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Message-ID: <54035asstr$1150099804@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Shalon Wood <dstar@pele.cx>
Subject: {ASSM} New Age Dawning 5 (Ff rom fantasy viol blood)
Lines: 247
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 04:10:04 -0400
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Standard disclaimers apply; this story may or may not contain, in any
given part, graphic depictions of lesbianism, homosexuality, group sex,
bdsm, underage (teen) sex, magic, occultism, violence, and biting 
sarcasm.  If you're underage, or if for any other reason it's illegal 
for you to read this, or you're disturbed by the content, please don't 
read it.

Archived at http://pandora.pele.cx, and we've got a web-forum at
http://playground.pele.cx/forums as well, for discussion of both
Pandora and our other stories. 

Comments *greatly* appreciated.

Enjoy,

Velvet
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They headed out the door and downstairs, but at the foot of the stairway,
Rhishandri suddenly gasped. Adara turned to look at her just as she swayed,
catching at the wall, then sat down abruptly on the stairs.

A large window spilled bright sunlight across the floor in front of the
stairs. Adara glanced at it, frowning. "Oh _hell_," she said. "Are you
okay?"

The girl nodded shakily. "I'm okay, just... weak, all of a sudden." She
made no move to get up, just leaned her head against the wall and closed
her eyes.

"How weak?" Adara asked, still frowning as she reached down and pulled the
girl up and against her chest, turning to move her out of the light. "Do
you need to go back upstairs and rest some more?"

Rhishandri leaned against her for a moment, her eyes still closed, then
pulled back. "I'll be fine. It just took me by surprise," she said, but
there was enough exhaustion in her voice that Adara  wasn't sure she
believed it.

"Seriously -- how tired are you?" Adara asked.

"I feel like... like I've been bled by a healer," she said. "Weak, a bit
dizzy, and sick. But I can walk, I think, and I don't want to be alone."

Adara frowned. She should send the girl back to bed. She knew she should.
But the hint of pleading in her voice... if she'd been in a necromancer's
dungeons for weeks, she wouldn't want to be alone, either. "Are you hungry
again, then?" she asked.

Rhi shook her head. "No, not exactly. Well... maybe. It's there, but... I
don't think I _could_, um... feed... now. I feel too sick."

"Okay," Adara said, reluctantly. "But stay _out_ of the sunlight,
understand?"

"_No_ problem, believe me," Rhishandri assured her fervently.

Adara led her down to the taproom, keeping a worried eye on her. They found
Conor waiting in one of the booths, enjoying a large breakfast. Adara
raised a hand in greeting as he looked up, and Rhi edged around the
splashes of sunlight on the floor, following her to the table. Adara
motioned her into the booth first, and then sat down beside her. "Morning,"
she said.

Conor grinned. "Yes, it is, isn't it? Quite late in the morning, in fact." 


She nodded. "Slept late. Had to deal with some other stuff. Complication.
We'll need to travel at night."

He glanced at Rhishandri, who had laid her head on her folded arms on the
table and let her hair fall to cover her face, and frowned. "The lass not
well?"

"I think she'll be all right," Adara said. "But apparently sunlight is...
tiring for her."

"Ah," he said. "I see. That is a complication, but no' a serious one. I'd
actually figured on us leaving under cover o' darkness, any event. T'would
make things... easier. Oh, and here..." He reached into the seat beside him
and tossed a jingling bag onto the table. "The sell of the ring, minus my
fee. Ye'll have to do the provisioning... t'would arouse questions if I did
it. Here's a list of what we'll need to deal with the mountains in winter."


She nodded. "Will we have trouble leaving?"

"Well, _you_ wouldn't," he admitted. "But my employer wouldn't be wantin'
to release me from duty right this minute, so I might."

She nodded again, smiling a bit. "I thought that might be the case."

He grinned unrepentantly. "Well, a man's got ta take the chances that come
along, now, doesn't he? Take care of that list, pick up anything else ye
think we might be needin' and that the dalas can carry, and we'll be
headin' out sometime after full dark, eh?"

"Works," Adara agreed, just as the main door opened, throwing sunlight
across the table. Rhishandri moaned, turning and ducking down to burrow
into Adara's lap, curling up beneath the edge of the table. Adara frowned
sharply, laying a hand on the girl's side. "She can't go out there with me,
but I don't want to leave her here alone." She watched the door, her jaw
tightening as the man stood there with it open for several seconds as he
stood talking to someone behind him, before finally entering the inn. 

Rhishandri whimpered pitifully, then shuddered when the door finally
closed, and went completely limp in Adara's lap. 

Conor grimly shook his head. "No, she definitely can't go out there.
Unless... maybe in a hooded cloak?" he suggested.

Adara looked thoughtful. "With a veil... yeah. That should work," she said.


He nodded and stood up. "I'll see what I can find. Plan a story to account
for it, should anyone ask. No sense arousing suspicion. I'll bring the
things to your room as soon as I can." 

As he headed out the door -- the _back_ door, fortunately -- Adara nudged
the girl. "You okay?" she asked quietly, but received no response. She
hadn't moved since the door had closed, in fact. Quickly, Adara scooped her
up, standing and heading rapidly for the stairs.

She was limp, limper than was normal for a sleeping person... limp like you
only get when the sleep is the permanent sort... and frighteningly light
and frail feeling.

Adara dashed up the stairs and back into the room. When she lay the girl on
the bed, she just flopped bonelessly down, unmoving. Her skin was cool to
the touch. Adara stood there for a moment, uncertain, frowning worriedly,
then knelt down by the bed and pressed her wrist against Rhi's mouth.

Rhishandri made a small sound, just the tiniest whimper, and her lips moved
weakly against Adara's skin. 

Adara reached out, holding the girl's head with her other hand, and pressed
her wrist up against the tiny fangs. They were quite sharp, and easily
pierced the skin with only a little pressure, and blood started to trickle
from the small wounds immediately. 

Rhishandri's eyes flew open, flooded with glowing gold. She reached for
Adara's arm, then stopped herself, balling her hands into fists and laying
her arms back carefully at her sides. She stared up at Adara with those
luminescent, inhuman eyes and lay there, trembling.

"Good girl. Lay there and let me feed you," Adara said, soothingly,
stroking the girl's silky hair, then caressed her cheek. "You have very
good control."

Rhi moaned, deep in her throat, and shuddered, her eyes closing again. She
was obviously fighting herself -- she couldn't bring herself to move away
from Adara's wrist, but she wouldn't try to hold it, either. 

"It's okay," Adara said. "You're doing fine. Suck, if you want. You
won't hurt me." The girl shivered again, then took her at her word,
sucking at the wound and making little moaning sounds as she
fed. Gradually, her skin warmed, flushing slightly pink and looking
more alive. Her hands came up, still not holding, just touching, fluttering
along Adara's arm and hand uncertainly.

After a short while -- much shorter than that morning -- she pulled back,
licking her lips. Green eyes stared trustingly up at Adara, who smiled.
"Better now?" she asked.

Rhishandri nodded, and asked quietly, "What happened?"

"Sunlight."

"Just sunlight?" the girl asked, her brow wrinkling. "That's _all_?"

Adara nodded. "Apparently, it's a problem for you."

Rhi smiled weakly. "Apparently," she said, then her eyes widened. "Are you
all right? I didn't mean to..."

"I'm fine."

Rhi stared at her, worried, unsure of the truth of her words.

"Fine," Adara said, firmly, then smiled at her.

"But would you tell me if you weren't?" the girl asked, and Adara nodded.
Rhi still didn't look totally convinced, but she lowered her eyes, and let
the subject drop. "So I guess I have to stay here, then," she said,
unhappily.

Adara shook her head. "Conor's getting a hooded robe and veil for you."

The girl blinked, startled. "So simple? Will that work?"

"I think so," Adara said. "It does for some vampires, in any event. It
should for you, too." She smiled at the almost comical relief on Rhi's
face.

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Yes?" Adara called.

"Tis me," Conor answered.

"Come on in."

He opened the door and entered cautiously, then froze. His eyes went from
Rhi, on the bed, to Adara's wrist, and he sat the bundle he was carrying
down on the table, moving so that he was on the opposite side of the table
from the bed. "Here we go," he said, with forced casualness. "One cloak
with hood. One veil, suitable for the most modest of ladies, and a pair of
black silk gloves that you owe me a gold piece for. And suede half-boots."

Adara dug out the coin and flipped it to him, unsure whether to be amused
or annoyed at his caution. "Here you go." 

He caught it with a smile. "I'll leave you two to get dressed, then. Ye've
the list, and the coin ye'll need. I'll meet you here at full dark."

"Thank you," Rhishandri said, softly, and he looked at her with surprise.

"So ye can talk, after all," he said, grinning. "I was beginnin' ta
wonder." She blushed, ducking her head, and the trace of fear left his
face. He stepped out from behind the table and bowed flamboyantly. "Ye're
quite welcome, darlin'," he said, warmly, before departing.

Rhishandri slid out of bed and unwrapped the bundle on the table. She
draped the veil over her face and head with the ease of long and frequent
practice, then sighed and pulled on the gloves, then the enveloping cloak.
She pulled the hood up and over her face, so that even her eyes were
shadowed. "It's warm at least," she said. "I seem to be cold all the time,
now."

"It's probably a side effect of... whatever it is that you are," Adara
said. "You'll probably feel warmer once you're used to it."

Rhi nodded. "I'm ready now, I think. Hopefully, I won't pass out again,"
she said, and even with her face hidden, her embarrassment was obvious.

Adara smiled, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. You didn't know.
These things take time to adjust to."

Rhishandri nodded meekly, and followed her out the door once more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Take a look!

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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