Mine.

The softest of black suedes. A small sliver of a rare South African skin that I had been saving for something special. It was laid out flat next to the vibrant purple of a Spanish relaxed grain leather. The contrast was beautiful. The colours complimented each other and as I sat down to study the striations and view the detailing of the leathers further, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me from behind. Nothing was said, she simply wanted to see.

It needed to be perfect. It needed to be special. She had picked the leathers, her favourite colours, and I was about to build it for her with my bare hands while she watched.

There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly cut leather. My blade sliced through her choices effortlessly as I cut the strips required. A soft but strong backing of the blackest night followed by the warm and vibrant colours that would accentuate and bring life to that darkness. I could not help feeling slightly amused at our dynamics similarities.

Metals next. The strongest of steel. Cold and hard. An armour of chain for its front and a little love willed into every ring as they were forcefully weaved together. As the skies darkened and turned to night, I flicked my workbench lamp on. The dim light glistened off the metal as I held it aloft to look closely at the weaved florets and I could feel her smile as she continued to watch it take shape in my hands.

The next step was aesthetics. Those little touches of beautification. Not because it needed such things, but because they are desired. The reflected shine from the steel bezel blazed into my eyes as I placed it in position, enhancing its every detail. The victorianesque patterns which oddly reminded me of rope whenever I looked at them closely were glistening in the light and I began to reminisce of the previous evenings play in the very spot where we were now. I was tempted to repeat the process. Her scent was constant and delicious, I could feel her soft breath on my neck and it would have been so easy to simply throw down my tools and grab her for another ropey roll on the floor, but this was important, so as I brought the hammer down roughly atop the clear crystal rivet center of the final touches, I shook the desire to the side and promised myself the pleasure at a later date.

It was late by the time I had finished. All was quiet as I stood in front of her with the finished creation and held it in the light where she could see it clearly.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I gave her a meaningful look.

Her meek grin was incredibly cute as she nodded back at me.

The last ingredient was already in place as I slipped the leather and steel collar around her.

Trust.

Unequivocal. Clear and pure. Trust.

Her smile widened as the click of the padlock shattered the silence and as I pulled her towards me by the belt, I gave her left nipple a playful pinch followed by a toothy grin.

“Mine” I growled through the smile as I wrapped her in an embrace.

Kabunza: Chocolate Decadence

I had to do it sooner or later: The first matching set of BDSM impact play toys by Kabunza.

When I originally decided to start building a matching set, it was also going to include a matching collar, wrist and ankle cuffs, and a necklace for the Dominant that would have the key to the collar and cuffs as a pendant. Then I realised that the amount of cash I would end up needing to charge someone for all of that, and the matching toy collection as well, would likely be outside the range of a standard budget (not to mention incredibly hefty in materials and time consuming on my part).
So, despite being able to do it (who knows, I may get a custom order for such a set in the future), I decided to simply stick with a collection of impact toys.

This first matching collection brings about the introduction of Dragon Tails into our range of BDSM products. Which, despite being one of the more difficult items to incorporate chainmail into, seems to have turned out rather nicely. I have personally tested the design and I am more than happy with the results. These things pack a thrilling sting, feel lovely in the hand and, at the same time, are very aesthetically pleasing.

Anyway, let us get down to the details:

“Chocolate Decadence” BDSM Impact play set:

This set consists of 5 items in total: A pair of Kabunza Poi Floggers, A pair of Kabunza Nunchaku Floggers and a Kabunza Dragon Tail.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Poi Floggers:
These have a hefty total length of 28 inches from tip to tip. They give a wonderful “thuddy” experience.
Statistics:
18 inch European chocolate suede leather falls (1 centimeter in width).
5 inch length of solid bronze “Box Chain” weave chainmail (8mm rings) chain.
Black Italian goat skin leather Turks head embellishes.
European chocolate suede poi finger loops.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Nunchaku Floggers:
These have a hefty total length of 28 inches from tip to tip. Clearly a flogger for the discerning connaisseur. On an additional note: These floggers will never tangle due to the ball bearing swivel.
Statistics:
16 inch European chocolate suede leather falls (1 centimeter in width).
3 inch length of solid bronze “Box chain” weave chainmail (8mm rings) chain.
Black Italian goat skin leather Turks head embellishes.
8 inch Black ‘Chinese red oak’ wood Nunchaku handles with engraved, European chocolate suede leather embellished, grip.
Plated steel ball bearing swivel connection.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Dragons Tail:
The newest addition to the Kabunza arsenal: The Dragons Tail. With a flickable length of over 35 inches, this tail comes with a guaranteed sting which will, no doubt (we hope), be administered with love.
Statistics:
25 inch European chocolate suede tail.
10 inch handle containing a solid pinewood core, layered inside the leather of the tail (this is a single length of leather) to assure strength and have the added bonus of a very comfortable grip.
Embellished and strengthened further with solid bronze “European 4:1” chainmail and waxed black cotton cord.

Why did I decide on the first set being something other than black? Because I wanted to do something different. Something a little ‘Steampunky’ and something that incorporated Bronze instead of the more commonly used metals.

Our aim as a business is (and always will be) to bring only the pinnacle of quality and craftsmanship to the table while also standing out from the crowd, avoiding the norm (even amongst the kink) and to be unquestionably unique.

I think this first matching set (of what will hopefully be many) pulls off all of those aspects rather nicely.

The set has been given a name for a reason; this set is one-of-a-kind. I have no more of this type of suede leather and I doubt I will be getting any more bronze rings unless specifically requested for other custom creations.

It is now available for sale in our Etsy shop and I wish any potential buyers the best of luck in attaining it. Once it is sold, it will be incredibly unlikely that I will ever have the similar materials to build another.

A Velvet Thought – Mistresses Musings: An overdue update

As some of you may have noticed; My blog has been lacking in posts this month. There have been several reasons for this and I am going to attempt something of an explanation before rebooting my regular posting.

If you look back over what I have written here this past couple of years, you will see the changes in my writing. When I started my blog it was primarily from a professional Dominatrix point of view; Ergo, it comes across as such. As time progressed, I started to include more and more personal experiences and opinions. I started to include more of my lifestyle and less of the profession. But I have never really posted anything more than things that borderline on ‘feelings’. This is because I closely guard and control those aspects. People will only ever see what I allow them to see, only know what I allow them to know, and I let only a precious few people see the whole picture.

This past few months I have been in deep reflection and meditation. Cracks in my usually steel-like exterior have been apparent to me, comments and actions from people closest to me and unfortunate circumstances of play space or funds have been heavily influential and I have been asking myself questions. Many of which I still do not have answers for. I have been questioning things like my self worth, skill, dynamic, orientation, profession; the list is rather extensive and I have been frustrated and confused by a lot of what has been popping into my head. To say this process is causing me stress is quite an understatement. Hence the silence of my blog.

Inevitably, I have reached an impasse and I am still trying to decide my next direction.

One direction leads down a road that would mean virtually giving up professional Domination, concentrating on Kabunza and on my own BDSM whims and desires. Part of my conflict is that I am feeling a desire to relinquish being the dominant and playing on the other side of the fence (if only for a while). It takes two to play and one of the conundrums is that I am not sure which side I would prefer to play on at the moment. My mindset has apparently reflected this (hence the reasoning for some of the aforementioned questioning). Activities where I have been taking a dominant role have been lacking coordination, despite a complete confidence in myself that I am doing nothing differently. I have experienced similar in the past and have noticed a recurrence of these ‘feelings’ every 3-4 years; I have found that taking a break to get it out of my system by switching helps somewhat (before my Dominant instincts kick back in with a vengeance). Trust me when I say: this is not an easy thing for me to explain, especially on my blog.

The other direction is to do what I do best: Bottle up my emotions, swallow hard, give myself a slap on the face and shout to the heavens “What am I thinking!”, before crushing said whims and forcing myself back into doing what I have always enjoyed; hurting people (with skill, flair and style). Cold to the feelings currently raging, probably fracturing a few heart strings, reverting back to the evil bitch that seems to be known, loved and desired, and basically caring little about the opinions of others because “I am the Mistress and I bloody well know what I am doing!”

Of course, I am unaccustomed to venting randomly or ‘sharing’ thoughts of this nature. I am summing all of this up as simply as possible in order to put it into a blog post. There are hundreds of factors and nuances which I am not going into or which I refuse to share because they are personal or would take too long to explain; But I hope I am portraying a decent enough idea of my current meanderings.

Regardless of what I decide to do; my blog will be undergoing some alterations. I plan on putting a section in here which is dedicated to Kabunza, compressing my galleries back into a single collection of photos, drastically reducing the amount of information in my ‘bookings & sessions‘ section in order to make things incredibly simple for those requiring it (because for some reason the people who go to that section cannot seem to read past my phone number) as well as numerous other changes which I will elaborate on as the decisions are made.

For the moment; We will resume our regular broadcasting schedule…

Do unto others?

One of the things which I pride myself on is the fact that every BDSM activity that I partake in, everything that I inflict on others, is something that I have personally experienced the sensation of (with the exception of the obvious, e.g. penile sounding).

I have been canned, flogged, spanked, paddled, whipped, cut, electrocuted, tortured, skewered, burned, bloodied… The list is quite extensive.

My point is that, regardless of how sadistic I may be feeling at any given moment, I would never put anyone through something which I am not willing to go through myself (even briefly, just to see what it feels like).

In fact, it is through diverse experimentation like this that I have figured out that:

• I have a sliver of masochism. However, I am not truly masochistic (I do not derive physical pleasure or relief from pain, however I do understand it and I do consider it a bit fun on occasion if the mood and setting is complimentary, e.g. Touching nipple to nipple when using a violet wand body contact pad with the setting turned on full so you have the effect of sparks or lightning passing between the nipples).
• I am incredibly sadistic (I derive physical and intellectual pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on others. I have also discovered that part of what makes me better at inflicting pain is the fact that I study human anatomy/biology and that I personally experience and research each activity).
• I am naturally and instinctively far more dominant than submissive (I am also in the firm belief, through years of sociological D/s experiences and encounters, that everyone has at least a little of both in them; despite some Dominants claiming that they are 100% “everyone on the planet should kneel before me” dominant).

Call it an ethical judgement or personal morality if you like, but my main question is: Why is it that I do not see or hear more peoples stories of experiencing things themselves before inflicting things on others? Has that Dominant in the corner of the club experienced what they are putting that submissive through? Or am I, yet again, part of the minority in that I practice what I preach and inflict?

Responses to this post would be greatly appreciated. I am incredibly curious to know of other peoples stories and opinions on this matter.

Concept & Design: Demonic cloven hoof / knee-high boot hybrid

One of the skills required to be a successful Dominatrix is imagination. Without being able to dream up scenarios, tortures, temptations and other sinful activities, a Dominant would not get very far at all. A moderate to high level of wit is a prerequisite to be competent in this kind of lifestyle or profession.

Even with my business: Kabunza, I dream up concepts and creation ideas on a daily basis to be crafted in our workshop.

Back in 2009, I came up with a design for creating a demonic cloven hoof/knee-high boot hybrid. My aim was to add to my already demonic looking persona by extending these features into my clothing. The majority of my clothing was already custom created and I have always preferred deviating as far from the mundane as possible, so this kind of eccentricity in clothing did not seem odd to me at all. I would still wear these if I could ever find someone to make them for me. I also realise the possible ponyplay applications of such footwear, but that is beside the point.

In 2010 one of my very talented artist friends came to live with me for a while, and it was during the course of her stay that we managed to sit down in front of her computer to create a visual representation of my concept. Her name is Linda Jones (formerly Linda Pitman) of www.sheblackdragon.com.

One night, after many glasses of a rather vulgar sweet brandy, we had the basic concept sketches saved to file (which managed to take up about 6 hours of an evening because of the alcohol fueled, sidetracking anecdotes and titllating conversation). We unsteadily motioned to bed at around 4 in the morning with vows to finish up the artwork on the following day, and sure enough, as expected, the next morning we spent a further 3 hours in front of the computer screen finishing up the design art; such is the pace at which we meandered during the course of the 6 month period that she lived with me.

So, because I have recently stumbled across the design amongst my archived files and photos, and because a lot of heart went into the artwork and concept (as well as a lot of expensive brandy), I have decided to publish the design to blog in the hope that one day someone skilled enough might build me a pair.

I will explain in detail each part of the concept: fitting, materials, design etc. But please be aware that I have never been a shoemaker or cobbler, so while I am fairly certain that the design would work and work well, it may still need tweaking in the material options or physical creation side of things.

The images have been watermarked for copyright but they should not get in the way of showing off the design.

Let us start at the base and work our way up to the finished concept. These two images below show the hoof cast part of the construction. The first is what the hoof cast would look like as the foot is slipped inside it and the second is a cut section showing where the foot fits inside the cast.

Basically what is needed is the base of a standard high heel boot (or shoe) with the heel removed and any material from the ankle upwards removed (an inner shoe). The hoof would be cast around this using acrylics or resin. Support is given to the heel using the same materials and would also create the main bulk of the hoof. The space between the outer hoof and the inner shoe would be filled tightly.

The outer hoof needs to be made from a hard material, but a softer and more comfortable material would be better for filling the gap between the outer hoof and the inner shoe. A silicone rubber or something similar would probably be optimal. It needs to be softer but also durable, heavy and quite solid to avoid the foot moving or rubbing on the inside the hoof. The space between the inner shoe and hoof would need to be filled completely and would likely need to be a tight fitting.

The base of the hoof would need a rubber plate or grip to make sure that when walking on a smooth surface such as concrete or hardwood floor, the wearer would keep their footing. Without any grip a person would end up slipping and tripping all over the place (please see the last image in this blog for a diagram of underneath the hoof and what the grip should look like in my opinion).

As you can see from the cut section image, the hoof resin would support the heel quite solidly when combined with the sole of a high heel. However, should more support be needed then a thin metal plate could be shaped and placed between the hoof resin and inner shoe for a stronger support.

Next we look at the leather sleeve.

The leather sleeve is essentially the upper part (from ankle to knee) of a standard pair of knee high boots with added leather to accommodate the ankles, the heel and to overlap a small portion of the hooves. This upper boot is sewn/attached directly to the foot opening of the hoof resin, roughly where you can see the dashes in the image signifying stitching. A small overlap of leather is then left to flap over the hoof so that the stitching is hidden. This gives the appearance of the hoof being more realistic.

Like any pair of knee high boots there will be a zip on the inside of the leg for ease of wearing and removing. The laces and buckles have a purely aesthetic value and would have nothing to do with the functioning of the finished item.

In this last image we see the design from a slight angle as well as the underside of the hoof to show off the grip.

If anyone can help me in the construction of this item, please let me know as I would be very eager to see my design made real. If you wish to use an image or create this design for your own purposes, in part or in whole, please ask. We will most likely be happy to condone it as long as we are fully aware of where and why.

Design and Concept ©2010 Aemilia Hawk. All rights reserved.
Artwork ©2010 Linda M Jones. All rights reserved.

Swamping the market

The Chrismas and New Year has brought about a lot of resolutions (of a sort) for me and mine, some of which pertain to my little business: Kabunza.

Sunday 13th January brings with it the reopening of SWAMP (South West Alternative Market & Party) in Bristol, where I will be attending and hosting a Kabunza trade stand (sort of hosting, as I have no doubt I will wander off to socialise while my partner runs the stand for me).

This blog post is basically an invitation to come along and view our current wares as well as a little teaser for our latest creations:

As many of you will know, I have incredibly high standards; Ergo, when something is created for my business, it needs to be perfect.

The latest of our Kabunza products have been created with the Dominants in mind: Chainmail jewellery (which can have pendants etc added on request) to match the collars and restraints worn by their submissives or play partners.

While there are three materials from which we normally create our collars and cuffs (Stainless steel, Brass and Bronze), the most popular is what we call ‘302 stainless steel’. Using this material tends to make our BDSM creations extremely tough, ductile and corrosion resistant; Meaning you can lock on a collar and it will never need to come off, even in the bath or shower.

Recently we have acquired a softer form of stainless steel, and while it is still quite tough and still corrosion resistant, it would not stand up to some of the violent pressures that I would expect one of our BDSM creations to stand up to.

To this end we decided to create some jewellery sets for the discerning Dominant who would like a matching accessory to their play partners collar (or for someone who would just like to wear some really nice looking bling).

To date, we have only created 4 sets. However, if you have a specific type of chainmail weave in mind, feel free to contact me to enquire about having your own custom creation, or you can come along and browse our stall in Bristol on the 13th. I look forward to meeting people there.

You can view the Kabunza blog post, which details the 4 sets and has links to our online shop: Here.

My Birthday: The MDS Halloween Extravaganza 2012

I have always placed a huge emphasis on birthdays. For me, they are the most important reason to celebrate (far more important than Christmas, Halloween or any other religious or fallacy event).

This year (in a kind of ‘last minute’ planning), I decided to visit the Marquis de Sade (MDS) Halloween Extravaganza event in Weston-super-mare to celebrate on my birthday (28th October).

Once the organisers realised that I was the owner of Kabunza Craftwerks and thanks to some very smooth talking by my Benjamin; it was requested that we host a trade stand at the event (despite the fact that all the trade stand slots had already been filled). How could I refuse?

My partner played host at the stand for the majority of the evening. Unfortunately, our stock was incredibly limited due to a lot of recent sales, but I think we managed to put together a decent enough little stall for people to browse through and we always have our order booklet at hand in case anyone wishes to order something specific to be created and posted to them after the event (any order taken at events are always sent to the purchaser postage free).
In case you are all wondering or in case you missed us at the event; You can visit our Kabunza Etsy shop, our Kabunza blog, Kabunza on Facebook or Kabunza on Fetlife by following the links here or in this blog’s side bar.

Also at the event (quite randomly and ‘out of the blue’), I was requested to put on a florentine style flogging demonstration; the Mistress who originally had agreed to do the demonstration was a little reluctant (which is a shame because I rarely get to see others do this style of flogging). It was incredibly unprepared, But again, how could I refuse?

By far, the highlight of the evening was when (unbeknownst to me) Benjamin had arranged for my birthday to be announced over the comm/tannoy and over 100 BDSM Dominants and submissives sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me whilst Benjamin brought out a surprise, candle lit, home made birthday cake.

The majority of the rest of the evening involved a little play with my Benjamin, social mingling and teaching numerous people how to florentine. All in all: A fantastic birthday.

Thankyou’s:

The organisers of MDS: for all their encouragement and flattery, for supplying the photography for this blog post and for allowing us a trade stand when there really was no more room.

My partner: for being there when she is not really into BDSM, for her continuing support and for hosting the Kabunza trade stand; which in turn allowed me to socialise at ease and enjoy my birthday.

My Benjamin: for arranging everything with the MDS organisers when I simply said “Do it”, for the much appreciated surprises, for taking every random beating that I dished out upon him during the course of the evening (all of which were carefully applied aftercare in the form of Savlon cream and cuddles on returning home) and for making my birthday a very special one indeed.

A steady hand.

The sound was like running a wet finger over the rim of a crystal wine glass. A steady, single toned hum cutting through the dungeons background music. A Bakes Rosebud Dilator being stroked up the shaft with a moist disinfectant towel. I have come to appreciate the soft echos they make.

I am always meticulous about hygiene, but when it comes to urethral sounding, I am overly cautious. A single speck of dust can cause infection to set in. Every sounding rod is cleaned thoroughly before and after use. It has become a ritual and part of the play. It aroused him every time. There is something incredibly erotic about being chained to a wall while a scantily clad dominant woman strokes phallic shaped metal rods in front of you. He was erect and eager, watching me slowly clean my toys and waiting with anticipation.

“Number 5 and number 6 Bakes, 7/8mm Hegar, Vibrating UD, Wartenberg wheel”, my thoughts while adhering to the ritual sounded oddly mathematic and the medical instruments being laid out neatly on the small, tissue clothed spanking stool next to where he was restrained made it look like I was preparing to operate on his vital organ. I was taking my time and could smell the trepidation building within him, but the look on my face remained peaceful and serene, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

I gently placed the last of my cleaned tools onto the stool and lined it up neatly with the rest. I was ready to begin.

Turning sharply towards him and grabbing his manhood roughly, I leaned in close to his face with my teeth on show. He inhaled deeply and his body went taut as my claws gently prickled his sensitive skin.

“Mine” I growled through a clenched jaw as I tightened my grip.

His voice broke and shuddered as he nervously released the air in his lungs. “Y-yes Mistress”

Keeping eye contact, I gentled my grip and slid my hand up towards his tip, my fingers cradling the meatus of his penis while my other hand grabbed the 7mm Hegar from the makeshift medical table. His arousal was evident and was oozing pre-ejaculate.

I slid the 7mm Hegar sounding rod into his urethra. After months of practice my hand was expert and precise, I no longer needed my eyes to see what I was doing, I simply felt my way along the tract and his natural fluids supplied the lubricant. A slight twist at the bend of the rod and within seconds it was inside at the full length. His eyes widened at having been penetrated so forcefully, surgically and swiftly. His attempts to lean forward were dulled by the restraints and my relaxed facial expression turned to one of smiling pleasure as I held the rod steady and watched him finally give that shaky exhale that I have grown to expect and enjoy whenever something impacts his system.

The first rod is always the simplest. Easy, quick, pleasurably shocking and it stretches the ducts slightly for more complex play later.  His clear liquid oozed through my fingertips as I held the rod in place and with my unsullied hand I lovingly ran my claws through the hair behind his ear.

It was going to be a long and very pleasurable evening.

And I was just getting started.

Hegar Urethral sounds

Bakes Rosebud Urethral Sounds

8mm Vibrating Urethral Dilator (VUD)

Wartenberg Pin Wheels

All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

A Velvet Thought – Mistresses Musings: Why writing?

On numerous occasions I have come across wandering souls who have asked me “Why writing?”, “Why do you put stories on your blog?”, “Will you ever write a book?” or “Are the stories on your blog real?”

Everyone perceives things in totally different ways, some see me as a sinner, some see me as a saint, both are accurate depending on perspective, but my aim is not to please the masses. I was once a writer by profession and these days, my blog is my outlet. It is a way for me to express the things which I would likely find difficult to describe by mere talk and, being an extrovert by nature, a way to reach a substantially larger audience.

My writing will always spark upon memories, experiences or ideas that are intimate and personal, but also very real. All my blog stories are inspired by actual events or activities, things I have said or done either at clubs or shows, socialising or in the dungeons (I never mention names with the exception of my own unless I have consent, discretion is paramount). But how each person views my stories makes little difference. Believe them or not, the main reason I write is to spark an emotion, any emotion, to just allow the people who read them to feel, imagine and possibly fantasise.

For me its about having something to give. Something for those Dominants and submissives who find it difficult to make their fantasies a reality or who live vicariously through others. Something to share with those around me and with anyone who is willing to read.

And if it inspires people to visit me. So be it. Maybe they will get their own little story etched into my blackened manuscripts.

Why do you put stories on your blog?:
To inspire.

Are the stories on your blog real?:
Yes, all inspired by actual events or activities.

Will you ever write a book?:
I am already a published writer, but not of any BDSM works. I will think about it.

Why writing?:
Because I want to. I need no other reason.

Nothing but truth.

In attendance to my local munch (Swindon’s friendly munch 18/07/12) I had stirred curiosity in a couple of the younger mundane locals. Casual conversation ensued with a visit to the taverns outside smoking area. As you do (or as most mundane smokers do, probably).

“You have until I finish my cigarette.” I said as I pulled out and lit a jet black slimline Djarum. “Whatever questions you have in mind, I promise you will receive nothing but truth.”

“May I ask some questions too?” The more vocal of the two queried.

“If you must.” I stated as I blew a plume of smoke in the direction of the quiet one. My eyes stayed on him regardless of who spoke for the duration of the conversation. The quiet ones usually end up being the more interesting.

“You are a Mistress?”
“Yes.”
“Could I visit your dungeon?”
“Yes.”
“What would happen if I did?”
“That would depend on my mood.”
“Would it hurt?”
“Probably.”
“Then why would I want to visit?”
“You will know the answer to that question if you ever decide to visit.”
“Why are you being so mysterious?”
“Perhaps you are just asking the wrong questions.”

There was a short pause as both mundanes looked in thought as to what to ask next.

“Any question at all.” I restated as I gestured casually to the quiet one. My cigarette had roughly reached its halfway point and I gently waved it in front of his face for emphasis. “Your time is running out.”

“I am trying to think of how to word it.” The quiet one said as he shifted shyly on the spot.
“Usually the best way to word something is to simply say it.” I stated with an amused smirk.

The vocal one spoke again.

“Your teeth look very sharp”
“Not as sharp as my claws.” I stated as I held up my empty hand so that he could get a decent look. My eyes were still fixed on the silent one and the slightly amused smirk still played at the corner of my mouth.

“Are they real?”
“Yes, though coated with acrylic resin for strength so that they are functional.”
“Functional for what?”
“What do you think?” I stated as I glanced at the vocal one for the first time since the conversation had started. I raised an eyebrow and he smiled with an open mouth. It seemed as though he was attempting to think of a witty retort but one never came. Instead, he looked to the floor, still smiling. “Time is up.” I said as I glanced back to the quiet one and exhaled the last plume of clove scented smoke.

“Why should I trust you?” The quiet one suddenly said as I flicked my cigarette end into the closest ashtray.
“I offer a safe and legal environment, a gentle introduction and everything is consensual.” I said as I passed him my business card and made my way back towards the bar area.

I stopped in the entrance arch and glanced back to see him looking at the number on my card. “Good question.” I stated with a slightly crooked grin.