Adventures in Parodyverse: Elemental, Part 4


    Faite closed the door of the Lair Legion Library, and then she sat down in one of the plush lounge chairs, so her small teenage body looked as if she were being swallowed by it.  

    Vinnie looked for somewhere to sit, and ended up settling on a footstool.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You wanted to talk to me?”  Faite asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes,”  Vinnie replied.  “I’m pretty sure you know why.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I do, and I’m not a carnival palm reader.  I’m not here to tell your future, and I shouldn’t--”

    Vinnie interrupted her.  “I...just want to know if there is a future.  For me and Liu Xi, that is.  I’ve been worried that my family is working on a way to kill her off.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh, crud.”  Faite sighed, and lowered her face into her hands.  “How do I get myself into these messes?  One time after the other, I keep getting torn between my friends and not destroying the universe.”

    Vinnie sulked, sinking onto the footstool and hanging his head.  He was hoping for a better answer.

    Faite looked up.  “Look, they’re not going to succeed in killing her.  And right now they won’t even try, because they don’t have any idea how serious it is.  They think she’s your latest sex toy.  And you have to keep letting them think that, for now.”

    He looked up, and guessed,  “You’re...going to help hide this from my family?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes,”  she rolled her eyes and sighed.  “You two do a pretty good job doing that on your own.  Except you have to stop accidentally throwing condoms.  Carrying so many of them around publicly looks too much like you care about her security.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I hear you.”  Vinnie nodded and blushed at the same time.  “I need to check my pockets and make sure they’re separate.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Good.”  Faite finally smiled.  “You happy now that I’m going to kind of help you?”

    Vinnie nodded, and then he slowly smiled too.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Cool,”  she said.  “Now go play with Liu Xi instead of sitting here thinking about it.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I thought you said you weren’t going to do the psychic thing?”

    Faite shook her head.  “That’s not psychic.  I have eyes, I can tell.”

    He looked embarrassed again as he slinked toward the door.  “Thanks um...for--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah, yeah, go have fun,”  she said.


---


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Don’t worry, you did great.”  Yuki Shiro told Anna as soon as she was awake and allowed to see visitors.  She was lying in a hospital bed, waiting, and looking bored.

    The android had been sitting patiently in the waiting area until she was given clearance to see the Legionnaire.  She had been nervous since leading that Lair Legion meeting and the team, worried that she was in for a scolding.  So while the others took a break to do other things upon their return, she went to the hospital to visit.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you all fixed up?”  Anna asked, which was also high on her list of things she was worried about.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Better than ever, with a few subtle upgrades.”  Yuki smiled triumphantly.  “I’m only here until they run some stupidly repetitive tests.  They won’t let me leave until they’re sure.”

    The dark-blue-haired android smiled too, momentarily.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Anyway, Flapjack called to tell me everything, and also to ask if I was naked.  And I saw the rest in the news reports.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It was a really difficult job,”  Anna admitted.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know.”  Yuki sat up a little.  “I’m the Lair Legion’s strategist, Anna.  It’s my job to think of the worst case scenarios.  In particular, for times that you might be called upon to lead the Lair Legion because everyone else is hurt or incapacitated.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why would the Lair Legion even need leadership then?”

    Yuki replied, “We have reservists, Juniors, the Psychic Samurai, Faite, lots of powerful friends and not-so-friends who would help if we’re really in trouble.  Someone has to be there to call them all in and coordinate them, especially if Visionary is stuck in Fae-land or something again.  So what do you think?  Would you be willing?”

    Anna nodded.  “Sure.  You’ve all been so kind to me, rescuing me and letting me live in the Lair Mansion.  I suppose I should do something in return.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Can I ask you something more personal?”  Yuki asked, sitting up as she did.  “Why don’t you like to change your hair color?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Huh?”  Anna asked.

    Yuki smiled.  “You can dye it like anyone else.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I...kind of like it.”  Anna replied.  “Because I try too hard to blend in sometimes, and my hair color reminds me to be different.”

    The Legionnaire nodded, and then laughed.  “You’re a lot like me sometimes, you know that?”

    The android shrugged.  “Maybe I’ll try a different color someday.  I do sometimes get bored with this particular reminder.”

    There was a sudden silence when a nurse walked in.  She looked at Yuki, and then at Anna.  “You’re going to have to wrap up this visit, we have Ms. Shiro scheduled for tests.”

    Anna stood, and nodded.  “Good luck, Yuki.  I’ll see you soon.”


---


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I dunno, that feels a little weird.”  Lara Night responded when Liu Xi Xian told the blonde that her power was element based.  “I mean, you had to learn to use your power, right?”

    The Chinese girl shook her head.  “It just came to me one day when I became very angry.  My first one was fire.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hmm.”  Lara purposely fell backward onto a small couch in the lounge that Liu Xi built long ago in the Lair Mansion, her feet hanging over one arm.  She grabbed a pillow and stuffed it behind her head.  Liu Xi was already there, sitting on the floor and watching television, when she came in.

    It was in a small, tower shaped room with two tall, narrow windows.  Since she hadn’t quite mastered Void back then, Liu Xi just made very efficient use of space by choosing furniture that physically fit together well, and through careful placement.  There was even room for a large television and surround sound.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Maybe there is something to it.”  Lara finally admitted.  “Since Faite says lightning is a combination of Fire and Air.  You learned Fire first, so maybe Fire and Air are the easiest, and that’s why they just come to you.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It took me longest of all to master Air.”  Liu Xi pointed out.

    Lara shrugged.  “I don’t know, then.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I can feel when you use lightning, or when you made that energy shield.  I think it’s...it’s environmental, and anything that’s environmental is also elemental.”

    The blonde sat up and smirked like she had an idea.  Then she shook her head.  “No...no, I thought I knew how to test your theory, but it’s too dangerous.  Besides, it looks like you’re waiting for someone.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I am, I’m waiting for Vinnie.”  Liu Xi turned around to look at Lara, and saw she was lying rather lazily, staring at the ceiling.  “Hey, I thought you were sleeping with Dream occasionally.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Who told you that?”  Lara sat up suddenly.

    The Chinese girl shrugged.  “I knew you did once, I just thought, why would you stop with that?”

    Lara lay back down again and sighed.  “That once was just...it was for fun, and to cheer up both me and Jay.  We were sharing my body, and we were both a little down about being in that situation.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know that,”  Liu Xi prodded again.  “But why stop there?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Because I had a fight with Dream after,”  the blonde replied.  “He told someone he shouldn’t have what happened.  Someone who has serious abandonment issues, and made a huge deal out of it.  I know he’s the agent of chaos, but sometimes he likes creating drama too much.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“But you knew that before, didn’t you?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I guess I should have, but I was too busy having fun.”  Lara sighed.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hmm...I wonder if Vinnie would go for adding a third tonight?”

    Lara laughed out loud at that.  “Oh he’d love it, I bet.  Seriously though, I’m done experimenting.  It keeps getting me in trouble, and I don’t handle that well.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“After just two guys?”  Liu Xi shook her head.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Lara responded sadly.

    The two looked at the door when Vinnie came in.

    Liu Xi stood.  “I don’t want you to be sad like this.  Maybe I can help you somehow.”

    The blonde was left wondering what Liu Xi was talking about while she whispered something to Vinnie.  Then he smirked, and headed toward the couch with Liu Xi.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What are you guys scheming?”  Lara asked suspiciously as she sat up again.

    Vinnie lifted up Lara’s legs and sat down, resting them on his lap.  Liu Xi sat at the other end of the couch.  Vinnie slipped Lara’s shoes off and gently started rubbing her feet.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He’s very good at that.”  Liu Xi told her as she gently brushed her fingers through Lara’s hair and started to create one single braid in the center.

    Liu Xi was right, Vinnie was really good at foot rubs.  Lara decided not to fight it, instead she relaxed, and leaned back against Liu Xi’s shoulder as she worked.  It was great to have friends.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What about the night you two had planned?”  she asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“We can do that later.”  Liu Xi glanced over at Vinnie and smiled.


-- 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