Perspective

Lavender

I sit in my lab, brainstorming ideas. The idea of medical thermite was a flop… what now?

Maybe something more fun. Azidoazide azide doesn’t have enough uses. I could look more into that-

I’m brought out of my internal questioning by the sound of my door being bashed down.

Oh. That’s not good.

“Police! Hands on your head, on the ground! Now!” I comply quickly. After all, I’m not visibly a minority, but we’re in America. I’m not taking that risk. “What’s the problem?” I ask with a smile as the door goes down, a SWAT team breaking through the door.

“Fucking psycho…” One of them rudely mutters under their breath when they see me smiling, before properly answering. “We have a warrant of arrest for a Lavender Wisteria, for possession and production of illegal substances. Would that be you?”

“The one and only.” I mean, it’s not exactly legal, but it’s not like it’s too serious.

“Wh- There’s a canister of cyanide gas on the desk over here!”

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Mostly. They move ahead to cuff me, anyway. “Be a bit careful, will you?” At my warning, they freeze. “Check if she’s armed.”

They pat me down, pulling out a vial. “The hell’s this?”

I just give them the truthful answer. “Nitroglycerin.”

The SWAT officer panics. How unprofessional. And now that little vial of undiluted, 100% nitroglycerin is sailing towards my lab’s floor. That’s going to be a pain to clean up.

The officers yell something, but I can’t hear it over the violent explosion engulfing everyone here, mostly localized on me, with the other sixteen-and-a-half vials of nitroglycerin in my lab coat.

Oh well. I guess I’ve died.

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…

You know, this is more peaceful than I thought. It’s just darkness. Until I open my eyes, and a rather stunning woman stands above my surprisingly-intact body. Pure white hair — somehow — that looks as damn nice as it does unusual, and golden eyes filled with disappointment. What kind of dress even is that? She looks like some kind of deity, light radiating around her and all.

Which I’m pretty sure isn’t scientifically possible, but hey, I should be dead. I’m not going to complain.

…Isn’t this supposed to be the part where I’m sent to hell, or whatever? She just looks speechless. “…Hey. Who are you?”

That seems to snap her out of it. “Ah, right. Have a seat.” A chair appears in the void, which I stand up to take. “I’m… Frigg.” Finally, an introduction. Weird name though. “Lavender, but you can call me Lav.” I punctuate mine with a wink.

“I’m aware of who you are, Ms. Wisteria.” The probably-a-deity deadpans. “Then-“

“I will get to the point.” Frigg interrupts me. “You have been… Chosen, to be… Reincarnated, for a lack of a better term. Not that I know why…”

This leaves me silent for a moment. Reincarnated? Am I going to become a newt, or something? Damn, I shouldn’t have pirated that one movie four years ago. Seems like Karma is finally catching up-

“…And you will be doing so with a guide, in a new world. I… Wish you the best.”

“Eh? Where-“

And before I can even ask, I’m gone.

Rude.

And now, in this new place, all that surrounds me is a forest.