SUE VS SUE

[a_sporking_rat]

Max sat up and stretched. The hotel room bed was the biggest that she'd ever been in in her whole life. Heck, this hotel room was the nicest she'd ever had in her whole life! She wouldn't mind moving in permanently...especially if every morning started with a woman like this next to her.

"Didn't mean to wake ya," she said as Envy sat up as well, roused by Max's stirrings.

"Oh, no, that's alright," said Envy after a very catlike yawn, "But do you mind if I stay long enough to freshen up a bit?"

"I'm not kicking you out!" laughed Max, a little surprised at the very idea. "Hell, if you've got the time, I'd like for you to stay a little longer. Maybe we could hang out for the day?"

"I'd like that," said Envy with a gentle smile as she got up, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. Max was ordering room service as she returned, and when she hung up the phone she assured Envy not to worry about the price. "Remember Lucy? She's got some pretty awesome backers, money-wise. One of her girlfriends is this hotshot lawyer in New York, she's paying for like half this shit."

The other half coming from the doubtlessly boundless resources of Oliver and Padma, of course, but Envy couldn't know about all that just yet. All she knew was the new wererat had a friend named Lucy here with a temper, a love for children, and some very curious energy around her from what Envy had felt in their brief encounter.

"Oh," was Envy's only response to this. It had not occurred to her to worry about the cost. She hadn't even realized there would be one. Unlike Max, Envy's life had been one free from the concept of money. Her shelter, clothing, and food were all provided for her, and anything she asked would be brought by the Harlequin. She had never paid for anything in her life, and while she understood the idea in theory, it wasn't very concrete to her, especially since her situation with Jean-Claude was quite similar.

As they had breakfast in bed, Envy in the white hotel room robe and Max in mens boxer shorts, Max asked her, "So, what's your story? Your name is Envy, you're a golden weretiger, you're supposed to be extinct but instead you're hanging out in St. Louis with Blake's crew. Gotta be a hell of a yarn there."

Envy told her, from the start with Vittorio and the Mother back long before either of them were born, to how she had been handed over by Jake, her caretaker, to Anita's people with the rest of her family, cementing the transaction with sex. She told it with no hesitation or embarrassment, for she didn't know enough of anything else to see it as traumatic, as a tragic thing that one might wish to keep secret. And even if she did, everyone at the Circus still knew, so why hide it when Max could just ask one of the rats later?

Max stared, speechless right up until the end and a few moments after, until finally she got out, "That sucks."

Envy shrugged, "Is it? It seems...normal here, really."

She'd been learning since her arrival in St. Louis that much of what she grew up with was far from normal, but being treated like tradeable goods was one thing that seemed completely common among the therians and vampires here. Maybe it just wasn't done in New York.

Max had a hard look to her as she said, "You've been around that Blake lady way too much if you think that's normal, babe." Then, her face brightened, as an idea occurred to her, "Hey, you've never been out and about before, right? Lived with the Harlequin your whole life in hiding, spending 24/7 at the Circus?"

"Well, we could go out sometimes. I still have to watch my step, but I have more freedom in St. Louis than ever before."

"But you're still new to this city really, right?" Max held out her rough brown hand. "Well, so am I. Let's go exploring!"

Giggling, Envy took it. She could already tell Max was unlike anyone she ever met, and when Max asked to bring friends, Envy eagerly agreed.

***
Narcissus found Klaus right where he expected--pumping iron in the Circus gym. Yes, he was the studhorse type just like Asher usually went for, just like his own Cackle was mostly made up of. A threeway with a particularly gorgeous one would be a real treat for Asher's triumphant return...he'd see if he couldn't finagle that with this beefcake. Turning on his feminine wiles to the max, he sauntered over to where Klaus was doing curls.

"Excuse me," he said demurely, "Am I interrupting?"

"Yes," said Klaus, "but you can still talk to me. I think have the brain function to move my arms and my mouth at the same time."

Narcissus was used to such surly attempts at wit from Anita, so he continued unflustered, "I'm quite curious about how a white tiger such as yourself came to have such a supremely German name. Of course, most of the tigers look like white people now despite their Chinese origins, but I've yet to meet one called anything like Klaus Weber."

Some people had this bizarre thing where they liked to get to know someone before they boned. Narcissus expected that Klaus might. And for most people, getting to know someone actually meant telling them all about yourself. So he was deliberately opening up an opportunity for Klaus to do just that. The bigger man took the bait,

"There are tigers, real tigers, live on east coast of Russia. My grandmother's family were Russian white weretigers who lived there too, probably so that sightings of them in animal form would be chalked up to the local real tigers there. During WWII a there was a wave of immigration from Russia to Germany, Soviet refugees, and my grandmother was among them. She took a German husband and thus avoided Operation Keelhaul, where they sent many of these Russians back where they had come from."

Oh goody, a history lesson, exactly what Narcissus had wanted. He rolled his dark eyes as soon as Klaus's blue ones were looking elsewhere.

"They came as refugees to the United States in the late 1940s, in the aftermath of the war, and since back then people tended to stick within their own ethnic-group marriage-wise, their kids all married other German Americans, and here I am."

"So you're a quarter Russian and otherwise German, but you inherited the ailuranthropy from the Russian bit. How interesting," Narcissus delicately patted his already-perfect hair in order to draw attention to his also-perfect face.

Klaus nodded, "I suppose that my Russian ancestors had Chinese ancestors from way, way back when the First Emperor banished them all, Russia would be easy enough to get to from China, but I'm only Chinese in the same way that we're all from Africa. Same with many American tigers. We mix with local human populations, and white people were probably the best for the first white tigers in American to pick because our features--the pale hair and blue eyes--stood out less on them than other groups. Plus when tigers got to America, white was your best bet if you wanted any rights."

"How do human women handle therian pregnancy?" Narcissus couldn't help asking that. It wasn't part of this charade of interest to get Klaus into bed; he truly wanted to know. He had lost his own baby due to his shifts; how did mother and child fare when the situation was reversed, when it was the mother who could not shift? The ways of the tigers and their inherited therianthropy had been something he'd wanted in on for some time, ever since those two boys from Vegas had started showing their beast-taking technique to the leopards.

"Oh, we don't start shifting till puberty so it wouldn't be a problem, but human women don't have our babies," said Klaus, "Only our women can have our babies. No matter what the father is--human, vampire, another kind of therian--the baby is a tiger. Maybe mixed-breed if the father is another line of tiger, but if not, it's a pure white tiger just like we want. That's part of why women are on top, we need them. Males couldn't propagate our line."

Narcissus raised his eyebrows, "What's the other part?"

Klaus laughed, as if it was obvious, "They're tougher than us! Females are stronger, almost always. And if you get a male and female tiger of equal size and power and they fight...nine times out of ten, the lady wins. It's just how it is. I'm the strongest male in New York, and one of our very few male alphas, but plenty of our women could wipe the floor with me."

He sounded as if he felt no shame about this, and he didn't. To someone from the culture he was, there was nothing shameful about being defeated by a woman, at least not when she was another tiger.

"That's why we sent me. We needed to send someone powerful, but we knew better than to let any of the women come near...Anita."

He said her name with distaste, and after a pause, as if he'd been searching for an insult but couldn't think of one worse than her very name. This endeared him to Narcissus in a way that had nothing to do with him being a handsome beefcake.

"I suppose that's what's up with the women here?" he asked after another pause. The female tigers of St. Louis were utterly bizarre to Klaus, almost frightening in their ineffectiveness.

He turned to Narcissus with a scrutinizing look, "Come to think of it, where are your women? Hyenas are the only other therians with proper ones. Not like the humans do it, turning the natural order upside down."

Oh dear. Narcissus probably should have expected this question, but he'd figured women would be the last thing to come up between the two of them, "Er..."

"I've only seen males around. I guess you loan them out to her, keep the females at the Cackle base?"

"Uh, well..."

Narcissus thought fast, and in a second he had flung himself at Klaus, clinging to the wide muscular chest and stage-sobbing, "Oh, it's terrible! She forbids female hyenas to be made! She fears them! Why did you think I was Oba? Me, a man!"

Klaus stared down at him, surprised, "You're not a woman?

The look on Narcissus's face was priceless.

***
Max had called up Detty, another harem member and the only other swanmane besides Sig that had come from New York. Unlike with Klaus, it wasn't a matter of power, it was that Sig and Detty were the only ones who could be trusted to (probably) not go on a killing spree against Anita and everyone who had helped her do what she did the swanmanes across America. Detty had not only been eager to tag along, but she also already had Eva, her best friend, visiting with her, so they would make the outing a foursome.

"You already met Eva last night, and as for Detty...Detty can be a little...possessive of her favorite people, but don't worry about it," Max said as she got dressed, "Soon as she sees you're a pretty lady, though, she's gonna want to get you from me, not vice versa!"

Possessive. Max did not know the meaning of the word, seeing as how she didn't truly know Anita. Oh, she'd heard about everything, yes, but that was different from having actually experienced it as Envy had. Luckily she'd avoided being the one who suffered from it, but...she'd seen things, man. She'd seen things. So being told that someone was 'possessive' made her more than a little nervous. Trying to focus on something else, she asked if she should just wear what she had come to the hotel in last night.

"You can," said Max, looking over at where Envy had dropped her dress. "But evening gowns aren't great for walking around in."

"I could go back to the Circus, I guess. To get new clothes." Envy sounded nervous, and it was actually because she was hoping to use this as an excuse to avoid meeting this possessive swan (look, swans are fucking vicious, okay?) and while Max picked up on this, she misinterpreted the cause. She thought that Envy was afraid to go back to that Circus hellhole. So she offered her a solution.

"Nah, you don't have to do that. You can just borrow some of Lucille's. You're about the same shape." Max drew an hourglass in the air with her fingers, "Tall too, like her. I bet you she's got plenty of stuff that'll fit!"

She regretted the offer about a second after Envy agreed to it.

***

When one describes a person as snakelike, they usually mean they are evil, cunning, disloyal, predatory. What the word should actually mean though is lazy. Snakes, being coldblooded literally rather than figuratively, spend most of their time basking in the sun so as to keep their body temperature up. This was what Sati and Edgar, both in snake form, were up to at the moment on the Circus roof. Snakes also have a unique way of hearing, if you can call it that. Though they lack external ears and eardrums, they have something called bone conductive hearing. Basically, their skin and bones pick up vibrations and transfer them to the inner ear. So Sati and Edgar were quite aware that someone was coming up the stairs towards them, but unfortunately, it was not until she was close enough to smell that they realized who.

Anita.

There was nowhere to flee and fighting would only engage her, so they stayed perfectly still, hoping that she would think them asleep. Hopefully Anita knew that snakes had no eyelids and thus would not assume that 'open' eyes meant they were awake.

She apparently either didn't know or at least wanted to check, because she stepped in front of them so that their gaze was directed right at her. She gazed back, her expression expectant. Edgar remained still. She had arms like a T-rex; perhaps she would not see them if they did not move. Sati, seeing that Anita wanted some kind of action and that Edgar would give her none, took a deep breath and attempted to cuddle, slithering over to her and rubbing against her ankles as she had seen the St. Louis therians do.

Anita looked less than enthused. Maybe she was only okay with leopards and tigers doing that? Edgar continued his attempt at ignoring her existence right in front of him, and Sati poked him with her tail. It wasn't just for the sake of the mission; failing to suck up to Anita could be very bad news for Edgar himself too. He'd better get up and starting making with the attention already!

"You know, I don't speak snake," said Anita, putting her hands on her hips. "It'd be helpful if you could turn human."

Sati and Edgar exchanged a look of serpentine sorrow, but they did as she suggested. Edgar immediately hunched over where he sat so that Anita could see nothing of him that he didn't want her too, and Sati turned her back to her. Anita monologued in her head about how comfortable all therians were with nudity, which was really not sexual to them at all by the way, and that clearly this attempt at modesty was for her benefit, as was how Edgar was shimmying into some swim trunks while Sati slid into a sundress. In fact, Edgar was not comfortable with strutting around others in his birthday suit at all, thank you. Being infected with therianthropy had not instantly stripped him of a lifetime of social conditioning, and as for Sati, it was true that she had been born a snake shifter to a family of snake shifters, but she had her own conditions too. Specifically, Sati was quite alright with nudity, be it herself or others, when it related strictly to shifting, but, for instance, someone just walking into her living room naked would be a complete no for her if it had nothing to do with having just shifted. It was also a no in her family to be nude around someone who was NOT a therian.

Of course, Anita had never considered any of these ideas might ever occur for anyone. As far as she saw it, all therians had the same opinions, experiences, and/or upbringings (if a born shifter) as others when it came to this.

"Thank you, but you don't need to worry," she said as they turned to face her now that they were clothed, though Edgar still crossed his arms over his pasty naked chest, and not in a coy pinup-girl way either. "I understand that being sensually naked and strutting around seductively isn't at all sexual for your kind, or rubbing and caressing someone, or licking them, or..."

"We're really not into all that," said Sati, sounding a little nervous.

"Oh, I don't do girls," said Anita, as if Sati had just asked or at least implied that.

"I don't either?" answered Sati, blinking, confused at how Anita had gotten that out of that.

She sounded both lustful and repelled. Maybe I was the first woman she'd been attracted to and she was having a homophobic moment because of it? She was less petite than Jade or me, less pretty too, but she had the same fragile feel, the same exotic appearance. Perhaps I attracted that type of woman; Yasmeen had been exotic too, and she'd been the first woman to kiss me, albeit against my will, inciting the insane jealousy of her blonde female servant Marguerite, whom I then beat in combat because she fought like a girl, and...

"Yeah, well, I don't do anyone," Edgar grumbled, but luckily Anita was too busy reminiscing in her head over how she was both desirable and badass to hear his remark.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" asked Sati.

Her tone held an edge of hostility now, like she was jealous that I'd interrupted this time with Edgar all to herself.

"Who said I wanted to talk about anything?"

"But...you said it'd be helpful if we changed because..." Edgar looked baffled.

"Well, if you want to talk to me about anything, then fine. My duty as your host, or at least as his human servant."

"Oh. Well thank you." said Sati. She was wondering now if this was some trick on Anita's part, to confuse them enough so they'd let something slip if they had anything to hide. She hadn't known Anita long enough to know that was giving her way too much credit.

Her mistaken belief was strengthened when Anita, instead of just saying they were welcomed, ducked the thanks with some sort of weird out-of-place false modesty about how she wasn't gracious and polite it was just her job to do this and how she was no good at schmoozing small talk and that was what Jean-Claude and her boyfriends were good at except for Damian who had Cardinal do it because of course someone like her would have that down pat...

Sati and Edgar shared a very bizarre back and forth with Anita for what seemed like an eternity in which absolutely nothing was discussed at all. Luckily, they came out of it still on her good side, and Anita seemed cheerful, albeit in some sort of sexually smug way that neither weresnake could figure out the reason for, as she went back down the stairs.

"Priceless, isn't she?" A tanned woman with black hair stepped out from behind the small structure on the roof that housed the stairs. Melanie, the lamia. She'd come up during their conversation with Anita, and while the weresnakes had tasted her scent on the air (literally---snakes smell with their tongues, remember?) Anita had had no idea she was there, listening, trying not to laugh.

"I hope you don't mind my eavesdropping. When I realized she was headed your way, I just had to follow and watch!"

"Do you know what that was all about?" asked Sati, looking at the door in the structure that Anita had mercifully exited through.

Melanie shrugged and held her hands out, an exasperated but amused half-smile on her face, "Oh, it's hard to tell for sure, conversations with her are ALWAYS bizarre. From what I've heard, anyway. She hasn't talked to me, or even seen me, since I started here. I suppose even she has the sense to know that's a bad idea."

Sati and Edgar did not know Melanie's history with Anita, but they felt no need to ask why a fool speaking with a lamia might be a bad idea. Instead, Edgar asked a far more important question,

"Where did you get those shoes, and how high do the sizes run for them?"

***

Max stood outside the door to Lucille's hotel room, wondering what to do. She'd knocked enough that she was sure Lucille wasn't in there, but going in wasn't an option, least of all because it was locked. No, Lucille doubtlessly had a lot of alarms and traps, both mundane and magical, to make anyone who stepped in without her express invitation deeply regret it...if they even lived to regret it, that is. As she pondered who else she might hit up for clothes, the sound of Lucille's footsteps--hey, therians have hearing good enough to distinguish those, you know--made her turn to see the lady herself coming her way.

"Well, hello Max," she said, taking out her card key. "Were you waiting long? I had to have a little word with Nan, you see, about her recent dreams. Or lack thereof, actually."

Max gulped a little on poor Nan's behalf as Lucille put her card into the door slot and stepped in, shutting it behind her. There were a few noises, a few strange sounds, a few magic words in languages no human being was ever meant to know, and then Lucille opened the door again. "Come on in, it's safe now. But don't wake the baby."

Baby? Max realized what Lucille meant when she saw the child-sized coffin near the big white hotel bed. So Valentina had slept over. But, wait, Max had been the one to bring her here and she hadn't been trucking any coffin with her...did Lucille just keep a kiddie casket around with her? Max decided not to ask. Instead, she just told Lucille what she needed and why. Lucille was not keen on lending her clothes out, but pragmatism overcame her distaste for altruism. If getting Envy on their side meant her getting into their closets too, so be it.

Max took the clothes her boss gave her and got the hell out of there.

***
Cefyn and Astrid had both been around a long time, and they'd spent a lot of that time fighting. Well, the time she hadn't lost in suspended animation, that is, in Astrid's case. She was a vampire that had been found not so long ago trapped in ice north of a little-known settlement in Greenland. Archaeologists took her back to the museum in NYC, but when they got her there she'd thawed out enough to move. So they assumed 'hey, this is a vampire' and nursed her back to health. It took her about 10 years to learn English, and three after that to actually write it (hey, thirteen years qualifies easily as 'not that long ago' when you're immortal). Since then, she had worked as a nightly security guard at that very museum, and as well as teaching a research team proper Old Norse, since it turned out her native time was the Viking era. They kept her fed and clothed and hidden, she worked for them in exchange.

Or she had. She was on vacation right now to work for Lucille.

As for Cefyn (pronounced Kevin, much to the confusion of others) was a Pict vampire. She'd been in a poly-marriage during her own life, and thus found her status as a harem member to be...less equal than her previous relationships had been, but at least the group status part didn't take getting used to. She had been a warrior, which Pictish women could be, and this was why she had been made into a Dragon-line vampire, as had Astrid.

Thus it fell to them to train the rest of Lucille's harem in the arts of modern combat. Many of the harem were already useful in various ways, but it was best that they be well-rounded rather than jacks of one trade, both for their use to Lucille and for their own safety if they found themselves up against one of the many guards that Anita's power structure sported.

Wander understood that, but she didn't like.

"I explode things," she said as she bounced from side to side to avoid the fists of her sparring partner,"That's what I do. I get cornered, I explode 'ooever was daft enough to do it."

"Well, you're a rat!" said Fell, her partner who was throwing the punches, "It's easy for you, fighting cornered is innate for them!"

"Just like mixing hydrazine and nitric acid!"

"...pretty sure that's only innate for you, mate."

"Speaking of mixing, ladies," purred a voice from the door. It was Narcissus, flanked by a sizable number of his werehyenas. "Have room for a few more in the class, dear Dragons?"

Narcissus wanted to train the werehyenas of his that were not already guards at the Circus; that way, the fact they were fighters would come as a surprise to Anita and the others.

"Speaking more of mixing," said one hyena coyly as they joined in with the harem, "Narcissus tried for some interspecies interactions with that new white tiger."

"Emphasis on tried," cackles another.

Narcissus, who had just turned to leave, whirled around haughtily, "I just want to be seen as a beautiful man in a dress, is that so much to ask?!"

Really, that had hurt!

***
Max and Envy, the latter now clad in some stylish mostly-white streetwear, met the other two girls in the hotel lobby. One was a very slim little thing, what Anita would surely have called a boy with breasts (or lack thereof, actually), and, worse yet, her eyes were bright blue and her hair was a light honey blonde. She would be Anita's height if she weren't wearing a pair of modified Dori heels, and she looked only to be in her teens. The other girl was taller, though shorter than the 5'8 Max, looked to be in her very early twenties, and had a slender, birdlike form of her own, though less delicate than blonde. She had russet brown eyes and mouse brown hair in a cute choppy bob. They were both white girls, though the brunette had a light brown tone to her skin while the blonde was pale, and they wore matching pink and purple outfits that were so cute and girly that Anita would probably have vomited to death at the sight of them.

"Hi there, I'm Detty!", the little blonde giggled cheerfully and practically skipped over to put her hand out to Envy. "Short for Odette, you can call me either!"

"A swanmane named Odette?" Envy smiled. She was not so sheltered that the reference was lost on her; given that she had been named by a vampire with a Marlowe obsession, she wondered if Detty had been dubbed thus under similar circumstances.

"Oh, it gets better, I'm a ballerina too!" Detty chirped, used to that reaction. "Though I straight-up refuse to be in Swan Lake. That would just be too on the nose."

"Half my family got named after the Seven Deadly Sins," said Envy sympathetically.

"Well, I can see why you were named Envy. I bet anyone would be jealous of you," Odette made her sparkling blue eyes very big when she said this. Max grinned. She'd been exactly right about Odette's reaction---the little swanmane had been all set to live up to Envy's name when she'd gotten Max's call, but upon meeting The Other Woman she instantly had to start flirting with her herself! Detty liked guys a little, but she was also very afraid of them. But that was fine, because she liked women A LOT.

"And we met last night," said the brunette.

"Yes, I remember. Eva, right?"

"Eva and Envy!" Odette clapped her somewhat-webbed hands together, "That's so cute!"

"Why didn't I meet you last night too?"

"Because naughty Max didn't invite me up to bed with you two!"

"I mean at the Circus, with Max and Eva and the Swan Prince."

"Oh, not everyone from New York was there," Eva answered smoothly when Detty blinked. She wasn't a ditz like some might assume, but no one had told her what to say when quizzed on this. Luckily, Eva was able to think on her feet as well as Detty could dance on hers, and continued with her explanation, "Just the really important people. Like, if someone's rare, like the foxes and snakes, or really powerful or important, like Klaus and Sigmund, then Armel brought them, but if not, they hole up here. Me and other rats weren't even supposed to be there, but we snuck along because, well, what are rats if not stowaways, right? And once he realized it, it was too late, so he just went along with it so he wouldn't lose face."

Envy nodded. She understood that. She did smell a lie in there somewhere (or rather, the physiological changes that came with lying) as therians can do, but little lies of all sorts were so common in political events like these that it was not worrying to her. In fact, full truthfulness from any visitors would have been more shocking than not.

"So," said Max, "Where you ladies wanna go?"

There were a number of brochures for tourists available in the lobby. The quartet debated happily as they flipped through them. Six Flags, the paddle boat cruise tour down Mississippi River, the St. Louis, Forest Park, the science center, Auto Museum and Museum of Transportation (these were among Max's picks), Meramec Caverns, Missouri Botanical Garden...at last, they decided to make a day of it in the Delmar Loop, and set off to explore The Lou.

***
While his werehyenas train, Narcissus went to a small conference room on the first floor where Lucille was waiting for him. When he sat down at the table, she picked up a large chest and pushed it across to him. Narcissus opened it, revealing a collection of various sex toys and BDSM items.

"Mitria has sniffled all over these," Lucille told him. Narcissus nodded, looking down at the items dubiously.

"You're sure the vaccine given to my people will be effective?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Strongmore's labs have tested them repeatedly. Besides, it'd wear off eventually, you know that."

Biological warfare did not have quite the same ramifications for monsters as it did for mundanes. This was not the first time that a disease had been created and spread in a supernatural war. A magical disease, of course. Normal illnesses, even the nastiest and most lethal for ordinary mortals, were nothing to the instantaneous healing of vampires, therians, and human servants. No, a magical immune system needed a magical disease to penetrate it even temporarily. And temporarily it was; there had never yet been a magical disease created (for they always had to be created; none were naturally occurring) that could truly last. Magical immune systems always adapted to whatever new nasty plague was floating about within one generation. For therians, a new generation meant the next person or persons bitten by that therian. For vampires, it meant the same with any vampires they made, plus they themselves recovering after about the span of a human lifetime, which was also how long it would take for a human servant to recover. This varied from disease to disease, of course, recovery time sometimes longer or shorter by a generation or two, but that was generally the norm.

Humans were never in danger from such bio-weapons at all, since a magical disease needed a magical host. Thus, the long-term consequences were far less than an ordinary plague, especially when one was an immortal, and thus they were more frequently employed among supernaturals than humans. Still, that didn't mean they just hurled them around recklessly, or at least Narcissus didn't think they should.

"What about the people we're trying to recruit as our allies, the rats and the swans? They'll be infected too by the time we get them on our side, and what use will they be then?"

"Again, taken care of. We not only have a vaccine to prevent catching it, we have cures on had for those who already have. Really, Narcissus, please, give me some credit. And, if not me, the Council."

"Two of the Council," Narcissus corrected.

"Two...and counting," Lucille smiled. "They're not the only ones who would have something to gain from Blake's loss. I'm sure that by the time things really heat up, we'll have at least another two on our side too."

She nudged the box towards him a little more. "Just do it like we planned, love. Take it to the Circus, say you're just returning what Asher left behind, and let the infection begin."

Vaccines or not, Narcissus was very careful not to touch anything within the box as he closed it delicately, lifted it equally delicately despite its great weight, and set in on the floor.

"Now, if that's all finished with," he said as if it were something distasteful, "Melanie has just sent me a text that she's on her way here for...shoes."

Both his face and Lucille's lit up with insane glee at the word. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Busy?" trilled the voice of a certain lamia from the other side.

"Not at all!" called back the pair in unison. The doors flung open. There stood Melanie, flanked on either side by Rowan (now comfortably clad in a chic dress) and Edgar.

"SHOE TIME!"

***
While Rowan was trying on shoes, the other two werefoxes in the city were getting to know each other. Pryderi, or Fidget as he had told Gil to call him ("Everyone does") was in Gil's kitchen, sitting at a small and rather old wooden table as Gil brewed a kettle of tea at his small and rather old stove.

"I confess I've never been to the Circus at all, not even at the worst of times," said Gil as he brought the kettle over to pour a cup for his guest, "I never dared. It's more dangerous in there than out...don't tell anyone there I said that though! But, well, I'm curious, what does it look like?"

"It's...like a big oven," said Fidget rather dreamily. His accent was Welsh. "All stone, you see. If a fire started down there, it would be trapped, and keep going until all the oxygen was gone. Given how terribly vampires and our kind are affected by flame, I do hope they've invested in a very potent sprinkler system."

"Oh. Er, anything else?" asked Gil, sitting down. That wasn't exactly what he'd expected to hear.

"It's nice enough. All the amenities and then some. Kitchens and showers, a medical ward and a gym. Really, it would be perfect if not for the people."

"Yes, that was my thinking," said Gil, looking down at his tea and stirring it even though he hadn't put anything in it. His flat was small and poor but there was no danger of the ardeur sweeping through it.

"I suppose you've heard she's got all colors of tigers there, including ones that are said to be the last of their kind or even as 'extinct' as lamia. I'm a little surprised there aren't more rare shifters like us around besides the felines. Even if she doesn't want to fuck 'em, you'd think Jean-Claude would wish to show off even the lesser gems of his menagerie."

"And with her, we would indeed be his," Gil glared at his tea. "That's the point. That's why I'm the only one left. Everyone else left town as she gained power, one by one or group by group. The Talbots, Christine, the bears, the snakes...there were ones in the Sleuth and the Nest who, like me, couldn't afford to make the move, but they had their groups to help them. I had nobody. So I've just done my best to stay under the radar, and so far, it's working. Or at least it was until you came along."

He looked pointedly up at Fidget. Gil had gone peacefully out of sight and out of mind and out of contact with the St. Louis supernatural power structure until that damn Armel had waltzed in here and brought werefoxes with him, reminding Jean-Claude and the rest that they had one of their own. Oh, sure, of course he knew that Jean-Claude would never truly forget Gil's existence, someone like him never let even the smallest details slip away lest they could be useful later, but up until now he had been very much not useful and therefore very much ignored and he'd liked it that way.

Fidget was neither offended nor ashamed by the hint Gil was dropping about his presence being less than welcome and why. Instead, he was intrigued. He saw an opportunity, just as he had come here hoping for.

"You feel the need to hide, then," he said.

"Obviously."

"You're unhappy with that."

"Life was hard enough before, put it that way," Gil was getting nervous again. What was this guy trying to get at, where was he going with this?

"Well, Gil, dear buttie, what if I told you we werefoxes in New York don't actually answer to Armel? Or to anyone but themselves?"

"Oh, you mean like I used to be," his tone was especially bitter now.

"Yes. And what if I told you there was a way to be that way again? And never have to leave St. Louis to do it?"

"Pfff, good luck getting Blake out of the way."

Fidget grinned, and he truly looked like a real fox now, "That's exactly the idea."

***
There was something in the Delmar Loop for all the girls. Eva eyed the offers at Avalon Exchange, looking at what would be worth trading in pieces from her own well-stocked wardrobe--she was fashionable like her friend Odette, but like Max, she was still thrifty! Envy was also sure to mentally bookmark Boutique Calla Lily, which dresses for proms, cocktails, and general parties. It would be very good for the over-numerous events that were held in the St.Louis supernatural community! Detty, who it turned out was a big fan of big dogs, just had to go to Delmar Doggie Design, a canine grooming salon, to watch pretty pooches being pampered. Manicures were done at Galaxy Nails, even for Max--"Hey, ladies like a butch with clean-looking fingers, trust me."--and they all got necklaces at Phoenix Rising as a memento of the outing. Speaking of necklaces, Detty was very interested in the abundance of silver jewelry at the aptly-named The Silver Lady jewelry store.

When lunchtime rolled around, Max was adamant and excited about getting some of the most famous trademark St. Louis cuisine--"Butter cake! Toasted ravioli! The Slinger!"--and they found a diner that catered to just that. As it happened, Claudia and Kelly and Rosamond had all decided to take Sati there for lunch too at around the same time, and the quartets met and merged. Envy and Sati spoke quietly together about little things, Eva and Rosamond swapped hair tips, Detty hit on Kelly, Max and Claudia arm-wrestled until their order arrived.

After they started eating, a very sympathetic group conversation began between the New Yorkers with Claudia over her responsibilities as not just Circus security but a bodyguard for Anita herself, and with the lionesses over how they ran the Pride. Rosamond and Kelly had basically taken over the Pride under Anita's nose, since Nicky incapable of making decisions and Anita doesn't want to bother, and so they run things. Said things had drastically improved from what Haven's reign had been like, both for the women and in general.

"So it's basically out of Blake's hands?" Max was intrigued.

"In everything but name only," said Rosamond, making a bit of a face."Lip service, you know? Kowtow about what a great Regina she is and all, and how her 'influence' has made Nick a great Rex and all. The real problem is Jean-Claude."

"Problem?"

"Look, one shifter to another, you can't be shocked by this: despite the rep that Blake wants to promote about St. Louis being this big democracy, it's a pyramid, and vampires are the ones on top thanks to her," said Kelly. "Rose and I bought that shit when we first got here. We were alll eager to get on the first plane from Chicago. We found out better pretty fast though, and so will you."

"God you guys, you're gonna put 'em off the food," Claudia scolded.

"Ohhh, not likely with me," grinned Max.

"And I always eat like a bird, no pun intended," added Detty perkily. "Dancing means a strict diet."

"Well, I'd like to change the subject," Claudia remained defensive. "How about...hey, Max, you look like you're one to hit the gym, wanna join me and Kelly on tomorrow's workout?"

"I need to keep up my dance training too," said Detty after Max agreed. "Is there a spot for that in the Circus?"

"Oh yeah, we have loads of dancers who live there," said Claudia, "You can join--what?"

Envy had tapped her on the shoulder, "She's not that kind of dancer, Claudia. She's a ballerina."

"Oh? Ohhh, sorry, it's just..."

"I understand," said Odette, though she looked a little put off at the idea. "That seems to be the most common career choice for therians in this city."

"It's weird, isn't it?" said Rosamond. "Kelly and I have noticed it too."

"Well, eye candy is all well and good," said Eva. "But real sugar is still the sweetest. Once our food is finished, I think we need to make an expedition to Miss M's Candy Emporium!"

***

"Nan?" Fell tapped on one of the doors in the hotel hallway.

"It's unlocked," a whimper answered from the otherwise. The dark-skinned wereplaypus woman pushed it open and saw Nan sitting on her bed, holding her knees, still in her sleeping clothes.

"You weren't at practice. I thought I'd check on you, see if you were..."

Fell was going to say 'okay' but Nan clearly wasn't. Fell didn't need to ask why; they'd all seen Lucille pressuring her last night. One had to wonder why Nan stayed with her. Actually, one had to wonder why almost any of them did. She was a horrible person. Yet she inexplicably had this harem that were not only her lovers, but were following her into starting a war. They were quite literally ready to risk their lives for her.

And why?

Well, they never even thought to ask themselves. That was just how it was. Like the universe wanted it that way. And the universe wanted it that way because Lucille wanted it that way. Just like how Anita...

Fell blinked. What had just been going through her head? She had almost grasped something, something that was wrong, dreadfully wrong with everything, but it had slipped from her mind like water between her fingers. She refocused her attention back on the more immediate matter of Nan.

"Hey, it's alright," she said, sitting next to Nan on the bed. She put her hands on Nan's shoulders, causing Nan to flinch reflexively at the touch. "You'll get a dream soon."

"What if it's one she doesn't like?"

"Any information is good information as far as she sees it, as long as we can use it."

"Pff, with my luck it'll be what color thong the Master will be wearing next time they boff."

Fell dared a small hug, and Nan did not react negatively this time.

"Just remember," Fell told her, "We beat Blake, we're free, out of this."

Lucille didn't force anyone to be in her harem. But being in her army was another matter.

***

After a few hours spent at Danse Macabre, they all went back to the Circus, except for Max and Detty. The former was escorting the latter back to the hotel, and would probably also stay there for a bit herself to have some 'private time' with Detty. As the pair walked down the hallway to Odette's room, however, there path was blocked by Armel having an argument with another vampire, a tall well-built well-dressed black man with dreadlocks. Well-dressed as in veering a little into stereotypical vampire fashion, but mostly just damn dapper. Cornelius Locke, their Traveller-line vampire and psychic powerhouse.

Odette let out a little meeping sound, stopped in her tracks, and stepped behind Max. Odette had a genuine fear of vampires, especially one like Armel who could call her beast.

"It's okay," Max whispered to her, hoping the other two wouldn't hear it over their bickering. "I'll distract them, you get by."

Max knew they wouldn't hurt Detty, of course, probably wouldn't even notice her as it was, but it would make Odette feel better.

"I can't believe you!" Armel fretted. "You could have blown the entire operation!"

"And instead, I got blown! Wonderful, isn't it?" Cornelius didn't look bothered at all. "I even kept the clothes. There are enough puffy shirts and leather pants in that place I don't think they'll be missed."

"And what if they are?!"

"Then I still got a new gay pirate costume. Or 'St. Louis Kiss vampire' costume, I think that'll be a bigger hit with other Kisses who'll get the joke."

"You couldn't have just lifted the same stuff from a Goth fetish model?!"

"Hey, this way was more fun, I got money AND phone numbers!"

"Money?" Max's interest was genuine interest as she approached the pair and joined the conversation.

"This idiot," Armel pointed to Cornelius, "busted in on a bachelorette party at Guilty Pleasures posing as the main act!"

"I was gathering information," said Cornelius seriously. "Mostly in my g-string."

"Well, hope you got some good tips, because it's gonna cost you $20 for Lucy not to find out," Max put her hand out. Cornelius gave her a look, but handed over the cash, "Fair enough."

"And twenty from you Armel, since blowing the whistle would mean your hide too."

"Wha--?! Fine." He fished a bill over to Max as well, not noticing the little swanmane slipping by. But though her job was done, Max was not finished, "And another ten from you please, Cornelius, to make it up to me."

This was going too far, Cornelius wasn't having it, "Make what up?"

"Not taking me! Come on, let's go find some ladies here--you show me exactly what you did, and I'll join!"

Cornelius smiled then, "Haha, you know that Korean song? The one with the heeey sexy lady? I danced to that."

Max did indeed know it. As she began Gangnam Style-ing her way down the hall back to the lobby in search of an audience as Cornelius followed, taking off his vest and shirt on the way, Armel sighed and wondered if Lucille's new empire would really be any better than Anita's.

Comments

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

I haven't even read this installment yet, but thank you. I need this today!

[a-sporking-rat.livejournal.com]

Aw, yay, glad to hear I was able to help!

[cygnusrex.livejournal.com]

And that's how I learned to make gifs with text on them.

[a-sporking-rat.livejournal.com]

YES YES YES YES THIS IS PERFECTION

[nanoquill.livejournal.com]

I am laughing so hard at Narcissus' failed attempt to flirt with Klaus.

Anita's viewpoint is just perfectly done, as always, and I love the Sati's reaction: "I have to be missing something. She can't be this disconnected from logic, common sense, and reality."

Poor Gil! They have dropped him in it. Don't worry, Gil, they're here to get rid of Anita... Actually, yes, worry. Worry about who's going to replace her...

Slow inductions, and plotting. [purrs]

You've got Fell saying that Nan was at practice. Do you mean that, or is there a 'not' missing?

And I love the ending. Gay pirate costume or St. Louis Kiss costume, indeed! And Max is swiftly winning at everything.

[a-sporking-rat.livejournal.com]

POOR NARCI, IT'S OKAY, UR TOO GOOD FER HIM

You've got Fell saying that Nan was at practice. Do you mean that, or is there a 'not' missing?
Ah, thank you so much for catching that! *corrects it*

Anita's viewpoint is just perfectly done, as always
Thank you! And yes, I imagine meeting her is so very confusing like that.

Worry about who's going to replace her...
Muahahah! Yes, Lucy replacing her is like one of the few situations where Anita being overthrown is not in fact 100% a good thing.

Slow inductions, and plotting
Yeeees. I'm trying not to take too long to get to the action, but I feel like this is pretty important and more sensible than just swooping in guns blazing.

And Max is swiftly winning at everything.
Cha-ching!

[writtenelision.livejournal.com]

Oh Detty, you're such a darling. I love you so. Also, very glad your sister isn't tagging along.

And Rowan and shoes <3 Rowan likes shoes.

And Fidget being a creeeeeeper. "What do I think of it?" -firefirefirefirefirefirefire- "Oh. It's alright."

(Also, posting this from the new writing LJ)

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Hello there you! RITTEN ON A BOOK EEE!

Hahah, yeeeah, it was decided it would be...imprudent to let Odile within city limits just yet.

IT'S NT HIS FAULT, THE PLACE DESERVES TO BURN!

shoooooooooooooes <33

[writtenelision.livejournal.com]

I tried to pick good icons for this. I've got some editing to do with it, but yeah. (Also. I have found a couple of girl bands which are... basically the magical girl group I came up with. It's cool, even if the thought of writing them sort of makes me upset right now)

...Yep. Let's keep the tiny violent crazy away from the... other tiny violent crazy who no one admits is crazy.

YOU KNOW IT. But Pryderi I don't think they'd approve you setting it alight and standing outside staring and giggling and having what Top Gear calls a 'crisis'.

Oh! I found another more modern PB for lady!Rowan.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Who also no one admits ISN'T TINY

ooooh, who?

[writtenelision.livejournal.com]

Odile brandishes her 'actually really tiny' stick. Which may or may not be part of an ax.

And Elizabeth Debicki in the Great Gastby!

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

OOOH UNF I APPROVE


I always thought Jordan was a hottie

[writtenelision.livejournal.com]

Dapper and gorgeous Rowan is dapper and gorgeous. TAKE THAT ANITA. Also, sorry Narci, Rowan the biological male looks much better in a dress then you do.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

My mental image of Narci just screwing his eyes and fists shut and grimacing and stomping one prettily heeled foot. NOW HE KNOWS HOW IT FEELS TO BE ANITA-LEVEL JELLY

[writtenelision.livejournal.com]

And Lady Rowan is just smiling and offering makeup tips and recommendations for types of shoes. Because Rowan is a /troll/ sometimes.

[wanderingworlds.livejournal.com]

I needed SvS this day, I did. And here it was. You have delivered muchly.

And there was a delightful little bit with Wander, too. <3

SWANMANES HAVE WEBBED FINGERS? THAT'S SO FUCKING CUTE! DDD:

Um.

Yes. Update soon~

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Glad the timing was right for you!

Well, Detty does, not most of them. Because everything about Detty is cute!

[duamuteffe.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee - I needed a good laugh today, thank you! I am looking forward to more!

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Seems like this came around at just the right time for a lot of folks, which makes me happy =D

[mocha-latta.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HjIljJd-o0 SHOES.

I love me a good strong femme. I'm getting some strong Glory from Buffy vibes here, and I'm digging it.

And this? "She had arms like a T-rex" I laughed until I cried. Everything about Anita is so teeny tiny, it's not her fault, okay?

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

SHOES INDEED!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK586SFjmQg

I had Lucy long before I saw Buffy, but Glory was indeed one of my models for how to pull off the idea I had in my head. She's my favorite Buffy villain actually, so if you're getting vibes like hers, I COULDN'T BE PROUDER EEE!

SO TEENY TINY AND PETITE AND T-REXY HAHAH XD

[mocha-latta.livejournal.com]

YES THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT

[mitrian.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this today. It's been a rough week or so and I really needed something to make me giggle.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad! It's meant to bring giggles galore, so I'm happy to hear it did for you at a good time <3