Curiosity Caught the Cat (Renee, Isis)

[lucius]

Again, the vampire elder listened closely to the words, picking up on what he could and deciding how best to respond. He made his gaze somewhat more gentle as he looked upon Renee, a soft smile on his handsome face. "Abuse? I have no intention of abusing you, love, trust me. And anyone in my employ deserves the luxuries and amenities I afford them. You can live so comfortably here with me, and there is room for growth," said Lucius, continuing to try press his attempts to get her to understand things his way. He felt his logic, however circular, would help his chances on that fact. At least, if not now, eventually down the road.

As the neko's mouth began to nibble at his neck, Lucius rested his hands down, one on either of her legs. His hands remained stationed as he glanced at Renee, but his fingers gently rubbed her. "Yes, all you need to do is be good and not cause me trouble. You do your job well, and you get rewarded well," said the ancient vampire as he gazed down curiously at her. And if she performed poorly, she would remain unmoved in her present situation. If she performed badly, she would lose even more freedoms. And if she performed in a way truly dangerous to Lucius or his work, then she would find herself in a far more difficult and unfortunate situation than she was presently in, but such occurrences like that were rare and unlikely to happen. Or so Lucius hoped.

Lucius frowned as the neko mentioned an unwillingness to steal anything of great value, and brought up it being bad for her in the past. The vampire elder now noticed a brief shift in her mood and feelings; bad memories of some type bringing up fear and hurt. Obviously she had gone after something she could not have in the past and paid the price for it. He had no intention of pursuing that further right now; perhaps later he would. The mood shifted again, quickly as he noticed neko's moods tended to, and she was once again smiling, and quite cute sitting there on his lap like that with those eyes and that smile. There was still some fear hidden there, though, that Lucius felt. He smiled, lifting his hand from his leg and running a finger against her cheek again. "You will be kept well-protected by me. Those of sane mind think twice before threatening to harm that which is under my protection, and if you get into any legal troubles, I have lawyers that can fix that all up," and money, too,, thought Lucius. There were some things people would not readily sell, and some things he did not want to pay for, but most people readily accepted treasure to forget or overlook some incidents. "Working with me, you'll be safer stealing things that you used to be."

Once more a curious frown settled onto the handsome face of the vampire elder when he noticed tears forming in Renee's eyes. Rather that tug at his heart, given the direction things had been going it rather annoyed him that she would start crying over all of it. Lucius had half a mind to throw her off and give up with the charade for now, but the movement of her hands on his waist and the slipping of her fingers into his pants stopped these thoughts, refocusing himself on her. His hands settled once more on the neko's legs, rubbing gently as he looked at her. "Knowing things is what I do. My cameras are all around the city, and I follow people of interest. You became of interest one night surrounding an incident you no doubt remember with Lord Storm. After that, I sent my people out to learn what they could about you, followed you along on our cameras, and decided you'd be useful to things around here," he said openly, as if it were a usual thing.

[emiko]

So, he said he didn't want to abuse her. Did she want to believe that? Yes, yes she did. Did she believe it? No. But she could play along like she believed it for now. He was so pretty. She couldn't keep herself from smiling at him, giving him her own little cute, calm smile. She felt his emotions, deciding what to do or say by what he felt. So, surely there would be no abuse. But that didn't help her pride at all. Had she been more childish and less proud she would have been throwing a fit by now. But that wsn't her way. She wouldn't make herself look bad like that. Sure, the little tantrum from earlier hadn't helped her any but she had hoped to get away then. Had she only made her escape then she wouldn't be in this situation. But it wasn't like she didn't like touching this man, no she quite enjoyed it. He was a pretty man though not pretty enough to make her want him.

She moved closer to him when his finger moved over her legs. She would get rewarded? 'What kind of rewards?' She wondered, curiousity showing in her eyes again. The little kitten was so easily distracted. It was quite annoying. "I'll be good then," she giggled softly, her eyes narrowing a bit. She began to wonder what would happen if she really stayed here. Would she be able to stay in this room? Renee was stubborn but she wasn't stupid. If she was good and did as she was told he would take off the collar. Which would mean she wouldn't be a slave, right? And what if she couldn't get away? She would end up without this comfortable bed. She couldn't talk her way out of this with him, it seemed. She fought back the urge to tell him she wanted good rewards if she was going to have to do what he said. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to stay here for a while.

Her fear of stealing things that had value went back to before she had tried stealing the crystal skull. She didn't want to remember any of it, though. This vampire was offering quite a bit. His finger moved over her cheek and she looked down for a second. He would protect her. She could take things for him and not have to fear getting in trouble for it. Did he have anough power to do that? Could he really protect her? Who knew. So, she would be protected. Lawyers could be used as well. She knew he had the money to keep her safe. She didn't want to risk getting caught and kept by some random stranger. If they had something he wanted she supposed they had to be powerful as well. What if they wouldn't give her back? What if they killed her? She didn't like the idea. Then again, it was just like when she had been stealing on her own. Either way, she was in danger. But when she was stealing on her own she was safer. Those people were not as powerful as the ones she could be stealing from for Lucius. Right?

Either way, she accepted his protection. She felt annoyance coming from him at her tears. She pulled them back, blinking a bit. He was focused on her again when her finger went into his pants and she smiled turning her head to the side, her ears still perked forward. Her tail swayed behind her as she looked up at him. His fingers moved over her legs and she giggled, leaning forward and nibbling at his lower lip. His next words made her ears fall back a bit, the light vanishing from her eyes as she pulled away from him. Lord Storm. Like he was all big and important. She pulled her hands back away from him and crossed them in front of her. "I don't want to have anything to do with Kayen," she said, the influence gone. Her fingers moved up over his chest, though, as she gave him a thoughtful look. "Fine," she said, making a decision. "I'm yours," she finished, wondering how long it would take her to get the collar off.

[lucius]

The ancient vampire chuckled lightly as the neko nibbled playfully at his bottom lip while his hands continued to lightly caress her legs. When he mentioned Kayen, though, he felt her mood shift considerably as she pulled away somewhat from him. It was the same feeling Lucius felt from Renee when she had mentioned concern about stealing things and being punished in the past. It seemed that Kayen Storm was a great problem for the kleptomaniac neko, with such a sore memory of her time with him. He smiled, one of his hands reaching from her legs to her cheek, running his fingers along her cheek and stroking it softly.

"Trust me, few people want anything to do with Lord Storm. He is quite an unsophisticated, foolhardy, and brutish fellow. But we elders felt to name him lord of the vampires precisely for those reasons. We need a bit of a loose cannon to provide a good counterbalance against the other races," explained Lucius. They needed someone who could fight, scare people now and then, but not be scheming enough to actually cause some sort of great imbalance in the city. "You will have nothing at all to do with him, and I'll try make it so you never again have to lay eyes on him. ZaneCorp's relations with the Storm Clan are dealt with solely by me, with none of my staff having to deal with those vampires at all."

When Renee's hands moved up for his chest, his own shifted to wrap around her, resting on the small of her back as Lucius looked down upon her. He had not entirely anticipated hearing the next words to come out of her mouth so soon, but the vampire elder welcomed them fully nonetheless, a smile forming on his handsome face as he looked at her. "I am glad to hear that, love. You will be treated well here and protected, I promise you," he said, leaning forward and kissing her forehead once. "And soon enough, if you continue to work well, your precious freedom will be yours, with the option of actual employment by ZaneCorp if you so choose, but that is for another time."

[emiko]

She left his mind, finding it silly to continue trying to influence him when he was getting what he wanted. So was she, only at a later time. So really, she would have her freedom when the time came. As long as she was good and did as she was told. As long as she didn't try to run off. She was ok with that. Or at least she thought she was ok with it. It still bothered her that she would have to do what he said. She was still a slave. Renee didn't think that was right. But, at least she didn't have to be looked upon by those nasty people at the club like the first time. She never wanted that again and maybe if she stayed here with Lucius, it wouldn't. She seemed to have a habit of getting caught into slavery. As long as she was here she wouldn't have to worry about that. Her eyes looked to his hand as his fingers moving over her cheek once more. 'This is what I have been brought down to. A slave,' she thought. Though, she would be treated better here than most places.

She didn't like the idea of Kayen being the lord. Besides, didn't that mean he was above Lucius? Such a scary thought. but, Kayen could scare people, that much was true. Renee didn't want to see him again and Lucius said he would try to keep her away from him. Trying wasn't good enough for her. She would go crazy if she had to be near him. But as far as she knew Lucius was going to keep her away from him. "Thank you," she said gently, hoping he kept to his word. If he was lying about anything he said, she wouldn't hesitate to put him on her little hit list. He was kind so far and hadn't been cruel, even when she had stabbed him. She wondered if he was angry at her for doing that but she wouldn't ask. He hadn't brought it up or punished her. She would have to keep from attacking the people here, but it wasn't like she went around stabbing random people.

His arms moved around her and shifted a bit in his lap. She felt a bit trapped but she knew she was just being a bit paranoid. So, her next task was to make him like her. If he was fond of her she could probably be released sooner. Of course, Renee wasn't quite sure how to make someone actually like her without using her influence. She rarely made real friends. She didn't plan to become friends with Lucius either. She didn't like him. She was pretty sure she never would. "Keep your promise," she said so he could hear. She felt his lips on her forehead and her cheeks grew red. She lay her forehead against his chest and let her hands fall to her lap, no longer touching him but enjoying his warmth. How could she give in so easy? She moved her fingers over his stomach now, moving them down and watching. "Let's be friend, Lucius," she giggled softly.

[lucius]

Things had taken a turn, albeit somewhat unexpectedly, in the direction that Lucius had wished them to go. Now, with Renee in his and ZaneCorp's service, he would be able to gain quite the upper hand in several things that he had planned, predominantly his upcoming takeover of the largest bank in the city and a forced merging of it with ZaneCorp. A few members of the bank's board had been hesitant of late to get into bed with Lucius Erif and his monolithic corporation, but if he took Renee along for the next few meetings he was sure that she could help push a few others into accepting the takeover and solidify ZaneCorp's control over a part of the city's operations just as important as the media and the telecommunications networks. Banking would give the company control of finances and access to more funding; it was not that ZaneCorp needed the money at all, but it made it easier to get funds to various factions and oversee financial transactions between them, ensuring his company's place in the business around the city.

Yes, Lucius could see it now as he looked down at the neko. The cute little thing would be of tremendous use to his operations, especially in regards to the weak-minded humans. And Lucius was a man of his word; he rarely made promises he would not keep. Good service to him was rewarded, though not for any completely selfless reasons-- if people knew they'd get rewarded or earn something, they would usually perform better, and the chance to earn even more than previously only enticed continued work. It was Luc's way of ensuring efficiency among those in his service and his employ.

"I do not make promises that I cannot or will not keep," replied the ancient vampire at he looked down at her, his arms remaining comfortably around the female neko. As Renee pressed her head against his chest and began to trail her fingers down her stomach, he arched an eyebrow. The giggle she gave was cute, causing a light grin to cross upon his face. "Friends, hm? Does friends mean you won't stab me anymore?" asked Lucius, he fingers lightly stroking at the small of her back as he held her against him.

[emiko]

Renee bit at his stomach, a gentle nip and nothing enough to peirce the skin. Her teeth were sharp, though, like a cats. She knew she could be good for Lucius. She could do so many things for him, though she wasn't sure exactly what types of things he would be needing her to do. Humans were so weak minded, so easy to talk into doing things. This would be an easy life if she had to work with such nasty things. Even though she hated them she knew she would have to speak with them in order to do as she was told. She would have to get past her dislike of the weak things. Such idiots. They would fall easily for her words. She knew she was hard to resist. Just like little kittens. You couldn't really help but picky them up and cuddle them. Renee seemed more like a child, too. Many people loved children. this would be easy for her. She smiled while nibbling at his skin.

'Good boy,' she thought when he answered about the promises. His next words made her look up at him. She turned her head to the side and smiled sweetly. "Yea," she answered. "No stabbing," she breathed, feeling his hands moving over her back. She pulled one around and made him hold out his pinky. "Pinky promise," she said, sticking out her tongue and making him pinky promise her before putting his hand back against her back. "Now we both have promises we can't break, yea?" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him, nibbling a bit at his ear. "You should be lord, not Kayen," she whispered in his ear. This, she really meant. Even though she disliked Lucius she disliked Kayen even more. Besides, Lucius was a lot nicer and less aggressive. At least from what she saw. She didn't like to be hurt.

Most of this was to suck up to Lucius. She wasn't going to call him master, she wasn't going to tell herself she was a slave. Renee wanted him to think they were friends if she couldn't make him her minion. She figured she could at least get him to think he could trust her. After all, she did seem trustworthy. If he were able to truly make friends with the little neko he would have a loyal friend. Someone he could really trust and she would expect to be able to trust him as well. Renee made a great friend, actually. It was just hard to become friends with her. It was much easier to become enemies and thats what she considered Lucius. She didn't like the idea of him being able to say she was his slave but she would deal with it. Later she would be free. She wondered how many other Neko's were in slavery. How many had been in this situation before her?

[lucius]

When Renee held out her pinky to him, and folded his hand so that his pinky was held out as well, Lucius blinked a few times, glancing at the awkward bearing of pinkies inquisitively. Pinky promise. His mind soared through its memories, trying to arouse some type of idea of what in the seven hells the little neko was trying to do here with her pinky and his. After a few seconds, though, Lucius got a bit of a bearing on the situation. It was rather like a handshake, it seemed, though why a handshake was not enough baffled the ancient vampire. They had worked well enough in two thousand years. When someone wanted more, mere mortals and some others would suffice for a blood pact, each partner cutting their hand and then shaking hands, or signing something in their own blood-- that was what Lucius often did in formal pacts. The more overzealous types would use some kind of weird binding spell to hold things together, similar to how many masters kept reign of their slaves.

Perhaps that was it! Maybe this 'pinky promise' was some sort of magical ritual that the neko had come across to ensure sincerity! That would explain the pointlessness of sitting in front of each other and oddly wielding your pinky out at the person in front of you. No... no. That was only mildly more ridiculous than the whole thing itself. Nekos did not have magical promise-binding pinkies; Lucius would have heard of it by now. He supposed this was just some odd gesture that she wanted to perform to sooth her own senses about him being truthful with her. That must have been it, so Lucius decided to play along. However, before he could decide to act on that, all of his thinking had wasted a few seconds and she took the initiative, wrapping her pinky around his own in a 'promise' and then, before he knew it, his hand was back on her back, and he had decided he had just wasted a rather annoying amount of time contemplating such a simple, odd gesture. "Right... We'll both keep our promises," said Lucius, nodding his head and feeling that it was all becoming quite repetitive.

He should be lord? He supposed he could, but Lucius had no intentions for that. He had played the game of coven master centuries ago, and had decidedly 'grown up' since then and noticed how much of a silly game it was, somewhat like the pinky promise endeavor. No, now Lucius existed to stay in the shadows and watch things from there, intervening to make sure things kept on the right and stable track. Kayen was a brute, not much different than the lycans he fought, but it was precisely for that reason that the Elders had chosen Kayen for the position he held. To counterbalance the Lycans. "Ah, politics. If I were to become Lord of the Vampires, I would have to give up so much power," said Lucius, chuckling some. "Kayen can be a monster, I'll give you that. But he knows how to keep younger vampires in shape, though he himself is very young, and he can hold his own against the Lycans. Such a balancing force is necessary. Me... I'm too hold for such a position." Despite having the body of a man in his mid-twenties.

[emiko]

Renee was happy with the promise he had made. He should keep his promise, as he said. As for her, whether she would keep the promise or not was something he wouldn't know. Even she dind't know if she could keep her promise. She might get the urge to stab him later. Then again, it wasn't breaking the promise if she got someone else to stab him. Silly little Neko. Anyway, she was here. She was his slave. She would be a good girl so she could lose the collar. But she figured he had better give her nice things. A cute Neko like her deserved nice things. Thats how she saw it anyway. She was acute girl, she needed pretty things. "Oh, I want my things," she said, talking about her hidden chest of knives and things she had stolen. She wasn't going to leave that outside and Isis had said she was able to go outside and have a bit of freedom while she was his slave. This was what she was looking for. She could bring her things here and live happily. The thought made her laugh a bit.

Content with what he had said, Renee jumped off of his lap and stood in front of him. She listened to what he had to say and nodded. "He didn't like me," she said, looking off to the side. Sure, she was glad she wasn't a slave, but it had hurt her pride that he had let her go. Was she not good enough? Not even good enough to rape before letting her go? She didn't have time for such emotions. It wasn't that she wanted to get raped, but the fact that he had let her go so easily was painful. She thought she was cute. She was worth it all. Ah, well. It was his loss. Seems that it ws a good thing she was free from him anyway. Better Lucius than Kayen. Her eyes studied Lucius now. A pretty man, thought that was to be expected of a vampire. She was cuter, though. She narrowed her eyes a bit, her ears moving to the side to make sure she didn't hear anyone.

"Is that all you wanted?" she asked, wondering if he needed anything else from her. If not, he would probably want to leave now. She would then go off to get her things, if it was ok by him. If he had something more to say, that was fine too. She was all ears for the moment. She was calm and her anger was gone. Though now that she was no longer in his lap there was a frustrated look on her face again. So, Lucius said he was too old for the position. Too bad for him. Renee was glad she was so young. It made her feel special.

[lucius]

When the neko jumped off of his lap, Lucius held back a scowl at himself for being caught off guard and displeased somewhat, having been quite comfortable with holding the cat-like creature so close to him. Such fleeting fancies were not allowed to control his mood, and he was annoyed at himself for allowing them to. This did not register on his face though as he just looked at the kleptomaniac. "Well, that was foolish of him. His loss is my gain... Yours too, no doubt. Storm Manor isn't regarded as the most comfortable place for slaves, I've heard," said Lucius, standing up from the bed before Renee.

"Yes, that is all I needed for now. I just wanted to check up on you and help you get situated," said Lucius as he fixed his suit a little bit. "I can send someone to go fetch your things for you, or you can go out and get them back yourself and enjoy some time outside. Just make sure you're back in the tower by dusk." A fair curfew, as it was not yet noon. Yes, her movements would be completely tracked and her vitality monitored from ZaneCorp tower, but he had decided he would prefer her to spend a few nights in her new home or on business instead of roaming the streets, which were becoming increasingly dangerous, until she was more comfortable, most trustworthy--Lucius did not accept things blindly--, and perhaps a bit more able to defend herself against encroachers.

"Good afternoon, Renee. If you need anything, I live upstairs," said Lucius, reaching forward and patting her head before turning and making his way out of the room to leave her to her own devices for the day.