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Call of Cthulhu: Hunting the Darkness - Quiet Morning, Quiet Words
A new story for Kyn's Call of Cthulhu game. This one is set after the events of the intro session and explores the deepening relationship between two of Aegis' newest operatives, The Painter and The Warden.
The growing light woke her slowly. She had chosen a west-facing apartment specifically so that she could sleep late and paint in the afternoon, but sooner or later even the longest night gave way to midday sun. She murmured softly and snuggled in against Simon, his breathing still deep and even.
She had slept better than she had since returning to New York, since Simon had taken up his rooms at Aegis headquarters and she had returned to her apartment. Perhaps Doctor Evans was right about Simon’s presence being a sleeping aid. She would have to mention it the next time she saw him.
She laid her head on Simon’s chest and listened to his heartbeat, slow and steady. But the movement roused him, and after only a moment he yawned. He shifted a little, wrapping his arm around her bare shoulder. “What time is it?” he asked, his voice still full of sleep.
“Morning,” Marie replied. “Probably.”
“Mmm.”
They lay together a moment longer before Marie finally decided to brave the cool air of the apartment. “Do you want some coffee?”
He considered this for a moment. “Yes.”
Marie smiled and slipped out from between the covers. She took a dressing gown from beside the bed and pulled it around her, belting it at the waist. She caught sight of Simon peeking from behind half-closed eyes and smiled to herself.
She padded over to the kitchenette and busied herself with the kettle and coffee grinder. The only walls in her apartment were to the bathroom; the rest of it was open from door to window. She had never quite gotten around to putting up screens to separate the space. Consequently, she was able to see Simon on the bed as he roused himself and sat up.
She watched him surreptitiously, especially his face. His eyes weren’t darting as much as they sometimes did, and he had not muttered anything to the invisible voices in nearly five minutes. It was a good day, then. She wouldn’t have to be so on guard.
She poured the coffee into two cups and brought them back to the bed. One she kept for herself, and the other she passed over. “As skilled as you are beautiful,” he murmured. “My thanks.”
Marie had the decency to blush. “If you keep flattering me like that, we’ll have to set up a separate wardrobe for you in my apartment.”
She had expected him to give the slight smile he sometimes gave when she amused him, the one that was more in his eyes than his mouth. Instead, his face grew more serious. “I wanted to talk to you,” he said.
Marie shifted on the bed and crossed her legs beneath her. “About what?” she asked, trying to keep her voice lighthearted.
“About us.”
“Oh?” She kept her face neutral, but she could feel the clutches of disappointment wrapping themselves around her. She had had this conversation a half-dozen times in Montmartre. ‘You’re using me to get yourself into the exhibition,’ they would say. ‘Your paintings are too disturbing. You take up too much of my time. Other models are not nearly so demanding.’ She supposed she should have seen it coming with Simon. It was too good to last.
Simon cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “I must admit that when we first began posing as husband and wife, I was in some way using the situation for my own comfort. I was not attentive to your feelings or your needs. But after the kiss in the alley, I found my thoughts taking an unexpected, if delightful, turn.”
“Yes?” She had no idea where he was leading. If he was calling an end to their relationship, it was in the most roundabout way she had ever heard.
“Those thoughts have not abated since we have returned to New York,” he continued. He paused and cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is that I fancy your company. I have found myself becoming quite fond of you. I thought you deserved to know that.”
Marie smiled. He wasn’t breaking up with her after all. She kissed his cheek. “I like you too.”
This time it was Simon who blushed. “I don’t mean to rush things…”
Marie caressed his shoulder lightly with her free hand. “Have you been enjoying yourself?” she asked him.
“I have indeed.”
“And I’ve been enjoying myself.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“So I see no reason for us to stop.” She looked up hopefully.
He smiled with his eyes. “Nor do I.” His expression hardened for a moment. “Though I understand that when people speak about us, they will be speaking more of you than of me.”
Marie rolled her eyes. “Let them.”
“It doesn’t bother you that people speak about you in such a way?”
Marie scoffed. “Respectable people have been speaking about me in that way since I was sixteen. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”
Simon took a sip of his coffee. “Forgive me that those who deem themselves respectable talk in such manner to a woman as clever and beautiful as you. I may not be able to contain my enthusiasm at acquainting them with the truth, but I will attempt not to do so, of course.” He paused, his brow still creased.
Marie leaned in and kissed him. “Is there something else that’s troubling you?”
Simon let out a slow exhale. “Yes.”
Marie drank her coffee and waited. There was no point in rushing him. It would only make him agitated.
“After you left Captain Faraday’s office the other day,” he said eventually, “the good captain accused me of planting suggestions into your mind when I hypnotized you.” He locked eyes with her briefly, then looked down.
“Is that even possible?”
A slight pause. “Yes.”
Marie inhaled and then slowly released it. There had to be trust between the two of them. And she found that she did trust him. She placed a hand on his leg. “I know you didn’t,” she said softly. “You’ve had me at your mercy any number of times over the last few weeks, and you have been nothing but kind. I know your intentions are honorable.”
His eyes strayed to her torso, where the dressing gown had partly slipped aside, revealing the curve of her breast. “Maybe not entirely honorable.”
Marie laughed. “I have no interest in you making me ‘an honest woman,’ no matter what Monsieur Chuck might say. What I mean is, I know you wouldn’t do something like that.”
Simon looked her in the eye, suddenly serious. “I have not, and I would not. I just thought you should be aware, in anticipation of our future painting sessions.”
Now it was Marie’s turn to fidget and look away. “On that note, I don’t think we should.”
She could hear the surprise in Simon’s voice even without looking at him. “No?”
Marie traced a hand along the patterns of the bedspread. “Doctor Evans believes that I should only paint under hypnosis as a last resort. He says if I do it too much, I’ll come to rely on it instead of developing my own skills.”
“And do you believe the good doctor?”
Marie sighed. “Yes.”
“Very well.”
Marie turned around to face him again. “It’s not that I don’t want to – I do. And I’m not usually the one to take a hard path when an easy one exists. My sister could tell you as much. But… this is my life, my painting. And we won’t always be working together. I need to learn how to do this on my own.”
Simon studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I agree.”
Marie closed her eyes. “I suppose I’ll have to start painting again soon.”
She felt his hand on the small of her back. “Not until you’re ready.”
“No,” she said. “Sooner than that.”
“Why so?”
Marie sighed, her eyes still closed. “Have you forgotten that we leave in a week? I thought I would have more time. Time to recover, to heal, to… to become myself again.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
Simon pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be with you,” he said. “We’ll get through it together. It’s not going to be the most easy of journeys, but then again, i suspect that we’ll not have an easy journey again for quite some time. But we have each other.”
“Mademoiselle Elizabeth will also be with us,” Marie said bitterly.
Simon paused. “Yes, I suppose she will.”
“I spent a great deal of time with her, before she left for India. I had gotten used to her moods, more or less. But it seems I’ve forgotten all my old tricks. I don’t know how to manage it anymore.”
Simon held her close and said nothing.
“Are you really her apprentice?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you’ve only met her twice.”
“Three times, now,” he replied.
“She can’t have taught you very much yet.”
“Nothing at all, in point of fact. There is a rather lot of knowledge surrounding the practices and beliefs of many different cultures. However, many of said practices are not as... accurate as I had previously wished. Lady Elizabeth tells me I have the gift. If I did not, I...” His voice faltered for a moment. “I would not have been able to command the spirit.”
Marie rested her head in the crook of neck. “I hope your training is easier than mine.”
Simon smirked. “With an instructor like Miss Elizabeth?”
“Do you think I’m foolish, to speak about her this way?”
Simon’s hand massaged her back where it rested. “I think anyone who is not at least somewhat apprehensive around Miss Elizabeth is madder than I.”
Marie turned and looked at him. It was easy to forget, sometimes. She shook her head and kissed him. “Enough serious conversation,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
A look of relief passed over his features before he could stop it. “Nor do I.”
“Do you want to go for breakfast before we check in with Aegis?”
There was almost no hesitation this time. “Yes. They must be wondering where I am.”
Marie smiled and kissed him again. “They know where you are.”
Simon cocked an eyebrow. “Do they?”
Marie shrugged. “I’m under constant surveillance. It was one of the conditions for having my own apartment.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
Marie went to take a sip of her coffee and realized the cup was empty. “No,” she said. “I’ve already been kidnapped twice by people who meant to do me ill. I’d rather Aegis know where I am so they can rescue me if it happens again.”
She could see the thoughts working through Simon’s mind. “Then they know I was with you last night.”
Marie shrugged. “They won’t interfere. And they won’t say anything to our faces. They’ll just talk amongst themselves and place bets that they will try terribly to deny if we ask them about it.” She grinned.
Simon matched her expression. “I suppose we should get dressed, then, lest they start placing bets over whether we’ll sleep past noon.”
Marie looked out of the window. “We may have already,” she admitted. “Which reminds me, Mr. Robinson and some of the others are going down to paint by the river this afternoon. Would you like to join us?”
“I would,” said Simon sincerely, “but I am meeting with my doctor this afternoon. No doubt an outing to the river would be more pleasurable.”
“You met with your doctor yesterday,” Marie pointed out.
“Yes.”
She let her hand drift down until her hand rested on top of his. “Is it that bad?” she asked softly.
Simon cleared his throat. “My doctors wish to monitor my mental state, given the recent excitement. I cannot fault them for their vigilance.”
Marie looked down, then forced herself to smile and look up. “Dinner, then? I can come pick you up when we’re done painting.”
Simon nodded and returned the smile. “I’d like that very much indeed, my dear.”
Marie took the empty cups and rolled out of bed. “I suppose we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
Simon caught the cord of her dressing gown’s belt and pulled her back towards him. One hand slipped beneath the fabric. “Perhaps we can keep them waiting a few minutes.”
Marie smiled and set the cups on the bedside table. She crawled back onto the bed and pushed down on both his shoulders, pinning him with delicate hands. “Perhaps a few minutes,” she agreed.
Quiet Morning, Quiet Words
The growing light woke her slowly. She had chosen a west-facing apartment specifically so that she could sleep late and paint in the afternoon, but sooner or later even the longest night gave way to midday sun. She murmured softly and snuggled in against Simon, his breathing still deep and even.
She had slept better than she had since returning to New York, since Simon had taken up his rooms at Aegis headquarters and she had returned to her apartment. Perhaps Doctor Evans was right about Simon’s presence being a sleeping aid. She would have to mention it the next time she saw him.
She laid her head on Simon’s chest and listened to his heartbeat, slow and steady. But the movement roused him, and after only a moment he yawned. He shifted a little, wrapping his arm around her bare shoulder. “What time is it?” he asked, his voice still full of sleep.
“Morning,” Marie replied. “Probably.”
“Mmm.”
They lay together a moment longer before Marie finally decided to brave the cool air of the apartment. “Do you want some coffee?”
He considered this for a moment. “Yes.”
Marie smiled and slipped out from between the covers. She took a dressing gown from beside the bed and pulled it around her, belting it at the waist. She caught sight of Simon peeking from behind half-closed eyes and smiled to herself.
She padded over to the kitchenette and busied herself with the kettle and coffee grinder. The only walls in her apartment were to the bathroom; the rest of it was open from door to window. She had never quite gotten around to putting up screens to separate the space. Consequently, she was able to see Simon on the bed as he roused himself and sat up.
She watched him surreptitiously, especially his face. His eyes weren’t darting as much as they sometimes did, and he had not muttered anything to the invisible voices in nearly five minutes. It was a good day, then. She wouldn’t have to be so on guard.
She poured the coffee into two cups and brought them back to the bed. One she kept for herself, and the other she passed over. “As skilled as you are beautiful,” he murmured. “My thanks.”
Marie had the decency to blush. “If you keep flattering me like that, we’ll have to set up a separate wardrobe for you in my apartment.”
She had expected him to give the slight smile he sometimes gave when she amused him, the one that was more in his eyes than his mouth. Instead, his face grew more serious. “I wanted to talk to you,” he said.
Marie shifted on the bed and crossed her legs beneath her. “About what?” she asked, trying to keep her voice lighthearted.
“About us.”
“Oh?” She kept her face neutral, but she could feel the clutches of disappointment wrapping themselves around her. She had had this conversation a half-dozen times in Montmartre. ‘You’re using me to get yourself into the exhibition,’ they would say. ‘Your paintings are too disturbing. You take up too much of my time. Other models are not nearly so demanding.’ She supposed she should have seen it coming with Simon. It was too good to last.
Simon cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “I must admit that when we first began posing as husband and wife, I was in some way using the situation for my own comfort. I was not attentive to your feelings or your needs. But after the kiss in the alley, I found my thoughts taking an unexpected, if delightful, turn.”
“Yes?” She had no idea where he was leading. If he was calling an end to their relationship, it was in the most roundabout way she had ever heard.
“Those thoughts have not abated since we have returned to New York,” he continued. He paused and cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is that I fancy your company. I have found myself becoming quite fond of you. I thought you deserved to know that.”
Marie smiled. He wasn’t breaking up with her after all. She kissed his cheek. “I like you too.”
This time it was Simon who blushed. “I don’t mean to rush things…”
Marie caressed his shoulder lightly with her free hand. “Have you been enjoying yourself?” she asked him.
“I have indeed.”
“And I’ve been enjoying myself.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“So I see no reason for us to stop.” She looked up hopefully.
He smiled with his eyes. “Nor do I.” His expression hardened for a moment. “Though I understand that when people speak about us, they will be speaking more of you than of me.”
Marie rolled her eyes. “Let them.”
“It doesn’t bother you that people speak about you in such a way?”
Marie scoffed. “Respectable people have been speaking about me in that way since I was sixteen. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”
Simon took a sip of his coffee. “Forgive me that those who deem themselves respectable talk in such manner to a woman as clever and beautiful as you. I may not be able to contain my enthusiasm at acquainting them with the truth, but I will attempt not to do so, of course.” He paused, his brow still creased.
Marie leaned in and kissed him. “Is there something else that’s troubling you?”
Simon let out a slow exhale. “Yes.”
Marie drank her coffee and waited. There was no point in rushing him. It would only make him agitated.
“After you left Captain Faraday’s office the other day,” he said eventually, “the good captain accused me of planting suggestions into your mind when I hypnotized you.” He locked eyes with her briefly, then looked down.
“Is that even possible?”
A slight pause. “Yes.”
Marie inhaled and then slowly released it. There had to be trust between the two of them. And she found that she did trust him. She placed a hand on his leg. “I know you didn’t,” she said softly. “You’ve had me at your mercy any number of times over the last few weeks, and you have been nothing but kind. I know your intentions are honorable.”
His eyes strayed to her torso, where the dressing gown had partly slipped aside, revealing the curve of her breast. “Maybe not entirely honorable.”
Marie laughed. “I have no interest in you making me ‘an honest woman,’ no matter what Monsieur Chuck might say. What I mean is, I know you wouldn’t do something like that.”
Simon looked her in the eye, suddenly serious. “I have not, and I would not. I just thought you should be aware, in anticipation of our future painting sessions.”
Now it was Marie’s turn to fidget and look away. “On that note, I don’t think we should.”
She could hear the surprise in Simon’s voice even without looking at him. “No?”
Marie traced a hand along the patterns of the bedspread. “Doctor Evans believes that I should only paint under hypnosis as a last resort. He says if I do it too much, I’ll come to rely on it instead of developing my own skills.”
“And do you believe the good doctor?”
Marie sighed. “Yes.”
“Very well.”
Marie turned around to face him again. “It’s not that I don’t want to – I do. And I’m not usually the one to take a hard path when an easy one exists. My sister could tell you as much. But… this is my life, my painting. And we won’t always be working together. I need to learn how to do this on my own.”
Simon studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I agree.”
Marie closed her eyes. “I suppose I’ll have to start painting again soon.”
She felt his hand on the small of her back. “Not until you’re ready.”
“No,” she said. “Sooner than that.”
“Why so?”
Marie sighed, her eyes still closed. “Have you forgotten that we leave in a week? I thought I would have more time. Time to recover, to heal, to… to become myself again.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
Simon pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be with you,” he said. “We’ll get through it together. It’s not going to be the most easy of journeys, but then again, i suspect that we’ll not have an easy journey again for quite some time. But we have each other.”
“Mademoiselle Elizabeth will also be with us,” Marie said bitterly.
Simon paused. “Yes, I suppose she will.”
“I spent a great deal of time with her, before she left for India. I had gotten used to her moods, more or less. But it seems I’ve forgotten all my old tricks. I don’t know how to manage it anymore.”
Simon held her close and said nothing.
“Are you really her apprentice?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you’ve only met her twice.”
“Three times, now,” he replied.
“She can’t have taught you very much yet.”
“Nothing at all, in point of fact. There is a rather lot of knowledge surrounding the practices and beliefs of many different cultures. However, many of said practices are not as... accurate as I had previously wished. Lady Elizabeth tells me I have the gift. If I did not, I...” His voice faltered for a moment. “I would not have been able to command the spirit.”
Marie rested her head in the crook of neck. “I hope your training is easier than mine.”
Simon smirked. “With an instructor like Miss Elizabeth?”
“Do you think I’m foolish, to speak about her this way?”
Simon’s hand massaged her back where it rested. “I think anyone who is not at least somewhat apprehensive around Miss Elizabeth is madder than I.”
Marie turned and looked at him. It was easy to forget, sometimes. She shook her head and kissed him. “Enough serious conversation,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
A look of relief passed over his features before he could stop it. “Nor do I.”
“Do you want to go for breakfast before we check in with Aegis?”
There was almost no hesitation this time. “Yes. They must be wondering where I am.”
Marie smiled and kissed him again. “They know where you are.”
Simon cocked an eyebrow. “Do they?”
Marie shrugged. “I’m under constant surveillance. It was one of the conditions for having my own apartment.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
Marie went to take a sip of her coffee and realized the cup was empty. “No,” she said. “I’ve already been kidnapped twice by people who meant to do me ill. I’d rather Aegis know where I am so they can rescue me if it happens again.”
She could see the thoughts working through Simon’s mind. “Then they know I was with you last night.”
Marie shrugged. “They won’t interfere. And they won’t say anything to our faces. They’ll just talk amongst themselves and place bets that they will try terribly to deny if we ask them about it.” She grinned.
Simon matched her expression. “I suppose we should get dressed, then, lest they start placing bets over whether we’ll sleep past noon.”
Marie looked out of the window. “We may have already,” she admitted. “Which reminds me, Mr. Robinson and some of the others are going down to paint by the river this afternoon. Would you like to join us?”
“I would,” said Simon sincerely, “but I am meeting with my doctor this afternoon. No doubt an outing to the river would be more pleasurable.”
“You met with your doctor yesterday,” Marie pointed out.
“Yes.”
She let her hand drift down until her hand rested on top of his. “Is it that bad?” she asked softly.
Simon cleared his throat. “My doctors wish to monitor my mental state, given the recent excitement. I cannot fault them for their vigilance.”
Marie looked down, then forced herself to smile and look up. “Dinner, then? I can come pick you up when we’re done painting.”
Simon nodded and returned the smile. “I’d like that very much indeed, my dear.”
Marie took the empty cups and rolled out of bed. “I suppose we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
Simon caught the cord of her dressing gown’s belt and pulled her back towards him. One hand slipped beneath the fabric. “Perhaps we can keep them waiting a few minutes.”
Marie smiled and set the cups on the bedside table. She crawled back onto the bed and pushed down on both his shoulders, pinning him with delicate hands. “Perhaps a few minutes,” she agreed.