Princess of Flesh and Blood - Open

[caela]

OOC: The following thread is open and is based on the Merry Gentry novels by Laurel K. Hamilton. There is a list of characters still needed, and a basic outline of the plot so far, in the OOC Thread here, https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=435077 , or you can create a new character of your own.

IC: Yawning softly Merry stretched under her sheets, arching her back like a cat and mewling softly in plasure as she lowered herself slowly back to her bed. Since her Aunt Andais had started the competition between herself and her cousin Cel, it was a rare night that she slept alone. Usually at least one of her gaurds, and sometimes two or three, joined her but last night she'd ordered them all from her room and savored the sweetness of having her bed all to herself.

Outside her door she could hear the men rising and sighed to herself. Surrounded by beautiful men was most women's fantasy, what you were never told was the myriad problems that could come along with it. Rising from her bed at last she kept her door closed and slipped into her private bath, letting the hot water wash away her morbid thoughts. She adored her gaurds, there were just times she felt hemmed in by them as well.

Climbing from the shower she stood for a moment and simply looked at herself in the mirror with a small smile. Her pale skin shimmered softly making a sharp contrast where her hair fell against it. It was good not to have to hide her hair behind a glamour anymore, she adored the blood red color with it's naturally black highlights. There were humans who paid good money to have their hair died just this color now that the salons had managed to get it right. The only real flaw she could find in the mirror was her height, when she had her glamour in place no one would suspect she was sidhe. Where most were tall and willowy she was a mere five feet even with fuller breasts and hips than your average sidhe.

She was drawn from her contemplation of her body by a knocking at her door and Galen's voice coming through it, "Time to stop being antisocial Merry! Breakfast is ready so come eat before the rest of the bottomless pits out here get to it all!"

Chuckling softly at Galen's assessment of the other gaurds she quickly dried herself off and pulled on a pair of jeans that clung to her hips and legs like a second skin and a black tanktop that made her skin almost seem to glow...well if you hadn't seen a sidhe actually glowing anyway. Sauntering out of her bedroom at last she took her place at the table and looked around at the men scattered around her apartment. It really was too damned crowded in here these day.

"So does anyone have any news on the house hunt?"

 

[Steiner]

Rhys looked up from the couch, where he'd retired with a heaped plate. As one of the most serious physical trainers of the guards he always ate a good breakfast.

"What I can't understand, is what sport one derives from hunting a house in the first place." was his comment. Whilst Rhys's sense of humour was usually slightly better than this, his early morning effort drew groans from the others.

"Besides" he continued "what's so wrong with this place? Fine it's a little crowded, but I checked out a thesaurus yesterday and it said that synonyms of crowded included Cosy and Intimate..." here he flicked his eyes up and down Merry's casual but effective outfit and let her know with his eyes how inspiring he found it - even so early.

 

[Tigerjaw]

Frost sat at the table with the LA times in front of him. He greeted Merry with a smile. He allready had his breakfast and was just going through the paper in a non interrested way. Usually Merry and her ravens was first page material but not today.

He frowns slightly at Rhys. "Cosy and intimate in expence of privacy." He looks directly at Merry. "There is nothing in the paper that will suit our needs." He looks down at the paper with distaste. "Violence and death it is plenty of, but no good house replacement." He looks up and wipes the hair from his eyes.

They really needed a bigger place. He was the first that would agree with Merry on that point. With Merry and her consorts in one place it really was crowded and he was feeling slightly claustrophobic.

 

[caela]

"Besides" he continued "what's so wrong with this place? Fine it's a little crowded, but I checked out a thesaurus yesterday and it said that synonyms of crowded included Cosy and Intimate..."

Chuckling softly Merry felt her skin shiver at the heated look Rhys sent her and shook her head. Before she could reply however Frost had put down his paper and was answering Rhys himself.

"Cosy and intimate at the expence of privacy." He looked directly at Merry, "There is nothing in the paper that will suit our needs."

Sighing softly she glanced over at the computer against the back wall of the living room, "I'll get online later and see if I can't find something. I have to give Jeremy a call later too, maybe he'll have a few ideas. There's just too many of us piled in here anymore and with the goblins sending their half-sidhe as well it's only going to get moreso.

What we really need is a house, preferably something with a yard as well. It might be time to use the whole "Fairy Princess" bit to my advantage with a real estate agent. We won't take any of the courts money but they won't need to know that. Unless anyone has any better ideas?"

Filling her own plate as she talked she used the excuse of eating to not have to say anymore and simply listened to her gaurds. Some thought she should take the money from the court, it was her right as Princess and Co-heir to the throne but Merry just shook her head. These were the newer gaurds and as was quickly explained to them Merry had invoked virgin rights and under fairy law if she took the courts money those rights would be revoked and she wasn't about to give them up. By claiming virgin rights she'd effectively made herself a part of but seperate from the Court. It meant that any old grudge against her had to be put aside and she could effectively play Switzerland in all court politics that didn't directly effect her.

It also allowed her the right to make her home where she chose and not be at the beck and call of her Aunt Andais. Though she was smart enough to know that if the Queen of Air and Darkness called it was wise to at least make an appearance.

 

[Steiner]

Rhys snorted. "What we need is fewer goblins."

Forestalling Merry's retort he added. "And a pool. The pool was fun, you have to admit." Rhys dropped his gaze before Merry had a chance to lock eyes with him and let him know he'd disapointed her.

"Anyway" he said "wouldn't it be a bad idea to tour homes as Princess Meredith? You'll just be telling wouldbe assassins where to find you. And much as Doyle enjoys the exercise, some of us prefer the ability to focus on the task at hand in the evenings without interruption..."

He glanced up at Merry again, an apology implicit in the compliment.

 

[Tigerjaw]

Frost kept his silence when Rhys spoke. He sympathised fully with his fellow raven. Anyone with the same history as Rhys according to Goblins was entitled of not liking them. He just hoped that Rhys dislike towards them would not cause problems. Rhys seemed more accepting of Kitto, the snake goblin Merry kept to prolong the alliance with the Goblin king Kurag.

Rhys looked down before he added.

"Anyway wouldn't it be a bad idea to tour homes as Princess Meredith? You'll just be telling wouldbe assassins where to find you. And much as Doyle enjoys the exercise, some of us prefer the ability to focus on the task at hand in the evenings without interruption..."

Frost nodded solemnly. "I must agree to what Rhys here are saying. We have not seen any assassins for a time now, but why tempt fate?"

 

[caela]

Rhys snorted. "What we need is fewer goblins."

Merry's head snapped around but before she could say anything Rhys had gone on about a pool. Sighing softly she turned her gaze back to her breakfast. Just when she thought he was getting better when it came to the goblins he'd go and say something like that. It was one thing in front of Kitto, who everyone now accepted as Sidhe, and who held no true love of most goblins himself. Still there were more half sidhe goblins coming and if Rhys couldn't learn to hold his tongue she would have to send him back to court. As much as she adored him her pact with the goblins meant more to her safety than any one of her gaurds.

"Anyway" Rhys said "wouldn't it be a bad idea to tour homes as Princess Meredith? You'll just be telling wouldbe assassins where to find you. And much as Doyle enjoys the exercise, some of us prefer the ability to focus on the task at hand in the evenings without interruption..."

Frost nodded solemnly. "I must agree to what Rhys here are saying. We have not seen any assassins for a time now, but why tempt fate?"

Shaking her head she sighed softly, "You don't give me much credit for intelligence do you boys? Did I say anything about touring houses as Princess Meredith? No, I said using my title with the real estate agent...meaning only he would know who I was. As much noteriety as they'd get for selling me out to the papers they'll make more money keeping their mouth shut and becoming known amongst the sidhe for their discretion and usefulness. Something many humans seem to desire.

And we're already a target gentlemen. In case you haven't noticed we've had assassination attempts here. Not in awhile granted but our enemies already know where we are which is another good reason not to be here."

 

[Tigerjaw]

Frost felt like a lectured child. A very strange feeling as he was several hundred years older than Merry. He just nodded, showing no emotion in his handsome face. He knew the possibility of an assassin to show up was minimal, but the threat towards Merry was still very real.

He stood up from the table and went over to Merry. He leaned down towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek. With a final smile he leave through the door to the hallway.

He enters the bathroom and strips of his clothes. His long silver colored hair fits very well to his tall and pale body. He turns on the shower and lets the warm water engulf him.

 

[Steiner]

By way of apology Rhys gathered the dishes and stacked them in the kitchen. There was a little sighing - he was old to change his ways, but Merry was the princess here and her will was law.

It wouldn't get easier if she became Queen. She planned to bring the Goblins in heavily into Unseelie politics. On her side of course. Well, he supposed, it beat fighting them.

Well - there was no cause in worrying about it now. A lot needed to happen before then.

 

[Bengal52]

Doyle

Doyle didn't so much as walk into the kitchen as just appeared there. "Perhaps we could go house hunting with you poising as the princess. It would be a good way to cover security."

Doyle walked over and got out a mug and filled it with coffe. He drank it while standing, leaning on a counter.

 

[Steiner]

Rhys cocked a brow at Doyle "Me pose as the princess? Do you suppose that there's a piece of my body that hasn't appeared in print lately - everyone who follows Merry's little saga in the newspapers knows me by name."

Inside Rhys was a little angry - sure he was shortest of the sidhe that most people had ever seen, but one look at him and nobody mistook him for anything else. The idea that he could pass as Merry without a metric ton of glamour...

"Wait, you're not talking about using Glamour on a human, are you?"

 

[Bengal52]

Doyle

Doyle looked at Rhys with a look which simply said, you idot. "I meant for Merry to go around to houses, acting the princess so people will think to look in that direction for us to buy a house."

doyle looks back at Merry.

 

[Tigerjaw]

After the quick shower Frost dresses in his charcoal grey pants and white shirt. He combs his ancle long hair into a ponytail. He enters the bedroom and opens the drawer next to the bed. From the drawer he takes his shoulder holster that contains his shiny nickel-plated .44. He straps on the holster and draws the big gun. He checks the chamber to be sure it is loaded before he holster it again.

As the guard to a princess it was best to be prepared for every eventualities. The gun may not kill other Sidhe but it would surely slow them down and maybe even hurt them enough to stop the assault. Against humans. Well it would put a rather big hole in them.

He enters the kitchen and nods to Doyle before sitting down beside Merry.

 

[caela]

Merry listened to Doyle and Rhys snip at each other over how to look for a house and simply shook her head. They needed a bigger place, something with a yard so that they could spread out and have some sort of privacy. Tempers were getting short in such a confined space and unlike her none of them could order the others out.

Seeing Frost come out and settle next to her she rested her hand on top of his and smiled warmly before speaking.

"It's a good idea Doyle. I can go see some houses, those we don't want, as Princess Meredith to throw our enemies off. They'll figure it out eventually but they still won't know where we are.

I'll call Jeremy later and see if he knows a good, discreet, real estate agent who won't mind a little suterfuge."

 

[Bengal52]

Doyle

Doyle walks over and sits down at the table. He leans back in his chair, coffee still in hand and he obviously is enjoying it.

 

[Steiner]

Rhys shook his head at Doyle's tone, but he knew that Doyle above all was responsible for Merry's safety and that tended to throw cold water over his sense of humour.

Rhys wandered over to Doyle and rested a reassuring hand on his superior's shoulder to show that he was over his brief anger and in the mood to cooperate with the team. "I get it, Doyle. But that notoriety COULD work to our advantage too. Frost, yourself, me - we're all well known enough as the Princesses guards that if we claimed to be viewing a property on her behalf, we'd be taken seriously. It might be a lower risk than having Merry check out a place that we don't intend to use."

 

[Tigerjaw]

Frost sat content beside Merry. Feeling the warmth of her hand on top of his own. He kept his eyes at Doyle and Rhys but he let them discuss the matter in peace. Nothing he had to say would make a difference. He agreed with Rhys in that the safety of Merry could be compromised if she went with the real estate agent to different false property prospects.

On the other hand, Doyle was their superior and he usually knew what he was doing. He listened in on the conversation as he covered Merry´s hand with his own free hand.

 

[Bengal52]

Doyle

Doyle looked at Rhys, making it clear he did not need the hand for support. "I think it would be more effective for Merry to do some of the looking with us. Yes, we could eventually go out without her, but that might be ignored early on if she isn't with us."

Doyle looked back at Merry. "Whatever you prefer, Merry."

 

[caela]

Doyle looked back at Merry. "Whatever you prefer, Merry."

Merry smiled warmly at Doyle when he said that. He was getting better at deffering to her, at least in public, when there were differing opinions. After all she was the Princess and unltimately the decisions really were hers. If he really objected to a decision she'd made he was at least getting better at talking to her about it alone instead of pre-empting her in front of the other gaurds.

"I think you're both right. I won't go alone to see any property and I'll give the real estate agent your names so that you can view properties for us as well."

 

[Steiner]

By now Rhys had learned not to take offence at Doyle's standoffishness. As hard as all the Ravens had things in the past, Doyle had been closer to the Queen than many and therefore suffered appropriately. The fact that he cracked a smile now and then was a major step forward.

Rhys stepped back to pour coffee of his own before sliding into a free chair at the table again.

"So what's the plan for today?"

 

[caela]

"So what's the plan for today?" Rhys asked.

Tipping her head back against the back of her chair Merry sighed softly. She'd be content to do nothing today but she needed to call Jeremy. If they were going to seriously look for a new place than at least a few of the gaurds needed to start pulling some bodygaurd work again and he might have some work for her to do as well though that became harder and harder as her noteriety (and that of her handsome entourage of sidhe warrior gaurds) spread.

"I don't know about the rest of you but I have to call Jeremy. We need work and there are always plenty of starlets willing to hire a sidhe warrior to boost their visibility. I also want to ask him about the real estate agent. I haven't thought beyond that.

Once I'm done talking to Jeremy I'm open to suggestions."

 

[Tigerjaw]

Frost sighed deeply. "If i am doing escort service. Make sure this time that the starlet in question understands that the job does not include that i sleep with her." He remembered the blonde actress that really thought he would sleep with her. She had in mind to reveal the fact she had a Sidhe lover to the press to increase her own fame. Frost had a hard time to deny her without her going into a frenzy. Not something he looked forward to going through again.

It was hard enough to deal with women that was elf-struck without needing to fend of women while he was trying to do a job.

 

[caela]

"If i am doing escort service. Make sure this time that the starlet in question understands that the job does not include that i sleep with her."

Merry chuckled softly and patted Frost's hand lightly, "When I talk to Jeremy I'll tell him to make sure the clients understand that you're strictly there as a bodygaurd and nothing more. Though can you really blame the pretty little things for trying to seduce any of you?"

She couldn't help but tease her gaurds and let the desire they all inspired in her fill her eyes as she looked over each of them. They were all different but absolutly gorgeous in their own ways.

 

[Tigerjaw]

"When I talk to Jeremy I'll tell him to make sure the clients understand that you're strictly there as a bodygaurd and nothing more. Though can you really blame the pretty little things for trying to seduce any of you?" Merry´s soft chuckle made a smile appear on Frost´s lips.

"I doubt i have the energy to please more women than i allready do." His voice was warm with memories of nightly activities. "Neither have i the desire to do so." He lifts Merry´s hand to his lips and kisses it slowly before lowering it again. Never taking his eyes from her face.

 

[Steiner]

Rhys chuckled at Frost's display. "Who says that they're pretty, anyway? The things humanity does to itself to increase it's beauty in place of glamour are more than a little frightening. Implants, cuts, inserts and removals. It's worse than battle".

He yawned and stretched.

"Really, Merry, you must point out that we couldn't fulfil any of the wild expectations those ladies have of us, even if we'd a mind to. The terms of our service to you are quite explicit."