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Noble Efforts (Natsuki)
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Author:  Lodi [ Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Noble Efforts (Natsuki)
Lodi liked to surround herself with people.
Not that she was overly found of them, or so insecure that she needed their company to give meaning to her existence.
She held most of her peers in contempt and it would never have occurred to her to question her own worth.

The circle of girls who shadowed her every step could be annoying at times, but she didn’t want to imagine her life without them. Where would all the fun be, then? With no one to tease, no one to challenge, no one to flatter her, or adore her, things would be pretty dull.
There was nothing like the thrill she got from leading a group of young women who obeyed her every whim, drank her every word, and thought she was the coolest, most beautiful person to have ever walked the earth.

Yet, as much as she enjoyed the attention, even her needed privacy sometimes.
Of course, she didn’t have any delusions about getting some. She was in a boarding school, where by definition the word privacy didn’t exist; she even had to share her room, for god’s sake!
And she was an it girl, it meant that everyone wanted a piece of her; she was never alone. It came with being the queen bee, she knew that, and she’d never give up her position, but it was so…frustrating! While the girls would do almost anything for her, they were surprisingly reluctant about letting her out of their eyesight.
Whatever, it wouldn’t matter in the long run. Lodi always got what she wanted. And she wanted them to leave, now!

“You shouldn’t stay here all alone, Lodi. It’s not safe. We’ll stay with you.”

“ I’ll be fine. Really.” She rolled her eyes.

“ You’re a very good swimmer, but still…” Seeing the objection coming, she immediately countered.

“I’ve been swimming all my life. I know my own limits, ok.” She said testily.

The girls recoiled, face hurt and shocked.

“Yeah, but…”

Her patience was thinning fast. However, she could see that upsetting the girls was not the best way to make them see her point. It would get them out of here effectively, but they’d be moping for days. She sure as hell didn’t want to deal with that kind of drama. Fine. She didn’t mind playing nice and sweet if it could get her what she wanted.
In her friendliest voice – that she’d practiced for hours before grooming it to perfection – she said:

“I’m sorry girls, I didn’t mean to talk to you like that. It’s very sweet that you worry about me. You guys are such good friends!”

The tension eased and the girls smiled. Things were back to normal.

“ I’m touched, really, but you don’t need to stay here with me. I know swimming is not really your thing. I wouldn’t want you to get bored. Besides, I’m sure you have more important things to do.” She threw them a disarming smile.

Appeal to their selfish nature and make them feel good about it. Already, she could see their resolve weakening.

Now, ease their fears.

“ I’ll be careful, I promise. I’ll stay by the edge of the pool, that way, even if I get a cramp, I’ll be safe. Does that sound good?” She finished in her most “I’m responsible and I know what I’m doing” voice.

They looked at each other.

“Yeah…”
“Sure.
“I guess so…”

“Come on!” She said good-heartedly. “What could possibly happen to me? It’s not like I’m going to run into the pool monster!”

They chuckled lightly. It was a feeble attempt at humor, but it got the job done, the inner joke never failed to make them laugh.

It was a time-honored tradition that freshmen should be bullied. Every school had its wild tales, specifically designed to frighten new students. She’d heard her fair share of crazy stories at St-Rose Academy; not a single one as far-fetched as what she’d heard at Shokushu, though. As if anyone with half a brain would believe that monsters were roaming the school, randomly attacking students. Really. And it was not only that, some girls actually seemed to be buying it! The poor things looked so scared, it was pitiful! You’d think girls their age had long stopped looking under their bed for the bogeyman.
It was so ridiculous that it had to be made fun of.
For two weeks, Lodi and her new friends had been running around the school, ambushing members of the increasingly annoyed student body. Their modus operandi was as followed: they grabbed an unsuspecting student by the shoulders and screamed into her ears “Watch out, a monster!”, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

The girls finally caved.

“Fine. You win.” They said.

“But be careful.” They insisted.

“I will.” She reiterated. "What a bunch of mother hens."

“Yeah. And you watch out for that pool monster.” Someone said as they headed for the exit.

“Alright girls, I’ll see you later.” She waved cheerfully as the last of the girls disappeared behind the heavy doors of the pool complex.

She listened attentively until she couldn’t hear the sound of their footsteps and light chatter anymore.
She heaved a long sigh of relief. She was finally alone. Bliss.

She was alone and she had the pool all to herself. Things couldn’t get any better right now. Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it?

She looked at her surroundings with a smile of satisfaction on her lips. The swimming-pool was maybe her favorite place on the campus, which was saying something given the admirable quality of the school’s facilities.
The building was well lit, thanks to a large glass roof, and when the sun was at its highest the water shimmered with golden reflects. The Olympic size pool – that in itself was a luxury – was boarded by glass walls; when you looked through them, you could see a long alley of trees and neatly trimmed bushes. The large windows didn’t go all the way up, they stopped right beneath a range of rectangular dormers that were often left open for airing purposes.

On one side of the pool, three long benches were aligned so that students could drop their bags and towels before entering the water; they were scarcely used for sitting. On the other side, there were a storing room – that was closed at the moment – and bleachers that were perpetually left unfolded, as it was there that students chose to sit whenever they wanted to rest, chat, or observe the other swimmers.

The school had a lifeguard in the person of their P.E teacher. She didn’t work on week-ends, howevr the girls were still allowed in, on the condition that they were good swimmers. It was a bit ridiculous in Lodi’s opinion, as if anyone who wasn’t a good swimmer would take the risk. The rule was easily trespassed anyway, no one really bothered to check, and students could get in at almost any time of the day and week. Which was kind of weird now that she thought of it. Not that she was complaining. But still… Bah, she’d think about it later.

With a shrug, she put her goggles and bathing cap back on, and readjusted her swimsuit’s straps. She was wearing the school’s one, it was a one piece costume, of an ugly navy blue color, with the school’s crest on the chest.
The one they’d given her felt too tight on her, it was uncomfortably compressing her breasts, and the elastic fabric was so stretched over her lithe form that it constantly threatened to snap, sliding into awkward places. She’d spent the afternoon putting things back where they belonged, yet she refused to admit defeat to a stupid piece of clothing. She could make anything look good.

Shaking her head to dismiss the unpleasant thoughts, she came to position herself at the edge of the pool, and dove. As usual, her form was perfect.
Lodi was an accomplished swimmer. She’d not been lying when she’d told the girls that she’d been swimming her whole life. As a baby, her mother had taken her to baby swimmers lessons, she was all about mother-daughter bonding then. Later on, her parents had offered Lodi her own pool. The manor already had one, of course, but that one was entirely hers. And, because their daughter only deserved the best, they’d hired the best available instructors to teach her. It was no surprise when she was elected captain of the swimming team in her last year of high-school.
Her new friends had been so impressed that they’d told her she ought to try for the swimming team. She’d considered it, but Shokushu didn’t compete against other schools, it took half of the fun away. Besides, she used to be captain of her own team, she’d just be a swimmer among others here, not to mention that it was a challenge she’d already faced. She longed for novelty. Maybe she’d try for the volley-ball team. Assuming there was one. Or else, she could start things from scratch and create her own team. That would be nice.

After her two first lengths, she decided for ten more. Two lengths butterfly, two lengths backstroke, two lengths front crawl and four lengths breaststroke.

She’d not yet met anyone or known anyone long enough at Shokushu to consider them real friends. Oh, sure, she called her new acquaintances friends to their faces – their loyalty was cheaply bought – but she didn’t put any meaning behind the word. They were pretty enough and smart enough to be part of her circle, though.

She started her backstroke series.

Wherever she went, things were always the same.
The only differences were that here people called her “Lodi” instead of “Gensworth”. And that, though the other students knew she was rich, the Gensworth name didn’t have any special meaning for them.
At St Rose, she’d been “the” Gensworth. The only heir from the principal line. That fact alone meant that her place was at the top of the school hierarchy; though she liked to think that in the long run, she’d have gotten the position, one way or an other.
It was both refreshing and annoying to see that here no one had any idea of how important she really was.
When she’d enrolled at Shokushu, she’d thought that only wealthy students would attend. Not anyone could afford a school like Shokushu. She’d been surprised to see that it was not the case. The school granted many scholarships and several students were of humble background, when it was not downright questionable. Her own roommate used to get into gang fights after all.
Her mother would have been horrified. Lodi found it thrilling, she liked novelty.

She started her front crawl series.

In spite of it all, things weren’t that different. People were so predictable.

There were those who disliked her because she was a noble. They bored her.
There were those who hated her because she was loaded. They bored her just as much
There were those who hated her for being her. They were fun.
There were those who ignored her. She happily returned the favor.
There were those who, for some reason unknown to her, feared her. They annoyed her. Grow a backbone, seriously.

There were those who followed her and did her every bid because they couldn’t function without anyone to follow. She loathed them, but they were useful.
There were those who followed her because they were attracted to power and thought she was the best way to it. They were devious and resourceful, often gifted with a witty tongue. They made her laugh.
There were those who followed her because she was glamorous and charismatic. She delighted in their admiration and devotion.

And then there were those she considered as equals. She’d not yet met that kind at Shokushu. And maybe she wouldn’t. She’d be a bit disappointed if she didn’t, but it didn’t matter all that much. She was already enjoying herself quite a lot.

She went on to her breaststroke series.

School life wasn’t that bad, really. She’d had her first classes at the beginning of the week and already she could tell that it was quality teaching.
The island offered plenty of places to explore, and she’d do just that. She was sure that she could convince the girls to go do some adventurous exploring by torchlight after curfew.
The settings were beautiful and the weather was good for her complexion. She’d inherited her mother’s beautiful skin tone: "The color of warm ginger-bread", that was how one of her old girlfriends, in a stroke of poetry had described it. Lodi had thought the idea a little cheesy, but fitting nonetheless.

She finished her last two lengths, her mind going blank, as she focused on the mechanical, precise moves of her slender limbs. She let the soft rocking of the water relax her body, easing the tension away after a long day. With regret, she started her last length, she’d stay longer but it was starting to get late; the sun was almost set now.

Her last length finished, she grabbed the metal bars of the small ladder and heaved herself up on firm ground. As she went higher, the water that had previously been hiding the true forms of her body receded; with each step she took on the ladder, the waters descended lower and lower, each time revealing more of her graceful figure.
Back in the U.S, one of her friends had taken a picture of her getting out of his private pool. He’d pompously named it The birth of Venus; she’d been a lot more naked on the picture. He’d also sold it to a pin-up magazine. What a scandal it had caused! They’d all had a good laugh over it at the time. Well, once she’d extracted vengeance from him and calmed down enough to see the fun of the situation, anyway. She smiled fondly at the memory.

She made a few steps towards the benches and winced, the weariness that she hadn’t felt in the water was hitting her severely now; her legs felt a little wobbly. Maybe she had been a little too hard on herself after all. Well, it was nothing a good night of sleep couldn’t fix.

Mechanically she took off her goggles and bathing cap. Freed of their prison, the dark tresses of her luxurious mane fell freely on her shoulders. Some of her admirers told her that her wet hair looked like glistening black gold. Though she’d never disagree with them in public, she privately thought that her soaked hair looked like a tangled web of seaweeds.
She shivered a little as she felt the cool air of the room ghost over her sensitive skin. She hadn’t been out of the water for long, but already she could feel little goose bumps forming on her forearms and inner thighs. As for her swimming suit, it was uncomfortably sticking to her skin, outlining every curve of her lush body.

She hastened her steps, longing to feel the warmth of her fluffy towel around her body. She’d almost made it to the benches when the lower half of her swimming suit - that had been threatening to do so ever since she'd put foot on the ground – suddenly slid, going to lodge itself in the crease of her ass. Irritated, she put it back into place and kept walking. She couldn’t wait to get out of that thing.

She laid her goggles and bathing cap on the bench, grabbed her towel and energetically started to dry her hair.
Author:  niellwyn [ Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Noble Efforts (Natsuki)
(OOC: This isn't my most spectacular work, especially in light of the brilliant introduction you gave, but it's what I could manage at the time I was writing. I hope it is suitable.)

Contrary to what she thought, Lodi was not alone. Unbeknownst to her, another female watched her as she swam, sitting atop the bleachers, perfectly invisible, observing Lodi go through her various sets. The unseen female lounged as she watched, wearing a sheer, clinging robe of gossamer lace. She twisted her finger in chocolate tresses in an idle gesture, admiring the way Lodi’s nutmeg skin glided through glistening water, enchanted by her effortlessly flexing legs and the smooth swam dive curves described by her driving arms. Scalloped waves emanated from Lodi’s path. The woman’s tangling, inky hair reminded her ghostly audience of a mermaid’s seaweed locks.

Lodi’s secret admirer was no human, but a creature born from scientific greed. The creature called herself Natsuki, taking on a Japanese name in honor of the Earth culture she most approved of. A number of traits characterized Natsuki: intelligence, uncanny power, beauty, capriciousness, a highly sensual appreciation for aesthetics, and a limitless, carnal lust. None of these features predominated, and her personality cycled through each in turn, expressing her alien proclivities without regard for the mores of other beings. She obeyed only those rules which she respected, and her respect was a fluid thing, seldom fixed.

She respected logic keenly, deeply enamored of the laws and systems which delineated what was and what wasn’t, what worked and what didn’t. Human governments and ethics were logical to some degree, and to that degree she respected them. But logic does not equate to morality, being much more dependent upon power. Natsuki’s power surpassed that of any individual human, and because of this, she considered herself outside of human laws.

She respected emotion, the seat of the soul, the irrational driving essence that dominated human psychology. Intrinsically bound to instinct, emotion represented an expression of primal nature in Natsuki’s view. The interplay of emotions fascinated her in the same manner that a Rembrandt fascinated, or the stained glass intensity of a butterfly’s wings, or the complex flavors present in an aged cognac. No emotion was inherently valuable to her, except her own. Recognizing the similarity between her own feelings and those of humans merely deepened her enjoyment in manipulating their passions.

Highest of all, she respected herself, and only herself. The circumstances of her birth inured her to strong consideration of others. The standard by which she measured all actions was whether or not it pleased her. She’d contemplated other forms of ethics, and even discovered many romantic concepts which she absorbed provisionally into her own shifting code, but in the final assessment she had decided that she deserved no less than everything she wished to experience. Her power, and her early abuse, entitled her to it. While she knew her attitude was hypocritical, even reprehensible, she ultimately dismissed such things as trivial, incorporating those elements into herself without shame.

So it was that Lodi engaged her interest. Lodi, like herself, felt herself entitled to a splendid life; felt that she was owed respect and admiration. The aristocratic young woman’s beauty only enhanced her similarities to Natsuki, though her loveliness was of a different sort, darker and more fully fleshed than Natsuki’s lithe elegance. Her arrogant demeanor and crafty manipulation of social cues endeared her to Natsuki yet more. If Natsuki deemed herself the pinnacle of accomplishment, then those who mirrored herself were worthy of her attention.

Whether her attentions would be welcomed by Lodi was a matter of debate. Doubtless the noblewoman would not appreciate Natsuki’s lascivious intentions, or the loss of autonomy that the powerful being’s admiration usually entailed. But that was beside the issue. As far as Natsuki was concerned, Lodi belonged to her by right of claim. Only the formalities of approach and conquest remained to counteract that fact.

Natsuki had been surreptitiously examining her prize since she arrived at Shokushu. She had built herself into a frenzy of desire in her faraway pursuit of the girl, wrapping Lodi in trapping of elaborate fantasy and romantic esteem, as was her wont. Natsuki’s possessive eyes had caressed Lodi’s naked body in the showers. She’d read her books over her shoulder. She watched her sleep, eat, dress, and study. Lodi’s interactions with her entourage seemed a drama staged for Natsuki’s sole benefit. Now, isolated and at ease, Lodi’s own flesh and person would be the stage for the climax of an unsuspected relationship.

Natsuki took the time to change into a shabby, unadulterated uniform pilfered from the lockers. Despite being small and dingy, the garments highlighted the being’s physical virtues exquisitely. Still, the cloth was not tailored to her form, and was hastily assembled, indicating a lack of effort and low self respect, misleading signals that would almost certain arouse Lodi’s scorn. Natsuki wanted to bear the brunt of Lodi’s refined sensibilities, to weather her sharp tongue. It was all part of the game, and a hint of vengeance during their consummation would only sweeten the experience.

As Lodi vigorously toweled her hair, Natsuki chose that moment of distraction to manifest atop the bleachers. Now visible, she adopted a posture of idleness, gazing steadfastly at the dripping young woman near the pool. She extended her hand in a wave as Lodi finished drying herself, looking exactly like one of the vaguely awestruck students Lodi was most accustomed to encountering.
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