Dawning of a Valkyrie
Chapter 28: Carpe Nostrum
"Bo…" Dagny swallowed with some effort given the dryness of her mouth and throat, "…I know I promised we would talk. But not at this hour of the morning woman!" she was laying on her side in her bed and pulled the blanket over her head. Succubus had opened the curtains of the window to let in the sunlight that her closed eyelids couldn't block out completely.
"We don't have to talk right now, Dagny. But you do need to get out of bed, or you will miss the intervention. You made a promise about that, too. It's almost 11:30!" A wicked grin spread across her face; this late morning awakening reminded her of the time when it was just her and Kenzi against the mad, mad world of the fae. On any given day in the old clubhouse, it could have been her, Kenzi, or both of them in the Valkyrie's position right now. That is, if she hadn't fed after drinking too much. She plopped down on the bed next to her prone sister and yanked the covers down to look at the single green eye cautiously cracked open to gaze back at her in contempt, "'C'mon, get up! I took pity on you and brought you some remedies for your…condition!"
"Fine!" the blonde groaned, rolling over on her back she tried to sit up clad only in a tank top and her underwear. The pounding in her head grew more intense with the effort and she lay back down immediately. "I think I'm devolving but it's Ok - I'm ready to die now."
Bo slapped her arm lightly and chided her, "That's not funny! Don't talk like that! Here…" she reached behind her to the nightstand and retrieved the huge glass of water and a couple of pills. "… Take these and drink this – all of it."
The Valkyrie propped herself up partially on one elbow, "What is it?"
"Pamprin and water. Then we move on the stage 2." Bo smiled at her questioning look, "Trust me – I have a lot of experience with hangovers after an all-nighter!" Dagny did as she was asked and laid back down on the bed. Her eyebrows furrowed as her mind was trying to process what her sister had just told her, and Bo noticed. "What? What is it?"
"Nothing! I just can't imagine you staying out all night drinking and…I just always think of you as being with Lauren." She concluded, hoping Bo hadn't caught on she was about to delve more into her night out than she felt comfortable discussing. At least – the parts she could remember at the moment.
"Riiigghhhtttt…I get it. In your mind, Lauren and I were always together since long before you were born, even though you know that it isn't true. And you can't imagine I ever went out drinking all night and let strippers drape themselves all over me. Not like I'm a…Succubus or anything!" she gave the young blonde a toothy grin after she rolled her eyes.
"Whoa, whoa…wait a minute – who said anything about strippers?" she raised a hand in objection.
"Sorry – exotic dancers!" the brunette was gleeful now and tortured her sister in the most schadenfreude laced way, "And to answer your question – your face told me! You don't have to be a wolf-shifter to smell the exotic body oils all over you, and the glitter sticking to your cheeks is a DEAD giveaway!" she giggled as her sister groaned and clapped a hand over her eyes.
"You win, Bo – I went to a str-….exotic dancer club!" she pulled her hand away from her face, "I suppose you want to talk about THAT now!"
"Don't you? Must have been one hell of a night! And we have a bit of time before you get your next dose of Kenzi's patented hangover cure, which I was kind enough to bring you!" Dagny tried to roll her eyes but it was too painful to attempt and ended up just draping a forearm over her face. "Please…I don't need details…unless you want to tell me!" Bo coaxed. After talking with Lauren the night before and what Vex had said, she figured the Valkyrie would be more apt to comply if she felt indebted to her. And it worked like a charm.
"Alright, alright…guilt trip people much?!" the Valkyrie caved in with a huff, but kept the arm over her eyes. The light in the room still hurt her eyes, but the shame she felt was more to blame for her actions. "So, we closed down the Dal at midnight, and Vex and I left. I didn't know what he had planned…"
Dagny's Story…
"Where are you taking me, and what exactly do you want me to do? Because if it's some sort of fae fight club – not happening!" the Valkyrie glared at him, irritated at his vague answers to her questions.
"NO! Alright, look – I am opening a club. I need staff, and I want the best! To get the best you don't place an advert for the unemployed – you steal them from your completion! We are headhunting dancers tonight; and I can't have Mark getting jealous over nubile young fae sitting on my lap, again, so…it was you or Dyson! Hardly a choice…" he tsked at her as they pulled into a parking lot filled with very expensive cars.
He drove past the parked vehicles and pulled up to the door of the club, where Dagny was surprised when a smartly dressed valet opened her door and offered a hand to help her out. Despite having smartened herself up for the evening, she felt entirely out of place with her stitched up face and jeans and looked to the Mesmer after she exited the vehicle. He was handing another valet his keys and straightened his tie as he caught her gaze. Vex read her expression easily and hurried over to her, taking her by the arm, "No worries, deary – you are fine! Trust me!"
As soon as they entered the club, his assurances rang true. The bearded yet bald manager at the door recognized the Mesmer immediately and ushered them in past waiting patrons. Vex whispered something in his ear, and he snapped his fingers at a passing waitress. She took them directly to a private room in the back of the club, the Valkyrie looking around in awe. A dark-haired woman with a bob hairstyle clad only in a skimpy bikini stopped her with a hand on her shoulder as the other ran a finger down her neck to the opening of her blouse, "Hey, cutie! Would you like me to dance for you, later?"
Dagny stared at her mute and slack-jawed, but Vex answered for her, "Too aggressive, baby! Take it somewhere else!" he shooed her away with a wave of his hand and tugged his companion along. The waitress led them to a mirror lined room with crushed red velvet couches and a couple of small tables and the Mesmer ordered a bottle and two glasses. The Valkyrie dropped herself down on one and balled her hands up into fists on top of her thighs. She hated the feel of velvet since she was a child and had the habit of biting her nails down to the quick – but she felt relieved to be out of the overly sexualized atmosphere of the club.
"Now what?" she asked nervously. "I don't have any money to pay them, and I think my sister might be a better choice for this job! It's kind of creepy…" she looked at him shyly.
"Just relax and enjoy yourself, Ok! We're mates, right? Buddies? Going to a club together is normal! I'm not some kind of pervert…well, never mind! I'm not here to watch you have sex with anyone, alright! You are the perfect customer to judge dancers! You are nervous now – and that's good! But I'm sure you will be your normal cold and bitchy self soon, and that's better! And Bo is too easy to please – you don't have to be a good at what you do to baptize the converted! Not to mention the fact that Dr. Hotpants would kill us both if I brought her along." Vex told her pleadingly. Suddenly, the waitress showed up with their drinks and an olive-skinned woman dressed in high heels and a short silk robe.
The woman looked as frightened and shocked as Dagny. "The Valkyrie!"
"The sex demon! Vex, what is this!" she jumped up off the couch, hands still clenched into fists for an entirely different reason.
"Hold on! Hold on! You two know each other?" he puzzled with his arms outstretched, ready to Mesmer the women apart if need be.
"She attacked me!" they both said at once, and the blonde fae immediately relaxed somewhat, as she saw the dancer begin to snicker. "What's so funny?" She thinks I'm the one that doubted her unconscious! Good, she won't try anymore of her charms on me! The Valkyrie thought.
"I'm sorry sugar; you must be here to celebrate before your Dawning! I never meant to scare you. Offering the Invitation is only a part-time gig for me, and I didn't expect to see you here." She gave Vex a confident smile. "I got this. Send in the next dancer."
"No cheating! You know whut I mean!" he gave her a stern expression, and his young companion was immensely relieved by this.
The Qarinah didn't want to burn any bridges with such a high-ranking Dark fae, and took the tray of top-shelf tequila and its obligatory accoutrements to the couch and sat down. She patted the spot next to her, and the blonde woman slowly and cautiously sat next to her. "My name is Saia. Have you ever done tequila shots?" A shake of a blonde head in answer. "Ok, let me show you…"
Present time…
"Happy now?" Dagny asked as she pulled her arm away and ventured a grim smile in the Succubus' direction.
"Hmmm, for the moment. Here, stage 2: eat some dry toast then drink this beer." She handed a small plate and a bottle to her sister who felt recovered enough to sit up and accept them.
Between painfully chewing mouthfuls of the crunchy toast in her dry mouth, she questioned her sister, "So…I feel like shit…because I drank too much…and you bring me…MORE alcohol?"
"Yeah, the ages old remedy called 'Hair of the Dog that bit you!' It will ease your hangover symptoms. But the real cure is time, and the only way to prevent it is not to drink too much, young padawan!" the brunette advised in a quip.
"Thank you Obi Wan, for your words of wisdom." The Valkyrie shot back before washing her toast down with the cold beer. If nothing else, it made her scratchy throat feel better.
"All part of your training! Now – what happened next…I know I said you didn't have to give details, but you skipped over all the best parts completely! Tell me about this rival Succubus, I'm curious." Bo lay down on her side and propped her head up on a hand supported by her arm. Other that her mother, the Bacchus, the six fingered Qarinah that was killed by Taft, and the devolved Styr she had never heard of another sex fae in the Colony. We seem to be pretty rare in this area…maybe because they don't want to compete with me; Aife seemed pretty territorial.
"She's not a Succubus, Bo, she's a Qarinah. Don't you want to talk about Acacia and Valhalla?" Dagny stated flatly and tried to change the subject.
"No, Lauren told me. A Qarinah? Ohhh, even better! Soooo, what did she do to you?" the Succubus was intrigued by how a different species of sex fae seduced their prey.
"Nothing! We just drank tequila shots as Vex sent in one dancer after another – chicks and dudes. It was…uncomfortable – embarrassing really; but after a few shots and Saia talking to me…well I guess it was kind of fun playing hard to get. Vex gave me a stack of dollar bills to tip them as I saw fit, and if he liked them – he handed them his business card when they left." She lifted herself off the pillow to ask, "Is there more to this cure? I still feel kind of shitty."
"There's more…if you have more…" Bo narrowed her eyes slyly.
"Oh I get it now; scoping out your competition in the colony, huh." Thank the gods she isn't asking me about my sex life…I was just as eager to meet one of my own kind. The Valkyrie relaxed and told her about the rest of the evening. "OK, she just poured drinks and talked to me while other people danced. I definitely had way more than her, and I was feeling pretty good. As I watched the dancers, she would occasionally whisper in my ear…and I am not going into details of what she said because it was definitely X rated. Saia wasn't the most physically attractive, but she was the most sensual person in the room. Vex was impressed with her even though she never danced and asked her to come to breakfast with us to talk salary." She gave her sister a goofy grin and waited for the promised stage 3 of the hangover remedy.
"So…that's IT? She must be a rank amateur if she let a sweet,innocent, and powerful young Valkyrie slip through her fingers without at least trying to set up a feeding! She didn't try to corner you outside? Or in the restroom?" Bo queried, mostly in jest but with some curiosity. The Valkyrie's reaction was not jovial as memories came surging back into her pounding head. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned as she sank back down to lay on the bed. Her sister, however, was gleeful – at first. "She DID!" She giggled, then imagined just how the sex fae might have seduced her sister, "Wait…she didn't …force you, or use her charms to seduce you…did she? Tell me, Dagny!" she said as she shook the blonde by the shoulder none too gently.
"AAAhhhhhh! My head! Damn it, Bo! Alright already!" When the Succubus stopped her torture, the blonde sighed and opened her eyes, sitting up with some wincing. "I've been thinking…you were right – I should talk about how I feel about you turning Stacey in and going to Valhalla w-"
"We did. You said you were pissed off - but not anymore. I already told you I'm sorry about that; and I know I should have trusted you more. I'm over it; you're over it – let's move on!" The Succubus neatly shut her down using what she knew about Valkyrie nature. Time to give Dagny some tough love of my own because now I really need to know – bitch better not have used any shady tricks on my sister! "Now, let's discuss those hickeys all over your neck and how they came to be there!"
The Valkyrie sighed, there was no stopping Bo if she thought someone might have hurt someone she loved. "We went out to eat…some truck stop restaurant open all night. Vex brought along Saia, one of the managers and a couple of other people, 'key personnel' as he called them."
Dagny finishes her story…
The Valkyrie stared at her plate as she pushed her scrambled eggs around not much interested in eating them. She was attempting to put up the appearance that she wasn't paying any attention to the olive skinned dancer deep in conversation with the Mesmer. Whenever she snuck a glance at the woman, it seemed as if her dark eyes where already focused on her as if she were waiting for the Valkyrie to do or say something. One of the other dancers, a stunning blonde with enormous breasts kept trying to flirt with the Valkyrie and was completely ignored. Dagny squirmed in her chair, quite drunk and even more sexually aroused. Even though she had seen many semi-nude attractive dancers, all she could think of was the woman seated at the table she had never seen in a state of undress. She hoped the sex demon hadn't noticed, but didn't risk a look to check. Instead she heaved herself away from the table and out of her chair as she excused herself and made her way towards the bathrooms.
Her less than graceful exit earned the attention of everyone at the table, and Vex giggled, "Gods, her sister is going to KILL me for this! Oh bollocks! I hope she doesn't vomit in my car…"
Dagny groaned and hurried along into the women's restroom. At least she hoped it was the ladies room, and looked around to make sure there were no urinals along the wall. Once she was sure she wasn't mistaken in her rush to escape she leaned heavily on the sink and ran the cold water, pouring it over her face with one hand. She took a deep breath to slow down her heart rate right before the door slammed open and the blonde dancer strutted right up to her.
"Hey! Message received! Your place or mine baby?" she pressed herself against the Valkyrie still bent over the sink.
Mercifully, before Dagny could marshal a response the door burst open again and the sex demon marched into the room. She grabbed the clueless amateur by the shoulders and pried her off the obviously distressed young fae. "Beat it, Barbie! She's not interested!"
"Damn it, Saia! Can't you ever give the rest of us a chance? And my name's not Barbie!" she left in a huff.
"Are you all right, sugar?" she asked tucking the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes behind an ear.
"I'm…I'm fine!" the blonde panted and pulled her hand down her wet face. To convince the sex fae, she turned away from the sink and faced her.
"You don't look fine. Is there something I can do for you?" the Qarinah asked coyly, her voice dripping with innuendo.
"No…I just need…" Dagny launched herself at her tormentor and kissed her clumsily.
Saia broke the kiss and spoke soothingly to her as she guided them into a stall and pressed the Valkyrie against the closed door with outstretched hands on her shoulders as if trying to minimize their physical contact. "Shhh, settle down! I can help you, but you know what I am – and I am going to need something from you in return."
"Fucking sex demon…" Dagny mumbled and grabbed fistfuls of her jacket to pull Saia close enough to kiss her forcefully but with much more finesse than before.
Present time…
"And…I think you can work out the rest for yourself." Dagny concluded. Her sister looked dazed, but relieved that the Qarinah hadn't used her powers to coerce her sister.
"Huh. So, she never even touched you, and you made the first move? I have to meet this woman." Bo asked with the tone of a concerned parent asking about the person dating their child.
"Well, you'll get your chance tomorrow. She said she would be at my Dawning Ceremony. And I know what you are thinking – it's not a date! Its part of her job, er…part time job. Whatever." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest to signify she was done with the conversation.
There was a light knock at the door that interrupted the awkward silence as Lauren peeked into the room. "Hey, hon! I'm leaving now to help set up. You two need to get ready or you'll be late!"
"OK. Nice scarf, Lauren! Do you mind if I borrow it?" the Valkyrie teased, pointing at her own bruised neck and looking at Bo out of the corner of her eyes.
"Oh…uh…Bo can get you another one. I have to go!" she ducked out of the room and closed the door.
"Wait a minute…" Dagny began tapping her pursed lips, "I do remember Vex helping me upstairs…opening the door…wow! Can't unring that bell!" the Valkyrie snarked. "Quid pro quo – isn't that your game?" The Valkyrie laughed at the Succubus who was biting her lip, afraid of what her sister might ask and shocked the young fae remembered. "Don't worry, Bo! I'm not like you – there are some things I don't want to know!" She got out of bed painfully and began gathering her clothes for the day.
"I only asked you because…professional curiosity!" the Succubus explained.
"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Bo!" the Valkyrie laughed light-heartedly.
"I didn't give you stage 3 of the hangover cure!" the brunette chimed in before her sister left.
"What is it?'
"Sunglasses!" standing up, she snatched them off the nightstand and held them up triumphantly.
"Lame."
"Show some gratitude – you did this to yourself! Was it worth it?" Bo asked with a grin.
"It so totally was! Do you and Lauren have any regrets about last night…" she paused in the doorway and raised her eyebrows.
"Not going there." Bo walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, suddenly becoming more serious. "But I want you to know that I do love you. You are the only family by relation I have left, and I am so grateful that you are in my life."
"Uh…uh huh…" the blonde fae cleared her throat nervously. "Sure, Bo. Ummm, thanks. I better get ready to go; Lauren will skin us both if I'm late." She scuttled away quickly; her clothes bundled in her arms.
"What did I say?" Bo slumped down to sit on the bed. Valkyrie behavior continued to baffle her. Was it because I didn't answer her question? Maybe I should have just told her I don't regret one second of last night…
Bo's Story, on the couch the night before…
"Wait…what happened at the Dal?" Lauren pulled herself together and pushed the Succubus off of her neck. Now she was really curious; Bo hated politics.
"Nothing! Just a bunch of assholes trying to use the fight between Dagny and the Amazons as an excuse to start a clan war. And that idiot Ryan was their leader! He's making a political move to become the leader of the Unaligned; but I shut him down tonight." She managed to finish opening her wife's blouse and pull it off her shoulders while she was talking when the blonde finally noticed.
"A clan war?! Bo…" she tried to put her shirt back on but the Succubus stopped her by grasping her wrists. She looked sternly into her wife's eyes, "…shouldn't we be discussing a possible war, among other things? And what about your sister, aren't you worried about her?" Dr. Lewis was now fully against the Valkyrie potion, thinking it may have some dangerous side effects.
"There isn't going to be a war – the Unaligned don't follow him, he just got them fired up over nothing. I took care of it, and I got you the DNA sample we needed! Ah, Ah….no!" she added when she saw the suspicious look in her wife's eyes, "No one was hurt! I used some diplomacy!" she grinned and succeeded in pulling the hindering shirt completely off the blonde while she was distracted.
"And Dagny?" Lauren husked, trying to keep Bo and herself on topic as the brunette was slowly tracing the latitudinal line from between her breasts down to her belly button with a single finger as her blue eyes followed its journey.
"Hmmm, she probably worked her ass off for Dyson – the crowd at the Dal was overflowing out into the street! And right about now – I'm sure she's out with Vex rewarding herself for her hard work. And I want my reward, too!" she began peppering kisses and dragging her teeth along Lauren's collar bone as her finger continued its journey beyond the navel of the abdomen below her. With her free hand, she slowly dragged a bra strap across the shoulder that supported it onto the bicep of the arm that reached out to push her back yet again. "What?" her blue eyed gaze nearly bored into her wife's concerned brown eyes.
"So you're not worried about your sister at all?" Dr. Lewis asked deliberately, and with apprehension for both of the sisters.
Bo sat back and sighed, "YES! Of course I am – I am always worried about her!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After she let it out slowly through her nose, she opened her eyes again, and they were deep brown. "I can't keep her hobbled forever, Lauren. No matter how benevolent your captivity, sooner or later a prisoner resents her captor. And I think Dagny already resents me for it. You said it yourself – we have to give her some breathing room!"
Lauren was not sure what to make of her wife's articulate answer, and it didn't seem as if Acacia's liquor had an adverse effect on her reasoning or decision making ability. Cleared her mind and calmed her doubts, as advertised. But I am not liking this horse analogy… "Hobbled…?"
Bo chuckled, "Sorry, something Lou Ann says sometimes! She really relates everything to horses. And she and Dagny really do click – you should see the pair of them around the horses!"
"So…how do you feel now?" the doctor asked, looking her wife up and down.
The Succubus gave her a stoic smile, acknowledging her concern. "I feel fine. I feel good, I told you already. I feel like we are going to have a baby soon, and everything will change. I feel like we need to take advantage of the time we have now to make memories we can tell each other in stories later when we are too busy to have a moment like this! They'll always start with 'remember when…'"
The blonde smiled wistfully, knowing exactly where she was coming from, "…remember when we didn't have kids, and could walk around the house naked?"
"…remember when we could make love all night instead of sleeping whenever we can and waking up every couple of hours to feed the baby?" Bo played along, understanding now that her wife had only resisted her advances out of anxiety over the mysterious drink she had.
"…remember when we could just pick up and go out without worrying about a babysitter?" Lauren quiped.
"…remember when we couldn't keep our hands off each other long enough to make it upstairs and made love on the couch without worrying about being interrupted?" the blue eyes returned, and this time the blonde responded by kissing her deeply. As they slowly pulled apart just a fraction of an inch, Bo asked in a whisper, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. I am sure. Let's make some memories to hold on to!" she knew her wife wasn't talking about having sex on the couch, but her answer to that was also affirmative as she kissed her again and began tugging the Succubus shirt out of her trousers.
Bo leaned forward and eased them down to lay on the sofa slowly, but things escalated quickly after that. The doctor was trying unsuccessfully to pull the brunette's shirt over her head, so the Succubus obliged her by sitting up and finishing the job herself as the blonde moved on to unbuttoning her trousers and peeling them down from her waist. Once she lay back down on top of her wife, Bo tried kicking them off completely as they both giggled like teenagers. The blonde grew impatient, and snuck a hand in between their bodies to allow her fingers to worm their way under the waistband of the Succubus' panties.
She reacted immediately and ceased her fruitless efforts to remove her pants, "Ohhh…you cheated!" Bo breathlessly managed to exclaim.
"That's not cheating…" Lauren cooed shifted her body to one side as she pulled the brunette down and topped her, "…THAT is taking control! I like to take charge sometimes, too!"
And that she did, as her fingers discovered the extent of her wife's arousal and the brunette tilted her head back and attempted to suppress her moans by biting her lower lip. Their first round of love making was over quickly, and they used the break in between to slowly and more effectively undress each other.
Afterwards, they held each other and discussed the things all soon to be parents do – prospective baby names, hopes for their child's future, which one of them the think the child would favor in looks and behavior. As Bo lazily stroked her shoulder, Lauren drifted into happy dreams and her steady rhythmic breathing soon seduced her wife to join her.
They were awoken by noised outside the front door, followed by Vex pushing noisily into the room and laughing mockingly with his tongue hanging out, "AAAaaaaaa HA HA HA! Get a ROOM already!"
"Oh shit! VEX!" the Succubus scrambled to grab clothes off the floor and managed to pull on Lauren's blouse just as the Mesmer ducked back outside and hastily shoved a drunken Valkyrie into the apartment.
"Mercy! I saw NOTHING! And I brought you some presents!" He held up the bag with the DNA sample and set it on the end table near the door. "'Ta, luv!" he shut the door behind him as he left, leaving a blinking and drunken blonde trying to work out where she was and what was happening. The alcohol she chugged at the club finally caught completely up to her after the Qarinah siphoning off her energy had lowered her tolerance considerably. Her blouse was buttoned all catawampus and there were fresh bruises on her neck as well as lipstick marks.
"Vex…this is the wrong house…" she slurred after she had looked around in confusion through her unfocused eyes and saw the pair of naked women on the couch. Lauren was clutching some of the discarded garments over her nakedness, and Bo stood flabbergasted clad only in her wife's blouse that was still unbuttoned and held closed by one of her fisted hands. The Valkyrie swayed for a moment, then turned pale. "Lady, I have to use your bathroom!" She stumbled quickly to the stairs and tripped on the first step, resuming her climbing efforts on all fours.
"Oh…Dagny…" Lauren groaned out, managing to convey both disappointment and pity as she sorted through the clothes to get dressed and help the young fae.
"Lauren – let me. This is my area of expertise, have you forgotten young Kenzi?" she smiled as she pulled on her underwear.
