Perspectives VIII:
Fall From Grace
by Matthew Atanian
©2000 by Matthew Atanian and Jason Bertovich
Boy Scouts ½ created by Matthew Atanian
Perspectives created by Jason Bertovich
Fall From Grace
by Matthew Atanian
©2000 by Matthew Atanian and Jason Bertovich
Boy Scouts ½ created by Matthew Atanian
Perspectives created by Jason Bertovich
Christmas Morning
The sun had just peeked over the horizon and was beginning to show it's intrusive rays in the outskirts of Holyoke, a suburb of the city of Springfield, MA. However, in one small apartment, the rays were not at all intrusive. This was mainly because the blinds were closed as to not let any of these offending rays in on this crisp morning. Inside this cramped apartment, amiss in the sea of clothing, CD's, videocassettes, and discarded take-out containers sat a pile of blankets lumped on top of a Japanese sleeping futon sitting on the floor. The blankets twinged slightly and then were still again in its content lump shape. Something was definitely alive in that pile. What it was is unknown.
Now, since the sunlight was not playing any role in being intrusive, something else had to pick up the slack. That something was the door, which happened to choose this particular moment to be pounded on. An arm slithered out from the lump of blankets and grabbed the television remote and dragged it back under the blanket cave. After a moment, as the pounding continued, the blankets spat out the remote, which sailed through the air and impacted with the exact center of the door.
The pounding continued, unabated.
Three seconds later and the blankets flew off as they were kicked off by the now enraged occupant.
He glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even eight in the morning, and he was sure he didn’t have to work today. (After all, it was Christmas.) The last thing he wanted to be before eight in the morning on a day he didn’t have to work was awake.
“WHAT!!!” Jason Bertovich hollered towards the door.
“Jas,” a voice responded, “open up! It’s me!”
“John?” Jason flew towards the door and flung it open. “What are you doing here so early?”
“Merry Christmas!” John happily exclaimed.
“John? What’s wrong?”
John smiled. “Nothing,”he responded. “Everything’s right!”
Jason frowned. Despite his friend’s assurances, something didn’t seem quite kosher.
Suddenly it came to him. If Jason had been an animated character, he’d have had to pick his jaw up from the ground and reattach it properly to his face.
“Where’s your wheelchair, John?”
John’s smile grew wider, which Jason hadn’t thought possible. Suddenly, Jason was treated to a brief moment of John’s Trademark “Jinnai” Laughter.
“I don’t need it anymore,” John then told him.
“What do you mean you don’t need it any more?” Jason responded. “I went with you to the doctor just last week! They said, while you were healing nicely, it should be at least a month before you could even begin to walk unaided!”
“Jason, my friend,” John said, placing a hand upon Jason’s shoulder, “I can’t tell you exactly what happened… let us just say that miracles can happen, especially at this time of year.”
“How are you going to explain this to people, though?” Jason asked. “Your doctors? People at work? Next thing you know, you’re being followed by newspeople and crazy religious nuts… and next week you’re on Hard Copy and a front page story in The National Enquirer!”
John smirked at his friend. “A bit much, don’t you think? I don’t have to go back to the doctor, and if for any reason I do, I just remind him about doctor / patient confidentiality. Work might be tricky, but after a brief commotion, it’ll probably blow over. As for the rest, you’re not planning on calling the news teams, are you?”
“What? No, of course not.”
John laughed again.
Jason smiled. “That’s the John I remember!”
John looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded, “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“This is Special Agent Linoleum. I repeat, this is Special Agent Linoleum. Come in, Divine Agency. Please respond.”
“This is the Divine Agency, acknowledging you, Agent Linoleum. Please report.”
“I am having little progress thus far into my investigation. I have made contact with two mortals who knew Fenira, but if they know of her whereabouts they are good at keeping a secret. I even attempted to impersonate Fenira myself, to see if I could gather any information that way, but still had no success. However, the two mortals are still my only lead.”
“Continue your investigation, Linoleum. This matter is of the utmost importance to the Agency. We’ve had three Goddesses, and the Search Demon originally assigned to their case, all disappear from us!”
“Well, that’s what you get for giving this job to a Search Demon in the first place. Never send a Demon to do a Goddess’s work.”
“Watch your tongue, Linoleum. This investigation is of the highest priority, and if you fail in this task, you will be cast out from the Agency. Do we make ourselves clear?”
There was a pause.
“Do we make ourselves clear?” the voice repeated.
“Y… yes. Perfectly clear.”
“Good. Now don’t fail us, Linoleum, or you won’t be a Goddess for much longer.”
“Is this the album you wanted to see, John?”
“Yeah! The one with your friends from Pennsylvania.”
Jason pulled out the indicated album and opened it. John sat beside him and flipped the pages, stopping on one page and pointing to a picture of a man and a woman.
“Who’s that?” John asked, pointing at the man.
“That? That’s Travis Evans,” Jason told him. “And the woman is his girlfriend, Charl-chan. Actually, you’ll meet them both in February at that convention we’re going to.”
John smiled.
“Why the interest in Trav all of the sudden?”
John paused, unsure how to respond, when he was saved by the phone’s ringing. Jason went over to it and answered it.
“Hello? Oh, hi! What am I doing tonight? Dinner with Nicole, why? Yeah, she might go for that. John? I don’t know. He’s here, if you want to ask him. Okay, I’ll put him on.”
Jason handed the phone to John. “For you,” he said.
“Who is it?” John asked him.
Jason smirked. John put the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“John, hi! It’s Lina!”
“Oh, hi! Look, sorry about last night. I wasn’t feeling well, but I’m better now. I was actually hoping I could see you again.”
“Brilliant!” Lina responded. “I was thinking I’d just love to see you again, too! Hey, Jason said he’s going out with Nicole tonight. If it’s all right with her, do you want to make a double date out of it?”
“Why, Miss Wells, that sounds like a most enterprising idea.”
Lina laughed, and John couldn’t help but be warmed by the sound. “Well then,” she said, “I can’t wait for tonight! Say by to Jas for me, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Well, bye now!”
“Bye.”
John placed the phone down.
Jason looked at him.
“So?” Jason prodded.
“So… so where are we all going for dinner?”
Jason hopped into the air and did a happy little pantomime of shooting a basketball. “John shoots! He scores!”
Now, since the sunlight was not playing any role in being intrusive, something else had to pick up the slack. That something was the door, which happened to choose this particular moment to be pounded on. An arm slithered out from the lump of blankets and grabbed the television remote and dragged it back under the blanket cave. After a moment, as the pounding continued, the blankets spat out the remote, which sailed through the air and impacted with the exact center of the door.
The pounding continued, unabated.
Three seconds later and the blankets flew off as they were kicked off by the now enraged occupant.
He glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even eight in the morning, and he was sure he didn’t have to work today. (After all, it was Christmas.) The last thing he wanted to be before eight in the morning on a day he didn’t have to work was awake.
“WHAT!!!” Jason Bertovich hollered towards the door.
“Jas,” a voice responded, “open up! It’s me!”
“John?” Jason flew towards the door and flung it open. “What are you doing here so early?”
“Merry Christmas!” John happily exclaimed.
“John? What’s wrong?”
John smiled. “Nothing,”he responded. “Everything’s right!”
Jason frowned. Despite his friend’s assurances, something didn’t seem quite kosher.
Suddenly it came to him. If Jason had been an animated character, he’d have had to pick his jaw up from the ground and reattach it properly to his face.
“Where’s your wheelchair, John?”
John’s smile grew wider, which Jason hadn’t thought possible. Suddenly, Jason was treated to a brief moment of John’s Trademark “Jinnai” Laughter.
“I don’t need it anymore,” John then told him.
“What do you mean you don’t need it any more?” Jason responded. “I went with you to the doctor just last week! They said, while you were healing nicely, it should be at least a month before you could even begin to walk unaided!”
“Jason, my friend,” John said, placing a hand upon Jason’s shoulder, “I can’t tell you exactly what happened… let us just say that miracles can happen, especially at this time of year.”
“How are you going to explain this to people, though?” Jason asked. “Your doctors? People at work? Next thing you know, you’re being followed by newspeople and crazy religious nuts… and next week you’re on Hard Copy and a front page story in The National Enquirer!”
John smirked at his friend. “A bit much, don’t you think? I don’t have to go back to the doctor, and if for any reason I do, I just remind him about doctor / patient confidentiality. Work might be tricky, but after a brief commotion, it’ll probably blow over. As for the rest, you’re not planning on calling the news teams, are you?”
“What? No, of course not.”
John laughed again.
Jason smiled. “That’s the John I remember!”
John looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded, “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“This is Special Agent Linoleum. I repeat, this is Special Agent Linoleum. Come in, Divine Agency. Please respond.”
“This is the Divine Agency, acknowledging you, Agent Linoleum. Please report.”
“I am having little progress thus far into my investigation. I have made contact with two mortals who knew Fenira, but if they know of her whereabouts they are good at keeping a secret. I even attempted to impersonate Fenira myself, to see if I could gather any information that way, but still had no success. However, the two mortals are still my only lead.”
“Continue your investigation, Linoleum. This matter is of the utmost importance to the Agency. We’ve had three Goddesses, and the Search Demon originally assigned to their case, all disappear from us!”
“Well, that’s what you get for giving this job to a Search Demon in the first place. Never send a Demon to do a Goddess’s work.”
“Watch your tongue, Linoleum. This investigation is of the highest priority, and if you fail in this task, you will be cast out from the Agency. Do we make ourselves clear?”
There was a pause.
“Do we make ourselves clear?” the voice repeated.
“Y… yes. Perfectly clear.”
“Good. Now don’t fail us, Linoleum, or you won’t be a Goddess for much longer.”
“Is this the album you wanted to see, John?”
“Yeah! The one with your friends from Pennsylvania.”
Jason pulled out the indicated album and opened it. John sat beside him and flipped the pages, stopping on one page and pointing to a picture of a man and a woman.
“Who’s that?” John asked, pointing at the man.
“That? That’s Travis Evans,” Jason told him. “And the woman is his girlfriend, Charl-chan. Actually, you’ll meet them both in February at that convention we’re going to.”
John smiled.
“Why the interest in Trav all of the sudden?”
John paused, unsure how to respond, when he was saved by the phone’s ringing. Jason went over to it and answered it.
“Hello? Oh, hi! What am I doing tonight? Dinner with Nicole, why? Yeah, she might go for that. John? I don’t know. He’s here, if you want to ask him. Okay, I’ll put him on.”
Jason handed the phone to John. “For you,” he said.
“Who is it?” John asked him.
Jason smirked. John put the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“John, hi! It’s Lina!”
“Oh, hi! Look, sorry about last night. I wasn’t feeling well, but I’m better now. I was actually hoping I could see you again.”
“Brilliant!” Lina responded. “I was thinking I’d just love to see you again, too! Hey, Jason said he’s going out with Nicole tonight. If it’s all right with her, do you want to make a double date out of it?”
“Why, Miss Wells, that sounds like a most enterprising idea.”
Lina laughed, and John couldn’t help but be warmed by the sound. “Well then,” she said, “I can’t wait for tonight! Say by to Jas for me, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Well, bye now!”
“Bye.”
John placed the phone down.
Jason looked at him.
“So?” Jason prodded.
“So… so where are we all going for dinner?”
Jason hopped into the air and did a happy little pantomime of shooting a basketball. “John shoots! He scores!”
That Night
John got into the car and closed the door behind him.
“My God, John! You’re walking!” Nicole exclaimed from shotgun.
“Um, yeah,” John simply replied.
From behind the steering wheel, Jason smirked. “Told you you’d have a hard time explaining it to people.”
“What happened, John?”Nicole asked.
John grinned. “Let’s just say that miracles can happen, and leave it at that?”
Nicole smiled in reply.“Well, for a modest fee, I can let the matter drop.
Jason’s smirk widened.
John groaned. “How much?”
“Well…” Nicole began. “I can’t clean you out completely if you’re going to show this gal a good time tonight…Ten bucks?”
John grinned slightly as he handed over the money. “A small price to pay for peace from your torment,”he said. He turned to Jason. “You sure can pick ‘em, Jas.”
Jason’s smirk reached new levels of smirkdom. “I do at that,” he said.
“So where’s Lina?” John asked.
“She’s meeting us there,” Jason responded.
“Speaking of which, where is ‘there’? Not many places open Christmas night.”
Jason looked at Nicole. She looked back. They both had those insufferable smirks, now. “We know one place,”Jason said as he began driving.
“A sushi bar?” John asked.
“A sushi restaurant,”Jason corrected.
“With karaoke!” Nicole added, beaming.
“Okay,” John said. “Why not?”
The trio walked into the establishment, which (despite Jason’s claims to the contrary) was named the Rising Sun Sushi Bar. Immediately, they were approached by a smiling waitress, a blond Caucasian in traditional Japanese dress.
“Konbawa, customer-san!”she said to Jason with a wink. “And Nicole-san, our number one Karaoke queen!”
“Konbawa, Anako-san,”Nicole and Jason chorused.
The woman smiled. “And who is this?”
“This is my good pal John,” Jason told her.
“Ah, he must be the one that woman is waiting for,” Anako responded. Her smile widened.
“Woman? She’s here?”John asked. He felt slightly lightheaded… yet not out of control.
Anako nodded. "She’s been speaking very highly of you. Shall I show you to your seats?”
Jason nodded. Anako led them to their table.
And there she was.
Lina Wells.
She sat waiting, a wide smile upon her face. Her hair was streaming down her back, as if no particular effort had been made to style it, yet it looked perfect where it lay. She wore no make-up, but needed none. As John approached her, he felt an air of piece and tranquility settle over him.
“Hello!” she said.
“H… hi,” John said in response as he took the seat next to her. Jason and Nicole took the seats across the table.
Anako drifted over with menus and a songbook, the later of which Nicole immediately began flipping through.
John concentrated on his menu… or at least tried to seem as if that’s what he was doing. Every once and a while he would glance in Lina’s direction. It was odd but, even though she too was looking at her menu, every time he glanced at her, she also seemed to be glancing at him.
She smiled at him.
He found himself returning it.
A while later, Anako returned and collected their orders. After ordering food, she took orders of a different type. “Who’s doing karaoke?”
Nicole immediately jumped in. “Count me in!”
Jason likewise agreed and told Anako his selection.
Jason, Nicole, and Anako then looked to John.
“Karaoke? Me?” John asked.
“Why not?” Nicole responded.
John glanced at Lina. She smiled warmly.
“Have you got The Conqueror Jinnai?” John asked.
Anako nodded.
“Then count me in, too,”John said.
Anako then looked to Lina. “And you?”
“Sounds like fun!” Lina responded. She looked through the book a bit, then pointed at one of the selections. “This one.”
“Okay! Karaoke competition is in half an hour!” Anako said as she took her leave.
The four of them sat in silence for a little bit.
“So, did you all have a good Christmas?” Nicole then asked.
Jason and John mumbled unintelligible somethings that seemed to indicate that yes, they did indeed have good Christmases. Lina smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
“So,” Lina said, “tell me about yourself, John.”
Even having reconciled with his other selves, John found it difficult to keep his composure in the presence of this woman… she seemed almost divine to him! The only other woman he had ever gotten such a feeling from was Fenny… he’d been a mess around her before he’d really gotten to know her.
“Um… w… what did you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything,” Lina responded.
“That kind of makes it difficult to find a place to start,” John told her.
“Well, tell me who your friends are,” she said sweetly.
“Don’t really have many,” John confessed. “I’ve got a lot of acquaintance from work who aren’t exactly enemies, but we don’t really get together outside of work. Other then that, there’s Jason and Nicole, and…” John stopped suddenly.
“And?” Lina asked, interested.
“And Fenny,” John finished.
Lina smiled. “Tell me about Fenny! I’m always hearing little tidbits about her. She sounded great! But you never talk much about her, and I certainly have never gotten to meet the charming woman!”
Nicole suddenly jumped into the conversation. “I’ve often wondered about that myself,” she said. “I never did get to meet her. She disappeared so suddenly.”
“Any ideas where she went?” Lina asked.
“No,” Jason said. John concurred.
Their food arrived.
Lina leaned forward in interest. “You’ve never heard from her since she disappeared?”
“Nope,” John said.
Jason sat silent.
“Surely you must have some ideas… Any places she liked to go?”
“She never really had any particular favorite places to go,” John said. “She always liked to go someplace different, and always where there were a lot of people. She always seemed to like people.”
“Yeah, I remember that about her,” Jason said.
“Any way,” John suddenly asked, “what about you, Lina? What’s your story?”
Lina laughed slightly.“Me? No story,” she said.
“Oh, come on,” John responded. “I’m sure you must have an interesting life.”
Lina shrugged.
“How’s your dinner?” she asked John.
“What? Oh, um, good,” he responded.
The four of them continued dinner, their conversation flitting from this topic to that, until a small Asian man walked up on the stage and pulled out a
microphone. Anako walked up on stage with him in her wooden sandals.
“Ah, Kobanwa ladies and gentlemen! I’m am Mr. Segawa and welcome to The Rising Sun’s special Christmas Night Karaoke contest!”
The patrons politely clapped and then he continued.
“Anako-san will have gone around to every table with a sign-up sheet, so we should be ready to start the contest.”
More polite clapping followed.
“And tonight’s winner will receive this trophy that Anako-san is holding.”
Anako held up a large gold cup and the audience clapped enthusiastically.
“So good luck to everyone!” Mr. Segawa proclaimed he then continued by announcing the evening’s first contestant. “I am pleased to announce a returning favorite of The Rising Sun… Miss Nicole Porter!”
After more polite clapping, Nicole took the stage and gave the room a performance of Little Flower that Jason found stunning. Of course, Jason may have been a little biased, but the audience’s more then polite applause that followed her performance seemed to give credence to his opinion. He didn’t have time to reflect on this long, however, as he was up next.
He treated the audience to his best rendition of Kimi no Carrot Cake. The audience seemed to approve, although their cheers did not match the ones they gave to Nicole. He didn’t blame them, however. How could he expect to best Karaoke-Master Nicole? He smirked.
Other contestants went up and made valiant efforts, and others made futile efforts. Some were rather comical, albeit unintentionally so.
Then it was John’s turn. He smiled as he took the stage. Then his expression took on a menacing feel to it. He had to get into character after all.
The music started.
John laughed. And he laughed. And, as evilly as he could, he laughed some more. He began to sing.
“My God, John! You’re walking!” Nicole exclaimed from shotgun.
“Um, yeah,” John simply replied.
From behind the steering wheel, Jason smirked. “Told you you’d have a hard time explaining it to people.”
“What happened, John?”Nicole asked.
John grinned. “Let’s just say that miracles can happen, and leave it at that?”
Nicole smiled in reply.“Well, for a modest fee, I can let the matter drop.
Jason’s smirk widened.
John groaned. “How much?”
“Well…” Nicole began. “I can’t clean you out completely if you’re going to show this gal a good time tonight…Ten bucks?”
John grinned slightly as he handed over the money. “A small price to pay for peace from your torment,”he said. He turned to Jason. “You sure can pick ‘em, Jas.”
Jason’s smirk reached new levels of smirkdom. “I do at that,” he said.
“So where’s Lina?” John asked.
“She’s meeting us there,” Jason responded.
“Speaking of which, where is ‘there’? Not many places open Christmas night.”
Jason looked at Nicole. She looked back. They both had those insufferable smirks, now. “We know one place,”Jason said as he began driving.
“A sushi bar?” John asked.
“A sushi restaurant,”Jason corrected.
“With karaoke!” Nicole added, beaming.
“Okay,” John said. “Why not?”
The trio walked into the establishment, which (despite Jason’s claims to the contrary) was named the Rising Sun Sushi Bar. Immediately, they were approached by a smiling waitress, a blond Caucasian in traditional Japanese dress.
“Konbawa, customer-san!”she said to Jason with a wink. “And Nicole-san, our number one Karaoke queen!”
“Konbawa, Anako-san,”Nicole and Jason chorused.
The woman smiled. “And who is this?”
“This is my good pal John,” Jason told her.
“Ah, he must be the one that woman is waiting for,” Anako responded. Her smile widened.
“Woman? She’s here?”John asked. He felt slightly lightheaded… yet not out of control.
Anako nodded. "She’s been speaking very highly of you. Shall I show you to your seats?”
Jason nodded. Anako led them to their table.
And there she was.
Lina Wells.
She sat waiting, a wide smile upon her face. Her hair was streaming down her back, as if no particular effort had been made to style it, yet it looked perfect where it lay. She wore no make-up, but needed none. As John approached her, he felt an air of piece and tranquility settle over him.
“Hello!” she said.
“H… hi,” John said in response as he took the seat next to her. Jason and Nicole took the seats across the table.
Anako drifted over with menus and a songbook, the later of which Nicole immediately began flipping through.
John concentrated on his menu… or at least tried to seem as if that’s what he was doing. Every once and a while he would glance in Lina’s direction. It was odd but, even though she too was looking at her menu, every time he glanced at her, she also seemed to be glancing at him.
She smiled at him.
He found himself returning it.
A while later, Anako returned and collected their orders. After ordering food, she took orders of a different type. “Who’s doing karaoke?”
Nicole immediately jumped in. “Count me in!”
Jason likewise agreed and told Anako his selection.
Jason, Nicole, and Anako then looked to John.
“Karaoke? Me?” John asked.
“Why not?” Nicole responded.
John glanced at Lina. She smiled warmly.
“Have you got The Conqueror Jinnai?” John asked.
Anako nodded.
“Then count me in, too,”John said.
Anako then looked to Lina. “And you?”
“Sounds like fun!” Lina responded. She looked through the book a bit, then pointed at one of the selections. “This one.”
“Okay! Karaoke competition is in half an hour!” Anako said as she took her leave.
The four of them sat in silence for a little bit.
“So, did you all have a good Christmas?” Nicole then asked.
Jason and John mumbled unintelligible somethings that seemed to indicate that yes, they did indeed have good Christmases. Lina smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
“So,” Lina said, “tell me about yourself, John.”
Even having reconciled with his other selves, John found it difficult to keep his composure in the presence of this woman… she seemed almost divine to him! The only other woman he had ever gotten such a feeling from was Fenny… he’d been a mess around her before he’d really gotten to know her.
“Um… w… what did you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything,” Lina responded.
“That kind of makes it difficult to find a place to start,” John told her.
“Well, tell me who your friends are,” she said sweetly.
“Don’t really have many,” John confessed. “I’ve got a lot of acquaintance from work who aren’t exactly enemies, but we don’t really get together outside of work. Other then that, there’s Jason and Nicole, and…” John stopped suddenly.
“And?” Lina asked, interested.
“And Fenny,” John finished.
Lina smiled. “Tell me about Fenny! I’m always hearing little tidbits about her. She sounded great! But you never talk much about her, and I certainly have never gotten to meet the charming woman!”
Nicole suddenly jumped into the conversation. “I’ve often wondered about that myself,” she said. “I never did get to meet her. She disappeared so suddenly.”
“Any ideas where she went?” Lina asked.
“No,” Jason said. John concurred.
Their food arrived.
Lina leaned forward in interest. “You’ve never heard from her since she disappeared?”
“Nope,” John said.
Jason sat silent.
“Surely you must have some ideas… Any places she liked to go?”
“She never really had any particular favorite places to go,” John said. “She always liked to go someplace different, and always where there were a lot of people. She always seemed to like people.”
“Yeah, I remember that about her,” Jason said.
“Any way,” John suddenly asked, “what about you, Lina? What’s your story?”
Lina laughed slightly.“Me? No story,” she said.
“Oh, come on,” John responded. “I’m sure you must have an interesting life.”
Lina shrugged.
“How’s your dinner?” she asked John.
“What? Oh, um, good,” he responded.
The four of them continued dinner, their conversation flitting from this topic to that, until a small Asian man walked up on the stage and pulled out a
microphone. Anako walked up on stage with him in her wooden sandals.
“Ah, Kobanwa ladies and gentlemen! I’m am Mr. Segawa and welcome to The Rising Sun’s special Christmas Night Karaoke contest!”
The patrons politely clapped and then he continued.
“Anako-san will have gone around to every table with a sign-up sheet, so we should be ready to start the contest.”
More polite clapping followed.
“And tonight’s winner will receive this trophy that Anako-san is holding.”
Anako held up a large gold cup and the audience clapped enthusiastically.
“So good luck to everyone!” Mr. Segawa proclaimed he then continued by announcing the evening’s first contestant. “I am pleased to announce a returning favorite of The Rising Sun… Miss Nicole Porter!”
After more polite clapping, Nicole took the stage and gave the room a performance of Little Flower that Jason found stunning. Of course, Jason may have been a little biased, but the audience’s more then polite applause that followed her performance seemed to give credence to his opinion. He didn’t have time to reflect on this long, however, as he was up next.
He treated the audience to his best rendition of Kimi no Carrot Cake. The audience seemed to approve, although their cheers did not match the ones they gave to Nicole. He didn’t blame them, however. How could he expect to best Karaoke-Master Nicole? He smirked.
Other contestants went up and made valiant efforts, and others made futile efforts. Some were rather comical, albeit unintentionally so.
Then it was John’s turn. He smiled as he took the stage. Then his expression took on a menacing feel to it. He had to get into character after all.
The music started.
John laughed. And he laughed. And, as evilly as he could, he laughed some more. He began to sing.
Kamiga watashiwo erande tsugeta
"Konoyowo seisu shinno shihaishada" to
Subeteno tamiga machinozomunowa
Eikyufuhenno idainaru teiou
Yaoyano tanano melon noyouni
Fudouno chiiga niau otoko nanosa
Todoroke warekoso
Jinnai Katsuhiko
Chounaikai kara
Daiuchu made
Seifuku koso watashino shimei
Yabouwo chichini Shouriwo hahani
Eikouwo anini ifuwo girino aneni
Fujino gogoume jinjano torii
Itaru tokorode kononawo mirudarou
Orokana tamini majitte itemo
Kono fukakuwo kakusu kotowa tsurai
Ichiban buro kara
Hatsugatsuo made
Gyouzano hayagui
Hanamino basho tori
Seifuku koso watashino shimei!
Bwahahahahhahahhahaha...
...HahahahahahHAHAHAHhahhaha...
...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
"Konoyowo seisu shinno shihaishada" to
Subeteno tamiga machinozomunowa
Eikyufuhenno idainaru teiou
Yaoyano tanano melon noyouni
Fudouno chiiga niau otoko nanosa
Todoroke warekoso
Jinnai Katsuhiko
Chounaikai kara
Daiuchu made
Seifuku koso watashino shimei
Yabouwo chichini Shouriwo hahani
Eikouwo anini ifuwo girino aneni
Fujino gogoume jinjano torii
Itaru tokorode kononawo mirudarou
Orokana tamini majitte itemo
Kono fukakuwo kakusu kotowa tsurai
Ichiban buro kara
Hatsugatsuo made
Gyouzano hayagui
Hanamino basho tori
Seifuku koso watashino shimei!
Bwahahahahhahahhahaha...
...HahahahahahHAHAHAHhahhaha...
...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
The music stopped, and John continued laughing. After about a minute had passed, he came to a stop, looked out at the audience for a moment, and said into the microphone, “Thank you.”
The audience roared. As John returned to his seat, his companions stared at him in awe. Nicole, who had only recently seen El-Hazard for the first time (at Jason’s urging, but she wouldn’t have watched it if she wasn’t a bit interested herself), said, “My God, you were Jinnai!”
John shrugged. “I have a little inside help, I must admit,” he simply said.
Mr. Segawa announced the last, and final contestant. “Finely, for your listening pleasure, I present another first time performer here at The Rising Sun… Miss Lina Wells!”
Lina smiled at John.“Well,” she said, getting up, “I certainly have a tough act to follow."
She took the stage, warmly smiled a smile that seemed to touch everyone in the room individually, and as the music to My Heart I Can’t Say, Your Heart I Want To Know began, she started to sing.
The audience roared. As John returned to his seat, his companions stared at him in awe. Nicole, who had only recently seen El-Hazard for the first time (at Jason’s urging, but she wouldn’t have watched it if she wasn’t a bit interested herself), said, “My God, you were Jinnai!”
John shrugged. “I have a little inside help, I must admit,” he simply said.
Mr. Segawa announced the last, and final contestant. “Finely, for your listening pleasure, I present another first time performer here at The Rising Sun… Miss Lina Wells!”
Lina smiled at John.“Well,” she said, getting up, “I certainly have a tough act to follow."
She took the stage, warmly smiled a smile that seemed to touch everyone in the room individually, and as the music to My Heart I Can’t Say, Your Heart I Want To Know began, she started to sing.
Koi ni naranai ne
soba ni iru dake ja.
Nazo o kakete mo
donkanna hito dakara.
Natsu no fuku o kite
haru no umini kita.
Anata no shirt de yasashiku kabatte.
My Heart iidasenai
Please kiss shitette.
Day Dream yume wa fukurami
sora ni takaku kieru.
Onna no ko wa dare datte shiawase ni nareru.
Koi ga hajimareba kagayakidasu.
Tatoe namida nagashite mo anata no sei nara
mune o itamete mo kanashikunai.
Himitsu mochitai na. Tsumi o kanjitai.
Anata no NEWS shittetemo
shiranpuri.
Aki ni tokimiete
fuyu ni nayande mo
daiji n akoi ga minoreba ii yo ne.
Your Heart tashikametai.
Believe fureta yubi o.
True Love hajimete dakara
hoo ga atsuku moeru.
Onna no ko wa koishitara
utsukushikunareru.
Akai kuchibeni mo hitsuyoonai.
Nemurenakute sugoshitemo
yume bakari miteru.
Omou kimochidake afureteiru.
Onna no ko wa dare datte shiawase ni nareru.
Ai ga minagireba muteki ni naru.
Tatoe namida nagashite mo anata no sei nara
mune o itamete mo yasashiku naru.
soba ni iru dake ja.
Nazo o kakete mo
donkanna hito dakara.
Natsu no fuku o kite
haru no umini kita.
Anata no shirt de yasashiku kabatte.
My Heart iidasenai
Please kiss shitette.
Day Dream yume wa fukurami
sora ni takaku kieru.
Onna no ko wa dare datte shiawase ni nareru.
Koi ga hajimareba kagayakidasu.
Tatoe namida nagashite mo anata no sei nara
mune o itamete mo kanashikunai.
Himitsu mochitai na. Tsumi o kanjitai.
Anata no NEWS shittetemo
shiranpuri.
Aki ni tokimiete
fuyu ni nayande mo
daiji n akoi ga minoreba ii yo ne.
Your Heart tashikametai.
Believe fureta yubi o.
True Love hajimete dakara
hoo ga atsuku moeru.
Onna no ko wa koishitara
utsukushikunareru.
Akai kuchibeni mo hitsuyoonai.
Nemurenakute sugoshitemo
yume bakari miteru.
Omou kimochidake afureteiru.
Onna no ko wa dare datte shiawase ni nareru.
Ai ga minagireba muteki ni naru.
Tatoe namida nagashite mo anata no sei nara
mune o itamete mo yasashiku naru.
She stopped singing and the music stopped shortly thereafter. Silence filled the room. Every face was turned towards Lina Wells. Every eye fixed on her. No one dared move, as if fearful of breaking some divine spell. Finely, it was Mr. Segawa who stepped forward.
“I have heard the voice of a Goddess,” he said, his voice barely a whisper that still somehow carried throughout the restaurant.
Lina blushed. “Oh, please,” she quietly responded. “I can’t be that good.”
Someone stood up. It was John.
He began to applaud.
Next Jason stood. Then Nicole followed suit. Soon, the entire restaurant was giving her a standing ovation.
Lina burst into her apartment, twirling in little circles holding her trophy before her. “Where shall I put it?” she wondered aloud.
“Well, you’ll certainly have plenty of time to make up your mind.”
Lina spun around. Her eyes fell on who had spoken and her trophy dropped to the ground.
“Seraphim!” she exclaimed in terror.
“You were supposed to be finding Fenira and her sisters, not winning a Karaoke contest!”
“I… I…”
“You what?” Seraphim responded slowly.
“I tried… but my only leads, the mortals who she was friends with. They know nothing! I’ve made repeated attempts to discover anything they might know… and Fenira left nothing else behind!”
“You’ve obviously not tried hard enough.”
“Who are you to tell me I’ve not tried hard enough? You are not a god or a goddess! You’re just an angel!”
“An angel, who reports directly to and receives orders directly from the head honcho,” Seraphim coldly reminded her. “The boss is most displeased.”
“Well, tough for the boss! There are simply no more leads to follow!”
“Too bad, Linoleum.”Seraphim frowned. “Too bad indeed. You were warned…”
“Warned?” Lina asked, dreading the response.
“Yes. Of the consequences of failure.”
Lina balked. “You don’t mean…?”
“Cast out,” Seraphim responded. The angel smiled slightly. “Cast out, and all your powers revoked.”
“But I… I tried everything I could! I… I even probed their minds directly tonight as they were thinking about Fenira! Mind probes are something the boss insists be used only under the direst of circumstances! But there was nothing to probe for! They don’t know anything!”
“I don’t care. I’m only following orders. Something you failed to do.”
“But I tried!” Lina pleaded. “Oh, how I tried!”
“It is done,” Seraphim said with a snap of the fingers. “Linoleum… or rather, Lina Wells… you are now mortal. Mortal, with no powers of a Goddess.”
Lina sank to her knees.
“Is there nothing I can do?”
Seraphim smiled once more. “You can still try to achieve your mission.”
“And if I can’t? Or if someone else does?”
“Then you stay like this.”
“And if I… if I die?”
“If you die while mortal, because you were cast out… Well, I really hate to deliver any further unpleasant news to you this evening, but I’m afraid to say that in such a case, you would certainly not be allowed back up there.” Seraphim pointed upwards.“In such a case, we’d have no choice but to… well… send you down there.”
“Down… there?”
Seraphim pointed downwards.
Lina fell forward onto her palms, and began to weep.
“I have heard the voice of a Goddess,” he said, his voice barely a whisper that still somehow carried throughout the restaurant.
Lina blushed. “Oh, please,” she quietly responded. “I can’t be that good.”
Someone stood up. It was John.
He began to applaud.
Next Jason stood. Then Nicole followed suit. Soon, the entire restaurant was giving her a standing ovation.
Lina burst into her apartment, twirling in little circles holding her trophy before her. “Where shall I put it?” she wondered aloud.
“Well, you’ll certainly have plenty of time to make up your mind.”
Lina spun around. Her eyes fell on who had spoken and her trophy dropped to the ground.
“Seraphim!” she exclaimed in terror.
“You were supposed to be finding Fenira and her sisters, not winning a Karaoke contest!”
“I… I…”
“You what?” Seraphim responded slowly.
“I tried… but my only leads, the mortals who she was friends with. They know nothing! I’ve made repeated attempts to discover anything they might know… and Fenira left nothing else behind!”
“You’ve obviously not tried hard enough.”
“Who are you to tell me I’ve not tried hard enough? You are not a god or a goddess! You’re just an angel!”
“An angel, who reports directly to and receives orders directly from the head honcho,” Seraphim coldly reminded her. “The boss is most displeased.”
“Well, tough for the boss! There are simply no more leads to follow!”
“Too bad, Linoleum.”Seraphim frowned. “Too bad indeed. You were warned…”
“Warned?” Lina asked, dreading the response.
“Yes. Of the consequences of failure.”
Lina balked. “You don’t mean…?”
“Cast out,” Seraphim responded. The angel smiled slightly. “Cast out, and all your powers revoked.”
“But I… I tried everything I could! I… I even probed their minds directly tonight as they were thinking about Fenira! Mind probes are something the boss insists be used only under the direst of circumstances! But there was nothing to probe for! They don’t know anything!”
“I don’t care. I’m only following orders. Something you failed to do.”
“But I tried!” Lina pleaded. “Oh, how I tried!”
“It is done,” Seraphim said with a snap of the fingers. “Linoleum… or rather, Lina Wells… you are now mortal. Mortal, with no powers of a Goddess.”
Lina sank to her knees.
“Is there nothing I can do?”
Seraphim smiled once more. “You can still try to achieve your mission.”
“And if I can’t? Or if someone else does?”
“Then you stay like this.”
“And if I… if I die?”
“If you die while mortal, because you were cast out… Well, I really hate to deliver any further unpleasant news to you this evening, but I’m afraid to say that in such a case, you would certainly not be allowed back up there.” Seraphim pointed upwards.“In such a case, we’d have no choice but to… well… send you down there.”
“Down… there?”
Seraphim pointed downwards.
Lina fell forward onto her palms, and began to weep.
'Twas the Day After Christmas
“It’s the day after Christmas, a day I don’t have to work, and I’m at the mall?” John asked with some degree of incredulity. “How did I let you talk me into this?”
Jason shrugged. “It’s a place to hang out for a bit, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” John responded.
“So, last night? You and Lina?” Jason smirked. “You two seemed to be getting along pretty well.”
“I suppose so,” John responded.
“Oh, hey,” Jason suddenly interrupted. He pointed to a near by store. “Is that that new cookie place?”
John nodded.
“Oh man, I’ve heard their cookies are the best! Want one? My treat.”
John nodded, and a few minutes later they were continuing their conversation on a near by bench, the proud new owners of a couple of soft, over-sized, delectable, freshly cooked cookies of the chocolate chip verity.
“Hey Jason, you and Nicole. What’s up with you two?”
“Huh?” Jason looked confused.
“I mean, are you two in love? Are you just close friends who enjoy each other’s company?”
Jason shrugged. “Why do you ask?”
“Well… I…”
If there had been a little light bulb floating over Jason’s head, it would have not only lit up, but it would have exploded. This would have been bad for John and Jason, but as this light bulb is purely a metaphoric one, they were spared having to go to the hospital to have bits of glass removed from them.
“John, you don’t think you’re in love, do you?”
John took a bite of his cookie. He chewed it in silence.
“You are, aren’t you?”Jason prodded.
John sighed. “Man, how is it I go from hopelessly crippled one day to perfectly healthy the next, and having epiphanies in the food court about my love for another person whom I’ve only just met?”
“Cookie stand is not part of the food court,” Jason insisted.
“Of course it is,” John rebutted.
“The food court is downstairs, the cookie stand is upstairs. We're not talking quantum physics here.”
“The cookie stand counts as an eatery. As a former mall employee, you of all people should know that the eateries are part of the food court.”
“Bullshit. Eateries that operate within the square downstairs qualify as food court. Anything outside of said designated square is considered an autonomous unit for mid-mall snacking.”
“If you're gonna wax intellectual about the subject… Oh, forget it,” John said. “The last thing I need right now is more confusion and inner turmoil. I’ll debate this with you later.”
Jason took another bite of his cookie. “Whatever. But I still say that the cookie stand is not part of the food court.” He looked at his friend. “You should go see her.”
“You think?”
Jason nodded.
“Well… she did give me her address.” John showed Jason the scribble of paper it was written on.
“Funny, that’s the same building Fenny lived in before she… well… you know.”
“Is it?” John looked at the address. “Hey, you’re right. Wonder why I didn’t catch that earlier.”
“Perhaps because your brain was otherwise occupied.”
“Perhaps,” John agreed. He smirked. “The food court can be a perplexing place.”
Slowly she gained consciousness. Where was she? On the floor? She uncurled herself from the fetal position she found herself in and slowly tried to stand.
She had more then enough energy for such a simple task, but it still felt as if it drained her. Her strength was gone. Her strength and her power… all that was her.
She made her way towards the bathroom. She didn’t walk so much as she dragged her feat along the floor as if they were lead weights. She regarded herself in the mirror.
She looked pretty much the same. At least, she looked the same as she had since she had assumed this mortal form. The only difference was that she could no longer leave it at will.
No… There was another difference. She wiped away the dried tears from around her eyes and looked into them.
There was something different about her eyes… Some intangible difference. How ugly they looked to her now.
She sank to her knees as the tears came anew.
Why couldn’t they give me something? she asked. Anything! Anything to avoid this… this hell! Why couldn’t they have known something…? Even something small could have spared me this!
I’ll do anything to get back… ANYTHING! I must find Fenira… and I must make everyone who did this to me PAY!!!
There was a knock at her door.
She barely heard it. It meant nothing to her.
However, whoever it was refused to go away.
Finely, she rose to her unsteady feat and made her way towards the door. She slowly turned the knob and pulled it open.
“Lina, hi! How are… Hey, what’s wrong?”
“YOU!!!” Lina screamed. “You had a part in doing this to me!” Her mortal form suddenly full of a renewed strength, she pulled John in through the doorway and shut the door behind him.
John was confused. Lina threw him to the floor and, as much as her petite frame would allow, she towered over him.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Um… Lina Wells?”
She laughed. It was a cold laugh. “I suppose I am now. Perhaps the better question would be, do you know who I used to be?”
John stared silently in response.
“I was a goddess. A goddess! I lost all that… and you’re partially to blame. You’re to blame for your own ignorance. You’re to blame because you didn’t know anything!”
“Know anything? About what?”
Lina continued as if she had not heard John. “All I had was a simple task. It should have been simple for a goddess at least. ‘Find Fenira and here sisters,’ they tell me. Fine, simple. Finding three AWOL goddesses should be a simple matter for a goddess in the Internal Affairs division. Oh, but Fenira, you did a good job of disappearing. Must have had help, didn’t you?”
“Fenira?” John asked.“Fen… Fenny?”
“She disappeared so well that the only lead I could find was you and your pal Jason… But you knew nothing!”she spat.
“Fenny’s a goddess? You…You’re a goddess?”
“I was a goddess!”she exclaimed, her voice full of terror and also quite terrifying. She knelt before John, leaning over him, her hands on his shoulders. “You have to pay for what you did to me,” she whispered.
“I… I…”
“What is it? Going to beg for your life?”
“I love you,” John told her.
Lina gasped. “What did you say?”
John leaned forward and placed his lips upon hers. His kiss was tender, non-threatening, caring.
After he slowly pulled away, Lina remained motionless, not even breathing. After a moment, she slowly let out a long breath.
She sank to the floor beside him. “How could you?” she asked.
“How could I what? Love you?”
She nodded.
“I just do. Isn’t that enough?”
“Even though I want to kill you. To kill Jason.”
John nodded.
“And the only way I can get my status as a goddess back is to deliver Fenira and her sisters onto the Divine Agency, where they will be severely punished, perhaps even killed?”
John nodded.
The two lay together in silence for a small eternity.
“Do you still want to kill me?” John asked.
“No,” Lina admitted.
“And Jason?”
She shook her head.
“What do you want, then?”
“I want… I want to be a goddess again,” she admitted.
“What do you plan to do in the mean time?”
“What can I do?” she asked. “I have nothing.”
“You have me,” John told her.
Lina smiled. She turned towards John and snuggled against him. It felt like a good place to be. “I do have you, don’t I?”
John nodded.
“But what if Fenny comes back?” Lina asked. “What then? Whose side will you be on?”
“I don’t know,” John responded. “Whose will you be on?”
They lay in silence for a long while more.
“John?”
“Yes?”
“Could you… could you keep this to yourself? About me, and about Fenny?”
John nodded and the silence decended once more.
Finely, Lina asked one more question… One she’d been wondering for quite a while.
“What’s in the bag?” she asked.
John regarded the small brown paper bag he had been holding when he had arrived. When she threw him to the floor, it too had hit the floor violently, coming to rest just within reach of where he was now. He picked it up.
“Oh this? I got you a…”He reached into the bag and pulled out some crumbs and other broken bits. He laughed. “Well, it was a cookie.”
Jason shrugged. “It’s a place to hang out for a bit, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” John responded.
“So, last night? You and Lina?” Jason smirked. “You two seemed to be getting along pretty well.”
“I suppose so,” John responded.
“Oh, hey,” Jason suddenly interrupted. He pointed to a near by store. “Is that that new cookie place?”
John nodded.
“Oh man, I’ve heard their cookies are the best! Want one? My treat.”
John nodded, and a few minutes later they were continuing their conversation on a near by bench, the proud new owners of a couple of soft, over-sized, delectable, freshly cooked cookies of the chocolate chip verity.
“Hey Jason, you and Nicole. What’s up with you two?”
“Huh?” Jason looked confused.
“I mean, are you two in love? Are you just close friends who enjoy each other’s company?”
Jason shrugged. “Why do you ask?”
“Well… I…”
If there had been a little light bulb floating over Jason’s head, it would have not only lit up, but it would have exploded. This would have been bad for John and Jason, but as this light bulb is purely a metaphoric one, they were spared having to go to the hospital to have bits of glass removed from them.
“John, you don’t think you’re in love, do you?”
John took a bite of his cookie. He chewed it in silence.
“You are, aren’t you?”Jason prodded.
John sighed. “Man, how is it I go from hopelessly crippled one day to perfectly healthy the next, and having epiphanies in the food court about my love for another person whom I’ve only just met?”
“Cookie stand is not part of the food court,” Jason insisted.
“Of course it is,” John rebutted.
“The food court is downstairs, the cookie stand is upstairs. We're not talking quantum physics here.”
“The cookie stand counts as an eatery. As a former mall employee, you of all people should know that the eateries are part of the food court.”
“Bullshit. Eateries that operate within the square downstairs qualify as food court. Anything outside of said designated square is considered an autonomous unit for mid-mall snacking.”
“If you're gonna wax intellectual about the subject… Oh, forget it,” John said. “The last thing I need right now is more confusion and inner turmoil. I’ll debate this with you later.”
Jason took another bite of his cookie. “Whatever. But I still say that the cookie stand is not part of the food court.” He looked at his friend. “You should go see her.”
“You think?”
Jason nodded.
“Well… she did give me her address.” John showed Jason the scribble of paper it was written on.
“Funny, that’s the same building Fenny lived in before she… well… you know.”
“Is it?” John looked at the address. “Hey, you’re right. Wonder why I didn’t catch that earlier.”
“Perhaps because your brain was otherwise occupied.”
“Perhaps,” John agreed. He smirked. “The food court can be a perplexing place.”
Slowly she gained consciousness. Where was she? On the floor? She uncurled herself from the fetal position she found herself in and slowly tried to stand.
She had more then enough energy for such a simple task, but it still felt as if it drained her. Her strength was gone. Her strength and her power… all that was her.
She made her way towards the bathroom. She didn’t walk so much as she dragged her feat along the floor as if they were lead weights. She regarded herself in the mirror.
She looked pretty much the same. At least, she looked the same as she had since she had assumed this mortal form. The only difference was that she could no longer leave it at will.
No… There was another difference. She wiped away the dried tears from around her eyes and looked into them.
There was something different about her eyes… Some intangible difference. How ugly they looked to her now.
She sank to her knees as the tears came anew.
Why couldn’t they give me something? she asked. Anything! Anything to avoid this… this hell! Why couldn’t they have known something…? Even something small could have spared me this!
I’ll do anything to get back… ANYTHING! I must find Fenira… and I must make everyone who did this to me PAY!!!
There was a knock at her door.
She barely heard it. It meant nothing to her.
However, whoever it was refused to go away.
Finely, she rose to her unsteady feat and made her way towards the door. She slowly turned the knob and pulled it open.
“Lina, hi! How are… Hey, what’s wrong?”
“YOU!!!” Lina screamed. “You had a part in doing this to me!” Her mortal form suddenly full of a renewed strength, she pulled John in through the doorway and shut the door behind him.
John was confused. Lina threw him to the floor and, as much as her petite frame would allow, she towered over him.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Um… Lina Wells?”
She laughed. It was a cold laugh. “I suppose I am now. Perhaps the better question would be, do you know who I used to be?”
John stared silently in response.
“I was a goddess. A goddess! I lost all that… and you’re partially to blame. You’re to blame for your own ignorance. You’re to blame because you didn’t know anything!”
“Know anything? About what?”
Lina continued as if she had not heard John. “All I had was a simple task. It should have been simple for a goddess at least. ‘Find Fenira and here sisters,’ they tell me. Fine, simple. Finding three AWOL goddesses should be a simple matter for a goddess in the Internal Affairs division. Oh, but Fenira, you did a good job of disappearing. Must have had help, didn’t you?”
“Fenira?” John asked.“Fen… Fenny?”
“She disappeared so well that the only lead I could find was you and your pal Jason… But you knew nothing!”she spat.
“Fenny’s a goddess? You…You’re a goddess?”
“I was a goddess!”she exclaimed, her voice full of terror and also quite terrifying. She knelt before John, leaning over him, her hands on his shoulders. “You have to pay for what you did to me,” she whispered.
“I… I…”
“What is it? Going to beg for your life?”
“I love you,” John told her.
Lina gasped. “What did you say?”
John leaned forward and placed his lips upon hers. His kiss was tender, non-threatening, caring.
After he slowly pulled away, Lina remained motionless, not even breathing. After a moment, she slowly let out a long breath.
She sank to the floor beside him. “How could you?” she asked.
“How could I what? Love you?”
She nodded.
“I just do. Isn’t that enough?”
“Even though I want to kill you. To kill Jason.”
John nodded.
“And the only way I can get my status as a goddess back is to deliver Fenira and her sisters onto the Divine Agency, where they will be severely punished, perhaps even killed?”
John nodded.
The two lay together in silence for a small eternity.
“Do you still want to kill me?” John asked.
“No,” Lina admitted.
“And Jason?”
She shook her head.
“What do you want, then?”
“I want… I want to be a goddess again,” she admitted.
“What do you plan to do in the mean time?”
“What can I do?” she asked. “I have nothing.”
“You have me,” John told her.
Lina smiled. She turned towards John and snuggled against him. It felt like a good place to be. “I do have you, don’t I?”
John nodded.
“But what if Fenny comes back?” Lina asked. “What then? Whose side will you be on?”
“I don’t know,” John responded. “Whose will you be on?”
They lay in silence for a long while more.
“John?”
“Yes?”
“Could you… could you keep this to yourself? About me, and about Fenny?”
John nodded and the silence decended once more.
Finely, Lina asked one more question… One she’d been wondering for quite a while.
“What’s in the bag?” she asked.
John regarded the small brown paper bag he had been holding when he had arrived. When she threw him to the floor, it too had hit the floor violently, coming to rest just within reach of where he was now. He picked it up.
“Oh this? I got you a…”He reached into the bag and pulled out some crumbs and other broken bits. He laughed. “Well, it was a cookie.”
Matt's After Story Notes & Disclaimers
Hi, everybody! Well, this brings to an end my chapter in the “Perspectives” saga. I guess now it all falls back to Jason again when he decides to add more to these characters’ lives. I hope I’ve left him with some interesting stuff to work with.
The cookie stand argument is from the movie Mallrats. Finely got around to seeing it and Clerks yesterday, and seeing as Clerks was a major inspiration for Jason’s first “Perspectives” story, and this bit from Mallrats included talk of food courts… I couldn’t resist the little homage.
I included a bit of Karaoke in this one. Jason seems to like it. And besides, John singing The Conqueror Jinnai was something I couldn’t resist. Nor
was having Lina sing the opening theme from the anime series, Oh My Goddess!
And so I bid farewell from my involvement as an author in the “Perspectives” series. I hope it was enjoyed by all.
The cookie stand argument is from the movie Mallrats. Finely got around to seeing it and Clerks yesterday, and seeing as Clerks was a major inspiration for Jason’s first “Perspectives” story, and this bit from Mallrats included talk of food courts… I couldn’t resist the little homage.
I included a bit of Karaoke in this one. Jason seems to like it. And besides, John singing The Conqueror Jinnai was something I couldn’t resist. Nor
was having Lina sing the opening theme from the anime series, Oh My Goddess!
And so I bid farewell from my involvement as an author in the “Perspectives” series. I hope it was enjoyed by all.
Jason's Bit
Well, well, well... I must say, it's been another wild ride. Just when you think things are slowing down and life is returning to normal, all hell is about to break loose...
I have to say, some nice new information on the inner workings on the Divine Agency...will more secrets be revealed?...hmmmm...
Gotta love teh little Homage to "Mallrats" not my favorite Kevin Smith movie, but still notable for it's great Silent Bob and Jay sequences... hmmmm... hmmm... oh yeah...the gears are turning...
Well, I have to say that I've enjoyed Matt-kun's contribution immensely and now I'm ready to return to the Boy Scouts ½ Universe.
Coming Soon:
It's summer and the weather is warm, but with every summer comes the chance of Summer storms. The next intriging Installment of the Perspectives saga. Places to Go, People to see, and questions to answer, all coming soon...
I have to say, some nice new information on the inner workings on the Divine Agency...will more secrets be revealed?...hmmmm...
Gotta love teh little Homage to "Mallrats" not my favorite Kevin Smith movie, but still notable for it's great Silent Bob and Jay sequences... hmmmm... hmmm... oh yeah...the gears are turning...
Well, I have to say that I've enjoyed Matt-kun's contribution immensely and now I'm ready to return to the Boy Scouts ½ Universe.
Coming Soon:
It's summer and the weather is warm, but with every summer comes the chance of Summer storms. The next intriging Installment of the Perspectives saga. Places to Go, People to see, and questions to answer, all coming soon...
Perspetcives Byte III
The Summer of Promises:
Made, Kept, and Broken.
The Summer of Promises:
Made, Kept, and Broken.