Los Angeles, California
It was Saturday night in L.A. and as usual the whole city was jumping. Like many clubs across the City of Angels the karaoke club known as Carasis was no exception. Lorne, the club's flamboyant demon owner, was hustling around chatting with the patrons and checking with the staff while a large purple Ginzalbu demon was up on stage starting into a rendition of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues." The fact that Ginzalbu demons have four mouths promised to make things interesting to say the least.
Since all seemed in order for the moment Lorne decided to take a short break. He plopped down the bar and nodded to the bartender. "I'll have a Bloody Mary, Bruce."
"Comin' up, boss," replied the bartender who quickly mixed the drink and sat it before the green-skinned demon in record time. Lorne gave a nod of thanks and took a sip. The drink was perfect. The god of demon nightclub owners (there actually was one) had certainly smiled on Lorne the day he'd hired Bruce.
"You fix a fast drink there, fella," said a sexy voice, suddenly. "Think you could whip me up a Blue Hawaii?"
"Sure thing, miss."
Wait a second…I know that voice, Lorne thought. He looked over to his right to see that Urd was now sitting in what a moment ago had been an empty seat.
The goddess then turned and flashed Lorne a smile that any number of Hollywood starlets and starlet wannabes would have killed for. "Heya, Lorne. Long time no see."
"Urd!" exclaimed the Host, happily. "I haven't seen you in an age. Where've you been hiding that pretty face and sweet voice of yours lately?"
"In the land where karaoke reigns supreme," replied the goddess as she took a sip of Blue Hawaii Bruce had just placed in front of her. "Namely, Japan."
"I know you really get around but that's a bit off the beaten path. And why have you been there so long? Don't tell me you couldn't find some time to come by and do a duet or two with your ol' pal Lorne."
"I really wish I could have," sighed Urd. "But Belldandy got herself into an…interesting situation over in Japan. Nothing bad mind you, but one where she just couldn't get by without the aid of her lovely and wise big sister. I went to help her out and…well, stuff happened and I ended up staying longer than I was planning to. Then Skuld showed up and…more things happened. So we're all staying with this guy in Japan for the time being. It's a quite life, but I kinda like it."
The Host arched his eyebrows. "Really? 'Quite' was never I word I associated with you, sweetie."
"Yeah, I always have been more of a 'Rock the Casaba' sort. But don't you worry, I still have my fun."
"I'm sure you do. But I don't need to hear you sing to tell that you've got something on your mind. Come on, pumpkin, tell ol' Lorne what's bothering you. That's what you came for, right?"
"I guess the answer to that would be yes and no," sighed Urd. "The problem is Mara, Lorne. I think she's finally crossed the line."
The Host frowned. "And that would be the 'she's done something so bad we're going to have to kill her this time' line, right?"
Urd nodded her head soberly.
Lorne heaved a sigh and took a deep sip from his drink. "Damn," he cursed after a few long, silent moments. "I really hoped Mara might be one of those demons who might choose to turn away from evil. She was a regular around here for a while just after this place opened. Whenever I'd read her as she sang I'd see this big gray area in her heart. I've never seen anything quite like that with any other demon that's ever set foot in here.
"On the other hand, when she was in here she was usually doing business with someone from Wolfram and Hart. They're into some very nasty stuff. I hate to say it, but if Mara was working with them maybe this was inevitable."
"I don't believe in the inevitable," snorted Urd. "It's too much like giving up. And who are Wolfram and Hart?"
Lorne cocked his head toward a table where a man and woman sat with a demon that looked like a humanoid puffer fish. The man and the demon where busy talking but the woman was taking a sip of her drink. As she did so she caught site of Urd looking at them. She gave the goddess a cold look before returning to her companions' conversation.
"Wolfram and Hart are a lawfirm that specialize in all things demonic. They're a real power in this town and quite a few demon dimensions. That's Lindsay McDonald and Lilah Morgan, two of their brightest up-and-comers. I recommend staying out of their way. Mara's not the only powerful friend they have."
"Who's the sushi bar reject with them?"
Lorne shrugged. "I haven't had the chance to meet the fugu fellow yet. Though when I wandered past their table a few minutes ago I heard him say something about wanting to sing 'Caribbean Queen' later."
"The Almighty save me from bad 80s music and polkas," grumbled Urd.
"You and me both, kitten," nodded the Host. "I wish I knew something about Mara that could help avoid this, Urd, I really do. But I got nada for you."
"I figured as much. I do know that Mara's in a town by the name of Sunnydale about two hours north of here. Have you heard anything about that place lately?"
Lorne allowed himself a chuckle. "The day I don't hear something about Sunnydale in this place I'll take out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times. What with that Hellmouth and all, Sunnydale is to demons what Ft. Lauderdale is college students."
Urd took a long sip from her drink. "I've been to Ft. Lauderdale a few times. Honestly, I think the city would be better off with demons. They're far less prone to puking in public."
"True enough. Though now that you've brought up Sunnydale…"
"Yeah?"
Lorne frowned and gave Urd a serious look. "I've heard in the last few days from some folks that someone powerful set up shop in Sunnydale recently and that they're planning something really big and nasty."
"Mara?" quizzed Urd.
"It's possible," shrugged Lorne. "But whoever it is, they're someone to watch out for."
The Host looked at his drink more a minute and then back at the goddess. "This situation with Mara…you're certain it's really that bad?"
Urd's eyes fell to the bar and her face became still. "Yeah, it's really that bad," she said softly.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No. But I think you'll understand as soon as you read me. Speaking of which…" The goddess then downed her drink in one long gulp. Lorne looked on with a mix of worry and mild surprise.
Once she was finished Urd stood and stretched. "That's better," she said, a bit of cheer now firmly back in her voice. "Angst isn't my style and I've had enough of it for one day. Now it's time to sing."
"That's the spirit, kiwi," encouraged Lorne as he stood. "I know things look bad now but I'm sure you'll find a way to pull through. You've always had that knack about you."
"True. Here's hoping it still holds," smiled the goddess. "I'm gonna need it."
"Our large purple friend up on stage seems to be finishing up so let me go up and introduce you."
"Lead the way, maestro."
With that, the demon and the goddess headed to the stage.
The Ginzalbu demon was all grins, four of them, as he climbed off the stage. Lorne gave him a polite nod before hopping up on stage himself with Urd just a few steps behind.
"All right, let's give it up for Ewer of the Skullsmasher tribe!" said the Host. "That little ditty almost had me shouting, 'Shane! Shane! Come back, Shane!'"
Several people in the audience who were fans of westerns clapped and whistled.
"Everyone, you're all in for a treat tonight," continued Lorne. "An very dear and very talented friend of mine is here tonight to make her return to the stage of Carasis after far too long. Some of you long-time regulars are sure to remember this lovely little songbird. So without further adieu I give you, from the Golden Realm of Asgard, eldest of the Norns and goddess of the Past, the one and only Urd!"
Several of Carasis' regulars did recognize Urd and let out enthusiastic cheers. A good number of the clubs other patrons had heard of the goddess by reputation. They gave polite applause and began whispering amongst themselves as to what the presence of one of the Norns could mean. While they chose not to say anything Lindsay McDonald and Lilah Morgan also clapped as they exchanged slightly worried glances.
"Hey, do they have cocktail weenies here?" asked their fish-like companion. "I just love cocktail weenies! Oh, and can I get another Zima?"
The pair managed to avoid rolling their eyes before Lindsay signaled a waiter.
Urd took the microphone from Lorne and quickly whispered her choice of song in his ear. The green-skinned demon smiled, nodded and headed off stage.
Urd then stepped into the spotlight and gave the audience a dazzling smile. "Hello, everyone. It's great to be back at Carasis! Since this is my first time here in a while I've decided to sing a song that's been a favorite of mine since the early 60s when I spent one very crazy weekend in Las Vegas with the Rat Pack. Whatever dimension or plane of existence you're from I'm sure you know this tune. It's "Fly Me to the Moon" by Mr. Entertainment himself and a favorite drinking buddy of yours truly, Mr. Frank Sinatra!"
As Urd finished her words the first notes of the song began and the Sinatra fans in the crowd cheered heartily. The goddess smiled again and began to sing.
Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars
And let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand!
In other words, darling, kiss me.
Fill my heart with song,
and let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true!
In other words, I love you!
Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars
And let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand!
In other words, darling, kiss me.
Fill my heart with song,
and let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true!
In other words, I love you!
As the final notes of the song faded a roar of applause came from the audience. Even Lindsay, Lilah and their fish-like client were appaulding with genuine enthusiasm.
"Too bad the Norns are good aligned deities," said Lindsay to his co-worker. "Otherwise the boys down in the entertainment division would be knifing each other in the back to sign her."
"The entertainment division fellows do love their sharp objects," sighed Lilah. "We're still a little short on staff down there due to all the disemboweling that happened last month when we were getting that boy band from Orlando to sign with us. I'm all for the occasional decapitation or whatever to move up the corporate ladder, but the entertainment division guys really need to learn some restraint. We've had to replace the carpet down there due to massive bloodstains twice this year."
"Ain't Hollywood a bitch?" smirked Lindsey.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," grinned Lilah in reply.
"You know, give her some scales, fins, maybe a tail…that girl wouldn't be too bad lookin'," said the demon as he shoved a claw full of cocktail weenies into his mouth.
The two attorneys gave each other weary looks.
Once the clapping was done Urd gave a bow, put the microphone back in its stand and headed off stage where Lorne was waiting. "That was stupendous, sweetie. Frankie himself would be proud."
"Thanks, Lorne," said Urd. "So, what have you got for me?"
At that the Host frowned. "Not as much as you'd like, I'm sure. All I can really tell you is that the tough stuff you're going through right now…It ain't over yet. Not by a longshot. This thing between you and Mara is going to come to a head real soon. But how it's going to end I haven't got a clue. The ol' magic eight ball is coming up hazy on that one."
"Damn," grumbled Urd as her eyes fell sadly to the floor. "I was hoping for better news than that."
Lorne placed a comforting hand on the goddess' should. "Me too, muffin. Me too."
Urd ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. "Well, at least things will be over soon between Mara and me. One way or another."
"I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news but there's something else," said Lorne. "It's vague. But I'm getting the sense that there's something big going on behind the scenes of all this stuff that's happening in Sunnydale. Who, what or how I don't know. All I can say for certain is that there's more going on than meets the eye."
"Well, that does at least confirm some of the weird vibes my sisters and I have been feeling since we arrived in Sunnydale and what you told me earlier," replied Urd. "Mara's been smarter and more sadistic than I've ever seen her. If she's working for some big nasty or worse, being manipulated by one, then that would explain a lot."
"Do you think you might be able to find, you know, a less fatal way to deal with Mara now?" asked Lorne, earnestly.
"I hope so. But whatever the case, if Mara's become a threat to the whole world then we'll have no choice. Belldandy, Skuld and I have already made a holy vow to kill Mara if we have to. No matter what I'll keep that vow."
Urd closed her eyes, frowned and rubbed her forehead for a moment. "I'm a goddess and she's a demon. A long time ago that really didn't matter. Now it's the only thing that does matter."
Lorne stepped forward and gave the goddess a hug. After a moment Urd returned it. "Don't give up on Mara just yet, kiddo. I think there's more good in her than she'd ever admit to herself. But if it comes down to it…"
Urd broke the hug and quickly wiped two tears from her eyes. "I'll do what I must," said the goddess, resolve clear in her voice. "I don't like playing the warrior as much as I used to in the old days, but I still know how to do what I have to do it win in a fight. No more tears. This thing between me and Mara ends tonight!"
"I can't think of much else to say in a situation liked this except say good luck," responded Lorne. "Whatever happens I know you'll do the right thing."
"Thanks, Lorne. I'd better get back to Sunnydale. It's time to end this thing." Urd blew her friend a kiss before vanishing.
"Godspeed, kitten," sighed the Host.
It was then that Lorne noticed that the fish-like demon was standing on stage fidgeting a bit. The club owner quickly dashed to the stage and had a quick, whispered conversation with the other demon. He then scooped up the microphone and smiled at the audience. "Sorry for the delay, folks. You know how it can be when you're talking with an old friend. Anyway, up next we have Owcari from the Demon Sea of Idyru'mak. Tonight he's going take us back to the golden age of pastel shirts, the 1980s, with the tropic sounds of Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen." Let's give it up for him!"
Lorne then passed then mic and skittered off stage.
"So, yeah," began Owcari as he looked out over the audience. "Can I get a shout out from everyone in the crowd who's from one of the Cursed Ocean realms? Come on, I know your out there!"
The only respondent was octopus-like creature sitting at a back table who raised three tentacles and gave a short, embarrassed "Wahoo."
Any further monologue the demon might have had was cut off by the music starting. This was a somewhat mixed blessing since Owcari's singing voice sounded a lot like broken glass being put into a blender. Many in the crowd openly groaned and covered their ears. Those that had ears and appendages to cover them with anyway.
Lindsay and Lilah, however, were smiling and clapping along though their efforts were clearly forced.
"Where did we find this idiot?" whispered Lindsay.
"No clue," shrugged Lilah. "But Holland said to take him out on the town and treat him like royalty. So that's what we'll do because otherwise the senior partners will have our souls roasting over an open fire by dawn. And that's if they're feeling merciful. Which would be a first for them."
Lindsay could only sigh. "You know, Lilah, days like this I really hate my job."
Lilah cast a wary look around the room before turning back to her co-worker and giving a small nod. "Yeah, days like this, so do I."
Nobody ever said being evil was easy.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Hey, people. As usual it's bit far too long since updates. But I've been living overseas the last few months so fanfic pretty much had to go on the backburner. I've actually had this bit above lying around for a while. I kept promising myself I'd add more to it before I posted it, but in addition to all the new pressures that came with going abroad I found I just haven't been in the mood to write of late. So I figured I'd put this up to show the readers that I am indeed still alive. I'll be returning to the US soon so once that's done hopefully my productivity will pick back up.
Anyway, now onto the Easter eggs.
I bet a lot of you were surprised to see Lorne turn up. It was never said just how long he'd been in L.A. before were met him, so I figured there was no reason Lorne couldn't have been around running his club while Angel was still in Sunnydale. After all, in the Buffy timeline he's due to leave for LA in a few months. Thought it will be a year after that before he meets Lorne for this first time.
So with that in mind I decided to take this as a chance to play with some of the characters from the Angel TV show. Lindsay and Lilah are of course important characters in Angel's life. So I wanted to play with them a bit. Especially Lindsay. I always liked his character and his recent return to the show was actually what finally convinced me to post this little snippet.
I wish there were a way to work characters like Gunn, Wes, Fred, Conner and Eve into this story. But with those characters being were they are at this point in time that's just not workable. But hey, I got you Lorne, didn't I? Everyone loves Lorne!
I actually met Andy Halett who plays Lorne once at Comic Con International in San Diego back in 2001. I even go to hear him sing. Let me tell you, Andy is Lorne. Their personalities are pretty much one and the same. Andy signed a picture for me with the words "Keep on singing!" Needless to say, as an Angel fan that picture means a lot to me.
Lorne having a history with both Urd and Mara just seemed like a natural fit to me. I like to think of Urd as a sort of "eternal party girl." My vision of Urd is that if you look at history close enough you'll see that wherever and whenever something cool and fun was happening Urd was there in the background somewhere. Hence my references to Urd knowing The Beatles and Frank Sinatara. So given its atmosphere Carasis seems like just the sort of place Urd would love and Lorne just the sort of person Urd would have as a friend.
Yeah, I always have been more of a 'Rock the Casaba' sort.
"Rock the Casaba" is a song by the wildly influential British punk band The Clash.
I really hoped Mara might be one of those demons who might choose to turn away from evil. She was a regular around here for a while just after this place opened. Whenever I'd read her as she sang I'd see this big gray area in her heart. I've never seen anything quite like that with any other demon that's ever set foot in here.
Strange as it may sound, I don't consider Brimstone Raising to be a crossover at its core. At heart, BR is a story about Urd and Mara that just happens to have Skuld, Belldandy and the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in it. That whole best friend/enemy dynamic Urd and Mara have going on is part of what makes them my favorite OGM characters.
Taking that situation and pushing it to the extreme is, in a way, what this story is about. As I've said before, part of the fun of this story was ratcheting Mara up to the level of a Buffy Big Bad. The counterpoint to that is Urd having to take up some of the aspects of her duties as a goddess she may not like, but will follow none the less. It's that sort of tension that makes for good storytelling IMO.
The Almighty save me from bad 80s music and polkas," grumbled Urd.
Fans of the OMG manga will know that polkas cause Urd to immediately fall asleep if she hears one. Mara, amusingly, suffers from a similar problem in that she starts to dance if she hears disco music.
"That little ditty almost had me shouting, 'Shane! Shane! Come back, Shane!'"
Lorne is referencing the classic cowboy movie Shane.
As I said earlier in my notes, "Fly Me to the Moon" was one of Sinata's biggest hits, the end song to my favorite anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the song Urd sang when she first arrived in L.A. several chapters ago.
I had a heck of a time picking what song Urd would sing. It was actually going to be Madonna's "Like a Prayer" for a while. Urd and Madonna seem like a natural combo to me. But I thought it over and "Fly Me to the Moon" just seemed to work better in terms of continuity with what had come before so I went with that.
"The entertainment division fellows do love their sharp objects," sighed Lilah. "We're still a little short on staff down there due to all the disemboweling that happened last month when we were getting that boy band from Orlando to sign with us.
Writing about the corporate culture of W&H was more fun than I ever thought it could be. Originally, Lindsay wasn't going to be in the story (I thought to add him later) and Lilah was just going to have a cameo and no lines. But as I was writing I found myself wanting to write those two, even if it was just a little bit. Things just sort of snowballed from there.
I'll let you be the judge of who that boy band from Orlando might be. ;)
I'm all for the occasional decapitation or whatever to move up the corporate ladder, but the entertainment division guys really need to learn some restraint.
No, Lilah isn't afraid to make heads roll. As a certain W&H bigshot found out the hard way in an episode of Angel.
Owcari originally wasn't even going to have a name in the story. Never mind lines and a little scene all to himself. But I wanted to play some of the demon subculture stuff that we see a lot of on Angel. Plus, it gave me the chance to kinda let my imagination run wild and come with cool sounding names like the Cursed Ocean realms and such. Oh, and Owcari's love of cocktail weenies was a trait I lifted from Homer Simpson. That, combined with a fondness for Zima, seemed to be perfect for creating a dork of demon who would suck at karaoke.
That's all for now folks. As I said, once I get back to America I expect my productivity to pick up so stay tuned.