From Jocaste nó Dahlia, Dowayne of House Dahlia:
You don’t choose Dahlia House. It chooses you. It chooses you because you have a spine of steel, under those soft 
curves of flesh. It chooses you because you trust none except your own counsel. It chooses you because you have the stamina and worth to rise above. You merely bend when others might break. It chooses you because you command respect, inspire honesty and encourage reverence. You are a king, a queen, the sensual ruler of a sexual empire; only the strongest of Elua’s children can endure and truly savor the life of a Dahlia.
I wasn’t meant to be Dahlia. I was meant for either Gentian or Balm even with my Jasmine and Valerian qualities. I wasn’t meant to be proud, in the spotlight, glamorously haughty or aloof. I was meant to be accessible, transparent, gloriously spiritually open and available. More than anything Gentian and Balm both called to my deep sense of selfless service.
But Dahlia called to me because I have always been called to be a leader – a role I naturally volunteer for even if I 
eschew recognition for it. I didn’t want to be a leader of Balm adepts, so focused on a singular role. Nor did I want to lead Gentian in the deepening of their craft.
No, I wanted to lead leaders. I wanted to be a leader who could teach others how to lead. How to stand above the pettiness below them. How to charge forth with a plan that ensures others follow. To understand, to discern, to heal, to guard and Love your realm well.
To do so, a Dahlia has to master the several languages and canons of Naamah’s arts. Dahlias know better than most how to show the various facets of Naamah in order to lead and inspire the hearts of those who we choose to invite into our bedchambers. To be a Queen is to represent the highest of who we are, including the many faces of Naamah’s arts.
We have to be:
As sensual as Jasmine
As delicately strong as Cereus
As commanding as Mandrake
As devoted as Heliotrope
As daring as Byrony
As masterful as Eglantine
Yet, our hearts might better align with Orchis, Alyssum, Gentian or Valerian. Only those we choose to trust may see who we really are behind the regal facade, a rare gift for any Dahlia to bestow upon a patron, friend or lover.
Only the most privileged, the most modest, the most daring of patrons may enter our chateau – no one is guaranteed a private audience, but all may come to share in the luxurious revelry of our sumptuous courtyard and lounges. To mingle with Dahlias and their chosen consorts is often what our patrons love most. We do not depend on patronage, we inspire it. Dahlia desire is fueled by the more rare a patron’s gift is – whether that be the gift of their submission or dominance or the precious jewels flowing from their pockets.
Our attention is the gift we share in return.
From Odilia nó Dahlia, the Second of House Dahlia:
Upright and Unbending, Dahlia adepts are Queens and the bedroom is our kingdom. To enter Dahlia House is to trespass upon a sovereign kingdom and come face to face with a council of sovereigns expectantly waiting for 
worship and fealty, if only for a night. In this, Dahlia and Mandrake have a kinship. What Dahlia does not provide in pain, it certainly provides in power. To come face to face with a Dahlia is to come face to face with royalty, where the expected tribute is pleasure, and it is an honour to be permitted within the sovereign’s bed. A night with a Dahlia is a gift and no patron is selected who does not understand, who is not inspired, and who does not worship what is offered.
I was born to be a Dahlia and I knew it. Haughtiness came easy, elegance was second-nature, and cool composure was as easy as breathing. Even leading was simple and natural. But my struggle with my Dahlia identity is my duty as a queen to love all the subjects who come to my throne. Naamah bestowed herself like a queen when she lay with the King of Persis; that is the easy part. But Naamah loved each and every one of her patrons with her entire being, body and soul. It is easy to be haughty when you consider yourself better than all the rest. The Dahlia struggle is the struggle to find humility and willingly give your gifts in order to earn the worship of the patron.