Week 3 Susan's Date: Guests, Part One

Shar opened the door to the long corridor that stretched clear to Arabella's island, and seemed only a step away. Liesa exited first, in a bold and sensual strut that Shar knew was unintentional. Long strawberry-blond hair streaming behind her, she smiled up, and up, at the tall host before her. Clearly at a loss for words. Just behind her, Sam sauntered in looking both casual and excited all at once. "Yeah, that's about what I expected a Haunted Castle host to look like." She snarked, and Shar laughed in response.

"Welcome both of you to the Haunted Castle." Thunder boomed outside. "I am so very glad the two of you took up my offer to visit."

Smiling as the tension drained out of her. Clearly, this imposing woman was friendly even if she towered over the two of them. And was muscled just as heavily as her schat. "Thank you for having us." Liesa said in her lovely accent. "The last few days have been something, and a break is appreciated."

"Yeah, something." Clearly Sam was stressed by something heavier than party plans, and just as clearly she was not going to let that stop her from enjoying an actual castle. The black stone walls of the room certainly had an atmosphere to them.

The tall, pale redhead held out a pair of elaborate golden bracelets to them. Liesa ran a finger over the woven braid, delighting in the artistry of the finely crafted article. "Your enhanced vitality, thanks to Andi, ensures that you can handle the thin atmosphere here quite handily for far longer than most, but I wish you to be comfortable for your stay. And they will give you access to the Moongate network besides."

Sam wasn't big on jewelry, but she wasn't going to say no to the woman who had crafted the rings that gave her a connection to the woman she loved. "Tracy said something about teleporting, but her explanation totally lost me."

"The Castle and grounds are vast, and growing." Shar laughed at her private joke. Only Tonya knew how true her words were. "It is much easier to get around using shortcuts. The Moongates are silvery metallic circles set in the floor that can instantly transport you to another just by thinking of where you want to go. The bracelets will also nudge you towards where you want to go as a guide."

"They are beautiful." Liesa was hardly shocked the bracelets were enchanted, given the rings Shar had gifted them along with her letters. Indeed, the tall woman had encouraged their relationship nearly from the start. She smiled as she ran a thumb over the linked bands, feeling Sam's excitement through them.

Shar bowed, smiling, before them. Showing off both generous cleavage and a hint of long teeth that Sam caught. Arabella had already explained the exiled host's condition though, so it was no surprise. "They are yours to keep, even past today. In case you should ever return. And in case there is ever need of such, I offer the both of you sanctuary here."

Sam raised one blue brow. That was quite the offer, but then Shar had seemed quite invested in them from even before her first letters. Possibly just her though, as according to Arabella they had something rather shocking in common. "So what's on the agenda, boss?"

"The others are having breakfast currently. I thought you would like to join them."

Having missed dinner for unavoidable circumstances, Sam was indeed interested. "I could eat." Liesa laughed and clutched her arm.

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The big doors into the dining hall swung open dramatically, and Shar walked in. Which was odd enough to Laura, who was used to the pale host just appearing. It took a moment to notice that with her were two women that she recognised from the birthday party just yesterday to her. Though quite a bit more to them. "Sam! Waffles!" Tracy yelled out from her seat and was suddenly standing next to the blue-haired woman, who blinked in shock.

Sam had not known the cat girl could move like that. "Hey, Kick-ass. Good to see you again."

"Shar told us we were going on to the wedding with our guests when you left, so I was expecting someone else from the guest list."

Liesa gave the teal-haired woman a look. "You have seen the guest list?"

Tracy just grinned unrepentant at the Belgian woman. "Not officially."

Crossing her arms in mock severity, Liesa then reached out to pet the woman who was nearly a foot shorter than her. "You are trouble, but the best kind I am thinking."

"Did Chloe come with?"

Sam looked over and recognised the faerie girl from the birthday party, Candy. "Sorry, it's just the two of us on a private vacation from the wedding planning chaos."

Capturing a hand from each, Tracy hauled the two guests towards the table still piled with breakfast foods, despite everyone sitting already having gotten food. "Come grab some grub. They make the best coffee here."

"No Mildreds." Liesa noted while Sam was busy checking out the chromed hand holding hers.

"Oh yeah, the servants here are invisible. I'm not sure if that's more or less disturbing than Mildred." The odd maids at the HH had avoided Tracy for some reason, so she'd not gotten to get a good look at one up close.

Sam started loading up a plate. The food did look every bit as good here as at the HH. She'd half expected it all to be black. To be fair, just about everything else was though...

Laura noticed that Shar was just looking on fondly from the doorway, so took things upon herself. Standing to get attention, she started. "Everyone, please welcome Liesa Claes." She gestured at the strawberry blonde who gave everyone a sultry wave and a wink. "And Sam Collins." A gesture towards the bluette that Tracy was pestering. "They are from Arabella's season, where some of us will be going for the upcoming wedding." There was a smattering of greetings from the seated women. "Tracy, Candy, and I you have met. This is Susan Wagner, Stacy Black, Penny Polendina, Misty Dawn, Gabriella Escarra, Anna Rodriguez, Carla and Kim Wright, and Evelyn." Each woman nodded or waved in turn. Anna couldn't wait to get to know Sam, she looked like a woman who enjoyed working out. "Welcome to the castle, don't be strangers." She settled back into her seat, wings spread wide.

Giving the redhead a thumbs up with her free hand, Sam nodded. Liesa did her one better and gave Laura an impressive and somehow sultry bow while balancing a plate of food in one hand. "Thank you for the warm reception, Laura."

"I will leave you all to your meal, and I will see you later." With that, Shar was gone, leaving the newcomers to blink at where she had been standing.

"Yeah, she does that." Anna would be sure to warn them about her sudden appearances as well, which she thought were way worse.

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Sam followed Shar down a hallway that was, yes, made up of more black stone, but was far better lit than she'd expected. Liesa was off with Candy and Misty, gone to see the curvy woman's paintings. The cloaked woman gave most of Andy's harem a run for their money in the boob department, though even she was eclipsed by Susan. It was no wonder that Laura and Andy were such good friends with similar tastes.

Sam's ears were still ringing from the squeal the blonde had given when finding out that Liesa was pregnant. She thought she might have to pry the blonde off with a crowbar when they left. A very gentle crowbar, it was a shock to find out that Candy, Susan, and Anna were all pregnant by Laura. Though with Shar's potions, it really shouldn't have been. She smiled thinking of Liesa and her own growing child. That still blew her mind.

"Here we go." Shar had her own smile, enjoying the blue-haired woman's thoughts. Sam looked in wonder at a room near packed full of every kind of armor you could think of. Who just had a room full of armor? Even if they lived in a castle?

The very tall woman walked up to a set on a mannequin in the middle of a cleared space, drawing Sam's attention to it. The fully articulated plate was a deep cobalt blue. "What is this made of?" She ran a hand over the grinning corgi face that was embossed on the chest plate.

"It's a tungsten-iridium alloy, though mainly tungsten. Extremely tough, highly heat-resistant, and almost totally corrosion-proof. Normally it's a silvery white, but I added pigments to get it to be more your 'vibe."

Sam snorted at an ancient vampire saying vibe. "Tungsten? It must weigh a ton." The pauldrons looked like snarling corgi heads, Shar had certainly gone with a theme here.

"Oh yes, I've never gotten to work with this metal before, as almost no one could wear it, and I have no need for armor myself. It should serve you well against Nergal though."

Letting the 'don't need armor' bit drop for the moment, Sam turned to look at the taller woman. "You know about the visions?"

"Of course, the audience got to watch them too. Both times." Her face hardened, and Sam had to gulp. "But I know of Nergal as well. Which is why the wearer of this armor is completely immune to disease and rot. There is one more thing you should know. Despite the gifts you have been given, if he comes under the direct protection of Ereshkigal, you will find it hard to damage him and will need to find a way to get that protection removed." Shar smiled, and this time the blue-haired woman saw more than a hint of fangs. "Call upon corgis in your time of need, and you may find more than Sampson answering your call as well."

Sam snorted again. The Corgi Knight, well, she'd joked about being turned into one enough, something like this was bound to happen. She felt Liesa's wonder at what she was seeing through her ring and smiled. "So you don't need armor? You make enough of it if these are all yours."

"My skin is stronger than steel, I could survive the blast of a battleship cannon, but I will not be facing Nergal. That, my champion, is up to you. I have every faith that you will be victorious."

The barista almost choked up. She was not used to people depending on her. It was a very new experience for her since coming to the HH, but she'd be damned before she let them down. Nergal would never see what hit him. "Consider him smote."

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