Acceptance

Acceptance(Part 1)

Acceptance(Part I)

In the small market outside an abandoned Opera Populaire, the sun of the morning was just still not above massive lengths of the house. The morning chill still stuck to the air, and all the surfaces of the leaves were wet as though it had rained.

There were a few early birds on the streets at the market, a man in a black cloak, a young woman with striking blonde hair and grey eyes, and then a couple that seemed to be traveling soon as they collected fresh fruits into a small basket. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," the young blonde said as she bumped into the cloaked figure, breaking the morning's silence. His hat tipped down in agreement to the silent acceptance of an apology.

"Monsieur..." She said timidly, trying not to bother the poor man who was cloaked in shadows. 

"Yes?"

His voice is what caught her and made her completely forget the item on a high shelf of one of the stands.

She stuttered as he still didn't meet her eye. Blinking a few hundred times, she looked at the fruit stand and remembered.

"The, uh, apples are a bit out of reach," she said ashamed that she'd kept him that long.

"How many are you looking to grab?" His voice asked her smoothly. 

The woman blushed.

"Just three. I'm by myself," she laughed, "quite literally."

The small accent that boarded away from French made the man turn to her once he'd obtained her fruit.

"All alone in a big city? No suitor?"

The woman looked up into the face of the man, his hat no longer shading him from her view.

Within a second the shock wore off, "No, Monsieur..." She paused in hopes he'd give her his name.

"Erik Destler," he said and stuck out his hand, though that was the only clear part of him. The rest was resting behind the fogginess of the morning shade.

The woman smiled with a distinct blush, looking at his hand as she laid hers in it gently. He took it to his lips as customary and kissed her gently. This allowed the young woman a sight into his features, though they still seemed quite fuzzy. 

"Elaine Jepsat."

"Elaine..." He seemed to drawl her name. It wasn't affectionately, or with any type of attraction, but there was an interest in her lack of reaction to the man standing in front of her. Well, the lack of what she could see anyways. 

"Yes... Would you possibly want to join me for breakfast..." she rambled like an eager girl as he made her flustered beyond belief. Elaine had no clue as to why she was being this way. 

The man was undoubtedly raising a confused eyebrow at her, but she didn't care when his voice nearly made her fall over. There had been no attraction in his voice, but the mystery of him allured her. This was what induced her to invite a stranger over for breakfast. 

"Possibly. What do you need the apples for?" Erik asked as he followed her back to the vendor, his curiosity and the possible answer practically agreement for breakfast.

"I'm making an apple pie," she said as if it would be the greatest thing he'd ever tasted. Her confidence was intriguing. 

"With three apples?"

"Why would I make a larger one when it is simply me?" Elaine replied with a bit of sarcasm in her voice, teasing the man she'd just met.

Erik already liked her as he smirked and followed her past the vendors.