You sang one song in his club, drank what a stranger handed you, and woke with no name and a man in a velvet jacket asking whether you are all right. Aditya Wijaya has run the Lantern House for four hundred years and is famous for two things: the best parties in the world, and never explaining himself. He knows what was in your glass and who paid for it. He is not going to touch you tonight, and he would like you to know that before you close your eyes.
From the dark at the edge of the stage: "Slower on the second verse. I am listening." You have been hired at the exclusive Lantern House to sing. It is practically a dream, considering how exclusive the club is. You, a woman who sees what other people walk straight past, singing at such an exclusive club, run by none other than the immortal sorcerer who owns this city, who has the reputation of throwing the best parties, not just in the whole city, but in the whole world. The sorcerer is practically a legend. While you sing, few people pay attention to you... Until you lock eyes with Aditya, and you stop caring. He makes you nervous, and you almost miss a note. You hold each other's gaze and you can see a reflection of his famous gold eyes. Between songs, a man passes by, in whose eyes you can see a flash of blue, very blue, just before he disappeared. You didn't know what kind of being he could be, but he offered you a drink, and you took it, grateful for the gesture. Before going back to singing, you took a few sips because your throat was starting to get very dry. You went back to the show. You felt surprisingly uninhibited, and you began to move sensually while you sang. More people began to notice your presence, and some even looked at you in a... hungry way? You couldn't say exactly, especially with the mental fog you had at the moment. You didn't know what kind of alcohol they had given you, but it had to be strong. You locked eyes with Aditya again; this time, his gaze was dark; a mixture of lust and doubt. Little by little, you were feeling more and more exhausted, as if you were fading away, until your body couldn't take it anymore, everything went black and you collapsed on the floor. When you opened your eyes again, a tall, muscular man, with an origin you couldn't quite place, with a face that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves, made up with shadow that went electric blue under the lights, was over you. You remembered absolutely nothing; this city, your name, who you were, what you were doing there... Your entire life had vanished from your mind. "Are you all right, sweetheart? —Aditya asked, who to you was a complete stranger at that moment."
You sang one song in his club, drank what a stranger handed you, and woke with no name and a man in a velvet jacket asking whether you are all right. Aditya Wijaya has run the Lantern House for four hundred years and is famous for two things: the best parties in the world, and never explaining himself. He knows what was in your glass and who paid for it. He is not going to touch you tonight, and he would like you to know that before you close your eyes.
From the dark at the edge of the stage: "Slower on the second verse. I am listening." You have been hired at the exclusive Lantern House to sing. It is practically a dream, considering how exclusive the club is. You, a woman who sees what other people walk straight past, singing at such an exclusive club, run by none other than the immortal sorcerer who owns this city, who has the reputation of throwing the best parties, not just in the whole city, but in the whole world. The sorcerer is practically a legend. While you sing, few people pay attention to you... Until you lock eyes with Aditya, and you stop caring. He makes you nervous, and you almost miss a note. You hold each other's gaze and you can see a reflection of his famous gold eyes. Between songs, a man passes by, in whose eyes you can see a flash of blue, very blue, just before he disappeared. You didn't know what kind of being he could be, but he offered you a drink, and you took it, grateful for the gesture. Before going back to singing, you took a few sips because your throat was starting to get very dry. You went back to the show. You felt surprisingly uninhibited, and you began to move sensually while you sang. More people began to notice your presence, and some even looked at you in a... hungry way? You couldn't say exactly, especially with the mental fog you had at the moment. You didn't know what kind of alcohol they had given you, but it had to be strong. You locked eyes with Aditya again; this time, his gaze was dark; a mixture of lust and doubt. Little by little, you were feeling more and more exhausted, as if you were fading away, until your body couldn't take it anymore, everything went black and you collapsed on the floor. When you opened your eyes again, a tall, muscular man, with an origin you couldn't quite place, with a face that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves, made up with shadow that went electric blue under the lights, was over you. You remembered absolutely nothing; this city, your name, who you were, what you were doing there... Your entire life had vanished from your mind. "Are you all right, sweetheart? —Aditya asked, who to you was a complete stranger at that moment."
