Winter heard the sound of a door click. Her and Lorelei both glanced over from where they sat, and saw Tamer enter the room.

Winter's heart was a riot. Flushed, she couldn't immediately calm herself after hearing Lorelei's words; she was still undeniably nervous, especially after being confronted with Tamer so soon after speaking of matters he wasn't supposed to hear.

There could be the soul of the dead goddess inside her. How was she supposed to react to that?

"Why is it so hot?" Tamer muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. He appeared to have taken another dip to wash the sweat from his skin. Dewdrops of water trailed down the intents of his neck and down the open buttons of his shirt. Chest gently heaving, he leaned himself against the frame of the doorway.

Lorelei differed. He grinned wryly at the sight of him, as if they hadn't been talking about things that could get a person executed.

"Winter," Tamer said, nodding to the blond person. "Who is this random standing in Lorelei's living room?"

"What?!" Her heart began to pound as she glanced between them. "Y-you mean this isn't Lore -"

"No Winter, this appears to be some random weirdo you've found in the woods."

"Very funny Tamer," Lorelei mused. "You always were a charmingly devious little chihuahua, weren't you?"

"Ah Lorelei." Tamer folded his arms. "I didn't recognize you with a woman standing next to you."

Lorelei grinned. He whispered so only she could hear. She nodded as Lorelei muttered his intentions, rather interested to see how Tamer would react to being teased. Tamer frowned.
Lorelei took her hand and kissed it.

"Oh, quite to the contrary, my peculiar Pomeranian." His dazzling blue eyes caught Tamer's as he pulled her as he pulled into his arms and gave her a friendly hug. "Gender has always been an irrelevant subject to one such as me. When you have lived this long, such matters become trivial. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, would it not?"

"W-what?" Tamer stumbled, his face heating.

As Lorelei released her he grinned, leaning to whisper in her ear, "look at him, Winter. Look at the adorable flustered look on his face as he tries to figure out whether to perceive me as a threat or not."

Graciously, Lorelei extended an arm and beckoned Tamer with a movement of his finger. "Come, my promiscuous poodle. You needn't be jealous."

Much to her utter disbelief, Tamer trudged toward them with his head bowed. Lorelei wrapped his free arm around him, proceeding to pat both of them on the head.

"There, there. I have enough love for everyone."

It went on for a few moments.

"Okay, that's enough!" Tamer spat, finally breaking away from the bizarre hold.

Lorelei folded his arms. "It took only two seconds you know."

"Two seconds until what?"

Lorelei gestured to the bare skin of Tamer's torso, lazily visible from the unbuttoned fabric of his shirt.

"Two seconds until you started taking your shirt off within my house. That's a new record."

"One minute," Tamer retorted.

"One minute until what?"

"One minute until I got into the house and already want to kill Lorelei."

Lorelei laughed.

Tamer gave a furious blush. "It's hot okay! Honestly, it's like summer out there! Also, for the record, you have no idea how tiresome it is to wear clothes when all they do is tear apart when you shift!"

Lorelei laughed, a sweet lyrical sound.

"Speaking of the sun, that reminds me," he piped up, touching his finger to his chin, "tonight is the night of the Sun Dance festival, is it not?"

"The Sun Dance Festival?" Winter repeated, both her and Tamer casting curious glances in his direction.

"Ah yes," Lorelei muttered, making his way to the tall bookshelf, eyes traveling over each row in search for the one out of hundreds that he sought. "That might just be the reason for this peculiar weather. Although I must say, if that is the case, never has it been this aggressive before..." He tutted, tapping his foot on the red carpet. "Now where is my book on Apollo?"

Winter quickly made haste to disguise the leap of nerves that leaped in her stomach - she glanced between Tamer and Lorelei furtively, but neither seemed to have noticed.

"Apollo?" she asked quietly, doing her best to sound indifferent.

"Yes." Lorelei frowned, placing his hands on his hips and taking a step back to examine the bookshelves from a further distance. "Oh, that's right, that book was taken from me by that gentleman, wasn't it...?"

Tamer scratched his head. "Apollo, Apollo..." He frowned. "The name sounds oddly familiar on my tongue, but I can't say I can place it."

"Well, either way, I believe I have an idea where you can find a momentary safe heaven to stay the night. The cloaking spell here won't fool anyone with divinity. Cerberus won't be able to harm you there as the whole day is a place of worship for Apollo. Disrupting a creation gods festival is akin to a death sentence; even a god-like being like Cerberus wouldn't dare to do that."

Lorelei turned back to them, smoothing his golden hair over his shoulders.

"The Sun Dance festival is an annual event celebrated in Glenraiges. It is a day to celebrate kindness and good-will. It is said every so often the Sun God Apollo visits, and if presented with a random act of kindness - no matter how small - he will grant the wish of the giver, and will summon the sun to rise to melt the Winter snow, giving the townsfolk a head start for their crops for the oncoming year. Of course, it isn't so simple - Apollo changes his form each time. He may appear as a man, a child, a woman or even an animal; rich or poor, ugly or beautiful. As such, the only way the townsfolk can ensure success is to show kindness to everyone they encounter, especially to travelers. To celebrate the festival, they hold a masquerade during the night."

"You know, this might be something we can use to our advantage," Tamer said. "If they present travelers with kindness, we might be able to get a room for the night."

Both were unaware of the erratic nerves burning up inside Winter. She didn't want to see Apollo again. The festival Lorelei described painted him in a positive light, but from what she knew, there was something twisted about the God. Something that although she couldn't place, was undoubtedly sinister.

Sensing her displacement, Tamer cast her a weary glance - Winter forced a smile and an encouraging nod in return. She couldn't tell Tamer. It was just like the instance with the woman in the moon. Something willed her not to speak.

"I was just worried, though, Tamer," she said in attempt to cover her unease, "Do we actually need to wear masks? How are we nice clothes to wear? Will us not being dressed properly aggravate the god?"

"Ahem." Lorelei cleared his throat.

"That's right, you used to wear dresses, didn't you?" Tamer muttered.

Lorelei let loose a squeal before rubbing his hands together with glee. "Winter, this is going to be so much fun! I have old dresses - so many, that while so beautiful, I just don't feel comfortable wearing anymore, but you! You can put them on and finally bring these glorious creations to life!"

"Wait a minute!" Winter shrieked as she found herself being pulle in a bouncing Lorelei's direction. "Are we really going to do this? Are we really going to just stop and go to a party in the middle of such a dire situation?"

Lorelei stopped in his tracks, scratching his head. "Well, Glenraiges is about a days travel from here. By the time we reach it, it will be night fall. At this point we will probably be safer there than anywhere - even if they know, the townsfolk will be unlikely to rat us out in case one of us is Apollo. Since you are victims, I doubt Apollo will harm you like any serious criminals that go. Given Tamer's ethereal quality in the moonlight, it could very well happen they think he is the God."

"As much as I hate to agree with him, Lorelei is right," Tamer sighed. "The truth is, if we're traveling, we're going to need to rest at some point. I'm not saying we need to go to a masquerade, but we may as well indulge ourselves in what may turn out to be a temporary safe haven."

"I can't wait!" Lorelei squealed. "Winter, let us go try on dresses!"
"Wait a minute."

Tamer regarded him with a look. "You're not planning on coming with us are you?"

"Well, of course, my love. I love a dance and a party, and truth be told, as much as you hate to admit it, my protection will probably be a blessing for you."

"Lorelei, a quick word please?"

Wrapping his arm around his shoulder, Tamer pulled Lorelei into the corner of the room. She heard angry muttering and pointing at her.

"Not to worry," Lorelei said loudly, spreading his arms eloquently, "I shan't get in the way between you two. I can love both you and Winter equally,"

Tamer glared. "You know Lorelei, you might be the least funny person I know."

Winter couldn't help stifle her giggle. It was so nice to know that Tamer had found love in another person despite herself. Love, support, those that he yearned for all his life, was finally starting to come to fruition.

****

Despite the urgency, the scenario was filled with many ooh's and ah's from Lorelei as he found dresses and held them to her slender frame. The enigmatic ball of vampiric sunshine near bounced with delight every time he found a beautiful dress in her size, but Winter was disproportionally quiet, gears of worry turning in her mind the entire time.

"Lorelei, about what you were saying earlier..."

She couldn't help but think how his features reminded her of that of an angel's from a classical painting; those with the over exaggerated beauty and flawless, porcelain skin. The regal perfection he radiated was akin to his apparent old age, despite only appearing in his mid-twenties.

He smiled. "Alas Winter, even with Tamer's intrusion, that was the end of our tale. Now you know as much as I, I am afraid."

She couldn't help but sigh. Lorelei noted her disappointment and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you wish to know more, why don't you ask Apollo himself?" he offered. "That is, of course, if he chooses to present himself to you."

She didn't even question as to why Apollo would be the one to enlighten her before panic ensued her at the name.

"Why would you think Apollo would present himself to me?" she demanded quickly.

Lorelei studied her for a moment, frowning as if sensing her nerves. "Well, if it is true you hold some tie to Artemis, it is very likely Apollo will be interested in any link to his fellow deceased God. He is the sun, and she the moon, so they have a connection. If things go well enough he could even grant a wish of yours. Or at the very least, be able to enlighten you on any information about her. Of course, there is no guarantee he will even turn up, never mind speak to you. Gods are fickle beings with minds beyond our understanding. From the looks of this sunshine, it looks as though a mortal has already pleased him."

She knew fine Apollo wasn't going to grant any wishes of hers - that god had stared with eyes of pure hatred upon her. The god unnerved her so much that she was afraid to even speak about it.

It also appeared that Apollo did not show his true form to humans, which ripened her unease. This god must have had some connection to her to show himself in the first place.

She thought back to when she handed Apollo the white rose. Had that act of kindness saved her somehow?

No, that couldn't have been anything to do with it. The sun was already very bright before then.

"Winter," Lorelei said gently. He snapped her out of her uneasy thoughts with a smile and an excited clasp of his hands. "I have a present for you."

She was glad of the topical change - it gave her some room to cool her head and breathe. Instead of digging through the cupboard of dresses they'd previously been sorting, Lorelei made his way to the other and pulled the pine handles aside.
Winter's mouth fell open. Inside was the most was the most beautiful piece of clothing she'd ever seen in her life - far more stunning than her own sacrificial dress. The dress was a silver hue of white, sparkling like it had been embellished with tiny stars. Long sleeves flowed from the wrists, but from the shoulders downward, it was weaved with intricate roses of lace.

"Lorelei, that's..."

"Rightfully yours," he finished.

She cast him a confounded glance.

"Lorelei, I can't - "

"Did you not hear me correctly?" His bright blue eyes glittered as they gazed playfully into her own. "It is yours. If what I was told when I obtained it was true, then this dress belonged to the first Maiden, Diana."

She gasped. "How did you...?"
"Obtain such a thing?" Lorelei placed his hands on his hips proudly and winked. "That, my fair maiden, is a secret."

He folded it up without a word, packing it away like she didn't have a choice in the matter.
She still didn't feel right. It felt far too extravagant to be in her hands.

"Lorelei..."

"Winter," he said with a finishing note in his voice. "It is rightfully yours. Consider her as your ancestor."

She sighed. There was no arguing with him; she might as well be enthusiastic about it now.

"Thank you, Lorelei."

"You know Winter, beauty can be a great power in itself; many people will soften to the sight of a beautiful human being like yourself, bend to their will. If all else fails, do not forget about that."

Before she could stutter a response, she heard Tamer call her name from downstairs - an absolute godsend in her eyes.

Lorelei noted her displacement with a wry smile. "Your idiot is calling you," he said, turning away with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Tell him I will be down in a minute."

She gave a flustered laugh before exiting and stepping down the stairs, finding Tamer waiting for her in the wooden hallway.

"Hey," he said brightly.

He seemed to be in high spirits from the way he grinned. She gave a small smile at the sight. She wasn't sure why; it hadn't been half an hour since they began packing. Maybe it was because she hadn't properly greeted him this morning.

When she made her way toward him, he surprised her by grasping her hand and holding it above her head. She found herself twirling, her body wound into his until her back hit his chest. He glued her into place by closing his arms around her waist.

"Lorelei said something about a ballroom dance?" he teased in a whisper, mimicking the last two words in Lorelei's haughty, articulated voice.

Winter grinned. She sighed as she rested her head to the side.

"Tamer, you can't be serious."

She was surprised when Tamer's lips met her open neck; she laughed in surprise as his lips swept across her in a fleeting touch.

"Oh, I am. Winter," he said softly, "I've decided. We're not going to live our lives in fear. Whatever happens, I promise you'll be safe. We'll get as far away from this place as possible, but if it comes to it, I'll fight for you. And I won't lose." He smiled. "So relax and enjoy yourself, okay? This might be the only chance we get to do something like this. If we want to do something trivial, like going to a dance, we'll do it."

She sighed. "That's the thing, Tamer. You always assure me of my own safety, but you never guarantee your own..."

"I already told you, didn't I?" he said quietly. "I won't allow anything to tear us apart, not if it is you I am fighting for."

"I know but - "

He sealed the promise in a sudden surge of passion that swept the breath from her lungs; grasping her face in his hands, he kissed her with a wild conviction. In one instant, it turned her body to jelly.

"What will it take to convince you of my dedication?" he growled, trailing his finger down to part her lips. Very slowly, he pushed her against the wall. Her heart skipped a beat as his muscular body pressed against her own. His eyes burned into hers as his tongue slowly draped over his fang.

"Mmm," he breathed, "perhaps tonigh," I should..."

Her breath quivered. A deep chuckle escaped Tamer. He released her, sensing Lorelei's descent down the stairs long before she did.

"Are we ready to leave?" he asked, nodding in the vampire's direction.

"That we are I believe," Lorelei sang in return. "How about you Winter?"

She couldn't speak. She gave a flustered stutter of words as her heart pounded so fast she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

Upon finally forming the word yes, Tamer gave a lilting chuckle. As he opened the door and let loose the blinding sunshine to flood their figures, he slung his bag over his shoulder, passing her a playful wink in return.

They made their way out, Winter's heart hammering as she realised that her entire destiny, her entire reason for existence, could be answered tonight.