Sweet silk; Tattered leather

Chapter Two: Getting to know each other

Fable tentatively steps into the massive Gothic, Victorian-style home.

"Wow." She manages through her shivers. Her shivering is quickly getting worse as the rain continues to soak through her clothes.

"Damn, look at you, you poor thing. You are drenched. Is your book okay?" Johnny pants through a shiver, waving away a man in a black suit rushing towards them. The man nods and leaves without a word.

"Oh...no..." Fable whimpers as she looks over the book. The book is completely soaked through, its paperback cover doing little to protect the pages inside.

"I'm sorry. I'll get you a new copy." Johnny says, taking the book from Fable. As he does, the man from before comes back.

"Oh, thank you." Fable manages through the chatter of her teeth as the man offers her a fluffy warm towel. She hastily takes it, doing her best to dry herself off as Johnny takes another towel from the man. He hands the book to the man, which the man tucks under his arm.

"That rain came out of nowhere," Fable mutters as she removes her leather jacket, continuing to dry herself off.

"Thank you, Sam. We'll be heading to the West kitchen. Can you have Amy start my coffee, please?" Johnny asks as he comes up behind Fable.

"Is there more than one kitchen?" Fable asks, gasping slightly when Johnny begins gathering her wild mess of hair.

"Of course sir, a towel for you," Sam says, setting a towel on a table beside the front door. He quickly picks up Fable's jacket, hanging it up before leaving.

"Yes, there is more than one kitchen," Johnny answers as he does his best to wring out her hair. Once he is content with her hair, he sets the towel on the table beside the folded one. Next, he quickly dries his hair, walking off.

"Are you coming?" Johnny asks from the doorway.

"Oh, yes." Fable gasps, setting her towel on top of the one he used for her hair. She rushes after Johnny with pink cheeks, her small boots clicking softly on the Victorian-style tiles.

"Whoa." She mutters in awe as they pass a large painting of flowers.

"Do you like it?" Johnny asks when he realizes she has stopped.

"Yeah, it's very pretty. I wish I could paint half that well." Fable giggles as she looks over at him.

"Thank you. I thought I did a good job on it. The lilies were a little difficult but it was worth it." Johnny grins as he looks up at the picture.

"You did an amazing job. I love lilies and you did an incredible job on them." Fable says, blushing when Johnny takes her hand. He pulls her towards the kitchen as he speaks.

"What other flowers do you like?"

"I'm a little weird there. Most girls like roses, and I love the smell of them but... I think they are just cliche. I'd rather have lilies and wild bleeding hearts or something.... My mom and I used to pick wild lavender and give it to all the old ladies in town." Fable giggles as they enter the kitchen.

"Interesting. Would you like something warm to drink?" Johnny asks as he lets her hand go. He makes his way straight to a coffee pot, which is brewing quietly in the corner.

"Oh, no thank you. I don't drink coffee. It doesn't really agree with me..." Fable says quickly, hesitantly running her hand over the granite countertop of the center island.

"Tea perhaps?" Johnny asks over his shoulder, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Someone was kind enough to leave a cup out for him. Fable can't help but smile when she sees what the cup says.