The Savior and the Victim


Seeing the expression on Soren's face soften to one of good humor, Morgan chuckled and allowed her tense posture to relax. It seemed that his anger, at least, was not directed toward her in any way. She felt relieved about this, that his temper was caused by the cost of her alcohol or how late she'd come in to respond to his request of the previous day. Sliding one of the slender white cylinders from the pack, Morgan held it between her fingers for a moment while pondering the contents of her pockets.

"Do you have a light?" she inquired finally, patting down the pockets of her cargo pants just to be sure that she didn't have a lighter somewhere on her. She held the tip out to him, assuming that he had some way of lighting it as his own was lit. With her free hand, she tugged at her tee shirt until she was satisfied with it. The drinks placed before them had been ordered by Soren just before he'd offered her the cigarette but she hadn't caught what he'd ordered and she sniffed it experimentally.

"My day has been all right. Just difficult. I had the day off, so I spent it having a friend help me with something" she replied, holding the shot up to her nose and swirling its contents a little. She didn't think anything sinister of the drink, she just didn't know what it was and was worried that it might be something with a sharper taste of more burn that she was used to drinking.

"How has your day been?" She glanced up at him, her tentative smile still on her face. He'd been nothing but nice to her so far and she was terribly afraid of saying something that might make him annoyed.
 
Rather than dig yout his lighter he leans in and touches the cherry of his cigarette to yours puffing lightly on it so it glows hot enough to light your smoke. He leans back after you have it lit and sighs lightly."It went as well as i could have. Some small complications arose with a project im working on however i soon expect it to be rectified." He dosent seem overly upset, both people here recignise that we wont tell each other the complete truth however we can come close. Well, not in a bar with no privacy anyway."So Morgan, hows the love life treating you?"He says it as a joke, but in truth hes fishing for information.
 

When Soren leaned in to touch the tip of his cigarette to Morgan's, her cheeks tinged with pink and she lifted it up to her lips to take a drag before the cigarette went out again. The man across from her seemed entirely at ease despite his statement about things not going as he planned. Just like Morgan, he appeared not to be revealing too much information. She didn't want to paint herself as vaguely dodgy or criminalistic and he must be concealing something as well. Figuring that it was only fair for him to get to keep his secrets, Morgan shrugged and exhaled a puff of smoke before smiling once again.

The smile faded fairly quickly from her features when he asked about her love life and her gaze flicked down to the drink on the table. She knew fully well that her brokenness had been a deterrent for most men, a project too big for any guy in their late teens to early twenties to take on. She had hoped that eventually, someone would be brave enough to want to give her those flowers she'd seen other girls hold so lovingly. She's still understood their reasonings, their aversion. She couldn't blame them, really. It was hard enough for her to find friends that didn't mind never being able to see where she lived - her ragtag group was mostly composed of individuals likes her from broken homes and less than ideal families.

"Oh, that. Well, I just have a lot on my plate and everything. Most guys want someone with a little more... uh, availability. You know" she shifted in her seat a little, weighing the fact that she wasn't really lying. They wanted someone a little more emotionally available to take care of them, instead of someone in need of their wounds being healed. "You seem pretty comfortable, though, eh?" She was reminded of the previous night and his coldness toward her question. Should she refrain about asking him the same questions in return? Instead, she chose the route that would likely lead to her feeling worse about it all.

"Mmmm. How long were you waiting?"
 
He sighs lightly, nodding his agreement as he sips his whiskey."Let me be blunt Morgan, i know of your home conditions and seek to remedy this."He holds up his hand to cut you off."I know what your thinking and this isnt it. I have money, more tyhan i know what to do with in fact. I would like you to come live with me so i can prosecute those worthless peices of shit. How someone can harm their own blood is beyond me........"He trails off into a multi-lingual string of explicitevs that make the bartenders cheeks flush.
 

With her drink half-raised to her lips by the time that Soren had begun to speak, Morgan very nearly dropped her glass. Her eyes widened perceptibly as she set the glass back down on the wooden surface as glanced up at Soren's face. Her cigarette was left to dangle loosely from her mouth, just barely held in place to keep it from dropping. The expression of disbelief on her face was evident, even to the bartender who was nowhere near them. She felt as though she'd been tossed gracelessly into some sort of dream or alternate reality, yet she knew that this was not the explanation.

Blinking in silence for a minute, Morgan didn't know quite what to say. It was true that, like many girls, she had dreamed of a white knight coming to rescue her. However, her dreams had been fairly decimated from a young age, so she hadn't expected to ever speak with someone who had any such drive to protect her. To have met someone at random in a bar made her even more incredulous. Still, with the conditions in her current home being so deplorable, she was hardly scared of anything else. What worse, really, could be done?

Still, she was afraid to take on an offer so lightly. What if he didn't realize what a burden she was and grew unhappy with her? It was lucky that her bruises were so fresh and so painful, else she might not have considered his offer so seriously. She could hardly touch her own hand to her face though, for the pain, and she wasn't quite sure if her nose was broken or not. On the verge of tears again, her lower lip pouted out and she plucked the cigarette from her mouth before it could fall.

"A-are you serious?" her eyes prickled at the edges with salty tears that threatened to dribble down her cheeks. She hoped that her willingness to comply didn't lead to any misgivings. After all, she wasn't even certain how he knew what her home life was like. Still, what alcohol she'd already imbibed mixed with her utter misery of the night was making his offer sound more reasonable than it would have to practically anyone else. Her fingers on the hand not holding her cigarette gripped the material of the shirt and she was trying hard not to cry. Even if he did get sick of her, she reasoned, a place to sleep that wasn't her house couldn't be so bad.

"I mean, like... when? Tonight? Is tonight too soon? I don't have a lot of stuff I need..."
 
As he watches your reactions to his offer he damns those useless sacks of flesh to hell and back for what they have done to you."Yes Morgan, tonight is fine and yes i AM serious. Everything you need will be looked after for you either by me or one of the servants around my manor."He grinds out his butt and drinks the rest of his whiskey hopeing she accepts. He carefully keeps his emotions off his face, years of being let down has taught him not to get his hopes up. He begins singing a soft hymn in gaelic."Sulen dubeh du- be du, Sulen dU be eh hem, Sulen du-be du be du, Corm ye capo dallie....." He trails off.
 

Everything seemed to have suddenly sped up, time was no longer inching by slowly as it had been only a minute before. Morgan couldn't believe what she was hearing, could barely believe that she hadn't stumbled into some sort of dream brought on by the alcohol and being knocked out. If it hadn't been for the exceedingly tedious time spent making the new ID, she might have more readily believed that train of thought, though. The offer, all of it, seemed too good to be true. Raising her hand to her lips, she nibbled on one of her nails, trying to process everything that was going on. Not only was he offering her a way out, he was doing it of his own volition. Her hesitance stemmed mostly from not wanting to jump into this wholeheartedly only to be disappointed again with life. She hardly noticed when he started singing, so caught up in her own thoughts.

"That would be... that would be really kind of you. I don't know how to thank you. I'll work to earn my keep. I mean, I don't make a long of money but I don't cost that much either, you know?" She was eager, but she didn't want him to regret her presence, either. She didn't want to seem overexcited, but she was curious to see everything. She couldn't believe that something so incredible could happen to her, especially without any real effort of her own. She'd always suspected that good people existed and some people were so lucky as to be rescued, but she never really had any proof before.

Turning her gaze up to his face, she searched the pensive expression for some indication of why he might care about her situation. Her eventual conclusion was his disgust for their actions, which was clearly evident. Had he been mistreated in the same fashion by someone and this was his revenge? She didn't know, but she could feel the beginnings of happy tears and decided to try to quash these. Unexpectedly, she leaned forward in her chair, embracing him around the shoulders as tightly as she could without touching her sensitive bruising to his clothing.

"Thank you. I won't be any trouble at all, I promise!"
 
He smiles openly when you accept his offer." Im glad you wish to come although i really must say you needent work. All i ask is you keep your room reasonably tidy to take some work off the servants back's."I watch her searching gaze and smile in return of it."I knew you would be no trouble Morgan, you dont have to re-iterate Although i do wonder. Would you allow me to teach you hand-to-hand so no one can take you for granted again?" His eyebrow twitches upward, you can tell you dont have to say yes. Its just an offer.
 

Chuckling nervously, Morgan raised her hand to her lips, briefly concealing her mouth. There was so much that she hadn't considered at all about everything. She was actually going somewhere else to live, away from her home and she wouldn't have to go back. He was offering her a glimpse into the future, a promise of next time, should someone try to hurt her. Lowering her hand, Morgan stared speechless at his face for another minute. She was now excited, thoughts spinning through her head about what she would do. She had classes tomorrow, but after that, she would be able to go to the store to buy new clothes. The day after that, she had work again and she intended on asking for more hours, just to see. She'd even volunteer to work at stores farther away if they needed shifts picked up and... oh! What if he lived far away? She would need to transfer, or get a job elsewhere.

"There are so many things, though. I don't want to be a burden to you..." She wasn't so much concerned with working as she was with how much things cost. New clothes, since she didn't want to go back to her home, food for herself... It was a lot to consider for her, especially on such short notice. Brushing her hair away from her face, she stood up from her chair. Her finished drink was set on the table. She didn't want to rush him, but she was excited.

"Do you think, uh? I mean, if you're ready to go... I'm. Excited?"
 
He nods, happy you have accepted his offer."Ready whenever you are Morgan." He smiles at you"Stop worrying so much, do you think i would make such an offer without food and clothes attached? its all covered Morgan im honestly too rich for my own good." He stands and walks out of the bar, knowing you will follow and gets into a Mustang gt. Starting the car he knows you wont be long before you arrive.
 

Following close behind Soren, as quickly as was possible while thanking the bartender profusely. The man smiled and waved to her as she hurried out the door. She glanced around for a moment, unsure of where the man had gotten to, not even thinking that he might have a car. After all, no one really had cars around where she was. Her father had one, and Belv had one, but those were for work and Belv's had belonged to his father anyway. The purr of an engine coming to life was what prompted her to look for a car instead.

Glancing down to the only car present, she admired the sleek lines of the automobile with a surprised glance. It this was the car that he was driving, maybe he did have a lot of money after all. Unsure of what to do, Morgan wandered over to the passenger side of the car. Morgan felt a little self-conscious of her dirty shoes and rumpled clothing looking at the car. Hesitantly, she tugged on the door handle and pulled open the door. The inside of the car was, if possible, nicer than the outside. Morgan bit her lip and slid onto the smooth black leather of the car.

"How far away is your house?" she asked, resisting the urge to press her nose against the window as the car pulled onto the road and the buildings slid past the windows.
 
The humm of the powerfull V8 motor is pretty cool as we drive along."About ten miles, but it wont take long in this baby, ill have you a car by the end of the week. You can drive right?" He asks politley as he motors along without a care in the world In the distance you see a large house aproaching us, we turn into the drive. He wasent kidding when he said he has money. The place is a goddam mansion!
 

Everything around Morgan was positively awe-inspiring. She flicked her head right and left, taking in the surroundings. The house was quite large, vast compared to what she was used to from her life with her parents. The comment that he had made about her driving, however, caused a fresh wave of embarrassment to wash over her and her cheeks flushed a little pink. He was being kind enough to offer to help her get a car, and she couldn't even drive one! It felt crushingly useless of her, but she'd never had much of a reason to learn and it wasn't as though her parents had been eager teachers.

"No, I'm afraid to say that I can't drive" she admitted bashfully. The car was stopped now and he was already sliding gracefully out of the opened car door. Feeling far less nimble, she grabbed the door handle and opened it but standing up from the car, she felt absolutely clumsy. She tried to close the car door without slamming it, but the thud of it still sounded louder than she might have hoped for and she winced perceptibly.

"So... you live here all alone? In this big house?" she continued, before he had responded to her earlier confession. She felt tiny standing next to the structure and it was even bigger than it had seemed when she was in the car. She could realistically picturing getting lost in a building so big and wondered how he managed not to do the same thing on a frequent basis.
 
He smiles at that."I will have to teach you then, no problem." He gets out and dosent really mind you slammed the door since he did it too to make you feel slightly better."I am afraid i do live quite alone. Its rather boorinng here but if you go exploring you never know what you may find. Keeps things interesting." Yep, hes insane and he knows it. "Shall we go inside?" He holds the door of his mansion open for you."Welcome home Morgan."
 

Stepping hesitantly through the door, Morgan was taken aback immediately by the luxurious foyer that they stepped into from the outside. Her eyes flicked around the room, trying to take in all the sights and maybe memorize them in case something happened and she couldn't savor the beautiful room for as long as she would like. The flooring was pale wood, waxed to a glossy shine so that she could see the shimmering form of her reflection in its surface. On either side of the room, two staircases with darker wooden banisters wound in an arc to the same landing perhaps fifteen feet higher than the floor that they stood on. A thick rug in tones of gold and olive led back into an adjoining room behind the staircases. There were also two doors, one on the right wall and a second on the left wall, mirroring one another.

For such a large room, it was surprisingly well-lit, with grand windows providing brilliant sunlight for them to see by. The entire scene made Morgan feel small and insignificant and she edged instinctively to Soren's side. Her wide eyes could not begin to memorize every detail of the room, it was too much, but she still tried. The delicate swoops of the design on the rug to the number of steps on the staircases, she tried to remember it all. It was a moment before she realized that she hadn't even moved past the entryway into the mansion yet and was still standing in front of the door.

Turning her head to Soren for guidance on what she should do next, she realized that she had shrunken to his side so much that he was an arm's reach from her . Laughing nervously, she stepped into the foyer. Her assumption of where the rooms would be led her to stand on the first step of the left staircase. She was excited to see the place, since he was being so welcoming, and she wanted to show her appreciation for the many kind things the man had done for her thus far, as well as was planning to do. The offer to teach her to drive was one of the nicest things anyone had ever even said to her, let alone done for her.

"Is this where the rooms are?" she inquired, a smile spreading across her features.
 
Soren cant help but smile at the look on your face. When your not looking it turns into a viscious scowl. It shouldrnt have to come to this, never should family do such evil to each other. Before you see his expression he schools it back into a pleasent one."The rooms are up that flight of stairs and on the left. If you would like i could show you them."
 

"Ah, yes! I would like that very much!" Morgan missed any sour expression that had been on the man's face, instead trying to upkeep a happy feeling. She felt deeply embarrassed about someone taking her in off of the streets like a stray kitten, which was essentially the case, but if so then she felt as though she should at least stop complaining about feeling bad about it. She laughed, inwardly, at the idea of telling herself that she needed to act more like a stray kitten, but such was the case. She would do her best to be an amicable companion from this point forth.

When Soren had reached the stairs, Morgan spun a little and shifted her weight, intent on grabbing his hand with her own. She did not calculate into the mix the highly polished wooden steps and her clumsy movements in worn-out trainers. Morgan's mouth opened in surprise, though she made no sound, and her eyes were wide with shock instead of excitement or awe. It wasn't very far a fall, but with her intended direction and momentum, she ended up falling right into the arms of her rescuer.

She was a little glad that she hadn't had the chance to grab his hand, now, one of her many embarrassed thoughts within the split second. Her face was pressed against his shirt and in turn, his chest. She was so close to him for that moment that she could smell his cologne, mixed with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes.
Pulling away almost fast enough to then trip backwards over the next stair, Morgan tried to hide the face that her face was burning bright red. He caught her, she tried to remind herself, and she buried her face in her hands while trying to thank him for it.

"Sorry, I tripped and fell and the stairs are all slippery and I didn't know and..." Her plan for being an unobtrusive and pleasant stay cat to stave off the loneliness of the large house was not going well, specifically the unobtrusive part of the sentiment. She made her way without any further slipping to the top of the stairs, so embarrassed that she was trying to avoid catching Soren's eye.
 
Soren begins walking up the stairs, when you slip he of course catches you. Underneath that coat of his he really is well toned. He mooves quickly and catches you against himself. He looks down not unkindly."You should be carefull Morgan, its a rather harsh fall down stairs." He helps you regain your balence and leads you to the hall in question. "Pick a room Morgan and its yours."
 

Thoroughly embarrassed now, Morgan glanced from one side of the hall to the other, trying to avoid looking Soren in the face. She approached the first door to the left and pushed it open gently too peer inside at the room. The walls were bland and white, the bed covered in white sheets with a white comforter adorned in eyelet lace. Even the curtains were snowy in color, blending against the walls. Her eyes scanned the room, pleased at least that it was clean and comforting looking.

Morgan was halfway through spinning on her heel to face Soren when she remembered her embarrassment and stopped halfway through. Instead, she paused, her eyes on the doorframe. She placed her palm against the frame and looked instead at her feet. "Soren, do all the rooms look like this?" she had nothing against the room, it was nicer than her room at her own house, she couldn't complain. Still, she was curious to know if there was any point in looking at the rest of the rooms or if they were all the same.

"Not that this one is bad, I just don't want to look in all the rooms if all the rooms are the same" Morgan laughed nervously, still not lifting her head for fear of her pink cheeks showing.
 
He laughs. A deep rich sound."The general lay out dosent change much but the colors do. There was a room put in this manor to suit anyones tastes. For instance i could show you mine."With that he walks off and stops at a door. Inside is a room of deep velvet green with dark highlights in it. There is a desk a large bed and a wardrobe in it."Do you like it?"
 
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