Excerpt

For some reason I can’t log in to my LiveJournal with Semagic. I’m hoping LJ is down. I would lose my mind if I couldn’t use my Semagic to post to LJ.

Anyways, here’s two things by me:
Allen the Alien
Harsh Buzz

*

Watching the episode of Futurama where Fry is basically ET to Lrrr’s son’s Eliot. This show always gets me thinking and is like total inspiration fuel.

Now my mind is filled with the idea of a human lost on an alien world being taken is as a pet for a Predator-type alien. Even though the alien–Allen–is from a culture that totally lives in harshness every day of the week, he believes that he needs to take care of his human properly. Which means lush comfort, gourmet food, baths, tummy rubs, just a thoroughly pleasure-filled life. Allen even takes his human to a swap, where unbonded humans are gathered together for Owners to look at. Allen brings his human and they walk around to find a proper mate for the human.

It’s kind of like a dog park with stalls set up along the fences. All kinds of things are sold there, from humans to smaller pets like dogs, cats, turtles, etc. (Maybe the aliens have conquered Earth and every creature is their pet?)

Allen could see the way Gerston tugged at the collar with his forepaws and gave him a warning swat on the back. One sky blue eye rolled toward him balefully, but Gerston had quickly learned how to behave. “There will be none of that, good sir,” Allen said sternly.

Gerston made a whining sound of unhappiness and Allen huffed a laugh. “Now now. We’re here to pick you up a treat. There’s no reason to act so rudely to me.” Allen tugged the leash and Gerston was quick to go to heel, following along in Allen’s footstep as they traversed the animal park toward the human enclosure.

As they got closer, Gerston jerked to attention when he saw where they were going, all the humans gathered within the fence. He made an excited sound, like amazement and laughter and a bit of fear.

“Don’t worry now,” Allen said. “I’m not going to replace you. We’re just here to get you a friend.”

He led Gerston to the fence and they walked along it, examining the humans inside. There were at least twenty of them huddled in groups around the enclosure, some of them rather humorously covering their exposed genitals. There was no clothing before a human was purchased and registered; it made it easier to differentiate the males from the females and there was no way the seller could hide any health concerns.

Suddenly one of the humans barked high and excited and ran to the fence, nearly touching the forcefield, which crackled warningly. He was a larger than normal human with black hair on his head and face and between his legs, his skin a deep brown color marred by a silvery scar across his abdomen. Still, he was a handsome looking beast.

Gerston made an excited yip and tugged at Allen, rolling his eyes so pleadingly that Allen huffed a laugh and took him closer to the fence. He got to watch Gerston and the other male eye each up, yelping and barking and waving their forepaws at each other. It was oddly delightful.

“So this is the one you want, is he?” Allen looked around until he caught the eye of the stall manager and clapped his hands to catch his attention. The man hurried over with a jangle of keys, a clipboard in his hand. “I want that one.” Allen pointed at the male human Gerston seemed so taken with.

“Oh, sir, I don’t think that one would be right for you at all. He’s a rough sort and you seem to be a rather delicate fellow.”

Allen could see the way the other man looked at him, the judgment being made behind those slit yellow eyes, and he grit his teeth and took it. He knew how he looked; most times it pleased him to be admired, but Traditionals had a tendency to look at him as though he was shit beneath their heel. From the gelled back sweep of his blue-black mane to his bespoke suit jacket, vest, and trousers, he was a Modernist to the core. Wealthy, handsome, of noble birth, but troubled to be a gadfly, most likely a disappointment to his family and a black sheep amongst his old school friends.

He straightened his spine and stared down his nose at the man.–How dare such a vermin judge him?–“I will take the black topped one. Arrange the paperwork. I don’t have all day.” At the rolling sound of his vowels and pheromone rush of Command, the creature hastened to obey.

Allen didn’t like to Dominate those lesser than him. He wanted to believe in the freedom of everyone, no matter how unlikely, but there were some times when he simply couldn’t take it anymore. His natural inclination was to own every situation he was in and that included anyone of lesser birth–he was a noble–and when he could no longer suppress his nature that’s what he reverted to: the noble child of ten thousand generations of noble children. There were very few Lessers born into his family line, and that had become a mark of pride for his Genome.

Watching the man rush around at his command, Allen couldn’t help savoring the thrill of power, though he wished more than anything to feel bad about it. And that’s what he always felt bad for instead, the fact that he had no conscience of his own. He was as amoral and terrible as his mother.

I will do better, I promise, he thought.

He looked down at Gerston, his faithful pet, and reached out to stroke the human’s head, letting the long auburn locks flow between his fingers, black fur mixing with human hair. It was his desire to be a better person that had brought him to the decision of getting his own human. He’d never been one for pets before, but the books all suggested the company of an at least Level Three organism to promote a healthy mental state and nurture a compassion toward weaker beings. He hadn’t believed it could possibly work, but he’d developed a fondness for Gerston that brinked closely to being love.

“Oh look, here comes your friend,” Allen said. Standing with Gerston at his side, he watched as the stall manager walked his new human to him on a plain brown leash. The human had been dressed in a loose black smock and slippers. He walked with his head up and his shoulders back, brown eyes looking around interestedly.

Allen smiled. His new human was beautiful, muscular and healthy with glossy black hair. He would be the perfect complement to Gerston, who was slender and delicate boned; everyone would admire Allen when he took his humans for a walk.

*

RAW FEED: Harsh Buzz [vampire, mm]
Author: Harper Kingsley
Rating: mature

There was something to be said about that moment between Waking and Sleep when it felt as though the world was rushing back into his lungs. The word he might use is “Disappointing.”

To feel life take over his dreaming mind and slip back out of the memories he imagined he’d once lived, it made reality all that much more painful. All those beautiful moments withering and falling away, dying petals falling away in a flurry of bright and dark.

Then he is himself alone. And suddenly that’s not so bad with awareness rushing to fill the emptiness. This is his life, his world. No longer a slave to the passions of others, he is the master here and no one can deny that.

Marmalee rose from tousled sheets, stretching his arms high above him and feeling the smooth press of muscles against his skin.

This was his moment now. His time.

There was no one to stand against him. No one that would dare to stand against him.

Padding barefoot into the bathroom, he twisted the knobs above the claw-footed tub, letting the hot water free. He added a drizzle of scented oil, breathing deep the scent of flowers and spice.

As he stepped into the bath, he heard the hushed whisper of the bedroom doors opening. His four personal attendants stepped in with their demiguise trailing after them, their eyes kept low in deference.

Marmalee said nothing as two attendants came to the tub and stepped in, kneeling in the water to wash his skin with soft cloths and massaged sweet smelling shampoo into his long, crimson locks.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pampered. Gentle touches felt strange after centuries of rough handling. He had started out his immortal life even lower in the Hierarchy than these servants.

There had been no laws to protect him and no one to care. He’d wrapped his hurt and misery tight around his heart and turned it into the strength necessary to rise through the ranks and stake his claim as a Master. He had refused to be a victim, and his reward was at hand.

After bathing, he was dried and powdered, his skin shining and smooth. He was dressed in leather and silk and spiderweb lace. His hair was coiled around wire artifices until it was an elegant art and he was as beautiful as he was deadly, looking neither male nor female, but something lingering in-between.

“You look beautiful,” LaFavre said.

Marmalee gave her a gentle smile. “Thank you. You have done well.” A kind word here and there earned better loyalty than cruelty and indifference.

Stepping into his soft-soled shoes, Marmalee smoothed his hands over his stomach and strode from the room. The evening’s entertainment would be starting shortly and he had never been one to be late. Never to his own party.

Bodyguards flanked him as he left the private portion of the Palace for the public areas. They rode the elevator up with him and kept a close watch as he surveyed the party preparations.

His butler was handling things with all the adroit skill of his top notch schooling. Hollings had displayed such brilliance at organizing the Palace staff that Marmalee was considering turning him into a Demiguise in a few years. It wouldn’t do for the Palace butler to appear too young, just a bit of age to distinguish him, and Edward Hollings would be perfect.

“I’m pleased,” Marmalee said.

Hollings didn’t even twitch at Marmalee’s sudden appearance next to him. He merely dipped his head in respect. His breath ghosted against Marmalee’s sleeve, rippling the fabric. “Prince-Elect. We have done the best we can, and the result has been very good so far.”

“You’re humble, how adorable.” Marmalee laughed and clapped his hands. There had been some question about his decision to hire a human, but he had been impressed by Hollings; not just how the man appeared on paper, but the man himself. Hollings was unflappable.

“The first guests should be arriving within the hour,” Hollings said.

Marmalee nodded. “Thank you for your hard work this past week.”– He lightly poked his finger against Hollings just to feel the solid muscle.–“You’ve done a truly beautiful job.”

Hollings’ thin lips turned up in a smile. “It was my pleasure, sir.” There was a definite thrill to be found when dealing with someone so competent. There wasn’t a single hair out of place and Hollings had the serene confidence of a master of his profession.

Marmalee gave him another smile before drifting off to check things for himself. He’d always had a perfectionist streak.