"Mmm. What did this to me? Depends on what 'this' you mean." The crone looked up at the girl, brow raised. She didn't care for pity, not in this situation anyway. It served no true purpose.
The crone closed the distance, her hands settling for the moment on the young woman's shoulders. It would be so easy to break the girl's neck, so very easy. Her jaw tightened for a moment as she looked at the girl, as if she were yet again searching for something.
"Listen very carefully. You have entered into a relationship that you do not understand." A hand slid slowly from shoulder, along collar bone, pausing as if it couldn't decide where to go next, then up to the side of the girl's delicate neck. She kept eye contact if the girl did.
"You will find misery in it. Perhaps you will find joy, happiness, but the misery will far outweigh these bright moments." The other hand had made a similar journey, and for a moment, it might seem that the small woman was about to throttle the innocent. Instead, she simply pulled her hands out and away, almost as if she were better fanning the girl's hair about her shoulders.
"You will lose your innocence. He will drive you to it. Oh, he promised never to hurt you, but it is not in his nature to keep from doing so." She laughed softly. "You see, you will eventually succumb to your curiosity about him, about yourself, about things that happen between man and woman. You will believe that his promise will guard your heart, and that is where you will feel your deepest wound."
The small woman stepped away; the smile on her lips was soft and sad. She knew so much more than the girl did in so many ways, and the same sadness was in her eyes.
"Before you ask, no, he did not break my heart, and I am not warning you from that side of it. I am telling you, that if you want to remain as you are, completely unsullied, innocent in almost every way. If you are truly happy now, give or take the uncomfortable encounters - especially with people like me. You know, the ones who aren't...quite right." The smile grew knowing, and she might have even winked.
"You will not continue in your dealings with him. The other, he is no worries. The most he could do to you is take your blood, turn you into a vampire. Which I doubt he would because you are much too innocent and lily white. The only reason anyone would wish to turn you is if you had some inkling of potential for darkness. You don't. You lose your innocence, and you are boringly average. Your beauty will fade, and you will be nothing." The way she spoke held no anger, or obvious cruelty. She spoke as if she'd seen this happen, not once or twice but rather, many times before. This was one of the sadder sides of the path the girl was on.
"You may disbelieve me, as I am..wrong." Had that been the word? "But, I would not, fair Beauty. Look to your story books, there are creatures who are wrong, who are different, who know and have seen much more than you will ever know. They are the ones with knowledge."