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A Walk in the Dark
Chapter 4 |
Author’s Note:Sometimes life takes a sudden left turn into absolute weirdness. If you’re unlucky enough for that to happen, you know without doubt that nothing at all is ever going to be the same as it was.
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I woke up to something really noxious being passed under my nose and a confusing blend of voices. My eyes snapped open and I swung a hand to get that nasty smell away.
A startled female face, human, widened her eyes, squeaked, and suddenly disappeared. I didn’t worry about it at the time and coughed, shook my head and worked to get things into some sense of order.
“She’s awake.” I heard and recognized that voice as the Fu Manchu guy.
“What the Fu….?!!!” I managed to get out.
“Calm Dahlia, the Fu Manchu guy soothed. “You’re frightening your maids.”
Maids? I actually opened my eyes and sat up. Then looked around for the maids I didn’t even know I had.
Sure enough, there were three young women, barely past being girls, huddled in a corner and trying very hard not to look at me. “Maids?”
“Yes, maids.” Kae’song, answered with a shrug. “They are here to serve you.”
“Oh.” I nodded, perplexed and looked at the poor girls. Then gave them a little wave and a tentative smile. “Hi?”
All three looked at me as if I was some baby eating devil who had just given them candy that wasn’t poisoned. Though if this world’s Dhro’aaa were anything at all like the Drow in D&D, I kind of understood that.
I smiled, and gave them a little wave again. “I won’t eat you or anything gross, I promise. I don’t bite either.”
That ‘I promise’ thing made them feel better and I felt something slam into place that would make sure I didn’t bite or eat them. Magic. Go figure.
“Are you going to do that very often?” Sam questioned once I’d finished with the terrifying my maids thing.
“What thing?” I asked. “Making people not scared of me?”
“No, the fainting thing.” He sighed.
“Give me a break, Sam!” I shot back. “It only happened once.”
“No, you passed out during the transformation, too.” He countered.
“That doesn’t count!” I glared at him. “You passed out too, didn’t you?”
“Nope. Remember? I told you I didn’t earlier.” He answered with a superior grin that I really wanted to claw off his face. Okay, okay, the girl thing was getting really creepy here, but I did my best to ignore that.
“Oh, right, you didn’t pass out. According to you. I, of course, wasn’t awake to verify that one.” I looked at him and that look dared him to lie. Somehow I knew that I’d know if he was doing that.
“I didn’t, really.”
I gave him a really nasty look, and growled, but the growl sounded horribly like a purr. “Okay, you try going through what I did and see how well you deal with it, Jerk!”
I’d scared my maids again. Crap.
Then again it occurred to me. Why exactly did I need maids?
Back to business. I glared at Sam and Fu Manchu and noted that my hands were on my hips and my stance was — well, kind of sexy in a girly way that I really didn’t want to think about too hard just then. The theories that say the body rules? I think they’re right. Sigh.
“Well?” I questioned while giving Sam the gimlet eye that Carolyn had inflicted on me when I’d really screwed something up. “Maybe I could get Fu Manchu here to do to you what he did to me. I’ll bet your attitude would change then!”
Sam just stared at me. Typical guy response to something like that. And since when did I think like that? Never mind. I am so not going there right now.
“Oh, I don’t think so, my lovely Dahlia.” Kae’song chuckled. “You two are a carefully crafted, bonded pair. Your bond was given in the traditional way, with blood and promises.”
“I don’t remember that.” I shot back.
“You were unconscious.” The mage, or whatever, informed me. “Since, in a way, I am your father, I gave your blood and promised you.”
“You what?” I actually shouted that time, and my poor maids were trying to find cabinets to hide in.
He smirked and shrugged. I turned to Sam and asked. “Okay, so who made that ‘promise’ for you?”
He actually looked uncomfortable with that question and was obviously not all that willing to answer.
“Saaammm.” I grated out. “WHO made that promise for you?”
“Well…” He shrugged and gave me a weak grin. “You were sooo beautiful, and looked so vulnerable just then…”
“So you, in your right mind if that is possible right now,” I sighed. “Agreed to — umm — marry me?”
“Uhhh, yeah?” He answered with a flinching grimace.
“What were you thinking?!!” I screamed, I mean really screamed. Stuff on shelves in the room shook. My maids were long gone by then.
“Like we had a choice?” He managed to ask in a very reasonable tone of voice. “It was either that or let you go play with the orcs.”
“Orcs?”
“Yeah, those ugly guys we first saw?” He answered.
I turned on Fu Manchu with a glare. “You would have done that?”
“No.” He smirked. “But the threat was effective.”
“Go away.” I sighed while I very carefully sat on a couch and started massaging my temples. “Just go away, all of you. Now please.”
I shouted at their retreating backs. “And Kae’song, don’t expect me to start calling you DADDY!”
After that I just sat there grumbling, cursing, and working my hands over my head because of the headache I was having.
This was one epic fuck up.
“Safe to come in now?” Sam quite carefully peered around the doorframe to the bathroom as he asked that one.
“I suppose.” I let out a sigh and sank deeper into the nice hot, scented, sudsy water of my bath and waved him in. Oh, my maids had returned, hesitantly, but insisted that I take a nice hot bath to soothe my obviously frazzled nerves. At that point I didn’t have the heart to argue and the bath really did feel good.
“Sorry?” He offered.
“For what?” I asked tiredly. “I am one lucky — umm — girl. I have fiancées on two worlds.”
“You’re not still mad?” He questioned.
“No, I’m too tired to be mad right now.” I said while lifting one leg out of the water and rubbing a sponge over it without thinking about the effect seeing that would have on him. “And stop staring, please.”
“Can’t help it Dy — umm — Dahlia.” He answered quite honestly while obviously thinking of something I knew I wouldn’t like.
“One, just one, joke about The Black Dahlia, or Barbie Dahl and I swear I’ll kill you if I have do it when you’re sleeping.” I told him.
“Can’t blame a guy for thinking.” He answered guiltily.
“No, I guess not.” I settled back into the hot water and suds with a contented sigh. “Just don’t vocalize them right now, okay?”
“I won’t.” He answered quite seriously. “Look, I know you’re having a tough time with this, and no I couldn’t even come close to understanding what you’re going through just now. I just figured it was better me than a stranger with the bonding thing. I’m sorry if that offends you, but we’ve been friends too long and thinking that someone else might get tagged for that with you wasn’t something I wanted to make you go through.”
That made me think, and forgive — a little, and I smiled. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, and for what it’s worth, thank you. Thinking things through hasn’t exactly been one of my strong points recently.”
“No kidding.” He grimaced then chuckled to ease my bristling. “I’d be a total basket case in your position, you know that? You are without doubt the strongest, most stubborn, and greatest friend I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Ahh, that’s nice.” I sighed and didn’t even twig on how girly that response was. Hormones, I blame the hormones. Yeah. That works. “But you know I’m not into that guy/girl thing? I still have this fixation of girls.”
“Figures.” He nodded and grinned. “Your maids are kind of cute, too.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” I answered. And my nipples had gone erect when I finally took the time to look at the girls. Sheesh. Double erections, and on my chest. Who’d have thunk it?
“Does that nutcase really expect us to make little Dhro’aaa babies just for him?”
“I’m afraid so.” Sam said with a heavy sigh.
“Well,” I squirmed a bit to get my back a bit more comfortable, breasts are really a strain on a girl’s back if they aren’t supported right, and rolled my eyes. “I am NOT going to be a baby machine just because he wants it.”
“I think he’s counting on biology.” Sam shrugged.
“Huh?” I once again showed my wonderful intelligence with that one.
“Face it.” Sam told me. “You’re already pretty girly and you haven’t been like you are more than a day or so. What is going to happen as time goes on?”
“NOT going there just now, Sam.” I grimaced and was close to scaring my poor maids again. I consciously pushed that mess of emotions back down. “If it comes up, we’ll deal with it. If it doesn’t, I’m not going to look for it, okay?”
“Works for me.” He answered and just sat there watching me in the bath. Have I mentioned just how dreamy he is? Uhh, nope, bad Dylan! No thinking those kinds of things about your best friend! I wasn’t a girl, not willingly, and I wasn’t going to go there. Nope, no way, no how, no chance. End of argument.
But my nipples (traitors) got all excited, and I felt uncomfortable warmth in my middle as I watched him calmly watching me take a bath.
GAH!!!
I am sooo screwed.
*whimper*
Comments
As always
I love your storytelling and it's always laced with chips off of your funny bone. Mmmm, crunchy funny bits.
I loved the ending.
Bailey Summers
Thanks, Bailey.
You know me. I just can't keep the smart assed comments from popping out, kind of like Dylan/Dahlia. Glad you're enjoying the story.
Maggie
sam is actually kind of sweet
'"I won’t.†He answered quite seriously. “Look, I know you’re having a tough time with this, and no I couldn’t even come close to understanding what you’re going through just now. I just figured it was better me than a stranger with the bonding thing. I’m sorry if that offends you, but we’ve been friends too long and thinking that someone else might get tagged for that with you wasn’t something I wanted to make you go through.â€'
The boy is actually kind of sweet. If she has to be "bonded" to someone, at least its someone she knows and likes, who wants to protect her.
"Treat everyone you meet as though they had a sign on them that said "Fragile, under construction"
dorothycolleen
Yes.
Sam is one of those rare, really nice guys people hear about. He can't help the lust thing at the moment, but that'll be covered later in the story.
Maggie
Wonderful
Now we are beginning to see some of the notorious Maggie Finson humor shining through. You've got me hooked on this wonderful story. Please ma'am, may we have more?
Linda Jeffries
Too soon old, too late smart.
Linda Jeffries
Too soon old, too late smart.
Notorious? Moi?
Awww, that's nice. Thanks.
And yes there is more. I have six chapters currently written and they just keep coming, and coming, and coming... Oh, wait, that's for later too. *evil grin*
Maggie
Another enjoyable chapte
Thank you for another enjoyable chapter. I can't wait to see where this goes.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Ah, the choice...
Fighting for your identity and beliefs, against your unwillingly transformed body's needs and wants and reactions. Of course, the body is the conduit of the mind, if the body is changed, eventually the mind will adapt to new perceptions and sensations. If the body reacts pleasantly on something, eventually the mind will find it so intellectually as well as emotionally.
At least, that's the medical perspective - the conscience is an emergent property of brain processes which are the result of complex brain structure detail, and the brain adapts it's very structure based on sensations, input from the body and lower brain functions.
I've tried to write stories with this choice that didn't lead to an eventual adaptation of mind to body or body transformed back, and without taking the suicide or killing-them-off option. It's bloody hard to find a working solution for that.
---
Hmm, thought of something: Why doesn't she try to use that promise-binding-magic thingy with the maids to her advantage - promise to never let herself give rise to a new life if she can't be sure it will be free of influences from Kae’song?
I guess this is silly, but...
Some of ya'll know how literal I can be....thick, too. ... ;-D
Maybe a D&D expert could help me. Here, on our Earth, animals that live in caves, long enough, lose their pigmentation. Humyns use melanin to protect our skin from the sun; other animals use pigments for camouflage, to warn away preditors, to attract mates/ signal when fertile, etc. Where there is no light, signaling, camouflage, sun protection don't work or aren't needed.
A less pigmented individual has a competitive advantage because e isn't using as much energy making unneeded substances, therefor evolution tends to 'remove' pigmentation. (It's not like evolution 'wants' to do anything, these changes just happen as life adapts to changing environments)
It seems counter-intuitive for elves driven into caves, etc. to become darker. In caves, even with no visible (to humyns) light, there is dim, long wave IR light from animals that keep their bodies at a constant temp (I forget the word), like birds, mammals, big tuna, etc. here on Earth. IR vision would be a useful adaptation.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Ready for work, 1992.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Ahh, the cave thing...
It's magic, what can I say? I truthfully always have thought that the Drow were dark complected because of their political and ethical leanings, but that's just me. Yes, underground dwellers should be pale skinned, but the Dhro'aa aren't. Don't ask me to explain that, I never quite figured out why the D&D Drow were that way either.
But thanks for the comment.
Maggie
Well, according to some bits of info
The reason Drow are like that - with inherent magic, ebony black skin, and all - is because of the Underdark itself. Something about local magic/radiation of their environment made them this, and if they leave their habitat for a prolonged time... Their powers wane, the weapons and equipment made from their local materials deteriorates quickly, and so on.
Remember, we are talking about different worlds, and there may be different factors there.
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
There's another possibility
It's possible that the Male Droaaa liked the black skin/white hair and over time the darker skinned/lighter haired females had more babies than the lighter skinned/darker haired ones, with any that were to light/dark were driven out of their society thus self breeding for those characteristics.
Chris
Drowette tale
So Sam's become a "baby machine"? Interesting!
Susana
Umm, nooo.
Sam hasn't become a baby machine. Kae'song wants Dylan/Dahlia to be one though. Not that there is a lot of cooperation there right now. lol.
Baby Machine
Oops! I'm following along with interest. I've read about the Dark Elves before--I'm into fantasy as well as SF.
Susana
Wedding Blues
hmmm seems to me, that if spoken Magic vows and promises are the rule, then Kae'Song has just got himself in trouble.
He ! Not Dylan has made the promise of marriage to Sam (Samthain) He may think that as "Dad" his word is good for "her" too.... but he isn't Drow err Dro'heea eerrr however it was spelled *g* - Dylan Did Not volunteer (and in fact even while magically controlled didn't "volunteer") So any such Marriage Vow is magically worthless. *g* Only Kae'song spoke the words.... So unless 2 males can marry in his land (if he is the ruler so be it *g*) either the vow is powder or one of those two (K or Sam)is going to have change something ..Again.
Or Kae'song will just lock Dylan and Sam together and call it Bad (err good) enough. *g*
Ahh, the beautiful confusion...
That means I'm doing this one right. Thanks for the comment!
Just read the whole story (to date, that is)
I'm really enjoing this! Sorry I didn't comment, but once I got started, I couldn't stop. it's really a great story, Maggie. I'm very anxious to read more!
Wren
you know...
it's not fair I'm harly able to keep up Isit here all day reading. If the doctor tells me I need more vitamin D I'll just say- "Blame Maggie Finson" lol.
I love your work Maggie
A Walk in the Dark Chapter 04
Are her maids genetic females or were they born males as she was?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
I am sooo screwed.
Not yet. Maybe later.
I am sooo screwed.
Not yet. Maybe later.
A Race of Evil
I quite enjoy the fantasy vixen transformation, it has provided the seed for more than a few story ideas in my own mind. And it provides us with an intriguing storyline as Dylan learns to harvest the almost magical power it offers.
However, possibly more intriguing is how they can look to combat their captor and his long term goals while changed into Drows. Their instinctual and intellectual allies will look upon them as monsters, while their racial allies will expect them to be those monsters. I'm happy that I'm getting a bit of a Villains by Necessity vibe.
Looking forward to seeing this play out.
Maggie, A most interesting
Maggie,
A most interesting story and I am learning a lot about the world you have created and those who inhabit it. Dahlia starting to act and speak like a normal girl, altho she may not like it at the moment. Jan
Baby maker !
Maybe there is something in the bath water. LOL snark snark.
So, when's she gonna jump ees bones?
Khaduuj
What I havent heard yet is why
Why the fu-man-chew guy had to bring 2 humans to that dimension and make them into Drow. I mean like if there are humans already in that realm then why not change them?????
So much to read, so little time and only one of me :)
The English Teacher
So much to read, so little time and only one of me :)
The English Teacher
Oh, there are reasons.
And those will come out as the story goes on.
No matter what, it's still rape.
It's no different than being given date rape drugs. You may think you're willing but Dalia (can't remember where the extra "H" goes) was changed against her will, made to physically want Sam so any sex with Sam would still be rape on his part. Even if he is doing it to prevent someone else raping her it's still rape. Still, it's well written just as all of Maggie's stories are or I wouldn't still be here reading it. I can hope that perhaps they will be able to find their way home and back to their normal conditions but I doubt it. I wish Maggie would reconsider and write more about Fae in the WU.
Chris