Anabella and the Dragons

[Martha Villiers]

She smiles and seems to happily accept Ana's help in standing. It's clearly a painful process to judge how much care she takes over it and the way her lower lip is nipped.

Martha takes the chance to catch Ana's scent and aroma as she's so close.

"Thank you so much!" she chirps at the kind aid offered, "Most grateful! Well, I shan't be too long!" she giggles meekly and hobbles heavily over to her Chambers. She's trying so hard to walk with the gracefulness she imagines she sees in dancers. But it just isn't working.

Martha is gone about eight minutes. Leaving enough time for Ana' to contemplate matters...

[Princess]

Ana is happy to help with the tender care of one wholly invested in being pleasing, providing as much help as she can for Martha. But then the Herald and Grand Wyrm leaves.

And, in the absence of Martha's presence, Ana has no desire to sit still. So instead, she slowly circles the room, taking in every detail of the décor as she periodically checks back on the charts, hoping to commit some of it to memory. It is less a matter of boredom than a matter of restlessness, however - but this was hardly a surprising trait.

So here she was, waiting to go further along the path she'd believed her sire had intended, sans the benefit of having any idea where he was, or if he lived. But he had been the one to demand she run and hide in the first place, so if he couldn't find her, it was only because she followed instructions so very well.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha takes slightly more than the eight minutes she estimated.

Perhaps the extra time was taken up in the careful application of the hint of fresh red lipstick Martha seems to now be sporting.

Seeing that Ana is taking an active interest in the images and charts all about the vaulted chamber she smiles.

Clutching some paperback books under her she folds her cloak about herself and begins the painful process of limping over to Ana.

Her leg almost scrape along the ground as she hobbles closer to the Daeva.

"Ah...I apologize for taking so long, Miss." Martha seems meek, almost bashful, as she speaks.

"Here, Miss...these books I shall recommend as hoping to help you give thought to the nature of change, the Kosmos and the Great Work of the Ordo. It isn't a comprehensive or final set of texts, but I have found them useful to one extent or another...please accept them as a gift. A token of your joining in with the Great Work."

With that she offers Ana the books, biting her newly reddened lips as she shudders from the stabbing pain in her maimed hip.

The books...

The Religious Experience of Mankind' - Prof Ninian Smart (1969)
'Prophecy and Progress: the sociology of post-industrial society' - Prof Krishan Kumar (1978)
'The Enlightenment' - Norman Hampson (1968)
'Religion and the Decline of Magic' - Keith Thomas (1972)
'Future Shock' - Alvin Toffler (1970)
'Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come: the ancient roots of apocalyptic faith' Prof Norman Cohn (1993)
'Ecstatic Religion: an anthropological study of spirit possession and shamanism' - Dr Ioan M Lewis (1971)
'Mysticism in World Religion' - Rev Sidney Spencer (1963)
'Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance' - Prof Edgar Wind (1958)
'What is History?' - Dr Edward Carr (1961)
'Amusing Ourselves to Death: public discourse in the age of show business' - Prof Neil Postman (1985)
'Chaos: making a new science' - James Gleick (1987)

[Princess]

Gracefully closing the distance of the room faster than one might initially expect of such little legs, Ana accepts the books with a gracious nod and a clear desire to not burden the Grand Wyrm any more than necessary with their heft, given her clear discomfort. Getting a hold of all the books with her left arm, she offers her right to Martha.

"Was there anything else for us to discuss?" she asks after a moment, nipping at her own red lips in a perfect mirror of Martha's own action.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha watched, wide eyed, Ana's graceful steps. Taking in each sway, each curve of her legs and move she made...as if committing the grace to memory.

She accepted the help and offered arm without hesitation or complaint.

Speaking so very softly, she replied; "Only...only to discuss matters of interest to you, Miss. I shouldn't wish to stifle your enthusiasms."

Another shy smile followed as she held closer to Ana...perhaps for support...her leg was dragging so very badly, after all...

[Princess]

And at this point, Ana was still listening but entirely too distracted to process the meanings of the words. There was only one course of action that made any sense in the tingling sensation of such intimate contact with Martha - she leaned in for a kiss. What could go wrong from the simple brushing of lips?

[Martha Villiers]

Martha was clearly astounded.

The idea that Ana might suddenly kiss her genuinely comes as a surprise. As Ana brushes her lips against hers, Martha returns the kiss with such gentility and care that Ana may have imagined Martha responded.

But Martha dropped her cane and took advantage of her free hand to gently stroke Ana's cheek.

Sighing as she imagined...well...she thought about Ana...and stroked at Ana's hip...as if feeling for the unmarred workings of Ana's perfect hip muscles and bones.

To reassure Ana, Martha gently, ever so softly, returned the kiss and, like a naughty Ivy League co-ed, perhaps Martha was blushing.

-1 Vitae for Blush of Life

[Princess]

When she felt the reciprocation, all thoughts of other matters scattered to make way. As Martha blushed, Ana reciprocated, every piece of her awakening entirely. Her hands brush against Martha's neck and hair as she pulls her in for more, her passion undiluted by further hesitancy.

-1 Vitae for Blush of Life