Anna waved goodbye to the man as he departed, thinking on his words. Her 'tormentor', she wasn't sure if she'd go that far as saying her father tormented her. But, his decisions about her life weighed heavy on the young girls shoulders. Anna realized she had been enwrapped in her own thoughts for a few moments as she realized Lucio was no longer in the street in the distance. She turned and walked behind the house to see her father and brother looking at an axe - her father was scolding Bertol, clearly he messed something up. Sighing, she began to turn to go back to the front of the house when her father called her name, "You're still going tonight?" Though it was a question, it was a statement. She looked back over her shoulder, "Of course father...wouldn't miss it". And walked back to the front of the house, entering and walking through the shop.

She could hear the fire crackling, and knife hitting the counter as her mother cut the vegetables for the stew. Her little sister grabbing the cut pieces and throwing them in the pot as her mother finished with them. Anna sat down at the kitchen table, picking a flower from the vase her mother had as decoration and twirled it in her fingers, "Mother" She questioned, her mother 'hummed' with recognition for her daughters voice. "Have you ever left here?" Her mother stopped for a moment, and raised an eyebrow at Anna "Whats this about?" 
"I'm just curious..." Anna questioned, staring at the flower - a simple clover flower, her sister had picked these and threw them in there. 
"Well, I only traveled here from my home village after me and your father married," Her mother responded, and then began to get back to making dinner. Anna blinked a few times, and sighed deeply.
"I don't want to marry someone....I want to travel," She stated, her sister coming up and taking the flower from her hand. Scolding her with an angry look as she placed it back in the vase - and then returning to her mothers side to help with dinner. 
"What brought this on?" Her mother asked.
Cassandra piped up, "Anna was talking to a man in the circle, he said Vampires exist!" 
Anna shot Cassandra a look, her parents were rather picky over who she talked too. Her mother then shot Anna the same look, and Anna rolled her eyes. "She brought it up, little brat, I just told him to be careful of the woods".

"As [i]you[/i] should be..." Her mother insisted, and then they heard the front door open, "Go tend to the customers". Anna stood up, staring at her mother wearily. Something wasn't setting right in her gut.


[H3][i]Later that evening[/i][/H3]

Her mother had helped her into the dress she was currently wearing, the corset underneath so tight she felt like her chest had no room when she exhaled. It was a deep burgundy with long open sleeves, the center of the dress was a cream that settled in well alongside the burgundy, that laced in front of the centered cream. She had her hair up in a tight bun, with a few loose curls dangling around her face. She stared at herself in the mirror before she left, her mother and father praising her beauty of course, trying to make her excited to go. Anna had voiced her distaste for these recently, and huffed as her mother tightened the front of her dress again. "Now, make sure you're careful...." Her mother noted, walking around Anna adjusting the final touches to her dress. "For what? The vampires..." She mocked, her mother grabbed her face and looked her straight in the eyes - "Anna its not a joke..." She said sternly.
"You don't really believe in them..do you?" Anna questioned, as she grabbed her mothers hands, bringing them down and holding them.
"You just never know dear..." Her mother hesitated to respond, and before she could ask anymore questions her father came to whisk her away to find her husband. What joy.

As she arrived, her father departed to go talk to other gentleman of the village. He never stayed long at these events, just to escort her and then he typically went to the Tavern. At least that was the usual routine. As she entered the crowd, she began to see some new faces she hadn't seen before. She thought back on Lucio for a moment, and his idea to drink - and well since her father wasn't around to bash it out of her hand because it could be seen as 'unlady-like', she made her move and took a goblet from the table of ones provided. She began to sip it, and thank fully it was a red wine, she couldn't exactly stomach ale's. Not her favorite. As she started to gulp down a few more sips, a man blonde haired man around her age approached her - putting his hand out. "I'm Ronald, care to join me in a dance?" Anna was mid sip, and swallowed it down, wiping her mouth with her hand and setting the goblet back down with an uneasy smile, before picking it back up and taking the last sip "Of course..." She smiled, and took his hand. He led her to the dancefloor, the sound of lutes, woodwinds, and more members of the string family entered her ears. He placed a hand on her hip, and grabbed her other free hand as they began to dance around each other. "May I ask your name?"
She realized she never hers, "Anna". She smiled, and then began to look past him the crowd. Beginning to daydream of travel, now that Lucio had planted that idea in her head.