The full moon hung high outside the lavish ballroom, illuminating it gracefully. Candlelight joined in, as did the chandeliers, swaying slightly as the masked guests moved like ghosts. Poe glided among them, hand in yours, a figure of velvet and mystery.

Despite his initial hesitance to be whisked away from one of the corners providing him solitude, an exchange of riddles and cryptic poems was deemed enough to get him out of his shell. Every laugh, every tilt of the head carried a certain tension, one that could prick skin. But in the arms of Poe, you felt safe like never before.

"Tell me," You spoke, the pull of your presence intoxicating and unnerving all at once. "Do you always speak like this at parties?"

The question earns a light hum out of Poe. "Only when the company is interesting.. which you are! Undeniably."