AWS- TEASE Vol 1, Issue 1 - GOOD MORNING BABYLON

[WS ST]

TEASE – GOOD MORNING BABYLON

Various locatins

 

Marissa had had a lot of surprises today. Dennis had picked her up early that morning , not in his Vette rental but in a SUV, also a rental of course and the drove to the air port after she said her farewells and he had loaded up her suitcases. She wasn't planning on coming back accept maybe to visit and even probably not for that.

They had flown from the local airport in a small uncomfortable scary commuter prop job to Denver Sky-high Air port that place was weird. Tease wasn't one to get airsick but as they flew over the place and banked to make their landing run she grew very nauseous and dizzy one on the ground the feeling subsided mostly. Something about the place and the people put her on edge and she couldn't put her finger on it nor did she have time to 'investigate' had she been inclined to do any of that stupid shit. Dennis hustled her through the airport and on to their connecting flight to LAX. He bought a drink and slipped it to her to ease the symptoms. That flight was much better but she found herself suddenly catching on or at least suspecting something that hadn't been overtly apparent before. She realized that Dennis might be gay when she noticed that he and one of the male flight attendants were exchanging glances. It dawned on her that that might explain somethings about the way Dennis reacted to her and some of the things he had said that she had simply not paid attention too.

Their arrival at LAX issued the third major surprise when the valet parking attendent who obviously knew Dennis (but wasn't gay since he had started drooling the second he laid eyes on Tease) brought Dennis's car and it wasn't a vette. It was a Cadillac. A pristine cherry red with white interior 1969 Deville convertible to be exact. “Not what I was expecting I thought you only drove corvettes”

“Only when I travel and have to rent a car, this baby is mine. Help me with the top.”

While they took the top down he went on to explain how his grandfather had bought the car brand new in 1969 in Las Vegas. “My grandfather had just gotten out of the Air-force that week after twenty years. He drove this car, his dream car, thirteen point seven miles from the dealer to where he and my grandmother had bought a house. My dad was about five then, they had waited to have kids which was unusual back in those days. Granddad had had been a military cop at Nellis and was about to start as security at one of the big Casinos. But that didn't happen. He died thirty minutes after getting home from buying the car. Massive heart attack. They had good life insurance paid for the house and the car and gave Grandma little nest egg. They stored the car there in Vega where they stayed. She never remarried but went to work at the casino where granddad would have worked first as a serving girl later as a cashier then a dealer she ended her career there as a manager of some sort one of the only women to hold that kind of job in vegas back in those days.”

Tease noticed that Dennis told the story with no outward show of emotion like he was talking about the weather.

“Grandma didn't want to sell the car or drive it so she stored and when my dad graduated she gave it to him but he really didn't want a Cadillac so while he drove it a few times, it pretty much spent most of it's life in storage. Things out there they can last a long time in storage.”

“And your dad passed it to you when you graduated,” said Tease.

Dennis snorted a laugh,”Nah that mother fucker hated me, I was disowned and out of the house by seventeen. But the asshole never had a will made and after he died I inherited it that was right before 911. Me I drive the thing it's a beautiful car real craftsmanship back then.”

The next surprise was where they were going.

Marisa had figured that they would be staying in LA but she was wrong. Dennis drove them out of the city north the wind blowing their hair straight to Santa Monica and a Motel (not a hotel even though hotel was in the places name) that was literally across the busy highway from the pacific ocean. The famous boardwalk was less than a hundred yards away.

The Ocean Lodge Hotel was built sometime in the 1950's and had that look. Marissa just stared when they pulled into the parking lot. “Really? A motel, from like a hundred years ago?”

“”It's just temporary until we get some capital and get settled then we'll get you a place more in line with what you should have. It's a process hun. We both know you can snap your fingers and get a 20 million dollar home in the hills butt hat would never really be yours or real not to you and not to me a certainly not to the people who wake-up after a week and cant remember why they gave you the deal they had.

And regardless this is nice place I've lived here for almost ten years.”

[Marissa Jauntsen]

The view of the Ocean Lodge was amazing, truth be told she thought it was beautiful.  Santa Monica wasn't really breaking new ground for her as she'd been here before the family had moved to Montana, but there was something about it that was, like herself, undeniably gorgeous.  Sure, it wasn't someplace she wanted to live for any length of time, especially at a hundred and sixty five bucks a night, but she knew it wouldn't be difficult to talk that price down to practically nothing.

Currently she was a cliche'.  Just another hot girl arriving in Los Angeles (or a few miles south of it) with a couple thousand dollars in her pocket and a dream of making it big.  Sure, she probably could have asked Sean to float a several thousand for a loan, and in her infinite saccharine sweetness and desire to please everyone, would have given it to Marissa, despite their differences, but that just wasn't what she wanted to do.  She hadn't seen or spoken to any of the Irregulars since the Canada argument and honestly didn't really have any intention too.  They were white to her black, positive to her negative.  They were all about cheery smiles and making up and being friends while Tease wanted nothing more for them to apologize and recognize her obvious superiority over them, intellectually, socially, and obviously, she was prettier.

They climbed the steps, Tease carrying her own luggage with the ease someone might with a single bag of groceries.  She did not possess them epic levels of super strength the others did, but since her unlocking she was vastly stronger than a normal human.  While she wasn't bench pressing cars, several hundred pounds was easy for her like she had gained the might of professional bodybuilders who'd dedicated their lives to honing themselves... she lifted six hundred pounds like it was nothing more than... well, a suitcase.

Dennis twisted the key to the a door on the second floor overlooking the view of the Santa Monica Pier and deftly managed to not drop the suitcase and the carry-on totes he was holding under his arms.  It wasn't the finest suite in Santa Monica, but it would do for now, she thought as she looked around the room, despite wanting to set fire to the awful pattern they'd chosen for their bed spread.  The ponderance of her thinking about a suite brought her to her next train of thought, something Dennis had said and she felt she needed to address it.

As they unloaded their arms into the room Dennis made an off comment about how much luggage she'd brought, again it was cliche' but her mind was elsewhere and all she mustered was a smile and motion towards the bed for him to sit.  "Everything alright?"  Dennis asked, looking a tad worried.  "If it's the view, lemme talk to them and we can get a different room."

"Dennis, slow down," he held out her hand towards him, palm first in the universal sign to stop.  "Stop, okay?  Chill for a second.  Sit and listen."

He offered a shrug, not really understanding what Tease had in mind or what was eating her at the moment.  "What's up?"

"What you said out there, 'more in line with what I should have'."  Marissa sighed and leaned against the room's computer desk, crossing her arms in a bust enhancing manner that would have brought a tear to Sean's eye.  "Look, I know I have a reputation for being this unfeeling, cold-hearted bitch, and I'm not saying it isn't true, or that I don't deserve it, but it does get a little misinterpreted.  Dennis I know I'm a lot of 'me, me, me' all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't care about others.  Take the Irregulars back home, for example.  Can't stand them.  Sean is as fake as a botox smile can get, Abel is, well... hardly that, and that ponytail wearing little steroid freak Lily could tumble down dick mountain mouth first for all I care-"

"Guessing there's some history there?"  Dennis mused, chiming in.

"She banged my brother who was dating my best friend, Sean's sister, and... oh Christ it's a long story... look, anyway, my point is," she gestured with one of her arms, trying to get her thoughts back on track.  "Despite my differences with them, I still love them.  They're my, family I guess.  They're heroic, self sacrificing, compassionate people."

"So, everything you're not," he chuckled.  "Basically."

"Basically," she answered without thinking.  She caught herself and shook her head.  "Wait, no... quit interrupting.  I would never tell them, but they are my everything.  I went to bonfires with these guys, laughed with them, practiced our cheers with them, played and even discovered first crushes with them.  We just walk different paths now, these powers, they, change us.  I'm not all New Testament and all heroics and self-sacrifice, but that doesn't mean I'm not good.  I am good, I'm just... Lucifer good.  Old Testament, you know?  I want to help people but I want to punish the wicked with hellfire and brimstone, pain and misery.  I don't want to just teach them a lesson and laugh with them at the end of a thirty minute sit-com, I want to ruin them and watch as they ponder throughout the last of their days how one cruel and indecent act cost them everything in their miserable, pathetic life.  I'm a little unorthodox in that way.  I'm not like Sean and Lily... I don't want peace on Earth through sunshine and smiles, I want lessons to be learned and witnesses to see it happening.  Tangible, visible karma."

"So, you have brought one massive mountain on your shoulders, and all of Hollywood is Muhammad." Dennis reasoned.

"Exactly.  If you can't bring Muhammad to the mountain, drop the fucking mountain on Muhammad instead, this is L.A., he's insured, trust me."  She smirked wickedly.  "That said though, while I love them back home, in my own way, they're not here.  You are.  So we're in this together, okay?  So it's not 'more in line with what I should have', it's 'more in line with what we should have'.  So you don't have to coddle me or treat me like it's all about me.  Together, we're gonna make this happen."  She smiled at him and winked.  "It also means if you screw me over, I'm going to obliterate you most heinously."

Dennis laughed although he knew that she was quite serious about all of it.  "Oh, and here I thought we were bonding.  I wanna go one day without you threatening to ruin someone, especially me."

"Oh," she got all mock pouty.  "Where's the fun in that?"  With a quick giggle and smile and bounced up from the desk and took his hand.  "Come on, one more trip should do it, we still gotta get all this up here and unpack!"

[WS ST]

Dennis was in and out the rest of the day making calls and doing what ever it was he did. Tease was unpacking when she heard a knock on the door. She knew it wasn't dennis cause so far he hadn't knock once just came in, usuall still on the phone or texting, said whatever he needed to say then exited.

Tease went to the door pausing to look out the window through the curtains. A thin girl, African American, but very light skinned stood there holding an arm full of what looked like professional sketch boards. Tease went to the door and opened it.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi I'm Amy Taylor, Dennis sent me over." Said the girl she was attractive in an exotic way, now that Tease could see her more clearly. She was about five ten maybe a hundred and ten pounds, her facial feature while not in any way classically pretty were a unique blend of African and Asian, couple with the light skin made for an intriguingly exotic look. "I'm the designer." She followed up as if tease should have been expecting her and know what that meant.

Spoiler

Dennis hadn't mentioned her

 

[Marissa Jauntsen]

"Please, come in," Tease stood aside and motioned for the lovely woman to enter.  "Uh, sorry I wasn't expecting company.  Dennis didn't mention anyone stopping by."  If Tease was concerned, she didn't show it.  If the lovely young Amy Taylor was here to accost her, then first, okay, and second, if Mari felt threatened she'd have poor Amy's emotions and mind to warped and wefted the poor girl could spend her whole life in therapy and still not have a clue what periwinkle actually sounded like on the tongue.

Amy walked in and like most in an unfamiliar environment took in what she was working with.  She'd been here a few times, but still, meeting up with Dennis was one thing, meeting some of the strange people he'd represented in the past... that was another thing entirely.  "Yeah, sounds like him.  More than likely he convinced himself he'd already called to tell you I was coming while he was on the phone with someone else."

They both laughed.  "Sounds about right," Tease closed the door and took the last few things she was putting away and set them aside so they'd be out of the way.  "Sorry for the mess, still unpacking."

"Totally cool, trust me, I get it," Amy chuckled.  "Girl, I've been in L.A. for awhile now and I still have boxes hiding in my closet."  It wasn't until now that full spectrum of Tease assailed her senses.  To Amy Tease became the perfect partner.  Her features, cheekbones, eyes, everything became to, Amy's perceptions, exactly what she found aesthetically pleasing.  Her scent seemed to be exactly what Amy favored and her voice the perfect pitch and melody that reminded her of her favorite songs.  Like Dennis, it wasn't about sexual preference, Tease was just pure artful inspiration that demanded to be acted upon.  To be in her presence was to know desire and witness divine beauty in all it's most sensual, primal and passionate facets.  In laymen's terms, people wanted to crawl miles over broken glass just to catch a whiff of the perfume she wore.

"You, okay?" Tease asked a bit concerned, despite knowing what was happening.

Amy shook it off and inhaled.  "Uh, yeah, yeah, uh, wow.  Dennis said you were 'special', but..."

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in the first time, I know," Marissa could almost hear Devin shouting 'that's what she said' in the back her mind and it only made her miss him a little.  "On the up side, it does get easier to deal with, once the mind takes it all in.  If you feel like you need to sit, by all means.  Sometimes the mojo can hit a person pretty hard if they're not ready for it.  Do you need a Moana moment?"

"Uh, what?"  Amy asked with a smile, still trying to shake off Tease's wow factor.

"Ok, ok, I see what's happening here." Tease let the words soar on an enchanting melody.  "You're face to face with greatness, and it's strange.  You don't even know how you feel.  It's adorable!"

Amy laughed, bouncing a finger up and down.  "Okay, okay... I see where you're going with this..."

"Open your eyes, let's begin.  Yes, it's really me, it's Tease: breathe it in!"  She motioned down her body and waved hands about as if allowing her aura to waft about the room.  "I know it's a lot: the hair, the bod!  When you're staring at a demi-god."

Both of the women laughed as the ice was breaking between them.  The more Amy realised Tease was just a regular person who had inhereted the mind warping powers of the primal fae, the easier it was to just kick back and be normal.  Of course, Tease would never have described her powers as mind warping, she was a facilitator of alternate viewpoints, most noteably hers.

"I gotta admit, you're more fun than most of the people Dennis represents.  A lot are all snooty and full of themselves."  Amy sat in the chair and crossed her legs, preparing to get her sketch pad ready and brainstorm a few ideas.

"Oh, I'm those things too," Tease admitted.  "Trust me, it's a quirk of the gifts.  You'll see it eventually.  At the moment, I'm in a good mood, though.  The sun is shining, I'm in L.A., the ocean air smells fantastic and I'm feel like I'm in a good place right now. In the insightful words of my brother: 'shit be bangin' yo'.  I figure I'll ride this high until the reality of how cut throat and unforgiving this city really is has a chance to sink in."  Amy laughed and pulled the front cover of her sketchpad over.  Marissa clapped her hands together and sat on the bed, "So, how does this work, what are we doing?"