AgePlay
Standing in front of the dark industrial building, Miranda tried not to shiver against the cold, low winds of the evening as they pushed against her Chanel skirt, the fabric whipping her skin as she moved to punch in the code which had been messengered to her earlier that day. The fashion editor had not been to a place like this in over a decade, but her most recent lover had been gone for more than a few months and she was ready to find another.
Walking through the dark halls, Miranda shed her leather jacket, hanging it on the hook by the next large door. She then stripped off her necklace and earrings and pat herself down for any other metals, not finding any she used her thumb to allow this 15-foot sliding sheet of metal to allow her though into the next room. This one was all black, the walls made of a one-way glass, so those could see into her, but she couldn't see out to them. A clock on the wall counted backwards from ten and she closed her eyes as she felt a warm beam surround her on both sides. This was the metal detector, they could never be too careful here, and guns had been a problem in the past.
When she heard the next door push open she knew that no threat had been detected from her. "Miri Darling!" A clipped British voice sounded from beyond the door. With a deep breath, Miranda strut in her Miu Miu, electric blue suede pumps making her power known in this echoing hall. "Cruella." A crocodile smile covered the Editor's face before she leaned in to air kiss the woman in front of her.
Much to her chagrin, Miranda had to admit that her friend was able to pull off the skin-tight snake dress with the ridiculous feathered shoulders. "I see you still can't say no to wearing another creature's skin." The words were meant to needle at the barely intact psyche of Miranda's longest friend, but instead the other woman just chuckled, before taking a drag of her cigarette.
"Come Miri, I have some most delicious treats for you this evening." Cruella grinned before showing her oldest friend through another series of doors with complex codes and a few more metal detectors before ending in an office looking room. Cruella's high-backed black leather chair with the pointed top and glass arm rests took center stage to the open glass paneling behind her desk. "I will pull up the photographs first, we'll narrow, photos, narrow and so on until we meet your final two choices in person." Cruella almost clapped her hands together with glee, she loved nothing more than matching a pet with an owner.
Miranda nodded stoically, not wanting her dearest friend to know just how anxious she was to have another with her again. "Yes, yes Cruella, I have done this a time or two, as you very well know. Could we hurry the process along before all of my possible prospects have died and I have also expelled here in your disgrace of an office?" the editor huffed indignantly as her bi-colored haired friend snorted. "Oh Miri, I know how anxious you get with a new pet on the line. I will hurry as much as I can."
The silver haired woman moved across the room, sitting on a hideous- though surprisingly comfortable zebra printed couch, as Cruella grabbed her look-book and two perfectly portioned and chilled glasses of scotch. "Alright, so I have narrowed this list down from the 500 pets I have in store to around 75 here. I would like you to choose no more than 15 to watch the videos for, and then no more than five to meet, as you know I hate to get their hopes up." Cruella huffed in mock pity for the men and women she had locked in rooms in this large, semi-hidden building.
Grabbing the book from Cruella's talon-tipped snake skin gloves she flipped to the last page, an odd course of action, maybe, but usually Cruella was one to leave the best for last.
"Cruella, darling…" Miranda spoke in a terse voice almost an hour later, "All of these men and women look exactly the same, no personality, no life in their eyes…" With a sigh she slipped the book shut. "Maybe your inventory just doesn't have what I need anymore." Miranda sounded wistful, she knew that her days of wanting a slave or a pet were long gone. If anything, All the silver haired woman wanted was children, but her hysterectomy had put an end to that three years ago, at least biologically. Not to mention she was 50 years old, the idea of having an actual infant was terrifying…
"Miranda!" Cruella gasped, "I have the best inventory in the States! No! I have the best inventory in the world! Everyone comes to me, I had picked these ones for you specifically and all you do is turn up your nose!" She could feel the angry tears pricking at the corners of her dark eyes. "Everyone else is so unworthy of a beauty of your caliber! I am hurt by your insinuations!" The fashion designer turned human 'farmer' paced quickly across the floor.
Just then a knock sounded at the door, both women turned towards the interruption, fire flashing behind Cruella's eyes as she almost ripped the heavy door from its frame. "What do you want, you bumbling, incompetent fool?!" She bellowed, all of her ability to stay vaguely level headed had left her within the last few minutes.
Alonzo shook slightly and tipped his hat "Uh, 'Allo Miss Deville, I is uh, there is a new pro'pect here… Eh yeh. Brought in from right near a cen'ral Park." He looked toward the couches nervously and saw the other woman, gulping slightly, "Right- Sorry Miss, I jus' wan'ed ta let ya know, and if there's anything particular you wan us ta do wit' her."
"Cru…" Using her friend's nickname to soften and disarm the lunatic woman she stood from the couch. "Why not bring the girl in here- who knows, maybe I'll find my one." She flashed a You better be grateful I'm here or she'd make you into a purse look to Alonzo then rolled her eyes as Cruella named that a 'Marvelous Idea' and for Alonzo to 'Make it snappy'.
With a resigned sigh, Miranda sat once again on the zebra couched, making a grateful sort of sound as Cruella poured her another finger of scotch. Not long after Alonzo burst back into the room, a large dog sized crate sat on top of an old looking red wagon. "She's in 'ere she is." Alonzo kicked the crate and a small whimper sounded from the heavy wooden box. "Never even put up a fight, nah I knew she'd be a good add'in 'round ere." He grinned like a moron as Cruella sneered in distaste. "Open the crate and get out of my sight." She was an evil, somewhat unstable woman but she tried not to be unwittingly cruel to sweet young girls- regardless of her name.
He pulled the crowbar and opened up the front of the crate before once again running from the room.
Tiny whimpers still emanated from the crate, but no real other sounds. Miranda stood, confused, usually women brought into this trade came one of two ways, by choice, or by law. Both were perfectly common and acceptable but this idea of grabbing a girl off the street worried Miranda, she could already be claimed, or could actually be in a powerful enough position to claim others.
"Come out my sweet…" Cruella called, her voice sweet enough to rot teeth, though her eyes were begging for the chance to punish fresh meat. New arrivals were her favorite type of toys, they were so easily molded and broken down into whatever category the woman wanted them in. With an annoyed wave of her hand Miranda walked up to the crate.
"I am going to place my hand in the crate with you, I would appreciate no scratching or biting, though you may touch it." The editor spoke softly, but firm, as one would do while giving instructions to a child. A few minutes passed, and as she was about to remove her hand from the potential pain a feeling of thin fingers dancing across her palm almost made her jump out of her skin. "Good, good." She praised, affection already seeping into her voice.
"Now I know you're frightened" She whispered, "But the men who stole you have long since left the area, and I would very much like to see you, to know who you are…" She grinned as she felt the wooden box shuffle on the cart it was on, and a tiny pair of hands pushed out of the darkness.
Cruella seemed slightly alarmed, this girl seemed much too young to be brought into her world. The law stated simply no one under the age of 17 was to be put in the trade-market. "Now Miri darling! You know I have the most impeccable standards of any trader! I would never bring a child into this!" The woman huffed, feeling tears prick at her eyes, if this got out her whole business would be ruined.
"Cruella, hush! For once in your life, please!" The editor flashed her eyes at her friend and turned back down to the box. The front was pulled open and the small hands were connected to equally small, pale arms. "That's right darling, I will not hurt you." Miranda cooed in what she assumed to be a mothering voice.
A small body continued to slowly make its way from the crate, long dark hair covering the girl's slightly smaller than healthy looking shoulders and face. "Yes yes, come here." Miranda stood, and helped the girl from the box, trying not to gasp as a girl who looked no older than 12 stood in a pair of black leggings and a man's oversized t-shirt. "Hello dear, what's your name."
The girl looked up from her shoes and Miranda felt her gaze like a sukerpunch. She was lovely… With deep honey colored eyes, hidden behind long dark lashes, a pale face lightly dusted in freckles and a becoming blush, and a pouty mouth, even in her most stoic of faces seemed to be smiling up at the Editor. No sense of sexual desire flooded the older woman though, but a sense of motherhood.
The young woman blinked a few times and tried to keep her eyes focused on the pretty lady with the bright sparkly eyes. "A-" She tried to speak, but her throat was dry and she coughed a bit. "Oh, you poor thing." The woman cooed again.
"Come, come sit." Miranda gestured towards the zebra-print couch and the young woman shuffled over slowly. "Cruella, have someone bring water and some light dinner, the poor angel must be starving."
Cruella tried not to gape, she couldn't believe how kind and gentle the Ice Queen was being to this girl they knew nothing about. "Alonzo!" Cruella barked into her phone, "I need lemon water! And that salad Miranda likes!" Miranda saw the girl's nose wrinkle up at the word 'salad' and the silver haired woman tried not to laugh. "Cruella, how about some fruit and crackers?" She asked with a raised brow.
Honestly did that woman know nothing?
The younger-than-legal brunette sat with her hands tightly clasped in her lap and her eyes glued to her shoes. "Darling girl…" Miranda spoke in her dulcet tones as she slowly reached out a hand to touch the girl's arm. "Your name?"
She nodded again and looked up at the older woman, "A-Andy" She rasped out before swallowing with a wince. Miranda's eyes sparkled with pride, "Good, very good." Just then a knock sounded at the door and one of Cruella's female hands brought in the silver trolley. "Go away now." Cruella hissed at the pretty blonde who all but ran from the room. "Here" She carried a glass of water and the bowl of strawberries and grapes to the small glass coffee table in front of the other two occupants.
Miranda picked up the glass with a straw and carefully brought it to the girl's plump lips and tried not to jump excitedly as she pulled water in quickly. "Such a good girl!" The young girl flushed sweetly before sitting the glass down on the table. "Now my darling, could you tell me your name again?" She reached forward gently, slowly, trying to show the young woman she wouldn't hurt her, wouldn't touch her without her express permission.
The brunette's eyes flashed and she looked up into the icy ones of the older woman. "Ah- Andy" She whispered again before turning her eyes back down to her lap, taking another thick swallow. Miranda nodded again, remembering that the girl had already said this, but that Miranda had wanted more than this.
"Yes Darling, I heard that, your full name, so I can find whom you belong to." Miranda tried not to grimace at her own choice of words- the girl was clearly shaken but she had a small number tattooed on her right hand, the number 6. Andy looked up with wild eyes and started to stand from the couch, "N-no." She mumbled and walked backwards until she bumped into the wagon still holding the crate.
Cruella stood, looking equal parts angry and vaguely amused at the whole situation, trust this girl to put a damper on Miranda's purchase for the evening, another couple hundred thousand dollars down the drain. "Miri, get this child to calm down!" Cruella pouted, not unlike a child herself.
Miranda rolled her eyes at the woman before standing from the couch, "Darling child…" The silver haired vixen slipped off her heels and moved quietly from the couch over to the shivering woman. "I promise, I won't make you leave, but I need your name, and how old you are… Please?"
Cruella tried not to gasp at her friend, the Ice Queen, Devil's Mistress, practically begging this scrap of a street urchin to talk to her.
The brunette had huddled herself in a corner and was shaking violently, looking back up into the seas of blue she whimpered and shook her head, it was too soon, too raw. "Please?" Miranda asked again, getting down on her knees not caring if the floorboards would rip up her pantyhose.
This young child, the sweetest girl Miranda could remember seeing was terrified of something, or someone, rather and she wanted… Needed to help her, to comfort her.
"A-ndrea." The girl said in a strangled gasp as the Editor moved forward, slowly reaching her hand out to push the dark mocha hair from the girl's face, "Andrea Sachs" Her eyes started to water as Miranda gently caressed her cheek, thumb moving in slow circle against Andrea's cheekbone. "I-I'm 21, and I ran away from Ohio." She whimpered once more before throwing herself into the older woman's arms and falling into a sobbing mess.