Of Crystals and Watches Ch. 06

Jason sat in the front corner of his Tuesday freshman English class, running his fingers through his hair as he zoned out, not paying attention to the first day introductions that he had already done. That morning had been easier than the previous in terms of dealing with primal urges. Or at the very least they had been easier to ignore and push to the back of his mind as he went about his day.

"So what is your major, Mary from Utah?" the teacher asked, pulling Jason out of his daze. He looked up at the professor, a middle-aged woman with gray streaks in hair running down to the tip of her ponytail, then followed her gaze to the back of the classroom. There sat another student, a young woman, a small, petite thing with a head of frizzy brown hair.

"Um, music," Mary from Utah answered.

"What instrument do you play?" the professor asked.

"Um, I play the, um, bass," the girl answered, wringing her hands together in a clear display of nerves.

"Oh, that's neat," the professor commented. "Maybe you and our guitar player in the front row will make for a good team!" She gestured to Jason, who grimaced at being pointed out. Glancing over his shoulder at the girl, he saw her look back at him with an expression that said, 'I didn't want that either.'

With a sigh Jason turned his attention back to the professor as the class continued. This was his last one for the day, then he'd have the afternoon to himself. "Maybe I should practice my guitar today," he mumbled to himself, his eyes half-lidded as he followed the professor's pacing across the front of the class. "I am supposed to be a music major."

***

The sound of the front door unlocking barely made it to Desiree's ears through the gentle weeping of a guitar. It caught her attention right before she opened the door to her bedroom after making a trip to the toilet. Her curiosity caused her to change course and head down stairs, where Mavis was taking off her jacket.

"Oh, hey girlie," Mavis said upon seeing the blonde. "Is that our dear beloved Master strumming away up there?"

"He is," Desiree answered with a nod. "Sam says that he wants to be left alone for the night."

Mavis walked out into the living room and threw herself and her purse onto the couch before responding. "If that is what he desires then it is what he shall get."

"How was the library today?" Desiree asked as she sat down next to her landlady.

"Same old, same old," Mavis said. "Told this one freshman where the same book was four different times."

"Did they ever find it?" Desiree asked.

"No!" Mavis answered with a laugh. "The most interesting part of the day, though, was when I found this couple making out behind one of the shelves."

"That does sound interesting," Desiree remarked.

"Except..." the older woman began as her smile faded. "It was not as interesting as it would have been before...you know."

Desiree paused, taking a closer look at Mavis and the melancholic expression on her face.

"Hey, ever since we were enlightened, have you been able to think of anyone besides Master in a romantic or sexual light?" Mavis asked. "Not that I don't want to devote myself to him, I do," she quickly added. "It's just, I don't know. There's some spice missing from my life now, I guess."

"Haven't you been single for 10 years?" Desiree asked, thinking back to previous conversations with her landlady.

"I was single, not celibate," Mavis responded, side eying the blonde. "I've had my dalliances from time to time, but what I always enjoyed more was watching other people's love bloom. Guess you could say that I have a bit of voyeuristic streak in me. Or did, anyway."

Desiree leaned back onto her hands and thought about it for a minute. "I guess the idea of any romantic or sexual situation that doesn't involve Master doesn't interest me much either. But isn't that the way it's supposed to be?"

Mavis shrugged in response. "I guess. Seems boring though. Besides, will Master have time for all us?"

"What do you mean?" Desiree questioned.

"Think about it," Mavis replied. "There is one Master, and five Love-Slaves. He's not going to be able to pay attention to all of us all the time. He has the right to use his property as he sees fit, of course, but my God the rest of us are going to be bored in the meanwhile."

Desiree shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she thought on Mavis' comments. "Want to talk to everyone else about it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mavis answered. "Why don't you get on your phone and talk to everyone on the group chat thing? We can go to that restaurant I took you to after your panic attack over the summer. You know, the one with the private booth at the back."

"Why don't you do it?" Desiree asked. "It's your issue that we're going to discuss."

"Pfft," Mavis snorted, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "Girl, you know that I don't like smartphones. I only got that thing because the school started using that app for the library and forced the staff to use it. Besides-"

"OK, OK," Desiree said before the landlady could continue. "I get it. I'll work around your hang ups just like you worked around mine."

"Thank you, sweetie," Mavis said. "You're a real gem."

Desiree grimaced at the unintended implications of that comment, thinking back to the crystal that started all of this, the one sitting in Master's nightstand. But she pushed that thought out of her mind and went up the stairs to get her phone out of her room.

Moving past the halting, searching strumming of her Master's guitar, she returned to her room and grabbed her phone. She turned around and began typing out a message into the Harem group chat as began her return journey. The text was sent by the time she began her descent to the first floor.

Coming out into the living room, she looked up to see the television turned to the local new. She ignored the anchorwoman on screen as she sat down next to Mavis, keeping her phone in her hand to keep an eye out for replies.

"The twins say they can go after they finish with classes tomorrow," she said, reading the text as it came up on her screen. "I'm sure Sam would be game for that."

"That's fine," Mavis commented.

A silence held over the pair, both uncertain as to what to say next. They were locked between the dull droning of the TV in front of them and the aimless wondering of the guitar above. Then the riffs changed, shifting to become sharper and more distinct. Desiree turned her ear, trying to get a better read on what her Master was playing. It sounded kind of familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"All aboard, ha ha ha ha," Mavis half sung, half whispered. She glanced up at Desiree and gave her a soft smile. "Crazy Train," she said. "Ozzy Osborne. One of the most famous metal songs ever. God, I remember the one time I saw him in concert. I drove through three states just go to it!"

"Yeah, I know what Crazy Train is," Desiree replied. "I was just having a hard time recognizing it."

"I guess that's fair," Mavis commented as she sat up straighter. "He is playing it on an acoustic guitar, so it sounds a little different. But after the last few days I get why he's gone for it. Our entire world's been turned upside down."

"Yeah, it has," Desiree agreed.

***

"I'm back," Sarah called out as she opened the door to her dorm room. "You ready to go yet?" She asked of her sister, frowning when no answer came.

Looking across the room, she saw Liz standing in front of the full body mirror they had set up in the corner of the room, studying herself in its reflection. She seemed unresponsive to her twin's arrival and question.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Sarah asked, taking several steps across the room until she was halfway between the door and her sister.

It was then that Liz turned, going up onto the tips of her toes and spinning 180 degrees on them. "Check out what came in the mail today," she said in sing-song voice, a bright smile as she gestured with both hands to her neck.

Sarah followed her sister's direction, spying the band of black around Liz's neck, a silver heart in the middle and Liz's name hanging from it.

"Finally!" Sarah exclaimed, closing the distance between herself and her twin as she focused in on the identifying choker. "It looks so good on you, little sis," she added.

"Um, thanks," Liz replied, uncertain how to feel about the compliment. "And I'm not your 'little' sis. You were born barely 8 minutes before me."

"I know, I know," Sarah said. "That just seemed like the right thing to call you." She ran her fingers along Liz's neck, feeling how it went from smooth skin to choker back to skin. She almost forgot that she was touching a breathing person, she got so into it.

"Earth to Sarah," Liz called out, snapping her fingers in front of her sister's eyes.

Sarah stepped back, blinking away her confusion, wondering why she had gotten so lost. "Oh, sorry, don't know what came over me."

"Probably just imagining how happy we could make Master with it," Liz guessed.

"Yeah, probably," Sarah verbally agreed, though she failed to mention that she felt it to be only partly true. "Wait a minute," she said, something else coming to her mind. "We asked for one day delivery, didn't we. Isn't it false advertisement if it takes two to arrive?"

Liz rolled her eyes at her sister. "It's not like we're back home on the west coast," she said. "Things take a little longer to get way out here."

"OK, yeah, that's a fair point," Sarah replied. "Did mine come too?"

Liz smiled. "Yep," she answered, holding the choker up by one of its straps.

"Sweet," Sarah said, taking the choker and looking at the lettering on the inside. "Property of Master Jason," she read out loud. "Perfect. Hopefully this will get us a step closer to making that true in every sense of the word."

"Absolutely," Liz agreed before stepping around her sister and pushing her gently towards the mirror. "Here, let me help," she said as placed the choker around Sarah's neck and secured it in its rightful place.

Sarah smiled at the sight. "I can't wait to show these off to our sister-slaves tonight. I wonder if they'll be jealous."

***

Mavis checked her watch as she stood by the front door, tapping her foot in impatience. "Are you girls ready yet?" she called up the stairs.

"Almost!" Desiree answered.

"Just gonna stop by the toilet!" Samantha yelled.

"Sheesh, they're going to make us late to the restaurant," Mavis complained out loud to no one in particular.

Just out of her sight she heard footsteps from the direction of the kitchen, so she turned her head to see what it was. "Oh, Jason, I didn't realize that you were down here. Grabbing some dinner?"

"If you could call a bowl of cereal dinner, then yeah," Master answered. "You girls heading somewhere?"

Mavis nodded in response. "Yeah, we had a dinner date planned."

"Alright, have fun then," Master replied as he took the first few steps towards the stairs. Then he stopped. "Actually, there's been something that I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Mavis questioned, putting all thoughts of her plans with her fellow Love-Slaves on hold. Master's quandary was of infinitely greater importance.

"I was wondering if there was any place around here that has live music?" Master asked. "I don't mean concert halls or anything like that," he clarified. "Like, a restaurant or a bar with a band."

"Um, yeah, I think so," Mavis answered, searching her brain for her answer. "Yeah, there is one. Not every night, we don't have enough musicians in this town to fill the schedule for an entire week, but we can see about tonight."

"Oh, are you going to that restaurant?" Master asked.

Mavis shook her head. "No, but I can take you there really quick, then meet back up with the girls."

"Are you sure?" Master asked. "I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"Oh, nonsense, I've always got time for you," Mavis replied with a dismissive wave of her hands. "Just let me head upstairs and let the girls know."

"I'll be down here then," Master replied, turning back into the living room and sitting himself on the couch.

Mavis motored her way up the stairs to find Samantha standing in front of Desiree's door, knocking on it repeatedly.

"Come on, Des!" the redhead yelled. "This was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Um, no," Desiree's response came through the door. "It was Mavis' idea, she just made me send the text."

"Well, can you hurry up anyway?" Samantha replied, slamming her hand against the door one more time. "It's not nice to keep everyone else waiting."

"Hey," Mavis half whispered, catching Samantha's attention. "You girls go ahead without me, I'll catch up."

"Did something come up?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, Master just asked me if I could help him with something," Mavis answered.

"Oh!" Samantha exclaimed, excitement in her widening eyes. "Then go ahead, we'll save you a seat."

At that moment Desiree opened the door to her room and stepped out into the hallway. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Master asked Mavis to help him with something," Samantha answered, an excited smile on her face.

"Really?!" Desiree exclaimed. "Well then, go get him, girl!" she added, patting Mavis' shoulder like that friend in the rom-com who encourages the main character to ask the love interest out. "Put in a good word for us if you can," she added in a half whisper, her wispy smile saying that she was partly joking.

"Oh, believe me, I'll try," Mavis replied before turning and walking down the hall. "You better not leave the restaurant before I get there," she added, looking over her shoulder and pointing at her fellow Love-Slaves.

"Will do," Samantha replied, showing a thumbs up.

Mavis made her way back downstairs. "I'm all set if you are," she called to her Master.

"Sounds good," he replied, standing up from the couch and joining Mavis at the front door.

Out they went, Mavis taking the lead as they started walking.

"The best way there is to walk through campus," she explained as they moved towards the school grounds. "Car's a little quicker, except not really since there isn't any good parking there."

"What's the place called?" Master asked.

"The Barrel of Monkeys," Mavis answered.

"Hm, sounds like a blues kind of place," Master commented as they continued their walk.

Mavis hesitated for a moment before replying. "Yeah, kind of," she said, an unconvincing smile on her face, though Master didn't catch it.

The rest of the walk went by uneventfully as the pair made their way under the soon to be setting sun. It wasn't until they were approaching the restaurant itself that either of them spoke again.

"Definitely a blues place," Master commented, looking at the the brick building with a neon sign that said 'The Barrel of Monkeys' in bright blue. A mural depicting said animals splashing about in a barrel of beer was next to the front window.

"You'll see," Mavis said as she opened the door and held it open for her Master.

"About what I expected," he said once they were both inside, looking around at the decor. The space was dimly lit, just bright enough to see but not much else. A smattering of chairs and tables were spread out about the area, with a bar against one of the walls. On the far side of the dining area was a stage, with a drum set, some speakers, and a few microphone stands on it.

Mavis saw one of the waitresses walking towards the kitchen, opposite the bar, and turned her head towards the server.

Noticing the new arrivals, the waitress smiled and waved at Mavis. "Hey Mav, go ahead and grab a table!" she called out before disappearing back into the kitchen area.

Mavis waved back to the waitress' retreating form before turning to her Master. "How about this one?" she asked, pointing at one of the empty tables.

Master shrugged before pulling out one of the chairs and sitting in it. "I don't see why not."

A few short moments after they were seated, a bald man in a vest walked out onto the stage. The owner of the restaurant, Mavis recognized. "I'm sorry about that interruption with the show, folks," he said into the main microphone. "That...technical difficulty will be resolved shortly and the band will be back up on stage to finish their final set shortly." The man smiled one of those smiles that people do when they're telling a joke. The handful of customers in the restaurant who had been there before Mavis and Master arrived chuckled, so she assumed that whatever the difficulty was, it was somehow humorous in nature.

As Mavis was contemplating this, five college age girls in dark dresses and make up came out from the backroom. Given the fact that they were carrying guitars, drum sticks, and the like, she gathered that they were the band.

"Oh, here they are, folks!" the owner exclaimed as the girls climbed up onto the stage with him. "Just let me get out of the way so that the show can go on." He smiled and nodded at the girl who came to take the mic from him, the lead singer, Mavis assumed. Once the owner had vacated the stage and the girls had taken up their positions, a few moments of silent anticipation followed.

Then one of the girls took a deep breath as she leaned into her mic, raising her arm to start strumming her bass. She was a tiny little thing, Mavis noticed now that her attention had been drawn to her. Everything about her was black and pink, and that wasn't a metaphor. Her boots, skirt, shirt, jacket, gloves, face paint. Everything from her forehead down was a swirling pattern of dark black and bright pink. A color scheme that all of the other members of the band shared, though they had dark hair with pink highlights to go with the rest of the look. This girl with the bass had a head of frizzy brown hair that didn't quite fit with that image.

Then the girl screamed at the top of her lungs. Mavis' eyes widened with surprise at the sheer volume to kick off the show, and from such a small body as well. She stole a glance at her Master, and she gathered that he had a similar reaction.

Before the bass player's lungs gave out, the instruments kicked in. It was one hundred percent a metal sound, with the heavy riffs and banging drums. A pretty standard one at that, though decently well executed. It was only after the lead singer joined in that Mavis started shifting her opinion on the song.

The only way she could describe it was bubblegum metal. Yeah, the sound was absolutely a standard metal track, but the lyrics didn't fit that at all. If someone had told Mavis that the words had been lifted direct from one of those sappy 80's love ballads, she would have believed them. The song was all about how happy the singer was to be around their lover, how they made them feel bright and joyful inside with their mere presence. That message was just delivered the heavy, forceful, and violent controlled chaos of a heavy metal track. Strangely, Mavis felt like she could identify with that thought, seeing what her life had become over the previous few days.

Then, the song was over and the audience started to clap. There weren't that many people in the restaurant, so it didn't really fill the room, but Mavis joined in none the less.

"Wow," Master stated before he started chuckling.

"They were good, huh," Mavis commented.

Master started to laugh. "No!" he exclaimed. "But my god did it jolt me out of the rut I had been in!"

The band members started to bow to the crowd, soaking in the applause. The lead singer pulled the mic off its stand.

"Thank you, we've been Liquid Death Cow!" she yelled. "I know we're ending things a little early, but it is a weekday, y'all got work tomorrow, and we," she gestured to her band mates, "all have classes. So thank you and good night." She then dropped her mic, in a way that made it clear that she was copying something she'd seen done before without understanding how to put gravitas behind the act.