Awake

Author: Asha

Date: 10-22-02 13:54

The blind girl snapped awake, sitting bolt upright in the bed and staying that way. There was something new and strange in the air, strange but familiar, and compelling. She could feel the other woman in the room, the one she was bonded to, but this...Other that had arrived was somehow more important. At least right now. It must be approached, it must be honored. It must be obeyed.

The other woman in the room had spoken, had moved. The blind girl could not hear her, the Other was too powerful an attractant for her to be bothered with the other woman right now.

She felt an odd tugging sensation in her mind. Suddenly, the tender flesh across her breasts stung fiercely, as if someone had slapped her across the both of them, and she knew her unworthy thought had been heard. And somehow responded to.

The imperative to answer the silent call sent by the Other superseeded any curiosity she may have had as to how exactly she had been punished by this Other, or how she would get to her, as blind and weak as she was. The blind girl, not heeding the unheard pleas of the other woman in the room got out of her bed. Still weak from her injuries, she fell, and was unable to get up. That was alright. It didn't matter.

She would crawl.

Allowing Entry {Briant}

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-22-02 16:33

His gaze once again takes in the sight of this creature, but he sighs and gives in to allow her entry. He understands the courtesy of this haven and closes the door behind her. He leads her past the dining room and out of the sight of the 2 human girls who attempt to dine on breakfast.

"Who might I introduce you as?"

Is asked with a stern tone as he leads her towards the study where Narcissa and Violet quietly speak.

Intersting Information

Author: Violet LeBlanc

Date: 10-23-02 06:15

"Lex did mean very much to me, though he is gone, I am very thankful that I had all the time with him I did."

She then listens as Narcissa tells briefly about her short existance. She nodded, already having guessed that she was fairly young Kindred. It intrigued her when she heard the role of Laura and Tricia in the whole affair. "I see." The whole idea of the two women being slaves was something new to her.

"I'm sure he will return to help you soon Narcissa. It can't be all that bad with the two of them though." She said with a slight grin. "But then again I can also see how it would be frustrating, given the situation and those that live here at the Kiss." She curled her legs under her and sighed softly.

True, she did not seem to be cold and inhuman, just at first glance, but you know what they say, looks can be decieving. There are many sides to the Kindred sitting with Narcissa, all of which are strong when they are shown.

She smiled as Ian began another song. His songs had helped lighten her mood considerably as she sat here. She ran a hand through her dark hair, and sighed a bit. She had finished the wyne, it was a poor subsitute for what she truely craved. Her question about asking Narcissa where she should hunt died on her lips as Narcissa said she hadn't yet gone on her first hunt. ~Damn it!~ She thought.

True she could go one more eve with out feeding, and it wouldn't effect her. Yet, she enjoyed toying with the mortal men, even the women. Bringing them pleasure, then bringing them death. She was careful in everything she did, making sure none of the bodies were found, or if they were, the deaths looked completely natural. She hadn't been like this until after Lex had been taken from her. Then she had become quite cruel in her hunt for blood.

Yet it was mostly in her hunt that the change had taken place, other times she was the same quite, enchanting woman she had been all those years ago. "Why is it that you have yet to go on your first hunt Narcissa?" she asked, fingertips trailing over the rim of the goblet.

Polite Company

Author: Mat

Date: 10-23-02 06:16

"Who might I introduce you as?" The male Vampire asked her. Mat noticed that his language was quite different from what she rememberd of lower English, and sighed inwardly. She would have to draw upon the resources of the student she had been summoned by if she was to be understood by these above-the-water People at all.

As quickly as she could (and hopefully without too long of a pause,) Mat drew the information that she needed from the mind of the student. The student was trying to reach her, she could tell that much immediately, the child was feeling the draw of what she had summoned, but repairing the damage she had done to herself could wait. And might not happen at all if she could not be taught to behave herself sufficiently, or at least, to Mat's satisfaction.

The child had a stray thought about the Witch she had attached herself to. Briskly Mat punished her for her lack of consideration, and, now having everything she needed to be able to speak this new language fluently and well, and thereby protect herself by not standing out, she turned to the male Vampire to introduce herself.

"I am Mat. I have been SkillMistress of the Water People for...a time. Since ships were of wood. I have been called by one of our children that resides here. Is formality required?"

Goal Oriented

Author: Aradia

Date: 10-23-02 08:20

Aradia has again started to doze when the sudden movement across the room brings her back awake. Aradia rises from the couch and crosses to the bed where the strange woman sits upright, her eyes reflecting moonlight as she stares sightlessly downward and to the left, toward the front entrance of the mansion.

"Are you alright?" Aradia asks. "What is it that you see?" She receives no reply.

Instead, just as Aradia reaches the foot of the bed, the woman flinches and cries out in obvious pain, her hands moving to her breasts.

"Just lie still," Aradia implores. "Clear your mind. I'm here to help you."

The woman ignores her, and climbs naked out of bed. Her knees buckle immediately and she falls to the floor. Apparently unhurt this time, she struggles to rise, but gets no farther than her hands and knees. Though obviously still blind, she begins to crawl directly toward the closed door to the hallway, as if following some invisible beacon.

Aradia rushes ahead to open the door. There is no discernable, immediate threat in what the woman is doing, and Aradia knows far too well the bodily injury and property damage the woman's chaotic magic inflicted each time she has been restrained. Besides, she now has some apparent goal, and following her there may be the first step in unraveling her mystery.

Directly upstairs {Briant}

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-23-02 09:35

Briant nods and thinks of the strange woman who has made quite a mess of one of the rooms upstairs. He nods at her answer and leads her directly down the hall past the study and to the stairs. They go upstairs where he shows her the rooms where the witches are staying. Once there, he turns and goes back downstairs to continue his affairs.

Revealing herself

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-23-02 09:46

"I'm hoping Guillaume comes home soon. I really miss him around here and I'm afraid I'm going to slip up. He keeps me in check."

She winks with that and leans back in her seat. She can tell Violet has many volumes of memories and has a sympathetic ear to her own troubles.

"I've been waiting for Guillaume to return before I hunt. I used Laura and Tricia as practice, but I'm really ready to go out and find a real...er..victim. I just don't want to get caught and have this place discovered. My head would be on a platter for Dahlia to feast on in a heartbeat if that were to happen."

She is curious to know more of this woman and especially of her sire. Another flood of questions enters her mind.

"Violet. If you don't mind me asking, how have you dealt with the loss of your sire? I mean...how have you found the strength to continue? And what was he like...was he old? Was he romantic?"

She grins knowing she should not be asking such personal questions, but she just cannot help it out of curiosity sake. It has always been her nature to probe until eventually she went to far. That's what got her in this mess in the first place, but she doesn't care. She wants to learn more now about other vampires, she needs the guidance and is desperate to kill on her own. An idea enters her head...perhaps Violet would take her under her wing and help her hunt. Now only to talk her into it..

Sea Breeze.

Author: Ian

Date: 10-23-02 11:15

Ian's nose winkles as a stray whiff wafts in from something passing by in the hallway. Ian just chuckles, happy to have an unintended suggestion for what song he next should play

~~~

There was a warm wind with the high tide

On the south side of the hill,

When a young girl went a-walking

And I followed with a will.

"Good day to you, my fine young lady,

With your lips so sweetly full.

May I help you comb your long hair,

Sweep it from that brow so cool?''

Up, ride with the kelpie.

I'll steal your soul to the deep.

If you don't ride with me while the devil's free,

I'll ride with somebody else.

Well, I'm a man when I'm feeling

The urge to step ashore.

So I may charm you, not alarm you,

Tell you all fine things, and more.

Up, ride with the kelpie.

I'll steal your soul to the deep.

If you don't ride with me while the devil's free,

I'll ride with somebody else.

Say goodbye to all your dear kin

For they hate to see you go,

in your young prime, to this place of mine,

In the still loch far below.

Up, ride with the kelpie.

I'll steal your soul to the deep.

If you don't ride with me while the devil's free,

I'll ride with somebody else.

~~~

Saltwater

Author: Mat

Date: 10-23-02 12:33

After the male Vampire left her in her new room, Mat (now knowing what was appropriate for this era,) went into the cavernous bathing suite and filled the tub with steaming hot water. Much too hot for anyone warm-blooded, the heat should warm her up quite nicely and help rid her thoughts of the sluggishness that had begun to creep in. She'd been cold for too long. She reached for a sealed jar of bath salts, and another of bathing oil. She opened the salts first, and took a cautious sniff. She relaxed a bit, probably not enough for anyone to notice that her tansion had eased at all, and repeated the actions with the bath oil. Chamomile and rosemary, both of them. It was almost as if someone had known she was coming. She poured a good bit of the oil into the tub, and then followed it with far more of the bath salts than any rational person would. But she was a creature of the seas, and acustomed to much more of a saline environment than the one she was currently exposed to.

She sank gratefully into the tub, keeping a tight controll over her present form, not wanting to have to explain away a tail if there were intended prey kept about for the Vampires. The child was coming, she could sense it, but she did not fell like making that one's path any easier for it, not yet anyway. She'd been "occupied" with a rather dear little kelpie, one of her predecessor's students, (who was currently involved in causing the extinction one by one and generation by generation of what was left of the Clan McDonald,) when the child's call had gotten one of the assgning Elders, driven nearly to hysteria by the child's own panic, to use a Command to force her to answer. No, this child wasn't going to have an easy time of it at all. Perhaps she would teach it to always mind it's proper place in the greater scheme of things first of all. Healing could come later, unbinding itself could come last of all, and self-discipline could be learned, through Mat's judicious use of punishment, along the way.

Mat smiled to herself, in the odd way of the Water People, exposing the double row of needle-like teeth again, just as the child, and the human Witch it had attached itself to, stepped into the room.

Cold Stone

Author: Asha

Date: 10-23-02 13:16

The blind girl was crawling. The Other was near, she could feel it. It had stopped moving just recently, and seemed inclined to stay where it was. But the blind girl felt that she must hurry, the Other seemed impatient, almost angry.

Anxious, the blind girl crawled faster.

The stones were even, and had been worn to smoothness before being used as flooring material, but a stone, no matter how highly polished always has a bit of roughness to it. The blind girl crawled as fast as she was able, catching her finger and toes on unseen edges, loosing little bits of skin to a floor that was beginning to slowly feel like very fine grit sandpaper.

And beyond the confines of herself and the imperative to find the Other, she could feel the woman she was somehow tied to, worried.

It wasn't important, she needed to get to the Other.

After an unknown time and distance, when her hands and knees had gone numb and her bare skin was so chilled that it no longer reacted to the cold air, she paused. Sniffed the air. She turned by slow increments towards the scent of salt, ignoring the herbal perfumes that she could smell riding the air currents along with the salt-scent. There was nothing to bar her way, the door to this room must be open. She crawled into the room, shivering in reaction as the warm, moist air hit her chilled skin and began to warm it.

She heard the woman behind her gasp.

Utter Satisfaction

Author: Shen Grah

Date: 10-23-02 15:42

"Relax Shen. You always fret way too much." His mistress looks sideways at him with that luminous smile, those sapphirine eyes,..........."Shen, Shen. Are you listening to me?"

All the years she has spent walking this poor tortured terra firma hasn't dulled her appearance or attitude any. She is still the most beautiful creature he has ever beheld. Still as glowing and childlike as the day he had first walked up on her in the woods in his old home of Germania. She steps out wearing a lovely dress made of purple velvet. Some would think that velvet would be heavy and frumpy; but not on Paysha. He had always enjoyed the subtle beauty the curves of her body held. "Well Paysha you are as lovely as ever, but I am still left questioning why we are here." She turns suddenly on her heels and leans into him. Whispering in his ear, he feels the warmth of her breath on his neck. "Don't you feel them? Don't you feel the others that are here? I know that your experiences with other kindred have never been good. But something is different about these beings. Trust me." She ended the statement with a firm kiss and tug of the earlobe. She alway knew how to manipulate him. His anxiety seems to dissipate. "After you m'lady. " His hand extended to the open door, which she had opened with only a thought.

Entering the parlor, Shen is taken aback for a second by the amount of beauty in the room. The two women sitting on the couch talking comfortably look up from their conversation. The dark gift had worked it's magic on these two. He had already sensed Paysha's elation over the beautiful beings. He watched her now. She scans the room like any good huntress would. She had always found satisfaction from the love of a beautiful creature. He could feel his jealousy raging, but he would never let her know it. She looks over the gentleman singing and the two women like they were prey. All with utter satisfaction. The gentlemen singing doesn't even seem to notice that they have entered the room. He goes on with his song as if nothing has happened. Paysha steps up to plate first. Extending a hand, in some human form of protocol, she greets both ladies and introduces herself and Shen.

More guests, more fun

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-23-02 16:03

She looks up quite surprised to see two more kindred arrive from downstairs. She knew the essence was strong of others around her, but she figured that perhaps it was just Violet. She hadn't known others had arrived. She smiles to them and is the first to take Paysha's hand. She shakes with a strong hold and a wide grin parts her lips as she looks between the two.

"Well hello there. I'm Narcissa. Welcome to the Crimson Kiss, manor of Mistress Dahlia. Over there is Laura and Tricia...my friends."

She gives Paysha and Shen a knowing glance and she can tell they already know that Laura and Tricia are human. She sits back down and allows Violet the spotlight for introductions now.

Trolling for Answers

Author: Aradia

Date: 10-24-02 07:49

Aradia follows the strange magical woman as she crawls out into the hallway. The way her eyes stare down at the natural stone floor confirms her continued blindness. But she proceeds down the passage in a determined line as if locked on a track.

As they turn a bend in the corridor, Aradia spies the mansion's butler slipping down a back staircase. Thus distracted, Aradia almost trips over the crawling woman as she turns toward the first door on the right. Aradia barely has time to throw it open, just before her charge would have crashed into it headfirst.

The suite is typical of those in this manor: large, opulent and nicely furnished. The door to its private bathroom stands open, its light cutting a path across the otherwise dark bedroom floor that the woman follows like a moth to flame.

Aradia follows her through the bathroom doorway, where they find someone lounging in the steamy tub. Aradia is struck by the unique beauty of this new stranger. Her long lean body is that of an Olympic swimmer. And while her large eyes are set a bit too far a part, and her nose is a bit too small and her chin a little weak, they nonetheless go perfectly with her wide cetacean smile.

A Meeting of Minds

Author: Mat

Date: 10-24-02 10:15

Mat modified her smile into a more human expression, as she looked back at the Witch. She flicked a few stray strands of her hair out of her face and addressed the current problem immediately, seeing no reason at all to waste time now.

"This child has behaved rather abominably, I assume. Just look at what she has done to herself." She gazed upon the scar on the Witch's cheek, to her, it was still raw and rather new looking. "And what she has done to you."

She stepped out of the tub, and grabbed a towel, a little dissapointed that it didn't cover much and so she would have to try and figure out this time's style of garment as well as its protocol, but some things couldn't be helped. Adapt or die. And if she hadn't been adaptable, she wouldn't have survived the Great Sinking, which had polluted the waters for hundreds of generations. "Come into the next room with me Witch, and we shall speak of our student. Child, get in that tub. Your body needs the salt."

Mat, once in the chamber went straight to the wardrobe, wondering a little that the Witch hadn't introduced herself. She did look as if she'd been worn thin, though. Mat picked out a scraped-silk tunic the color of aquamarines that was just long enough (and barely opaque enough) to cover everything that it would be impolite to show and slipped it on over her head, belting it at the waist with a blood-red cobweb-lace sash. On impulse, she pulled forth a blue-black velvet shawl embroidered in silver that reminded her of seeing the night sky as reflected off the seas. Turning, she draped it around the Witch's head and shoulders (to rather dazzling effect, she thought,) and went over to the fireplace. A bench was sitting at an angle to the flames, perfectly to her tastes, and she sent a brief thought/feeling of thanks toward the male Vampire who had shown her to this room. She sat, curling one leg under her, and resting the other foot lightly upon the hearthstone; watching as the Witch seated herself in a big wingback chair across from her, that had also been arranged at a conversational angle. Now if they only had some bread and wine.

"I am Mat. Your student has summoned me."

Return

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 10-25-02 05:46

Sir Guillaume FitzHenry pauses in the trees a hundred yards from the mansion. His nostrils flare as he instinctively sorts through the scents. He had left Crimson Kiss Manor no more than twenty-four hours ago, but during his short absence, several new visitors had arrived. He wonders if Dahlia would have departed last night had she known of the impending influx of guests.

She probably would have left anyway, he realizes. Guillaume had himself only recently abandoned his accustomed seclusion. He had sought, among his own kind, a place of stability in a world detrimentally altered and continually convulsed by a century of supposed "progress" in that which calls itself "civilization." Indeed, he had hoped to enlist allies, including even Dahlia herself, in an effort to return the Kindred to their rightful place as masters of the world, shepherding humanity away from its self-destructive course. If humans ever annihilate themselves, as they had come self-consciously close to doing several times over the past several decades, Vampires would soon be extinct as well. But rather than inciting Dahlia to join his new crusade, he fears his example has inspired her to emulate his own usually insular practices.

While an alliance with Dahlia would have proven beneficial, it is not necessary. Her neutrality will suffice. There are many potential confederates among the dwindling Kindred. Guillaume inhales deeply through his nose, allowing his sinuses to warm the cool night air and release its hidden perfume. Several unrecognized Vampires have recently passed along this path, as have representatives of other venerable races.

In contrast to those subdued scents, most prominent among the diverse aromas are the familiar bouquets of two young, mortal women. Guillaume chuckles evilly. The delight he finds in the realization that Narcissa needed Laura and Tricia to warm her bed in his absence, more than compensates for his annoyance that she did not heed his advice to remain in the manor while he was gone.

He wonders how she handled this complex arrangement when confronted with the arrival of unknown and certainly more powerful Kindred. Anywhere else, Guillaume would have feared for Narcissa's safety under such circumstances, as the sole guardian of such delectable treasures as Laura and Tricia. But Guillaume knows that no Vampire would dare defy the Sanctuary of the Crimson Kiss, and thereby risk Dahlia's wrath.

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to observe how Narcissa reacts in this situation. He decides to slip into the mansion quietly and see if he can manage to watch his lover unnoticed for a few minutes. Given her unfamiliarity with her new Kindred senses, it might still be possible.

Staying among the trees, he moves to the back of the manor to make unaccustomed use of the servants' entrance, adjacent to the kitchen.

My eternal night.

Author: Paysha Talamas

Date: 10-25-02 09:06

I snap a sharp glance at the two mortals. I can still the see the human spirit in them. I had spent so many years mourning for my mortal soul. I can see the fire has been lit inside these two. They too would mourn soon. But not all do, the few I have made have all reacted quite differently.

My friend Sekhmet, my "first"; He was overcome with verbose and grandiose ideas. He set out to rule our little known world. Needless to say he terrorized several villages before I had to put my foot down. This had been an easy task with the powerful blood that had just recently been given to me by my maker before his departure. Like Osiris, so many bits of him strewn along the Hap (Nile). Oh well. Easy come, Easy go. Hate to sound jaded; but some just don't deserve the dark gift.

Some fall down a spiral of despair. As was my case after losing Sekhmet, I vowed to never make "another". So I wandered alone for many years. I had spent much of my time traveling trying to find others like me. Hoping to find a companion. I was tired of being alone. The arrival of the Roman Empire opened up whole new worlds to me. I decided to "make" a few friends along the way. Each time failing miserably in my choice of someone qualified to receive my gift. All of them chosen basically for their beauty, whether it be of spirit or flesh, I didn't care.

I even had the dark gift taken from me once. A group of Celtic priests captured me after I had seduced a great warrior in their village. This warrior was Ulrich Deslades, whom I have lovingly called Shen Grah, Eternal Night in my native language, ever since. When they strapped me to the table, my screams of protest could be heard reverberating off of the village walls. I couldn't understand what had happened to my strength. I still to this day do not know what power they held against me. Shen slew three of the priests that night to save me. I finished off the rest. Needless to say, there were tiny bits of priests strewn all along the Rhine River. He has been mine ever since.

Now, he was the type of vampyre to "bloom". His already muscular body seemed to thrive under the influence of the "intimate kiss" I had given him. His masculine face made even more handsome by the blood that coursed through him. The things he made me feel were like no other, ever. So we found ourselves walking through the millennia together. Seducing women, seducing men, taking out the trash, so to speak. I glance over at Shen with a mischievous grin. It has been a long journey, but a fun one.

My stroll down memory lane is broken by the sense of "another" near, something outside the walls of this house. Something watching. No one else seems to notice this disturbance. So I dismiss it and return to the task at hand. I look over to the women fingering the chain of her necklace. Immediately I am struck by an overwhelming sadness. A nod and a warm smile are offered to her.

Environmentally Conscious.

Author: Ian

Date: 10-25-02 11:12

Ian cannot read minds. But like every good performer, he is unusually attuned to the moods and emotions of his audience. Thus he will often understand that a particular song is the perfect choice, without necessarily knowing why. He plays...

~~~

Happy and I'm smiling,

Walk a mile to drink your water.

You know I'd love to love you

And above you there's no other.

We'll go walking out

While others shout of war's disaster.

Oh, we won't give in,

Let's go living in the past.

Once I used to join in,

Every boy and girl was my friend.

Now there's revolution,

But they don't know what they're fighting.

Let us close our eyes;

Outside their lives go on much faster.

Oh, we won't give in,

We'll keep living in the past.

Oh, we won't give in,

Let's go living in the past.

Oh, no, no, we won't give in,

Let's go living in the past.

~~~

Catch and Release

Author: Aradia

Date: 10-26-02 07:13

"I am Mat," says the mermaid. Aradia knows "mermaid" is an over-simplification of this being's true nature and role, but it is a concept she can readily grasp. "Your student has summoned me."

To this point, Aradia has remained silent. She is clearly facing forces far beyond her ability to control alone. Even when combining her powers with her two cousins, they had barely been able to contain the magic of the strange creature presently resting in the tub. Now she must treat with a similar being in complete command of her matured abilities. Words are a source of great power, and thus of equal vulnerability, and Aradia knows she cannot afford to surrender any advantage. But sometimes silence can be as damning as speech.

"She is not my 'student,'" Aradia protests. "Her innate powers are greater than those I've spent a lifetime mastering. True, she must learn self-discipline, but I cannot teach her. We cannot communicate; and I cannot control her. Surely, it is you who must guide her."

A gathering of minds

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-26-02 11:05

She smiled to Paysha and Shen again as introductions were exchanged between all of them. She had wondered why Violet was keeping her silence, but figured she was merely analyzing all of them. She looked upon Paysha and thought her to be a violently beautiful woman..and Shen, a handsome rogue. They were obviously a couple, and a regal one at that. She sensed they were both very old, perhaps older than Guillaume. They were a regal couple, who had traveled the world in search of happiness. Now, she hoped, perhaps they would find it at the Kiss. She compared them to herself and Guillaume. He was a knight of old, who had taken her in....herself, a city punk from the streets of NYC. She thought for a moment and retreated into herself feeling extremely self conscious. She wondered what it was that Guillaume saw in her in the first place, besides her face and body. All of them wore fine clothes of silk and cotton, while she greeted them in a cheap t-shirt and torn up denim shorts. Perhaps it was time for her to raid the closets Dahlia had provided for all of them, but then, would she be out of character? She wanted to be true to herself, and her attitude towards the old way was quite different. She was young and she was vital to all of their existances should they wish to survive in a modern world. It mattered little however when she caught a new scent. Something faint....something familiar. It was masculine and it was loving. Could it be? No...she did not know when he would return...it was too soon. Then again...

The silent observer finally speaks

Author: Violet LeBlanc

Date: 10-26-02 11:31

I smiled at Narcissa's questions. She was still young at heart, as well as young in this immortal life. I laughed before I answered her questions.

"It was hard to deal with his loss, but through the love of some of my dearest friends, I managed to realize that destroying myself, wouldn't be the answer. I have found the strength to continue, by simply knowing that even though he does not walk this earth with me any more, in his physical form, I know he walks with me in spirit." I lifted a hand to finger the necklace again. "He was old, though one would think him nothing more than a twenty-four year old mortal man. He was fifteen hundred years old. He was very romantic. Always surpising me one way or another." My voice was tinted with saddness as I spoke.

"Please Narcissa, I know you are curious, but don't press me any more about Lex right now. In a bit more time, I will gladly tell you all about him. That is if you still wish to know." I offered her a soft smile.

As the two newest immortals entered, I knew they were old. It didn't take me long to figure that out. I also knew that they traveled together, and had for countless years. I was some what greatful when Narcissa slipped from me and introduced herself to them. I remained seated and silent for now, simply observing the two.

When the woman's gaze fell on me, I smiled, knowing she had felt the saddness that radiated from me, I returned the smile and nod. Though I did not offer my name just yet. I also kept my thoughts well hidden, unsure if they could be trusted. Yet, I also had a feeling that they would not do anything rash to any who sought shelter under the roof of Crimson Kiss.

Finally I slipped out of my thoughts and stood, walking toward the trio. "I am Violet LeBlanc. Pleased to meet you." I also caught the scent of something, unsure of what it was, I knew it was immortal. I glanced toward Narcissa, wondering. The scent grew stronger, as if it had entered the manor.

I smiled and slipped away from the trio and settled back into my seat, finally leaving the necklace alone. I did not wish to get pulled back into my thoughts again. I knew that if I did, I would surely begin to cry again. I would cry tears that I didn't think I had, nor had the energy to cry.

Tricia's vote.......Stay

Author: Tricia

Date: 10-27-02 11:35

When Laura says"We should get back to the lakehouse, in case Belle shows up."

Tricia feels an almost uncontrollable urge to shake Laura.Instead she just looks at Laura, thinking before replying in a low, controlled tone,"I think that I will stay right where I am. Narcissa would be crushed were I to leave.......... And you of course" Tricia adds as almost an afterthought. "I feel needed here, desired here and I want to stay. I cannot make you stay but I will not go." Tricia looks Laura directly in the eyes as she speaks and awaits a reply...... and shivers as if fingers are playing along her spine.

Reintroduction

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 10-28-02 05:49

Guillaume slips into the kitchen just as Briant enters from a back stairway. Before the butler can greet him, Guillaume raises a finger to his lips in the universal demand for silence.

Dahlia's mansion is well designed. The kitchen connects directly to the dining room through a short, cabinet-lined hallway. Guillaume immediately recognizes the scents of Tricia and Laura floating in from that direction. Their appetizing fragrances mix with the smell of human food. That latter aroma does not bother Guillaume, just as a herdsman takes no note of the odor of silage fed to his cattle.

Guillaume lingers in the passage between the kitchen and dining room, remaining silently in the shadows so that neither woman notices him. Laura sits with her back to him, and while Tricia's seat faces him, she is staring so intently at Laura -- with a surprising hint of anger in her eyes -- that she remains oblivious to his eavesdropping.

He sees that Narcissa has dressed both Tricia and Laura in beautiful evening gowns, surely taken from Dahlia's extensive wardrobe. While such finery is really too good for these mortals, Guillaume must admit it enhances their abundant natural beauty. He admires them for a moment, as a collector relishes a prized objet trouv�.

Guillaume enters the dining room, moving directly to a corner which is out of sight to those in the parlor. He then speaks softly, hoping Ian's delightful music will hide his voice from even the keen Kindred ears in the parlor, so that only Tricia and Laura will hear.

"Good evening, my dears."

A Harsh Mistress

Author: Mat

Date: 10-28-02 07:07

"She is not my 'student,'" Aradia protests. "Her innate powers are greater than those I've spent a lifetime mastering. True, she must learn self-discipline, but I cannot teach her. We cannot communicate; and I cannot control her. Surely, it is you who must guide her."

Mat caught herself almost gawping at the Witch like the uncontrolled child in the next room. They couldn't communicate? Why, by the waves, not? She snapped a command directly to the child's mind, ordering her to show the entire history of her contact with this Witch, and got only a sense of fog, and of magics so ancient, their use was limited to only a few. Mat herself was among those few, but the ancient powers were so dangerous to the frail and feeble human races, that those who could wield them each only knew of one other who could. That this child could access those ancient memories, and draw on those powers made it even more important that she learn the proper controll.

And that Mat had been sent by the Elders (who must surely have known that this was the case,) spoke to just how strong this child would be. The only one of the People to ever surpass Mat had died with Atlantis. She was now sitting in a room with one of his ilk who knew nothing of such powers. And in the other room was a child who must be taught how to controll herself before she destroyed this continent with them.

"I am a harsh mistress. She must learn compassion from somewhere and I cannot teach what I choose not to display. We, none of us, can afford to allow me to coddle this child. You have seen the power she holds, you have felt it. I know these powers, I hold them as well. She must be controlled until she can controll herself, but she must also learn the uses of power. Until she has the proper controll it is best if she learns the small things first, and it has been too long since I last studied such. It will be best for her if you teach her magic, and I teach her controll." She spread her hand over her belly, and continued, "I hunger still, for sustinence, and for the sounds of those ancient voices I can hear from the parlor. I am going to the kitchens to eat and to listen. Please consider what is best for the child, as you make your decision."

She bit her lip worriedly as she took the back staircase that she and the male Vampire had come up a short time ago. If the Witch didn't agree to teach the child magic, what would she do? She couldn't summon someone else, the Elders would never let two know of the child's power. But the use of such power, (because of the powers that she held,) was the one thing she was forbidden to teach. She wouldn't even know how to begin anyway. There were other fae about, she'd scented piskies at the lake upon her emergence, but they were unreliable, and she had a feeling that they were the cause of the present trouble anyway. The child was probably a changeling. As she reached the foot of the stairs, Mat came to a decision. Either the Witch would agree to teach the child the ways of power, or the child would have to die.

It wouldn't be the first time the Mistress had taken the life of one of her students.

Diverted

Author: Laura Anne von Hoeffner

Date: 10-28-02 13:31

"I feel needed here," Tricia replies to Laura's suggestion that they leave the mansion to resume searching for their classmate, Belle Phillips. Tricia sighs sultrily, and her voice becomes soft in introspection. "Desired here... And I want to stay."

Her focus then returns to Laura, and Tricia concludes, "I cannot make you stay, but I will not go!"

Laura shrugs weakly. She understands how Tricia feels. Although she has only known Narcissa a couple of days, the loving friendship they already share has become the emotional bedrock of Laura's life. Despite Laura's original trepidation, now that Narcissa apparently understands that Laura prefers a platonic relationship, Laura realizes she feels as comfortable with her as she ever has with anyone. Narcissa has been so kind to her, and asked nothing in return but her company. Laura would not even consider shunning her hospitality, were it not for the fact that Laura suffers an identical longing to again see Belle, who is, after all, her best friend.

Laura searches for the words to explain to Tricia why they must do something -- leave this luxurious mansion... and Narcissa's warm companionship -- that neither of them can really bear to consider. She is about to speak when Tricia suddenly gasps, draws a second quick breath, and looks over Laura's shoulder... past Laura... almost through Laura... as if Laura is no longer there.

Tricia's expression makes Laura shiver, which rises to a momentary tremble when she hears the low, throaty voice behind her.

"Good evening, my dears."

Tricia's eyes shine joyfully. The speaker's name quietly escapes her throat as she finally exhales. "Guillaume!"

Laura turns in her seat and looks back. The tall British gentleman who had visited them with Narcissa the past two nights stands in the corner behind her, smiling at them. Laura sighs. She realizes his return is another distraction that will keep Tricia from helping her look for Belle.

Of course, Laura knows she cannot hold that against Guillaume, nor can she really blame Tricia for her obvious infatuation with the charming knight. Laura would usually have found him attractive, too. It was one of the many confusing surprises Laura has faced over the past week, when she realized she was more attracted to Narcissa than to her gallant escort.

Laura finds she still has little feeling for the handsome man -- there is a calculating coldness to him that she cannot quite identify -- but he has always been kind and cordial to her, so she smiles sincerely, if only politely, as she replies.

"Good evening, Sir Guillaume."

Distracted

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 10-28-02 16:38

It was a feeling that seemingly overwhelmed her as it came forward and into the dining room. She actually felt faint as Guillaume's presence started to fill the house. She stepped back for a moment away from the guests holding on to a chair. She felt totally ridiculous as all eyes were laid upon her. She had never been separated from her sire before, so the overwhelming reintroduction of his presence seemed to be too much for her body and mind. She steadied herself on the chair, still unknowing that he was actually back, but knowing he was near. An ecstatic smile parted her lips as she whispered his name, like a woman who had just been through three lovers in a satisfied sigh.

"Guillaume."

She looked back to all three who were now feasting their eyes on such a sight. She knew that they knew she was so very young and it seemed quite apparent they enjoyed the sight of a new vampire coming into her being and grappling with the new senses. She blushed furiously and righted herself against the chair looking to them.

"I'm..sorry. I...I don't know what's come over me."

Enchanted

Author: Tricia

Date: 10-28-02 19:39

Tricia sees Guillaume and her eyes shine like a thousand candles. She quietly Breathes his name on a sigh "Guillaume!" She sees only him and awaits the next words he might say to her.

Redefinition

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 10-29-02 05:36

"Guillaume!" Tricia gasps softly upon seeing him enter the diningroom. Her ardent gaze reveals the effect of having his addictive essence -- together with that of Narcissa -- coursing through her veins for the past two days.

Conversely, Laura turns nonchalantly in her chair and smiles politely as she greets him."Good evening, Sir Guillaume."

Guillaume's predatory senses see past Laura's outward calm. She, too, is wracked by the emotional turmoil of the vampiric essence now saturating her flesh. In Laura's case, her blood contains the essence of two Vampiresses: Narcissa and Belladonna. They had originally planned to infuse Laura with his essence as well, but Laura's general suspicion, then Guillaume's unexpected need to depart, had left no time for that.

Guillaume wonders how Laura has reacted to the unexpected -- and, in her case, unnatural -- lesbian desires that have undoubtedly resulted from her physiological addiction to the two Vampiresses, caused by their essence within her. Guillaume thinks back two centuries. He remembers how his last Kindred lover, Colette, took special pleasure from introducing innocent young women to acts of feminine intimacy they would never have even considered, much less practiced, but for her influence over them. He suspects his new consort, Narcissa, might enjoy that, too. Guillaume decides he will not sip from Laura -- not for some time, at least -- but will instead leave her as Narcissa's own special pet.

He looks across the table at Tricia, who watches him with the same deep devotion she had shown the previous night. She seems to have been rather predisposed to the lusts caused by the vampire bites. He suspects she was a bit of a libertine prior to meeting Narcissa and him, and the fire in her eyes suggests she retains just enough of that independence to employ that experience in serving them. Thus, Guillaume knows he can afford to let Narcissa have Laura all to herself; Tricia will be a perfect slave.

That leaves just one detail to iron out. Guillaume has already observed Laura's unusually strong antiauthoritarian convictions. It would not do to have a mortal servant challenge his supremacy in front of other Kindred. Fortunately, Laura is not immune to innate Kindred mesmeric abilities. Indeed, even before she was subject to Narcissa's essence, he had found little difficulty in hypnotically inculcating Laura with the fictitious belief that Narcissa was a kindhearted and generous noblewoman, despite all obvious appearances to the contrary.

It will take a much less difficult modification of Laura's behavior to create the necessary impression of her subservience. She had greeted him as "Sir Guillaume." That was all the opening he needed.

"Thank you Laura," Guillaume responds pleasantly to her greeting. He then steps forward to gaze directly into her eyes.

"How nice of you to remember my knighthood," Guillaume continues, reinforcing in her mind the appropriateness of addressing him with a noble honorific. The compliment works. Her eyes widen with her smile, and her stare locks with his.

Guillaume looks away only briefly, glancing at Tricia to include her in what he is about to say. But Tricia will need no additional encouragement to abide by his words, so he returns his gaze to Laura.

Laura's face goes blank as Guillaume peers deeply into her mind, and speaks in a steady, confident tone. "But 'Sir Guillaume' is such a long and clumsy moniker. In my younger days, over the years, I have held certain titles. Thus, if you would find it more comfortable..." Guillaume's eyes flash and his stare encompasses all of Laura's perceptions as he concludes, "You may simple address me as... 'my Lord.'"

Ancient Voices

Author: Mat

Date: 10-29-02 05:56

She was in the kitchen, eavesdropping on the older male Vampire and his two human pets, and unabashedly so. She realised that her concept of privacy was probably a bit skewed from living so much of her life beneath the waves, when the only way to have any time to yourself at all involved finding a sheltered spot and holding absolutely still (something she had never been able to do) so that others' voices didn't bounce off your sides and tell them where you were. Life out of the water definately had its advantages.

And it's disadvantages, Mat realised. She could tell what was food, and what was not by the scent of it, but she wanted something hot, and couldn't figure out how to get it that way. Lest she prick someone's skin, she had decided not to use any magic in this part of the house, and while she could sustain herself in much the same way as the Vampires could, if necessary, the only humans about appeared to belong to one of them.

Not wanting to search any further, she grabbed a loaf of bread, a vial of salt, and a bottle of wine. Seating herself on a stool she could see in a corner by the door, Mat began both her meal and her eavesdropping in earnest.

Listening In

Author: Asha

Date: 10-29-02 06:04

The blind girl had heard the entire conversation between the two women in the other room. There had been another of those peculiar tugs at her mind, and the blind girl had a feeling that she was very lucky that the tugging hadn't continued.

She didn't know why she felt that way.

She had listened from the bathtub while her future had been discussed. What was going on? And what did the new woman mean when she said that the blind girl had summoned her? She hadn't done anything of the sort, had she? They had talked about magic, a bit. But magic didn't exist, that was something from children's fairy stories.

There was a puzzle here, but what was it? Was it the new woman, or someone else? Was it her?

She had a vague memory of staring out over a lake and wanting something...she'd been ill...

She sank a bit further into the salty water in the tub, submerging herself to her lips. She would have to think about how she was going to get out of this, somehow she didn't think there was a telephone about for her to call for help.

Wallowing in Doubt

Author: Aradia

Date: 10-29-02 08:00

Aradia did not become a leader of the most powerful coven in North America by letting others tell her what to do. On the other hand, she did not obtain her station by rash reactions to others' presumptions, either. She allows the mermaid to finish speaking, and leave, without raising any objection.

Her instincts tell Aradia that she should simply wash her hands of the whole situation. The blind woman, for whom she and her cousins had been caring, now has one of her own kind here to tend her. Aradia believes she could leave now in good conscience.

But given the unusually powerful and ancient magic involved -- and the dangers and opportunities these may present -- Aradia knows she should take some time in making her decision. Something had brought her to this manorhouse. Before she rejected involvement with these people, she had to be sure their fate was not inextricably woven with her own or that of the Sisterhood. If so, and she pulled away from them nonetheless, the result could be a disastrous unraveling of all their Destinies.

Aradia stands and crosses to the bathroom. Her supposed "student" floats in the large tub with only her face and scalp above water. Despite her naked, human form, Aradia gets the impression of a basking sea lion.

Aradia sighs, shakes her heads, and whispers rhetorically: "What in the world am I supposed to do with you?"

On the Verge

Author: Ian

Date: 10-29-02 11:04

Ian sees that Narcissa and Violet are far more intent upon thoughts of absent love than their conversation. It is a contagious mood, inspiring Ian's next song.

~~~

As I wake up in a room somewhere,

Dawn light not yet showing,

There's just a thin horizon between me and her,

The edge of a half-dream glowing.

Well, you know, I felt her in my dream last night.

Strange how the sheets are warm beside me.

Now, how do I catch the waking edge

As it slips to the far and wide of me?

Didn't I try to hold it down?

Freeze on the picture,

Hang sharp on the sound.

Catch the waking edge

Another time.

Familiar shadows in my hotel room

Are still here for the taking.

They seem to linger on as the street lights fade

And the empty dawn is breaking.

Didn't I try to hold it down?

Freeze on the picture,

Hang sharp on the sound.

Catch the waking edge

Another time.

Private movie showing in my head�

What button do I press for re-run?

And how do I catch the waking edge,

The edge of a dream about someone?

Well, you know, I felt her in my dream last night�

Now the sheets are cold beside me.

~~~

Revolution

Author: Laura Anne von Hoeffner

Date: 10-29-02 12:51

"Thank you, Laura. How nice of you to remember my knighthood," Guillaume responds to Laura's courteous greeting as he steps forward to look into her eyes. "But 'Sir Guillaume' is such a long and clumsy moniker."

Guillaume smiles briefly at Tricia, then turns his attention back to Laura. Laura knows from the intensity of his gaze that he has something vitally important to tell her.

"In my younger days, over the years, I have held certain titles," Sir Guillaume explains, his wide, radiant eyes revealing the fundamental verity of all he says. "Thus, if you would find it more comfortable, you may simple address me as... 'my Lord.'"

Laura trembles at those last two words. For a moment, her anger overshadows any amiability she has felt for the handsome gentleman. She had called him "Sir Guillaume" to be polite, but he certainly could not seriously expect her to address him as "my Lord"! The English snob! Why did he think we Americans fought the Revolution?

Come to think of it, calling him "Sir" was too much of a concession. She has no use for titles, or any of the attendant privileges, pomp and circumstance of so-called nobility! Laura looks him squarely in the eyes and draws breath to tell him so, in no uncertain terms....

But her anger has already subsided as she becomes unwittingly lost in his unblinking gaze. She decides, after all, it is only polite to address a person with an appropriate honorific, the same way she would call a professor or physician "Dr." or any esteemed American "Mr." or "Ms." Wasn't she always taught to respect the ways of other cultures? So if an acquaintance is a foreign knight or noble, and the proper way to address him is as "Sir," then she should do so.

But he is right, "Sir Guillaume" is quite a mouthful. The simple, two syllable alternative he suggests is much more practical. Without giving it further thought, she accepts it, and automatically casts her eyes to the floor as she responds.

"Yes, my Lord."