By Jason C. Marshall (JCMarshall@sympatico.ca) for the Celestial Court.
She watched through a small hole as the hung mao businessman stripped off his clothes and got into the tub. She turned to the two waiting girls. Both had pale skin with long dark hair and pale almost luminescent green eyes.
"Tend to his needs. Relax him. Play with him. If he wish sex, give it to him. Whatever he wishes."
The two girls nodded.
"Once he's lulled, pull the information from his mind."
They both smiled.
Jade Tiger opened the door and let the girls in.
The records show the Men Hu as a minor bloodline, surviving in a niche that they had taken, that of common prostitutes.
The Men Hu stretch their own records back even further.
During the early 3rd century AD, a lone Ravnos had traveled into the Asian frontier in search of new stories and adventures. He arrived in China proper and wandered the country. Among the things he found was the woman of his dreams.
Yin Fei Yin was a peasant girl who seemed to contain everything the wandering Ravnos was looking for in a woman. She had grace, beauty, life and a chaotic nature. He wooed her in secret for many months till finally revealing himself to her. She didn't seem to mind that he wasn't Asian, in fact she seemed to be pleased. She willingly accepted her embrace and strove to show her new found eternal love just how much she care for him and his ways.
As the years past, the Ravnos soon found himself bored with the Chinese areas and began his trek for the eastern realm he'd heard of. Nippon sounded like a place to be. His lover decided to stay. She couldn't bring herself to leave her homeland.
It wasn't till many years later that Yin Fei Yin realized that she couldn't keep feeding on just the people in her village and area. Eventually they would all be bound to her and possible even be ghouls. One slip of a tongue and she'd be found. So she traveled to the capital and insinuated herself into a group of courtesans. Here she could use her powers to lull her customers into as sense of well being and feed from them without drawing attention to herself.
Over the course of the following years she rose to governess-ship of the institution. She found herself caring for the girls, protecting them and praying for their well being. Yin Fei Yin's mothering came to a head when one of the girls was beaten heavily by a customer. She embraced the dying girl and thus started her own bloodline.
She embraced a few other girls as well, building her ranks and creating one of the best and most mysterious house of courtesans in China. Many prominent figures visited her girls, enjoying the almost ethereal quality of their services.
It wasn't till the early 11th century AD that the Men Hu bloodline had its first male entrant. He was a waif who was brought to the Yin Fei Yin for care. He was dying of blood loss due to multiple rapes. She embraced him.
The resultant kindred was similar yet different to her previous childer. The young boy seemed to gain an immense spiritual outlook. He turned to the cloth and soon affected the habits and speaking of a priest. One his first actions was to given spiritual guidance to the girls of the house. Normally priests wouldn't tend to those of kindred descendant, much less courtesans. Yin Fei Yin welcomed him into her bloodline.
When the Sabbat attempted to invade the Chinese coastal cities, they were met with initial success. Raiding parties using standard Sabbat tactics, staged raids and managed to take Beijing from the Court. The Sabbat went about securing their hold when they heard of a major attack about to be staged upon the city. They met and began to discuss battle tactics. Their place of meeting was a classy brothel/nightclub that was catered by a group of some of the city's most beautiful. The club was well known for its clientele; major political figures, crime bosses and others. The Sabbat had chosen it for just this reason.
The Sabbat leaders convened and two hours later were dead, dealt the final death by Men Hu courtesans.
When Jian warriors arrived they were presented the heads and bodies of the Sabbat leaders by Yin Fei Yin. She officially requested entrance to the Celestial Court.
The Dragon Council accepted and the Men Hu became the latest addition to the Jen Shu, the place where all bloodlines were initially put until they proved their worth. It took the Men Hu all of twenty years to prove their worth as spies and assassins. They were shifted to the Jen Pao in recognition of their skills.
The Men Hu have stayed largely unchanged for the last six hundred or so years. They have picked up a few more male members, who've become the 'confessors' of the various bloodlines, as well as spiritual overseers of the female Men Hu.
The disciplines of the female Men Hu are all oriented towards sexual stimulation and nullification. Male Men Hu disciplines are oriented towards a 'spiritual' stimulation and nullification.
"We are happy with the service that they provide, though of late we have begun to grow concerned with their lack of ambition."
Jian: It was to them that we first appeared and offered our services. That they were smart enough to accept our services shows great promise.
"I often wonder if their appearance was all that coincidental."
Pao Yu: Never have we seen such dedicated followers.
"They are as deadly as they are beautiful."
Kwai Tao: They are nothing but overgrown children.
"Arrogant sluts. You think that just because you follow their orders you're safe from their plans?"
Tong Chu: They have power.
"We admire your skills, if not your methods of employment."
Shu: Scum. They are without honor.
"Bitches, whores, sluts. They all this and more."
Ch'i chu: They watch everything. What do you now know?
"We are honored by your interest in our affairs."
Mui Tsai: Our fallen sisters. We pity your lot.
"We accept your pity and our fate."
Yu: They are a happy people, with little to worry about. We wish life was similar.
"You are playing a dangerous game."
Camarilla: They are many, with a diverse culture and history, almost diverse as ours.
"Some of these ladies of evening' came to visit in fair Hong Kong. When they left I felt as if I'd been under a spell the entire time."
Shogun te: They're kindred Geisha have been known to be as dangerous as us.
"You aren't the problem. Your masters are."
Sabbat: They thought that we were merely docile slaves. They learned wrong.
"Your number is up, girls."