Adventures in Parodyverse: Two Spirits, Part 2

    
    Lara wished she could have taken a hot bath instead of a hot shower, and taken some time to relax.  Perhaps Jay’s spirit would have even appreciated it.  But she didn’t want to take the chance when this was all new to him - she wanted to keep things as simple and as familiar as possible.  So she opted to take a shower and get dressed again as soon as possible.

    She couldn’t tell if he was grateful or not, because he was silent through the entire process of showering, dressing, washing her hair, and then drying it.  It was at that point of no activity that Lara realized the warmth of the shower had lulled him to sleep.  She knew that because he was dreaming.

    It was the strangest experience for her, ever.  She had some waking dreams before involving herself and Shema, but never someone else’s.  She put down the hair dryer and decided that because the dreams were giving her odd visions, she was going to lay down to avoid causing an accident.

    Once Lara laid down, she realized that the dream was about her.  Not the type of dream she would have expected a male to have about her, either.  It wasn’t very clear, but she could definitely feel that he missed something about her.  He was trying to reach out to her somehow, but failing.

    And then he abruptly awoke.  She could tell, because the dream suddenly vanished, and she could sense a jumble of thoughts of someone trying to get acclimated to their surroundings.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you okay?”  she asked him.

    Yes, he replied.  Sorry, I think I dozed off.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know.”  She closed her eyes then, and layed her head down.  “You need to feel a body now that you’ve woken.”

    She felt the control of her limbs fade, and she knew Jay had taken control again.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Thanks, that’s much better,”  Jay said in her voice as he sat up.  He stood and walked over to a mirror.  He could sense Lara giggling as she realized that he was admiring how the clothed body looked in jeans and an untucked shirt.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What?”  he asked.

    I kind of do that too sometimes, she admitted.  Though maybe for a different reason.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I...had to see if this was still real,”  he replied in her voice.

    Lara did the silent mental equivalent of a nod.  I need to give you more time to play.  Until you accept that it’s real, so I know you’re not getting disconnected from reality.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, you’re doing a great job, Lara,”  he told her.  “You must be, because I dozed off feeling the warm water.”

    That’s good, she responded happily.  Now what are the chances of us getting away with hiding out until your body is repaired?

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Considering that this is the Lair Mansion, not much,”  he admitted.  “Hey Lara...you mind if I play with your abilities in the training room?  I’m kind of curious...”

    Anything you wish, she said.  For now, it’s your body too.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How do I teleport there?”

    Close your eyes, she explained.  Then imagine reaching out to there and pulling yourself--

    Before she finished that sentence, Jay had figured it out.  In a flash of light, the surroundings suddenly changed from Lara’s room at the Lair Mansion to the huge, empty training room.

    The training room was made for harsh treatment, yet also with pieces that were easily replaceable in case of damage.  It was completely emptied except for high-voltage lighting on the three story high ceiling.  Large, heavy metal panels were riveted to the wall, and the floor was made of easily replaceable concrete squares stacked on top of the foundation.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wow, that’s pretty cool,”  Jay said in his usual understated manner, except in Lara’s voice.

    Shocking stuff is much easier, she said.  You can feel the buildup of energy in my body, yes?

    Jay nodded.  “I can’t explain it, but I do feel it.”

    You can move it like you move muscles in tandem, she said.  Push it toward the fingers and then through.

    Of course since Lara didn’t detail how much to do so, Jay’s first trial resulted in a bright flash of heat and light, and a loud explosion.  He reflexively closed his eyes at the heat and sound.  

    When he opened them again, an entire row of metallic wall panels had melted, exposing the smoldering insulation behind them.  The lights had all gone out except two, and the ones above him were hanging by a thread.  There was also a hole in the ceiling, exposing the morning sky outside, and two of the concrete floor blocks were split.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wow,”  he whispered.

    Yeah, now you know why I hold back.  Lara said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And I felt like there was so much more energy to use,”  he noted.  “That’s a little scary, isn’t it Lara?”

    Sometimes,  she admitted.

    He shook off that thought, and instead opted for something more fun and less destructive.  Now that the sky was visible anyway, “How about flying?”

    Push the same energy downward, she explained, but be careful, you don’t want to go rocketing out of control.  Take your time, and learn how to focus so you go where you want to.

    For this excersize, Jay proved to be much better at controlling the energy flow.  He rose in Lara’s body quickly, and straight through the hole above without much drifting.  Once high above the mansion, he stopped and looked down.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is remarkably stable,”  he said.  “I feel like I could just float here all day.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hey!”  a voice called from below.  “Are you turning supervillain on us?”

    He looked down, Dreamcatcher Foxglove, aka CrazySugarFreakBoy!, was the one yelling to him.  Or to Lara most likely.

    He quickly figured out how to use Lara’s energy to quickly but gently land back on solid ground.  

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Sorry, I was just--”  He started to explain, but he realized that it wouldn’t make sense in Lara’s body and voice even if he tried.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hey, beautiful.”  Dream quickly wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her briefly, right on the lips.  

    Jay then pushed him away almost violently.  “Dream, what are you doing?”  His mind rushed through various ways of explaining why what he did was so wrong.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Starting a very cool threesome, I thought.”  Dream replied.

    Just then, Jay realized Dream knew he and Lara were sharing one body.  “Very funny, Dream, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I guess Jay’s in control right now, eh?”  the Wired Wonder guessed.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes, I am.”  Jay replied, trying to sound more like himself but failing.

    Dream nodded.  “I can tell, you’re standing different than Lara does.  Much less relaxed, like you have a stick up your--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hey!”  the Capped Crusader protested.  “I do not stand like I have--”  He became self-conscious nonetheless, and tried too hard to look more casual.

    Just then, Dream saw Lara change posture, and she smiled.  She knew it was her taking control again.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What do you want, Dream, besides harassing your best friend?”  Lara asked confidently.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I guess we kinda have a problem.”  Dream told her.  “See, Commissioner Graham heard that Hatman is still alive, and wants to see him.”



TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2011 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