#mvienna

Maxwell took his time dressing that evening, spending a good twenty minutes going through his suit collection to find just the right one. He wanted something sophisticated yet sleek, something that spoke of a willingness to have fun, something he could feel comfortable and move in. No longer the charming man who became a stick in the mud once his unconscious charms had worked their magic - this was Maxwell actually trying. And that had to mean infusing himself with the confidence to not turn into a blubbering fool, as he had discussed with Elijah, when it came to facing someone he genuinely desired. In the end he went with a bespoke blue slightly metallic suit, bringing out his eyes and the all too wide smile he could now practice with so much ease with that tension that had once engulfed him having gone. A shower, a shave, a few minutes of dancing like an idiot to music from his computer, dark blonde curls pushed back with a little bit of gel and he looked good - a change from the haggard appearance over the last couple of weeks since her.

And now there was only a single her occupying his mind - a young woman who was, in reality a little too young for him to consider so seriously and yet had done so. Vienna Ferrell was one who had struck his interest if only because her own interest in him was detectable but not obvious. Not the kind of infatuation that seemed to be felt by others, fuelled likely in no small part by what Elijah had made obvious: the accent, the charm, the bearing. It seemed to matter little to Vienna, who was more likely to tease him for his posh background than to admire it. There was something about her that was intriguing to him, a little flash of dangerous, a kind of weariness that contradicted the pull of youthful exuberance that was still raging within her. She reminded him so much of her, a little ball of contradiction and energy and that half little smile, always sort of bitten back, ever the more beautiful when it emerged fully. He had no desire to replace one with the other though, for Anna was something special. Vienna was too, and he laughed with her, found her humor and sensibility well-matched to his own. And as he was a man who had been too long without the physical company of another, had dreamt of her, her small frame in his arms, curled up on his lap as they sat on the veranda, himself drinking tea and reading a book propped up on her arm as she slept with her lips against his neck. An odd little fantasy, as Maxwell was not one for more overt and sexualized ones, which was more promising. He enjoyed her company greatly, and craved it more and more. Especially now when he finally let himself be free of the burden that had held him hostage for so long.

It had been a quiet past few days for Maxwell, sitting largely in his villa, a little afraid to go outside. Meeting Sarah Turner had affected him deeply, seeing the ghost of his beloved in her eyes even though that was impossible. He didn't feel like seeing anybody, however, and for the first time he had withdrawn from the friends he had made there at Orenda, from people like Andrea, Delilah and of course, Vienna, who he had come to increasingly adore over the last couple of weeks. Vienna with her sharp yet knowing eyes, youthful face yet an edge of maturity that indicated that she had seen a bit too much in her young life. An opposite of the sheltered Maxwell who knew nothing of the world until Anna came bounding into it, tearing it apart, making it new, making it clearer than it ever was before before taking it all away with her death. Everything came back to Anna, and it was paralyzing and it needed to stop. 

He forced himself out of bed that day, however. An hour of sitting and drinking tea in front of an audience, to do whatever was required of him for the sake of VIenna's protection. He hadn't wanted to take part in the demo, until he had realized it could be a good way to  ensure that Vienna remained safe and she was not forced to do anything she did not want to do. It was a pity it would earn her no points, however, as he wanted her to obtain the greater freedom supplied by higher status.