Chester and the Amazon

[Sepsis]

"Excuse me, sir."

Chester had barely registered his new guests, but what else could be expected when in the company of the sweet Miss Marie? Chester longed once again to reach out and stroke one of her delicate fangs.

"Break time. Come up for air. Smoke if ya got em."

"Noooooo!" Chester 'yelled' as he was torn away from his beloved minx. The inhumanity of it all!

"Kinda different, but..."

Chester recognized that voice...it was the one called Miss Hayes. But Miss Hayes, was certainly NOT the one who held him in her hands at this particular moment. Chester was beginning to feel like a piece of meat, all these wicked women fondling him all the time. He sort of liked that idea to tell the truth. Man meat for all!

"Yes, exactly."

The woman had finally turned him over so that he could 'see', combing his hair as she did.

"But just look at him. He belongs here."

And with those words.....she kissed him!! Chester thought he felt his pants stir a bit, but he wasn't sure since that had actually never happened to him before. Taking a good 'look' at the one who was molesting him, Chester suddenly felt a swell of lust that matched the 'stir' in his pants. A gypsy goddess stood before him, and he was momentarily speechless.

"You have no clue where that's been." Jennifer continued to laugh.

"Oh yes I do." she looked down on the table at the faux vagina laying there. "Bad Marie. Vile temptress! Seducing this sweet little boy like that."

Chester barely registered the continuing conversation between the two women, his gaze focused instead on the blue-violet eyes on the sassy vixen in front of him. "Kiss me again!" he tried to demand, already forgetting Miss Marie. Whether the gypsy woman had heard him or not, he was not sure, but he wasn't about to complain when she finally nestled him against her bosom like an innocent child. "Oh yes..." Chester thought...''bosoms!"

(1 hour later)

Chester should have known better. Instead of carrying him off to her love shack to shower him with sweet lovin', the woman had unceremoniously dumped him on a shelf not far from where the sticky fingered human child mother had left him. The indignity of it all!! Worse even still, was the evil tiger in front of him, molesting his delicate face with it's razor claws! Chester would have bit it's paws if he could. Glaring at him like it was. Growling even!! If there was such thing as hell...Chester had certainly found the place.

If only the dark haired gypsy would come and rescue him...or, short of that, his mama...

********

Ming scowled as she hurried down the street. Her Mistress had been very explicit with her instructions, and outside meddling was not making her job any easier. Glancing down at the phone, she saw that she was getting closer, and quietly mused as to how he had gotten to his present location. The Mistress would certainly know, but if she had not shared thus far, then Ming knew it was best not to question. True, her Mistress treated her very well, and provided her with all and more that she could ever need, but the tiny Japanese woman knew it was disrespectful to pry too much.

Turning the next corner, Ming found herself skidding to a halt. "Son of a..." Ming trailed off, not finishing her thought. Staring at the store shop sign in front of her, Ming chuckled to herself. Leave it to Chester to find his way here. She knew this place well enough in her own way. Her Mistress had spent time here after her Slumber. Her Mistress had also found Ming not far from this very spot as well. A pang of sadness rippled though the tiny woman's thoughts. So close she had been to giving up. To walking away from it all. Her Mistress had saved her that night, and it was not something that Ming would ever forget.

Smoothing the sadness from her face, Ming quickened her pace. A moment later, Ming found herself pushing open the door, and the comforting scent of mixed herbs surrounded her. Pandora's Box was not just your run of the mill new age spiritual shop, but was in fact something far more authentic. The proprietress of this particular location, was far more than anyone outside the 'know', would actually know. Her Mistress had taught her how to 'see', and her love for the woman would prevent Ming from ever sharing that secret.

Approaching the counter, Ming felt her her heart surge with happiness as she spied exactly what she had been searching for. "Thank God for small miracles." Ming whispered to herself as she flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and out of her face.

Reaching out to ring the bell sitting on the counter, Ming then folded her hands respectfully in front of her, waiting for someone to appear. As she waited, a small smile spread across her face. Apparently Chester had made a new friend, as was evident of the black feline currently in a staring competition with the wee man.

[Zodiac]

Zodiac was finishing an inventory of potions when she heard the bell ring in the front. Jennifer was already going to see, but she followed the woman anyway. It was proving to be a slow night, so any distraction was welcome.

She saw her assistant speaking with a small woman of Asian features, but the antics of her cat, Ginny, caught her attentions more so. Apparently she was not the only one who thought something was off with the odd toy. She put her fingers to her lips and whistled sharply, getting the cat's attention.

"Ginny! Leave that pour soul alone. Now!" her thoughts hissed at the cat. The cat jumped down and walked past her with a gate that screamed volumes of displeasure at being yelled at. Worse- in front of mere mortals at that.

She turned her attention to the girls now. The little Asian seemed most determined on the subject of the doll. She was a cute little thing, well dressed, the whole nine yards, so what was the connection between her and the scruffy doll? Gently her mind appraised the young woman and she blinked in surprise. Sepsis? She was Sepsis' thrall? Now the idea of the doll was not quite so strange. It was something certainly that fit in the woman's bizarre mindset of reality, but what was up with the traveling road show? How had it gotten here and why?

Gently, she pulled the doll down from the shelf and cuddled it close against her, then turned to face the young woman. "Blessings of the night to you," she sent her thoughts to the girl with a smile. "I know who your mistress is very well, so the fact I am speaking to you this way should be no surprise. No telling anyone now, please."

"So he is yours or Sep's? Either way, he is a charming little rascal. I am not sure I wish to give him up so easily." she pouted softly before planting another kiss on the doll's cheek. What was the story behind this? She expected a good answer before she handed over the doll. "I almost want to say his name three times and see what happens. That is, if I knew his name proper."

[Sepsis]

The tiny woman stood patiently, her hands still folded in front of her, watching quietly as Mistress Zodiac appeared. Ming noted the graceful way she moved. It was a tell-tale sign of being 'something more'. Smiling politely, Ming couldn't help but flinch slightly as Zodiac 'spoke' to her.

"Blessings of the night to you,"

Zodiac smiled, and the voice in Ming's head continued..

"I know who your mistress is very well, so the fact I am speaking to you this way should be no surprise. No telling anyone now, please."

Ming nodded her head slightly, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. She had learned long ago it was her duty to keep quiet in regards to those who did not want their secrets known. It was her honour to protect such secrets in fact. Ming herself would never disobey such a request. Sepsis had taught her well.

"So he is yours or Sep's? Either way, he is a charming little rascal. I am not sure I wish to give him up so easily."

Ming's mouth twitched as Zodiac planted a kiss on Chester's cheek, leaving lip prints behind that matched a kiss mark on his other cheek. It indeed looked like the little man was having fun, although she was not sure this was the 'fun' Sepsis had intended. The second part of Zodiac's statement worried her however..she knew better than to try and force compliance from any of the vampyres that called Harper Rock home. So lost in this thought she was, that she almost missed the last of Zodiac's words slipping across her mind like velvet cloth on a mirror.

"I almost want to say his name three times and see what happens. That is, if I knew his name proper."

Unable to reply in the same manner, Ming provided the answer in the best way that she could..

"I see that you have found Chester." Ming smiled knowingly at Zodiac, hoping she had not let it show that there had been previous dialogue. "Mr. Bennington can be such a...charmer when it comes to women." Ming glanced down at the lip prints on Chester's cheeks once again. "But I can see he surely has been in good hands."

Taking a step closer to the counter, Ming looked around the shop, her gaze taking in the curioso and herbals remedies packed into the shoppe. "It has been some time since I have been here, it is delightful and comforting as always of course." Ming hoped the woman knew she was sincere, and not just making an idle observation. That would have been rude.

"My Mistress has sent me to retrieve her...friend." Ming chose her word carefully, walking that thin line between keeping her beloved Mistress's secrets, and not wanting to insult one who could end her in a moment if she saw fit. She of course would choose to live forever by Sepsis's side if the fates allowed it, but if pushed to choose, would sacrifice herself to protect the small vampyre woman with the dichromatic eyes. Honour would allow no other choice. "He seems to have a bad habit of...wandering off on his own.." The tiny Japanese woman smiled mysteriously, bowing her head as she did. "I am sorry that I cannot provide you with more...but I have learned it is best to obey. As I have heard from others...good help is hard to find."

Unfolding her hands, Ming tucked a long strand of dark hair behind her ear before continuing. "Would I be able to bring him home with me? It would please my Mistress greatly, for she misses him so..." Ming did her best to hide the smile threatening to break out. She did not want to appear to eager, but retrieving Chester was only half of what she was to do on this evening...

[Zodiac]

Chester Bennington. What an odd name for a doll, she thought to herself as Sepsis' other 'doll' when on about things. She wondered how that name applied to the toy. Was it possessed? She could not be sure unless she did some extreme tests on the item. It certainly did not give of a feeling of 'just a toy' but nothing had happened to suggest anything beyond the fact Ginny did not trust the doll one single bit. That alone made her wonder even more about the toy that was cradled in her arms. "Is someone in there?" she projected her thoughts directly to the doll. If it answered, she could not hear it. "Mister Bennington, speak up please."

Still nothing.

The sweet words about her place ran like water off her back. Maybe the girl meant them or not. If she was so in tune with her shop, why had she not seen her here more often? She knew she would not get a straight answer from the girl. No more than someone would get a straight answer from Jennifer if they tried so she decided not to push the point- for now. All she could do was take stock of what was being said now. Miss Ming was eager. Perhaps too eager to get the toy back. Outside of the vibe, what was so special about it? She put on an icy facade but the gypsy could see other clues about her. She debated invading her mind for a moment, but again decided not to. Besides, Sepsis had found herself an adorable looking child to be her thrall. Some secrets should stay exactly that.

For now.

"Boss?"

The word made her blink a bit and broke her out of her inner thinking. She saw Jennifer and Ming looking at her. Jennifer knew that look all too well. Zo was doing some deep thinking all of the sudden and as much as she wanted to ask what was going through her mind, this was not the time to ask.

With a sigh, the mystic comber her fingers through the doll's hair again. "If you are answering me, I cannot hear your replies," she kept her mindspeak focused on the toy alone. "But, I will promise you this much, if you return to me again, you will stay till I can solve the mystery of you."

She sat the doll down on the counter in front of the girl and posed it so it would not fall over. One purple shaded fingernail reached out and caressed just under Ming's chin gently, pulling the girl's attention directly to her eyes. "You should come visit me again one eve when your time allows." she purred while smiling her most disarming smile. "Make you some proper tea to enjoy and perhaps look into your future with the cards?" Mentally she pushed the idea into the girl's thoughts. Sometimes her hypnotic commands worked on thralls and sometimes they didn't, but there was always a chance the idea would stick. Such a lovely little geisha doll standing in front of her now.

In a heartbeat, the touch and eye contact was broken. Zodiac folded her hands and inclined her head to the girl. "Blessings of the night to you and Mr. Bennington." her thoughts whispered as she turned and returned to the depths of the shop, leaving Ming and Jennifer alone at the counter.

"Umm," the redhead pondered what was going on for a moment before looking at Ming and smiling. "Need a bag to carry him in?" She offered.