<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;">Situated far from any nosy busy-bodies in the foothills along a narrow road lies the House of Gloom. Surrounded on all sides by a red brick and white stone fence topped with black wrought iron spikes, the front entrance is a pair of black metal gates with the imposing words "Leave your clothing and sanity at the door".<br/><br/>Situated almost a quarter mile from the front gate lies the manor itself. A bronze statue of a nude female figure presents her breasts to any who approach from the front, and her legs spread behind her revealing all who view her from behind. The front door is made of thick slabs of oak stained a dark color, with bands of iron holding it together. Even with their weight, the doors open easily at the merest push, though they tend to creak open ominously. In the front foyer is a large central disk with the symbol of the Gloom Household, a black metal raven clutching a whip and rifle in either claw, wings spread, eyes an ominous red.<br/><br/>The first floor is for visitation and business, with one end of the house belonging to Mistress Gloom herself. The office has wood paneling along the bottom, with green wallpaper to the ceiling. The floor is made of thick timbers that are smoothed to be perfectly flat. The large oak desk has a green place-mat on it, with a stand where her personal pet Raven, Bartholomew perches. There is a comfortable leather chair and couch that are for visitors, though most know that the two red cushions on the floor are for those who seek her forgiveness. In one corner is a pillar, anchored to the floor with thick iron rings, perfect for securing a struggling slave.<br/><br/>There is a small entertaining room in the back of the house. Here, leather couches are arranged in a half circle, centered upon a round rug with iron rings at four corners, with the fireplace easily visible. There is a television above the fireplace for more modern visitors, but often the center of attention is on the unfortunate soul bound to the floor. There is a finely stocked liquor cabinet between the windows, and flanking either side of the room are bookshelves filled with leather bound versions of numerous writings, everything from the Holy Bible to the Karma Sutra, Paradise Lost to the writings of Niche. A few of the tomes are behind a gate, and the leather here is of a different nature. Precisely what it is and why is a deeply held secret.<br/><br/>In a large room is the dining room, connected to the kitchen. The table is large enough to comfortably seat sixteen people at a time, with the potential for more if necessary. The kitchen itself is flagstone along the floor, ground smooth, with simple grey tiles halfway up the walls until brick continues upwards. Silver ductwork moves cool air throughout the kitchen and vents to the outside, keeping even the hot ovens and stoves comfortable enough. The central island has numerous stainless steel tables with knives, racks of spices, and along the backwall near the larder is a set of small containers holding herbs from the gardens out back. The entire kitchen could easily accommodate a staff of six working comfortably, and a few more if necessary.<br/><br/>In the basement is a wine cellar that contains several types of alcohol, as well as some personal archives and general storage. Also down here are the personal quarters of the servants and staff who are allowed to go unchained, the maids and manservants who tend to most of the home's affairs. Here, laundry is washed and folded, as well as the central heating for the house is kept, as it was originally built without air conditioning (something Mistress Gloom insisted be remedied as soon as she moved in).<br/><br/>Upstairs on the second floor are personal guest rooms, each with a queen sized bed and a small bathroom. Each bed contains iron rings for some fun bondage, but most of the fun takes place in the central dungeon on this floor. Here, numerous racks, cages, and other fun and kinky furniture is kept. A set of lockers against one wall allows players to change (in full view of course) and secure their garments and personal effects. There are numerous shelves full of kinky toys, with a small bin marked for used toys to be cleaned and put away.<br/><br/>The third floor is exclusive for personal friends of the manor as well as Mistress Gloom's bedroom which she shares with her lovely wife. Only a few get to see this room, for it is here she savors the time alone with personal company and can let her guard down. The personal bathroom has a traditional bath tub, but the large walk-in shower is a definite favorite as well. The walk-in closet contains many outfits, each one tailored perfectly, and obviously meant to invoke certain emotions. Only when the manor is empty and she lets her guard down does anyone see her in a normal t-shirt and jeans, or just a button-down shirt and decent pants for doing casual business.<br/><br/>Outside are the gardens, which are meticulously maintained, as well as a small woodland area. No hunting is done on the grounds, despite Mistress Gloom's pertinacity to collect firearms. The garage is part car storage and part work space, filled with tools and equipment for maintaining the small fleet of vehicles. There are a few tractors and other equipment for maintaining the grounds, as well as several work trucks. When she wants time alone, Mistress Gloom comes here to work, clearing her mind while tinkering and maintaining the fleet of vehicles. It's the only time she comes in dirty and sex isn't involved.</span></span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;">Feel free to contribute to this, I just felt like writing tonight while I'm not inflicted with pain.</span></span><br/><br/><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;">"Fuuuuuck," she said, groaning as she leaned back in her chair. The office windows were open, letting in a cool Autumn breeze that tried in vain to shuffle the papers on her desk, and it was all she could do not to just throw half of them in the bin. Standing up, she went to the window and stared out over the garden. Not for the last time she wished she'd never agreed to start doing normal work from home instead of only the necessary stuff. Taking off her glasses, she rubbed her eyes. <br/><br/>A deep breath yielded a sigh. She needed a break, probably some tea. Normally she could just call a servant to get it for her, but she was the kind of person who wanted to <em>do</em> things. The house was mostly self sufficient with the staff running things, but she wanted... something. Biting her finger, she briefly considered going upstairs and just... what? Masturbate? That would sate her for a few minutes but then she'd need a shower so she could focus and not smell like semen. <br/><br/>Tea. Tea was the answer. Unlike 'normal' people, her caffeine intake was mainly through sweet flavored tea, bitter flavored tea, and probably an unhealthy amount of soda if she were honest with herself. High fructose corn syrup was fucking addictive and she had to be careful not to use the excuse she was collecting aluminum to melt down too much or the staff would get suspicious. Last thing she needed was a mutiny trying to take away her sweet caramel colored nectar of the gods. Damned traitors.<br/><br/>"CAW" sounded Bartholomew.<br/><br/>"You're right Barty, I think I will get some tea," she said with a smile. The bird was getting old, but he was a good companion to have, and she gave him a gentle stroke along his neck and down the front of his chest. He responded by leaning into it, before hopping/flying onto her shoulder. She picked up her cane, which the damned doctor insisted she carry with her since that incident a few months back, and walked with Barty on her shoulder through the double doors of her office towards the dining hall.<br/><br/>Normally, she wouldn't bother getting dressed up, but today she'd felt like a button down shirt, and had gone with a purple one that was rather loose for a change. Between it, her pants, and the combat boots, she looked almost like a pirate with the cane and the bird. The only warning the kitchen had was the soft clomp clomp clomp of her boots on the hardwood floors of the manor.<br/><br/>The kitchen always smelled good, and the staff was working on lunch already. With numerous staff on hand, even when there wasn't an event going on there was always something needing prepared for consumption. Jean, her head chef, looked up and smiled. "Bonjour Maîtresse. Puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à manger? Ou à boire?"<br/><br/>"Uh... just some tea, thank you."<br/><br/>Jean grinned. He knew she didn't speak a fucking word of French except for the obvious stuff like bonjour. Her stomach growled and a brief wave of light headedness caused her to lean on the cane a bit. "Ah... make that tea and a sandwich."<br/><br/>She went and sat down in the dining room, taking a moment to breath, and then looked at her watch. Where the fuck were the others? It was almost 10 in the morning. Maybe soon they'd wander in and look for something to eat.</span></span>