An alluring aura surrounding the property seemed to all but steal the young woman's attention away. For a moment she considered that it may be abandoned; only the grounds were much too well cared for. If she looked closely, she would see flickering lights from some of the windows, as though the old mansion still ran on oil lamps and candle light. The greenery surrounding the home seemed to have been trimmed recently. The outside of the edifice appeared to have been kept in good shape. The paint was chipped here or there, but she decided that only showed how long it had been standing for. A rare treasure like this was surely a spectacle for anyone to see; let alone live in.

Alera wondered for a moment if whomever resided there might let her stay the night; even just for a few hours. Once she was a little rested and the storm had passed, she could be on her way and never bother them again. That was a ridiculous notion, however. Surely the family that lived here wouldn't want company knocking at this hour. Or, by the look of the nearly rusted-shut gates; at any hour. It really didn't appear that anyone came or went at all.

As she gazed at the elaborate manor, her mind couldn't help but wander to what it must have been like in its glory days. People must have been in and out of this place all the time, whether it be for official or personal business. The family that owned the land must have been very wealthy at one point, though from the looks of things they could very well still have money. Images of horse-drawn carriages arriving through the iron gates flooded her mind with visions of beautiful people in Victorian era dress. Surely they would attend lavish parties with dancing and mind blowing dinners. Her thoughts of this old property seemed a little fanciful, but everyone should indulge their mind every now and again. This was a far cry from the wretched hole of an apartment that she used to call home.

Something on the grounds caught her eye and tore her once more from her thoughts. Movement? It could have been a resident from the house, but what would they be doing out in the rain this late? Alera made a vain attempt to focus her eyes through the steady rain. Something was definitely out there, but as hard as she tried she couldn't seem to pinpoint what it was. Just as she was ready to forget it and keep driving, she saw it again. This time whatever moved had been closer to the gate. She peered through the darkness and nearly jumped as the clear sound of something hitting the gate rung through the quiet noise of the rain.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she switched the engine of her car off. The damned thing was noisy enough; let alone when she was trying to keep an eye out for this mysterious figure. Removing the keys from the ignition, Alera hesitantly reached for the handle on the door. What was she doing this for, anyway? She had no business intruding on these people, and she was no sort of authority whatsoever. It was positively rude of her to go snooping around their home for some person she may or may not have seen. Still, she took a deep breath and opened the car door.

Once outside the vehicle, the rain only poured harder. She grumbled to herself and pulled her worn coat closer to her thin frame. "Fuck my curiosity... It's like even the rain wants me to get back in the car and keep driving." Alera shrugged off the eerie feeling the property seemed to give off and slammed the door shut, beginning to step forward slowly. Her eyes would do her no better outside the car than they had inside. For whatever reason though, she continued walking up to the gate. "Hello? Is anyone there??" She leaned forward to look through the large gates, hoping she might see whatever had been there before.