Adventures In Parodyverse: Triumphant Part 4

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Adventures in Parodyverse - Triumphant Part 4

    Lara Night knew she had the advantage when Marvellous Marv entered the Bean & Donut. Marv hadn't seen her yet - he was being distracted by Sarah who was busy greeting him and offering him a cup of coffee. He obviously wasn't there for a snack though, as he ignored Sarah entirely and began glancing around the room.

    By that point Lara was becoming nervous. There were too many people around and many of them were friends. And this place was Sarah's second home, she couldn't blast it to bits like she did with the vacant television station. Unlike a network affiliate a small coffee shop was probably underinsured and would never recover.

    She glanced in Sarah's direction - and the waitress was looking back at her. Without really realizing it, Lara stood, and she felt as if she could literally see every possibility around her. It was a confusing rush at first until she figured out how to process it in her mind. It felt like distorting waves floating across the room, some slowly and some more violently.

    After a minute or so she figured out that the more violent waves measured a path that Marvellous Marv would most likely take, and the waves broke colliding with the people he'd interact with. The most powerful of those waves indicated that he had the greatest chance of turning on Violet first.

    Lara reached out a hand and felt that she could force the waves in that direction. She could have sworn her outstretched fingers caused Marv to trip and fall on his face - but she didn't understand how the chair he tried to grab suddenly broke, dumping him on the floor. She looked Sarah's direction again and caught her quickly looking away.

    "I know who you are!" Liu Xi Xian exclaimed. Marv unfortunately happened to fall right next to Liu Xi and Chiaki's table, another mysterious coincidence.

    Marv rose quickly, fuming, and looked at Liu Xi with cold eyes. He had nothing but disdain for women. He pointed at her and said, "Die!"

    At the same time, Liu Xi pointed at him as well and calmly said, "Freeze."

    There was a great and torrential wind that blasted through the Bean & Donut, causing napkins and plates alike to flutter around the restaurant dangerously. It settled down as quickly as it began, and then the result of the two attack magics came into view.

    Marvellous Marv was encased in ice. Liu Xi stood with one foot on the floor and one knee on the bench of her booth. She was clutching a small necklace.

    Xander the Improbable stepped out of the next booth and dusted himself off. He looked sadly at his table, lamenting the destruction of his donut sculpture, letting out a depressed sounding breath. "I told you that necklace would come in handy," he told Cleone as he sat down again.

    Chiaki Bushido leaned across the table to take a closer look at the necklace that Xander referred to. It apparently protected her from Marvellous Marv's death curse. As she looked closer she realized that it was nothing more than an old rusted steel washer from a faucet.

    "It's not the material that is important," Liu Xi told her, noting where the Psychic Samurai was looking. She flipped it over, and on the other side was an emblem burned into the metal with some kind of hot ash. She tore it off of her neck and dropped it on the table. The rusted washer shattered. "It caught Marv's curse," she explained. "It died instead of me."

    Rather than ask anything further Chiaki simply nodded and went back to eating her pastry.

    Xander smiled and nodded at Cleone. "She's getting to be pretty good isn't she?"

    Cleone looked at him sideways. "True. But perhaps next time you can give her something other than plumbing parts to use."

    "What's wrong with plumbing parts?"

    The swan maiden sighed and shook her head.

    "Sarah," Lara Night asked as the waitress passed by her table again. "Did you do that? Amplify my senses like that?"

    "I don't know. Is that what happens when I bring you coffee?" Sarah asked innocently poured her some more coffee.

    "Uh-huh." Lara nodded. She looked at Sarah and smiled knowingly, but she said nothing more on the subject. "Thanks. For the coffee." She purposely emphasized the last word.

    "No problem, it's my job." Sarah replied smoothly. She briefly flashed a smile back and headed across the room to talk to Con.


---

    "So what kind of part will I be playing?" Violet announced quietly as she stopped by Con's table to talk to Sarah. "I've narrowed down who I'll imitate to two. I just need to pick one."

    "Practice both," Sarah replied. "If you have two characters in mind it will make the audition more interesting and less practiced."

    "Gotcha." Violet nodded.

    "So go on...let's see what you got," Sarah encouraged her.

    Violet looked around a bit before finding a broom behind the counter. She quickly pulled the broomstick free from the brush and straightened herself. She then glanced at Sarah sideways before sitting in a nearby booth perfectly upright, leaning the stick on the bench so it balanced perfectly against the wall. Finally she crossed her legs and leaned back confidently.

    "May I have some hot tea?" she asked Sarah in a softly accented voice, keeping eye contact the whole time, hardly blinking, and her hands flat on the table.

    "Ohhh...I know who that is," Sarah said with a smile. "Very good. What made you choose Chiaki?"

    "I like her," Violet replied with a sigh, slipping out of character and slouching again, and leaning her elbows on the table. "She's so serene. Just look at her...it's like watching a quiet pond. I wish I was more like that."

    "Nice motivation, too," Sarah complimented.

    "Thank you!" Violet excitedly replied. "Oh wait!" She changed her mind, and sat up perfectly straight again. "Thank you," she nearly whispered, and bowed slightly.

    Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "I think I can take a chance on you. If only the theater was finished."

    "Yeah, about that." Violet asked quietly, "What do I do in the mean time?"

    "Hmm." Sarah glanced at the counter, and then back to Violet. "I could put in a good word for you, see if Mr. Poppadopolis will give you a temporary job. Just for a few weeks."

    "A few weeks?" Violet asked, her voice sounding small. She didn't want to disappoint Sarah, though, and miss out on her big acting break. "I...guess I can do that."

    "Right then," Sarah agreed. "Wait here, I'll talk to Mr. Poppadopolis."

    Violet sighed and hung her head sadly as she leaned against the edge of the counter, watching Lara Night pass by on the way back from the restroom.

    "Don't look so down," Lara told her as she passed, "I'll be worth it."

    "Huh?" Violet asked, still sounding a little depressed.

    "Sarah always looks out for people who are down on their luck," she replied softly. "I mean, look around this place. A third of the tables...look at them, they couldn't afford a full meal. And guess who brings them in here?"

    Violet looked around as requested. Sarah's friends were all still there, but near the front of the shop there were a handful of scruffy-looking people she hadn't noticed before. She started to feel more hopeful at that sight. There was no way Sarah would purposely cheat her out of her dream. "Hey, thanks," Violet thanked Lara quietly.

    "No problem." Lara smiled and walked back over to her table to sit and finish reading her book.

    When Sarah returned and confirmed that Violet had the temporary job, Violet was smiling at the news. Sarah was cheerful for a reason, she understood, because she meant it. Violet new she had to be just as cheerful and positive. Besides, it wasn't like she was doing well to start. Anything would be an improvement.

    "Hey Sarah?" Violet prompted, trying to get Sarah's attention before she walked off to help someone else.

    "Yes?" Sarah replied, giving Violet her full attention in spite of the number of people demanding it. It was a wonder how she did that.

    "Everything's going to be okay, isn't it?" Violet asked quietly yet hopefully.

    Sarah nodded and smiled at Violet. "Absolutely."

-- 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 Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:11:46 pm EST	Subject Adventures In Parodyverse: Triumphant Part 4

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