Vampires in Space

Poolhouse

The houseman opened the door to the glassed-in poolhouse at the back of the Claremont mansion, and waved Cristine inside "Ms. Nakoma awaits you in her favorite lounger. Just inside and to your right." He said in a semi-formal way. He gestured, Cristine entered and made her way inside the pool house.

Nakoma looked up from her book. "Hey. You got here early."

Cristine did not look at her friend. Instead, she was looking back through the glass wall at the receding man, who was crossing the open patio area and headed back to the main house. She answered Nakoma a bit distractedly. "I skipped out of the closing ceremony thing. Whatever it was. Not as if I am getting a diploma or anything. Not as if my parents were here even if I was. They are not out of Boot Camp yet! Hell, even you didn't have to be here in France, but here you are! In-country and a quick drive from Boot Camp. I could have walked. Thanks though. Nice to see a familiar face." Cristine pointed back at the house. "Are all the men here at Claremont like that?"

Nakoma answered that in order. "Of course I am here. Don't be silly. You are my friend. You are starting a brand new life. I had to be here. Also: do you mean men that look like Francois? If so: No. Not all men look like him. He is a cutie though. You didn't get enough sex at Boot Camp?"

Cristine thought that was extremely funny. "What does that even mean, Nakoma? You're an Astral: look at me! I think I grew horns or something. My brand new Vampire edition body seems like it's hungry all the time. Not for food either. Well. Food too. But holy shit! I get laid and feel good. That lasts at most half a day before I'm ready to go again. I don't think I was this horny when I was 17."

"Not a Vamp, so I don't have Vampire needs. Not yet. I can see you have horns sticking out. Not just on your head. All over you. I would have thought the Tantric sex class would polish those down a little."

"They did. For a while. But the last class was a damn week ago! All the males in the Camp had previous engagements to attend to. Meaning other women." Cristine complained. "A week without sex and I'm a new turn! Mostly a new turn. Close enough. I want sex more than once a week. Like every day! It's so weird. I spent all my teenage and adult life being serious and busy and focused on what Mom needed. I had no time for a personal life. Now I'm by myself in France and a fresh Vampire and I'm tingling all the time." Cristine made a frustrated gesture back at the house. "I'd jump that guy without knowing another thing about him other than he is cute and male!"

"You not only have the various drives of a teenager, Cristine. You have a Vampire body. You are healthier than you have ever been in your human life. Everything is turned up, including sex drive. Happens to everyone. The only ones not dying for sex at this stage are people who as humans had no sex drive. Vampireism does not view asexuality as a defect and does not update it. But if you have a sex drive, in the words of the old movie, it's now set to 11 on a 10-point scale."

"What the hell movie was that?" Cristine asked.

"Called 'This is Spinal Tap'. Hard to explain unless you have seen it. The guy is talking about the volume knob on his guitar amplifier. How it goes to 11 now. It's because he wrote 11 on it instead of 10."

"OK. Sure. If you say so."

"You have to see the movie to understand the joke. When I was a kid, we used to watch old classic movies, because, for a lot of my Mom's, something like a movie made in the 1980s is new. Hell: the 'Thin Man' movies were new because when you are born in the 1200s or 1400s it is all new. When you are over a hundred and trying to explain something like 'Dune' to someone, they will have no idea there were 2 movies and a TV show about Dune. And all you have probably ever seen is the most recent one. Even that one is old now."

"Never heard of any movies about a thin man. Dune is really old, so yeah: Hard to think how I'll explain that to some a century from now." Cristine looked wistfully at the house again, her mind clearly on other things.

Nakoma read the longing. "Bet you are glad your parents went to a different Boot Camp."

"Oh, all of the hell yes! I don't need to see them like this. They don't need to see me like this either." Cristine tapped the side of her nose. "I would scent like a cat in heat! I'm glad you are not a Vampire! You'd be telling me to get a room. In a bordello that has male room service. Hey. That is an idea. They have those here in France. Right?"

"I am an Astral. Don't need the Vampire nose to know what you are feeling. You want to get laid?" Nakoma asked her friend.

"Yes. By him. I thought I had been clear on that." Cristine pointed again at the house.

Nakoma gave that idea a slight negative head shake. "I think Fiona has plans for him of her own tonight. Out of luck there. The good news is I can get you a nice winemaker." Nakoma turned off her device and stood up. "I may not be a Vampire, but I know a couple of guys about to get off shift over in the winery. We can each find a companion for the evening."

"Winemaker sounds good. Or Gardner. Chef. EV Mechanic. Whatever. Let's go!"