Disclaimer: Congratulations. You've made it thus far. You must be proud. He he he…
Anyways, here it is. Enjoy!
Part 1
The door slammed shut behind her as she hurried out of the room. It was just one of those days. Though, with someone like Mimete around, it was ALWAYS one of those days. With that annoying little blonde in the same building, its to get anything done.
I'm ALWAYS getting plagued by questions from that little blonde airhead about what I'm doing, and why. It's enough to drive me insane! She bitched in her head Ha! Though people may argue that I went insane a long time ago. She chuckled and tossed one her long red ponytails over her shoulder where it belonged.
Just to make her shut-up and leave me alone I had to use bribery! She's like a puppy, no matter how much you hurt it; it will always come back for more. That was Mimete all over. Cute, bubbly and flamboyant. It was enough to make you gag. Why can't she be more like Tellu and hide away in a… hot house or something? Though who knows WHAT Tellu does in there. She's just lucky Blondie's too scared to go in and annoy HER instead! Some people have all the luck…Oh well, at least when I get back I can finally get it to leave me alone! I KNOW that my day can't get any worse. It'd be impossible!
Eudial walked out of the lab complex building and into the car park towards where she had parked her little white hatchback. She parked it in the same place all the time, so she never had to look for it because she just knew where it was. It was because of this that she didn't look at it. She was also too busy looking at the ground and bitching about Mimete. She opened the driver side door and slid inside, only sitting straight when she went to close the door. This is when something funny happened. She hit her head on the ceiling.
"MMMmmmbop!!!!!!!!!" she sang in time with the stereo, as she rifled through paper after paper on the cluttered desk. None of them made any sense to her at all! Just what IS it that she does anyway? Mimete thought as she pulled a frustrated hand through her shoulder blonde hair. Nobody told her anything! I've asked her a zillion and one times what she does. Hey, I do it everyday! She's so rude she doesn't even answer! What is her problem anyway? I'm just being friendly. …I wonder what Professor Tomoe is doing right now? Thinking about him she stopped rummaging through the papers on the desk and looked hopefully at the clock on the wall. Damn! It was only 1:23 in the afternoon. The Professor would be busy. Sighing, she looked at the computer. Eudial would kill her if she touched it. Well, she already had and there was nothing interesting on it. That was the first thing she had looked at after Eudial had literally run out of the room to go and buy her some… provisions. Just a few magazines, a couple of snacks, and a really nice shade of pink lipstick that she had had her eye on since this morning. Eudial was actually being nice to her for once by offering to buy her something so she could go away and… relax in her own office undisturbed. Though, for the life of her, she couldn't understand why she had cringed so much at the probable cost of the list. It wasn't going to cost that much! Well, the lipstick was a little expensive, but it was affordable!
Sighing, she sat down on the swivel chair and started turning circles on it. I wonder where Eudial keeps her magazines?
What the hell? She thought as she looked up at the roof of her car. It was… dented inwards. A lot. She sat there looking stupidly at it for a few minutes with her mouth hanging open. Then… her eyes blazed and her face contorted into something not unlike the look of something… possessed. She yanked open the door, stepped menacingly onto the ground and slamming the door shut again, she turned to survey the damage. For the second time that day, or in the last 3 minutes, her jaw dropped. There was a man lying on her car. He was on his back, half spread-eagled, his left side facing her. A man. A MAN FOR FUCK'S SAKE! She thought incredulously. Is he dead? Should I touch him? She did so, very tentatively on the side of his neck to check for a pulse. It was there, and as if she had been electrified, she jerked her hand away. What to do… she looked assessingly at him, noticing that he was tall and well built, with the proverbial bulging torso. His hair was a deep, beautiful crimson like hers and also like her, his skin was pale. He wore a brown leather top, which showed a good deal of his torso. His pants were green and over the top of them he had shiny black boots that went three quarters of the way up his calves. He had an earring through his ear, gold top and a jagged black crystal that glittered ominously in the light. It is kinda pretty she thought but I'd never wear anything like it. It suits him though. I wonder what he looks like? She reached out to his chin and turned his face toward her. He was gorgeous. She'd seen better, but damn was he gorgeous. But what was this curious mark on his brow? It looked like an upside down half moon, except it was black. Maybe it was a birthmark or a tattoo. It didn't matter right now.
She looked at the strange man and the car, then at the lab complex and back again. There was only one thing for it.
"Make it last forever…. Friendship never ends!!!!!!!!!!!!" she sang happily. She loved English pop songs. They were just so… catchy! She hadn't found any magazines but what she had found was very interesting. VERY interesting indeed! She was just lucky that Eudial would be gone for a while. The red head certainly WOULD kill her if she found her reading this.
"Ahhh!!!!" Eudial cried as she collapsed under the weight. He was heavier then he looked. But she'd be damned if she was going to leave him out here. Besides, she wanted compensation for her car. How DARE he land on it. Of all cars it had to be hers. Why?
She had grabbed his arms and pulled him down off the car, intending to half drag, half carry him to her lab. But unfortunately she hadn't expected him to just… fall on top of her! Now she'd have a monster bruise planted on her butt and that was all his fault as well. Okay, okay! So it wasn't impossible for my day to get worse and it could get worser still. Give me a break! I don't deserve this!
She pushed him off her and stood up. Sighing, she bent down and took his wrists. She'd just have to drag him to her lab.
It wasn't that hard. She had got him inside the building and was halfway to the elevator when she was intervened by one of her cohorts. It was a super smart woman by name of Villuy.
"New boyfriend?" she asked, obviously amused.
"Hardly" Eudial replied tartly.
"Wouldn't he come willingly?" she teased, twining some of her long white hair around a finger.
Eudial stood up straight and glared.
"Oh I see! You poor dear. Why…"
"Not in the mood Villuy" she interrupted "Now excuse me!" she snapped and dragged the man around the white haired woman and to the elevator. Villuy turned and smiled sweetly at her until the doors had closed and Eudial was out of sight.
What is it with everyone around here? Why do they always have to stick their noses in everyone's business! Now she was very annoyed and angrily punched in her floor number. It was several floors below ground level.
The elevator opened with a high pitched 'ping!' She grabbed hold of his wrists and dragged him down the hall, the remainder of the way to her lab/office. Reaching the door she was surprised to hear teenybopper shit coming from inside. Throwing the door wide she opened her mouth to tell Mimete to turn the bloody stereo off and was greeted with "I'll tell you what I want what I really really want, so tell me what you want what you really really want…"
Mimete was sitting in HER chair and reading HER plans!
"MIMETE!" she shouted, her anger beyond boiling point. The little blonde literally jumped out of her skin. Then realizing that she'd been sprung, jumped off the chair, put the plans behind her back and faced Eudial with a big grin. A REALLY big grin.
"Uh…. Hi Eudial!" she stammered in her unusually high voice.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" Eudial shrieked at her. If her red eyes had the power to fry things, Mimete would've evaporated the second she'd been spotted.
"I was reading!" she answered sheepishly.
"Reading what?" Eudial replied knowing full well what it was but wanting to know how much the little shit had learnt.
"Your gun plans…." Mimete mumbled, looking at the floor.
"I see. And I suppose that you've memorized most of it haven't you!" Eudial hissed.
"I… don't know anything at all!" she exclaimed.
"Good" she knew she was lying. She'd make her slip up. After all, Mimete was a ditz. "So, what do you think of the new assignment Kaorinite has given me?"
"You mean 'us!' The Witches 5! I think it's exciting! Though seriously, how do you expect to find the talismans with that gun? It just blasts the heart crystals out of their chests. How do you know they won't be damaged or something?" a second later, she realized her mistake and clapped a hand over her mouth.
That was too easy she thought. "Mimete, if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll kill you; very slowly. Got that?"
"…. Yes…"
"Good. Now SCRAM!"
"Eudial, you didn't get me anything did you?" she had to ask. She just couldn't help herself.
"No. Now go away! I'm busy."
"Ok. Fine!" Mimete said angrily and proceeded to walk out the door, caught sight of the unconscious form on the floor and stopped. Her eyes glazed, and a wide smile spread on her face and, taking a sharp breath she let loose with "Omigod! He's so cute! Who is he? What's he doing here? Um…Why is he unconscious?"
Yes… this has been a most… gratifying day she thought smugly as she stalked into the audience chamber, her now defunct fan hanging from her hand where it was accustomed; because she had forgotten to put it down somewhere. There were only two people in there. They seemed to be having a rather heated… argument. It stopped as soon as she stepped through the door. Both pairs of eyes turned to look at her. One set a deep, rich purple, the other a deep, dark blue. They belonged to the Princes Demando and Saffir. Demando, the ruler of Nemesis was very handsome and regal. His face was framed in beautiful silvery white hair that went halfway down his neck. Esmeraude loved it and wanted to run her fingers through the silky strands. He wouldn't have let her is she tried: not that she knew that, she was so vain. His face, right at this very moment looked very angry. He looked even less please when he saw she was alone.
Saffir was also very handsome. His face was framed in short, dark, dark blue hair. He betrayed no emotion at all. On both men's foreheads (and hers of course) was an upside down, black moon. The family symbol. Rubeus had had one too, as had those accursed sisters.
"Where's Rubeus?" Demando demanded.
Esmeraude stared at the floor and did her best to sound sad. "He…" she paused.
"He's what? Down in the infirmary lazing off? Don't tell me he was actually injured?" his voice was harsh and without pity.
"Prince Demando… the ship blew up before I got there," she said in a rush.
Ok. To say that both men were a little startled would be an understatement. Demando's head snapped up and stared at her averted face, unblinking. Saffir, who rarely betrayed any emotion at all, had widened his eye and opened his mouth for a second or two before going back to being expressionless. He had never liked Rubeus, but he was his cousin. And family meant a lot. He could literally feel his brother's temper reaching boiling point. And when Demando got angry, it was not very smart to be anywhere near him.
Demando moved over to Esmeraude, cupped her chin and raised her head so that she'd be forced to look into his eyes. Like a deer caught in headlights, she was trapped. Damn it all! Why do you have to make me look into your eyes? This is so unfair! Ok. I can get away with this; I've been in worse situations before…lie.
"You wouldn't lie to me Esmeraude, would you?" he asked silkily.
"O… of course not Prince Demando" she stammered slightly.
"Good. Now, what happened?" he demanded.
"As I said, the UFO blew up before I got there" to her credit, her voice was steady. She really hated lying to him, and it was a big effort, being just an inch away from him…
He knew she was lying. Saffir knew she was lying. Esmeraude knew she was lying. But what were they going to do? They wouldn't hurt her, she was family! And she was also a woman, which gave her another reason to feel that she was a little bit safe. He'd just yell at her for a bit and then everything would be all right.
Lying, scheming bitch Demando thought, concealing his anger behind his eyes. Oh well. Rubeus was dead, even though he wasn't supposed to be. What could be done now? It was too late. A death for a death wasn't the answer. She was lucky. This time.
He let go of her chin and stormed over to his throne, purple cape flying behind him.
"Leave us" he dismissed her.
"Thank you my Prince" she bowed, turned, and was halfway to the door when Saffir decided to open his mouth.
"What happened to your fan Esmeraude?" he asked, no emotion in his voice at all.
She froze. "My fan?" she squeaked. Thanks a lot you little rat!
"That's what I said."
Shit. What the hell can I say about that? Okay. I'm good at lying. I can make things up without making myself look stupid. I do it all the time! Deep breathe… here goes.
"Oh this!" she exclaimed and held it up for them to see.
They both just looked at her, waiting impatiently for her to finish.
"Well… it's…old;" she said after a brief pause.
"Old?" Demando questioned.
"Yeah. I…uh… had it a few years back. Something happened to it… obviously, and I kept it so that I could fix it up again later!" she said in a rush. "Anyway, I believe I was going?"
"Ah. Yes" he motioned for her to go again. "Oh, and Esmeraude, next time, don't do something I didn't order you to do"
She froze at the door.
"Or else!"
She made a little choking sound and left rather quickly.
Demando turned to stare at his younger brother. Saffir stared back.
"I would have been rather worried if you hadn't known she was lying Oniisan" Saffir said.
"She's a bad liar, a deaf man would have been able to tell"
Saffir would have snickered if he were petty. "Poor Rubeus. I didn't like him much but I will kinda miss him"
"As will i. He may have been many things, but he wasn't stupid. He knew how to handle those sisters; you can say that for him. Though he shouldn't have lied to me."
"Oh, you mean about him dumping them on Earth and saying they deserted us?"
"Yes. But I am glad they are gone. They had power, but they didn't wield it well enough. They didn't help our cause at all. We don't need weak and petty soldiers."
"Yes… Prince Demando" Saffir said this quietly. It was not missed by Demando.
"You still miss Petz?"
"When did I ever miss her?"
Demando smiled. "When did you not?" he paused. "She wasn't good enough for you Saffir."
"Of course not" Saffir replied nonchalantly.
The brothers were quiet for a while.
"Should we give him a funeral?" Saffir asked.
"You know he'd have hated that." Demando smiled, imagining the disgusted look on his cousins face as he saw all the flowers and sad faces around his memorial.
"Yes…" Saffir was smiling too "So we'll just leave it then?"
Demando nodded. Then grimaced. "You know what I'm going to have to do now."
Saffir looked up; knowing it could be any number of things. "What?"
"Let Esmeraude take his place" he sighed.
Saffir looked like he'd just swallowed a concoction of lemon juice and salt water. "Do you honestly think she'll do much better?"
"She's trained to do so" he stated.
"This will be rather amusing I suppose."
"Of course it will. Though, if she does stuff it up, I'm not sending anyone in there to pull her out. That will be her punishment for not saving Rubeus."
Saffir smiled.
After closing the door to her quarters, Esmeraude leaned against the wall and sighed.
How did he know? Duh! You're all brains today. Nobody lies to Demando and gets away with it!
Noticing she was still holding the defunct fan, she threw it across the room. It landed in the corner with a clatter. Why hadn't she remembered to dump it before seeing him?
She was startled when a black shape rose out of the floor just inches away from her.
"Oh! Wiseman!" She cried.
"Esmeraude" he said while waving his hands over a black, swirling, crystal ball. "Did you do what I asked?"
"Yes Wiseman" she chirped. "Now, am I taking over or not?"
"Of course child. Here…" a shard of black crystal appeared in her hands. "You will need some of these."
She frowned at the blandness of the shard. "Wiseman, they're so… bland! Couldn't they be, I dunno, jazzed up a bit?"
The Wiseman ceased waving his hands over his crystal ball. "What do you want?"
"How about making them statues of…me! They'd look great then." She stopped, noticing how he must be glaring at her. "Well, I've got to leave my mark!" she cried.
He sighed. "Very well" pointing a finger at the shard, a bolt of light shot out and enfolded itself around it. Then, the shape changed into a miniature version of Esmeraude, striking a pose with her fan held high in the air. " Talk to Saffir about getting more of these made. You'll need about eleven."
"Thank you Wiseman." She said.
He disappeared through the floor from whence he came.
She leaned back against the wall, clutching the statuette to her, and laughed. Oh THIS had been a VERY good day.
Was it too long? Sorry! Comments? Suggestions? Please send to Lucca@net-tech.com.au
Taa!