"[Auction 2014] - Artisan on Display

[Mordechai]

Mordechai got into work early Sunday evening. With mostly human employees, the killer took advantage of his ability to withstand the sun, to arrive before sunset whenever his other activities allowed. Of course, being the owner, he pretty much worked when he pleased. His workers were used to coming in to open in the morning and finding him asleep in his locked office. Pausing on the sidewalk Mordechai shifted so that the sun was blocked by his shadow, His eyes scanned the showroom through the large plate glass display window, looking to see that the order and presentation of the goods were well maintained. The weapons sold by midknight armaments were top of the line, both production and custom, and as such demanded a high price tag. High priced merchandise could not be sold from a half assed establishment out of shoddy displays. Everything had to be perfect, and it was. Walking past the door, he paused before the large window that displayed the other half of his establishment, the actual armory, the workshop where he and his gunnys spend so many hours upgrading and assembling the custom weapons made from the parts he had found in his travels. The Maple bench tops were neatly stacked with barrels and actions, oiled and ready for work, hanging on hooks along the wall, numerous stocks glistened with multiple coats of boiled linseed oil. His custom guns were done old school, none of the cheap polys and varnishes that were so prevalent in today's mass produced weapons. Mordechai liked the way the shop was set up, often passers by would stop and watch him or the gunsmiths as they worked their craft, years of experience being lovingly poured into the weapons they assembled. His newest employee would be working here as well. She was only his for three days, but he was sure she would draw a crowd to watch her, as she was a very talented artisan as well. Most like she knew the trade as well as he did. He had seen some of her work, and it was very impressive.

Turning once more the giant killer entered his place of business. Wandering the aisles he straightened a few displays before crossing to the work area. The last few weeks had been good and he had brought in far more parts, than he and the employees could ready and assemble. Looking towards the window he nodded. The people on the sidewalk had a clear view of the work area. He was sure that once a few stopped to watch, her obvious prowess with firearms would gather a crowd, and possibly some customers that might not normally have stopped into peruse his wares. She was sure to be good for business. Mordechai need know watch he had an innate inner clock that was almost as accurate as the atomic clock hidden in Colorado. It was just under one hour till she was to report for duty. Mordechai busied himself setting out some of the better pieces. She could do upgrades later, but for now he just wanted to whittle down the piles of parts that had accumulated. Almost all were top of the line, the killer didn't play around with junk parts. He rated them on a scale of one to fifteen, and anything that he counted as an eight or lower, went straight to the auction house. He would not sully his shop nor benches with such inferior parts. Everything ready for the start of her shift, Mordechai turned and headed for his office, his hand was on the palm scanner and the lock clicked as he remembered the last detail he had overheard. Pausing a frown crossed his face fleetingly as he pondered the words uttered by Velveteen. One shoulder shrugged as he turned, heading back into the armory section and zig-zagging through the benches until he came to an oak machinist’s chest. Slipping a small key into the lock he turned it and opened the top. Reaching in he pulled out a two inch diameter, cloudy amber cylinder. Relocking the chest he walked over to the bench that Minerva...no...Madison, that was it, Madison, would be working at and placed the cylinder in the middle. Heading back towards his office once more he shook his head. He often used a slight coating from the cylinder to lubricate the fine threads of action screws and bedding screws. He had no idea how Madison was supposed to use wax with her new uniform, but that was the best beeswax money could buy.

[Madison]

A smile graced pale pink lips that shone with a layer of sheer lipgloss. Mordechai had won her bid and while she had not spent much time with him outside of the raids she took part in with him, she knew him to be at the very least an even-keeled sort. So when he approached her after they had both paid for their respective purchases at the auction, Madison had barely parted her painted pout to thank him when he issued his first orders. Periwinkle blue eyes blinked up at the man much taller than she as he handed her the Amazon labeled tote that she assumed her uniform was inside of. Her blonde adorned head nodded her understanding as she picked up the package to find it exceptionally light and was about to ask him a question when he spoke yet again, apparently having heard Vulvateen’s comment about wax. Mordechai didn’t seem to understand what she had meant by it though. Luckily for Madison, she had done so the day before she was turned and like the hair on her head, the hair down below never grew, which meant she would never buy another razor or spend another dime on that specific sort of wax for the rest of eternity. This, she was quite okay with.

Getting home to Tutella later that evening or earlier that morning, whichever way people looked at it, Madison dumped the tote on the table and pulled the bindings from it that kept it shut. Upon opening the package and removing the plastic shrinkwrap and the tissue paper from around the article, Madison’s mouth pursed down into a thin line. One way or another, she was going to make Doc suffer for this. Inside the packaging was one of those French maid outfits that revealed almost as much as it covered, which was mostly her torso since the bust and the skirt were comprised of a sheer fabric with bits of lace edging. It even came with a hat and little wristbands made out of the same material. Surely Mordechai had overheard Doc’s suggestion to Vel and thought it a good idea. Doc was sure to use it to humiliate her beyond the limits of her own imagination. What Mordechai intended to use it for, she wasn’t quite sure. Madison was sure glad she owned a full-length trenchcoat though. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she pondered the ‘uniform’. What shoes would even match this?
Sunday evening rolled around faster than Madison had anticipated but she was ready nonetheless. The maid’s outfit fit snugly around her waist and the skirt barely covered her mound, of which she had covered with a pair of densely knit white lace string-bikini style panties. Pondering how little of her rump it covered wasn’t even worth the time to think about. She had found that her nipples could be seen through the sheer fabric and had managed to get her hands on a pair of flesh colored pasties the night before from one of the local sex shops. It may have looked awkward to some, but at least she wouldn’t get a ticket for indecent exposure should Mordechai force her to wear the get-up anywhere public. Having completed the get-up with a pair of thigh-high white stockings with little bows on the front and back at the top of each leg and a pair of black satin heels, Madison was ready to go after covering it all up with her trenchcoat.

Arriving at midknight armaments five minutes ahead of schedule, Madison entered the business and eyed the space curiously. As her gaze passed over all that she could see from the entrance, not seeing the big man who had purchased her time and her obedience, she walked down the center aisle and looked down each one she passed in case he was somehow obscured from her view.

“Can I help you find something?”

The question came from behind her and to the right. Madison spun on her toes to face the employee. Giving them a small smile she politely asked, “I’m here to see Mordechai.”

[Mordechai]

Mordechai sat at his desk, scrolling through the ledgers for the company. They were doing well, but could be doing so much better if they were not so far behind in assembly. Hopefully his impulsive buy when he wandered into the auction at Lancaster’s would pay off. The killer paused when his intercom beeped ‘’A... Madison, to see you boss.’’ Mordie glanced at the corner of his screen, she was a few minutes early, that was good. Too many years in the military had drilled punctuality into him, and he expected it of everyone. Rising to his full seven foot height, he cracked his neck once in each direction, before exiting his office. Glancing around he saw the blonde female he had ‘purchased’ talking to Violet, his clerk. Walking up to them, he nodded a greeting. ‘’Thank you Violet. This is Madison, she will be working with us for a bit to help get caught up on custom assemblies.’’ Turning to Madison, he continued, ‘’Welcome to midknight armaments Madison, if you follow me I can show you to your workspace and get you started." Turning he led her through the showroom, pointing out some of the finer production and custom pieces. As they crossed into the armory side of the shop Mordechai paused a moment, explaining where the barrels and actions were stored, and how the stocks were finished, before leading her to the center workbench. It was the one that he used when he worked. It was the one centered in the armory, centered in front of the window, with a small amber canister sitting in the middle of it. The killer rolled it slightly with his finger as he closed his eyes. He could be polite, he had been practicing, he knew he could do this. Opening his eyes he turned back to the blonde female. ‘’I would like to thank you for coming to work with us for the three days of the contract. This will be your workstation.’’ Pointing to the wall he continued, ‘’ If you are ready, you can hang your coat on the hook there, and you can begin.’’ One finger continued to nudge the small container about. ‘’ I do not know that much about such uniforms, I am supposed to be working on my sense of humor, and people were laughing as they discussed that one. I am assuming therefore that it is humorous.’’ His brow wrinkled for a moment before he finished. Picking up the small canister he held it out to her. “It was mentioned that wax was needed… I do not know why, but here is some grade AA beeswax, I use it on action screws and bedding bolts, but there should be enough here for your use.’’

[Madison]

Waiting patiently while the employee paged Mordechai, Madison continued to allow her eyes to roam about the shop. When she heard footsteps approaching, her focus snapped to attention to the largest man she’d ever known. As he introduced Madison to Violet, the blonde gave the woman a small yet slightly awkward smile as the other looked at her over with a minor incredulous look upon her face but did not ask any questions. Not giving the women time to exchange words, Mordechai prompted the telepath to follow him. She did so without question, her steps falling upon the floor with soft clicks of her heels at a slightly quicker pace so that she could keep up with Mordechai’s much longer strides. Looking over everything that he pointed out, she made sure he could see her nod of acknowledgment when he paused to show her where to get actions, barrels and stocks. All the pieces she would need to perform her duties for the evening.

Next, he led her to a workbench, dead center of the armory showcase and in view of pretty much anyone who entered the shop. Madison’s face dead-panned with a look of dread for just a moment but she quickly tried to hide it before Mordechai noticed. She couldn’t however avoid the look of confusion when he stated that she would be spending the entirety of her three nights working at midknight armaments. She had assumed that this would be a one night deal and that he would have something else in store but she was perfectly okay with building guns for three nights in a row. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to get the outfit dry-cleaned every day and wear it every night.

When he made sure to make sure she noticed the small jar and it’s pale yellow contents, Madison resisted the urge to facepalm and instead stared unhappily at it for a moment. The look was lost as he picked it up and she realized that he hadn’t understood the joke that had been told at her expense. A hand reached up to take it from his palm, where it looked much too tiny compared to the size of his hand. Turning the cannister in her fingers, a laugh trickled out of her as she realized it was beeswax.

“This wasn’t quite what they meant you know,” she looked up at Mordechai with a giggle, “They were trying to be derogatory in referencing that I would need to wax my lady bits in order to wear something so revealing.”

Setting the tub of beeswax back onto the workbench, Madison lifted her hands to the button near the neckline of her trenchcoat. She paused for a moment, her pale blue eyes scanning the area and noticed Violet watching their interactions intently. Trying to pretend that no one else was there to see her, Madison closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. Undoing the first button, she opened her eyes, tilting her head down so that she could watch what she was doing and letting her blonde locks frame her face so she couldn’t see anything in the peripheral of her vision. One by one the buttons of her coat came undone until there were none left and a simple shrug of her shoulders had it sliding down over her back, revealing majority of her form and leaving extremely little to the imagination.

[Mordechai]

The killer quirked an eyebrow quizzically as he listened to her explanation about the wax. Slowly he nodded as tho he understood. ‘’Ahh I am assuming it is not for lubrication like in assembly...’’ The puzzled look had not quite left his eyes, ‘’ So it would be paraffin you need…. for sealing?’’ For someone whose face hardly ever showed expression, the baffled look Mordechai now wore was priceless. Taking the beeswax from the bench , he carried it over and replaced it in his machinist box, leaving it unlocked. It contained the majority of his precision tools, and as he had not required Madison to bring her own, he would break one of his own rules, and share. In general, no one touched his tools. Madison’s coat slipped from her shoulders as the tall male turned back to face her. His eyes took in the small cap, then systematically worked their way down to the tips of her stiletto heels, before retracing their route back up over her athletic curves to meet her periwinkle colored eyes. She was in no danger of anorexia, she had muscles and curves where they belonged, and the majority of them were either on display or covered in sheer material. The killer gave a nod of approval, ‘’It would appear I guessed your size properly, it fits you well, you do it justice." Mordechai had no trouble keeping his eyes on hers, he was taken, and others did not interest him. Pointing to the small electronic box in the corner, he explained ‘’Black button will call to the desk, if you need any of the basics, if they cannot help, or you wish to speak to me, the blue button goes to my office.’’ Turning to the window behind them he explained, “There are a few that gather to watch artisans at work, and some that just like to see our finished products. Pay them no mind there is seldom more than fifteen or twenty that gather when I am working on custom jobs. Though it is possible that some just come to see someone my size’’ He shrugged nonchalantly, it didn't bother him that people stared at him...It came with the territory, prey always stared at predators. ‘’The advantage of it is that often after they watch for awhile, they come in and make purchases. I have found that having this bench showcased this way has doubled our net profits.’’ Mordechai reached out one massive hand, ‘’I can hang your coat on the way to my office.

[Madison]

“I, uhm…,” Madison stammered as she tried not to laugh at the look on Mordechai’s face, “I don’t need anything other than whatever tools are normally required for the job.”

He had turned just after she had bent her head to undo the buttons of her jacket. When she looked back up, she found him watching her. The baffled look had left his face and been replaced by...nothing. Madison’s brow furrowed slightly as she tried to read his features while his eyes roamed down and then back up her body, taking in the outfit and her additions to it. When all he gave her was a simple nod of acknowledgment and nothing more than a comment that he’d gotten her size right, Madison’s brow furrowed a little more. She wasn’t super model thin like many women she saw around town since vampires had emerged but she wasn’t fat either. On more than one occasion she had turned a few heads.

“Yeah, I guess you did,” she said quietly, a note of confusion to her voice.

He continued on then, like there wasn’t a practically half naked woman right in front of him and Madison started to question whether or not Mordechai batted for the other team. She hadn’t pegged him for the type but she’d expected some kind of reaction more than what she’d gotten. He continued on to explain the little black call box and how people liked to gather to watch artisans build the weapons. All the emotion drained from Madison’s face. Every emotion except for a mixture of disbelief and mortification. Her jaw dropped down slightly, parting her lips just enough for her to chew at her bottom lip as she tried to imagine fifteen to twenty people, or more due to the get-up she was wearing, all crowded around the window while she worked.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” she mumbled after a few moments of silence before realizing Mordechai had offered to take her coat. Every cell inside of her wanted to cling to it. To throw it back around her shoulders and button it back up. To let it encase her and fill the sense of security she was suddenly lacking. Yet her hand still reached out with the jacket in her grasp and somehow she managed to will her hand open when he moved to take it from her.

“Guess I better get started…”

[Mordechai]

Mordechai caught a note of confusion in her voice, a sense of unsurety, and his mind raced over his words to her. He realized his faux pas and let the corners of his lips lift as he took her coat. Looking down at her much smaller frame, the killer winked, ‘’ You look very good in your uniform, it showcases your assets well,’’ he added in a low voice, just barely audible, it rumbled from his lips, ‘’ though it appears some of the packing is stuck on your breasts.’’ he turned to the coat hook and in three long strides was hanging her trench coat out of the way where no oils or grease would stain it. She had seemed apprehensive as he described the small crowd that often gather to watch his artisans at work, and he tried to alleviate her fears. He did not want her nervous and making a mistake as she worked with the high quality parts he had in stock. ‘’Do not worry about the onlookers, I have seen your work before, you are very talented. I purchased one of your works for a friend, and it was well made. The people just stop for a free show, and I am sure you will give them one they will remember for a long time’’ He set one of his huge hands gently on her bare shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He wished his kennedy was there to see how well his attempts at humor and politeness were working. The blue eyed blonde before him seemed almost stunned by his reversal from his normally laconic self, so it was obvious all was going as planned with his transformation.

“Guess I better get started…”

Mordechai nodded and gave one last reassuring squeeze. Once more he looked over his purchase. It had been impulsive, but he felt it would be good for the company, and help him with some of the experience that he desperately needed. If all went well, maybe he could talk her into extending her stay. After all, the first potential customer had just stopped at the window and was even now appraising the new girl. Mordechai was sure the man would be amazed when he actually saw her work. With a smile he let go of her shoulder, and bending down gave her a friendly pat on her mostly bare backside. ‘’Your audience awaits you,’’ nodding to the window, ‘’I won’t hold you up anymore. I am sure you understand what I expect from you, Quality is our mainstay’’ Turning he headed once more back towards Violet, whispering as he passed her ‘’I think she is going to be great for business.’’ Shaking his head at Violet’s silent, open mouthed, wide eyed stare, ‘’You're drooling’’ he whispered as he slipped the lock on his office and returned to the boring work at his desk. ‘’Quarantine Zone, hmmmph, I have drooling zombies working for me it seems’’ he muttered to himself.

[Madison]

The low rumble of Mordechai’s whisper caught Madison off guard. It’s much more the tone of voice and the level at which it was spoken that she notices first. A shiver ran down her neck, over her shoulders and down her back. The sensation isn’t a bad one but it is a surprising one that Madison hasn’t felt in some time. Her eyes flutter closed for a moment, just until the feeling fades and it’s then it sinks in what was actually said. Her eyes pop open in embarrassment and her arms instinctively move to cross over her chest and hide her breasts from view. Mordechai had gone from seemingly uninterested to….well Madison wasn’t really quite sure what to think of his closer inspection of her ‘assets’.

It seemed the man had more than a keen eye to her physical form but to her emotional one as well. His appraisal of her works in attempts to reassure her that she would be fine did help some. Her arms slowly released their hold of each other from around her chest and her attention was drawn away from the window to look at the high quality pieces she had to work with. When Mordechai gave her shoulder a squeeze with his hand, Madison looked up at the man almost two whole feet taller than she was and gave him a smile, be it a slightly awkward one. He let go of her shoulder and bent down slightly, smacking Madison on the *** lightly. She jumped, her eyes wide once more and stared at his back, open mouthed, as he walked away from her. Maybe he wasn’t gay at all.

When she finally managed to get her wits back about her, Madison turned her back to the window and ran a hand through her blonde hair, curling the end of one lock around her finger as she viewed the choices at hand. Her first instinct was to start with something big. Some type of rapid fire weapon or a large rifle. Give people the impression that looks could kill or something along those lines. But she wasn’t sure intimidating people was the right course of action. Mordechai had purchased her to bring business in, not scare it away. Thusly, she figured a handgun would probably be her best bet. Crossing the space, she picked out pieces that had obviously been broken down from various gold plated weapons. Whoever had taken them apart had done well not to mar the gold plating but it was obvious to her trained eye that the pieces had not come from the same weapon. Once it was upgraded and put together though, no one would know the wiser that the gun she fashioned had been frankensteined together.

[Zodiac]

Jenn: Hey boss. Go log in on your comp.

The gypsy looked at her phone in confusion for a moment before typing a reply.

Zo: Why? You know my brain can do that.

Jenn: Trust me, boss. You need to be sitting down for this one.

Zodiac shrugged her shoulders and after making sure all was well within her shop and that customers were being taken care of by her staff, she retreated into her office and closed the door. She took a seat at her desk and opened the laptop.

Zo: Okay, I am on. Where are you anyways?

Jenn: You told me to go gun shopping and find something I felt comfortable with.

Zo: You went to Mordie's?

Jenn: Yes I did, but you didn't tell me there was a floor show here as well.

Zo: WTF you talking about?

Jenn: Sending now.

Zodiac waited till the group of pictures passed along and then clicked one to open it.

The gypsy jumped up out of her chair wide eyed, only to fall back into it. Her hands holding her sides as she laughed in silence. Her heels beating a rapid rhythm on the floor as she tried to get herself back under control. "He didn't. He didn't. That overgrown man mountain did it!" her thoughts howled in Jennifer's head now as she slid off her chair onto the floor in hysterics.

Jenn: Tone it down, doll. Gonna make my brain explode.

"Sorry. Oh, this is too good. Too good." The mystic pulled herself back up into her chair. "She doesn't suck being dressed like that, does she?"

Jenn: Errrr. Sorry. Guys are more my thing. You the expert on that department.

Zo: So you took these through the window? You been inside yet?

Jenn: Yep and nope.

Zo: Hang on, I have an idea.

Jenn: oh ****

*****

The red haired girl walked into the gun shop and slowly began to inspect the merchandise for sale. Her eyes were on the weapons and not the surroundings.

"Can I help you?" a young woman asked.

"Yes you can," the girl sat her purse on the showcase and smiled in reply. "My boss is insisting I get something purse friendly that has some bite to it? I sometimes take in drops to the bank and the way some things are going in this town a girl needs some protection. Know what I mean?"

"A touch to the left, dear."

"I certainly do." the sales girl nodded in agreement. Jennifer's hand slid to her purse and nudged it a bit to the left. "We have a few down here that might fit the bill. You have experience with guns?"

"Perfection, my dear."

"Oh yes. I do. My employer insisted on it." Jennifer followed the woman to the showcase in question. Leaving her purse sitting on the counter, the small camera inside of it streaming a video of what was taking place on display to Zodiac's computer. The gypsy had made it for back in her serious stealing days to help her case a place for weak points. The cloth and pattern on the outside camouflaging the tiny lens now focused on Madison and her unusual attire.

"And....." Zodiac tapped a key.

REC-

She sat back in her chair and picked up her phone again.

Zo: Get you a good one. Use the company card. I am tired of you missing everything.

"Excuse me. The boss." Jennifer apologized to the girl and checked her messages.

Jenn; You getting it?

Zo: Loud and clear.

Jenn: Figured you'd get a laugh out of this.

Zo: Oh I am. and I will again too. You too good to me, babe.

Jenn: So, since I am so good. About my raise?

[Mordechai]

A couple of hours had passed since Madison had begun her shift when Mordechai decided he should see how she was doing. He was tired of reading the scrolling numbers on his screen anyways. Leaning back in his chair he gave a slight push, and let it spin slowly as he closed his eyes, and reaching out tapped in to Violets head to see the store through her eyes. Madison seemed hard at work, the piles of parts near her diminishing at a steady rate. One eyebrow quirked up as he noticed the size of the gathered audience. This was definitely good for business. If this wasn't the biggest audience that he had seen gather, it was close. Even Violet kept stealing glances at her in between talking with a potential customer. It was easy to see why everyone had their eyes locked on her. Her fingers flew as she stripped, cleaned, fitted, and reassembled the parts, making new and better customized weapons. He found it hard himself to look away from her. She was definitely an artist with weapons.

As Violet turned back towards the customer, the killer realized he recognized her. It was the woman from Zo's place. Breaking the connection, he rose to his feet, and headed towards the door. If Zodiac had sent her, the least he could do is make sure she got the best, and a good discount. Striding quickly through the door, Mordechai entered the show room and headed towards the two women. "Violet? I will take this one.'' Turning towards the woman, he held out a hand in greeting, "Jennifer, isn't it? My name is Mordechai, we met briefly at the Pentacle. I overheard you saying that you are looking for a good purse gun. We have a few of the standard production models, but .... we also just brought on board a new gunsmith who is making up a few custom jobs. Why don't you come with me and I will introduce you. Then we can see what she can turn up for you. I am thinking you would like something along the lines of a Glock 27. The .40 s&w has just that little extra *oomph* over a nine, that really increases one shot knockdowns, even if you don't get a kill, you will have time to get away.'' Approaching Madison's work station, he continued. "The advantages of one of our customs is that the actions are all hand fitted, barrel bushings hand lapped, and the chambers are reamed and polished to match tolerances. These things that you cant find on your average production models increase accuracy and reliability tenfold. Ahhh here we are," Holding a hand out towards Madison, he started the introduction "This is Madison, she is my newest employee, and as you can see from the gathered crowd, she is putting on quite a show assembling these customs. Madison, this is Jenny, she is a 'friend' of Zodiac. She is looking for something in a sub-compact frame, and I have suggested we go with a .40 s&w, think you can come up with something? I want this one to be special. You have been do a great job so far tonight. Going off customer count, not total net sales, I think we will be setting a record tonight. You really are a wonderful addition here'' A rare smile graced his lips as he looked down on the blonde he had won. At the rate things were going, he would bring in well over what he had spent before the three nights were up. Reaching out he tucked a stray curl back behind her ear, then turned to a near by table and started sorting handgun barrels by caliber first, then by quality, he wanted something in .40, with at least an '11' on his scale.