Feb-2-2002 12:32 PM Message 84 of 523

Subject: Slipping Back In [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 80 ]

Belle moves through the forest, swiftly and silently. Soon, she approaches Crimson Kiss manor. As she enters the clearing, she hears faint voices from the far side of the mansion, which she recognizes as Dahlia and Guillaume. She does not disturb them. Had Dahlia wanted Belle's presence, she would not have initially excluded her from the conversation.

The front door opens as she approaches. Briant waits just inside. Belle gratefully accepts the ceramic goblet he offers. It contains bloodwyne, warmed and spiced.

"It might be best if you inform me when you leave, Miss Belladonna," the butler suggests. "Had Mistress Dahlia inquired as to your whereabouts, I would not have known what to tell her."

"Did she notice my absence?" Belle asks.

"It is not for me to say what Mistress Dahlia notices, of course. But she has remained in private conference with Sir Guillaume all the time you were away."

"I see. And the others?"

"Miss Narcissa and Master Ian are in the parlor."

"Thank you, Briant." Belle hands him her empty cup, and follows Ian's mandolin music down the foyer. She enters the parlor just as the bard completes a tune. Narcissa sits on a sofa near the fire, a relaxed but curious expression on her face.

"Ah, I see you had time to bathe and dress," Belles says to the girl. "What a lovely gown you selected! I hope you haven't been waiting too long for someone to return."

***

Feb-2-2002 2:53 PM Message 85 of 523

Subject: A returning resident

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 84 ]

::As Ian responds to her original question...granted, a little late, but a response none the less...she nods to him grateful for his response at all. Although, the meaning of it perplexes her...it was perhaps a riddle? She shrugs it off seeing that he is a poet and musician and all. They always tend to tell stories of grandure...more grand then they really are. Of course, just as he responds Belladonna walks in. She turns and notices a few leaves stuck to her dress::

"Dress? Oh yes...this dress is pretty comfortable. I can't believe the selection that Dahlia has. A girl could live in her closets!"

::She laughs quietly and continues her stay on the couch::

"Although I couldn't find any shoes that matched or even fit. I hope no one minds that I run around barefoot."

::She pauses for a moment before inquiring further::

"You look like you were running around in the woods...isn't it getting chilly outside? Why on earth would you want to be out there when it's so comfy in here?"

::she pauses for a moment realizing she is bombarding the poor woman with questions. She is happy to any company at all actually. Recent events have left her a bit shaken and being alone is probably not in her best interest at this time::

***

Feb-4-2002 2:24 PM Message 86 of 523

Subject: Presumption

From: Iethro_Tullius

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 85 ]

"You look like you were running around in the woods," Narcissa says to Belladonna. "Isn't it getting chilly outside? Why on earth would you want to be out there when it's so comfy in here?"

Ian believes he knows the answer, and even though he played a particular song for Dahlia a few nights earlier, he cannot now resist playing it for Belle... and on behalf of Narcissa.

~~~

One day I walked the road

And crossed a field to go

By where the hounds ran hard.

And on the master raced,

Behind the hunters chased,

To where the path was barred.

One fine young lady's horse

Refused the fence to clear.

I unlocked the gate

But she did wait

Until the pack

Had disappeared.

Crop handle carved in bone;

Sat high upon a throne

Of finest English leather.

The queen of all the pack,

This joker raised his hat

And talked about the weather.

All should be warned

About this high born

Hunting Girl.

She took this simple man's

Downfall in hand;

I raised the flag that she unfurled.

Boot leather flashing

And spurnecks the size

Of my thumb.

This highborn hunter

Had tastes as strange

As they come.

Unbridled passion:

I took the bit

In my teeth.

Her standing over,

Me on my knees

Underneath.

My lady, be discrete.

I must get to my feet

And go back to the farm.

Whilst I appreciate

You are no deviate,

I might come to some harm.

I'm not inclined

To acts refined,

If that's how it goes.

Oh, high born Hunting Girl,

I'm just a normal

Low born so and so.

~~~

***

Feb-4-2002 11:20 PM Message 87 of 523

Subject: Questions {Tricia}

From: goddessT

Reply to: Laura_Junius [ Message 83 ]

Tricia looks at Laura and asks softly,"And The other?"

The other?" Laura's chest heaves as she sighs deeply, then smiles with strangely languid contentment. "The other.... I'm not sure how to describe it.... Or even if I should." Tricia looks at Laura and sighs,"Please tell me now..........."

***

Feb-5-2002 6:33 PM Message 88 of 523

Subject: Sartorial Sensibilities [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 85 ]

Belle curls onto the sofa next to, and perpendicular with, the couch on which Narcissa reclines, leaning close to speak, despite Ian's music in the background. She immediately inhale's the girl's scent, richly feminine and perfectly complimented by the aroma of lingering bath oils. For just an instant, Belle's hunger for the woman returns, but with a ragged sigh, she suppresses her desire and casually turns toward her, smiling warmly.

"I was just out running a little errand," Belle explains. "I only just moved into Crimson Kiss myself, and have also needed to borrow clothes from Dahlia. I just went over to... to my old place to pick up some things." Belle looks down at her empty hands and laughs. "I guess I got distracted."

Belle's eyes focus beyond the room's walls momentarily, and she softly licks her lips, then continues quickly, as if to deny Narcissa the chance to ask another question. "And speaking of clothes, if you would like, I probably could find you some shoes to go with that dress. But if you prefer being barefoot, I am sure that is fine. Although I've only recently come to know them, I understand Dahlia's friends are a rather unconventional and bohemian bunch."

***

Feb-6-2002 3:27 PM Message 89 of 523

Subject: Confession [Laura]

From: Laura_Junius

Reply to: goddessT [ Message 87 ]

Laura remains reclined on the couch, but lays anything but still. She stretches and squirms, as if fighting to stay in place, or perhaps trying to feel the smooth silk of her nightgown, or coarse texture of the cushions' upholstery, caress her soft, pale skin.

When she speaks, Laura's voice sounds distant, distracted. "You know I have been having bizarre dreams every night this past week. Some of them were just plain nightmares about Belle; and in some I dreamt about her willingly surrendering to some evil power. Those dreams -- the ones about Belle -- really terrified me"

Laura shudders, then sighs. Her legs continue to slide back and forth across each other under the nightie, while her fingers fidget among the curls of her hair. She smiles mysteriously, and now her words flow forth slowly, low and breathy. "I also have had a couple of dreams about myself, where I am the one being seduced by some kind of demon. And the strange thing is, those have felt anything but nightmarish!"

***

Feb-6-2002 6:26 PM Message 90 of 523

Subject: More inquiries...of course...

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 88 ]

::she smies at Belle's story having no reason to doubt her and looks down at her own perfectly manicured feet::

"Actually, I prefer to go without shoes for the time being. My poor feet were all cramped up in my boots all day. I'd prefer to let them breathe."

::She wiggles her toes as if almost taunting Belle, flirtatiously inviting her...testing her boundaries if you will. She has no more intentions than that though. Speaking of her hosts though does intrigue her.::

"So tell me of Dahlia and Guillaume...what do you know about them? I'm curious to hear while they're not here."

***

Feb-7-2002 6:45 PM Message 91 of 523

Subject: Temptations [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 90 ]

"Actually, I prefer to go without shoes for the time being," Narcissa sighs contentedly, calling Belle's attention to her sensuously wiggling toes. "My poor feet were all cramped up in my boots all day. I'd prefer to let them breathe."

Belle finds herself gazing at the girl's well formed feet, narrow ankles, firm calves. Even before meeting Dahlia, when the concept of sexual attraction to another woman was utterly foreign to Belle, she always appreciated a women's nicely shaped legs. She now follows the lines of Narcissa's perfect legs to where they disappear under the hem of her red dress.

Belle closes her eyes and draws a ragged breath, again nearly overcome with desire. A new temptation whispers to Belle. She is instinctively aware of the latent mesmeric powers of vampires, as memorialized in countless legends. She has recently discovered, much to her surprise, when she put Laura back to sleep earlier this evening, that she is already able to wield them crudely.

Despite that clumsy success, Belle already has a sense of their potential power. While she ultimately gave herself to Dahlia willingly, Belle suddenly realizes that Dahlia had hypnotized her at least twice during their "courtship." The first time was, necessarily, on the night they met. The second came during the dinner at the lake house. In that latter instance, Dahlia must have been simply testing Belle's susceptibility, as she did not take advantage of Belle's vulnerability.

Regardless, vampiric mesmerism is clearly overwhelming to its victim. Involuntarily, Belle finds herself wondering if she could now use it to seduce Narcissa. An image of the girl surrendering her body to Belle and making love with her -- all the while believing she did so of her own volition, and not due to hypnotic suggestion -- creeps uninvitedly into Belle's imagination. It surprises and disturbs Belle to realize how exciting she finds this idea.

Belle visibly shivers as she suppresses this new craving. Even if she had confidence in her powers, she would not attempt to use them on Narcissa in this way, although she admits to herself that this is not out of any concern for the girl. Rather, Belle intends to remain absolutely faithful to Dahlia. Also, though of lesser concern, she does not want to do anything disrespectful of Guillaume's obvious intention in this regard.

"So tell me of Dahlia and Guillaume," Narcissa suggests, as if perceiving Belle's own thoughts. "What do you know about them? I'm curious to hear why they're not here."

"I passed them coming in," Belle explains. "They were still in conference together. I trust you have gathered by now that they are a pair of V.I.P.s." Belles smiles, thinking that a more appropriate acronym might be "V.I.V."

Narcissa nods noncommitally and Belle continues. "Well, I think I know what Guillaume has in mind with his offer to make you safe from those jewel thieves. And if you are to become... to join our community, then I imagine there are a number of issues Dahlia and Guillaume must resolve."

***

Feb-7-2002 6:45 PM Message 92 of 523

Subject: Curiosity killed the cat...I think

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 91 ]

::She chuckles as she looks to Belle noting something in the woman's eyes...something a little more wild then she leads the outside world to believe. She knows wild...she's lived wild...in the city, if you weren't wild, you would get mangled by the beasts that lived in the concrete jungle. It was a lifestyle...Belle had it in her. She tucks her feet back under her and leans back against the soft fabric of the luxurious couch. As Belle speaks of Guillaume though, she sits right back up.::

"You know how he's going to help me? Please tell me...I'm so curious to know how he can protect me against those...those ..people."

::Speaking disgustedly about the drug dealers. Her innocence of unknowing about vampires is all to obvious to Belle and that perhaps amuses Belle greatly.::

***

Feb-8-2002 5:11 PM Message 93 of 523

Subject: Caveat [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 92 ]

"You know how he's going to help me?" Narcissa asks in response to Belle's suggestion that she understands Guillaume's plans to protect Narcissa from the criminals targeting her. "Please tell me. I'm so curious to know how he can protect me against those... those... people."

Narcissa practically spits the last word, as if it disgusts her to admit that the thieving drug dealers are members of the same species as her own. Belle smiles, realizing that if Guillaume gets his way, then Narcissa soon will not have that concern any more.

"It is not my place to discuss Guillaume's business," Belle deflects the girl's question. "He is much older and infinitely more experienced in these matters than I am. In fact, I have only just become part of Dahlia and Guillaume's circle myself. On the other hand, there is one very important aspect of all this I should share with you."

Belle sets her left hand on Narcissa's forearm, then leans forward to gaze deeply into her eyes -- leaving mere inches separating their faces -- to make sure the girl appreciates the seriousness of Belle's warning. "Please understand this: If you accept Guillaume's offer, your life will never be the same. In many ways, it will be as if your life up to now never existed, or at best that it was some sort of inconsequential prelude. You will essentially lose everyone you've known... your friends... your family. Even if you think you are now alone, there will always be someone or something you'll miss. I discovered that myself earlier tonight. If you cannot resolve yourself to make that sacrifice, the consequences could be most grave!"

***

Feb-9-2002 9:57 AM Message 94 of 523

Subject: Change sounds good

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 93 ]

::She smells Belle's soft hair as she moves just barely inches from her. She has a sudden urge to run her fingers through the woman's hair and touch the perfect skin on her cheeks as she speaks. At first the words are mundane compare to the exciting lips from which they are spoken. Her soft full lips are inviting, but dangerous...that much she can tell. But as Belle speaks of her life changing she snaps out of her lustful trance and moves back away from Belle. She stands slowly revealing the full context of her voluptuous figure against the firelight.::

"Change my life? Lose my friends and family?"

::She runs a hand through her drying curls and looks back at Belle...sweet wild Belle::

"I made that decision when I left the city."

::A heavy sigh parts her lips as she turns back to the fire::

"I suppose however Guillaume wants to help me, I'll accept it. Nothing could be worse than what I'm living with now."

***

Feb-9-2002 11:46 AM Message 95 of 523

Subject: Palliations [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 94 ]

Narcissa stands and moves to the hearth. Belle wonders why the girl has become increasingly fidgety in her presence. The question slips from her mind when Narcissa steps between her and the fire.

Narcissa wears no slip and, Belle suspects, no other underwear either. The firelight glows through the fine silk of her dress, silhouetting every detail of her perfect feminine curves. A low growl escapes from Belle's throat, too low, she hopes, for the girl to hear.

"Change my life?" Narcissa asks rhetorically, although Belle barely notices that she is speaking. "Lose my friends and family?" Narcissa raises both hands to run her fingers sensuously through her wet tresses as she turns slowly away from the fireplace; giving Belle the opportunity to appreciated the exact contours of Narcissa's full, firm breasts, straining against the tight fabric of her gown. She looks deeply into Belle's eyes and sighs, "I made that decision when I left the city."

With the smallest shrug, Narcissa turns back to the fire and concludes, "I suppose however Guillaume wants to help me, I'll accept it. Nothing could be worse than what I'm living with now."

Belle recognizes the desperate loneliness in the girl's voice. She rises and crosses to stand beside her before the fire, sets her left hand on Narcissa's shoulder and reassuringly strokes her back. "Then let me share something with you that I hope will make you feel better. I could not be happier that I agreed to join Dahlia. When I made my decision, Dahlia told me I would have a life I'd never dreamed of, and that I'd see astounding things. She was right. I am sure that if you join us, it will be the same for you."

***

Feb-9-2002 4:43 PM Message 96 of 523

Subject: More questions...always

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 95 ]

::she appreciates Belle's sudden intuition to sympathize instead of ostrasize her in her current state of suspension between lives. She offers Belle a soft smile as she strokes her back. Her perfectly manicured fingernails against her back are entrancing and enticing all the same...her touch is cold, but soft. She feels a connection with Belle suddenly....like sisterhood, or perhaps something more....she's not quite sure. Although she doesn't know anything about Belle's current..state...she knows they have something very much in common...and soon to be more in common then she even knows about.::

"Belle, how did you end up here? Were you looking for a new life? What has Dahlia shown you that you hadn't seen before?"

::The questions she had were unending. She was quite sure the lot of them were sick of her curiosities and probably saw her as being rude, but she didn't care. She actually wanted to know more about all of them. When they spoke, she was enchanted by the sounds of their voices, the way they move, and especially how they spoke to her::

***

Feb-9-2002 10:19 PM Message 97 of 523

Subject: Captive Audience{Tricia}

From: goddessT

Reply to: Laura_Junius [ Message 89 ]

As Tricia listens to Laura talk about her dreams, She finds herself almost hypnotized,not by the words that Laura is saying, but by the way she is acting. Tricia sits on her hands to resist the urge to reach out to Laura and run her fingers thru Laura's curls. Then Tricia says with a catch in her voice," Please tell me how they made you feel, how you are feeling now. Perhaps your preminitions and dreams are affecting you more than you know."

***

Feb-11-2002 5:53 PM Message 98 of 523

Subject: Destiny [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 96 ]

"I am now fully convinced my arrival here was preordained fate," Belle responds to Narcissa's question. "It is as if all the frustrations of my past life had come together at just the right moment, so that when Dahlia offered me the opportunity to leave it all behind, I did so without hesitation. I have never been too religious," Belle chuckles, knowing it is now even less likely that she would ever become so. "But something caused my car to stall in the right place and at the right time, so that Dahlia found me. Call it 'God' or 'Destiny' or what you will, but I believe some greater power inevitably led me here."

Belle wonders if it might not have been Dahlia herself that brought her here. Just how powerful is the ancient Vampiress? Might she have not -- either through preconceived design, or by subconscious desire -- summoned Belle? Dahlia had only recently split with her prior lover, Natasha. Could Dahlia's forlorn soul have cried out and somehow touched Belle, drawing her here? Belle believes this is the most plausible explanation; which makes Narcissa's sudden appearance all the more intriguing.

Belle lets her left hand slide softly across Narcissa's back and down her right arm. She gently takes the girl's hand in her own, then turns to face her, standing closely enough that the shorter Belle -- despite her heeled boots and Narcissa's bare feet -- has to tilt her head back slightly to look up into Narcissa's eyes.

"And I think the same must be true of you," Belle continues. Already holding Narcissa's one hand, she takes the girl's left hand in her right, as well. "Some unknown force led you to us. Dahlia assures me that no one can find Crimson Kiss by accident. You too, it seems, have arrived at a time when your best option is to leave your past entirely behind. And while it is not my place to tell you -- as you have asked -- what I have through Dahlia seen that I had not seen before, and could not hope to otherwise see, I tell you it is wondrous, and that I have few regrets...."

For a moment, Belle's eyes lose focus, and her face drops slightly, as if a dolorous thought crossed her mind. Then she looks back up, the intensity returning to her gaze. "So I think it inevitable that you will join us. After all, if it was Destiny that brought you to us, then..." Belle concludes rising to her toes, bringing her face even closer to Narcissa. Her voice is low and breathless, as if in awe of what she is thinking and saying. "Dare we tempt fate?"

***

Feb-12-2002 1:47 PM Message 99 of 523

Subject: Unknown Fate

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 98 ]

::she watches Belle with a curious smile. She listens to her almost intense words and starts to think about them. 'Nobody finds the Crimson Kiss by accident'....those words were haunting to her. Had she been brought here by some inevitable force?::

"Belle...that makes sense to me now. I really wasn't sure about going into the woods to camp out...after all, I'd never been a camper, but I took a leap of faith and headed in."

::She slides her free hand into Belle's as they stand facing each other. She holds both her hands tightly as she talks. Her expression is that of a willing participant for an exciting new life, but her voice expresses an anxious anticipation of what is to come::

"What will my new life be like Belle? I want to tempt fate...I want to embrace it."

::The smile widens as she thinks about life in this lavish mansion among such interesting people::

"Oh I wish Guillaume and Dahlia would return...I really want to know what he's got for me."

***

Feb-12-2002 2:29 PM Message 100 of 523

Subject: Skaldic Perspective

From: Iethro_Tullius

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 99 ]

It does not surprise Ian that Belladonna would eventually decide to help seduce Narcissa into the immortality Guillaume offers her. Ian sets down his mandolin and picks up his flute. He knows just the song to play.

~~~

And ride with us young bonny lass --

With the angels of the night.

Crack wind clatter -- flesh rein bite

On an out-size unicorn.

Rough-shod winging sky blue flight

On a cold wind to Valhalla.

And join with us please --

Valkyrie maidens cry

Above the cold wind to Valhalla.

Break fast with the gods. Night angels serve

With ice-bound majesty.

Frozen flaking fish raw nerve --

In a cup of silver liquid fire.

Moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve

And light the old Valhalla.

Come join with us please --

Valkyrie maidens cry

Above the cold wind to Valhalla.

The heroes rest upon the sighs

Of Thor's trusty hand maidens.

Midnight lonely whisper cries,

"We're getting a bit short on heroes lately."

Sword snap fright white pale goodbyes

In the desolation of Valhalla.

And join with us please --

Valkyrie maidens ride

Empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla.

~~~

***

Feb-13-2002 5:14 PM Message 101 of 523

Subject: Temperance [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 99 ]

"Oh I wish Guillaume and Dahlia would return," Narcissa sighs. "I really want to know what he's got for me."

Belle finds herself likewise hoping the Elder Kindred will complete their conference and return indoors. She has done her best to answer Narcissa's questions without betraying the true nature of their community. If Dahlia and Guillaume decide the girl should not become Kindred, could they simply let her go? What if they make her the offer, but she refuses? Then she would know too much about them. If she is not to become a vampire, would they then feed upon her? While the image of drinking Narcissa' blood and feeling her life essence enter her own veins excites Belle, she does not relish the thought of the beautiful girl's demise.

Indeed, her increasing craving for the living Narcissa -- not just her blood -- is the primary reason Belle wishes for Dahlia's return. Dahlia had told Belle that enhanced vampiric senses would open a beautiful world to her, and she was right. But she had not warned Belle of the corresponding increase in emotions and desires. Belle had already almost lost control earlier, when she saw her old friend Laura. Now, her prolonged interaction with Narcissa has brought her self-restraint to its limits.

As she stands there, hand-in-hand and practically toe-to-toe with the girl, Narcissa' scent nearly overwhelms Belle's senses. The stink of desperate fear, so prominent when Narcissa arrived, is wholly gone. Now, Narcissa's own natural musk has fully overcome the lingering fragrance of quality bath oils. Belle inhales deeply. Narcissa's aroma is sweet, yet richly earthy... a potent aphrodisiac.

And their lips are mere inches apart, as Belle looks up into her lovely eyes. Belle finds herself frozen, held motionless in perfect tension between her loyalty and faithfulness to Dahlia, and an insistent hunger to taste Narcissa's kiss.

Belle dares not speak, for fear of what she might betray. She just stands there, gazing deeply into Narcissa's eyes, vaguely wondering what effect her vampire stare might have on the girl.

***

Feb-13-2002 6:46 PM Message 102 of 523

Subject: A sudden change

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 101 ]

::She continues to smile at Belle waiting for her response, but being as there is none, she merely gazes into her eyes. It's the eyes that are the window to the soul, but she does not see anything. It's as if Belle has a brick wall deep in her gaze where you cannot see any further than what's on the outside....but there is something in her gaze. It is hypnotizing, alluring, seductive. She finds herself breathing heavier as they stand so close together hand in hand. She blinks and tries to look away, but cannot. She is drawn into Belle's beauty, and suddenly finds her lips pressing against Belle's. They are soft and taste so sweet. She lets the kiss linger for a few moments before coming to her senses as the gaze has been broken. She stands frozen and horrified before Belle...she unlocks their hands and steps back away from her. She lifts one hand to cover her lips before speaking and turning away.::

"Belle...I'm....I'm so sorry. I'm...not like...that."

***

Feb-14-2002 10:39 AM Message 103 of 523

Subject: Processional {Aradia}

From: Josephine_Maia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 1 ]

Unlike many other denizens of this forest, she need not travel at night, but she prefers it, especially by the guiding light of the Moon.

Though long knowing of its existence, and that of its predecessors, she had discovered the location this place by divination only a fortnight earlier. Thirteen days she had spent making preparations and spreading word of her decision. Now the time has come to settle in and patiently await those who would, and could, answer her call.

She closes her eyes. Some things are found only by not looking. After seven measured steps, she lifts her walking stick. Its rapping upon a massive oak door echos through the trees. What a moment ago, due to an unusual trick of the ambient light, might have been easily overlooked as an outcropping of natural rock, turns out to be a large and opulent mansion.

Aradia opens her eyes at the sound of hinges softly squeaking. A tall, thin, pale man in formal attire stands in the open doorway. Aradia instantly recognizes the signs: Kindred! Although no surprise, Aradia cannot quite suppress a shudder.

"I am Aradia. I understand the Mistress of this house has declared it Sanctuary. I have summoned an Assemblage of my Sisters, and seek leave to await them here. We will, of course, earn our keep. May I enter without peril to my Spirit... or to my Blood?"

***

Feb-14-2002 3:56 PM Message 104 of 523

Subject: Coming Clean... Sort Of [Laura]

From: Laura_Junius

Reply to: goddessT [ Message 97 ]

"Please tell me how they made you feel... how you are feeling now," Tricia insists in response to Laura's confession that she has enjoyed her recent dreams about being seduced by demonic monsters. "Perhaps your premonitions and dreams are affecting you more than you know."

Laura is torturously aware of exactly how the dreams have affected her. The warm hollowness throbbing inside of her leaves her thinking of little else. She simply cannot discuss such things with Tricia, or anyone else for that matter. She suddenly wonders why she came in here to talk to Tricia in the first place.

"You know, I shouldn't even have bothered you; but I couldn't sleep," Laura says truthfully. There is no way she is going to fall asleep feeling... how she is feeling. But she certainly will not explain that to Tricia. She needs to change the subject. She needs to find a way to relax. A solution comes to mind, introduced with a little white lie. "I suppose it comes from sitting in a car for sixteen hours straight. I'm just not tired."

She sits up and stretches her body, as she continues to stretch her excuse. "Besides, I feel all grungy from driving all day. I know it's almost three in the morning, but I think I'll take a shower. I hope that won't bother you."

Leaving Tricia dumbfounded by her odd and impromptu action, Laura leaps up from the couch and exits the room. Tricia hears her enter the main bathroom and click on a switch. Light suddenly spills out from under a closed door in the bedroom Tricia has been sleeping in, and she realizes it provides a second entrance to the adjoining bathroom Laura now occupies. That glow suddenly dims, and Tricia guesses that Laura has shed her nightgown and dropped it near the door, blocking much of the light.

Tricia hears Laura searching through cabinets and drawers, leading to a joyful exclamation. "Bubbles... and BUBBLES!"

The bath spigot turns with a creak. Rather than the spray of a shower, Tricia hears the rising splashing of a filling tub. Eventually, the water stops and she hears Laura slide into the bath.

Then Tricia finds herself shaking her head in puzzlement. A few hours ago, Laura was overcome with fear that something awful had happened to her best friend,Belle Phillips. Now, Laura is playing in a bathtub, splashing, singing and laughing like a schoolgirl.

***

Feb-16-2002 9:55 AM Message 105 of 523

Subject: Promises [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 102 ]

Ecstacy!

With the slightest movement, Narcissa bows her head and softly meets Belle's lips with her own.

Belle responds to the kiss eagerly, as tingling waves of pleasure flow down her body, washing over her breasts, across her stomach, between her thighs, and all the way to where she stands on tiptoe to press her mouth more hungrily against Narcissa's.

Belle purrs lasciviously. Dahlia had promised all experiences would prove more exhilarating when savored with vampiric senses. She kept that promise during last night's passions, but Belle ascribed the intensity of her joy and pleasure primarily to her devotion to Dahlia herself. Now, as the heat from Narcissa's lips smolders across Belle's goose bumps, to ignite a burning desire in her deepest flesh, Belle realizes the immeasurable vitality of Kindred lust, even -- or especially? -- when focused on the warm receptivity of a mortal.

But the thought of Dahlia reminds Belle of what she has sworn to forbear. Even as Belle resolves to abandon the delight of Narcissa's kiss, the girl pulls back and turns away.

"Belle... I'm... I'm so sorry," Narcissa mumbles weakly. "I'm... not like... that."

Belle cannot help but notice how haltingly she speaks, as if Narcissa has to convince herself of the truth of each word coming out of her mouth, despite what her body has just said to the contrary. Likewise, with a ragged sigh, Belle regains command of her own emotions.

"Of course you're not," Belle responds. She means it sincerely, but wonders if her voice does not betray an edge of subconscious sarcasm. "And besides, I will remain ever faithful to Dahlia."

Belle steps forward to stand about a foot behind Narcissa. "But don't try to deny that you enjoyed the kiss while it lasted," Belle says in a breathy whisper. She softly traces a line down Narcissa's spine with her left index finger. Only when it brushes across the girl's buttocks does Narcissa hesitatingly step away. Belle continues, her voice now fully under control. "True, you might never again kiss a woman. The choice is yours. But now, at least, you have had the experience. That is what awaits you if you join us. Endless opportunities for numerous adventures and new, previously unimaginable pleasures."

Narcissa turns to again face Belle as she returns to her seat. Before the girl can ask her inevitable questions about Belle's last statement, Belle continues. "But I'll have to let Guillaume explain all that to you...." Belle reclines, her skirt carelessly folding back to reveal her crossed legs, trim and firm. "That is, of course, if you're still interested."

***

Feb-15-2002 7:44 AM Message 106 of 523

Subject: Caving in

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 105 ]

::She feels terribly embarrassed yet surprisingly stimulated by Belle. Her mind is twisted trying to figure out why she feels this way towards her...she barely knows Belle or her intentions. She's certainly seen activities of that nature in the clubs, parties and the like, but never participated. Certainly her mind is open, but she never thought she could desire another woman. Belle's touch sends a sensual shudder down her spine, and she shifts her weight and crosses her arms in front of her chest. A sudden chill encases her and she turns to face Belle as she sits so relaxed on the couch.::

"It's so obvious to me what I need to do Belle. I need to stay here. I so desperately desire to be protected....to....see what you see."

::She still has no clue as to what they all are, but she knows there must be something different...something perhaps supernatural. Belle keeps speaking about seeing more than the naked eye can, so there must be something bold about that.::

"Tell me Belle...what is it exactly that you see that I can't?"

***

Feb-15-2002 2:37 PM Message 107 of 523

Subject: Love Song

From: Iethro_Tullius

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 106 ]

Forgotten in his corner -- as he always prefers -- Ian tries not to eavesdrop on Belladonna and Narcissa, but cannot help silently chucking at their mutual self-denial. He hears the words of the Ego, but he listens to the music of the Id.

He sings it back to them.

~~~

I'll make love to you

In all good places:

Under black mountains;

In open spaces;

By deep brown rivers

That slither darkly

Through far marches

Where the blue hare races.

Come with me to the Winged Isle --

Northern father's western child;

Where the dance of ages is playing still

Through far marches of Acres Wild.

I'll make love to you

In narrow side streets

With shuttered windows

And crumbling chimneys.

Come with me to the weary town --

Discos silent under tiles

That slide from roof-tops, scatter softly

On concrete marches of Acres Wild.

By red bricks pointed

With cement fingers

Flaking damply

From sagging shoulders.

Come with me to the Winged Isle --

Northern father's western child;

Where the dance of ages is playing still

Through far marches of Acres Wild.

~~~

***

Feb-15-2002 5:53 PM Message 108 of 523

Subject: Eye of the Beholder [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 106 ]

"Tell me Belle," Narcissa begins, her voice still breathy, perhaps even a little desperate. "What is it exactly that you see that I can't?"

"It is not so much about seeing different things," Belle explains. "It is more seeing things in a different way. It is a matter of perspective. Things which once had overwhelming importance -- jewels, crimes, even life itself -- you will come to disregard as minor considerations. Realizing this allows you to see past the inconsequential and focus upon the eternal."

Belle sighs as Narcissa's face goes blank with incomprehension. It is not the girl's fault. Belle cannot find the right words to convey her meaning. Belle is not even sure she understands it herself.

"In truth," Belle continues, "I'm too new to it all myself to even try to explain it. How about an example, instead.?"

Belle leans further back on the couch, and quite shamelessly studies Narcissa's curvaceous body, speaking softly as her eyes work their from the girl's pretty little feet, all the way up to where her fiery curls frame her gorgeous face. "Before I met Dahlia, a woman like you would have primarily inspired jealousy in me. Oh, I know I'm attractive enough myself... But you, my dear, have the figure and face of a goddess. In the past, the main reaction I would have had to you was envy... And I wouldn't even have known it. I would have harbored an ill-founded resentment toward you, and blamed you for something caused by my own unnecessary sense of inadequacy"

Belle arches her back a bit, then settles even more comfortably into the plush cushions. "Now I understand that such petty competition is meaningless. Now I look at you, and I see the beautiful work of art you truly are. This is not just a sexual thing -- don't misunderstand -- it is much more sublime; an appreciation of the beauty the Universe regularly and inevitably puts forth. I have come to appreciate that... Appreciate you. Where once I might have avoided you...."

Belle pauses dramatically. She watches Narcissa's firm breasts rise as fall, as the girl awaits her conclusion. Belle marvels at the rapt attention her rambling monologue has provoked, and begins to understand the inescapable effect the voice and gaze of even a new vampire like herself can have on a mortal for whom she feels attraction. Belle must learn more about this power. She decides to experiment, to play with it. She stares deeply into Narcissa's eyes.

"Where once I might have avoided you..." Belle repeats, and can literally see Narcissa's years of loneliness manifest upon her countenance. In response, Belle thinks of the girl's beauty, imagines loving her, and allows the lust this arouses withing herself to burn in her eyes -- still locked into Narcissa's gaze -- as she concludes, "Now, instead, I have tasted the ecstacy of your kiss."

***

Feb-16-2002 9:46 AM Message 109 of 523

Subject: Opening {Aradia}

From: Josephine_Maia

Reply to: Josephine_Maia [ Message 103 ]

The gaunt butler steps aside, and Aradia enters the mansion. She throws back the peaked hood of her long, charcoal gray cloak, and stands unnaturally still for a moment, absorbing the milieu. There have been deaths here, several of them, and very recently, too.

That is one reason why, in times of dire need, Aradia endeavors to share Sanctuary with the Kindred. Human death releases nearly limitless magical energy. Through association with vampires, Aradia and her Sisters can exploit some of that power, without most of the moral repercussions.

Of course, nothing comes free. There would be a price to pay. As Aradia follows the butler further down the entry hall, she smiles mysteriously. Sometimes the payment you make can be the best part of the bargain.

***

Feb-16-2002 1:32 PM Message 110 of 523

Subject: Listening carefully

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 108 ]

::As Belle speaks its as if every word is its own dictionary. She is very fluent in her language, but very vague in its meaning. She catches Belle's determined gaze and it weakens her. She moves closer to her not feeling as much embarassed now as she is feeling desire for the woman. She can't help but fall to her knees in front of Belle, bringing down pillow for her to sit upon. It is not a conscious thing she does, letting Belle have the dominant position...instead she sits like an attentive pupil, but her stare is temporarily diverted to her shapely legs. She so desperately wants to reach out and move her hands up and down the smooth silk of her skin as she speaks of lust and beauty.::

"Your compliments are making me blush Belle. But I don't see how living here could change your entire mentality just like that. I mean....there are some things you just can't change in a person."

::She chuckles and sits back folding her legs underneath her.::

"And you talk about eternity...nothing lives forever you know. And even if you could live forever...why would you want to? I'd think after a couple hundred years you'd get pretty damn bored."

::She chuckles again, this time a little nervously as Belle's unending gaze bored through her soul. A smirk crosses Belle's lips suggestion she knows a great, terrible secret.::

***

Feb-21-2002 2:17 AM Message 111 of 523

Subject: Taste of Dominance [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 110 ]

"Nothing lives forever you know," Narcissa sighs. "And even if you could live forever... Why would you want to? I'd think after a couple hundred years you'd get pretty damn bored."

Belle smiles, but never breaks eye contact with the girl. "I wouldn't know about that," Belle laughs hoarsely. "I'm only twenty years old, and look forward to a long, long life ahead of me."

Belle sees that her experiment with mesmerizing Narcissa is having limited success. This does not disappoint her. She had no particular expectations. And although her body literally aches to do so, she has no actual intention to seduce the girl, even if she gains sufficient control over her mortal mind.

Besides, while Narcissa's preexisting proclivities are resisting Belle's hypnotic suggestions, Belle's gaze is affecting the girl in other fascinating ways. Having the beautiful woman drop down onto her knees arouses Belle, and she draws a jagged breath for the brief moment Narcissa kneels before her, as if in worship. Then the girl seems to regain herself slightly, and settles back onto a pillow on the floor near the sofa on which Belle reclines.

Belle lets her feet slide to the floor near Narcissa and sits up to face her. Belle parts her knees slightly -- not enough to show anything, but simply to suggest to the girl alternatives of which Belle herself was barely aware before spending last night with Dahlia. Suddenly, new possibilities occur to Belle. She wonders how it would feel to share a bed with both Dahlia and Narcissa... to benefit from Dahlia's experience and wisdom while sharing in Narcissa's excitement of discovery.

Belle growls deep in her throat. She allows that image -- and the lust it evokes -- to fill her consciousness as she leans forward, resting her arms on her thighs, to look down into Narcissa's face from less than a foot above. Belle tries to channel her mounting desire into her voice, her expression, and her gaze as she stares deeply into Narcissa's eyes and whispers, "I don't think boredom would ever be a problem, even for an immortal. You simply must remember that the world offers limitless opportunities, endless pleasures. You simply must permit yourself to savor every new experience that presents itself... You simply must...."

***

Feb-17-2002 9:48 AM Message 112 of 523

Subject: Giving In

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 111 ]

::Her gaze is drawn to Belle's legs again as she slowly parts them. The desire for Belle to continue to part them even more grows deep within her. She lets out a silent gasp and looks up Belle's body to meet with her gaze again. Their eyes lock and somehow, Belle takes complete control of her. The vicious stare overwhelms her and excites her....never before has she felt such desire, such devotion and such love for a woman. Her words come out as a breathy sigh as she tries to fit together coherent sentences. She barely even listens to Belle as she speaks...her own thoughts concentrate on not sexually attacking this woman.::

"Belle...I....can't explain this, but I desire you so much right now. It's as if you've completely taken my soul."

::She sits up off the pillow and wedges herself between Belle's legs careful not to touch Belle, but suggestive in her moves. She rests her hands on either side of Belle's legs and leans in almost resting her head on Belle's chest. Her words cry out in submissive pain::

"I desperately don't want to feel like this, but I desperately want you to kiss me."

::Her own mortal blood is racing through her veins right now and Belle can almost taste it coming through her skin::

***

Feb-18-2002 10:39 AM Message 113 of 523

Subject: Lost Restraint [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 112 ]

"Belle... I... can't explain this, but I desire you so much right now," Narcissa confesses, her voice tormented, seemingly close to tears. "It's as if you've completely taken my soul."

This last comment disturbs Belle. She understands so little yet about her new and developing powers. Where is Dahlia?! Belle wonders. There is so much she needs to ask the ancient Vampiress. Might there be some truth to Narcissa's accusation about losing her soul?

Before Belle can contemplate this further. Narcissa rises from her cushion on the floor, and again kneels before Belle. On her knees, Narcissa moves toward Belle, still sitting on the sofa facing her. Belle instinctively opens her legs, causing the hem of her dress to slide high up her thighs. Narcissa stops between them, just short of the edge of the couch.

"I desperately don't want to feel like this," Narcissa cries, "but I desperately want you to kiss me." She tilts her head back to again meet Belle's increasingly irresistible gaze, and parts her lips suggestively.

Belle's own breath has become so urgently ragged, that she inhales and exhales in noisy little stutters. The hunger to again taste Narcissa's mortal lips, red with hot human blood, overwhelms Belle. Giving little thought to consequences, she wraps her arms around the girl, and pulls her tightly against her body. Then, Belle bends her head down to press her mouth to Narcissa's, allowing her tongue to slip forward to caress the girl's ambrosial flesh.

***

Feb-18-2002 7:31 PM Message 114 of 523

Subject: Lost Ecstacy

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 113 ]

::She presses her lips against Belle's and rises as Belle wraps her arms around her. With free hands, she brings them to Belle's neck and cradle's her chin. Her skin is cool, yet so soft. She takes in a deep breath, felt between them both, before raising the level of passion between them. Her fingers slide back and into her long dark locks. Belle's hair is like silk against her fingernails and palms. She continues to rise, this time above Belle and leans into her. She lets go of Belle's neck with one hand and athletically holds herself up against the back of the couch. She slides her tongue between Belle's lips to taste of the sweet woman...she tastes like the sweetest fruit out of the garden of eden. They both rest in a kiss that will not be forgotten so soon before she breaks the kiss. Her emerald eyes now glow in the shadows that hide her face and the firelight that outlines her body. She does not move from above Belle, although she knows she needs to. An alarm is going off inside her...an alarm that tells her Guillaume and Dahlia are to return soon...as if she feels their very presence coming closer.::

"Belle...you are as beautiful as the word passion itself. But you belong to Dahlia...don't you..."

::She slides back away from Belle knowing this could be dangerous territory if they pursue any further. She is still in a state of confusion herself, but relinqueshes herself to this new open forum. She is slow and deliberate as she moves back away from Belle, and the passion is cooled between them.::

***

Feb-19-2002 9:51 AM Message 115 of 523

Subject: Unintentional Voyeur [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 114 ]

Guillaume stands in the shadows outside the parlor. After their meeting, Dahlia had gone to welcome a newly arrived guest. Guillaume had come down the hall and looked through the parlor door to find Belladonna and the mortal girl, Narcissa, standing near the fireplace, kissing. Surprised, he has stayed outside the room to observe.

The kiss ends abruptly with Narcissa pulling away, embarrassed. As the women converse, it becomes clear to Guillaume what is happening. Through accident or design, Belladonna's innate vampiric mesmerism has affected the girl. Because Belladonna's new powers are still relatively weak, however, she is very unsteady in her influence, adding confusion to Narcissa's torment. Guillaume smiles.

Belladonna reclines on a couch, and Guillaume watches her make an obvious and intentional effort to entice Narcissa hypnotically. Soon, the girl is on her knees before Belladonna, and their kiss resumes. Again, however, once the fledgling vampiress' attention is distracted, the spell fades and Narcissa draws away.

Guillaume could not be more pleased. Obviously, Belladonna is anxious to relish all the extraordinary advantages her new immortality offers. His initial impression, that she might become a powerful ally in his plans to revitalize the Kindred and reestablish their rightful place in the world, is confirmed by her every act. Now, she is unwittingly helping him lead Narcissa toward that same role.

Guillaume takes a few steps back into the dark corridor, then strolls into the room as if he has only just arrived. Belladonna remains on the couch, and Narcissa stands a few feet away. The woman are staring intensely into each others' eyes. Guillaume's nostrils flare. Both women are obviously highly aroused. Curiously, he realizes that despite her advantages, Belladonna is fighting just as determinedly as Narcissa to defy their almost overwhelming desire for one another.

Guillaume clears his throat. Both women jump and turn to stare at him. Narcissa is blushing.

"I apologize for the delay," Guillaume says casually. "Dahlia and I had important matters to discuss. I hope in our absence you ladies found something to occupy your time."

***

Feb-19-2002 1:00 PM Message 116 of 523

Subject: A welcome distraction

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 115 ]

::Her instincts proved right as Guillaume appeared from the shadows. She was definately aroused by Belle, but was very glad to see him walk in. She was not sure how far they would have gone together. As he speaks of being occupied, she looks at Belle and can't help but laugh.::

"Yea..I'd say we've kept ourselves occupied in ...a good conversation."

::She steps back away from Belle as he enters the sitting area to move between them. She distances herself from the both of them making a quiet haste to the mantle before continuing.::

"Belle was just telling me about what life is like here...sort of. She said you could answer all of my questions."

::She turns and looks to him with a quieted emerald gaze. A soft smile parts her lips as she regains composure to speak.::

"I suppose she's talking me into staying for a while and accepting your offer for protection. I just want to know how you're going to give that to me."

***

Feb-19-2002 4:56 PM Message 117 of 523

Subject: Inadvertently Eavesdropping [Laura]

From: Laura_Junius

Reply to: Laura_Junius [ Message 104 ]

Tricia lies in bed, unable to sleep, disturbed and confused by Laura's odd behavior. For the past couple days, Laura has been relentlessly tormented by a series of nightmares which she fears are premonitions of some evil befalling her best friend, Belle Phillips. Suddenly, at three in the morning, Laura is now laughing and singing in a bubble bath. Could this simply be a reaction to the relief she apparently found in her most recent dream, that Belle is alive and well? Or perhaps Laura's nightmares and other odd dreams are affecting Laura in some unknown and unpredictable way, as Tricia has already come to suspect.

Tricia is roused from her musing, gradually noticing the transition to silence from the bathroom. She wonders if Laura has fallen asleep in the tub. Tricia slips out of bed and crosses the room to where a second door joins the bathroom to the master bedroom in which she was sleeping. She is about to knock when she hears something peculiar.

She leans closer, bringing her right ear within an inch of the thin oak panels of the antique door. She can hear that Laura is breathing very quickly... a raspy panting. It is far too steady and strong to be any sort of attack or seizure. Tricia blushes as she realizes what she is hearing.

Tricia knows she should move away and allow Laura some privacy. She is about to do so when she hears water sloshing in the bathtub as Laura stands up. But this is not followed by the sound of bare feet stepping onto the tile floor. Instead, Laura must be standing in the water, or more likely sitting on the edge of the tub.

It concludes rather quickly, before Tricia's sense of propriety has an opportunity to overcome her curiosity. Laura's breathing grows louder, clenched teeth causing high-pitched wheezy inhalations and immediately puffed exhalations, punctuated by irregular feral grunts. Tricia hears splashing as Laura's legs convulse in the bath water.

A sudden, drawn-out syllable, "Oohhh..." so soft and high-pitched that Tricia can barely discern it, escapes through the door. Water splashes as Laura slides back into the tub. A series of ragged gasps quickly settles into slow, even, full breaths.

Tricia again blushes as she notices her own breathing has become similarly deep and desperate.

***

Feb-20-2002 9:30 AM Message 118 of 523

Subject: Recovery and Rest [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 116 ]

"Belle was just telling me about what life is like here... sort of," Narcissa claims regarding their alleged conversation. Guillaume cannot help but notice how she fled from both Belladonna's and his proximately, feigning interest in the fire. "She said you could answer all of my questions."

Narcissa finally turns to face him, having regained a semblance of composure after the ecstatic torments he saw her suffer while alone with Belladonna. She manages to meet Guillaume's eyes, and smiles unsteadily before continuing. "I suppose she's talking me into staying for a while and accepting your offer for protection. I just want to know how you're going to give that to me."

"Patience, my dear," Guillaume replies smoothly. "All in good time. It is a precious gift we have to offer, and you should not concern yourself yet with details. It is after three o'clock now, and there simply isn't time to... to explain everything involved."

Guillaume steps slowly toward the girl, keeping his stare locked onto hers. "Yes. It is very late, isn't it? And you have had such a long and trying day. I am worried about you...."

He stops a pace in front of her. She finds solace in his sympathetic, confident gaze. She cannot help but appreciate the concern he has expressed for her; it shows in every aspect of his countenance, especially his caring eyes. When he resumes speaking, his words wrap around her like a warm blanket. "Yes. It's late, and we're all tired. I'm sure you are tired, too. You have had such a hard day. It's alright. Just tell us that you are tired. We won't mind. It is alright to be sleepy now. So you can just tell us that you are tired. It is only natural -- inevitable, really -- that you are now very sleepy...."

***

Feb-20-2002 9:56 AM Message 119 of 523

Subject: Time to sleep

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 118 ]

::She finds her gaze now locked with his and her first thoughts travel to Belle's gaze, locking with hers. His gaze is the same....strong, understanding, animal. Her words and mind seem to fade in his unrelenting stare and she finds herself suddnely exhausted, not just physically, but mentally as well. She tries to look away as if to move towards the staircase, but she cannot. She is frozen by him, unyielding, unmoving, like a statue being placed where he wants her. Her words are weak, tired and exhausted.::

"Yes...tired. I am so very tired."

::As he approaches, she desperately wants to fall into his arms to sleep, like a child sleeps in her fathers arms, but again, she remains frozen in place.::

"I want to sleep Guillaume...I need some sleep."

***

Feb-20-2002 2:23 PM Message 120 of 523

Subject: A Quiet Joke

From: Iethro_Tullius

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 119 ]

For a second night in a row, Ian watches silently as the Kindred collude to increase their number. It is only natural that they should do so. All species have the right to procreation. Ian cannot begrudge them that.

Nevertheless, he has never been entirely comfortable with their methods. While both Dahlia and Guillaume pay lip service to the idea of allowing their initiates a choice, Ian knows that by the time the question is posed, they are far too much under the vampire's insidious influence to refuse. On the other hand, Narcissa -- alone and in mortal danger -- is certainly an appropriate candidate to join their community.

In spite of all that, Ian's unique sense of humor shows through as he picks his next song, knowing it has come far too late to make any difference.

~~~

Keep your eyes open

And prick up your ears --

Rehearse your loudest cry.

There's folk out there

Who would do you harm

So I'll sing you no lullaby.

There's a lock on the window;

There's a chain on the door,

And a big dog in the hall.

But there's dragons and beasties

Out there in the night

To snatch you if you fall.

So come out fighting

With your rattle in hand;

Thrust and parry. Light

A match to catch

The devil's eye.

Bring a cross of fire

To the fight.

And let no sleep

Bring false relief

From the tension of the fray.

Come wake the dead

With the scream of life.

Do battle with

Ghosts at play.

Gather your toys

At the call-to-arms

And swing your big bear down.

Upon our necks

When we come to set

You sleeping

Safe and sound.

It's as well we tell no lie

To chase the face that cries.

And little birds can't fly

So keep an open eye.

It's as well we tell no lie

So I'll sing you no lullaby.

~~~

***

Feb-21-2002 2:31 AM Message 121 of 523

Subject: The Eyes Have It [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 114 ]

It's in the eyes.

Belle finds that she can readily entice Narcissa as long as she stares directly into her eyes. In this way she has twice tasted the beautiful girl's delicious kiss.

But each time their lips meet, Narcissa is able to escape Belle's hypnotic influence because Belle can no longer focus her gaze into Narcissa's bright green eyes. For a second time, she breaks their embrace.

"Belle..." The girl whispers, her voice still hoarse with unsated desire. "You are as beautiful as the word passion itself. But you belong to Dahlia... Don't you...?"

Before Belle can answer, Narcissa backs away, almost defiantly. Belle imagines she will eventually grow skillful enough in her innate mesmeric power that constant eye contact will become unnecessary, but she realizes that will take a great deal of time and practice. In the meantime, the question of Dahlia is forgotten as Belle again peers directly into Narcissa's eyes, remembering the taste of her firm, full lips, and the exciting playfulness with which their tongues danced too briefly together. Soon the two woman are again lost in each others' gaze, reinvigorating their mutual yearning for one another.

Belle's breathing deepens and quickens, matched precisely by Narcissa's. Belle is about to state another suggestion -- with which she knows Narcissa will willing comply as long as Belle can hold her gaze -- when they are both startled by the sound of Guillaume entering the room.

He apologizes for his and Dahlia's extended time away, then concludes, "I hope in our absence you ladies found something to occupy your time." Belle notices a tiny smirk on his mouth, the slightest lilt in his voice, and guesses he knows just how they spent their time alone. She finds herself at a loss for an appropriate reply.

On the other hand, Narcissa manages to respond with embarrassed small talk as she retreats to the fireplace. Belle, suddenly trying to understand how she had let herself become so emotionally involved with the woman, pays little attention to what she and Guillaume are saying. However, Belle looks up at a sudden change in Guillaume's voice.

"It is very late, isn't it?" The ancient vampire tells Narcissa. "And you have had such a long and trying day. I am worried about you...." Belle watches Guillaume's eyes upon Narcissa. Even from where she sits, Belle can see... can feel Guillaume's gaze bore into the girl's soul. Belle understands that any suggestion he makes will stay with Narcissa, even after he looks away. Belle wonders how long it will take her to obtain that level of hypnotic mastery.

Narcissa yawns.

"Yes. It's late, and we're all tired," Guillaume continues, and Belle watches Narcissa's eyes start to droop. "I'm sure you are tired, too. You have had such a hard day. It's alright. Just tell us that you are tired. We won't mind. It is alright to be sleepy now. So you can just tell us that you are tired. It is only natural -- inevitable, really -- that you are now very sleepy...."

"Yes... tired," Narcissa repeats, fighting to keep her eyes open. "I am so very tired." She takes a faltering step toward Guillaume, then stops, uncertain of herself. "I want to sleep Guillaume... I need some sleep."

Belle knows Guillaume will honor her request, but she doubts to the ends that Narcissa expects.

***

Feb-21-2002 9:31 AM Message 122 of 523

Subject: Ultimate Persuasion [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: Narcissa_ [ Message 119 ]

Ironically, it is not until Narcissa stops seeing him as an individual man, but instead as a general father figure, that Guillaume knows he has succeeded.

"I want to sleep Guillaume," she murmurs soporifically. "I need some sleep."

"That is fine, my dear," the vampire replies, opening his arms accommodatingly. "Come, let me put you to bed."

Narcissa steps into his arms and he lifts her, cradling her like a child. "There, there," Guillaume whispers. "Now you can sleep." Her emerald eyes close and her head slumps against his chest.

Still holding the girl, Guillaume turns to smile at Belladonna. "If you would be so kind as to follow me," he requests of the fledgling vampiress. "I would appreciate your assistance."

Carrying Narcissa, Guillaume leads the way down the hall and into one of the more luxurious guest suites. He gently lays Narcissa onto the plush burgundy covers of the huge canopied bed. He tenderly arranges her on her back, legs straight under the long skirt of her red dress, arms at her side.

He looks up at Belladonna, now standing on the other side of the bed, and explains. "It will be daybreak soon. There isn't time to bring her across to us. We would never be able to return in time with her first prey."

"So, will she sleep through the day?" Belladonna asks.

"Probably not," Guillaume admits. "At least we cannot count on it. Her body still belongs to the daylight world."

"What do you plan to do, lock her in here? She is already quite nervous and uncertain about your offer."

Guillaume chuckles. "Oh, Belladonna. There is still so much you need to learn about your new life. So many wonders you have yet to appreciate." He looks down at Narcissa and takes her left hand in both of his. "There are fetters we can place on a mortal that are far stronger, and much more subtle and sublime, than any iron chain."

He lifts Narcissa's wrist to his mouth, and Belladonna glimpses long fangs before he delicately bites through the girl's tender ivory skin. Belladonna watches as he swallows three times, then runs his tongue over the gash. When Guillaume sets Narcissa's arm back onto the mattress, the wound is completely healed.

He looks up and smiles, licking the last of the blood from his lips.

"It's your turn," Guillaume tells Belladonna. "Have a good drink, but don't take too much. That's for tomorrow night."

***

Feb-21-2002 7:07 PM Message 123 of 523

Subject: Tantalizing Tastes [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 122 ]

Belle watches in rapt fascination as Guillaume sips from the small punctures in Narcissa's wrist. That the girl remains sound asleep testifies to the power of the vampire's mesmeric abilities. He finishes quickly, swallowing only three small mouthfuls. He then licks the wound, and it spontaneously heals, just like the scratch Belle had inflicted on Laura's hand earlier this evening. The only difference is that Guillaume has not left even the hint of a scar.

Guillaume looks up. There is no predation in his smile; just pride, like that of a parent watching a child receive a diploma... or a sacrament.

"It's your turn," he tells Belladonna. "Have a good drink, but don't take too much. That's for tomorrow night."

Belle studies the girl sleeping peacefully before her. The fine silk of her red dress clings to her, accenting the outline of her long legs, narrow hips, slim waist, and firm breasts. In the dim light, the alabaster skin of her beautiful face seems to glow with the visage of an angel.

Earlier, Belle was nearly obsessed with the fantasy of making love to Narcissa. Despite Belle's resolved dedication to Dahlia, she even allowed herself to cut the corners of fidelity by tasting the girl's kiss. Belle had also fancied what it would be like to feed upon Narcissa, and imagined sinking her teeth into Narcissa's throat while the girl writhed beneath her in fatal sexual ecstacy.

Now -- just as Belle had sampled a bit of her sexual fantasy by kissing Narcissa -- Guillaume offers a glimpse at fulfillment of her sanguine desires. Breathing deeply and unevenly, Belle lets her gaze wander away from Narcissa's lovely face and down her thin right arm to her bare, upturned wrist. Belle kneels next to the bed, her eyes never leaving the blue lacework of Narcissa's veins

"Um...." Belle begins embarrassedly. "Dahlia tells me they will develop quickly, but my fangs have not grown in yet."

"Of course, my dear," Guillaume chuckles. He reaches across Narcissa. An unnoticeable but sharp corner on his perfectly manicured right thumbnail slices shallowly into Narcissa's wrist, opening a lesser vein. He withdraws his hand as blood wells up.

Belle immediately dips her mouth, before any of the precious liquid spills onto the bedspread. She sucks gently to draw more blood. Belle moans with delight as the hot liquid pools onto her tongue.

"Try to avoid allowing saliva into the cut until you are finished," Guillaume advises. "That is what closes the wound."

Following Guillaume's lead, Belle drinks three mouthfuls. She then kisses the small gash in Narcissa's wrist, pressing the wet tip of her tongue against it. She feels the blood-flow cease. Unable to resist, Belle playfully kisses further up the girl's hand. Narcissa purrs sensuously in her sleep as Belle's lips and tongue caress her palm.

Belle sits back and sighs. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Sir Guillaume. It was wonderful."

"You are welcome, my dear. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but the purpose was more practical." Guillaume leans over Narcissa and carefully examines her right wrist. Where Belle has suckled, then kissed, only a small pink scar remains. "You haven't developed to anything near your full potential yet, of course," he tells Belle. "But your essence is unusually strong for a newborn Kindred. I now have no doubt we will find Narcissa still here in the manor when we awake tomorrow evening."

Seeing that Belle does not understand, Guillaume explains. "A vampire's essence -- what Dahlia has recently come to call 'DNA,' after the latest fashion -- has a peculiar effect when it enters the blood of a mortal. It is addictive, like opium. The human literally craves the Kindred -- mentally, physically, even sexually -- with her entire mind, body and soul. The longer she is away from the vampire, the more intense the mortal's longing becomes. But I couldn't be sure my essence alone would be enough in the short term to keep Narcissa close during the coming day. That's why I had you sip as well. She has already revealed a subconscious attraction to you." Guillaume pauses dramatically, so that Belle realizes the knowledge he just revealed. "So, with both your essence and mine combined in her blood, I am completely confident she cannot help but stay nearby."

"You mean our bite is like a love potion?" Belle asks.

"That is a more poetic than accurate, but fundamentally true. Our bite causes an addiction, a hunger in the mortal, that is then manifested by emotional longing and sexual desire."

"You know, I asked Dahlia about that, during my own last few minutes as a mortal, after I learned she was a vampire. I couldn't understand why I had come to want her so. I'd never felt that way about a woman before. Then the subject changed, and with everything that has happened since, I hadn't given it much thought."

Guillaume smiles and nods. "Yes. Dahlia told me she had sipped from you the very first night she found you. Once that happened, you were inevitably drawn to her." He sees the look of sudden realization in Belle's face, followed by one of horror. He misunderstands its cause, adding quickly, "Oh, my dear, don't let it trouble you. Your love for Dahlia now is genuine. The effect goes away once you become Kindred."

Belle's look of shock remains, and she whispers, "What have I done?"

"What's the matter?" Guillaume demands.

"Before, while you and Dahlia were outside and Narcissa was cleaning up... I went out for a drive. I ended up back at my family lake house. I thought I should return my car there, so no one might find it near Crimson Kiss."

"That was a good idea," Guillaume agrees. "What happened?"

"Two of my classmates were there, including my best friend, Laura. She awoke, and we spoke briefly before I coaxed her back to sleep. In the course of it, I accidently -- I guess -- sliced her hand. She was asleep and I could not resist. I licked off the blood."

"What happened to the wound?" Guillaume asks gravely.

"It healed. Left just a scar. Like I just did to Narcissa."

Guillaume sighs. "Then just like Narcissa, it is too late for your friend."

***

Jun-11-2002 9:17 AM Message 124 of 523

Subject: Belated Options [Guillaume]

From: Anborn

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 123 ]

Belladonna's head drops in grief when Guillaume explains the effect her single sip of blood will have on her best friend from her former, mortal life. He moves around the bed where Narcissa remains sleeping and helps Belladonna to her feet. She follows him into the hallway.

"I never meant for this to happen," Belladonna murmurs, distraught. "Laura loved her life. There was no need to bring her into our dark world!"

Guillaume sighs, not in sympathy for Belladonna, but in disappointment that she retains vestiges of concern for humanity. He awaits the inevitable question.

It comes. "So what will happen now? What must I do?"

"The effects are irreversible," he reminds her. "So the options are limited.

"First, you could simply let her be. Never see her again. Her addiction would go unsated, which would lead her into eventual madness... And death."

"That is NOT an option!" Belle insists.

"I thought not."

"I want her to live. Can she not join us here... become one of us?"

"Well, it is quite unusual -- practically unheard of, a terrible breach of protocol, because of the complications involved -- for a vampire to take on more than one pupil at a time. Dahlia has you; and I soon will have Narcissa."

"What about me?" Belle asks. "I'll make her Kindred myself."

Guillaume smiles paternalistically. "You are too new to this life... your powers too weak... your skills too undeveloped. It is not an easy task, transforming a mortal into one of us. Take too much blood and she dies; take too little, and too much of her prior humanity remains, making the Kindred schizophrenic... Again, madness and death."

Guillaume shakes his head, but his grin remains. "Of course, there is another way she can join us here. With your essence in her, she will be entirely devoted to you... the perfect servant. And, because of the addiction, it will bring her happiness to please you...."

"You are talking enslavement!" Belladonna hisses. "I can't do that to Laura."

"No?" Guillaume shrugs. "Then you have but one option left. Kill her now -- and take her blood in the process, so some little part of her remains inside of you."

Belladonna's turns away, unable to face him and the choices her offers.

"I will leave you to consider it, my dear," Guillaume says, not entirely unkindly. "It is too late to act tonight. Daybreak quickly approaches. We must all be off to bed."

***

Feb-22-2002 11:05 AM Message 125 of 523

Subject: As daybreak approaches, so do the dreams

From: Narcissa_

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 124 ]

::Darkness. That is all she sees right now, left to her own devices of sleep. Everything from the past 1/2 hour was a blur as she slipped into the unconscious world of dreams. But no rest was to be had all night. Soon it would be daylight again and her natural alarm clock would go off. But until then, her mind, driven by the kindred who so kindly took her in, was to race into a preternatural dream of lust, love and devotion.

It started as she, sitting on a park bench, was alone. She was wearing a victorian gown, made of the finest green velvet, tight corset showing off her natural figure to the world. It was a warm day, but not particularly hot. She fanned herself lightly under the shade of an ancient oak and looked around...in the distance stood a man. A wealthy gentleman who stared at her as if she were perhaps the only creature on earth. Within a blink, he was there beside her...she could feel his hot breath against her neck and chest and it aroused her. Her breathing was rapid as he said no words, but with gestures continued to seduce her. His fingertips traced from her hairline, down her cheekbone, her neck and finally reaching her breast where he merely traced quickly to her hip. It was erotic and lovely. She sat entranced by the mans beauty himself, but as she sat facing him, another came along.

She felt warm delicate hands sliding up her back and under her hair. The man's gaze was as blue as the ocean...she did not look behind, but she felt the coos of a woman as her hair was lifted.

Suddenly the man wrapped his arms tightly around her bringing his lips to her neck, as the woman behind pressed her body tightly against her back side. The womans hands slid over her chest delicately undressing her. Their bodies were all pressed tight together in a sexual stance, but that is all that would happen.

The frenzy turned animal, as the woman was now ripping and tearing at her clothes with fingernails that grew into claws. The man drew back, and the face of the stately gentleman that once was, was now that of a nightmarish beast. He hissed and she saw long fangs and his eyes as red as blood...but this did not scare her. It only made her want him more. There she stood naked between them both...the beasts that were to rape her...and not against her will. She lovingly slid her hand behind her to the woman while embracing the man with the other.....::

***

Feb-22-2002 4:05 PM Message 126 of 523

Subject: The fury of a woman scorned..

From: Vampiress_Dahlia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 123 ]

~*Dahlia stood in the shadows of the corridor, her eyes flashing a brilliant gold with pure, undiluted anger. She had witnessed Guillaume and Belle's exchange...having seen all, and heard all. Bloodlust rose up in her, her fangs lengthening and the black demon in her blood making her feral with rage. She wanted to rip the human girl's throat out. To sink her fangs into flesh, vein and muscle, and rip, tear and destroy. She wanted to drink every last drop of the bitch's blood until her dry corpse fell to the floor at her unfaithful lover's feet.*~

~*Belle, her Childe, had betrayed her. Sexual favors and pleasures were taken freely within Kindred society...but this defiance pushed the boundaries. Belle wanted more than pleasure from this girl. She wanted to be worshipped by her.*~

~*And her friend that she had bitten?! Twice, in once night, Belle had fed without her Sire by her side. The betrayal sank deep into Dahlia's heart. She worried for Belle's soul. Vampires were indeed above humans, but they were not heartless. They were not unfeeling killers who took only what they wanted. The fact that Belle had taken her best friend's blood chilled Dahlia. It seemed no love remained in the girl, only obsession and extreme sensuality. Belle's sexual appetite and greed for power was without control. She took what she wanted, when she wanted, without caution or regard for her victim.*~

~* Dahlia's chest constricted and heaved with uneeded furious breath. Turning, she silently stepped into the bedroom she shared with Belladonna and slipped into the shadows to await her traitorous lover.*~

***

Feb-23-2002 2:19 AM Message 127 of 523

Subject: Seeking Solace [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Anborn [ Message 124 ]

Belle hears the door of Guillaume's suite click shut. She wants to cry, to find some release for her guilt, but tears won't come. She wonders if this is something else she lost with her mortality.

Belle sighs loudly, racked with self-loathing. In her hubris, she has inflicted the consequences of her vampiric powers on two innocent women. With Narcissa, it matters little. The girl's fate was sealed once Guillaume took a fancy to her.

But with Laura...

Belle realizes she had no business leaving the manor without Dahlia. After her initial encounter with Narcissa, Belle had realized that she did not understand the strange urges of her new nature. To go out among mortals without first consulting Dahlia, and benefitting from her guidance, was pure folly!

Well, there was nothing left now but to do her best to minimize the tragedy. The problem is, she doesn't know how. But she takes comfort in knowing she has someone to whom she can turn for help.

Dahlia! Dahlia will know what to do. And with the love they already share, Belle is confident Dahlia will understand Belle's mistakes and forgive her.

Belle walks slowly to the boudoir at the end of the long corridor. The door stands ajar and Belle pushes it aside with her fingertips.

The room is darker than usual... dark even by Kindred standards. But Belle can sense Dahlia's presence. She peers into the gloom, but cannot spy her lover.

"Dahlia?" Belle calls uneasily. "Dahlia, my darling... I have a problem. I've made a terrible mistake." Her voice rises to a desperate cry of anguish. "Dahlia... I need your help!"

***

Apr-5-2002 5:57 PM Message 129 of 523

Subject: Confusion and Exaustion [Tricia]

From: goddessT

Reply to: Laura_Junius [ Message 117 ]

Tricia wanders back to her bed and mulls over everything that she has heard from the adjoining bathroom. She feels very confused, yet very aroused, and has to relieve herself because the tension is unbearable. With her death sigh of relief she finally drifts into an exhausted sleep her last thought being "I will deal with this in the morning, or maybe not."

***

Feb-25-2002 7:04 PM Message 132 of 523

Subject: Penance.

From: Vampiress_Dahlia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 127 ]

~*Dahlia waited until Belle had closed the door behind her to step forward, ignoring her lover's pained pleas. Stepping into the lamplight, she waits until her lover turns around to face her. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she gives Belle a look that would wither the skin off of a cobra's back.*~

"You reek of them!" she spits, venom filling her works.

~*Belle takes a step back, her eyes wide and her face full of anguish. An Elder Vampiress in all her fury was a frightening thing to behold, even to fellow Kindred.*~

"Wh-Who?" Belle stutters, effected by the poisonous black aura spreading out around Dahlia.

" Them!" Dahlia grates. "The meaningless cattle that you saw fit to defile your Sire's bond with!"

~*Belle takes a few steps backwards, retreating as Dahlia stalked angrily forward, slowly advancing on Belle as she would her prey.*~

"Dahlia, please.." Belle began, only to be cut off by her lover.

"Silence your lying tongue!" Dahlia shouts, her amber eyes glowing with an inner fire. "You fed without your Sire. That was crime enough in itself. But it was not hunger that drove you. You took a human's essence not as a meal, but in a way one would take a pet. Your friend belongs to you now. You OWN a human being! Does that make you feel good, Belle? Your best friend, whom you love, has been robbed of all of her freedom, all of her free will. And you are responsible."

~*Dahlia stops advancing on Belle when she is only a foot away, glaring down at her traitorous lover. Her lips curve up in a cold smile of disgust.*~

"Tell me, Belladonna. Did you enjoy yourself? While you were sneaking away with mortals behind my back? While you made a mockery of all the love I have given you? I did not take you as a pet! I took you as my lover...my equal! And you have turned your back on me..."

***

Feb-26-2002 7:18 PM Message 136 of 523

Subject: Seeking Forgiveness [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Vampiress_Dahlia [ Message 132 ]

Belle stands perfectly still, arms by her sides, elbows and knees locked straight, fists balled so tightly that fingernails cut into palms. Dahlia's harsh condemnation whips her soul, each word a lash.

Finally, pent up so long, the tears start to flow.

"I... didn't... know...." Her first words squeak through a taut throat, mere whispers. Then she finds her voice. "Dahlia, I swear, I didn't know! No one told me I should only take blood in your presence. I know... I know... It should never have been an issue. You told me to stay... I should never have left the manor without you."

Wiping her eyes, she tries to explain further. "But it all felt so wonderful at first... I wanted to see everything with my new awareness. I just couldn't wait in the house; I had to get out.... But I never expected it all to be so intense, so irresistible.... First Narcissa... Then Laura...."

Belle's head drops and she covers her face with her hands, nearly screaming between her palms. "Oh Laura! What have I done to her? I didn't mean to cut her... but then the blood was there... and it smelled so sweet.... You told me something about the effect our bite could have, but I didn't know it was automatic! That it would happen from a single lick of a wound!" Her hands fall away from her face, and she stares at Dahlia, eyes wild, face contorted in despair.

Belle thinks -- hopes -- that she sees a glimmer of understanding, even sympathy, in Dahlia's terrible gaze. Belle falls to her knees in front of Dahlia, hugging her left leg, and presses her face against Dahlia's thigh, muffling her words. "Oh Dahlia, I love you so much. I never meant to betray you... to hurt you. I'm so sorry, more sorry than I can say..."

Belle bends her head back, looking up at Dahlia through pink, puffy eyes. "I love you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry about the mess I caused. I need your help... I love you... Please forgive me."

***

Mar-4-2002 11:18 AM Message 146 of 523

Subject: Between two bridges.

From: Vampiress_Dahlia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 136 ]

~*Dahlia gazed down at her lover, her eyes conflicted and tortured.*~

'Belle, please...don't make this so hard!' she pleads inwardly.

~*Belle was young. She hadn't known, but she must have felt it. Must have felt that deep down internal tug that what she was doing was WRONG! The Sire/Childe bond was so strong that any thought of betraying said Sire should have caused Belle mental and emotional anguish. Looking down at her completely devestated lover now...Dahlia could see that it had.*~

~*Taking a deep breath, Dahlia looks upwards at the heavens, gathering her strength. She lowers her eyes slowly to meet Belle's gaze. Taking a step back, she disentangles herself from the younger vampiress's embrace.*~

"Only a small amount of your saliva has entered her system if you did not bite her. But it is still enough, especially if she loved you previous to the feeding. Your influence will not be as strong as mine...but it will cause a powerful emotinal response in your friend."

~*Dahlia takes another deep comforting breath, rattling off the statistics like a history professor reading from the text. Her voice is cold and dispassionate. She looks back down at Belle and swallows.*~

"You are not completely forgiven. But...I...I don't think I can..."

~*Dahlia breaks off as her throat constricts. So, so many years...and no one had betrayed her like this. This pain...it was new. And it would take adjusting to.*~

"Let's just get some sleep." she says, defeated.

~*Dahlia goes into the bathroom suite to change, not wishing to sleep nude tonight. She stares into the sink for a great long while, watching the tap run with clear, sparkling water as though in a trance. She quickly washes her face, braiding her hair slowly into a mahogany plait. Slipping into a deep jade silk nightgown, she exits the bathroom, only to find Belle still on the floor. She quietly pads past her on bare feet and slips beneath the covers, reaching over and clicking off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into tension-thick darkness....*~

***

Mar-5-2002 9:51 PM Message 148 of 523

Subject: A Resolute Pledge [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Vampiress_Dahlia [ Message 146 ]

"You are not completely forgiven," Dahlia tells Belle. "But... I... I don't think I can...."

Belle visibly flinches as she hears her lover's voice choke off with emotion. Belle would rather endure the worst of tortures than cause Dahlia such bitter disappointment and distress. Belle lays there, leaving herself vulnerable, almost hoping Dahlia will take her revenge by some violent, even fatal, act, which Belle would willing accept and thereby redeem herself.

Instead, Dahlia sighs forlornly and finishes in a flat voice. "Let's just get some sleep."

Belle remains curled on the floor as Dahlia retreats to the bathroom. Belle weeps silently, racked with despair and self-recrimination. She had felt a first touch of shame even as she defied Dahlia by leaving the Manor earlier that evening, but everything happened so quickly thereafter -- the encounter with Laura, then the flirtation with Narcissa culminating in Belle's unwitting assistance to Guillaume's enslavement of the girl -- that the recurring and mounting tug of guilt went essentially unnoticed until Dahlia made her confront her careless iniquities.

Now lost in that pent up remorse, Belle barely notices the passage of time. She does not move when the bathroom door opens and Dahlia returns. Belle waits hopefully for some further utterance from her lover -- be it scornful or soothing -- but Dahlia slips wordlessly into bed and turns out the light.

Several minutes pass before Belle finds the will to rise. Ruddy dawn light bleeds around the edges of the heavy curtains, sufficient illumination for vampiric eyes. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Belle crosses to the wardrobe and quickly undresses, returning her shoes to their place, and draping the dress across a chair for the butler to find in the morning.

Opening a drawer, Belle purposely selects a particular silk and lace nightshirt, knowing Dahlia will recognize it as the one she wore her first night under Dahlia's roof. She pulls it on over her head, and not bothering to lace its deep collar, she pads warily over to the huge bed.

Belle kneels, in part as a gesture to Dahlia, but primarily to bring her lips closer to Dahlia's ear as she whispers, "I have only now come to understand fully the extreme grievousness of the wrong I have done you. I know you owe me nothing... And even if you can never forgive my transgression... And that this is the end... the end of us... Please never doubt that I shall always love you."

Belle takes a deep, rattling breath, and concludes: "But I promise you, if you can find it in yourself to forgive me and put this evening behind us... Then I will be the perfect pupil... I will never again defy you. You know what devotion I have for you, despite my misdeeds tonight. Just forgive them... forget them, and never again shall I cause you pain. Instead, I will always stand faithfully and obediently at your side, in full and constant testimony to my loyalty and love for you."

Belle resists the urge to climb into bed next to Dahlia. Instead, she remains kneeling there, bare knees on hard floor, her face now resting on the mattress. She will not presume a welcome in Dahlia's bed until the vampiress assures her it remains her proper place.

***

Mar-6-2002 12:23 AM Message 149 of 523

Subject: Oh God, it hurts!

From: Vampiress_Dahlia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 148 ]

~*Dahlia remains motionless, staring past Belle's shoulder as she whispered into her ear...*~

"But I promise you, if you can find it in yourself to forgive me and put this evening behind us... Then I will be the perfect pupil... I will never again defy you. You know what devotion I have for you, despite my misdeeds tonight. Just forgive them... forget them, and never again shall I cause you pain. Instead, I will always stand faithfully and obediently at your side, in full and constant testimony to my loyalty and love for you."

~*Dahlia takes a deep shuddering breath, closing her eyes as tears formed droplets on her eyelashes. Swallowing hard, she locks gazes with her lover and fights to keep the quaver out of her voice.*~

"I never wanted a pupil." she whispers.

~*Belle appears confused at her words, yet distressed at Dahlia's obvious fight holding back tears. Dahlia holds Belle's gaze, a single tear slipping to slide down her cheek.*~

"I never wanted a pet. Or a slave. I didn't want an obedient servent to grant my ever wish. I wanted a lover. An equal...to stand by me, to be faithful to me...to...to love me." she finishes with a choked sob.

~*Dahlia fights against every fiber in her being to keep from falling into her lover's arms. To find the peace and comfort that she knew resided there. But that she also knew would be bittersweet. All of a sudden she felt like a young mortal woman again...not the ancient vampiress she is now. She felt like a naive adolescent who's heart has been broken by her first true love. And it hurts...Oh God, it hurts!*~

~*Looking up into Belle's face, she grits her teeth and struggles for composure. She takes a deep breath and nods slowly, trying to gather the strength to remain unmovable in the face of betrayal.*~

"I know that you...regret...what you've done. And I want to forgive you. Belle, I truly do! But it will take time. And effort. And...I love you." Dahlia finishes with another choked sound. "God...I love you so much."

~*Looking up into the devestated face of her beloved, Dahlia sighs, her lower lip trembling. She wonders what Belle thinks of her cool and composed Sire now? Her unmovable marble statue...who was now a small, weeping woman...with a broken heart.*~

"Belle..." she pleads, unknowing for what.

***

Mar-8-2002 5:53 PM Message 153 of 523

Subject: A Newer Beginning [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Vampiress_Dahlia [ Message 149 ]

"God... I love you so much," Dahlia repeats to Belle. Despite the tenderness in her eyes, her voice betrays a certain distressed astonishment. To Belle's surprise, tears flow freely down Dahlia's cheeks as the once implacable vampiress implores her for some undefined relief. "Belle..."

They gaze into each others eyes, each searching for the link that will reforge the chain of unconditional love they so briefly shared, and both want to regain. Suddenly, Belle's eyes widen and Dahlia sees sudden realization sweep across her face.

"My poor... dear... Dahlia," Belle sighs as she puts the puzzle together. Belle reaches out with her left hand and gently caresses Dahlia's cheek. "My poor darling... It's been so long for you. You've forgotten what it's like."

Seeing Dahlia's uncertainty, Belle finally gets up off the floor where she has been kneeling, and lays down in bed next to her. Belle lays on her side, facing Dahlia. Belle's hand moves down from Dahlia's face, and lovingly strokes her arm... her hip... her thigh... then back again. Belle smiles and explains, "I suspect all of your lovers -- at least for a very long time now -- have been well established vampires, like you. And like you, they had already long ago shed their human foibles and frailties. Falling in love with me -- while I am still barely part of the Kindred -- has brought you back in touch with all those undisciplined emotions and impulses you have so long had the luxury of ignoring. You'd forgotten that love for mortals -- who don't have the time or patience of the Kindred -- is an explosive, unpredictable affair, full of mistakes and pitfalls. And while that can cause a lot of pain, it also brings with it the joy of spontaneous mutual discovery and interpersonal growth."

Belle watches as Dahlia sniffles her tears away. She can tell Dahlia is not entirely convinced that Belle's analysis is correct, but at least it has given her a plausible underpinning upon which to reestablish faith and trust.

Belle continues to build upon that foundation. "You say you don't want me as a pet, or a slave, or even a pupil. And while I would serve you in any way you asked, and count myself lucky, I honestly do NOT want to be your slave or pet, either. I do want to be the equal you seek to spend eternity with. But for that to happen, I'm afraid you are going to have to treat me like your pupil for a while. Forty-eight hours ago, I thought vampires were nothing but a fairy tale. Now I am one, and I don't know the rules... And because of that, I have hurt you. I don't want to hurt you, not ever again!"

Belle focuses upon Dahlia's astonishingly perceptive eyes, so that the vampiress will know her sincerity. "I love you so much... with all that I am. I must never betray you again. But that means, for now, you will have to be patient and help me learn what it means to be Kindred, and what responsibilities come with the powers and privileges of my new life. Then I will truly be your equal, and finally bear the right to have you as my lover for all of eternity!"

***

Mar-13-2002 10:07 PM Message 164 of 523

Subject: Shaky foundations.

From: Vampiress_Dahlia

Reply to: cyberian_belle [ Message 153 ]

~*Dahlia waits Belle out, wincing when words strike too close to home, chuckling inside when others stray far from the mark. She says nothing, lets Belle believe whatever is necessary for her to feel she has some understanding of Dahlia. While she is right in that it has been so long since Dahlia's loved another so intensely...she is wrong in thinking that she has forgotten anything.*~

~*Dahlia looks into Belle's eyes as she makes her final proclaimation of love, smiling warmly. She takes her hand and kisses it when she finishes, tugging her down onto the bed.*~

"I understand, Childe. And, apparently, so do you. Let us sleep. Tonight has been...stressful to say the least. Let your mind rest. I know mine needs to." Dahlia says on a tired sigh.

***

Mar-14-2002 6:44 PM Message 165 of 523

Subject: Sweet Lullaby [Belladonna]

From: cyberian_belle

Reply to: Vampiress_Dahlia [ Message 164 ]

It takes Belle a long time to fall asleep. She lies there, watching Dahlia, wondering if she too is awake, despite the apparent tranquility of her expression and the barely perceptible movement of her chest as she draws long, shallow breaths.

Although somewhat reassured by the warmth of Dahlia's smile and kiss as they finally laid down to sleep, Belle remains fretful over her grievous mistakes in going out and confronting the mortal world so soon after her own transformation, all without Dahlia's advice and guidance. Belle finds solace the only places she can: in Dahlia's apparent understanding and acceptance of Belle's explanation and apology; and in Belle's solemn promise -- not so much to Dahlia as herself -- to redeem herself through future impeccable behavior.

The first test will come the next evening, when she will again confront Narcissa and Guillaume. Each had tempted her, albeit in very different ways. Narcissa she could forgive, and already knew how to deal with her.

But Guillaume... Guillaume had used Belle to his own ends, and offended Dahlia in the process, driving deeper the wedge that Belle had spent the past hour extracting so painfully from between herself and her lover.

Belle knows she must respond to what Guillaume has done. It is her duty, and her right. But Belle decides she will not be so arrogant this time. She will learn the mores of her new culture before confronting Guillaume. But confront him she must, and if she determines revenge to be the appropriate response for his affront, then revenge she will have.

With that thought, Belle finally sleeps, a tiny smile decorating her lips.

***