Matters of the Heart

 Dorian ventured back out into the rain, his body exhausted and sore, but ready for the next stage of the night's events.
As he came to the street of which was his destination, he looked up at the tall and most lavish building that set high bars to everything else on the London streets before it.
The theater.
His mouth ran agape as he stared at it in awe..and in deep remembrance of his life before.

Remember our past

He closed his eyes, as a memory reassembled in his mind.
One of him, not an ounce different in appearance, escorting a beautiful young woman into the theater. Both smiling and staring into each other's eyes with the utmost love..
And whose hearts were completely devoted to one another...

Remember where I first fell in love with you

He opened his eyes again. His face went pale as the moon.
And he looked on with the deepest sadness he was capable of expressing. He took a long, shaky breath..and he pressed on.
Hoping that his message was understood..

Upon using one of his keys on the locked entrance, he walked into the theater..a place of which was cold and filled with a wide open space..but most pleasing to the eye.
Famous and wealthy folk walked upon this floor...through these halls...a place where imagination ran wild..and one could escape their troubles..a place that always fascinated Dorian ever since he could remember..

As he entered the building, he could see the booth of which tickets were sold..and the stairs that climbed to a greater hall.
The walls were a deep red, the detailed golden trims decorating every edge that was in sight.. normally, such a place would be lively, but as the hour was late..the inside was bare as a bone.
It was silent and quite menacing to be alone in such a large, uninhabited area. But Dorian did not let it deter him. After all, fear is for mortals. What did he have to lose?

He climbed the steps to the hall that led to the auditorium.
The place where the magic happened.
He hurried on, taking quick glances at the decorative taste they had placed in the corners. Exotic plants and exquisite paintings that were skilled at catching the eye. But Dorian did not have time for a tour of the glamorous kingdom. His business was set on finding one person..

He threw open the doors to the auditorium.
His heart racing, his mind reeling.
The inside was the most spacious and wondrous of any building he had entered. Far more elegant than the one he had discovered Sibyl in. He looked all about..there were hundreds of seats, crafted with great detail, with soft velvet cushions and smooth glistening wood. The walls and ceilings had been painted a gorgeous display of artwork, as if every famous painter in the world had come and left their mark upon them. Which the artwork, of course, complimented the largest and most beautiful chandelier he had ever laid eyes upon. Made of serene crystal, that only alarmed Gray with the thought of it deciding to crash down upon the unexpecting theater goers.
His eyes turned to the stage itself.. an enormous wall of silky crimson curtains was before him. With large sparkling bulbs trimmed around the edge of the stage.

As he walked, he was struck with the images of the play he saw with Sibyl. His heart sagged at the thoughts of her and what he had given up. And now..he blamed himself. If he hadn't have left her, she might have not gone on the path she was on now.
The Sibyl he once knew was kind and gentle and had a good, beautiful heart. What she was today was quite the opposite.
"I remember how cold the theater was that day.."
He quickly spun on his heels. His heart betrayed him and fluttered upon what he saw..Sibyl herself.
She was leaning against the wall, her arms folded as she gazed at the room. "..So you put your jacket upon my shoulders and promised me something."
Her eyes gravitated slowly to his and he was instantly filled with dread from the way she stared at him. "That you'd never leave me.. as long as you have a breath in your body."

Dorian swallowed hard. "Sibyl..please, I.."
"You turned your back on me." She accused as she jammed a finger into his chest with a rising temper.
"You swore you'd always be there. But YOU LIED."
Her arm waved. "The life I was to live before is now nothing but a broken promise! It is oceans away from what you have caused me! The hell I have lived!"
Dorian foresaw that she was growing too furious to be reasoned with. And he was correct.
"And now here you are! Trying to win my heart back..trying to swoon me back into your arms..you are too late, Dorian!" "I KNOW I am!"
Sibyl jerked her entire body as Dorian suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to look at him. She was instantly silent, swallowing her own pride. Gray straightened his posture as he cleared his throat. "..I did not come here to argue..or to take you back, Sibyl. I came here on behalf of my friend...and to truly..deeply...beg your forgiveness." He tightened his mouth. "..Something of which you can't give me.." His head shook gently. "..Nevertheless, I seek it. And I implore you..please..don't go down this path. The Sibyl I knew was innocent..pure..not one corruption to speak of..until me..you are more than this. This evil..it is not your path."

Her eyes now lacked the vengeful filter they once possessed. Still, she seemed to be undeterred by his charming persuasion. Perhaps because she saw right through it and knew him to be a callous and self-absorbed man. She came to see past his mask very well..an intuition she should have had upon meeting him. Her fists tightened as she stood her ground. "..No tricks.."
He shook his head sincerely. "No tricks."

The two stared in an awkward silence for quite a few moments.
Before Sibyl gathered her dress from under her and began to climb down the steps of the stage.
"Follow me. Let's talk."