Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Eric smiled dreamily at Vezina's glance and statement, a brief hint of malevolence in his eyes as he leaned in closer. He seemed to contemplate his answer for a few moments before grinning and looking towards the direction his sister had gone. His grin quickly turned back as he looked into Vezina's eyes with an obvious lust as he coyly asked.

"My how intriguing. What did you have in mind, my dearest Lady Vezina. I could certainly think of several ways to pass the rest of our evening. I'm not entirely sure how much you would enjoy them however."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Eric's last comment earned him a quizzical, and then a reproachful look from his guest. Nonetheless she placed her chilled hand upon his knee, showing that she was not so easily scared by such language, though she was intrigued. Was her host as much of a spider that he made himself out to be?

"When you put it like that, it makes it seem that you intend to do me some harm, my lord. Or at least, you think that I would not enjoy that prospect."

She rose to her feet and looked down upon him.

"I thought I would hear what you wished of me, sweet Eric, in return for your hospitality. As it would seem, your mind already twirls like leaves in a storm with ideas - some not for the faint of heart. Tell me, my lord, what is it that you desired of me, when you invited me to your house tonight? And surely, what is Berenice, your sister, to suspect with you and I unchaperoned?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Eric's eyes lit up as though a thousand myriad ideas sprang to mind at Vezina's mere touch. His devious smile remained even as she stood and looked down upon him. He didn't look the least bit alarmed at what his scandalous suggestions might mean to his sister or even his father. He merely continued smiling as he said.

"While my intentions would not be considered honorable by most anyone in this country, I did not mean them to sound so harmful. You asked what I wanted in return for my hospitality and what I want is to see you writhe in pleasurable pain beneath me. However I would be willing to settle for much less if you're not as adventurous as you seem."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

The mention of pain did not wipe the smile from Vezina's face, but she did regard him now with calculating eyes. He had seemed so boring before, just a lordling that she intended to feed from and whose will she would dominate, so that she might use his domicile as a place to stay, away from the vulnerable inns of the human settlement. But any soul that naturally appreciated pain was something to consider - at least until she observed the nature of his appreciation. Sadly, she believed that in this Eric, the pain was sexual in nature. That was a fledgling and crude way to appreciate it - although at some point, everyone who is tied to the Road of Misery has toyed with that stage.

"Pleasurable pain?" She leaned in closer to him, quirking a brow in his direction and forced herself to breath to keep up the illusion of mortality.

"I know something of pain, my lord. If you can show me what you know of it - show me the pleasure in it; then I will give you a gift most precious. More precious than gold. But have a care, Eric. I am not so easily impressed."

Vezina would go along with this would-be tormentor, to see what he already thought he knew of pain. Her master had challenged her to do her best on that night long ago, and though he had appreciated her enthusiasm, she had still been crude and naive. But she had learned, and he had taught her. There was an art to pain. An elegance and a method to it. She doubted this Eric knew much of it, but maybe he would surprise her.

One thing she would not allow herself to be however was chained or fully restrained. If he made an attempt at that, she would have to confront him. Perhaps even taking over the lesson prematurely.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Eric quirked an eyebrow as Vezina made her offer, he was obviously surprised that she agreed to his idea. Though the surprise in his face was obvious it was mixed with an overwhelming lust for her body. Humans were far to easy to shape to her will she thought as Eric found his way to his feet and took her arm. They traveled through the darker parts of the old manor till at last they came to a heavily barred wooden door.

Procuring a key from a handful of keys on a ring he opened the door and swept his hands as though making a grand presentation. The room was dark but the light of Eric's candle cast a dim light on the instruments within. A simple set-up not meant for true torture as her master's rooms were. Chains and whips seemed to be the main means of Eric's method. Though there were a few other crude implements whose design was obvious even to someone who had no use for sex.

Eric stepped in behind her and closed the door before locking it tight. He stood behind her as she surveyed the room and began to unbutton his shirt as he said. "I suppose the first step would be to remove that lovely gown you are wearing, it wouldn't do to have your clothes torn after all. As much joy as that might bring me. Now hurry my dear and I'll strive to impress you."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Vezina allowed herself to be taken by the arm and led to Eric's private quarters for 'torture' and found herself somewhat disappointed by what lay within. He was all too mortal in his understanding of pain, it seemed.

She wandered about the room, brushing her fingertips across the handles of the whips, then tinkling the hanging chains designed to keep a victim at bay. Eric began to take off his shirt, and in the dim candlelight, she could see him plainly in his eagerness.

She loosened her simple gown and shrugged it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor in a pool of cloth around her pale ankles. Her upper undergarments she undid as well, letting Eric get a good look at her body now - which upon close inspection might give him pause. Not merely because of the paleness which was a natural condition of her kind, but of the many scars from cuts and barbed lashes that she had been subjected to in the limestone caves, just prior to her Embrace. Viscissitude might have been able to cover up such artifacts of flesh, but that disciplined was not viewed highly by her master and therefore, she continued to bear the scars of her ritualized initiation onto her current road.

"As you see, I know something of pain, dear Eric," Vezina said, turning around to give him a view of her lacerated back. Were it not for these scars, Vezina might have been a true beauty, once the dirt and stink of her peasant upbringing had been washed off - but that had not been Gyulu's wish; not his vision of a worthy bride.

"So then. Do you still desire me? Still think that you can impress?" She eyed him curiously in the low light, looking over her shoulder. "Where would you like to start? My back? My arms? My thighs perhaps? Or perhaps you were thinking here?" She traced a finger along her buttock, which was relatively untouched, given that such a place was not ideal to give lasting pain.

Neither Gyulu nor Scorylo had been much interested in spanking her for pleasure. Knives to her arms and lashes to the back had been the latter's preference. Gyulu had moved beyond the realm of mortal instruments. The pain he brought was primal - a result of his genius with the koldunic arts.

She waited for Eric to give some indication of his preference, or indeed to see if he would blanch, now that signs of her previous tortures had become apparent.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Eric did indeed blanche, as Vezina thought he might, at the sight of the vicious scars played across her body. He blanched but he did not back away and quickly recovered as he stepped forward to choose a whip, the thickest he had from a rack. His eyes followed her finger as it traced along her butt, that relatively unmarred part of her skin seemed to draw him like a fly to honey. He grabbed her roughly by the hair and pushed her against the wall so that her ass was better presented while softly brushing the thong of the whip up her thigh.

Though she would eventually be disappointed at the lack of skill Eric showed in the next few hours she was pleased all at the same time. He could make a fine servant and be taught the true meaning of pain. Perhaps this mortal would prove of use yet, but what of his sister she wondered.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Vezina let Erik feel as if he were in control for a while, though his desire for mortal passions wearied her quickly. She was beyond that sort of lust and she would not let the kine have his way with her beyond the touch of his lash and the small efforts at subjugation through pain. When and if he did approach her with the intent to lie with her, she would turn on him and mimic the desire to kiss him, first upon his lips, then his jawline, then his neck. She doubted he would interrupt her descent, likely thinking that she intended to go lower, but the neck was truly all she would need at the moment.

She rewarded his efforts by administering the ecstasy of the vampiric kiss, nipping from him only a small bit of blood, so that he would be light-headed and dazed, but in relative comfort. In his ensuing weakness, she would redress herself, then take his keys and unlock the chamber door. Afterward, she guided him down the hallways in the direction of the bedchambers, until at last she found his room and laid him on his own bed.

She decided that he would still be dazed for some time from the kiss, so she decided to wander the halls of the manor and search out Berenice's room. The young girl's aura had been of far more interest to her than the supposed brother, and so she now determined that she would find out why this was so.

If Erik had managed to cause the Tzimisce any lingering physical harm, she would use the blood she had taken from him to heal her wounds before arriving at the mortal girl's room. When and if it was located, Vezina would knock softly at the door, to see if the girl was still awake.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

The poor demonstration of pain from Eric finished and her feeding finished Vezina quickly deposited the young man in his own room. Eric would sleep soundly till morning probably more than enamored with Vezina. That would be a problem for later though she thought as she started in search of more interesting quarry in Berenice.

There was little need to heal herself from Eric's ministrations as she searched through the bedrooms near Eric's. The first few were empty and little used, the third had been prepared recently likely for her. The other side of the hall she found another unused room before finally coming to a richly decorated room where Berenice lay beneath her quilt soundly asleep. Vezina did note that this was the only door that had no inner lock and in fact she had to use Eric's set of keys to enter. There was another room on the floor at the head of the hall which likely lead to Eric's sick father.

Berenice stirred a bit though she did not awaken as the door was unlocked and Vezina quietly slid into the room. Berenice seemed to be quite well off compared to Eric as her room was much more richly decorated. Perhaps Eric's motivations were simply the girl's money, or her innocence. Though something told Vezina that Berenice was not exactly innocent.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Vezina noted the lack of an inner lock on Berenice's door, turning over the possibilities of what that could mean in her own mind. Was Berenice a prisoner here? Likely, given the way she had been wandering on her own through streets of ill repute. But what was the nature of that imprisonment? What was the intention of the crude sadist, Erik? And what was the situation with this sick father figure?

Vezina hovered above the sleeping girl, watching her chest rise and fall beneath the thick furs. With her sharp eyes and gift of auspex, the Tzimisce observed Berenice's aura, wondering if the dreams of this girl troubled her, or the emotions of her vulnerable, slumbering self would be more revealing without the presence of others.

After Vezina saw all that she would see in Berenice's aura, she shut down her second sight and sat upon the edge of the bed, placing a hand upon the girl's shoulder, hoping to rouse her softly and without alarm.

"Good evening, my sweet one. Do not be alarmed. I am only here to speak with you. Eric had dipped further into his cups than even he had suspected, the poor man. I took it upon myself to bring him to his bed and lay him to sleep. To be proper, I thought I should let you know, lest you think ill of me."

Vezina rubbed her hand lightly over the blankets, down Berenice's arm and side with an affection that bordered on intimacy.

"Shall I confess something to you, my dear Berenice? How to put this? I am not what you would call, a dim woman. Though we are of the frailer sex, you and I both know well that we perceive a goodly deal more than the men about us, mm? Yes? A woman's intuition is no dull thing, is it not? I say this because my intuition this evening and yesterday have been telling me that all is not as it seems with you and dear Eric. Be not offended. We all have our secrets. I am certainly no different... and yet, something about you is just so, hmm... interesting, that I cannot so easily set aside my curiosity. Tell me, Berenice, what is the nature of your relationship with Eric?"

If the girl showed signs of hesitance, Vezina was more than willing to use her vampiric powers to elicit a truthful response, but she decided to not use the lordly discipline of domination unless necessary. She wanted to see how the young woman reacted.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Berenice moved fitfully in her bed as though some horrid dream had begun as Vezina stalked closer to her prey. Her aura pulsed with crimson rage, mixed with blazing orange and grey. The poor girl seemed to be deep in the pits of despair perhaps she was being imprisoned against her will.

The colors faded back to darkness as Vezina allowed the second-sight to fade. Her gentle urging woke the girl with a start as a thin dagger shot from under the pillow. Though Vezina did not expect such a sudden attack she had little trouble in arresting the deadly blade. The girl dropped the knife as it was twisted from her hand a look of utter shock on her face as she breathlessly apologized.

"Please forgive me Vezina. I thought you were Eric. You are lucky he fell so deeply into his cups. He can be rather brutal in his attentions I'm afraid."

The girl either didn't notice or pretended not to notice as Vezina brushed against her arm so intimately. Listening to Vezina's questions with the same despair that had so consumed her aura. Finally she relented and spilled her guts in a torrent of words.

"He's not my brother. He has imprisoned me and my father because he wants our lands. My tormentor is a powerful man and I being merely a woman have been unable to escape until the other night. I suppose you did not mean to return me to such an evil man but I honestly wish you had never seen me. Father...father is...well I don't know where he is. Eric has hidden him somewhere to try to make me marry him."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

The dagger strike was unexpected, but equally untrained in its execution. Berenice was no warrior, even if her passions were strong enough to maker her lash out with an intent to kill. It excited Vezina to see a supposedly meek lamb like this noble girl driven to violence by the pain she suffered.

She caught the girl's wrist and twisted the dagger free without much effort. Once Berenice had recognized her, the strength in her arms left her, and all was replaced by words of apology.

"Brutal in his attentions, yes. Perhaps you should have warned me." Vezina cocked her head to one side, letting her wild hair spill over as her haunted eyes looked askance of the maiden lying beneath her.

"How did you ever let a man like Eric gain such a hold over you? Where does his power come from that he can barge into your household and take you prisoner?" Vezina asked, now moving on to gaining the information that she really wanted to know. How best could she use these mortals for her own ends?

"It may be that I can help you. Woman though I am, I have dealt with tormentors such as him before. I could rid you of your problem. And I would ask only a small favor in return." She brushed the back of her fingers against Berenice's cheek, waiting for an answer.

If the mortal girl was eager to agree to her favor, Vezina would nod and stand up, toying with Berenice's dagger in her hand as she did so.

"I must know all that there is to know about Eric - and your family's lands and retainers. Is it possible to simply kill him and be done with it, or would there be others who would look for him and cause difficulty? If he cannot simply be killed, there are other ways to release his grip on you, but that is where you must supply the details. And if I solve your dilemma, I should very much like to reside with you here as your guest. If that is not too much to ask?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Berenice looked down at her bed spread as Vezina mentioned that she should have warned her perhaps. A look of sadness spread across her face as she realized another could be in the same position as she. "My father is old and weak and no longer in the best state of mind. Eric is a cousin of the archbishop of Westminster. It was little trouble for him to simply make himself a fixture in the household with my father. And I know of no one perhaps save the king himself who could help me to fend off the advances of this robber baron."

Berenice seemed dejected but Vezina sensed a weight had lifted from the girl as she lay the problem before her. Eric would be a difficult man to deal with if he could wield such political power as Berenice said. The priests in this land were almost as powerful as the tyrants of her own. But Vezina was no mere mortal and was certainly not afraid of Eric. The only question was to how to deal with the problem.

Berenice continued as dejectedly as before. "I would gladly allow you to stay with me if you could find a way to deal with this problem. However what I ask for is simply impossible for those like us."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Vezina shook her head.

"Berenice, I may share your womanly form, but we are not the same. I have the blood of the mountains and great forests within me. My voice turns the hearts of men and beasts, my eyes glean the truth of a lying tongue, and my heart pulses with bitter cries of the earth. Mere brutes are nothing to me, and a single swing of a knife such as this can sever even a connection to the Archbishop of Westminster."

Her hand turned the handle of Berenice's dagger over as her mind swam with the simple ways she could eliminate Eric without the Archbishop being able to do a thing to stop her. But what a waste that would be. Berenice could be used for her abode, but through a living Eric, perhaps there was a way to an audience with this Archbishop.

Yes, the priests of the cross were deluded fools, but there was no denying the power of the Church. She wondered if the Archbishop were already a tool of Pallas or of the Brujah, or if he were as yet untouched by the domination of Caine's gifts. Whatever the case, it now seemed necessary to keep Eric alive, if for nothing else than to explore this opportunity.

"But a knife used to kill is less impressive than one used to teach. Eric made it clear before he slumbered that he enjoys seeing others in pain. Perhaps what we need to do is let him see the other side of that?"

She moved closer to Berenice. "You were willing to run to the most miserable streets of London to escape him, and just now you were willing to strike his throat with a blade to end him. Tell me, are you willing to steel yourself and do what must be done to bring him to heel? Will you become more of a woman than what you are now? Meek, helpless, and wallowing in your own desperation? Take my hand Berenice, and let me show you what a woman can do to a man to bring him low."

She extended her fingers for Berenice to take.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Berenice might not be as strong-willed or as powerful as she herself but Vezina could tell that she wasn't nearly as weak as she played to be. She would be more than capable of doing the things Vezina wished of her but she would need guidance.

The young mortal almost seemed to be more hurt by Vezina's pointed remarks than by anything Eric had ever done. Still the meek noblewoman slowly held out her hand to Vezina to take as she slid from beneath her covers. With nothing but her thin nightgown on Berenice nodded her head as she spoke.

"I-I'm willing to do what must be done. No matter how frightened I might be of what is to come."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Vezina clasped Berenice's hand firmly and placed the handle of the dagger into it, closing the mortal's fingers around the cloth wrapped steel.

"You are frightened because you do not understand pain. You do not understand what it is to embrace the grave, to know what it feels like to be swallowed up namelessly into the earth, without hope of Heaven. Fear exists in the unknown, Berenice. And so you must know pain and loss, so that you might conquer fear."

The Tzimisce's eyes narrowed. "Fear is not for the those who bare the knife."

Vezina withdrew her own curved dagger, and smiled wickedly to the younger girl.

"We go now to Eric. We shall bring your captor to his favored room and write of his sins upon his flesh, with these, our quills. We shall bind him. We shall cause him suffering. But we shall not kill him, because in the end he shall serve our purposes. Do not balk, for he has brought this lesson upon himself. Let your righteousness guide your hand and chill your heart."

Vezina took the girl, dressed only in her thin nightgown, and led her from the chamber, striding confidently back to where Eric slumbered. Along the way she looked for useful things that could be used to bind the man, or to silence him. She would need to use makeshift items, but her goal at least was to have Eric stripped and properly secured in the room where he had sought to have his way with her. Behind that thick door, she could keep him safely secured during the daytime hours, so that when night came again, she would be able to resume her methods.

Eric would need to be brought to heel, his will subsumed to her own. She would be cruel until he broke, and then she would rebuild him, just as Gyulu had done to many victims to show her the revelations of his koldunic art. She would also guide this girl, Berenice, as well. Beneath the meekness, Vezina sensed a kindred spirit waiting to be let loose. It remained only for her to exert her tutelage upon them, while at the same time paying heed to the growing threat of the Usurpers. Allies, supernatural and mortal alike, would need to be called to cull the threat. Perhaps these two mortals would make a fine start?

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Berenice gripped the dagger with an unsure hand but readily followed Vezina as they moved down the cold hallway of the manor house towards Eric's room. Despite her unsure hands Berenice seemed almost giddy at the prospect of gaining some measure of revenge on her captor. Vezina would need to guide her so that she did not harm Eric to deeply or quickly. As Gyulu had taught her long ago pain was something to be drawn out and enjoyed not unlike a fine vintage.

Stealing to Eric's room they found him still asleep in the stupor brought on by Vezina's feeding. Another thing to remember he would not be able to withstand the same amount of harm as he normally would.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

"Help me with him. The slumber he resides in is my doing, and he is weak and heavy at the moment. Grab his feet."

At her ushering, Vezina had the petite girl aid her in dragging the lordling back into the chamber with the thick oaken door and the musky smell of sweat and leather mixed with dust, iron, and the tinny overtones of dried blood.

"Bind him with these restraints," she motioned to whatever strongest contraption of bondage was available in this novice torturers' hobby room. Iron manacles spiked to the wall would be her preference. Even a strong human would be unable to break free, and Eric was not strong enough to even bother making the attempt.

"Now, sweetling, before we begin, I must warn you. Go slowly. Your desire for revenge and newfound power over him will be as strong in him as in you, but if you cut deeply, then the game is over, and he will have won with a lucky escape into a grave. Do not allow such to happen, or your own life may be forfeit."

Vezina bared her sleeve and offered her arm to Berenice. "Practice on me. Pierce the skin, but do not allow your blade to sever deeper. You must also take care to avoid the lifelines, here and here... do you see them? Mine are dark, so you must see them in the light... no! Leave the flame in the sconce... Just regard it here. That is it. See? There and there... cut like so."

If Berenice showed hesitance in practicing on Vezina, the Tzimisce would sigh and shake her head pityingly. "You will not harm me, girl. I have been impaled and cut by masters of the techniques that I will show you, and I shall watch you closely. I have risen above my own pain... gratefully have I survived torment. It has made me stronger. Now... take your dagger, run it across li-- ah....~ Yes. Like that.~"

Vezina would smile as the sweet caress of pain, light as it was with Berenice' careful touch. With Eric it had been crude, and sullied by his intentions. Such pleasures were reserved for her lord and sire, if he deigned to partake in that act.

A few more practice cuts and Vezina felt Berenice was ready. She reminded her to resist the urge to strike deep. Eric was to learn from this pain, and one learns nothing if one is dead.

Vezina began to rouse Eric by slapping him across the face both ways, then holding his head up by his hair.

"You must wake now, my lord. I am sad to say that I was not impressed enough by your efforts earlier. It was as though a young squire were swinging a stick and playing at being a knight. No no, m'lord. I can not in good conscience let you continue your habits until I have corrected your craft. I have enlisted the help of the beautiful Berenice, who was ever so eager to see me work. Did you know, I really never took you for brother and sister. I don't suppose you have anything to add on that measure, or any measure really, before we begin?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

Berenice followed Vezina's commands as best as she was able, helping the carry and bind the sleeping Eric in his own chamber of tortures. The manacles weren't quite as heavy as Vezina would have liked but she was dealing with an ordinary mortal. It would be incredibly lucky if he was able to break free even under the pain of torture he would soon be facing.

When Vezina presented her own arm for Berenice to practice on the young noblewoman blanched a bit. Though she did take the knife and tentatively cut into Vezina's arm near one of the many scars already on her arm. Eventually she would understand how to make a proper cut under Vezina's tutelage and they spent the next half hour practicing.

Eric soon stirred and Berenice steeled herself for the coming tortures while Vezina made sure that their prey was well-awake and aware.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Echoes of the Forgotten Lesson (Vezina)

The cuts did not bother Vezina so much, and the sight of her own blood did nothing to stir her. The pain was fleeting, as dead nerves were not so efficient at transmitting pain as were a mortal's.

"Nothing to say, m'lord? Still drowsy from our earlier dalliance? Worry not, Eric, for we have methods to return you to your senses."

She wielded the knife in front of him, then drew herself over to his arms and made a cut that would bleed slowly. If he yelled, she would shush him and stroke his shoulder tenderly, as though hushing a child. Then she would nod to Berenice to give a likewise cut on his other arm.

"I can respect a play for power. A man like yourself wanting a wife who brings with her a good tract of land simply makes sense. Your ambition is commendable, if not your execution. The problem you face now is that you've been caught in a room with two knife wielding women, one of whom has motive to send you to your maker, and the other who would find such a prospect amusing, if wasteful. Now, what do you think your best option for survival is? Mmm? And as a forewarning, silence with the occasional scream is not going to work so well for you."