Thread: Au-delà du Temps: Beyond Time (LeatrixSage x SacrlettRose)

A moment ago, there had been bright morning light streaming through dirty windows, dust moats floating everywhere to catch and throw the light a thousand different directions. Now it was dark, with only a small bit of warm candles glow a few feet away. Addie blinked against the darkness, trying to help her eyes adjust. A supple wood floor with a thick layer of polish was slick beneath her hands, the boxes and nick-knacks that had been towering near to the ceiling were all gone in their place, was a spacious and garishly lavish study completely with bookcases and an ornate desk looming large in the shadows. Easy, Addie, youre just going crazy. Are you alright, Madam? a mans voice asked in French so crisp and fast that it took her mind a moment a translate what she had heard. Out of the darkness stepped a tall man with sharp blue eyes that seemed to glow black in the candlelight. Adelaides eyes focused first on the finely tailored blue coat he wore, and then slid down to the tight breaches that completed the look. Like her gown, it screamed early 1800s French fashion, and Addie shook her head to clear it. Addie stared at the hand that he offered her, and then her eyes slid up his arm to his face as he came closer. In the shadows cast by the soft, dancing light behind him, she couldnt quite make out much beyond a faded, five-oclock shadow. That hand he offered her lashed out and lean fingers closed viciously on her upper arm in an iron grip that bit into her skin as he yanked her bodily onto her feet and flush against him. Her hands came out to catch herself and they ended up pressed against his chest where the warmth of his skin radiated through his clothes and his heart beat out a fast rhythm under her palm. This close, she could make out the hard line of his jaw and the thin press of his lips. As she watched his face, she could see one emotion after another chase through across his features until they settled into a flat, controlled anger. Pray tell me, how did you get in here, madam? I do not take kindly to being spied upon , her eyebrows jumped high at the sudden cold timber in his voice. She wasnt spying on anyone. She wasnt even entirely certain if she was dreaming or not. The hand on her arm was holding her so tightly that it was starting to hurt, and the only reason she was docile and pliant was because she had no idea what was happening, where she was, how she had gotten there, or who he was. Im speaking to you, Madam , he snapped, his irritation and failing tolerance with her silence bleeding through to his voice. Talk! Je ne sais pas, I dont know, it was all she could think to say. Her heartbeat jumped into overdrive as adrenaline rushed through her. Her hands began to shake and the world swam. She was fairly certain she wasnt dreaming, but if that was true, then Oh no, Im going to be sick, she thought as her stomach heaved. Adelaide closed her eyes to steady herself, mentally counting to three before she opened one eye and Yep, he was still there, and she was still standing barefoot on the cold floor, in a gown, in an office, and there was music from somewhere filtering into the room, and he was really tall, and Damnit , her arm was really starting to hurt. Let me go, she murmured weakly, pulling at her arm. This grip only tightened, and Addie frown at the offending hand that was bruising her. Let go, I said, her voice grew stronger as the need to throw-up started to fade and anger began to rise to take its place. Anger was good, she could use it to bolster herself up while she figured out just what the hell had happened. Youre hurting me, she hissed at him, but his seeming lack of concern for that fact struck a nerve. His grip was strong, but Addie was no shrinking violet, and she pried those fingers off of her with one hand as she shoved him away with the other. Get off me! Adelaide tried to catch her breath once there was space between them, panic held at bay only by her outrage at him. She grabbed it, latched onto the emotion, and held on tight to keep from hyperventilating. Who are you, she snapped back at him. Giving him a once over, she was decided she had never met him before. What are you doing here? Where is here? she wanted to shout at him. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and stared him down. First thing was first, she was not going to be intimidated, bullied, or manhandled. Okay, but, then what? Figure out where I am, how I got here, and then how I get home. Alright, she had a plan of action. Wait a second, Adelaide spun in a slow circle, realizing just then that there was no door. How do I get out of here?