Ira Invidia (IV): Start Of A Metamorphosis
--- Booker H. Freeman ---
Lydia stared up at him, her caution and fear plain for all the world to see, “Do… do I have a choice?”
His eyes widened in shock that she would think him so ungentlemanly, before putting on an amicable smile to reassure/disarm her. “Why of course you do! You’re free to leave whenever you want, all I ask is… that you hear my offer before you do.”
(Gre??: We’re not really going to let her go with her debt unpaid are we?)
(Of course we would, it’d be rude to hold a young maiden captive!)
(Slo??: Besides we lack the resources to hold her captive.)
(That too.)
Lydia gave him another once over, her eyes darting to each side as she searched for a way to escape before she eventually swallowed and asked, “What offer?”
He straightened out his clothes to try and make himself a little more presentable, a means of stalling for a moment as he in turn asked himself, (How do I do this… razzle dazzle, as it were?)
(En??: We’ll take care of the actual ritual here, all you’ll have to do is direct it and keep it going. If you stop too early we’ll face both a backlash and be unable to start it up again without an even greater cost.)
(Gre??: Which’ll make this investment a little too expensive, for multiple reasons.)
(And again, how do I start this… ritual?) He wondered, not quite sure what he was working with yet but willing to trust the voices for the moment.
(Lu??: With style of course! Snap your fingers twice and then just follow the flow!)
(En??: There’s a lot more to it than that but… we can talk about that later.)
“Well?” Lydia frowned with an impatience born more from anxiety than anything else.
Giving his audience a smile, he raised one hand into the air as if it were a centuries old habit and told her, “How about a little… demonstration of what I can offer you?” before snapping twice and feeling an immediate shift in the ether around them.
Something that the girl clearly felt too given the way she was looking around. “W-what are you doing? What’s that sound?”
He tilted his head and raised an ear before noticing that there was in fact a jazz sort of tune slowly building. (I’m curious about that too…)
(Pri??: Our power is vibrating the air molecules around us, thus generating a sound indistinguishable from music.)
(Lu??: The real fun is how the song changes based on what we’re doing!)
(En??: Speaking of, you really should start directing the power before it slips us.)
(How?)
(Lu??: By singing of course!)
He blinked, drawing a blank at that even as the magical music began to build in power.
(En??: You’ve got five seconds to start singing before we explode.)
It was at this moment that he also realized that the young Lydia had pulled a knife on him, her hands shaking with clear fear at what she could feel coming from the air around her.
“Now, now, there's no need for that, my dear. I assure you that with this offer there is nothing to fear.” He promised, feeling the power around him shift as he wagged a finger through the air before pushing aside the blade. “I’m aware that your situation here is rather quite severe, but don’t worry because I'm here to make all your problems disappear!”
“And how do I know you’re sincere?” Lydia asked in song before blinking and gaining a panicked look. “Wait, why am I singing?”
“Don’t be irate for it won’t be too long, just while we’re clinging to the power of the song” He assured her as the music dimmed. “But let’s reinstate the actual point, because I’d hate to disappoint.”
“Now then,” he coughed into his hand as he led her from the alley as the song once more began its rally. “From where I stand, you seem to be in dire need of a friend. An ally upon whom you can depend to help you ascend from this pit full of those who do nothing but offend.”
In front of them a group of men covered in those windmills walked down the street with weapons in their hands so as to force all who crossed them to meet their demands.
Lydia pulled away from him. “Don’t condescend, I don’t need you to protect me from them… This offer of yours you can just rescind!”
(Slo??: Look at the way she trembles, she’s clearly lying.)
(Lu??: Right, everyone needs a friend, we just need to keep trying!)
(En??: No, she resembles someone pretending they don’t spend their nights crying in fear of the creatures lurking near.)
He grit his teeth at this new insight. “Quite right, I didn’t mean to slight. I can see that all you need from me is someone to help set you free from the world that brings you so much fright.”
“I don’t need anything from you!” Lydia growled, beginning to march to their right.
“Perhaps that’s true.” He confessed, as he moved to pursue her down the street. “But allow me to offer you another view in case we never meet again?”
Lydia simply ignored him, his power dimming as she continued to walk.
(Gre??: You’re losing her, we need something that won’t make her balk. Hold on…)
“Hey you!” A voice squawked, drawing their attention to one of the men from before. “I know you!”
(Ugh, what a chore…) He growled through his smile. “That’s clearly untrue, just looking at you I can tell that down to your core you’re something to abhor.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Not you!” The man snarled, before pointing at Lydia. “Her, I know her…”
The girl squeaked, trying to make herself small as the men’s friends turned their attention towards the pair.
(Gre??: Perhaps this is how we’ll ensnare…)
“From her reaction I can infer that you’re but a source of despair. So kindly leave.” He told the man, hoping to repair his standing with Lydia.
The man gave him a disgusted look. “The fuck are you talking like that for? Doesn’t matter, you can go ahead and scatter she’s what I’m after.”
(Wra??: Which is why we should send him to the hereafter.)
Lydia flinched away as the man unswayed reached for her, though not as if to attack.
Regardless and without a thought, his hand shot to the man’s wrist before pulling it back.
“You know Lydia, I just realized what it is you really need to be freed.” He grinned through a smile full of fangs as the man began to grimace and the child stared on as if in a trance, one borne of fear, awe, and most importantly envie.
Now with something he could levy, the music began to advance once more as he felt his power re enhance with this brand new chance to seal this deal.
“Right now, my dear, you’re so filled with fear.” He sighed as he stomped the man’s knee and forced him to kneel. “But don’t worry, with me here we’ll make this fear disappear like this easy kill here.”
He grabbed the man’s throat and tore it out in a single swipe, uncaring of the many witnesses that may gripe.
“What did you just do?” Lydia gasped.
“Something that you could do too.” He laughed, before turning towards the crowd rushing towards them, taking longer than they should’ve thanks to the curse of the current verse.
“Right now my dear you’re filled with fear, but don’t you worry with me here, will make all that fear just disappear.” He promised with a smile as he felt the power flow. “You see, I’m a dangerous foe, while you are a defenseless little doe, but don’t you worry and don’t you woe because I can tell this is the start of something great! Oh, I can’t wait!”
“Wait? For what?” Lydia frowned, looking between him and the men in the distance. “What’s happening?”
“The start of your metamorphosis my dear!” He grinned, taking the girl’s hand in his and giving her a spin. “The way you are is such a sin, that in order for you to win we really must begin!”
“Begin what?!”
“Your metamorphosis!” He answered once more as he let the first man come to fore. “You see you can be dangerous, but you need to change for this!”
The man swung on him but he easily danced around the strike, and kicked the man’s knee out like he had with the first.
Moving on instinct he swiped Lydia’s knife from where she hid it before putting it in her hands. “Now, you’ve a knife. Tell me, can you use it? Or will you recuse it for the rest of your life?”
“I-I’m not going to kill him!” The girl told him, backing away until her back hit a store front.
He shook his head and gave her an affronted smile. “Not with that attitude you won’t!” Which is why he killed the man for her and began pushing more power into his magic.
Dropping into a crouch so that he was eye level with Lydia he asked, “Tell me child, aren’t you tired of being afraid? Don’t you want that terror to end? To do this you must learn to defend!”
“You’re insane…” The girl (finally) realized.
“True, but not the point.” He reminded her, before standing back up. “Allow me to appoint myself as your mentor, your tutor on how to deal with your tormentors! Like these two!”
Lydia looked down at the two men on the ground before turning to the crowd of men who had stopped trying to get closer, but were talking amongst themselves while glaring their way. Eventually the girl’s eyes drifted to one of the larger windmills on a building near them, the same one that marked most of the buildings around them, before finally meeting his eyes with a determined look.
“What do I have to do?”
He couldn’t help but smile, as the music suggested he started up the chorus.
“Right now my dear you’re filled with fear, but don’t you worry with me here, will make all that fear just disappear. You see, I’m a dangerous foe, while you are a defenseless little doe, but don’t you worry and don’t you woe because I can tell this is the start of something great! Oh I can’t wait!” He laughed, while searching the bodies of the two he’d killed. “This is the start of your metamorphosis!”
He gave Lydia a meaningful look, as he briefly paused and let his magic begin to bubble beneath the surface.
Lydia licked her lips before swallowing and admitting that, “The way I am is such a sin, that in order to win we really must begin!” allowing his magic to wrap around her and sink its hooks in.
“Yes! This is the start of your metamorphosis! You can be dangerous but you need to change for this!” He felt his magic twitch before finding an old flintlock on one of the bodies. “Ooh, a gun, what fun! Here you take it!”
“W-what am I supposed to do with it?” Lydia asked as she fumbled the gun between her hands.
He rolled his eyes, before swiping the gun back and pointing it at the various windmill wearing men. “You take it and you go bang, bang with it!”
One of the men dropped to the ground, as the rest jumped at the sudden sound, before returning their attention to him and the girl that was now holding the gun again. “Your turn! I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it!”
Lydia held the gun up and shook her head. “I-I can’t!”
He gave her a kind smile and a pat on her shoulder. “It’s fine, you can learn. After all, this is just the start of your metamorphosis!”
“Are you sure I can be dangerous?” Lydia frowned up at him, not noticing how he was letting the thugs rush towards them.
The first man reached him with a bat full of nails raised, and he caught the bat before ripping it away and slamming the nails into the hooligan’s face.
“Right now my dear you’re filled with fear, but don’t you worry with me here, will make all that fear just disappear.”
Another man tried to get Lydia before having the hooligan’s back broken by the bat.
“You see, I’m a dangerous foe, while you are a defenseless little doe, but don’t you worry and don’t you woe because I can tell this is the start of something great!”
The third stumbled back in his tracks after seeing how quickly his friends were dispatched by the smiling mad man and swiftly deciding to try running instead.
“Oh I can’t wait!” He laughed, before swinging the bat and removing the man’s head. “This is just the start of your metamorphosis!”
He gave Lydia a confident smile, only to find the poor girl staring down at the ground with a frown. “The way I am is such a sin, even if we begin, could I possibly win… I-I don’t think I can be dangerous…”
Booker gave the girl a considering look before noticing what was behind her. “Hmm, I have an idea for this problem’s panacea!”
With a quick step and a swing he broke the window open, an act that surprisingly required a decent amount of magic, before stepping over the broken glass and grabbing a bottle of alcohol and some cloth.
“This is merely the start of your metamorphosis my dear, there’s no need to fear. I think you just need to change your mindset for this.” He explained as he lit the cloth. “Perhaps some fire will inspire you to be a little more dangerous? If you can’t kill yet, perhaps you can burn this?” He pointed to one of the windmill banners. “I doubt it’s something you’ll regret.”
Lydia stared at the offered incendiary before taking it from him with shaky hands, and glaring up at the windmill. “I hate everything that swastika stands for, I… I want to burn it and so much more…”
“Then do it.” He encouraged the girl, before reaching down and pulling up a bag of marshmallows. “We can roast smores as the fire roars!”
“Right now I’m filled with fear, but I won’t worry with you here, we’ll make all that fear just disappear.” The scared girl promised herself. “I see, you’re a dangerous foe, while I’m… I’m a defenseless little doe, but… I’m not going to worry or woe because… Because I can tell this is the start of something great!” Lydia smiled a grin full of fangs before laughing as she threw the incendiary. “Oh, I can’t wait!”
He felt his magic twist propelling the bottle further than it should’ve gone before smashing into the banner and setting it on fire.
“This is the start of my metamorphosis!” Lydia grinned at him as she took his hand and he gave her a spin. “The way I was was such a sin, and now that we’ve begun my battle will be won!”
“This is the start of your metamorphosis!” He agreed as they continued to twirl to the music his magic produced.
“I can be dangerous, I just need to change for this. I won’t be filled with fear, with you here, we’ll make all that fear disappear. I won’t be a defenseless little doe, I’ll become their most dangerous foe, I’ll become the source of their worries and woes!” Lydia sang as she spun. “This is the start of something great!”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see how dangerous you become.” He told her as they both stared up at the fire while surrounded by the bodies of the people he killed, he couldn’t help but smile. “After all, this is but the start of your metamorphosis, my dear!”