disclaimer: Ocifer, I swears I don't own any legal rightsh to Soul Calibur 2. That'sh all belonging to Namco and, and… I love you, man! blearghhhh!
Put down your pitchforks and douse your torches, 'cause here comes another Illusory Studios production (co-sponsored by Prozac and Zoloft)!
CHAPTER 5: OOOH! DE-NIED!
Soul Edge clattered to the ground, pink bendy straw falling limply atop its tendrils.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on." Talim said meekly, voice quivering. Her eyes were moist with tears she constantly sniffled back.
"You, you don't…" Nightmare stammered with the wide-eyed look every man gets when the Kneecap of Rejection hits them in that most tender place.
"I just did it to make Xianghua mad. I'm sorry."
Nightmare fell to his knees, gently wrapping his claws around Soul Edge. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. A dark and oppressive aura of rejection sank in around the knight as the pain of Talim's words stabbed dull, rusty knives of fire into his shattered heart.
"I… I see." Nightmare said, subdued. He slowly lifted himself up off his knees, dragging Soul Edge behind him as he trudged slowly out the doorway. All of Taki's pokes and prods and all of Ivy's biting insults were dulled and silenced by depression. Xianghua shoved a chair between the room and the sullen swordsman, grinning broadly.
"All right, Talim! Went a bit easy on him, but yay!" Xianghua cheered. Talim shuddered and wrapped her arms around her body, kneeling down to the floor. Slowly, she reached out and picked up the discarded bendy straw. Talim clutched the straw against her breast, head bowed, eyes closed. Delicate tears seeped out between her lashes and fell softly onto her arms. The other three gathered around Talim. Taki slipped an arm around the girl's delicate shoulders and shifted her head to look Talim in the eye.
"You really fell for him, didn't you?" Taki asked, concerned.
"Y-yes." Talim sniffled. Taki gave her a tight hug (despite her gratuitous rack) and released, smiling warmly.
"Don't worry! We'll find someone who'll make you forget all about him!" Taki consoled as she patted Talim on the back. Talim's eyes flew open and burned with rage. She exploded away from Taki and raised her elbow blades in an offensive stance.
"I'm sick of this! You all think you're doing me a favor, but you're not!" Talim screamed. Ivy took a step forward. Talim swung her weapons threateningly and glared at Ivy.
"Talim, calm down. You're not thinking straight."
"I'm thinking perfectly straight!"
"If you go with Nightmare, I promise you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Ivy said.
"No! The only thing I regret is letter you three try and run my life!"
"Hey, hey, it's not our fault or anything. Just take a deep breath, count to ten and you'll feel much better." Xianghua advised. Talim only got angrier.
"NO! You know what, you can all just… just… just go to hell!" Talim yelled furiously. She ran for the remains of the door, hacked the chair before her to bits and ran out, leaving her former friends in shock.
Ivy spoke first.
"Did she just swear?"
"Why, yes." Taki answered.
The trio beamed and cheered.
"Talim's first swear word!"
biddly-doo!
Yoshimitsu guided his camel full-speed toward the town. The cave-dwelling mentor sat behind him and Voldo rolled and tumbled along beside the camel, hissing happily.
"Hisss sss-s-sss, hiss hiss hiss ss ss!" (Tumblin' along, with the tumbling tumbleweed!)
biddly-doo!
Raphael escorted Seung Mina into the tavern, opening the batwing door for her and pulling out a chair to seat her. Every girl in the bar became horribly jealous. Sorel called the barkeep over and pulled out a small, draw-string bag.
"What would you like, Mina?" he asked politely and flirtatiously.
"Tequila with lime, just like before." Mina answered, leaning forward on the table to enhance her cleavage. Raphael paused, unable to remember what he wanted to drink.
"Uh, a, uh, send a, uhm, I'll have what she's having." he managed to say. The barkeep left to mix their drinks. Mina sat back and lightly kicked Sorel's shin under the table. His eyes snapped up to meet her's.
"Oh, come on, it's not like you haven't seen them before." Mina said.
"It's not that, Mina."
"You miss them, don't you?"
"Not as much as I missed you." Raphael confessed, leaning forward across the table. Mina mimicked him, waiting for that perfect moment.
"Settle down, French Fry." Mina said, raising the blade of her naginata against Sorel's neck. He backed off and planted himself firmly in his seat. Mina lowered her weapon and leaned back in her chair. The barkeep returned with their drinks and accepted the coins Sorel gave him.
"So, what brings you here, Mina?"
"Nothing much, really."
"Did you miss me?"
"You wish."
"Must you dash my hopes so readily, so easily?"
"It's half the fun."
The pair sat in silence, sipping their tequilas. Despite several attempts on Raphael's part, a rousing game of footsie never ensued.
A terrible racket drew all eyes to the back of the bar. Raphael leaned to the side to get a better look.
"Talim?" he asked himself, watching the small girl dash for the door, dripping with tears. Raphael stood and made a move to leave when Mina grabbed his arm.
"Where are you going?" she asked sternly.
"The poor girl needs help." Raphael replied, still focused on the door.
"Oh, now you're a noble, stand-up, knight in shining armor, eh?" Mina scowled.
"We'll talk about that later, Mina." Sorel tore himself away from the feisty flirt and dashed off to Talim's rescue.
biddly-doo!
"You're kidding!" Yoshimitsu wailed.
"Hiss?" (You mean, we brought Kilik all the way here for nothing?"
"Sorry, but a guy in armor with really long hair and a big sword just left. Went that-a-way, he did." the town guard said, pointing towards the desert.
"That, oh, aarrrgh!" Yoshi seethed as he mounted his camel, pulled Kilik back on and began to haul it to the desert with Voldo rolling along behind them.
biddly-doo!
Talim staggered sorrowfully down the dusty and sun-baked streets. Her eyes were blind with tears, pink straw clutched tightly in her hands. The poor girl tripped over a pothole and went down, sprawled out on the ground. Dust puffed around her, dirt filled her mouth. Talim's hands released the bendy straw.
"I give up. I just give up." Talim whimpered. She went limp and sobbed into the ground.
"There, there, Talim. You'll be all right." a familiar voice comforted. Talim sniffled and turned her dusty head to the side, coughing out some dirt.
"R-Raphael?" she stammered, still recovering her air. Sorel's blue eyes lit up as he smiled warmly and picked the little girl up. He gently wiped away Talim's tears and held her hand. Talim threw herself against the fencer, burying her face in his silky shirt and lean, strong chest. Tears stained the lush red and crème fabric. She wrapped her arms around Raphael's neck and wove her sad thoughts into words.
"I th-thought I loved him, b-but I just hurt him and he left and I don't think I'll ever see him again." Talim sobbed. Raphael slipped his arms around the slim girl and held her close, lowering his head to rest lightly upon her's.
"There, there, it's okay. Just let it all out, I'm here for you."
"And my friends, well, I thought they were my friends, they weren't being nice. All they did was hurt me. Didn't care about what I wanted!"
"I care."
"R-really?"
"Really really."
"I just wanna go home."
"I'll walk you there, your very own escort."
"Thank you."
biddly-doo!
Seung Mina glared harshly at Raphael and Talim.
"That dirty, cheating, sleazy, manipulative pile of rotted cheese. He's only helping her because he wants a slice of virgin pie." Mina seethed. She clutched Scarlet Thunder and stormed out of town, heading away from French and Lil' Miss Virgin.
She was heading for the desert. Evil thoughts danced in her mind as she tailed the camel tracks and the line Voldo had carved in the sand. When Mina had left the town well behind, she let fly with a villainous cackle.
"Ahahahahaa! If he wants it so badly, I'll give it to him! Ha-haaah!"
biddly-doo!
Kilik's ears pricked. He clasped Yoshi's shoulder.
"What?" Yoshi asked, glancing back briefly.
"I sense a disturbance in the Force." Kilik answered calmly.
"A what in the huh?" queried the magic ninja.
"Hiss sss iss!" (Something ain't right.)
"Oh."
Kilik closed his eyes and slipped into a more meditative expression.
"It feels as though a great wound has opened, a tear in the delicate fabric of the soul with a malevolent hand resting over it, poised with a salt shaker." Kilik said, voice somewhat distant. Yoshi had, as usual, a few questions to ask.
"Eh?"
Okay, he just had one question, but what a question it was!
"Hisss." (Someone just broke up, got pissed and is out for revenge.)
"Again, oh."
"Sss." (Sheesh.)
biddly-doo!
Nightmare trudged drearily into the darkness of the desert cave. The dim, dark cavern was a sharp contrast to Talim's bright and cheery eyes, cold and rough stone the antithesis to her warm, soft skin.
"This sucks." Nightmare lamented. Soul Edge sighed and twittered its tendrils.
:Yeah.:
Nightmare slunk back into the dank, black depths of the cavern-tomb, feeling the warmth of Talim slipping away and being replaced by the chill of loneliness.
:And the cave.:
"Yeah, that too."
disclaimer part deux: I don't own Prozac or Zoloft. Just thought it'd be funny for the intro. Was it funny? I thought it was funny. LAUGH YOU BASARDS!
smack!
p.s.- SUPER COOL HAPPY SPECIAL FUN OFFER! Visit my profile to receive instructions on joining an online group (it's free, private and voluntary) that will deliver news on all SC2: WMM updates and other niceties. VIEW THE PROFILE!