Marseilles Madness IC
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Marseilles Madness IC
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 08:46
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; LanyAs Lany makes her way to the Metro, her mind is awash in chaos. Despite the tragic circumstances, she had just spent an amazing evening with Marcel. She had even revealed her true profession to him without scaring him away. The sex itself hadn’t been as Earth shattering as it had been with Domashi, but he had made up for that in other ways. But what had she done? No one in her new family so much as knew Marcel’s name, and she had just slept with him twice. Had she betrayed them all already? How could she be so careless? She was near becoming dizzy. They reached out to her, had welcomed her into their lives, had given her the most unforgettable night of her life, and had not even flinched when she had told them the real story of her past. She had never felt so accepted, and she had spat at their kindness and carried on as though nothing had changed.
Lany regains her focus abruptly as she enters the Metro station, her face taking on a predatory look. She scans the platform carefully, looking for any suspicious characters that could fit the profile of the thugs that had attacked the poor girl lying in Lany’s bed. When no probable targets present themselves, she remains wary and proceeds to her train with a quick stride.
Once on board, Lany’s thoughts begin to accelerate again. What was she going to say? I shagged this guy last night… Oh, and I may be falling for him, think we could get a house with nine bedrooms now? It sounded ludicrous to her, there was no way they would accept this. ”Shite… You’ll be lucky if you even have a job after this… kiss your new family goodbye… Domashi, Iliena, Christine, Keiko, Mirai… they’re all gone now.” The thought of losing them is a very painful notion to her, but she is surprised at just how badly it is affecting her. Her anxiety level is through the roof, and she can feel her body tremble whenever she tries to imagine what she was going to say. Even that huge troll that had chased her down with a Panther XXL back in Denver hadn’t elicited anywhere near this level of fear from her. She had been downright calm then, in comparison to how she feels now. Maybe she would get lucky and they would all just laugh at her, realizing that they had wasted their time and their care on some foolish, damaged kid. ”Fuck Lany, you’ll be lucky to walk out of there alive when they find out he’s a God damn cop.” Taking a deep breath, she realizes that she is at the point of no return. Go forward, or go back to the flat and give up the family she so desperately wants in her life. Making up her mind, Lany takes up her ‘link and sends a text to each family member, letting them know that she is on the way and that she needs to talk to everyone when she gets there.
The worries gnaw at the pit of Lany’s stomach all the way to the front door of the hotel. The doorman there tips his hat to her and opens the door. She pauses, almost breaking, then squares her shoulders and walks into the lobby. ”If I didn’t love these guys, it wouldn’t be botherin me so much. I did not realize until now just how important they are to me. Now there is nothin for it but to face the firing squad and see what they say. Her pace through the hotel is quick and determined, but as she nears the door to their suite, Lany can feel her heart begin to race. In spite of her dread, she opens the door, and takes a deep breath as she proceeds inside.
For the first time in over twelve hours, everyone is back together again. At least two are looking very sleepy, and Mirai is about the only one who looks full of energy at this hour today. Domashi and Iliena are snuggled up on the couch yawning away what seems to have been a long night. When Domashi looks up to Lany, he kind of squints at first. Then he looks more closely at her. ”You look troubled. I would ask if the girl was alright, but you said you would call if that changed. What has happened?” Iliena unwraps herself from him and moves over to give Lany room to sit. She pats the cushion between them, and gives Lany a concerned smile.
Her face drops as Lany walks solemnly to sit between Domashi and Iliena. She fights to keep her breathing slow, fearing the reaction she is about to receive. ”I… I fucked up…” she stops abruptly, already having to fight from falling to pieces.
Domashi looks her over, ”I fuck up all the time. I fucked up just last night even. What could you have done that was so bad?”
Keiko hisses from the table. ”Domashi! Young ears.”
Lany looks at Domashi with appreciation, but the sorrow in her eyes is evident. ”I slept with him… It just happened…” Her eyes dart up as she ceases her words, desperately hoping that anger was not on their faces.
Domashi lets out a heartfelt laugh, as Iliena looks mildly confused between Lany and him. ”Good for you! I do hope that it was consensual, and that is not what the problem is…” He suddenly realizes that his reaction might be insensitive.
Stunned and confused, Lany looks at Domashi in disbelief. ”Aye… I didn’t tell him no… Why are you so happy about this?”
”Not saying ‘no’ does not make things consensual. He didn’t force you, did he?” Domashi looks very concerned.
Lany shakes her head, ”No Domashi, he didn’t force me to do anythin. He… Marcel would never do somethin like that.”
Domashi relaxes noticeably. ”Then what is there to not be happy about? Although, this is a very good time to finally come clean and tell everyone else about… Marcel was it? Your ‘work’ friend?”
”Aye, Marcel… he’s the one I had a date with on Monday. He’s very nice.” Lany replies quietly, still processing the group’s lack of anger.
Domashi nods a little and rubs the back of Lany’s shoulders. ”You are going to have to speak up, and make sure everyone can hear you. I was very nervous the first time I had to provide one of these reports too. It will get easier, but you have to put some effort into it.”
Drawing strength from Domashi’s words, Lany takes a deep breath and begins, ”I guess I should start at the beginnin, then. Last night, I found a young lass who had been attacked at the Metro station. She had crawled behind some vendin machines and passed out, it looked like she had been there for hours. Nobody was doin anythin, so I grabbed her up and headed for my flat. Marcel was waitin for me when I got there; he noticed I hadn’t been at the cafe below my flat yesterday and was concerned. He helped me get her up there, and I was able to get the help of a doctor that lives in the flat below me.” She pauses as the young girl comes into her mind, the scars on her back still vivid in her memory.
Domashi sighs, and his tone is a little stern. Much like a concerned parent. ”It does not reflect too well, that this Marcel knows where your flat is, and none of us do. Not to mention, there is the whole thought process that he might be stalking you going through my head…”
Shame hits Lany as Domashi finishes his remarks, she hadn’t even thought about that. How had she not told any of them where she lived? ”He’s not like that… but you’re right, you all should have known where my flat was, and about Marcel. Until last night he was just a guy I went on a date with once, I didn’t think it was worth mentionin… But that doesn’t make it right.”
Iliena gives Domashi a hard look. Domashi nods to her and his demeanor softens considerably. ”Mistakes happen. We will need to work through them when they come up. I had to have this lesson explained to me too. Told you I fu.. Frag up all the time.” He smiles to Lany before he continues. ”I also know how easy it is to get caught up in the moment, and how our judgements can be impaired. I am not so sure we, okay, I will be able to just take it on faith that Marcel is nice. I trust you to take care of yourself, though. But you should continue for now. Unless that is all you need to say on what happened last night?”
Shaking her head, Lany continues, ”No there is more. After we had laid the girl down in my room to rest, me and Marcel went to the couch to pass the evening, and that’s where things got… complicated. I didn’t even think of it before…but as I got undressed, he noticed all the scars I’ve gotten from runnin through the years, and knew somethin was wrong. I had told him I was a self-defense instructor, so that cover story was shot to hell. I couldn’t keep lyin to him… I told him what I really did.” She stops nervously; runners had been killed for such carelessness, though inside she knew no one there would hurt her.
Again Domashi smiles to Lany. ”You told him you are a partner in an Investigations firm? He winks to her.
Lany looks at Domashi in wonder, how did he know how to keep her calm? She had thought she would be in pieces by now, but his care and understanding was palpable to her, and seemed to keep her mind from spinning out of control. She lets out a small grin before continuing, ”No, I didn’t want to risk compromising any of you. I told him I am a runner.” She shrugs as she finishes, still not believing she broke that cardinal rule of the shadows.
Domashi’s forehead creases. ”How would telling him the truth compromise any of us, if he is so nice? You aren’t making much sense to me.”
”Marcel… he’s a cop…” Lany clarifies, almost not believing the words as they come out of her mouth.
Domashi looks up and to his left for a moment. Then looks back to Lany, since she seems to be more comfortable talking to him than the others right now. ”I am pretty sure none of us have done anything illegal, at least nothing that the police even know about… I still do not get how that would compromise us. I think you might be making too big of a deal out of this.”
Considering his words carefully, Lany is shocked at how right Domashi seemed to be. It was not as though Marcel had made a move to call in backup when he learned Lany’s true profession, he’d seemed almost impressed. And from what she had heard in the past, Shadowrunners were usually above the paygrade of beat cops like him. ”Maybe you’re right, he didn’t seem upset by what I told him… but he was a bit nervous at first, that I might have been sent to do a run on him.”
Domashi starts to chuckle, but chokes it down. He isn’t completely successful at it though, and it comes off as a kind of cough. ”I can see the problem. An extremely beautiful woman showing interest in you can be suspicious at times. I know full well, and have used that to my advantage.” He smiles as he remembers his time in Denver, and vows to tell her about that at a later time.
Lany nods, but there is still worry on her face. ”I think he’s in trouble. His parents were murdered when he was young, and he has been kickin up a lot of fuss at his department at the lack of progress against their killers. He’s been gettin threats, at work and at his home. Marcel’s a good man… I’d hate to see anythin happen to him.” Lany couldn’t figure who she was more worried about; Marcel, or the family if they decided to help him.
Domashi leans in to Lany a little bit, as if he wants to whisper, but stays far enough back so that the others can still hear him. ”You really care about this man, don’t you?” Lany nods to him, and several emotions flow over Domashis face. At one, Iliena slaps his shoulder, and he sighs. ”Maybe we can help. I can’t just tell you that it will happen, without everyone else getting a chance to think on it… I do think it might be time for us to meet him. Let us judge for ourselves. Again, though, you seem to have considered him more than just a ‘one date’ kind of guy before last night.”
While Domashi is speaking to Lany, over his shoulder it can be seen that Keiko and Christine are talking quietly to each other. Just as he finishes his last sentence, Keiko stands up and addresses the room. ”I think it is safe to say that Lany here has had any transgressions forgiven. I for one say that if she is willing to allow us to meet this Marcel, we should do it. However, if she isn’t quite ready for that, we will give her her space.”
Domashi closes his eyes tight, but does not say anything. He just nods.
Domashi and Keiko’s ideas struck a chord within Lany. She hadn’t yet said it to herself, but she really wanted the family to meet Marcel. Something seemed right about it to her, even if she couldn’t figure why. ”Now that you two mention it, I’d really like you all to meet Marcel. I think you’d like him.” She says, the tension she felt earlier nearly gone.
Iliena reaches over and takes one of Lany’s hands, putting it to her cheek then kissing her palm gently. ”Set that up, dear. Remember, you are going off with Domashi tonight to the gala, but is there another time that is convenient?”
Lany reasons to herself for a moment before replying, ”Actually, he took the week off of work to help care for the girl… Sh… crap, I still don’t know the poor lass’s name. She hadn’t woken up yet by the time I left to come home.” Lany laughs inside as she finishes, marveling that home for her is now wherever her family is.
Christine looks up. ”Do you want us all to go there and meet him? That way, someone does not need to stay there to attend to the girl.”
Lany’s eyes widen a bit. ”You mean now?” she asks slightly surprised.
Keiko shakes her head softly. ”No, not right now. It wouldn’t be fair to the man for us all to show up without giving him some warning.” Keiko looks at Domashi for a moment. ”Tadashi, what is wrong with you?”
Iliena smiles and reaches past Lany to rub Domashi’s shoulder. ”He doesn’t want to share Lany.”
Domashi stands up, showing a bit of frustration. ”Just stop. Both of you. I have no problems sharing Lany. In fact, I even said so right up front when I congratulated her for doing just that. I just have less than zero interest in having to witness it.” He looks to Iliena. ”I am just not ready for that yet.”
Lany stands and takes Domashi’s hand. She could understand what he was saying, and didn’t want to put any extra pressure on him. ”Donnae worry, I’ll stay professional. After all, we’re a family, and we are in this together, right?” She says with a reassuring smile.
Just the touch of Lany’s hand settles Domashi down. Her smile only reinforces it. The words barely even mattered, and in fact he had to try and remember what she even said. ”We are in this together. If we need to meet this Marcel, I will do it. I will even do all I can to not let my insecurities influence any judgment I have. But I can not promise you I won’t suddenly need to take a walk if the two of you start kissing, or anything.”
”I’ll leave it at a hug.” Lany counters playfully, doing her best to keep the mood light.
Domashi smiles, but shakes his head. ”Even that might be a little too much for the first time. But if you save it for towards the end, it could be a good test of how much I can take.”
”Fair enough. How do you think I should introduce you all? I’m not sure I want him to think we are all runners.” Lany asks somewhat puzzled.
As the realization that this is really happening settles into his mind, Domashi sighs. He looks to Lany with a smile. ”My best advice to you is to keep it honest. As honest as you possibly can. If you really want the family, and not just the investigators, to meet him at some point our relationship will come out and you do not want to be caught in a lie.”
Pulling Domashi closer to her, Lany wraps her arms around him before continuing. ”You’re so right. I’m done hidin things from the people I care about.” she gives him a look attempting to show who she was really talking about. She thinks a moment, recalling her earlier meetings with her family and grins. ”So, partners then?”
Domashi returns the grin, as he catches on to the fact she was pulling from his own attempts at being honest with her, but not too honest at first. ”Well, how did that work for you when the underlying truth came out?”
Lany considers his inquiry, and replies plainly, ”As I think on it, it never seemed like a deception to me, even knowin everything I do now. So I guess it worked just fine.” As she finishes, she pulls Domashi’s face down and gives him a soft kiss, as though she was thanking him for something.
Every last negative feeling leaves Domashi as Lany kisses him. There is a moment of arousal, but he reigns that in. This was not the time. ”Then everything is good now? Is there anything else you need to report, or talk about?”
Lany releases a heavy sigh at Domashi’s words. ”Aye… there’s more. It’s about me though.” Fear can be seen returning to her face, and she pulls herself closer to her husband before continuing. ”It’s something Horizon did, all the drek they put in my head. I don’t know if it will be safe for me to stay here with everyone. At least at night… I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
If it wasn’t for the true fear in her eyes, and the way she clung to him, Domashi would normally make some silly comment at this point. As it is, he stands silent for a while not knowing how to even respond. ”What do you mean, you stayed here the other night. There were no problems, unless I am just not remembering something you are.”
Lany looks up and shakes her head before burying it in his chest again, ”No, I left… I guess you were downstairs with Keiko, and Mirai had just gotten there, and I just couldn’t let anything happen to any of you.” She could feel Domashi’s shirt begin to moisten from her tears.
With a look of inquiry, Domashi turns to all of the other women in the room, but none of them can really help him understand any better what Lany was saying. ”What could have happened? What is it that Horizon causes you to do at night?” It felt silly coming out of his mouth, but Lany had something on her mind.
”It’s the Ware in my head. Every night when I go to sleep, it takes me through every single mission Horizon sent me on. They’re horrifying… And when I wake up after that, seeing all the terrible things they made me do, I can get… dangerous. I’m usually scared, confused, and looking for a target. Marcel came back to help this morning. I had given him the code to the door without thinking, and when he tried to wake me… I knocked him halfway across the bloody room. He looked terrified of me. I’m surprised I didn’t hurt him. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt one of you when I’m like that.” Lany’s body begins to tremble as her mind focuses on her closing thoughts.
Domashi still has questions, but for now he holds Lany and rubs her back. He remembers how they were practically just like this when she let out her pain just a couple of days ago when she talked about what Horizon had done to her. As much as he feels guilty about thinking it, he has to wonder if this is going to happen again at some later point. Fortunately for his inner self, she eventually stops trembling, allowing him to continue talking to her. ”If this was done some time ago, is it safe to assume you have already tried to have this ‘ware removed?”
Lany nods but doesn’t look up, ”Aye… they tried. But they’re people that could barely make heads or tails out of all they did in there. They had never even seen most of it. Bleeding edge…” She concludes with a groan, not lessening her grip in the least.
”And these people who tried… You trust their ability? It wasn’t some back alley street clinic or anything like that? We couldn’t just take you to a more reputable doc to have a look?” He hoped it would be that easy, but figured if that was the case Lany would have already done just that.
”They were good. It was a D.I. and his people, the ones who helped free me, even after I had been sent to kill them. They did what they could, but there was a lot they didn’t want to risk touching. About the only ones they thought could possibly help were the scientists who put it in in the first place, but I’ve never been able to track down any of the people or even what program it was. It’s like the whole thing didn’t exist…”
Domashi lets out a tiny sigh. “I guess I’m going to have to make things up to Jasmine, and really suck up to her soon.” The thought of having to do more club dates did not sit too well with him. ”I’ll see what I can do on that end, but that will take time. For now, what I suggest is that I spend the night with you..” Iliena snorts. ”Alright, I admit it. There is an amount of ulterior motive here. I am also the one of us who is most likely to be able to withstand Lany if she gets dangerous. If that wasn’t enough… I also can’t risk any of you.”
Filled with trepidation, Lany looks up at Domashi apprehensively. ”I don’t know… do you think you’d be able to stop me before somethin happens?” She had gauged his strength earlier, and doubted he would last more than 26 seconds if it came to blows. And if she got a hold of her gun…
He looks down to her with a confident smile. ”I do. But I would much rather it didn’t have to come to that.”
Taking solace in his confidence, Lany almost chuckles as she blurts out, ”So would I.” She composes herself before adding, ”I have to thank you, Domashi, for tryin something like this.”
”Why? After all, we’re a family and we are in this together. If we can get through a couple of nights without incident, maybe you won’t be so concerned. Then we can move on to having more people around.” Surprisingly, Domashi wasn’t really looking for more group sex. He was after helping Lany learn she didn’t have to fear herself.
Lany’s eyes light up as she sees Domashi’s casual demeanor return in full. ”I think that’s a good plan. Did we have anythin else we need to discuss, I’m starvin.” She says with playful desperation dancing across her face.
”Well… Liena and I haven’t had breakfast yet, so I think it would be a good idea to order a brunch. And there are other things to discuss as well. I have a few things to say to the family.” Domashi thinks about letting go of Lany, but then thinks better of that. ”I met some of Liena’s Gypsy family last night. Good people, not really what you see on the trids, but there is enough similarities that keep the trids from being completely off.” He realizes he is rambling and avoiding the point. ”Anyway, I met Liena’s cousin, Lakira. Very nice woman. I enjoyed her company very much, and I think you can all understand what I am saying there.” Lany gives him a playful smirk as he continues. ”As always, you are all free to ask me more direct questions in private if you desire. She is a tattooist of great skill and talent. I think I want to apprentice under her for a while, and I had offered her a space to set up shop with whatever we get. To be honest, I didn’t really expect her to consider it too hard.” He kind of shifts a bit, showing a little discomfort. ”Turns out, she doesn’t have any desire to travel with her family. And there might be some interest in her having a more… … Serious relationship with me. I told her that Liena has first say in if that happens, and the two of them need to talk about that still. I do wish I could say more, but there isn’t any until Liena talks to her.” There is still something else on Domashi’s mind, but he pauses a moment to give others a chance to speak up.
Unable to be shocked by the news of a possible new addition anymore, Lany takes Domashi’s report in stride, ”So… do you like the lass? We may need a bigger house if our family keeps growin like this.” Her tone is light and inquisitive, and not the least bit put out.
”If I have to, I will learn carpentry to build more rooms myself.” Domashi smiles down to Lany. ”As to my feelings… It is too early to be certain. I do think it would be easy for me to love her. I told Liena I am not looking for any more women in my life, and I have more than I need. So, right now, I do not have any real expectations either way.” He sighs softly. ”Then there is the issue of a job. I know, I really should have brought this to everyone before I accepted, but the cause was too good, and the client too important. Lakira’s father, Arlo, hired me to look into the friends she is keeping – and I do not mean us.” He says the last with a chuckle. ”She has changed in the last couple of months, and he is worried they are bad for her. If any of you have any issues doing this, I will not hold it against any of you. I will be following through with it though. I suspect she might be part of a Magic Society, and that is what is influencing her behavior. It is certainly possible that they are not the best influence on her.”
Putting her game-face on, Lany looks up and states, ”Well, we’ll have to find out just who these friends are. Her clan is in Marseilles now?”
Domashi nods with an unusually amused grin. ”Yeah, they will be here for a week or two. I know because Arlo offered to ‘introduce’ me to his younger, prettier, daughter.”
A burst of laughter erupts from Lany at the remark, ”What a generous offer. Was she included in the payment he proposed?” She muses with a wry look.
Hearing Lany laugh again warms Domashi to the core. He can’t help but smile wide. ”I think so… He said she would be available to me the whole time they were here, and there was no mention of any other compensation needed. That was even after he said that she was… ‘With a client’ after I left Lakira’s company. But it wasn’t part of the money he has already paid us.”
”Oh really? I always like it when the pay comes up front… Lany breaths absently, ”Not always the best sign though.” ”Seems we have a lot to do, but in the meantime, can we order. I may pass out if we wait much longer.” she confesses. Leaving her flat after only a single cup of soycaf may not have been the best idea.
Christine nods and brings up an AR room service menu. She reads off some of the things for people to choose from then sends the order down. Iliena cracks a smile. ”The bellhop is going to be disappointed that we have our clothes on.” The other women get a laugh out of the comment.
”I’m sure the lad will get another chance before we go.” Lany observes.
Domashi didn’t find it all that funny, but didn’t interrupt the fun of the women. Once everything calmed down to near quiet, he spoke up. ”There is still the matter of collecting pics for Jasmine to send out to the girl, and I have lunch with Margot today. I’ll need to leave in a little over an hour.”
Iliena smiles. ”Give her our regards. I guess it will be just us wives for lunch, then? Are you coming back here after or do we meet at Pandora’s place?”
”Well, either can work. I do have to be at Arnaud’s at around 1500 to pick up my suit for tonight. That reminds me, we need to get the tickets…” Domashi looks down at Lany, still in his arms. ”Are you going to be available tonight? Or do we need another plan?”
Lany considers Domashi’s question thoughtfully before replying, ”It’s for the job, but I should probably get back to my flat after, I don’t want to leave the girl for too long without bein there.” She hopes the news will not disappoint Domashi, as he had already promised to spend the night with her.
Iliena calls out, ”I could go over and spend time with her. I mean it would give the two of you a chance to be together a bit without worrying about her. What do you say?”
At first seeming apprehensive, Lany is soon nodding in agreement. ”Well, I don’t usually like to pass my responsibilities on to others, but it would help an awful lot.”
”We’re a family and we are in this together. We share responsibilities. If you aren’t comfortable with that, it is alright. You will need to come to terms with it soon enough, though.” Domashi rubs her back to try and ease the tension.
Lany sighs before responding, ”I know, it’s been a long time since I had a family. I’m still gettin used to it.“
Domashi nods to her in understanding. ”How about this. We leave for the gala as late as we possibly can. We break out of there as soon as you feel we have Armond on a hook enough. And then you and I can go straight to your flat from there? If everything is good there, and you are not yet ready to try having someone with you through the night, I can come back here.”
”Thank you, Domashi. I’m still really worried for the lass. The thugs that attacked her really did a number on the poor thing.” Lany replies.
”If you would feel better, you can even sit this one out. We can manage.” Domashi does smile to her and wink. ”But I am kinda hoping to see you in that dress again.”
Lany gives him a serious look. ”I like to finish what I start… and I’d hate to deprive you of the sight.” She adds, returning the wink.
Domashi leans in to whisper to Lany. ”Sometimes, more important things come up. No one, not a single one here, will think less of you if you would rather watch over the girl. As for the dress, I could always get a private showing.” After he pulls back, he is all smiles to her.
Lany is torn at first; her instincts told her to protect the girl, but she knew that she had an important part to play that night, even if she wouldn’t be doing the seducing herself. ”If Iliena is willing to help by watchin over her, I can do my part by helpin make you as appealin to Armond as possible. After all, somebody’s got to watch your back.” Lany answers confidently.
Domashi laughs lightly. ”Then where were you last night, when I was trying to be virtuous with Lakira?” There is a mischievous grin on his face as he finishes.
”Guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you.” Lany gets a devilish grin as she adds, ”Perhaps playin ‘virtuous’ just isn’t your strong suit.” As she finishes, she drops her hand to Domashi’s ass and gives it a quick squeeze.
If it wasn’t for Mirai in the room, Domashi would have accepted Lany’s invitation. ”Oh, virtuous isn’t my strong suit at all. Not at all. That is why I need help with it.” He looks her over. ”As for keeping an eye on me… I do still need to shower. If you want to watch me there?”
Peering towards the shower, Lany looks up and asks, ”Think we can get done before the food gets here?”
”No… Not completely. But as long as you are satisfied, I can finish… Or you could ‘tag in’ someone else.” Domashi does look around the room to see if anyone else is interested.
”I did get you all to myself last time, maybe Christine would like to join us.” Lany says with a suggestive look towards her.
Domashi raises his eyebrows at Christine. ”How about it Chris? Can you spare some time for us?”
Christine leans into Keiko and they share some words quietly. Afterwards Christine looks back and nods. ”Yes, I think I could spare some time for you two.” She gets up and walks over to them both, and rubs a hand up and down an arm on each of them.
As Christine begins to rub her arm, Lany pulls Domashi down and gives him a passionate kiss. When it finally ends, she turns to Christine and pulls her into the embrace, giving her a similar kiss, before taking both of their hands and leading them off towards the bathroom.
Iliena slips up off the couch, and moves across the room to sit next to Keiko. They chat amicably, and Iliena can be seen to take Keiko’s hand and hold it with warmth and compassion.
98
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 11:13
The Palais, Old Port, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, Iliena, Christine, Keiko & MiraiWhen Christine and Domashi exit the bathroom, Iliena, Lany, and Keiko had clear plates in front of them. Keiko was trying to wipe the face of Mirai, but Mirai wasn’t having any of that. Lany already looks better after the food she has eaten. To most, it would have been a full meal. For Lany, it was a light snack. Domashi was mildly concerned that his roast beef sandwich wouldn’t have survived without supervision, but Lany clearly didn’t devour it while he was away.
He kisses Christine lovingly, and when she smiles to him he breaks from her to dig into his brunch. No one had ordered heavy, because they were all having lunches in an hour or less.
Even though Domashi was still eating, Iliena speaks up because she knows he is already aware of the topic. “There is one more thing that needs to be mentioned. Well, ‘mentioned’ doesn’t quite do it justice.” When Domashi looks to her with a questioning look, Iliena just nods to him. He takes his sandwich with him to a chair and makes sure his robe won’t open when he sits. “I have been gifted with some Sight. All of you know this already. What I haven’t said, until last night with Domashi, is that one of these sights I have been gifted with is the knowledge that something terrible and evil is coming for the world.” When everyone, but Domashi, looks confused or questioning to her, she nods and adds. “Yes, the world.”
After a long pause, Domashi speaks up from his perch. “I have very little idea what these things are. Studying the Mystical was never my best talent though. I will be looking into it, and as I learn anything I will share it with everyone else. Iliena shared her vision with me, and if that makes any of you jealous I would say don’t feel that way. It was terrifying. From what I have seen of Lany’s pain so far, I would put it on the same level.” He sighs lightly. ”Or worse.”
Lany looks at her husband and sister-wife with puzzlement all over her face. The Awakened world was largely a mystery to her. While she had been on runs with quite a few mages, and exchanged fireballs for bullets with a number more, she didn’t understand the world they walked in. ”Coming for the world? What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Lany asks with uncertainty in her tone.
Domashi rubs the bridge of his nose. ”The best I could describe it is these… … … Things. Beings. Entities. They are full of hatred and out to destroy life. They penetrated even my formidable mental defenses…” Domashi actually pales visibly. ”And they had me believing that Iliena was my enemy.” The words he uses does not match his body language or tone.
Looking between Iliena and Domashi, Lany truly looks taken aback. She had never seen this behavior from Domashi, and couldn’t imagine Iliena doing anything to harm the family. ”Our enemy? How could they have someone like you believin somethin so bloody knackered? This is Iliena we are talkin about here. She’s the one who brought us together!” Lany spouted out, getting heated towards the end. But she quickly notices, and her expression becomes almost apologetic. ”I’m sorry, I’m havin trouble wrappin my head round all this. I didn’t mean to get so cross.”
As Lany’s voice rises, Domashi shuts his eyes tight and clenches his fists. By the time she finishes her apology, tears can be seen flowing from his closed eyes. ”With your experience with Horizon, you should be the one who understands most.” His voice is calm and distant.
Lany’s look goes from apologetic to pained, the mention of Horizon cutting to her core. She is quiet a moment, seeming to struggle in her attempts to get out what she is feeling. She can feel a rage within her, crying out to shout in response. When she finally does speak, her voice is quiet, as if she is unconcerned whether or not anyone else there can hear her. ”And just what is that supposed to mean?”
”It means, you, more than anyone else here perhaps, know what it is like to do things that are not you. I do not know how it happened. It just was.” Domashi is still crying, but he opens his eyes to look at Lany.
Domashi’s words brought a flood of memories to Lany. She had just been a kid, and Horizon had turned her into a cold blooded killer who never asked questions. If a Megacorp could do that, Lany couldn’t even imagine what would be possible if magic was involved. She struggles a few moments, her eyes roving around to the people within her field of view, until her vision settles back on Domashi. She could see the tears still in his eyes, and the concern it causes in her pulls her back from the rage building inside of her. She strides over to him quickly, dropping to a knee as she takes his hand, ”Domashi-san, please, let me help you, help me understand…” Lany face is filled with concern, but there is also determination in her eyes.
A weak smile forms on Domashi’s face. ”Well, Lany-sama, I do not know what I can say other than I started to feel fear like I had never felt before. Then the voices started. They said… … … Things. Things that made all sorts of sense at the time. Within minutes afterwards they made no sense anymore. I do not know what else to tell you.”
Struggling to make sense of Domashi’s words, Lany finds that she is at a loss. None of it made sense to her, and her brain was struggling to formulate a plan to help. She knows more confusion will only exacerbate things, and resolves herself to put on a brave front, ”These voices, you knew they meant us harm?” Lany asks softly.
Domashi shakes his head slowly. ”At the time I was hearing them? No. They seemed sincere, and kind of helpful. There are two reasons I didn’t immediately follow their… Directions. First, I knew where there were coming from. Malicious things trying to get at us.” For just a moment, Domashi realizes he probably opened up a series of questions he didn’t want asked with that statement, so he pressed on hoping Lany wouldn’t catch on to what he had said. ”The second reason, was they were trying to tell me that Iliena was the evil one, and that I had every reason to fear her.” Domashi lowers his head in shame. ”And I was starting to believe them.”
Iliena reaches over to put a hand on Domashi’s shoulder. ”You would have rejected that idea, my love, once you reasoned it through. All it takes is a grain of truth and the right words to make something seem believable. I take advantage of that all the time when I tell fortunes to most people. I am a Gypsy and there is an inbred distrust of me in most people and those beings were playing on that. But you realized the lies in their words.”
She looks around at the rest of her family and nods. ”And I realize I may have just said the entirely wrong thing when I mentioned that I use rational words and lies when telling fortunes. I expect that there might be thoughts running through your heads right now along the lines of am I lying to all of you about what you mean to me. You would not be normal if you did not doubt. After all, this has all happened rather quickly, yes? However, each of you knows in your heart that there is love here, not lies. We do belong together.”
Keiko pulls Mirai up on her lap and brushes her hair. Her face betrays little of what she is thinking. ”I have felt for some time that I was needed somewhere else than where I was, and being here feels right. I do not think that Iliena has lied to us, but I have real concerns for the safety of my daughter…..our daughter. I have to wonder if she is at greater risk if we stay here with all of you.” She looks around at the faces of the others and sees consternation and concern written on every face. ”My life already puts her at great risk. I am very heavily associated with the Yakuza, even here. I do not know what all of you may know of these people, but they have many enemies, any of whom could target Mirai. That Iliena has personal enemies from “beyond” just adds to the risk, but her having four, maybe five mothers as well as a father who is in her life now, means that she has more people watching out for her and making sure that nothing bad happens to her. I feel inclined to stay.”
Christine reaches over to take Keiko’s hand in hers. ”Yakuza? Well, that is.…..different. Still, it would take my death to keep me away. I readily drank the koolaid that Iliena made for me and am totally convinced of how right this strange situation is. I am a servant of EVO, or, rather, I was one. Now I belong to this family. Completely and without regrets. I have been toying with the idea of severing my ties to the corporation, but am trying to think of a way to keep on their good side as doing so could open a lot of doors if we need contacts or information. Pandora, I know what you must think of corporations so can you accept my connections to one?”
In order to give Lany a little time to think on her answer, but as well to address Keiko’s concerns a bit, Domashi stands to address Keiko. ”I understand your fears, Keiko. I have been thinking about this a little, and I think it is time we start following similar security procedures to what I do. New IDs, and all.” He looks to Mirai. ”My only concern on that, is I do not know if Mirai is ready for such things in her life. A new name every so often? New identities to remember? At least she will be getting a steady address soon enough. I have a contact that I can get these things from. Top notch supplier. That will not be an issue.”
Keiko nods. ”I appreciate the concern, Domashi, but if we are always changing names and identities, do we not also need to keep changing where we live? People of the same descriptions and living in the same place might give the lie to different names? Or do I have that wrong?”
Domashi smiles softly and shakes his head gently. ”No, you do not have that wrong. That is just me trying to adapt to my, our, new life.”
Christine smiles. ”Still, I think that the idea of having some spare IDs is a good one, just in case we do need to leave in a hurry. You say your contact is good?”
Domashi nods to Christine. ”Yes. I have never approached her for any side IDs, I am not sure how much work it will take to convince her… But her work is the best.”
Keiko rolls her eyes. ”Another potential wife, Domashi?” The others all laugh, but Lany remains quiet. She has remained quiet since Christine’s question about EVO. Her eyes are watching the group intently, and she is still resting on one knee beside Domashi’s chair with their hands interlaced.
As Lany moves to stand, Domashi helps her to her feet. She looks into his eyes as she breathes a heavy sigh, and for a moment, he almost sees anxiety behind the stone faced expression she was wearing. She then turns her gaze to Christine, actively trying to soften her features. ”To answer your question, I’ll never trust a corp. Any corp. Ever…. But I trust you. I’ve been thinking on this since you told us all about your past with EVO. You didn’t choose your life with them anymore than I chose to become what those fuckers at Horizon made me. I’m glad to hear you want to stop workin for them. I’ll be blunt, I don’t like the idea of keepin ties with em. But that’s your decision, not mine.”
Christine nods and smiles, but her face is sad. ”Thank you. But our experiences were quite different. EVO pretty much saved my life, or, rather, the company that became EVO did. I was born as a first gen UGE and people hated us, feared us. We were ushered into concentration camps where scientists did horrible experiments on those they had. More than eighty percent of the ones that went to the camps died there. But a man risked his company, his fortune, his life to save some of us and keep us away from the Russian State Security services. He sold his soul to the Vory to get protection….and he saved lives. I grew up in a compound where we had freedom inside the walls but were at risk of being taken captive if we stepped outside. When we did leave, we had Vory gunmen as guards. I am sure that you can see why I will never say anything bad about either EVO or the Vory.” She reaches a hand out to take Iliena’s. ”Still, I have been shown a new family now, one I can love with all my heart. Each and every one of us here, and perhaps more as we get larger. There is a purpose behind us…..a reason we are together. I am willing to do what I need to do to keep this family together, even if that means leaving EVO. I truly hope that I can work something out that keeps me on their fringe. Am I talking sense or gibberish?”
”You are making sense to me, Chris.” Domashi looks down to the fiery red head holding his hand. ”How about you, Lany?
Looking up into Domashi’s eyes, Lany feels her heart flutter a moment. He always seemed to be able to make her feel more comfortable. ”Aye, it makes sense. They treated you different than me, and I’m glad for that. I can’t expect you to see them the way I do. If you really think keepin friends there is a good idea, I’ll support you. And keep my complaints to meself.” Lany replies, forcing a little smile at the end towards Christine.
Christine comes over to stand just inches away from Lany. ”No, that is not what I want, dear Lany. I want you to feel so part of this family that you can say anything to me. If you want to argue about how bad the AAAs are, I will gladly find arguments that I feel might be different. Argue, fight, scream, and yell at me if you like. We are family and families fight sometimes. But also, make up, laugh, compliment, and love me. That is also what families are. Iliena has taught me that in just a few days. My God, you are so important to me right now, to all of us. And we should be important to you. Domashi loves you. Keiko loves you. We all love you. And I think that you love us.”
Lany is rocked by a sense of shock. Christine was right. She hadn’t loved anyone since her family had died, but she knew in her heart that she loved these people. Each and every one of them. ”I’m still havin a hard time believin it, but I know it’s true… I do love you. All of you. I don’t think I knew what it was until now.” Lany declares, her face looking sad a moment, but a smile quickly appears as a few tears drop from her eyes.
99
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 12:27
Une Table au Sud, Old Port, Marseilles; Baku & MargotThe ambiance of Une Table as Sud is perfect for its location. Just enough of a hint of class to attract the well-heeled locals, but not so much that it keeps all the tourists away. After all, in these days, it is hard to make a restaurant thrive on just one class of diner. The restaurant only serves lunch and dinner, with the dress code being far more relaxed at lunch and tuxes and evening dresses being required for the reservations-only dinner set.
The offerings for lunch certainly justify the three-stars the place is rated for at the noon meal and there is every reason to believe that the five-star rating for dinner is equally deserved. Margot has dined here only a couple of times, but can heartily recommend the crab dish that is the advertised specialty of the restaurant, but Domashi has a wide range of choices to tantalize his palate. The waiter is crisp and professional, offering advice if asked and is clearly of the class of waiter that is determined to make sure that your experience is enough that his patrons will want to return.
After the wine has been brought to the table, along with the starters, Margot looks at Domashi and smiles as she raises her glass in a small toast. ”Thank you, Dominik, for lunch. I am sure that you will enjoy the food here.” She slips one of the escargot into her mouth and her face looks like she has gone to heaven. ”Mmmm. Wonderful.”
Watching Margot suck down the snail, Domashi is reminded of just how attractive Margot is. “It is a pity things started so rocky between us,” he muses, keeping him distracted from the food for a moment longer than it should have. “Then again, I really, truly, do not need more women in my life. Hopefully we can be friendly from here on.” ”I’m sure I will too. Even if I don’t, at least you are.” He smiles lightly to her.
Margot raises her eyebrows a bit and shakes her head. ”No, no. A meal should be appreciated by both diners. Otherwise it is just lunch.” She laughs lightly. ”Or at least that is what all the social style books say. I hardly ever get to dine at places like this on a normal basis. I was brought here once by a………..gentleman for their dinner, and it was amazing. Although, to be honest, I was watching how I ate more than enjoying the food.”
”Well, if your friends, or associates, or whatever you like to call them won’t bring you to places like this regularly… If you keep laughing like that, I will bring you a few times myself.” Domashi almost regrets falling back into his usual pattern around pretty women. He takes a breath and waits to see if there is any fallout.
Margot looks at Domashi closely for a moment then gives her pretty laugh again. ”If that is all it takes to get a meal here…….” She gets a bit more serious. ”I usually need to do more than that, so your offer is welcome indeed. Here, a toast to improving our friendship. I apologize for my behavior of a couple of days ago. The whole thing just sort of escalated out of my control. Maybe we can start again?”
Domashi smiles to Margot as he raises his glass to her toast. ”To starting again.” He sips his wine, but can’t help watching her for a few more moments. He then mentally shakes the ideas running through his mind away, and starts to sample his food. The thought of snails almost turns him off, but then he has to remind himself that some have the same reaction to raw fish. He does kind of wish he could have chopsticks though.
The small talk continues for a few minutes as the two go through the starters. In fact, things are going so well that they are surprised when the waiter shows up with the food. The aromas rising from the dishes are enough to make the mouth water and the preparation of the plates is just right. Margot has ordered the crab and takes a bite, her eyes rolling up in her head in pleasure. ”My God, Dominik, this is awesome. Do you want to try a bit of mine?” After a few bites, she absent mindedly waves a fork in his direction. ”So I suppose we do need to discuss business for a bit.”
Domashi nods. ”If you are ready.” “I still can’t believe how much different she is.” The thought floats through his mind with a bit of awe. He refills his wine glass, and offers to do the same for Margot.
Margot accepts the wine with a smile then leans forward a bit, unintentionally causing her top to gape just a little, exposing a slight expanse of creamy breast. ”Thank you very much, Dominik. Alright, here goes. I was out last night with some friends and picked up some juicy gossip on our man, Armond. Now remember, this is just hearsay so far. I am trying to verify what I heard through other sources, but if part of this is right, we may have our information for our employer.” She leans forward just a bit more, exposing some more flesh, but her eyes tell Domashi that she might not even realize the effect. She lowers her voice after looking around to be sure no one is eavesdropping. ”It seems that the Great Armond might not be as gay as he portrays to the public. My source says that he cheats on his live-in lover with an occasional fling with girls. And I mean girls…..you know, the twelve or thirteen years old type. Not only that, but he is the owner, or part owner, of a sleazy brothel down on the waterfront. The best, or worst bit, I guess, is that he is sometimes seen in the company of a man by the name of Lucien Cartier, who is a front man for Ling Po, the local boss of the Dragon’s Breath Triad.”
A look of mild shock plays across Domashi’s face. He speaks in a low tone just as Margot had. ”Your source, is reputable? This has some reasonable chance of being truth?”
Margot nods and blushes a bit. ”I am pretty sure that the source thinks it is true. He was not in a mood for lying at the time, more like bragging about what he knows of Armond. Um………well……it was a bit of pillow talk, you see.”
Domashi grins to Margot with appreciation. ”I do hope that you did not go out of your way to get this information. As it is, I think I owe you another lunch, but if you did not enjoy the moment, then I owe you a dinner as well.”
Margot’s blush gets deeper, if that is possible, truly highlighting the sprinkle of freckles on her face and upper chest. ”Nooooo………I can’t say I did not enjoy it. I did go a bit out of my way once I heard this guy talking crap about Armond. He was already a bit under and was easy to seduce. Still, he……………..well, anyway, I got the information from him. I will certainly not turn down the lunch, though, especially if you take me to places like this. Do you think the information is worth looking into? I do have the name of the brothel, but it is not listed in the business bureau here, meaning it is truly sleazy.”
Domashi gingerly takes one of Margot’s hands. ”You should never feel obligated to do anything you are not comfortable with for me. I do thank you for your effort, and I will be treating you to two lunches for it. They will have to wait until next week, but that gives you plenty of time to pick where you want to go.” He smiles to her warmly, before returning her hand to the table. ”Yes, the information is certainly worth looking into. If for no other reason that to rule it out as inaccurate.”
Margot gives Domashi a genuine smile. ”It is not just for you, Dominik. We were all hired by the same person to get this done, right? Besides, you might have had a harder time getting the information from the man I saw last night. He is definitely not gay.”
”Can I take if from your tone that you have no interest in visiting this brothel? Domashi adds with a wry grin showing the humor in the statement.
Margot’s face goes a bit pale when he mentions the brothel. ”Would I need to go there? I could, yes, if it is important. My source was pretty clear that the place has boys and men on the menu as well as girls and women. I suppose I could……………well, yes, I could go there if you think it would be a good way to find out anything? Sort of like scoping the place out and seeing what I can find out. Hopefully you do not mean get a job there or anything like that?”
Domashi smiles with a little embarrassment. ”I was just having a little fun with you. I wasn’t serious at all. However, if you feel up to it, a recon trip would be appreciated. You can bill me what you need for it. I do not require this of you though.”
Margot nods and blushes again as she nods. ”A recon visit I can do, yes. And, after all, we are partners until this is over, right? I need to be able to hold up my end to show I……………..well, let’s just say I was, am, a bit unsure of why exactly I was hired for this. After all, my skills are not really much use and Pandora seems much better than I am on every level. I suppose it was a bit of jealousy and feeling that I am the weak link that had me a bit bitchy four days ago. I should probably apologize to her, too.”
The confession breaks Domashi’s heart a little. He had no idea how she had really felt, and his actions that day didn’t help a thing. ”I am sorry. I am sorry that you felt overshadowed by Pandora, and I am sure my actions only made that worse.” He pauses a moment as he wishes he could go back and change things. ”I was thinking Margot. The ladies and I have decided to stay in Marseilles for some time. We are going to open up an investigations service, and if you are interested, I would like to offer you a place there. We could be partners for a long time, if you keep doing a better job than Pandora at finding me information.” He smiles to her hoping that she realises he is entirely sincere about her being better than Lany at at least that.
Margot seems to make a habit of blushing, especially at compliments, and this time is no exception. ”You really think so, Dominik? Thank you. I suppose it is just old insecurities popping up. Besides, I am sure that Pandora is very good at finding things out, but much of what I can learn is either stuff from the lower or middle classes, you know, the sort that frequents strip joints or brothels. I have few contacts among the higher classes, although I am trying to change that a bit.”
”Well, think on my offer. You have all the ability of swimming with the upper classes, and I will do whatever I can to help you find your place there. For now though, I am thinking that I am ready for some dessert. Are you?” Domashi tries to keep things light as he finds his body wants more right now, and he is not yet ready to cross that line with Margot.
Margot reaches across the table and takes Domashi’s hand. ”Thank you, Dominik, I appreciate the offer and will give it lots of thought. I really have no intention of remaining a stripper or “hostess” for the rest of my life and I actually find that what I am doing for this job is a lot of fun. I can see doing this sort of thing for a living.” She signals for the waiter, who appears almost by magic to hand out the dessert menus.
The selected desserts were as good as the starters and entrees, making this a place to return to on occasion for sure. As Domashi pulls out Margot’s chair, she looks at him and smiles. ”Thank you, Dominik, this was nice. I do have a bit more about Armond, but was reluctant to share it because it might send you astray, but my same source also says that he has heard that Armond uses a special ‘link for his private comms and that his online avatar on the device is a hot female Oni, with bat wings. Sort of like an Oni succubus, I guess. The second ‘link is one of those Sekretar things, the ones with the special liebersekretar program to keep appointments straight. My contact was thinking how funny it was that a mage would need that sort of thing with spirits around to help him.”
Domashi looks down at Margot with renewed respect and appreciation. ”My dear Margot. You keep wrangling info like that, and I will have to take you to lunch on a daily basis.” His smile is genuine, going through his eyes.
Damn, another blush. She sure looks cute when she blushes and shows off those freckles. ”Thank you, Dominik. I might just take you up on that. Alright, I will find out where the brothel is, damn, I forgot to tell you that it is called ‘The Sea Hag’s Catch’ and is supposed to be down on the waterfront. Anyway, I will try to find it tonight and see if I really want to go inside or not. I will send you a message tomorrow. Is that good?”
”Quite good, thank you Margot. I look forward to hearing from you, and don’t forget to tell me how much you need reimbursed for.” As they part ways, Domashi pulls out his commlink and dials his favorite dancer.
”Miss Bishara! Hello, this is Dominik Ripnu, your biggest fan. I was wondering if we could talk some business. I have some work for you.”
100
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 13:09
Outside Une Table au Sud, Old Port, Marseilles; BakuMargot says; ”I will send you a message tomorrow. Is that good?”
”Quite good, thank you Margot. I look forward to hearing from you, and don’t forget to tell me how much you need reimbursed for.” As they part ways, Domashi pulls out his commlink and dials his favorite dancer.
”Miss Bishara! Hello, this is Dominik Ripnu, your biggest fan. I was wondering if we could talk some business. I have some work for you.”
There is only a slight pause before she answers. Perhaps she is trying to recall the name. >>Dominik? Yes, I remember you quite well. Thank you for contacting me. I have been thinking that we may have parted on less than optimal relations and would like to see about changing that. But, you say work? In what capacity, Dominik? Dancing or decking?<<
Domashi smiles at the thought of improving relations with the sexy and talented Jasmine. ”Can’t it be both? No, that is not the best way to start. I am looking for some information gathering, of a sensitive matter. Do you have a less public way to talk?”
>>Hmmm. In person, maybe. I have a class at two for about an hour, maybe a bit more with some chatting as the women leave. Maybe after that or a bit?<<
”I like the idea, but I have an appointment to pick up a suit at three. If you feel like stepping out for a bit, I would not mind you joining me there. Otherwise, we can meet afterwards.” Domashi thinks about not getting more personal with Madeline, and decides he would not mind if it was to spend time with Jasmine.
>>Where is this place? I could come meet you there. What sort of a suit?<<
”The place is Vêtements à l’esprit, in the Rue de la Tour. It is a tux / formal suit for the charity gala tonight. The one with Meister Armond performing, if there are more than one.” “Too bad I can’t bring two dates for this job.” Domashi thinks as he imagines walking into a room with Lany on one arm, and Jasmine on the other.
>>The gala at the Hotel de Ville, the city center? Gregoir has invitations for that. He really likes that Armond guy for some reason. I was not going to go, but maybe I should rethink that decision. Are you going stag?<<
“The universe keeps throwing wishes my way…” Domashi lets out a light sigh. ”No, but I can go into greater detail when we meet at the store. I think you might be interested in going, for one reason or another.”
Domashi hears Jasmine laugh over the ‘link. >>OK, you have me interested. I will be at the shop as soon after my class as possible. If you finish before I get there, call me with a place to meet you.<<
“My room. For the rest of my life.” Domashi thinks as an answer to her request. ”I will do that, but I do not think you would miss the chance to poke fun at me during my final fitting.” He smiles at her image with a twinkling in his eyes.
Her voice seems to be a bit softer. >>Not sure I would be making fun of you, Dominik. I think we are a bit closer than that….at least I do hope that we are a bit closer than that.<<
”I have every intention of fulfilling your hopes, Jasmine. If you think we are closer than that, I know we are. I will see you around three-ish, and make sure to work up a sweet for me to wish I had observed the class.” “I must figure out who I owe for such favors.” Domashi vows to himself.
Another laugh and Jasmine closes the comm, leaving a slight gap in space where she had been just a moment ago.
101
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 13:07
The Sea Hag’s Catch, AkselAksel sat silently in his office trying to process the events of the last few months. First he had found out that his brother, Simon, had given in to his old gambling addiction, a fact he had been hiding from Aksel. And just to make it worse, when Aksel finally found out, the idiot had went and gotten himself in debt to the bloody Dragon’s Breath Triad, a bunch of mean bastards if there ever were some. And now the triad was holding both of them hostage and making Aksel do the their paperwork, ostensibly to pay down Simon’s debt, but Aksel somehow doubts that they will ever be let free, especially with what he now knows of the operation here.
“Why did you have to loan money from the fucking triad, Simon? Couldn’t you just have done as normal irresponsible idiots do and simply sold our stuff to the bloody pawnbroker?” he yelled as if Simon was there to hear him. Worse, he even answered as if Simon were there to talk to him. “But I don’t have anything the pawnbroker would take.” Aksel spoke to himself in a whimpering voice, as if channeling his brother would help any..
He took a deep breath and held his hand to his forehead. “Calm down Aksel, this isn’t going to solve anything, just try to figure a way out of this.” he said to himself.
So once again, he went through the facts in his head. He was forced to live in the basement of a triad brothel; his brother was locked a few rooms away and both rooms were guarded by men outside the door. Christ, he could not even go to the fragging bathroom without some punk coming along to watch him pee. There was a jammer set outside the room to keep him from using his implanted commlink and cyberdeck to communicate with anyone on the outside, not that he really had anyone still talking to him out there.
To his knowledge, there were only three ways of getting out of the building; on the ground level there was the main entrance which had at least two guards and camera surveillance, the back door, which according to Simon, was made of steel and secured with a maglock, and finally there was what he considered the brothel’s secret harbor, if one could call it that, an old sewer tunnel that the triad had repurposed for their slave operation. A small dock there provided access to the building from the waterfront and held a small boat which they used to smuggle slaves in and out of the brothel. All of the building’s windows had steel bars installed and everyone held captive here had an ankle bracelet with a tracking device. Finally the place was usually crawling with triad members and their customers. The guards properly numbered around twenty, both on and off shift, and if Aksel added the customers who were armed or had guards of their own there was properly thirty people here who could kill him if he tried to escape.
In what he now considered his real life, he would have trouble getting through even one guard and this many would get him killed before he even got to Simon. He sighed and returned to his work. The triad’s paper work made him feel sick to his very bones; countless pages of people bought and sold like they were cars or furniture. Reading further into the transactions the numbers represented did not help matters. There were stories in these documents that told of how they had held pregnant captives for months so they could let them give birth and sell the child separately. Children….frag it, children were routinely swept from the streets and sent to other countries and others, from as far away as the UCAS or Asia brought here to satisfy the fucked up desires of some degenerate rich people. There were so many things he just wished he could blot from his memory. Again, he stared reviewing what had brought him to this state…………….
Suddenly the door opened, interrupting Aksels thoughts “What is it?” Aksel asked.
The man in the doorway was a young human with long, greasy, black hair and a big scar across his face. “The boss just got a new batch in and he needs you to be there and take notes of them.” the man responded in a casual tone, like he was talking about farm animals. Again, it runs through Aksel’s mind that they will never let him go. Still, always hope, right? Right?“Okay i’m coming” Aksel said and picked up a clipboard and a pencil.
The man took out a cigarette and put it his mouth. “Hey you got one those finger lighters right?” the man asked. “Think you could light my smoke?” Aksel held up his left thumb against the man’s cigaret and a small flame lit up. Once the cigaret was lit Aksel shut off the lighter and lowered his hand. “You know next week i’m getting myself a cyber hand and I think i’m gonna have one those babies installed in it.” Aksel did not respond, but simply prayed silently that this man was one of those who end up tearing their own cyberware off.
“Hey could you stop holding up the pencil pusher and get going?” a tall male elf covered in enough bling to be mistaken for a disco ball stepped into the room.
“Right, sorry Diamond, i’ll get going” the man responded to the elf.
“Good, the boss is gonna get pissy if he has to wait too long, and we could do without that” Bling said in a frustrated tone. The man simply nodded grabbed Aksel’s arm and started dragging him along. Even a few months ago, such an act would have ended in Aksel punching the man, but this was a not a situation where he could afford to do such a thing. Aksel resented the powerlessness he felt. He and Simon had spent fifty years clawing their way out of poverty and now they were back to back where they had started, frag, worse than where they had started, living under the thumb of a bunch of criminals.
The two triad members escorted Aksel through the basement, past several locked doors undoubtedly meant for the slaves until they got to a big iron door with a keypad. “You do have the key code, right Bling?” asked the the human with a hint of nervousness.
The Elf snorts derisively and responds in an annoyed voice. “Of course I do you fucking idiot, that’s why I’m a pimp, because unlike certain people, I have the mythical ability to remember things like codes, timetables and how things are supposed to work around here.”
“Okay , okay, relax man.” The human said holding up his hands.
The elf then turned to the keypad and began to push in the keycode while mumbling something about stoners to himself. As he did, Aksel looked carefully at the elf’s fingers and began to memorize the code he put in. “0 7 4 8 3 4” Aksel thought to himself. “Might come in handy at some point”. The keypad lit up with green light and the elf opened up the door, gesturing for the human to go through with Aksel.The elf closed the door behind them as he walked through. They were in a dug out cave with steel beams holding up the sealing. After walking for a few minutes they came to another door, this one was made of plastic and without any kind of lock. As they went through they transitioned to a sewer tunnel. The place had a foul stench that gave Aksel a sickly feeling, so he held his nose to keep it out.
The human began to laugh, “Hey Bling look at this wimp, he can’t take the smell. What’s that? Is the sewer too much for the big bad orc, haha. Aw.”
The elf had smacked the human over the head. “Shut up Facejob, your laugh makes my ears bleed” the elf said in his annoyed tone. Facejob didn’t say anything for the rest of their walk.
Once they reached the dock, the boss was already there, looking rather impatiently on as eight men were guarding what looked to be about a dozen prisoners. All were handcuffed and sitting on the ground and it seemed to Aksel that most of them were young girls. The boss turned his head and looked at Aksel and the two men escorting him. His look changed to one of anticipation and he gestured for Aksel to begin. The procedure is the same as always, with the boss examining the captives and telling Aksel what to write down.
The boss was average sized human man in his late fifties, his left arm was a sleek cyber arm with a tacky gold finish, he was wearing a purple suit with a matching cape and several rings adorning his fingers. He was also sporting a golden cane with several precious stones.
“So how much nuyen do you think we can expect from this batch?” the boss asked while eyeing a redhaired elven girl.
Aksel hid his disgust for the whole situation as best he could “About 280.000.”
“Excellent” said the old man joyfully, “Bling take the pencil pusher to the office and call up some customers, Facejob you help the others get the goods into the stables. I’m going to start planning a celebration of this catch.” The boss then strolled off humming joyfully to himself.
As Bling escorted Aksel out of the harbor, the Ork thinks to himself “Today was a bleak day, but I have caught a thread, and if I keep catching threads, I can eventually make a rope with which to climb out of this hellhole”
-
Thursday, March 25, 2077; 13:07
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, Marcel, Iliena, Christine, Keiko & MiraiAll of the wives had gathered into Lany’s small flat. It was getting smaller by the minute as it was filled with four women, two girls, and two men with Domashi on his way to make three. Less than half an hour before, all the wives and Mirai were having a very nice lunch. After such a tense morning, they felt refreshed to be out and just enjoying each others company. Lany had also gotten great relief from a call she received from Marcel informing her that the homeless violin girl was awake, and that he had the doctor from downstairs coming up to check on her. Iliena had tried calling Domashi, but the call went to voice message. He only just received it and is on his way to meet the other man that Lany cares for. He was not looking forward to this. His greatest weakness is going to be right in front of him, and he will need to confront it. He tried to prepare himself for the sharing of his wives. It was only fair, after all. They allowed him to roam free, he should be able to do the same. For the life of him, he just couldn’t come to terms with the concept in only four days.
Despite feeling both excited and nervous about the meeting, Lany’s mind is elsewhere. She skips the awkward silence and immediately goes to Marcel, giving him a brief hug. She breaks away quickly and starts hastily. ”Thank you for staying Marcel, how is the lass? Is she still awake?” Her eyes are scanning the room as she speaks.
Marcel smiles down at Lany. ”You can relax. She is good, the doctor is in your room now completing his examination. She said her name is Alix.” He adds the last in so that she can finally quit beating herself up for not knowing.
A wave of relief comes over Lany as she hears she is doing well, enhanced in no small way by not having to call her girl or lass anymore. Her first instinct was to race to her bedroom, but she didn’t want to leave Marcel standing there with the family without any introduction. ”Thank bloody Christ…”
Keiko gives a quick look over to where Lany is, but something about the way the woman is standing resonates with Keiko as a cry from a mother and she simply cannot condemn something that she would likely say in her place if Mirai was the injured girl. She just takes Mirai’s hand and walks quietly to the small kitchen. A slight gasp can be heard from the kitchen and Keiko tugs Mirai right back out to the living room, this time giving Lany’s back a good glare.
Lany continues, ”Marcel, these are my partners, they work for an investigation agency I’m stayin on with here in Marseilles.” She looks back at them with a little smile. Without even thinking, she starts heading for the bedroom to check on Alix. ”I’ll be right back.” Lany says over her shoulder.
Marcel watches Sam walk away from him with a small smile and an obvious twinkle in his eyes. Then he turns to the group. ”Hello, I am Marcel. Nice to meet you all.”
Iliena steps forward with a hand out. ”Hello, Marcel. It is nice to meet you. My name is Iliena. This beautiful woman next to me is Christine.” Christine shakes Marcel’s hand and nods before stepping back so Iliena can continue. ”And this beautiful woman is Keiko, The extremely bright child is her daughter, Mirai. Our male partner is out for a bit, but it is hoped that he will join us. His name is Dominik. We are sorry for barging in like this, but we were with Sam when she got your call and she drug us along.”
Marcel smiles lightly. ”Well, this is her place. If she brought you here, I can not complain. Nice to meet you Iliena, and you Christine. Keiko, and very nice to meet you Mirai.” He leans forward a bit when speaking to Mirai.
Mirai looks up with a shy grin and shakes Marcel’s hand when he offers it then goes back to standing behind her mother, The women smile at her then look back up at Marcel and watch him. Iliena makes a soft cough in her throat. ”We understand that you are a policeman, Marcel. Do you enjoy your job?”
Marcel shifts a tiny bit. ”Yes. For the most part. As with most jobs, there are good points and bad points. I imagine Investigations will be very similar in that regard?”
As the group converses in the other room, Lany is relieved to see the girl awake and smiling, the kind Doctor Gottellard just having shared a joke with her. Pausing a moment to let them finish, she then steps over to the bed. As she approaches, Alix looks up at her with recognition in her eyes, remembering the pretty red haired girl who had put money in her case so many times. Lany places a hand on Alix’s shoulder, speaking softly in French ”Alix, I am so relieved you are awake. My name’s Sam… but you can call me Lany. How are you feeling?” She hopes she isn’t overwhelming the poor girl.
The doctor looks up and smiles as he begins disconnecting the med kit leads from Alix. ”She is very lucky, Alix is. It looks like the hits to her head did not leave any lasting effects, but I would still like to see her watched. I have contacted a friend at Bleu Mont, the charity hospital, and they have said she can have a bed there if you prefer that solution. She is still going to need some care for a few days, at least until the worst of the bruises and cuts begin to heal. Should I make the call to have them come get her?”
Lany has to stop an offended look from coming to her face, and simply shakes her head. ”Thank you, Doctor Gottellard, but that will not be necessary. I will make sure she is taken care of.” She states in a determined voice.
The young girl in the bed has been following the conversation and had frowned at the thought of going off to the hospital. She, like most orphaned kids on the street, has heard the rumors of Bleu Mont and they are not nice rumors. She barely hears Lany’s words but they light up her face. The doctor looks from Alix to Lany and nods while shrugging his shoulders. ”Well, I can see that the answer is a no. Very well, as long as you can promise that she gets fed and takes some pain meds and anti-inflammatories, I can see to leaving her in your care. I think my work here is done for now. You know where to find me if something changes. Here is a scrip for the meds. See that it gets filled and used properly.” He stands and hands Lany a slip of paper, gives Alix one last look, and leaves the room.
Seeing Alix’s face light up energizes Lany, and after the doctor leaves she looks down at her with a grin. ”I suppose we should follow the good Doctor’s orders. Let me fix you something to eat.” She suggests, seeing the girl brighten at the notion of a meal. She hadn’t eaten in over a day. Alix smiles and nods. She is very hungry and cannot hide that. Not forcing the girl to reply, Lany simply brushes a finger down the girl’s cheek and gives her a wink before heading out to the living room on her way to the kitchen.
When Lany emerges from the bedroom, she catches sight of Doctor Gottelard leaving and five sets of eyes swivel to look at her, pinning her in her tracks. Marcel breaks the silence first, ”The doctor said you have decided to keep Alix here? Hmmm, I am not sure that we have anything suitable here for a sick girl. We may need to get some food in.”
Surprised by Marcel’s honest assessment, Lany takes a moment to think before responding. ”Aye, we should get Alix somethin to eat. I know I don’t have much here. I… I just didn’t want to send her away. Nobody is going to be there to pick her up from that hospital.” Lany looks down before adding, ”The poor lass looked afraid of the place. She’s been through enough already.” Lany ends with a somewhat emboldened tone.
Christine nods and steps forward a bit. ”Based on what the doctor told us as he left, I can order some food for you and her. We can probably have something here in less than twenty minutes. Is that alright with you?”
Giving Christine a thankful look, Lany’s demeanor softens considerably. ”Aye, of course it is. Thank you for offerin…” She stands there a moment confused, unsure if they wanted her to continue.
Iliena comes over to Lany and touches her arm. ”You look a bit drained dear. Why don’t you sit down for a bit? You have friends here to help.” She looks over to Marcel. ”Why don’t you come into the kitchen with me, Marcel, and tell me all about yourself.” She moves to his side and takes a hand in one of hers and leads him into the kitchen, followed by Christine and Keiko, who instructs Mirai to wait near Lany for a bit.
Following Iliena’s advice, Lany sighs and plops down on the couch rather heavily. She had really got worked up fast by Marcel’s unexpected lecture, and was working to keep herself from escalating things further. She gives the others a weak smile as they proceed into her kitchen, quite embarrassed that everyone had found out just how devoid of food it really was. As she sits there alone, she feels a little tug on her leg and looks down to see Mirai looking up at her with a smile. As she looks at Domashi’s beautiful daughter, her mind instantly clears, all the worry and shame plaguing her now gone. Lany gives the girl a warm grin, and leans in towards her to whisper ”And just what can I do for you?” She said in an almost silly voice she hadn’t planned on using. Mirai lights up as she hears Lany, then covers her eyes playfully, peeking through her fingers to watch the reaction. Lany glances at the empty space on the couch beside her and scoops Mirai onto it quickly. Surprised by the move, Mirai lets out a laugh as she lands. The two begin to talk, and Lany remembers a game from her childhood. She has Mirai hold out her hands and places her own under them, showing her to pull them away before Lany could tap the tops. Thereafter, a steady stream of giggling can be heard from the couch.
The next twenty minutes pass with Marcel getting what amounts to a friendly third degree from three very interested sister wives. Although polite, there is no doubt in Marcel’s mind that he is being grilled, but he can also tell that the questioning is well intentioned. Still, he considers himself saved by the bell when first the food arrives, followed almost immediately by Domashi’s arrival.
Domashi comes in to a scene he hadn’t expected. At first glance, all he sees is Lany and Mirai playing on the couch together. There was no one else about. ”Hello ladies. Where is everyone else?” Mirai points to the kitchen, and goes back to playing with Lany. ”Thank you Mirai.” He smiles to his daughter, and wonders if she knows it is him. Letting that mildly depressing thought float away, Domashi looks to Lany. He decides to let her be for the moment, as she seems totally taken by playing with Mirai. With a sigh, he heads to the kitchen. At least there is the smell of food.
The small kitchen is crowded with three women, a man, and a youngster in the uniform shirt of a food delivery service. At Domashi’s entrance, Iliena turns from where Christine is slotting a stick for the food trays stacked on the table and comes to him. ”I am glad that you got the message, Dominik. It is quite crowded in here let’s go back out to the living room so you can meet Marcel.” As she stands next to her husband, she motions for Marcel to come over.
Domashi sees a tall, trim young man leave the kitchen and walk his way. The man is eyeing him up and down, as if trying to get the measure of him. Marcel holds out a hand, offering a firm handshake. ”Hello, sir. You must be Dominik. I am Marcel, a friend of Sam’s. It is nice to meet you.”
“Great…” Domashi bemoans the confrontation before trying his best to imagine Iliena, Christine, Keiko, any one naked in order to help sell the smile he gives Marcel. ”Hello Marcel, it is nice to meet you too.” He pauses, as the only other words that come to his mind are to tell Marcel to leave.
Marcel grins as he releases Baku’s hand. ”I have heard a great deal about you in a few minutes, sir. I wish to thank you for befriending Sam. It seems that she has far more friends than I had imagined, actually.’
Domashi is stunned throughout the time Marcel speaks. He wasn’t expecting anything like that to be said. ”You are welcome Marcel. Fortunately, Sam fit right in with us. I had not counted on that when I first offered her a position with us. We are all very fortunate to know her.” “This is getting kind of awkward. Gotta go through with it, though.” He has to admit to himself that Marcel isn’t nearly as dislikeable as he had hoped.
Keiko calls out, ”Hey, you three, move away from the door so this nice young man can leave.” As the three in the doorway move aside, the delivery man smiles at them and walks out of the kitchen and the flat. Keiko follows him into the living room, carrying a tray of rather aromatic food towards the bedroom. ”Back after I give Alix some food.” Lany finally looks up from playing with Mirai, and sees Keiko moving toward the bedroom with the tray and jumps up quickly. ”I should help.” Lany states. Mirai tugs on Lany’s leg again, as Lany rises. When Keiko gives the two of them an approving nod, Lany takes the girl’s hand and leads her along after her mother.
Marcel watches Lany stride to her bedroom, and rubs his chest gingerly. He then motions Domashi over to the side of the room away from any of the women and walks that way, waiting for him to follow.
With only a slight pause, Domashi follows Marcel even though he would rather be following any other person here. As he approaches Marcel, he asks with raised eyebrows. ”Alix? Is that the girl?”
Marcel nods and grins. ”Apparently so. Or so she says it is, anyway. I spoke to her for a few minutes before the doctor kicked me out of the bedroom. Poor kid has no family. Been an orphan on her own for several years. She thinks she is maybe eleven, maybe twelve, although I think her lack of nourishment makes her look younger.” He makes a general wave towards the women. ”Rather formidable, aren’t they?”
It takes Domashi a few moments that feel like minutes to figure out just what Marcel might be getting at. ”They certainly can be. I almost wish I could blame it on Sam’s influence, but they were all formidable before we even had the chance to get to know her.” He looks Marcel over quickly. ”You do not seem to be too badly wounded from your time with them.” He looks back to the bedroom, if for no other reason than to signal a topic change, then he looks back to Marcel. ”Sam said the girl was attacked? That sounds particularly vile. Why would anyone attack a homeless orphan?”
Marcel frowns as he nods his head. ”I would agree, sir. Particularly vile, indeed.” Domashi can see Marcel tense and his hands come together as if cracking something. ”To hear Sam tell it, three thugs were after her for some sort of cut of the money she was earning in the subway by playing her violin. I have heard her a number of times as I walked past the Metro entrance. She is particularly good, in my limited opinion. Anyway, even Sam does not know what happened, but apparently the thugs beat Alix up and left her to die behind some old vending machines. You should see her poor little body…..all covered with bruises where they punched and kicked her. She asked about her violin and was heartbroken to find out it had been smashed.”
With someone to hate finally, Domashi finally starts to feel more relaxed. ”She was left to die!?” Domashi lowers his voice to a harsh whisper after that outburst catches the attention of Christine. ”Seriously? That is fu… “ Even though he is whispering, Domashi has no interest in drawing the ire of Keiko right now. ”Fragged up. Sam didn’t mention anything like that. I get your point about the violin, but at that point it is just an object. The least of the horrible ordeals.”
Marcel nods. ”I can certainly agree with you on that, but neither of us are an eleven or twelve year old orphan who relied on that object to make any money at all. To her, it was far more than an object….it was her livelihood. Anyway, I have reported the incident to my superiors and they have promised to send a detective out tomorrow to look at the scene and see what he can find out. Sam indicated there was one man, a janitor I believe, who saw the three men. If he can talk, we might be able to get some justice for Alix.”
Domashi relishes a spiteful little moment as he considers telling Marcel that he will just buy Alix another violin. Then the thought of telling Lany he would do everything he could to keep his insecurities from affecting his judgement barged into his mind. With a sigh, Domashi nods. ”I have not had the opportunity to work with any of Marseilles’ detectives. Are they good?”
Marcel considers the question then shrugs. ”I will not lie to you, sir. There are some good and some bad detectives here, just like in any large city sprawl. I like to think that the overall quality is good, except…………….” It seems like he is about to say more but he shakes his head. ”I suppose that you have a lot of experience working with detectives in your line of work? Where were you before Marseilles?”
Domashi waves a hand absently. ”You do not have to keep calling me ‘sir.’ Thank you, though. I was working out of Paris before I came here. It is kind of unfortunate that we are not in Paris, as I could have some pull with the detectives there. Well, the Chief Inspector has the pull, I can just prod her a bit.”
Marcel turns to look at Domashi, an impressed expression on his face. ”Paris? The Chief Inspector? I am impressed…Dominik. May I ask why you left Paris for Marseilles?”
For just a moment Domashi fidgets as the conversation turns a bit more personal. ”It was for a case, a job. Then I met what would end up being quite the team, and it seems Marseilles will be our new location. Well, that sounds like I stumbled on all of them here. I knew a couple from Paris and elsewhere. Christine and Sam I met here.”
”And the other two, if it is not too impertinent to ask?”
Domashi squints at Marcel. ”That could be considered too impertinent, but under the circumstances I will allow it. Iliena, I know from Paris. Keiko and I grew up together. If you must watch out for one, watch out for her. She is possibly the strongest of the bunch. Sam could be, though.”
Marcel nods towards the bedroom. ”Keiko? I can see that, it could be the mother in her that makes her so strong. But I will tell you that Iliena is the one I might be most concerned about. I have seen her type before, or at least what I think her type is. If I were to guess, I would say that her accent is probably Romany. If so and if she is a Gypsy, she could be the most explosive one here. Someone like that would be a good ally so I would say that you are fortunate to have her on your side.”
Domashi smiles and looks to Iliena. ”You are quite correct. I am very fortunate.” After a moment of reflection, he turns back to Marcel. ”Now. What of you? Aside from capturing the attention of Sam, what do I need to be asking you about?” He does give Marcel a little grin.
Marcel gives Domashi a straight look. ”I am a policeman, Dominik. Not much more to tell, actually. My father was a policeman, but he is dead, along with my mother, murdered by gangsters. My sister is married to an Italian and they own a cafe not too far from here. They have two great kids. There are some other relatives scattered about here and there. My mother was Moroccan so most of her part of the family is over there. I hope to make detective some day, but am not senior enough yet to take the exams. I live about two blocks from here and I happen to like Sam very much. What else do you want to know?”
As Marcel goes straight into his life story, Domashi remembers he wanted to study his aura. He shifts to his Spirit Sight and watches it stay steady the whole time. Not a single fluctuation. His emotional state remained even, showing no sign of deception. Domashi did not count the fluctuation of several understandable emotions at the mention of his murdered parents. ”I’ll be fragged. An actual honest man. How do you do it?” He can’t help but smile to Marcel.
Marcel laughs and grins at Domashi. ”Up until now, I might only have been able to tell you that I was following the sort of path my father taught me, but now I think that might only be part of the answer. Now, it might sound a bit crazy, but something about Sam and what she might think of me if I was dishonest. Lies will always come out in the long run, and it is just not worth it to risk losing her……………..friendship over. Does that make sense? If not, it is the only answer I have for now.”
Domashi smiles at the pause in Marcel’s speech. ”I think I might have detected a little lack of honesty there. That is okay. I can keep that between us. And yes, it does make sense. Sam does seem to have the ability to change those around her, and I have only seen for the better.”
Marcel smiles at Baku. ”Thanks. Yes, I have only known her a few days, actually. I walk the beat past this place and she has had a schedule where she is sitting at the cafe downstairs almost every day at the same time every morning. She drinks what appears to be the same caf, although sometimes she has a muffin of some kind. I would smile at her and she would nod her head in response. Never said a word to each other until Monday just past. Now, I have taken her to meet my family and they are telling me I would be foolish to let her get away and they might be right. Unfortunately, as a mere policeman, I have not the resources to even begin to think of supporting her, so that is that for now.” Iliena turns to look at the men and Marcel shivers just a bit. ”Now, to be honest, that one, Iliena, she is…………….different. I am pretty sure that she is Gypsy, as I said earlier, but her eyes are just something. Like they know everything about me already and we have barely spoken any words together. Dominik, you have managed to surround yourself with some amazing women.”
In spite of his best efforts to hate the man, Domashi finds himself liking Marcel. He even has the unspeakable urge to give him advice on Lany. ”You are right, but I think they have surrounded me. I am not so sure I played much part in it. I can offer you a suggestion, though. As far as Sam goes, do not concern yourself with supporting her financially so much. As you can see, she doesn’t really live in the clouds, and I am pretty sure she is the type that wants to support herself. Beyond that, you are on your own.” He turns to look back at Iliena, with a little thought of thanks for unsettling Marcel. Domashi hasn’t fully gotten over him taking some of Lany’s affection from him.
Marcel chuckles and motions to the room. ”You are so right about her, Dominik. I will tell you that you probably do not want to go look in her fridge. I am not sure what she does for food, but it certainly is not stored in the flat.”
Christine gets up from off the couch and says softly to Iliena as she passes. ”I need to look. It has been too quiet in there.” She softly raps on the bedroom door, and opens it as quietly as she can before sticking her head in to see how everyone is.
The scene inside the bedroom is quiet as Christine opens the door. She can see Keiko standing near it watching the scene with an astonished look on her face. Alix is laying in the bed with her tray spotless on the nightstand. She has a Neil the Ork Barbarian action figure in her hand, and so does Mirai, kneeling on the bed towards the foot. They both have an odd look of anticipation in their eyes as Lany suddenly leaps into view from behind the bed with a large red dragon in her hands, ”I have come for you!” she shouts, then repeats the phrase in French so Alix can follow too. The girls nearly scream in excitement before composing themselves and presenting their warriors to do battle with the foul creature that had come to destroy their tribal lands. Christine watches the heroic struggle play out in silence, having a hard time believing that it was Lany, a deadly, corp-built assassin, she was seeing. As the action finally dies down, Lany looks up and sees Christine, suddenly feeling self conscious. ”Oh Chris… Were we makin too much racket? I hope we didn’t disturb anyone.” Lany was surprised by her words, she rarely cared if she disturbed anyone.
Christine smiles and shakes her head softly. ”No, actually. You guys were being too quiet.” She nods to Lany and to Keiko, and slips back out of the room.
Seeing her window, Lany immediately goes back and scoops up her figure. ”The dragon has returned!” Alix and Mirai burst into a cry similar to before, and the battle begins anew.
Out in the living room, Marcel’s ‘link announces that he has a text. He frowns as he takes it from a pocket. ”That’s my office tone. I am on vacation.” He looks at the screen then lifts his face to Domashi. ”I guess I really need to take this. Excuse me, please.” Marcel begins tapping onto the pad as he moves off to the kitchen.
Domashi was about to tell him to go ahead, but Marcel wouldn’t have heard him anyway. So, instead he walks over to Iliena and Christine sitting on the couch. He looks down at them with a small smile. ”I do not see any monsters here, unfortunately. I may have been over reacting to this.”
Iliena reaches up and puts a hand on Domashi’s. ”We may all have been a bit hasty in judging him. Perhaps he is not trying to steal Lany away from us, but merely loves her like we do. Remember, my dear, that love is infinite. If Lany loves us, she can still love another. Perhaps we ought to begin looking at increasing the size of the family instead of worrying about losing one of us.”
Domashi feels his heart lurch at that idea, and takes a deep breath. ”Perhaps. I do not feel I am ready yet. Then again, I felt that there was a great challenge here for me, and so far it has been small. I trust your words, but I do not feel them myself.”
Christine stands and slips her arms around Domashi. ”And that is just one reason we love you so much. You have enough love in you to share among several wives. Do you love one of us any less than another of us? Can you see yourself loving even another wife? Or more? Marcel seems to be a nice guy and he might be a good fit. It is a bit early to tell yet, though, but we should at least see what he is made of, eh?”
Domashi enjoys Christine’s embrace while letting her talk. ”Now that I realize I can’t hate the man, my biggest fear is that he isn’t strong enough for all of this. I would never make Lany choose between him or us… But what if he does? How would Lany take that from Marcel, and how hard will it be to pick up those pieces?”
Iliena opens her mouth to try to reply but is interrupted by Marcel coming back into the room from the kitchen. A child could see that he is visibly upset, but he quickly brings his emotions under control as he looks around at the others in the room. ”That was the precinct. I am being called in and my vacation postponed. I….I might not be available for a few days. Do you think it would be alright to interrupt Sam while she is in there?”
Domashi nods to Marcel. In spite of his reservations on nearly every aspect of the idea of Lany seeing this man, someone needed to give her a chance to speak to him before he left. ”I’ll do that. Should things go sideways, I’ll take that on.” He smiles with genuine mirth at Marcel. He then looks to Christine and Iliena for a bit of strength before heading to the bedroom door. He knocks twice, and after a three count opens the door. ”Sorry to break this up, but Marcel has been called back to work. He also thinks he might not be available for a few days, and I thought you should at least get the chance to speak to him, Sam.”
Pulled out of her engrossed state, Lany looks up in disappointment. It is only deepened as she realizes the totality of Domashi’s words. ”He is? I suppose I should thank him for tryin.” Lany replies somberly. Laying her dragon down on the bed with the girls, she gives them a wink before proceeding out into the living room. As she enters, she notices the discomfort in Marcel’s expression and approaches him in concern. ”They called you in? What the hell for? Is everything alright?” She asks in a flurry.
Marcel takes a step back as Lany approaches and raises his hands. ”Hold on. Please let me answer one question before you rush on to the next. All they would tell me is that it appears to be some irregularities at the precinct that need to be looked into and an internal audit has been called. It could take anywhere from two to four or five days, depending on what they find or don’t find. I will keep you as informed as I can, Sam, but it is very likely that the entire precinct will be locked down for this and officers brought in from elsewhere to cover our beats.” He looks around at the others, now, then back to Lany. ”But it does raise the issue of taking care of Alix, Sam. I was going to be able to help do that for a week or so while on vacation, but now………? Would you like me to see if my sister could look after her? I know that they have the room and they would take good care of her until the audit is over.”
Lany’s whole demeanor seems to drop at the mention of Alix going away. ”To Margaritte? But, shouldn’t I be the one who looks after her? I brought her here, I guess I feel responsible for the lass.” Lany states in a soft tone.
Marcel nods slowly and speaks just as softly. ”And if she comes to wake you in the middle of the night?”
The memory from that morning cut Lany like a knife. What if the girl had a nightmare and came to her for help. She’d likely kill the girl if she punched her anywhere near as hard as she had hit Marcel. She starts biting her lower lip, trying her best to keep from going to tears. ”You’re right, she cannae stay here. It’s not safe..” She says, feeling defeated.
Marcel steps up and embraces Lany. ”Sam, it will be alright. We will get past that and figure out what to do about it, trust me. I can make the call to my sister and see if she will do this for us.” He looks up and tries to lock eyes with Domashi. ”It seems that Sam has some issues from her past that do not let her sleep well and she reacts………….poorly to being wakened. And she can pack a powerful punch. She is concerned, we are concerned, about that………..” His words just break off.
Domashi nods and sympathizes with his opponent. ”I can understand that. We can help you look out for her. Please, ask your sister if she can help. Make sure to thank her for even considering it from all of us, and if she can not for any reason… I can promise you that we will find a solution to this. Do you have time to talk to us? Or are you needed back right away?”
Marcel nods his head. ”No, I have time to talk for a bit. I do not need to be at the precinct for a couple of hours yet and it is close. I will need to go by my place to change into a uniform and get some things together to take with me. And I need to talk to my sister. Can you give me a few minutes?”
”Of course, do what you need to do.” It wasn’t until this moment that Domashi realized that he had been watching Marcel hug Lany for a minute or two. He can’t help being shocked at how little it bothered him.
Marcel smiles at Domashi and nods his head as he steps away from Lany and brings out his ‘link. A quick conversation later and all is arranged. ”Sam can take Alix to the cafe when she is ready. They are expecting her and will have a room prepared. I told her that it would only be for a few days. Dominik, will you help Sam get Alix over there?”
Domashi nods. ”I will. And if I should need any backup, I have plenty here.” He waves his arm around the room indicating all of the women here. ”I had meant to discuss things at a slower pace, but I do not have that luxury. There was a reason we were all coming here before Sam had even received the good news about Alix. She is concerned about you, and she says that you might be in trouble at work. Do you have any legal council you can refer to? Is there any chance this could be targeted at you? Am I way too paranoid from dealing with the people who usually ask for my services?” He quickly smirks to cover up the fact that he may have just overstepped some boundaries with Lany.
Marcel gives Lany a look then lifts his head to scan the rest. ”I appreciate your concern, and it may well be valid. I have been asking some hard questions about some supposedly dead cases that have involved certain undesirable elements. I have also alienated some of my colleagues by not participating in the normal activity of taking money from the shop keepers on my beat. I know my partner is very disappointed. There have been some anonymous notes reminding me of what happened to my parents. There is dirt at the precinct but I cannot find it. This audit could be part of that, if that is what you are asking.”
”Is there anyway you could, or even would, avoid this audit? I had planned on offering to set you up with a hotel room for a few days, if only to assure Sam that you were safe. I can still do that, if you can avoid going in.” Domashi will wonder where this concern all came from when he has a chance to think about it later.
Approaching Marcel, Lany takes his hand in hers and looks up into his eyes. ”I told them because I was worried about you. I promised I wasn’t goin to let anythin happen to you. They… we want to help. Please, let us watch your back for awhile.”
Marcel looks down into Lany’s eyes then back to Domashi’s as he gently shakes his head. ”Thank you very much for the offer, Dominik. Thank all of you. It means a lot that you would all think of this when you do not even know me. But, Sam, I cannot just run off and let them win like this. That is not the man I am. It may get to the point some day that I need to stop being a policeman, but if that happens, I will quit and hold my head up, knowing that I tried. Who knows? If it does not cost too much, maybe I could hire all of you to look into some of these cases that the police seem unable to solve. But I cannot really just not go in for this audit, no matter how it might be a set up.” He looks directly at Domashi. ”I think that you really understand, don’t you?”
”I do. Ever since I declared you an actual honest man, I knew you would not avoid this. I had to offer though.” Domashi looks to Iliena and Christine. ”I think we might want to go down to the cafe, and give them some time. Can I buy you two anything?” He smiles to them both and offers his hands to them to assist them up.
Marcel shakes his head but gives Domashi a nod of thanks. Keiko nods as well and motions to Iliena to come with her as she heads off to the bedroom to get Mirai and Alix. There are some words of disappointment heard as the girls are told that the game is over but soon enough Iliena comes out by herself. ”Keiko and I refuse to let that poor child out of here in the rags she wore. I think that we need to find some clothes for her. There is a Stuffer Shack just down the block so I will go get some flats or something to at least get her to where she will be staying. No problems with that, I trust?” Looking around she sees only nods of approval and she smiles at everyone before leaving the apartment.
102
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 14:26
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, Marcel, Iliena, Christine, Keiko, Mirai & AlixDomashi sits at one of the tables the family has appropriated inside the cafe. He really wishes Iliena was there, as he was wondering what she wanted to say when he asked how difficult it would be to pull Lany back together if Marcel wasn’t strong enough for where Lany wanted to take him. Just that little thought filled him with so many emotions. Part happiness, to go back to getting time to enjoy Lany without any competition. He hadn’t really had the chance to spend any time with her yet. Yeah he had some sex with her, just a little more than an hours worth, but that was mostly to live up to her challenge so they all could have her. He has had more sex with Lydia, and he doesn’t even really like Lydia. Part fear, at how bad Lany would be messed up if things don’t work out with Marcel. Part anger, this one was not rational as it was directed at Marcel for the fictional pain he causes her.
He has just finished chastising himself for condemning Marcel for a made up action when Keiko speaks to him. “That was very kind of you Domashi, the way you offered to help Marcel and to give him and Pandora some time together.”
Stricken by a foul mood that his thoughts are causing him, Domashi wisely refuses to lash out at her and just nods. He then goes back to sulking in his own self-made misery, and the rest of the family leaves him to it. The Universe always seems to conspire to keep him away from the women he truly wants to spend time with. After what seems like days, Domashi checks his comm again. It is nearly 1430, and he was about to just leave to go and find solace with the incredibly sexy Madeline when Iliena, Lany, Marcel, and Alix walk into the cafe.
Marcel gives Lany a quick hug and nods to the other women before he steps up to where Domashi is seated and holds out a hand. ”Thank you, Dominik. I really appreciate the way you are helping.” He looks around at the others. ”And the way all of you are stepping up to help. My sister is expecting you and Sam knows the way. Unfortunately, I need to run or I will be late and I do not need that right now.”
After Marcel leaves, Iliena nudges Lany and motions with her head for her to take the seat next to Domashi. Alix has gravitated to where Mirai is sitting and opens a small sack to pull out the two Neil the Ork Barbarian figurines they had been playing with. Mirai’s eyes light up and she squeals a bit and the two new friends are soon lost in some make believe game that seems totally independent of any need for a common verbal language.
Domashi looks to Lany. ”As always happens when I get some time away from all of you, I have things that need to be mentioned. I’ll let you, Sam, decide which category to start with. Business, or Personal.”
Lany looks up from watching Alix and Mirai and replies, ”I usually prefer to take care of business first.
”Let’s start off easy then. Jasmine will be going to the gala tonight. She will be there with a man named Gregoir, who I am assuming is her boyfriend.” He smiles brightly to Lany, all the former negative emotions gone for now. “There is no need to worry about her interfering with us in any way, but I wanted to at least give you the heads up. Next, the more delicate stuff. Our target, “ Domashi shakes his head towards the girls playing, to try and signal he is deliberately being vague. ”Is in the darkest flesh business there is. Well, that is the rumor. Let me just say that if it is true, I don’t want Mirai or Alix anywhere near the place. Next, Margot has volunteered to check the place out tonight and will report on what she finds tomorrow.”
Keiko had nodded at the implication that the subject matter was not for the kids. As Domashi takes a break to see if anyone has anything to add, she leans forward. ”Do I need to take the girls for a walk so you can talk freely?”
Domashi shakes his head lightly. ”Not at all. If we need more detailed conversation, that can wait until later.”
Broken from her solace, Lany’s face gets deadly serious at Domashi’s implication. For a moment it seems as though she is about to explode in anger, but she calms herself when she looks over at the girls playing again. She takes a sip from her latte before asking, ”So we think Armond is dealin in kids then… do these rumors come from a reliable source?”
”Yes. But I am also going to have them verified.” Domashi nods with a firm look to Lany.
”That kinda thing usually means they have mob ties. We need to find out just who they are. Lany pauses a moment before adding. ”And Margot’s goin in there? Has she ever done anythin like that before?”
Domashi nods. ”Yes, actually. Her information came from doing that very thing. The only thing that is changing for her, is the location.”
Despite the fact that her mind is already racing looking for more details on the operation, Lany realizes that this may not be the best setting for discussing it in depth. She takes another sip from her latte before turning to Domashi and saying, ”I’m sure you have things well under control, you can fill me in on the details later. Did you have anymore business or we on to the personal stuff?”
”Just one more business item. I also offered Margot a job with us when we set up. Unlike Lakira, it was just a job offer.” Domashi draws in a deep breath to help steady himself for what will come shortly. ”On to the personal. I owe Margot a couple of lunches next week, I need to make sure I inform you all while I remember about them. Next, I hate to admit it to you Sam… You were right. Marcel is nice guy. I do have a couple of little tidbits about him that you may not know. The first is that he is already considering a serious relationship with you. I do not know the extent of that consideration, but it is there.” His eyes twinkle a little bit as he prepares to add the next part. ”And I am fairly certain he has had a Gypsy ex-girlfriend.”
Iliena smiles and nods but Lany looks a bit surprised. She had realized Marcel certainly liked her, but she didn’t know just how far that went. ”Really? Are you sure, Domashi? I know that he’s very interested, but…………………..” She blushes but does not look away. ”What the frag do I tell him? I’m definitely not leavin’ this family.”
”Firstly, you do not have to tell him anything. If he hasn’t mentioned it to you, it may very well be best to pretend you don’t know. Then, what you should tell him depends on what you want. I know you do not want to let him go, and you do not want to leave us. I have no idea how he would take the cold truth of the situation. I have to guess that it will not be pleasant, only because that is the typical reaction, not because of any perceived fault with him. With that, I would suggest you move as slow as you can.”
Overwhelmed by the scope of the situation, Lany breaths a heavy sigh and leans back in her seat. ”How can I move slow and not tell him what’s going on without lyin to the man the whole time? I mean the ‘partner’ euphemism worked for the introduction…” Lany places her forehead in her palm, cursing herself for not seeing this coming.
Domashi places his arm around Lany’s shoulders and squeezes her to him. ”I have no real idea, I’m sorry. When I was trying to bring you into the family I had clear goals. Ones that I accepted might scare you off. I wasn’t looking for that outcome, but I accepted the possibility. If you can not reach the same state with regard to either Marcel, or us, I have no experience to draw on for you.”
Feeling some relief from his embrace, Lany rests her head on Domashi’s shoulder and breaths, ”I guess I’m goin to have to tell him. He can either accept the truth, or run for the hills. Suppose all that’s left is to decide when.”
Domashi rubs Lany’s arm and shoulder. ”You have time. That is something that must be said in person. Trying to tell him over comms while he is wrapped up at work will simply not do.”
Lany nods in agreement. ”Wouldn’t be right, droppin somethin like that on him when his bleedin career is on the line. He deserves to hear it from me, face to face. I don’t know how he’ll take knowin what’s goin on here. But then, I probably never would’ve thought I’d be involved in somethin like this either. Maybe I’m not givin Marcel enough credit.”
”Maybe we both aren’t.” Domashi has the momentary question of where that idea came from, but pushes on. ”I do have two more suggestions to make on this topic, then we can move on to lighter stuff if you would like. First, when you decide to talk to Marcel, feel free to ask any of us to accompany you.” Iliena smiles at Lany and nods. ”I have no idea if that will make things better, or worse, but we are here for you if you want and need us. Second, as a backup plan…. You may want to think about parting with us for a short while. Nothing permanent. We will welcome you back in a second. With that support from us, it might give you the time you need to work Marcel up to the idea.”
Lany could feel a slight shiver run through her body at the notion of leaving the family, even if it wasn’t going to be permanent. Her mind was at battle with itself trying to decide whether Marcel was worth such a risk, and she found she could not find the answer yet. ”I’m not sure I like that idea. Now that I have been around you, I can’t really imagine bein anywhere else.” Lany said as she looked around at her family.
Domashi smiled and squeezed Lany against him a little again. ”It wasn’t meant as the happiest choice, and I am sorry for that. It was meant as the safest choice. We will welcome you back anytime. That is a promise. And I also didn’t mean to not see us again. I, at least, expect to see you every day. I am only really talking about not having any sex with any of us, and spending all your nights with Marcel. Although… We have to accept that there is the possibility that might not be enough. I really hope that is not the case. I really want you to have everything that you want.” The simple truth of that statement resonates in him, and Domashi wonders if his armor against the idea of Lany being with Marcel is starting to crack.
A little smile returns to Lany’s face as she listens to Domashi’s words. ”It wouldn’t be so bad if I got to see you all everyday. We do have work that needs to be done. Domashi Investigations is it?” Lany cracks playfully.
Domashi lets out a quick and sincere laugh. ”Dragons! I hope not. I’ll tolerate that from all of you, but I will not take it from a stranger that walks into any office we have. We can discuss that at length a little later. All of the partners will have a say. All I know is that I don’t want ‘Domashi.’” He kisses the top of Lany’s head.
”There is some more personal things to bring up. We need to get Alix some clothes, and I think we should get her another violin too. I do not mind picking one up while I am out, but I think it would be much better if we take her out and let her pick her own.” Domashi decides to put away the mild confrontation he had planned for Lany not informing him of Alix’s condition last night.
Iliena nods. ”That is an excellent idea, Domashi. You are probably tied up most of the rest of the day, but maybe over the weekend?”
Domashi shakes his head lightly. ”From what Marcel said, the violin is very important to Alix. I don’t think that should wait. I will happily give you all some money to cover it, but as long as Alix feels up to it, I think it should be done today.”
Iliena frowns. ”Are you sure? Would you not want to be there?”
With a smile, Domashi answers. ”Of course I would like to be there. This isn’t about me, though. This is about trying to give that girl the best home we can.”
Iliena smiles and reaches out with a hand to touch Domashi’s. ”You are a good man, Dominik Ripnu. I……we…..are so fortunate to have met you. I think that we can go find a music shop while you are away. Speaking of which, you don’t have much time. Maybe we should go take Alix to Marcel’s sister? We can talk on the way.”
Domashi turns to look at his favorite fiery red head, still in his arm with her head on his shoulder. ”What do you say, Pandora? Are you ready for this?”
Looking up from watching Alix and Mirai playing, Lany answers reluctantly. ”About as ready as I’ll ever be. Thank you, all of you, for your help with Alix. It really means alot to me.”
Domashi releases Lany and rubs her back with the hand that was around her shoulders. ”You are welcome. It is just what we do, though. Thanks are not required, but still very appreciated.” With a smile, he stands gently allowing Lany to recover her head softly. ”Then why don’t we go and meet this sister, who undoubtedly is a very likeable person.” He extends his hands to Lany, and Iliena, while wishing he had two other hands that could reach over the table for Keiko and Christine.
On the way to Margaritte’s restaurant, Domashi steps up next to Keiko while letting Lany lead the group talking with Alix. ”I have not had the time with you that I should have taken. I am very glad Christine has been a good fit for you. I suggest we spend some quality time together back at the suite before Pandora and I need to leave for work. I would not mind Christine watching, but I think you and I should be the only ones acting.”
Keiko bumps sideways into Domashi in a playful manner. ”Oh, my Oni. I do love you. I think that I can finally be happy with Christine as she seems to be so much what I have been looking for. But I will always have time for you and I really would appreciate some alone time. I have missed you terribly.”
”I have been missing you as well, Sexy.” The last word Domashi said in Japanese to keep it relatively between them. ”I do not wish to leave you missing me any more than I have to. You should feel comfortable asking me for time whenever you want it. For the most part, I am trying to give you and Christine time to get to know each other.” He smiles to Keiko with a warm and genuine smile.
Keiko squeezes Domashi’s hand. ”And I thank you for that. It is still a new thing and I have had lots of great new things vaporize after a period of time. I am hopeful, though. I find that I very much want to see if this crazy idea will work.” She looks up at Domashi’s face and lowers her voice. ”Can you tell me the truth? Is this something that you really believe in or just a way to get as much pussy as possible?”
Domashi laughs with clear humor in his eyes. ”I will always tell you the truth, when my obligations allow it. And to prove that to you, my answer is ‘I don’t know.’ This, really is Iliena’s doing. I support it, for her. I believe in it, for her. And the selling point to you should be, even without ‘all this,’” Domashi waves his arms around to kind of encompass all of them. ”I am sure that she would let me get as much as I wanted. So, do not think that this is any kind of scam, or game.”
Keiko looks around at where Iliena is following behind, apparently in blissful ignorance that she is the subject of the conversation. When Keiko turns back, she nods. ”So it really is all her? Christine said that, too, but I thought she was just talking. I may have to pay her more attention in the future.” She laughs. ”I think I will have to pay more attention to all of you.”
”All Iliena? No. She may have orchestrated it, but each of us is committed to making this work. If we weren’t I do not think it would stand a chance.” Domashi then leans down to Keiko and says in a real low voice. ”Having met some of her Gypsy relatives, I think she is trying to form this family after their family structure. Although, if I am right, she is leaving out the parts that I would find undesirable.”
There is another look back. ”Undesirable?”
Domashi nods, even though Keiko isn’t looking to him at this moment, and continues in the low voice. ”Yes, it seems that all the women of a Gypsy clan prostitute themselves out starting at a very young age. They do it often, and frequently. I get the impression that the lead male gets most, if not all the money.” With that he stands upright again and returns to a normal voice level. ”I would not tolerate that at all.”
Keiko laughs as she turns back. ”Which part? The unequal division of the earnings? You would share more with us?” She chuckles again.
Domashi smiles as he realizes that Keiko has caught him falling back into his old ideals. ”You got me. Not even a full week ago, I would have told you that I wouldn’t have tolerated any of it. Today, my biggest issue with it is that I think the women should get all of the money, and that is followed closely by the feeling that I don’t want anyone of this family to feel like they need to sell themselves. I can accept, even encourage, seeking pleasure with others. The rest… Just seems to cheapen things. I suspect that is something else Iliena would tell me I need to let go of.”
Keiko nods. ”And that includes Pandora with Marcel?”
Without even pausing, Domashi responds. ”Of course. It always has. My insecurities are only getting in my way of witnessing it. And I think I am even getting better at that. I know I am not ready to watch them have any ‘alone time’ yet… But I am pretty sure that as long as it remains ‘public’ level shows of affection I can take it in stride.”
Keiko hangs her head a bit then looks back up. ”I have a small confession to make, my Oni, I have always been jealous of the women you had as lovers. I know that it is a silly thing, which is why I never said anything. It took a long time for me to realize how selfish I was to want you to only want me when I was involved with a lover of my own. I did grow out of that when Mirai came along. After all, I had a part of you that no one else has. Now, seeing these women and you………I realize how petty I have been. Each of the others has shown nothing but a desire to love us and accept us and I am ashamed. I will promise to try to do better and make you happy to have us here.”
Domashi looks down to Keiko sharply, and nearly causes himself to trip in the process. ”Keiko. I am happy you two are here no matter what else. That won’t change. All of our lives might get more than a little complicated should you find yourself uncomfortable in this arrangement, but even then I would be happy that you and Mirai are available in my life. I will not hold you to your promise. Simply because I am having my own struggles. I can tell you that I have learned that someone’s feelings are never silly, or petty.” He softens considerably from the opening statements. ”I do wish you could have said something sooner. I know, this coming from the man that took years to be able to look you in the eyes and tell you ‘I love you.’ But I do wish I could have known how you felt sooner…… Of course, had I, we very likely would not be where we are now.” He lets that thought drift between them for a moment as he ponders how things might have been without Iliena in his life.
Keiko listens to what Domashi says then smiles. ”Then I should be thankful for how things have turned out. At this moment, I cannot imagine where I would rather be, so everything is just fine. I am sure that we will find our way down this path together. All of us. Oh look, Pandora is turning into a small bistro just up ahead.”
Inside the building, Domashi finds a charming little cafe of the eatery sort. The walls are a well maintained rustic look, of centuries ago, but all of the flaking and peeling of the paint is intentional and held in place by several coats of clear coating. The tables are moderately sized, with spotless white cloths draped over them. The smell of real pizza nearly overwhelms him. A sizable, but still attractive, woman brightens the moment she lays eyes on Lany, and hurries out from behind the counter to greet her.
”Sam! It is so nice to see you and your friends.” The woman looks around and focuses on the two girls. ”Now one of these two young women must be Alix, right?”
Mirai, who has been walking close to her new friend, seems a bit confused by the woman and moves to stand behind Keiko. Alix tentatively nods at Margaritte, but still steps back into Lany.
Instinctively wrapping her arm around Alix defensively, Lany has to halt a sigh as she forces herself to proceed. ”It’s nice to see you again, Margaritte. This wee lass here is Alix. I need to thank you for helping like this.” Lany begins, doing her best to seem happy for the sake of the girl leaning against her for protection.
Margaritte nods at Lany. ”Of course! Marcel explained the situation. The little angel can stay here for as many nights as she needs to.” She smiles to Alix, and then looks around at all the others standing around.
”I’m sorry, these are my partners. Dominik, Iliena, Christine, Keiko, and Mirai.” Lany nods at each as she gives their names, throwing a little face at Mirai, drawing a giggle from the girl. ”We run an investigation company here in Marseilles together. They’re like family to me.” Lany ends with a smile.
Margaritte never loses her smile, but stands there kind of blinking at everyone after Lany’s rapid fire introductions. Domashi smiles as Lany starts including herself on the ownership level of the company, and steps forward offering his hand to Margaritte. ”It is good to meet you Margaritte, I am Dominik. I apologize for the abruptness of my introduction to you, but I have an appointment to be off to. I can see where Marcel learned his manners though. I wish to thank you as well for helping out. I hope it will only be for a few nights while we settle into our new offices and residences. I think Christine, can continue a bit for us while I exchange some words with Iliena.” He gestures to Christine, as he steps away.
Christine steps forward and shakes Margaritte’s hand. ”You are very kind, Margaritte. Thank you. Keiko here, and her little daughter Mirai.” She says gesturing at the mother and daughter, taking Domashi’s cue to reinforce just who each of them are.
Margaritte smiles down at Mirai. ”Very nice to meet you Mirai.”
Christine shakes her head softly. “I’m sorry, Mirai and Keiko do not speak French. I’ll have to translate for you.” Christine squats down next to Mirai and translates for her with ease.
Mirai nods to Margaritte and gives a little bow before saying that she is pleased to meet her in Japanese, which Christine translates for Margaritte. Keiko follows with her introduction while Christine is still translating. Giving Margaritte time to add a face to the names helps her understand who is who.
A little back from everyone else, Domashi is transferring funds to Iliena. ”That should cover just about anything available from my quick search. Try to keep it is as low as possible, only because if she does not want to stop street performing we do not want an expensive item drawing attention. Use whatever is left to get her some decent clothes… And someone has to get some groceries for Sam’s apartment.” Once he finishes, he catches Christine translating for Keiko and Mirai with Margaritte. ”Oh, and everyone,” he calls out in French. ”We all need to start putting in the effort to teach Keiko and Mirai French.” He repeats that in Japanese as well for his daughter and her mother.
Iliena nods at Domashi’s recommendation and takes the ‘stick from him. ”Thank you. We will go see if we can find something. Will you be back before you have to leave for the gala so we can see how handsome you look in your tux?”
”Of course. And I will model it for any of you whenever you ask.” Domashi smiles and winks to his Dearest. With that, he waves to everyone and steps out to pick up his tux.
Lany feels a brief moment of sadness as Domashi departs, but pays it no mind. She then notices the fine aromas wafting from the kitchen and looks to Margaritte inquiring, ”Is Guiseppe in the kitchen? I wanted to compliment him on the calzones from last night. They were something else.” Lany starts to wonder if she may be able to fit a snack in before leaving for the gala.
Margaritte smiles broad. ”Of course! He is just prepping things for the dinner service. We like to have fresh sauce as much as possible. I can go and see if he can step away, while you and your, friends, um, partners, seat yourselves, and I’ll see what we can bring out for you and the girls, especially.” She calls out his name, as she steps back into the kitchen.
Keiko takes a table with Christine and Mirai. Iliena steps up to Lany and touches her arm gently. ”You are doing great, Pandora. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Giving Iliena an appreciative look, Lany shakes her head. ”No, but it helps just havin you all here. I hope Alix is ok with all of this.” Lany adds in a whisper.
Iliena nods, but smiles warmly. ”Do not be too worried. Both of you are stronger than you give yourselves credit for. This is only temporary. After a few nights here, we will find some other solution. Marcel should be available again, and even if he isn’t… Dominik is already considering Alix as ours. We will get through this.”
Lany can feel her heart skip a beat as Iliena confides Domashi’s feelings to her. She hadn’t known how to tell them that she didn’t want to send Alix away, back to the streets or some orphanage where no one would care about her. Lany was around Alix’s age when she left for Horizon, and she wanted to be sure that Alix didn’t make the same mistakes that she had. ”You mean, she could stay? I didn’t know how to ask somethin like that. I thought you’d all think I was daft.”
Iliena smiles and shakes her head softly. ”You still have no idea what he, what we, will do for you, do you? We are a family. You should never, never, hold back any questions, thoughts, or comments. You are a part of us, completely. That includes what is rattling around inside your head.” She taps the side of her own head to emphasise the point. ”As Dominik pointed out back at the cafe, there are many obstacles ahead. I can not say that Alix staying with us will be the best choice. But she will always be welcome.”
”I suppose I need to try and remember what bein in a family is like. It’s been a long time since I had one.” Lany reasons with a shrug.
Iliena points past Lany towards the kitchen, and Margaritte and Guiseppe can be seen coming out with plates of food in each hand. Guiseppe is the first to speak in a voice that seems like it was meant to be heard across the street, or at least over a full dining room. ”Sam! Margaritte told me the prettiest girl in all of Marseilles was back again!” He looks over the rest of Lany’s sister-wives. ”And you brought some other very pretty girls too, I see? How wonderful. We have some leftovers from last night that were still too good to throw away, and I do prefer fresher to serve to the customers. So you all can help yourselves.” They set down plates of appetizers mostly. Some antipasto salads, and a few odd slices of pizza.
Lany smiles in thanks towards Guiseppe and Margaritte. ”Thank you for welcoming us like this. It’ll take more than a night to take the flavor from your cooking. The calzones you sent last night were the best I ever had.”
”Thank you! If you have about an hour, I can make some fresh for you?” He looks hopeful to Lany.
Looking at her sister wives with hope in her eyes, Lany pleads, ”Do you think we have time. Believe me when I tell you they’d be worth the wait.”
After Christine translates to Keiko, they both laugh politely. Iliena continues her smile to Lany. ”In a way, we do. If Guiseppe would be so kind as to complete his offer while we do some light shopping, we can come back to pick them up before finishing up everything we need to do before returning to the hotel. Would that be alright with you, Sam?”
Nodding enthusiastically, Lany’s reply is near instantaneous. ”Aye, I’d love that. Would that be ok with you Guiseppe?” Lany inquires, already salivating in anticipation.
Guiseppe looks a little put out for a moment, then he breaks into a wide grin. ”I suppose it would be greedy of me to want to keep such beautiful women all to myself. You might as well go and do your shopping, as Margaritte here would never let me forget she is the real prettiest girl in all Marseilles. I will have, what eight? Ready for you in about an hour?”
After doing the math in her head, Lany gives Guiseppe a thankful grin. ”Guiseppe, you’re the best.” She jumps up from her seat and looks to the girls, ”Should we get goin then, so we can make it back in time?” She really didn’t want to miss out on those calzones.
Iliena insists on paying Guiseppe for the Calzones before they leave, and then hustles out to catch up with everyone. About forty five to fifty minutes they are all back in the cafe trying to keep Lany from following her nose into the kitchen to get the calzones before Guiseppe even brings them out. Alix is cradling a new, to her, used violin case in her lap as she sits there patiently.
Lany pulls herself back from her ravenous hunger, wanting to reinforce to Alix what they had talked about on the way here. ”Alix, Margaritte and Guiseppe are going to look after you tonight, but I’ll be back to see you tomorrow. I’m not just going to leave you here.” Lany tries to reassure her, as well as herself. ”And when everything is settled, you’ll have a home. With us, if that’s something you want. I won’t just send you back to the streets.”
Alix has a string of emotions play across her face. The predominant one is collected. Her years on the street have taught her not to trust easily. ”Thank you, Sam. Lany. I am grateful for all you have done already.” She shifts a bit. ”Will I get to go out and play, if I want to?”
Lany nods softly, ”Of course you will. Just let us know when you do and when you’ll be back.” Lany stops herself, she was sounding like her mother when she was a kid. ”It makes me feel better to know you’re safe.” Lany confides to Alix quietly.
Alix nods for a moment. Then she places the violin case on the table and runs to Lany and hugs her. ”Thank you, Lany.”
Though she didn’t expect the hug, Lany accepts it and returns it in earnest. ”You’re welcome, Alix. You deserve this.” She turns to her side, seeing little Mirai watching the scene play out in confusion. Lany realized she probably thought her new best friend was going away forever. Drawing on her limited Japanese, Lany kneels down to her and says, ”Mirai, Alix is going to be staying with Margaritte and Guiseppe tonight, but we can come see her again tomorrow, as long as you’re mother is ok with that.” Lany looks over to Keiko for the final approval.
Mirai looks a bit confused still and almost whimpers. ”Why can’t she stay with us? We have the rooms…” Keiko places her hand gently on Mirai’s head. ”Because, Dumpling, Alix doesn’t have a family yet, and we are not ready to take her into ours. We will be, but right now it is necessary for her to stay here for a few nights. As Lany said, we can visit tomorrow. I don’t think there is anything pressing, and Dominik will be busy at lunch at the very least.” Mirai does not seem convinced yet.
Lany gives Mirai a little grin, before whispering, ”You need to be brave now, I think that the dragon might come back tomorrow, we’ll need your help to fight it off.”
Mirai pouts a bit while looking at Alix. ”She isn’t leaving for good?” Even as Lany shakes her head to Mirai, Keiko is telling her softy. ”No. Just staying here for a few nights. We need to get some things in order.”
”She’s right, we have to find a house where you two can have rooms right next to each other’s. Would you like that, Mirai?” Lany asks.
Mirai looks up to her mother. Keiko returns the look, and rubs Mirai’s head. ”That is one of the things we have to get in order. We are trying to get a place where you can have your first room.” Mirai barely even hesitates. ”If it is necessary for Alix and I to have our own rooms, then let’s do it.”
Lany laughs at Mirai’s sudden recovery. ”It’s a deal. Now, would you like to give Alix a hug before we go?”
Mirai nods and steps forward to meet Alix, who seems a bit more subdued than normal as she embraces the little girl. Iliena coughs a bit and holds up a couple of bags and points to Christine, who has a couple more. ”Margaritte, where can we put these? We had to get Alix some clothes as what she had were just rags.”
Margaritte smiles and nods as she motions with an arm. ”Why don’t we all go up to see Alix’s room and then let her put her new things away?” She leads the wives and the kids up the stairs to the family living area. The room is far too small for everyone to fit in comfortably, but the women all comment on how cozy it is. Alix and Mirai put their Niel the Ork Barbarian figurines sitting next to each other on top of the small bureau, close friends just waiting for the next dragon to slay together. The two girls hug again and the tears are real as both know what is meant even though neither can understand what the other says.
Mirai is very quiet as they leave the cafe and head to a nearby ‘Shack to pick up some food for Lany’s flat. While shopping, Keiko catches Mirai looking over in the direction of the cafe several times and takes a moment to console her daughter, reassuring her that they will come back the following day. After getting everything back to the flat and put away, the wives look at each other. Christine nods in the direction of the bedroom. ”So, you need any help getting into that gown? My guess is that it is not designed for just one person to get into without help.”
Lany laughs in response, ” You’re right, it took three in the fitting room, apparently. I think the designers might be a bit knackered in the head.”
Keiko nods. ”I am afraid that I cannot stay. I need to visit with Domashi for a bit, so perhaps I should get Mirai home.”
Christine waves a hand and snorts. ”Nonsense. Leave her with Iliena and I and you go off. She will be asleep on the couch and we can leave the bedroom door open to keep an eye on her. You go off and spend some time with him. Goodness knows you have come a long ways and have had very little alone time together. Go on, we have this.”
Keiko looks at the other wives and sees them all give her a nod and she smiles at them. She kisses and hugs Mirai, who is on the couch, almost asleep already. She looks her thanks at the others as she leaves the apartment and heads to the entrance to the Metro. On the way, she sends a text to Domashi, letting him know that she will be at the hotel in about a half hour.
103
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 15:14
Vêtements à l’esprit, Rue de la Tour, Marseilles; BakuDomashi was running a bit late as the meeting with Marcel went longer than anyone planned. He still can’t believe how much he likes the man. The fact that Iliena unsettles him, and that Lany had hit him hard this morning does lighten the mood some. These will be the little thoughts that cheer him up for the next few days.
It isn’t until the moment the very hot Madeline walks over to him in that very sultry way of hers after he enters the store that he realizes that he is all alone with her for at least fifteen minutes. His body begins to make all kinds of suggestions of how to fill that time with her. The way she fills out her tastefully modest skirt outfit brings an instant smile to his face. ”Good afternoon, Madeline. I am sorry to keep you waiting, a meeting went longer than I had planned.” He offers his hand to her.
Madeline takes his hand with a twinkle in her eye. ”That is alright. I will forgive you this time.” She gives him a very nice smile of her own. ”Come with me, I will show you to a dressing room, and bring the suit to you. We need to get a final fitting for you.”
She hasn’t let go of his hand yet, so he pulls it up to his mouth to kiss it. ”I bet you have no issues getting customers to follow you anywhere, Madeline.” Domashi lowers her hand but does not release it.
Madeline giggles to him and turns to lead him to the back of the shop without letting go of his hand. ”No. I have never really had any issues.” Domashi doesn’t really know the layout of the store, but he gets the suspicion that she has lead him to the room furthest from the showroom floor. ”Here you are, Dominik. Please, make yourself comfortable, and I will be back in a few moments with your order.”
Domashi lets out a sigh. It seems that no matter how hard he tries to limit the number of women in his life, more crop up every time he turns around. “I wonder if I could set Marcel up with any of them…” He muses about giving him any number of women just to get Lany back. “His” Lany. As he removes most of his clothing, Domashi shakes the thought out of his head. As much as a deep and dark corner of his mind tells him that Lany is his, and his alone, he knows that is not true. Even if he could let himself believe that, the very interaction he is having with Madeline would make that arrangement truly unfair to Lany. He is standing there in the dressing room, wearing only his underwear, pondering his life when there is a light knock on the doorway frame. ”Dominik? It is Madeline.” As if he had any chance of confusing that sexy voice for anyone else. ”I have your suit.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Domashi calls out. ”Come in Madeline, thank you.” He turns to open the door for her, but she is already stepping in. She looks him over without even a hint of shame or hesitation.
”I’m sorry. I did not know that you weren’t ready.” She pauses a bit and then half turns as if to leave, but doesn’t go anywhere. ”I will step outside, and hand the suit to you.” In spite of her actions and words, there is no real sign of her wanting to step out at all.
Domashi smiles to her and shakes his head softly. ”No, no. By all means stay. Please. I would like to hear your opinions, after all.” He reaches out to take the suit laid out across her arms with one arm and uses the other to rub her shoulder and gently turn her back into the dressing room. ”I do hope you will do me the extraordinary honor of your counsel. This is kind of new to me, after all.”
Madeline smiles broadly at him and looks him over again, this time much more slowly. ”My first opinion is that you have a very nice body. I thank you for allowing me to see it without the suit.” She looks him in the eyes without an ounce of shame as she adds. ”It helps me to judge the fit of the suit, you see.” She looks down below his waist as he shows his interest in her quite clearly. ”The second thing I would say is that there might not be enough room in the trousers.” When she looks into his eyes, hers show a genuine smile. Without taking her eyes from Domashi’s, she reaches down to gently stroke his growing erection, causing it to jump in her hand. ”You know, Dominik, at the state this is in, it could make a good final fitting hard. As your personal dresser here, would you mind if I saw to the problem?”
In spite of a kernel of reluctance at the idea of more women in his life, Domashi can’t help but grin lustfully at Madeline. ”I would not mind at all, but I do need to be fair with you. I do not have the time to devote to you that you deserve. I would not be offended if that changes your mind on the offer.” Of course, he hopes it doesn’t change a thing.
Madeline’s hand firmly wraps around him, she smiles and shakes her head as she bends over to take a cushion from the small couch in the fitting room and places it on the floor. She keeps her eyes on Domashi’s as she slowly sinks to her knees on the cushion and pulls his underwear down to his ankles. The slight gasp he hears is music to his ears and almost as pleasurable as the feeling he gets when her soft, warm mouth engulfs his hardness. He can look down and see her sexy eyes looking up at him and the overall feeling is one of great pleasure. After a few strokes, Madeline’s hands go to her blouse and she begins unbuttoning it, exposing some really nice breasts encased in a silken white bra. The front clasp gives way to her gentle pressure and she slips blouse and bra from her shoulders to pool behind her, allowing her hands to roam freely about her tits. Her soft moans mirror Domashi’s own as she picks up the pace of her oral ministrations. The unexpected pleasure of the experience has Domashi feeling very excited and his orgasm begins building quickly. ”I may not last too long, Madeline. Where……..?” In answer, Madeline simply nods and thumbs her nipples as she bobs on his cock. Domashi’s climax comes on suddenly, almost without warning, as his balls tighten and send a flood of cum through his cock and into her mouth. He watches as her eyes widen at the amount he gives as stream after stream of fluids transfer from him to her. Madeline swallows quickly to catch every drop and licks him clean when he finally finishes off.
Madeline reaches behind her and picks up her blouse and bra before standing, giving him a great view of what he has been looking at from above. She takes one of his hands and places it on her left tit, which he molds to his touch, the nipple rock hard in his palm. Her voice is silky smooth and sensuous as hell as she speaks. ”I would like to see you again when you might have more time. Do you think that is possible?”
Domashi continues to fondle the breast she put his hand on and licks his lips at her through his grin. ”I do not know. I do think I may need another fitting tomorrow.” He winks and then steps up close to her. ”I was serious when I said you deserve more time, Madeline. I could not go further in good conscience without reinforcing that thought. If that does not deter you, I would love to see you again.” Domashi leans down to her and gives her a quick kiss on her lips. Afterwards he does not pull away, and hopes she will take his invitation for more.
Madeline certainly does take his invitation for more and fully presses her lips against his, pushing her tongue forward so that it penetrates into his own mouth almost before he knows it is happening. The effect of her tongue against his is almost electric and he can feel a pulse run through his body. After what seems like a very long time, Madeline breaks the kiss and steps back. ”Hmmm. I definitely think you might need to come for a fitting tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am off on Fridays. I suppose we could see about a personal fitting at my place. Say early afternoon. If you hand me your ‘link, I will enter my commcode into it and you can call me.”
Madeline steps back from him to get dressed. Domashi has been amazed at the near-magical manner that Iliena can shuck out of her clothes, and he has seen some professional strippers display a talent for teasing the viewer as they slowly remove whatever it is they use to cover themselves, but the has never seen the sort of sensuous display that Madeline makes of simply putting her bra and blouse back on. Part of it has to be that her gorgeous eyes never leave his, but there is also something indefinable in what she does that has him almost panting for more. Not only that, but part of him is supremely unhappy that she is now fully dressed. He shakes his head, barely able to catch her words. ”………re to call me for that fitting. I am sure that what you have will fit, but it never hurts to give it a personal touch.”
She steps back to the wall of the fitting room and nods at Domashi. ”So, perhaps you should try on the suit, Dominik.”
The speed at which Madeline went from one hundred to near zero leaves Domashi stunned for a moment. When it settles into his brain that there was not going to be any further sexual touching, he nods and focuses on the suit. Part of him wishes he had any experience with stripping other than observing it so that he might be able to give Madeline a show as well. With memories of how Jasmine had laughed at his foolish behavior trying to fake dancing, he settles on not messing about, and just going about the business of dressing. He hopes that would be good enough for her. Most of it was fairly obvious. Pants go on the legs, with button and zipper up front. The usual. The odd looking tie and wide belt were giving him some problems though. Medeline practically slinked from her perch at the wall to assist him with the finishing touches. Her closeness bringing back fond memories of just minutes before. Before he can even get started reliving those memories she has him all squared away and steps back again.
If he had had the choice, Domashi would never have gone for this style of clothing. It was higher class than he is normally comfortable with. When he looks in the mirror, though, he can’t help but admit that John Charles, or his staff more like, knew what they were doing. He turns to congratulate Madeline and sees her looking at him, nibbling on her lip. His crafted thoughts disperse at the sight. ”I think I have to say… That this is one fine suit. Would you agree?”
Madeline walks around Domashi, tugging on the suit coat here and there and flicking a speck of dust off his shoulder before standing in front of him and nodding her head. ”You are certainly one fine looking man, Dominik, and that is no lie. I am a sucker for a man in a tux, but you look nicer than my usual effort. I think this is my best work in a very long while.”
Domashi arches his eyebrows. ”This is your work? Do you mean you are the master crafter behind John Charles’ reputation?”
Madeline puts a finger to her lips and nods. ’”Shhh, yes, but no one is to know. He perhaps has more skill than I, but he has not really touched a suit for years. Now, no one is to know and I will deny I said it. My, you do wear this well and I hope that you take care of it so that you can wear it for a long time. Damn, if you had more time, I would offer myself to you right here. Pity we have to wait until tomorrow, but there it is.”
”If you insist. I would rather give credit where it is due though. When I am out tonight, could I at least recommend that any interested people ask for you to tend to them?” Domashi wants to kiss her again, but remembers he has Jasmine showing up soon and does not want to complicate things with her with more petting between himself and Madeline.
Madeline nods. ”Of course you may, and thank you. Say, you do strike me as the sort of man that might be interested in………….special………..modifications to his suits on occasion? Am I right? Feel free to tell me to mind my own business.”
With a heartfelt chuckle, Domashi crinkles his forehead at Madeline. ”I thought my suits were your business. And I think I might be interested in some modifications. What did you have in mind?”
”My husband is a fine mechanic when it comes to adding the hidden extras that some people like to have added to their clothing. The sort of add-ons that corporate hotshots and politicians like to see, such as additional protections against fire, electricity, that sort of thing. If you come by tomorrow, I can show you some of what he can do and let you decide if you are interested in talking to him.”
Domashi feels the pinch of a headache forming between his eyes. He still smiles at Madeline, remembering how well she had treated him. ”Oh? That is one lucky man, I must say. I will look forward to seeing what you choose to show me tomorrow.”
Madeline shakes her head and gives a bit of a frown before hiding it inside a brilliant smile. ”Don’t mention lucky to him. He makes the best of being tied to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he knows he can never be what he was before. Still, he has a rare gift and has taken advantage of that. If you are concerned, he is fully supportive of my affairs.”
Domashi is crestfallen, and does not try to hide it from her. ”I am sorry. I was insensitive in my attempt to compliment you. I meant only that any man that can hold your affections is truly blessed.” He fumbles for a bit more trying to think of the right thing to say.
Madeline nods. ”You seem to be a very kind man, Dominik. I had felt so earlier. I am actually fairly picky about the men I throw my body at and just had this feeling that you might be a good guy to know. If you see Gary tomorrow, the words you just said would be perfect. We are both very good at what we do and I think that his work will impress you a great deal. If you wish to check him out, ask the right people about The Tailor. Just please do not tell anyone that you are going to his house as we do value what privacy we can get.”
“Of course. In an attempt to make up for my blunder to you, I can offer my services. I have some small talent for magic, and I can make people invisible, should the two of you ever want to slip away. I can help with that. With enough planning, I can even make the disappearance longer lasting with a change in identity. If you are willing, of course.”
Madeline nods. ”Thank you, Dominik. I am sure that we will keep that in mind. We are happy here, though. We stay in touch with our friends and help them out with an occasional request for special clothing. Gary can usually get anything you might want and then we add it into the suits. We do women as well as men. Maybe you can talk to Gary tomorrow?”
”I can do that. I may be of other use to the two of you, if my first offer does not work for you. I can promise you that I will make no mention of your husband other than as your husband to anyone else. Any I might think about suggesting to you, I will send through you if I send them at all.” Domashi feels like the conversation might be getting a little too bogged down and looks himself over one more time in the mirror.
The reflection in the mirror is certainly fine. Madeline slides up behind Domashi and puts her arms around him to straighten his tie. He can feel the heat from her body through the fabric of the suit and almost detect the hardened nipples pressing into his back. From the mirror, Domashi sees the top of her face peering over his shoulder and rarely has he seen something more stirring. It is the eyes, those gorgeous eyes. No one he has ever met has had eyes that stir him as much as Iliena’s, but these are close. Fragging close. Her mouth is hidden by his shoulder, but her voice is soft and low. ”Fuck, Dominik, you look good in this……….this…….oh hell.” She squeezes him once then steps back. When he turns to look at her, she is biting her lip. ”Damn, I..uh, I am sorry about that. It is just that I have not been with a man for several months now. No one I found was the right one and now here I am throwing myself at you. You must think I am horrible. A slut with a husband at home. Damn.” She turns to face the wall and her shoulders heave a little.
Even though it isn’t his wish to get physical with Madeline again right now, he does not hesitate at all to step up and hold her. He starts by putting his hands on her shoulders and moving up close to her. ”I make no judgements on you Madeline. As long as you tell me that you and your husband are okay with the situation, that is good enough for me. I don’t care what the rest of society might think.”
Madeline’s shoulders shake a few more times then she turns in Domashi’s arms and he can see that she has been crying. Her lips find his and that electrifying kiss happens all over again……….and again. She gives small moans into his mouth and he can feel his cock respond to her closeness. Apparently she can as well as she moves her thigh to rub against the growing erection. With little thought, his hand finds itself cupping a breast, his thumb sliding across a nipple that threatens to poke through the material of her bra and blouse to get to his flesh. Then he pushes away, his forehead against hers as they both pant. ”Not here and not now, Madeline. I want it to be special, with enough time to spend adoring you first and after.”
Madeline nods and steps away from him, shaking her head. ”You do look good in that suit. I dare say that you would be mobbed by every women you passed if you wear it out of the shop. Why don’t you change out of it and I will get a bag for you to take it home in?”
Domashi gives Madeline a light smile. ”If you think that is best, I trust your judgement. I do suggest you stay for a bit, take a moment to freshen up.” He gestures to her eyes. ”I won’t mind the company, ever.”
Madeline nods and walks to the mirror to look at herself, shaking her head. There is a knock at the fitting room door and a woman’s voice can be heard. ”Mrs. Gervais? There is a young woman at the front who is looking for Mr. Ripnu. How long shall I tell her that you will be?”
Domashi looks to Madeline and mouths the words “now” to her with raised eyebrows to indicate he is asking if she agrees. She looks herself over again, and nods. ”That is my associate, if you would be kind enough to let her know that I will be out as soon as I finish changing, I would appreciate it. Should be no more than two minutes.” Madeline straightens herself up and responds in her confident tone. ”Yes, Cynthia. No more than two minutes. Thank you.”
”That would be Jasmine Bishara. A wonderful dance instructor. I have been trying to get her to branch out and take on private clients.” He looks Madeline up and down again appreciatively. ”You do not need her services to keep fit, but I was hoping you might be able to inquire with any you know that might be willing to pay for the privilege of her tutelage. And just to be clear, I really do mean dance instruction.” Domashi adds the last as he realized what he would have been thinking had he heard the same pitch coming from someone else.
Madeline actually smiles, and it brightens the fitting room. ”Thank you, Dominik. I might just talk to her about that. Now let me go get that garment bag so you can change in peace.” She looks down at the tent below Domashi’s waist and looks back up with another smile. ”And so I do not forget all reason and grab that monster again. I might not be able to control myself.” With a slight laugh, Madeline walks past Domashi to the door, her hand carelessly brushing against his erection, and steps out of the fitting room, leaving him with surging emotions and a stiff cock. The thought runs through his mind that he is going to need more than two minutes to be ready to leave here.
He has to shrug that thought off, and put up with the discomfort it will cause him, because Domashi has no intention of making Jasmine wait longer than he said. He takes care with the tux as he removes the various parts of it and lays them out flat on the chair and the bench available to him. He focuses on getting his pants on first, in the hopes that he can get things tied down there enough to pass as unaroused. Once he struggles to get that under control he finishes up with everything else. He has just enough time to wish that tomorrow afternoon would just arrive already before Cynthia knocks on the door and presents the garment bag Madeline had promised. Domashi took this as a hopeful sign that Madeline and Jasmine were discussing business arrangements.
Cynthia, an elderly woman, steps into the fitting room but leaves the door open as she assists Domashi in properly stowing the tux in the very fancy garment bag. She gives him a quick lesson on where everything should go, even showing small pockets for accessories he does not have yet but might consider for the future. When done, Domashi thanks her profusely and she smiles at him as she ushers him out to the shop floor and leads him up to the front area, where he spies Madeline in conversation with Jasmine. Madeline thanks Cynthia and hands Domashi a piece of hardstock that has the cleaning and caring instructions for the tux. After showing him where it goes in the bag, she accepts his ‘stick for payment and smiles at him. ”There, Mr. Ripnu, all is complete. Please consider us again if you ever have need of our services.” She turns and gives Jasmine a smile as well. ”And it was very nice to meet you, Jasmine. I will be contacting you about a class. I think my husband would appreciate the effect.”
Domashi nods and bids Madeline farewell and takes Jasmine’s arm as they leave the shop. Jasmine nods her head to a small cafe across the street. ”I could use something. I left right after class and a quick shower, so I did not take the time to stop for my usual coffee. Buy me one?”
”I’ll buy you three, if you want them. Then again, you just might need three to come close to your family’s coffee.” Domashi chuckles, before he continues. ”I do hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries when I suggested you as a private instructor to Madeline. I am hoping she can connect you with wealthy, and bored, housewives that want a little excitement in their life…. And are willing to pay handsomely for it.”
Jasmine lets out a wonderful laugh and bumps into him playfully. ”Heavens no! I am touched you would even think of it. Most people…” She pauses for a bit, and Domashi figures she must just be gathering her thoughts. ”There are certainly people in this city, if not the world, that wouldn’t even give half a thought to setting up a client for me. Let alone introduce me to someone who has contact with many wealthy individuals.”
Domashi can’t imagine what she is talking about. ”I hardly did anything. The effort I put in was so very small. I knew I was meeting with Madeline today, and I knew you were in the position to meet her as well. All I did was make mention of you and your ability to her. Don’t mistake that for not caring that you get some very well paying clients… I can hardly take credit for anything like that though. That will be all you, and your very fine moves.”
Jasmine actually stops, causing him to stop as well or let go of her arm. She looks him up and down. ”You really have no idea how this all works, do you? You actually feel that you didn’t do anything of any importance?” Her look speaks volumes about how much she doesn’t quite believe him.
Domashi shakes his head sincerely and shrugs his shoulders. ”I didn’t do anything of importance. I did what all friends should do for one another. I’ll do it again tomorrow for you as well, if you want. I will be meeting someone else who runs in similar circles, and I can see if she would accept a call from you, if you would like.”
Jasmine stares at him, her face appearing to be made of stone. After a few moments, her mouth twitches and before long a grin tries unsuccessfully to come out several times. Before the smile that is struggling to get out is successful Jasmine breaks out into that glorious laugh of hers. When she recovers, she is smiling at him even more than after their time together at her apartment. ”You are truly special, Dominik. Thank you, very much for considering me. I would be very grateful to you if you would try and set up a comm call for me with this person you know.” She begins to lead him the few remaining steps to the cafe. ”Now buy me those coffees, and we can talk business after I have had some.”
Dominik lets Jasmine order whatever she wants, and gets a tea for himself. They take seats at one of the small tables inside knowing that it still gets dark fairly early this time of year. He allows Jasmine to sip from her coffee as he waits for her to recover from her class. As she starts to relax, he looks to her. “I will get to the work I asked you about in a moment, but as warm up as you enjoy your coffee I thought I would ask you a couple of additional things.” She shifts a bit in her chair and sets herself up to look straight at him, showing her desire to give him her full attention. “First, I was wondering if you had the acquaintances to get me a low end ‘deck. I am not looking for much, I just need something that could run several autonomous matrix searches for me. While I hope to have you on rapid contact some day, I can’t say I hope I will ever feel comfortable calling you up to ask for a simple search for me.”
Jasmine smirks and giggles a little. ”No, I do hope I won’t get a call out of the blue asking me to look up concert times, or something. I do know a few people. What are you looking to do? Just the searches?” Domashi nods to her and takes a sip of his tea. ”Well, I know we can set you up with just that. That is actually rather easy. The program you want to run autonomously will take some work and looking around, though.”
Domashi nods gently to her. ”Thank you, Jasmine. That would help me out a lot. The second thing I would like to ask you, is if you happen to know where I might be able to acquire three CU^3 Pro drones for tonight. The MCT or EVO ones would do just as well. I just need to make someone appear as much more important than they are, and a constant P.2 setup would help sell that. Of course, they don’t actually have a P.2 setup. I just want to make it look like they do.”
Jasmine thinks on it a bit. ”I don’t actually know anyone myself with access to those. But I do know someone who might. Can I get back to you on that?”
Domashi smiles at how much better things were going between them. It is as if she really was touched that he had introduced her to Madeline. ”Of course. I just need them for the gala tonight, if you can make that happen.” He felt the urge to kiss Jasmine for the help she was giving him, but resisted for fear of moving a bit too fast with her again. ”Finally, to the matter at hand, if you are ready.” Jasmine took a big pull of her coffee, and nodded to him.
Domashi looks around to verify that no one is trying to listen in on his conversation, then he leans toward Jasmine so he could lower his voice. ”That Armond, we are each going to see tonight? We have reason to believe he is involved with human trafficking. And there are even signs that he deals with children too. I have the details to find his comm, I just do not have the skills to get into it. This is what I am asking you to do. Search his comm, and copy anything and everything you can. I need those details for the job I am hired for. Beyond that, you can do as you see fit, although I do ask that you not be too obvious that someone is onto him. I have someone I trust looking into his ‘place of business’ tonight, and I don’t want him or his getting spooked and hurting anyone, much less my scout.”
For a bit, Domashi wonders if Jasmine had even heard him as she sits there quietly sipping her coffee. ”Give me what you know, and I will look into it as soon as I get home. I’ll give you a call when I am done.”
Domashi nods to her and takes out his comm to send her the details. ”Oh, and go ahead and fire up a transfer app for me. I owe you some money while we are at it. I want to buy ten beginner level lessons with you, and then there is the contact with the pics to drop off. I still have to get the pics.”
104
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 16:07
The Sea Hag’s Catch, AkselAksel was in the middle of cataloguing the new arrivals when the door of the office was flung open and the elf, Diamond, stepped into his small work space. “Come on pencil pusher, the boss is about to execute some traitors and he wants everyone to see it.”
“An execution? They are probably going to give them cement shoes or shoot them in the head. Why do I have to watch that?”
Diamond ignored the old Ork’s words and gestured impatiently for Aksel to get moving, implying that it would be best not to keep him waiting. They walked down to the dock, where they found a crowd of around twenty-five men and women already gathered in a semi-circle around the boss. Three other humans were kneeling on the rough floor of the cave, their demeanor certainly implying that they were the intended entertainment…..er, victims.
The boss looked around at the gathering, staring hard at the late arrivals. “Good, it would seem that everyone is finally here so we can begin.” he said in a voice dripping with anticipation. “My friends, this organisation is like an organism with its many cells working in unison to create a greater and more powerful whole.”. The boss then turned himself towards the three men and pointed at them. “Sadly there are those who refuse to conform to the rules; those who would harm the body for their own end.” He then turned towards the crowd and lifted up his hands like a priest preaching to his choir. “And like a cancer, these pests must be destroyed and expunged from the body. That is why we are gathered here today…..to witness the cleansing of the body.”
.
He once again turned to the three men and pointed at them. “For your crimes against the organization, I sentence you to death by combat.” Some among the crowd began to clap and cheer passionately, while others just watched, clearly unsure of what was going to happen next.The three condemned men looked confused. “Who will we be fighting?” asked the man in the middle, suddenly a bit hopeful. As the largest of the three he would be nearly assured of victory if he had to triumph over his fellows In response the boss simply smiled and snapped his fingers. With no warning at all, the talkative man’s head was torn off by some invisible hand, arterial spray spurting out as his headless corpse fell to the side, against one of his fellows, causing that man to scream in terror. The crowd became even more excited and some began chanting.
“Shadow, Shadow, Shadow” they chanted, like it was the name of their favorite sports star, and to some it may well have been. The two other doomed men looked on, nearly frozen at the sight of the disembodied head seemingly floating in mid-air.. Then the hands that had torn the head from its former body faded into view and all color drained from their faces. Aksel, too, was frightened by the figure now standing before him. He had heard rumors of some monster the boss kept as a guardian of the sea approach, but he had thought that it was only that, just rumors. As the rest of the body came into view, Aksel realized that it was far more more truth than rumor. Shadow was the biggest Troll he had ever seen, standing nearly three meters tall. Clad in a chameleon suit and a Ruthenium polymer cloak, he had been nearly invisible. A white comedy mask completed the Troll’s garb, creating a truly macabre appearance.
A man with such strength being able to stand next to you without you ever noticing was truly frightening. Even if Aksel hadn’t seen it, it would still have terrified him and he realized that none of the rumors had indicated something like this. One of the remaining men seemed to have gathered his courage and leapt towards the troll, punching at him with all his might and screamed in pain when the punch had broken his hand.. The Troll said nothing, simply looking at the man and waiting for his next move. The desperate man gathered himself and attacked again, this time trying to kick the troll in the groin. The Troll simply caught the leg with his right arm and then grabbed the man’s torso with his left arm. All courage had left the man’s face and he was now crying out in fear as some in the crowd began to chant. “Kill, kill, kill, kill.”, echoed through the chamber like a mantra. The Troll didn’t say a word but granted their wish by throwing the man into the air so that he hit the ceiling with an audible crack as his head was crushed. When the body landed on the ground it jerked a few times in a reflexive spasm while blood and brain matter formed a widening pool as it combined with that of the first dead man.
The Troll looked at the last man standing, who was completely pale with fear. The man was completely unable to control his tears and the rank odor of urine and feces could be detected above that of the blood in the room. The panicked man turned to the boss and fell to his knees. “Please…..mercy, spare me. I’ll do anything, just please don’t kill me.” In response, the Boss held up a hand and the Troll froze completely, waiting.
“Oh thank you, thank you, merciful master” said the man crying tears of joy “I swear I will never disobey you again, and I’ll work twice, no three times as hard, I swear you will not regret this.”
The boss adopted a friendly face and laid his left hand on the man’s shoulder “I hope for your sake that is true,” he then turned his head to the remains of the two other men and adopted a much more serious face “you are now our new janitor, your first job is cleaning up the harbor, I want to be able to eat of the floor of this place tomorrow.”
The newly appointed janitor quickly looked around the harbor and then looked back at the boss “Yes boss I’ll make it shine, don’t you worry about that”.
“Excellent” said the boss and clapped his hands “alright everyone, shows over, back to work.”
The crowd let out disappointed sighs, but did not any raise further complaints.
As the crowd began to leave the troll walked into the Boss’s shadow and faded from sight.As they walked back to the office, Diamond sighed. “I don’t get why everyone always gets so excited about Shadow’s fights,” paused for a moment to light a cigarette and then continued “I mean sure, seeing a man get torn in half or killed in one punch is exiting the first time, but after you seen it ten times it gets old.” He paused again for a moment to enjoy his cigarette. “I mean I get that they are not supposed to win, but they could at least get someone who let the fight last just slightly longer.”
“Do you always vent you personal opinion to your captive’s?” Aksel asked the elf.
For a second the elf looked he was about to fly into a rage, then he smiled and let out a hyena like laugh. “Hahaha, ah, you know for an orc you’re pretty funny.”
Aksel did not respond and the rest of the walk to the office was silent.
Four hours later:
Aksel was sitting in the office, tired from the day’s work and still thinking about the troll from earlier. Shadow, from what Aksel had seen the troll probably followed the boss around wherever he went. “Quite the guard,” Aksel said to himself “able to move around unseen and kill all but the toughest opponents in an instant with his bare hands. I wonder where he found a guy like that.”
The door flung open interrupting Aksels thoughts. A young woman with a food tray stepped in. Aksel had seen her nearly every day since his captivity began as she was usually the person to bring him food. He was pretty sure that her name is Anka and her ebony skin has led him to believe that she African. “Look sharp grandpa you’re getting fed now.”
Aksel turned to receive the tray “Thanks, I’m famished. It’s Anka, isn’t it?” The woman did not respond but she smiled as she handed him the tray which Aksel set on the table. He looked at the woman and then asked her a question. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that troll would you, you know, the one they call Shadow? I have heard some things about him but that display earlier………….”
The woman’s face went pale and she turned to door to look out in the hallway to see if anyone was near. She closed the door before turning back to Aksel. “You do not want to go anywhere near that monster, it’s fucking suicide.” the woman said in a worried tone.
“I’m not planning to, I just want to know where he comes from.” Aksel responded.
The woman’s face relaxed, “Okay, okay, it’s just that occasionally we get some people here who think they get to move upwards by beating him in fight and it never ends well for them.”
“No need to worry, I have no interest in climbing the ladders of this place.” Aksel said.
“Right, okay, I will tell you what I know about him, but it isn’t much.” the woman had now assumed a neutral tone.
“Anything is better than nothing, which is what I know right now.”
“Okay here’s what I know, Shadow was a child soldier that the boss picked up years before he ran this place. I don’t know where, or how, he got him, all I know is that the boss has spent several years training the guy and a fortune cybering him up.” The woman paused “And that’s it, that’s all I know.”
“Thanks, Anka, that was very helpful”
“If you say so,” the woman looked at her watch. “Listen I gotta go, nice chatting with you. Enjoy the food. By the way, you have never complained about it. Is there something you like that I could try to make for you. The crappy kitchen might ruin my efforts, but maybe not.”
“ i’ll give it some thought, see you later.”
Aksel went back to work, but he kept thinking about the troll. Standing up against that guy was out of the question, if Aksel was going to get out of this place he would have to avoid Shadow at all cost.
-
Thursday, March 25, 2077; 17:01
On the road to Hotel de Ville, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, & JasmineDomashi looks Lany over and once again is struck by just how beautiful she is. The dress certainly helps, but it is not needed. ”You look amazing, Lany. You always do, but I think I need to make sure you know it tonight. You will be turning everyone’s head at the gala. Are you ready for this?”
Blushing a bit at Domashi’s complement, Lany nods, ”I am. And you are looking fuckin smashing in that tux, Domashi-san.” She adds with a wink. ”How do you think I should play her? The princess, I mean.” As she asks, Lany is reminded of her younger days, always looking to the director when the time came to perform.
”Well, Lany-sama. My instinct tells me to just be yourself. You are the most impressive princess I have ever met.” His body has already reacted to her wink and comments, and if he doesn’t change tactics soon, Domashi fears they will never make it to see Jasmine, let alone Armond. ”If that doesn’t work for you, then I would say you should be aloof. You do not have to be mean, or snotty, but make sure you do not hide the fact that everyone around you is beneath you. Lesser than.”
Lany shakes her head, ”Bleedin royals… Sounds about right though. Probably some spoiled little cunt bored of finery, maybe that’s our in? Perhaps this princess is looking for a good show.” Lany says in realization.
Domashi nods to Lany. ”I do believe that will work. Unless you have a better suggestion, I will be a suitor or gigolo trying to woo away your money. That way it isn’t too far from the truth.” Domashi grins with a twinkle in his eyes.
Surprised that Domashi is successfully pulling her attention away from the job, Lany smiles and muses playfully, ”After my massive fortune are you? Would I be so appealing if I were some common shop girl livin in a flat above a cafe?”
”For me? Abso-fucking-lutely.” Domashi can’t resist smiling. ”For the role I will be playing tonight? No, unfortunately. I have to follow the money, and that always has to lead to you. Without a solid ID, we have to sell this by actions alone.”
Turning away, Lany continues the game, ”Shame… I had plans for that jessie.” She turns back with a devilish grin, ”Perhaps I could make it worth your while?”
Domashi has lost count of how many times he has considered just walking off this job. And that count just got larger. He looks Lany over hungrily, and then wipes a little drool from the corner of his mouth. ”You most certainly can, your highness. I am at your disposal.”
Calculating the remaining trip in her head, Lany can’t pass this up. She can feel her body already tingling in anticipation. ”My driv… My valet has an ebony ‘stik up front. It’s yours if you give me what I desire.” Lany proposes seductively.
Domashi is unable to think very clearly at this point. He has wanted some solo time with Lany for days. He turns to reach across her waist and rubs the hip furthest from him. ”And what is it that you desire, your highness. You need only mention it, and I will deliver it to you.”
Already feeling wet from Domashi’s mere touch, Lany whispers into his ear, ”I want you to ravish me, like I’m some common streetwalker.” She leans in and begins to kiss him, but stops herself quickly, deciding it was time to let Domashi take control of her for a change.
Domashi starts hiking up the skirt of her dress, still paying a little attention to keeping it in good condition. ”Ravish you? No foreplay, no intense kisses… Just ravish you? I can do that, M’Lady.”
Lany gives him an animalistic gaze as she nods enthusiastically in affirmation. She shifts her body around towards Domashi and braces herself in her position, her legs already quivering in anticipation.
Domashi has a little trouble getting the skirt up past her knees, and when he inspects the problem he finds it is catching on some firearm that is holstered to the outside of her right thigh. Once he makes sure that is cleared, he can easily access her black panties. Despite not really caring what they were, he does catch “Firing Whiplash” printed on them as he slides them down her legs, and makes sure to lever them around the firearm. Normally, at this point, he would be diving his head down to taste her essence. This time however, his princess has commanded him to skip that, so he instead unfastens his belt and trousers, sliding them down to his knees a little clumsily. His underwear follows suit, and his raging erection is already jerking in desire for her.
Lany’s eyes fixate on Domashi’s hardness, and she raises her eyebrows before breathing, ”That’s it, give your lady all she paid for.”
Domashi pushes Lany’s legs apart and presses his manhood against her wet pussy. For the first time in several years, he almost completely ignores Yumi’s advice, and pushes into Lany a little roughly and slides all the way into her. ”Bloody hell, my queen! That gets better every time it happens.” He cries out to her in complete sincerity.
Gasping for air as she feels Domashi’s first thrust hit the furthest depths of her, Lany let’s out a loud moan of relief. Her body has been wanting, craving, this since that morning. It was as though the family had triggered something inside Lany, and she found her desire to make love with them was growing by the day.
Domashi growls to her in his lust. He still shifts his perception to read her aura, because even with her claim to ravish her, he has no wish to hurt her. He pulls back and sinks in quickly while judging her reaction. Her aura screams out for more, and she does not react in any way turned off. He quickens his pace, and thrusts into her with all of his lust and desire for her to be seen, and felt, each and every time.
Lany’s body is awash in ecstasy as Domashi takes her at full force, every bit of her hoping that the rapture she is experiencing will never end. She wraps her legs around his waist, but doesn’t pull him in herself, simply allowing him a better angle of attack.
Feeling Lany’s legs around him only increases his desire for her. Domashi forces his hand underneath her ass and pulls her hips up just a touch as he continues to drive into her. Each time feels as good to him as the first time she mounted him.
The pulsing feeling from deep inside Lany grows with every thrust. She can feel an increasingly familiar feeling of pressure begin to heighten, and for a moment, she fears she may pass out from the overwhelming sensation. ”Fuck… Domashi… Don’t, Christ! Don’t stop!” Lany moans, losing herself in the moment.
”As you command, my queen.” Domashi growls to Lany. ”Say the word, and I will tell our employer to go to hell, and we can go back home to continue this all night.” A tiny spark of guilt creeps its way into his mind at the thought of standing up Jasmine, but that is easily beaten back by the simple joy of being inside Lany.
Lany’s eyes widen at Domashi’s proposal. Part of her knows he is likely playing out his role in this game, but another part of her knows that in a way, he meant it. He really would walk away from this whole job, just for the opportunity to continue their passion uninterrupted. For now, how could she say no? ”Do it, Domashi-san, take me back to my flat and make love to me until the sun rises. I couldn’t want anything more.”
It takes only her agreeing to go back home with him to drive his lust up to the breaking point. ”My queen, it is… Nearly time…” He grabs onto her shoulder a little more roughly than he would mean to in any other moment, and drives into her a few more times before shouting out. ”Fucking Dragons!” and releases into her.
As Lany feels Domashi explode inside her, her own climax reaches it’s zenith. She begins to let out a sustained groan before crying, ”Christ, Domashi… I’m cummin! Fuck!!!”
Domashi remains mounted in Lany and pants as he looks over her aura. The flares of lust, passion, and thrilling enjoyment matches her body’s reactions and her words. For this moment, there is nothing else for him. In but a few heartbeats, the world will return to him, but this moment is damn near perfect. ”I love you Lany. Possibly more than you know. I intend to spend many years trying to show you just how much.”
Moved by her husband’s words, Lany can’t help but respond quickly. ”And I love you, Domashi-san. I never thought I could love anyone the way I love you right now.” Lany reaches for his face, hoping for a kiss.
Before Lany could speak further, Domashi kisses her. He tries like hell to invoke that world ending kiss he has shared with his other wives. While he kisses her, he caresses her face. After what feels like a lifetime, he pulls away from her just a bit. ”I hold no expectations in any way… But do you still wish to go back for more right now, Lany? My most Amazing queen.”
While Lany is rocked to her core by the kiss, she is torn by Domashi’s proposal. Almost every part of her wants him to take her back there and never leave again. But the nagging little voice in her head she had long ago identified as her conscience reminded her of what could be at stake. Armond was likely involved in human trafficking, and possibly much, much worse. If they abandoned the job now, they could lose their opportunity to take him down. Unable to put her responsibilities aside, Lany looks up in regret. ”As badly as I wish for that, I cannae do it. Armond is hurtin people, or is involved in it one way or the other. It wouldn’t be right to let him go on doin that, just to follow my own heart.”
The smile never leaves Domashi’s face. He kisses Lany and then licks up the bottom of her nose to the tip. ”Of course, my love. The simple fact that you meant it at the time is enough for me. I suppose we should get you cleaned up then.” He winks to her, and then snatches the bar towel from the end of the seat. He places it under their hips before he removes himself from her, and lowers his head down to clean her as he wipes up all he misses.
As the limo pulls into the lot Domashi and Jasmine had agreed upon, he and Lany can see a fine looking Jasmine, dressed up for the night out, being manhandled by a large man in a cheap suit. They are standing beside a Hyundai Shin-Hyung with three basketball sized dermaplast boxes on the asphalt next to them. As the limo driver opens the door for Lany to get out, the man slaps Jasmine across the face, hard. The move knocks her to the ground, and the man grabs her roughly by the arm and hisses at her. ”Now, get this straight! I’m out to see the Great Armond, and have a good time. I only brought you along because it would make me look weak to show up without a woman. I’m tired of putting up with your crap, and if you don’t get in the car right now, I will seriously fuck you up when we get home tonight!”
Immediately noticing the altercation, Lany doesn’t wait for Domashi to exit before snapping into action. She breaks into a sprint towards the abusive lug, bowling into him with her shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Stunned by the sudden bull rush, Gregoir stumbles back to his feet quickly. ”What the frag?” he spits.
Lany places herself between Gregoir and Jasmine, staring him dead in the eye, ”So you like to hit girls, do you?” She asks in a serious tone, despite the outlandish, glowing dress she was wearing.
Domashi is torn as he steps out of the limo. Most of him wants to go and rot the flesh right off the bones of the man he assumes is Gregoir. After he determines that Lany has the situation in hand, the rest of him urges him to tend to Jasmine. He hustles over to her, and squats down near her. ”Are you alright? Can you stand?”
Gregoir sizes up the diminutive elf before him. He doubts she is even half his weight, and is at least a foot shorter. He gives her a laugh as he responds, ”And just who the fuck are you supposed to be?”
Lany gives him brief grin before replying, ”I’m the girl who hits back.” She closes the few feet between them with unnatural speed, launching an obvious body blow at Gregoir. This isn’t his first fight though, and he drops his guard low to block it before contact. Distracted by his overconfidence, he completely misses the right cross aimed at his chin, and the force of the strike causes him to see stars in his vision.
When Jasmine nods to Domashi, he helps her to her feet and keeps an arm very loosely around her to stabilise her. ”Come on, let’s get you to the limo.” Domashi spares a glance to Lany, to make sure things are still good for her. Needless to say, they are.
Now realizing he is in for a serious fight, Gregoir take his turn to strike back. He sends a combo of haymakers toward Lany’s face, the first of which is easily dodged. The second is stopped in it’s tracks by her outstretched arm. A little smile can be seen on her face after the block, but it is gone as quickly as it came. She grabs his arm and shoulder, pulling his body down as she thunders her knee into his abdomen, driving the air from his chest. As he struggles for breath, Lany considers kicking high, but her heels and dress impede such maneuvers, so she settles for a heavy strike to the lower leg. Lany can feel his fibula snap as her heavily augmented bone collides with Gregoir’s and an airless groan can be heard as he drops to one knee. Lany doesn’t waste any time to savor the moment, and delivers a spinning elbow to the side of Gregoir’s head, robbing him of the sight of her sexy legs as her dress flares up, due to him slipping into unconsciousness.
Domashi spares another quick look to ensure Lany is safe, before smiling to Jasmine and saying. ”You look absolutely stunning, Jasmine. We are nearly there. You can rest and even get a drink if you want.” Domashi helps Jasmine slowly enter the limo, and brushes off her gown. ”Can I get you anything?” Jasmine is still processing everything, and can only shake her head a little to him.
Domashi caresses her cheek lightly. ”Just relax here, and I will take care of everything.” He kisses Jasmine’s forehead, and stands turning to the driver. Really seeing the driver for the first time tonight, Domashi can tell she is an attractive blond woman with her hair tucked up under the hat that all limo drivers still wear for some reason. He can’t tell if she is actually blushing, or if that is just makeup. ”If you can’t keep her in the car with words alone, make sure to alert me before she steps out. Understood?” He asks her while indicating Jasmine. She nods sharply. ”Understood.”
Domashi looks the driver over quickly and sees a determined professionalism in her stance, and that reassures him. He sighs, turns, and strides the few paces to the Hyundai, stepping over Gregoir as he does so. He notices Lany straightening her gown while standing at Gregoir’s head.
Lany looks up at Domashi with a casual smile. ”So that’s Jasmine, then. Is she alright?” Satisfied with her gown, she begins to start checking her hair.
At first when Domashi turns to look at Lany there is a look of clear anger and frustration. The moment he actually sees who is talking that fades. He lets out a heavy sigh. ”Physically, I think she is fine. I’ll take a closer look as soon as we are through here.” He looks back to the limo. ”Emotionally… I dunno. I haven’t had the time to get a good read.” He looks to the asphalt as he turns back to Lany. As he raises his head to look her right in the eyes, there is a smile on his lips. ”You didn’t give me much time to talk to her.”
”It would’ve gone quicker, but I cannae kick right in this bloody rig… Lany states matter of factly. A little glimmer comes to her eyes as she adds, ”Maybe we could have a quick release added?”
Domashi nods to Lany. ”I think I can take care of that. Make sure I can collect it tomorrow morning, and I will drop it off during my errands.” He looks to the small crates of drones. ”Would it be too much for your highness to collect those, and put them in the limo? If you would rather, you could rifle through the hooligan’s car, but I am pretty sure that is beneath you.”
Lany gives Domashi an incredulous look, ”I’ll get the crates. A princess shouldn’t spoil her gown before the gala, after all.” She adds with a grin.
”Thank you, my queen.” Domashi bows to Lany, before turning to return to the Hyundai to look for anything that might even hint of being Jasmine’s.
As Domashi walks to the car, Jasmine pokes her head out of the limo. ”Dominik. I left my purse in the car, could you get it for me, please? Can’t miss it in the middle, between the seats.”
Domashi stops long enough to look back. ”Already on it! Is there anything else you have in the car?” Jasmine responds with, ”Oh, and my shawl, please. It should be on the back seat.” He nods to her in acknowledgement. After poking his head in through the driver’s side door, Domashi looks around quickly. The purse was as easy to find as Jasmine had said, but he continues to search to take anything that looks like it doesn’t belong to the drekstain drooling on the ground. He opens the compartment on the passenger side and dumps the contents on the floor to spread them out. Among the usual paperwork and crap these things gather, he notices two credsticks that he pockets. He reaches under both seats and drags out anything he finds there. The damn fool actually has packages of drugs already cut for resale. For a moment, Domashi plans on just leaving it all and calling the police. Then the realization that there are a couple of girls and several women counting on him to help provide for a house sinks in. He pockets the drugs too, with the thought that he can always dump them later if his conscience gets to him. He then leans on the back of the driver’s side seat to look over the back seat and floor. He reaches down to grab the shawl Jasmine had asked for. Satisfied that he has collected everything that is Jasmine’s, and even a few things that might not be hers, he gathers everything up and considers breaking a window, or something. When he realizes that none of his spells are very useful against objects, he sighs at his shortsightedness.
After finishing loading the crates into the limo, Lany looks towards the car and sees Domashi still lingering inside. Her curiosity takes hold and she walks over to inquire. ”Dominik, what’s takin all night?” Lany asks playfully while keeping her eyes on lookout.
Domashi exits the car, grabbing Jasmine’s purse as he stands. ”Why? Do you have a hot date tonight?” He winks to Lany.
”Well, I did purchase the services of a sexy, young escort for the evenin.” Lany replies without missing a beat.
Domashi offers Lany his arm with a smile. ”Then I think we should get you to this extremely lucky escort as fast as we can.”
”I’m glad we’re on the same page then. Now, let’s get this bloody thing over with. I don’t want to have to wait too long to get you alone again.” Lany declares, leading the way back to the limo.
Domashi smiles to his very beautiful wife as she leads him. At the limo though, he has to have Lany go first, and helps her in by holding her hand.
The driver smiles at Domashi after he assists Lany into the limo and gives him a small motion with her hand. When he looks at her she hands him a small hardstock card with the information for Erica’s Limousine and Guide Service. There are two commcodes listed and a matrix address. She lets him read the card then takes it and swipes it gently across his chest and slips it into a pocket of the tux. ”You are the most interesting people I have driven for in a long time. Contact me if you ever need a ride and I will use my influence on Erica to see that you get the best service possible. If you are interested in a party in the back tonight or any night, just let me know and I will do my very best to make it an evening to remember.” She licks her lower lip in a suggestive manner. ”And I mean that quite sincerely.”
Domashi smiles at the attention he never expected. For a moment, a long moment, he thinks of kissing the driver. If he didn’t have Lany and Jasmine in the limo, he would without a second of hesitation. He nods to the driver. ”I am certain you mean every word, and I will let you prove that to me sometime. If my card wasn’t already full, I would have you do it now.” After fishing around in his pants pocket, he offers the driver his hand with a sizable sum of nuyen palmed in it to tip her.
The pretty woman accepts the tip without batting an eye and leans forward just a bit. ”Thank you sir. I can tell that your card has a couple of entries, but I am pretty sure it is not full, if earlier is any indication. And I kick for both teams if your friends are interested.” She may have detected Domashi’s hesitation, because she leans just a bit closer and kisses him on the lips, a kiss of potential and promise. Nothing earth shattering or time stopping, but very nice nevertheless. Breaking the kiss she smiles at Domashi and holds the door open for him.
With the thought of Lany, and the traumatized Jasmine being the only thing stopping Domashi from taking this woman right here and now, he lets out a long and frustrated sigh. He smiles and winks to the driver, vowing to get her name before the night is over, and steps into the limo looking first to Jasmine to see how she is holding up, before handing her the purse and shawl in his hands.
Jasmine nods. She appears to be a bit shaken and if she has heard the driver she does not let on. ”Thank you, Dominik. And….and I am afraid I am not sure just who you are but thank you for kicking Gregoir’s ass. He is going to be pretty mad about a girl beating him up.” Domashi studies Jasmine’s aura as she speaks looking for any damage that wasn’t obvious, both physical and emotional. To his great relief, she seems as sound as can be expected so he relaxes and lets the two hottest women he knows talk without interruption.
Lany chuckles a bit at Jasmine’s remarks. ”He should be mad… fucker didn’t land a punch. But don’t worry about it. I’m Pandora, by the way. One of Dominik’s partners.” Lany replies casually.
Jasmine looks from Domashi to Lany and back before returning her gaze to Lany. ”Well, thank you, Pandora. Your aid was timely, as I am sure that you saw. You moved like you have some dance skills. Have you had lessons?”
Pausing a moment to consider Jasmine’s question, Lany confesses, ”A few, but not since I was a girl. I do some Parkour in my spare time though.”
Jasmine leans forward a bit, her recent problems seemingly forgotten. ”Really? How interesting. I have not seen you at any of our meets. Maybe you have not heard of the Marseilles Parkour Circuit? If not, I could introduce you around if you are interested.”
Lany’s face lights up a bit at Jasmine’s proposal. ”That’s a kind offer. I haven’t been in Marseilles that long, I mostly go by myself.”
Jasmine shakes her head. ”Not sure how you could have missed us.” She looks over at Domashi and smiles. ”Perhaps you have been keeping the wrong sort of company.”
”You’re probably right. Best keep an eye on that one.” Lany jokes with a mirthful look towards Domashi.
Jasmine nods in understanding. ”I understand what you mean, I think. I could plan on keeping a very close eye on him, but I do not want to upset any current girlfriends, you understand?”
Lany looks at her husband knowingly. ”To be honest, I don’t see our dear Dominik here as a one woman man, if you know what I mean.”
Jasmine looks between them again. ”Oh? Thank you for letting me know. I will certainly keep that in mind. But here, give me your ‘link and I will add in my number and that of the local Parkour chapter head.”
Domashi takes the opportunity to open the drone cases while the ladies are distracted. Mostly to start setting them up for Lany, but also so he can stash the drugs he took out of Gregoir’s car in the empty crates. He hopes without anyone seeing. Lany catches the movement out of the corner of her eye, but decides to hold her tongue about it in front of Jasmine.
Lany hands her link to Jasmine, who taps in some numbers and hands it back with a smile. ”There you go. Now you can call anytime. We have a meet this weekend and then in two weeks. You should come if you are interested in meeting the other members of the club here.” She gives Lany a close look. ”And you are going to have some fans, if you know what I mean and if you are interested.”
Giving Jasmine a slightly confused look, Lany responds, ”Fans? What do you mean?”
Jasmine laughs. ”Well, two sorts, really. If you have any skill at it, you will get some spectator fans. You do well at some of the meets and you might get a sponsor or two. Win a couple of meets and you can be making some serious money. And the second type of fan is the guy that likes the way you look and wants to share some flat dancing time with you. And, Pandora, you definitely have the body most guys like, if you know what I mean.”
Unable to keep from blushing, Lany almost laughs as she remarks, ”I guess I never realized people would pay to see me jumpin over things. Suppose work keeps me pretty distracted.” There is some discomfort buried behind her comment, as her ignorance reminds her of just how out of touch she is with most of the world.
Jasmine nods. ”Like I said, there can be money in it, sometimes big money for the better competitors and a chance to go on the national or even the international circuits and even bigger rewards. But believe me, there will be plenty of people watching you for both reasons….probably some for both reasons at the same time. You are very beautiful and I hope that Dominik is telling you that.”
Domashi smiles at Lany. ”I try to. I may not be doing it often enough… But that is something I am working on.” In response to all the attention, Lany blushes a nice color. Domashi looks to Jasmine. ”Are you ready to go into the gala? I wouldn’t think less of you if you wanted to nap in the limo. Hell, if it is your kind of thing, I am sure the driver will even keep you company.”
Jasmine gives Domashi a bit of a double take. ”Yes…. No, no. Thank you. I’m alright. I can handle this evening without any issue.” She smiles to Domashi at the care and consideration he shows, even if he was a bit more blunt with the driver offer than she expected.
Domashi takes Jasmine at her word with a nod. ”In that case… We have a bit of a stage act going on here. If you would feel like it, we could include you in it. The first idea I have is to have you pretend to be Pandora’s assistant or lady-in-waiting. I briefed you on the broad strokes, we are trying to pull off a German Princess in order to get Armond’s attention to the wealthy and powerful Pandora. Then, if his outward portrayal is honest, he will flirt with me. If the rumors are true, he will not have any chance of resisting the two of you. We will need some time alone with him to get those voice prints you wanted. Are you interested?”
”It would help to have someone else in the entourage. Princess types rarely go anywhere without someone to help them wipe their arses, it seems.” Lany muses encouragingly to Jasmine.
Jasmine looks between Lany and Domashi just like before, until she settles on Domashi. ”And what role are you playing, Dominik?” Domashi can see the glimmer of humor in her eyes.
”I am the money leaching suitor to her highness.” He winks to Lany as one more thought occurs to him. ”And what is her highness’s name?”
”Helena Seckendorff, Reichsfurst of Bavaria.” Lany clarifies confidently.
Jasmine shimmies in her seat a bit with excitement. ”I think I might enjoy this, if you two really do not mind me acting like a fifth wheel?” Both Lany and Domashi shake their heads in answer to Jasmine’s question of if they mind. ”Then count me in. This is going to be fun.”
Just then, the speakers chime and the sultry and sexy voice of their driver pipes in. ”I apologize for the interruption, but we are about a block away from the Hotel de Ville lot.” Domashi thinks he hears her sigh.
”It’s showtime.” Lany declares with a grin to her companions. It was something she had always said before going on set as a kid. She hadn’t spoken the phrase in years, and doing it again felt somehow right to her.
105
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 17:58
Hotel de Ville, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, & JasmineDomashi has the three MCT Redlight Pro drones up and running for Lany when the driver opens the door for her. As he instructed her, she waits for the drones to leave first and set up at their self determined ranges and angles to capture her grand entrance to the gala. He then gives Jasmine another look over with raised eyebrows, giving her another chance to back out if she didn’t feel up to it. Jasmine smiles to him and nods as she exits the limo just behind her princess. With just a small pause to thank whoever, or whatever, has blessed him with such luck, Domashi then follows the two hotties in stepping out of the limo.
It takes just a few nanoseconds to see that Lany is already a few feet from the limo playing to her role perfectly as she soaks up any and all attention given her while acting like she only gives those with her a brief thought, if any. Jasmine has fallen into step behind her and appears to be enjoying herself quite a bit. That leaves Domashi with a semi private moment with the very tantalizing driver. ”If you happen to have a change of clothes in the car, feel free to look for me inside. Just know I won’t really have the opportunity to pay you much attention. Otherwise, feel free to relax. You have earned it.” He smiles to her before taking out his comm and continuing. ”If you will give me a code to contact you with, I will let you know a few minutes before we leave to give you plenty of time.”
The pretty young woman places a hand at Domashi’s chest and strokes it near the pocket she had slipped the card into. ”You already have my code, Mister Ripnu. Feel free to use it at any time. I am currently between serious companions and could be available for just about any sort of special event.” Her hand remains against his in a slightly suggestive manner before she smiles and withdraws it.
Domashi has to struggle to keep from kissing the woman he now suspects is Erica. His smile to her widens before he says to her. ”Then I take it you are Erica? I do apologize, I should have been more perceptive earlier. Do you have any regular days off? Or is your schedule always flexible?”
She shrugs her pretty shoulders. Even in the chauffeur’s uniform she exudes a certain sex appeal. ”I pretty much set my own time and hours. I actually have a fairly extensive client list, but this was my last gig for a couple of weeks. I was planning on some long soaks in a hot tub and reading various books while on a well-deserved vacation. I think that you would find me quite flexible.”
Erica’s last statement draws his eyes to her waist before he can even think to stop himself. Domashi licks his lips as he looks back into her eyes. ”Do not let me leave your company tonight without talking with you a little more. I would not dare to interrupt your well-deserved vacation, but I think I might be able to offer you some entertaining evenings to help you relax some.” Out of reflex, Domashi winks to her before he prepares to join his companions and partners.
Erica nods. ”I am sure you can be very entertaining. And what are vacations for if not to experience new things and, like I said, I am currently between relationships and could use some entertainment.” She leans forward and puts her lips to his ear. ”My flat has a tub big enough to hold two, or perhaps four, people quite comfortably.” Her tongue slips out and licks the underside of Domashi’s ear as her hand gently strokes his growing erection a couple of times before she pulls away and stands aside and points to a parking lot full of similar limos. ”I will be waiting in the car park just over there. Do let me know when you are ready to come.”
More than a little bit of Domashi is ready right now. He struggles to remember just why he is here in the first place, and then the thought of Lany and Jasmine pulls him back to reality. ”Of course, Erica. I do plan on being a couple of hours, so please relax and enjoy the time as best you can. I look forward to this event being over, though.” With another genuine smile to her, he turns and leaves before she really has a chance to distract him away from his duties to his wife, and his friend.
Arriving as late as they have has allowed them to escape most of the media attention, but there are a couple of vidnews drones holding station at the gala entrance. Lany looks delectable and the drones hovering about her should certainly bring her some attention. Jasmine is looking closely at Domashi as he saunters up to them, her eyes flicking to his waist. ”Making some extra time with the driver, I see. She is quite pretty. So, do you have a thing for girls in uniform or just girls in general?”
Jasmine’s question causes a sincere chuckle to rise from Domashi’s chest. ”Just in general. She does look good in that uniform though. Even still, she can’t compare to you tonight.” Even though he meant every word, Domashi realises quite suddenly that she might not take it as well as he meant it.
Jasmine smiles brightly at the compliment and winks as she turns to join Lany. ”And how would you know if you have not sampled her, Dominik? So what is our play here? Do I walk behind and to the left or at the side of the princess or what?”
Internally, Domashi is greatly relieved as Jasmine takes his wandering interest in stride. ”I would say behind and to the left. We are trying to present her as very high station, and I did not have the foresight to get a dress to show you at a higher station, unfortunately. It is a pity too, as you certainly have the grace and the bearing to pull it off. Maybe next week?” He says with humor, but also with the sincerest desire to buy her a very nice dress too.
Jasmine laughs. ”You have another of these gala’s on for next week? My, you do get around. I did not know that you could afford thousand nuyen dinners that often.” She reaches into her purse and takes out her invitation, handing it to Domashi.
The walk up the long stairs is covered in a red carpet. Lany takes Domashi’s arm and Jasmine falls in behind them as they approach the men waiting at the entrance doors. One of the men accepts the offered invitations that Domashi hands them and checks them against a list he has on a tablet while a second man passes a wand of some kind over their bodies. Domashi takes note of their stance and feels confident in an appraisal that they are well trained security men. Invitations checked, the doorman ushers all of them through a MAD scanner at the door, where a pretty woman has materialized. She smiles as she addresses each by name and Domashi does not have to wonder if her eyes seem to linger on him a bit longer than on either of the women he is with. Then her attention goes to Lany. {German} ”Good evening, Reichsfurst Seckendorff. My name is Louisa and I am one of the hostesses here. You have arrived at a perfect time, Your Grace. Please accompany me into the ballroom and I will see you situated.”
Lany nods to the woman and lets her lead them into the building. She looks around the decor without any real interest, and then turns to look up at Domashi. ”Not as nice as the event in Geneva last month, would you not agree?” Lany says absently, putting a thick German accent behind her French words.
Domashi nods without taking his eyes off of Lany’s. ”I do think that Your Grace’s assessment is quite correct.” He adds in a smile.
The large room they enter is crowded with people currently milling about and doing the social equivalent of one-upmanship by quality of gown. They see a small host of hovering drones that have to be chronicling the activities of everyone. Uniformed waiters and waitresses glide effortlessly through the crowd, trays of wine glasses delicately balanced in experienced hands. As Lany and Jasmine look around, comparing the various gowns they see to theirs, the hostess leans in close to whisper to Domashi. ”That event may have been in a nicer venue, but it did not have me there. My commcode is loaded onto your ‘link, under Louisa. Let me know if you get bored.”
The hot hostess points out the locations of the bar and snack tables and reminds them that they should be in the main ballroom about fifteen minutes before dinner to make sure that they get a decent seat for the show. She smiles at all of them before leaving, her smile lingering just a bit longer on Domashi. As she turns and walks away, Domashi, completely in keeping with his gigolo guise as well as his basic nature, watches her closely, noting that her ass looks remarkably nice in the sharp pantsuit she is wearing.
Jasmine nudges Domashi gently. ”Hey, Casanova, eyes on the princess. Of course, I suppose it is expected to try to make time with all the women here. I have heard some very interesting stories about what goes on at parties like this after the show is over, the wine is still flowing, and the lights go down for the dancing.”
Domashi would be hard pressed to be pulled away from watching the hostess’s ass. There are only a handful of women who could do it easily, and Jasmine is one of them. His attention turns to Jasmine’s exquisite eyes. ”Are you looking to find out? I will make sure to have that happen if you are.” His eyes are smiling to her as he winks.
Jasmine leans forward, keeping her voice low. ”Promises, promises, Dominik. But can you live up to them, I wonder? You do seem to have a great deal of freedom in your women. You know, from the way the two of you look at each other, I would swear that you and Pandora were intimate together, and recently, but if so, it was not in the car…..unless that cute driver cleaned up after you while you were out of it. Does Christine know about you and Pandora? Not judging here, but I need to know if I should keep my mouth closed about it when I see her next.”
Domashi never loses the smile Jasmine brings out of him, and replies to her without shame. ”I said to you the other day that I keep no secrets from the important women in my life. Christine, Pandora, and you, as far as I am concerned, are some of the important women in my life. Our situation is pretty far from typical, and I am willing to tell you all about it. I am also willing to go slow on that, if you are not quite ready to hear everything just yet.” He licks his lips. ”Whenever you are ready, Jasmine. Just say the word.”
Jasmine actually gives a slight shiver but smiles broadly as she puts a hand on Domashi’s shoulder. ”I don’t really know if I am ready, Dominik. What I do know is that I want to be ready. I have come to the distinct conclusion that my first impression of you was very………um………inaccurate. I would love to have a second chance to get to know you. Also, it would appear that I am between boyfriends right now, so do you have room on your card for another girlfriend?”
Domashi spares a quick glance to make sure Lany isn’t getting in over her head, and to his amazement she seems to be really enjoying herself. He then looks back to Jasmine. ”The simplest thing I could say here is that you do not need a second chance. You have never lost your first one.” He grins at her and can’t help but put a hand on her hip. ”Along with that, you are already on my card. I do want to give you a couple of days though… I’d rather you made the decision without any regrets.”
Jasmine’s eyes grow larger and she nods her head. ”I think that you really mean that, Dominik. Thank you and it means a lot to know that I am not just some sort of score for you. A couple of days might do it, although I may need to find a hotel to stay at for a few nights while Gregoir cools down. He is going to wake up with quite a headache and a big hard on for me and Pandora, and I do not mean that in a sexual manner. He is going to be very mad and looking to get some payback. He does not know her or where she lives, but me………”
”Not to worry, Jasmine. If you think you might be up to it, Pandora, Christine, and I have a couple of hotel suites. There are some others there too, and you will be welcomed by them all. If that is a bit too much for you, I will get you your own room. It can even be in another hotel, if you choose.” Domashi does not even try to hide the concern he has for her.
Jasmine nods thoughtfully. ”And are these “others” also women? And are they your lovers, too?”
Domashi nods. ”Most of them are, yes. My daughter is not a lover though.” He winks to Jasmine knowing he caught her off guard unfairly. ”All of them are important to me, and I hold no secrets from any of them, except for my daughter. She is too young for that level of honesty. They are all good, caring women and I know you could be comfortable there if you are ready.”
Jasmine pauses and Domashi can tell that he has, indeed, caught her a bit off guard but she recovers quickly. ”Just how many women would I be sharing you with in this harem of yours? And are you sure they would accept me?”
”I know they will accept you. Whatever I couldn’t tell them about you, I am certain Christine has made sure that they know what a wonderful woman you are.” He smiles wide for the next part. ”I would not call it a harem, as I often feel like I am the one that is kept.” He winks to Jasmine. ”All told, there are five, including you. There is Christine, and Pandora. Keiko, mother to our daughter, Mirai. And Iliena, who I am starting to think is the alpha of our group.”
”Wow. And I was just thinking my life was complicated. Do they have a rotation in the sack or what? Any group stuff? Are we allowed outside “interests”?”
A light laugh escapes from Domashi. ”I do think you are becoming ready. There is no set rotation. I tried bringing that up as a way to make sure I showed an equal amount of attention to them all, and it was shot down quite rapidly.” His smile never fades. ”The group stuff does happen, but to be completely honest with you… I prefer one on one. And you are most certainly allowed outside interests. It is even encouraged, if you feel the need. I just need to ask you to keep me out of sight of it, as I am still working my way through being able to witness it.”
Jasmine nods again. ”Wow, again. OK, I can keep anything on the down low, but it sounds like I might not need to worry about it. For a while at least, I suppose, until you get tired of me. On another issue; a daughter. Young I take it? Are you encouraging or discouraging pregnancies here?”
Domashi’s eyes sparkle with humor and admiration for Jasmine. ”At this rate, I will be through telling you everything before we even have our first drink. Hmmm… You do not need to keep any other interests secret from me. I am perfectly okay with the concept. It is just… That watching it is too new for me right now. I will not grow tired of you, you are not some fling to me….” Domashi tries to remember what else she asked of him. ”Mirai is two and a half, and I have very little say in pregnancies as that isn’t really my call. Last any told me though, they were all taking precautions against it. I do not think that needs to change right now, because I think our princess there might be adopting another girl. A homeless orphan she helped recently. I think between her and Mirai, we will have enough for the immediate future.” He leans down closer to Jasmine. ”Can I answer anything else for you right now, my gorgeous dancer, or can you enjoy the party a bit? We have plenty of time, you do not have to draw everything from me right now, if you can wait.”
Jasmine giggles just a bit. ”I have to tell you that I am not a very passive sort of person. It sounds like I could really like these women, and I will leave it at that for now except for two final questions. First, jealousy. You have said that you are uncomfortable watching any of the others with other people. Does that happen often and are they jealous of you with other women, to include each other? Second, when could I meet them to be sure I would fit? I guess that is technically more than two questions, but the first couple were related so I am counting them as just one.”
”As far as I am concerned, you don’t have to count them at all. I welcome you to ask anything and everything you want. There has not been any opportunities for me to observe them with anyone outside of the core group yet. I do not know if they have not had any, or are respecting my difficulties.” Domashi thinks a little bit. ”Pandora has recently found herself an outside interest, and that is helping me to come to grips with it all. If there is any jealousy between them, no one has made mention of it to me. I do try very hard to make sure no one woman gets more attention than the others though, so that might help with that. As for when you can meet them, I was already planning on calling them tonight to make sure they would welcome you. My intention is to drop you off at the hotel before I keep my promises to Pandora after the show.”
Jasmine nods. ”OK. Further questions will be dependent on what I get from the other women, if that is alright with you. I have about a billion right now, but it looks like our princess may need a bit of a rescue. Perhaps I should play the good handmaid and go secure some seating in the dining room? I know it is early, but we don’t want to be left standing against the wall, right?”
”As much as I would rather stand here talking to you than watch this pompous ass, you are right. We should get back to work, and make our princess happy.” Domashi winks to Jasmine, but does not take his hand from her hip or even move.
Jasmine leans in and gives Domashi a kiss on the cheek. ”Tell you what. I will let you look at my hopefully less pompous ass as I walk off to fetch you some snacks before wandering into the next room.” She steps away and actually wriggles her butt in his direction as she moves off in search of the snack tables. By the time Domashi looks back at Lany, she has three men gathered about her. She looks to be handling herself well, but one of the men does seem a bit handsy.
Domashi is fairly certain that just yesterday he would have had the overwhelming urge to punch the man getting handsy with “his” princess. Today, it doesn’t bother him as much, but he feels he might need to make a statement for the men to see if Lany wants the easy out. He walks up to her and brushes a lock of her hair back. ”I’m sorry, Your Grace. Your maiden distracted me for longer than I intended. Can I get you anything?”
Lany gives Domashi an apathetic look before stating, ”More attentiveness would be a start; my dear Dominik, but a fresh glass of champagne would suffice for now.” She then returns her attention to her grab-happy acquaintance. ”And you, sir, have insulted me for the last time.” Lany declares, her hands planted firmly on her hips.
A man in the uniform of the security detail for the gala shows up almost as if he had been waiting in earshot of the important German Princess. ”I am Pierre Roget, Your Grace, event security. May I be of assistance?”
Giving the man a glare that insists he should have been there sooner, Lany answers abruptly. ”You had best be of some assistance. This… vagabond has been laying his filthy hands on my gown for the last thirty minutes. I thought an event such as this would at least screen their guests for a measure of refinement. I am Reichsfurst of Bavaria, not some serving wench to be manhandled. I want this curr removed at once.”
The two men not apparently the subject of the Reichsfurst’s ire simply fade away into the gathering crowd. The security officer nods and holds out a hand to the man who is the source of her outrage. ”Pardon me, Minister, but I will need to ask you to come with me.” He turns to Lany and bows slightly. ”Forgive me, Your Grace, but I am afraid that I cannot simply remove him. Do you think an apology and perhaps an increased donation to the charity this evening would suffice?” The offending Minister looks to be almost having an attack of some sort, but keeps his mouth shut for the time being.
Jasmine manages to push her way through the gathering crowd of onlookers, three trays of snacks in her hands. She stops just before popping from the crowd into the small open area around her mistress, some older guy in a fancy tux, and some really cute guy in a rather plain suit. Looking about, she spies Domashi and glides almost effortlessly through the crowd. For just about the first time in her life, she is thankful for the endless hours she had put in waiting tables at her family’s cafe. Once at Domashi’s side, she hands him a plate of snacks. ”So what is going on here?”
Domashi chuckles to Jasmine. ”Our Reichsfurst is busy teaching manners to one of her admirers.” He pops a small fried piece into his mouth. ”Apparently, he is a minister and has been a little too forward with her, in a physical sense.” He examines one of the little sandwiches, but places it back on the tray for now. ”To be honest, I’m surprised he is getting to walk away unhurt.”
Jasmine almost chokes on whatever she is eating. ”No, Dominik, not a minister, as in a church, but Minister. That is Georges St Eclou, as in the government official in charge of the homeless widows and orphans in Marseilles. This is his charity gala. Say, you don’t like that sandwich? May I? One of my favorites.” Domashi nods to her and extends the tray for her. Jasmine nods thanks and takes the sandwich. ”Thanks. So, is the show nearly over? Shame I missed most of it. Who is the guy in the regular suit? Security of some sort?”
Domashi nods again. ”Pierre Roget, event security. If he catches your attention, you could do much worse.” He gives Jasmine a genuine and warm smile.
Reacting as though she has been extremely put out, Lany sighs heavily and considers the offer for what seems like an eternity. She is quietly enjoying watching the lecherous Minister tremble in his cumberbun as he prays for a graceful escape to his predicament. She at last responds, ”Very well, but it will need to be quite the generous donation. It appears that Marseilles has more than it’s share of children living on it’s streets. Perhaps if it’s Ministers spent more time attending to their duties than assaulting women of station, this gala would not even have been necessary.” She begins to turn away, but shifts her icy gaze back to her assailant. ”You are lucky we are not in Bavaria, sir. If we were, you would not be getting off so lightly. See that you do not find yourself there in the future.” Lany declares, wrath evident behind her measured tone.
The older man looks almost apoplectic but bows low to the woman he has insulted and clearly enunciates an apology. He turns to leave, but the security man gives a short “tsk” and the Minister turns back, bowing yet again as he promises to donate an additional one hundred thousand nuyen to the charity, writing a check for the amount on the spot and handing it to the security man, who examines it and places it in his pocket. A smile later and the Minister leaves, the smile turning into a scowl as soon as he is out of sight. Roget bows low to the Reichsfurst. ”I do hope that the punishment is satisfactory, Your Grace. Perhaps you would allow me to remain a bit closer? Perhaps to avoid any similar transgressions in the future?”
Domashi leans a little closer to Jasmine. ”You might have missed your chance…”
Jasmine nods. ”Perhaps. Quite a dish, too. Oh well, I guess I will just have to make do with you.”
Lany considers his offer thoughtfully. She knew that with the scene that just transpired, he would be watching her close regardless of whether she accepted or not. That could get in the way of the mission. Lany then notices the enticing glances Jasmine was giving the handsome security guard. ”That will not be necessary, Monsieur Roget. I believe my Consort here can discourage any others who may be seeking to sully my honor. But if you insist to hover over me, you can provide me the service of accompanying my handmaiden.” Lany replies offhandedly, looking to Jasmine and hoping to see approval for the plan in her face.
Jasmine pops a last sandwich into her mouth and nods meekly at Lany. ”Of course, Your Grace.”
Her look betraying nothing of the joy she felt at Jasmine’s acceptance, Lany turns to Domashi with an almost annoyed stare. ”Come along, Dominik. Have you even bothered yourself with readying our table for Maitre’ Armond’s performance?”
Domashi struggles to hold back the annoyance that Lany is causing in him, and nods. ”Yes, Your Grace.” He falls into step next to her holding out a tray of snacks if she wants any. ”No, Your Grace. Your maid was on her way to do just that when the altercation happened.”
Jasmine gives a contrite look and walks off before she can receive any of the chastising that Lany is passing out to everyone else. The security man, torn between watching the Reichsfurst and her maid, wisely opts for remaining behind, but staying back a bit. Within a few minutes, the lights in the room briefly dim, signalling that everyone should make their way to the main dining room to find a table. The security man, doubtless glad that his responsibilities are at a temporary end, fades off as Lany and Domashi head towards the table secured by Jasmine.
65
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 18:54
Hotel de Ville, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, & JasmineThe table is located off to stage right, and at a nearly perfect angle and distance for viewing the stage. This eight person table would normally be a prime spot, but such is the buzz about the Princess that only one other couple has opted to join them at the table. The gentleman rises to introduce himself and his wife as Jacques and Millicent LeCroix and bows low to the Reichsfurst and shakes hands with Domashi and nods to Jasmine.
Domashi pulls out the chair for Lany first, and tucks her in. And then does the same for Jasmine, selfishly placing himself in between them. He greets Millicent with an approving smile before sitting himself. Lany gives a polite nod to their dining companions before saying, ”Danke.” to her consort for helping her sit.
Almost immediately, waitstaff appear out of nowhere, bringing food and drinks to the tables; much to the approval.of the Reichsfurst. Two very good comedians provide some entertainment while the food is being served and they receive several rounds of generous applause when they leave the stage. Some kind words are said by the Minister who had been a bit handsy with Lany and he even pokes a bit of fun at himself for how he contributed an extra bit to the cause and raises a toast to the Reichsfurst, apologising once again, in public, for his behavior. Lany does her best not to shrink into her seat from all the attention she is attracting. Maybe she just should’ve followed her instincts and broke the Minister’s nose. It probably would have drawn less notice…
The Minister ends his speech by introducing a man who needs no introduction. Maitre Armond. As the lights in the room go down, the Minister blows a kiss at Lany and disappears in a cloud of smoke, only to have Armond emerge from the cloud and bow to the appreciative audience. As he begins a series of magic tricks, it is apparent that he is a very polished showman. Sure people know that magic exists, but Armond adds an entertainment factor to the show that pleases people. There are some errors that are cleverly added to the show and the crowd laughs when a trick does not work, sympathetic to the fact that some magic is unpredictable. Domashi takes the time to assense the man while he is on stage and determines that the man is healthy, certainly awakened, and completely without implants of any kind. Additionally, Armond’s magic level seems to be lower than Domashi’s own.
Domashi leans up against Lany as he lowers his head to whisper to her. ”Are you enjoying the show, Your Grace?”
Lany gives her husband a little smile. ”His show isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But this is theatre. What do you make of his talents?”
Whatever Domashi was about to say is interrupted for a moment as he feels Jasmine’s hand begin to softly stroke his cock through his trousers under cover of the darkness and the edge of the tablecloth. She says nothing, though, and he recovers quickly.
Domashi lets out a little cough before answering Lany. ”So far, he is displaying everything we were told. Nothing of any real note….” He lets out a little sigh. ”There are ways to hide those things, though. If that is what he is doing, I won’t be able to tell just yet. Excuse me, please.” Domashi then calmly leans over to Jasmine and pushes her hair away from her ear so that he can whisper softly to her. ”You do not have to do this. I really want to give you a few days to consider your options without any reservations…. That being said… If you happen to be ready…. Don’t fucking stop because that feels too damn good.” He moans into her ear softly, as he pulls away to not draw too much attention to her.
Domashi can see Jasmine’s smile in the near darkness and he clearly notes that her hand does not miss a stroke during his little speech to her. Her voice is low. ”Let’s just say I am a fast thinker.”
Wondering what Domashi and Jasmine were whispering about, Lany notices her lover’s breathing change, becoming more ragged. She sees that Jasmine’s right hand is nowhere in sight. Her keen ears then detect the muffled sound of a zipper being undone, and Lany just shakes her head. ”You seem to be enjoying yourself.” She casually remarks.
”I’d have to be dead to not do so…” Domashi pants a little bit. ”If you wish extra attention tonight, Erica, the driver, is enthusiastically interested.”
”She certainly sounded like she was. Was the kiss promising?” Lany can scarcely believe the words coming out of her mouth. Is she really entertaining the notion of bringing the driver back to her flat for a shag?
Domashi leans into Lany again and whispers to her. ”Quite promising. Not home-wrecking promising, but still promising. After we drop Jasmine off at the suites, we can use the limo that Erica so kindly offered. And if you want some one on one time with her, I am very much okay with that.”
At this time, Domashi feels cool air on his cock as Jasmine frees it from his trousers and underwear. He can hear her purr a bit as he is talking to Lany about the driver and the feel of a soft hand wrapping around his growing erection.
Intrigued by her growing arousal, Lany decides to admit that fate had made this a day of bold actions. ”That may not be such a bad idea. She was quite a bonnie lass.”
”Shit!” Domashi hisses. ”Sorry, Your Grace. This maid of yours is very talented. We might have to work on improving her interests towards more mixed company.”
”Didn’t take me long.” Lany responds with a chuckle.
Armond finishes a particularly nice trick and has the house lights turn up just a bit. Jasmine chuckles a bit but does not stop her gentle strokes. Armond announces that for his next display of magic, he will need the first of several volunteers from the audience. He looks directly at Lany and motions for her to come on stage.
Immediately regretting her previous thought about boldness, Lany quickly comes to a realization. ”What does it bloody matter, everybody is already fuckin staring.” Lany gives a reluctant nod in agreement and makes her way up to the stage, preparing herself to size up Armond up close.
As Lany climbs the few steps to the stage, the lights go down again. For a few moments all eyes are on the beautiful woman now on stage and Armond. He takes some time describing what the magic is and what Lany’s role will be. Just at that point, Domashi feels a warm mouth slip over the head of his raging erection, causing him to moan a bit. Jasmine apparently has a talented mouth and tongue and begins to prove that to Domashi. She alternates sucking his cock into her mouth with kisses and licks up and down the length of it. His hands involuntarily grab at the tablecloth as she continues to work him.
On stage, Armond is careful to explain exactly what will happen and how the audience will be amazed anyway. He summons a minor Spirit of Man to assist in the magic and Lany can feel…….something……..happening.
Domashi is stunned with the thought that he can’t actually allow himself to fully enjoy Jasmine’s terrific ministrations. He has to try and focus on Lany, and Armond, and watch what they are doing on the Mana Sphere. Times like this, he wishes he followed a tradition that called forth more conventional spirits.
Domashi might not be able to completely enjoy what Jasmine is doing, but enough pleasure gets through that he finds himself approaching the point at which an orgasm is imminent, but he just cannot quite reach that point. Suddenly, there is a soft voice in his ear and a hand on his arm. ”Does she need a bit of help, do you think?” Looking to his side, Domashi can make out the form of Millicent, the wife half of their tablemates. Even though a bit older, he had noted that she still was quite attractive. ”I would be most willing to see if I could help.”
Caught in between worlds, and in between desires, Domashi can’t even bring himself to care if the husband is around, or even notices. ”If you could do so without insulting her, I would be most appreciative. Alternatively, if you could sit here awhile, and let me enjoy your beauty, that might be enough.”
The woman gives a soft laugh. ”Oh no, dear. Just sitting about is not what I had in mind at all.” She lifts the table cloth a bit and slides under the table. A quick look shows Domashi that the elderly husband has apparently fallen asleep and is oblivious to everything, including his wife leaving his side. Domashi hears a few soft words spoken from under the table but cannot them out, but he does know when he feels two tongues on his cock at once and when two sets of lips slide up and down his stiff shaft, sending tremors of pleasure to his brain that even he cannot ignore.
The sensation of two women servicing him at the same time is nothing new to Domashi. In fact, he has had up to three women at once try. But something about these two ladies, working together, with the husband of one of them asleep across the table… Just feels so terribly good. No matter how much he tries to keep calm and collected, under the table his hard erection is jumping and twitching all it’s own. He can hear occasional light giggles from under the table, and for the life of him he thinks they are not coming from Jasmine. The pair of women address him with more focus and determination, and the elusive orgasm from minutes ago is well on its way. Not wishing to cry out, the only thing that occurs to him is to reach under the table and gently tap the women on their heads a couple of times, and to hope that is clear enough.
In response to his tap, a pair of lips wraps about his throbbing erection and he feels a sucking on his cock that seems to pull his cum from his toes. The first blast goes into a mouth, followed by a slight gasp and then the mouth pulls off just as his second jet exits, splashing out to hit a face before a second mouth closes on him to receive the next couple of blasts. When he is done, two sets of lips clean him up and two sets of soft hands tuck his deflated cock back into his pants. The women rise from under the table one at a time, with Millicent first. She kisses Domashi and thanks him for the opportunity. ”You see how excited my husband can get. Thank you and your woman for that. You taste very good, by the way.” She leans over to kiss Domashi’s cheek and he feels her slip something into his pocket. ”Call me Millie and use the ‘link I just gave you to contact me. I would love to see you again.”
Millie returns to sit next to her husband as Jasmine crawls up to sit next to him. ”Well, I did not expect that. Was it OK for you?” Domashi nods enthusiastically, and kisses Jasmine for more than a few moments, forgetting what he was supposed to be doing. ”That was more than okay. You were fantastic. And the way you kindly let Millicent join in is a wonderful gesture as well.”
Jasmine nods. ”Frag. She seems very nice. She showed me a couple of things that I had not tried in the past. I will try them on you again next time. I am, of course, implying that there will be a next time for the two of us…………” Her voice falls off but it had had a soft tone of an unspoken question. Domashi pulls Jasmine close to him and leans into her to whisper into her ear. ”Nothing has changed the way I feel about you. I have no desire for any of this to be a one time thing with you. Should that be your wish, however, I still want you in my life. You are a treasure Jasmine. A woman that is both fantastic with sex, and at the same time worth so much more than that too. Just be in my life, and I can be happy.” Jasmine nods and he can see that the smile on her face is clearly reflected in her eyes. She squeezes his hand and she leans in closer. ”Christine is right; you are quite a man, Dominik. I can actually see myself spending years with you. Thank you.”
Up on stage, Lany is watching the illusion happen around her and still cannot see what is being done. She notices the gasps from the crowd and can feel the excitement build within her. Armond really is a proficient showman and matches his act to the audience, bringing out emotions that are all the more strange because they already know it is magic. Lany stands rooted in the spot, wondering just what the hell was going on.
At the end of the trick, Armond has his lovely assistant take a bow to a great applause. He thanks Lany and has the lights come up just enough to let her get safely down the steps and back to her table.
Giving Jasmine a knowing wink as she returns to the table, Lany looks over to Domashi and asks, ”So what was the trick? I couldn’t see anything up there.”
Jasmine waves her hand. ”I am afraid I really didn’t understand that much of it myself. My angle did not really give me a very good look. A bit over my head, I guess.”
Domashi has to choke down a laugh, and tries to hide it behind a big smile. ”I’m sorry, I was trying my best to keep our table companions entertained. I barely saw anything.” He does wink to Lany in an attempt to show he is playing around with her.
Lany feigns frustration. ”Fine then, leave me lost on the matter.” She fails, however, to conceal the grin that follows her remark. ”Was probably glowin in the dark up there.” She finishes in a whisper.
”Well, Your Grace, your drones might have picked it up, if it wasn’t a ‘soft’ spell. Allow me to pull up their footage, and show you.” Domashi pulls out his comm, and links to the three Redlight drones that have been following Lany the whole night. ”Here.” He hands his comm to Lany. ”This is from when you start to go on stage.”
”Danke.” Lany says with a nod, ”May I?” She asks, gesturing to the concealed datajack below her ear. Domashi nods in acceptance and gestures to her to hand the link back so he can have it invite her for three MARKs. Pulling up the image in her AR display, Lany opens the recording of her thus far and locates the section of her onstage. She sees herself standing stage right to Armond, indeed glowing like a blue chandelier as the lights in the hall dropped.
Armond walks about the stage, waving his arms and calling out mystic words and smoke starts flowing up around Lany, coming in from all parts of the stage. Within a couple of minutes, only her head remained visible above a layer of thick fog-like smoke. A gust of wind moves across the stage, swirling the fog about and moving it away from Lany, exposing her as a headless body. There is a collective gasp from the crowd and even Lany, who knows she was there, has a hard time believing she was……well, except for her head, of course, which turns back and forth as it scans the crowded hall. When the last of the smoke clears the stage, the crowd gasps again, because all of Lany’s missing body parts are lying on the stage beneath her head.
A bit of eerie music presages the arrival of a rotund spirit who wanders in from off stage right and begins dancing about the bodiless head. It picks up her arms and begins to juggle them then sticks them onto where the body would be if there was a torso. The arms flap about a bit then fall to the stage. The spirit tries the shins next only to have them fall off as well. Over the next few minutes, the spirit tries several quite comical combinations of body parts, all of them wrong. Finally, the spirit seems to give up and walks off, leaving the head floating about. A second spirit makes an appearance from the opposite wing of the stage, this one a knight in shining armor. It makes a show of carefully approaching the suspended head, motioning with a hand to its helmeted face for the head to not speak. It puts the sword in its sheath and begins putting the body back together in the correct sequence………mostly. It gets the right and left hands mixed up for a bit, and looks to the crowd to help him. When he is finished, the spirit knight opens his helmet to reveal the face of Armond. The spirit smiles at the now whole Lany and they begin moving off the stage together as the fog returns, concealing them.
Armond waves his hands and the fog disappears and Lany is clearly visible…..and intact. The crowd gives them both an ovation as Armond motions to Lany and thanks her for being a good sport. At that point the lights come up and Lany can be seen walking down the steps from the stage.
Feeling more than a bit amazed at all that went on, Lany looks over to Domashi with her eyebrows raised, ”I believe I may have underestimated Armond’s abilities as a performer. That was… impressive, to say the least. What did you think?” She asks her consort.
”I think performance Magic does not require much power. In that regard, it is very easy. On the other hand, it takes a lot of skill and imagination to impress high ranking nobles from out of country.” Domashi nods a little absently. ”I wonder if he has someone else write his material?”
”Most like. But he puts it on well.” Lany reasons with a shrug. It was almost a shame they would be working to put his show days to an end, almost. ”Now all that we need to do is wait and lure him. I’m sure he won’t pass up the opportunity to be seen with the talk of the gala.” She states confidently.
The remainder of the performance is just as interesting and everyone seems to have a good time. Eventually the house lights come up all the way and the crowd lets Armond know how good he was. He disappears off backstage and the waitstaff brings out the dessert trays. At some point towards the end of the performance, the couple sharing their table had bid Lany good evening, the husband gushing about what a tremendous performance it had been. A look was shared between the wife, Jasmine, and Domashi, but nothing is said.
Fifteen minutes after he left the stage, Armond comes out to work the crowd. It seems he is as handy at this as he is at the spellcraft he practices. Domashi notes that there is very little evidence that Margot’s contact had been correct, as Armond certainly spends an inordinate amount of time schmoozing the men in the crowd and very little on the women.
Eventually, he finds himself at Lany’s table and claps his hands to see her. ”Your Grace! I want to thank you again for your assistance tonight. You were marvelous. One would think that you had some formal training.”
Putting on a delighted smile, Lany responds steadily. ”You are most welcome, Maitre’, but do not let my father hear the remark. He would be absolutely horrified to know his liebling was made such a spectacle of, on stage no less.”
Armond waves his arms about. ”Bah! Such considerations are from a bygone age, a different time and place. You were great.” He does lean forward just a bit and puts his finger alongside his nose. ”But then, you know him better than I and I will keep it our secret should I ever have cause to visit Bavaria.”
Lany pretends to swoon a bit at the notion of Armond visiting her demesne, ”We will keep it between us.” she responds with a wink. ”But I have taken leave of myself, allow me to introduce my Consort, Dominik Ripnu, and my Lady in Waiting, Rose Schlatterweinst. We came a long way for this performance. My dear Dominik has spoken very highly of you.”
Armond has taken up Jasmine’s hand and puts it to his lips as he greets her, but he spends a bit longer with Domashi’s hand. ”A good grip, Mister Ripnu, or may I call you Dominik?”
Domashi tries to imagine that he is actually talking to Lany right now as he smiles to Armond. ”Of course you may call me Dominik. I was very impressed with your performance tonight.” He has not pulled his hand back from Armond. ”Everyone always raves about your shows, and I had to do everything in my power to convince the Reichsfurst to come and see at least one. I am hoping we will get to view more, some time in the future.”
Armond clearly does not wish to let go of Domashi’s hand, but does so when the contact goes on far too long. ”I am afraid that I have no further bookings of this magnitude for some time to come. Some smaller, less important shows, though, of course. But I so enjoy playing to crowds…..it makes me feel so alive.”
Domashi continues to look into the eyes of the taller, gruffer sounding, imaginary Lany in front of him while he leans over to the real Lany and speaks to her. ”What do you say, Your Grace? Do you not have a family affair to attend to soon? If Maitre’ Armond would promise to not make a spectacle of you again, would he not be a wonderful main act?” Now he imagines Lany when he was ravishing her in the limo as he looks at, no through, Armond.
Lany can see Armond lick his lips as the wheels turn in his brain. An opportunity like this comes along only once in awhile and the man is obviously interested. “A family event, Your Grace? I would be very interested in such a chance. Do you have time to discuss such a thing in a more private location?”
Adopting a look of veiled excitement, Lany turns to Domashi and smiles before replying, ”But of course, Maitre’. Now that the show has concluded, me and my entourage’s interests at this gala are nearing their end. And speaking on this further with you would be a wunderbar conclusion, indeed. Dominik, Rose; shall we?” She asks her companions.
66
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Friday, March 26, 2077; 9:15
The Sea Hag’s Catch, AkselAksel was looking through the paperwork. It took him much longer than it normally would. Even with his sleep regulator there were limits to how well rested he could be when he was constantly having nightmares that woke him from his sleep. Shadow’s little display of violence from last night had stuck with him, he kept seeing the men torn apart or begging for mercy, sometimes he saw himself and Simon torn apart by the troll. He shaked his head “focus, you have to focus. If you don’t focus this is all going to be a waste of time”.
But that was easier said than done. He had drunk at least three cups of coffe to get his energy back but it didn’t really help all that much. He could barely keep his natural eye open so he relied on his cybereye to read through the papers for him and his half asleep mind barely processed anything he read, so he had to read something at least three times before he finally got it.
Suddenly the door opened and Aksel turned his head to see Anka standing in the door frame with another cup of coffee. “You know, I don’t think the coffee is working.” Aksel half mumbled at her.
“Got any better ideas?” she responded.
“Now that you ask, I think that I do.”
“Can’t wait to see where this goes.” Anka said in a sarcastic tone.
“You know those stim patches they slap on people to keep them from collapsing? I think I need one of those.”
“You do realise those are only temporary and the side effects when they wear off are even worse, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s gonna let me me work at normal efficiency for at least a little while, and there isn’t really a viable alternative.”
Anka sighed “Alright, I’ll see if I can find one in the first aid kit.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
Aksel looked back at the papers. He hoped that one of the Boss’ goons wouldn’t come in to check what he was doing. If one of them were able to deduce what he was doing instead of his job he would be in deep shit. Or least deeper in shit than he already was. Aksel had come to the conclusion that if was ever getting out of here he would need some way of getting out of the triad’s reach as fast as possible, and that would require money, preferably a lot of it. His hope was that somewhere in these papers there was something that could help him with that. Maybe these guys had a stash somewhere for safekeeping or dirt on a politician he could trade for some nuyen or maybe some stolen goods. There had to be something of value here somewhere he just had to keep looking.
Anka came back into the carrying a first aid kit. “Okay there is five stim patches in this box, that should be enough” she said as she handed Aksel the box.
“Thanks” Aksel responded and took the box. He placed the box on the table and opened it, the produced a stim patch, rolled up his left sleeve and slapped the patch on his arm. Aksel felt his exhaustion fading away. He threw himself back into his search with renewed vigor, determined to find something before the patch wore of. He searched every page of every book, until eventually the patch wore of and he had to put a new one on to continue.Finally he found something, a record of several bribes given to a local politician by the name of Bernard Laurens. The records went back years, and many of the more recent ones were given in the form of campaign donations. “Excellent, the threat of this going public should be worth at least a few thousand nuyen, that should be enough to get out of here safely”. Aksel smiled as he used his cybereye to take a picture of every inch of the record. He then put all the books back in their place and resumed his normal work. Most of the important work had been handled yesterday, so he should be able to complete today’s work before anyone decided to check on him.
11:50
Aksel had a soaring headache and felt twice as exhausted as he had been before he had taken the stim patches.
“Urgh” he groaned while rubbing temples. The day’s work was taking longer than he had expected, because of the headache. He was getting through it, but it was a slow process. But there was an upside, today he was going to sleep much better than yesterday. -
Thursday, March 25, 2077; 20:27
Hotel de Ville, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, & JasmineThings seem to be going well in the dressing room of the Great Armond. As befits the prime entertainer for the gala, his dressing room is quite large, comprising a large makeup and wardrobe area, a small efficiency kitchen, and even a private sleeping area. Of course, he is not a permanent fixture here, so the place is only his for the night, but it is still impressive that he would rate this sort of accommodation.
Armond had taken the arm of the Reichsfurst and escorted her back to his dressing room, leaving her companions to follow behind. The meeting was ostensibly to discuss a possible showcase for his magical talents in Bavaria, and the man seems very interested in committing to such a project, especially after it was hinted that his share would be a solid wage plus a percent of the gate. While in the public eye, Armond had fit the perfect picture of a man more attracted to Domashi than to the princess, and that picture lasted all the way to the dressing room and a bit longer, but it soon became evident that his eye was turned by the two women in the room more than by the handsome Dominik. Feeling more and more like a fifth wheel in the room, Baku held back against the wall, watching his lovers do their jobs.
Jasmine had said that she needed a good thirty minutes of sound bites from Armond to make sure that she has the proper sequence of sounds to work with. So far, that was proving a bit frustrating, as the man seems content to let Lany talk about herself. Jasmine finally steps up and whispers loud enough for Armond to hear. ”Your Grace, I must remind you of your appointment tonight.”
Lany nods and waves a hand to indicate that her maid might have perhaps extended her privilege just a bit far, but she does turn to Armond, reiterating that she needs to take a good idea of his qualifications back to Bavaria with her. As the man begins to talk more about himself, Domashi breathes a slight sigh of relief. At that moment, he gets a text from a ringtone that indicates someone not on his usual list of callers. Quickly scanning the sender list, he sees that it is from someone named Louisa. For a few seconds he is stumped then recalls the hot hostess with the very nice ass and opens the message.
>>Dominik, Louisa Huerville. We met in the lobby tonight and I am wondering if you are bored and might have a few minutes to spare for me?<<
Domashi scans the room. Lany was clearly in her element; the acting skills Horizon had originally recruited her for were shining as though they had never fallen out of use. And after watching her take Gregoir apart without so much as smudging her makeup, he is sure she is quite capable of taking care of Armond if he goes too far. He was most concerned with Jasmine. Fortunately, he appears to have underestimated her. Not only is she doing well, she even appears to be having fun. Since Lany had “dismissed” her, he stepped up to Jasmine to whisper in her ear. ”You are looking great, Jasmine. You seem like you are having a fun time with this. Do you think I could step out for a few minutes? I won’t leave you if you are not comfortable with this.”
Jasmine turns to look at Domashi and he can see that her eyes are twinkling. ”I am having a bit of fun, actually, yes. I am completely comfortable with the situation, so sure, step out for a bit. I still need almost twenty-eight minutes of chatter from the guy.”
Domashi smiles at Jasmine and nods. He takes an extra moment to enjoy the look on her face, before he slips out of the room quietly. << Louisa > I can spare some time for you, and I think you can read my mind because I am quite bored. Where can I meet you? >>
>>Splendid. I am just down the hallway from your location. Take a left as you leave the dressing room and I will be waiting for you about four doors down on the left. It is open. See you in a few seconds.<<
The way Louisa seems to know his location, as well as the way she loaded her contact information onto his phone unsettles him a bit. It also doesn’t escape his notice that if she knew he was in Armond’s dressing room, and that he was bored, she probably knows Armond is not gay. He can’t think of anything better to do, than try and stall Louisa to give Lany and Jasmine a chance to get the audio they needed. With that settled, he strolls down the hallway quickly to make up the time of his indecision. As he reaches the fourth door on the left, he hopes Louisa was accurate enough as he attempts to open it and then step in.
The room is dimly lit, but enough to see that Louisa is waiting just inside the door. She takes Domashi’s hand and ushers him a bit further in after she closes the door behind him. Her voice is low as she leans back against the wall. ”Thank you for coming. I was a bit worried that you might not. How much time away from the Reichsfurst do you have?”
This was not the interrogation he was expecting, so an easy and pleased smile forms on Domashi’s mouth. ”I have about twenty minutes or so. What did you have in mind?
The woman takes both of Domashi’s hands and presses them to her chest and he can tell that she has removed her suit jacket as he is feeling the thin material of her blouse. ”Do you have time to make love to me?”
Domashi rubs his thumbs across her nipples gently. ”Unless you are particularly difficult to please, I do believe I can accommodate that request.” He looks her over, even in the dim light his Oni eyes let him see her quite well. ”Did you have something specific in mind? Or am I left to my own devices?”
Louisa chuckles. ”Oh, I don’t know; nothing fancy comes to mind. I am here up against a wall and you are here in front of me. If we both drop our trousers we might just be the right height to just let you slip in and bang the hell out of me.”
Domashi releases Louisa’s tender breasts and his hands move to her waist to start fumbling with her belt and trousers. He leans in to her and says softly. ”To hell with that. If you want it here and now, I think I want it a little fancy. After your trousers are down, step out of at least one leg, if you please.”
Louisa’s hands are working at Domashi’s belt and zipper as he is taking care of hers but she pauses at his words. ”Oooh, I love a forceful man. Alright, I will do that. Is there anything else you want me to do?” She goes back to working his zipper and in a few moves has his pants pooling on the floor as she removes one leg from the pile at her feet.
Domashi pulls down his underwear with one hand as he rubs Louisa’s hip with the other. ”I want you to have the time of your life… But I can’t simply command that to happen. Besides that, if you will assist me in lifting you up underneath your knees, and allowing me to press you against the wall here, I think I can start to fulfil your request.” He leans down and places both of his hands inside her thighs while waiting for her to do something to let him know she is on board with the idea. She gives a nod of the head and lifts her knees as she places her arms around Domashi’s neck to help support her weight.
Just the willingness of this woman has Domashi’s erection jumping and twitching. The fact she is extremely attractive, and sexy as well, only makes this so much easier for him. He wonders if she was fully serious about a forceful man, but decides to take it a bit easy at first to make sure. He shifts to study her aura as he presses into her fully, and slowly, wedging her between his hips and the wall.
His view of her aura lets him know that she is way into this and thoroughly enjoys the slower entry he is giving her. His ears tell him the same thing as her head rocks back against the wall and a low moan that seems to go on forever comes from somewhere in her throat. When he is fully sheathed inside her, Louisa lets her head come forward and she moans again before talking. ”My God! You are so large, Dominik! I can feel you nearly all the way to my stomach. Fuck, this is good. Now that you are in, take me. Make me yours for the next twenty minutes.”
Even if Louisa was just pretending with him, her words cause Domashi’s cock to flex inside her, eliciting a short yelp and a loud moan from her at the feeling. He lets out a low chuckle. ”I suspect you will not be so particularly difficult to please.” He watches her aura for the first hint of displeasure from her as he pulls back about half way and slides back into her slowly.
Louisa chuckles. ”No, I will not be particularly hard to pleasure, Dominik. In fact, if you are diligent, you might get me off twice in the allotted time. God, I love the way you feel inside me. But I want you to enjoy this, too. I want to feel the warmth of your cum as you flood my insides. Fuck, this is good.”
Domashi keeps stroking into her at a steady pace as he groans into her ear. ”Do you think so low of yourself that you feel that this is not enjoyable for me? I admit, I can go a bit harder, if you want… But the feeling of you around me is so very enjoyable. It makes me wish I had more than twenty minutes to give you, Louisa.” Without being certain she is wanting anything more serious, Domashi settles on kissing her on her neck.
”Oh yes. God I just want someone to pay this sort of attention to me. You are hitting all the right places and saying all the right things. If you are serious about more time, I can arrange my schedule to yours until you have to leave. Whatever time she gives you off, I can fill with delight. My God!……………………” Her voice breaks off as she squeezes her arms tight around Domashi’s neck and her body jerks wildly at her first climax. ”Please keep going. Drive the next one right through me. Fuck me, just fuck me, please.”
Again Domashi lets a low chuckle rumble from his chest. ”As you desire, Louisa. As you desire.” He picks up the pace a little at a time while he studies her aura finding the right balance between her pleasure and his own. Her squeals and moans ensure that he will certainly flood her insides just as she wanted. All that was left was to find the timing.
Her body thrashes against the wall as she almost explodes in ecstasy. The muscles of her cunt contract and squeeze Domashi’s cock, creating an intense sensation for him, almost as if she is drawing him in farther and holding him there as they ripple through her orgasm.
The moment Domashi feels Louisa contract on him, his body surges with his orgasm as well. The feeling of releasing into her as her body pulls him in deeper creates a vortex of pleasure within him. It is nowhere near his best orgasms, but for a non-wife, or non-sister, this is certainly the best he remembers. ”Holy fuck, Louisa!” He pants against the side of her neck where he continues to kiss between words. ”That was quite amazing. If you can do that some more, I think I will find more time for you.”
As Louisa calms down, she loosens the grip around Domashi’s neck. She pushes her neck against his lips, enjoying every kiss and almost purrs. ”Fuck, Dominik. For you, I feel like I could reach that level of orgasm every time. Holy crap, you are still hard. I can feel you throbbing inside me. What a fantastic feeling. Are you really able to go again so quickly? Do you have time?”
”I had better have time,” Domashi says with a big smile. ”How much time have we spent, anyway?”
Louisa gives a small laugh. ”You have about four minutes of your twenty left. I am not so worried about me, but can you fill me again in that time? I cannot tell you how good it felt to feel you exploding inside me. I want that again.”
This time, Domashi isn’t concerned if Louisa wants something more serious or not, and kisses her on her lips quickly. ”If that is what you want, then that is what I intend to give you. Can you take it a bit harder?”
”Fuck yes. Give me what you have. I don’t care if I crack the wall behind me. Fuck the hell out of me, Dominik.”
With only a small prayer to his benevolent guardian that places all of these fantastic women in his path, Domashi proceeds to take Louisa as much as he can. He still studies her aura to make sure that he never crosses over the more pain than pleasure line, but other than that he simply lets go. He drives into her harder and harder until she can’t go further and then he keeps at that pace for as long as his body will let him.
Even against the wall, Louisa tries to move her pelvis in time to Domashi’s thrusts, trying to help him get as much force as possible into his lovemaking. There is a point where she is experiencing some pain, but the pleasure she is getting from this completely overwhelms the pain. Suddenly, her entire body seems to go rigid and a cry rips from her mouth before she can place her face against his chest to muffle it. The cries keep coming as her orgasm seems to go on through her and back several times. Her body contracts harshly around his cock, leaving him with the feeling that he could not extract it from her if he wanted to. After a few seconds of that, though, he feels able to keep pounding into her.
The new sensation that Domashi feels from Louisa nearly causes his second orgasm right away. If her body had clenched on him for a few seconds more, it would have done it. ”Damn woman! I don’t think I have even been with a woman that creates such fantastic pleasure in me!” As she had desired his explosion into her, he can’t stop though. A small part of his brain worries she won’t be able to take any more, but the brain that is deep in Louisa is the one doing the thinking right now, and he continues to drive into her again. The only thing on his mind is to cum in her within the ten minutes or so he had left when he started this round with her. Domashi closes his eyes, and whispers into the aether. “Let me cum into this woman just as she wants. I know I can’t claim selflessness… But I can cum like this just about whenever I want. Let her get the pleasure while she can.”
Louisa seems to revel in the new thrusts into her, the wails into his chest never letting up as she continues to reach climax after climax from the effect he has on her. His read of her aura is not as exact as it once was, thanks to his mind almost losing any thought in it but to please this woman. And like that, Domashi releases a massive series of jets of cum into the willing body of the woman he has pinned to the wall. He cannot seem to stop the pistoning of his still hard erection into her, both people now almost completely lost to pleasure. Neither one notices the slight noise from behind Louisa’s back as the paneled wall cracks a bit due to the continuous pressure against it but it is almost certain that neither would care even if they did hear it. The lust is full upon them and by this time, Domashi just keeps driving and she keeps screaming into his chest.
There is so little left of the world around him to Domashi. About all he feels is the great pleasure Louisa’s contracting and bucking body causes on his surprisingly still hard erection. All that he hears is her cries and moans and gasps of pleasure. There is so little left to him, and more surprising, there is nothing else that matters to him right now. Part of him wants to kiss her. Part of him wants to tell her how great she feels to him. Neither of these parts holds any sway right now, as he drives himself into her over and over again. This is a new experience for Domashi, and for at least a few days afterwards he will wonder how it happened.
She lifts her head from his chest and he sees something hidden in her eyes, something explosive and driven by lust. Louisa pushes her head back down to his chest and screams his name over and over and over into it, barely muffling the noise. The feeling of an impending massive orgasm rocks through his body, almost coming from every part of him and focusing on the tip of the spear he has buried into Louisa.
At this moment, there is no thought in Domashi’s head. No care, no concern, over being caught or found out. He can’t even form the concern he would normally feel for making sure Louisa isn’t embarrassed by anyone hearing them or discovering him. All there is is the release of a lust more powerful than he had ever felt before. As the massive orgasm rockets out of him he throws his head back and cries out. ”God Damn, Louisa! Fuck!” Domashi hears, no it is more like feels it, a giggle in his mind. “Well done, Domashi. Well done. You will find me soon, you will find me and know I am your Seductress.”
As the last of several powerful jets leaves his cock, Domashi’s legs weaken and he proves unable to hold either of them up, dropping to the floor with Louisa on top of him, neither of them able to form a cogent thought right away. Louisa rolls off of Domashi and lies on the floor, panting, her mind and body numb. She finally manages to weakly flop a hand onto his chest, but that seems to be the extent of her strength at this point.
The only thing Domashi can think of right now is to take Louisa’s hand and kiss it. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the strength for that. Most of the strength he has left is being focused into breathing, and even that is difficult. What he can manage to do, though, is get his hand onto his chest and crawl it over to hers. Then with the last thought he has for some time, he wills his hand to hold Louisa’s.
After a minute passes, Louisa finally manages to say a few words. ”Fuck, Dominik, what was that? Never. Never. Fuck, I have never felt that before. I may never again, but I want to try. Do you? Oh, fuck, please say that you do.”
Domashi manages a weak chuckle. ”As you desire, Louisa. As you desire.” He musters up the strength to turn his head to look at her. ”Just who are you, woman? And why has it taken so long for me to find you?” He smiles to her before another chuckle turns into a small coughing fit.
Louisa makes a weak attempt at a joke. ”I was here and you were in some fancy gala hall in, what was that place? I forget. Fuck, would you marry me? Oh, damn, I forgot, I am already married. Crap. I could kill him and get out of it. What do you think?” She laughs just as weakly as Domashi had.
”I think you are putting too much thought into this, Louisa. You aren’t the first married woman I have been with. As long as you are good with that, I am.” Domashi finally summons enough strength to pull Louisa’s hand to his mouth and he kisses it. ”Besides… I am not really the marrying type.” He kisses her hand again, and lets them fall to his chest without letting go of hers.
Louisa raises herself onto her side and places her head on Domashi’s chest. ”I can hear your heart. You have a good heart. It is beating rather fast just now, though. Did I manage to wear you out a bit? You have sent my body into shock, Dominik. I have never felt so completely at one with pleasure in my entire life. And my husband? Am I good with this? Fucking right I am. But I cannot leave him so I must take what bit from you that you are able to give me. Crap, I am a mess. I am leaking like crazy……how much cum did you put into me, anyway? And we have gone a bit past your twenty minutes, so are you capable of moving, or at least calling her and telling her that you will be late? I could do that, but it might look awkward.” She laughs a bit again.
Domashi levers himself up on his elbow, and lifts Louisa’s head by placing a finger under her chin. When he can finally see into her eyes, he leans in and kisses her passionately. Moments later, he pulls away from her gently. ”I am not asking you to leave anyone. I am not asking anything from you. I am offering myself to you though, if you can find time that can be coordinated with my schedule. We can keep this as emotionless as you want it, but we don’t have to. And leave my obligations to me.” He winks to Louisa. ”I will take what I have to in order to please you again.”
Louisa closes her eyes as Domashi kisses her, giving as much passion as he does. When he breaks, she listens and then shakes her head. ”Do you really think that there can be no emotion between us after that? I don’t know that I will ever think of another man with quite the same emotion I will think of you. Shit, I don’t even know if that makes any sense. But I feel that I am emotionally bound to you in some way. Don’t worry, I won’t stalk you or anything. But I……..I don’t know how to say it without sounding stupid, so I will just leave it at that. I very much want to see you again and will do anything to arrange my schedule to do so. You give me a time and place that is convenient and I will do my best to be there. You are one very special man, Dominik. Thank you for this.”
Domashi manages to sit up and pulls Louisa to him in a warm embrace. After he rubs her shoulder with one hand, and caresses her face with the other for a while, he then kisses the top of her head. ”It is only stalking if it is unwanted.” He chuckles at his own joke. ”You will never sound stupid to me though. In the future, if you feel like saying something, just say it.” He kisses the top of her head again. ”I will not make you rearrange your schedule for me. We can work something out, I am sure. Let’s get out of this little mess, hopefully without embarrassing you any, and then we can talk about it.” He raises Louisa’s chin by his finger to kiss her again. This time he only pulls his mouth back far enough to say. ”Okay?”
Louisa giggles and nods. ”Yes. OK. I should get you back to the Reichsfurst.” She weakly motions to the left. ”Out the door and back towards the dressing room. Two doors on the right. Bathroom. Go clean up. I will make my way to the ladies room. Next door down. Fuck, Dominik, this was the best sex I have ever had. You really rocked my world. Thank you.” Louisa puts a hand out to grab onto a counter and use it to pull herself to her feet. Weakly walking over to her clothes, she picks them up in a bundle and holds them to her chest. Still naked from the waist down, she cracks the door open and turns to look at Domashi. Giving him a blown kiss, she turns and leaves the room.
Left alone in the room, Domashi gathers his pants and checks his comm. Something seems off, as very little time passed as far as he can tell. He expected to be late to return to Lany and Jasmine, but he still had about five minutes. Enough time to clean up and get back, possibly before anyone really notices he was gone. Taking his cue from Louisa, he peaks out into the hall to make sure no one is there before scurrying towards the dressing room, and ducking into the room one door before Louisa ducked into. He locks the door, steps up to the sink, and washes her essence off of him. Domashi thinks about sneaking to the room one more door down to be with Louisa some more. He does not quite know where that desire comes from. The sex was great, for sure. In many ways it was near the top of the list. He could fall in love with her easy enough, and probably would have if he hadn’t met any of his wives. Even with all that, she doesn’t really bring anything to his life he doesn’t already have, and multiples of. And yet here he was wanting to continue what they started, possibly at the expense of everything else in his life. With a heavy sigh, Domashi washes up and gets dressed. He then checks himself in the mirror, and heads out to return to Armond’s dressing room. As he focuses his attention back on his duties, a small knot of panic forms in his chest. He hopes that Jasmine and Lany are alright.
Domashi opens the dressing room door as quickly as he could while keeping it silent. The sound of Armond talking didn’t help his panic any. After he slips in, he turns to face the door while he closes it as quickly as he can. Before he turns back around, he hears Lany speak a split second before he sees Jasmine. They seem to be well, and the knot inside starts to unravel. Now, he just had to figure out why they hadn’t heard him and Luisa.
Jasmine turns a bit and her eyes brighten as she catches sight of Domashi. She mouths a quick “I love you” before turning back to watch Lany and Armond. As Domashi sidles up to her, Jasmine whispers, ”We almost got enough here. Maybe another minute. You find the bathroom OK? Or were you out trying to find Millie?”
Domashi covers his mouth to help muffle the laugh threatening to burst out. He whispers back. ”Yes, no. I’ll find Millie soon enough, I think. Is the Reichsfurst about to bust? Herself, or him?” Domashi nods to Lany with a smile.
Jasmine nods. ”Him, I think. The man can really talk about himself. He is trying to sell Her Grace on him being the headliner at the annual event her father puts on in Obernzenn.” Her eyes go to the ‘link in her hand and she is definitely smiling when she looks back up at Domashi. ”Got him. See just like I said, just shy of twenty-eight minutes. Good timing on your part. Now let’s get her out of this. Unless you want to torture her a bit more?”
Domashi allows himself to think on the idea for a bit, as he takes out his comm, and Erica’s card. ”Tempting, after her treatment of us tonight… But I had better tell the driver to bring the limo up front. Do you want to return the favor of a rescue? Or should I step in?
Lany rolls her eyes as Armond continues to drone on about his exploits on the stage. She had considered breaking no less than seventeen bones during the course of his blathering, and was fast choosing the eighteenth as Dominik returned. She wanted to give them a look to get her the fuck out of there, but Armond was so fixated on wooing her that she didn’t dare send so obvious a signal. The endless flirtations he kept throwing in were only making matters worse; fortunately, Lany remembered the machine pistol secured to her right thigh. The thought allowed her to keep smiling.
Jasmine shakes her head and carefully steps forward. ”Your Grace? I am afraid that you are in danger of missing your appointment with Edvard Surroc.” At Lany’s look she adds, ”The Nigerian Ambassador? You have arranged to give him thirty minutes tonight? We need to leave very soon if you………..” She stops as Lany’s hand comes up to interrupt her.
With Jasmine taking the lead on extricating Lany, Domashi steps to the side to call Erica and ask her to be ready as they were about to leave the gala. With that done, he sends a voice message to Iliena, Christine, and Keiko briefing them on the fact that Jasmine needs a place to stay for about a week because she needs to avoid her ex-boyfriend. He tells them that if any of them have an issue with Jasmine staying with them, they should call him back. If they don’t, they should expect all of them in about half an hour.
Lany puts her hand down and gives Jasmine a slight nod, ”Despite my handmaiden’s unrefined interruption, I am afraid she is correct. I must be leaving the pleasure of your company as I cannot neglect the demands of my station.” She tells Armond with regret in her tone. ”You have certainly plead your case well. I will take your words under consideration. If you provide my dame Schlatterweintz with your code, my attendants will contact you when the final decision has been reached.” She stands and follows proper etiquette, offering her hand to Armond.
Armond bows low over Lany’s hand, holding onto it for just a fraction of a second too long before letting it drop. He is effusive in his thanks as he escorts the Reichsfurst out of the dressing room and back to the main ballroom, where the tables are being cleared while couples are on the dance floor. Louisa comes from nowhere to ask how the evening has gone. ”Leaving the gala, Your Grace? I do hope that you have had a nice time?”
Lany gives the woman an absent smile. ”The evening recovered well enough. Please, give my compliments to your chef, the cuisine was fantastisch.” ”You’ve played it this far…” Her smile disappears as she adds. ”I do hope that the next time someone of station graces this establishment, they shall be accorded the proper level of respect.”
Louisa bows her head. ”Of course, Your Grace. I will pass that onto my superiors.” She walks with Lany to the exit and steps aside as the Reichsfurst and her companions leave, but she raises her eyes to Domashi’s as he passes by her and smiles at him.
Domashi returns Louisa’s smile, and gives her a wink before mouthing the words “I’ll call you.” As they are walking away from the building, Domashi gets an idea. “Hold on. You two, come here.” Domashi waves the two women to his sides, in whatever order they were in, and wraps his arms around their waists and pulls them close. “Smile, and hold still.” He then calls out. {Japanese} “Redlights.” The three drones bleep in response. “Photo sequence. Ten shots. Stitch 1 trid still. Send to all our comms.” The drones bleep twice, then start taking the images requested. When he notices Jasmine looking to him inquiringly, he explains to her. {French} “I have just spent the night out with the two hottest women in all of Europe. I want pics of that fact.” He smiles with false pride to her. About ten seconds later, the comms of all three of them indicate an incoming message.
Pulling up the images in her AR display, Lany is taken aback. ”Fuck me… I guess I really do look like a princess in this thing.” She muses quietly with an appreciative smile toward Domashi.
Jasmine looks at hers and smiles broadly as she skims through the stills. ”Thank you, Dominik. I will treasure these. Damn, Your Grace, you look hot in this one. Dominik, how do you keep your hands off of her? Oh, look. The car is already here.” Indeed, the limousine is parked at the curb beyond the bottom of the stairs, Erica already standing at the open passenger door.
Domashi is filled with happiness and joy that both of the women appreciated the gesture. ”Your Grace, you look like one no matter what you are wearing.” He then looks to Jasmine with his eyes sparkling. ”I don’t always succeed.” He then gestures to the waiting limo, and lets the ladies go first should they choose.
Taking Jasmine’s hand, Lany leans over to Domashi and kisses him on the cheek before leading the way into the limo. Erica nods to each and warns them to watch their step as they enter the car. Shutting the door, Erica walks around to the driver’s side and slips behind the wheel. Her voice comes over the intercom. ”Where to, Sir?
Domashi shrugs his shoulders to both women. ”The Palais, please. And find a place where you could park for about fifteen minutes. After we drop of Jasmine, we will need a bit more of your time. Thank you.”
The intercom closes and the large vehicle pulls away from the curb and out into traffic. Jasmine, sitting on Domashi’s left, removes her ‘link from a pocket, taps a bit on it then puts it away before looking across Domashi at Lany. ”I will be going into VR for a bit. Please watch my body. Oh, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She chuckles then her body slumps back into the seat.
Domashi places his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders and holds her close before looking to Lany. ”You wanna guess what she wouldn’t do?” He asks with raised eyebrows and a grin.
Lany shakes her head and laughs, ”Well after the attention she gave you during Armond’s show, I think I’d have a hard time figurin out just what that would be.”
”I guess that means you have free reign, Your Grace.” Domashi winks to Lany.
Looking at Domashi mischievously, Lany inquires, ”How long do you think she’ll be gone?”
Jasmine’s body stirs and her eyes flutter open. ”Miss me? I see that you still have all of your clothes on and no one is breathing hard. Must have been boring back here. Anyway, problems with finding his ‘link. I cannot find it on the trix anywhere. Could be off or it could be hidden, running silent. I would have to get much closer to it.”
”Fuckin hell, so we did all that, and now we dinnae know where the piece of shite is?” Lany blurts out in frustration before flashing an apologetic look to Jasmine for her abruptness.
Domashi smiles to Lany. ”I know where it will be. Well, rather, once Margot reports in on where the ‘place of business’ is tomorrow, I will know. We can swing by there sometime, and Jasmine can find it then.”
Jasmine gives Lany an apologetic look. ”Finding things on the trix can be quite difficult if they are running in hidden mode. The closer I am to such a thing, the easier it is to find it. Sorry.”
Lany sighs before giving Jasmine a little grin, ”It’s alright… I didn’t mean to come at you like that. I’ve got some things on my mind. And that piece of shite Armond…. Well, let’s just say I have some ideas now about which bones I’d break first, if the rumors prove true. Especially after havin to sit with him for that long.”
Jasmine gives Lany a half smile. ”If the rumors are true, I’ll pay you for each bone you break. There isn’t a whole lot I can do about it now. Like Dominik said, sometime tomorrow I will get the information he, you all, have hired me for.”
As Lany and Jasmine share the moment, Lany suddenly remembers her performance from the gala. She hadn’t meant to play the Reichsfurst so harshly, but the Minister’s gropings had started a fire within her, and she figured at the time that a royal would be similarly incensed over such an occurrence. Regardless, she had been rather nasty with her companions in the process, and she wasn’t sure if they had been offended. ”I hope I wasn’t too rough on either of you in there, I guess I was just a little too in character…”
Domashi still has his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders, since she hasn’t objected to it there. He places his hand behind Lany’s head and gently pulls her close to give her a loving and passionate kiss. After several moments of that, he pulls back a hair. ”Jasmine had fun. It was frustrating, for sure. You played that part a little too well. But neither of us are any worse for wear. If that is not enough for you, you will have many opportunities to make things up to us. As much as I want you to keep trying… That isn’t really necessary though.” He kisses Lany again, before finally releasing her head and sitting back up.
Back at the hotel, Lany, Jasmine, and Domashi are in the elevators heading up to their floor. Domashi turns to Jasmine. ”Do you speak English, perhaps?”
Jasmine’s eyes get a little wider, apparently caught a little off guard by the question. ”Uh, no. Should I?”
Domashi snorts with a smile. ”Why, no. It is just that Keiko and Mirai do not speak French. And everyone else in the family speaks English. It has, sort of, become our primary language. I’m afraid you will have to suffer translations for a time. We have started teaching Keiko and Mirai French, but I suppose you can imagine it won’t be that quick to pick up at a conversational level.”
Lany remarks to them both. ”Now that it’s been brought up, I’d kinda like to sharpen my Japanese. I haven’t worked on it in a long while.”
”We can certainly work on that. I know we prefer Japanese whenever possible, so helping you improve would also benefit us.” Domashi smiles to Lany and looks back to Jasmine. ”It is far from required, but it might be helpful if you try picking up English as well.” He rubs Jasmine’s shoulders and back trying to show her he means well with the suggestion.
The trio enter their primary hotel suite, with Lany leading the way, and Domashi walking in with Jasmine on his arm. The remaining wives stand and turn to meet their new roommate. Domashi starts off by announcing to everyone that Jasmine does not speak English, and for fairness announcing that Keiko does not speak French. He then repeats those announcements in French for Jasmine. ”Everyone, this is Jasmine.” He then repeats it in French. ”Jasmine, this is everyone” Domashi naturally repeats that in English. ”You already know Chris, and you have met Pandora. This incredibly sexy woman is Keiko.” He indicate Keiko while repeating the introduction in English. ”And this exquisitely beautiful woman is Iliena” Domashi follows pattern and repeats that in English.
Domashi then puts his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders and looks to all of his wives. ”Jasmine has expressed an interest in having a serious relationship with me, and I wish to grant that to her. She has had a bit of a trying day today, and she needs a place to stay for at least a week. I hope everyone will get along enough that she can move in if she wishes. I will not speak for her, but I have gathered that she is not into ‘ladies night’ entertainment. She does not mind mixed company, though.”
When he repeats that in French for Jasmine, Jasmine cocks her head to him at the last two points. ”Just what is that supposed to mean?”
Domashi grins to Jasmine. ”I was just letting them know that you are not one to seek a woman’s companionship. We are not rapists, we are not predators. However, if you should have any desire, all of us will be very willing to help you satisfy it.” Iliena and Christine nod with a smile, and after Christine translates for Keiko she looks Jasmine over and smiles to her. ”All I was doing was telling them to not approach you, and to wait for you to approach them.” He winks to Jasmine. ”Now, come with me.” He takes Jasmine’s hand and heads into the primary master bedroom.
Once inside, Domashi closes the door and immediately cups Jasmine’s head in his hands and kisses her for what feels like hours to him. When he breaks the kiss he pulls away far enough to look into her enticing eyes, and he feels his heart race a bit. ”I am still not entirely sure that how fast we are moving is good for you… But I love you Jasmine. I have the very moment I saw you in your dance class Wednesday. Of course, you probably have a whole slew of men who could say that.” He says with a genuine smile. ”But make no mistake. I love every woman in these suites. You do not have any competition, but neither do you have any advantage. I would be lying if I told you that everyone was on the same level in my heart and mind… That is nearly impossible. But I can tell you without concern of lying that I love them all equally.”
Jasmine step into Domashi and wraps her arms around his neck as she kisses him with a passion that takes his breath away. ”I get that, you hunk. Christine did give me a little preview of what this was all about. I wonder if you can love so many… But that is…. Well, my recent experience has me questioning things.” As she says that, Domashi sees clear sadness, or regret, in her facial expression. But her eyes shine with an adoration that he sees only in his other wives.
”Well then, let’s get you settled for the night.” Domashi waits but Jasmine doesn’t let go of his neck. ”That means you need to let me step away, my gorgeous dancer.” He winks to her and kisses her in the hopes that will buy his freedom.
Jasmine accepts the kiss, but does not release him right away. After she spends a few moment just looking into his eyes, she finally lets him go. He goes to the closet and takes out one set of Rapid Transit armored clothing and hands it to her. ”That is for when you go to your apartment tomorrow to get your things, and talk to your family. I would rather you cancel your classes, but since I know you won’t I want you to wear some armor. I’ll take you out to get your own stuff soon. Maybe tomorrow, but most likely Saturday.” He watches her long enough to see her look at the clothes and smile a bit, then he returns to his closet. He tosses the other two sets of Rapid Transit on the bed along with his suit case. He then tosses the tux garment bag on the bed.
After that, Domashi pulls out a couple of ordinary button-down shirts as well as a couple pairs of ordinary, comfortable trousers, and a couple of his boxers and hands those to Jasmine. ”These are for you to lounge around the suites tonight. There are robes available, should you prefer them. If you decide you would rather go naked, I must insist you wait until I am here for that.” He winks to her and drinks in the smile she gives him in return.
Jasmine places the pile of clothes in her hands on the bed and wraps her arms around Domashi’s neck again. ”You do not want the others to see me naked without you, huh?” As Jasmine talks about her naked body and presses herself against him, they both can tell that he is getting hard and fast. Jasmine giggles, and removes one arm to reach down and rub his swollen lust for her.
Domashi breaths heavily as her talented hands touch all the right spots. ”That is going to happen, sooner or later I am sure. Goddamnit Jasmine I love your hand on me so much. I need to ask that you stop though. I have things I need to do.”
Jasmine does not stop, and instead giggles as she looks into his eyes and sees his genuine enjoyment of her handling him. ”Do you want me to stop?” She asks with a grin, knowing full well that answer to the question.
”Hells, no! I want to strip my pants off and let you stroke me all night long.” Domashi answers quickly. He kisses her, before gently pulling her hand away from him. ”Unfortunately, this isn’t about me… Or even you. If it was, I would lock those doors and spend at least a week with you, if not a month.” Jasmine giggles again and doesn’t even try to hide her smile from him. ”I made promises, though. And I need to keep them.” He pulls her hand up to his face and kisses the palm of it. ”If you become a member of this family I will explain all of it I can to you, but the secret is not for me to tell. You will need to hear the majority of it from Pandora.”
Jasmine returns the stray arm to it’s place around Domashi’s neck and kisses him. ”But I do not have any competition from Pandora?” Domashi could have taken that as jealousy, but with her tone and smile it was easy to see Jasmine was just playing with him.
Domashi grabs Jasmine’s ass and hefts her up where he could rub his throbbing erection against her crotch. Jasmine gasps a little, and wraps her legs around his waist. ”If you want, you could call Pandora in right now, and I promise you that beyond simple politeness, she would not get any attention from me.” He lets that sink in for a little bit before he adds. ”And if she were in your position, I would tell her the same about you.” He moves over to the corner of the bed, and leans over and pushes her gently off of him and onto the bed. ”Now, please. I need to get my things together and get going.”
Jasmine allows Domashi to pack the two set of armored clothing in his case and pick up the garment bag along with it before asking, ”It is the limo driver, isn’t it? You want to spend time with her right now, don’tcha?” Although Jasmine was only joking with Domashi, the point struck home.
”Sort of, yes.” Domashi continues quickly before Jasmine could respond. ”I told her we would be back down in only fifteen minutes, and I want to prep her for the night Pandora wants to have with her.” He offers Jasmine his hand to assist her off of the bed, and waits for her to gather the clothes he handed to her before leading her back out to the main room.
All of the women waiting in the main room can easily see that Jasmine has had Domashi’s full attention, as the tux does nothing to hide his erection. Fortunately, Domashi does not have to concern himself with that because they have all seen it, and they all know him well enough to know that if he was alone with a cool breeze he could get hard.
Domashi smiles to them all. ”I love you all. Very much. I am grateful that you all would open our home to Jasmine in her time of need.” He repeats that in French for Jasmine. ”I hope you all can become friends, and perhaps become close enough to let her live here, should she want.” Again he repeats in French. ”Unrelated, tonight we met an attractive limo driver who is enthusiastic about spending time with me and women. She will be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, and I would like to ask all to you to consider joining her with me.”
Before Domashi could continue, Lany speaks up. ”About Erica, Dominik… I have been thinking on it. I’m not sure I’m in the right place for somethin like that right now …. I hope you dinnae mind.”
Domashi gets past the mental stumble the change of pace caused in his mind, and smiles to Lany. ”Of course I do not mind. I only suggested it to offset any slight you felt about Jasmine paying attention to me tonight.” He steps up to Lany and kisses her lovingly. ”If you would rather not be entertained by her, I am all for that.” As he steps back, he looks down at the floor as he thinks on something. ”But I do need to go and talk to her then.” He looks up into Lany’s eyes and for a second he is lost in them. ”I need to convince her that we are indeed interested in her offer, even though none of us took her up on it tonight.”
Domashi goes around the room to his wives that he will be leaving behind. He kisses each and every one one of them while trying to recreate the world ending kiss they all shared at some point, after which he tells them that he loves them. After he does that he returns to Jasmine and kisses her deeply. ”I love you Jasmine. I just have some prior arrangements I need to fulfil. At least we still have our date tomorrow.” After Jasmine nods to him, he excuses himself with his bags and heads down to spend a few minutes with Erica.
106
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Friday, March 26, 2077; 13:20
The Sea Hag’s Catch, AkselAksel sat alone in the office. The tiredness he had felt a few hours ago was nothing compared to what he felt now. He had a soaring headache that felt like someone had tried to to rip his skull open and his body felt like he had run a marathon. As he sat groaning in pain and exhaustion his mind began to wander down memory lane, to when this ludicrous situation had started. The day the triad had sent their thugs to pig him up.
He had just found out about his brothers dept a few days ago and was sitting in their apartment trying to figure out a way for them to get out of France quickly and quietly, while his brother was out shopping for food. He had no real idea about what the consequences of being in deep debt to a criminal organisation was and had no intention of staying to find out what they were. But alas he had acted to late. The doorbell rang and Aksel went over to the door.
”Who is that”
A bored masculine voice answered him. ”We have your brother back at our headquarters. Come with us and do exactly as we say, unless you want him turned into fish food”
Shit. Aksel thought to himself. Okay, okay, calm down Aksel, just text the police on your comlink and tell them to track it.” Aksel activated his implanted commlink and tried to message the police. But instead he got an message “error, no connection” Damn! The bastards have a jammer, why, why, bloody hell why
The bored voice on the other side of the door adds a bit of emphasis. ”You need to get moving. I don’t have all day, and neither does your brother”
Aksel gathered himself. ”Okay, I’m coming.” He opened the door and saw the man who had been talking to him. He was a normal sized human with caucasian skin and messy black hair, he was wearing a sleeveless, gray t-shirt and brown pants with black boots.
The man clears his throat but does not seem outwardly impressed by any difference in size between himself and Aksel. ”Okay buddy I’m gonna lay some ground rules here. If you don’t do exactly as I say or if you try anything funny, well then…..”[/gray] Suddenly red, bone tattoos lit up all across the man’s body, his hair turned red and a pair of large blades sprang out from his arms. ”Are we clear?”. Then as suddenly as they had appeared the blades and the tattoos disappeared again.
Every part of Aksel wanted desperately to beat the man standing before him to a bloody pulp. But, alas, he had neither the shape, skill or weapons to do so. So he had to swallow his pride and do as the man said. ”Yes, we are clear. Where are we going?”
”Just walk in front of me and turn when I tell you to. Got it?” Aksel nodded, walked out of his apartment, closed the door behind him, and began to walk.
Aksel’s mind wandered back to the present. The events after that initial encounter had been a blur. They had walked to the curb and entered a van, then Aksel had gotten a bag put over his head. There were several hours of darkness and engine noises before he was dragged out of the van and thrown into the cellar of the brothel he now found himself in. When this bullshit is over I’m getting the biggest dog money can buy and I’m going to sic it on the next asshole who tries to do this to me.Aksel thought to himself. A Hell Hound would be good or maybe a Cerberus
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 22:47
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany & BakuLany breathes a reluctant sigh as she opens the door to her flat. The tension about this evening’s plan has been mounting inside her the entire night, and it took every bit of her focus to keep that buried beneath her performance as the Reichsfurst Seckendorff. She feels a measure of relief however, as she feels Domashi’s hand on her shoulder in support. Her feet were killing her from the many hours in heels, she rarely ever wore them herself, and she couldn’t wait to be out of her massive gown into some more comfortable attire. Realizing she had been busy with Mirai when Domashi had arrived earlier in the day, she decided to play hostess and show him around herself. ”Well, this is the castle… come on, I’ll give ya the two quid tour.” Lany says with a little grin, trying to dispel some of the anxiety she is feeling.
Domashi has been noticing Lany’s apprehension growing as they approached her flat. He was getting to know her well enough that he could pick up on it even without using his Spirit Sight to verify that. It pained him a little that he didn’t really have any way of squashing it, and he figured his best bet was to play along with whatever she wanted to do. Maybe even help her feel at ease. ”Okay…” He takes Lany’s hand in his and weaves their fingers together. ”I will need to know what the conversion rate for nuyen to quid is, first.” He pulls Lany to him a bit. ”Remind me to thank the management. I have gotten the most beautiful hostess tonight.”
Lany smiles thoughtfully and gives Domashi’s hand a squeeze as she leads him a few steps further in. ”I’ll be sure to do that for you. First, we come to the Grand Hall; used for feastin and entertainin.” She gives the large punching bag hanging in the living room a glance and adds, ”And a wee bit of trainin I guess.”
Domashi looks into Lany’s incredible eyes with obvious mirth and humor. ”I would find your training very entertaining. Quite stimulating as well, I am very certain.” It made him feel good to see her start to relax. They had many hours ahead before the night was over though, and he feared things will get tense a few more times before the day came.
Giving her husband a pleased expression, she replies quickly ”Oh really? I’ll have to take you up on that later tonight. I’ve been lookin forward to seein you throw a punch for the first time.”
Domashi’s eyebrows shoot up. ”I was only suggesting I could find it very enjoyable to watch you move and work up a sweat….” The smile he gives Lany shows he wasn’t put out by her interpretation, even though it did catch him off guard.
Taking the playful route, Lany declares,”I’m certain we’ll both be sweaty before too long. And I dinnae mean from trainin.” She finishes with a wink, a bit of excitement evident in her mannerisms.
Domashi swings the arm that he is holding Lany’s hand in a little bit. ”Then there is no reason to not skip over the training part, is there?” He steps closer to her.
Lany cocks her head to the side, looking insistent, ”Are you certain? I’m sure there’s a thing or two I could show you. But the trainin could always wait, if you cannae.”
Domashi lets out a light laugh. ”Will you try and have me removed if I were to tell you that no man could wait with you?” His smile only grows wider.
Lany smirks before giving Domashi a punch in the arm, ”Hey, I was actin! Princesses are a bunch of spoiled little cunts. They cannae handle things for themselves. Think people would have believed me if I had knocked the Minister on his arse like I wanted?”
Domashi takes his free hand and runs the back of his fingers down Lany’s cheek. ”Princesses are spoiled cunts… But what about queens? How would my Queen react to such a statement?”
The fact that Domashi takes the moderately forceful blow in stride while not breaking his cool demeanor surprises Lany, and she swings herself back to follow his advances. ”Well, your Konigin would require her subject to prove his desire for her. And he could start by helpin her out of her exquisit gown.”
Domashi steps into Lany and wraps his free arm around her waist. ”I thought you would never ask.” He winks to her and the runs the hand on her back up to find the zipper… Only to realize there isn’t one. His face scrunches up a bit. ”Umm… I may need to read the fucking manual first…”
A burst of laughter erupts from Lany, ”I’m not sure I know either, Christine and Iliena were trying to figure it out for about half an hour before the gala, and I couldn’t see what the hell they were doin back there. I did see the packages you slipped into the drone’s crate, though. Find somethin interestin, did you?” Lany smiles a little before adding ”Your queen would like some answers on that.”
”Of course, my Amazing Queen.” Domashi is kind of relieved at being let off the hook on releasing her dress for a time. ”In Gregoir’s car. He had some drugs packaged for sale… I had so many things going through my mind at how to deal with it… And the thought that I need to support two girls, not to mention up to five wives won out. I have no idea how to move it… But I can address that at another time.”.
”What was it, Bliss? Cram? Zen? Lany asks with an unusual level of comfort.
”I have no idea.” Domashi struggles to get at his interior pocket with the wrong hand, but eventually pulls out a small bag of sand grain sized white crystals. ”Maybe you can tell me.”
Lany examines the bag closely. It didn’t look like any of the drugs Liam used to sell when she was a kid. ”Actually, I’ve never seen that before… Not that I’m an expert or anything. One of my brothers, he used to sell some when I was a lass. I’d weigh it for him.” Lany confesses with an odd smile, as if she was enjoying the memory.
Domashi shrugs, putting the bag in another pocket to deal with later. ”Then we are back to me addressing that particular detail later. Perhaps we should return to the grand tour of your castle?”
Lany’s face lights up as she leads Domashi onward, ”Aye, Castle Argyle cannae wait.” A bit of embarrassment returns to her as they enter the kitchen, recalling the family’s revelation to the fact that it had been devoid of anything to eat aside from the meal replacement shakes Lany drank to fuel her excessively high metabolic rate. She does her best to shrug it off and continue, ”And these are the Kitchens, where the feasts for the hall are prepared.”
Domashi can’t resist checking the fridge to see if the family followed through on getting Lany groceries. When he notices there is actual food in her kitchen, he presses Lany up against the wall. He was not rough with her, and she could easily stop him, even if she wasn’t the strongest person he knows. He steps up close to her, wrapping his free arm around her waist, and looks down into her eyes. ”It has been a few years since I have cooked for myself, let alone anyone else. And I have yet to cook for a wife. I can fix us breakfast in the morning, if you are feeling adventurous, my Amazing Queen.”
Lany wasn’t sure whether the happiness she felt inside came from her heart or her stomach, but she really didn’t care. Her body relaxes in Domashi’s grasp, and she whispers, ”Really? You’re not foolin with me, are you?”
Domashi shakes his head softly. ”I am not fooling around with you. I am no chef, and I doubt I could compete with Guiseppe… But I can do a good job.” He winks to Lany, loving the fact that he has found a small flaw in her personal armor.
Her eyes lighting up at Domashi’s confirmation, Lany curses the fact that she is still in her cumbersome gown. She’d likely have tackled him if she had any confidence in her ability to get her gown off ”I’d like that, Domashi-san. Gives me somethin to look forward to in the mornin, aside from gettin to see you again.” She kisses her husband passionately, doing her best to convey the appreciation she had for his offer. She pushes off from the wall, looking up to Domashi before asking, ”Shall we go on?”
Domashi nods with a big grin. Lany’s kiss might have made him a bit loopy. ”Cooking? Flirting? The Tour? Yes. Please.” He steps aside to let Lany lead him wherever she wanted him to go.
Lany sighs as she responds, ”As much as I like the first two, we should finish our tour. Then I can get out of this bleedin dress.” There were only two rooms left in her little flat, and ending on the bathroom seem like a poor choice, so she decided to start there. ”These are the Queen’s Bath and Privy… well, I think you know what goes on in here.” Lany says with a shrug.
Domashi notices that there is barely enough room for one person in here, let alone two. Still, keeping Lany thinking of anything other than the night ahead was his duty right now. ”I bet you have had all manner of guys in here, my Amazing Queen. I wonder if I could do a better job of licking you clean than any of them?” He winks to her with a hungry grin.
Struggling to maneuver herself around in the small room, Lany turns towards her lover and wraps her arms around his shoulders. ”You always do.” She says with an approving look.
”Then I guess we need to get you dirty enough for me to clean you again.” Domashi leans his head down and kisses Lany like she is the only one for him. He wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her up so he can continue to kiss her without leaning over. The fact that she weighs more than she looks like she should doesn’t even register to him.
The anticipation inside Lany begins to boil over as Domashi kisses her, and she struggles with her dress until she manages to wrap her legs around his waist. ”I like when you make me dirty.” Unable to wait any longer, she reaches a hand between her legs and tears her favorite panties off with little resistance. ”Make me dirty now.” Lany whispers as she begins to undo Domashi’s belt.
”I can comply with your command, my Queen.” Domashi tries to help Lany remove his pants. In any other situation it wouldn’t be that difficult. Even her legs wrapped around his waist would not prove too cumbersome. The dress stretched tight between her legs and around his waist though… That was proving unbeatable. ”I can comply… But your gown seems to be resisting me. Where did you leave the AR instructions for this thing?”
Having no clue where the datachip with the instructions had been set, Lany groans, ”Bloody hell… Just take me to the bedroom and I’ll rip the fuckin thing off. It can be mended later.”
The thought of the twenty-five thousand nuyen gown being ripped nearly kills the mood for Domashi. ”If I carry you to the bedroom, we can continue with the dress on and then worry about taking it off.”
”I think that’s a good idea.” Lany replies before giving Domashi another kiss laden with desire.
The promise of having sex with Lany was enough to reignite Domashi’s desire for her. The fact that the dress gets a reprieve from her wrath only cleared his mind so he could focus on her instead. Grabbing her ass with one hand, he places the other on her back to help steady her. ”Then, that, I can do for you, my Queen.” He turns and backs out of the bathroom, making sure he doesn’t catch Lany’s legs on the door jam at all.
Lany starts kissing Domashi’s neck as they enter her bedroom, and her eyes spot the datachip with the instructions for the dress on it, ”Domashi! On the dresser!” She shouts, leaning over and grabbing the datachip with her outstretched fingers. She places the chip into the datajack beneath her ear and pulls up the instructions in her AR display. She drops down to the ground behind her bed and turns to begin guiding him along. ”It’s in the back right… not in the middle, to the right. No… there, pull…. No, press, then pull. Not that far! Fucking Christ. We still have to get the bottom half? Wait, just pull the thing down, harder. Shite, it didn’t even move… Right, pull that thing, no the other thing, now on the other side.” Lany stammers out as she tries to help Domashi free her of the ridiculously complicated garment. After much turmoil and great struggle, she is finally free, standing before her husband with only her bra and her collapsible machine pistol strapped to her thigh.
With Lany available in nearly all her glory, Domashi’s mind goes numb for a moment. The discomfort in his pants reminds him that he is still fully dressed, and he sets about correcting the oversight immediately. He has his own struggles with some parts of his tux, but compared to what Lany went through, it was nothing. In only a fraction of the time it took Lany to remove the dress, he stands there completely naked.
Lany looks down at Domashi’s growing hardness with a grin. ”I see you are ready for your Queen. But I should take a closer look, just to be sure.” She drops down to her knees before him, and begins licking the outside of his cock slowly. She looks up into Domashi’s eyes for a moment, then plunges over half his length into her mouth in an instant, letting out a soft moan as she does.
The sight of Lany’s eyes alone is enough to keep Domashi aroused. But when she inserts him into her mouth, that is nearly more than he could take after so long a battle to get to this point. He lets out a sigh, that turns into a long groan. ”Holy fuck, Lany. Is there any part of you that doesn’t feel absolutely perfect?” He brushes her hair back and continues to look into her eyes.
Losing herself in the moment, Lany keeps her eyes locked on her lover’s as she increases her pace. She begins to try sucking hard, but when that doesn’t quite draw the reaction she hoped for, she instead begins to go further down his shaft, feeling the tip of his cock pressing against the back of her throat. Hearing the moans she was looking for, Lany continues the tactic, each time trying to see how far she can take him.
The first time she presses him into her throat, Domashi has to stop himself from grabbing her head and finishing the stroke. He had no idea if this was new to her or not. All he knew was that this was the best oral he had all night. He lets out a growling groan with each press she makes. And they get louder each time too. A couple of times, his eyes start to roll back into his skull, and speech is nearly completely lost to him. ”Godamnit Lany… Will you marry me?”
Pausing only to catch her breath, Lany smile is wide as she asks, ”Domashi, I thought we were already married?”
Between panting moans, Domashi chuckles. ”We are. And I will renew my vows to you each and every time you do that to me.” His smile can not possibly get any greater. ”Is it my turn yet?”
”I’ll have to make a point of doin it regularly then. And not yet, I like to finish what I start.” She grins as she returns her mouth to his still raging erection, picking up right where she left off. As she continues her ministrations, she begins to relax her throat, allowing Domashi’s other head to slip even deeper than before. Lany can feel slight gags, but suppresses her reflexes and drives forward.
The feeling of Lany’s throat around him, contracting a little every now and then brings on the feeling of an orgasm that threatens to be one of his most powerful. His eyes cross and after a deep growling grunt, he forces out. ”My…. My, Queen. It… It is time.”
Lany doesn’t stop to reply, she is too lost in the moment to even hear his words. She can feel his already engorged cock swell to unprecedented heights and she feels his entire body begin to jerk. As he begins to erupt, Lany can feel her throat fill with the evidence of his passion for her. She pulls back just a bit, not wanting it all to go straight down without so much as giving her a taste. She is blown away at the sheer volume he lets out, as she is forced to swallow several times just to get it all down. Remarkable considering how many times he had released that day already. Lany looks up at him with a satisfied grin, ”Is your desire to marry me greater now? Or was it greater when you renewed your vows during?”
Domashi can’t help but fall to his knees in front of her. He wraps his arms around her and holds her close, enjoying the warmth of her against his skin. ”My Queen… My desire is even greater now. That was fucking amazing.” He takes a moment to wonder if he should say anything more, and figures that it might be best. ”Just don’t tell Jasmine anything about it for a few days. She wasn’t happy with her performance, and I don’t want to add to the pressure she might be feeling to do better.”
”I think we can keep that between us for now.” Lany replies with a smirk. ”I like the lass, she should fit right in… Fuck, we are going to need a bigger house, aren’t we?”
Domashi lets out a full belly laugh. ”That? That is what is on your mind?” He pulls back to look into Lany’s eyes with humor and mirth in his. ”Really? I do not think it is needed. Not for another day or two, at least. As long as I am never away from about two of you wives, I don’t think I can collect any more women.”
Lany returns the warm look her husband is giving her, ”I best stay close then. Otherwise we may need to start lookin at rentin whole buildings.” Lany declares, as the two begin to laugh together in earnest.
After their laughter dies down, Domashi kisses Lany with a passion that is so strong it is as if she hadn’t already caused a top ten orgasm in him. When he breaks the kiss, his desire for her is evident to them both once again. ”Lany, you are absolutely amazing. In every possible way. No bovine drek. If I was to live out the rest of my days with only you in them, I could never be disappointed with my life. You are more than any man needs.”
”Well I’m not goin anywhere, you can count on that. Lany’s look shifts from moved to playful as she adds, ”But, do you really think you’d be satisfied with just me for the rest of yer days? Do I please you so well your…. eyes wouldn’t stray?” Lany’s eyes clearly indicated that she was teasing her husband.
”I would be, yes. Completely satisfied with just you. At this point, I would miss the others of course.” Domashi pauses a moment while he ponders just how he would feel without any of the others in his life. ”But I would have nothing to complain about with what I would have without them. And I strive for a time when I could stop my eyes, and other things, from straying. Every time I try with Iliena, she pushes me to other women.”
Surprised at Domashi’s remarks, Lany was starting to truly realize just what Domashi and Christine had been saying about Iliena being the founder. True, Lany knew that Iliena was that family’s most vocal spokesperson; her words had been vital to bringing Lany along to the idea in the first place. But Lany had also figured that Iliena was doing all that because of her love for Domashi and her desire to fulfill his goals. Lany tightens her embrace around Domashi, ”Maybe Iliena thinks that you need to keep chasin other lasses to stay happy. Have you told her that’s not really what you want?”
Domashi laughs lightly. ”Just before we took Christine to bed. Just before Liena told Lakira I could go to her wagon alone with her… Just before…” He stops, his list might actually be empty at this point. ”There were other times. I even told her, with humor so I can’t blame her if she didn’t take it seriously, that you all should chain me up and lock the door and never let me out again. If she thinks I need other women, it is only because she doesn’t trust me to know my own mind.”
Lany felt sympathy for her dear Domashi; she knew he loved them all, but had he been pushed into this whole life all because Iliena thought it was the right thing to do? She couldn’t imagine the pressure he was under, with so many women to look after and worry over. And now there were kids in the picture, the burden had to be unbearable. She traced the side of his face with her hand, asking. ”Domashi-san, is this really what you want? This family… all of us needin you and makin it harder on you. Would you have agreed to any of this, if it wasn’t for Iliena?”
Domashi pulls back just enough to see all of Lany’s face as he looks into her eyes. ”I have to admit, you have caught me off guard. I didn’t expect such deep questions so soon in the night. Give me a moment, please.” He never stops gazing into Lany’s eyes, and after few seconds he continues. ”Had any of you been the first I met, and proposed the idea of this family, I think I would have reacted the same as I did with Liena. The difference being, I can’t see any of you pressing beyond my reservations. As for what I want? Now that you are all in my life, I don’t want anything else. You are all very special to me, each in your own way. As I have told Jasmine a couple of times, I could be happy if all of you were just in my life. The sex is just a fantastic benefit.” He gives Lany one of his customary winks.
Relieved to see no regret in her husband’s face, Lany gives him a supportive look as she inquires, ”So tell me then, you’ve been doin so much, is there anythin I can do to help?”
Domashi smiles wide. ”I think you are doing just fine. You are making it hard on me, anyway.” He gestures down with a nod of his head.
It takes Lany only a moment to realize what Domashi is referring to, and after looking down with a grin, she muses ”How’s it keep bloody doin that? You’d think it’d need a break after all that.” She could still feel her stomach full from moments before, surely he must be spent.
”I forgot. We haven’t really spent any time together yet. You don’t know. I only need a couple of hours between sessions. And I can usually get two out right away.” Domashi rubs Lany’s back and kisses her neck. ”And of course, the company has a lot to do with it.”
Lany’s body tingles as Domashi begins with her neck, and she pulls their bodies closer together. She can feel his hardness press against her stomach, the wetness between her legs that began back in the bathroom begins to intensify. ”I am yours, Domashi-san, every part of me. Do what you want with me. I’d do anything for you.” Lany whispers into her husband’s ear.
Domashi chuckles as he continues to kiss Lany’s neck, and he spares one hand to gently squeeze her fine ass. ”Lany-sama, I do not need every part of you. And all I need you to do is be straight forward with me. I love you. I love pleasing women. I love having sex. In that order. If you can’t decide on anything, I can easily come up with something. Otherwise, I’d rather do what you want.” He pulls away from her neck to look at her beautiful face. ”If you can’t decide on anything, perhaps you should lie back on the floor, on one of your sides.”
From her limited experience, Lany was unsure what else to suggest, so she complied, slowly laying on her side as she finally removes her bra and sidearm. She looks up at Domashi and bats her long eyelashes, ”Like this?” Lany coos.
”That will do nicely, my Queen.” Domashi lays down behind her and pulls her top knee up near her chest. ”This can get a bit more intense than anything we have done before, because it will focus on stimulating you more. If it is too much for you, let me know.” He lets go of her leg for just long enough to push his erection into her slowly, the angle causing it to rub firmly on her g-spot as it goes all the way in.
Shocked by the intensity of the move, a loud groan immediately erupts from Lany. She had felt something similar with Marcel’s hands, and Domashi’s before that, but it nowhere near matched the feeling being brought on by Domashi’s throbbing erection buried to the hilt inside of her. ”Fuck!! Lany calls out, looking up at her lover in disbelief.
”Is it too much for you, my Queen?” Domashi asks in complete sincerity and kisses her shoulder.
Lany considers his question for only a moment, before emphatically shaking her head. ”Aye…. But I like it that way.”
”Then I will start slow. If you can handle more I will speed up, but remember this is about you first. I’m easy.” Domashi chuckles at his own joke and gives Lany another slow stroke to get another feel of what this will be like.
Feeling her whole body tingle in sensation, Lany does her best to lower the volume of her first moan. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so very full, and her insides were pulsating in joyous agreement. ”I think you can go a little faster than that.” She says with a wink.
”As you command, my Queen.” Up until Lany gave the order to go faster, it was easy for Domashi to play off that this wasn’t affecting him that much. When he starts to drive into her at a more regular pace though, he has to start panting and groaning because she feels so damn good to him. ”I’ll keep… Going a…. Little…. Faster… God damn Lany, you could certainly satisfy me all the rest of my days.”
Looking into Domashi’s eyes, Lany smiles and breathes between gasps, ”I suppose… God… I’ll have to do just that.. then. Ohhh, But please, keep goin.” Her body was ablaze in so much rapture she didn’t even dare try to move, but laid there as her husband brought her to a level of ecstasy she had only previous glimpsed.
Domashi keeps kissing Lany’s shoulder and watching her face, eyes, and aura to keep from going too far with her. Her reactions told him that she would pull him along for the ride when she came, so he was in no hurry to bring the pace up to what he normally prefered. :”If this… Should get… Shit… A little… Boring to… You, I … Could…. Rub your… Clitorous too…. Fuck you are…. one amazing woman…. Have I remembered… To tell you… That today?”
Lany actually manages a short giggle at Domashi’s comment. ”Aye, maybe a few times. Awwww… Actually, do you think you could go a little faster? That feels sooooo fuckin awesome right now… ” Lany pleads as she begins to writhe her body in rhythm to meet his thrusts.
Her body movements turn him on even more, and he has no problems increasing pace for her. The feeling of her wrapped around him does remove his ability to speak to her though, and he laments not setting up the Mindnet spell before hand. He pushes his arm that is holding her leg down and around her thigh so that he can touch and lightly twist one of her nipples and with his other hand Domashi holds onto one of her shoulders to help leverage himself into her faster and harder.
As her whole body begins to tremble, Lany’s moans cease and she is reduced to breathing in slow heavy breaths, as though she was running Parkour. The pressure inside her began to mount, and her hand grasps Domashi’s forearm tight. ”..Fuckin Christ… Domashi! Harder!!
Domashi feels his body react to Lany’s cries in ways he would never do, and he starts to drive into her as hard as he can before he can even think about her wellbeing. The feeling drives all sight from him as Lany’s body squeezes and grips his thrusting erection, and he knows he won’t last much longer.
As Domashi’s pace reaches a breakneck pace, Lany can feel her whole body begin to spasm. The building pressure inside her seemed to burst, and she was rocked with the most mind-blowing orgasm of her life. No words can be made out in the string of impassioned moans she lets out, and she can feel her walls begin to strangle Domashi’s engorged member.
The grip of Lany’s body on him causes an immediate eruption into her. His body doesn’t stop trying to thrust into her more, even though she has gripped his erection quite firmly. When Domashi can start to see again, he can feel that Lany has topped her ability to bring him to orgasm, and this one easily vaults past the one she caused with her mouth and throat. When he can breath again, he struggles to say between gasps for precious air. ”My Queen… I am truly blessed to be in your service. Should I prepare to tend to you again?” He chuckles until it causes a light coughing fit, and he pulls himself as close to her as he can and holds himself to her.
Still trying to catch her own breath, Lany joins Domashi in his laugh and feels herself completely at home in his embrace. She sighs, before kissing his cheek, ”As much as your Queen loves that idea, I think I may need a breather.” She looks up and smiles, ”Seems we didn’t even make it into the bed.”
”We could move there now, if you wish my Queen. My sword is yours, to do with as you command.” Domashi kisses Lany’s shoulder, then her neck, before just laying there looking into those intense and heart stopping eyes of hers.
Lany could feel the desire in her mounting yet again, but another urge began to demand her attention. ”Not just yet, for now, you can serve your queen by gettin her somethin to eat. I’m starvin.” She demands with a hopeful look.
”Of course, Your Sexiness.” Domashi had no real wish to let go of Lany, and certainly did not feel like leaving her just yet. But those selfish thoughts were tiny compared to keeping Lany well fed and feeling good. ”I could try cooking something tonight, but it will take a while. If you can’t wait, I could see what is available, and bring you something to eat now.”
”There’s an all night bistro a couple blocks away, if you’re up for a walk?” Lany asks, relishing the idea of leaving her flat on such a positive note.
From the tone of her voice, and the look in Lany’s eyes, Domashi could tell this was of great interest to her. ”If you wish it, I would walk to Seatle for you, my Queen.” He smiles wide to her. ”Should I lick you clean first?”
”You wouldn’t let your Queen leave her castle dirty, would you?” Lany inquires, rolling onto her back and offering Domashi easier access to her dripping womanhood.
With a satisfied grin, Domashi kisses his way down Lany’s body quickly to get to work living up to his boast. There was something about Lany’s essence that was so much better than the other women to him, and he could lick it up all night. He figures he might have to, as well. He licks around the bottom of her slit, letting his nose rub her lips as he does so, catching anything that leaks out immediately. Then he moves to each side licking and sucking up all he can find. He only pauses to return to the base of her pussy when more leaks out of her. Then he licks across the top, and he takes a few intermittent moments to lick and suck on her clitorous as they present themselves. With the surface pretty well cleaned, he returns to her base to lick up the last remaining leaks before gently spreading her lips to drive his tongue in to lick up all that is right there at the opening. That finished, Domashi moves on to press his tongue into her as deep as he can and pulls it up as far as her opening allows while curling the end of it to pull out all of her essence and his seed that piles up. After swallowing that, he repeats the motion a few more times getting everything that he can, before he starts rubbing her clitoris with two fingers and licking her insides for the sheer joy of it now.
As the multiple waves of stimulation course through Lany’s writhing body, she finds she cannot focus on a single coherent thought. The world seems to melt away to something of pure sensation, and Lany knew that she could never find the words to describe it. She grabs Domashi’s head and softly urges it on. She tries to speak, to tell her love just how he is making her feel, but only a soft, broken series of moans escape her lips. As her body succumbs to orgasm, she also wraps her legs around Domashi’s head, and pulls him in close as her very core is wracked with pleasure.
Domashi had been waiting for this for two days now, and Lany’s reaction pleased him as much emotionally as her body had done physically. He pressed one hand up against her lower back to support it as it arched, and he ignored the fact that her legs were pressing his head a bit more than was comfortable as he licked up and swallowed all she presses out in her twitching and writhing pleasure. He continues to lick her and suck on her as she lowers herself back to the floor and starts to relax. If she wanted it, he was very willing to do that all again.
107
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Thursday, March 25, 2077; 23:59
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany & BakuThe crisp night air felt good to Domashi after the way Lany pressed his face into her for a second time. He wondered if she would have let him go again, had he tried for it, but even he craved something a bit more solid to eat when compared to Lany’s tasty juices. This moment was so right to him. Just walking next to the incredibly wonderful woman he loved so much, holding her hand. It was so right, that he didn’t even feel slighted when she broke his revelry with an inquiring statement.
”You know, we haven’t had all that much time to ourselves to get to know each other better, seein as we’ll be spendin the rest of our days together, maybe we should. You already know a lot about me… I’d like to know more about you.” Lany asks, looking up through her auburn hair.
Domashi sighs lightly but smiles wide to Lany. ”There isn’t a whole lot I can say, that I haven’t already. I grew up in Japan. I have more sisters and a couple of brothers. I can’t speak too much more on that because I have made a deal to keep them in good housing and with little to worry about financially. If I betray the ones I made the deal with, my blood family could lose everything. Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind so much for many of them. There are three that I still care a great deal for. Then again… I did give my word to my mother, and I couldn’t be true to myself if I broke that word.” Domashi never stopped looking into Lany’s eyes, even as they hid tantalizingly between locks of her hair. ”Is there anything else you might want to know, that I haven’t already revealed to you?”
As Lany thought for a moment about what to ask, she became slightly nervous as she couldn’t think of where to start. Getting personal wasn’t her strong suit, so she fell back on old habits, and talked about work. ”So… how’d you wind up workin as a runner? Been at it long?” She asks apprehensively.
Domashi is a bit shocked as Lany switches gears on him so quickly. ”I don’t think I have ever worked as a runner. Not as you mean it, I think. Of course, I only know about runners from the trids, so I could very well have and not realized it.” He puts his arm around Lany’s shoulders, and starts to walk with her again. ”What do runner jobs look like, anyway?” His tone is light and non-serious.
Lany was actually surprised by Domashi’s confession, from the way he had handled himself, she had always assumed he was a runner. He may not have looked the part, but that was often the case with the Awakened runners. She settled a little closer to her love and admired the scenic St. Julien neighborhood. ”Well, for starters, most runs don’t happen in nice places like this. I think I’ve seen more factories, covert labs, warehouses, & corp military depots than I can count…” Lany stops, her head flooded with imagery. Domashi looks to her in concern for a moment, but Lany just shakes her head and continues. ”We’d be doin whatever they paid us to do. Stealin data of advanced prototypes for some fancy new tech, busting out some suit bein held in a corp prison, hijacking shipments of weapons from Ares…” Lany gets a grim look as she continues, ”This one time, we hit a Horizon Pharm plant producin experimental drugs. They were usin the stuff on technos, injecting them with the shite to burn out whatever part of their head it is that let’s them do what they do. It was leaving most of them near brain dead afterwards, and they were the lucky ones. The technos it did work on went bleedin mad, everythin their brain was connected to since they were lads reduced to deafenin static.” Lany closes her eyes a moment, something in the way she was telling it seemed to indicate that this was more than second hand info she had learned in a briefing that she was sharing. ”Well we decided that we couldn’t just let that stand. So after our Decker bricked some integral components in the plant’s workins that needed ‘immediate emergency maintenance,’ we broke our way in. Then we cleared the buildin of all the bystanders, and blew the God damned place straight to hell. ” Realizing she had just slipped beyond the realm of running into her more “personal” work, Lany looked to Domashi to see his reaction.
A mix of concern, with a dash of something… Maybe discomfort? Flows over Domashi’s face, and he pulls Lany close to him. ”It sounds like you have witnessed more than anyone should ever have to. That can’t have been easy for you.” The thought that once again, while he was holding Lany in his arms, she was sharing her terrible burden with him does trundle across Domashi’s mind. He acknowledges to himself that this time, he is the one causing the contact, instead of the contact causing the confession. ”I find it difficult to believe that this is all there is locked away in the ‘dark thoughts’ trunk in your mind. I expect you to clean that out with us, over time. Bring this stuff into the light and let us help you work through it. If I had to guess, though…. Some of it may be very difficult for the rest of us to take. You have to give us a little leeway in accepting things, but I don’t think that will be an issue. After all, I don’t think you would expect us to take such things much better than you do, right?” He is torn between standing here holding her, leading her on to the food she so desperately needed right now, and taking her back to her apartment to hold and caress her troubles away. In the end, he chooses the easy way, and continues to hold Lany until she decides what she needed most from him.
Lany just shakes her head. ”Aye, you wouldn’t.” She lingers in Domashi’s embrace a few.moments longer, before looking up at him and saying, ”But like you said… Over time. Let’s go on then, the Bistro is right around the corner.”
Domashi isn’t quite ready to let Lany go, but isn’t so daring as to get between her and food. He toys with the idea of carrying her, but then realizes that would be almost as bad as getting in her way, so settles on just releasing her from the embrace and taking her hand. ”Then maybe we should hurry?” He says with a grin. ”Do you have any recommendations for me?” Domashi turns to return walking, but only takes half a step until Lany joins in.
A smile returns to Lany’s face as she shrugs. ”You cannae go wrong in here. I think I’ve tried the whole damn menu several times over.” Domashi returns her comment with a smile of his own and the two proceed into the all-night bistro. There is no hostess, and they manage to find a table on their own, one leaving Lany a clean view of the entrance. A kindly waitress brings their menus and takes their drink orders, leaving the young couple to make their decisions in private.
Glancing at her menu for only a moment before placing it down on the table in front of her, Lany looks up at Domashi with a curious expression. ”Seems like your normal work must be a bit different than mine. What do your ‘investigations’ usually look like?”
Domashi slides his chair a little closer to Lany and puts his arm around her shoulders as he absent mindedly looks over the menu. ”Well, for the most part it is just gathering information. There are more than a couple of spouses, usually men, looking to see if their partners are cheating on them. I have done quite a bit of consultation work with the Paris police, those tend to be more gruesome. And my main focus, for my benefactors, is to keep an eye on corporate movements in Paris and the surrounding areas. Rumors of new products and the such.” He leans in close to whisper. ”No explosives, in my line of work.” Domashi nudges Lany gently in a playful manner and gives the menu a bit more attention.
”I suppose not. Sounds interestin though. But who are these ‘benefactors’ of yours? Are the Yaks lookin to move into Paris now?” Lany grins as she hazards a guess.
Domashi smiles at Lany’s questioning. ”I can’t say what the Yakuza are up to, no one tells me anything.” He winks to her. ”As for my benefactors, as I said to you earlier… I can’t speak on them. My blood family’s well being depends on me not betraying them.”
Lany can see how serious the matter is to her husband, so decides to let it be for now. ”I understand, one cannae be too careful when dealin with them”
Domashi shook his head with a straight face. ”I don’t think you understand, but I can’t make things much clearer. I can say that the Yakuza and my benefactors are not one and the same.” Domashi figures out what he wants to order when the waitress comes back, and thankfully none of his other wives are here to tease him that he must want the waitress.
Having to scratch several follow-up questions off her list, Lany tries something more personal. ”How old were you when you left Japan?”
”Hmmm… I would say nearly seventeen.” Domashi winks to Lany. ”And to go ahead and answer the follow up, that was about eighteen months ago.” Domashi sits forward when the waitress brings their drinks, because he gets the impression the questions are just beginning, and he wants something to drink before continuing.
Taking a sip of her own wine, Lany nods in thanks to the waitress and continues, ”And where did you learn your English, sounds downright CAS with the accent.”
“I better start returning fire soon, or I will be overwhelmed…” Domashi bemoans to himself. ”I learned a touch in Japan, but the majority I learned in Denver.” Domashi takes a pretty big sip of his wine. ”Now how about a little about you? We already know you have been in Marseilles a few months, where were you before this?”
”Well before France I was in the AGS for while. But most of my time workin has been in the CFS, Seattle, and the NANs.” Lany rattles off, figuring she had no reason to hide the details from her lover. ”I have worked a few jobs in Denver though, it’s a complicated place, especially with that mad dragon callin all the shots.”
”I never got off of campus, so I do not know.” Domashi nods to himself mostly, reminding himself he should tell Lany about his time in Denver tonight. He leans it to talk more softly. ”So… How many lovers have you maintained at once before this?” The waitress comes over at that moment to take their orders, and Domashi sits back up straight. ”Saved, for now.” He nods to the waitress and places his order. ”I’ll have the Onglet Grillé, please.” He then turns to watch Lany, and see what all she orders.
Lany chuckles at Domashi’s intimate question. ”Before all this? One…” She hopes the waitress’s arrival will spare any follow ups. ”And I’ll have the Hachis Parmentier.”
Domashi waits for the waitress to walk out of earshot before leaning into talk softly to Lany again. ”One? That is as difficult to believe as you only ordering one dish.” He chuckles softly. ”You had to have had a few you were beating back at the time though, yes?”
”A few perverted old cunts used to try to get their way with me, but they all regretted it.” Lany confesses with a satisfied tone. ”But truth be told, there were only two before you, Domashi. And one of those was just some drunken shag at a Neon Cargo concert… not exactly my finest hour.” Lany blushes a bit, somewhat new to sharing stories like this.
Domashi rubs Lany’s shoulder and remains close to keep talking softly. ”Nonsense. Did you enjoy it?” When Lany reluctantly nods, Domashi smiles to her even though she can’t see it. ”Then that is all that matters. You did fine. Of course…” Domashi removes his arm from Lany’s shoulders so he can place that hand on her nearest thigh and rub it a bit. ”It does make me wonder how you are so good, if you have only had one other lover before now. That is a mystery I wouldn’t mind learning more about. But that should probably wait until back at the apartment.” He was tempted to escalate the attention his hand was showing her leg, but decided against it. “If we are only her third lovers… She likely isn’t ready for sex in public yet.”
Giving Domashi a flirtatious grin, Lany responds, ”Dinnae know I was so good, maybe you’ll have to figure that out for me. You’re quite proficient your own self, but I guess you must’ve had a lot more experience than I’ve had.”
”That is true, but I also had great teachers. None of what I know just came natural.” Domashi shared the truth, hoping to spin it so that Lany couldn’t feel bad about herself. ”And to answer my own question for you, the most I ever juggled at one time was three, before Keiko joined the family.”
”Were there many that lasted?” Lany inquires with no small amount of personal interest.
Domashi pauses rubbing Lany’s thigh and looks up and to the left for a few moments. When he looks back down, his hand resumes too. ”I guess that depends on what you mean by ‘lasted.’ All of my former lovers I still talk to from time to time, although some have been quiet for some time… Well, that is a lie. The regular prostitutes I took in Paris I don’t keep in contact with.” He scratches his chest lightly. ”Now, if you mean in a regular way, for any length of time… They all have lasted at least two months. Did that answer your question? Or did you mean something else?”
Letting out a playful sigh, Lany rests her head on Domashi’s shoulder and declares. ”Just hopin you might keep me around awhile. I’ve grown quite accustomed to you.” She closes with a wink, giving Domashi a soft kiss.
Domashi can’t help himself and he smiles like a kid in a candy store after everyone has gone home for the day. ”I have no intention of getting rid of one of the two hottest women in all of Europe, Pandora-sama. As long as you will have me, I want you. And if that wasn’t enough, there is a great deal more to you than just a fantastic body, and a wonderful enthusiasm. I do plan on spending the many years I promised you showing you how much I love you.”
Lany shrugs, ”I guess I’ll have to clear my schedule, then. I have to admit, I never saw this comin when Kynn called me in on this job.”
”Well, that does make two of us. It was not in the sales pitch, for sure.” Domashi leans back a bit. ”So what next? Should we compare… I dunno. Hair washing techniques?” He snorts a bit at his own joke, and kind of wishes the food would be ready as he is getting rather hungry. And with that thought, his stomach agrees with him and rumbles a bit.
As if speaking some unknown language, Lany’s own stomach responds, ”Bloody chef must be knackered for it to be takin this long.” But fortune smiles on the hungry diners and the waitress brings a tray bearing their fine smelling entrees. Before she leaves, Lany quickly asks the waitress to put in for a second. She turns back to Domashi and settles back in against his chest, delighting in the comfort the contact was bringing her. ”Hair washin you say? Well, I generally wash mine in the shower.” She says giving her lover a wry look.
Domashi’s steak arrived just as he was losing the fight to keep his hand out of Lany’s pants. He promised himself he would have to get Lany to demonstrate her hair washing technique for him, and possibly on him. It did not hurt a thing that the food was quite good, as it made it enjoyable to wait for Lany to finish her second dish. The walk back to her apartment was spent holding hands and kissing frequently between questions of the past, and Domashi felt his desire for Lany waking again before they even reached the door to her building. Checking his chrono, it told him that it wasn’t that long after 0100. With Lany no where near yawning yet, he feared there were still several more hours to go.
Friday, March 26, 2077; 01:16
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany & BakuOnce inside Lany’s apartment, Domashi asked if she thought they would be leaving again. When she shakes her head, he proceeds to use his Spirit Sight to judge the Astral state of the rooms, and spends time to blend any and all signatures he could find into the aether to remove any hint of stain or taint that could ruin their night. To Lany’s perspective, it looks as if Domashi was doing something similar to Tai Chi around the room.
Watching the ritual in curious confusion, Lany couldn’t help but ask, ”What the fuck… I mean, so, what are you doin?”
Without missing a move, or skipping any timing, Domashi responds easily. ”Every living thing, and every spiritual entity leave signatures wherever they go. You can think of it as a sort of Spiritual scent. What I am doing is ‘erasing,’ in a manner, all those scents to help cleanse your apartment. I didn’t see anything troubling, but if you have difficulty sleeping, it might help.” After a few more moves, Domashi adds. ”It certainly couldn’t hurt.” Lany nods and watches him complete his cleansing, following his movements closely.
With that finished, Domashi stands still for several seconds with his eyes closed. He scrunches up his face only briefly before he opens his eyes with a smile. ”There. I have called in some back up, should you get too dangerous for me to handle.” He nods to her, and takes off his jacket and begins to unbutton his shirt.
”Backup?” Lany asks, her eyes scanning the room. But as she notices Domashi undressing, she raises her eyebrows, ”Have somethin in mind, Domashi-san?”
”Not particularly. I just summoned up a spirit to aid me should I need it.” When Domashi’s shirt was unbuttoned, he simply spread it open to get a bit more comfortable. ”Do you have something in mind? Perhaps a demonstration of your hair washing?”
Glancing over Domashi’s shoulder, Lany grins as she suggests. ”Perhaps we should get ourselves dirtier first.” She move seductively towards him, but spins around him at the last moment and takes position behind her punching bag. ”Come on then, let’s see whatcha got.” Lany challenges with a playful laugh.
Domashi turns slowly toward Lany with a weak smile. ”And what would that serve? You already know you are stronger.”
Giving her husband a somewhat slighted look, Lany drops her grip on the bag. ”I was just curious is all. I’d like to see how bad you’d beat me.” Lany answers with a grin.
Domashi can tell Lany was trying, so he encourages a smile to his lips by thinking of her naked right then. ”As if that would happen. I am not the warrior you are, Lany. Unless I call in a spirit strong enough to be too much for me to mess with, I will never be the warrior you are. And worse yet, showing you my capabilities will make it all the more easy for you to beat me if you get too dangerous for me tonight.”
Thinking about Domashi’s words a moment, Lany realizes he is right. Her brain’s tactical synch programming would adapt to his every move. ”I suppose you’re right. There are better ways to get dirty, after all.” Lany suggests trying to salvage her spirits.
Domashi steps up to Lany and wraps his arms around her. ”There are better ways. Like baking cookies?” He expects Lany to practically squeal at the idea.
Immediately, Lany’s face lights up like Bastille day. ”Really? Do you know how to make Hato Sabure? I haven’t had them in ages.”
It wasn’t quite the reaction Domashi was looking for, but it was still great to him. ”I was thinking a standard sugar cookie, but Hato Sabure isn’t too far off. If you prefer them, I can do that.” He smiles to her. ”Should we start on them now? Or would you rather I hold you a bit longer? I am very happy with either.”
Lany looks up at him and smirks, ”I’m torn me own self. Perhaps we should just linger here while we think on it more.” She tightens her embrace, resting her head on Domashi’s chest comfortably.
Domashi was very happy with Lany’s choice, but he can do a little of both. ”I should warn you, I am about to raise my voice a bit.” He turns his head towards the kitchen. ”Kitchen! Oven, one hundred seventy seven degrees celsius.” He turns his head back and snuggles it against the top of Lany’s.
Giggling lightly to herself, Lany confesses, ”I don’t think I’ve ever turned it on. Guess I’m not much of a homemaker.”
”I find it hard to believe you have never turned the oven on… You turn on everyone around you.” Domashi smiles at his own joke and rubs Lany’s back. ”You aren’t storing anything in it, are you?”
”Not really… but I do keep my spare hand grenades in there.” As Lany watches the color drain from Domashi’s face, she gives his side I little tickle, smirking to let him in on the joke.
Domashi smiles in spite of the poor humor. ”Explosives are no joking matter, Lany-sama.” He sighs and relaxes back into their embrace. There was about ten more minutes before the oven would be ready, and he had every intention of spending it standing here with Lany.
Holding her smirk in spite of the mild lecturing, Lany continues, ”Maybe not, but you’re an easy mark.” She pulls Domashi in for another kiss, filled with fiery passion.
While Lany kisses Domashi, he instinctively reaches down and grabs Lany’s perfect butt and lifts her up a bit off the floor. The move rubs his growing erection down the front of her pelvis showing off exactly how much he enjoys her attention. When she finally breaks the kiss, he licks his lips while looking into her heart fluttering eyes. ”Now that should have turned on every oven in the building.”
Returning Domashi’s gaze with a seductive stare of her own, Lany coos. ”It does feel like it got a lot warmer in here, doesn’t it?” She can instantly feel herself getting wet as his hardness pressed against her; wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him in closer. Lany would have ripped his clothes off right then and there, but the thought of delaying delicious Japanese butter cookies gives her pause. Her growing desire forces her to ask. ”Think we have time before the oven is ready?” She inquires in a tone that left no doubts as to her meaning.
Domashi lets go of Lany’s ass with only one hand and uses it to pull on Lany’s hair lightly to get her to raise her chin back. He uses the opening to bend down and lick her throat before sucking on it. Before he removes his mouth, he licks the area of her throat exposed to his tongue a few more times. ”That damn oven can bloody well wait until after my Queen has all that she desires.” Domashi let go of Lany’s hair and licks up from her throat to the tip of her chin, and then gently scrapes his teeth around her throat.
The feel of Domashi’s teeth on her neck causes Lany to gasp and grasp hard onto the back of his head. She begins to grind herself against his already swollen member and curses her decision to put on tight fitting jeans. Deciding this was no time to wait, she drops down to her feet and quickly strips her lower half clear of any clothing. Once free, she grabs her lover’s head again and returns it to her neck as she removes his belt and trousers. ”Your Queen cannae wait. Take me here.” Lany whispers in Domashi’s ear, stepping back against the wall before jumping back up to wrap her legs around his waist.
Domashi had other ideas, but when he gets right down to it, any way he can take Lany, was a great way to take Lany. ”As you command, Lany-sama.” He leans forward a bit, to make sure her shoulders are pressed against the wall, before he leverages his swollen desire into her for more times in the last eight hours than he has done in all of the time he has known her before that. He holds them both there, fully inserted into Lany, as he sucks on her throat once more since she seemed to really get into it. Before removing his mouth this time, he scrapes his teeth once again only a little harder this time. ”No bovine drek. Being inside you is all I would need for the rest of my days.” Domashi pulls back from Lany’s throat to look into her loving eyes. ”Make no mistake. I still love all the rest of the wives. I have no want to separate from them, as long as everyone is still good with everything. But I would find myself overburdened with more than I needed or wanted, if you were the only woman in my life.” And with that confession, Domashi takes a woman against a wall for the second time tonight. This time he expects it will be better than before.
Closing her eyes as she feels Domashi push inside of her for the fourth time that day, Lany let’s out a soft moan into his ear and whispers, ”Guess I’m a lucky woman, then.” She kisses her husband with all the love and compassion her heart bore him. She is clearly in no hurry, and begins to move her body slowly up and down his length. As she enjoys the feeling of being penetrated, Lany caresses his face, ”Domashi, you can take your mask off around me, if you’d like. We’ve no appearances to keep up here. It’s just you and me.”
After returning Lany’s loving kiss, he gladly allows her to move at her own pace. ”You know, I often forget I even have it up.” With a lightest thought, he changes from the Romani young man to the Oni he truly is in less than a blink of the eye. ”I have become so comfortable in it, it almost feels strange to let it down.” Domashi kisses Lany lightly before finishing his train of thought. ”I guess you will have to remind me of who I really am as often as possible, my Queen.”
Lany’s face glows at her lover’s request. ”That means I’ll be tellin you how fair you are to me all the time, my Meiyo aru ōni.” A small grin appears on her face at each downstroke in her motion, as she feels herself tremble at sensation of him bottoming out within her. She tightens her embrace and lets the pace gradually quicken, as each returns thrusts of the other.
There are only a few women in the world that Domashi enjoys soft and gentle sex with. Lany is one of them. That doesn’t take away from the shiver that travels up and down his spine as she starts to increase the speed, and with it the vigor of each thrust. With the speed and power of each stroke increasing, Domashi starts grunting. Softly at first, but a little louder each time. ”Do you have neighbors we should be considerate of, my Queen?”
”Aye, but they are used to hearin my music and the sound of me beating the shite out of my bag every night. The walls are thick, so it’s muffled anyway.” Lany replies coolly, leaving out the part where she had tested the walls with her Predator before moving in, just to make sure they could stop APDS rounds. She gives Domashi a sultry look before adding, ”So you can take me as hard as you’d like.” She follows this by dialing up the intensity of her own movements, now grinding herself down harder than before, eliciting a few louder moans.
Domashi chuckles in between grunts that are growing louder. ”Taking you as hard as I like isn’t on my mind at the moment. It is reacting to how hard you are going to be taking me that had me concerned for your neighbors.” He leans in and kisses Lany just before letting out a groan of intense pleasure at her latest grinding drive on him.
”Do I have such an effect on you?” Lany teases as she stares into Domashi’s eyes. She raises herself almost to the point of losing grasp of him, then plunged herself down again, causing her thighs to tremble as she felt her core cry out in sensation. ”Do I bring you such pleasure that you cannae help but let the whole buildin know?”
The last hard drop forces a sound that is partly a yelp, but mostly an animalistic cry of intensity from Domashi’s chest. ”Aye, my Queen. I greatly enjoy a woman who shares my intensity for sex. And I rarely find them.” In return, he drives Lany hard up against the wall with a thrust of his hips, and another animalistic growl. ”You are a rare find, and one I will not let go of easily.”
An uncontrolled groan erupts from Lany as Domashi pushes her back into the wall, the feeling was so intense that it had caused her vision to blur. She clenches herself down on his cock, and licks up his neck to his ear. ”You may find I’m the one who won’t let go. I like you right where you are.” Lany then leans back into the wall, allowing her lover to demonstrate the intensity of his lust for her.She keeps her legs wrapped around his waist tight, however, not allowing him to withdraw too far.
”Then I fear the others might get jealous, if neither of us will let go.” Domashi intends that to be his last words until they both collapse from explosive orgasms. He leans into Lany and scrapes his teeth across the side of her neck while growling low. Then he focuses all his attention on driving into her as hard, and as often, as she desires it.
The feeling of teeth scraping against her neck again causing another sharp gasp from Lany, and she quickly clutches Domashi’s head in place with both hands. She feels her every nerve vibrate with each of his thrusts, and the pressure inside her was building to unimaginable heights. Her moans become loud and regular, and she soon finds that she is having a hard time even holding on anymore. The ecstasy overtakes her in a tidal wave, as a massive orgasm resonates through her now trembling form.
The sounds coming from Lany could bring him to orgasm alone, and the dark thought that he should be recording this takes a few steps through his mind before it is lost in the near single minded pursuit of releasing into this fantastic woman Domashi is so fortunate to know. The mild drive to not let her down spurs him on further, and he would have willingly licked and kissed her neck even if she didn’t have his head held there in a vice-like grip. He tries to wrap his arms around her, but finds the wall prevents that. Instead he grasps her perfect ass as he drives into her again and again, forcing the eruption of desire to build faster than he anticipated with her every moan.
Her body near comatose from the mind-shattering orgasm she had just experienced, Lany could only rest with her head against Domashi’s. The continued pounding her lover was giving her was only making it harder for her to return to her senses. She fought through it, however, and regained enough control of her lower half to grind her hips to meet her husband’s mounting pace, finally pushing him over the edge to unleash the evidence of their passion deep within her.
In the near future, perhaps in the morning, when Domashi has enough blood flowing through his brain to think on it, he will determine that this orgasm was easily in his top three. It might even be tied with his second. For now, however, it takes what concentration he has to not simply drop Lany to the floor, and he gently lowers her before he loses all strength, and perhaps even consciousness. When she is safe from the harshness of gravity, Domashi grunts out, ‘”Fucking hell, my Queen. There really is nothing else I need in this world than you.”
Feeling warm and loved in the embrace of her Domashi, Lany struggles to catch her breath before responding. ”And bein with you gives me more than even I dreamed I could have. I love you Domashi-san, and I always will.”
With a momentary focus of will, Domashi is able to reply before descending into the warm embrace of deep contentment. ”And I will always love you, Lany-sama.”
After appreciating his words, a playful grin comes to Lany’s face as she inquires, ”Well since you love me so dearly, maybe we could start the Hato Sabure you had mentioned makin? I’m sure the oven is more than hot enough now.”
Domashi lets out a pleasant sigh before he groans playfully. ”As you command, my Queen. As you command.” He sits up and leans in to kiss Lany before withdrawing himself from her and heading to the bathroom to clean up a little. Then he heads into the kitchen to begin prepping the dough.
108
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Friday, March 26, 2077; 02:22
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany & BakuDomashi gently pushes Lany out of the kitchen, knowing full well that she could easily push back if she wanted. She playfully reaches past him towards the plate of Hato Sabure cooling on the counter. ”Ah, ah, no. They need to cool. While we are waiting, why don’t you tell me what your usual sleep routine is? If it hasn’t been working for you, we should probably see about changing it up some.” Lany steps back with a mock pout. ”Here,” Domashi pulls a cookie, still warm, from behind his back. ”This should really cool as well, but you can give it a try.”
Lany breathes a heavy sigh at Domashi’s request, her mind pulled back to the purpose for their night together. They had been doing a masterful job at keeping the dread from mounting as it usually did for her when the clock neared the time for her sleep cycle to begin. The still warm cookie her husband was offering was a nice consolation, however, and a little smile returns after the first delectable bite. ”Mmmmm… that’s fuckin delicious. You really do know how to make a lass feel special.” Lany states appreciatively, giving Domashi a kiss on the cheek before finishing her treat. ”But as far as my routine goes, it’s pretty simple. There’s usually a lot of pacing once it gets past midnight; I often work out to pass the time and wear myself out a bit, suppose we have that well covered.” Lany gives her lover a grin before continuing, despite the weight of her words. ”It starts getting bad the last couple hours before five, just lookin at my bedroom door makes me edgy… That’s when the Scotch comes into play. That goes on until I find the courage to finally go in there, maglock the door behind me, and put my Predator in the holster strapped to the side of me bed.”
Domashi waits for a good three count to make sure Lany was finished. ”If I understand you, your usual routine is to wait until the last possible moment, while drinking, to go to bed. And you sleep with your gun. Is that a good summary?”
Lany thinks for a moment then nods. ”Aye, it goes like that just about every night.”
”Then we should change everything about that, but to not be too traumatic, only change one thing at a time. That way in about four nights time, we will have you sleeping in a completely new routine.” When Lany looks a bit incredulously, Domashi adds. ”For whatever reason, you current routine isn’t working for you. You still have issues, or at the very least, believe you do. We are already adding in something new, my presence. I am hoping that will be enough. But if it shouldn’t, we should at least try and determine if one of your usual steps is causing the issues, or at the very least rule them all out.”
Lany analyzed Domashi’s plan carefully. She knew that nothing in her routine had caused the issues, but changing it seemed like a good place to start. ”I guess none of it has really solved anythin, so it’s worth a shot.” Lany thought about it a moment and added. ”Perhaps we should start with my Predator. I cannae say I’m fond of the idea of sleepin without it; but I’d rather not have it with you in there.” A troubled look can clearly be seen in Lany’s eyes.
Domashi rubs Lany’s shoulders as he looks down into her eyes. ”I may never replace your handgun, but you can pull my trigger all night long and no one will get hurt.” He gives her a wink and a smile full of warmth. ”You don’t really need to sleep with it anymore. You are no longer alone. You do not need to be at full alert at all times of day.” Domashi leans down and kisses the top of Lany’s head. ”Besides, I will protect you now.”
There were no words Lany could use to describe the comfort her husband’s words gave her. She had been on her own since her family had died, and the thought of someone else watching over her helped sooth many old scars for her. She leans into his chest, before saying ”Thank you Domashi, that means a lot. It’s been a long time since I really had anyone willin to protect me. That’s usually my job.”
”It is something that we all do for each other, in our own ways. There are no jobs within the family, as we all share equally.” Domashi cups Lany’s face with his hand. ”I suspect this is a bigger change for you than all the rest of us. We can work through this together. You are no longer alone.”
Using his words as reinforcement for her mind, Lany breaths heavily as she glances up at the clock. It was 02:30, and the hour was getting close. Domashi can feel her grasp tighten slightly for a moment, but relaxes as her gaze returns up to his. ”I’ll have to do my best to remember that, though I doubt you’ll make it hard to forget. But you’re right, this is a big change for me, it’ll take some getting used to. I hope this works, I’m really lookin forward to it.” Lany ends with a mixture of trepidation and hope.
Domashi stifles a yawn that threatens to devour his face, and nods to Lany. He then pulls her into his arms and holds her close to him. ”From your glance to the clock, and you not even leading me to the bedroom… I take it we still have time?” He feels Lany nod and mutter an “uh-huh” to him. ”Then how about I tell you about my life as a Japanese schoolgirl?”
Lany’s eyes widen in amazement for a moment, then she recalls the display of masks Domashi had shown the family a few nights before, and recalled the form of a young Japanese female among them. ”I’ve been wondering about that, you did say you would explain more later. What’s the story there?” Lany asks with curiosity.
”Well…” Domashi closes his eyes briefly, and puts on his Ayaka Mask. She stands there, completely naked, in his place. ”This is Yokugama Ayaka. I was tasked with learning my Tradition, the mental structure of my Magic, as Qabbalism. It is deeply rooted in Ancient Hebrew beliefs. Anyway, the foremost instructor is Professor Rosen in Denver. The University of Denver, more precisely. He has a weakness for his students, so I took on this form to catch his attention.” Ayaka smiles at the memories and shakes her head. ”Catch his attention, I certainly did.”
”The professor has a thing for young Asian coeds?” Lany asks with a grin.
”He has a thing for all women. Well, the attractive ones, at least. I don’t think he has a particular favorite type. At least I never found out if he did.” She flicks a loose hair back over her shoulder. ”Fortunately, Rosen didn’t see through my disguise until after I had some compromising recordings of him, and before things had to get… ‘Too awkward,’ between us. I was able to ‘persuade’ him to continue my training even though I wasn’t really his type.”
Giving Domashi an amused look, Lany inquires. ”Did he ask you to keep the mask on?”
Ayaka shakes her head softly. ”No, but I did so anyway. It was more to keep my cover, as there are no males allowed in the Rosen dorms.” She smiles, and blushes a little. ”My hall mates were most eager after finding out the true me.” Ayaka looks Lany in the eyes. ”Speaking of which, would you like me to keep this Mask up? Or would you rather I drop it now?”
”I cannae help but imagine all the things you must have done. My Domashi, the lone man in an entire dorm full of college lasses, I bet you have a hundred stories from your time there.” Lany muses, then waves her hand. ”You can take it off, don’t think I’ll be forgetting that one anytime soon.”
Ayaka pouts. ”Awww…” With a light thought, she disappears revealing Domashi again. ”I was hoping you would at least play with her breasts a little. I can’t, as I can see right through the illusion.” He winks to Lany. ”Anyway, I don’t have a hundred stories. More like a dozen. And we have pretty much already replayed many of them. Only three hall mates saw through my disguise. Those were the three lovers I maintained at once before Iliena and I started the family.”
”How long were you there, seems like learning magic would take a while.” Lany asks inquisitively.
”I was only there about four months.” Domashi frowns a little as the less savory memories rise to the forefront of his brain. ”So much shit went on while I was there… The best of which is that Mirai was born.” He sighs, and moves to the couch to sit.
Lany joins Domashi on the couch. As she sits, a look of realization comes to her face and she supposes. ”So Keiko was pregnant while you were there? I’m surprised you agreed to be away from her while she was carryin your child.”
Domashi chuckles and a smile returns to him. ”She would have kicked my ass if I didn’t. It was supposed to be easy, my blood family was supposed to help care for her while I was away.” The smile leaves Domashi. ”Things don’t always go as they are supposed to, though.”
Looking to Domashi with concern, Lany takes his hand and asks, ”What happened? Did Keiko and your family not get on?”
Domashi shakes his head softly while looking to the floor. He lets out a soft sigh. ”They got on fine… At first. Then they, the blood family, found out she was a lesbian, or they suspected she worked for the Yakuza, or perhaps even both. While I was away, trying to set myself up to care for them, they kicked my pregnant… … Fuck. I guess you would say she was my girlfriend at that time, although that isn’t quite right. Anyway, they kicked her out. Thankfully, my good sisters Yumi and Chiasa helped out. We got through it.”
Lany shakes her head slowly, and puts her hand on Domashi’s cheek, bringing his eyes from the floor to hers. ”That wasn’t right of them. They judged Keiko without a care for what would happen to her, you, or their grandchild, and threw them in the streets. I’m glad your sisters were there… when did you find out what happened?”
Domashi grimaces, and shivers a bit. ”It is actually a bit worse than that, but we will save all of that for another time. Maybe when we want to share scary stories.” He winks to Lany and his face goes more neutral before he continues. ”I found out almost a month after I arrived in Denver. And the following month, the rest of the crap hit the fan.” Domashi smiles, and rises softly. ”Before I go into that, I want a cookie. They should be plenty cool by now. Can I bring you one, my Queen?”
Lany chuckles as she corrects Domashi, ”Your Queen would prefer three of those delights, if it’s not too much to ask.”
He smiles and shakes his head a little. ”Of course you would. I’m going to have to start making double batches for you, aren’t I?” Domashi heads to the kitchen to collect four of the dove shaped cookies, and then thinks better of it and gets five. When he returns to the couch, he hands three to Lany and keeps two for himself. ”I found out the following month, that my twin sister was arrested for murder.” He slumps down on the couch and refuses to say another word until he finishes the first cookie.
Holding the golden brown treasures in her hands, Lany looks like she may tear up for a moment, but her rhapsody is interrupted by Domashi’s latest confession. ”Murder?…” Lany is forced to pause when she realizes she has unconsciously began to eat one of her cookies. ”Who the fuck did they say she killed?” She asks in confusion.
At first, Domashi nods at Lany’s inquiry. But when she gets to a question that requires more detail, he just holds up a single finger as he continues to eat his cookie. He doesn’t take long, but he also still takes the time to enjoy it all before he finally speaks. ”The son of a politician. But it is more than ‘they said.’ They have a recording of her confessing to the murder… And more. I swear, the recording must be crafted, but the tech experts believe it to be genuine. I even had a forensics expert friend of mine look at it, and she says it isn’t made up.” He sighs, and shrugs, before turning to press his back into the corner of the couch. He takes a small bite of his next cookie. ”Have you found you would rather have had my life be a mystery yet?” The traditional Domashi mirth and humor have returned to his eyes, and his smile is back to nearly normal.
Gladdened to see a smile back on her husband’s face, Lany grins as she dismisses his notion. ”Not at all. It may sound kinda weird, but I’m glad I’m not the only one here with……. Baggage. So they locked her up then? My brothers would get hauled in from time to time for inane drek like dealin and stuff, but they never managed to stick anythin to them. Where are they holding her?” A look comes to Lany’s face at the end, almost as though she were getting ready to plan a breakout.
When Lany questions about Domashi’s sister being locked up, his face falls to more neutral again. After she finishes the details about her brothers, Domashi sighs. ”They held her then. She didn’t get locked up until after the spectacle that was supposed to be a trial. That was four months later.” Another grimace crosses Domashi’s face. ”That was after I had returned to Kyoto, and after I had pledged to take care of the drekstains that call themselves my parents.” He takes a big bite out of his last cookie before he continues. ”After she was convicted, my blood family disowned her. There are only a few of us who even talk to her anymore.”
A mild look of disgust crosses Lany’s face at Domashi’s remarks. To her, family was family, no matter how badly they may have fucked up. ”Disownin their own kin, they ought be ashamed. How could they do somethin like that to their own bleedin kid? Say, ever think that maybe the recordin was real, but that it wasn’t your sister doin the confessing? Look at the tech Chris has? She could easily pull some shite like that off.” Lany places her hand on Domashi’s leg and asks, ”Do you believe her to be innocent? Would she even have a reason to kill some politician’s kid?”
Domashi scowls. ”If it wasn’t Ena that was confessing, then it hasn’t been Ena that I have visited. And that brings up the question of what the Hell they have done with Ena. No, it was her, and this is her.” Domashi shakes his head in mild disbelief over the whole situation again. ”I believe she is innocent. She wouldn’t have done all those things she confessed to. I even read her aura, and there is something she is hiding.” He sighs heavily. ”Every time I bring that up, I get resistance from her ‘council.’ There is something going on that no one will tell me about.” Domashi stands up suddenly and begins to pace about the room. ”Unless you want to risk seeing how dangerous I can get tonight… I suggest a topic change, soon.”
Seeing Domashi so agitated surprises Lany, and she can tell that the wound is still too fresh for her to press the matter any further. ”Best to let the matter rest then.” She glances up at the clock again, as she had every few minutes since finishing the cookies. It was after 03:00, and Lany could feel the anxiety within her become palpable. She stands and heads over to her cupboard, pulling out a bottle of Bowerstone Scotch and a pair of glasses and placing them on the counter. ”I dinnae know about you, but I could use a drink, do you care for Scotch?”
Domashi shakes his head softly. ”I don’t normally drink, and then rarely before bed. And then almost never when I know I will not be getting a full night’s sleep. Thank you anyway. Don’t let me stop you though, we haven’t gotten to that stage yet.” He adopts a genuine smile with the last statement.
Lany shrugs as she pours herself a tall glass. ”It helps keep my mind off what’s to come. In keepin with that, why don’t you tell me how you and Keiko met?” Lany asks with a little smile, taking a sizable drink of her Scotch.
”And I’m going to be seriously sleep deprived tomorrow, and for several days afterwards.” Domashi winks to Lany. ”I don’t need to risk being hungover, or still drunk too.” He moves to lean against the kitchen doorway as he continues. ”Keiko and I met on the job.” He deliberately takes a long pause, acting like that is all he might reveal. ”I was working off my debt, and I was assigned to her. Our cover was as young lovers, and I guess we took it a bit further than we should have.”
Lany gets a curious look on her face as she takes a seat on a stool by the counter. ”Fallin for a lass you’re workin with? Sounds familiar.” She says with a smirk. ”Had she ever been with a man before? Seems she is more into the lasses. She and Christine seem to be hittin it off well.”
”She is completely into the lasses, and she has not been with any other man. She has even sworn to me on several occasions, that she will never let another man touch her, and that I am the only one.” Domashi smiles weakly, and looks down to the floor for a moment. ”I am very happy she and Chris are getting along so well. It almost makes up for the fact that I haven’t had anywhere near the time I need to devote to her. Aside from her first night here, I have only had about half an hour with her.” With a heavy sigh, Domashi looks back up to Lany’s face. ”There wasn’t a whole lot of falling there. I’m not entirely certain when it all happened. It was easy to dismiss it all as just young love, since she was only the second woman I had been with, and only my second time at that.”
Lany gives her husband a sympathetic look, ”You love her… it must be hard on you, trying to care for the needs of so many. I know I’m certainly addin a lot to that burden.” She closes with a sigh, finishing her glass and snatching the bottle for a refill.
”It certainly would be a lot simpler if I didn’t care.” Domashi grins in his usual way. ”Or if I could just devote myself to one of you.” He shrugs a bit. ”That just isn’t the case though. Each of you needs me in your own way. And now, there may be others adding to that list. It is something I am just going to have to learn to live with.”
”I suppose we all just do our best to play the hands we’re dealt. And I think you’ve got a big enough heart that none of us will be left wantin.” Lany remarks with a warm smile as she take another drink.
”I certainly hope so. I have no desire to disappoint any of you.” Domashi sighs again, and it turns into a yawn. ”How much longer until we try to sleep?”
Glancing up at the clock, Lany grimaces and downs her glass before she responds, ”Not long now. I usually go in between four ‘n’ five… whenever I get the nerve to walk through that fuckin door.” As she glances towards the bedroom, her face becomes pale. She turns away and grabs the Scotch.
”If it will help any, we could jump ahead and skip the bed tonight. I’m not sure if it will make things easier for you or not.” Domashi steps forward and rubs one of Lany’s shoulders in support.
Lany let’s out a little laugh as she replies, ”Just where exactly did you have in mind? We aren’t really burdened with an overabundance of options here…” She pulls on Domashi’s hand, bringing him closer, and leans back with her head against his chest, bringing out a contented sigh.
Domashi wraps his arms around Lany’s shoulders and holds her loosely. ”There may not be a lot of options, but if the bedroom causes such a reaction for you, then just about anywhere else might be better. We have the floor in the Grand Hall, even here in the Kitchens. They may not be all that comfortable, but it isn’t like we will be there all that long anyway.” He kisses the top of her head. ”From here on out, we can even try other places entirely. Now that Alix is awake, we don’t have to remain here. We could get a hotel room all to ourselves, if that will work better for you.”
”It’d be nice to be closer to the family. They’ve been so kind to me, I’m startin to miss when they’re not around.” Lany confesses as she takes another drink, the Scotch clearly having its effect.
Domashi nods, even though Lany can’t see him. ”We can do that, if you are ready. It would take you further from Alix, though. I was thinking something a bit more local. But this is all about you. So we can adapt to what you want the most.”
Thinking on it a moment, Lany responds calmly, ”The flat will suffice, then. I dinnae want to leave Alix, the girl doesn’t have anyone else… I should not have let this happen, I should have brought her home when I saw her there in that station day after day.”
Domashi sighs lightly above Lany’s head. ”It is a tricky situation. It is like the story of the Harvard philosophy professor and the spider. Every morning he takes a leak right after his three hour philosophy class. He’d flush the toilet and there would be this tiny, brown spider fighting for its life against the swirling water. Comes back the next day, flush and the same spider clawing its way back from oblivion. A week goes by, he decides to liberate the spider. Grabs a paper towel, scoops him up sets him on the floor in the corner of the stall. Comes back the next day and the spider is dead. On it’s back, eight legs in the air. Why? Because one life imposed itself on another.” He pauses for a while, letting Lany soak in the meaning of the story. ”You could not know, with absolute certainty, that taking her home would have been better for her. You can’t make others do what you want just because you want it.”
Closing her eyes, Lany grips tighter to Domashi’s arm before responding. ”It’s just my way. When I was a wee lass, we were always takin people in. Friends of my brothers who’d been kicked out of their homes, coworkers of my Dad’s that had been laid off. My parents always used to say, ‘Help when you can, you never know when you may need it yerself.’” Talking about her family brings a warm feeling to Lany, and she quietly revels in the moment.
In the silence, Domashi drifts off into unconsciousness even though he was trying very hard not to. Twice, he does that little thing where he jerks back awake, but only for seconds at a time. It is very obvious that he has been burning the candle at both ends and is just exhausted. ”Fuck, Lany, I am so sorry, but can we go to bed and talk about this later?”
Suddenly broken from her reverie, Lany sighs and casts her gaze towards her bedroom door. She was certainly tired and more than a little inebriated, but the fear of what she was about to witness gives her pause. ”I suppose now is as good a time as any. Let’s get this over with.” Lany replied, putting on a brave front, in spite of the ever growing dread within her. She goes to her coat and grabs her Predator, but places it inside a kitchen drawer instead of bringing it in with her. ”I cannae remember having slept without it since I’ve been on my own.” Lany confesses with a nervous laugh, and leads the way into the bedroom.
Domashi follows Lany, taking a couple of quick steps to catch up with her, and he places his hand on her shoulder. ”It is alright. Change can be tough. At worst, we can always change things back if it is too much for you.”
Pausing as she feels Domashi’s hand, Lany shrugs and says, ”We’ll just have to see how it goes… Thanks again, Domashi-san. I’ve needed help with this for a long time. I just haven’t had anyone in my life I thought I could ask.” She takes her husband’s hand into her own, turning and giving him a gentle kiss.
After Lany breaks the kiss, Domashi bows lighty. ”You are most welcome, Lany-sama. But your thanks are not needed, my Queen.” He stands back up again and looks her in the eyes. ”This is what we do for each other. We help each other, whenever we can. We do it because it is right to do, not to get any appreciation back.” He cups her chin in a hand lightly. ”I do thank you for expressing the appreciation though. It is a nice touch.” He releases her chin and looks to the bed. ”Do you have a preferred side? Or do you take your share out of the middle?” Domashi winks to her as he looks back to hear her answer.
”I’ve really only slept next to one other man before… it didn’t go very well. I woke up screamin, and when he jumped up to see what was the matter, I laid him out…. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I was scared, and confused, and after what I had just seen in my fuckin nightmares, I just couldn’t help it.” Lany answers, struggling to keep from falling into tears. ”When I went to see him in the infirmary, he told me to stay away, that I was dangerous…” Her words trail off as she can no longer keep from crying, leaning into Domashi as her body begins to sob.
Domashi holds Lany tight to him. ”Go on and let it out. Let it go.” He can’t help but notice that he is once again holding Lany to him as she cries away some of her pain from long ago. ”It is clear that the whole thing hurt you. His reaction might have been overly harsh, but you can’t hold it against him. He had no idea what he was getting into. That is not to say that it is your fault, as you didn’t know either. I have the benefit of knowing what is potentially in store for me in a few hours, and I accept that risk without hesitation.” Domashi rubs Lany’s back as he continues. ”You might want to tell me how that night ended before you fell asleep. Maybe I can think of a different way to handle things that might not cause such an overt reaction by you in the morning.”
Doing her best to stifle her sobs, Lany replies quietly, ”We had just come back to the safehouse after a Weaponized Arcade concert. We had something to eat, watched a trid, then shagged in the shower. There’s not much else to tell.” Her eyes still glistening with tears, she looks up at Domashi. ”I dinnae know what I’d do if you left me like that.”
Domashi looks down to Lany. ”There isn’t much chance of that. You have told me what to expect. If anything happens to me, I can only blame myself. I don’t see anything horrible happening though.” He smiles to her, and kisses her forehead. ”As for what we might do differently… I see a pattern there. I take it the trid was some high explosive action show?” Lany nods with an “uh-huh” added. ”So, a raging concert, an action trid, and some sex in the shower. All things to put you on edge just before you went to sleep. As much as I hate to even think it,” Domashi smiles to Lany and gives her a wink. ”I think we should skip the sex before bed. I can try some massaging to help you relax, hopefully. That might reduce your reaction, but I admit I am simply guessing. I have no idea what it is you see while asleep. There might not be any real way to prevent your violent awakenings. We will still try though.”
Shuddering briefly, Lany looks away as she responds. ”Trust me, you dinnae want to know what I see when I’m asleep.” Being in Domashi’s arms gives her strength to keep her own mind from drifting to that dark place, and she forces a little smile as she looks back to him. ”I like the sound of that massage though. I wager you are good with your hands.”
Domashi smiles with a twinkle in his eyes. ”I’m not too bad after my hallmates’ instructions in Denver, but I am guessing you meant with massage? I’ll make sure to look up some instructions tomorrow to get even better.” He gestures to the bed. ”Make yourself as comfortable as you can. I can’t really believe I am going to say this, but lay face down on your bed.” Domashi grins and winks to Lany.
Spinning around as she goes and stands next to the bed, Lany bats her eyelashes and inquires. ”Would you mind if I take my shirt off? I like the feel of your hands on my skin. As Lany’s hands play at the hem of her shirt she adds. ”Or would that be too much of a temptation for you?”
Domashi snorts and licks his lips. ”I’d have prefered if you never put it on. It may be difficult to believe, but I can control myself. When the situation requires it. So, do as you please.”
Grinning at her lover’s approval, Lany pulls the oversized Concrete Dreams T-shirt over her head, leaving her in only her boyshorts. She crawls into the bed slowly, resting on her side in the center as she waits for Domashi to join her.
Domashi watches the whole show with a desire to go against his own plan. If this wasn’t important to Lany, and so very important to him by extension, he would have a difficult time ignoring his libido. As it is, his lust will have to enjoy him stripping down to only his boxers and nothing more. He does this in part to mimic Lany, but mostly to silently announce his intentions to not be physically intimate with her right now. He steps to the bed drinking in the desirable sight of Lany lying there so very willingly. He allows himself a little sex play by grabbing her ass to roll her over to her stomach. He then crawls over her and straddles her hips and begins rubbing Lany’s neck in small circles with his thumbs from the base of her skull down to her shoulders.
A soft moan creeps out of Lany as Domashi begins his ministrations, the tension that had built up in her finally being released. She allows the relaxing feeling to let her mind clear itself, focusing only on the sensation of his hands running across her exposed flesh. ”I dinnae think you’ll be needin anymore instructions. That feels even better than I expected.”
Domashi grins as he focuses on the area on each side of Lany’s neck where her shoulders meet it. This time he actually applies pressure on the front and back with both his thumbs and fingers. ”I may not need more instruction, but there is plenty more to learn. Maybe I can even pick up some acupuncture?” Domashi chuckles at his joke. ”I would find it hard to believe I have the strength to cause you pain, but do let me know if I do anything that doesn’t feel good.”
”I’ll keep you informed.” Lany purrs, her body soaking up her husband’s tender affection. She can feel the muscles in her back releasing from their hypertense state, and another moan soon follows. A now very familiar tingling begins between her legs, but she does her best to pay it little mind.
The second moan from Lany causes Domashi’s cock to stiffen. That should not be a surprise to either of them. What might be surprising is that he does nothing about it and continues to tend to Lany’s back. He continues rubbing his thumbs in small circles on each side of her spine, working his way downward. He has found that the spine is the best place to focus on as the recipient has very little they can do to ease the tension there themselves. The other muscles can be stretched when desired. Before he gets to just above her hips, Domashi can already tell Lany has probably fallen asleep. Her breathing is slow and shallow, and she isn’t moaning as often as she was. When he does reach her hips he pauses with his hands on her back. His desire for her was quite strong, and he had to give it some time fantasizing about what he could do with her right now. Another large yawn from him tells him that the fantasy will have to wait until he is dreaming. He gently dismounts from his position on Lany to lay on his side next to her. He draps one arm over her and snuggles into her as softly as he can.
109
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Friday, March 26, 2077; 07:07
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; Lany & BakuThe scene is tranquil around three hours later, with two young lovers asleep and barely clothed lying peacefully in bed together, the morning sun creeping in through the curtained window. The images in Lany’s head however, are far different. Her brain’s tactical processor has been running through it’s nightly diagnostic, analyzing every combat deployment she had been sent on in stunningly horrific detail. And Lany watches every minute of it. Witnessing all the assassinations, massacres and other atrocities she was forced to commit sets her mind ablaze in terror and grief. As the program finally ends, her heart is racing and her body is covered in sweat. ”Noooo!!!!” Lany wakes up with screaming. Unsure of where she is, she throws off Domashi’s arm and instinctively begins to crawl towards the nightstand, where her Predator is normally hidden. As her hand reaches and finds her holster empty, the panic inside increases and she flips over onto her feet and drops low. Her eyes begin scanning the room wildly, searching for targets that were not there, and she stays there trembling, tears streaming down her face.
Domashi has his sleep breached early yet again. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he arrived in Marseilles, and he certainly isn’t going to have one before this week is over. This isn’t the time to think about it and his fuzzy, and protesting, brain tries to process what just happened. He becomes aware of Lany moving, and he is about to go to her when the warning Lany gave him jumps up and down in his mind to get his attention. “When he jumped up, I laid him out.” Domashi is fortunate that his severely sleep deprived mind has enough left to keep him still. ”It’salruuumph.” His mouth, on the other hand, wasn’t so bright right now. ”It is alright, my Queen. There are no hostiles here. Stand down.” He moves his head slowly to get a look at her.
As Domashi makes a closer inspection, Lany’s stance is somewhere between that of a coiled snake and a frightened child. She is perched on her feet in a ball in the top corner of the bed, her terror-stricken eyes now staring transfixed at the maglocked door out of the room. The sound of her husband’s voice catches her attention, however, and as her gaze lands on him, she whispers in a barely audible voice, ”I just wanted to stop…” She drops down to the bed sobbing uncontrollably, every bit of the deadly preparedness Domashi saw in her gone in an instant.
”What, what did you want to stop?” Domashi takes a chance, and gently pushes himself up on his knees. He didn’t fear Lany at all, but she did warn him that she could get dangerous, so he is prepared to jump back if needed.
Domashi’s preparation proves unnecessary, as Lany doesn’t even react to his change in position. She just continues crying, struggling to respond. ”Me!!! I didn’t want to kill them, but I…… I just couldn’t stop. I couldn’t do anything…” The grief and sorrow on Lany’s face is palpable, her eyes clenched shut despite the steady deluge of tears.
Domashi continues to take Lany at her word about how dangerous she is, and stays right where he kneels, ready to jump at a moments notice. ”That was only memories, my Queen. Terrible memories, but you did not kill anyone this night. Things are good here.”
The sobbing subsides as Lany struggles to collect herself, to marginal effect. She opens her eyes, her makeup from the night before now streaked and in ruins, and looks at Domashi in anguish. ”They’re not just memories… They were people. Most of them had never hurt anyone. And I killed them all, just the same. Fury should have put a bullet to me. I’m a fucking monster…” Her hands begin to clutch her head as her voice trails off.
Domashi has to look down at the bed to squash the anger that rises from the way Lany insultingly disregards his and the others’ declaration she wasn’t a monster. “Clearly, Lany will never accept that from us,” he realizes to himself. Domashi breathes deep and looks back up to her, shaking his head softly. ”Except, you didn’t kill them. Someone else did, and they used you to do it. If a Mage has ensorcelled someone and made them kill another, is the person at fault? Or the Mage? If a spirit possesses someone, and makes that persen beat the snot out of their kid, is it the parent’s fault? Or the spirit? If any of these cases ever went to court, and the truth came out, do you think the compelled people – including you – would be punished for the actions?”
Domashi can see the tension in her muscles release as she listens to the reason in his words. Lany knew he was sincere, and the logic of his argument was not new to her. But hearing it from the mouth of the man she loved gave her the respite from the regret that weighed on her; especially after being forced to relive the experiences so graphically. She shakes her head, ”No… not if the truth was known to them. You don’t punish the weapon, and that’s all I was then. Not anymore.” Resolve can be heard returning in her voice, but a measure of sadness remains in her eyes. ”I cannae help but think of them… I killed 278 people for Horizon, and I’ve only been able to find the names of barely half of them. Who were they? What had they done to deserve the hand they were dealt? Who do you think they would punish?”
Domashi keeps an eye for any sudden movements from Lany as he begins to awkwardly half crawl, half walk on his knees, over to her. ”If you don’t punish the weapon, then why are you causing yourself to suffer even more than reliving the memories would do?” He shakes his head a tiny bit. ”Of course you think of them. You would be a monster if you didn’t. I can’t make that magically disappear, even if you didn’t have that implant in you causing you to relive them.” He settles next to Lany, and puts his arm around her. ”I might be able to set up a lead with someone who can inspect the implant, and maybe remove it. I’ll have to look into that later today.” Domashi sighs lightly. ”Do you really want to know who they were, what they did? Do you think that will really help you? Would it do you any good, if you found out that some of them didn’t deserve it?”
Watching her husband closely as he approaches her cautiously, Lany does her best to accept his attempts to console her. But she is then amazed at the feeling of relief that comes over her as she feels Domashi’s arm wrap around her. It was as though the anchor of guilt that weighed on her soul was suddenly dropped loose, and an audible sigh of relief can be heard. ”It wouldn’t… but that wasn’t why I spent time findin out who they were. It was for them. They deserved it. Their families deserve to know, and I’ve seen to it that they will.”
Domashi nods his head. ”Alright. I’m not sure I understand the wisdom of this, but I don’t have to. If it is important to you, it is important to me.” Domashi pauses for a moment. ”It will take some time. Time to set up, and even more time afterwards… But I might be able to help you. There is magic to go through people’s memories. I don’t know this magic yet, I will when I can. With that, and perhaps with the help of Jasmine, we can help you track down the identities of these people.” He shudders a bit as a chill runs up and down his spine. ”I do not look forward to seeing what you see… But it will be done. For you.”
Lany sits in quiet admiration as Domashi’s mind springs into action. Without a moment’s hesitation, he had offered to help fulfill her utmost desire, justice for the fallen. A quest she has shared with only a chosen few. She wonders if he knows just how much his pledge to help means to her, if words could even define it. She melts into his embrace, pulling herself as close as is possible.
As Lany snuggles into him, Domashi acknowledges to himself that the time for danger must be past. A yawn rips through him suddenly. ”Damn. I would say we should go back to bed… That wouldn’t be very considerate to you. Besides, I am sure you want to go and gather Alix as soon as possible. Stay here as long as you like, just wake me up when you head to get ready, if you find me asleep.” He kisses the top of her head, and leans a little on her for support.
Looking up at her exhausted husband with care in her eyes, Lany leads them back into a lying position. She gives him a soft kiss and keeps her voice low, saying, ”Rest, Alix is in good hands. I’ll watch over you.” She figured it was time to return the favor, in some small way, and gives her lover a warm smile while he actively protests as his eyes reluctantly drift back into slumber.
Lany watches her husband rest peacefully for around five or ten minutes, but then regrets leaving her Predator in the kitchen drawer as Domashi’s comm begins to go off. She had really hoped to give him another hour at least, but decided to soften the blow by kissing him awake rather than waiting for the comm’s ringing.
Domashi wakes to the combined forces of the comm going off and the kissing. All the while wondering how the hell he allowed himself to be led to fall asleep again against his own will. He rolls away from Lany cursing. ”Damnit!” And he bounces up to go fumbling for his comm. Seeing who it is from, he taps the accept button. ”Morning Margot. What is it?”
Friday, March 26, 2077; 7:38
Av de St Julien, Marseilles; BakuDomashi sees the pretty face of Margot, although it is blurry to him. <<Dominik>, Dominik, have you got time for a short report on what I found at the Sea Hag’s Catch?>>
”Yeah, hold on a moment. Let me get some things ready.” Domashi heads to his jacket, and takes out his ‘buds and his subvocal mic. He puts them where they are supposed to go, and gives a small prayer of thanks for not removing his contacts. He switches his comm to “private” mode which pipes AR to his contacts and earbuds, blanks the screen, and switches input to his subvocal mic. << Margot > Go ahead. By all means, Margot. Please, fill me in. Don’t hold back any details.>> He heads to the kitchen to begin prepping the breakfast he still has to figure out.
Margot looks as professional as always, but her eyes give the impression that she has either not had a comfortable rest or has not slept at all. <<Dominik> Believe me when I say that there are some details I wish I could forget about that place.>> Domashi sees her shiver a bit. <<First off, it is right on the waterfront, but it is hidden away down a narrow alleyway. A small sign at the alley entrance is about the only way you know it is there. I got the eeries, is that a word? Anyway, I got the eeries just walking down there and probably should have not gone alone.>>
Domashi saddens and gives her a concerned look as he stops what he was doing in mid stride. << Margot > I did not want you to go so far out of your way for this. You have just earned yourself two dinners next week on top of the lunches. If you are capable, please continue.>>
Margot gives a sort of crooked grin and nods her head. <<Dominik> Yeah, you can count on me collecting, too. That is one foul place. Anyway, I entered the building and even though I thought I was dressing down for the area, it was obvious from the first second that I had not dressed down enough. Ugh. I took some pics of locals so that we will have a better idea of how to dress if we go back there. That whole area has some of the lowest of the low as far as class of people goes. Poverty does not begin to describe what I saw.>>
She catches her breath and continues. <<Dominik> The place is, um, sort of mid-sizeish, or so. Maybe forty feet to a side on the ground floor. Body odor and the smell of cheap cigarettes and cigars assaulted my nose. I was immediately picked out as a “slummer”, someone who tries to dress a part and goes to a low-class dive for entertainment, usually just so they can brag to their friends that they were there. I had three completely brazen women come up to me and ask if I wanted company before I was approached by a waitress who took me to a table and asked if I was there for the show or for something more private upstairs. Damn, Dominik, I almost chickened out right there.>>
Domashi chuckles. << Margot > You aren’t getting more dinners out of me that easily. I’ll add another lunch though. Did you notice any security? Bouncers, tech, anything like that?>> He puts his comm on the kitchen counter to free up his hands so that he can pull out a deep skillet and a lid for it. He wished he had more time to make biscuits, but it would take too long to clean the counter and roll out the dough today.
The pretty woman on the screen nods. <<Dominik> Yes. Two large men as bouncers at the front door and another really large Ork at the stairs leading up to the upper levels. No obvious tech that I could see, but some of that stuff can be pretty small and hard to see these days. Beyond that, nothing, but I would bet that there is if our suspicions to a link with the Triad is true. Pretty sure that they would not leave a place unsecure, right? I told the woman I was here for the show first then would look at something different. She nodded and brought me some real swill and a menu of the various private options available. The place was about half full when I walked in the door but it filled fast and I ended up having to share my table with two sailors from one of the ships in port. These two guys nodded at me, taking their time, too, and asked if I was new in town since they had not seen me before. I told them that I was in from Paris and some friends had told me about this place. They both laughed and one told me I should get better friends. They were chatting about the fucking show and I heard that from other people at the tables near me and just thought they were talking about how bad the show is, but they were talking about a fucking show. Live sex up on the stage.>>
Domashi can’t help but chuckle, even though he tries to reign it in << Margot > I am sorry. I should not laugh at what you went through. I will give you a choice. Another lunch, or convert one of the lunches to a dinner.>> He smiles to her. << Margot > You sure as hell have earned them.>>
Margot laughs and her smile extends to her eyes. <<Dominik> I appreciate the concern, believe me, but I have seen shows like this before, just not quite like this. Still, I will not turn down the meals. I should not have to describe the acts to you, I hope, but there was straight stuff and some BDSM and some beastiality on that small stage. Some was titillating, to be sure, but some left me cold and wishing I had not seen it. Towards the end I was trying to read from the menu of private options to avoid seeing some of the acts when one of my table partners leaned over and started talking to me about the menu. He asked if I had seen what I liked yet and got all chummy when I said that I had not made up my mind. He leaned closer and put a hand on my leg for balance as he whispered in my ear that I should ask for Brad Keg and he pointed to the name on the menu. When I asked why, he winked and told me that that is the code for the really special stuff. The guy on the other side of me saw where his finger was pointing on the menu and butted in by telling me to concentrate on the main section. Apparently, the really special menu has to be asked for and you need to have an ID check to make sure you aren’t police. The first guy was whispering virgin boys and girls, some young…..really young. About that time, the second guy is bumped by someone next to him and this fight starts out. People, chairs, bottles, everything started flying about the room. I got out of there with a few bruises and some extra tears to my already crappy outfit. No loss there as it now looks a bit more appropriate for the place. It looks like we are on the right track, but to be sure, someone might need to make a visit there in area appropriate clothing and smells. Ask for Brad Keg and be prepared to be searched and questioned. I could go but I do not want to use my real name. Any suggestions or questions?>>
Domashi looks thoughtful for a small time. << Margot > Well, I do not think I can let you go back there. I certainly wouldn’t subject you to being searched there. I can do it. I think I would be the one most likely to be comfortable there… Not that I would be all that comfortable. For questions, I guess you have not left out any details about menu options? I would like to know more, but I am sure you would have said something.>> After the skillet is heated, he goes about frying up the soy-sausage links and the Fakin’-Bacon.
Margot nods. <<Dominik> The menu was pretty straightforward. Small pics and a short bio of who people could select from. Pretty standard for brothels. The main menu was all adults and both sexes, although predominantly female. You could also select what form of sex if you were into anything kinky as there was a small section devoted to that. Ages from eighteen to forty, although I am sure most of that is lies, but no one under eighteen. The Brad Keg entry was just like the others, but the guy at the table said that was the one to choose for the really special menu. Apparently, if you were not already vetted and on the list or willing to go through what it takes to get there, you would simply be told that Brad is not available.>>
Domashi nods and smiles to Margot in appreciation. << Margot > Then I have only one more question for you. Have you decided if you wanted the extra lunch? Or convert one of the lunches I already owe to a dinner? Right now you stand at three a piece, and you can either add two lunches, or one dinner.>>
Margot laughs again, a really pretty laugh even over the ‘link. <<Dominik> Are you trying to make me fat, Dominik? But sure, how about one extra dinner to be collected some time. Remember that we are both partners on this and you don’t really owe me anything.>> Her face goes serious for a moment. <<Are you sure that you do not want me going back? I have a much better idea of the sort of clothes I need and I can roll about in some street excrement to get the proper ambience it you want me to. Someone needs to do something about that place, Dominik.>>
Domashi sighs lightly as he nods to her. << Margot > I know. I plan on it. I will not ask you to go back there. I can’t. That being said, if you truly want to do this, I certainly won’t argue with you. I would rather do it myself though. And just to end a little lighter, I may not owe you meals. I am happy to have excuses to share some with you anyway.>> With the sausage and bacon done, he sets them on some paper towels to take away some of the grease, and uses what is in the skillet to fry up four eggs. Domashi makes two of them over easy, and two are over hard.
Margot blushes deeply and gives Domashi a very deep smile. <<Dominik> Thank you, Dominik. I cannot remember when someone said something like that to me and meant it. Thank you. OK, I do not really want to go back, but will if you need me to. Let me know, but give me at least a day to get the right look. I have attached a file for the pics I took. I am not good enough to edit such a file with names or anything, so all you get are the photos. Anything else?>>
Domashi shakes his head. << Margot > No. Not for at least eight hours. Go and get yourself some rest. Thank you for the effort you put in Margot. I appreciate it, very much.>>
With a nod and a smile, Margot closes the conversation and the screen goes blank leaving Domashi to focus on finishing the breakfast he has been working on. He separates everything onto two plates, the eggs split one over easy and one over hard on each plate. He then goes about scrambling two more eggs as it will only take a small amount of time to do that and have them ready to sub in for any egg Lany doesn’t like.
Meanwhile, Lany is taking a quick shower as Domashi finishes with the call on his link. She had been disappointed that her kiss had not softened her husband’s waking, but paid it little mind after all he had put himself through that night. She is amazed that he came through it almost unscathed, and has a profound sense of relief in her that perhaps her waking issues would not be as insurmountable as she had once believed. Her realizations are interrupted as delectable smells begin wafting in from the kitchen, and Lany can almost feel her heart leap as she begins to imagine the warm breakfast just waiting for her to finish bathing. Unable to stand the anticipation, she powers through the remainder of the shower with cybernetically enhanced speed. She air dries as she does her hair, leaving it down for the day, and is soon dressed in her standard attire; tight, black jeans, combat boots, and a sleeveless shirt with a large Union Jack on the front. She skips putting on her makeup for the time being, and heads out just in time to see Domashi scrambling eggs to go with the feast he had already prepared. She approaches with a glimmer in her eyes and sits at one of the stools to watch him finish. ”Breakfast ready right after my shower? Now I’m convinced. You truly do love me.” She gives her lover a playful grin as she asks, ”Who was callin so bloody early? I had hoped to let you sleep another hour at least.”
Domashi gives Lany a light smile. ”An hour wouldn’t do much for me. I’ve not had a full night’s sleep yet, so I need a day or two to recover.” He winks to her. ”That was Margot, reporting on that cess pit of a brothel. Not a nice place, to say the least.” He takes the scrambled eggs off of the heat, and looks to Lany. ”How do you prefer your eggs? Scrambled? Over easy? Or over Hard?”
Lany smiles brightly. ”Um, yes!”
The joyful exuberance of the fiery redhead draws a full laugh out of Domashi as he piles the scrambled eggs up on lany’s plate and hands it to her with a fork.
After they share the basic breakfast, a well as some kissing and heavy petting, the two lovers walk the few blocks to pick up Alix and head to the Palais suites so that Domashi can share all that he has learned and done for a couple of days.
110
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Friday, March 26, 2077; 08:54
The Palais, Old Port, Marseilles; Lany, Baku, Iliena, Christine, Keiko, Jasmine, Alix, & MiraiDomashi opens the door to their main suite for Lany and Alix. Mirai brightens more than the Sun when she sees Alix and stops what she is doing to run to her best, and nearly only friend. He looks around the room and finds tremendous comfort in the sight of Chris and Keiko snuggling together still, but that is followed with a little feeling of guilt seeing Jasmine sitting alone.
With this being the first morning after Domashi has spent the night away from his home and his wives, he feels he has to show his continued commitment to them all. He starts by going up to Keiko and Chris. He stands there for only a moment, until they acknowledge his presence and he knows he isn’t interrupting them at all. He leans closer to Keiko and says in a low tone, with a big smile. ”Good morning, Sexy.” Then he kisses her lovingly. After they break the kiss, he pulls away only a little bit with the same smile and low tone. ”I love you deeply, Keiko. I am truly blessed to have you in my life. It gets better, if that was somehow possible, with you bringing Mirai into my life as well.”
Domashi waits a few heartbeats after Keiko kisses him again before moving to Christine, keeping the low tone. ”And good morning to you, Beautiful Chris. I have to admit, I am a bit jealous you get to wake up to such a warm and lovely greeting every morning,” He gestures to Keiko. ”But then you don’t get to enjoy the greeting I am about to get, so all is balanced, I think.” He caresses the side of her face gently as he kisses her like she is all that he wants. ”We are made much better with you in our life. Thank you Beautiful.” He winks to her, and after a good three count stands to head over to Jasmine.
He walks up to Jasmine with a very bright face and a large smile. He doesn’t even say anything, or give her a chance to speak and leans in to kiss her. He focuses all of his admiration and desire for her into this kiss, trying to cause another world ending kiss like the one he has shared with Liena, Keiko, and Chris. He leans his forehead to hers, and remains there for a few moments simply drinking in the feeling of contentment with her so near to him. After three long breaths, he moves to gently whisper in her ear. ”I am so sorry I missed your first night here. I am also terribly sorry I won’t have a night to spend with you until next week. I want to spend time with you Jasmine, much more time than I have available. The only consolation I can give you is the knowledge that I thought of you last night.” He removes his head from hers enough to see the look of mild shock on her face. He speaks in a similarly low tone as he did with the other wives. ”Not a lot,” he says with his bright grin and a wink. ”But more than any other.”
The mention of others alerts Domashi to the absence of Iliena. He stands up and looks around the room to verify he just didn’t miss her in his initial scan. He brings his voice up to its normal tone and asks the room. ”Where is Liena?” Jasmine nods and waves a hand toward the entrance of the suite. ”After she set up a protection detail for me from her family, she said she wasn’t feeling well and went to the other suite.”
Domashi is filled with the urge to rush to his Dearest, but realizes it would be rude to just take off. He gazes at the suite entrance as he speaks to Jasmine. ”Oh, yes. Your morning class. How did that go? Any problems?” Domashi looks down to Jasmine after his last inquiry.
Jasmine nods with a little smirk. ”It went fairly well. Some of my students were a little put off by the new attention… But others liked the interest of the new audience members.” She chuckles at the fresh memory. ”No sign of Gregoir, if that is what you meant. I had a chance to talk to my brother and father and let them know what went down and to warn them about the potential fallout.”
Iliena’s condition is forgotten about momentarily as Domashi wraps his head around the situation with Jasmine and her family. ”I’m so sorry. I never even considered your family. Do they need to move in with us too? Do we need to make some sort of arrangement for protection for them? I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep all of you safe, Jasmine.”
Jasmine smiles to Domashi and stands in front of him. She wraps her arms around his waist and snuggles against him. ”I am glad you feel that way, Dominik. But it isn’t necessary, I don’t think. My father and brother can handle themselves, and wouldn’t feel right hiding out anyway. Now, kiss me and go and check on your Liena.” She gives a reasonably good imitation of one of his winks to him.
Domashi lets out a small snort as he smiles to this fantastic woman he is blessed to have in his arms. He fights the desire to lift her up by her ass and unleash his passion for her in his kiss, and instead gently leans down to her and kisses her softly. That doesn’t last very long, as Jasmine turns it into a kiss filled with her burning desire for him.
When they break, Domashi is left panting and with a very large indication of just how much he wants this moment to go differently. He presses his forehead to Jasmine’s and speaks softly to her. ”My God, Jasmine. You do make me long for more time with you.” He presses his hips into her, grinding his erection against her mouthwatering body. ”But I have to check in on Liena.” He pulls his head back and addresses the rest of the room. ”I won’t be long, we need to have a meeting since we didn’t get the chance yesterday. I have things to report.” Christine nods with a mischievous grin, and Keiko looks to her with curiosity. As they talk softly, Domashi looks back to Jasmine. ”I want you to stay for it, but you are not required to. Only those who are willing members of this family are required to be a part of it.” He leaves Jasmine to think about it, as he hurries to the other suite to check on Iliena.
Friday, March 26, 2077; 09:09
The Palais, Old Port, Marseilles; Baku & IlienaDomashi opens the door to the second suite, expecting to find Iliena sitting in the living room, but even though the lights are off, the sunlight coming in through the partially closed window curtains allows his Oni Sight to tell him that she is not in the main room. Guessing the master bedroom first, he opens the door to near complete darkness, although he does pick up the faint aroma of some sort of flowery candle scent.
He sees Iliena sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands moving back and forth, pulling from her Tarot deck and placing the cards on the floor. In the dark, it would seem impossible for her to know which cards she is pulling, but that does not seem to stop her.
”Dearest?” Domashi is a bit concerned because Iliena’s actions are not typical for her. ”The others said you were over here. Is everything alright?”
Iliena does not move her head when she speaks. ”No, Dominik, something is wrong. I do not know what it is happening and it bothers me.”
Domashi moves to the side of Iliena, and squats down. ”What is wrong Liena? Can I help?”
She sighs. ”Could you please turn on the lights?”
Domashi nods, even though he is sure she can’t see him. ”I can do that, Liena.” Since she requested he do it, he stands to use the manual switch near the door.
As the lights come on, Domashi sees Iliena looking intently at an array of Tarot cards on the floor in front of her. She reaches out a hand and gently touches several of the cards, but every time she touches her forehead first.
Standing there with no idea of what to say or do, Domashi can only mutter. ”Is that better?”
Iliena shrugs her shoulders. ”I do not know, Dominik. I have pulled cards for myself for years, ever since I was little girl, and every time it is the same. Every time.” Her voice drops to a whisper. ”Every time.”
She looks up at Domashi and there are tears in her eyes and on her face. ”It should not be every time, Dominik. But it is. It is like my future is written in stone and it will not change and I am frightened. I accepted it all when I was young and even up to finding you, because that is what I was meant to do……find you. But it is still the same, as if there is more to do. And I do not understand.”
Domashi moves to kneel by Iliena’s side, and reaches out to wipe tears away from her cheeks. ”If you do not understand your cards, then how am I supposed to?” He smiles to her with genuine warmth. ”Tell me, Dearest. Do the cards tell you of some terrible fate that will befall you, or those around you?”
Iliena smiles and touches Domashi’s face with a soft hand and motions to the cards in front of her with the other. ”Terrible? I suppose that depends on your definition. My mother pulled cards for me when I was very young and was amazed at the coincidence that every pull was exactly the same. And then when I was old enough to do it myself, it was the same. I have known since I was three that I would find you, that you would be the man for me. Of course, I did not know your name or what you would look like, but I knew that I would know you when I saw you. These cards led me to be standing outside a specific hotel door on a specific day and time and that you would walk through the door and into my life. I happen to think you are a miracle. Whether or not you think it is a horrible future is up to you.”
Domashi places his forehead against Iliena’s and chuckles lightly. ”Then I take it that they do not tell you of some horrible fate that should have you overly concerned? Then what do they tell you, Dearest?”
Keeping her forehead in touch with Domashi’s, she gently shakes her head. ”No, Dominik. They show me meeting you and creating a family. They tell me that I will have one child by you. They tell me that we will stand strong against a great evil. I do not see these as horrible fates. So far, these things are coming to pass.I cannot deny them. But I am finding that I see things a bit clearer and that disturbs me. The sight does not generally improve as one gets older, yet mine is. And that is disconcerting and a bit scary. I do not know what is happening to me that I can see better.”
Domashi focuses on Iliena’s aura, to see if there might be anything wrong or troublesome in it. His read of her aura lets him know that she is healthy and that her emotional state is a mix of happy and confused. He also sees a flicker of something else, a glow that would indicate that Iliena might be Awakened, which is certainly a difference from the impression he had received in his earlier assensings of her. ”Well, it looks like you might be developing some Magical Talent, my Dearest Love. I must say, it isn’t common after puberty. I have very little first hand knowledge of other’s Awakenings to draw off of, but that could explain why you are seeing your drawings more clearly.”
Iliena jerks her head back from Domashi’s and her face has an expression of surprise on it. ”Awakened? Me? I am no mage. Am I?
Domashi shrugs and gives Iliena a broad smile. ”I don’t know. I have never walked someone else through Awakening before. I can say you are not a mage, yet. If you have that talent, it will take some time to develop. I can not even give you any idea of time frame, as that depends on the individual and their level of talent.”
”So how do I find out any of this stuff? Is there a way to know for sure?
”The fact that a person can do something they could not do before is the usual sign. You are exhibiting that, to a degree. Your aura says you have Magic budding within you, but I can’t see how strong it will be. There is no other way I know of to tell if someone is Awakened. Maybe Lakira could look as well? I do not know her experience with walking others through Awakening.” Domashi can’t really add to any of that, so he just sits next to Iliena facing the opposite direction from her so that they could look at each other easily.
Iliena smiles at Domashi and nods her head. ”I will talk to my cousin and she what she says. I can always rely on you to say the right things, Dominik. You are my entire world, my beacon of strength in the darkness. I love you.”
Domashi hugs his Dearest Love to him and sighs to her. ”As I love you as well, Liena.” Iliena gets a curious look on her face. ”So, I guess you survived the night with Pandora? Were you able to work anything out with her?
He pulls gently away from her and shakes his head very softly. ”Some things. Other things were revealed that make me question the wisdom of asking her to join us. To marry us.”
Iliena nods, a sad expression on her face. ”I was a bit afraid of that, Dominik. I was so sure that she was perfect for us, but I am thinking I was trying to force the cards, and that is a sure sign of failure. The cards tell me a family, not specifically who is to be in the family. Can you talk about it or should we wait a bit?
”We can talk about it…” Domashi lets out a slow and soft sigh. ”She doesn’t appear to have embraced the whole idea as the rest of us have. She is too focused on her past.” He shakes his head softy, and reaches out to caress his Dearest Love’s face gently.
”That is sad, my love. Is she leaving us or do you not know yet. Would it help If I tried to talk to her?”
”She doesn’t seem to be leaving, in fact she acts as if nothing is wrong. Like maybe the rest of us are the ones who aren’t acting as we should. And maybe we aren’t.” Domashi shrugs his shoulders. ”All I know is that she fits the least well of all that I know. Even Lydia might fit better, and I’m not very fond of her.”
Iliena puts a hand on Domashi’s shoulder. ”You are very sad, aren’t you? I am, as well. Will you give it another chance?”
Domashi smiles and looks into Iliena’s gorgeous eyes. ”I haven’t quit. Not on you, the family, or even Lany. I am simply coming to terms with the fact that this might not work for her. Maybe we are all moving too fast for her.”
Iliena nods. ”It is all a bit fast, isn’t it? I am sorry if anything I have done has made this more difficult for you.”
Domashi smiles with bright eyes to his Dearest. ”I wouldn’t have it any other way, Liena. I can take whatever I need to to keep you happy.”
Iliena shakes her head and smiles. ”It is not just me to keep happy, Dominik. It is you as well. You are the pin that holds us together.”
He lets out a heartfelt chuckle. ”Way to make me sound like a prop.” Domashi pulls Iliena in close and kisses her lovingly. ”I don’t think you understand, Dearest. I’m happy when you are. I’m unhappy when you are. We might as well be as one, so I need to focus on your happiness so that mine can follow.”
Iliena smiles in that completely sexy way of hers and she nods. ”I can understand that because it is exactly how I feel. So, do you have time to make love to me or did you come in here to get me?”
Domashi sighs, and his hand rubs his crotch. ”As usual, I just don’t have the time for you Dearest. I have a couple of days to report on, and some of it is very serious. It shouldn’t affect the family though, so you needn’t worry.” He reluctantly stands, and offers his hand to Iliena.
Iliena rises and puts an arm around Domashi’s waist. ”Let us go in, then. Is Pandora here?”
Domashi snuggles in closer to Iliena. ”She is here, with Alix too. Mirai is thrilled.” He smiles as he guides Iliena towards the other suite.
Entering the main suite, Domashi and Iliena see that everyone else has gathered into small groups, but no one is alone and they can hear Alix and Mirai playing out some scene with their action figures in the other bedroom. The rest look up from what they are doing and silently gather, waiting for Domashi to speak.
Domashi looks to Jasmine, and speaks softly. ”Are you on board for this?” He winks to her and grins.
”I am one hundred percent on board with this ‘family.’” Jasmine nods enthusiastically to emphasis her point. ”That is, if everyone else is okay with that?”
Domashi looks around the table, and observes everyone agree that Jasmine is completely welcome. ”Then you should know, Jasmine, that there are no secrets here. And I have a few I need to share with you when we get the chance.”
Then Domashi clears his throat to call attention back to him. He stands up straight. ”Based on the interactions I have had with some of you lately, I have come to the realization that all of this,” he swings his hand around in a circle to indicate everyone. ”All of this is no longer easy. At least, not as easy as a couple of days ago.” He looks each of them in the eyes as he makes his next points. ”You are each very important to me. You are each special in your own ways. I love you all terribly, and each of you is more than I deserve individually.” He smiles wide and presses on. ”You each have your strengths, and are not as proficient as the others in some areas. None of you should feel ashamed, or embarrassed, or somehow lesser for your differences. I don’t want you identical. That would be terribly boring.” He pauses for a moment and nods to the room. ”That being said, if you wish to improve some aspects of you, just look to and speak to the others. You should all be able to learn from each other all that you want.”
”Next, Keiko showed me that I am not as attentive to each of you as you want. Hell, I’m not even as attentive to each of you as I want.” He looks mildly embarrassed but moves on. ”I try to spread my time among you as evenly as I can in order to make sure no one feels slighted, but you all need to speak up if you feel I have spent too long away from you. I can alter the rough schedule in my head to try and please you all as quickly as possible… But I can’t just read your minds, even with the Mindnet.” He lets out a small chuckle.
”Now, before I get into my reports, is there anything anyone wants to say?” Domashi pause, looking around the table, looking for any signs that someone wants to speak up.
He sees Jasmine lean over to Iliena and although she is whispering, he thinks she is asking about the mindnet thing. The other wives nod to Domashi and he sees Keiko reach a hand over to Christine and grasp one of hers. The two women smile at each other and Domashi feels a slight pang to know that at least two of the women can find solace in the arms of each other, at least part of the time. Other than that, all the women nod as he explains and smile up at him. No one seems ready at this point to speak up, then Jasmine turns from Iliena and tentatively raises a hand.
Domashi smiles and looks at the sexy dancer. ”No need to raise your hand, Jasmine. Speak your mind. What do you need to say?”
Jasmine looks around at each of the other women. ”I meant it when I said I was completely in, but I just want everyone to know for sure. This has hit me like a ton of bricks and I am completely unused to such an idea as all of you represent, but if you can all be in love and spread that love to others, then I want it. I want it more than anything.” She turns to look at Domashi. ”And I will be holding you to what you just said, too. I want a bit of what you have to offer us. Is that OK?”
The other women chuckle and Christine leans in to her. ”That is very OK, Jasmine. We will all want to get a piece of him, right, girls?” Again, the other women at the table chuckle and nod.
Domashi blushes a bit at the energy that is flowing his way. ”Well, Jasmine, you and I need to go shopping in the morning. I need to get you some armor, and then there are the items I need to pick up from your tech friend. If we move quick enough, there will be time for us after that.” He turns to his Beautiful Christine. ”I think you should be next, Chris. Although, Keiko is owed some more time. Our last liaison was only about half an hour. I might be able to add to that sometime today, though.” He smiles and looks around the table. ”Anyone else want to make any requests?”
The rest of the women smile and shake their heads.
”Then it is time for the main attraction, so to speak.” Domashi grins and might be blushing some. ”Yesterday, when I went to pick up my tux, the very sexy attendant was very nice to me. Very nice. I will be seeing her in the afternoon today, in order to show her the same attention. There is a chance that there might be more between us, and I’ll keep you all informed on that.”
”At the gala, the hostess took me aside and… Well… The most accurate thing to say is that she shook me to my core. If I hadn’t met any of you, I could have spent a great deal of time with her alone.” Domashi shuffles his feet a little out of nervousness. ”She begged for my attention so much, I would like to see her again. Oh, her name is Louisa.”
Domashi is certainly blushing as he starts the next report. ”At the dinner, we met a lonely wife. Millicent, or as she prefers to be called, Millie. She and Jasmine really showed me a great time, and I very much want to see her again.” He looks to each of his wives with a bit of a sheepish smile. ”She is very enticing, but I am hoping she can provide client leads for Jasmine. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t desire to see her quite so much.”
There is a bit of silence after Domashi talks about the women he saw, then one by one, they all smile and nod. Iliena laughs. ”You do get around, don’t you. Does every women in Marseilles want a piece of you?”
His blushing deepens, and he smiles a bit larger. ”Maybe. Just maybe.” Domashi looks around the table once more. ”There is also the limo driver, Erica. I have not had any sexual relations with her, yet. I do think some of us should consider spending some time with her. She was so enthusiastic about Lany and Jasmine I think at least some of you can find enjoyment in her company.”
There are smiles and chuckles around the table and several of the wives nod. Keiko squeezes Christine’s hand and looks at her with a knowing smile. Then all eyes go back to Domashi.
”That is all of that. I have ended up owing Margot more dates. Enough that I will have to likely split them over the next couple of weeks.” Domashi shakes his head with mild disbelief that Margot went through all of that. ”She has earned them, but that is for a bit later. Right now, I owe her an additional lunch, for three total. And I owe her four dinners as well.”
Keiko nods. ”You need a secretary, my Oni. Someone to keep your sleeping calendar straight. What a shame if you coordinate three people in your bed at once.”
Iliena laughs. ”Yes, such a shame.” All of the women start to laugh and some give high fives before everything settles back down and they all turn their attention back to Domashi.
The raucous joy in his wives warms his heart, and Domashi lets it all even out before continuing onto the ugly news. ”Now… I need to apologize to Jasmine.” He looks to the ravishing lady. ”I’m going to have to cancel our date tonight. Margot reported on the target’s ‘place of business.’” He sighs and shakes his head for a moment then looks back to the rest of the table. ”It is sleazy for certain. That alone doesn’t matter so much… But Margot received tips, unsolicited, from patrons about the… ‘Special menu.’ Signs indicate that the rumors may very well be true. She offered to go back, but I couldn’t allow that. I’ll be going tonight, and get some more concrete evidence.” He looks to Lany. ”Maybe we can give your new lover the tips to get some credit for it?”
Lany nods, feeling a bit of the pressure of the morning come through. ”That would be helpful. Marcel needs any sort of advantage he can get right now. What sort of help will you need for this?”
Domashi shakes his head. ”I don’t need any help. I’m just going in and trying to get something more than rumor on the disgusting trade happening there.” Domashi looks around the room to the women he loves so dearly. ”No need for anyone else to slip to such unsavory levels.”
Iliena looks around at the other wives then turns to look at Domashi. ”No, Dominik. We are a family. We do this as a family. We can help you with this. We have skills that can help, even if we are not right there with you. Let us help.”
Domashi grits his teeth a bit. ”It isn’t a matter of you being able to help. It is that I don’t want any of you to have to deal with that place, on any level. I feel bad enough that Margot ended up doing it.”
Iliena shakes her head. ”We are your wives, Dominik. Your risks are our risks. Besides, none of us are children. We have seen our share of evil in this world and we can handle this sort of thing. Answer me truly, could you do this as well alone as you could with our help?”
Domashi shakes his head slowly. ”I think you misunderstand me, Dearest. This isn’t about your usefulness, or ability to cope. It is all about me not feeling comfortable leading any of you to that place. It isn’t fit for any of you. “ Domashi looks around, and doesn’t see either of the girls. He speaks in a low voice. ”Fuck, I am not fit for the place.”
”And that is why we need to do this together.”
Domashi shakes his head again. ”I may not be making myself to clear…” He senses more than hears the derisive snort from Keiko, and his skin crawls.
When he looks to his Sexy Keiko, she is glaring at him with her arms crossed on her chest. She doesn’t even have to say anything and Domashi simply nods to her. He further looks around the table, hoping for some back up, but there is none to be had. ”Fine. If you all must be involved, then no one but me goes inside. It is bad enough I will get groped by the bouncers.”
Iliena grins. ”It might be fun to be groped by bouncers, but let’s work on a plan before any of us unilaterally makes a decision about the others. What do you see as to our help? Certainly Christine and Jasmine can give you technical support. Would that help?”
”I’m not entirely sure. Margot was not equipped to scope the tech security, so I am going in completely blind there. I trust that my surveillance cam and mic will work, and if so then that is all I need.” Domashi shrugs. ”To be entirely honest, I hadn’t even given any thought to what all the rest of you could do. I planned out what I will be doing, only.”
Keiko nods. ”Hmmm. That may be an error. It sounds like you could use some drone and matrix support. And perhaps a companion. I can provide you with drone support and Christine and Jasmine can cover the matrix. Maybe Lany can go in with you…..or Iliena?”
Iliena nods. ”I am pretty sure that Dominik does not want to risk any of us. But I have relatives that might come in handy.”
Jasmine perks up a bit. ”You can say that again. Dominik, she has relatives that would scare my brother and that takes a lot.”
Domashi can’t help but laugh. ”Yeah, the bear of a man Arlo could crush an ork with a thought, I’m sure. Listen. Tonight is just recon. I just want some trid or audio evidence that there are actually kids being peddled. After that, we can think about more drastic measures.” He looks directly at the fiery redhead, Lany. ”That is why I want Lany to remain outside. If there is evidence the rumors are true, if she is inside it becomes an assault instantaneously.” Domashi looks around at all of the determined women in the room. ”I won’t be going in until late this evening. We will still need someone to keep an eye on the girls, well Mirai. I think Alix is going back to the bistro.”
Iliena nods. ”I can agree to that, but I still think that you need a wingman in there. Just to be safer. One of my cousins would enjoy the opportunity. Please.”
”Well, I will have a spirit with me for back up. If that still doesn’t convince you, maybe. You aren’t thinking of Lakira, are you?” The color drains from Domashi’s face a little, and he clearly is concerned.
Iliena smiles and shakes her head. ”No, I would not recommend her for this. But she has two brothers that would be good wingmen for you.”
He looks down and chuckles. When he looks back up to Iliena there is a crooked grin on his face. ”Now it is two wingmen? Any longer, and we will have the entire camp walking in there. Not very subtle.” Domashi’s grin falls and his face returns more neutral. ”In order to get to see the… God, I hate even saying this… The ‘special merchandise,’ prospective customers need to submit to a full SIN scan. I think mine will make it through. Can your cousins do the same?”
Iliena shakes her head again. ”No, I was saying that either of them would do for this. And I really doubt that a place like that really has any sort of ID check just to get in the door. The wingman can remain in the main room if you are going to look at this special merchandise.”
”I still don’t like it. I’m going to be having enough to do trying to get evidence and get out without tipping off the Triads that there is anything up.” Domashi shakes his head again. ”I’m not convinced I will be able to back up your cousin if it is needed. If that is still okay with you, then you can make the call. Just note that I agree in protest.” His voice is light and full of mirth, indicating there are no hard feelings for him on this matter.
The women at the table laugh. Keiko looks around. ”OK, let’s plan. What do you need?”
Domashi looks to Jasmine. ”First, I’m going to need to have a private word with you, Jasmine. After the meeting.” He then looks back to the rest of the table. ”I’m going to need to get in. According to Margot that is relatively easy. Dressing the part isn’t so much, as everything goes much smoother if you look local. She sent me stills of patrons to help with that. After that, I need to order the specials. From what Margot said, I will then need to submit to a SIN screening, because I am not a regular that is already vetted.” Domashi sighs. ”From there, we are going in blind. We believe I will be taken to view the choices available, or at least images of them. After I make the selection, we will go to a private room. By then, I expect to have the trid or audio to make a solid enough tip for Marcel, so I can get the hell out and shower for a week.”
Christine nods. ”Makes sense. It is good to have two trix sorceresses, then. One of us can go to VR and help check it out and the other in AR. A couple of Keiko’s drones to help with watching. And one of Iliena’s cousins as wingman in case things get dicey. What do you see Lany doing?”
Domashi chuckles and looks into the captivating eyes of Christine. ”You are asking the man that until just a few moments ago was planning on doing this solo?” He shakes his head with a big smile. ”The best I can come up with on short notice is to keep an eye on Jasmine and Keiko. Well, you as well. Whichever one of you is VR, and then watching the AR wizard as well.”
Christine, Keiko, and Jasmine all nod in agreement, with Keiko talking. ”Absolutely. I and one of our trix ladies will be entirely out of the meat world and the other one almost as bad. We will definitely need some protection.”
The next few minutes have the family finalizing the plan for reconing the brothel this evening. No matter how much Domashi objects to any help, the women will hear nothing of it. He has to accept the fact that they want to crawl through the cesspit with him.
With that settled, Domashi looks to Lany and raises an eyebrow to her. She still doesn’t seem comfortable initiating anything, so he takes upon himself. ”Last night went well, compared to what I was expecting. The morning was certainly emotional, and there was plenty of opportunity for things to go sideways. Even still, I think things went well for Lany’s first night with another person. Would you agree, Lany?”
Lany shifts a small amount, clearly not entirely comfortable with talking about her issues in front of everyone at once. ”It could have been worse, yes. For what it was, and could be, it all went well enough.”
Domashi decides to not press the issue any further, and instead swings the focus to Iliena. ”Since I brought up Lakira, Liena. Did you get a chance to speak to your cousin? Am I to be her plaything too?” It is hard for most of the room to tell if the smile on his face is for the joke, or the idea of being a prop for Lakira. Iliena can tell that it is mostly for the joke. Mostly.
Iliena laughs. ”Dominik, that depends on your desires. From what she told me, she would let you do her at any time you wanted to and as often as you wanted to. You apparently made quite an impact on her. But she did talk to me a bit about her friends, and I use the word loosely. She is enthusiastic about them, but I think there is something there that does really need to be looked into. She is tired of moving about. I know, I know, hard to believe that a Gypsy would want to leave the Road, but it happens. She and her father have been arguing…..a lot. She met some people that she says want to help her and have big plans for her. I am suspicious. I have a couple of names that I have passed on to Chris and Margot already to have them look into through their contacts.”
”Hmmm. I wonder if it matches these?” Domashi pulls the slip of paper that Arlo gave him from his pocket, and reads it to Iliena as he shows it to her. When Iliena nods and points to two of the three names, he hands the list to Jasmine. ”Well, ‘Matrix Sorceress?’ Think you can look into these for us? You are not required, of course, but it could help a lot.”
Jasmine looks over the list and then looks up to the rest of the family. She smiles and nods. ”I can dive into their online lives, and get back to you. Gimme a few hours?”
Domashi nods at Jasmine, and then moves to Christine, and looks to her with a smile. ”Say, Beautiful, do you think you could set up an appointment for both Lany and I with the best cyberclinic you trust us going under the knife in? I don’t want you to overextend yourself in any way, but I want Lany to have that troublesome inplant looked at, and removed as soon as possible. And, I need to get some implants of my own if I am going to have a chance of not collapsing in a couple of days.”
Christine nods and smiles. ”I am sure I can find something. Do you want to use an EVO clinic or something a bit removed from them?”
”I don’t mind, either way, as long as you trust them with my real identity and my well being.” Domashi glances to where Lany is sitting and talking. ”For Lany though… There can’t be any signs of a mega involved. That may require some ‘diplomatic remodeling’ by the clinic personnel.”
Christine frowns a bit but nods. ”I will see what I can do. It might take a few hours, is that alright?”
Domashi nods with a pleasant smile. ”It can take days, Beautiful. I’m looking to get it done as quickly as possible, but not at anyone’s expense.”
Christine nods and slips away for a few minutes.
Domashi takes the opening to write a message to Yamane-sama, his ID manufacturer. << Yamane Satoru > Good evening, Yamane-sama. Have you heard about the scandalous interactions between the Marseilles Minister, and the German Reichsfurst? I’ll tell you all about it in my next message. This one is for two orders for you, the second one is multi part.
First order: I need a new ID. You know the drill, height and weight need to be close, and in that regard I have gained ten kilos, and male, please. I’ll need a license for magic, as well as Private Investigation. The rest isn’t very important, but a reasonable understanding of English is desired. This current one is good, but I am looking for your best work, please.
Second order: Multi part. You will find attached a file with six dossiers. I would like one top notch ID for each, as well as another one for me. I would also like one low level backup ID for each, including me, and one trash ID for each, including me.
The first order is kind of needed in a hurry. The second can wait, but please do not put it off any longer than you have to.
Satow Tadashi.>>
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