Playhouse Annex

[raven]

She hissed in unadulterated delight, white lips curling back and soft pink tongue edging out to flick at the smooth expanse of skin on Kakihara's throat. His words were nearly lost on Lilith as her arms encircled his chest -- the lean body flexing under her hold was as alluring to feel as the flayed flesh of her mentor's masterpieces...and in the dim night chamber of her Playhouse, the dark-eyed siren pressed herself tightly to the only other lover she would ever, ever obey. Caught up in the shifting, hazy-paned dream that was them together, she nearly melted into the wiry figure that stood before her...the soul in front who was always, always on fire. Raking painted talons across an exposed portion of Kakihara's belly, a flitting grin lit Lilith's face and she whispered in words too soft to overhear:

"There is love in my violence."

Slinking out from behind him, Lilith's hand still trailed along the contours of his throat and jaw. The silver rings imbedded near his mouth glinted cruelly in the half-light, the depraved flame flickering in his eyes far brighter still; pulling Kakihara with her across the floor by his plaid lapels, Lilith's own inky gaze (growing glassy now for bloodlust) latched on to her yellow-haired lover's with ferocity...and in a moment too quick to measure, she halted and kicked viciously away the remains of the corpse they'd been playing with.

Still gripping his jacket and grinning with a terrifyingly unhinged edge, Lilith snapped at the air playfully as would a feline after a fly...and then fell backwards -- gracefully, fluidly, red hair fluttering around her face like blood streamers -- into the massive, sticky puddle of vein juice left by the carcass.

"Come on, Kakihara. Don't you want to swim? We can tell Marlowe all about it..."

A teasing whisper followed by a malicious giggle, Lilith spoke and then reclined in the viscous blood-pool, soft waves of hair deepening and impossibly tight attire reddening as she brushed herself in scarlet. Though on the outside it seemed she'd not heard Kakihara's plans for Marlowe and Daniels (the sniffing rat who served Vanessa out of syrupy-sick emotion), inside she turned his words over and over -- wondering if her recent attacks on Illuminix spies had garnered any extra attention, and hoping against warped hope that the two Enemy leaders would come together...and plot something lovely for the Annex Clan.

Her coven, readying even now for their trip overseas, was frighteningly disciplined and bred to harbor no remorse nor mercy. At Lilith's demand they flooded out into the city nightly, taking what victims they wished and reporting back to their mistress all news of Illuminix stirrings, all news of the human population, all news concerning her fellow leaders and their clans. Though she'd be seeing the latter very soon (too soon for her tastes?), it was Illuminix and Marlowe that concerned her the most. Well, not concerned so much as interested; she'd love to visit the motherhouse of the New York Enemy more than anything...she'd love to play with the sooty-eyed prodigy of Illudrix even more.

Sighing, her thoughts shifted back to the impending trek to the Senfetti compound. The others would be there first, no doubt. Lovely Isabella she respected...Benito she outwardly revered...and Amberlae -- Amberlae she knew well, and Amberlae she enjoyed. Kindred spirits of a sort, both lusting after power and both greedy at heart (Finne for wordly finery, Kilobaid for broken bones and gore), the two hadn't spoken in a while...and the very next night, Lilith planned to remedy this.

This night, however, was for Kakihara. She was for Kakihara, black soul, black eyes, tender flesh and all. Rising up from the blood only to wrap her arms around his hips and pull him back down into the puddle with her, Lilith grazed his neck with her teeth and smiled.

"And do you think Daniels will come to New York? The drone doesn't fly far from the hive, and Marlowe's a long way from Peregrine's honeycomb."

Sliding across his lap and positioning herself there like a twisted little pet, Lilith growled lovingly and shrugged.

"Maybe he will come. Marlowe is afraid of you, Kakihara. Marlowe is afraid of the things you can do to her...of the things you can make me do to her. Maybe he'll come and we can bring them home. Play with them until they beg for death. You'll like their screams. I promise, love..."

Drifting ever closer to Kakihara's throat, Lilith's white lips drew back yet again. Depthless eyes searched his face for the silent adoration shone only on her, and slender hands searched slowly for the dexterous fingers that made mutilated sculptures of ordinary skin and bone. Clasping her palms to his, twining her limbs through his own, grinning before the fishook fangs sank in, Lilith licked Kakihara's lower lip and whispered hissingly:

"Tomorrow night the meeting. Tonight a dance with immortality.

There is love in my violence...Luciferi."

Pulled into him by way of blood, Lilith's teeth punctured the pale throat of her demon-lover...and she sank beneath the black waves of him, dead to all and the rest of the night...violently and lovingly alive to Kakihara as she twisted gently on his lap.

[raven]

The gentle billowing of diaphanous silk drapes and the rising volume of chatter drifting up from the floors below conspired to wake Lilith hours later. She hadn’t realized when, drunk on Kakihara’s black essence and exhausted from a full days’ worth of dictatorship, her dark paramour had lifted her in his arms and carried her (like a sleeping child) into the massive master bedroom the two shared. The day had passed in all its clement yellow glory, leaving Lilith, Kakihara, and their coven to nest below its weakening rays in a stone-and-cement palace—lavish, decadent, suited to the siren’s tastes and dangerous to those who didn’t belong. Though it had been a warehouse in decades past, the Playhouse was now home to the most regimented, treacherous clan of vampires in the undead nation; outwardly they seemed given to wanton violence and lust…but when called to a task (whether at Lilith’s personal behest or by a commanding covenling), there was none who could match their skill, their precision, or their deadly efficiency.

Blinking back sleep and rolling over onto her stomach, Lilith grinned as flakes of dried blood drifted like a scarlet snowstorm down across the lush bed, the tasseled pillows, and the serpentine silk canopy that spilled from above to the floor below in the manner of some rich, red waterfall. Her hazardously-heeled boots had been removed—fishnet stockings were all that covered pale, curvaceous legs now. Bending down to kiss the still-sleeping Kakihara, Lilith’s hair spilled across his neck (now healed, though she’d tore a gaping wound the night before) and face…not wishing to wake him yet, she made a mental note to have a covenling-domestic clean the room later…and then she slunk from the satiny oasis like a wraith.

Moving across the opulent grey carpet (an absolute delight to bare feet), the black-eyed tigress rolled her shoulders and perched upon the corner of the claw-footed desk that squatted heavily nearest the great bay window. Leather portfolios, an assortment of papers (bearing the wax seals of a hundred different lesser leaders), and a sleek silver computer all vied for space on the varnished oak surface. Pressing a button on the intercom box, Lilith quirked a brow and waited…unbuckling the tiny leather monstrosity that covered her torso and grabbing an equally-tiny black satin robe. She’d nearly finished wriggling from the vinyl pleated skirt before an answering crackle issued from the little silvery box.

“Yes, Mistress?”

The voice was velvety, deep, and tinged with the hint of some Scandinavian accent. In her mind, Lilith could picture its host—brilliant, flaring green eyes; unruly brown hair that fell to slim shoulders; image after image inked onto preternaturally pale skin. Grinning happily and tying the robe’s sash about her slender hips, Lilith looked to Kakihara first to make sure he hadn’t been disturbed by the recent, faint commotion before speaking into the imbedded microphone.

“Vee, darling…put out a bulletin: the entire clan is to meet in the Cathedral Room for a briefing regarding our trip overseas. I think you’ve been informed as to Senfetti’s desire for a great coming-together of the covens? Have them seated and at attention by eleven…no later. You, darling, are to meet Kakihara and I at the door before we enter. I’ve some further instructions for you.”

Still savoring the sound of her chief advisor’s rich voice, Lilith clicked off the intercom and kicked her ruined clothes into a pile near the desk’s right foot. In seven seconds, she was in the glass-walled shower…steam and heat issuing from the splendid bathroom like the exhalations of some deep-sea leviathan.

Stepping onto the black-tiled floor and pushing back wet waves of crimson hair minutes later, Lilith padded back into her inner sanctum…white skin no longer marred by great streaks of dried blood, body comforted by the little robe she wore. Picking at the impossibly-sleek cell phone that lay next to a particularly thick folder on the desk’s face, she flipped it open and scrolled through her massive collection of contacts. Down, down, down…as she searched, she again moved towards the giant, silk-hung bed. Climbing up atop the sumptuous mattress like a little girl and moving spider-swift to Kakihara’s side, she nestled down in the crook of his arm and kissed his nose. The number she’d been looking for was now dialing…and moving her delicate face into the nook of her masochistic mate’s neck, she smiled.

“Amberlae? Dear…it’s been awhile! Have you gotten your summons from Senfetti yet? I was wondering if you’d maybe like to meet me here first…at my compound. I was thinking of mixing business with a little pleasure…and it’s been so long since you’ve visited….”

[raven]

It was a touch-and-go connection from the start — her costly little phone began cutting in and out almost as soon as Amberlae picked up. Between the infrequent bits of sound issuing from the other end (across an ocean) and Kakihara’s whispered words near her ear, Lilith’s waning attention became something less than stellar. For a few moments she listened hard, attempting to pick out anything resembling a word from the static mess…but soon the hissing completely swallowed all sound and Lilith was left with nothing. Sighing and shaking her head, she flipped shut her phone and waited a moment…grinning wickedly at Kakihara’s dark and lovely litany.

“And you kissed my lips with those once-cold fingertips…”

Reaching up with slim white arms, she slid them around his neck and pulled him down onto the bed with her. With one hand she again opened the phone, typing out with a wicked left thumb a text message to Amberlae; the other hand she raked through Kakihara’s yellow hair, smiling devilishly but watching the tiny text screen all the while. Black satin and red silk mingled on the hulking bed as Lilith finished another little foray into business — her words, tiny, neat, and grammatically-impeccable, flashed as she sent the message:

“Call the land-line, darling...the cell connection was horrendous. We’ve so much to catch up on, you know…”

Throwing the phone across the comforter so that it landed in a pile of delicately-stitched pillows, Lilith slithered over onto her back and giggled. Slender hands slipping down the scarred sides of her torture-artist’s face, she fixed him with an adoring gaze…recollections like warm water spilling from his almond eyes as he and his blue plaid stole away her thoughts.

“It hurts them, Lilith. You take this end and you fix it in their flesh…and then you slide the whole thing through. It makes a popping noise when it pierces bone — it sounds like ripping skin when it moves through flesh. And their screams…oh, their screams accompany it all the while. Like an orchestra of the gruesome.”

His eyes had been black even then, when she’d first found him cutting open a particularly irritating fledgling in the Red Room. Blood was seeping under the door, sporadic crackings and shrieks trickling across the hall…a myriad mewlings echoing from her subjects as they, too, passed the door and tasted blood in the air. Vee had told Lilith of the newcomer— told her of how he’d shown up, framed in the great bay window of her bedroom holding nothing but a wicked iron spike and the tails of his coat. Vee had told her, too, that he’d been wandering the Playhouse for some time (Lilith had been immersed in clinching some now-forgotten deal with a human official), and how he’d said nothing…to anyone…the entire time.

“Its pain is sufficient, Kakihara? It bleeds because of the needles, and the twistings…and the spikes in its face? I see. Oh, I see. You’re a genius, Kakihara...”

She surfaced again to present-time, brown-black eyes glistening and fathomless.

“You’re a genius, love. Listen: and all things come to an end…we don’t have to pretend…”

She smiled again, burying her face in the hollow of his neck and giggling. Taloned fingers slithered along the edge of his shirt and pricked at the skin once they wormed their way inside. Waiting on Amberlae and pressed tight to Kakihara, she hoped he’d guess at where her mind had wandered to — talking about the past (especially when it involved horribly cruel practices laced with love) was a favorite activity of Lilith’s when she wasn’t bleeding someone…eating someone…laying listless and content in Kakihara’s arms.

“So, darling. After Amberlae calls…before the gathering…where do we go to play tonight?”

[raven]

“What should we hunt with tonight..? I was thinking of going fishing…but if you had other ideas...”

At once she clapped a hand over her mouth, grinning at the image Kakihara produced as he reemerged with the pair of massive hooks. It was simply too precious and too delicious a sight to ignore; jumping up and sliding off the bed, bare feet touched down upon the sumptuous grey carpet—and pausing once to tighten the sash at her hips, she fairly flew across the room to him. Scarlet hair streaming down around her shoulders, her face, and her tender neck, Lilith’s eyes glittered anxiously and pale lips pressed appreciatively to the scars at each corner of her homicidal mate’s mouth.

“Oh, fishing would be too lovely an activity to pass up. I haven’t felt the jerk of those blades in a long, long time…and I hear there’s a plentiful pool of things to break and bleed over in Marlowe’s neighborhood…”

Thin fingers slithered up Kakihara’s plaid collar, and with a fanatical sort of excitement lighting the refined features of her face, Lilith giggled.

“Can we, Kakihara? Can we go and see where Marlowe plays?”

Not waiting for an answer, Lilith slid away with a lingering stare and turned to dive into the immense closet that took up a good portion of the eastern side of the room. Peeking in through the iron-laced double doors, she slipped through the opening and disappeared into the darkness…returning some moments later, triumphant and slightly flushed. In her hands hung dark swatches of cloth, a pair of boots, and an assortment of trinkets pulled from the great glass box of things she and Kakihara shared.

“I’ve got to dress first, devil. Not going to catch my death of cold out there…”

Hissing playfully and yanking shut the filmy drapes, the satin robe promptly fell to her feet in a tiny, whispering heap of glimmering black. Tossing her head, she dropped her treasures at the foot of the bed and eyed each piece carefully…never minding that she might be in violation of a modesty policy nor caring whether it was reasonable of her to simply undress and recreate herself in Kakihara’s presence. He’d seen much worse…or better…anyway—on any given night.

First to be pulled on was a pair of scandalously small boy-shorts, lacey and black. A red-and-black corset sporting rude lacing from hem to top came next…followed by the most favorite (and notorious) garment yet acquired by the vicious fashionista. An ankle-length military coat, made of black wool, trimmed in red piping, and completed by silver buttons running from neck to mid-waist, was pulled on by Lilith. Though she rarely buttoned it and reveled in the way it flared (true military-style) at the hips, it was something that she often wore hunting—an infamous trademark and a visual cue to her covenlings that Mistress was going out…to play. Multi-buckled platform boots and a thick leather collar completed the black-eyed temptress’s uniform…along with a certain hoop-bedecked paramour.

Clapping her hands and grinning devilishly, she slunk across the floor and paused behind him…resting her chin on his shoulder and toying with the fabric of his suit. Whispering innocently and cocking her head, she repeated again her question:

“Can we, love? I want to rend flesh from bones and organs from steaming cavities…for you.”

[raven]

“She comes on like a crippled plaything…spine is just a string.”

Amberlae would have to wait. Her devious business ventures would have to wait. As soon as Kakihara’s reply unfurled from disfigured lips, Lilith scuttled elatedly across the chamber…leaning down to push the intercom button and smiling viciously. Sweeping back faintly-curling waves of dark scarlet with one hand and tapping newly-painted nails on the gleaming desk surface with the other, she waited impatiently for the answer she knew would come.

“Mistress?”

Closing her eyes for a moment and relishing the velvety sound, Lilith grinned and whispered hissingly:

“Vee, love…listen. A call from Finne is expected sometime tonight, and I absolutely need you to take it. Tell Amberlae that I’m out on business, and that I’ll call again once Kakihara and I have returned. Keep the others in line while we’re out, darling. Tell them that if they’re good…I’ll bring them a treat.”

Luminous, dark eyes glittered at the thought of bringing back warm flesh for her babies. Though she often punished her clan subjects for various suspected failures and shortcomings, Lilith gave in to the underlying instincts of chief protector and lover when the time called for it. A ruthless, sharp, and shrewd leader, the Annex Mistress was beyond egalitarianism and democracy—a dictatorship, efficient and well-organized, was the system subscribed to by Lilith…and it had never failed her before. Hugging the backs of her arms and contemplating this power, she giggled softly at Vee’s reply.

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of everything. Bring me back something special…?”

There was no tremble in his voice, no unsure undertones in the deep, rich sound that echoed out of the little silver box. Vee’s real name, like the aura that permeated the very air around him, was beautiful and striking…and Lilith contemplated using this in her reply, though she knew he allowed very few to hear it. Glancing back to Kakihara before deciding against the idea, she merely nodded and smiled. Pulling at the tongue of one her massive boots, she purred affectionately before clicking off the receiver:

“Of course, dear. And you behave, too…”

Whirling to face her personal devil (black coat billowing so that white thighs were on prominent display), Lilith tossed her head and winked. Grabbing Kakihara by the hand and slipping her fingers through his, she smiled and pulled him from the room…nudging shut the door with her foot before slipping down the darkened hall. Through other corridors and rooms they slunk, some populated by lean and white-faced covenlings, others devoid of anything save moonlight and lavish, modern furnishings. Nearing the Red Room (made infamous by Kakihara’s first appearance there), the two passed a particular disciple who extended a gaunt hand and ran fingers through Lilith’s streaming hair.

Ashen, white-lipped, and doe-eyed, the woman’s shaved head and small stature made her seem a nightmarish pixie silhouetted against shifting shadows. Her throat was completely encased in an intricate silver collar, a thin chain falling from this to the bottom of her leather bustier. She wore a billowing grey skirt as well, tattered and stained from a thousand attacks on human victims; the silver hoop in her septum and the spikes in her labret and lip only served to entice others all the more…including Lilith, siren supreme and purveyor of death. Her name was Seven, and she’d been one of Lilith’s lovers before Kakihara had appeared and stolen her heart….

There was no time this evening, however, for memory-laden encounters.

“Seven, brush my hair another night…”

Grabbing the chain and pulling her close, Lilith pressed pouting lips to the female’s cheek with gross sensuality. Batting black lashes and grinning, she squeezed Kakihara’s hand…and turned to go. Impossibly pale hands slithered up, however, and caught Lilith around the waist before she could take a step further. Suppressing a sigh and stifling her flaring temper with a half-forced smile, Lilith twisted in this sudden embrace so that she faced Seven…resting thin fingers on her former flame’s face and leaning in to hear her too-soft words.

“Mistress, I want to brush it now. Lilith, Lilith…we’ve some news for you from the others. We’ve seen certain things out lurking…too close to Home. Too, too close to Home. You’ll hear Seven when you come back? Please?”

Running her hands across the elf-ish beauty’s shaved head and bare shoulders, Lilith nodded in assent, her mouth working quickly to supply Seven with a wealth of comforting, placating words.

“I’ll have Vee send for you when we return. You’ll be the first one I see before the coven gathering, my little lovely. I promise…”

And before Seven could ask another thing, Lilith slipped from her grasp and pulled Kakihara after her…covering the rest of the distance to the great, guarded doors in a matter of moments. Blowing kisses to the half-hidden sentinels who stood back in the shadow-pools, she exited the massive Playhouse and paused once outside…breathing in deeply and marveling at the way far-off neon lights lit Kakihara’s skin with a myriad muted colors.

“You’ll have to excuse Seven, my love. She’s sometimes a little…fanatical.”

Pressing herself close against him and pulling his arms up around her, she giggled.

“Now, where to…?”

[raven]

(Presenting Vee:



Too lovely, ain't he?)

[raven]

(Rp session between Kak and Lil)

Kakihara: A creature of the night, yet one who was loyal to his mate.. no matter what devishly and beautiful beings Lilith surrounded their home with. The succulent Seven or the male Vee that made him dance along the edge...yet he stood strong between them and more. Only when he and Lilith partook together did he break the vow of eternity...for they hunted together, they loved together...they lusted together...and walked together this night, amongst the freaks. Passing each of these living, breathing, dark figures...pale skinned and beautiful in their own right. His arm was pulled about her, and he accepted her lead. Pulling her close they left their manor, of sorts, and passed into the world of unguarded dreams...for this world was their playhouse...this world was their toybox. Always something new given by the dark gods above to feed their adoring lovers, especially he and his mate. Leather shoes, of libertine mar, tapped gently upon the sidewalk...walking, walking, walking...parting from the site of the manor. The eyes of the coven leaving them, for alone for once he wished to be...the hooks dangling about near his calves. His lips pressed close to her ears. Delicately. He spoke softly, softly...

"My dear, my dear...we walk the fine line of love and death this night...may we wash in both, a shower for our new coming lordship."

Lips pressed, once and then again...as they searched for the perfect prey.

Lilith: Smiling at his words and the deep-seated poetry with which they were expressed, Lilith followed at his elbow…her fingers reaching for his and twining about the pale left palm that dangled so enticingly near his hip. Dark eyes aglow with the fluctuating illuminations provided by both neon signs and hazy streetlamps, she tossed her head coltishly and giggled -- Kakihara’s blue suit drew stares as they passed workmen scurrying to smoke-belching factories (third shift began soon), and the hooks he carried forced the other few stragglers to step up their pace. Blowing kisses to each in turn and staring down any who chose to look for more than a moment, Lilith giggled.

"Where are we going, darling?"

Kakihara: The days of the past gave them nobility status, today they seemed nothing more than two people...two people who happened to shoot fear through the veins of those around. Like the plague through blood. The streets emptied around them...emptied around them wherever they went. His arm held her close, his coat wild and beautiful...much like the spirit of his Lilith. His lips still close to her ears, where they felt home. Spoke gently, a ring tinging his marred and scarred lips.

"I thought we would hunt where no one would mind, yet the food is good.. down in the art district. The people are still awake...but the allies are dark."

He led her to the place, where the firewalkers, sword eaters, dancing midgets and, of course, the rich artists (and poor) sat about painting, singing and dancing.

"Afterwards I thought we could hit the spiritual bar, Cyclone...where spirits are trapped and forced to sing for eons, for the amusement of us."

Lips moving, enjoying the curves.

Lilith: She shivered a little at the proximity of his lips to her ear, but regaining composure was no difficult task for Lilith...and so she merely grinned at the suggestion, following her demon-lover toward whatever killing field he chose. Humming some faded melody from an orchestra long-since disbanded, her face seemed a porcelain mask -- a thing crafted in in a netherworld's kiln and sent as a token gift to the devil's distant associates...namely, Luceferi Kakihara and whatever pupils he chose to take on. Not that Lilith would allow him another; she was more than enough for him to handle. Smiling devilishly and nuzzling the yellow hair that curled at the nape of his neck, she waited for him to pick their specimens.

Kakihara: The two of them walked, they walked like sinners down the fiery path to hell. Yet as they went they did not fear, for what they did was what was right. They lived for themselves, they lived for each other. They lived for all that could be, and all that had been. And as they reached the end of the art district, the outskirts were dotted here and there with random pedestrians. And he turned to lean against the wall...watching each as they walked. Pulling Lilith next to him...he nodded towards an oncoming young man. Dressed in black, pale...distraught. Hurt over the thought of losing forever. His wish to not suffer forever was coming into frutation, thanks to the angels of lost hopes...the saint Jude of the dark world. They would free him of the pain, by purging him of his body. With very much pain.

Lilith: She watched as the creature walked on, watched as he slowed when it was realized his path would take him past the two shifty creatures reposing (so comfortably and regal) against that wall. Waves of red hair like a slick, soft blood mane tumbled around Lilith’s neck and shoulders as she shook back these irritating tresses and grinned at Kakihara. Like a feline she moved, sinuous and slow, towards the tragically-minded man; circling him as she approached and veiling her intentions with a barrage of illusions designed to ensnare, she purred to him with white lips (watching Kakihara all the while):

"Good evening, love...what's your destination?"

[raven]

At first the poor beast stared, Lilith’s keen eyes tearing away at his mental resolution and rigidity. In the earliest throes the boy seemed a veritable fountain -- of perceptions, thoughts, ideas…wavering impressions newly-formed concerning the two devils who now stood in his path; after a time, however, an inner lock snapped shut, swiftly and abruptly -- and Lilith was left with very little by way of information. It was a habit of hers to glean all that she could from the specimens Kakihara chose…she loved to twine herself against and within the very mental portals that so often closed in death; thoughts and memories she devoured from her victims, too…as well as blood, and flesh, and the occasional steaming organ. It maddened her to no end that this lovely man should push her out -- and so skillfully, too! Watching as the color drained back into his cheeks and the glaze slipped from his eyes, Lilith’s dark brow quirked as she again purred.

“Don’t tell me you’re out alone tonight…it’d be such a shame for a handsome devil like you to stroll unaccompanied.”

Her delicate, pallid face only inches from the stranger’s own, Lilith drew a sharp-nailed hand along both cheek and jaw…digging in near the ear and drawing a minute drop of blood. The too-faint aroma of perspiration and this new coppery fluid melded to form a singularly pleasing, cloying scent that latched onto Lilith’s olfactory center -- driving the tide of bloodlust higher and creating in the scarlet-haired feline a pulsating sensation not easily ignored. On guard, however, she remained…for something about the way the beast snapped shut his mind vexed her, something about the efficiency with which he closed her out made her wary…and irritated.

Pressing herself against him and grinning, she looked back to Kakihara and motioned the almond-eyed fiend to join them. Still the boy didn’t speak…still he merely watched, frozen with fascination and rooted to the spot; nuzzling the tender skin just above his Adam’s apple, Lilith again gazed pointedly into his eyes…hoping to catch the mortal by surprise so that she might finally feast on his soul. As she reached out to draw Kakihara nearer, the smallest of threads whispered to her from deep within the creature's mind -- dim, nearly-hidden, and slight…

…Illuminix.

Lilith exploded, lips drawing back so that wicked fangs flashed dangerously.

“Kakihara! One of the bitch’s whelps!”

Shooting back to her lover's side, she pulled at his hand and the hooks he held there. She was hissing still when the stranger attempted to run, realizing that the self-imposed security lock in his brain had been picked. Shrieking in a wild rage, she nearly took off after him...reigning in her fury only when Kakihara's touch quelled the floodtide of hideous anger. The hooks still dangled by his calves -- and they were going to fish, after all.

"Get him, my love. Hook the beast so that we might...play."

Licking at the skin of his lips, Lilith grinned and kissed him.

[raven]

"I see hell in your eyes...
Taken in by surprise (surprise);
Touching you makes me feel alive --
Touching you makes me die inside."

She smiled in the most wicked way, watching with an intense interest as Kakihara whirled and swung the blades. Depthless orbs of velvety black-brown shifted swiftly between the streetlight and her mentor, between the now-grunting prey and the deceptively composed exterior of her ink-eyed devil; petal-white lips peeled back from shining gums and, in less than a moment, revealed the snake fangs that so sweetly ended the earthly journeys of thousands. Tossing her head so that ruby-hued locks slithered back and away from her shoulders, Lilith strode forward…her perverted priest-coat billowing and her Madonna’s visage contorted into something like a saccharine grin.

She surveyed the blood fount, fixed the quickly-expiring creature with a look cold as ice, and then…laughed. Dulcet, soft, and faintly depraved, waves of mellifluous laughter broke from Lilith’s throat and echoed against the brick walls of the alley. She cared little that Kakihara had missed, that the dark scarlet fluid pattered noiselessly around them in a red, wet nimbus; sleek tigress and perpetual predator, Lilith opened her mouth and let fall like snowflakes drops of blood onto her tongue. Still the laugh unfurled from her mouth -- still the fresh corpse swung like a monstrous, misshapen pendulum…still Lilith watched Kakihara, her lithe arms outstretched and her hands gesturing pleadingly.

“A shower is exactly what we need, darling. Come and show me your love…rip out the wings of this butterfly.”

Cocking her head and twisting her exquisite neck so that the waxen white of her throat was on prominent display, she giggled a little and continued to catch congealing blood dollops on her lips and tongue. Jumping so that she batted at the swinging body like a kitten, her nails raked the beast’s legs and rent the clothing there to shreds. Eyes shining now with a violent lust, she moved towards Kakihara and grasped his hand…thin, pale fingers picking at his coat sleeves and slipping up his arms so that she could position them around her waist. Leaning back into him, smearing his attire with blood and nipping at the air, she smiled wickedly.

“What shall we do with the body…once you’ve showered, too? We could dress it up, slice the skin…remove his bones and teeth so that he’d make a pretty present for Marlowe. Want to? You could make me a masterpiece, baby…”

[raven]

Sinuous body moving slowly beneath the feeble orange glow, Lilith followed her mate towards the makeshift gallows — slipping from her coat and hanging delicately the gorgeous attire-atrocity from the back of a nearby bench. Vast expanses of sleek white skin now shone, from goddess-face to curvaceous legs…the intentionally tattered corset, with its black frame like skeletal fingers and red lacing like doll stitches, caught not a mote of light as she slunk around and behind Kakihara; the racy, lacy boyshorts (coal-colored and lustrous) seemed a black-ash smear against the thighs of a marble deity. Her boots made little sound as she circled their prey — it was the tinkling of tools as her lover brought them out that shattered the silence brought on by pauses between screams. Frowning up at the hanging creature and quirking a sculpted brow, Lilith slipped up behind Kakihara (as he had done to her only moments before) and spoke lowly into his ear.

“How am I to reach him, devil-of-mine? I think it’s time to prep the canvas properly…”

She grinned as she whispered, nuzzling the soft flesh below his ear and then brushing past him to work at the chains that hung the human so. Of course, she wouldn’t remove those hooks from the muscle — no, that would be the fantastic coup de grace…and she’d rather starve than take from her mentor the most brilliant of brushstrokes. Rather, she finagled the chains so that the body fell with a muffled thump and a low moan, its hips and torso bearing the brunt of the impact so that now, in addition to the wonders she and Kakihara would work, excessive bruising would blossom like black flowers all along its midsection.

Smiling up at her lover like a student who’d mastered some task, Lilith reached up to take from him the pliers…running tapered fingers along its glistening curves and clacking its maw with a low giggle. Scarlet hair curtaining her face from the rest of the world and luminous eyes glittering, she turned the mortal over onto his back with little effort and then perched upon his chest. Purring huskily and licking at the blood that had spattered his lips, his eyelids, and his neck, Lilith grabbed ahold of the corners of his jaw and squeezed ferociously — forcing his mouth open and another strangled shriek from his throat.

“Come on then…out with your teeth. I’ll make a necklace and string them all along my neck and breasts; I’ll not waste your pretty little smile, boy. I’ll not waste the attributes you’ve put to use for that open sore that is Illuminix.”

Bestowing a final kiss upon the man’s open mouth, Lilith laughed into the wet, pink cavity and then turned…looking over her shoulder and gazing hungrily at Kakihara.

“It’s your turn, my love. Join me in death? Join me in this practice that you’ve so mastered and made me slave to? Punch his flesh full of holes and rip the skin from red meat…”

Blowing a kiss and wanting only now to ruin, rend, and feel Kakihara’s body against hers, Lilith clamped the pliers around the mortal’s first front tooth. Centering her body weight against whatever convulsions he’d go into, she wrenched and wrenched with the tool, both blood and primitive screams welling afresh as she pulled with a sickening, wet pop the little enamel square from his mouth. Holding a finger to her own lips and grinning, Lilith shook her head and rubbed her cheek against his…silken tangles of hair brushing against the man’s chest and neck. As she shushed him, she again applied the pliers to a tooth, jerking with a nauseating pull another prize from his gums.

She giggled then, and held both teeth in her little palm…fingers curling about them so they wouldn’t be lost. Of course, she had a whole mouth to do, and Kakihara hadn’t even started yet…

Lilith shivered with ecstasy, with glee, and with hunger. In a moment she would resume her sculpting — in a moment Kakihara’s skill would astound her, and she’d feel the warmth that came with defiling flesh all over again. For now she waited, though…and giggled. And eyed her masochistic mate with a wicked mixture of pleasure and fear….

[raven]

She exhaled slowly at his touch, blinked back blinding adulation as she gazed at him, and finally paused in her work -- opening her hand so that Kakihara could see properly the pretty fruit of a dirty labor. Curling her fingers around his as they toyed with the sticky little teeth and the tiny end fragments of fleshy roots that still dangled, she smiled maliciously -- and yanked him closer. Supple arms of waxy white slithering up around his neck, her brown eyes snapped viciously…a smile both malicious and engaging lighting the fine features of her face.

There was something about the wet, repellent smears of blood; something about the guttural screams and insect-like writhing of victims; some aspect of the gratuitous, motiveless violence supremely executed by the Annex overseers that pushed Lilith to think of a personal, fictional Eden. Some nightside of Eden, maybe, where, glutton-like, she crawled through fields of sheared mortal meat…where massive heaps of bloody flesh lay piled in red, wet, quivering mountains of gore. Where all that was not unearthly would be crushed beneath Lilith’s insatiable hunger for carnage and brutality.

Often she dreamed of such a paradise, wrapped up in Kakihara’s embrace while the infernal fingers of sun seared everything outside the walls of their kingdom. Once or twice she’d even broached the subject to Vee, but always the framework for this plan disintegrated upon the arrival of more pressing business. It was a thought that drove her relentlessly at times, a fantasy that colored her art and that had moved her to study beneath Kakihara when he’d first arrived. Of course, other aspects of Kakihara had moved her to listen to the darkly amorous, maniacal monster…other aspects she’d witnessed when he hunted, when he played, and when he butchered still-warm bodies with a skill not seen since her sire’s time. These aspects she thought of now, and these aspects caused her to laugh lowly, faintly.

Jerking him closer still, she slipped the knife from his grasp (the very one that had so artfully severed the man’s eyelids), and held it between slim fingers. Flicking out her tongue like a serpent and eyeing Kakihara with a smoldering, immoral smile, she brought the blade up to her mouth…and giggled. Disregarded was the dying body beneath them -- Lilith still sat on his chest, and Kakihara crouched next to her; the pliable skin was warm and the shallow breaths calming -- there was no reason to leave such a pleasurable perch. Pausing a moment to drop the teeth into her corset (so that they wouldn’t be lost in whatever entertainment ensued) Lilith wriggled her tongue at Kakihara like a little snake…

…And then sliced it viciously up the middle.

Dark spatters of blood flooded her mouth in seconds, and she laughed freely -- covering Kakihara’s neck and chest in viscous red fluid. Pulling him against her, she pressed herself to his body and licked the skin along his jaw and ear. Dribbles of blood ran from her mouth still, and they trickled in spidery rivulets down across his collar, his shoulder, and his shirt. Depthless eyes gazed in adoration at him, and she buried the tip of the knife in the forehead of their prey…provoking another squeal of anguish and exciting her senses all the more. Smiling wickedly at her black-eyed lover, she wriggled her newly-bisected tongue at him again…and then pressed her mouth to his. It had been too long since excruciating pain and toe-curling lust shared Lilith’s sentiment platform…too long since she’d been both grievously wounded and feverishly prurient. Too, too long…

Grinning into his mouth and kissing him still, Lilith wondered what new shapes and forms they'd make with the steaming, severed flesh of this Illuminix human. One arm slipping around Kakihara's waist, the other encircling his neck, she temporarily stopped such scheming -- and gave in to the deadly melding of pleasure, pain, and wanton sadism….

[raven]

“I mean that loving you is strange, and adored by me throughout…
Tying yourself to me, stitch up my emptiness – ‘cause you’re the death of me…
So precious, loving the thrill…”

She would have die beneath waves of exorbitant desire, were she not dead already. She would have shivered with profound and dissolute glee at the blood, the screams, the violence…and then she would have fainted clean away, her last breaths rattling like winter’s wail at a broken window. Her brown eyes, once vitalized and depthless, might have fluttered and shut…her mouth might have worked emptily like a marionette’s—and then closed. Death was a many-splendored thing, draped in images of white shrouds and white lilies and white skulls; death was the ending to an unfinished book, the stone stopper in an animated vessel…and to Lilith, death was absolutely charming.

Leaning back atop the almost-corpse, she smiled dreamily and watched with half-closed eyes the way Kakihara nailed the Illuminix boy to the street. She giggled then, and grabbed him around the neck. Pulling him against her, Lilith ran slim hands over his face, his neck, and his shoulders…staining him with the blood from her mouth and the clotting mess from their mortal guest. Her tongue would heal itself soon—indeed, the pain had already lessened and the blood-flow had begun to slacken. Such was the burden and the blessing of the undead body…such was the luck and the curse.

Before that happened, however, Lilith wanted to relish the feel of a veritable vein-juice flood issuing from her body. She again spit blood into Kakihara’s mouth…and smiled maliciously. Raking her fingers through his tousled, red-smeared hair, she paused a moment to look into those deceivingly serene, painfully cold eyes; remnants of recollections slithered through her suddenly—memories of their first meeting, their first killing spree, the way Kakihara had smiled when she’d discovered where and when to slice a body in order to inflict the highest degree of pain. Delicate face softening at these tender memories, Lilith relaxed against the near-expired body of the man and laughed softly.

“Kakihara…”

The very syllables of his name were sweet to her, and in an instant she was kissing him again, the ebbing blood torrent completely painting his white skin. Soon they’d have to kill this creature completely…soon they’d have to finish their fun and return home. There was business to attend to, a coven to address, and plans to make. The love they made beneath dim orange haloes, though…the love they made beneath an indifferent sky and a thousand concrete buildings…that was enough for her. That was enough for Lilith, and she wouldn’t relinquish her hold on Kakihara until he, himself, decided it was time to return home…

[raven]

She nestled in his arms at once, bloodlust subsiding and the ever-present sheen of insanity fading like so many glowing coals behind her eyes. There was blood smeared on her hands, on her arms, on her neck and on her face…supple skin once eerily white now snapped with the same vibrant color as that of her hair—vivid scarlet, hue of life and shade of anger. Her mouth was stained with the tangible vitality of mortal flesh, her heart was indelibly marked by an unyielding adoration for Kakihara…and there in the fading night he sang to her, his voice like a drug she’d forever need coursing through her body. Clasped to him like a child, she looked up into her devil’s almond eyes with something akin to awe…the massive ‘X’ wound on his chest both wonderful and brutal for her thin fingers to explore.

The man was dead now—that fact was quickly ascertained by a cursory sniff and a rapid once-over by the Annex siren. The death-smell hung over him like an imperceptible fogbank…and only those members of vampire-kin would be able to tell until a few more hours passed. Decay had barely begun, and the blood congealing in dark pools around him would pass as stagnant storm water until the sun’s rays told otherwise. Lilith hoped that her and Kakihara’s great work would once again find a place in the Illuminix annals…in those files on Marlowe’s desk that pertained solely to her—and Kakihara.

For a third time that night, Lilith was filled with an intense desire to seek out Marlowe and to make her see the genius of the disfiguring, murderous art she and her mate so loved to indulge in. She wanted to sew Vanessa’s pretty mouth shut and she wanted to pin Vanessa’s pretty eyes open and she wanted to watch as Kakihara devised a supreme and superlative end for the Illuminix beauty. She wanted…oh, she wanted so many things that seemed so unattainable at so many moments.

Shaking her head and sighing softly, she blinked dark lashes and slid her little hands into Kakihara’s. They were slick with his blood, warm from their previous activities, and somehow they fit perfectly in the yellow-haired demon’s clutch. Resting her cheek against his and standing on her toes so that she was even with his face, she ruffled the butter colored locks at the nape of his neck and grinned. She knew that they had to turn now, that they had to head back they way they’d traipsed down before…she needed to address the whole of the clan, she needed to hear poor Seven out (no matter how inane the darling’s babble was), and she needed to ask Vee if Amberlae had called back yet.

Pulling him along with her as she retrieved her coat, she shrugged into the thing with a delicacy and a fluidity uncommon to the earthly stock. With this same grace she slipped behind him and pulled his jacket from the parking meter—draping it over his taut shoulders and tracing the wound on his chest again with delight. Kissing his earlobe and smiling mischievously, she finally returned the favor…and in a low, silvery voice sang to him.

“Divided we stand in the light of a frozen sun,
Cursing the gods we have become…

We steal the fire from a sacred heart
And bleed the wine unholy;
We fall in love with the serpent's song
And fear nothing.

In the nightside of Eden
We're born again dead…
Forever we are,
Forever we've been,
Forever we'll be crucified to a dream --
In the nightside of Eden.

Deranged, we're tearing away the petals of desire,
Learning the mathematics of evil by heart.

We deceive ourselves to start a war
Within the realm of senses…
And descend to the circle number four
Where we are nothing.

In the nightside of Eden,
We're born again dead;
Forever we are,
Forever we've been,
Forever we'll be crucified to a dream,
In the nightside of Eden…”

[raven]

There were none so feared as Lilith and Kakihara…there were none so dedicated to social decay, to the dissolution of moral structure, to the obliteration of those beliefs and values instilled in human beings since the purported time of Christ. They would be miracle workers now -- they would meld with fingers-white both flesh and bone until the image matched what swam before their artist’s eye. Turning water to wine seemed contemptible (at best) when compared to the ecstasy they’d created there on the paved streets of a bustling city…a teeming metropolis alive with light and sound and blood. The forced stigmata of an Illuminix student and the suffering endured throughout was as honey on the tongue of two serpents -- and there were none so brash. None so frenzied. None so feared as Lilith and Kakihara.

“None so in love…”

Her words echoed dryly against the empty buildings, the darkened windows like blind behemoth eyes staring down through broken frames. Startlingly dark lashes fluttered in mock timidity, a fine-featured face rested against Kakihara’s shoulder, and violently-shining orbs all rimmed in kohl flickered across a scarred face too, too dear to her tempestuous heart.

Upon reaching the Playhouse, she allowed him to remove her coat…allowed him to lead the way and elbow a path through the white-bodied, sensuous snakes who constituted Lilith’s massive coven. She knew Seven would soon be upon them like an insect swarm, touching Lilith’s hair and holding her by the waist and threatening to let her love go cold should Lilith ignore her many visions. She knew Seven awaited her audience, and she knew Vee waited, too -- all for the sinuous leader’s attention. It was absolutely exhausting at times…

Turning towards an attendant who stood (half-in shadow and solemn-faced) nearest the door, Lilith smiled amiably and stood on tiptoe to kiss the creature’s cheek.

“Listen, Adrosian. Seven’s waiting for me somewhere, and I don’t have the time to traipse about the place looking for her. Send out a summons and have her meet me in the master chamber in half an hour…”

Sidling up next to Kakihara once more and slipping her hands beneath his shirt to touch the wound again, she looked back over her shoulder and quirked a brow.

“…And don’t forget to herd the rest of my darlings into that meeting, love. It’s of the utmost importance that all attend.”

Pressing herself against her lover, she giggled madly and moved on. Climbing twisting staircases and crossing polished floors still devoid of milling covenlings, Lilith led Kakihara back towards their room…their nest of decadence and security. Holding tight to his hand and tossing her head so that scarlet locks slithered down across her nearly-bared back, she leaned in close…stirring the yellow fringe of hair behind Kakihara’s ear as she whispered.

“And before I forget, my most-adored…”

Opening the door with an audible click and blinking at the dusky light that spilled from within, she smiled devilishly.

“…I wondered if you might bite me tonight….”

Sweeping into the room ahead of him with an age-old flirtatious giggle, she was undressed and in the shower before her mentor-mate could answer.

[raven]

“Pale and dark and tortured blue,
Behind a veil you find serenity...

Against the insides of her eyelids, Lilith saw the night’s activities play again as if on silent repeat. Three times she saw the young beast approach -- three times she saw her reaction as he slipped and let loose the secret that would inevitably kill him. Leaning slippery-limbed and heavy against the stone wall of her steam-shrouded retreat, Lilith closed her eyes again and smiled. It had been fun, listening to the cacophony of sounds the mortal spewed forth as he was hung, shredded, dissected, and discarded. His blood on her body had been delicious, her blood on Kakihara a gift…Kakihara’s blood on her a reminder of the times they’d shared before -- and a promise of the times they’d share forever more….

Snapping to attention, brown-black eyes opened abruptly; the soft sounds of the faceted glass door sliding back on its runner roused her -- the subtle touch on her shoulder tingling faintly as the hot water continued to pour down in an unceasing stream. Sighing faintly, Lilith failed to turn…failed to note the host of those arms that encircled her now. She knew he’d followed her, just as she’d teased him -- for no one else would dare enter. Smiling faintly, she tensed a little as he indulged her whim, as he granted her request…and in moments she was again bathed in the sweet euphoria of exiting vitality.

Hedonistic queen with self-gratuitous turns, Lilith savored the sweet tremors in her flesh caused by twin puncture wounds. Fading beneath his weight and hunger, brilliant eyes stared up at the glistening stone ceiling -- at the swirling, diluted dribbles of blood that ran off from a dozen places on her body, at the shadow he cast on the chamber’s floor, at the white arms that held her around the waist. The pulling sensation on her neck gradually weakened…waned…and then stopped. Her sweet demand now met, she steadied herself against a wall, giggling -- and then whirled to face him. Throwing herself against Kakihara, she grinned devilishly and whispered weakly:

“Well, that was a surprise…”

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

Clean, sated, and dressed once more, Lilith sat perched on a corner of her desk. Slim grey trousers with a wildly-flaring leg and a tiny white jacket with massive buckles at the neck, wrist, and chest covered her now; wickedly-heeled boots tapped now and again against wooden panels as she swung her legs against the makeshift-throne…and wild brown eyes watched adoringly as Kakihara tended to other matters across the room. Poised and content, her hair caught up in a silver clasp at the back of her head, Lilith waited for Seven.

Her wait was not long.

Sweeping in amidst a swirling cloud of green silk, doe eyes trained on Lilith and shaved head held high, Seven entered…without knocking, without notice, and without announcement. She still wore the same high silver collar, the same fine chain that dangled from the aforesaid adornment, and the same half-vacant expression…but Seven had played dress-up this evening. Filmy layers of silk formed an extraordinary skirt of green that fell from waifish hips to the floor -- hiding Seven’s legs and feet in an airy, perverse version of a ball gown. Scraps of black had been stitched together in no particular pattern to create a strapless, close-fitting fashion atrocity that stretched from under the she-devil’s arms to mid-torso…and as always, Seven wore no makeup. She had no need to -- the grey circles around both eyes only helped to contrast the glittering dark eyes and the waxy whiteness of her skin.

“You know, I really do wish you’d learn to knock, darling. What if you were to catch me in a compromising position one of these nights?”

Lilith grinned, flashing her teeth and inspecting a well-manicured hand. Seven slunk closer as she spoke, grabbing at Lilith’s legs and holding onto the spare cloth like a child. Bearing her own teeth, she addressed the Annex leader with quiet, quick words.

“Seven would join, Lady.”

A slight giggle, and then:

“But Seven has more to say, dear. More to say, love. Seven finds out that things are lurking around our big home -- things are plotting in no good evil ways. Seven finds this out from Lethe and Chara and Adoniram. They hear things from other humans, you know. I have something for you, dear. For you, love.”

Quirking a brow and pulling on the chain from Seven’s collar, Lilith tugged the little wraith closer. Seven didn’t resist, and instead hugged Lilith around the waist -- looking up with eyes twinkling and small mouth curving into a sly smile. From the depths of her skirt, Seven pulled out a scrap of paper…worn and creased, but nearly whole. Holding it out to her former lover, she giggled again and bounced a little.

“Is of the Australian enemy, dear. Peregrine, love. Lethe finds it for me and says to give it to pretty, scary mistress. I does, and you love me?”

Her face completely blank (though inside she was dizzy with anticipation), Lilith threw her arms around Seven and hugged her. Hissing into the delicate ear and running a gentle hand over the shaved head, Lilith nodded and grinned.

“You’ve done very well, darling. This will aid us should those stinking pigs try anything…unsavory. Yes, Mistress still loves Seven. She always has…”

Slipping from the desk and pushing Seven ahead of her, Lilith steered the small woman toward the door and into the hallway.

“Now go find Lethe, Adoniram, and Chara -- tell them that they’ve done marvelously, and that they’d find much favor if they’d investigate a little more. Seven, my love, you can be their mouthpiece -- you can come and see Mistress when you find new things, yes?”

Seven smiled brilliantly, and turned to go. Lilith, barely containing her excitement, pushed close the door and then fairly flew across the room to Kakihara. Jumping into his arms and wriggling the slip of paper near his face, she laughed elatedly and kissed his face in a thousand different places.

“Look, love! It seems we’ve been gifted…!”

Nibbling on his lip and smiling wickedly, she squirmed excitedly.

“It’s Peregrine’s phone number…

Shall we have ourselves a nice little conversation?”