Gone But Not Forgotten (chapter 4) [FIC]
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:23 am
The tapering eighty eight story Petronas Twin Towers, developed as an integral part of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, are no longer the world’s tallest buildings. But, to many, they are amongst the most beautiful.
At 1483 feet tall, a national and cultural icon, the buildings are a striking glass-and-steel structure with floor plans based on an eight-pointed star, designed to symbolize strength and grace, using geometric principles typified in Islamic architecture.
The soaring structures are joined at the 41st and 42nd floors by a double-decker sky-bridge . Just a floor above that, Amalgam companies occupied rooms adjacent to those owned by Bloomberg, Boeing, Exact Software, IBM, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, and Microsoft.
Kaname stopped and stared up at the magnificent buildings, as she always did when she visited them. Something in their very nature touched her. Was it the fact that they reached for the sky, as if they could somehow will themselves to be taller than any other buildings, despite what slide rules and tape measurers might say? Was it their graceful beauty, overlying an immense strength and resiliency? Was it the calm and serenity that their design seemed to evoke, contrasted with the upheaval and change that her own life was marred by?
“If Sousuke was here, there would be plenty for him to blow up.” Kaname sighed. She still thought of things that way sometimes. But now, instead of being something that made her anxious or concerned, it was something that left her feeling nostalgic. “I don’t know if there is any such thing as a Sagara-proof building.” She also didn’t know if there was a Sousuke Sagara any more.
Absentmindedly, she wrapped a long string of pearls around her finger, tugging at the necklace she wore. It wasn’t like her, to hesitate like this. But, the last time she had met Leonard alone in his suite had left her pretty shaken. From the corner of her eye, she noticed as the two bodyguards departed, leaving her on her own. That was the way it always was. They made certain she arrived safely, without being abducted. After that, it was up to her to voluntarily find her way up to the 43rd floor.
Making her way through the park that surrounded the building complex, she moved aside to allow a number of joggers to pass her by. She stopped for a moment to take in the sight of the fountain, and the nearby wading pools. As she stood there, her mind drifted back to the day that she had worn the sapphire necklace as instructed.
Leonard had complimented her on the way that she looked. He had gone over the results of her most recent sessions on the machines. The two of them had eaten a small but well-prepared meal, catered by the city’s best restaurant. For some reason, the things that he had said had her lowering her boundaries more than before. She had been anxious, almost filled with a sense of anticipation. It hadn’t made any sense. When he swung her into her arms and stole another kiss, it took a moment before she reacted, pushing him firmly away, very tempted to slap him hard across the face.
That was reason alone to be hesitant now. What was going on with her? How could she ever fall for the man who had turned her world upside down, acting on behalf of an organization that had caused the deaths of countless people? Could it be the result of something that Sousuke had tried to tell her about once, before she pushed his face into a bowl of Miso soup with a cry of ‘Stop the otaku stuff already’?
According to him, hostages, or people in hostage like situations, become loyal to the more powerful person in spite of the danger that the loyalty puts them in. It happens when the one person has the ability to put the individual's life in danger, or at least the power to worsen the individual's prospects in their future life. And, it necessitates that the person occasionally exercises this power in order to show that he or she is able to use it, if the victim will not conform to the more powerful person's will.
Sousuke had mentioned something similar from his own experience. In order to form military units which will not fall apart during the stressful events, but will remain loyal to each other even in a life-threatening situations, the basic training he had gone through had been designed to produce a mild form of the same symptom. Dependent children and battered wives also showed similar effects.
“But, I know better than that. How could it work on me? I’m not worried about my own survival. And, I’ve been through so many crisis situations with Sousuke, I should be used to this by now!” She felt a bit sheepish when she realized that a number of children headed for the nearby playground heard her talking to herself.
Kaname looked up at the towers again. She swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat. After Leonard had forced the kiss on her, she had begun growing angry. When he mentioned his deadline again, she walked over to a window, opened a small portion of it, and flung the sapphire pendant as far away as she could. For all she knew, some lucky child may have come across it in the well-manicured sand area, or some passerby might have found it hanging from one of the shaped shrubberies.
She trembled. It was a visceral response. Leonard’s subsequent actions that day still sent chills down her spine. It was the utter calm in which had spoken that unnerved her most. He could just as easily been discussing one of the concerts by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra that he dragged her to see at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, a world class concert hall present within the towers. He had merely said ‘I predict that your father or sister will have an accident in the next few days. It won’t be serious. Pity you can’t end them your best wishes for a speedy recovery.’.
“I worry about them.” Kaname began walking again. She still had time; but, it never did anyone good to keep Leonard waiting. “They’re probably worried about me, too.” She had not been allowed to call her family, or any of her friends. She would give anything to hear Ayame’s voice, or to know how Kyouko had been doing after her ordeal. Once, she had been permitted to send a postcard. No doubt her father and sister would wonder why it had come from Brussels, where she had been at the time.
Kyouko and Ayame each would have loved to have a chance to go shopping with her at the six-level Suria KLCC mall present in the Petronas Towers. It was the premier shopping destination in Malaysia. There were hundreds of shops, many of which carried items by Armani, Chopard, Hermes, Gucci, and the like. Alone, and feeling trapped, she rarely visited the stores herself, even though she had been given a Platinum Card with a very high limit.
Inside the building, Kaname looked over at the bank of elevators. The Towers were the first tall buildings to use an all-double-deck sky-lobby system. People going to even-numbered floors could simply board an elevator. People going to odd-numbered floors must ride an escalator one floor up to board the second level of the very same elevators. In that way, a single elevator car can serve two floors simultaneously. It all seemed overly complex to her, much like her own life.
Eventually, she found herself using a keycard to gain entrance into the rooms that Leonard had use of. The carpets and woodwork were exquisite. The crystal lighting looked like something out of a high society magazine. But, those touches came with the suite. Otherwise, the room was sparsely furnished, with only a few museum-quality sculptures and artifacts gracing podiums and glass cabinets. Today, unlike other days, a number of large and long rectangular shapes were propped up against the walls, shrouded by large white cloth.
“Right on time,” Leonard said smoothly and quietly, gliding into the room as if he were a spectre instead of a flesh and blood man. “I see that you’ve noticed my task for you.”
“Task?” Kaname wondered just what he had in mind.
“Yes,” Leonard said. “It seems that we will be spending an extended amount of time in this country. It behooves me to improve my surroundings somewhat.” He smiled a disarming smile, looking at her. “As I am collecting beautiful objects, why not continue that trend?”
“I… see…” Kaname bit off the words, feeling her anger growing. So, he thought of her as a pretty bauble or something, did he? He was collecting her, like who knows how many women before her? Not if she could help it!
“I have had the entire collection from the Galeri Petronas sent upstairs. It will be your task to select the paintings to hang on theses walls. Those I will purchase.” Leonard turned and motioned for Kaname to follow him. “The remainder will be returned to the shop.” He paused a moment. “I hope you don’t throw away the pearls today.”
“There’s something else I would rather throw!” Kaname clenched her fists. She tried to calm herself, knowing full well that he was trying to bait her again.
“Truly?” Leonard laughed, a rare occurrence. He cocked his head ever so slightly, looking at Kaname through have closed eyelids. “You know it’s not just your beauty that intrigues me. It’s that spirit. You are so different than other women I know.” He felt no need to mention his sister, or any of the women who would all too eagerly fawn at his feet. “So, by all means stay angry.”
Kaname felt cornered. If she fed her rage, she would play right into that statement. But, if she calmed down as a result, he would have gotten to her in another way. “But… that’s…” She bit her lips. Everything she got into a match of its with the silver haired man, or found herself sucked into anything but the briefest of exchanges, she lost, or found her resolve floundering on one level or another. “It’s also because I’m Whispered.”
“Exactly,” Leonard said, shrugging. “But not merely because we are two of a kind, or because of the knowledge you can provide me.” He walked slowly over to Kaname. The way he moved, it seemed as if he were standing still, and it was the room that shifted. That kind of grace left Kaname speechless. “There’s something you may never have considered. It’s something I’ve thought about quite a bit.”
“What?” Kaname asked, despite herself. She wanted to curse, seeing a look of triumph in Leonard’s eyes.
“Intimacy,” the Amalgam member answered. “Intimacy on a level you probably cannot comprehend. No doubt my dear sister has shown you how those like us can communicate mind to mind. Imagine doing that mentally and emotionally, while joining your body with another. Maybe that will make your surrender more… pleasurable…” He reached a hand out towards Kaname, but left it hovering just inches from her. Nodding he lowered his arm.
“You are not my type.” Kaname shivered momentarily. It was if he had caressed her nonetheless, in thought instead of body.
“I think you may be mistaken.” Leonard turned his back on her and looked out of the huge glass expanse. “I would wager everything that I possess, that you have been doubting yourself. Far from home… caged, for all extensive purposes… you are drawn to me, ever so slightly…”
“That’s ridiculous!” Kaname tensed up, wanting to strike out in denial. That only made her own worries seem magnified. It was as if her own doubts surrounded her, a jury of her peers.
“I should let you doubt yourself even more,” Leonard said. “However, I think it will prove interesting to let you in on a little secret.” He turned back to face Kaname. “If you ask me nicely.”
“You can go to Hell,” Kaname said. She almost instinctively called him ‘Jerk,’ ‘big idiot’, or ‘stupid head’. That had her blinking rapidly. Those had been her epithets for a certain Mithril soldier. Epithets, and almost terms of endearment at time. How she wished that Sousuke was there now.
“I suppose that is nice as I can expect, under the circumstances.” Leonard walked over to a wine rack and began examining various bottles. “There are Whispered abilities that even my sister doesn’t suspect. If she had, her amusing little contest with you over that foolish soldier would have turned out quite differently, not that it would have mattered, where either of them is concerned.”
“What do you mean?” Kaname flinched. He was talking about Tessa and Sousuke in a manner that led her to believe that he knew something. Were both of them dead, as she had suspected? Could they be held captive somewhere? It certainly didn’t sound as if they had both survived, finding solace in each other’s arms. That was something that she had nightmares about from time to time.
“Are you asking about the Whispered, or about two individuals whose memories serve no significant purpose?” Leonard’s look was piercing. It was meant to make Kaname feel like a butterfly pinned to a cork board.
“I…” Kaname stopped. She really didn’t want to know about Sousuke. She did, but she didn’t. If he was dead, that would kill the few dreams she still clung to. He… he… who? Wait, why did she find herself thinking about Leonard again?
“See?” Leonard tossed his hair. “You were thinking about me, weren’t you? It’s amazing, what a little bit of resonance can do. I suppose, it might be something like pheromones, but on the Whispered level.”
“That’s…” Kaname’s eyes widened. “But…” She felt dizzy, but not from anything that Leonard did. The thoughts all rushed in on her. Damn him! Damn him for what he was doing to her. Damn him for introducing even more fear and doubt into her mind. “You’re disgusting…” It was almost like being molested, psychically.
“I seem to have upset you. My apologies.” Leonard took out a pair of wine glasses and a cork screw. “I won’t speak any more on that subject, so as not to ruin our time together. I‘ll simply say that in a while, you will be very grateful for our shared abilities.” He worked on the bottle, removing the cork. “Tonight we will try a nice pinot noir from a vineyard at Bannockburn, near Geelong in Victoria. I usually prefer French wine to Australian, but one must keep an open mind, right?”
Kaname frowned. She knew that the man was not simply talking about wines. Every time she drank with him, she worried that she might get drunk. She had a fear that he might take advantage of her in that condition. Part of her had even fantasized about that once. But, that must have been due to his influence somehow, not her own dark desires? Right?
“Pinot noir is a capricious grape, and even with the greatest care and attention lavished on it, rarely does it do well away from home. Outside Burgundy, it is often a lightweight charmer that shows its best form in cooler climates. As an early ripener, it will not be drawn too quickly to maturity and so lose aroma and flavor.” Leonard decanted wine into the first glass.
Kaname swallowed, feeling something tugging at her heartstrings, and at things deeper in and lower down. Was he promising to lavish great care and attention on her? Was she an early ripener, as many of the boys at school had implied silently with their eyes? Capricious? Her?
“When Gary Farr decided to grow pinot noir and chardonnay on his Bannockburn estate, he was well aware of their temperament and their needs.” Leonard walked over to Kaname, a drink in each hand. He held one out for her. She took one, hand shaking. “A man who sets the highest standards for himself and his wines, and who has a strong commitment to getting it right, he is an ideal pinot noir man.” He brushed against her ever so lightly.
Kaname almost dropped her glass. Willing herself to be strong, she brought the wine glass to her lips, trying to focus on the taste of the pinot noir. She didn’t want to think about Leonard! Right? He wasn’t a candle. She wasn’t a moth.
“A good wine is worth waiting for,” Leonard said. At his last word, the tension that Kaname had been feeling vanished. “If there is a buzz wine at the moment, it is probably viognier, originally grown in very small quantities in the Northern Rhone, but now showing up in wineries far and wide. Mr. Farr’s viognier is a subtly perfumed wine, packed with sweet, fruity aromas, a slightly viscous texture, persistent flavors of apricots and orange blossom on the palate and a good long, dry finish. It took him six years to get a good crop. He‘s a patient man.”
Kaname realized that she had been holding her breath. Maybe Leonard wasn’t intending to keep upping the ante, increasing the pressure on her. The longer she had to wait, the better.
“I’m not one to wait that long myself, however.” Leonard gave Kaname a look that had her feeling as if she stood naked in the middle of the room.
At 1483 feet tall, a national and cultural icon, the buildings are a striking glass-and-steel structure with floor plans based on an eight-pointed star, designed to symbolize strength and grace, using geometric principles typified in Islamic architecture.
The soaring structures are joined at the 41st and 42nd floors by a double-decker sky-bridge . Just a floor above that, Amalgam companies occupied rooms adjacent to those owned by Bloomberg, Boeing, Exact Software, IBM, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, and Microsoft.
Kaname stopped and stared up at the magnificent buildings, as she always did when she visited them. Something in their very nature touched her. Was it the fact that they reached for the sky, as if they could somehow will themselves to be taller than any other buildings, despite what slide rules and tape measurers might say? Was it their graceful beauty, overlying an immense strength and resiliency? Was it the calm and serenity that their design seemed to evoke, contrasted with the upheaval and change that her own life was marred by?
“If Sousuke was here, there would be plenty for him to blow up.” Kaname sighed. She still thought of things that way sometimes. But now, instead of being something that made her anxious or concerned, it was something that left her feeling nostalgic. “I don’t know if there is any such thing as a Sagara-proof building.” She also didn’t know if there was a Sousuke Sagara any more.
Absentmindedly, she wrapped a long string of pearls around her finger, tugging at the necklace she wore. It wasn’t like her, to hesitate like this. But, the last time she had met Leonard alone in his suite had left her pretty shaken. From the corner of her eye, she noticed as the two bodyguards departed, leaving her on her own. That was the way it always was. They made certain she arrived safely, without being abducted. After that, it was up to her to voluntarily find her way up to the 43rd floor.
Making her way through the park that surrounded the building complex, she moved aside to allow a number of joggers to pass her by. She stopped for a moment to take in the sight of the fountain, and the nearby wading pools. As she stood there, her mind drifted back to the day that she had worn the sapphire necklace as instructed.
Leonard had complimented her on the way that she looked. He had gone over the results of her most recent sessions on the machines. The two of them had eaten a small but well-prepared meal, catered by the city’s best restaurant. For some reason, the things that he had said had her lowering her boundaries more than before. She had been anxious, almost filled with a sense of anticipation. It hadn’t made any sense. When he swung her into her arms and stole another kiss, it took a moment before she reacted, pushing him firmly away, very tempted to slap him hard across the face.
That was reason alone to be hesitant now. What was going on with her? How could she ever fall for the man who had turned her world upside down, acting on behalf of an organization that had caused the deaths of countless people? Could it be the result of something that Sousuke had tried to tell her about once, before she pushed his face into a bowl of Miso soup with a cry of ‘Stop the otaku stuff already’?
According to him, hostages, or people in hostage like situations, become loyal to the more powerful person in spite of the danger that the loyalty puts them in. It happens when the one person has the ability to put the individual's life in danger, or at least the power to worsen the individual's prospects in their future life. And, it necessitates that the person occasionally exercises this power in order to show that he or she is able to use it, if the victim will not conform to the more powerful person's will.
Sousuke had mentioned something similar from his own experience. In order to form military units which will not fall apart during the stressful events, but will remain loyal to each other even in a life-threatening situations, the basic training he had gone through had been designed to produce a mild form of the same symptom. Dependent children and battered wives also showed similar effects.
“But, I know better than that. How could it work on me? I’m not worried about my own survival. And, I’ve been through so many crisis situations with Sousuke, I should be used to this by now!” She felt a bit sheepish when she realized that a number of children headed for the nearby playground heard her talking to herself.
Kaname looked up at the towers again. She swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat. After Leonard had forced the kiss on her, she had begun growing angry. When he mentioned his deadline again, she walked over to a window, opened a small portion of it, and flung the sapphire pendant as far away as she could. For all she knew, some lucky child may have come across it in the well-manicured sand area, or some passerby might have found it hanging from one of the shaped shrubberies.
She trembled. It was a visceral response. Leonard’s subsequent actions that day still sent chills down her spine. It was the utter calm in which had spoken that unnerved her most. He could just as easily been discussing one of the concerts by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra that he dragged her to see at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, a world class concert hall present within the towers. He had merely said ‘I predict that your father or sister will have an accident in the next few days. It won’t be serious. Pity you can’t end them your best wishes for a speedy recovery.’.
“I worry about them.” Kaname began walking again. She still had time; but, it never did anyone good to keep Leonard waiting. “They’re probably worried about me, too.” She had not been allowed to call her family, or any of her friends. She would give anything to hear Ayame’s voice, or to know how Kyouko had been doing after her ordeal. Once, she had been permitted to send a postcard. No doubt her father and sister would wonder why it had come from Brussels, where she had been at the time.
Kyouko and Ayame each would have loved to have a chance to go shopping with her at the six-level Suria KLCC mall present in the Petronas Towers. It was the premier shopping destination in Malaysia. There were hundreds of shops, many of which carried items by Armani, Chopard, Hermes, Gucci, and the like. Alone, and feeling trapped, she rarely visited the stores herself, even though she had been given a Platinum Card with a very high limit.
Inside the building, Kaname looked over at the bank of elevators. The Towers were the first tall buildings to use an all-double-deck sky-lobby system. People going to even-numbered floors could simply board an elevator. People going to odd-numbered floors must ride an escalator one floor up to board the second level of the very same elevators. In that way, a single elevator car can serve two floors simultaneously. It all seemed overly complex to her, much like her own life.
Eventually, she found herself using a keycard to gain entrance into the rooms that Leonard had use of. The carpets and woodwork were exquisite. The crystal lighting looked like something out of a high society magazine. But, those touches came with the suite. Otherwise, the room was sparsely furnished, with only a few museum-quality sculptures and artifacts gracing podiums and glass cabinets. Today, unlike other days, a number of large and long rectangular shapes were propped up against the walls, shrouded by large white cloth.
“Right on time,” Leonard said smoothly and quietly, gliding into the room as if he were a spectre instead of a flesh and blood man. “I see that you’ve noticed my task for you.”
“Task?” Kaname wondered just what he had in mind.
“Yes,” Leonard said. “It seems that we will be spending an extended amount of time in this country. It behooves me to improve my surroundings somewhat.” He smiled a disarming smile, looking at her. “As I am collecting beautiful objects, why not continue that trend?”
“I… see…” Kaname bit off the words, feeling her anger growing. So, he thought of her as a pretty bauble or something, did he? He was collecting her, like who knows how many women before her? Not if she could help it!
“I have had the entire collection from the Galeri Petronas sent upstairs. It will be your task to select the paintings to hang on theses walls. Those I will purchase.” Leonard turned and motioned for Kaname to follow him. “The remainder will be returned to the shop.” He paused a moment. “I hope you don’t throw away the pearls today.”
“There’s something else I would rather throw!” Kaname clenched her fists. She tried to calm herself, knowing full well that he was trying to bait her again.
“Truly?” Leonard laughed, a rare occurrence. He cocked his head ever so slightly, looking at Kaname through have closed eyelids. “You know it’s not just your beauty that intrigues me. It’s that spirit. You are so different than other women I know.” He felt no need to mention his sister, or any of the women who would all too eagerly fawn at his feet. “So, by all means stay angry.”
Kaname felt cornered. If she fed her rage, she would play right into that statement. But, if she calmed down as a result, he would have gotten to her in another way. “But… that’s…” She bit her lips. Everything she got into a match of its with the silver haired man, or found herself sucked into anything but the briefest of exchanges, she lost, or found her resolve floundering on one level or another. “It’s also because I’m Whispered.”
“Exactly,” Leonard said, shrugging. “But not merely because we are two of a kind, or because of the knowledge you can provide me.” He walked slowly over to Kaname. The way he moved, it seemed as if he were standing still, and it was the room that shifted. That kind of grace left Kaname speechless. “There’s something you may never have considered. It’s something I’ve thought about quite a bit.”
“What?” Kaname asked, despite herself. She wanted to curse, seeing a look of triumph in Leonard’s eyes.
“Intimacy,” the Amalgam member answered. “Intimacy on a level you probably cannot comprehend. No doubt my dear sister has shown you how those like us can communicate mind to mind. Imagine doing that mentally and emotionally, while joining your body with another. Maybe that will make your surrender more… pleasurable…” He reached a hand out towards Kaname, but left it hovering just inches from her. Nodding he lowered his arm.
“You are not my type.” Kaname shivered momentarily. It was if he had caressed her nonetheless, in thought instead of body.
“I think you may be mistaken.” Leonard turned his back on her and looked out of the huge glass expanse. “I would wager everything that I possess, that you have been doubting yourself. Far from home… caged, for all extensive purposes… you are drawn to me, ever so slightly…”
“That’s ridiculous!” Kaname tensed up, wanting to strike out in denial. That only made her own worries seem magnified. It was as if her own doubts surrounded her, a jury of her peers.
“I should let you doubt yourself even more,” Leonard said. “However, I think it will prove interesting to let you in on a little secret.” He turned back to face Kaname. “If you ask me nicely.”
“You can go to Hell,” Kaname said. She almost instinctively called him ‘Jerk,’ ‘big idiot’, or ‘stupid head’. That had her blinking rapidly. Those had been her epithets for a certain Mithril soldier. Epithets, and almost terms of endearment at time. How she wished that Sousuke was there now.
“I suppose that is nice as I can expect, under the circumstances.” Leonard walked over to a wine rack and began examining various bottles. “There are Whispered abilities that even my sister doesn’t suspect. If she had, her amusing little contest with you over that foolish soldier would have turned out quite differently, not that it would have mattered, where either of them is concerned.”
“What do you mean?” Kaname flinched. He was talking about Tessa and Sousuke in a manner that led her to believe that he knew something. Were both of them dead, as she had suspected? Could they be held captive somewhere? It certainly didn’t sound as if they had both survived, finding solace in each other’s arms. That was something that she had nightmares about from time to time.
“Are you asking about the Whispered, or about two individuals whose memories serve no significant purpose?” Leonard’s look was piercing. It was meant to make Kaname feel like a butterfly pinned to a cork board.
“I…” Kaname stopped. She really didn’t want to know about Sousuke. She did, but she didn’t. If he was dead, that would kill the few dreams she still clung to. He… he… who? Wait, why did she find herself thinking about Leonard again?
“See?” Leonard tossed his hair. “You were thinking about me, weren’t you? It’s amazing, what a little bit of resonance can do. I suppose, it might be something like pheromones, but on the Whispered level.”
“That’s…” Kaname’s eyes widened. “But…” She felt dizzy, but not from anything that Leonard did. The thoughts all rushed in on her. Damn him! Damn him for what he was doing to her. Damn him for introducing even more fear and doubt into her mind. “You’re disgusting…” It was almost like being molested, psychically.
“I seem to have upset you. My apologies.” Leonard took out a pair of wine glasses and a cork screw. “I won’t speak any more on that subject, so as not to ruin our time together. I‘ll simply say that in a while, you will be very grateful for our shared abilities.” He worked on the bottle, removing the cork. “Tonight we will try a nice pinot noir from a vineyard at Bannockburn, near Geelong in Victoria. I usually prefer French wine to Australian, but one must keep an open mind, right?”
Kaname frowned. She knew that the man was not simply talking about wines. Every time she drank with him, she worried that she might get drunk. She had a fear that he might take advantage of her in that condition. Part of her had even fantasized about that once. But, that must have been due to his influence somehow, not her own dark desires? Right?
“Pinot noir is a capricious grape, and even with the greatest care and attention lavished on it, rarely does it do well away from home. Outside Burgundy, it is often a lightweight charmer that shows its best form in cooler climates. As an early ripener, it will not be drawn too quickly to maturity and so lose aroma and flavor.” Leonard decanted wine into the first glass.
Kaname swallowed, feeling something tugging at her heartstrings, and at things deeper in and lower down. Was he promising to lavish great care and attention on her? Was she an early ripener, as many of the boys at school had implied silently with their eyes? Capricious? Her?
“When Gary Farr decided to grow pinot noir and chardonnay on his Bannockburn estate, he was well aware of their temperament and their needs.” Leonard walked over to Kaname, a drink in each hand. He held one out for her. She took one, hand shaking. “A man who sets the highest standards for himself and his wines, and who has a strong commitment to getting it right, he is an ideal pinot noir man.” He brushed against her ever so lightly.
Kaname almost dropped her glass. Willing herself to be strong, she brought the wine glass to her lips, trying to focus on the taste of the pinot noir. She didn’t want to think about Leonard! Right? He wasn’t a candle. She wasn’t a moth.
“A good wine is worth waiting for,” Leonard said. At his last word, the tension that Kaname had been feeling vanished. “If there is a buzz wine at the moment, it is probably viognier, originally grown in very small quantities in the Northern Rhone, but now showing up in wineries far and wide. Mr. Farr’s viognier is a subtly perfumed wine, packed with sweet, fruity aromas, a slightly viscous texture, persistent flavors of apricots and orange blossom on the palate and a good long, dry finish. It took him six years to get a good crop. He‘s a patient man.”
Kaname realized that she had been holding her breath. Maybe Leonard wasn’t intending to keep upping the ante, increasing the pressure on her. The longer she had to wait, the better.
“I’m not one to wait that long myself, however.” Leonard gave Kaname a look that had her feeling as if she stood naked in the middle of the room.
I do know what I want for an ending, though. Unless I think of something that makes more sense.
