Adventures In Parodyverse: Triumphant Part 2

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Part 1

Adventures in Parodyverse - Triumphant Part 2

    Marvellous Marv awoke suddenly and gasped as he realized he was attached to a wall by giant metal clasps holding his neck, arms, and legs. The room he was in was dark and noiseless, a total sensory deprivation chamber...with the exception of just one person in the room.

    "Hello," the man greeted him cheerfully. "You should know who I am since you've been trying to invoke my power. I just thought I'd drop by to tell you that you've been doing it wrong."

    "What?" Marv asked distantly. "How did I get here? Who are you?"

    "I'm your local god of murder," the man replied impatiently. "You got here because...this is a place of your own making."

    Marv still didn't understand, but he moved on to the next question anyway. "What do you mean I've been doing it wrong?"

    "Oh, you had the method down." The man laughed. "But you lack the ambition and savvy to go through with it. You see, that's how I weed out the wannabes from the genuine potential."

    "Wait...are you saying that--"

    "I think we have a winner," the man interrupted sarcastically. The clasps released suddenly, dropping Marv to the floor. I'm sorry there's no consolation prize. Bye bye."

    With that, the god of murder was gone, and Marv was left alone in the dark room. "I'll show you," he mumbled to himself. "I'll show you ambition."

---

    It was about a half hour later when Exu first arrived at the mansion. He was disappointed to have been intercepted by someone very perceptive who knew he was there practically the moment he arrived. He never met Lara Night before but he knew she existed, and he was fascinated.

    "You've been encouraging Marvellous Marv," she shot him down with her first words to him. "I don't approve."

    "It's not for you to approve," Exu replied. "Or for me to interfere with. It's my job."

    Lara frowned and folded her arms. "Are you aware that the worst excuse in all history is 'I was just following orders'?"

    Exu simply shrugged at that as he continued staring at her. "You're absolutely stunning," he said as he visually studied her. "No wonder Jay and Dream both want you. You should be a model or something."

    Lara didn't react. "I already know you like upsetting people. It's not going to work on me."

    He shrugged again. "I'll just have to try harder. How about this - there are many gods in this universe, some evil and some benign. They all have servants, acolytes, minions, and if they're very close either demons or demi-gods and angels. Your universe only has one self-proclaimed creator type. So that begs the question...as a Guardian of the Peace, what does that make you? I'm sure Donar would know."

    "I get along fine with Donar," she answered curtly. "He's very sweet."

    "Hey, he has male urges too," Exu noted. "Me too but I have someone else in my heart."

    "Well congratulations," Lara replied courteously yet impatiently. "I just hope you can present yourself as someone trustworthy."

    Exu paused for a moment and then smiled like a lightbulb went off in his head. "That's a great idea," he mused to himself. "Is Hatman around?"

    Lara immediately got a bad feeling about his question. Fortunately she was telling the truth anyhow when she replied, "No, he's still gone."

    "Oh." Exu sounded heartbroken. "Maybe I should visit Liu Xi anyway."

    "No, you won't," Lara insisted as she folded her arms.

    Exu smiled, seeming amused. "You're going to stop me?"

    "No." Lara shook her head. "I don't have to. She's in the hallway right behind me, and if she wanted to talk to you she would have come in here already."

    His amused smile disappeared again. "She's angry with me?"

    "Very." Lara nodded. "And to answer your next question...she might forgive you if you start treating everyone around you with more respect. Not just the ones who can hurt you."

    Exu didn't say a word in reply at first, he just quietly turned back toward the door. "I mean what I said about you, you know," he added. "That you're stunning, and maybe you're something more than you think." He almost reached the door before looking behind him again. "I treated you respectfully didn't I?"

    Lara nodded graciously and smiled. "You did."

---

    Violet entered her small apartment and tossed the keys onto the breakfast/dinner table. She sighed as she closed the door behind her and locked both the deadbolts and the U-bolt. Her current apartment wasn't as bad as the last one - it had water leaks in the ceiling, bugs, little heat, and a musty smell - but she had to sacrifice space for comfort.

    The new apartment had nice, soft carpeting and clean walls and ceiling but only two rooms carved from an only slightly larger cube. One tiny bedroom only big enough to hold a bed and a small table - she had to practically break the law of physics to cram a small TV in the outside corner next to the window.

    Opposite the window in the bedroom was a small closet and a bathroom with two doors so it could also be entered from the living room. The living room was actually a combination of living room, dining room, and open kitchen with only a bar-like counter to seperate the two.

    She didn't have much furniture - just the bed, a small TV, and one tiny table next to the bed in the one room, and a two-person couch and a slightly bigger television in the living room, and a two-seat breakfast table. Each piece was of varying ages as if it took her a lifetime to accumulate that much.

    Violet's cat ears and tail sagged as she moved to the couch, reflecting her exhaustion and constant depression at the state of her life. Having to practically work for scraps, watching her acting dream slip farther and farther away.

    Even so, she sighed deeply when she heard a knock at the door. She knew she should be happy to have visitors to occupy her time but whenever she actually got some it was bad news. With her luck it would probably be the landlord because she miscalculated her monthly bills and forgot to pay the rent.

    Outside she could see a brown haired woman in a waitress uniform waiting patiently outside her door rocking back on her heels with her arms behind her. Violet was confused about that as she opened the door.

    "Good evening," the brown haired woman began in a cheerful English accent.

    "Whatever you're selling forget it. I'm broke." Violet replied quickly in a downbeat voice as she began closing the door.

    A small foot stopped the door, surprising Violet. She shrieked and jumped away from the door, raising her small fists to try and defend herself. It would have been a brave stand indeed since the pink-haired catgirl was only a hair over five feet tall.

    Then she changed her mind and opted for begging instead, clasping her hands together and kneeling quickly. "Please don't rob me, I really am poor. I don't have much."

    "I'm Sarah," the woman said, urging Violet to stand up again. "I recently bought the Paradopolis Variety Theater."

    "That dump?" Violet asked. He eyes lowered and she looked apologetic again. "Oh...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean--"

    "No, you're right, it is a dump," Sarah agreed. "Or was before we fixed it up. We're a little short on talent though, and Con Johnstantine recommended you."

    "Me?" Her eyes widened. "Really? Me?"

    "Right." Sarah nodded and handed her a flier, which was just a plain piece of paper with information printed on it. "I'll see you at the audition then."

    "Yes. I mean...yes, of course. Thank you." Violet was nearly shaking with excitement. "Excuse me." Violet quickly slipped into the small bathroom and shut the door.

    Sarah couldn't help but laugh to herself when she heard Violet shriek and start cheering quietly insde the bathroom, unaware that anyone could hear her outside. She tried to suppress her amused smile when Violet reappeared, apparently trying her best to remain composed.

    "When is the audition?" Violet asked.

    "Hmm." Sarah looked up and tapped her lips. "The theater itself is closed till fire code violations can be corrected. But I've kind of...borrowed a little coffee shop I work at and assembled a small audience. I don't suppose you could stop by, say, in ten minutes?"

    Before Sarah finished that sentence Violet was already grabbing her raincoat.

    "You won't need that," Sarah said.

    "I wont't?"

    Sarah shook her head. "Improbably there's a small hole in the rainstorm and it's over us now. Won't last long so it's best we hurry."

    "Oh!" Violet rolled up the coat and carried it under her arm. "Just in case," she explained. "I'm not very lucky, you know."

    "I think that's about to change," Sarah said as she led Violet out of the apartment.


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 Sun Jan 21, 2007 at 04:40:31 pm EST	Subject Adventures In Parodyverse: Triumphant Part 2

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