Chapter #13Princess Monomaniac by: imaj   You grab a towel as you step out of the shower, letting it trail behind you as you glide across the marble floor of the bathroom. Jennifer Tseung still stares back at you from the mirror, across a countertop full of makeup and beauty products. The reflection is dripping wet and grinning from ear to to ear.
Because, ohhhhh…
Because, it turns out, that this body can be made to sing. You cannot help but hug yourself and giggle a little as you hear the water stop behind you. Jennifer’s lover - and only now do you finally think to check her memories and find out that his name is Jie - steps out and pads silently behind you. You quiver a little as he wraps his thick arms around you.
“Babe,” he growls, making that one word sound like a fresh proposition.
“Jie,” you whine. “I just got clean.”
He says nothing, only smirking at you in the mirror as he gently sways you from side to side.
“I mean it Jie,” you say, asserting your control. You back up your words with a twist of Eldibria which streams into him easily as if flowing down well worn channels. Jie’s lust fades and his grasp slackens, enabling you to break free of his arms. “Go get ready.”
You watch in the mirror as he stalks off listlessly, a faint smile playing on your lips. It’s a shame you can’t keep him. He’s handsome, an excellent fuck and seemingly easy to train to boot. Perhaps you’ll keep a copy instead. A new bedroom face that Rick won’t recognise.
But first, the rest of this evening: You pick one lipstick from amongst dozens of near identical others and give it an experimental twist. The colour is a perfect match for Jennifer’s new dress. So you purse your mouth and bring it to your lips.
*****
You watch carefully in the compact mirror as you reapply a fresh coat of lipstick, fearful that the slightest bump or jostle could ruin hours of work. Outside your limo, a crowd of envious eyes watch as you draw to a halt outside the club. You ignore them as you tug a docile Jie by the hand and lead him out onto the sidewalk.
The Jennifer part of you much prefers him this way.
Still, a little less passivity is required. A spurt of Eldibria rouses his attention just enough as you bustle up to the doorway. The bouncer recognises you on sight and unclips a rope barrier - no queue for you. You give him your highest wattage smile, but save a look of contempt in your eyes for the hoi polloi waiting in line.
You sweep into the club, scattering staff and revellers alike. The thumping beat of music grows louder as you move forward. One attendant takes your long white fur coat as you pass. Then you are at the dancefloor itself. A sea of people thrash and swirl, caught in freeze frame poses as the lights strobe violently.
Another attendant leads you past a rope barrier. You climb up two flights of stairs and into the VIP section, a wide glass balcony that overlooks the dancefloor. Even the floor is glass, and glancing down at the heaving crowd of people below your feet makes you vaguely queasy.
A gaggle of young women squeal with delight as they see you, just audible over the music. They are your friends, or Jennifer’s friends rather. Or followers and hangers-on at least. As your gaze passes over them, Jennifer’s memories inform you of the different little ways she holds each in contempt.
You still plaster a fake smile to your face as you greet them though. The real Jennifer keeps them all cowed without the need for prodigies, but that doesn’t stop you putting a little awe into them with Eldibria. Your power gushes through them. Yet when you move in to air-kiss each one in turn, you notice their skins are oddly slick as if they were already drenched in water.
Then a waiter appears unbidden at your side, carrying a tray full of shot glasses. You grab two of them greedily. The first you knock back, just to put you more in the mood. The second you slyly dash to the side when no one is looking. As much as you want to enjoy yourself, it might be better to keep a reasonably clear head.
Then you are dancing, writhing your body in time to the music. Hands in the air and waving sensuously. “Well come on,” you say, pausing to stare at your coterie.
A little wave of Eldibria is all it takes to get them to join you enthusiastically. Limbs twist and snarl together and the club lights strobe through the gaps.
*****
The sun is peeking in through half drawn curtains when you wake up. You idly try to stir yourself but instead find you are caught up in a tangle of limbs. On your left, Jie slumbers noiselessly. To the right, one of Jennifer’s friends snores quietly. Even with full access to Jennifer’s memories, the young woman’s name momentarily escapes you.
A gentle tap of your knockout sigil ensures you won’t wake either as you extract yourself. As you pull free, you notice that the bedsheets are soaking wet. You stand by the bed and watch the knockout sigil wear off before finally realising what Eldibria is trying to tell you.
You send the lightest ripple of Eldibria you can at Jie, just to see if you’re correct. Your prodigy gently warms up his passion. Despise the lightness of your touch, he starts moaning in his sleep. Because you aren’t the first to turn this prodigy on him.
Repeated use of Eldibria has eroded deep pathways in him, and all of Jennifer’s friends. Snaring them into her orbit. Since she isn’t really a nascent Stellae herself, that means someone else has been doing it. You have a good idea who.
There is a loud rap at the door, which you suspect is the person responsible for shaping Jennifer’s friends arriving. Time to switch back, you guess. The knockout sigil you placed on her yesterday must be close to elapsing.
The apartment door swings open to reveal Táng, smirking imperiously. Behind him, two clockwork men hold the slumbering form of the real Jennifer Tseung, her head lolling aimlessly as they hoist her by her shoulders. She should wake within the hour, by your reckoning, but you could always extend that.
“Shall I call you Miss Tseung,” asks Táng archly.
“Do I want to be her, you mean,” you reply. “Permanently?”
“You might put it that way,” answers Táng. “You certainly look as if you have… seized this opportunity with both hands… Certainly this is a more palatable option than any alternative.”
Finally you realise the true extent of what is being presented to you. Táng isn’t just offering you safety. Nor is he just offering you this near perfect life that he has gently moulded ready. A place in the Sages, and maybe even a position of leadership some day, isn’t the offer either.
No, Táng is offering you China. He’s offering a position of power in the most populous country in the world in the hope that you will drag it along with you to true greatness. He’s offering you every little perk and privilege that would entail.
For anyone else it would be an irresistible offer. You plan to seize something even greater.
Still, you shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. Though Táng’s rewards are less, the route to them is significantly easier and less dangerous.
To stop reminiscing, attend to Fi's reports in "A Short Hop" 
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