Through the Looking Glass: Penance: Chapter 6-B
Cream: Chapter 6
Cream woke up from her shock in a dark, dirty room.
She had fallen asleep sometime during the morning after she was kidnapped, and she felt very out of the loop when she opened her eyes. When she finally had woken up, she felt that something different was wrapped around her body. Looking down at herself in what little light there was, she noticed that she no longer had her old clothes on. The rabbit could not help but feel uncomfortable in her new garb, and looking down she saw that it was now a dress instead of the pants and shirt she had been wearing. The clothes seemed to fit tight on her,and suddenly she could not help but feel that she was in the same place Tooty supposedly had been in.
Gasping in fright, the rabbit hoped that Shifu would arrive soon.
Suddenly, the door opened, and in strode someone. She was unable to make out who it was, but his hard yellow eyes stared down at her threateningly. The effect of this was enough to send goosebumps flying all over Cream's skin from the fright.
"Good, you're awake," began the figure grandly.
"Who... who're you?" asked Cream. "What do you want from me?"
"So you don't know who I am," he replied. Upon the shaky nod from the rabbit, the strang man continued. "I suppose it can't be helped. I am Tan Tao, and I am going to be your lord and master from now on."
At this, the rabbit's form tensed, unsure what to make of this new information. Slowly, she shifted her place on the hard bed she only just realized was there. "W... what do you mean?" she asked tepidly.
"That means that you are to do my bidding," replied Tan Tao softly. "And my bidding is that you go out to the streets and sell your body."
The rabbit jolted up, a strange mix of shock and anger taking over her being. "W-what?" she stuttered, going up against the headboard of her bed. "Why?"
"Let's just say that I have taken a special interest in you," the figure said menacingly.
This reply only confused the rabbit more. "But... but we've never even met!" she said.
"Oh, we have," replied Tan Tao sneakily. "You just haven't realized it yet. But that is not important anyways, for you will still be serving me regardless of whether you want to or not."
"No!" protested Cream almost instantly. "I refuse! I'm not going to sell my body for people I barely know! Who do you think you are?"
"Bad decision," Tan Tao said slyly. "For you see, I have ways of making you work for me." Here, Cream heard the thud of fabric falling to the floor. "And I don't want to have to resort to the extreme I am afraid I will have to to get my point across."
Cream shook in fright as she heard the footsteps come closer to her. In the dim lighting of the room she was able to make out the shape of a nude figure, her eyes widening in fright when she looked below. Seeing what she saw was enough to scare her away from her position of strength.
"Okay, okay, I'll work for you!" replied Cream suddenly, covering her face in shame. "Just... don't rape me! Please!"
The figure smiled, white teeth glinting in the light as the figure walked away from the bed. "Good," he said as the sound of fabric being slipped back onto a person accompanied this word. "You will start tomorrow. Until then, you may roam the grounds as you wish. And if you even think about escape, my guards will haul you back here where you belong and I will rape you. Understood?"
The rabbit nodded, frightened beyond belief. She was so frightened the only indication she got that Tan Tao had left was that the door to the room she was in had closed.
She laid there, curled up in the bed in a frightened ball for a good ten minutes. Tooty came into Cream's mind, and how broken she was when a Tan Tao had taken her away to be raped again and again for a year. Cream knew this had to be the same Tan Tao that had kidnapped Banjo's sister twelve years prior. It simply had to be.
But perhaps what was more chilling to Cream was the prospect laid out in front of her; sell her body, or be raped. Neither choice was good, and the worst part was she had not even found Tails yet. She was going to become a prostitute for Lord knew how long, and the worst part was that Tails had not even been found by herself or Shifu or even Po and the Furious Five yet.
As she thought this, tears came to her eyes, and she shook her head, praying for a miracle as she cried into the incredibly hard pillow that was in the room for a minute or two.
When Cream had finally plucked up the courage to leave her room, she found the hallway to be dimly lit. Thankfully, the sun was out, so the light leaked through a few windows. From all around her, the sounds of men moaning and groaning in ecstasy were heard, along with a few grunts of pain from women.
The symphony of sexuality sickened Cream, and when she found the way to the staircase she was all too glad to close the door and deal with a muted version of the sounds. Slowly shaking her head, she wandered up the stairs aimlessly, shocked at what she just beheld.
She had wound up in a brothel. The grim reality of her situation had just begun to dawn on her then. She truly was alone, with nobody to look after her. She was all on her own.
The rabbit shook her head, a frown setting on her face as her foot platted on the top of the stairwell. She had to be strong. Resolute. Even in the face of the worst degradation she had known, she had to remain strong. Even if she had to sell her body, she would not let it break her. She could not let it break her; her dignity was the only thing she had left.
Thinking this, she absent-mindedly opened the door to enter upon a grand room. The sun blazed inside, the room, setting everything ablaze. It was a very simple room by composition, but the room was very well-lit, thus bringing out all of the color to be found in the room. There was a rather modest bed sitting by one of the walls with many windows; however, something about how the bed was carved was as grandiose as the colored bottles that were left lying around in tables. It was a stark contrast to Cream's own room with only a candle to light it; the sight nearly blinded Cream before she came to her senses.
Cream quickly deduced that this must have been Tan Tao's quarters. Her mind was screaming at her to get out of the room, but curiosity held her in place, and she stood in the open doorway for quite some time.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of her. She edged into the room, closing the door ever so softly behind her as she looked around the room, stepping softly on the glossy wood of the room so as not to disturb anything.
As she moved about the room, she noticed the bottles in greater detail. They looked like they held liquids of varying degrees of color, with purples and reds and yellows adorning the sides. Curiously, the rabbit moved to one of the tables full of bottles, and looking at one sniffed slightly.
The bottles were perfume. And make-up.
And the fragrance compromised a strange beauty.
Looking to the side, she suddenly noticed a vase that held a bunch of lotus blossoms sitting on the windowsill, pink petals brightening up the room as the green leaves provided great counterpoint. Awed by this sight, the rabbit walked over and pulled the vase to her, holding it in her two hands as she looked down at the flowers. They were the most beautiful thing in the room, even when Cream looked around and noticed all of the ornate decorations that littered the place.
It was while she was looking at the lotus blossoms that she caught a sight of her dress. Putting the vase back on the sill, she looked down to find herself dressed in an orange gown of silk complexion. It was tight around her, highlighting her curves shamelessly as she saw the intricate weavings of blossoms on her dress.
Pity that such beauty was to be found on the face of a prostitute.
Cream shook this thought away from her quickly, looking over the room quickly. She walked over to another corner where she saw her face in a small mirror. She held it up and looked at herself, noticing for the first time how truly grown up she was.
Turning fifteen had been quiet; she was at an inn, and nothing had truly happened as she was alone. However, time had caught up with her, and the reality of her age hit her hard.
At least she did not have to deal with the realities of sexuality at ten like Tooty had to. Cream was thankful for that.
The sound of the door opening from behind caught the rabbit off guard. Eyes going wide in shock, Cream turned around quickly, half expecting to see the face of Tan Tao glaring at her in the sun.
Instead, she saw a rather tall looking woman, fur grey with a few black spots here and there. Her shade of yellow was not the menacing kind of yellow that she had seen in the master of the brothel, but rather a kind, understanding yellow that reached into minds and pulled wisdom in. Her face was also kind, a wrinkle or two setting on on an otherwise beautiful visage that was complimented by the wonderful makup Cream had already seen.
Looking at the woman and coming to her senses after a few seconds, the rabbit yelped, slamming the mirror onto the table, some of the make-up bottles jumping up from the force.
"Oh my God!" exclaimed the rabbit, trying to make her way to the door. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be--!"
"Nonsense," the woman interrupted, voice soft with understanding as she put a hand on Cream's shoulder and stopped her. "Many new girls come in here unsuspectingly. I do not mind."
"But the master will not be pleased by this!" said the rabbit, fear eminent in her eyes.
The old woman chuckled, her pointed ears suddenly visible. "Relax," she replied. "This is not Tan Tao's room. It is mine."
Cream shook her head at this. "But I'm still intruding into your space, miss," replied Cream. "I shouldn't be here."
"Oh, nonsense!" chuckled the cat, taking Cream's wrist and leading her to the bed. "Many of the girls come in here to talk with me when they first come here. Tell me, my dear; what is your name?"
The rabbit looked up nervously, her eyes shifting around quickly as her nerves gathered up in her head.
"I... I'm Cream, madam," she said nervously. "And you are...?"
"Tai Xue at your service, dear," replied the cat softly as she sat in the bed. Upon doing so, the rabbit noticed the feline's paws patting the space next to her. "Come. Sit down next to me."
Cream gulped nervously, but did as she was told. She then looked up at the snow leopard, wondering briefly what the other person was looking at.
"You certainly do not look like you are from here," began Tai Xue gracefully. "Where might you be from?"
The rabbit shook her head, chuckling softly. "I'm not from anywhere in China," she replied. "I've travelled the world for two years searching for a friend."
"Two years?" asked the elder woman, surprise taking over her features. "That is certainly a long time to be away from any kind of home..."
Another thought seemed to occur to the cat, and suddenly her eyes took on an expression of shock. "You were not kidnapped, were you?"
"I was," replied Cream. "I had taken up residence at the Jade Palace before... some guy kidnapped me. I don't really care about the details. I just want to see my friend's face again... even if I have to force my face into him."
"If he is the kind of man I would expect many men to be, then you should find him soon," replied Tai Xue.
"He's probably too emotional to be like that, though," replied the rabbit, finding that her nerves were leaving her slowly. "But enough about me. What about you? And why are you here in this... this lovely room."
"I am Tan Tao's favorite," replied the snow leopard, a tinge of bitterness in her voice. "I always have been for the thirty-seven years I've been here."
Cream's eyes went incredibly wide at this. "Thirty-seven years?" she asked, shocked. "I can expect to stay here that long?"
Tai Xue shook her head. "No," she replied. "He usually throws you out once you become ugly. I am the sole exception to that rule; he has always liked me more than all of the other concubines that have come and gone. It is the reason I have these quarters here."
The rabbit cocked her eyebrow, confused. "Then if these are your quarters, where does Tan Tao sleep?" she asked innocently.
Tai Xue then pointed to a grand structure well beyond the window that the rabbit just noticed was there. "He has quarters in the royal villa," she replied. "He is quite crafty like this."
Cream was confused by this, but decided not to pursue that line of thought any further as she knew she would only be more confused if she asked. "And... you've seen many concubines come and go from this place?" she asked.
"Many, many of them," replied Tai Xue. "Some stick out more than others, however. There was a bear that first came here around twelve years ago against her will. I remember when she first got here she was sobbing because she was afraid she was never going to see her big brother again. I forget her name, however..."
"Tooty..." muttered the rabbit, bringing a hand to her mouth so that her fingers barely treaded her lower lip.
"You know her," said the cat, instantly connecting dots in her head.
"Yeah," said Cream. "She did find her older brother around the same time I started my journey for my friend..."
The snow leopardess nodded as she looked down to her companion. "I am at least glad she has found her peace again," Tai Xue said softly. "I pitied that poor bear."
"Yeah, Tooty's a nice girl," replied the rabbit.
"You seem like a nice girl as well," continued Tai Xue, gesturing towards Cream. "I do hope your innocence will outlast what Tan Tao can do to you if you don't obey his will..."
Cream nodded, remembering the rape threat from when she had woken up. "I hope I don't have to sell my body to anyone."
"If you want to avoid the wrath of Tan Tao, you will have to do that eventually," said the snow leopardess softly with a slight deal of apprehension in her voice. "He will rape you if you don't sell yourself early on."
The rabbit looked down, feeling her heart sink as the grim reality of her situation settled on her yet again. "But I'm not sure I'm ready to..." replied the rabbit morosely. "I mean..."
Tai Xue put a comforting hand on Cream's shoulder, smiling at her. "If you have any concerns, you are always welcome in this room," replied the older woman maternally. "I can talk to you where many other people cannot."
Cream felt the hand massage her shoulder, and then another thing dawned on her.
She had an ally in an unlikely place. This meant that she at least had someone to share her troubles with.
Feeling better about this fact, the rabbit nodded, smiling softly.
"Okay," she said.
And then her stomach growled so loudly it embarrased the poor rabbit. In reply, the snow leopardess laughed good naturedly.
"Come," she said, getting off of the bed and walking towards the door. "We should get something to eat."
The rabbit grinned sheepishly as she was lightly pulled off of the bed. Being steered towards the door by the matronly Tai Xue, she then traversed the stairs. As she did, she that even if she had to resort to extremes to keep herself safe, she had someone to talk about it with.
That, and the fact that she still had to look for Tails, was enough to give her the courage to face what was inevitable.