F R E A K S H O W [Ric and Dom]

[River]

Prologue

The words on the worn clipping blurred as she ran the pad of her thumb over them, the motion almost reverent, as if she thought she could soak them into her skin. Her hand trembled, causing the thin leaf of paper to tear, the strain of her grasp too much for it to withstand.

How could this have happened?
How could I have not known?

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, the lithe vampiress forced her gaze from her mother’s obituary as the tram rattled on the tracks, the blare of the horn echoing through her mind.

It had been two months.

Two months of standing in the background.

Two months of reaching out, only to have her fingers brush across her father’s jacket as he passed her by. In her mind, she told herself it was better this way. It was better that he thought she was dead. It was better that he didn’t think of her at all. It was no different then before. He would go on, living with the memory of his wife and his forgotten daughter, and she would continue to live in the shadows. Broken, lost. Alone.

It was better.
It was.

Clutching her fist against her denim clad thigh, she dug her nails into her palm as she stared at the finger smudged window, mismatched eyes taking in the sights, but seeing nothing. She couldn’t shake the despair that clouded her already broken mind, nor could she run from the guilt that chased her like a wolf in the night. Her mother had been sick. Cancer, the article had read. Cancer that they had hid from the press behind smiles and bright eyes. It was something a daughter should have known about, something that she should have been there for.

How could they tell her, though, when they didn’t know where she was? To her, she was the prodigal daughter turned runaway. Her mother had died without a inkling to what had happened to her. Over one mistake, her mother had passed on, and never knew she loved her.

Slamming her hand against her knee, she nearly screamed in frustration as the tram jerked, though she knew it wouldn’t have mattered. She could jump to her feet, strip from her clothes, and no one would pay her a single ounce of attention. She was invisible. She was nothing.

“Harper Rock, Canada.”

The deep baritone shook her from her thoughts, and as she slid to her feet, she stared once more at the article in her hand before crinkling it in her fist. There was nothing left for her there.

Stepping onto the platform, she didn’t even realize that she had flickered from sight.

=========

Present Day

Three weeks, four days, six hours and twenty seven minutes.

That’s how long it had been since her world had fallen apart.

She had stepped from the tram with the intent of finding her sire. The one person that made her feel like she longed, the one man that she let without a fifty foot radius of her without a fight.

Except he looked right through her.

She had found him, bent over his workstation, his knife in hand as he studied some piece of paper. She had called his name, she had placed her hand on his shoulder, and he didn’t look her way. His attention never wavered, there hadn’t been a twitch beneath his eye. His expression had remained stern, his eyes glazed and his focus on everything but her.

When she needed him the most, he had turned his back on her.

Pressing her hand to her throat, she bent her nails, the bite against her skin reminding her that she was real, she was alive. Well, partially, at least. So, why in the hell didn’t he see her?

Even now, he was standing at his bedside, his fingers wrapped around something, his eyes focused with a laser-point, and he didn’t look her way, no matter what she threw at him.

“R-Roderic!”

It didn’t matter how loud she yelled his name, he never heard her. Desperation melted into anger, and she found herself taking a step forward, her fingers wrapped around the bust of his lamp. He had taken her life from her, had taken her from her home, her passion - and he couldn’t even look at her. He didn’t even see her!

“Look at me, you son of a *****!”

The anger in her words gave her the power needed to overcome her stutter for just the moment, and she flung the lamp - only to have it sail over his head as he fell onto the bed, the ceramic raining over him and the writhing form of a… what the ****?

Oh, ****.
Hell no.

The black hair was the first thing she noticed - and then the bared bodies came into view, leaving her standing there, frozen, mouth open as she drank in the scene with absolute horror.

“S-sh-s-****.”

[Roderic]

< Ric > Text: Think we should spend a couple days at the apartment. I’ll see you when you get done with your brownie sales, or whatever you’re doing.


I hit send after typing up the message to Dominique, then pocket my phone. I don’t need to wait for her reply. She’ll get it when she gets it, and she’ll show up when she shows up. It’s really just that simple for us, which I enjoy. There’s nothing complex about our...dynamic. What I say, I mean, and what she says, she means. I finish up with the headless, winged bobcat that’s near completion before I move to a sink and wash the utensils off that I had been using. I leave them in the sink and will worry about cleaning them more thoroughly tomorrow before the shop opens.


I used to walk everywhere, but with the recent turn of events; the whole vampires being out of the closet, I teleport these nights. I already gave people an uneasy nature when I was alive, it’s worse now. Which means it doesn’t take long for someone to accuse me of being a vampire before a mob ensues.


I’m outside the flats without even finishing the thought that bad been running through my head. I appear from nowhere, which gives the girl coming out of the building a cause for a pause. She shakes her head, then steps around me before heading to the sewer cover. I suppose I could have taken the same route, only in reverse, but these nights I didn’t use up a lot of my mystical abilities. I didn’t see that changing tonight.


Before the door closes behind the woman, I grab it with both hands and yank it to its full open capacity. After that, I slid in and look around the main floor and see the same thing I see every time I come here. A few zombies, which don’t even get a second glance from me, and then the other type of creature found in this zone. There always seems to be just one, as if the guy was the ringleader of the lesser beings inside. I give the larger creature my middle finger as I make my way to the elevator. I jab the button twice and then wait for it to come, my eye on the larger, mutated zombie who makes his way around the inner walls.


The elevator arrives, and I step inside and once again find my floor and press it forcefully. Not once, but twice and listen to the door close. I’m the only one inside, which means I can let my guard down a little. The back of my right shoulder presses against the back wall of the elevator as it ascends and it’s now that I spend the time checking my phone for any form of messages. Might as well, while I’m wasting time inside here. There are none, which doesn’t surprise me, so the phone once again finds its location inside my pocket.


The door pings open as it slides and I walk out before it’s completely done with its opening sequence. I get out my key to the apartment and then press it inside the lock. In turn the key right, then left, right and then left again, while I open it just a little, before I close it and do it again. My boots are wiped off on the carpet and instantly removed and set on a small square carpet near the inside of the doorway. I proceed to take off my leather coat, and have it hung in my left hand by the collar when I see something out of place. The coat is put on top of my boots and I move a few feet in front of me. I drop to my knees and then place both hands on the wood floor to stare at the floor at a side angle. Dirt.


And not just any dirt. Dirt from a shoe. Definitely someone lighter than an average male’s weight, judging by how faint the two prints were and the outline of the shoe in question. My fingers touch the outline and feel the grit of the dirt on the pads of my fingertips before I stand up and nod. There are a few conclusions I can come up to based off logic. Logically, the only females allowed in this apartment are Juliet, River and Dominique. River has been gone for weeks and Juliet would let me know she was stopping by for whatever reason. Never mind the camera never picked her up, so that comes down to the culprit of wearing shoes in my apartment as Dominique. She knows my rules about shoes in the apartment. But the prints, as faint as they were, were a good distance away from the last one, which might indicate the person was in a hurry. Being in a rush doesn’t excuse my rule. Dominique would have to pay for breaking what was probably my only, and most important rule.


Since she wasn’t here and I had time to kill, I start working on a little side project for the Christmas season. I don’t really like the holiday, but I try and give something to the people I can tolerate for more than ten minutes alone. I’m not alone in the apartment for more than two handfuls of minutes when I hear the door open and close. The apartment fills with Dominique’s scent and I hear the soft padding of her feet-bare feet on the wood floor. I slowly make my way from the bench, to the door frame and then follow after Dominique.


“Haven’t been here in a few weeks. Thought it was time to get a change of scenery.” I tell her as we make our way into the main part of the apartment. I grab my coat from off my boots on the way in, and then head into the bedroom where its home is at. “What did you get up to, today?” I ask as I head inside the closet, where there are an array of things inside, things Dominique knows nothing about, because the closet is my safe space where no one-not even Skylar had been allowed inside of. While I wait for her answer, I hang my coat up and open the trunk of ‘toys,’ and wait to see what she has to say for herself.


<Dominique> The cell was sliding into her front pocket as she lifted her backpack over her shoulder. It had been another night of swapping out parts from two cars that had been resurrected thanks to her skill and a few shop owners that owed her a few favors. Not that she couldn't get it done without calling on a few favors but she found for the years she was out there helping others make things happen there was nothing wrong with cashing in when she needed. It was the time of year that most people were preparing for winter and the weather that came with it. It wasn't the time to put off having their main mode of transportation less than reliable on the roads.


The walk through the streets towards the apartment mentioned in the text was for the most part uneventful. Nothing out of the ordinary really was to be seen. Flyers were up calling for those interested in bridging the divide between species, seminars and apps were a available to make it happen as easy as using one hand.


She passed all of it by and stopped only briefly to grab a few parts from the hooded dealer in the Westwall transit. Another favor cashed in and she was weighed down with a second bag. This one was a canvas duffle bag that was filled to the point the zipper appeared taxed at its seams. HOPE rests on the top of it with a form of protection over the parts within. It wasn’t as easy to find high quality parts as it used to be. Perhaps people were stocking up for some apocalypse she had yet to register happening. Maybe people weren't tossing the gun pieces around like they used to. **** was getting real. The fact humans now knew the shadows held far more sinister things than a typical spider was a good reason to assume more than a few were getting smart and preparing.


The stroll through the lobby of the Flats was the typical display of what the hell. She never would understand how the masquerade was ever supposed to have a chance. How could it? Certainly not when they had humans living in high rise apartments in a quarantine zone that had the hard to miss walking dead chilling like it was no big thing in the lobby. Were they supposed to go down and check their mail slots and ignore the scent of death and the zombie stains left on the floor and furniture? It was like a continuous episode of the Twilight Zone.


The elevator worked its way up until the floor that she chose with the push of a button was reached. It gave her enough time to carry out the typical routine she had come up with since she first visited Ric’s apartment the first night. It is the same deal when stepping into Vita Bella except it just happens to be the place he decided they needed to see more of over the next several nights. Whatever. The shoes were off her feet and no socks were needing to be peeled off. The garment was the devil's work as far as she was concerned. In fact she can't remember a time she ever walked into a private living space with shoes on.


Once the door was closed she locked it. It was one of those things that made sense to do as of late.The bags were set down by the door and her shoes rested on top. The vibrant permanent crimson roses alternated their steps forward towards the location she sensed Ric was most likely to be. A few small verbal exchanges while gravitating towards the bedroom leaves her with a question to answer. Ric wants to know what she had been up to.


There was nothing exciting. It was like any other night in the shop and on the streets doing business. It wasn't worth going into their more she gave it thought. But he did ask and she was not one to not answer. Obviously he had a reason and likely it was wanting her version of the events. All of which she gave him in brief without adding boring details. She looked at him with her hands on her hips. Each fingertip pressed lightly to stay where they were placed. He seemed to be multitasking with listening and hanging up his jacket in that closet that she ignored. It was his.


“And what did you do this evening?”


She wasn’t exactly sweating it out over what he did while they weren't sharing physical space. She didn't have to. It was why it worked so well between them. LESS lifted to brush her hair behind her shoulder while she waited for his response. It wasn't feeling like she should start getting comfortable in the room. He wasn't pulling off his clothes and she wasn't exactly peeling hers off either.

[Dominique]

< Ric > “Me?” I ask, as I’m glancing inside the trunk, looking for the specific tool that I would use. Had Dominique admitted her wrongdoing, the consequences would have been a little less severe. Tonight, the big guns had to come out and she would never forget to take her shoes off again. Even when in a hurry. There was no excuse for being lazy and sloppy. Not in my books.

“I was at Happy Tree most the night, then worked on a couple projects here. For the stupid holiday everyone and their grandma celebrates next month.” There it was. Just what I was looking for. I pull it out by its blue colored handle and set it on the ground, off to the side. It will have to wait, because I need a distraction. For her. Dominique isn’t going to willingly let me punish her to the extreme I’m going to take it.

My t-shirt is pulled off before I grab the roll of black gorilla tape from the box and appear out of the closet. “Did some cleaning in the apartment.” I tell her, waiting for some reaction from her at that sliver of an olive branch as I approach her.


<Dominique> So nothing grand or glorious on his end of the night either. Not that she would expect he would come up with something she didn't expect. They did have businesses and those ventures certainly didn't run themselves. Her employees had been dropping like expired flys so that meant more of her time was required than usual. She shrugged while his back was still turned. He adds that he worked on a couple projects. This gets her interest.

So does he when he turns and retreats from the closet without his shirt and a big roll of black industrial tape. She is quite familiar with the product. It is so common in her garage like paper clips in a secretary's desk drawer. It has many uses and generally trumps duct tape. Gorillas over ducks… well ducts. It sounds close enough. Maybe.

“Looks good.”

She can't tell a huge difference. The place is always clean. Perhaps it was the whole habit of no shoes in his places just like she always had going on at her own properties. Or maybe
he just was a busy little beaver when he wasn't wrapped up in stuffing one. HOPE and less were tempted to curl under the hem of her shirt and follow suit but he seemed to be up to some sort of project. She waited for more clues.


< Ric > I stop in front of Dom and hold up the gorilla tape at her eye level. “Think this stuff ever loses its adhesiveness?” I ask, genuinely interested in her opinion. I can’t remember the last time I used the stuff, come to think of it. Maybe a year? Well, this tape roll specifically. “Only one way to find out, right?” I yank some of it from the roll, but don’t break it off yet. I wait to see what her reaction is to the suggestion, before I circle back to the cleaning thing. “It should. There wasn’t much to clean. Just a couple spots on the floor.” My eyes connect with hers, as I lower my chin a little to look her smack dab in those brown eyes of hers. “Looked almost like...footprints.” I finally confess as I grab one of her wrists, hell bent on trying to bind them together. Only, Dominique seems aware that I’m ‘up’ to something because I don’t even get a hold of her before her arm slinks away from my reach.

RodericAnother PCModeratePhysically demandingDominiqueBind herFailed

<Dominique> It was something she couldn't turn off. Some would bolt or shrink away from a touch that clearly said something was up a little above or even overboard from what they expected. Not Jane Doe. She was quick and ready to go at the slightest move which Ric was clearly making. He was feeling frisky? Maybe?

Most likely though he had some other agenda. Footprints had him riled up. It was a little arousing the more she thought about it. She didn't care who was the culprit. It wasn't her footprints. That much she knew. Why ruin the current fun? He was shirtless so she took the time while she was out of reach and followed the current dress code he set. Playtime.

“Alright, Cubby. Let me show you how this works.” She takes advantage of grabbing the roll while he is absorbing his momentary failure. They both know the ball isn't going to be in her court forever. “Hold still…” Which of course he doesn't. It isn't going his way so why would he? Ric is a smart dude. A little fight on his part says he wasn't going along so easily. “Or not.”

After a little wrestling lhad an open closet so she disappeared and discovered what he was up to. She was a quick study.

“So, you think I left the footie prints on your floor, hmmm? You were going to teach me a lesson before I got to plead my case? Tsk, tsk.”

Her roses nearly got pruned by the looks of what he had going on. It seemed a tad extreme even for Ric. However this was his show. He invited her to it and pretty much handed her the tape and option to take over. So be it. It would have been her feet turning to dust if he succeeded so turnabout was fair play. Ric never started something he couldn't finish. Then again neither did she.

“One…” She knew there was something about counting when you were in trouble that earned you a little mercy. It didn't apply here though. It was just something to do to keep him semi distracted while she got her swing down. “Two…” it was closer. The sound of a custom long blade cutting air with lethal speed hissed between. “Three…” odd numbers wouldn't work. He would appreciate that. “Four!” The sound of two dull thuds of soft yet bony masses dropping to the floor was coupled with clouds of black shadows blood enveloping them. “Was that what you were trying to do?” She waved her hands quickly to get a view of him all tied up. “Not going to lie. Strange as it may sound all this kinda has me thinking about… well…”

Dominique Another PC Moderate Physically demanding Roderic Bind him Succeeded

<Ric> I’m not surprised I’m more or less caught with my hands in the cookie jar. I have great ideas, but they seldomly get carried out when these ideas pertain to Dominique. It’s our ‘thing.’ So when she gets the upper hand on me, all I can do is stand there and hope she doesn’t realize that there was more to this bag of tricks than some form of small scale bondage going on. Alas, Dominique isn’t lacking in intelligence, so when she goes to the closet-my closet, I glare. Not because she’s gone ahead and gotten one up on me, but because no one’s ever been inside it before. It’s not that I think she wants what I have in there; anything in there can be bought in a store or online, it’s a little more deeper than that.

There’s really no time to think about it, because she’s out with my toy, and I’m nodding my head. Damn right I think they were her footsteps. They weren’t mine, or even the stupid dog’s footprints. She starts counting, and while there is a very small sliver of me thinking she’s not going to do it-or be able to do it, most of me knows damn well she is going to do it. All I can hope for is a clean cut, because the idea of her taking a few hacks to get my feet off is a real buzz kill. I know I would have managed to take hers off with a good, solid blow. She gets to three and I wait, because that’s what most people do. Count to three and then the ‘bad’ thing happens. Only, this isn’t really ‘bad.’ I’ll be footless for a couple days at most, but it’s not a forever thing. Then, when I’m healed, Dom better watch herself, because she’s going to get it back in Spades and more.

Four comes and that’s when she strikes. Obviously, if I were a human, there would be no way I would survive something like this. If not for the blood loss, then for the shock to my body. That’s not to say I’m not in a form of shock. She actually lopped them both off at the same time. I snarl out at her, then take some sharp inhales in and out as my teeth grit and grind together. She’s so in for some serious, deep **** when I have feet again. The room starts to get polluted with an inky mist, swirling from around my ankles, to my calves and starts to wrap around her as she says something, only she would say after realizing I was going to take her feet off. And this is why, how I know what Dom told me before we bound is true. That I was it, and in truth, she is it for me.

She must be feeling smug, I imagine, having the upper hand. It’s not bound to last for long, or ever, but right now….right now, there’s something else that needs to be taken care of. She struck a chord in me, not because of her words and own desires, but because of what she did.

I look at her, noticing then the new rings I bought her, when she bought me a new one, nestled in each of her stars and I grin. I knew she would appreciate them, when I came across them in the small shop last week. The kittens haven’t been replaced with anything else since I helped put them in their new home. My eyes flick over the rest of her naked body, my own mirroring hers, minus the whole missing feet thing. In time. I have patience and time. She can have her victory for now, while I have a small victory, enjoying the ride of my life. I don’t even notice the sound of a lamp breaking while I’m taking Dom from behind, because things breaking while we’re in this sort of moment, isn’t anything new or unusual.

[River]

This can't be happening.

There was nothing she could do. She was utterly frozen, her eyes locked on the writhing forms as her mind tried to process the horror before her. It wasn't as if she had never witnessed sex before, but it was more the mere fact that it was Roderic. There wasn't a single ounce of attraction in her veins for her Obsession, so it wasn't jealousy that kept her rooted. He was hers, but not in the sense that she wanted him in a romantic sense, so it wasn't anger. She wasn't scorned, nor was she hurt by the fact that he was seeming to immensely enjoy himself.

There was no reason that she couldn't fade into the shadows and escape through the door, except that he would know. He would sense her - if he hadn't already. He would hear her footsteps, smell the scent of her perfume. Something would trigger his senses, and he would see her - he would think she wanted to be there. He was the only one to ever notice her, to know when she was there. Everyone else looked through her. She was invisible, non-existent - except with him. Which, in this moment, was proving to be an issue.

Lifting her hand, she covered her mouth with the cloth of her sweatshirt and screwed her eyes shut. it didn't help. The image of their bodies were still burned into her retinas, the way his neck strained with effort - oh, god. She was going to be sick. Utterly, completely, uncontrollably ill. She didn't belong here. She shouldn't be witness to this. The mere thought of either of them believing she wanted to bare witness to their personal passion nearly sent her doubling over from pure shame. Her nerves frayed, fingers shaking, she tried to collect herself long enough to think of a solid plan. She had to do something - and quickly.

She had to stop this.
She had to get out of there.
How she supposed to do that?

Pressing her back to the wall, she reached her hand out for the door, her long fingers stretching for the knob - except she hit the table instead. It began to rock, the few objects that were so neatly put in place falling from the surface to crash to the floor. Her body stilled, her eyes widening as her breath became locked in her lungs. With strength she shouldn't possess, her eyes snapped to the bed, where he was still moving, still -

"W-where i-i-in th-the h-h-hell are y-your f-feet?!"

The question burst from her lips before she could stop herself, her fingers inches from the doorknob. She had almost been free, and yet, she no longer cared. He was hurt, his feet missing - and he was lost in lust as if he hadn't a care in the world.

[Roderic]

Two things happened in a just fractions of a second. There was a change in the air. It smelled different. Invaded by another smell that wasn't Dominique; a scent that was vaguely familiar. River. Things like a Swiss army knife hit the ground, some coins from the pack of cigarettes I bought last week, and one of my generic lighters followed after both those things. There was an intruder in my apartment. My hackles start to rise, even though I'm confident I know who it is.

"River. Been a while." I didn't even need to try and arch my neck in her direction to validate my initial thought, because River was already talking. That stutter I would recognize anywhere; in case my olfactory senses weren't working tonight. I don't pull away from Dominique, because we're right in the middle of something. Instead, I turn and look down at the shreds of shadows that were coiling up and around various parts of us. Hope River isn't overly shy. I'm not and I know Dominique isn't either. "My feet?" I echo after River and shrug a shoulder. "**** if I know where the parts all go to when they're lopped off, or blown up." It was a valid question, one I never got the answer for.

"We have things to discuss." I tell River as I look at Dominique. "Give us ten. Maybe twelve." No way in hell was I finished, and I know Dominique wasn't either. "Unless, you're game to join in. Could see if you can figure out where things go once they're chopped off." I offer, looking at Dominique. I'm only half serious.

[Dominique]

There are a couple things no one expects in a moment where one has lost their feet to stand on yet has the fortitude to go that miracle mile to give every reason to not question them. Ric was earning massive brownie points with his moves. He was not holding back, not that he ever did. It was fair to say Dom was a believer. Then came the unexpected. A strange woman popping out of nowhere arguing with the one at her backside while holding on to her hips like a jackhammer in action. Talk about bad timing. He was close to cracking her open and now there was a river was running right through it.Really? It was odd at best. But if he kept up his pace it really wouldn't matter. She would get hers and Ric...well he would have to catch his later if he was going to keep on chatting.

"Kinda trying to finish up what we started." Her head finally turned just enough to see more of Ric than the River woman he was talking to. Finally she caught Ric's gaze that surely looked with the task at hand. "Stop now and I think we all can have a good chance on figuring out what goes where when it is removed."

Dominique had been one who believed if you wanted to see what someone was up to you called ahead of time, or you text or at the very least knocked on the door. Shadow or not she figured if those simple courtesies were not applied then you get whatever your set eyes on. In this case it was obviously a hell of alot more than River ever expected to find. Talk about an ice breaker.

[River]

“H-h-hell n-no.”

The sharp words were barely heard over the creak of the bed, but she knew that he had heard them. Even as the plaster began to peel from the wall and coat the sheets, she knew that he heard everything that she had to say. He could probably hear the way her nails ripped through the skin of her palms, sending a few drops of her blood towards the floor - though they vanished seconds before meeting the hardwood. Shaking her head, she tore her gaze from the writhing forms and bowed her head, her entire body tensed, as if she were forged from stone instead of flesh. I shouldn’t be here. Oh, god. Why am I here? This is… no, I can never face him again.

Swallowing past the bile and painful lump in her throat, she finally met the metal of his doorknob, her fingers curling around it before she gave a powerful pull, the wood cracking. Uncaring that she was ruining his apartment, she reached up with her freehand to pull her hood back into place, concealing her face from their view - even though she knew they weren’t even looking her way. The strange woman’s voice echoed in her mind as she stumbled her way from the bedroom, her eyes dancing left and right in a frantic search for answers - for anything. How the hell had she ended up there? Why hadn’t he seen her - why did he see her now? The questions bounced around in her skull like a wrecking ball, until she was nearly paralyzed from them.

I need to get out of here. Fast.

Even as the final thought formed, her feet seemed to be frozen in his living room, her hands falling to her side as she closed her eyes. We have things to discuss, he said, and despite her horror at witnessing such a passionate and personal act, she couldn’t will herself to leave. Even now, as her embarrassment caused tears to sting her eyes, she knew she would obey. In another time, another life, having witnessed someone’s carnal acts wouldn’t have crippled her so. That was another time, though, another woman. Danika. Scrubbing at her eyes, she found his couch and fell onto it, elbows resting on her knees and head bent, eyes focused on the ground.

At least she was gorgeous. He could have done worse.

Her lips curved into a ghost of a smile before she sighed, fingers pressing to her eyes as she waited for their end, silently counting down the minutes until she could forget this entire day.

[Roderic]

I knew River wouldn't take the offer, which was why I half made it. The woman was flightier than a rabbit once it sees a predator glancing in its direction and that's more or less what happened here. River had been spotted and she was trying to get her way out of things she didn't want to see. Probably.

Dominique makes a threat and part of me wants to tempt my fate. We've been here before-losing all sorts of body parts. They grow back. The temptation to test the waters doesn't last long because River is bolting, nearly ripping my door off the hinges on her way out. I should have bet someone she wouldn't have joined us. I'll have to make this up to her later, somehow. Women are a lot more fragile than men when it comes to some things, plus, I'm starting to wonder if River's never had sex. Not that I've had tons of sex with a lot of different people, but she's never given me an impression on what team she swings for, or indicated she's ever been close with someone.

"Right. What to do?" I ask as I give Dominique's *** a nice firm slap with my right hand, then keep hold of it. Maybe one night when we don't have company I can test the waters and see what she's wanting to hack off. Kind of hard to have a conversation with someone when there are tons of missing parts, black blood and pain coursing through my body. I start at it again, finding my rhythm once again after making my decision on which path to take tonight-it seems the path of least resistance is the winner.

[Dominique]

It seems that Ric is a champion rider. Not one of those eight second wonders that lets go as soon as the first cowbell or horn is assaulting the eardrums to alert participants that the meager qualifying round expectations have been met. He is all hands on working everything he has to offer even if his feet are off. What eventually happens next is no huge surprise except of course perhaps to the one who lingers in the other room.

Anyone within general earshot was getting access to the soundtrack no holds barred. Dom swore while the bed nearly lost its own foot support as the room they were in rattled, rocked and rolled. Ric was hardly incapacitated by his inability to keep his feet on the ground while reaching for her stars. He had all the skills and used every one. Damned if he wasn’t earning another blue ribbon.

A loud pounding of a neighboring wall confirms that it wasn’t just River who wished the moment would end. As if it was right on cue a broomstick seemed to join in the concert as it started jarring the ceiling above it. Not the smartest move in the world. The faceless neighbor below was giving the space beneath Ric’s cold flesh stumps a center point for where they were currently standing while jabbing the ceiling with their cleaning tool.

There were no worries to be had. A little disruption never affected the young shadow. She had been on a tour of the worst Cubby had to offer. She even felt the castle walls biting on her back that she couldn’t see thanks to the gift of blindness delivered only minutes before he took hands to her. Ric had his reasons, his motives and even then Dominique had an itch he seemed to know how to scratch and claw the hell out of. That was what it was all about, right? Okay, so maybe it was about a little bit more than that. However, not even the disturbed and offended witnesses currently protesting the impromptu show were privy to what they were really up to besides taking care of the business at hand. When it came down to it they were both equally sadistic, ruthless and shameless.