By: Sue
Dorian is hosting quite the kinky little party. Most of the guests are in some form of undress. He sits watching everyone around him have sex with a man by his side and a woman at his feet. The man kisses down his chest, but he cannot be more uninterested as he looks at the painting around. With a cleared out house, and an open chest bearing robe he takes a candelabra and heads through a hidden passage. Down a mirrored hallway to a single life sized portrait, his own. He looks upon it, sitting before it.
Vanessa sits outside of a church. A little girl asks her why she doesn’t go in. She thinks that Vanessa wishes to go in by the way that she looks at it, reminding her that its only an odd church. The little girl prattles on, and asks if Vanessa has a sweetie. Vanessa does not. She tells her that her father put her mother into the ground, but that they don’t stay there. Her musings worry Vanessa for a moment, but the girl only meant Heaven or Hell. Lucy’s nanny comes to collect her. Vanessa goes back to looking at the church and spot Dorian. She’s drawn from her seat finally.
Inside the church’s garden Vanessa stalks the seductive Dorian. She sees him stroking some Orchids, inhaling their sweet scent. She approaches him, and he offers to show her something extraordinary. He brings her to some purple flowers and asks her to smell them to describe them. The flowers talk dirty to her, they’re deadly nightshade. He proves to be a fount of useful information, something he’s never been called before. They stroll in the garden, and he continues to charm her, bringing her to what he actually wished to show her. A rare Chinese slipper orchid, one that takes up to fifteen years to bloom. It only blooms for a moment, and Vanessa asks if it’s poisonous. Like all beautiful things, he hopes so. Dorian excuses himself, he has another prior engagement, but tells her where to find him later.
A hematologist, Professor Van Helsing, looks over a blood sample with Victor Frankenstein. Victor uses his steady hands to prepare another sample. The blood decomposes almost instantly. Van Helsing tells him that the blood contains a property that makes the blood not coagulate, one that would make the host need to consume large amounts of blood. Victor closes the door before he continues. He wishes to know what he knows, how he came to be involved when he says that he’s seen it before. Van Helsing tells him that he just met Malcolm recently , that he knows Malcolm is looking for a cure, but there may be none.
The monster, Caliban, is stalking his father, still wanting his father to give him what he thinks he’s owed for having been abandoned. But, what he’s asking for is not an easy thing. Victor needs not only supplies but time. The monster wishes for his bride now, but wants her to be beautiful. Caliban taunts Victor, warning him that humans are such fragile things, that the future belong to the strong. Victor is left shaken.
Ethan is once again in Brona’s arms. She tells him about a past trauma, a previous engagement, where her fiancé couldn’t even look her in the eyes as he screwed her. Her mother told her to marry him, but she didn’t. She turned tricks. Ethan tells her that they’ve both done things in their past that they regret as he pulls her close. He comes up with an idea to take her out for a night on the town, after work. She asks him to be careful.
Fenton struggles in his chains, as Victor prepares a treatment. Fenton asks for Vanessa. Malcolm asks him why he wants her, everyone seems to. Ethan and Victor hold Fenton while Victor injects him, and Fenton turns all weepy. He sees so many monsters, and falls asleep. Ethan asks why they’re doing this again, they’re seeking a cure. Victor prepares to do a transfusion, but Ethan tells him its not a good idea. Malcolm is willing to do it, and Victor warns its going to hurt.
Upstairs Victor and Malcolm discuss the Ripper and his latest victims. Ethan finds them to be too bloodthirsty. Malcolm breaks up the argument before it starts. They’re on the verge of finding the cure. Malcolm asks Ethan to join him when they go abroad to find Mina. Vanessa arrives, and hears their plans to go to Africa. Vanessa seems unusually chipper. Sembene tells them that Fenton is awake, and they go to check on their patient. He asks if they are going to beat him, and they don’t have any plans to. He tells them that he is hungry, and Vanessa rolls him her apple. He goes mad, calling her the devil’s whore. He needs blood and guts he tells them. Victor reiterates that it will be a process.
Vanessa follows Ethan back to the house. It’s not at all what he was expecting she knows. He wonders how far they plan to go. She isn’t sure, but tells him to enjoy his evening. Rather than heading back below, she heads upstairs.
Victor and Malcolm ponder what they should get Fenton to eat. Sembene brings him a dead cat. Fenton falls upon it, ripping at it with his teeth.
Ethan and Brona head to a show, to see the Penny Dreadfuls. Brona has always wanted to come, and she’s very happy to be there. Ethan takes her to her seat, and she’s more than a little nervous. Ethan even buys her an orange. Caliban looks out over the crowd as the show begins. Brona is enraptured in the show, and she’s not the only one who’s watching Dorian Gray is there too, and Vanessa surprises him by showing up.
Victor asks if Vanessa spoke the truth about Africa, and his traveling companions. Malcolm opens up to him. He tells him that he lost his son in Africa, that he reminds Victor reminds him of him. But where his son was weak, Victor is not.
Fenton feels his master’s presence. He tries to break out of his chains, and cannot, so like any trapped animal he begins to chew off his limb.
Caliban works the stage below as the show continues up above. The show is a gory mess, as it concludes. The blood frightens Brona for a moment, but is a hit for all. The crowd goes wild. Sembene watches from the shadows.
Malcolm and Victor continue their research. They hear a noise up above, but Sembene has the night off. The chains below are empty. Malcolm and Frankenstrin go to investigate the noise. A vampire growls at the men, Fenton jumps upon Malcom’s back. Vanessa is not in her room. Fenton warns his master that she is not there, and he runs off. Malcom finally manages to throw Fenton from his back, and he skewers his head.
During intermission Vanessa runs into Ethan. She isn’t surprised to see him there. He introduces Vanessa to Brona. Dorian finds Vanessa, and Brona goes all uncomfortable. Brona pretends to not know Dorian, but he definitely remembers her. As they chat about how Ethan and Vanessa met, Brona makes an escape. She’s upset over Ethan and Vanessa’s easy friendship, and tries to drive Ethan into the other woman’s arms. Brona knows she’s dying, its only a matter of time. She tells Ethan the next time he wishes to sleep with her, he’ll have to pay her like everyone else. A shocked Ethan watches her run away into the night. Dorian comes out to find Ethan, to tell him that the next act is about to begin. Ethan asks if he ever wished he was someone else. Dorian tells him if that is what he wants to come with him. Ethan asks if drinking will be involved, and it will, but Vanessa will not be involved, she is who she wishes to be. Ethan goes with Dorian, and it looks like the show is about to get even sexier than ever, or so one can hope.
Brona’s consumption gets worse as her hacking continues. She falls upon the street, coughing up more blood than ever. I think someone is about to get his bride!
Dorian takes Ethan to a place that isn’t completely legal, Ethan assure him that it isn’t his first time. Through a darkened passage way they descend. Bets are being made, and rats are dumped into the ring below. This is not exactly the thing he was expecting. They bring out ta dog that is going to kill the rats, one of the best. He begins the slaughter, as the men cheer. Dorian watches, but Ethan is not amused. As the crowd’s roar becomes deafening, Ethan has to get away. He heads to the bar for a drink. At the bar some men take offense to Ethan not enjoying the little sport. They poke at Ethan, and he gets into a fight. The group overpowers Ethan.
Dorian apologizes for Ethan’s experience in Dorian’s bathroom. The walls of the bathroom are lined with bottles of fragrance. Ethan asks Dorian how he chooses, it would depend on how he wants to feel. Dorian asks Ethan if he like portraits, and Ethan goes all guy’s guy on him. It delights Dorian, that he plays his part to perfection. The pair imbibe in some absinth, Ethan’s first.
Vanessa returns home, and knows something is wrong. Malcolm tells her that the creature came, that the boy is dead. The creature was after Vanessa, that it allowed Fenton to be captured and they took the bait. Vanessa fears that Mina may be beyond their help, that she may be her enemy. Vanessa reminds him that she isn’t the only one that Mina may hate. He plans to carry on in the fight.
Ethan asks Dorian if he has a favorite portrait, and he does, but it isn’t in here. Ethan opens up to Dorian about an Indian town that are thousands of years old that have some of his favorite artwork. They were pictures of everything they found important. He appreciated the primitive but honest art. Dorian wonders if anything can be honest, he thinks perhaps music can be. Dorian pulls out some music for his vibraphone, and plays the heart breaking opera for Ethan. Ethan relieves his entire night with Dorian. His meeting with Vanessa and her cards, seeing the mutilated bodies taken out and a bite upon his hands. More Absinth, death, the dog killing rats, Fenton, mayhem. He stalks towards Dorian as the music nears its conclusion, grabbing him by the throat and kissing him. He rips away Dorian’s shirt and stops stunned. Dorian takes his cue, and removes Ethan’s shirt as the music dies down. The two share a string of sweet kisses as they look into each other’s eyes. Dorian proves just how seductive he can be. Seduction 101 demonstrated perfectly by Dorian.
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