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Post By Anime Jason Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 09:05:21 pm EDT |
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Adventures In Parodyverse: Burning Down the House Part 3 (UT#286-287 tie-in) | |
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Burning Down The House Part 3 (UT#286-287 tie-in) "What's sex?" Lara Night turned around at the sound of the small voice behind her. It was a child, not a teenager who asked that question. A little girl she had to search her recent memory to find the name of...Maggie. Short for Magweed, formerly Naari. Visionary hadn't stopped talking about her since he returned home. "Excuse me?" Lara attempted, hoping she heard wrong. "Dream told us to ask you," Maggie kept trying. When she said 'us' her brother Griffin came out of hiding around the doorway. "He said you're an expert." Naturally, Lara couldn't help but heavily blush at that implication. "He said that?" "Mmmhmm." Maggie nodded, and as she did Griffin nodded a little too. She bit her lip and sat down on the couch in the Library, looking into the fireplace. "I...don't think Visionary wants me to tell you about those things at your age." Maggie looked at Griffin and nodded. "We'll go ask Visionary if you can tell us all about sex." Lara couldn't help but worry at that point. The last thing the Lair Legion needed was for Visionary to have another heart attack. "Wait, wait. I'll tell you what I can, okay? But you have to promise to accept it and never to mention it to Visionary." Maggie nodded again. "The only reason I'm telling you this," Lara said, "is because sooner or later you'll be exposed to some really warped stuff...especially if you talk to Flapjack...and it's best if you know what's realistic and what isn't." "Is this like Visionary telling us about two people who love each other and then pointing out the window and saying 'look, it's an airplane' and running away?" Griffin asked. "No, nothing like that. The trees out the window would block the view, and it would be too obvious." she joked with a smile. But then she turned serious as she said, "You don't have to be married for sex. You don't even have to be in love. But if you're smart, you should trust the person first." "Why?" Maggie asked. "Because it's both less scary and more scary than everyone will ever tell you. When you get older you'll realize that it's easy...too easy, in fact. But you have to remember that it's a choice that can change your life till the day you die. So if you're going to make a decision like that it should be with someone you trust totally." "Do you trust Dream?" Maggie asked. Lara nodded. "I do. We're pretty good friends, and we try to be careful. I trust him to do that, and I know if something goes wrong I can trust him to stand by me and help me out." She smiled as she added, "I trust him even though he put me up to this on purpose." "Thank you Lara." Maggie nodded. "We'll go now." "Okay." Lara nodded in return. "Hopefully next time you'll have an easier question for me." Maggie laughed a little as she followed Griffin out into the hallway. "Nice job." Dream strolled into the Library and sat next to Lara, hugging her gently. "I thought I'd test you a little. Kids can always sense bullshit and I wanted to see if you'd figure that out. Visionary never did, the poor bastard." Lara laughed at that, exposing her perfect teeth as she did. "That was cruel, though, making me explain it so Visionary doesn't end up in the infirmary again. I really like you Dream, but if you ever do that again I'll hurt you." "That a promise?" he asked. He mouthed 'ow' and rubbed his shoulder after Lara punched him there hard. "Okay, okay, I get the point. I have to get back to work anyway. The situation board's lit up like a christmas tree only no tree in the world has that many leaves, and it's just me and Hatty--" "When was the last time you got some sleep?" Lara interrupted him, sounding concerned suddenly. "I mean...you can get hurt more easily if you don't get sleep." "No time for sleep," he replied quickly. "Besides, I couldn't sleep anyway. I'm on an all-caffiene diet, there's too much going on, and I hate sleeping alone." That last part was spoken so quickly yet Lara caught it anyway. There was a moment of somber silence as she thought about it. "I'd keep you company," she offered with a shrug. "You've got to sleep, even if it's just for a few hours or your brain will just shut down eventually. It'll be like you're always drunk, and that's dangerous in this line of work." "I haven't had sex in a while either," he noted quickly with his trademark sly grin, only a bit more tired than usual. Lara couldn't help but giggle at first. But then her smile disappeared, and she looked directly into his eyes. "You know, that'd probably be fun. But I want you to really think about if you want it, Dream. So many things in your life changed since the last time we did that. So sleep first, okay? Then think about it, and we'll see when you wake up." Dream put one arm across her shoulders. "You're as smart as you are sexy," he said. He then suddenly had an occurring thought. "Hey, who's going to take over for me while I'm asleep?" "Oh, I'll make sure that's taken care of." --- Hatman walked into the situation room at the Lair Mansion, looking around the room slowly. His eyes quickly inventoried everyone present. He had to speak quickly because they had to be dispatched back out to solve urgent problems all over the globe. He froze and looked over the group a second time as he began passing out briefings for the next round of assignments. It felt like someone had been secretly replaced. He thought for a moment and realized there were no insanely bright colors in the room. "Where is Dream?" "He's catching up on some sleep," his replacement, the Psychic Samurai replied in a calm yet assured tone. "He should be back in a few hours." "And you're going to take his place?" Hatman frowned at that prospect. Chiaki looked at him with her dark, yet serene and patient eyes. "Are you implying I'm unable to handle it?" He stared at her for a moment, and then sighed. "No. No, that's not it. It's just that...I can't accept responsibility for--" "Stop protecting me," Chiaki ordered, only with no malice whatsoever. "Please give me Dream's assignment." It was always difficult for Hatman to say no to Chiaki. By the time he thought of an objection he already handed her the briefing, and she rose to head out. "Chiaki," Hatman called after her as everyone began shuffling out of the room, wearily heading to their next assignments. She stopped when she noted that he was uneasy, his body language turning apologetic. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm just dealing with a lot. I have every confidence in you." "Thank you." Chiaki bowed slightly in thanks. She squinted at him then, and asked the one question she had in mind since Hatman first arrived. "What happened to your hair?" He shrugged. "I need full power to fight the Parody Master, and I thought if I shaved my head--" "Can I touch?" she asked. He took off his hat and allowed Chiaki to gently run her fingers over the top of his head. She was standing on her toes to see better. She couldn't help but grin afterward. "You poor thing, you've had so little sleep." "This isn't because I'm tired," Jay tried to correct her. He lowered his voice to a near whisper to add, "I really thought this through." His shoulders slumped and his voice weakened as he added, "At least I think I did." "It feels nice to rub your head," Chiaki said with a heartwarming smile. "Thanks, Chiaki." He smiled at her attempt to try and make him feel better. With that she bowed again and quietly headed out. --- "Did you shave your head?" Liu Xi asked Jay as he walked into his office. She was there waiting for him, sitting behind his desk. "You're odd," she summarized with an amused shake of her head. "I'm hoping it makes my hats more effective," he explained yet again. "Oh." Liu Xi's smile disappeared. "That may work," she admitted. "Really?" Jay sounded surprised at her reply. "You're the first person who said that." "Did you talk to Lara?" she asked. "No. Why?" "Because she understands electricity," Liu Xi explained. "The better contact you have in a connection the better signal you have." Jay was taken aback again, but he smiled as he stared at her. "What? You didn't think I knew stuff? I watch Discovery while I'm in my tower room." "No, no it's just that. You...pick some odd times to impress me," Jay admitted as he approached his chair. Liu Xi quickly vacated the seat to make room for him, and she sat on the desk instead. "I can't say it makes you look better," Liu Xi said with a smile. "I liked you better with hair." "People are making huge sacrifices so we can win this war, Liu Xi," Jay told her, holding one of her hands as he did. "A shaved head is a small price to pay. A very small price." "I understand." Liu Xi frowned and nodded. She lowered her head as she added, "I wish I could do more. I know I am supposed to be hiding...but I feel so guilty." "You'll have your chance," Jay said. "I have a feeling before this is all over you'll do something extraordinary. And meanwhile...you do an excellent job helping to keep us together." He looked away seeming a little nervous as he added, "And helping me keep it together too." "Aww, Jay." Liu Xi slid off the desk and leaned over to hug him gently. "I can't let you carry the whole world alone." She stood behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. "It feels like you have been carrying the world," she noted, referring to the stiffness of his shoulders. "Have you been sleeping?" "Off and on," he whispered, his eyes closing to the relaxation of the shoulder rub. "A few hours here and there." "Good," Liu Xi replied. She looked at him seriously. "I can help, you know. With things you do here, hand out assignments and made decisions." "I know, but everyone expects me to do it," Jay explained with a sigh. "I'm the leader. It's my job." "People are making huge sacrifices," Liu Xi repeated Jay's earlier line, smiling slyly as she did. Jay couldn't help but smile at that. "There is already a system in place for others to do some of my work if I'm too busy," he said. "I really appreciate the offer, though. Maybe I'll find some way you can help out." Liu Xi smiled briefly. "I would be thankful," she whispered. TO BE CONTINUED? -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2006 by Jason Froikin, and may not be -- reprinted without permission. -- Liu Xi Xian, Yuki Shiro, Lara Night, Chiaki Bushido (Psychic Samurai) (C) 2006 by Jason Froikin, all rights reserved -- All other characters property of their respective owners |
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