Inadvertently Entangled: Day 10

Word Count: 57,201

Summary of Events:

Pierson expressed his boredom to Mr. Nyilas, who had no suggestions for helping him, before Pierson suggested — for reasons he couldn't explain — that he could study Hungarian, which Mr. Nyilas said he'd look into. While waiting, Pierson strove diligently to remember what had happened to him in the present, but the last day he could remember was the day he'd gotten Uncle Ashford's coat, which he was sure was part of the reason he'd ended up in the past, along with the fact that he bore a resemblance to Uncle Ashford, or so he was told. He was convinced more time had passed since then, but he could remember nothing of what had happened during that time. His bored musings were interrupted by an urgent knocking that sounded like it was being done against the door of Mr. Nyilas' apartment, so Pierson went to check…

Excerpt of the Day:

The knock sounded again, sounding even more urgent, as Pierson neared the door, and convinced him that the knocker was knocking on the door he was approaching.

He put his eye to the peephole and looked out. A thrill shot through him. It was the beautiful dark-haired young woman from the meeting whose name he wanted but hadn’t yet gotten who was on the other side, looking nearly frantic.

Unlocking the door, he opened it and she surged in briskly. He closed the door and locked it before reaching for the button at the collar of his shirt, which he felt keen to reopen, along with all the other ones beneath it.

The young woman immediately started speaking in a flurry of urgent Hungarian that, in a way, sounded beautiful, which Pierson supposed had to do with its being uttered in a feminine voice, but the rapidity with which it was being uttered made him feel like he was being borne down on by a steamroller with the high-powered engine of a race car.

Having started speaking with her back toward him, the young woman turned to face him and stopped speaking abruptly, her mouth slightly agape, looking mortified. A flush rose to her cheeks. She must’ve thought he was Mr. Nyilas, and now, seeing his face, had realised her error.

“Hol van Konstantin?” she asked.

Pierson wasn’t sure he wanted to presume she was asking where Mr. Nyilas was, but he felt like that would be a reasonable question for her to ask, although she suddenly looked even more mortified than before.

“Sorry,” she said. “Where Konstantin?”

“I don’t know,” Pierson replied. “He didn’t tell me where he went this morning, and he’s not been back yet.”

She bit her lip. Pierson just about chided her for it, her lips were too pretty to be bitten, even by her.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Pierson asked.

Her green eyes shifted to his face critically. “You drive?”

“Yes,” Pierson replied.

“Good,” she said, looking pleased. “We must go.”

“Right,” Pierson said.

He turned to the coat tree beside the door, taking up and putting on his scarf, coat, and hat before he unlocked the door again and opened it.

She exited briskly and Pierson followed her only after reaching into his pocket and finding the key that Mr. Nyilas had given him in case, for any emergency reason, he needed to leave the apartment, which he’d put in his coat pocket so that it’d be with him if needed and he wouldn’t have to hunt around for it.

He locked the door and followed her brisk and fairly urgent stride, seeming like a barely-restrained run, if he was honest, down the corridor to the stairs and out onto the street, where he had to take advantage of the length of his legs to ensure he was able to keep up with her rapid pace.