Avatar 2
Chapter 18
One would think that one would get used to having naked women around all
the time, mused Ken as he watched his wife's sleek form moving across the
kitchen. One would be wrong.
Jane was just stunning to watch move. Like a big, lazy cat, very sleek
and sexy. Her large breasts had just enough sway, and her clit piercing
occasionally glinted between her thighs. Yup, his cock could attest to how
attractive she was.
She was also a terror on the practice floor. Actually, all of the
Circle were. It was like they drank in every move that Ken showed them, and
were able to mimic it almost effortlessly. Of course, just being able to copy a
martial arts technique didn't mean much. You needed to be able to use them, as
well, and Ken's infrequent, quickly-healing bruises would attest to the fact
that they were becoming quite adept at using what he was teaching them. Still,
he occasionally worried. They only had sparred with other Circle people, aside
from Gary, and it was a little different. For one thing, there was less worry
about actually hurting someone, even Gary, because they could heal him quickly
-- as had happened when Annette broke Gary's nose with a mistimed blow. Almost
before he had registered the pain, Annette had been right there, her power
flowing into her husband, stopping the blood and knitting the bone. She hadn't
been able to heal all of it, but Ken had provided the extra energy needed to
heal the bone.
Still, sparring and using this stuff for real were very different, and
while he hoped that it would never happen, he had to acknowledge that, at some
point, one of them might have to defend themself. Soon, he knew, he'd have to
find them another teacher. Not because he couldn't teach them the moves, but
because he wasn't sure he was giving them the correct attitude to go along with
the techniques. Sensei, he knew, would be able to do that. He wondered what
the man would charge (assuming he'd even do it at all) to teach them once a
week. At least Sensei had hinted that Arianwen could come to him for training,
which was something. However, Ken knew he wasn't an instructor, and Sensei
would have every right to toss his ass on the street once he found out what Ken
was doing.
Well, it hadn't been that long... perhaps if he got Sensei in there
sooner rather than later, whatever screw-ups he'd shown them could be corrected.
In fact, now that he thought about it, rather than putting this off, he'd better
confront his own teacher, ASAP.
Arianwen and Genie came downstairs, Ari heading immediately to the
coffee pot. Unlike Jane, Ari was used to getting up early, but the teen loved
her coffee. Ken watched his diminutive wife kiss her wife, then come over to
him and give him a sweet kiss. As she sipped her coffee, she insisted on a
place in his lap and snuggled close.
"Morning, love," he said.
"Mmm," she purred.
Ken was unsure whether she was purring about the coffee or him, but
didn't really care. She purred again as he gently massaged her shoulders. Ah,
another beautiful morning at the Mansion.
+++++
"Master," said Jane, "will we be doing anything for the full moon?"
"Don't know," he replied. "I mean, we just had a very large ritual."
"True," she replied, "but it's nice to celebrate the full moon, even if
we only get together for a short while."
"I don't have any objections to it," said Ken. "Did you want just
Circle, or did you have others in mind?"
"Actually," she said, "I was thinking of seeing if maybe we could get
Bill interested."
Bill had attended the last ritual, but Ken thought that it had been
because his wife-to-be had convinced him to do it. On the other hand, Lea's
ritual kiss was enough to peg anyone's meter, and perhaps Bill would be
interested in trying again.
"Should we ask Genie?" asked Ken.
"Might not be a bad idea," replied Jane.
+++++
"I think he'd love to be included," smiled Genie when Ken brought it up
to her later. "He's feeling ... a little left out."
"Oh?" asked Ken.
"Yup. I mean, he's not blind, and he does live here. He has a very
good feel for who's Circle and who's not. I know he wants to be with us, but I
think that he doesn't have any idea how to go about it," she replied.
"Shit," said Ken. "We've been excluding him, haven't we?"
"Not on purpose," said Genie. "But he's living with us, after all, and
we're all so tied to each other that I know he feels excluded."
Ken nodded in agreement. Ellen had said as much to him not long ago,
minus the exclusion part. But then, she and Kim didn't live at the mansion,
either.
"Also, he thinks that this is sort of a Heinleinean group. In those
groups, in addition to being brought in because of who you were with and how
others felt about you, often people had other things to contribute. "
"Like?" prompted Ken.
"Money, for one. I mean, not really in the Heinlein stories, but in
real-life group marriages -- and I know he's been researching this -- people
often add their money to the group they're joining. I know that he's worried
about that, which is why he's spent so much time with Joan and Lenny. I think
that he hopes that, with something to offer other than his relationship with me,
he'll be accepted."
Ken was a little disturbed. Inclusion into the Circle had nothing to do
with how much money you had. However, Ken could see how someone could come to
that conclusion. This would have to be dealt with. No one could buy their way
into the Circle, and Bill didn't have to. The man was close to being Circle,
but yet so far away. Why was that, Ken wondered? Was it his devotion to logic?
What did he really think of the rituals? If he thought they were a bunch of
bullshit, then why would he be interested in coming to another one, as Genie
said he was? This was something he really needed to find out.
He found Bill lounging by the pool. Well, Bill's version of lounging,
anyway. That meant that the laptop was right nearby, and Bill was typing away.
When Ken saw what was on the screen, all it looked like was lines of text.
Until he looked a little closer, that is. Then he noticed that the text looked
like something out of the Matrix movie. However, he knew if he got Bill started
on a technical conversation, he might not get to the heart of what he wanted to
talk about.
"How's it going?" asked Ken as he sat down.
"Good, good," replied Bill in a distracted tone of voice.
Ken sighed. Sometimes he wondered how this guy could keep the interest
of a Priestess. They didn't, after all, come equipped with keyboards.
"We're having another ritual on he eleventh," ventured Ken. "You
interested?"
The typing stopped, and Bill peered at Ken.
"What do you mean by 'interested?'"
Ken chuckled. "As in, would you like to attend it?"
Bill sat back and looked at Ken. "Do you have any idea just how smart
Tina is? Or Genie?"
Ken blinked at the non sequitur.
"I know that they are both very bright."
"Hmm. Did you know that they are both convinced that they are
worshiping a real Goddess? As in one you can see and touch?" asked Bill.
"Yes."
"Do you believe this Goddess exists?"
"Yes, I do," replied Ken.
Bill nodded. "So does everyone else in the Circle." He chuckled at
Ken's look. "I'm not deaf, you know, and I do realize that you've got a Wiccan
variant going on here. I've know a fair number of people who were Wiccan,
although I'd have to class most of the ones I've met as 'crystal worshiping
fluff bunnies'. No one here falls into that category."
"What category do you fall into?" asked Ken.
"Well," said Bill, "I have a real hard time believing that any being
that created the whole universe would want us to worship it."
Ken remained silent, since it was obvious that Bill had more to say.
"On the other hand, that doesn't mean that there aren't other forms of
life that are, or have aspects of, a God or Goddess. Perhaps created *by* life
rather than creating it," continued Bill. "Or perhaps having a symbiotic
relationship with their worshipers, each part receiving something from the
other, making a more complete whole."
Ken swallowed. It sounded to him like Bill had just defined the nature
of the Circle. Here he had come to Bill to get his feelings on ritual and the
Circle, and Bill had just given Ken a whole new way of looking at things.
Surely, it couldn't be as simple as what Bill described, could it? Oddly, he
could sense Lea's mirth in the back of his mind.
Nope, nothing that simple could possibly involve Lea.
"So tell me," said Ken, "how have you felt since moving in here?"
Now it was Bill's turn to blink as he tried to follow where Ken was
going.
"I don't understand," said Bill.
"Do a little research. See if you can find out how often a man can cum
in a day. An average guy, mind you, not the inflated BS that people like to
spout. Ask Arianwen; she's into bio and could point you to some interesting
sites, I'm sure," grinned Ken. "Also, think about the last time you biked.
Were you out of breath? How hard did you push yourself when you rode and how
did you feel when you finished?"
Ken leaned a little closer and said, "How much sleep have you been
getting now-a-days, Bill, versus how much time you spend doing research for
whatever it is you're working on so hard? Think about all of that. Then, let
me know if you'd like to come to the ritual."
Bill looked up at Ken as he stood, saying nothing. Ken could see that
he'd given the man something to think about.
+++++
As usual, class was fun. As usual, Chad was an asshole. Ken had no
idea why the guy didn't like him, but it was clear by now, even to Sensei, that
Chad was simply not able to overcome whatever his problem was.
Ken didn't let that stop him from learning in the classes. Regaining
old skills was important to him, and his years of training had returned very
quickly. Sensei was, if anything, an even better instructor than his old
mentor, and while he didn't show favoritism during the normal classes, Sensei
did tend to spend a lot of time with Ken during the advanced class on Friday.
Since Ken was the only white-belt in the advanced class, people did look at him
kind of funny. Wearing a white belt in that class really made him stand out.
Ken knew that he would not don another belt without Sensei's approval, and
Sensei had said nothing to him about testing for his next level.
He did think it was a little odd that Sensei had not asked him to test
on anything yet. The man had run him through, in one way or another, every
technique up to and including black-belt level, some of them very advanced,
indeed. Ken never had a problem with them, but knew, deep down, that he was not
able to emulate Sensei's control of his Chi. Maybe that was why Sensei was not
testing him. That was fine with Ken; he was there to learn, not buy a belt.
The first time Ken had fought Sensei had been after he'd defeated every
other student in the Friday class, even at four at a time. He'd been in the
zone that day. But Sensei had used his own Chi to disrupt Ken's movements and
had easily defeated him. It was a lesson that Ken had taken to heart. At least
lately, Ken found that he could sort of feel what the other man had done, if not
emulate it. Sparring with the other students, he won some and lost some, but
when he lost, it was usually because he stopped relying on his physical
abilities, which were considerable, and tried to feel the flow of the fight the
way Sensei had. Sometimes it worked, but far more often it did not. The only
person he didn't do that with was Chad, since if he wasn't watching every
second, he knew the asshole would 'accidentally' throw a punch and damage
something. While that wasn't a real problem and he could heal a lot of damage
quickly, he just didn't see the need to let Chad get the upper hand. He
wondered if the man noticed that he was the only person Ken never lost to.
After class, Ken decided to try and approach Sensei. Arianwen had shown
up, which was rare now since his wives were sure he was over his problems with
being back in the arts. She walked up just after Ken had gotten Sensei's
attention.
"Hi, Ari," said Ken, leaning down to give her a kiss.
She returned it with interest, despite Ken's somewhat feeble attempt, to
keep it rather chaste.
She gave Sensei a huge smile, and he took her hand, lightly kissing the
back.
"And how," he asked Ken while looking at Ari, "is your student doing?"
Ken was so startled that he said nothing.
"Even at this stage, it shows in her walk," smiled the man.
Ari, of course, had no idea what the hell Sensei meant, and so she
quipped, "Why Sensei Turcotte, why would you be watching me walk?"
"Because it is a great pleasure," replied the man.
Arianwen actually blushed.
"So, Ken, you had a question?"
"Yes. Actually, Ari dear, could you excuse us for a few?" asked Ken.
"Sure. I just was on my way somewhere else and wanted to stop by to say
hi," said Ari.
She kissed Ken again, lightly this time, then to both men's surprise,
bowed to Sensei and left. Ken's eyes narrowed. Perhaps the Minx had followed
more of that exchange than he'd thought.
"Shall we speak somewhere more private?" asked Sensei.
Ken nodded, and they were soon upstairs in the man's apartment, drinking
cold tea.
"How many others have you been training?" asked Sensei in a neutral
voice.
Ken sighed. He couldn't tell if the other man was angry because he
couldn't get a read on him.
"Four others," he said. "It just sort of happened, actually. I work
out every day, and my wife decided to start doing the warm ups with me. One
thing led to another, and I ended up with five of them learning from me."
"It is difficult to stop one's wife at times, isn't it?" chuckled
Sensei. "I take it your wife knows about Arianwen?"
That confused Ken. "What do you mean?"
Sensei frowned. "Perhaps I misunderstood your relationship with the
girl?"
That meaning was clear. Sensei was wondering if Ken's wife Jane knew he
was fucking Arianwen.
"Ah," said Ken. "That. It's... complicated, but there is nothing
going on that Jane doesn't know about. Arianwen lives with us."
Now it was Sensei's turn to blink. Damn, thought Ken, I wish I could
get *some* kind of read on this guy!
"So," said the man after a moment, "you have five students you wish to
bring to my dojo."
"Not exactly, although if that is what you would be comfortable with,
then I understand," replied Ken. "No, what I was wondering is if you would
consider coming to the house once or twice a week to train those who wish it,
and what you would like as compensation."
Sensei said nothing, closing his eyes for a moment in thought. Ken
hoped that the man would accept his offer and that the 'compensation' was
something he could afford. It was possible, of course, that he would require
them to come here, or that he would refuse altogether, perhaps even throwing Ken
out because he had taken on students while he himself was just a lowly
white-belt.
Sensei opened his eyes and said, "I will come tomorrow to evaluate these
people. If I feel that they can be trained, I will train them."
"I don't want to push my luck," said Ken, "but it is quite possible
that, over time, more will want to work with you. And before you agree, there
are other things we should talk about. I'd prefer that you encountered no
surprises."
"I see."
"There are currently nine other people who live at the house. Over
time, there will be more, I'm sure."
"And you think they will want to learn, as well?"
"It is possible, but I don't know," replied Ken. "Also, does nudity
offend you?"
Sensei smiled. "You train in the nude?" he joked.
"No. But not everyone who lives there, or who visits, will be training.
And they can be a bit ... casual ... about clothing."
"And will I be expected to be ... casual ... as well?"
"No, Sensei," smiled Ken. "We all wear workout clothes when we train.
The rules of the house are that you wear what you want. Or not."
"Then I do not foresee a problem," said the man. "So," he continued as
he rose, "will eight am tomorrow be convenient?"
"That will be perfect," replied Ken.
"Good. Then I will see you again," he said as they moved to the door.
++++++
At dinner, Ken made the announcement that Sensei was coming to the
mansion tomorrow to watch them train.
"No trying to seduce the man," he said with mock seriousness, his
comment aimed at Tina.
"Not likely anyway," said Arianwen. "He's polite, but I get as much
read off him as I do a wall."
"Yes, he is a bit ... opaque," agreed Ken.
"So this guy's gonna train us?" asked Gary. "Why? You seem to be doing
a good job."
"Gary," replied Ken, " 'this guy' can take me without breaking a sweat.
I've rarely even laid a glove on him when we spar, and he's one of the top
teachers in the country. If you're serious about this art, he's the man to
train with. I'm just a jumped-up white-belt."
"Oh, bullshit," said Eric. "And I can't believe that you can't touch
this guy. You always underestimate yourself. Ken, you can move so fucking
fast, you're a blur, and you regularly out-lift me when we work out."
"This is exactly why I need him to train you. You only see the physical
side of the art. It's the spiritual side that's really important, and I can't
teach you to find it while I'm still searching myself," replied Ken. "Martial
arts has many facets to it, and the physical side is only the most obvious. If
he decides to give a demonstration tomorrow, you'll see the difference between
him and me very quickly."
+++++
The breath went out of Eric in a loud woosh! as he hit the floor at an
awkward angle. He never saw what happened, but not an ounce of his strength
saved him. Hell, he thought rolling to his feet far more slowly than he'd like,
whatever he did seemed to add to the guy's power!
The morning had been interesting, if nothing else. Sensei had arrived
right on time, and Ken had greeted him at the door. Everyone else was upstairs
waiting in the dojo, talking, wondering what the man was like.
Sensei Turcotte seemed like a nice guy. He was wearing a black gee and
a black belt with a large number of hashes on it. He looked to be about six
feet tall, had closely cropped salt-and-pepper hair, darkly tanned skin, and
looked pretty strong, but Eric was sure he and Ken were far stronger. Hell,
Jane was probably stronger than this guy. He was very unpretentious and very
polite to everyone.
Eric did not have the skills to properly evaluate how the other man
moved. If he had, his initial impressions would have been different. Indeed,
even Arianwen and Jane had only seen the man walking the mat, rather than
sparring.
Sensei indicated that Ken should begin to teach, which made Ken very,
very nervous. Eric couldn't read Turcotte, but he could read his High Priest,
and Ken was extremely skittish, something that Eric had never seen from him
before.
After a half hour, Sensei stopped the lesson.
"I see you have mats. Let us spar a little, shall we?"
Ken's eyes widened. Sensei didn't often spar with new students, and
even rarely sparred in the Friday advanced class. The first person that he
picked was Eric, who shortly found himself flat on his back for his efforts.
Ken winced.
"Again, please."
Eric got up and tried again, this time far more cautiously. It was for
naught, and he went down again, just as hard.
"Thank you, Eric," said Sensei.
Eric remembered to bow to Sensei as he stepped off the mats.
"Please," motioned Sensei to Tina.
Her eyes widened, but she was determined not to give any indication that
what Ken had been teaching had been wrong. She hit the mat just as hard as Eric
had, but sprang up faster. And so it went with each one of them. Ken closed
his eyes. He knew that his teaching hadn't been up to snuff, but at least none
of his 'students' had gotten pissed off, and all remembered to bow to Sensei as
they were dismissed.
As far as Ken could tell, the only one to disconcert the man, even
slightly, was Jane. She came at him far faster than expected, showing some of
the physical ability her Goddess had granted her. While not exactly surprised,
Sensei reacted as if she was far more skilled than she was, so she was hit hard.
Jane, being Jane, absorbed his blow, and Ken knew that she'd enjoyed it.
Pain. Of course. It was interesting to note that she'd never shown any sexual
anything on the mats before. Ken guessed that, from her point of view, Sensei
was very dominant indeed. Naturally, when Jane started to get excited, she
started to pump out more pheromones, which almost panicked Ken. For some
reason, though, Sensei seemed unaffected.
Finally, Ken was called to the mat. Unlike what he'd done with the
others, Sensei did not just stand there and let him attack. He took up an
actual stance, which worried Ken just a bit.
Sensei's attack came as a surprise; not because Ken had no warning, but
because his usual inability to keep his Chi intact did not manifest. As the
match went on, Ken began to realize what Sensei was doing. This was a demo
match.
Eventually, they split and bowed. It was clear that the class was over
and everyone stood and bowed, thanking Sensei for his time. Shortly, only he
and Ken were left alone.
"This is a beautiful home," said Sensei.
"Do you have time for a tour?"
"Yes, I believe I do," replied the man.
The first stop was the kitchen, where Ken got them something to drink.
Oddly, they ran into no one else as Ken showed Sensei around. Turcotte wouldn't
have thought it strange, thinking, perhaps, that everyone was either showering
or at work. Ken, of course, knew that wasn't the case. Priestesses were as
curious as cats. Everyone was just staying out of the way.
They ended up in the Garden. Sensei beamed as he looked around.
"This is a beautiful home, indeed," repeated Sensei, sitting, to Ken's
surprise, on the ground.
Ken knelt across from him and waited.
"I will come twice each week and train your students. I think it would
be good if, on the days that I did not come, you were to continue teaching them.
I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that you are leading them astray,"
he said.
That was high praise, Ken thought. He was very excited that Sensei
would come and teach. Very excited.
"I wonder if it would be possible if Nikki joined us occasionally,"
asked Sensei.
"Of course," said Ken. He hoped that the man wouldn't ask if Chad could
show up. That might get a bit awkward.
"I believe that Nikki would benefit from meeting some of your friends.
Her job is stressful, and there are few people that she feels comfortable with,"
continued Sensei.
"I know that Arianwen and Jane have both spoken to her at the Dojo.
They think she's very nice," said Ken.
An understatement, at best. Both Ari and Jane were itching to get the
woman in to bed. As far as he was concerned, Nikki was off-limits, since she
was Sensei's lover.
"Our sparring match went well, don't you think?" asked Turcotte as he
looked around the Garden.
He had a relaxed look on his face. Ken looked at the man, and for the
first time, was able to get just an inkling of what he was like. He liked what
he saw. But even here, in the seat of his own power, he was uncomfortable with
probing Sensei. The general impressions he got from the man were enough to set
his own mind at ease. He supposed that he could, if he drew on his reserve of
power, finally breach whatever defenses the man had, but he'd felt no alarm from
Lea and was sure that, if he needed to do such a thing, she would have clued him
in.
"Too well," smiled Ken. "It took me a minute to understand that you
were just performing a demo for them."
"Yes, that too," smiled Sensei, rising.
Again, everyone was conspicuously absent on the way to the door. Ken
and Sensei shook hands at his car, and he opened the door.
"Ken," he said, "I'm glad you invited me here. You've been a puzzle
since we met, and had I known you were a Priest, much of that puzzle would have
been solved."
Ken said nothing, his mind going a mile a minute, but Turcotte just gave
him a bigger smile.
"I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, and we can set up a mutually
agreeable schedule then."
Ken watched Scott Turcotte drive off and shook his head. There was far,
far more to that man than he'd thought. Perhaps it wouldn't be wise to let him
come back. There was much to think on.
Later that evening, after having had another fantastic flying lesson,
Ken was in the Garden, waiting for Lea. It didn't take long for Her to show up.
"Greetings, my Avatar," She said with a smile.
Ken smiled, trying to keep his thoughts on the subject at hand. They
kissed and it became impossible.
"It has been too long since we lay together, Kennith," She said to him.
They were on the small, sandy beach by the river that She seemed so fond
of. It was sunny and beautiful, and he was quickly lost in Her scent and the
feel of Her skin on his. They made love in the stream, the warm water cascading
over Her as She spread Herself on a sun-warmed rock and welcomed him between Her
thighs. Not even the water streaming over their joined bodies was able to
dilute Her wetness, and She urged him to greater heights of pleasure, clasping
Her thighs around his body. It wasn't until much, much later, and several more
bouts of lovemaking, that he was able to, finally, ask Her about Turcotte.
"He would be a great asset to our House," She said.
===
"Maybe. But why can't I get a read off him?" asked Ken.
"You are looking in the wrong place," replied Lea. "Scott Turcotte is a
Zen Master. His mind is very powerful, but the way he thinks is not like the
other people that you've encountered. There is much you could learn from him,
as he sees things that others think are hidden. Like, for instance, your ties
to me."
"How could he possibly see that?" asked Ken. Then, joking, "What, do I
glow or something?"
"Your power can be seen by those who know where to look," She replied.
"And Scott Turcotte knows where to look. Zen is a difficult discipline, but if
mastered, allows someone to see a great deal more of the world then they
otherwise could. He has achieved a place in his arts where, as a Zen
practitioner might say, the trees have become trees again."
"I don't understand a word that you're saying," said Ken.
"I know. And you might never, for Zen might not be your path," She
returned. "But for now, I think your wives might be looking for you."
She kissed him, and the world, literally, dissolved around him; he was
back in the Garden. Jane and Arianwen were just coming out of the house, but
Bill was already there and waiting for him. His eyes got very wide when he saw
Ken.
Ken had never given a thought to what happened when Lea took them into
Her world. For some reason, he thought it all happened in a person's mind, like
the fantasies that She could create. From the look on Bill's face, though, Ken
thought he might have to re-evaluate that assumption. The man looked like Ken
had just appeared out of thin air.
"Bill," he said, "are you okay? What, did you doze off or something?"
"No Ken, I didn't doze off. I was completely awake," he returned in a
firm voice. "Awake enough to see you just ... appear."
Before Ken could say anything else, Bill just raised his hand up.
"Don't even try to explain. I'm sure that eventually, just what happened will
become clear. But in the mean time, I was out here looking for you to let you
know that, yes, I'd very much like to be included on the eleventh."
"Uh, good," said Ken. "Great, actually. If you have any questions,
feel free to ask."
Bill grinned and said, "Oh I have questions. But as I said, I'm content
to wait to find out the answers."
Ken could not understand why Bill was taking this so, well, so in
stride. He didn't seem to be disturbed in the slightest, and that was odd.
Certainly, Ken had been disturbed, when first faced with Lea's power.
A snippet of Bill's thoughts caught his attention as the other man
walked away:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology ..."
End chapter 2-18
