Food got made, and if it wasn’t as skillfully done as Darla would have been able to, it wasn’t exactly just opening a bunch of boxes and adding water either. It was mainly eggs, sausages, bacon and orange juice, but a lot of it. Darla bought enough for a small army, possibly in literal terms. It was a good idea. They’d eat it and it was cheaper than going to get fast food all the time.
She needed to learn more about cooking then, which was one of some twenty thousand things, no doubt. It would have been nice to have some pancakes or something with the meal, but she didn’t have a clue how to make them from scratch.
She loaded the table carefully and Eve, traumatic night or not, got up and set it for everyone, even though Keeley wasn’t sure if the Vampires ate at all, or if they’d want to be there. Eating food had been mentioned, but only in dire circumstances. It might just make them feel ill most of the time or something. She tilted her head.
“Set another plate please Eve. We’re having six, I think. Balthias? Could you attend us, fear turned off please.” She said it to the air, but not a minute later he walked down the stairs, having been in “his” room at the end of the hall on the right.
Eve whimpered when she saw him, but Darla touched her arm gently. She didn’t speak, waiting for Keeley instead.
“Balthias, I’d like to introduce you around. Eve you know. She was kidnapped earlier, by a group of Vampires. You might want to explain how that happened later? If it wasn’t you just watching the sunset. If we have gaps in our protection, we need to fix them. The new people are Rebekah and Elis. Elis is the last one in anything, for now at least. Rebekah isn’t linked to me directly, so she’s in charge of the rest of you for now. After all, if she doesn’t need to be controlled, it makes her rather valuable, don’t you think?” Keeley glanced at her and added some more information.
“That will include a few more people that happen to live in this area. The York family, except Hally, who’s with Darla, a nice Hsreth family that run a catering concern. For the most part that doesn’t mean much, no one is hard to deal with, but I want you to look out for everyone, make sure they aren’t abused too much and that the quality of life stays high. I’ll put you on salary, once that money comes in. Say five hundred a week? You too Balthias.” She stared at Elis but didn’t ad him in.
She was still kind of pissed at the man and would be until she made that feeling go away. He’d still be on her list for a long time even then. She hated Vampire rapists. It was something that wouldn’t be forgotten soon either.
“Everyone is above Elis in the food chain, understood?”
The Vampire nodded, lank brown hair shifting a little over his blood red eyes. There were no whites, just blood. It was an interesting effect in the light, but she wasn’t there to compliment his looks. After a few seconds Eve raised a finger in front of her face.
“Um, why is he at the bottom? He has super-powers and stuff, right? Shouldn’t that be above me or Hally? Or does she have powers too? I would be the only one not to, wouldn’t I? Hardly fair, but that’s life for you. Unless I can make a bargain with one of you for some kickass powers of my own? That would be cool, who needs a soul anyway? Like God has ever had my back?”
Keeley didn’t say anything at all. If she accidently grabbed up Eve, Darla would probably kill her and the way that was phrased would make it too easy for her to do. Old looking Darla just nodded while she finished chewing her food.
“Yes. Abilities of several types that might benefit you. I suggest thinking about it though, because mere power is never as useful as you’d think. Riches mean as much in the long run, and most truly seek safety, not vast wealth, though they don’t really know it. Living forever has its appeal, especially since this may actually be all we get as far as existence goes, but you should think and plan first, you’re still young enough to get some time to consider things carefully.”
It was almost funny, what Rebekah did next, which was nod gently, and then take a small piece of sausage. Elis didn’t touch anything. She made a point of looking directly at the man while slowly savoring the bite she took, then licked her lips just enough for him to understand it was mocking. Then she turned to Eve and spoke, her own voice even and calm.
“Last night, when you were taken, Elis used his… mind powers, to subdue, and then have his will with you. Sex. It wasn’t violent rape and he took care not to injure you, but it was without consent in any meaningful form. Now he has had his own will seized for his crime and must serve as we see fit until his debt is repaid. That is my understanding. Is that correct, Mistress?” Her voice turned meek when she addressed Keeley, which wouldn’t do at all, especially if they were going to work with other people around. She’d need new clothes and other things too.
Elis too. Though he was getting a job, doing something. What, she didn’t know, but they couldn’t just leave him idle, or he’d find a way to get in trouble. She’d get with Darla later on it when everyone in the world wasn’t watching.
Eve glared at the man, her eyes hard and slightly glassy looking. She didn’t move overly, just breathing deeply, not even panting, as if waiting for something to happen.
“So, I can kill him if I want? To punish him?” She looked at Darla, but it was Balthias who answered.
“He is in thrall to the Mistress of Souls child. Look to her, not the Technician. Though given that she had me hunt and kill the man named Rick Morris for harming you once, I think you’ll not find her with too many qualms as to such.” He stopped and stared at Keeley, who just nodded.
Everyone else looked shocked.
Well, not Rebekah, but Eve and Darla did. Elis just looked scared, but then his fate was in the hands of a girl he’d raped the night before. Hours before. So, oops. Not an ideal situation for him at all. Too bad.
“What if I wanted him raped instead. Maybe have Balthias here do it?” She looked at the giant down the table from her, past Keeley and leaned forward a bit so she was addressing him directly.
“I mean, if you’re into dudes who are screaming and crying as you take them by force I mean?” She’d made herself sound serious, but Keeley could hear the play in her voice. In her world a guy having sex with her while she was out was really just that normal.
The Lesser Demon nodded. Happily.
“It would be a relief. This is a fine place and I’m treated well, even given more freedom and less punishment than I thought to see at all in such a situation, by far, but I’ve had no soft flesh to cleave to for too long, over several decades. I would gladly serve such a duty, if the Mistress of Souls commands it. Is it your wish, my lady?”
She considered it for a second, then shrugged.
“I wasn’t the one raped. Eve, it’s your call.”
“You had Rick killed? That…” She hugged Keeley hard, tears in her eyes. “Thank you! I don’t know what I want to do to Elis yet. Maybe nothing. As rapes went that was the least noticeable one I’ve ever had. I don’t even remember it now. Could we maybe, I don’t know, set him on some of the other guys that did worse things to me instead, when I was little I mean? You took out the worst one, but there are some others…”
It was fine with her. Oh, sure, she had to shut her emotions off first, so she didn’t feel bad for Elis, but it beat having Balthias doing him every night for a few decades. Well, except possibly for Balthias. It was something she hadn’t even thought of, that he might like sex. It made sense, even that he wouldn’t be picky about who he did it with. Kind of what he was built for. He also seemed to enjoy eating pretty well too. Keeley really had just kind of assumed, since he didn’t need to, it wasn’t a factor.
Darla helped get everyone situated in a room, except Elis, who she set Balthias to watching. He didn’t do it immediately, until Keeley nodded that he should. It was weird, but that’s how it worked, wasn’t it? She waved them into the Lesser Demons room.
“Elis, I won’t command you to service Balthias this night, but I suggest you make him happy if it’s something you can handle mentally. You may need him to intercede for you at some point, and there are worse fates.”
After all, Balthias was almost halfway cute now. Strong looking instead of freakishly bestial. A bit more human and with slightly shiny skin. Elis didn’t seem to like the idea, but he wouldn’t be forced, and it was a good point. Besides, he didn’t think that permission was all that needed for sex, right? Or that a person’s individual will needed to be taken into account? It shouldn’t be a problem for him.
Rebekah got wide eyed at the whole thing, but didn’t comment, just going into the room that she was shown to, a nice one that Keeley had crashed in a couple of times. Eve got the one across from Balthias’ and curled up to sleep pretty fast it seemed, because if nothing else Darla came out only a few minutes later. She took Keeley by the hand and walked her to the table again, then ran to the kitchen and got her a cake. A whole one, white with white frosting. Then handed her a fork.
“I forgot how bossy you could be, not seeing you for all those decades. Nicely played though. I think Elis will fall in line, and even feel good about the situation long before I do. Plus, your pet might get to relieve some tension, no bad thing. Now, about the other issue. The Gatherer. I picked up a few things, but we need to discuss the situation. I don’t want to be a pain, but what I want to do might cause some problems.”
Keeley could see that, at least in potential.
“Is it that you intend to kill Quince’s brothers, even though they were technically just the weapon used to kill Rob, and even then it was accidental? Or do you intend to keep them alive and take out Edith? Or leave them all alive? Anything you do will cause someone trouble or pain.” Keeley shrugged, “I’ll back your play, of course. Within reason.”
The gray haired woman in front of her clenched her jaw firmly and sighed.
“True, but I’m not worried about that as much as the politics of the situation. Killing the Gatherer isn’t such a problem, but we have to either free those enslaved to her will, or kill them outright. The easiest thing would be to simply destroy them all. I can do that. It’s a chore and will take some planning, but I have weapons capable of doing the deed. But that means all of them, not just the Durgs. She has fourteen more already linked to her, via a device of most ancient construction. If we destroy the physical unit, it might well kill them all, but if we don’t it leaves them locked to her, even after she’s gone. They’ll probably go insane if that happens. That would be messy.”
Ah. So no clean simple solution. The real problem wasn’t even the Durgs, but the others. They might be fine people that were simply caught by a bad situation. Killing them would be wrong. They probably would end up doing that anyway though, since there was less than a twenty percent chance that they might make it. Did they owe them anything at all?
No.
“But,” Keeley said, still thinking out loud. “If we free them and any survive, they might just feel gratitude toward us. I don’t need any more slaves, but you can never have too many friends.”
Darla smiled, “you can actually. You can’t maintain more than about two hundred real friendships at a time. There simply isn’t enough room in a life for it.”
“I’ve got some room on my list then. You?”
“Yes. A bit.” Darla shrugged then and smiled. “So we need to move on her, find her device, and destroy it, then kill her. On the good side, I pawed her so much last night that I know exactly where she keeps it. It’s guarded, but we can work around it. She has physical keys for it, but we should be able to figure out some bypasses. They don’t call me the Technician for my keen fashion sense.”
“Is there a Demon of fashion?” Keeley wondered curious. That kind of thing really wasn’t in her memories at all for some reason.
“Oh sure. Bente. Great with hair and make-up too. I’ll introduce you sometime. Makes the rest of us look like slobs. I need to go and get some supplies if were really doing this, and eat more, then force myself through another rapid change. I can’t recommend it as a thing to do, if you have a choice. Still, it has to be done.”
She hopped up, looking spry and a bit wiry.
“Don’t call me spry.” She said, with a happy look.
“Can you read minds?”
“Of course. It just takes a bit of focus. I’m no Finias of course, but learning all about a person at a touch? Think about that, once you get a feel for how that works, then you’ll be able to begin learning to extend your range. Not this moment though. We have things to do. I need to work and you need to do that too. I think there are some parks that will need cleaning. It’s almost daybreak.”
It was, which meant she needed to get cracking. As she’d honestly expected, no one showed up to help her. People always talked a good game, until it was time to actually get things done and then, oops, they got sleepy, or had something better to do. On the good side, either party goers or the catering people had done most of the work already. There was a bit that was missed, but only about an extra small bag of trash at each site. It took until nearly noon, but that meant she could get home and shower, then change, before heading back out to try and kill people.
If that was the plan.
And her dad thought the problem would be her sleeping around? If only. Still, it had to be done. It wasn’t like they could just get the criminal justice system to handle it. They couldn’t hold most of the things involved, possibly not even take them in. They just weren’t ready for that level of the game. Sometimes it probably happened, but it also most likely didn’t end well for the police when it did.
Even when the beings went without making a scene.
As expected both her parents were home and waiting for her when she got there, or at least they both came to the door when they heard her pull up. She waved tiredly. She had to make herself feel it, exhaustion, but that’s what would have happened if she’d been up for two days straight working, wouldn’t it? She needed to sell the act of being a young human girl.
Her father looked angry about something, most likely here being gone all night, but what did he expect? She really had been working the whole time. True, not the work he thought she would be doing, but it wasn’t a lie.