Welcome to Gaia! ::

They walked the entire length of the inner hallway, talking quietly while flicking switches and extinguishing candles until there was barely enough light to see by. The ancient but ageless woman became a vague shadow all in black except for what little remained exposed of her golden skin, while the tall young man seemed to hoard all the remaining light for himself, drawing it to his blonde hair, fair skin and white clothing. Their expressions were at this moment as mis-matched as their height, age and robes. When the dimensional witch opened a sliding door and stepped out into the faint starlight of the inner courtyard, she paused to smile serenely at her companion and sometimes-assistant, while he gave her an exasperated and worried look.

"So let me get this straight," he said in a tone which dripped disbelief, despite their many shared experiences which ought to have given him a bit more faith in her. Or at least innured him to the shock of how casually she kidnapped people and turned them into her own personal thieves and hitmen. "You're going to pluck someone right out from the happy little core of their life and send them to shoplift treasures from two very different worlds, one full of nightmares and one full of fantasies, and you expect them not only to agree to do this without any repayment at all for the inconvenience much less the danger, but to thank you for it?"

"Well, she won't thank me right away," the witch conceded, her lips pouting into a thoughtful moue as she stepped down from the patio and into the grass. "She won't know the value of the experiences until much later. Don't worry though, she'll be eager enough to go once she understands the side benefits."

The man snorted, stopping a respectful distance away when she paused before a large circle of hard-packed dirt and began waving a dimly glowing rune into being with playful little flicks of her fingers. "I can see how someone might be interested in nancing around a flower-field as a pretty little elf, but how are you going to convince her that becoming a vampire and having to fight off werewolves eager to tear her limb from limb in any way constitutes fun?"

The woman finished her weaving and looked at the large, circular rune spread across the dirt in satisfaction before flicking her companion an amused look.

"Cake and pie, dear one. She's already a vampire," the witch answered, and then clapped her hands sharply to activate the portal.

The rune glowing on the ground abruptly burst upwards into flame-like tendrils, spiraling upwards and closing together several feet above the ground to form a twisting dome. The shimmering mass held the shape for a brief moment and then unwound itself, disappearing back into the dirt. The glowing lines faded away like rainwater soaking into thirsty soil, and in their place stood the stunning and slightly stunned figure of the witch's latest visitor.

The vampire's frown was met and matched by the unblinking gaze of the young man standing quietly on the grass. He'd witnessed many of the witch's "guests" arrive at this shop, and while many had reacted with anger rather than fear, none had ever had quite such a commonplace, almost petulant reaction such as this.

"'I was busy'?" he thought to himself incredulously, and then in a much smaller mental voice, "...vampire?"

One would think that keeping time with and running occassional errands for an eternally youthful witch who had command over portals to other dimensions would have severely crippled his capacity for narrow-mindedness, but Kier nevertheless found it difficult to grapple with the idea that there were vampires living in this world, too. He wondered suddenly if the various myths and legends were actually true and then felt conspicuous in the white suit - so flowing and lengthy that "robes" would not have been a misnomer - that Mielle had laid out for him earlier that evening. The entire courtyard was draped in shadow and dark hues except for himself, and darned if he didn't feel as if he were wearing a sign that read, "pure young virgin" around his neck. Eat at Mielle's. Open 24 hours.

Trying to beat down the variations on unease that were plaguing him with some ever-handy anger, he flicked his disapproving gaze over to the witch, wondering if she knew where his thoughts had led. He let himself feel annoyed and snorted quietly. Of course she knew. She'd probably planned the outfit just to lead his mind down that path. He thought some insults at her. Read that.

Almost predictably, the witch laughed just at that moment, a delighted and airy sound that reminded him of bells and water and ten thousand embarassing moments.

"I like your drive, Calliope," she said approvingly. "You'll need it." Without bothering to explain how she knew the vampire's name, the witch introduced herself, her companion and her reason for plucking Calliope out of the middle of a business transaction.

"My name is Mielle," she said sweetly, the syllables sounding more like a meow than a proper name. Her eyes were dark but large and almond-shaped, adding to the cat-like impression. Dark robes folded over her petite frame and smooth black hair cut in neat layers at shoulders and elbows made her seem a little Japanese doll.

Her introduction made her seem a crazy person.

"I am a trader," she said simply, as if that one word explained it all, and then continued to be obscure. "One man's trash from one world becomes another man's treasure in a separate dimension, and I pick up enough benefits in the transactions to keep myself." She nodded once in the young man's direction.

"Kier assists me by picking up my little odds and ends, but there are some times and places that he cannot go, so once in a while I need someone else to do my fetching and carrying, and this is where you come in." The blonde almost rolled his eyes. She was making it sound like she needed this woman to run out and buy her some tampons because he was too embarassed to do it for her.

"I know that there's something you wish for, Calliope," Mielle said in a more hushed, less laughing tone than before. Twitching back the long folds of one sleeve with a quick shake of her right hand, the witch began drawing another set of runes in the air between herself and her guest. A small oval was soon suspended between them, circling each face in the other's view like a photo frame, but their view of each other was obscured as a picture began to form. A night sky dripped down from above and trees snaked upwards from the bottom edge of the glowing frame, and as soon as the forest scene was complete, tall, graceful figures began to walk through it, laughing and singing, brushing back shining hair and whispering into each others' daintily pointed ears.

"I can grant it to you, but I only trade; I do not gift. If you run this errand for me, however, I will consider it fair payment."

The diminutive witch took in the abrupt about-face of the vampire's expression and attitude with a satisfied smile. Long-used to the threats, blusterings, demands and other violent children of shock and disbelief, she graciously ignored Calliope's little interruptions. It was easy to be forgiving when you suddenly had a person eating out your palm.

Desiring her guest's full attention, Mielle let the otherwordly view mist away with a slow wave of her fingers, as if she were gently fanning away an insect that she did not particularly wish to harm. The scene faded and the frame of runes unraveled and shredded away like spider silk swept up by a branch. The green-eyed seductress would likely regret the loss, but things were likely to go very wrong should she prove to be too distracted during the rest of their conversation, and there was much, much more at stake than she could know, or Mielle could impart.

"'What the hell' you are doing here, Calliope, is negotiating a trade with me," she said, finally answering the question now that the vampire was in the proper frame of mind.

"I can open doors that lead to other places, other worlds, even other times and dimensions. There is something I want retrieved from one of these places, but I cannot go myself, and my other Outrunners are, shall we say, too inexperienced." She tilted her head and looked at her most often utilized Outrunner for a moment with an almost predatory smile.

"You, my dear, would be particularly ill-chosen; the werewolves would be upon you like...well, wolves on a new lamb, and I'm not certain I trust that the Countess would be able to respect the rights of a guest of mine well enough to refrain from drinking your blood the very first night you spent there. Sometimes I regret that you're so sweet."

Kier felt like a white chocolate bonbon in a candy shop. On sale.

He knew how he was expected to behave during these "negotiations", and so instead of laughing along with the not-really-a-joke, shifting uneasily at the mental images or throwing a rock at Mielle's head, he continued standing quite still and just settled for giving her his best "get on with it" glare. The witch gave a slight nod and a less wicked smile before looking back at Calliope, the quirk of her lips smoothing entirely out as she turned her head. Sweeping the long skirts of her robes aside, Mielle took several steps away, placing herself equidistantly between Kier and the vampire, like a black shadow between a bright moon and a blazing star.

"I offer you a trade," she said to her guest, her tone now serious and her hands once again dancing through the air and laying down runes in a large circular pattern upon the ground before her.

"I will send you to a world where vampires rule just as humans do here. Your physical make-up will change slightly but you will remain what you are now, in essence; beautiful, cunning and thirsty. You will need all three of these attributes in that world. A vampire noble will be your guide and guardian there, and under her care you will eventually lay hands upon a treasure I seek. As soon as you do, you will be recalled here in the same manner by which you arrived tonight. In return for retrieving this treasure for me, I will grant you time in the world of which you had a glimpse just now. As your body will change to match the vampires to whom I send you first, so shall your body change to match the elves to whom I send you afterward." The witch smiled again, but this time the expression was neither mocking nor amused. Finished with her runework, Mielle dropped her hands slightly, holding them in an open-armed gesture as if inviting Calliope to step across the glowing circle and into an embrace.

"Do you see now that it was not whim or accident that brought you here, Calliope? This is your particular destiny. Do you accept, or will you fight?"

Kier found himself almost pitying the witch's most recent guest as the brash manner collapsed and gave way to shivering vulnerability. His eyesight was nothing special, but his eyes had adjusted to the dimness and the combination of starlight and glowing runes were enough for him to be able to watch the play of emotions across the vampire's face, and the gestures she made were expressive enough in and of themselves. The hungry look and lick he caught a brief glimpse of brought back his earlier unease - okay, fear - and he was grateful for the way his sometimes-employer recaptured Calliope's attention with a sudden shift in mood and tone.

The trade was explained briefly and finally formally offered, and the blonde tensed slightly. Though no one had ever refused - at least permanently - one of the witch's offers before, Kier couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone did each time Mielle laid an offer out. She often couched it in terms of acceptance or battle, and considering some of the personalities she had employed in the past and her slight, fragile appearance, Kier sometimes wondered that no one ever thought of trying to bully or beat her into submission.

Then again, kidnapping people through dimensional portals was a fairly effective opening move in a weenie-wag. Pale green eyes flicked over to the vampire to watch for her response.

Mielle waited patiently as well, the gentle smile still lingering. She had listened to the faltering questions with their trailing murmurs of disbelief, politely keeping her eyes and apparent attention upon Calliope, but had not responded otherwise. In her experience, some people simply needed to verbally express the denial that they struggled with before they could embrace the truth fully. It was a crude but effective exorcism of sorts, and it seemed to be working fairly well with the vampire. After trying to talk herself out of this reality and doing all but pinching herself to try and wake up from this supposed nightmare, the tall dark and beautiful woman had taken a significant verbal step by beginning to ask for details about the trade rather than questioning reality. Still the witch waited, until Calliope made the final internal struggle and took her first step forward.

"Always," she said simply in response to the vaguely threatening acceptance, and then began to weave another frame in mid-air as Calliope stepped into the circle of runes that lay shimmering on the ground.

"Your appearance will remain the much the same when you cross over, but your heart will beat and your lungs draw breath. You must walk in the darkness still, but you will be living, not undead." Mielle paused and watched the newly completed frame intently as a figure began to form within it, slowly solidifying against a shadowy backdrop. Glancing back briefly at Calliope, she held up a finger to her lips and quirked an eyebrow as if to say, "Quiet, all right?"

Very soon, a woman stared out from the magical picture frame, black curls caught up at the back of her head with diamond pins and tumbling down her neck to disappear into a froth of white lace about the shoulders. A dark blue gown that perfectly matched the woman's eyes showed off an elegant figure and set off her creamy skin. Mielle's smile widened a bit. Seeing the Countess was always a treat, at least visually.

"You look lovely," the witch said by way of greeting.

The illusion of looking at a portrait was shattered as the figure within the frame moved. Hmphed, actually, and then cut its eyes over to the curvaceous figure clad in scarlet, treating it to a quick raking from head to toe before looking at Mielle once more.

"And how is this one to 'benefit as well as amuse' me?" came the skeptical response.

"If I told you, it would spoil the surprise," replied Mielle, giggling like a playful schoolgirl and adding to the impression with an impish tilt of the head. The act was dropped almost immediately, however, and the diminutive woman regained her poise before speaking again.

"She will be all that I promised you. Her people and her habits are different from your world's, so you will need to instruct and train her in all things, and protect her until I recall her to my side."

"You are sending me a helpless kitten," the Countess protested, but her tone was less scornful than before. She kept glancing over at the proffered "kitten", a speculative gaze lingering over the woman's green eyes and lush figure, apparently finding Calliope's beauty of interest even if her appearance overall had not impressed at first glance.

"Think of her instead as an infant to raise into infinite possibility," Mielle suggested, and then queried, "Do you not wish the trade any longer? You were the one who asked, Countess."

There was a long pause and another assessing look, and then,

"Send her. I'm bored."

Mielle actually grinned this time, and just before she clapped her hands sharply together, spoke once more.

"You won't be."

Appearances might be deceptive in many a case, but when one was only seeking pleasure in the transitory surface beauty of a temporary plaything, it did not matter so much whether the gilt covered basswood or bloodwood. Whatever her guest's inner characteristics might be, the Countess had nothing to argue against the outer facade. She, like most of her race, reveled in surrounding herself with whatever of beauty her wealth and power could secure. Though frequent amusements were necessary, there was something almost domestic - or perhaps dragonish - in the way a vampire could spend days or weeks happily ensconced at home, doing nothing but looking about them and gloating in their possessions.

The room the three were in was, as were all of her private chambers and to a certaine extent the entire castle, a good reflection of the Countess' tastes. Blackstone had been built new at the beginning of her reign, and her likes and dislikes had ruled almost every decision of construction and decoration, only bowing here and there to the necessity for the place to be functional and defensible as well as pleasing to the eye. Even the very stones in the walls were without flaw, being polished or shaped or having their natural imperfections enhanced on purpose as needed. When one intended to spend eternity in a place, letting the construction consume decades or even centuries was of little concern next to the desire of having everything just so. This room was a contrast of textures and soft hues. The walls were dark stones polished to a glassy sheen and fitted almost without visible seams, shining softly in the light provided by the magically glowing spheres scattered about and providing a smooth base on which to display rich tapestries and furs. The floor was of the same dark rock as the walls - as the rest of the keep, in point of fact - and the furniture of ivory brocade and wood stained a deep reddish hue offered pleasing contrasts of texture, color and warmth.

The Countess herself was all in sapphire and diamond, her eyes made up in black and blue powders but her cheeks and lips untouched. Pale pink lips were now quirked up in a small but appreciative smile as she was able to more closely examine the "kitten" she had been sent, out from under that irritating but oh-so-useful witch's eye. Mielle was tiny and frail and sometimes gave the Countess the feeling that she was being mocked or patronized, but curse her, the witch was too powerful to make an enemy of. This didn't mean that she need give the little thing any fodder with which to make sport, however, and so she kept her reactions to the fulfilment of the trade on the neutral or negative side until the portal had closed and the privacy of her keep was secured once more.

She drew nearer to the tall woman but stoped a couple of meters away as if she wished to continue to get a picture of the whole rather than examine finer details yet. As she was bowed to, she nodded in acknowledgement, and narrowed her eyes just a fraction as her guest made a tentative opening move. This "Calliope" was not entirely uncouth or stupid, at least. Perhaps there was not the "infinite possibility" that Mielle had offered, but with this beauty and some not inconsiderable training and assistance, much could be done. A few interesting ideas came to her immediately. She broke off from her speculative musings when the request for an introduction came, and decided to get a few important things established right away.

"I am known as the Countess of Blackstone, and that is all the splendor of name that I have need of. And you are no longer Calliope Songe, but Calliope of Blackstone. I gave the witch my word that I would protect you, so take my placename as your own and learn quickly how we live so that you do not expose yourself or embarrass me. We as vampires rule this world, I am the ranking noble of this continent, and as my ward you will share in my power. Do not ever bow so low again to anyone save for me."

At the mention of the need to learn, the man all in silver-trimmed black that had been standing silently off to the side came up, as if recognizing a cue to come and stand at his Ladyship's side. He stopped at her left and held up his right hand to his Lady, watching her as if for further signals. The Countess' demeanor shifted from commanding to adoring as she smiled at him and placed her fingers delicately upon his arm, and since this Calliope knew her not at all, she would likely be completely fooled by the act.

"This is Daniel, my Consort," the blue-eyed vampiress said by way of introduction, her voice soft with that telling combination of love and pride of ownership that marks a woman who is loved by the one she loves and knows it. "He will take charge of your education, answer what questions you may have, and provide you with what you need." She paused and eyed the - by comparison of what she was used to - scandalously revealing garment that Calliope was barely clad in and then sighed, as if in regret over an unexpected change in plans.

"Suitable clothing, for instance," she said, and then looked up at her Consort once more. "The gold room, I think, and see if the dark purple gown with the black lace panels will fit her. And one of the emerald sets for a certainty, with those eyes. They should be new-set in gold, for her coloring, but silver will do for tonight."

Daniel was surprised when his Countess proclaimed Calliope her ward upon the spot, having thought that she would spend a considerable amount of time testing and assessing their guest's potential before building any plans around her. Granting the stranger a share in their placename and almost making her one of their exclusive family was dangerous, should this Calliope prove inferior or otherwise unequal to the challenge of maintaining the place's position. Something in the cat-eyed vampire must have struck his Lady favorably, however, and made her impulsively decide upon this course of action.

As he listened to his Lady's new ward respond, he thought he might know what it was. He hadn't observed it, but his Countess seemed to have intuited it; their guest had her own pride and an ease of herself that wasn't to be found in any of their circle. Even the Duke who ruled the southern half of the Old Continent, with his higher title and numerous family, could not touch the Countess in raw power of blood. Though Duke Nicholas could and did converse easily in the Countess' presence, command respect and consideration, and even tease or oppose her outright to a certain extent, there was always the underlying awareness that he was in the presence of one more powerful than he.

Calliope truly was as the infant that the witch Mielle had compared her to; she knew nothing of his Lady and therefore did not know to fear her.

There was something insolent in the way that she treated her almost-adoption as more pleasing in the anticipation than the event and her promise to do her best seemed to hide other meanings, though Daniel could not guess at them. She spoke to the Countess almost as if they were equal, in spirit if not in rank or power, and as if she chose to accept this role of student and subordinate entirely of her own free will.

There it was, Daniel thought. She was a free spirit; uncowed, unchained, unrestrained. Something new, and therefore amusing, at least for the moment. He wondered how Calliope's manners would strike his Countess later on, when the novelty had worn off, and decided to give his student some hints as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Next to him, the Countess was coming to the same conclusions about Calliope, though not examining them in as minute detail as her Consort. It was enough for now, for her to be pleased with the woman's striking appearance and to see potential in her manner and boldness of speech. Properly groomed and trained, it would be no stretch of the imagination for the other nobles to see in this stranger a potential heir to Blackstone, especially once the 'secret' that she was the Countess' ward was let loose.

She wondered idly how old Calliope was, what other sorts of odd garments made up the woman's wardrobe, and especially about the "strict code" that bound their behavior somehow having produced someone so easy and free-spoken. It was of no moment, however, and her curiosity to know more was certainly not so pressing as to make her keep Calliope a while yet to answer questions. There would be time for more conversation later.

Daniel and Calliope were dismissed, he with a look and the woman with a few words, and he led the way out of the room and into the hallway which was laid out as a rectangle, separating the inner rooms from the outer.

"This floor is given over entirely to the Countess' personal chambers and sitting rooms," he said, beginning Calliope's education immediately. "The rooms in the center of the floor are her particular chambers, which you will not enter without invitation. The others she uses at whim, according to the current entertainment or mood, but one in particular will now be given over to you for your personal use." He stopped and opened a door with a stylized vine of flowers set into the wood in gold, and gestured her inside. The man paused at the entrance, seeming to run his fingers down the outer edge of the doorway, and soon a maid in dark grey livery appeared from the hallway and curtseyed deeply. Daniel gave a few brief orders then shut the door, and began to give Calliope a tour of this particular portion of her temporary home.

The "gold room" was actually a suite, separated into two parts, and he explained the layout briefly to her at the same time as he walked her through it, also pointing out useful items or answering questions when things unfamiliar to her struck Calliope. The main chamber was a sitting room with comfortable furniture and shelves and tables aplenty, and the other - only slightly smaller - was the bedchamber. There was a wardrobe and chests and mirrors of various sizes in the bedchamber, but Daniel explained that most of the clothing and jewelry of the place was kept on the next floor, where the Master of Wardrobe attended to it. The Countess disliked having servants scurrying about under her nose, and so there were no chambers for the maids on the upper floor either, but he showed Calliope the little ropes to pull when she wanted to ring for a maid to bring her food or help her dress her hair or whatever else she might wish.

The motif of tiny flowers and leaves on curling vines that had graced the door was repeated throughout the two rooms. It decorated the outer edge of the dark tapestries and drapes hanging on the walls, it was embroidered onto bedclothing and upholstery and pillows, it was inlaid into the wood of her furniture, and there were even artificial plants of what seemed to be gold and crystal 'growing' in dainty little crystal bowls on tables here and there. The patterns were of varying sizes but generally small enough not to be noticeable at first, although when one took the time to look, the flowers were blooming everywhere throughout the rooms.

Calliope's notion of "perhaps" thanking the Countess later might have been corrected or even reprimanded, but given the nature of their temporary guest, Daniel let it pass without more than a brief nod. Best that this woman be allowed to be herself for the most part - whatever form that might take - at first, so that they would have the best opportunity of judging her potential, both for usefulness and danger. Besides which, this boldness of manner was likely a great part of what interested the Countess so, and it would be foolish to try and mold this stranger to the customs and customary manners of this world. If a fawning sychophant or purring enemy was all that the Countess needed in order to form a new amusement for herself, there would have been no need to go to Mielle to propose a trade in the first place.

The fact that the gold room stunned the woman was duly noted. If his Countess was planning on introducing Calliope to society as her ward, the woman would have to be accustomed to riches, else she would betray herself as a commoner. He knew not her status or wealth in her original world, but if she were to appear unused to such trappings, any hope of passing her off as a lady would be slim.

The two who ruled Blackstone were the only ones of this world - that he knew of - who were burdened with the staggering knowledge that there were indeed other worlds than this one. That had been the first trade; access to Mielle, in exchange for absolute silence on all that they gained in knowledge of the world outside theirs. The other nobles would therefore not be able to conjecture the truth, but would likely surmise that she was nothing more than a recently turned human, picked up perhaps on a whim purely for her pretty face and figure It was within the probabilities of the Countess' personality to amuse herself temporarily with such a toy, but for such a proud woman to actually make such a thing her heir would be unthinkable, and Daniel felt that his Lady's plans for Calliope extended further than such a simple, shallow farce.

Questions were answered and soon enough servants arrived to prepare Calliope for the last meal of the night. Daniel stayed in the sitting room while the females adjoined to the other chamber. A maid brought out everything their new mistress had been wearing at his order and he tossed it all into the fire without hesitation, watching it all burn to ash or melt into unrecognizable lumps within the wood with his own eyes. The blood bonds placed upon all of the upper servants ensured their secrecy - even their inability to remember that they had secrets to preserve - but physical evidence was another thing entirely. It would not do to leave anything that tied Blackstone to the dimensional witch lying about, no matter how secure he knew the castle to be.

Daniel frowned as he gazed into the flames. Calliope must be bound to one or the other of them, even if it be only a gentle feeding bond; it was the only way to maintain the necessary control over such an unknown. An outsider in more pure sense than any other creature in this world, she had no loyalties or heartstrings to play upon, and her personality was as of yet unknown. She was a free spirit in every way imaginable and this made her dangerous, and it was Daniel's duty to guard his Lady from such. Unless she were of such strength and skill as to be able to hide her true power, he felt that he could sense her to be of far inferior strength than he and his Countess. Forcing a bond would be no hard task, but perhaps this was not his Lady's intent. He must speak to her of her plans, if she had indeed formed any already in detail. Without knowing her mind it was all guesswork, and though he was experienced in it, it was still a chancy thing especially when dealing with these little mind games she liked to play with the other nobles. Sometimes it was logic, sometimes cunning, and sometimes it seemed pure whim that guided her hand. He almost always managed to keep up with her, but he felt easier when she brought him into her confidences from the beginning. Sometimes, however, she seemed to enjoy watching him struggle alongside her, as if it were a part of the game entire.

He hoped this was not one of those times. Mielle's comment that Calliope had infinite potential worried him. "Infinite" was a heavy word.

Some of the attendants left the other chamber and silently curtseyed their way out as was their way. The Countess disliked, in general, having much to do with the humans that kept her castle functioning and had given over command of all the master servants over to Daniel, removing herself from the day-to-day running of the keep. All her orders were passed down through her Consort, and in keeping with this particular desire of hers, the servants one and all were under orders to make no unnecessary noise and to keep as much out of the way of their Lady as possible. They only came to the upper floors when summoned, vacated a room silently and immediately when the Countess entered, and communicated in hushed voices or gestures even when far removed out of respect for the vampires' unnaturally keen hearing. To avoid offending other senses, they were one and all as attractive a set of humans as could have be found, well groomed and oft-bathed, and attired all alike in dark grey to match the stones of the castle, trimmed neatly in soft silver threads and bands of silver and black.

The departure of half the maids alerted Daniel to the fact that Calliope would be soon making her appearance, and he waited to examine her. How well she looked and carried herself would be important to passing herself off as worthy to be the Countess' ward, and when she finally appeared, she did not disappoint even Daniel, who was used to gazing upon all that he considered beautiful in this world.

Her glossy hair framed her face and neck, being left loose for the most part to hang over her shoulders and cascade down her back. Some few sections had been braided and twisted to form a soft crown about her head, studded at regular intervals with delicate barrettes and tiny pins and enhancing the illusion of her wearing a coronet. None of the earrings from the sets had been worn for some reason, but to make up for it, a soft mesh of silver was worn high on her throat, with tiny emeralds and diamonds dangling from the bottom edge. Other chains of different lengths were draped across her neck and the main necklace of five teardrop shaped emeralds rested just below her collarbones. The deep purple of the gown the Countess had chosen set off her pale skin well, and the subtler way in which her face was now made up allowed her unusually colored eyes to stand out all the more. The gown itself was simple in cut, fitted well to the body with ribbon lacing up the back and along the upper sleeves, but intricately embroidered and paneled in black. Black lace adorned the center of the bodice and formed a layered underskirt beneath the slashed skirt, while more lace spilled out from the sleeves at the elbows, ending only just above her wrists where more silver and jewels glittered. Dainty little slippers covered in matching black lace peeped out from underneath her skirts as she walked.

"You are loveliness itself," he said with a nod and a faint but approving smile, both in honesty and to begin her education of manner by testing what hers were, as well as her ability to conform to those around her. In that same line of thought, he stepped forward and offered her his arm, guiding her hand to lay atop his wrist rather than loop intimately within the crook of his elbow or lay familiarly within his hand.

"We should go down to dinner," he suggested. "The Countess must not be kept waiting." As he escorted her back down the hallway into a room containing stairs down to the bower of the third floor, he intermixed more commentary on his Lady with a brief overview of the castle layout in whole and some hints of what was to be found outside its walls.

"Her rule here at Blackstone is absolute, as is her rule over the northern half of this continent over which her estates are scattered. The southern portion is under the control of a Duke, but his higher title is meaningless before the power of blood, in which my Lady is unrivaled. On other continents, there are those who at least equal her and may even have greater strength than she, but here on the Old Continent at least, she bows to no one. She is powerful enough to even remain unchallenged by powerful and numerous families, despite that she rules alone and has no heirs."

Calliope's carefree manner had already struck him, but Daniel was still surprised when she spoke to him in a teasing, familiar manner on such a subject as love. He ignored what could have been interpreted as a flirtation and answered her but partially, and still with a mind to correct whatever odd ideas she might have that would take away from the facade they were building around her.

"You would be hard put to find many who would agree with such a notion here, so put it out of your head. Praise of your person can hide many things, and while love may be one of them, more likely it will be desire; to use, to manipulate or to blind."

Not that they did not love, and love passionately; far from it indeed. Calliope's stay here in their world and mingling within their society was to be a temporary thing, however, and there was more need for her to know how to protect herself from intrigue and deception than to open herself to the possibility of creating a family circle for herself. The newly arrived vampire had not even been far wrong in the spirit of her question. There were words and actions shared only between those who loved, or at least committed themselves, but praise was cheap and adoration could be compelled. Trust and unforced honesty were the reigning coins of the heart here, and that was what Daniel gave to no one but his Countess.

He thought over what Calliope had said about always eating alone, wondering if it meant she lived entirely by herself, or if servants did not attend her during meals. It did not seem probable that she only ever hunted her meals, and alone. That was hardly practicable regardless of how her world was ordered, was it? Her viewing the prospect of a formal dinner together with pleasure seemed to indicate that it was not that the act of eating was held to be private or somehow unseemly in her world, either.

"There are three meals taken together each night, but if you find yourself hungry out of time, you may speak for a goblet of blood whenever you wish. Any one of the maids who attend you can provide it." The Countess would likely take their guest out on a little excursion into the woods sometime soon as well, to test her abilities in a hunt, but that was a subject for another time. Small, testing steps at first, for their "infant".

They were through the bower and at the doors to the hall when he caught her inquisitive murmur. For one instant he was tempted to explain that the Countess had no children, natural or blood-bound, despite having a Consort who was willing - more than willing - to fulfil his duties as Sire and fill her nursery. His voice would have carried to his Lady's ear easily, but the opportunity of opening the age-old topic again in this new fashion was nowhere near tempting enough to make him expose her privacy so. The Countess' little display of affection earlier was also not just her laying claim to him before their guest, but a blind for now to conceal the fact that he was, as she sometimes said, "only an accessory Consort".

Daniel knew that he was more to her than that, but the nature of their relationship was something that he couldn't have defined in full to Calliope anyway, even if he had a millenia to do it in.

Letting the green-eyed vampire's comment pass, he escorted her into the hall where the Countess was already seated. She had dressed for dinner in soft grey, with silver embroidery tracing delicate patterns all around the edges of the gown and down the center. The sleeves and skirts were slashed and gathered up with black ribbons and sashes, and the gown was accented and supported with black lace rather like the one Calliope had been given, though the pattern was more elaborate and extended along the edges of the lace in pointed scallops. Onyx and diamonds set in silver caught at the soft light in the room as she rose and bade their guest sit at her right. Daniel escorted Calliope around the table and then sat down across the table from her once both ladies were seated, and at this, servants materialized from a dark doorway with goblets and dishes in hand.

"You are absolutely stunning," the Countess practically purred, pleased all over again at the stranger's appearance. "Green eyes are unusual, and it is a rare treat indeed to see them set in such a lovely face." She looked Calliope over briefly, nodding in approval at the entire ensemble.

"Are your quarters to your liking?" she then asked. "I do not know how you are used to living; is there anything that you require?"

She stopped to allow Calliope to respond, and also to cast an eye over the meal as it was laid out before them. Plain blood in crystal goblets, of course, but in anticipation of an other-world guest who might be used to heavier fare or hungrier than only blood could satisfy, there was also a bowl filled with thin strips of flesh soaking in a deep red soup, warmed enough to mimic body temperature but not enough to begin actually cooking the meat.