If I am so smart, Duster thinks to herself, why do I keep falling for the same trap? Duster is unmoving in a darkened store. Her left arm is outstretched, as if she was reaching for something. Just out of reach is a strange device sitting on a table in the store that does not seem to be open yet, as there are cardboard boxes all over the place. Trying not to be too hard on herself, she pouts, what is wrong with me?

At that moment, she hears a sound from behind her. Someone is walking through the quiet store in a pair of thick heeled boots. "Well, well, well," the familiar female voice says, "I feel as though we have been here before." If Duster could hang her head, she would. Of all the people to come to her rescue, why did it have to be..."The Midnight Avenger! That's right, the hero tonight." The Midnight Avenger says in mock triumph.

Holding her own device in front of Duster's face, she continues, "This should take care of the immobilizer ray that hit you. I made it myself after the last time you got frozen. Back then, I might have wanted to play with you before waking you up, but now," she pauses to make an adjustment, "Let's just get you back so we can get out of here."

Within a few seconds, Duster can feel her fingers moving when she tells them to, and then her feet and head. Finally, she is completely animated. "Thanks, Night," Duster says genuinely, "I appreciate your help." With Duster back to normal, Midnight Avenger is not as brazen, "No problem, girl. Glad I was near by."

As Duster starts looking around the room, she says, "I got a tip that the Princess Maker was going to be here tonight. I was hoping to find out where the rest of the Night Watch have disappeared to." The Midnight Avenger nods and replies, "I was doing the same thing, but on cyber patrol. Nothing online to give me any clues where they are, but," she adds with emphasis, "I did see that this was a trap set specifically for you." Duster says with gratitude, "Obviously."

As they look around the room, they notice a large limousine pull up out front. They look out the window, careful not to be seen, to observe two bodyguards letting another man out of the back of the limo. The man is of average height, but his suit says he is anything but average. It is pressed perfectly. Every hair is in place on his head, even the wind seems unable to touch it. His shoes almost glow in the street lights outside they are shined so much.

Duster whispers, "Don't know who he is, so let's find out. You hide and watch them, while I act like nothing happened." The Midnight Avenger nods and silently slips behind a group of boxes that gives her a perfect view of the front door, without her being seen. The door opens and the three men come into the room. "Young lady," the man in the middle asks, "What are you doing here?" Duster puts her hands on her hips and replies, "I could ask you the same question." The man replies with a snort, "I am Lawrence VanderGuest, the owner of this building that you are trespassing." Duster gulps slightly and replies with less force, "Well, there was a possible break-in, and I was investigating."

Before the man can reply to that, she adds, "Do you always travel with such heavy hitters?" Lawrence replies with a slight flourish of his hand, "You cannot be too careful these days, what with so many unknown villains lurking about. I wanted to make sure the alert was HARMLESS." Duster could tell each bodyguard had more than one weapon on them, and by their stance, they knew how to use them. I sure do not want to escalate this, she reasons, but he does not seem threatening.

"Well, it seems clear of villains, so I think it was a false alarm." Duster says matter-of-factly.
"I think I will JOIN you in that statement. For ME, this is just a reminder of what you super heroes stand FOR, and though it ruined my DINNER, I am thankful for your help." Duster nods absently, as if she felt something strange had just happened, but no one else seemed to jump, so she shrugged it off. "No problem, this is what I do." Lawrence nods and asks, "Let me thank you properly, please JOIN ME FOR DINNER this Friday night at my house."

Duster figures there is no need for that, but he seems HARMLESS. While he is not her type at all, she could go, but what is the point? She replies, "Thank you for the invitation, I will join you for dinner." Wait, Duster thinks, did I just say yes? "Splendid," he replies, "If it is not too much to ask, would you have something more appropriate to wear?" Duster looks down at her costume, thinking that it might not be right for a formal dinner. She is showing quite a bit of skin and cleavage, and she does not want to give the wrong idea. Thinking quickly, she says, "You know, I have just the thing to wear for Friday night." The man smiles and says, "I assume you will want to fly yourself there, so I will see you Friday at 7. My card."

At the mention of a card, the one bodyguard walks forward and hands Duster a business card. She nods a thank you and follows the three of them out the front door. "Good night," he says. Duster replies, "The same to you," and flies off in a whirlwind. I will get in touch with Night Avenger tomorrow to see what she noticed, she reasons. As she rounds the corner, Lawrence says outloud, "Step back inside and collect the spy behind the crates. Put her in the trunk gently." The bodyguards wait until he is in the limo, before going back in. They find Midnight Avenger crouched behind the crates facing the front door. This whole time, she thinks in disgust, it was me they wanted and not her...we played right into their trap. Picking up her stiffened form, the Midnight Avenger acts like a statue or mannequin. The one bodyguard deposits her in the trunk, while the other retrieves a device hidden amongst the crates: an immobilizer.

As the limo pulls away, Lawrence says, "We have just what we came to get," a slight maniacal laugh could be heard as they drove off into the night.

Friday night
"I am so glad I did that retro photoshoot," Duster says as she flies into the night. She is wearing an full length, green dress with yellow gloves past her elbows with black Mary Janes and pantyhose. She wears a modified mask to still hide her identity, but dinner worthy. "Not sure I could fight anyone in this, but that is not a problem for tonight...unless he is making more advances than I am expecting."

She lands on the front door steps of his house, which is nothing short of a mansion. It looks to be chiseled into the side of the mountains on the other side of the state park from town. The house is well lit, and seems quite inviting to Duster. Stepping up to the front door, it opens before she can ring the doorbell. On the other side of the open door is a maid. She is wearing a powder blue maid outfit. It is rather modest with all parts covered, and looks to be made of satin. The dress is near knee length, the gloves come just past her wrists, the clear (yes, clear) shoes are sensible and not overly high-heeled, her very blonde hair is pulled up into a small bun that is held in place by a tiny tiara. Her light make-up seems very tasteful as does every part of her.

"Welcome, Ms Duster," the maid says, "Please come in. The Master is waiting for you." Duster nods as she replies, "Thank you," and walks in the house. The house feels enormous, with hallways to either side and an enormous stair case straight in front of her. "Please," the maid says, "Follow me to the study." The maid's shoes click softly as she leads Duster down the right hallway. Each room they pass is immaculately decorated, very classy. "Obviously," Duster observes, "Lawrence has excellent taste." The maid replies over her shoulder, "Yes, the master decorates each room by his own creative genius." Duster remarks to herself, she is well paid to keep up the act with him not even around.

"Here is the study," the maid says as they enter a large yet cozy room, "The master will escort you to dinner shortly." Duster replies thanks, and then walks around the spacious room. Each painting and piece of furniture looks expensive. The only thing that seems odd is the square wooden platform in the corner. It is about two feet square and about 2 inches high. The wood is finished in a beautiful cherry stain and polished to a high sheen. It seems like something should be on this, Duster reasons. She hears the door and turns around.

"Ah, Ms Duster," Lawrence says while entering the room dressed just as sharply as he was the other night, "You look simply stunning." Duster blushes slightly, "Thank you, Lawrence, I do not get to wear this often." She can feel his eyes watching her every curve, yet she does not feel that he is undressing her, yet. "Well, I think you should wear it more often." With a slight bow, he adds, "Shall we dine?" He holds out his arm to her. Duster, not sure what to think of this guy, but he seems HARMLESS, so she slips her arm in his. He nods his approval, and escorts her to the dining room.

He provides a brief tour as they walk to the dining room. He explains the theme behind each room's decorations, and Duster can only marvel at his knowledge of interior design. As they enter the dining room, she can see a long table set at either end for two people. The silverware looks real, and the flatware looks expensive. Behind each seat is another maid, dressed like the first, but in different colors. Lawrence has a brunette behind his chair wearing a similar tiara and a bright yellow maid outfit. Behind her chair, an African-American one wearing a light green maid outfit and the same type of crystal-looking tiara. As he escorts Duster to her seat, "her" maid pulls the chair out and pushes it back in as Duster sits down. The other maid does the same for Lawrence.

"I hope you are hungry. My chef might have over done it." Duster looks at the spread on her plate and the table. There is enough food here for 10 people. Duster replies, "Yes, I am...thank you again for inviting me." Lawrence waves his hand, "No need to thank me, I am honored you are here. Ladies, leave us." On cue, both maids bow slightly and leave through the same door. Probably to the kitchen, Duster reasons.

"I was not sure what kind of meat you eat, or if you ate carbohydrates, so I asked for shark steak with mini breadsticks." Lawrence gestures to the table as he grabs his napkin. Duster looks down and notices the food and thinks, well it is not my first choice for sure, but I am willing to try it. He asked me to JOIN HIM FOR DINNER, so I'm safe.

The next hour or so passes quickly as they make small talk over the city and politics and interior design. The food tastes unbelievable, Duster thinks, especially the shark. He makes small talk without making it uncomfortable, she notes, and he has not made any insinuations about wanting more than just dinner. He has remarked twice on her looks and grace, so he seems genuinely sincere. The maids have come back a couple of times to remove plates and refresh drinks and ask if there was something more they could get for them.

As dinner winds down, Duster decides to ask one personal question. "I am quite curious about this, so I hope I do not offend, but: do your maids work here full time?" Lawrence wipes his mouth and sets his napkin down slowly, "Yes, they are full time, and are quite skilled at their duties. I spend a great deal of time making sure their appearance and mannerisms match their doppelganger." Duster finally makes the connection and says, "Ah, they are supposed to be Disney princesses...now I get it!" She smiles proudly as he nods to her.

"Yes, I have a passion for classics and what could be more than a Disney princess." He then asks, "Would you care to see them all?" Duster is not really that interested, but he seems to be quite proud of this, so she says, "Sure." He moves to stand, and his maid comes to pull out his chair. As he walks towards Duster, "her" maid appears and pulls out her chair. "Come," he says while holding out his arm again, "I have a special place to view them when they are not working."

He escorts Duster back to the front door then up the broad staircase. Continuing straight back on the second floor, the hallway dead ends into a near 360 degree room completely made of glass. The polygon room has the same type of short platforms that she saw earlier in the study in front of each windowed-wall. The ceiling is a skylight of sorts, with track lighting built into the thin frames that hold the walls and ceiling together. Past the room, she can see the state park in its natural beauty, and the lights of the city in the distance. "Wow, what a view," she remarks. "Yes," he replies with genuine admiration, "This is my favorite room, and as I look out, I notice that you flew quite a distance to get here. I hope it was not too much for you." Duster replies with a wave of her hand, "Actually, it was nice to fly for more than just a few blocks at a time."

As they enter the room fully, she sees the only furniture in the room: the maids standing perfectly still. "Here, I have the maids come and pose for me when they are not working. I can then truly see them all together as one." Duster, pulling her arm out of his, walks around the room. She recognizes Cinderella, Belle, Tiana, and maybe Snow White or Jasmine. "And they stand there for you?" she asks, noticing how each maid has a different pose on each stand. She can see them still breathing and blinking, but at a quick glance, you might not know they were actually alive.

"Yes, that is part of their duties as my maid." He notes as he steps back towards the door. Duster turns back to look closer at each one. Hmmm, she thinks, you know Cinderella kinda looks like Aura or Amanda, Belle looks identical to Whirlwind or Rita, and Tiana could be Night Avenger's or Tori's twin. Which reminds me, making a note to herself, I still have not heard back from her about the other night. Interestingly enough, all of the missing Night Watch members are represented here, except Tori of course (I just saw her the other night). Turning back to the door, she sees Lawrence come back to her with two champagne glasses. Handing her one, he says, "Let's drink to the night, MAID by your arrival, and MAID just for you." Duster takes the glass and clinks her glass to his, "Yes, you have MAID this a wonderful evening. Thank you!" She sips the sweet liquid and thinks, this really has been a welcome break from my every day life.

"If I may be so bold," he starts, "Might I ask a favor of you, since we are in the Princess room." Duster, still feeling that he is HARMLESS, replies, "Well, that depends. What are you asking me to do?" He takes her glass from her and says over his shoulder, putting them back on the table in the hallway, "Nothing that you might not already want to do, I do not want you to feel as if I have MAID you do it." Duster nods her head and replies, "I will say no if I don't want to do it." Lawrence smiles and asks, "Would you be willing to stand on one of the empty pedestals in this room for me? Your outfit is quite stunning and I would like to see you POSEd in it."

At first, Duster's warning lights go off in her head, as she has been in this situation before. She does not want to become part of anyone's collection, but the pedestals seem to be just planks of wood, as she is sensing no malicious intent here. She hesitates, so he adds, "You do not even need to POSE if you do not want to, I just wanted to see you in the track lighting spots." She looks to see each pedestal has its own track lighting spot that illuminates it.

Seeing no harm, she steps over to one of the pedestals next to Belle. Stepping easily onto the low platform, she feels no energy or magic. Ok, she reasons, nothing to fear here. Getting on top of it, she turns around to face him. She is now taller than him, and he seems to be smiling more than he has all night. "Oh my," he says, "That spotlight was MAID for YOU." Duster blushes again, while standing in the bright light.

"If you would indulge me a bit more, could you make two fists and put one on your hip and the other at your side?" As Duster complies slowly, he adds, "Then just give me a slight smile." Duster puts one foot in front of the other for comfort, then smiles slightly. "My dear, you have never looked more ravishing." He smiles broadly, which makes Duster feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Speaking of fuzzy, my head sort of feels strange.

He steps back and says, "Now, my love, you are a MAID. Now, remove all thoughts other than those pertaining to being a MAID. Your only thought is to OBEY me." Duster starts to think something is wrong, until memories of her life begin to fade away. She thinks she might should panic, until those thoughts fade as well. She cannot even seem to remember her... "Your name is Ariel, Princess Ariel," he adds, "my newest maid." She does not know what to think of that, until he says, "MAKE IT SO." Her memories lost and her new thoughts locked, she replies, "My name is Ariel. I live to obey, Master." Lawrence smiles proudly again.

A couple of days later, he walks into the Princess room. Looking around, he walks up to a red headed woman in a sea green maid outfit. She smiles slightly, just enough for everyone to know she is content with her life. "Ariel?" he says. She stands at attention from her pose, "Yes, Master, how may I serve you?" He smiles and holds out his hand, "Dinner last night was wonderful, and I wanted to give you something in return...something personal." Ariel takes his hand and steps down, "Serving you, Master, is the only thing I need." He leads her away from the others, posed on their pedestals, saying, "Join me in my bedroom this evening, so I might give you another way for you to serve me." Ariel nods her head, matching his speed, and replies, "Yes, Master, I live to serve and please you." As the door closes, leaving the other maids alone on their lit pedestals, we look to the plaque just above the door which reads in a script-type font: "Lawrence VanderGuest, Princess Maker."

The End?