only surrounded by countless points of light and then… among those fading images he saw a woman. Her skin seemed to glow and a red light fell on her face, mahogany hair waved around her head like a dark flame. He straightened up a little. She came his way, he believed she was smiling. Her eyes were precious stones with the color of the sea; wild and yet so full of warmth.
Sapphires.
He had to find her. His body ached with a ferocious craving and made every movement more difficult. That woman… He had seen her before… Where was she?
He couldn't think straight, but the thought of her pushed him forward. He opened a door and wandered down a dark hall. He moved slowly and arbitrarily, often he had to lean against a wall because his sight was too blurred or everything was just a spinning chaos before his eyes. Like a sleepwalker he walked on, a dreamy smile on his lips. The next door he pushed open lead to a small place that inhabited nothing but a big bed and a wardrobe. Without thinking twice he entered the room and stopped at the bedside. The sheets and blankets covered a curvy body that doubtlessly was female. Tracing the line of her side with two fingers he put one knee on the mattress, supporting his weight with his other hand. Releasing a soft moan she turned around and slowly opened her eyes. He towered over her like a phantom and gazed at her face with almost religious admiration. He knew his senses fooled him, but before his inner eye the color of her irises changed from dull gray to a shining blue, her skin began to shine in the weak moonlight and even the color of her hair altered to a soft brown tone.
"My… My Lord?" her voice was nothing but a whisper; still half-asleep. Before she could say anything else he silenced her with a kiss. He felt her confusion but his drugged mind ignored it. The next words that left his mouth confused him, too, though.
"You are so beautiful…" he purred and pressed his lips against her throat. He didn't see his wife when he looked up at her again. The sight that was presented to him took his breath away. Pure perfection, angelically gorgeous and demonically seducing, met his stare.
"I want you… so bad. I can't think about anyone else but you." he moaned, total devotion displayed in his voice. "I'll give you everything for one more night…" Carefully he covered her with his body and began to undress her. His hands wandered all over her. She sucked in her breath when she felt his tender caress between her legs.
Her arms wound around his neck and she kissed him. At first she moved very mechanically, without any feeling but soon Jian elicited more than just sighs from her. Kavelle was very startled, even a little frightened. She hadn't known that her husband was so… good. To her he had always seemed rather unfriendly and indifferent; never before he had acted so passionate. Of course she smelled the alcohol in his breath and saw his by a drug widened pupils, so she could fathom what happened, but as long as he kept going she couldn't care less what had caused his visit. The whole time he mumbled senseless words that confused her even more.
"I have… have to see you again. I can't forget you." he moaned next to her ear. "I will return to you… I will pay every price."
Kavelle shut his voice out and held on to him for the rest of the night while he reveled in fantasies about a woman she didn't know.

Description
"Have some tea, at least." Jin-Mei sighed and held up the simple terracotta colored teapot. She had been quite surprised when she'd found Lanhua on her threshold in the morning. She very rarely visited the servant and even then she never stayed for too long. With a raised eyebrow she examined the other woman's face. She couldn't describe her mood with other words than 'cheerful and confident'. This was a rather unordinary sight. Lanhua was a stubborn, friendly and sometimes irrational person but she never used to overflow with energy and happiness like this. Frankly, it was a little bit annoying. Wondering what had caused that change of heart Jin-Mei poured her friend some of the steaming fluid in her hands. "Are there any news?" she asked, as casually as possible. Taking a sip of her cup her guest shrugged and tried to hide her smile. "I made good money yesterday." She told her.
"So, that's the reason." Jin-Mei muttered. She didn't approve her way of making money. She spent a solid amount of hours worrying about her every day. Of course she didn't tell her.
"Yeah, it's enough for me to actually rent a nice apartment downtown." Lanhua exclaimed and clapped her hands childishly. Wearing a doubtful expression the older woman began to clear the table. "You must have worked hard for that." She commented without meeting her gaze.
"Now that you mention it… I didn't. He didn't order anything extravagant, we just had a little conversation afterwards -which was weird enough -but then he also gave me a huge sum of money. All in all he was very friendly, not like those other jerks I have to serve usually. I think he is a lord, but he didn't tell me his last name so I can't be sure. He looked quite wealthy to me, though; poor men wouldn't throw money around like that.
"I kind of hope he comes again, it was a nice change. You should have seen him, Jin, he looks great. He seems to be about my age, isn't that a coincidence? I always thought men like him don't have to…"
"Lanhua?"
"Yeah?"
"You talk pretty much today."
The two women eyed each other for several seconds; one with a puzzled, the other with an annoyed expression. After a while Jin-Mei sat down again and rested her chin on her folded hands. "Listen, I'm happy for you but you should hear yourself. You sound like you had a crush on this guy."
It took Lanhua some effort to control her features. "Don't be ridiculous, Jin. I'm just happy that I can move out of my place now. I'm grateful to him, that's all." She hurried to explain. How could anyone believe that? She had met Jian just once in her life and even that had lasted at most twenty minutes. As if that would be enough to fall for someone. She wasn't that naïve.
"Fine. I just don't want you to waste your thoughts on someone you'll probably never meet again." Jin-Mei said. Before she could respond the door opened and a tall figure entered the small living room. Internally Lanhua rolled her eyes. At once her friend's body posture changed and you could practically see her mood brighten.
"Good afternoon, ladies." The dark man grinned and came to his wife's side. One arm around Jin-Mei's waist he turned to the brown haired woman.
"Long time no see. Are you joining us for dinner?"
"Hello, Feng. No, I have to go now, anyway." She told him and rose to her feet. She took her jacket and after hugging the couple goodbye she left. The moment he thought Lanhua wasn't watching Feng kissed his woman's cheek.
She always left when Jin-Mei's husband arrived. The loving atmosphere those two created immediately chased her away every time. That was what she wanted. Someone to hold her, someone she could trust. At night she often envied these two. They had the same status as her, they didn't make more money, they didn't live very differently from her, so why couldn't she be as lucky as them?
In contrast to this morning a very chilly wind howled through the streets. Judging by the dark clouds gathering above her head it would rain soon. No ray of sunlight could break through the thick layer of gray covering the sky. The dead, brittle leaves rustled in the tops of the few trees that lined the alley. In some hours her shift would start. She should relax as long as she was still able to. With these thoughts she steered onward. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if Jian would come tonight.

His pen-nib scratched over the thick piece of parchment without writing any words. The ink had run out a few moments ago but Jian couldn't bring himself to move yet. Again and again he traced the last letter he'd written without paying attention. From time to time his sight blurred and he threatened to doze off but every time his head sank down he woke up abruptly. He tried to chase his exhaustion away by blinking several times and then forced himself to proof-read his work. At first he could clearly recognize his hand-writing but after a few paragraphs the sentences began to become sloppy and the breaks between the words were simply not noticeable. The last lines were hopelessly illegible. He fought the urge to throw the whole roll into the red flames crackling in the open fireplace behind him. Heat brushed against back. With a defeated sigh he pushed his work away from him and rested his forehead on the cold marble tabletop. He wouldn't get this done today anymore so he decided to ignore his remaining work altogether. His thoughts had been somewhere else, anyway. Jian stood up and shuffled to the armchair by the fireside. Releasing a low groan he sank against the backrest. He wondered briefly why he was so incredibly tired. It was probably the everyday life that fatigued him so much. Almost involuntarily he groped for the small wooden case standing on the low table next to him. He was too tired to sleep and too awake to dream. A pinch of this powder would help. He opened the box and stared at the violet contents with half-closed eyes. With lazy fingers he stroked over the sand-like substance.
One pinch… two pinches… five… Where was the difference?
He hesitated a moment. The effect would vanish after an hour that way, no matter how much he'd take. Sighing he stood up and went over to the glass cabinet in the back of the room. He didn't measure the amount of powder he poured into the golden cup but in the end a considerable violet hill had formed at the bottom of it. He didn't know why exactly he did such a reckless thing, probably out of boredom. Shrugging a little he took the carafe filled with red wine waiting on the counter and with quick hands decanted the alcohol. An indifferent expression on his tired face he watched the drugs blend with each other. A full, exotic color bloomed in the glass; it reminded him a bit of blood. Licking his lips he returned to his seat and stared into the flames for a while. Then he raised the goblet to his mouth and emptied it in few drafts. He didn't have to wait for its effect. At once a dreamy look appeared in his eyes and his whole body relaxed. The colors around him intensified in a matter of seconds and went blurry in a steady rhythm. What held his interest, though, was the fire. Green, blue and colors he didn't even know danced among the flames. He knew his senses were fooling him, creating a beautifully surreal world. He couldn't care less. He didn't care about anything right now. Everything seemed to be so far away from him; it was as though he was nothing but a ghost in his house, a silent spectator. Flowers bloomed at the core of the fire which grew and grew. It swelled on until it didn't fit into the fireplace anymore and began to wind its way through the room. A slow beat filled his ears, hypnotizing and captivating. Then he understood that it was his own heart pounding in his chest. He listened and slowly closed his eyes. He drifted in and out of a dreaming state while time passed him by. Sometimes it felt like hours were flying by, sometimes like they were creeping. He felt a great, all-consuming satisfaction, as if all his problems simply vanished in the dancing flames. He was sure he was dreaming, but never before his dreams had been so lively. He saw all kinds of shapes and places, he saw singing moonbeams playing tag in the fields, he saw crying oceans drowning themselves, he saw shadows making love to the night, he saw the whole world as a giant fireball somewhere in an endless blackness, only surrounded by countless points of light and then… among those fading images he saw a woman. Her skin seemed to glow and a red light fell on her face, mahogany hair waved around her head like a dark flame. He straightened up a little. She came his way, he believed she was smiling. Her eyes were precious stones with the color of the sea; wild and yet so full of warmth.
Sapphires.
He had to find her. His body ached with a ferocious craving and made every movement more difficult. That woman… He had seen her before… Where was she?
He couldn't think straight, but the thought of her pushed him forward. He opened a door and wandered down a dark hall. He moved slowly and arbitrarily, often he had to lean against a wall because his sight was too blurred or everything was just a spinning chaos before his eyes. Like a sleepwalker he walked on, a dreamy smile on his lips. The next door he pushed open lead to a small place that inhabited nothing but a big bed and a wardrobe. Without thinking twice he entered the room and stopped at the bedside. The sheets and blankets covered a curvy body that doubtlessly was female. Tracing the line of her side with two fingers he put one knee on the mattress, supporting his weight with his other hand. Releasing a soft moan she turned around and slowly opened her eyes. He towered over her like a phantom and gazed at her face with almost religious admiration. He knew his senses fooled him, but before his inner eye the color of her irises changed from dull gray to a shining blue, her skin began to shine in the weak moonlight and even the color of her hair altered to a soft brown tone.
"My… My Lord?" her voice was nothing but a whisper; still half-asleep. Before she could say anything else he silenced her with a kiss. He felt her confusion but his drugged mind ignored it. The next words that left his mouth confused him, too, though.
"You are so beautiful…" he purred and pressed his lips against her throat. He didn't see his wife when he looked up at her again. The sight that was presented to him took his breath away. Pure perfection, angelically gorgeous and demonically seducing, met his stare.
"I want you… so bad. I can't think about anyone else but you." he moaned, total devotion displayed in his voice. "I'll give you everything for one more night…" Carefully he covered her with his body and began to undress her. His hands wandered all over her. She sucked in her breath when she felt his tender caress between her legs.
Her arms wound around his neck and she kissed him. At first she moved very mechanically, without any feeling but soon Jian elicited more than just sighs from her. Kavelle was very startled, even a little frightened. She hadn't known that her husband was so… good. To her he had always seemed rather unfriendly and indifferent; never before he had acted so passionate. Of course she smelled the alcohol in his breath and saw his by a drug widened pupils, so she could fathom what happened, but as long as he kept going she couldn't care less what had caused his visit. The whole time he mumbled senseless words that confused her even more.
"I have… have to see you again. I can't forget you." he moaned next to her ear. "I will return to you… I will pay every price."
Kavelle shut his voice out and held on to him for the rest of the night while he reveled in fantasies about a woman she didn't know.