Posted by PK on October 19, 2001 at 17:45:58:
Bees buzzed by, as they do. Amanda waited. Not patiently, not impatiently. She waited. She
did not review her memory of meeting her designated prey. Her concious mind existed only
in the present, what she had learned had already been integrated into her intuitive
awareness.
Carol was still trying on the various 'prey' outfits when Amanda finally escaped the makeup
artists and went to see her. What she saw coming through the dressing room door was a
vision of savage beauty. A six-foot, redheaded, feline humanoid. No point running, she was
cornered. A tiny, rational corner of her mind worked out that the tiger-striped body and the
catmask face were the products of body paint, that this was just a woman with no clothes on.
The body language centre reported that the tall woman was undressed, not naked, her
posture said that She didn't care. Naked was being unarmed within half a mile of her.
"I'd recommend the doeskin halter and moccasins set," the SheCat Thing said. "Easy to
move in, and it keeps you on your toes. You're going to need that. But suit yourself. I'm
Amanda, by the way. Amanda Blake? Your huntress for the day?"
Carol considered peeing herself, running for the door or just lying down belly up, eyes closed
and waiting. She elected speech. Speech wasn't ready. "Uh...I was..(dry gulp)....just..er..
Carol. Pleased to.."
That seemed to suffice. Amanda offered her hand. "Pleasure's mine. Sorry to barge in, I just
came to check that you know the score."
"Score?" (Still rebooting, Speech reported. System problems, please wait)
"The score. Music of the dance, word on the street. In brief, what's REALLY going on." She
grinned. "I need to know we're on the same page, singing from the same hymnsheet."
"Oh..." Carol tried to indicate understanding. Reason was temporarily offline, bluff stepped up
to the plate.
Amanda wasn't fooled but politely declined to notice. This could take hours if she let it. "I'll
just lay it out," she said helpfully, "And you just jump in if I get it wrong. Or ask questions
after, okay? There will be a test."
Carol nodded.
"I'm going to hunt you. You run, you get a head start, I chase. If I catch you I'll kill you and
eat you. This is not a drill."
Carol nodded again.
"You okay with that?"
Carol to reason, come in. You can always appeal to reason but sometimes it doesn't answer.
"Uh..."
"Look, are you feeling all right?" The catwoman came closer. Carol could smell her. "If
they've drugged you..."
"I'm fine," Carol lied.
"It's just that they act like it's fixed," Amanda went on. "I'm not having anything to do with that
kind of deal. You can see how it would work for them, can't you? No blood, no sale."
Carol at last looked directly into Amanda's eyes. Clear green, made vivid by something gold
and something dark mixed in. Not yellow, like a tiger's eyes. A tiger would eat you and not
care who you were. Amanda cared, Carol knew, and she would eat her with all the more
relish for it.