The Autumn Ball of 2009.20:08 Jul 02 2010
Times Read: 983
It has been over twenty years since I last set foot in New York City, and I had to acclimate myself to the hustle and bustle of the place. Ankh-Re and I had adjacent suites at the Four Seasons Hotel. After our flight from SFO, I took a short nap before beginning another shopping trek with Ankh-Re.
I found out through Lady Ma-zu that Queen Makafisa's size specifications were at all of the premier couture houses, under the pseudonym Lillian Black. With that bit of information, I commissioned a gown for Her Majesty from Narcisco Rodriguez: a long-sleeved, form-fitting midnight blue sheath of slubbed silk.
As for Lord Fabien's gift, I had two exquisite bottles of rare Californian wine from the San Marco Estates - one pinot grigio and one cabernet.
Before I left for New York, I reviewed the photographs of the gown that were e-mailed to me for my approval. I arranged to have the gown gift-wrapped and delivered to my hotel suite upon my arrival. I was pleased with my gifts, as they saved me a trip to the bookseller.
...So, running around the city with Ankh-Re was not as irritating as it could have been. All I had to do was rush Ankh-Re along. The highlight of the day's shopping was when Ankh-Re purchased a rare High Renaissance Venetian tapestry for the Queen that was on the blackmarket. Good grief.
Once we returned to the hotel, we dined together, then went to our separate suites. I ended up 'vegging out' for the rest of the evening and the following day...
I was putting on my gold and amber jewelry when there was a soft rap on my door; I opened it to find Ankh-Re in black evening attire. His hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. Instead of a black cravat, he wore one of bronze silk...which matched perfectly with my long-sleeved bronze-colored velvet gown. This was the third time we went out together in matching colors.
"Why do we end up in matching colors - again?"
I asked.
"I'm good, huh?" Ankh-Re replied, with a huge grin.
The drive to the Pierre Hotel was better than I had expected; the traffic flowed a lot faster than I had anticipated. Still, it took almost forty-five minutes...forty-five minutes of Ankh-Re and his seductive machinations in the back of a limousine.
He stretched, then put one arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I looked up at him and gave a little laugh while shaking my head.
"Could you be less obvious in your pursuit?" I finally asked.
"You know me well, my lady" he said. He took one of my hands in his and kissed it gently. I felt warmth spread throughout my body; I yanked my hand from his. Ankh-Re chuckled, then said "I'll give you time, love. One thing that we do have is time."
I was relieved when we arrived at the Pierre Hotel's ballroom. Lord Fabien did not disappoint; the setting was fabulous. The highlight of the receiving area was a huge gilt table, laden with a pyramid of pink, brown, and gold boxes of Coeur Chocolat.
"You do recognize who Lord Fabien is?" asked Ankh-Re.
"No" I replied. "Those boxes of chocolate are familiar though."
Ankh-Re sighed. "Lord Fabien's family founded Coeur Chocolat over three hundred and fifty years ago."
"I had no idea that the D'Arc name was behind the legendary chocolate!" I exclaimed. What connoisseur of fine chocolate was not familiar with the famous confections boxed in pink and brown, with gold ribbon? Coeur Chocolat dated back to the time of King Louis XIV; they survived the revolution and two world wars. One piece of Coeur chocolate cost ten dollars or more. Humans and vampires loved it! There was a secret ingredient in the chocolate that improved one's health and well being. Humans were not aware of the fact that the secret ingredient was vampire blood.
The ballroom was beautiful; it was ablaze with crystal chandeliers. The decor was pure Coeur Chocolat: there were gilt side tables; chairs and loveseats richly upholstered in pink and brown velvet, embroidered in gold silk thread...at the end of the ballroom sat a dais, with a magnificent gilt chair. It was obvious that Her Majesty would be attending the event.
Ankh-Re took me by the arm and lead me to the large bar that was set up along one wall.
"What shall we drink first?" he asked.
"I will have cranberry juice with a splash of vodka" I replied.
"Cool...I'll have a tequila shot with a splash of virgin's blood" Ankh-Re said. I expected the bartender to laugh; instead, without missing a beat, he asked "What type of virgin do you want the blood drawn from?"
It was Ankh-Re's turn to laugh. He left the bartender a fifty dollar tip, even though payment was not required.
We sat on one of the loveseats along one wall, next to a long table laden with hor d'oeuvres. Some of the vampires present tentatively approached us to introduce themselves and exchange pleasantries.
"Some of these folks are real ass-kissers" Ankh-Re said telepathically.
As I continued to nod and smile, I replied that we were Master Vampires after all; they were giving us the respect that was our due...and speaking of due, I wondered where our host was. While staring at the ice cubes in my glass, someone in front of me quietly cleared his throat. I looked up to see an extremely handsome man before us. He was tall, with a slender, muscular build. He had shoulder-length dark brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. He wore a neatly trimmed moustache and goatee.
"Lady Isis...Lord Ankh-Re" he said as he bowed. "I am Lord Fabien D'Arc, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. It is an honour to have you two present."
The deep timbre of his French-accented voice was intoxicating. Damn. Vampires are too damned sexy...
'It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Fabien" said Ankh-Re, snapping me out of my revelry.
"Yes - it is nice to meet you" I said.
The three of us chatted for awhile. Besides New York City, Lord Fabien had homes in Paris, the Provence region, and Casablanca. He expressed interest in buying property in Northern California.
Before I could offer my assistance, Ankh-Re stated that he would be pleased to help Fabien with the house-hunting.
Lord Fabien asked me if I would do him the honour of dancing the evening's first waltz. I said that I would be happy to oblige. The orchestra performed Strauss' "The Blue Danube".
Lord Fabien was an elegant dancer. I noticed Ankh-Re glaring at us from the bar. When I rejoined him and ordered another cranberry with vodka, he looked bemused.
"So...you had a great time with the froggy?" he asked.
"Yes - I did. He is an excellent dancer. Are you jealous?" I asked.
"Jealous? Of him? Please..."
I laughed and told Ankh-Re that I would mingle for awhile. When the orchestra took a break, a deejay began to work. He put on A Perfect Circle's "Magdalena". The floor was inundated with vampires and their favored donors.
I found Lady Ma-zu in the company of Lord Erik and Lord Fujiro. Both of the men were vying for her attention. When Ma-zu saw me, she looked relieved.
"Lady Isis! How wonderful to see you!" she exclaimed. Lord Erik and Lord Fujiro bowed, then gave up the pretense of formality by hugging me.
Both of them wore their Order of Makafisa. "May I borrow the lady for a moment?" I asked.
I took Lady Ma-zu's arm in mine as we walked around the ballroom. She looked lovely.
"I love your gown, Ma-zu" I said. She wore a heavily embroidered long-sleeved red cheongsam. Her glossy black hair flowed down her back.
"Thank you, Isis. I love yours as well. You are such a fashionista!" We laughed.
"Ma-zu" I finally said "It appeared as if you were desperate to get away from Erik and Fujiro...why? They are both very respectable - and very attractive."
"I know, Isis. My problem is that I want both of them...at the same time, if you get my meaning. It must be something in the air..."
I was speechless. I was used to the quiet reserved Ma-zu, who kept her desires to herself.
"Um...I think we need a drink" I finally said.
While at the bar, we witnessed the arrival of Lady Anala, with a very attractive blond human on a leash...good grief. She was always such a show-off.
"Well" said Ma-zu "Lord Fabien should be pleased with the turnout. So far, there are four Master Vampires in attendance. I hear that Queen Makafisa may be here as well!"
About an hour later, the music stopped for the announcement of the Queen's arrival.
"Ladies and gentlemen...Her Majesty, Queen Makafisa!"
Those who were seated rose to their feet. Everyone bowed. Her Majesty sauntered in, followed by her personal assistant Lord Bekan, and two black-suited guards, who reminded me of The Men in Black - I wanted to laugh out loud. Ankh-Re chuckled under his breath.
Queen Makafisa was resplendent, as usual. She wore a slinky teal gown covered with pearls. Her hair was gathered to the top of her head and held in place with several strands of pearls. Pearl and diamond jewels completed her ensemble.
Lord Fabien escorted her to her seat upon the dais. The orchestra began to play Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nacht Musik". Ankh-Re and I went over to greet the Queen. We also asked where she was staying...so we could have our gifts delivered. When we walked away, Ankh-Re said telepathically "I hope the ass-kissing works!"
It was nice to see that most of the master vampires attended the ball: Lady Sirara was with Lord Kratos - they looked like the ideal couple. Lord Pen and Lord Sebastian were also present. I noticed that Sebastian wore a huge crucifix on the breast pocket of his tuxedo. I was surprised to learn that Lord Gad would not be attending; he always liked to be surrounded by beautiful female vampires.
When Lord Aray arrived - fashionably late - one could feel the intense electricity in the air. I expected Aray to be suddenly accosted by every woman present. As for Lord Mikal, he was not present, which did not surprise me. He was a true loner.
The festivities became more riotous as the hours passed. Lady Anala - who wore a flimsy transparent gold thing that accentuated her curves and left nothing to the imagination - lead her 'pet' to Her Majesty as an offering. She and the Queen began feeding from him. He obviously did not mind, as the bulge in his pants kept growing. Before he passed out, they stopped. Fortunately for him, they did not drain him.
Lady Ma-zu came to me to bid me good night. I noticed that when she was gone, Lord Erik and Lord Fujiro were also absent...some of the vampires disappeared into dark alcoves, to feed off of each other and have sex. It was getting hotter in the ballroom.
Many of the vampires continued to dance wildly to the deejay's techno mixes. It was amusing to see vampires bouncing around in formal evening attire.
Ankh-Re sauntered up to my back and kissed the nape of my neck. I decided then that I would go along with whatever he had in mind for us. He was about to kiss me on the lips when a loud voice broke the spell.
"Makafisa!"
The music stopped abruptly, and the vampires on the dance floor parted for the newcomer. I felt a chill down my spine. Ankh-Re was like a stone statue.
The newcomer walked up to the dais where Her Majesty was seated. He wore a long black coat over a black suit. He gave a low sweeping bow as he removed his black wide-brimmed hat.
I understood my fear just then; the Queen was visibly shaken by the arrival of the stranger. She - who never showed fear - was afraid. And her fear made me fearful...as it did to everyone else present.
Makafisa recovered and stared coldly at the man before her. I did not see his face until he turned to look around the ballroom. It was Huey!
"Honey...is this the way you greet family?" he asked, in his Southern drawl. He sat down on the dais, and fanned himself with his hat.
"What a nice party! Did I miss much?"
The ballroom was silent. Every vampire present was aware that something was not right. There was tension in Makafisa's jaw as she clenched her teeth. Finally, she said "Hello, Huey. It's good to see you...and yes, it has been a long time."
Huey ran his fingers through his long black hair, and fixed his green gaze upon me. I felt like I had a target on my heart. Why was he staring at me?
"Greetings, Lady Isis" he said. He nodded to Ankh-Re.
"Greetings, Lord Huey" I replied. I had no idea if he was truly a lord or not. And I was not going to risk not using the title.
"Oh - I don't need to be addressed with a title, but I thank you just the same, missy." He winked at me, then focused his attention back to Queen Makafisa. There was telepathic communication between them for a moment. Afterwards, Huey stated "I sure could use a drink, hon." We all understood what he wanted.
Lady Anala was eager to oblige...the slut. She sauntered up to Huey and smiled. Huey smiled back, while gazing at her large round golden breasts. He stood up, and sank his teeth into one of them. Anala closed her eyes and let out a loud moan. After two or three minutes, Huey raised his head. Anala took up the hem of her 'dress' and wiped his mouth. He thanked her.
"Why is everybody gawking?" Huey asked.
Lord Fabien ordered the orchestra to play. They struck up a jazz tune, to lighten the mood. It was Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing"...I was in deja vu hell.
Many of the vampires began to dance; they tried to lessen the tension that was still in the air with too much joviality.
I went outside for some fresh air and came upon Lord Fabien, sitting on a stone bench. He appeared to be stressed. He noticed me, and stood up immediately and bowed. I bade him to sit, and I sat next to him.
"Lord Fabien, you have given a wonderful ball. I am glad that I came."
He smiled and thank me. There was a minute or two of uncomfortable silence between us. I broke the silence by telling him that I had the pleasure of meeting Huey once, and that he seemed to be an amiable character. Whatever was going on between Huey and the Queen would be taken care of in no time. As I said this, I tried to convince myself that it was true.
Lord Fabien looked relieved. He wanted his ball to be a success. It was, for the most part, if one could ignore the beautiful and somewhat scary party crasher. Every vampire at the ball knew that something was off, and not in a good way.
The ball winded down to a close around three am. Each guest received a box of Coeur Chocolat from the table in the reception area.
The amorous feeling that Ankh-Re and I shared earlier was lost. Neither of us felt like talking. We both felt physically drained, which was a rarity for a vampire. There were many questions without answers. We agreed to talk the following day. We knew that we would also obtain gossip from many of the vampires who were present at the ball.
What was the relationship between Makafisa and Huey? Why did I have a bad feeling about them?
When we arrived at the hotel, Ankh-Re walked me to my suite, kissed me on the forehead, and bid me goodnight.
© MFH 2010
COMMENTS
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Theban
11:21 Jul 13 2010
Hmmm I wonder, this message could be in relation to Huey's arrival.
Isis101
15:11 Jul 13 2010
Yeap - you're absolutely correct!
VicereineOfAngels
05:19 Aug 16 2010
I like it!