Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa Read Free

plentiful in the
post-war world, trees for making paper were not.  In a choice between using
trees to rebuild or using trees to make paper, rebuilding won through every
time. 
    In his kitchen
area, there was a fine looking porcelain sink sitting off to one side with a
covered bucket underneath it; a variety of small cupboards were mounted on the
walls.  Shelves on either side had kitchen implements hanging from them or
sitting atop.  A cloak rack sat beside the door with only the man's grey cloak
now hanging from it.  The floor was unfinished wood, with a few rugs here and
there.  Mostly plain single colour rugs, nothing fancy.
    He was by the
sink now, using the bucket to fill a thermal kettle.
    Wonderful
invention Alyssa mused to herself. 
    To think fire
magic could be harnessed for good.  It had been one of the inventions that had
come out of the Six Nations War that wasn't about killing people.  The ' outbreak of peace' (a local expression referring to how quickly, and
unexpectedly, peace had come about) had made a lot of inventions available to
the populace of Argon, ones previously confined to military use. The thermal
kettle, a part magical device that boiled water, was just one.  Possession of a
thermal kettle was further indication that this guy wasn't poor.  Thermal
kettles weren't cheap, and the post war economy wasn't exactly sturdy.
    The kettle
hissed as he set it aflame by rubbing the heat stone beneath it.   He then
turned toward her, smiling awkwardly again.  She decided she liked his smile. 
His manner was cute if not exactly brimming with confidence.
    “So,” he said. 
“what's your name?”
    Yes, it seemed
like a good idea to get names in now.
    “Alyssa.” she
said, finding herself adjusting her glasses again.
    There were a few
seconds of silence save for the kettle hissing.  They stared at each other.
    “And you are?”
she enquired helpfully.
    “Sorry!” he
started, jumping as if from a trance.  “James.  James is my name.  Sorry,
you're a bit distracting...I mean I was a bit distracted!”
    It was actually
quite refreshing for Alyssa to see someone getting more flustered than she
usually got.  She had a good memory of meeting any number of charming young men
in her life and more often than not it ended up with her being the one with her
foot in her mouth.  She didn't always like the attention her beauty gave her. 
She chuckled.
    “You've not done
this often have you?” she asked, trying to offer him some reassurance.
    He sighed, some
of the tension lifting.
    “No, I really
haven't.” he lamented.
    “You're in good
company,” she said looking away, “it's been a while for me too.  You can relax.”
    His relief
manifested itself in a softer smile.
    “I find it
difficult to believe someone as beautiful as you hasn't been in a situation
like this more often.”
    She felt her
cheeks burning.  Yes, vampires could blush.  Though she'd yet to figure out how
considering there was technically no blood in her veins.  Maybe another reason
Nature wanted her dead.  Messing with logical explanations was reserved purely
for the fey, and it was common knowledge that those winged humanoids were made
of magic. To Alyssa's mind, that was a license to get away with it (that or
cheating).
    “Thanks.” she
said more shyly, wiping her face in a vain attempt to hide her discomfort.
    “Sorry.  I've
embarrassed you.”
    Yeah no
kidding.
    “I only meant to
speak the truth.”
    “And now you've
embarrassed me even more!”
    They both
laughed, Alyssa's cheeks burning and his not far behind, but they were enjoying
the situation.  This was most definitely out of the ordinary.  He'd not run
off; he'd started a conversation with her; he'd even invited her into his
house; and now he was flirting with her!
    I'm a vampire
for Saraken's sake!  Humans don't just flirt with me!
    But he was, and
it was marvellous.  Still, it was verging on the too-good-to-be-true now.
     
    The kettle