Dream of the Red Chamber

Lan took a deep breath after explaining her insecurities to the two glamorous European blondes, pressing her lips tightly together, as if she were trying to keep anything else personal from getting out. She had gone on for a while, there, but thankfully, Allison did not seem to mind that at all, and even the boisterous Violate was silent after Lanâ€s explanation. The Chinese girl smiled, and waited patiently as Allison finished her wine.

When Allison grabbed her hands and gave her those surprising instructions, Lanâ€s eyes widened, and her lip twitched a little. “I…I…” she stuttered, looking into Allisonâ€s green eyes, not Violate as she quietly slipped behind her, out of sight. “I…o-okay…” she finished, swallowing hard. She somehow doubted the effectiveness of this technique, but she was not about to start doubting the lovely Allison after she had been so nice so far. She took another deep breath, then began:

“So…Iâ€m Yi Lan. And then y-youâ€re, ah, Allis—Allison.” She gulped again, slipping her hands out of the spa ownerâ€s. They trembled as she lifted them up in front of her own face, palms turned inwards. She stared at them for a long several seconds before, slowly, she put one down on the armrest, and reached the other back over to Allisonâ€s hand, putting her hand on top of it, smiling nervously as she waited for more instructions from the woman.

Allison placed her other hand on top of Lan's and smiled. She was such a lovely girl. She'd make a wonderful Chinese wife to a typically traditional and chauvinistic Chinese husband. He could leave her to sort out all sorts of unpleasantness, and she'd never complain. She was destined to spend the rest of her life as a servant, and never know the difference.

"I can help you." Her smile spread wider in to a broad grin that showed her perfect, white teeth. "There are many ways to get acquainted with someone, but for someone special there are a few things that I'm particularly fond of. What do you enjoy doing?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Sharing pleasure with someone brings you together, whether it be an excellent bottle of wine, or this place. Your pleasures reveal you in ways you can't ignore."

She stood up and turned for the door, stopping before it to face Lan again. "But there's another way. The bonds are much stronger, and it can awaken parts of you that can't truly live without. Do you know what it is?" She let her eyes linger on Lan for a moment, and then opened the door. For a moment, the hallway light that streamed in around her silhouette was blinding. "Excuse me." She left and closed the door behind her.

Vi watched Allison speak from her position behind Lan.She wondered if the girl noticed,or even WOULD notice that Vi had just somehow vanished. If Violate made no sound, if she stayed behind Lan, would the Chinese blonde simply forget she was there? Vi wondered. It could be interesting if she did. And then, the possibilities would be endless for the gardener.

She slipped her hand into her suit coat and left it there for a moment. She was prepared for any situation that might arise but she suspected Lan to get lost in all of Allison's charm and the soothing comfort of the sensory dampening room. She watched the girl curiously, never taking the smile off her face and trying to resist the urge to chuckle audibly and give away her position.

Lan bit her lip. Her cheeks were flushed red. It was embarrassing to be holding Allisonâ€s hand like this, and right now every instinct was telling her to run. When it came to the fight or flight response, Lan almost invariably chose flight, fleeing from both threatening situations and simple awkwardness time and time again until she couldnâ€t flee anymore. But right here and now, it seemed like she couldnâ€t escape, and so she would sit there, still, quiet, smiling, trying to convey an aura of contentedness and comfortableness that was quite at odds with how she actually felt.

She listened closely to Allison as the spa owner explained how sharing pleasure with someone would form bonds with them. Lan already knew that—intellectually, at least. She had not really ever connected with anyone in that manner. Then, the European woman mentioned that there was another way to form such bonds, or even stronger ones, but, before telling Lan what it was, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

“But…” Lan began, but trailed off, as she saw that Allison was gone, at least for now. The Chinese girl sank back into her chair, her eyes drifting down to the still mostly-full goblet of wine in her hand, forgetting momentarily that there was still one more person in the room with her.

Violate pushed her hand underneath her suit coat and tilted her body. She leaned forward and slowly until her head was next to Lan's ear. She held her breath for a moment and then pulled out a shiny, silver gun. She very calmly clicked the safety off and then cocked it with an equal amount of patience. She reached around so that it was on the other side of Lan's ear and decided for a moment, which ear she should tantalize.

"It is quite a relaxing room, is it not." Vi said in her silky smooth voice. "Fufu." She laughed in a soft breath, letting her words tickle Lan's ear, even as she held the gun on the other side of her head.

"Dear Allis is quite the provider, is she not?" She asked. "She's given you much. This spa quite a wonderland isn't it? You should come back again and see what other rooms she has."

Vi took her free hand and set it on Lan's shoulder. She pinched as though she might give the blonde girl a massage of her own but instead she eased her hand down the girl's arm until she was running one finger along it.

"There is one thing that has been bothering me though. Maybe you can help me?" She grinned, her lips had never left their closeness to Lan's ear. "How is a raven like a writing desk?" Vi grinned wider at her own words, still holding the gun to Lan's other ear. Right now Lan didn't need to see. In fact, at this point it might be better if she didn't.

Lan would raise the glass of wine to her mouth and take a long, satisfying sip, feeling the warm alcohol run down her throat and splash into her mostly-empty stomach. She was comfortable right now. All that changed, however, as she heard a click and felt something cool and metallic forced into her ear.

She glanced over to the side. Her face lost all color. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten about Violate, and, evidently, the woman was every bit as crazy as she looked. She was holding a gun to the side of Lanâ€s head. The Chinese girl had never been this terrified in all her life. She couldnâ€t even keep her composure enough to hear what the Portuguese woman was saying to her. She sat as deathly still as she could, but she could not help but begin to cry out of abject terror. “Please…” Lan whimpered. “Please, stop…donâ€t…I…”

She had never had a gun pointed at her before, and it felt like a nightmare. All the positive thoughts and emotions that she had cultivated over the duration of her visit to the spa evaporated, just like that. She just wanted to go home now. “Please stop…I donâ€t know…j-j-just let me go…”

Violate didn't seem very fazed by the fact that Lan noticed the gun. Instead, she leaned forward, opened her mouth and let her lips close gently around the ridge of Lan's ear. Her eyes flashed at Lan and she lifted up her free hand to snake around Lan and press her gloved hand against the Chinese girl's cheek.

When she tilted Lan's head enough to pull the gun from her vision, Vi opened her mouth once more. "Shh, shhh, shh." She purred in a soothing tone. "My little pearl, the light in this room, the relaxation, it's got your mind wandering in circles. Look at all of the fantastic things that spring from your imagination. It is good you came here. All those thoughts, dearest Allis can ease them away from you."

While Vi spoke, she eased the gun back into its holster. She then pushed open the other side of her coat and pulled out a gun that seemed to look almost identical. When she was finished, Vi leaned forward and kissed the spot on Lan's head, right next to her ear, "Let me alleviate your fears, fufu." She whispered and then turned around so she was in front of Lan holding her other gun.

She stretched out her arm and pointed it at Lan's forehead. With a wink and a soft chuckle, she pulled the trigger and a small spurt of water plopped onto Lan's forehead. Vioate's giggle intensified and she flashed the gun sideways at Lan, showing her that it did look quite real.

She lifted up her free gloved hand and pressed her index finger to her lips. "Shhh." She whispered before smiling cheerfully at Lan. "You see, I do so like to jest. I was going to surprise Allis with a little squirt. I would have let you in on the joke but you became far too petrified at the sight." Violate frowned. "My little pearl, you are a disaster of emotions." She said with the straightest face she had made all day. Violate sighed, holstered her squirt gun and fished a pocket watch out of her vest.

"How DOES the time fly?" She then lifted her head and smiled at Lan. "With wings, of course! Fufu." Violate spun on her heels and with a wave of her hand bid the Chinese girl adieu. Once she was out of the room, she stopped, pulled out her real gun, released the hammer, put the safety back on and snugly tucked it back into its holster.

****

The bell chimed signaling another entrant into Allison's chic spa. It was another Chinese girl. She was dressed in an elegant black Chinese dress with gold trim. Her make up was immaculate, as she had com to perfect it through hours and hours of practicing. She had to get it right, even though it never did seem to be good enough. The way her jet black hair was perfectly disheveled added a defiant beauty to her otherwise cultured look.

She had the look of a regular in the spa. Someone who could both afford and desired every thing on Allison's hedonistic menu. But she was also probably the last person who was supposed to be at the spa. Lu Jiao Jocelyn looked around and found Amy. Her natural scowl deepened when she didn't instantly find Allison. "Where's Sarah at, mate?" Her recherche Chinese appearance was shattered by the thick, clearly Australian accent that bludgeoned its way out of her mouth as she addressed the the girl.

Allison spotted Jocelyn on the security monitors at the same time that Amy saw her. She had watched Violate have her fun, get caught, and cover her tracks in a way that nearly made Allison giggle. Now that Jocelyn was in the building, it was time to go.

She passed Violate on her way from her office to the front. She stopped for a moment, and slid her hands around the woman's body, touching each holster. "Do you ever forget which is the real one?" She asked, and as she walked away she trailed one hand behind, letting it drift up Violate's stomach to her breast until just the tip of her index finger touched squarely on her nipple. She didn't look back, and after the walk down the carpeted hallway she pushed through the doors to help Amy receive their new guest.


Amy sighed, almost imperceptibly. Sometimes it really was difficult to remain polite and hospitable, given the nature of some of Allison's associates. That was if you could call Jocelyn that, she didn't come around very often but she always asked for "Sarah", and she was entirely repulsive. She was crass and crude and had not the slightest bit of poise. Amy loathed her, though she secretly adored her hair.

After a pause, she stopped cleaning up and looked up at Jocelyn. She walked briskly over to her. "I'm sorry, Ms Watson is with a client. I'd be happy to tell her you stopped by..." She said with a curt smile, hoping Jocelyn would just leave.

Vi's gestures matched Allison's in understated suggestiveness, as she slipped one gloved hand along the underside of Allison's rear ever so slightly. Her own body leaning in to kiss one of Allison's cheeks, pulling across the blonde's faces so their noses touched and their lips almost did and then finally kissing the other cheek. She pulled away from Allison fluidly and smiled as the posh Brit strolled off. She tipped her hand and smiled.

"Never, dearest Allis." She said quietly to herself. "That blonde. She's a keeper, fufu." Vi then called out loudly as she chuckled to herself and strolled off.

Jocelyn was waiting as patiently as she could muster as she waited for Amy to respond. When the incorrect answer was given, Jocelyn pointed a finger at the girl. "Isn't that what you lot are for?" She asked. "Sarah's got better things to do than wash some drongo's hair." She spat angrily. Jocelyn shook her head as she stepped away from the counter and proceeded to walk towards the back entrance herself, like she was the owner. "Bullocks to that, I'll find her myself." She said sternly.

Amy drew a slow breath and remained calm while she endured more unpleasantness from Jocelyn. With the same polite smile, she said "Would you like to tell her what to do?"

She looked back down at her work for a moment, until she realized where Jocelyn was headed. "Y-you can't go back there!" She hurried after her, but just before the Jocelyn could reach the doors, they swung open and nearly smacked her in the head. Allison had to stop short to keep from running into the girl, but she smiled and moved to usher her back.

"So good to see you, darling." The moment the door fell between them and Amy, Allison roughly seized Jocelyn by the hair and dragged her down the hall at a pace brisk enough that it would be difficult to match while bent over and stumbling. Toward the middle of the hallway, Allison threw Jocelyn against the wall and pinned her there with her body. She pushed a hand under Jocelyn's jaw to force her head against the wall so that she had to look Allison in the eye.

"What," she began slowly, "did I tell you?" She paused, but not long enough for her to answer. "I don't need trash like you bringing down the perceived value of my spa with your underclass stink. If you simply must come here, I believe I instructed you to use the back door. Is that so hard to understand?" Her eyes blazed fiercely for a moment, and then she suddenly wrenched Jocelyn's head to one side by her hair and pressed her lips against hers, taking from her greedily with her tongue.

When she broke off the kiss, she kicked Jocelyn's leg just enough and gave her a shove to knock her down. She didn't wait, and her heels thumped softly against the rug as she strode back toward the room where she had left Yi Lan. "I have something for you," she said, without turning around. She fully expected Jocelyn would be right behind her as she pushed open the door. She greeted Lan with a warm smile.