Walking into the abode out of the balmy night Persephone found the chateau they were to spend the majority of the year in far too large and empty for just the two of them.
"While I'll never get bored of your childish wonder every time we move to another one of our properties, please snap out of it and get the rest of the bags from the carriage. We only have a few hours of night left and I still need to check the wards on our resting chamber." Isabella quickly strides past Persephone into the properties foyer carrying more bags and cases than her entire gang needed to set up camp. Returning to herself Persephone dumped what she was carrying by the door and returned to the carriage for the rest.
Wandering the halls of the French Chateau give the illusion of a building frozen in time, the paintings and architecture all matching the renaissance theme that had been so present in the property. The grand spiralling staircases, the open plan grand windows, conveniently with even grander thick curtains hanging over them.The white walls with gold accent points and inlays to create dimension She even found a few paintings from an artist, Leonardo, most seemed to be sketches framed and a few more akin to blueprints or instructions, all kept neatly in glass cases on display through the halls. Definitely something to ask about once Alexander had arrived. The past ten years had been split between learning about her new place in the world and also the history of the one she had lived in. All three of her new found family had led such extraordinary and long lives it was only natural to have collected so many keepsakes that would otherwise be lost to history. The insecurity that rose in Persephone at the thought of their long and shared history together faded as quick as it arose; she had been nothing but welcomed with open arms, and legs. It also didn't hurt that Persephone had led her own life filled with stories, the likes of which she could see immortalised in the legends of the new Wild West of America, one of the first true outlaws. She could dream.
Lost in her thoughts as she was, she hadn't even noticed when she had stopped at a smaller, aged wooden door, littered with locks and bolts sealing what lay behind it shut. Sensing the approaching presence Persephone spun on her heel,
" So what's behind this door then? Is it where we keep all the prisoners?" clearly asked in jest
"That and our meals. Can never be too careful, with the amount of wood littered about that they could snap off and embed in your heart." Isabella's face was as impassive as it was ethereally beautiful approaching the door with a ring of old keys better fit for a mediaeval dungeon.
"Also would it have killed you to help me put away some of the bags before you go wandering off, you're not literally a child you can manage some chores surely."
"I figured you would be fine and how right I was. I mean between your impressive strength and blinding speed, how could I do anything but get in the way of my love?" Persephone's saccharine smile was almost enough to counter Isabella's scowl, almost.
"You're not cute, help out or I'll starve you."
"I'm a little cute or you wouldn't have followed halfway across the states just to get an introduction. Plus if you starve me I'll just go into bloodlust and probably go drain the nearest village, and this house is far too flammable for an angry mob with torches." The final word stretches out as the last lock clicks open under Isabella's fingers. She turned to regard her companion taking in her simple dark black pants, her boots forgotten by the entrance and linen embroidered shirt, unbuttoned far lower than was proper revealing the alabaster skin underneath. She had no doubt stolen from their Sire, clothes all too easy to remove.
"Oh we have ways of ensuring you can't get out and hurt anyone. Come" as Isabella begins to descend into the darkness, the smell of old iron overtakes Persephone's senses and she quickly follows behind her. After all, what respected vampire is scared of the dark?
"See childish wonder. I mean honestly I'm jealous it doesn't matter if we're in a lodge on the Baltic sea or very real, very used torture chamber hiding under rolling hills in the south of France, you always manage to stare like a newborn." Persephone wouldn't have described it as childish or wonder, the room she found herself in was dark and foreboding. Was she still a mortal she knew she would be unable to see a thing. Descending down the stairs she had imagined a chill creeping up her spine as it did when she was mortal and around the vampires she was unused to. This place had an energy to it that was indescribable, it was dark yet intriguing to her vampiric mind. The chamber itself was smaller than she expected and clean despite its clear use, the room had a few cells in the back, a couple wooden contraptions she could only pretend to know the use of and quite a few chains and shackles, some Iron, some Silver.
"Is there any answer as to what yall used this for which won't absolutely make me feel like we're haunted?" Carmillla continued her languid walk around the room, her skirt of her black dress billowing in her wake. The red and brown piece served as a contrast to her pale skin and only further emphasised her own dark brown locks. She stopped at one of the machines stroking a long red nail along what looked to be a crank, maybe for rotating the wooden pole of the machine into an upright position?
"We're definitely not haunted, Alexander had witches check after they installed the wards, the previous owners while mortal had proved far more gruesome than ourselves so it proved prudent to make sure we don't have any guests. As for its use, I think you would be horrified but only because of your prudish upbringing" Persephone quickly caught the teasing glint Isabella's Ruby eyes, not one to indulge she began to walk around the room coming to a stop in front of what looked to be a large X with padded cuffs on each end. Isabella slinked behind her before wrapping her arms around Persephone's waist leaning in to rest her chin on the shorter woman's shoulder.
"Do you want to know what awful people have been in that cross,dear?" The words were whispered with a passion Persephone was used to, sending her own eyes into a bleeding swirl of crimson.
"Do I?" Persephone took one hand and placed it on Isabella's interlocked ones, whether to push her away or for comfort she wasn't sure yet.
"Well mostly its Alexander, sometimes me, never Palladius, the oaf can't fit in half of these machines, I believe Sire had mentioned ordering a custom one, but finding the right carpenter at night is a challenge" Was it confusion or shock that infected Persephone more at the answer feeling the slow kiss at her nape she quickly spun around in Isabella's arms.
"Wait what do you mean you've all been in them, has someone attacked you all here? Are we safe?" Expecting all she got was a rich silky laugh from Isabella which only ever served to make her feel like a complete dullard. Isabella must have noticed the now confused and slightly dejected look on her partner's face, her laugh stopped and fell to a barely concealed grin. Placing a delicate kiss on Persephone's forehead she started,
"Never attacked, you're safe my sweet." Stopping to punctuate her speech with another light kiss on her partner's lips, Isabella continued. "It's just, it's pleasure mostly, one would be tied up or restrained in some way, relinquishing control to the partner. Obviously any of us could break our way out of any of these machines without issue, but it's the illusion of that loss of control that one can find enjoyable."
"Is this some weird Vampire sex thing? I mean I get it, eternity must drag on at some point, but chaining each other to posts? Then what?"
"It's far from just vampires who indulge, trust me. As for what people want from it, depending on what both parties like, it could be more, spanking or caning, we keep tools over on the far wall by the way. It could be denial, Sire particularly likes to have his way with us and be denied being unable to finish without one of us allowing it. The worlds your oyster, sweet." Persephone turned around,suddenly seeing the room in a new light, all of the machines and chains came with padding and looked far too well maintained and clean to have seen use, the floor was soft, as if cushioned underneath. The sconces on the wall and ceiling were designed and arranged to give a mood of low light when lit but not in a menacing way, more sensual. Finally her eyes landed on racks missed the first time round, if she was alive she would have blushed. She spotted rope, and shorter cuffs and chains curled around hooks in the wall, she also noticed a variety of what looked to be canes and a few whips though much softer than she had ever seen. She then noticed a few different harness, one baring a,
"What on God's green earth is that Isabella?" Pointing across the room, one of the harnesses smaller than the rest seemed to be made of black leather straps interlocked in an intricate criss crossed pattern, but it was what was attached to the harness that shocked her. Breaking from the embrace Isabella quickly moved across the room before unlocking the harness and pulling it so the lengths of leather had no slack, almost into the shape of underwear with a long protrusion.
"This might be my favourite way of ensuring equality among us, I don't believe there is a term for it really, and it is only something I've ever seen used by vampires. Regardless, it can be worn, I suppose, by anyone but mostly women to recreate the male sex." Persephone had approached Isabella at this point taking the harness from her hands spinning it around the protrusion held to the side.
"What do you mean recreate?"
"Persephone, you're not this dull, it allows us to fuck." Realisation dawning on Persephone's face caused another outburst of laughter from Isabella, one Persephone failed to notice.
"Wait, so we can wear this, you would wear this and?" Looking to Isabella with barely concealed awe yet again.
