CHAPTER 4: Broadening Horizons

Author: Vampiress Belladonna

Date: 01-09-03 15:36

There is a changing mood at the Crimson Kiss.

After just a few night's absence of the manor's mistress, the Vampiress Dahlia (who is traveling abroad with her Vampire Chylde, the young Belladonna), the tranquil retreat has become the center of aggrandized ambitions amid delectable debaucheries.

Together with five ravenous vampires and their hapless, human slaves, the Crimson Kiss also hosts two powerful seafolk and the witch who has befriended them. And look there... approaching on the most distant horizon... with the aptitudes of the sorceresses but the attitudes of the Kindred... Or at least so it seems to the untrained eye.

In short, a new and more diverse assembly now gathers at the Crimson Kiss. Only time will reveal what sorts of extraordinary and "unfettered self-expression and interesting interrelationships" will boil up from this volatile mixture.

***

A new night

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 01-11-03 17:20

The day had brought them all a nice long sleep. Each content in their beds, each satisfied for whatever reason that might be. Laura and Tricia slept soundly for the first time in many days at the manor house, both now so close to their mistresses and master. Narcissa and Guillaume slept soundly in each others arms, but when it was time to wake, Guillaume had gotten up first. He had a lot of work to do in order to find Dahlia and Belladonna and he wanted to get an early start. He had no need to feed this evening and bathed leaving Narcissa on to awaken in with a lazy stretch. She had heard him start the bath water and laid in bed until he was finished. She sat up, knowing instinctually that he had other work to do and pouted. He look at her with a soft gaze and moved to the bed taking her in his arms.

"My dear, you know I have this work to do. Don't fret though, I'll be back just as quick as I was last time. You have plenty to keep you busy. I must take this journey alone, as we talked about. You, in the mean time, need to spread your wings and keep our newest guests entertained."

With a smile and a soft kiss to her lips, he dressed as she continued to lay in bed taking in the quickly setting sun behind the curtains. As he sat on the bed to put hs shoes on, she got up and straddled over him, still naked from the night before. She kissed him passionately as he stroked his hands down the flesh of her back.

Her words were soft and loving.

"I love you Guillaume. Please be careful and come back to me soon."

He smiled and lifted her off of his lap rising and hugging her one last time. His smile was warm and he did not feel the urge to say antying more of his journey. He went to the door as she sat on the bed curled up and smiling to him. She flipped back her long curls waving goodbye and he left the manor house before anyone got up. He told Briant of his plans to leave for a time so someone else would know of his plans in case something happened. She decided to get dressed and wake her lovelies in the next room. Having bathed just before bed, she felt clean enough to slip on a light black dress. The fabric was a thin cotton, with a thin frilly lace at the bottom...seen more as a cocktail dress then a sit around dress, but it mattered little to her. Her body could be clearly seen beneath the sheer fabric and she slipped on a black g string and soft sweat jacket over it. She opened the doors to Tricia and Laura's room knocking loudly on the doors to wake them.

"Wake up ladies, time to start the night and get some breakfast."

They both groaned at her insistance to get up, both resisting and still laying in bed. She went back into her room, keeping the doors between their rooms open and into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup while the girls woke themselves.

***

Sunset

Author: Violet LeBlanc

Date: 01-12-03 19:09

Violet awoke just after sunset, half expecting Laura to still be in the bed with her. Though the other half knew that Laura wouldn't be there. She slipped from the bed and moved to the bathroom. She turned on the tap and put the plug in, she added a few drops of lavendar scented oil inot hte steaming water.

A few moments later she settled into the warm water. Her thought drifted to the events that had transpired only one night ago. The thoughts of Laura's form writhing under her touch, the looks of pleasure that crossed the other woman's face with each touch. This caused Violet to moan, as her haind trailed over her form and between her legs. She borught herself to release, one time, before finishing her bath.

She stepped out of the tub and wrapped a luxurious towel around her form and secured it above her left breast. She left the bathroom and moved to her suit case and picked out a pair of comfortable jeans and a black halter top. She dried and brushed her hair, leaving it down to frame her face. She slipped on a pair of black boots with three inch heels. Taking one final look in the full length mirror and left her room.

She headed into the parlor and seated herself on one of the couches and accepted a goblet of rich crimson wyne, and lost herself to her thoughts, and the flames in the fire place.

***

Greeting the guests

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 01-15-03 07:09

She finished primping herself and checked in on Laura and Tricia one last time. They were still laying in bed lazily and she laughed figuring they could stay for a while longer if they wanted. They had both had a long night, filled with desire and passion, given to them by kindred who had 10 times their energy to harness such desires. She was sure what they had given them was sure to wear them out. She laughed light speaking again to them.

"Wash yourselves and come downstairs at your leisure. Me and Violet will be downstairs waiting."

She chuckled as she left the girls alone and went downstairs into the parlor where she saw Violet already sitting lost in thought. She poured herself a glass of wine and joined her by the firelight.

"Did you have a good time last night with Laura? Were you able to sip from her?"

She sat curious to know what happened between them.

"I at least hope you were able to control Laura's desires. She is very confused right now."

***

Early Evening

Author: Mat

Date: 01-15-03 07:23

Mat was awakened by the passage of one of the Vampires, an older male, past the parlor, and out the front door. Stirring slightly, she gently shifted Aradia's head off of her shoulder and onto the backrest of the sofa, Asha's she moved from her own knee to the Witch's. Standing and stretching, she briefly tensed, feeling something in the air. She fluted a soft word of command in her own language, wanting to know more about what it was that she could feel approaching them, but with the dull ache that began behind her eyes as soon as she caugt a glimpse of some two-wheeled contraption told her that she'd better let the spell go. Mat had been overdoing it lately, first to get to her new student and then, when she got here, to find out what had happened to the girl. But there would be a new arrival soon. Best to get cleaned up and ready for the night.

Rather than leave the other two where they were, Mat woke Asha and directed the girl to follow her back to her rooms, bearing the Witch. When they got there, Mat went to the closet to choose out tunics and sashes for the three of them, thinking over the events of the night before while the girl bathed in the other room. It had certainly been an interesting experience. The Vampires, giving in to the delicate senses of thier kind had been quite...active towards the end of the night, and with so many emotions and hormones pricking the air (and her skin,) Mat had barely been able to think, let alone work any magics of the kind that were needed to peer into Asha's past. Minor workings only, but still, she had needed her wits about her so they had left the upstairs for the front parlor, where at least some of the "activites" were easier for her to ignore. The Bard helped some, his kind always did know when and what kind of music was appropriate, and...

Mat snapped back into the present evening. The girl, Asha, was standing before her, waiting for something. "Well, what is it," Mat said, hating the peevish tone in her voice but not able to supress it. "Which one is for me?" the girl, properly submissive for the moment, asked. Mat handed her a pale lavender-blue tunic to put on, and when it was on, wrapped a vibrant orange sash around the girl's waist, all the while watching her body language for any sign of defiance or a challenge. It would come eventually, Mat knew. The sooner it came, the better for the student. The sooner Asha challenged her Mistress, the more lenient Mat could allow herself to be.

There was no sign of a fight in the making. "Go clean out the bathtub." Mat said, resisting an urge to slap the girl anyway. She walked over to Aradia, bearing a dark purple tunic and a silver sash, and left them beside the woman before returning to the closet to see what was left. Finally she chose a filmy rose-colored tunic of nearly-sheer sandwashed silk, and a topaz colored sash. Mat turned back to the room and found that not only had her student finished cleaning out the bathtub, but she had filled it as well, with the same blend of oils and salts that Mat had so enjoyed soaking in the night before. Mat let herself into the hot salty waters with a tired sigh, and gave up all hope of a challenge from this one, at least within the next few hours. It would have done her temper good, having an opportunity to beat someone beyond all reason, but it would just have to wait. Waiting...the girl was standing by the tub waiting for something..."Yes?" Mat said to that puppyish look she was already starting to hate. "What is it?" the girl gave a little embarrassed cough before opening her mouth to speak, but Mat had already pulled from the girl's mind a vague impresssion of hunger. She sighed and finished her bath, toweled off and dressed, and got ready to lead the child down to the kitchens. Knowing exactly how exhausted the human Witch was, she left Aradia to sleep, pausing only to cover the woman with the blanket that lay folded at the foot of the bed on their way out of the room.

The male Vampire that had looked at her so dissaprovingly the night before was there ahead of them, and Mat, not feeling up to polite speech quite yet, sent him a brief impression expressing morning tidings as she gathered food for herself and her student on a large wooden tray. Several eggs, a pitcher of milk, a loaf of bread for each of them, two lemons and a lime each and a large crystal salt-cellar quickly went on the tray. It would do for now, until the child got a taste of her proper food, she wouldn't miss it. Mat led her student into the dining room, and began to eat.

"Mistress," the damned puppy began just as Mat had punctured her first egg and was sucking it out of it's shell, "What happened to me last night?"

Mat sighed, and finished her egg. She slid the rest of the bowl around to the girl and took a sip from the jug of milk. "We had to look into your memory to find out what had happened to bring me to you. Because of the damage that you had done to yourself you were not able to tell us anything of importance."

"But what did you do to me." the silly little girl demanded, not realizing that she was walking the edge of a precipice.

Mat grinned, showing every single one of her hundreds of needle-sharp teeth and watched the girl grow almost as pale as one of thier Vampire hosts. She leaned slightly forward, projecting an air of manace and waited for the girl to begin shaking before she deigned to answer the little one. The events of the previous night played back through her memory as she told them to the child, sending the thoughts, impressions and images of their evening directly to her mind, burning it into her punishingly, and setting the girl, very firmly, back into her proper place. When Mat was done with the girl, she rose, crossed the room and hallway, and threw open the front door. Asha, weeping and trembling so that she could barely stand up, somehow managed to run into the woods a bit before being violently sick on the forest floor. Mat whipped a command at her, and the child, drying her eyes and still trembling, ran to Mat's chair and knelt beside it, awaiting another command.

With a real smile for the first time that day, Mat returned to her chair and abandoned breakfast.

***

A Painful Reminder

Author: Asha

Date: 01-15-03 08:34

Asha had been awakened by the one named Mat, and told to carry her mistress up to a room, once there she had been ordered to bathe and to dress and to follow...and now, she was sick and tired of being ordered around.

"But what did you do to me." she demanded of the other one. The woman grinned, showing her rows and rows of teeth and leaned forward in such a threatening manner that Asha could feel the blood dropping out of her face to hide somewhere in the pit of her belly. And then there were the images, and pain...

The three women were in the parlor, the Greater and Lesser Mistresses on a beautiful velvet sofa, the girl on the floor in front of them. as the Lesser Mistress watched, the Greater Mistress said strange words to the air, and a black shimmer began to grow and envelop the heads of all three of the women. And I was drawn to that shimmer, even as it seemed to want to devour me. I was inside of it, and watching the three...the two really, the third woman was myself, and I was not a participant, but a vessel. The Mistresses were looking into my past, and now, I would see what it was that they had shown themselves, but not me.

A creature is captured from the sea and transformed into a woman. She lives out her days bearing children, caring for children, hating her children. She dies, having never been able to do more than look at the sea and wish.

Seven generations go by, the woman-creature's children grow and change and leave thier ancestral lands for others. Until at last, there is a woman who is wooed by a strange man from the sea...a creature similar to that which was her ancestress. Over some number of years she bears him several sons...one by one and year by year he returns to take his sons away until at last the woman hides the youngest from him, telling him that the child has died. The sea-man goes away and is never seen again.

Seven generations go by, a pregnant woman in a car accident dies as piskies flitter about the passenger side window. The woman's husband is already dead, and her baby is slowly dying as the piskies perform their strange and incomprehensible magics.

And halfway across the world, a fourteen year-old Inuit whore wakes up seven months pregnant. At the birth, which comes early, there is screaming, blood and pain. The girl dies, and her infant is taken in by the woman that is known only as "the witch". But "the witch" is just a forty-eight year old widow who works at the cannery and gets drunk every night. A few times she brought home other children, but the first child always makes sure that they don't last long. When a ship comes in, sometimes she brings home a companion, or two, or three. Sometimes they do things to each other that the infant, now a little girl, dosen't understand. But they always leave money. The little girl understands money. One night, when the little girl is nine and not quite a little as she was, "the witch" and one of her friends passes out before the other one can get what he came for. The girl walks up to him with her hand out for the money. Surprised and a little hesitant, he gives it to her, and she tucks it into her shirt pocket before rolling the two drunken and unconsious adults off the bed, taking off her pants, and laying down. It hurts, but not as much as a winter without shoes, here in this cold and harsh country.

And then the little whore is twelve and somehow, someone, has found what she is and accuses her, and the snows begin...and somewhere far to the north an entire town lies frozen solid in a seventy foot thick block of ice, while a frightened thing makes her way down a road, following a faint thread that somehow she knows means sanctuary and rest, and avoiding memories of a bearded red head with a Scottish accent and a mean laugh.

The place of safety at last is reached. The thing meets odd, pale people, and women who really are Witches. I watch in shame as the thing that I can now recognize as Pyry, a part of myself attacks first the butler, then the three Witches, and is locked away in a room, sealed there by the magical trio. And somewhere in all of the furor and mis-used magic, a change had taken place inside of me, a change from the human to the other, the one like the ancestress, the one like her later daughter's sea-man, the creature.

Further tantrums and more disastrous magic, and I feel the pain of every moment, the strain of every effort. There is the fighting of myself and...myself, and neither side wins. There is the explosion, and the dimness and the silence come as the released and wild magics wash over me, changing my form. And then I lie in a puddle of my own blood, waiting, and unable to help myself. People come and go, a red-haired Vampiress, a male Vampire, the Witches. The spell on the room is released, and I am healed by them, and then put back to bed.

And a part of me goes traveling, and calls.

I wake up, blind, deaf, and unknowing. I sense the Lesser Mistress nearby, and she speaks to me, then leaves the room. I feel myself wandering around the room, bumping into things and falling, lost, cold and afraid. I sleep again.

I wake, blind, and I feel the pull of the Greater Mistress, the dangerous one. There is tugging at my mind, and I feel as if I have lost something, somehow. I watch myself humiliate myself by crawling to this Other and obeying her commands. My eyes are given back to me, but what of the little dignity I had? I follow her and the Lesser Mistress to the parlor where the scene before my eyes fades into the first that I saw, that of the three of us, myself Asha, the Witch Aradia and the Other, Mat, sit in the parlor.

In my anger I do a foolish thing, and I strike out at the Creature that is holding my mind.

My whole world turns to pain.

When Asha came back to herself, she was kneeling on the floor with her eyes downcast at the side of Mat's chair. Angry and humiliated, she was determined to show Mat just how good a student she could be. She hid her hatred and the signs of her impending rebellion in a dark and shrouded corner of her mind, the only place where Mat's creeping thievery had not been able to penetrate thus far. A part of her that was identified as "Caoimhe".

What was it, and why was it able to escape Mat's questing?

And how could she use it against her tormentor?

***

Uncommon Opportunities

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 01-20-03 06:37

Sir Guillaume FitzHenry had not explored any part of the New World in over two centuries. While he knew the American continents had seen much advancement and exploitation in that time, these northern woods, at least, retain a fresh vitality that mankind had already drained from Europe even when Guillaume was a boy in the Twelfth Century.

With the speed and agility of a tracking wolf, Guillaume's form moves through the trees like a moonlight shadow. His nose has no trouble detecting the unique scents of human habitation. It is sparse here, especially compared to his homeland, but also secluded, with many individuals and small families living in isolated cabins and farmsteads. Despite the limited population, Guillaume knows from experience that he and his Kindred could hunt here for many decades without causing undo alarm among the local authorities. He assumes that is why Vampiress Dahlia decided to locate her Sanctuary in these environs.

But Dahlia had chosen this moment to take sabbatical, apparently more interested in her luscious new lover and vampire chylde Belladonna, than in the affairs of the Kindred. While Dahlia's continued presence would have been most welcome, her absence presents its own opportunities, as "power vacuums" always do. Smiling coldly at that thought, Guillaume moves deeper into the dark forest.

***

Immersed

Author: Aradia

Date: 01-23-03 12:06

Having fallen asleep just before dawn that morning, and mentally and emotionally exhausted by the ordeal of witnessing the tragic history of her new "pupil," Aradia does not wake until well after sunset. The room is dimly lit, appropriate for the eyes of her vampire hosts, or for those of beings accustomed to the deep dark ocean. Aradia can barely see well enough to climb out of bed.

As she does, she finds the plain purple dress and silver sash left for her. The spell Mat had woven the night before had given Aradia a glimpse into the psyche of her kind. Aradia had no doubt that Mat had picked this particular ensemble for a purpose.

Aradia takes the clothing with her as she moves to the bathroom. She turns on the lights over the mirror. Her face is pale, her eyes dull. She sighs.

An aroma like pristine seawater fills her nostrils, and she turns to the tub. The slight puddle near the drain betrays its recent use. Aradia is uncertain when she last bathed.

Although unable to match the combination of salts and oils enjoyed by the previous occupant, Aradia nonetheless soon has the tub filled with refreshingly accented water. She strips and slips in.

She finds submersion especially comforting, and begins to wonder how the intense magical interaction with Mat and poor Asha might be affecting her. Aradia knew from the ancient traditions that people such as they existed, and had once been quite common. But she never expected to actually encounter any in this era.

Now, in the course of a few days, they had come to monopolize her existence. Aradia knows there is no such thing as coincidence. Something had drawn her to this place at this time. Sinking down until the water came up to just below her nose, Aradia tries to figure out what it all meant not only to her, but to her Sisterhood as well.

***

A quiet house

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 01-25-03 14:20

She sits for a moment longer, but realizes that Violet is indeed lost in thought. Perhaps her meeting with Laura went badly? Perhaps the night alone with her slave had brought back bad memories ....she didn't know, but she decided perhaps Violet wished for some time alone before socializing so soon after waking up. She got up offering a soft smile as she does so, assuring Violet she will be around if she wants to talk. She decides to wander the grounds a bit, as she did when she was mortal. She slipped out the back door to a familiar scene. The dark forest, so quiet, so serene. The rising moon, so bright, so calming. The smell of the animals in the forest, so fresh. She was not hungry as she seemed to indulge herself far to much from the night before. But she wouldn't mind a fresh kill, just to hone her hunting skills. But it was with Guillaume's strict instructions that she not wander far from the house. She walked the perimeter of the house, inspecting the smooth stone of the old mansion, looking in the bushes, hearing the sounds of the night and occassionally picking up the sound of a lone tractor trailer whizzing by. A smile parted her lips as she heard them thinking of the poor bastard trucker they killed the night before.

Sticks and old oak leaves snapped and crunched beneath her feet as she enjoyed the fresh night air moving around the house until she reached the front. She sat on a front step, picking up sticks and leaves, and breaking them. She tossed the various broken twigs down the steps and into the brick driveway that surrounded an ornate fountain. She was curious of the statue in the middle of the fountain and walked to it. The fountain was dry, she figured the reason being any noise or light would attract unwanted attention and the statue lifeless. It held no meaning for her, but she thought of the city again. How wonderful it would be to go back into her old stomping grounds as her new self. How satisfying it would be to take down her enemies in her new form. How fun it would be to show Guillaume the nightlife she used to lead. She laughed openly and sat on the edge of the fountain still breaking stick and twigs lost in her thoughts about where she would take Guillaume once he came back.

***

Quiet House, Quiet Thoughts

Author: Violet LeBlanc

Date: 01-28-03 08:49

Violet sighed as she stared at the flames dancing with in the hearth. There was a mournful look with in her gaze. Her time with Laura the previous night had been one of pleasure and discovery, for both women. Though her thoughts drifted to her Beloved Lex, and she remembered their first night together, and then their first night together in her 'new' body so to speak.

She offered a slightly appologetic smile to Narcissa, which said she wasn't in the mood for socializing quite so early in the evening. She wondered how Laura was fairing after their night together. Perhaps it might have been a bad thing to sip from the woman, knowing that it would only confuse her more than she was already. Violet ran a hand through her hair, sighing and she rose leaving the empty goblet on a table near where she sat.

She began to pace the room, her thoughts wandering to Laura, Tricia, Guillaume, Narcissa, and Lex, all of whom have in some short time made impacts on her immortal life. Guillaume and Narcissa the first of her kind that she had met since the distruction of her beloved. Laura and Tricia, human women, now bound to the vampires that inhabit this place, servants to those which they do not know exactly what they serve.

It was never in Violet to be cruel, or controlling of another, not until Lex died did this part of her become unearthed and brought crashing to the surface. It unsettled her a bit, though it brought a slight comfort to her, because she was finally becoming like those who live here. In the ones that live here, she senses a cruelness that she doubts she could rival, though one of them is still a fledgling, having only been in the immortal world a short time.

She continued to pace the parlor and remain lost in her thoughts for almost the entire time Narcissa was out wandering the grounds. She closed her eyes and leaned against one of the walls, a single blood tear trailing down her cheek. She sighed and shook her head.

"What are you doing Violet?" A familar voice echoed with in her mind, though it sounded much closer than that. "You continue to mourn when you know it can not be changed." A touch moved over her form, it was then that she knew what was happening.

"I mourn the loss of the one I loved. I will always mourn." Her voice shaky as she spoke to him. "One can not simply stop mourning the loss of a lover."

"This I know my darling one, but one can not shut out those who have shown them kindness and welcomed them among them. You must put your mourning aside and be who and what you are darling one. It will make things easier if you do such." The voice offered, with another calm and comforting embrace felt by every inch of her form. "What ever you do, I will be with you. Nothing will change that."

"I miss you, but I will put my mourning aside and allow myself to become the true being that I am." She said with a confident yet sad smile. "I need this my beloved. But, I didn't need to tell you that, because you are always close when I need you the most."

The voice did not reply, but a brush of a kiss, like a breeze was felt passing over her lips. Then there was stillness and silence. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her and decided to go find Lady Narcissa. She left through the back door and smiled when she came upon Narcissa.

"Forgive me for being so quiet earlier. I was lost in thought." she said as she stood near Narcissa. "I wish to thank you for allowing me to spend the night with Laura last eve. It was most enjoyable. She was a bit reluctant at first, but all was done before the sun rose this morning. Hopefully my essence will take hold soon, and then keep the lovely young Laura here."

***

Catching up

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 01-28-03 10:42

She noticed Violet approach as she sat on the fountain mindlessly tearing up dead leaves and sticks and tossing them about. She actually came to be lost in her own thoughts about the city as she approached. She smiled softly as Violet apologized.

"No need to apologize Violet. I guess this old house is pretty good for reflection, considering it's so quiet here."

She slides from her seat standing up to face Violet in the moonlight.

"You've been sad ever since you got here Violet. What is it that's gettin to you so much? What did you escape from by coming here?"

She could tell in Violet's expression that she did not want to talk about it, but there was something inside that she could tell. She led them back towards the house so they could again relax, this time in the library. A new room, a new environment, more relaxing perhaps. She sat in a large overstuffed chair and offered the one across from her to Violet. The room was comfortable, relaxing, and warm...definately made for the rich as the walls were lined with intricate and old tapestries and paintings, probably worth millions.

"Tell me why you're here Violet. You can confide in me...the girls are upstairs still laying in bed I assume so you've got me all to yourself."

***

Desperately Close

Author: Laura Anne von Hoeffner

Date: 01-29-03 12:59

"Wake up ladies," Lady Narcissa's voice intrudes into Laura's troubled dreams. "Time to start the night and get some breakfast."

Having not yet opened her eyes, Laura at first thinks the arm around her narrow waist, and the curvaceous body snuggling against her own, belong to Lady Violet, in whose intimate embrace Laura had first fallen asleep the night before. But then she remembers having left Violet's bed sometime during the day, and returning here to find Tricia still asleep. At first, Laura had tried sleeping in a straight-backed chair, but found no rest that way. Then, at some point, Tricia had woken and, seeing Laura's predicament, made room for her on the narrow mattress Sir Guillaume and Lady Narcissa seemingly intended the two of them to share. When Laura managed to fall back asleep, she and Tricia had not been touching. Laura wonders if Tricia had consciously decided to cuddle her, or if she had just moved against Laura in her sleep.

Myriad conflicting emotions tear at Laura's psyche. Last week, down in Florida, Tricia had snuggled Laura like this to calm her after her first nightmares about her best friend, Belle Phillips. Laura had thought nothing of it at the time, other than that it was a very kind act on Tricia's part.

A couple days later, Laura had learned of Tricia's bisexuality, and began to realize that she might be looking for more than simply friendship. Although Laura believes that any sexual orientation is valid, she herself had always been completely straight, and therefore had done her best to gently dissuade Tricia from any romantic interest, which Laura knew she had neither the ability nor inclination to reciprocate.

But then, even as Laura was reaffirming her heterosexuality in the context of Tricia's advances, Laura had been aghast to find herself having irrepressible sexual thoughts and fantasies about Belle Phillips, followed shortly thereafter by desires for Lady Narcissa, almost from the moment she met her.

These unaccustomed feelings culminated two nights ago in Laura's seduction by Lady Narcissa. Laura was prepared to write that off as a moment of college experimentation, a one-time experience inspired by the overtly libertine lifestyle practiced by Sir Guillaume and Lady Narcissa. Then, last night, Laura had gone to bed with Lady Violet and, despite having only just met her, shared an evening of love-making with her.

Her eyes still shut, Laura gently but insistently shakes her head. She cannot understand what has happened to her. While certainly not a prude, Laura has never before been the sort to jump into bed with someone the first night, and certainly never with a woman! Now she had made love with two different women, both essentially strangers, in as many nights.

Laura opens her eyes when she hears Lady Narcissa return. "Wash yourselves and come downstairs at your leisure," Narcissa instructs Laura and Tricia. "Me and Violet will be downstairs waiting."

Laura turns her head to find Tricia watching her, her face scant inches from Laura's. Laura shudders and Tricia immediately withdraws her arm from around Laura's waist. Laura self-consciously climbs out of the small bed and returns to the hard chair.

There is something disturbing, almost frantic, in Tricia's eyes. It's as though she is staring right through Laura. Tricia's legs move restlessly under the bed covers.

"Tricia," Laura whispers. "What is it? What's wrong? What have they done to you? Or maybe to both of us? Do you know? Tricia?!"

***

Cold Comfort

Author: Aradia

Date: 01-31-03 08:51

Aradia startles awake, coughing out the bit of water she'd inhaled. The bath is still warm, so she knows she had not dozed long. Given that she had slept all day, she finds it remarkable that she fell asleep at all. Aradia realizes her participation in Mat's spell the night before has drained her more than she'd realized.

Aradia finishes washing and steps out of the tub. She dries quickly, taking little notice of the exquisite opulence of her surroundings, such as the luxuriously plush towel she uses. She then slips into the plain purple dress and silver sash Mat had apparently left for her. She decides to forego shoes or sandals. She wants her new pupil to feel comfortable with her, and footwear is probably as familiar to sea dwellers as is bicycling.

Padding barefoot across the cold stones of the mansion's corridors and stairways, Aradia enters the large kitchen, where she finds Mat seated in a chair, with their student, Asha, kneeling at her feet.

***

Needing Comfort

Author: Tricia

Date: 02-01-03 12:15

As Tricia wakes to the sound of her mistress Narcissa's voice, the instructions from the night before for a moment take over her body. Tricia's legs move restlessly under the bed covers. She has a wild depserate look on her face. When Laura speaks to her saying, "What is it? What's wrong? What have they done to you? Or maybe to both of us? Do you know? Tricia?!", Tricia comes back to herself in the room with Laura, calms herself and smiles. Tricia looks Laura in the eyes and says quietly,"I am fine Laura Just the remenants of a strange dream, nothing more. I am not quite ready to get up yet and was wondering... could you hold me for a little while, just to help me push away the remnants of the dream, I just feel like I need the comfort of a friend."Tricia then gives Laura a sweet, shy smile and waits for her answer.

***

Sympathetic Sentiments

Author: Laura Anne von Hoeffner

Date: 02-02-03 12:22

"I am fine Laura," Tricia replies to Laura's concerns about her odd demeanor. "Just the remnants of a strange dream, nothing more." For an instant, it's as if Tricia's whole body shivers as she brings herself fully awake and under control. Then she stretches luxuriantly under the covers and smiles shyly at Laura, as if in innocent confession of enjoying her indolence. "I am not quite ready to get up yet and was wondering... Could you hold me for a little while, just to help me push away the remnants of the dream? I just feel like I need the comfort of a friend."

The sweetness of Tricia's expression dispels all Laura's concerns about ulterior motives. After the perplexing events of the past few days, she too needs a sympathetic shoulder on which to lay her head. Giving no thought to Tricia's near nudity under her short, red, gossamer nighty -- Laura still wears her winkled black gown -- Laura climbs under Tricia's blanket and tilts her head to her friend.

"It'll be alright," Laura whispers, almost as if speaking to herself. "We've both had a wild couple of nights, and I'm still not sure what it all means myself."

Laura can feel the tension knotting Tricia's muscles. Guessing wrong as to the sort of evening Tricia had spent the night before, and therefore oblivious to what her friend truly needs, Laura offers innocently, "If there is anything I might be able to do to make you feel better, just let me know."

***

Confiding in Confidence

Author: Violet LeBlanc

Date: 02-04-03 06:17

Violet moved to sit when they entered the Library. She had been silent on the way back into the house. Narcissa's questions moving through her mind as she thought about them and about the 'interaction' she had before she had gone to find Narcissa.

"You've been sad ever since you got here Violet. What is it that's gettin to you so much? What did you escape from by coming here? Tell me why you're here Violet. You can confide in me...the girls are upstairs still laying in bed I assume so you've got me all to yourself." were Narcissa's words.

She closed her eyes and settled back in her seat, a hand coming up to play with the necklace around her neck, finger slipping into the crest ring. She didn't speak for almost an eternity, though it was only a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts and then started to speak, and when she did there was no stopping her.

"It is the loss of Lex that has been the most prominant in my thoughts, especially since arriving here. I thought I could escape the feeling of being alone, being abandoned, being trapped in my grief, but it seems that all of it followed me here." she said, fingers figiting with the crest ring. "I don't know why I came here, perhaps to find others like me. Try and start over again, find something that is worth me putting my time in."

"There was much that I didn't know about Lex when he was taken from me. I do not know the true extent of his powers, though I know he was more powerful than I or our friends ever thought. Especially when I got to spend one final night with him, in a completely material form. They said I would be able to do the same thing when and if I was destroyed or did indeed die, but I doubt I will have a reason to do so."

A soft sigh escaped her lips before she continued. "Just before I came out to meet you, I had a brief connection with Lex again, and he told me that I needed to let go, because there was nothing that could change what had been done. There was nothing I could do to bring him back. Nothing that could ease the pain that I felt, except allowing it to be let go and simply remember the times that we spent together and cherish the love that we had, and still have even though he is gone."

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she looked almost as a small scared child. She leaned back into the seat she was sitting in and curled her legs up under her. "I am not sure I can let go, it is all I have known for so long it is like it is a perminant part of me now. Perhaps spending time here with you, Guillaume, Laura and Tricia will help. And I wish it would be easier, but for those who walk centuries on this earth and watch those that they have known wilt and die with the curse of mortality, there is nothing but pain and suffering for all, no matter if it is a human or a vampire. No matter if it is time that claims a life, or the beast of hunger with in a vampire."

She sighed as she finished speaking finally, looking to Narcissa for a reaction to her words. She took a breath and rose from her seat and started to walk around the room, almost looking like a caged lioness ready to pounce on who ever entered the area.

***

A cautious friend

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 02-04-03 07:02

She sits and watches Violet, who is obviously in more mental pain then anyone could possibly imagine. She watches her carefully as she toys with the necklace around her neck..an obvious momento from someone once close to her. She sinks back into her seat as Violet starts to speak of her Lex. The tale is a sad one indeed, just as she suspected...the loss of a loved one. She thinks about Guillaume and wonders how she herself would recover if he was ever taken from her. She tears up as Violet continues to speak of him, her great sadness penetrating anyone who would possibly listen. She sits, stunned at such a tale, not having a clue that Violet would be that old in the first place, but also because of the closeness they shared and how he was suddenly gone. Dozens more questions fill her mind, but as Violet stands, she withholds asking anything else. She merely sits in silence watching her pace in the warm firelight.

After a few minutes, she speaks up wishing to offer words of comfort.

"Violet, you know, if there's anything we can do for you, just ask. Like you did with Laura last night. I know it can't make things much better to see me and Guillaume togther either, so if we make you feel uncomfortable, just say so."

She offers a soft smiles and leaves it at that for her.

***

Romantic Reappearance

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 02-05-03 06:03

The door to the manor house opens as Guillaume reaches the top of the broad stone stoop. Briant waits inside to take Guillaume's cloak.

"Ladies Violet and Narcissa are in the library," the butler responds to Guillaume's unasked question.

"Thank you, Briant. Perhaps you could bring me some wyne there, and for the ladies, if they are not yet supplied."

Guillaume walks directly to the end of the foyer and flings open the thick oak library door. It swings around and booms against the wall, announcing his arrival.

Dahlia must have had this chamber well insulated against intruding noise, because both Vampiresses turn to him with startled expressions. Despite their predators' senses, they obviously had not heard him approaching up the hall.

Guillaume's gaze settles on Narcissa. He has grown accustomed to her wearing clothes meant for hiking: blue jeans or shorts and a t-shirt. Tonight, in her diaphanous black gown, she reveals a delicate femininity he has not perceived in her since the night he embraced her soul and bestowed upon her the gift of dark immortality.

"I swear by the eternal stars," Guillaume smiles affectionately at Narcissa. "You are more beautiful each time I look upon you!"

***

The return of the master

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 02-05-03 11:50

She looks towards the door as it suddenly swings open, nearly jumping out of her skin at the loud Bam! The look of fear is quickly replaced by a look of excitment as Guillaume returns looking her over. She sits up in her chair as he approaches and grins wickedly to him as his eyes peel up and down her body and outfit.

"Guillaume! I'd thought you be gone for longer...welcome back my love!"

She finally gets up from her seat and approaches him as Violet moves off looking away from them. She wraps her arms around his neck pressing her lips to his softly and whispering. "Did you find any place good?"

He slides his hands under her jacket and down the sheer fabric of the dress, and under the hem at her thighs. She smiles as his hand move to her backside squeezing lightly before moving around the the front and between her legs. He slides one finger under her g-string, but only for a moment, to tease her. Her eyes glaze in desire for him and she presses her lips to his neck kissing softly. He pulls away from her and sits in the seat she was in, offering her a place on his lap. She greedily sits curling her legs up and wrapping an arm around his neck. He again reaches under her jacket rubbing his hand against her back.

"Me and Violet were just talking...the girls are still upstairs in bed."

***

Reflections and Reactions

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 02-06-03 06:50

Guillaume had recently heard a term applied to human males: "mid-life crisis." He understood it to refer to older men suddenly developing a need to reassert their virility through the seduction of young women, inevitably leading to a variety of shameful and embarrassing behaviors.

Essentially immortal, vampires have no "middle age." But for just a moment, as he succumbs to the temptation to caress Narcissa through, even under, the thin fabric of her gown, Guillaume questions whether his nearly overwhelming lust for her might reflect something akin to that human phenomenon. Never before had he felt such a need for constant sensual contact with a woman, even in public. Well... that was not entirely true. It had been the same with Colette, but Colette had explicitly demanded, and at times begged, to be treated so. Narcissa never said a word, but her expressions, her actions, even her posture, practically commanded an amorous response.

As quickly as the thought of "mid-life crisis" crosses Guillaume's mind, he dismisses it. With his vampiric powers, he could have as many mortal women as he might want. While it did amuse him to occasionally toy with human slaves like Tricia, he thought of them primarily as servants, kept more for the domestic work they could do than the other services they provided.

Of course, it was true that he found a renewed sense of vitality in his companionship with Narcissa. But that spiritual rejuvenation arose out of having such a vibrant, independent and ambitious Chylde, not from the more physical aspects of their relationship. His constant hunger for Narcissa represented no failing on his part, but was rather simply testimony to the unconditional and unsurpassable love he already felt for her.

"Me and Violet were just talking," Narcissa's low voice nudged Guillaume out of his reflections upon her. "The girls are still upstairs in bed."

"Oh?" Guillaume chuckles. "Well, they had an eventful night, to say the least. With Briant around, there is so little for them to do, we might as well let them rest."

As if on cue, the butler enters with a silver tray carrying three crystal goblets and a decanter of bloodwyne. He pours and distributes the glasses, then immediately turns back to the door.

"Thank you, Briant," Guillaume calls as the butler leaves. Guillaume takes a sip of wyne, smiles and looks in turn to Narcissa and Violet. "I hope my return didn't interrupt anything. What were you ladies discussing?"

***

A new conversation

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 02-06-03 10:51

She could tell he was amazed at his own verility when it came to her. She could see it in his predator smile when he looked at her....but it didn't bother her one bit. She needed a companion like him...one who was so willing to touch her, be with her, love her, and give her what she wanted. His caress did the same to her, as she found herself aroused sitting on his lap. She knew they would have time this evening, but her thoughts still strayed to what he was going to do to her later in the evening. She smiled wickedly but it quickly faded as he spoke of their evening so far.

"Yes, I'm sure Laura and I know Tricia are probably still trying to catch up on some sleep. I'm sure they've both been very restless."

Can't help but laugh wickedly, but as he speaks about her and Violet's conversation, she quiets down not sure what to tell him. She looks to Violet for that answer.

***

Intellectual Curiosity

Author: Sir Guillaume FitzHenry

Date: 02-07-03 06:10

"Yes," Narcissa laughs wickedly. "I'm sure Laura, and I know Tricia, are probably still trying to catch up on some sleep. I'm sure they've both been very restless."

Guillaume appreciates the cold inhumanity already apparent in Narcissa's regard for humans. It amazes him in someone so young. He wonders if, given time and experience, Narcissa's cruelty, both sexual and predatory, might even surpass that of his last Kindred lover, Colette. Guillaume is uncertain if he would wish that or not, but either way, he will need to teach her to control those propensities, lest Narcissa suffer the same fate as her predecessor.

Narcissa's comments turn his thoughts to the two mortal women upstairs. The hypnotic suggestions controlling Tricia, and the aphrodisiac effect of the essence of multiple Kindred in both girls' blood, must have them both quite... disconcerted by now. It will be fascinating to see how it affects them.

While it is a very real possibility, Guillaume hopes it will not drive them mad. An insane slave is of little use, except as one last meal. Although Guillaume has often toyed with humans in this way -- especially during his years with Colette -- this particular dynamic is unique to his experience, with Laura subject to the essence of no Vampire, but of several Vampiresses... at least two, or is it now three?

"Indeed," Guillaume agrees with Narcissa. "Pray tell, Violet, how went your evening with dear Laura? No need to go into details, of course... unless you want to." Guillaume chuckles lowly. "But I simply must know: Did you sip from her? Have you added your sweet enchantment to that of Belladonna and Narcissa?"

***

Needs...........

Author: Tricia

Date: 02-07-03 15:16

When Laura offers innocently, "If there is anything I might be able to do to make you feel better, just let me know.", Tricia thinks for a moment and asks quietly," Well I could really use a full body massage. This bed is not really that comfortable and I have kinks everywhere.... You would not mind helping me relax, would you?"Tricia looks her friend in the eye with doelike innocence and ends with, "it is not too much to ask after all that we have been through together for you to return the favor... not that you have to. If you say no I will understand." As Tricia finishes her statement and rolls slightly she winces to herself and smiles at Laura not very successfully hiding her reaction to the discomfort.

***

Listening in

Author: NarcissaDAvalon

Date: 02-08-03 17:42

She smiles softly as Guillaume seems consumed by thought. She wonders what he thinks about during these moments as he admires her while always keeping a tight embrace on her. She adjusts herself in his lap laying her legs over the left arm of the chair and her head on his right shoulder, splayed across him like a loving chylde. She puts her left arm around his back while her jacket falls open across her chest. She cares little for modesty now, she's never been one for modesty anyways, but since he changed her, she really doesn't care who sees her body. She's really nothing to hide from anyone, especially when it comes to gathering prey, and she plans on fully using her body to do so, as she did with the bikers at the Inn. As he asks Violet about Laura, her thoughts drift to the girls upstairs and she thinks they are certainly taking their time getting up.

She thinks about checking on them, but a wicked thought crosses her mind and a more wicked smile parts her lips. With Tricia's heightened sexual state and the need for satisfaction, combined with Laura's newly discovered pleasure with women, perhaps they are upstairs entwined in each other as they are downstairs speaking. What if she were to go upstairs and catch Laura between Tricia's legs, offering the sweet pleasure she and Guillaume denied the night before. She thinks about how horribly embarrased Laura would be...how insanely twisted her mind would get, just from being caught, and how even more torn Laura would become just from committing the act itself.

It pleases her to be able to think these thoughts watching Laura struggle with herself. Just the thought of those two women arouses her a bit, although she keeps it to herself as Guillaume and Violet converse.

***

Touchy Subjects

Author: Laura Anne von Hoeffner

Date: 02-10-03 13:14

"Of course I don't mind giving you a massage," Laura replies to Tricia's request. "And trust me, you're in experienced hands. When I was a Freshman, I was one of the founders of my dorm floor's 'back rub club.' It wasn't a formal thing, really, and the rules were simple. If you were a 'member,' you could go to any other 'member,' and request a twenty minute back rub, which they then had to give. If another 'member' came and asked you for one, you had to give him or her a twenty minute back rub. I started the same thing up when I moved to the sorority house. I'm told I give great massages!"

During those back rubs in the dorm or sorority, Laura had always been dressed in jeans or sweats, and would straddle the person she was massaging. Now in a dress, and having no other clothes available, Laura decides that is inappropriate. But she finds it impossible to keep her balance kneeling next to Tricia in the small space available on the narrow bed, and she does not want to ask Tricia to lay on the cold hardwood floor of their tiny chamber. After having bragged about the quality of her massages, Laura can hardly now do a substandard job. So left with no choice, Laura pulls down the bed covers, hikes her skirt high up on her thighs, and kneels behind the prone Tricia with her own legs spread bestride Tricia's naked thighs.

Laura is instantly very conscious of her own lack of underwear. As she slips her hands up the back of Tricia's sheer red nighty and starts kneading Tricia's shoulders, Laura endeavors not to let her own bare bottom settle down on the back of Tricia's knees. This is easy for the time being, as Laura leans forward to let her fingers gently rub up the sides of Tricia's neck, then go on to rub her temples. She then moves back down to the shoulders and, using both hands, massages the entire length of each of Tricia's arms, right down to every fingertip.

Always making sure to never break contact between at least one of her own hands and Tricia's body, Laura returns her attention to Tricia's back, pushing the nighty up to allow herself unobstructed access to Tricia's smooth skin. Tricia seems exceptionally tense, and Laura spends considerable time breaking down every knot she finds in Tricia's muscles. During this monotonous process, Laura's mind starts to wander.

Laura thinks of all the times she had given this sort of relaxing massage to her best friend Belle Phillips, usually when Belle was upset after a fight with her boyfriend Brad. Belle would invariably remove her shirt for a back rub, which Laura also preferred because it is so much easier to massage bare skin. Laura cannot understand why, after having caressed Belle's nude back so many times without a single untoward idea, suddenly, in the past week, without being around Belle, Laura had found herself being sexually aroused by thinking of her friend.

Still firmly convinced of her intrinsic heterosexuality, Laura finds it even harder to comprehend how her thoughts about Belle had then led to such an intense desire for Lady Narcissa, that she had allowed the latter to seduce her two nights ago. Then, even more inexplicably, last night she had made love with Lady Violet.

In many ways, Laura finds the most shame in that last act. She had felt no affection for Violet at all, but had simply succumbed to a convenient way to relieve her own inexplicably overwhelming libidinousness. It escalates her guilt to remember how tenderly and compassionately Lady Violet had treated her. Laura almost gasps as she realizes she now wants Violet's intimate company at least as much as she has been desiring the closeness of Belle Phillips and Lady Narcissa.

Already breathing heavily from the exertions of giving Tricia a back rub, Laura trusts her friend won't notice the added desperation in her panting as Laura recalls the unbelievable ecstacy Narcissa and Violet gave her with their fingers and tongues. Laura tries to drive the enchanting memories from her mind by concentrating on the massage. She has reached the small of Tricia's back, and employs one of her favorite techniques of crossing her hands over the concavity of the lumbar spine and pressing down with much of her own weight to move and unbind the vertebrae.

As she finishes this maneuver and brings her body back down, Laura's naked privates momentarily rest upon Tricia's firm left calf. Laura hopes that Tricia does not recognize the nature of Laura's gasp as she instantaneously again raises her hips so she has no more contact with Tricia down there.

But the tantalizing pleasure she felt from that brief contact with Tricia's leg was a wholly physical reaction. Despite Tricia's occasional advances, Laura has never felt any physical attraction for her friend. Laura is glad for that, given the fact that Tricia has asked for a "full body massage."

Laura has never before given a back rub that continued below the waistline, but she knows what Tricia means because she had given Laura a full massage the night before. Laura starts stroking and kneading Tricia's buttocks, using the same techniques as on the back, albeit with a bit more force because these muscles are much deeper. Laura is relieved to find that she has no unseemly reaction to touching Tricia this way. Surely, Laura reasons silently, if I were a lesbian, I could not touch a woman as sweet and beautiful as Tricia in so intimate a place as her bottom and not have some sexual reaction myself. So Laura finds solace in her lack of desire for Tricia. It confirms for Laura her fundamental belief that despite the bizarre events of the past few nights, she is still straight.

Laura just hopes -- as her hands work down Tricia's buttocks to the tops of her thighs, all the time careful not to come close to anything too sensitive -- given Tricia's former expressions of interest, that by her willingness to give this massage, she has not given Tricia the wrong idea.

***