Adventures in Parodyverse:  Falling On Hard Times, Part 7


    Lara Night had changed into more casual clothing - a white long sleeved shirt and jeans.  As much as she liked the dress she was wearing earlier, and even enjoyed the attention it brought just a little bit, she was home alone now and wanted to be more comfortable.  She wore socks, but no shoes, reflecting her desire to stay in for the remainder of the night.

    She dove onto the couch, dragging a small blanket with her, and picked up the remote as she lay on her side.  Nearly as soon as she turned on the television, the door opened.  She raised her head to see who came in.

    Jay Boaz walked in looking like he was lost in a daze.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hey.”  Lara greeted him happily from the couch.  “So when does the Lair Legion resume operations in the Lair Mansion?”

    There was no answer.  That prompted her to sit up entirely and look at him more closely.  He wore a blank but vaguely sad expression as he looked mindlessly into the fridge.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What’s wrong?”  she asked as she watched him.  “Did the date go bad?”

    Finally, he spoke.  “No.”  he said.  “I...couldn’t...I couldn’t talk to her.  I let her walk away.  I spent the last few hours walking around the city feeling--”  He looked at Lara’s shocked expression, and said, “Go ahead, let me have it.  I deserve it.  You bought me a chance, and I blew it.”

    Lara shook her head slowly.  She wasn’t angry, she was sad for him, and she couldn’t bear to be angry.  “Why?  Why couldn’t you talk to her?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I don’t know.”  Jay shook his head, and sighed.  “I guess I didn’t feel like I was ready.  Or maybe I didn’t want to disappoint her, or risk being rejected--”

    He stopped because Lara was motioning with a finger for him to come closer.  He did, and she offered him a seat next to her.  “Sit.”  she said.  “I’m going to try to mend your broken heart the old fashioned way.  Popcorn and a movie.”

    Before he could object, she had already climbed over the back of the couch and was loading a package of popcorn into the microwave.

    She returned with a bowl of popcorn, and sat next to him, pulling the blanket over them both.  Then she picked up the remote and took the movie she had started earlier off of pause.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What happened with you?”  he asked.

    Lara opened her mouth to tell him the whole story of the Carnifax, but decided instead to try to summarize.  It seemed kind of trivial by that point.  “He was charming but creepy as usual.  He said I was more intriguing than beautiful.  Then he wanted me to sleep with him.  When I said no he left me at the restaurant.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So I owe you?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Lara emphasized.  “Lots.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why didn’t you?”  Jay asked.  “I mean...that sounded insulting.  I meant to say, every other girl he talks to goes all starry eyed around him...”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He is charming.”  Lara admitted with a shrug.  “But...I dunno, I guess I feel something else about him that’s really disturbing.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  So I feel a little starry eyed, but also a little creeped out.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wait...you feel starry eyed?  What does that mean?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m not sure.”  Lara shook her head slowly.  “It’s like this...reality distortion field around him.  I mean, he hurt my feelings.  Yet when we were leaving and he asked if I would go to his place, I thought about it, for just a fleeting moment.”

    Jay looked at her and squinted.  “Are you still thinking about it?”

    Lara bit her lip and stared at the television for a moment.  “Yes.”  she replied finally.  “I guess I am.  I wonder why that is?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Cumulative reality alteration.”  Jay explained.  Then he shook his head.  “I sound like Al B Harper now.  In short, it means he’s mentally wearing you down.  Next time he meets with you, or maybe the time after that, you probably will sleep with him.  Then you won’t know why you did it, but you’ll remember how great he was.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How do you know about that?”  Lara asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Remember when Vinnie De Soth slept with Kerry Shepherdson and then couldn’t stop?”  he asked.  “They visited this lab, and stayed long enough...”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wow.”  Lara responded with a sigh.  “So...I guess I should avoid the Carnifax from now on, huh?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Or if you do meet him, make yourself very angry at him.”  Jay told her.  “Al B Harper says that releases a flood of adrenaline, which breaks the emotional effects.”

    Lara smiled and hugged Jay across the shoulders, pressing the side of her head against his.  “You don’t owe me anymore.”  she said.  “Thank you for caring enough about me enough to protect me.”

    He reached up and flicked her hair off his shoulder, and he smiled.  “I like that I no longer feel any pressure with you, Lara.  You respect me, you don’t even try to flirt with me, so I don’t have to be on edge around you.  Because you really listen to me.”

    She tilted her head toward him and smiled.  “You’ve really grown, too.”  she said.  “A few months ago you would have been worried about someone walking in and misinterpreting this.”

    Jay shrugged.  “It’s my house.”  he said.  “Nobody’s coming in here.”

    She raised her head slightly.  “Oh, you’re enjoying having your own private place, aren’t you?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  he replied with a laugh.  “It feels a little weird, still, but I like it.”

    Both of them looked toward the window as they heard a metallic crashing noise outside.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You want to get this one, or should I?”  Lara asked, pausing the movie and putting down the popcorn.

    Jay got up slowly and sighed.  Chasing away thugs outside in that neighborhood was becoming routine already.  “I’ll handle it.  You can get the next one.”


---


    Vinnie De Soth tapped gingerly on the door of Liu Xi’s apartment.  The door opened, first by a rather bored looking Liu Xi.  But she smiled brightly as soon as she saw who it was.

    Liu Xi Xian stood on her toes, put her arms over his shoulders, and hugged him, her feet nearly leaving the ground.  “I didn’t expect you.”  she said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It was actually Lara’s idea.”  he admitted.  “I thought I’d need to give you more space.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, no, I really appreciate this visit.”  she said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“She’s really cute.”  Vinnie repeated.  “But...she’s also so nice it makes me feel bad for thinking of her that way.”

    Liu Xi laughed.  “See?  I told you that you’d change your mind if you got to know her.”  She put her arm around him and leaned against him.  “You didn’t grow up with nice girls around you, Vinnie.  You barely know what to do.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hey, that’s mildly insulting.”  he protested.  But he couldn’t stay angry, because Liu Xi was smiling and giggling, and he couldn’t help but smile as well.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, I mean,”  Liu Xi tried to explain calmly, “You know hot when you see it--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I do.”  Vinnie wrapped his arms completely around Liu Xi, interrupting her, and knocking her off balance.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“But I taught you how to be friends with a girl, yes?”  she added while giggling.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You did.”  he admitted.  “And then you taught me some other stuff too.”

    Liu Xi shook her head.  “Okay, I can tell what you want.  Don’t work too hard trying to convince me, though.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why not?”  Vinnie asked, worrying for a moment.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Cause it’s a waste of time, since I want to also.”  she whispered to him.  She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, and then led him down the dark hallway to her bedroom.

    
TO BE CONTINUED IN “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”
    

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2009 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