Adventures In Parodyverse: The Next Step Part 2 (UT #305 tie-in)

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Part 1

Adventures in Parodyverse - The Next Step Part 2

Follows UT#305 - Limbo Dancing

    It was pure irony that Liu Xi's meeting with CSFB! was so laid back and calm, given that he was supposed to be an agent of chaos...while Mumph's office, upon her arrival, was exactly the opposite. At first Liu Xi wasn't even sure she was supposed to be there, since there were several other people in the office demanding attention. Plus Mumph was on the phone too.

    Just when she was doubting that her visit was at the proper time, and she turned to leave, Sir Mumphrey hung up the phone and tried to get her attention.

    "Have a seat, young Xian," he said, pointing to a chair in front of his desk.

    Liu Xi did as asked. But as soon as she sat down someone in a military uniform leaned over her and interrupted Mumph with some kind of briefing she didn't really care about. When leaning across her didn't help him get more attention, the uniformed man tried to step between the chairs, shoving Liu Xi over an inch or two.

    Immediately, Liu Xi looked up and, as rudely as possible, compared his manners to a farm animal in Chinese.

    The soldier looked down at her, and then at Mumphrey. "Can you get her out of here? She doesn't even have an appointment."

    "Hmph!" Mumphrey hmphed, "A better suggestion might be for you to leave," he growled, "Before I rap you on the skull for being rude to this young lady!"

    The soldier sulked but quietly left anyhow. Fortunately by that time the remaining people trying to get Mumph's attention had left. He quietly strolled to the door and shut it.

    "I wanted to thank you for...allowing me to return," Liu Xi whispered softly as she bowed slightly.

    Sir Mumphrey sat at the desk across from her and lit a pipe, puffing it a couple of times before speaking. "Why do you believe you were brought back?" he asked calmly.

    She thought for a second or two before coming up with an appropriate reply. "To learn something."

    "Quite right." Mumph nodded and leaned back, taking another puff from the pipe. "If you're dead, gone, forgotten...you can't learn a thing, what?"

    "Yes." Liu Xi swallowed hard and diverted her eyes downward again.

    He raised an eyebrow at her short response. "What do you suppose you're supposed to learn?"

    "To...trust," Liu Xi whispered as the thought came to her. "I was at the mercy of you, and Dream...and I was rescued." She looked up again as she realized that she got herself into trouble because she didn't trust. If she'd held out a little longer and kept faith in her friends she and Exu would have been rescued from Limbo and she wouldn't have had to kill.

    Mumph smiled as he saw the realization in her eyes. "Smart girl," he noted.

    Liu Xi then changed the subject as something else came to mind. "Any news about Jay?" she asked quietly, as though it wasn't her place to ask.

    "No, I'm sorry to say." Mumph sighed sadly. "And I'm afraid Mr. Foxglove is not quite up to the task just yet. But we have no choice, he's also the only one with the necessary experience."

    "Yeah," she nodded in sad agreement. "If Dream gets into trouble I will try to help."

    Mumph nodded in acknowledgement. He looked up suddenly as the door to his office opened and another unexpected visitor arrived.

    Lara Night peeked in gingerly, seeming like she'd seen a ghost. Her hair was a little messy, like she had just awoken from a nap and hadn't looked in a mirror since. "Sir...Sir Mumphrey. I'm...I'm sorry to disturb you--"

    "Nonsense, come in. Speak your mind." He took a puff of his pipe, watching her and seeming concerned by her demeanor.

    "I've been feeling sick," Lara spoke softly. "and now I feel so sad. I didn't know why at first. It felt like...like I was at a funeral. Then Yuki told me Amazing Guy got a headache...because an entire race has just been wiped out."

    "Yes, so I've been told." Sir Mumphrey agreed. "That blighter, the Parody Master...bad business it all is." That last part almost ended in an angry rant rather than casually.

    Lara nodded softly. "I've been thinking though...the Parody Master does this stuff to make sensitive types like me and Amazing Guy sick, and make us all angry. So we'll make a mistake. It's better to hold the anger for later and just feel sad, isn't it?"

    Sir Mumphrey looked sadly into Lara's pale grey eyes and saw a gentleness, and felt that she was sacrificing a lot by being there. Not just with the Lair Legion, but in the Parodyverse, when she could be safely at home in her own universe, oblivious to what the Parody Master was doing. "I thank you again for remaining with us to help, Miss Night," he said. "You should be proud."

    Lara smiled slightly and nodded. "I kinda wish I could ask Shema for help. But I can't, and if I did she'd just refuse and tell me something about the rightful path of the universe."

    "She would leave us all to die?" Liu Xi asked almost angrily.

    "Well, yes and no." Lara sighed sadly and leaned against Sir Mumphre's desk. "I guess the part that sucks is we're expendable. But Shema not stepping in is a good sign. It means the Parody Master won't succeed, that something is set up to cause him to fail. At least I hope so."

    Sir Mumphrey contributed another theory. "Or perhaps, young Miss Xian, this Shema wishes to keep her own universe out of the Parody Master's agenda."

    "She's kinda the one who sent me here." Lara shrugged. "In a sense. I tried to go home once, remember? But I was worried there, and I was bored. Shema in her weird way made it clear there was nothing urgent I was needed for at home. I felt like I had no option but to come here. And I can't help but notice I've been instrumental in a few things here since. Shema is very complicated. I think I might be part of her plan to help the Parodyverse somehow, but I can't be sure."

    "And to think you have been doubting your place here," Liu Xi shook her head.

    "Yeah, you're right." Lara sighed deeply. "If you want to be really powerful, Liu Xi, the biggest lesson you can learn...we both can...is that it's all in the timing. I've been doing this a while and I still haven't got it figured out."

    "Nor I," Sir Mumphrey admitted.

    Lara couldn't help but smile at that. "You're not giving us much promise, Mumph."

    "Speaking of promise." Liu Xi slid out of Sir Mumphrey's office chair and bowed slightly. "If you allow me, I need to go. I promised April I would make sure Dream eats, as he becomes weak if his blood sugar falls."

    "Very well, then." Sir Mumphrey nodded and watched Liu Xi exit his office. "She's a sweet young girl. Pity she became tangled with that Doomherald fellow."

    "About that--" Lara took Liu Xi's place in the chair across from Mumph's desk. "You probably should stop sticking her with that, because causes her heartbreak every time she thinks about it. That's why she's so angry with Exu, because the thought of him and what he's done to her breaks her heart. She really is trying to rebuild."

    "If her friends don't remind her of it, her enemies will," Sir Mumphrey pointed out. "And then she'll be weakened by it when she needs most to be strong."

    "I know but...if you must remind her of it at least sympathize with her. She shouldn't feel alone at a time like this."

    Sir Mumphrey bit his lip and nodded silently.

    "I'll let you get back to work," Lara ended the conversation with as she rose from the chair. "Or if you need a break just kick everyone out of your office and stare out the window for a bit."

    He watched her leave, and then he laughed and shook his head.

---

    Liu Xi looked up momentarily as Marie Murcheson entered the Lair Mansion kitchen. The Chinese elementalist was a pretty good chef - it was one of many things she was trained to do before being sold as a bride. She was using her skills to make a light meal that would look and smell irresistable to Dream no matter how busy he was.

    That only made things more complicated when Marie saw her for the first time. A Chinese girl preparing a meal neatly laid out on a tray.

    "Excuse me," Marie asked. "Who do you work for?"

    Liu Xi looked up, seeming confused by the question.

    "Oh dear," Marie mumbled mostly to herself, "You don't speak English, do you? I suppose I should find someone who speaks Chinese--"

    "I speak English," Liu Xi responded in her accented soft voice. "But I don't work for anyone. I am a guest."

    "Then why...?" Marie pointed at the tray of food.

    "Are you hungry too?" Liu Xi asked. "This is for Dream, I promised April I would make him eat even if he is busy. I can make you something when I return."

    "No thank you," Marie replied, sounding almost insulted. "I know my way around a kitchen."

    "Okay." Liu Xi picked up the tray she had prepared and headed out of the kitchen.

    "Aren't you forgetting something?" Marie asked. "A tray cover? Silverware? You can't present food in this condition to head of the Lair Legion."

    Liu Xi blinked once, trying to interpret what Marie said in her head. "I am not a butler," she finally replied. "And if you insist on silverware it's obvious you have not have met Dream."

    Marie blushed and fidgeted as she admitted, "I have not."

    "Well you should." Liu Xi smiled at her finally. "He will change you a lot."


TO BE CONTINUED?



-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2007 by Jason Froikin, and may not be
-- reprinted without permission.
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
-- Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
-- Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin

Post By Anime Jason Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 02:37:37 pm EST	Subject Adventures In Parodyverse: The Next Step Part 2 (UT #305 tie-in)

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