Warren Part Two

After knocking gently on the door, Warren stood in the tranquil hallway, the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof above stirring a sense of serenity within him. A small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, he couldn't help but savor the beauty of a rainy night. The rain washing away the dirt and grime that clung to the city, giving it a fresh start. In the warm morning sunlight after a heavy rain, everything seems so new and polished, almost as if it was reborn. The remnants of what it was yesterday can still be seen of course. After all, it is not easy to for a leopard to change its spots, even if they were painted on, but regardless the atmosphere always transforms from dismal to inviting.

"Coming." Alyssa's voice, soft and melodic, drifted out from behind the door as she answered Warren's knock. Warren was struck by the sound of her voice, and wondered if its pleasantness was natural or a habit picked up from the role-playing scenarios she was so experienced with. With a creak, the door opened, and Warren was greeted with his first sight of Alyssa.

Alyssa had her hair loosely tied up, wearing a plain white t-shirt that was slightly baggy, hiding her small frame. Her beautiful legs were mostly revealed as she wore shorts that stopped a couple of inches down her thigh. She was dressed very casually, as if a friend was popping by after work for some beers. Bringing a slight relief to Warren as the attire meant she wasn't likely going to act out one of her roleplays. A slight annoyance was visible on her face as she welcomed Warren into her apartment and walked further inside. Warren couldn't help but wonder if it was something she sported to all patrons who came at this time of day requesting her services. After all coming home late on a rainy day is surely a scenario that would fit nicely into her list of roleplays or if Warren himself was responsible.

Stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him, Warren removes his coat and hat, placing them on a rack, and soon after, his shoes. As he does, Warren chides himself for scrutinizing everything Alyssa does, if he's going to spend his time with Alyssa doubting her every move, then what was the point of coming? He is here to enjoy himself, Warren needs to remember that only, who cares about anything before or after this night. Warren needs to let himself be drawn into the moment and forget everything else. With renewed vigor Warren walks further into the apartment letting a natural confident smile emerge on his face.

Warren followed in Alyssa's footsteps and found himself in a tiny studio flat. The living room was equipped with the usual items: a TV, couch, and a small coffee table with a opened bag of chips on it. To the right, a dining area with two chairs behind the kitchen counter. Moving towards the kitchen, Warren noticed Alyssa rummaging through the refrigerator now sporting an additional apron over her clothes. He took a seat at the counter and watched her while she grumbled things Warren couldn't make out under her breath.

"What has got you so riled up, Alyssa?" Warren asked with a hint of teasing in his voice, already having an inkling of the cause of her annoyance. "You Warren" Alyssa said shootings him an irritated look and taking out a few ingredients from the refrigerator before placing them on the counter. She then met his gaze and continued. "Just so you know for the future, when you request courtesans, they get a full profile of the patron they are going to meet. That way, they can adequately prepare themselves to act out the scenario without any issues. But you, Warren, you just filled out the form with any for most of the answers. The only real information you gave was casual. How is that helpful?" Alyssa huffed, stretching up on her tippy toes to grab some dishes from the cabinet above her. Warren watched her with a small, amused smile on his lips as she aired her grievances.

Before Warren could even open his mouth to reply, Alyssa had already set the dishes down on the counter. Her tone swiftly changing dramatically from one of hostility to one of gentle concern as she asked, "Are you allergic to anything?" Warren gave a slight smile, amused at the swift alteration in her demeanor, and replied, "No, no allergies. You can continue."

Alyssa shot a small glare at Warren for his flippant attitude, which seemed more playful then truly angry to Warren, before putting the vegetables into a bowl to wash in the sink. Jumping back into her rant Alyssa continues where she left off. "You want casual, fine, then here it is. My own personal apartment and the clothes I normally wear around the place. Hope you like it. Then, we get to the skills section and cooking I can understand it's late and you probably haven't eaten dinner yet, but if you just wanted to eat, the Manor has chefs that can make food and have it delivered to your room or even waiting for you when you arrive. Why do you need a courtesan skilled in it?" She briefly peeked back inside the fridge before turning back to Warren and asking, "Are you vegetarian or have any other dietary restrictions?"

"No again Alyssa, feel free to cook whatever you want I'm not picky with food." Warren says, getting up from the counter and moving into the kitchen. "Oh, planning on helping, can you even cook?" Alyssa says looking at him with surprise. "Of course" Warren replies "I was never planning on letting you do this alone. I'll cut up the vegetables and work on the side dishes, you concentrate on the main course." Warren moves to place the now washed vegetables onto the prepared cutting board.

Alyssa sighed as she pulled out some meat from the fridge. "Fine, however you still haven't answered my question, Warren. Why didn't you just ask for a meal to be waiting for you when you got to the room?" Warren paused for a moment, seemingly lost in a memory. "I don't eat food prepared by others," he said slowly. "I buy the ingredients from the market in the morning and cook for myself. It's been this way for a long time." He turned to Alyssa, curiosity in his eyes. "But if the manor has its own chefs and can prepare food whenever asked, why do you know how to cook, Alyssa?"

"Why do think, you have seen my profile. So you should know what kind of roleplay I excel at and why such a skill would be useful to me." Alyssa said working on the meat for the main course. "Most of my clients stay for three or more hours to truly allow themselves to sink into their character. In some cases I would have a stew boiling on the stove while I chided them for being late and making me worried, before rushing back into the kitchen worried I burnt the food leaving them standing in the doorway. They would come in smell the cooking and truly feel like they belonged then we would play out the scenario they requested."

"Oh, so you don't enjoy cooking then? It's only something to enhance your performance and nothing else? You don't enjoy it as a calming process or something that allows you to escape from work and other aspects of your life?" Warren pressed. "Sounds like your the one using cooking as an escape huh Warren." Alyssa retorted, before softening her tone. "Most of the skills courtesans have are actually suggested by the manor, after seeing a pattern in what we engage in they notify us of possible skills that would help draw in more clients."

"Some of us do have skills for things we enjoy and the manor is really encouraging if we want to learn any skill. My friend Jessie has a skill for swimming and the manor has a large pool which she takes advantage of every single day. She really loves being in the water and the manor is really generous in the facilities they provide for us. While I think most of the sports facilities are mainly for the clients that have locker-room fantasies, the manor is still really supportive of our hobbies and interests." Alyssa said, attempting to bring back the lightheartedness of the conversation.

"I see, then what are your hobbies and interests Alyssa if cooking isn't one of them." Warren asked putting the finishing touches to his side dishes. "By the way where do you keep the silverware and napkins for the table." "They are in the drawer to the left" Alyssa answered. "I like to spend my time reading. The manor has a few libraries which I frequent to grab a few books every once in a while. I try not to go too often, as you can get caught up in some patrons scenarios."

"Oh, a bookworm, are we?" Warren said, setting the table and arranging the side dishes. "Are you almost done with the main dish?" he asked Alyssa. "Just a few more minutes" Alyssa replies before asking. "So what hobbies do you have Warren?" Warren thought for a moment before responding. "Hmm, work keeps me pretty busy, so I don't have any hobbies, per se. I do like to stay active, though, so I exercise in my free time and do some cooking, as you know."

"Oh and do you like your work?" Alyssa asked, as she brought out the finished main course and set it down on the table. She then walked back to the kitchen and inquired, "What would you like to drink?"

"Just water will do," Warren replied, as he started to fill the plates for both him and Alyssa. "Very few people are lucky enough to actually like their work. I can only say that I am good at my job; after all, I was able to afford to come here, wasn't I?" He added with a slight chuckle. "I even have an important day tomorrow related to my job, which is why I decided to visit tonight."

Alyssa smiled and returned with two glasses of water. "I didn't know we were celebrating," she said her eyes twinkling. "I'm honored you decided to share your time with me today." Sitting down at the table Alyssa parted her lips to say. "By the way I truly hope you don't plan on having me eat a bunch then trying to fuck my brains out right after. Although not listed in my list of things I refuse to do, I would not like to engage an any puke play if I don't have to or at the very least be warned before I do."

"That won't be something you need to concern yourself with Alyssa." Warren quickly reassures. "My stay is till eight A.M. after all, and the night has barely started. We will eat, lounge around on the sofa for an hour or so after, then we will begin the night escapades. No puke play is planned I promise." Warren says beginning to eat the meal Alyssa cooked, the topic of puke play doing nothing to hurt his appetite.

The meal passed peacefully, with light banter and plenty of praise between Warren and Alyssa. Warren was especially impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, remarking that they lived up to the reputation of Rose Manor being perfect in taste. Alyssa's cooking was also a highlight, worthy of having the skill featured on her profile. After the meal, Warren said, "Alright, I'll take care of the cleanup, while you rest on the couch and find us something to watch." Alyssa asked, "You sure? Don't you want me to help at all?" Warren chuckled as he gathered the dishes. "No, the wife cooks, the husband cleans." He took care of all the small dishes, while the big pots and pans soaked in the sink overnight. While cleaning, Warren could hear the TV switching channels every few seconds as Alyssa channel-surfed, trying to find something interesting. Taking a peek at Alyssa, who was lying on the couch, Warren saw her glossy brown hair still loosely tied up, with some of it resting on her now-slightly-exposed clavicle and shoulder. Her baggy white T-shirt had become uneven on her body as she plopped down on the couch, revealing more of her figure. Warren couldn't help but smile at the sight of Alyssa's entire look radiating casualness.

Finishing the dishes, Warren walked over to the couch, asking Alyssa, "Did you find anything good?" Alyssa looked up at him, responding, "Yeah, I got three different things that sound good to me. Which one do you want to watch? There's an action-romance movie, a National Geographic documentary, or a true crime special." Warren watched Alyssa's expressions as she explained the options, seeing a small hint of anticipation when she mentioned the true crime special.

"Oh, what's the true crime special about?" Warren asked, his tone laced with interest. "It's about a serial killer from twenty years ago," Alyssa replied. "Sounds like the perfect thing to watch on a cold, stormy night," Warren said, settling down next to Alyssa on the couch. "I know, right?" Alyssa said, her voice upbeat as she switched on the show.

The special starts with the disappearance of the first victim a blonde women aged thirty-four, the police looking into it not knowing just how this case would turn out for them or what they were going to be in for. The questioning of friends, family, and neighbors all providing no leads till her body was found three days after her disappearance. Her body was covered in wounds from the **** she suffered over a three day period before finally dying. More questioning from the police, still no answers, no leads to who could have done this.

Two weeks after the first blonde woman goes missing, another follows in her footsteps. Three days later, the second woman is found dead, in an eerily similar fashion to the first. The police station is filled with an oppressive silence as a grim pattern emerges: two blond women a month are disappearing, only to be found dead. Their families are left to grieve, while the police work tirelessly to alert the public and apprehend the perpetrator.

Alyssa was drawn in by the show as it progressed, and soon found herself snuggled up against Warren. He carefully tucked a blanket around her petite frame, from her feet up to her torso, to keep her warm. With his arm wrapped securely around her shoulder, he pulled her closer to him so she could rest comfortably against his chest.

Giving a soft thanks, Alyssa kept her attention on the show as she snuggled against Warren. The police had finally gotten a break in the case; after twenty-five victims, the killer had grown careless, believing himself to be invincible and making one mistake that would eventually lead to his capture. As the show progressed, Alyssa had gone from simply sitting on the couch and resting against Warren, to having her head in his lap, her legs sprawled out on the other side, and a cozy blanket wrapped around her small frame. Warren watched in admiration, marveling at the picture of comfort and contentment that Alyssa had created.

Warren spent most of his time entranced by the sound of the rain and mesmerized by Alyssa's reactions to the show. To him, watching her was far more entertaining than the show itself. Before long, Warren noticed Alyssa had her head resting in his lap and continued to watch the show. Seeing Alyssa's hair still tied up Warren began tenderly unraveling her hair, running his fingers through it and gently undoing the knots he found.

Warren continued to softly play with Alyssa's hair, giving a few gentle scratches to her scalp as the show was getting close to its end. The police had discovered the killer's identity and were on their way to arrest him. Unsurprisingly, the man surrendered easily; he was content to live his life in jail, where he could continue to tell his tales and even get a show made about him in the future, rather than die and be unable to give his side of the story. While searching his residence, the police were able to find the twenty-eighth victim, still alive after two days of horrific ****. She was swiftly taken to the hospital, where she was later saved, but would have to live with the multitude of scars covering her body.

The survivor and her family were then seen talking about how they thank God every day for the miracle of her returning alive. They shed tears of joy as they used the phrase "God's miracle" constantly, causing a small chuckle to escape Warren's lips unknowingly. Hearing it, Alyssa turned her head and looked up at Warren, asking, "Do you find something funny about miracles, Warren?"

"Yes and no," Warren said, his fingers still running through Alyssa's hair as he looked into her eyes. "People tend to forget one crucial fact when talking about miracles." "And what might that be?" Alyssa asked, her gaze matching his as she stared into his eyes. "The devil grants miracles, too," Warren said, his voice full of conviction. "In fact, even more so than God."

"Take another look at the killer, Alyssa," Warren said, his voice soft yet stern. He gestured to the television, where the man was being interviewed in prison. "Do you recognize him? It was near the beginning of this case, but he was questioned when the third victim vanished. He got a speeding ticket the same night, just a few miles from where the victim was last seen. Unfortunately, the cops didn't think twice about it, not knowing that she was in the trunk of his car when he was pulled over."

"Wouldn't you say the fact he wasn't caught there a miracle? I have seen a lot of it where I grew up, I've seen so many people thank God for the 'miracle' of getting a job, only to find themselves in a worse position afterwards. But those weren't really miracles from God, no matter how much people believed it or tried to convince themselves otherwise." Warren said shaking his head.

The show concluded abruptly after Warren’s words, leaving the room in a hushed silence as the pitter-patter of raindrops against the windowpanes grew louder. Alyssa continued to stare up at Warren, her head still cradled in his lap, while his fingers gently moved through her hair. Alyssa chose not to expand on the topic further, and instead, switched on a soft music playlist as they remained cuddled up on the couch.