^^ Johnathan Chamberlain and Dominic ^^

The morning greeted me as it always did, a harsh slap in the face of sunlight as my shades opened automatically to wake me up at 6:30 AM, just two hours after my shift ended and I made my way home. One of our dogs was sitting in front of me expectantly, being the goodest boy he could be as he'd been trained to do, and he noticed my eyes opening, so he licked my cheek happily before running off to wake up his other owner while I groggily crawled out of bed and pulled on some sweatpants and a shirt, calling out softly to the computer nearby. "Rhea, how many appointments do I have today?"

The robotic voice of my UI assistant responded promptly. "Four, Ms. Chamberlain. The First is at '6:35AM' labeled 'Breakfast with John; Shirt Optional. Priceless'. The Second is at '9:00AM' labeled 'Hair Care with Desiree; 2K'. The Third is at '12:00AM' labeled 'Private Session with Mister Isaac Tomoi; Professional Attire Requested, 20K'. The Fourth is at '4:30PM' labeled 'Dinner with the Brazilians; Jaw-Numbing Cream Suggested, 120K'."

Stretching my body slowly to crack my spine elicited a lovely sensation, so I rode that wave into the kitchen to whip up a lovely breakfast of box cereal for myself and my son, who came out of his room with a herd of dogs on cue, riding on the back of Dominic, the biggest of them. I smiled at the sight of him, snatching him up gently and kissing his nose. "Hey, baby!!! Good mornin', huh? You all the way awake yet?"

He grumbled softly at me, slumping onto my chest, but nodded half-heartedly. "Mornin' Mama... youse smells like peaches, today."

"Peaches, huh? Well alright, then! Let's have some cereal before I take you over to doctor Goodwin, yeah?" He nodded tiredly, yawning in sync with the four puppies all around us, and I sat us down at the table, giving him his bowl and the dictionaries he sat on so he could see over the table properly; he was quite small for his age, due to his health, but all the more adorable for it.

"Did you feed the puppies, mama?" He commented idly, likely knowing the answer already, and innocently ate his cereal when I looked down at them in surprise.

"Ah... nope, I did not." I reached one foot out and tapped the dispenser button, making four identical portions of food fall down into the four large bowls under the kitchen island, and I had to retract my foot swiftly to avoid the four pouncing mutts diving at their bowls while Johnny giggled at me. "Oh, is that funny to you? Saucy little brat..." I kissed his head firmly and tucked into my own food before it got soggy. "How was school yesterday? Learn anything interesting?"

He paused in his eating, then turned to me lightning-quick, his eyes sparkling happily. "OOH!!! OOH!!! DID YOU KNOW THAT ALUMINUM IS THE MOST COMMON ELEMENT IN THE WORLD?!?"

"Aluminum, huh? I'd have figured it'd be Silicon, cause'a all the glass and sand in the world!" I hummed interestedly, taking a bite of the sugary goodness that was probably bad for me and egging him on; I loved his little rants, where he was so excited to tell me something it exploded out of him like this, and he loved to 'teach' me things he learned in his science classes with Doctor Goodwin, his tutor and babysitter for just about every day of the week except Tuesdays.

"Nope! And Rubies are Aluminum Oxide, but so are Sapphires, and Doctor Goodwin said that the difference is actually only really the place they grow in and the amount of hydrogen and nitrogen and iron in their environments!!! And he said that most Jewels are actually intrinsically worthless beyond their value as novelties and even that was artificially inflated by companies with stakes in said goods, but I said that their value as novelties established their value as trade-goods, regardless of whether their value was artificially inflated or not, and he gave me a caramel 'cause I was right!!!"

"Nicely done, baby!!!" I patted his head gently, nudging his bowl closer to him. "Now come on, eat some more; I know Doctor Goodwin sneaks you healthy breakfast food after I leave, but at least eat one bowl with Mama so she can be sure you're fed, alright?"

"Mm'kay!" He grinned guiltlessly at being caught taking Doctor Goodwin's food, usually cooked by the doctor himself after I left for the day despite me telling him it wasn't necessary or offering to pay him for the food, which he declined whilst pretending he had no idea what I'd been on about. He was a nice man, Doctor Goodwin, despite being a bit nosy sometimes.

After a few more bursts of conversation and a bowl of cereal finished for each of us, we took the dogs out to the community park for their rather rambunctious exercise, wrestling happily over a red dodgeball made of a rubber material of some sort that could withstand their impressive biting strength. That finished and their zoomies worked out most of the way, all the dogs except Dominic were delivered to their workplace, where they helped train other service dogs for various areas of need, and then we headed over to Doctor Goodwin's house just in time for breakfast, apparently.

"Ahh, I can smell the 'Totally Not Breakfast Food' from outside, Vincent! Beware my matronly disappointment!"

The doctor in question laughed as he let Dominic and John in, sending them skittering off towards the kitchen with a hasty kiss and a backward yell of farewell from my son. "You're hardly Matronly, Gina. My mother is Matronly."

I smiled and kissed the older man on the cheek, sighing at his statement. "Ehhh... alright, that's fair; John loved the talk about gemstones and geology, by the way, top marks, but, I gotta jet and get my hair done, so I'll see you tomorrow, Vincent!"

"Yes, yes, of course he loved the geology lab, I let him blow some rubies up with tiny bits of dynamite, what's not to love? Kids these days ought to have a bit more knowledge of the subject of explosives, for safety reasons of course..." he halted his little victory lap at my incredulous expression, then grinned and ran away inside while his door closed automatically. "See you tomorrow!!!"

"No more Dynamite without Prior Consent, Vincent!!!" I shouted sternly after his retreating form, then sighed and shivered at the cold wind that seeped into my shirt due to the low temperatures. "Fucking Winter, ruining everything for everyone... cold nipples are hard nipples, and no one likes hard nipples as much as they think they do!" As I walked back to the apartment, My phone dinged softly, and showed an announcement once I acknowledged it. 'Appointment 'Hair Care with Desiree; 2K' is in '30 Minutes'. Travel time by foot will require '15 Minutes'. Expediency is recommended.' "Ah, shit!" The phone was stuffed into my sweatpants and I was jogging before the screen even darkened all the way. As I hadn't had time to dress properly, I wasn't wearing even a sports bra, so I had to use both hands to hold down my heaving beauties with every springing step, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't handle it, so I arrived on time, though a little more frazzled than I wanted to be.

Ms. Desiree looked up as I lurched into the salon, her daughters and nieces already getting to work on the various things required for my long and thick mane of auburn hair, and smiled at me gently while patting her chair. "Come on in, dear, you're right on time! Hectic morning?"

"Oh, you know how it is, Vincent apparently let Johnathan play with dynamite as a science experiment, so that was a fun conversation!" I groaned and collapsed into the barber chair, leaning back so she could quickly begin brushing my hair.

"Really?!? Well damn, girl, I thought you just woke up late!!! Johnny is fine though, right? No missing fingers?"

"No, apparently he didn't even see fit to tell me about it at breakfast, so I found out from the old fogey himself... is Johnny getting to that age where he starts to keep stuff from me?"

"Honey, he's only nine years old; you've got some time before he gets to that Sneaky Stage. He probably just didn't want you to get angry at Vinny!" Several pairs of skilled hands began to wash and comb shampoo and conditioner into my hair, while Aia, Desiree's youngest, started my eyebrows, prompting me to close my eyes.

"I know, it's just... he's so little, you know?"

"Oh, I know, he's the cutest little boy for miles around!!! You know I have to fend off all the mamas in the city, every time he comes in here to sweep up hair! Oh, I just wanna squeeze him!!!" Desiree laughed heartily, as boisterous as always, and started to check my nails. "Now, you need a little touch-up on these cuticles, but otherwise the color is still good, unless you don't want harlot red today? You said you needed to look 'Secretary Chic', right? Let's get you a peach tint, then."

"Mm... you know, Johnny said I smelled like Peaches this morning? Don't know where the hell it came from, cause I don't have any peach perfume or anything like that..."

"Is that right? Well, like I always say, that boy has a damn-good nose on 'im, so maybe you passed by a grocery store and got some peach juice on your shoes?"

"Or maybe he's just got a feeling? Maybe you should wear peach perfume today? That'd go with 'Secretary Chic', wouldn't it?" Aia hummed somewhere above me, and plucked a stray hair above my eyebrow sharply.

"Mm... alright, that's a good idea anyhow. Whatcha got that's Peachy, maybe Peaches and Cream?"

"I got you, baby girl, Peaches and Cream it is; a Peach Blouse and Lipstick, some cream foundation to your neck, we'll make that mug of yours pretty, Don't you worry."

"You're cute, D, but I'm not above spanking a Granny."

"Ooh, is that a promise? Your standard Rates are a bit much for me, but maybe at a discount I could afford you..."

"Maybe I'd do it for free, babe, if I got some of that Cherry Hooch your husband sells at the farmers market..." I smiled and reached out blindly, patting the first ass I found and grinning at the playful giggle that followed, before relaxing into the pampering before my day of degrading myself for money.

—

Wardrobe was next, and again I decided Peach and Silver was a good choice for today, so I grabbed the first nice pencil skirt I saw in the closet, (the one I usually wore for actual business interviews, not work, but it'd have to do,) and then my nicest peach colored blouse, (again, usually for business interviews, not work,) and shimmied my way into them while Aia pinned up my freshly-treated hair into a businesslike bun, and then I wrapped a fancy silver ascot around my collar, and finally covered it all in a long coat... because it was fucking cold outside. Next I grabbed a bag of goodies for whatever would be needed for this meeting, starting with a variety of ropes, cuffs, whips, paddles, spreader bars, and all the other equipment I'd need to set up a BDSM Dungeon in someone's office, then a change of clothes and the Jaw-Numbing cream I'd definitely need for the Brazilian job. Going in the clothes I was currently wearing would be fine, because there was nothing that a group of horny men loved more than ruining your nicest clothes and your carefully fucking styled hair during a blowjob session.

"Men Suck." I sighed suddenly, surprising a snort out of Aia, who was helping me do my makeup while I waited for the cab to arrive.

"And that's why I prefer women most days, you see? So simple. Now sit up straight while I do your left." She smiled and popped my ass stingingly, then finished the wing on my left eye, perfectly symmetrical as always.

"Thank you, dear, the money will be in D's account before two o'clock, and I'll clean everything before I return it." I kissed her lips as revenge for the popping of my ass, leaving her stuttering and blushing as I flounced my way out of the store and into the cab that'd finally pulled up. Once inside, I handed forward two hundred dollar bills and the black card, speaking to the cabby politely. "I need to go to this address please, as quickly as possible, and I need to be there by 11:45, because I don't wanna be late to my interview. Can we manage it?"

The driver typed the address into his on-board GPS, and hummed at the location it gave him. "Yeah, we can make it. No traffic on the freeway, after all. 'Kinda job interview makes you go an hour and a half out of your way, anyway?"

I sighed softly as the car started moving forward smoothly. "An expensive one, hopefully... an extra Ten Thousand added into my salary is something I'd go anywhere for."

He snorted at that, agreeing, and then handed back the black card, closing the partition and turning on his own music for the drive. I couldn't hear much because of the soundproofing of the back seat being separate from the front, but it was enough to lull me to sleep, so I could catch up on some rest today, even if it was only a half-hour nap.

—

My eyes opened slowly as the forward momentum of the cab slowed suddenly, and I raised an eyebrow at the area of the city we were at, the edge of the Affluent and leaning towards the Business Sector. This was were the fanciest hotels and businesses made their bases, and I was becoming more and more intrigued in mister Isaac Tomoi by the moment. "I hope I'm not underdressed... his idea of 'professional' is probably different than mine..." My worry seemed very much more accurate as we pulled up to a halt in front of a massive building that was more Castle than Hotel, surrounded by a twenty-meter tall stone curtain wall that seemed to encompass at least twenty acres, just from what I could see through the slats of the steel gate.

"You sure this is the right place, lady?"

"I believe it is, yes. Keep the change." I handed another two hundred to the driver, retrieving my duffel bag from the trunk and approaching the gate as he drove away. Seeing no sentry to speak to, I tapped the gate with my knuckles and received a vicious shock for my troubles, as it was apparently electrified.

As I was sucking on the scorch mark on my knuckles, a deep and booming man's voice came from the other side of the gate, though I couldn't see anything. "Halt! This is Clan Tomoi Territory! State your Name and Purpose!"

"Ah, my name is Miss Candy, I've got an appointment with Sir Isaac Tomoi at Noon?"

"And the bag?"

"Professional Equipment."

"... I fail to understand how the items in that bag are professional equipment of any kind."

"I fail to see why I should explain myself to the Gate Guard when I have an appointment that you are making me late for! Check with Sir Isaac about our meeting, and then mind your own damned business!"

There was silence again from the other side, then murmured voices in the gatehouse that was just out of sight to the left, before the gate slowly opened, and a short Asian man  appeared, politely directing me across the grounds and into the Castle's interior. A simple and direct building plan meant I didn't get lost as we walked into the left tower from the entrance and he knocked politely on a heavy wooden door.

—

"Name your Terms, Mister Isaac, and then I shall name mine. Meet them, and we have a deal." My bravado had been founded almost entirely on the Panic-Induced Courage that'd flooded my veins as I thought of the fact that they said they could take care of sickly elderly parents without an issue; I knew the Awakened had weird tech that they refused to share with anyone else, and some of that tech was medicinal. They could, theoretically, cure Johnathon. They could, theoretically, cure Johnathon. That alone had given me the backbone to stare down the hunky Asian man with the scarred right eye that had hired me for the hour, but it had only lasted for around five minutes.

Now, I found myself seated across from Isaac, as well as another man of similar facial features, and a taller woman who looked like she could break me with her bare hands, and I was trying very hard to hide my attraction towards her, considering she was apparently my client's mother. She wasn't old enough to be out of my strike zone, not by a long shot, so it was more of an ethical problem than anything else. What helped me focus, however, was the promise that they would allow me into the 'Awakened' and their 'Waking World', which I agreed was arrogant and grandiose, but also pleasantly theatrical. I'd always loved a bit of drama, after all, so this was a happy, comfortable medium for me, despite the abject terror I'd felt briefly when Isaac had asked me about the awakened, the fear that they'd brought me here to have me made into a blood sacrifice or something, that was still fading slowly away as he laid out his requirements for our 'Contract'.

"It's rather simple. I will offer you a contract, and you will accept it. Upon doing so, you will be given a choice, and the choice you make, coupled with your personal skills, will determine how you Awaken. After that, we'll decide on the best possible way for you to use your skills for the Clan, and what they're worth, salary-wise. Any questions?"

"Yes sir, just one: how long is this gonna take? Because you only have thirty-five minutes left, and I have another meeting at 4:30."