"Right."<br/><br/>Finding it difficult to lay eyes on Morgan —<i>anywhere</i>, bite mark or not — Lydia turned again, this time in the direction of the door. She fidgeted with her own sleeves, rolling them both up just below her elbows before crossing her arms. If she could at least play it off as deep thought about their upcoming meeting, then maybe Morgan wouldn't be suspicious of Lydia's actual deep thoughts. Morgan seemed to be just as dismissive, which was understandable. Why would she want to talk about being bitten? There was no etiquette for this situation. Her silence only made Lydia wonder what Morgan was thinking more, but even still, she wasn't sure if talking about what just happened would make things any better.<br/><br/><i>Damn this plan to hell.<br/>
</i><br/>Suppressing another sigh, Lydia led the way, grabbing the small lantern she kept inside and stopping to hold the door for Morgan. While she didn’t have any trouble seeing at night, she figured it might come in handy for Morgan. Her part of town was well-lit, but who knew how things were kept in Adrian’s territory these days? And knowing Adrian, they could end up in any number of situations. She didn’t mind being over prepared, and she briefly placed her hand over where the knife hid under her vest as the thought crossed her mind. Maybe<i>that</i>was the key to not dwelling on the bite — worrying herself with what could go wrong.<br/><br/>Outside, the sun’s heavy presence was long gone, and an ominous full moon hung in the sky, peeking out between two clouds. The gas street lights had sprung to life, casting a yellow glow on the sidewalks beneath them. She breathed in the night air. At the very least, it was a nice evening. Hopefully, it would end without any more blood being shed (<i>never mind the appeal of tasting more of Morgan’s</i>-), and with them gaining more useful information.<br/><br/>Lydia continued, leading Morgan through the space in between her apartment and the next and to the back, a lot shared by the surrounding homes. There, as expected, the carriage awaited them — a fully enclosed cabin with windows on either side, bordered by drapes, pulled back, drawn by two black mares. The driver was busy cooing to his horses when he spotted them and turned.<br/><br/>“Ah! There you are, hello,” he called, giving one horse a final pat before making his way over to them. “Good evening, good evening. Are you all set to go, Miss Cleur?” The driver nodded to both of them, red eyes glancing between the pair from under the shadow of his hat. It was damn near impossible to find a human driver willing to ride into Carpe Noctem territory — much less to the Blackwell estate itself — at this hour, that was for sure.<br/><br/>As she confirmed his question, Lydia reached for the coin purse in her pocket and placed it in his hand. They exchanged thanks, and the man scurried off to open the door for the two of them. It only took one glance to realize just how intimate this ride was going to be. She’d requested a cabin for two, after all.<br/><br/>“You and your guest will find the trip to be comfortable, I hope,” he continued, smiling as he waited for them to enter. Lydia stepped up first, sliding over to the far side of the cushioned seat. “If you’d like to open the windows, the hinges are on the bottom. Otherwise, if you need anything else, just knock.”<br/><br/>“Looks cozy enough,” Lydia remarked, though internally, she was preparing for the difficulty of the following journey. Adrian’s estate was nearly an hour’s ride away, and the whole way, she’d practically be stuck in a box with the girl.<br/><br/>Once they’d settled in, it was only a few more moments before the driver started them off on their way, easing the horses up to a steady pace. Lydia crossed one leg over the other and leaned one elbow on the small ledge by the window. “Well, here we go,” she said, breaking the silence and turning to Morgan. While it was possible that she could survive the trip by staring intently out the window for the next hour, they were still working together on this mission. Working. The more coordinated they were, the better. “Tell me, Morgan ... is there anything you’d like to know about Adrian? Or Carpe Noctem? There’s a good chance I’d be able to shed some light, at least on<i>those</i>mysteries.”