Enthrall the Night

One Night Love Affair

When the mornin' breaks

We go our separate ways

If the night was made for love, 

it ain't for keeps

But I lose control

As I watch you go

All my senses say 

I'm in this much too deep

Now you're out of reach

One night love affair - Bryan Adams

* * *

Quin looked at the human in front of him, unsure of his next steps. 

She knew now who he was and had changed her behavior accordingly. It was normal, and he was rather used to it. Nevertheless, he did not want it. How could he go back to how they'd been before, when she teased and threatened him, without fear of consequence?

"You look good," he offered. It wasn't a lie. She had changed her attire and put makeup on. It enhanced the liveliness in her eyes. He didn't care much about the rest of the things she had put on. The perfume was too pungent for his taste, and the lipstick would be bothersome if they were to kiss. But, he recognized these as signs of interest, and new women tended to appreciate compliments.

By the looks of it, however, she did not. She put on a fake smile and nodded. Then she signaled him to follow. She guided him through empty halls, to prayer and study rooms he had already seen before. Their silence seemed to grow in those immense chambers. It turned into echoes of nothingness that reached the high ceilings.

"Did they punish you in any way?"

Zoraida stopped in her steps and smiled. Once again, it did not reach her eyes.

"No. On the contrary, they asked me to partake in an Exorcism of Darkness."

"That does not sound enjoyable." He approached her.

"It is a cleansing of the soul."

Standing face to face, with half a step away, they waited. A breath passed between them. A minute passed after. And finally, the tension broke between them.

She chuckled. He answered with an upward movement of the lips, hopefully recognizable as a smile of his own.

"Why don't you show me your favorite place in the temple?" He suggested.

"It is nothing much."

"Still, I would love to see it."

She nodded and made him follow her once more. This time they ended up in one of the inner terraces of the temple. He had seen it from above when guided by the nun earlier that morning.

This patio was smaller than the rest, and maybe because of it; it was not in use. No training equipment had been placed on the grounds, nor was there a space for cultivation. An orange tree grew at the center. Next to it stood a bank. In front lay a petite statue of the Goddess of Light. Some bushes surrounded the patio. That was all.

And yet, Zoraida walked past the tree as if she could walk through plants and walls.

He followed, intrigued. When she stepped to the right, he saw it. Behind the tree, there was a hole in the bushes. It was tall enough for a kid to walk through it, but since they were both adults, they had to bow their heads to enter.