Message-ID: <53619asstr$1145542201@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-To: ckought69@hotmail.com Delivered-To: ckought69@hotmail.com X-Original-Message-ID: <E1FWJVs-0002bx-00@pele.pele.cx> From: Shalon Wood <dstar@pele.cx> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 15:43:00 -0500 Subject: {ASSM} Pandora's Box 16 (Mf Mff MMf rom ws exhib bdsm) Lines: 527 x-asstr-message-id-hack: 53619 Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:10:01 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2006/53619> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: emigabe, RuiJorge Standard disclaimers apply; this story may or may not contain, in any given part, graphic depictions of lesbianism, homosexuality, group sex, bdsm, underage (teen) sex, magic, occultism, violence, and biting sarcasm. If you're underage, or if for any other reason it's illegal for you to read this, or you're disturbed by the content, please don't read it. Archived at http://pandora.pele.cx, and we've got a web-forum at http://playground.pele.cx/forums as well, for discussion of both Pandora and our other stories. Comments *greatly* appreciated. Enjoy, Velvet --------------------------------------------------------------------------- She was gone for quite a while, leaving him alone in the bedroom. Her bedroom? It was a safe bet. A glass case in one corner held a number of wind instruments, some easily recognized, some quite bizarre. A violin, its wood showing the deep, rich luster of very old wood very lovingly tended over decades, maybe centuries, was hung carefully on a hook by the bed. One corner of the large room was given to a small, hardwood dance floor, complete with mirrored wall and dance bar. Another corner held a harp taller than a man, its rosewood frame ornately, but tastefully, carved and accented with touches of gold and ivory. The walk-in closet was _huge_, its open door revealing a space larger than most bedrooms. But there wasn't a single image of her in the entire room. Not one. Baby pictures and printed out snapshots of her sister were taped all around the mirror on the large vanity, but she wasn't in any of them. Other than the pictures and the instruments, though, there was nothing individual about the room, nothing personal. It didn't feel really 'lived in'. The bed, when he lay back on it, was extremely soft, except for something hard jabbing him in the ribs. He reached under the blanket and pulled out a set of pan-pipes, left under the covers as if she'd been sleeping with them like another girl might cuddle a favorite stuffed toy. When he examined it with his new vision, he found that the room was surrounded by a glowing blue and purple cage that throbbed faintly, as if bound to a beating heart. When he looked, he couldn't see past the 'cage', either, so he couldn't tell if there was anything leading to it, or what the rest of the house was like magic-wise. Gabriel nodded to himself, making the connection between the colors and Tandi's aura, and wondered what it was, exactly. He was alone for about 20 minutes before the door was pushed open. When he looked up, though, there was no one there. He sat up further and looked down, seeing a cat with long white fur and a gold aura. "Well. Hello there." It looked at him disdainfully, then hopped up on the bed like it owned the place. Stretching out so as to stay as far from him as possible, it daintily sniffed a lock of his hair. The hair, appearing nervous, jerked away and curled into a huge knot at the back of his head. The cat looked at him with a definite smirk, and began washing itself. Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Are you Pandora's kitty?" It gave him a look of utter disgust. He was being ridiculous, he suddenly realized. That was just stupid. Of course he wasn't Pandora's kitty. Pandora was _his_ human, and Gabriel, himself, was an idiot. Gabriel said, in his most reasonable tone, "But Pandora's _my_ human. How can she be your human too?" The cat's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his claws slid out, easily sinking into the soft bedspread. He fluffed his fur, and a low growl throbbed in the air. "Well...look at my aura. See?" The cat snarled, and then reached out with a paw and sliced through a drifting tendril of auric light. It _hurt_. Bad. Gabriel felt rather like he'd been cut by a knife, then looked down to find the cat 'holding' a little pool of red-gold light between his furry paws and looking at him with smug superiority. Gabriel's eyes widened. "_No_. That's not acceptable. Besides, do you _really_ want her to have to stay here with her parents? Or do you want to come with her and live at my place?" The cat rubbed its cheek gently along the little sphere of red-gold light, purring and watching him suspiciously. Gabriel smiled. "There are mice." One white ear perked up attentively. Gabriel nodded. "Mice. It looked like a whole family of them. And that was just in one room. I haven't looked anywhere else." It looked at him assessingly. Then it stood up, taking the bit of aura in its mouth like a kitten, and slowly circled him, sniffing and looking him over. It paused at his right hand, the one whose claws had marked Pandora, and its ears flattened and it growled at him angrily. Gabriel said, quietly, "It wasn't intentional. I've only had them for a day. But I can't promise it won't be intentional in the future, if she wants me to do it. I'll give her anything she wants." Gabriel was suddenly made aware of the fact that only stupid people let kittens play under the lawn-mower, no matter how fun they think it is under there. "I won't do her permanent harm," he said. "But there's a difference between pain and harm." The cat sniffed indignantly and sat down again, tucking his aura 'baby' back beneath his front legs. The thought arrived in Gabriel's head that he'd been terribly rude. Couldn't he tell when a female was already claimed? Didn't he understand the common courtesy of _asking_ to court one's charge? He chuckled. "She showed up on my doorstep with her mind already made up. I didn't do anything except surrender gracefully." The cat gave him a long suffering look. Females...what could you do with them? Gabriel quirked one side of his mouth. "If you figure it out, will you tell me?" Well...there's always making kittens. Pandora-kittens would be especially pretty. Dear little things, all fluffy and bright. Gabriel nodded, smiling. "They would. When she's older, well...it's definitely something to consider." The cat looked him up and down again. Then it lay down, seeming to absorb the bit of aura it held. The color didn't return to the spot on Gabriel's...though bits were starting to bleed in from the sides...but the 'wound' at least stopped hurting. Trying to get that bit back, he now 'knew', would result in much silver blood spread upon Pandora's bed, and she wouldn't like that. Best to leave it where it belonged. Gabriel smiled, accepting the truce for what it was, and waited for Tandi. Tandi came in about 15 minutes later, her whole demeanor 'cautious'. She looked at the cat curled on the bed and smiled. "Ah. You've been checked out, I see." Gabriel nodded, then looked at the cat. "Would you excuse us? This should be private." Cats don't care about 'private'. Cats stay where they wish. "I understand that," he said. "But I think Tandi would be more comfortable alone. And I'd think you'd want to go see Pandora." The cat stood, stretching and yawning. Pandora would give him cream. As was his due. He hopped off the bed, curling around Tandi's ankles, then strutted leisurely out the door. Gabriel watched him leave. "You might want to close the door." He looked up at her. "Can you talk to him? Well, understand his replies, I mean." "I don't have anything to hide," she said, with a slight smile. "And she's uncomfortable enough with me here alone, as is. And yes, sometimes. When he wants to be heard." Gabriel nodded. "Okay." He shifted slightly on the bed. "She's afraid you're going to kill me, you know." She smiled predatorily. "I know." "Are you?" he asked. "Maybe. Depends." "On what?" He sighed. "Look. She doesn't know what I'm about to say, although I did promise to tell her afterwards. Tandi...I don't want to take her away from you. I really don't. You've supported her all this time...that wouldn't be right, and I'm not going to do it. That's why I told her what I did. It's not because I'll get anything out of it." She smiled knowingly. "I know." Gabriel looked at her. "You said you thought I might be fun to try. If you want to, that's okay, but I want to make sure you understand that it's _not_ required. If you'd rather, I won't touch you. I'm not..." He stopped. "I'm not sure how to say this, actually. If I say I'm not interested in you sexually, that sounds...wrong. It's not that I'd object to the idea, I think. But I'm not going to pursue you. I didn't suggest this to get two girls into bed with me." She sighed. "If I really, _really_ thought you had...I would have killed you first, and worried about keeping her alive until the pain from the broken bond eased afterwards." "I've been completely honest with you." "I think so. I can't be sure yet, but I think you have been, to the best of your abilities." He sighs. "I have been. I can't prove it, I guess, but I have. So...will you grant me the same respect?" "I haven't lied to you," she protested. "I know. But I'm about to ask you a question that I'm not sure you'll want to answer," he said. "Then I can't say I will. I won't lie about it, though." Gabriel nodded. "Okay. I want to know..." He sighed. "I'm not just asking to be nosy, okay? But...are you in love with her?" "I love her. I want her...but so does everyone else. 'In love'? Honestly, I'm not even really sure what that _means_." His lips twisted wryly. "Well...I'm not sure I can help you there. It's one of those things that really doesn't translate to words very well. I guess...what do you hope for out of this? Not what do you want, not what do you expect...what I'm trying to figure out is what you hope for." "Hope? I _hope_ not to lose my sister. But you're taking her away, anyway. She won't stay here, not anymore. Maybe for a very, very little while, but it'll hurt her too bad and she won't be able to do it for long. And I'll still be stuck here, and without her, my psycho-bitch mother might start looking at _me_, and then life is going to royally _suck_, especially without her here to offset the badness." Gabriel hesitated. "I...um. Wait. What...exactly...did you talk about?" She closed her mouth tightly, stubbornly. He nodded, slowly. "Then...you're welcome in our home anytime, Tandi. If it gets too bad..." He shrugged. "I'll do what I can. I don't know what that will be, but..." "See, there's _not_ anything you can do. Or her. No matter what she offers. There's just no legal way to leave home at thirteen without your parents' permission." He sighed. "I know. Not unless she gets bad enough that we could try to get custody." "And if you did, and then _we_ did, then that could be a whole _pile_ of trouble down the road." Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Worse than if we _didn't_ have custody?" "Yep. Trust me...it'd be much worse if you were standing in loco parentis for me. Especially if they decided you'd sued for custody solely for the purpose of debauchery. That comes under the heading of 'defrauding the court' and such." Gabriel shrugged. "Tandi...you're forgetting something. It's very likely that _any_ jail sentence would be a death sentence for me. I'm not human." "No. You're not. And you wouldn't be locked up unless you _let_ yourself be. Witches might can stop you. I might can kill you. But you don't have to worry about human law unless you _choose_ to. Maybe you haven't realized that yet, but it's the truth. You can always pop Underhill and turn up in another fucking country." Gabriel looked at her thoughtfully. "Well, in that case...there's no danger at all, is there?" "Not to _you_, no. But humans don't belong Underhill, and from what I've heard, they're not welcome except as toys. She'd lose you. It might be fifty years from now when you pop back out. They'd put her in 'protective custody'. It'd kill her." Gabriel shook his head. "I'd just take you with me, and come back out as soon as possible. Wouldn't that work?" "And how would you protect us from the others? Don't you think they're going to _want_ her?" Gabriel opened his mouth, and then stopped. "Damn." He sighed. "The thing is, I don't think that adding you to the mix would make things any worse. I really don't. And I want her to have everything she needs." "Yes, it would. It would make it more likely that a) you would get caught, and b) the judge and jury would look unfavorably upon you and actually send you to jail, necessitating your escape," she said. Gabriel sighed. "I'm not sure it would be that much more likely that I'd get caught. And what makes you think they won't decide I was doing you _anyway_?" "Innocent until proven guilty. It's a whole lot harder to _prove_ someone guilty when they've never actually _done_ anything." "That doesn't apply in a case like this. If they decide you have, they won't believe you when you say you haven't. They'll get psychiatrists to say that the fact that you say I didn't is proof I did." His tone was sour. "On the up side, I can't see any way for them to find out." "Alright, drop the legal shit," she said with a sigh. "I really don't care about that...there are mundane ways to run away from the law. I'll be blunt. The real danger is in hurting _her_. I'm not going to do that. She's had enough hurt." He nodded. "How do you think you'd hurt her?" "Lots of ways. For one, I think she'd _want_ me to try you. And that would hurt her. Then there's the fact that if it didn't work out, she'd feel guilty. She already thinks the last time was her fault...as if you can _control_ who or what you're attracted to!" She rolled her eyes. "If that were the case, I would have taken up with that prince that decided he liked me last month and been _out_ of here." Gabriel bit his lip. "I think you're right. She would want you to try me, just because her first time was so good. I'm not completely sure that it would hurt her, though...but if I wasn't sure that it _wouldn't_, it wouldn't happen. As for her getting hurt because it didn't work out..." He looked at her for a moment. "I think that's her choice, not ours." She shook her head. "No, whether or not I want to risk hurting her is bloody damned well _my_ choice. Whether or not _she_ wants to risk getting hurt is hers. They're different things." He gave her a sharp look. "So you'd take away her right to choose?" He shook his head. "That's not your right, and it's not my right. Turn her down because you don't want her, or because you don't think there's any chance you could enjoy it, but not because you're afraid she could get hurt. We don't have that choice. All we can do is do everything we can not to hurt her." "Nope. Don't agree with you. 'Cause, see, hurting her _would_ hurt me. Bad. So you can't tell me I can't choose to say no because I don't want to hurt her, because that would be telling me I can't say no because I don't want to get hurt." "And what about removing the chance for it going _right_? That would hurt her too," he said. Tandi shook her head stubbornly. "Not as _much_. But...I haven't said 'no'. I'm still thinking about it. Weighing things." "What do you want, if everything worked out? What would you hope for?" he asked. "I don't know, really. I just don't want to lose her. She's the only really good part of my life." Tandi sat down at the desk, looking suddenly lost and vulnerable. "Sex is good, yeah...but not if it messes the rest up." He thought for a moment, then sighed. "I don't think it would, honestly. Not as long as we're all honest. If it doesn't work, then we know we tried. If it does..." He shrugged. "Well..." She looked slightly embarrassed. "There's also the...um...the 'respect' factor. If I just want sex, nothing permanent, no strings...what is she going to think of me?" Gabriel looked at her. "Is that really what you want?" "See? You think it's cold and trashy too!" "No, I don't. In fact, that's exactly what she was willing to settle for when she showed up yesterday. I just don't think it's what you want." He smiled. "Maybe you'll get as lucky as I did." She shrugged. "Okay, let's say that _for now_ it's what I want. Eventually, I want to settle down in a normal relationship like anyone else, but I don't want anything serious right now. And I don't think I can get what I _ultimately_ want from someone who is...whatever this thing between you is...with someone else. That doesn't bother me, but I'm afraid it _would_ bother her, a lot." Tandi sighed, looking at him. "See...I wasn't sure about helping her. Because however smart she is, whatever she thinks _logically_, she's always associated sex with love. But she wanted you. And...I hated to see her sad." Gabriel nodded. "What if she falls in love with you?" "It's...not the same. You don't get it. We already love each other. We already need each other." She broke off, glaring at him again with her original irritation. "Though she needs _you_ more now. So it's not like it'd be a huge big change. But if I'm having sex with her, then she might _think_ it is, whether it is or not." "I get it," he said quietly. "What if it _is_ a big change? What if she ends up feeling the same way about you that she does about me?" "She can't. Maybe you don't realize what you've done to her, but...she can't. Not anymore. There's not room." "What if you're wrong?" He raised an eyebrow. "You thought all elves were evil." She shrugged. "I can _see_ this. With my own eyes. Not relying on someone else's information." "What are you seeing?" he asked. She thought about if for a moment, then answered him, "A blending. A total...merging. It's...what stupid romance writers think everybody wants. A bond so tight, she'll feel your pain, and if you die, it'll be all I can do just to keep her alive long enough to heal." Gabriel nodded. "That's there. But it doesn't mean there's no room for anyone else, Tandi. It just means the...the bond would have to change to accommodate it." He paused, searching for words. "If you braid two colors of string together, there's not room for a third. But if you braid three colors together, all three fit." "Yes. But I'm not willing to join that bond." She sighed. "You don't know me. The closest you come is knowing her. But I'm not _like_ her. Not anything like her. She wanted something like that, she always did. Someone to know everything about her, to share _everything_ with." She looked up at him, her turquoise eyes glittering like deep ice. "I don't. What I want in a partner is...a friend, a playmate. Someone I can trust, yeah, but also someone who's...just a little bit weaker than me, so that I don't have to worry about her trying to be in charge. I can just take care of her, and keep the bits of me that I want to private. That's cold, I know, but it's the way I am." Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "You think she'd want to be in control?" "No. But she'd want more...openness...than I'm comfortable with. And she already has someone to take care of her." "That's true," he said slowly. "You don't think two people would be better than one?" She shook her head. "No, not really. Because then you've gotta trust _two_ people, and it's hard enough to trust even one." Gabriel pursed his lips. "But you already trust her. I know that. And you have to trust me anyway." "No I don't. Not with everything." "Not with everything," he agreed. "But with a lot." He sighed. "I just...I want her to have whatever she wants." "I want her to be happy, too," Tandi protested. "Don't act like I don't. But she's not the one who'd want it. She'd give it to me, and she'd enjoy it, especially if it made you happy, but this is _my_ want, not something she craves." Gabriel sighed. "She couldn't be satisfied with you because she needed something else. Now she has it." He looked her in the eye. "Are you so sure that she won't discover she _does_ want it now?" "She might want it. But she won't ever _need_ it. If she did start needing it...well, I doubt I could tell her no." "Could you live with that, though?" he asked. "What if she needs more than that?" "I could live with that," she said quietly. "She's always been the important one in the family, anyway." "You said you weren't willing to join the bond." "I'm not. But I'm willing to stay with her if she needs me." "What would you do if she needed you to join the bond?" he asked. "If she needed that...that connection with you." "She won't. Because she _has_ what she _needs_. The nature of it...completes her." He nodded. "That...feels right. But what if she did? What if it doesn't, quite, complete her, and she needed you to finish it?" She sighed. "Then I would, whether I wanted to or not. You really don't get this 'family' thing, do you?" Gabriel looked at her seriously. "How could I? I never had one." She flushed and turned her face away. "Stop that. Don't you dare go looking all pitiful at _me_ buster, I don't _have_ any softer instincts." He asked, slowly, "So...what does it mean to _you_ that you're family?" "We take care of each other. Watch out for each other. Do what it takes." She met his eyes squarely, hers ice cold. "_Whatever_ it takes, because we're...we were all there was." "You were everything for each other, weren't you?" She snapped, "Well you try trusting anyone _else_ in this family and see what it gets you!" "Did I say there was anything _wrong_ with that?" he asked mildly. She shrugged, looking away. "Honestly, it almost seems to me that you were as close as you'd be if you were married." She snorted. "Yeah, marriage, _that_ really means closeness. I think our parents have been alone together exactly three times in their life." "It can. It did for me and Lissa, even when...when things were coming apart." He sighed, and looked at her for a long moment. "It's your decision, Tandi. Yours and hers. But as far as I'm concerned...you're welcome in our life for as long as you want to be there." She smiled at that...not bitterly, or nastily, or enigmatically, but a real smile, the first he'd seen. "I'm glad you feel that way." "I meant it. I never had a family...I could never take Pandora away from the only family _she's_ ever had." He smiled back. She flushed, then straightened up abruptly. "Don't be cute at me, either, Legolas." "I'm not," he said simply. "Wanna bet," she muttered before standing up. "Okay. I think we're done. I don't wanna worry her, and I _don't_ want the two of you to still be here when Bitch Queen of The Universe gets back from her mall-hopping." Gabriel nodded. "That sounds wise." "Great. I'll get Dora. You...make yourself useful. The cases for her toys are in the closet, go ahead and get them out." He stood up. "Okay." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you like this, you might want to take a look at Strange Love, an e-zine of sf/fantasy/paranormal erotica. The first issue is on sale now for $2 at: http://strangelove.pele.cx Take a look! -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+