North American Vampire Council & Past Calling (Hypernaturals 12 & 13)

One Shade Darker

In the original Ninovan, the Commons was the biggest building on the site. It held the entire community, had an enormous kitchen, lots of tables, and was where everyone socialized.

The New Ninovan Commons is a pavilion large enough to hold every member of the old Ninovan group, plus everyone that has joined since, plus a few more besides. To handle the Crew, family, friends, and Council that would be present this evening, they had added tents along the sides. They had prepared a massive feast. For once, not prepared by Nakoma, Morgan, and I. Since this is Victoria's doing, I assume she had it catered locally.

To say that my family caused a scene when we arrived might be an understatement. We are seated up front, near the stage. The pavilion has a stage for music and that type of thing. In theory, my little family band might play up there some evening. They have been talking about it, in any case. I imagine that now it is a dead certainty. We played a wedding: everyone knows we have a band. We are the most Ninovan of all the non-Ninovan's, and a band with two CouncilCritters and the head of Star Fleet Medical in it is most assuredly a big 'get' for the Ninovan's. They do love their song nights here. It's the Siren in them.

Normally, for a Ninovan only event, food is arrayed along where our tables are when it is a Ninovan-only event. Tonight the food is over in the tents to clear off space for people under the main pavilion roof.

We arrived at the party fashionably late, so that we had to walk through a crowd to get to our assigned table.

There are little placards declaring our seating. I sat at 'Vera Sagan' because fuck assigned seating.

All eyes were on Jessica and Morgan, and rightly so. My Valkyries.

Until Helen arrived.

Helen had accessorized the transparent black top with a flashy necklace, and she looked every millimeter the British Royalty that she actually is. She confidently walked up the center row of guest tables to our table, stopping to say 'hi' along the way. Working the room. So her.

From a distance, Helen looks happy. Also sexy. I could see her in the court of France back in the day, looking like that. With her classical features, compact curves, and regal bearing, she must have turned heads. She had no trouble getting lovers in the French Court, male or female, and this was before she landed the man whose name (in France) I now bear. Lord Claremont.

Come to think about it, most people were smaller back then. Helen was probably not nearly so compact for that day and age. Rachel is an outlier. So is Victoria. Jessica is an outlier from a later age.

Helen was all smiles when she arrived at our table. "Well. Don't you two look nice? However, we don't quite match yet. Here..." Helen said, and she then slipped behind each of her wives, reached around their necks, and added a necklace for each. "I thought we'd go ahead and completely match. You know, most women are not supposed to like to dress the same, however, I think we look fabulous."

Morgan was touching her new neckwear, feeling its weight.

"Is this... real?" she asked.

"Of course it is, my love." Helen assured her.

"Wow..." Morgan said.

She never dresses up, and she never wears jewelry.

"You look marvelous, honey. I have never seen you look like that. Own it. I know my mouth is watering at the sight of you." Helen assured Morgan.

Morgan is way out of her depth here. She poleaxed Helen, now Helen returned the favor, Helen style.

I lay it on thicker to support Helen's victory. It is fun seeing Morgan utterly at a loss.