-- One street led to another, then to a lightly-paved drive hemmed in by tall pines and lush shrubbery. From the road only a hint of the house was visible but as he made his way up the drive it came with startling suddenness into view. A huge, well-kept lawn met the drive, huge cobbles forming a path up to the sprawling, beautiful house. Three floors, a separate garage, and as he knew from personal experience, a basement and a sub-basement. The garden in the back was unseen from this angle, but the scent of apples, sage, and lavender drifted out to meet him as he pulled to a stop.

As always, he sat for a moment before opening the car door. It was an impressive sight, this house. He knew what it was worth, knew just how many lives like his had been drained to raise each wall, decorate each room. It was an elegant testament to the woman who called it home.

A few deep breaths brought his emotions back under his control and he nudged open the door, slid out, and slammed it closed. No point in locking it - anyone setting foot on this property was photographed, video-taped, watched and, if such was required, hunted down. Once you were a guest of the Lady you left at her whim, not yours.

It took several more breaths before he could gather himself enough to stride up the cobbled path, climb the stairs, cross the huge porch, and knock on the stately wood and iron door. The sounds echoed inward, down the hall, likely throughout much of the house, and it was only a minute before the door was pulled open. A young boy, likely no older than 17 or 18, wearing a pair of skintight black jeans, a black leather collar, and nothing else, held it wide.

"Greetings. Is the Lady expecting you?"

He grinned slightly at the boy's rather disdainful words. Moving with snakelike suddenness, one strong hand lashed out, catching the boy upside the head and knocking him to his knees. An equally-quick kick left him doubled-over, coughing, visibly cringing when he looked up.

"Forgive me for speaking so rudely, sir. I thought..."

"Don't think. It's clear you're not good at it. Tell the bitch her hellhound is here."

Blinking, even more frightened now that he had a title to accompany the show of strength, the boy scurried off down the hall as fast as he could, darting into a crossing hall and out of sight. Sighing, Redmond pulled the huge front door closed and slouched against the wall, shaking his head.

"Dunno why she bothers with 'em, they just break, or run away, or turn out to be a waste of her time. Still, it's nice to be able to kick somebody around here, even if it isn't-"

"...me?" --