[OPEN Mini-Log] After the Storm

[witheredpeonies]

Who: Annabel Lee (witheredpeonies) & You
What: Clearing her Mind
When: After the Gala
Where: Oak and Iron Tavern
Warning(s): None yet, threads will carry warnings in subject lines

The Gala had been eventful, and now Annabel Lee is tempted to close herself up like a fan. A dangerous thought, given she genuinely does need allies, given the danger represented by everyday life in Pumpkin Hollow. So she figures out a way to be out in public without feeling vulnerable: she brings her personal chess board to the Oak and Iron, sets it up, and begins playing openings for herself, while offering a mild smile to anyone who walks into the room.

Care for a game?

Note: Annabel Lee is a very good chess player; she's defeated every potential suitor for several years in a ruthless manner. While it's not impossible to beat her, many characters will not.

Comments

[lordoftheozarks]

Maybe some other time he really might like to hear about her gripes. It sounds entertaining to him, as an outside observer.

"It's only confusing to you because you and I have a different idea of what is or isn't dignified. Sex is not a sacred thing to me, nor to many vampires my age. It becomes rather droll to judge one another for our various pleasurable appetites after a while--unless it's something particularly egregious. Even we have limits." He once ended an entire relationship over one of his.

"I view it as no different than any other trade. It does actually take some skill to perform, you know. One needs a certain level of social intelligence when it comes to servicing a client who is, at that moment, their most vulnerable. It involves more than the simple physical act. In fact, even in communities of prostitutes there are certain classes. One may climb the ranks by outperforming the others. Often a high ranking enough whore will develop a dedicated core clientele list. It's even possible to become a celebrity in the trade, well known enough to be held up as an example for aspiring beginners. It is, in every sense, similar to any other art form. Why shouldn't it be respected?"

[witheredpeonies]

"And how many of your clients are married, sneaking away from their spouses to visit you?"

It's a half-hearted point at best, as she tries to uphold the standards she was raised with, without really knowing why.

[lordoftheozarks]

"To put it bluntly, I neither know nor care." He shrugs as he moves another piece. But he isn't really paying much attention to the board now.

"It is no moral failing of mine if someone is seeing me without his or her spouses' permission."

[witheredpeonies]

Annabel takes a moment to consider that, though it might look to an outsider like she's scrutinizing the board. She makes a move, one that could be a trap.

"You actually believe that, don't you?"

[lordoftheozarks]

"Why shouldn't I?"

Hm. He considers that move. It could be a trap, or it could be a misdirection. He decides to find out the hard way and moves into it.

"I'm the one being sought out. My terms are agreed upon before service is rendered. I do not ask for personal information outside the scope of what I have to offer as that is none of my business. Their morals are their own responsibility. I will neither be shamed nor blamed for them. Not by you or by anyone."

[witheredpeonies]

There's a piece captured, set aside. Annabel doesn't seem to rub it in, it's rather subdued really.

"I'm not trying to shame you. I'm trying to understand."

[lordoftheozarks]

He hardly reacts to his piece being taken. He simply forges ahead seemingly heedless to any more traps that might be lurking.

"Not on purpose, no. But, it does seem difficult for you to uncouple the idea of paid sex from shame. The way you speak of me discarding my dignity comes from that, no doubt. I do not blame you. If the era you come from is anything like the one I lived through in my own world, that would be the prevailing attitude. Here and now, however, you have the choice to discard or keep that mindset."

[witheredpeonies]

Annabel doesn't answer aloud for a very long time. And when she does, she doesn't look at Erik, not directly.

"Is it supposed to be easy to discard like that?" Not just the mindset. But the shame. She doesn't know how to let go of that, either. Shame about everything she's wanted, shame about everything she's been.

[lordoftheozarks]

"No." His voice is gentle, sympathetic. "If it was easy to discard, it wouldn't be doing its job. But it can be done. The path forward will be confusing, frustrating, but also wonderfully liberating."

[witheredpeonies]

Annabel doesn't have a good response to that. It's scary. She feels like she's standing at the edge of an abyss and being coaxed to just walk into it.

But she knows how the chess game is going. "Mate in three."

[lordoftheozarks]

A wry smile tilts his thin lips. "Yes, you have me quite handily. I see no way out. I never was very good at this game. That said, it has been a pleasure playing with you."

[witheredpeonies]

"And a pleasure talking with you, in turn." Or perhaps a revelation. Same difference, right?