Fall into Darkness ((myself and Mira))

[Dampylle]

Richard Storm was burning the candle at both ends so to speak. He had been working long hours for fear of loosing his funding here at the museum and had finally come to what he thought was a breakthrough. He had been arguing that there had to be some sort of common thread in certain myths as the similarities in the folklore and traditions of certain unrelated cultures and regions were simply far to numerous to be simply coincidence. Finally he had found tucked away in several private collections, some with owners who had required quite some negotiation to let him examine their treasures, certain artifacts that though coming from very different regions and cultures bore certain markings that were not simply similar but were in fact seemingly identical.

Rick leaned back in his chair and gave a tired sigh, he was supposed to go to some sort of grand opening for the latest exhibit but he was hold up in his office. If he did not at least make an appearance the department head would likely be here by morning to give him an earful. So in the end he confirmed that the last of the artifacts was on its way and that the findings of the funded dig that had resulted from his research were likewise en route. Then he stood from his chair and donned the formal dress coat and made his way out to the main hall of the museum.

Rick was not an unattractive man by any means. He worked out enough to be fit and toned though there was little in the way of bulky muscle.. he would never be a bodybuilder or what could be termed a muscle-head, He did have a the sort of rugged good looks though that seemed more Indiana Jones than bookworm or researcher. His hair was neatly kept dirty blond and his eyes were steel blue. At the moment he was clean shaven and dressed to the nines though more oft than not he had five o'clock shadow and favored t shirts and jeans. Comfort was more important for him as he worked than image was... something that irritated the department heads to no end. But they were not willing to give up a brilliant researcher and archeologist over wardrobe and so he stayed... hell he might even make tenure soon.

So dressed to impress the not so renowned prodigy made his way out to meet the press and those who came to see the newest exhibits.

 

[Mira]

Having just returned home after her run, she checked the time. Perfect, she thought to herself as she hit the shower and began to get ready for the exhibition. Kali Anderson was a teacher and a very passionate one, she always managed to get the most from her students, encouraging them with new ways to instil independence, she wanted each of them to succeed because they wanted to, not because it was a job for her. When she wanted to teach them something new and interesting, she made sure her own homework was done to perfection beforehand. Hence the reason she was now hurrying to get herself ready for the exhibit at the museum. One of her co-workers had managed to somehow get her an invite to the event which was apparently exactly the information she was looking for, for her own homework.

Daily after work she would take to running, she found it was the only way that she could clear everything out of her mind and focus on one thing at a time, plus it kept her fit, like killing two birds with one stone. Today, it was the new project she had set for the kids in her class. She was going to ask each of them to pick a specific time period and a specific place, she wanted them to research artefacts that had been recovered from these areas and describe in as much detail as they could to the rest of their classmates, their findings. Thereby, each would learn something valuable about their chosen area, plus, hopefully taken a genuine interest in their friends areas too. Or at least, that was the plan.

After finishing her shower, drying her hair and applying light makeup only, slipped into her gown and stood before the full length mirror. “hmmm…. It will have to do” she frowned at the woman looking back at her. She never felt comfortable in her own skin, she knew she had a great figure but covered it for the most part, she had long blonde, naturally curly hair that she hated. Normally she tied it back, but tonight, she thought for such an occasion, she would allow it loose. The gown, she had borrowed from a friend and though it was a beautiful knee-length gown of the softest material in the palest of green, she wasn’t that keen on it. Wrinkling her nose she decided to stop looking at it and walk away from the mirror, because, if she stayed there any longer, she’d end up changing her mind and putting on the only other thing she possessed, jeans and a pair of sneakers.

Hearing the sound of a honking horn outside as the taxi pulled up, she applied a tiny bit of perfume, giving only a very subtle hint of a scent, before grabbed her light wrap and small bag that held nothing more than some cash and the key to her front door which she quickly locked it as she went. A short while later they pulled up in front of the museum, paying the driver she politely thanked him before stepping out and with a feeling of pure intimidation she looked up the steps to the very impressive museum, she took a deep breath before entering, handing the invitation she had been given to a man at the door and slowly began to nervously make her way through the crowds into the main hall.

 

[Dampylle]

Rick found himself being ushered around and introduced to wealthy investors or potential investors. It was always "Here I would like you to meet Dr. Richard Storm." or "This is our boy wonder Dr. Storm" with half a dozen other variations of the same. Rick hated this sort of thing to be honest. He did not get into archeology for galas at the museum or even to work at the museum for that matter. He grew up watching Indiana Jones and though that was seldom if ever how archeology worked it had piked an interest in him. Like he saw in those movies he wanted to find some lost or mythological item and so had spent years studying the most esoteric of sources and myths. It is part of what had led to his current work which was supposedly being funded by this gala and the new exhibit. The museum tolerated his eccentricities because he seemed to be on the verge of some sort of unifying discovery about certain verbal traditions and myths.

He had found uncanny similarities in certain variations of the vampire, demon, and incubus myths of various cultures. He had even tracked down certain esoteric artifacts with strange markings that were seemingly identical and unlike anything from their respective regional cultures. He was excited about the new batch arriving from the dig he had set up and at the same time furious that this very opening and gala was the reason he was not on his own dig site.

Finally he managed to peal away from the investors and department heads and that in of itself put a charming smile and his ruggedly handsome face. He was dodging the bigwigs and looking over the exhibits when he noticed a buxom blond with bouncing curls in a green gown that seemed to showcase her enticing figure's curves without showing to much skin... all in all it was quite the pleasing image to distract him from the boredom he had just escaped. He decided he might as well go over and say hi, after all what was the worst that could happen... another crushing rejection from a voluptuous beauty clearly out of his league ending with him buried in his work?

So he walked over and glanced at the Mayan exhibit she was looking at and decided to play to his strengths as he chimed in with a rich baritone, "I really wish Smith would have listened when I told him that was not a ceremonial knife but a hunting knife... would have made getting this set up so much easier, could have opened a week ago if we did not have to wait for another expert to give it a once over." He flashed the beautiful blond a dashing smile and offered his hand, completely oblivious that the finely tailored black suit seemed to transform him from ruggedly handsome bookworm to dashingly handsome professor. He really had no idea he could get far further with women if he would just relax a bit and give himself a chance.

"Hi I'm Rick Storm the resident too young for his attitude bookworm"

 

[Mira]

Walking from one exhibit to the next, many ideas were forming in her head. She chastised herself for not remembering to bring a pen to take down some ideas to bring back to the class so instead kept repeating things to herself, hoping that some of the better ones wouldn’t be forgotten. As she continued along, becoming more and more engrossed in what she saw, she paid little or no attention to the others attending that milled around her. Coming to stand in front of the Mayan exhibit, she realised that she could do one better for her students, she could put together her own project, present it to them and this might aid them when it came to their turn.

She was completely lost in her own thoughts and didn’t even realise that the man standing next to her talking about the difference between ceremonial and hunting knives was in fact talking to her. Startled as his offered hand was held out to her, she looked up at him and instantly blushed. “Ah” she hesitated and slipped her much smaller hand into his, “hello” she awkwardly added completely unsure of herself and what to say and quickly let go of his hand again as she crossed her arms over herself. Give her a class full of hormonal teenagers any day but not a strikingly handsome man. Suddenly she felt way out of her depth and looked around her unsure of what to do next. The idea of giving her own name in return hadn’t even crossed her mind.

The instant panic passing, she took in a deep breath and sort of waved her hand towards the exhibit “Interesting all this” she tried to sound calmer than she actually felt and glanced back up at him. Which was another mistake. His eyes were unbelievable, she almost did a double take, she had never seen eyes so piercingly blue before. She knew her cheeks were bright red by now so tried to grasp at something to say but for what seemed an age, nothing came to her. Instead she just smiled her painfully shy smile as she tore her own her own blue eyes from his and pretended to focus on the Mayan exhibit again, all the while, her hands fumbling with her small bag.

 

[Dampylle]

Rick was of course quite unaware of the way he often affected women when he put his best foot forward. So when she did not offer her name and turned back to the exhibit he assumed that it simply meant she was not interested. At the same time though he had put himself out there and if he simply walked off now he would seem even more the bookish loser than he normally thought himself to be. He turned back to the exhibit trying to salvage some semblance of what little dignity he felt he had, "See how the knife glints... volcanic glass, they used it for hunting and cooking since ht stayed so sharp... ritual knives were usually made from flint. I guess he missed the way the light caught the edges since this one looks more gray than white or black."

He slipped his hands into his pockets out of habit. It was a very old habit and made him look even more the bookish loner more oft than not. Rick had always been rather awkward and never really fit in... guess that went with the genius label and all the grants and skipped grades though. These days he was an established specialist in lost civilizations and esoteric myth... but truth was he was not any older that the buxom beauty beside him. He could not help but notice her impressive curves when she crossed her arms like that. By the time she waved her hand at the exhibit he was a little distracted but was managing to get his focus back to where it usually was... which on some days was still fairly absent minded. Put him in a room full of academics and students and he could go for hours without being flustered at all. But standing next to a beautiful blond bombshell he felt like the awkward kid in school all over again.

"Well this exhibit is not mine, it is Smiths... but yeah I always loved the study of lost civilizations... that and the random myths most people don't know about or care about are really my bread and butter. I may not look it given my age but I am actually pretty good at all this stuff... just not good with the crowds is all."

 

[Mira]

Relief seemed to sweep through her as he began to talk, relieving the tension in the air that she was sure the whole room could feel by this stage. She was terrible at meeting new people, she genuinely wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole right there and then. As he began to explain about the blades, she tried to concentrate on his words but for some reason the melodic ring to his voice she found captivating. Turning her head ever so slightly, she watched him from the corner or her eye as he spoke.

His features were remarkable, his face soft, warm and friendly though also intense as he spoke about something he was obviously passionate about. Normally, she would be very intimidated by someone that seemed so highly intellectual but she couldn’t seem to do her usual and make an excuse and leave. There was something very different about this man. It may have been the fact that he seemed more interested in what he was talking about, rather than trying to make himself sound bigger and better than what he was. Even when he said that he was good at all this stuff, she felt he was being more than modest. Now knowing that he was employed here at the museum proved she was right as she glanced back at the exhibit again, seeing for the first time in detail the blade he was speaking of. Noticing the glint that he had spoken of she wondered if he looked at everything in such minute detail.

When he stopped talking she smiled a little more friendly towards him this time, not so much afraid, but she really wanted to make the effort to let him know that she wasn’t just a dumb blond, that she did in fact have a brain in her head, unfortunately though for her, it was proving useless to her at that moment. “Kali” she said in a very low soft voice “my name is Kali”.

 

[Dampylle]

When the beautiful blond introduced herself Rick turned and flashed her his best attempt at a charming smile and then took her hand once more and bowed a bit in a very old fashioned manor, "It is a pleasure to meet you Kali, and if I may say so that is a positively lovely name." He began to wonder if maybe he had been wrong and the busty beauty was not shooting him down but at the same time his history made him remain rather cautious. After all women with looks like hers could have pretty much any man they wanted so why settle for some bookworm who spends his days in dark rooms in the back of the museum with dusty books and statues.

He could remember dozens of times growing up where he tried to get the attention of women like her, the sort of bombshells most men dream of and few ever see... it never seemed to end well for him though. Of course at the time he had been several years younger than the large breasted and bubbly cheerleaders at school, they laughed him off as a 'kid' and ran off to have their dates with musclebound jocks. Yeah that had done wonders for the self esteem of a young boy genius. By the time he was in college he felt brave enough to try again... but both the collage hotties and the beautiful professors gave him much the same treatment as the cheerleaders had before. But here he was again making a valiant attempt to gain the attention of a buxom blond beauty.

"So what brings a beauty such as yourself to our humble museum if I might be so bold as to ask... I mean most of those who come to these things are bookworms like myself not lovely ladies straight off the cover of a magazine." It was his clumsy attempt at flirting and complementing the beautiful woman standing beside him... and if it went badly he could always retreat back to his office to research more dusty artifacts.

 

[Mira]

When he said her name like that, she had to stop herself from feeling like a school girl and giggle, but the way it rolled off his tongue, well, she really liked it. Suddenly she was feeling at little more at ease with this gorgeous looking stranger, he didn’t seem like the other men that she seemed to attract. Most were overpowering in their own egos, or sleazy in their manner, but not Rick, he was more gentlemanly, reserved, plus he seemed to have a level of intelligence that most men that tried to come on to her didn’t. When she finally managed to relax herself a little more, her tense shoulders dropping slightly as he brought up a subject that was close to her heart, one she was passionate about and felt comfortable talking about so the words started to come a little easier to her now.

“I am a teacher, to a wonderful group of kids, they lack direction, either from home or from many of their other teachers, but I see in them that they want to better themselves, they want to learn and be educated but most of them don’t even know how to ask for that” her eyes almost began to twinkle as she thought of their faces. “Most of the kids would never amount to anything, just become another number on an unemployment line but if I have my way, they will each find their chosen path in life and avoid any such lines” she stopped and realised she was rambling. Blushing again she laughed “I’m sorry, but this is something that gets me all riled up, the reason I am here tonight is to try to learn myself, before I try to teach these kids. The more I see here, the more I’m beginning to think that a field trip would be a great idea.” Her mind became slightly distracted as she trying to figure out if that would be possible.

Stopping mid thought, she closed her lips tightly trying to quash a smile “Maybe I should stop talking now” she fiddled with her hands again and looked around nervously sure that the Rick was sorry he started talking to her to begin with. It was then she noticed some beautiful women standing close by, all had their eyes on the Rick. She wasn’t that surprised really, he was stunningly good looking, she was sure he would have many women ready to throw themselves at him. Looking back to him again she resumed her shy polite manner again “I am sorry, I am keeping you from your friends” she glanced back towards the other women “It has been such a pleasure talking with you” she couldn’t resist staring into his eyes again, they were purely captivating.

 

[Dampylle]

Rick actually chuckled a bit at that comment and shook his head though his eyes never left the buxom bombshell in front of him. He was impressed that she was a teacher actually, usually when one saw a woman with her looks you just assumed they used those looks to get what they wanted. But here was an honestly intelligent and passionate woman who seemed to have some honest interest in the rugged bookworm. He finally spoke softly so that only could hear him, "Those are no friends of mine, probably vapid socialites... I prefer a bit more in a woman than just a great set of legs and a jaw dropping bust-line... though to be fair you seem to have that as well as a sharp intellect and fiery passion."

He hoped he had not crossed a line with that comment, and in a elegant yet aggressive move that was a tad out of character for him... he took Kali's arm in his own and turned his back to the vapid beauties eying him. He would rather spend time with the intelligent bombshell now on his arm and see how things went from there even if it ran the risk of another night of Merlot and sad music for him. Though through it all his eyes never left hers, there was something there he could not quite put his finger on... like some kind of spark between them that just grabbed hold and did not let go.

So he was still gazing into her eyes and holding her arm in his when he spoke once more, "I might be able to swing something in terms of a field trip... maybe we could talk about that and my hand in these dusty exhibits... over dinner? I know this great little Italian place not far from here and am in fairly good with the owner since I take my lunches there when I can be torn away from my dusty books."

 

[Mira]

She had to admit, she was more than pleased to learn that he had no interest in the beautiful women, there was nothing worse than feeling like a spare prickly plant, especially feeling as she was right at that moment in a dress. Of course, he made her feel even more awkward again as soon as he complimented her. She was useless at taking compliments, hated them even, she never knew what to say or even where to look. So as soon as she felt her cheeks burn again, she latched on to the last thing he said about her sharp intellect and fiery passion “Not sharp enough sometimes” she gently allowed him to take her arm and guide her away “and yes, I will admit, I am very passionate about how I can get through to my students. I genuinely believe that teachers should be passionate about their teaching which in turn will make the students passionate about what they are learning.”

Try as she might, her eyes kept coming back to his, it was no use, she found them mesmerising. “Do you remember being in school and having to sit and listen to the most boring teacher in the world?“ she laughed thinking of her own school experience and the horrible drone of one teachers voice in particular “I do!“ she faced him again. Normally, she was unable to hold eye contact with anyone, lack of confidence she supposed or a simple way to avoid attention but with him, it was so much easier. Even with the invitation to dinner, she was silently thrilled. Before, she would have come up with one of her many excuses to avoid such a thing but not tonight. Tonight she didn’t even hesitate. Pausing for a moment she gave his arm a gentle squeeze, “I would like that very much”, her soft smile spread easily, her eyes taking him in fully now as she realised just how handsome this man actually was.

His physique was very impressive, she was sure he was athletic. Even through his formal jacket, she could tell he was toned. She liked that in a man, she liked someone that took care of themselves. She wondered if maybe he was a charmer, someone that regularly treated women so well, making them believe they were special but if that was the case, it was certainly working on her. Smiling to herself wondering if she was just another girl to him but for that moment, she was going to go against her grain and enjoy herself.

 

[Dampylle]

He chuckled a bit at her question, for him school had been an odd experience. He skipped several grades after all and more oft than not had a more than sufficient grasp on the material. For him the problem was the students more than anything and the way they tormented him because he was different. The jocks and beauty queens were the worst though because just like anyone else he wanted to be accepted but it just never happened. Instead they had ridiculed him and made him an outcast. It did not help that even early in his collage days he was still a teenager so he did not to develop the rugged looks or the toned physique till he was almost out of school and by then the damage to his self image had been done.

He noticed she was a bit self conscious and so while waiting for her answer he said, "You are every bit as buxom and beautiful as any of those vapid bimbos, more so than at least half of them... but you beat them all out because you have smarts to match... as for school, for me the worst part was the students but that is because I was gifted so to speak and so always the odd man out." He had continued to walk her around as they spoke and when she answered his proposal to dinner he could not help but smile.

What he may not of realized is that it was a very dashing smile that went quite well with his rugged good looks. If he had that smile and these looks when he was younger maybe those beauty queens and cheerleaders would have reacted differently... but as it stood it was Kali who was getting the benefit of them. He was due to his past though rather oblivious to the way she was looking him over and so missed the obvious interest in her gaze. It would take a bit for him to notice the buxom Kali was so interested in him in all likelyhood. He flashed her another smile though and spoke once more, "So would you like to dip out now.. or plan for another night?"

 

[Mira]

Slipping her small bag under her arm as he chuckled, she too smiled, it was infectious, the longer she was with him, the less she felt out of place. She cringed a little as he paid her yet more compliments and awkwardly rubbed her neck with her free hand. Remembering her hair was still down, she grasped the untamed locks and twisted them over her shoulder and smiled to him again as he told her about his school days. “That sounds somewhat familiar” she agreed with him “I did not enjoy that time of my life either” she sadly admitted thinking of the horrors she faced daily from the other students. She had faced a life of always being at the wrong stage at the wrong time. Either too tall, too developed both physically and mentally, or beyond what her peers were at by the time they began to catch up with her.

Walking through the main hall with him, she hardly even noticed any of the other exhibits, nor did she notice any other beautiful women that would always make her feel inferior. Instead, she felt as if they were the only two there, strolling along, doing nothing in particular other than just chatting, which, to her, felt very comfortable.

As dinner plans were discussed again, she really wanted to enjoy his company for a little while longer. “If you have other plans for this evening then I would not mind leaving it for another night. Though…” she finally plucked up the courage to continue “I really would like to.” She immediately noticed his smile, it almost stopped her, catching her breath. In fact it did. Coming to stand and face him, she tilted her head and looked up at him, a quizzical look upon her face and without even thinking it through fully she just asked him straight out “Do you realise your doing that?”

 

[Dampylle]

Rick raised an eyebrow and gave her a rather quizzical look at her comment as he really had no idea what she meant, "Umm... doing what?" Even as he waited for her answer though he did not want to risk the chance of missing a night spent talking with this intellectual who just happened to be a walking wet dream. So while he waited for her to answer he just gave another of those smiles and lead her out through a side door and along a few winding halls till they were outside the museum. He did not even realize that he had slipped an arm around her slim waist till he felt the sway of her lush hips pressing against him as they walked.

He could not imagine Kali having anything but an amazing youth though, even with half the killer looks she had now she would have been at the top of the list in terms of her peers adolescent fantasies. It never occurred to him that jealousy from other girls or awkward phases could have made her life difficult. He lead her through a beautiful section of the park... a moonlit walk that was rather romantic to say the least. As they walked though his eyes often drifted back to the beauty on his arm and inevitably always back to her eyes... that spark seemed almost magnetic.

It was not long though before the exited the other side of the park and he lead her to a little whole in the wall restaurant. It was the sort of place most people would blink and miss or never notice at all but once inside it was revealed to be softly lit and amazingly well decorated. Rick had never realized what a romantic place this might be and still didn't as he waved the waiter over and got them a table. Soon he and Kali were seated side by side in a corner booth and he finally managed to gather himself enough to speak once more, "So umm... would you like some wine maybe? The Fettuccine is great here by the way."

 

[Mira]

Laughing as he looked back at her with a confused look on his face, “Nothing” she said but felt he knew exactly what he was doing as he flashed another jaw dropping smile at her. Following his lead, without so much as thinking about it, she allowed him to take her from the safety of the many people within the museum and out into the night. Her normal timid self might have had alarm bells ringing in her head but not tonight, not with Rick. He made her feel like smiling, which, in fact she had been, practically this whole time.

As he slipped his arm protectively around her, she felt a natural urge to lean into him, melding herself against him as they walked together. She could feel the warmth of his hand against her skin through her dress, being this close to him, she also picked up the wonderful scent of his cologne. She tried to hide a smile from him as she thought to herself, intoxicating, just like he was.

As they entered the restaurant, she raised an eyebrow, surprised by his choice yet pleasantly pleased. “You come here to get away from your books?” she playfully teased him realising the restaurant was filled mostly with couples. As they sat beside one another, she was glad they had been placed in a booth, she never much liked sitting facing someone, she never knew where to look. But, being beside him, allowed her to watch him from the corner of her eye when she thought he wasn’t looking. Which, is what she was doing now as he called over a waiter.

“Wine would be lovely, thank you” She rarely ever drank alcohol, it seemed to always have a terrible effect on her, if it didn’t give her a hangover during it, she was guaranteed to have one the following morning. But, she made an exception tonight. She was feeling very relaxed and looking forward to sitting talking with him. “And if you recommend the Fettuccine, then it is a must.” As they waited for their drinks to arrive she crossed her arms and leaned forward on the table, unintentionally bringing more notice to her cleavage “I think I might phone the museum in the morning and ask them if I might arrange a trip with my students. I just know many of them would thoroughly enjoy it, and just think, one of them might discover a hidden talent and find a love and passion for archaeology.” Placing one hand under her chin, she studied his face wondering how on earth she managed to find herself sitting here talking to such an attractive man. This had never happened to her before in her life. Suddenly, her world felt as if it were being turned upside-down.

 

[Dampylle]

Rick of course could not help but notice the deep valley of her impressive cleavage as it was unwittingly presented to him. He managed to tear his eyes away before he was caught staring but not before the sight had some affect on him. He was a red blooded male after all and the sight of Kali's large chest pressed together so delightfully would be enough to stir something in any man. He nodded to the waiter though and ordered to plates of the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and a bottle of the best Merlot they had hoping it might ease his own tension as he sat beside the beautiful Kali. He was still a little distracted by the feel of her lush and tempting curves pressed gently to him as they had walked and so was all to aware of how close to him she was once more in this booth.

But all the same he preferred the booth as it was away from the rest and tucked away quietly in the corner of the restaurant, this is where he took most of his lunches alone or maybe with a book. He could not help but admire Kali's beauty though and found himself very much hoping this would not be a one time thing as he spoke softly and a little shyly, "I could try to set something up when I head in tomorrow, I have to be there early to receive some relics anyway for my research... I don't mind."

Rick was a bit worried that he might be trying to hard, this was the first time he had been in a situation like this with such a ravishingly beautiful young woman and he felt he was far outside his realm of experience at the moment. He tried to gather his wits though he found himself increasingly distracted with how close she was to him and at the same time he simply could not bear to object to the closeness of her oh so enticing form.

"I am working on some research into matching symbology and core mythology... It is nothing to terribly interesting unless people are already interested in such myths but it keeps me busy. Though I admit this is a far more pleasant way to spend my evening... with a radiantly beautiful woman who's smile lights the room." Again he found himself looking into her eyes and that spark was still there drawing him in and seeming to light a fire he did not expect when he came to the museum tonight.