The Madame Delfoart, known by her friends as Kiki, made her way into the Chainned Inn in the early evening. She was dressed in a buttoned silk shirtwaist from her neck to her hips, a long layered skirt of shifting blue-black silk that rustled to her ankles. Gauze sleeves met at her wrists in pearl buttons, and even her hair was covered, tied up in a subtly patterned scarf of the same gauze. Her earrings were pearl, and also bone, matching her belt of varicolored ivory. It was her working uniform, or sometimes her war clothes; while she didn't expect any unpleasantness, she wanted to keep things on a professional footing with the Lord Travanix.

She found a girl in Travanix' collar, and with a pleasant smile said, "I would speak with Lord Travanix. It does not concern slavery, yet will be to his advantage." She took a seat and signaled another girl to bring her an ashtray, then sat and smoked a cigar, watching the live entertainment with pleasure. At her elbow, Monsieur Delfoart, her long-deceased husband, looked around with interest. Though a ghost, he was still a gentleman, and a proper escort for his lady wife. Again, this was not so much from expectation of conflict as from a concern for propriety.

Madame Kiki was not used to dealing indirectly with people. Given her own will, she would have searched out the Lord and spoken with him herself. Fewer people would know of their conversation, and it would save some time. They were both busy people. However, her Corporation had a semi-official stance against antagonizing this man, and this was the way he seemed to prefer doing business. The Madame had never been one to defy someone's customs, if they didn't interfere with hers.

Perhaps it was better if he was expecting her. She suspected that the Lord, like her, disliked being surprised. And her proposal was surprising enough. Yet she was certain that he would see the profit to it, and agree. They had enough in common; they could deal.

Madame Kiki gave him a demure little smile, half-lowering her eyelashes. ?Enchante, my Lord,? she said. ?You may call me Madame Kiki, and I am newly employed by the Bonny Corporation. May we speak a little business in private?? She nodded to her ghostly escort, assuming that Travanix could sense him. ?I promise you that my husband will not interfere with our conversation.?

She waited until they had drawn some distance away and Jacques Delfoart had stretched his ghostly essence into a curtain which baffled sound. It was a little trick he was quite proud of, calling it in his hoarse whisper ?silence of de gra?ve.? Then the Madame spoke her purpose quickly and quietly. ?Of the many people who wish your downfall, there is one whom I have reason to despise. Wolvinator is an annoyance to us all, and has offended me personally. I can help with his character assassination by producing witnesses to each of his murders: the ghosts of his victims. Also, though it is rarely useful to me, I do posses an army of various undead creatures, monsters from hell, etc. All I ask is to combine my forces with yours for the purpose of his utter destruction.?

She finished, ?If anyone asks why I came to see you, I?ll say it was on Corporation business ? securing pleasure slaves for our new entertainment club. Which by the way, we actually could use. What compensation would you ask for securing us some experienced submissives?? Jacques re-formed himself at the Madame?s side. There was no harm in anyone hearing them talk about slaves. It was no secret that both of them were proud owners of other people.

Madame Kiki thought a long moment. "Well... a variety is what we want. Let's start with an order of six, four women and two men. Of the women, one should enjoy pain and have a high physical threshold for it - quick healing would be a bonus. Another should appreciate humiliation, one highly flexible girl who could be placed in any kind of bondage position, and the last - well, how about a generally respectful girl, an elegant submissive. The men, give me one stoic and one sensitive. It is important that they love their work... we want everyone at our club to be enjoying themselves, even the slaves."

She continued, "Diversity of appearance is a plus. I suppose I could dye their hair, but if you can find me a nice rainbow of tempting flesh, it would save us some money in cosmetics." She flashed a bright smile, the light winking off her long canines. "As you know, we have our own sources for young women, but they're - awfully similar. You can't have a palace of vice with just geisha, now can you?" She smiled wryly, and finished, "The venue will be opening later this month. We can negotiate a fee for these six, and I'll clear a bonus with Mary for any additional females with remarkable talents. One-of-a-kind experiences, that's what we're trying to sell. As for the men, I think we'll start with the two and see what the demand is like."

She winked at him. "I gave my cell phone number to your girl. I'll be in touch to discuss the details of our arrangements. I am so looking forward to our cooperation." She hoped he got the message. She longed to talk about every little detail of their common crusade, to gloat over her prey with this admirably predatory ally. But this was not the place, nor were the Corporation offices. This piece of work would destroy everything near it if it went wrong, and should be kept far away from their respective businesses.