“Oh dear. You know Vindicator would strangle you if he knew about that picture, or any of your other ones. I’ve sometimes been surprised you’ve never tried to date him, as much as you’ve put him into your paintings.” Rachel giggled softly, shaking her head as she continued cooking. “So, how’d Lilith react to the picture?”
“Essentially, she said that while she didn’t object, she’d far prefer a picture of Archon and Destiny, or something along those lines,” Gina explained. She wanted to help, but she’d only get in the way of the cooking.
“Oh? Oh! That’s… an interesting thought, I’ll admit. I’m not usually one for pictures like that, but even I’ll admit it’d be pretty hot.” Rachel pulled out a baking sheet and started to cut the bread. “So what else? Did she end up commissioning a painting?”
“Yep,” Gina confirmed, washing her hands and pulling out a bowl for the salad, unwilling to leave everything to Rachel. “She wants to do one test commission, and if things go well, she’s planning on three others, at least at the moment. Things could change.”
“Really? That’s great, assuming she’s paying you well,” Rachel said, mixing the spread with a look of concentration on her face. “What’s she wanting for the first piece? Assuming you don’t mind telling me.”
“She’s paying almost double my usual rate, as she used a rather… generous chart that she found online for her estimates. I tried to protest, but she was stubborn, just like with the check,” Gina told her friend, hiding her smile as she waited for a long moment before adding, her tone wicked, “As for the subject matter, she decided on you.”
“She what?” Rachel exclaimed, almost losing her grip on the bowl, coming close to sending it rolling off the countertop. Stabilizing the bowl quickly, her friend set it aside and looked at Gina with narrowed eyes. “Explain, please?”
“She didn’t know it was you, Rachel. She was talking about Morgan at the time,” Gina explained. “She said she’d had an encounter with Morgan a few weeks back, and found her outfit a little over the top.”
“I suppose that’s at least better, thought a little surprising,” Rachel replied, frowning as she got back to work. “I really don’t think my outfit is that bad, though. There’re a lot worse out there.”
“I think it’s more a matter of personal taste. If you hadn’t noticed, I think she likes less ornate or flamboyant art and clothing, so I’m guessing that’s a large part of it. Either way, she was looking at my High Elven Queen picture and asked me to put you in an outfit in a similar style, but focusing on a purple and black outfit and matching mask. She also wanted you to have black lipstick,” Gina told Rachel, amused at her friend’s frown as she considered the idea. “I thought it was pretty interesting, so I agreed. You don’t object, do you?”
“I suppose it isn’t that bad, on the whole. At first I was worried, I’ll admit. But while I think it’s maybe a little too simple, and not practical with flight…” Rachel mused aloud, then shook her head. “I think my biggest problem is how dark it sounds.”
“Maybe so, but the legends of Morgan Le Fay are pretty dark to begin with,” Gina pointed out. “So it fits with your name pretty well, and you’re already pretty dark, you know. You don’t go for the full gothic look, but you’re ornate enough. I mean, you have a cloak of raven feathers!”
“I’m not that bad,” Rachel protested vehemently, shaking her head and going quiet. After a few seconds she spoke again, her voice grudging. “Alright, maybe I am, just a little. Still, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. What other requests did she have?”
“Whatever you say, Rach,” Gina replied, smirking as Rachel twitched at the nickname that annoyed her so much. “As for the second, it was about the same thing for me, or more particularly for Warden. She debated on what hair color Warden had for a bit before deciding on short blond hair, so that’ll be interesting. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with painting myself, to be honest.”
“Serves you right, after the amusement you’re getting out of what she had in mind for me. Does she have you going all shadowy too?” Rachel asked, her mood seeming to improve.
“No, thank goodness. She wanted white with gold trim, just accentuating my current style, really.” Gina shook her head, sighing. “In all honesty, that much makes me a little frustrated, though. It’s a really neat style, and now I kind of want the dress for formal functions, but I don’t dare. Still, she did mention that she thinks Warden would look good in the darker dress, too.”
“Fair enough. And the last ones? I really hope she doesn’t want something like the suggestion of Archon and Destiny with us.” Rachel’s voice was nervous as she slid the garlic bread into the oven.
“The first one is pretty normal, honestly. She wanted a painting of Archon on top of a mountain with her sword held high, possibly with some neat weather patterns,” Gina explained, then blushed as she added, “The last one was… interesting, though. Archon and Daemonia, kissing.”
“Oh gods, that would piss Archon right the hell off, wouldn’t it? She hates all the fanatics who’ve tried to co-opt her existence for their religion, so anything with a demon…” Rachel laughed loudly. “I bet Daemonia would get a kick out of it, though. What do you think your chances are of getting to that one? And I want to see it, if you do!”
“Assuming I don’t screw up by the numbers, I’m pretty confident of finishing all of them,” Gina replied, thinking back to the smile on Lilith’s face before she left. “It’s looking good to me.”
Chapter 16
Saturday, November 30th, 2030
Warden’s Home, Oakland
Letting out a long sigh of happiness, Gina took a step back to look at the painting critically. Despite several missteps, the painting of Lilith was done. It’d taken her far more time to finish than she’d expected, but the results sparked a hint of pride as she looked at it and smiled.
The past few days had given Gina time to think about her encounters with Lilith, even with the holiday in the middle of it. She’d enjoyed visiting her father for Thanksgiving, as well as her Wednesday dinner with Rachel. The time talking to family and friends had helped her bring things into perspective, and her pity for Lilith’s upbringing had grown stronger because of it. In the end, both she and Rachel had tentatively agreed that allowing Lilith into their social circle, at least peripherally, would be for the best.
Beyond those decisions, Gina’s discussion about artwork with Lilith on Wednesday had revealed new aspects to her personality, little by little. It was only after Gina had returned home from her father’s and looked at her painting of Lilith, half done as it was, that she realized it was wrong in ways she couldn’t explain. In the end, she’d made the decision to strip the paint from the canvas and completely redo her work.
Somewhat more disturbing to Gina was how every night over the last few days she’d dreamed of Lilith. She rarely remembered her dreams, so the details were sketchy, but she could remember Lilith’s gentle smile that sent warmth through her body, and the simple contentment that Lilith revealed a few times. It was that look, that sense of contentment and happiness, that Gina was trying to capture with her painting.
Biased though she might be, Gina thought she’d finally managed to get the look that she’d wanted. To her eyes the picture was beautiful, and while others might not agree, that didn’t matter. What mattered to her was that the picture showed what she wanted it to show. Lilith was sitting with an elbow on the table, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she smiled gently, listening to some story with a twinkle in her eyes. In many ways the painting wasn’t complicated, and it certainly wasn’t perfect or a world-class piece, but even so, it made Gina’s heart tremble to look at it.
It was only then, as she looked at the simple beauty of the woman in the painting, that Gina realized that something had changed for her. It dawned on her that what she was feeling was deeper than mere physical attraction, and she whispered softly, “I never expected this, Lilith. And I hope… I hope
you feel the same way.”
Sunday, December 9th, 2030
Lilith’s Condo, San Francisco
At the sound of the elevator doors starting to open, Lilith stepped over and opened the front door, smiling widely. She got the door open just as Gina and Rachel stepped out of the elevator, and Rachel gave a half-wave and smile. Lilith laughed softly at that, grinning as she waved them in. “Come on in, you two. I do hope that you didn’t have any trouble with parking?”
“Not a bit. You’ve got a parking garage below your building, and your message got them to let us use one of your spots. They even let us use the charging pad,” Rachel replied, stepping inside and gasping in apparent surprise. Lilith knew that Rachel was acting, but honestly couldn’t blame her for that. “Okay, I thought you were joking about how big your condo was, but this is enormous!”
“Stop understating things, Rachel, this is just incredible. You have the entire floor to yourself, Lilith?” Gina asked, stepping into the room and looking around. In her case, Lilith knew that the shock had to be genuine, since she’d been unconscious during her previous visit.
The living room had changed since Rachel’s visit, too. Lilith had added some rugs to the floor and a desk was next to the windows, a computer set up on it. Gina’s paintings adorned the walls in slightly nicer frames, while the table was set for three. The only other new things were another couch, a coffee table, and a glass case along one wall that was mostly empty, with a handful of glass sculptures within.
“That’s right. I originally paid for it because I like my privacy, and was hoping to avoid people noticing me due to my power. However, I believe I miscalculated, because purchasing something this big drew a lot of attention as well. It seems like people focus on those of us with large homes,” Lilith explained wryly, closing the door and locking it behind them. “I think you can see why I was a little hesitant to invite you over at first?”
Since their first dinner together, Lilith had met with Gina and Rachel three separate times for dinner and to chat. Each time they’d gone to different restaurants, though on the second occasion the other two had convinced Lilith to go to a bar they said had good food. The three had quickly realized that visiting the bar had been a mistake, though. Lilith had been almost mobbed, and they’d beaten a hasty retreat and gone somewhere else, the event proving a needed warning to all of them. Not even Lilith had realized just how potent her power could be under the wrong circumstances.
After that they’d also met at Gina’s house once to look at several paintings and discuss artwork, at which point Lilith had discovered that she had modest differences in taste from the other two women, but nothing too dramatic. Finally, Lilith had decided to invite the others over to her home for dinner, which she’d spent much of the day preparing for.
“I think I understand. This is a lot bigger than I expected, even with your warnings. I think it’s almost twice the size of my entire house!” Gina exclaimed, then paused, sniffing curiously. Looking at Lilith, she asked, “What’re you cooking, anyway? That smells really good.”
“I started a pork roast this morning, with some herbs, white wine, and honey,” Lilith replied, grinning sheepishly. “The bread was a failure, so I’m trying to figure out where I messed up with them. I did buy rolls as a backup, fortunately. I finished the mashed potatoes a few minutes ago, and made a salad, with raspberry cheesecake for dessert.”
Rachel blinked at the list, pursing her lips before asking, “Do you like cooking, then? As often as you went out to eat, I was beginning to think that you didn’t, or maybe couldn’t cook at all.”
“I enjoy it far more than I’d ever expected to. Cooking is… a stimulating, fascinating subject, and the satisfaction of a well-made meal is hard to improve upon,” Lilith explained, pausing as she tried to think of how to explain what she was thinking. “I… deeply enjoy it. The problem is that I haven’t tried so many types of meals. Remember, I was raised by an AI, and the meal types it had programmed were limited. Part of the reason I go out to eat is to try new things and have something to compare my meals to. The last thing I want is to make something I think is amazing and leave one of you sick to your stomach.”
“Now that you explain it, that makes a lot of sense,” Rachel said after a moment of thought, then smiled as she asked, “So, when will it be ready?”
“I think she’s hungry, Lilith. She’s been looking forward to the visit all day, if her comments to me have been anything to judge by,” Gina interrupted, smirking as Rachel shot her a look of betrayal, amusing Lilith.
“Is that so? Well, it’s fortunate that I just need to let the roast rest for a couple of minutes before slicing it, isn’t it? The potatoes have been keeping warm in the oven,” Lilith told them, gesturing to the table. “Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll have everything out shortly.”
“Would you like help with anything?” Rachel asked, slipping out of her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack by the door. “I’d be happy to, if you want.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. You’re guests, so sit down and relax. This shouldn’t take long.” Lilith smiled in response, then headed for the kitchen. Pulling out the roast to let it rest for a minute, she put on oven mitts to pull the bowl of potatoes out of the oven and grabbed a serving spoon, making a mental note to get more of them, at least if she was going to have guests often.
“Is it different than you expected?” Lilith heard Rachel talking to Gina softly, then lowered her voice to the point that Lilith wouldn’t have heard it if her hearing wasn’t enhanced. “I should add that it’s a little nicer than it was before. It was pretty empty. Not that it’s got tons of stuff in it even now, but it feels lived in.”
“I think it’s really nice, if huge. That’s good in some ways, really. It’d help someone feel less closed-in or confined, and based on what Lilith’s said about her childhood, that’s probably important. It’s still a little bare, but nice,” Gina agreed, sounding fascinated by the house.
Lilith did find herself somewhat chagrined that the renovations she’d made still weren’t enough to make the room feel normal, but she wasn’t sure what she could do about it. Anything more would make her feel like the room was cluttered, which offended her sensibilities, but she needed to work on it.
Removing the lid of the ceramic bowl, Lilith revealed a bowl of fluffy yellow mashed potatoes that had a hint of garlic to them, then took it into the living room with a smile. Gina had taken the middle seat, she noted in amusement, while Rachel was seated to her left. Setting the bowl on a trivet, she explained, “I’ll bring in the salad and rolls next, then get the meat. Feel free to serve yourselves early if you’d like, though. I don’t want to starve you.”
Gina chuckled, taking the spoon to serve the potatoes as Lilith headed back toward the kitchen. A few seconds later the blonde raised her voice, asking, “Lilith? Did you make gravy for this?”
Waiting a moment to reply, Lilith returned to the room with the salad and a couple of varieties of dressing. “Sorry, I’m afraid not. I’ve generally eaten the potatoes on their own, so I didn’t even think about that.”
“Ahh, well, that’s fine. If it comes up in the future, know that I like gravy on my potatoes,” Gina replied with a theatrical sigh, but paused and sniffed at the potatoes curiously. “Actually, I’m smelling something besides garlic, and there are bits in these… what did you put in them?”
“I’ll keep your request in mind, Gina. As for the potatoes, I mashed them with butter, garlic, and finely ground rosemary for flavor,” Lilith explained, raising an eyebrow as she asked, “Is there anything you’d like to drink?”
“You mentioned white wine for the roast. Is it drinkable?” Rachel asked.
“It is. As one article I read put it, if you wouldn’t be willing to drink it, don’t cook with it,” Lilith explained with a smile. “I may not drink alcohol, but that made sense to me.”
Laughing at the explanation, Gina nodded. “I’d like the same.”
> “Very well, I’ll bring it out in a moment, then the roast should be ready,” Lilith said, heading for the kitchen briskly.
Returning with the bottle of wine, Lilith handed it to Rachel with a smile, watching as the other woman poured a glass for herself and Gina before heading back into the kitchen. Both women had started serving themselves, and Lilith couldn’t help but wonder how they’d like the food. Preparing the roast took almost no time, and she transferred it to a platter before returning to the table, the sight and smell of the food causing Lilith’s mouth to water.
“This smells wonderful,” Rachel complimented, waiting until Lilith was seated before taking a couple of slices of roast, then handed the serving fork over to Gina. While they were doing so, Lilith began filling her own plate.
“Thank you, Rachel. I should warn that this is my first time trying this particular recipe, but it had excellent reviews overall. The smell is quite promising, I think,” Lilith said, smiling gently as she waited for Gina to pass the serving fork.
“Thank you for the food, Lilith,” Gina spoke up, meeting Lilith’s eyes and blushing slightly as their fingers briefly touched.
“Agreed! I’m a decent cook, but I normally don’t have time to make anything like this. It just takes so long,” Rachel agreed, looking at her food, and Lilith saw her fingers twitching toward her utensils.
“It’s my pleasure, and don’t hesitate to eat on my account,” Lilith replied, and watched as they began to dig into the food. “It does take a lot of time, but that’s something I have plenty of. The biggest problem I’ve found is that most recipes don’t really scale down to what a single person needs, so I often end up with nearly four times the amount of food I need in a meal. That’s not entirely a bad thing, since it means I have leftover food for other meals, but it can be frustrating.” After sampling the food, Lilith paused and took the salt grinder. “Needs a bit more salt, I think. I wondered why the recipe didn’t have much in it, but… well, fixed now.”
Born a Queen (Lilith's Shadow Book 1) Page 15
