Mrs. Overdose jerked
her hand back, as if she’d just been stung by a wasp. “What in the hell was that?!” she yelled,
eyes wide; if not for the shotgun in her opposite hand, she would have taken to
nursing her palm. “You some kind of
wizard or somethin’?”
Lloyd stroked his chin
and nodded, with a huge smile plastered across his face. “Well, I suppose that’s as fitting a title as
any. For you see, by many accounts you
could call me the wizard of lo-”
Mrs. Overdose readied
her shotgun. “Let’s see if you wizards
know how to deal with bullets.”
Lloyd, Mrs. Overdose,
and JP all turned to the pipe in the distance -- to the clapping Gaston seated
atop it, his body thumping with each guffaw.
“You’ve no need to stain this hall of the arts with such heated blood --
especially given that you are, ultimately, the loser of your little duel.” He cast a hand carelessly through the
air. “I would have assumed that in the
end, you would have triumphed…but I DO have a habit of underestimating people.”
“I lost?” Mrs. Overdose raised an eyebrow, and glanced
at Lloyd. And with her shotgun still
more than ready to be fired, Lloyd could only freeze and hope he didn’t get to
see it in brain-splattering action.
“Of course. Can you earnestly say that you could shoot
Lloyd, having experienced what you have?
Can you bring yourself to do any harm to him? Or at your basest, decry his delusions of
altruism?”
Again, she glanced at
Lloyd. Her finger slid across the
trigger, but it only grew looser as the seconds ticked past. Lloyd relaxed, sensing that the threat had
long since diffused; Mrs. Overdose lowered her gun and sighed, and pressed a
palm to her temple. “I dunno why, but I
guess I can’t,” she muttered. “Looks
like the kid’s got me under his spell.”
“Spell? Seriously?”
JP squirmed toward Lloyd. “What
the hell did you do?” he
whispered. “All you did was stand there
and hold hands!”
“Well, that is usually
how I operate,” Lloyd whispered back.
“So what, is she on our
side now?”
“Ah. That…I do not know. I certainly hope so, given my efforts, but
--”
“You know I can hear
you two, right?” Mrs. Overdose asked.
“And the same goes for
me,” Gaston said with a friendly wave.
“If it’s loyalty you wish to test, why not allow me to be the
judge? Surely one as affluent as I can
offer a proof, hmmm?” He reached into
his cloak and pulled out another stack of money, and tossed it onto the
stage. “A promise is a promise, my dear;
that money -- and more -- will be yours if you depart with me at this very
moment.”
JP’s eyebrows shot way
up. “How much money does he have on
him? He’s like a walking wallet!”
But no one paid him any
mind. “Ku fu fu…come come now, madam; as
you can likely ascertain, I am a dreadfully
busy man,” said Gaston, engaging in his usual grand gesturing. “So if you wouldn’t mind making a decision as
quickly as you can, it would be much appreciated -- and if you make the RIGHT
decision, perhaps you’ll have a bonus awaiting you.”
“Ha! You’ll not sway her with money alone,
Gaston!” Lloyd declared, raising a fist at his nemesis. “Mrs. Overdose and I are connected now --
bonded by ties that you could NEVER hope to comprehe-”
“How big a bonus?” Mrs.
Overdose asked.
“M-Mrs. Overdose?!”
“’Cause if there’s
anything else you want me to do while I’m up and about, and I got these boys
right where I want ‘em…well, now’s your chance to say somethin’.”
“M-Mrs. Overdose?!”
“Ku fu fu…very well,
then. Money is no object in my eyes; so
long as you continue to entertain me, I’ll see to it that you’ll be well-fed
until the day you die!” Gaston spread
out his arms. “Now then, choose. Would you side with the future king of this
world…or the jester doomed to be crushed by the weight of his own shoulders?”
JP rubbed a foot
against Lloyd. “All right, you. You got her to calm down a little, so
whatever you did to her head, do it again.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that
simple,” said Lloyd, quivering a bit as Mrs. Overdose alternated between eyeing
the boys and her shotgun. “I’ve already
taken her to the threshold. As far as I
know, I can’t even activate my powers again on her, much less elevate her.”
“Damn it, I knew your
power was useless…”
“Now hold on a
minute. I believe I have everything I
need to carve out a victory here.”
“You’re sure?”
Lloyd knelt down and
ran a hand through JP’s hair. “Leave
everything to your dear big brother, all right?
Just this once.” Before JP could
sink his teeth into Lloyd’s hand, he stood up and stared down Mrs.
Overdose. He advanced slowly towards
her, meeting her gaze and hoping that he wouldn’t have to look at that gun of
hers any longer than he needed to.
Mrs. Overdose cocked
her head. “What? Gonna preach at me some more about love?”
Lloyd stood his ground,
and his lips started curling into a smirk.
And then…he fell to his hands and knees, and slammed his forehead
against the stage. “Mrs. Overdose! Let me become your servant!” he yelled.
JP’s eyes nearly shot
out of his head. Even Mrs. Overdose’s
bulged a bit. Even Gaston might have
needed a trip to the optometrist after that outburst.
“Forgive me, but I
cannot offer you the money that Gaston has literally thrown at your feet,” he
said, raising and lowering his head like a pumpjack. “So instead, I will offer you something with
as much meaning as I can muster. I give
my life, and my well-being, to you -- without pay, without compensation,
without consequence! Any task you
require of me will be done! Any favor,
completed to the best of my ability! If
you take me as your aid, then I promise that your will shall be done!” He brought his forehead down on the stage
with a resounding thump. “All I ask is
that you act as a kind and gentle master…but even then, my request is not a
requirement. For I would gladly do your
duties, if only for the chance to be with you!
Even if it’s just for a moment longer!
Let me be with you!”
Mrs. Overdose reared
her head back while Lloyd kept his grounded, with his eyes clamped shut and his
fingers digging into the stage’s wood.
For a moment she wondered how much damage he’d do to his nails if he
kept it up, but set the thought aside; she just snorted and turned her head aside. “Give it a rest already. Jeez, do all your conversations end with you
breakin’ into song and dance? You’re
gonna wear yourself out with all these theatrics.”
She shook her head and
sighed. “I guess if I’m gonna be your
master, I’ll have to teach you right and wrong.
And a whole lotta other things, by the looks of it.”
Lloyd lifted his head,
eyes wide and gleaming. “M-M-Mrs.
Overdose…!” He leapt to his feet and
seized her in a hug. “Mrs -- no, LADY
Overdose! Thank you! Thank you for giving me this
opportunity! I swear, by the blaze
within my core, that I will do all I can to --”
Ka-REJECTION OF GOOD
INTENTIONS!
Mrs. Overdose pulled
back her shotgun after clubbing Lloyd with it.
“Rule number one,” she announced as she prodded him in the ribs. “No hugging.
Ever.”
“Duly noted.”
JP’s brows
twitched. “We’re sure this is a good
thing, right?”
Before Lloyd could give
an answer, Gaston leapt of his pipe and started toward the stage, laughing and
clapping grandiosely all the while.
“Very good…very good indeed, Lloyd!
It would seem that you’ve eked out a victory on this day -- a narrow
one, but a victory nonetheless. What
once was mine is now yours; what minor element I had is now the strongest
weapon in your arsenal…in more ways than one.”
He trotted up the far
staircase, forcing the trio to tense up (and Lloyd to finally stand back
up). “Well then, madam. I do hope you don’t come to regret that
choice; I know how flighty the opinion of the fairer sex can be at times.” He walked across the stage -- but rather than
strike out against them, he just scooped up the money and slit it inside his
clothes. “Choosing fools over funds…it
would seem that a revolution of the heart has begun within you. But where will this change lead? To greater highs than you’ve ever known? Or despair now eager to invade your open
heart?”
Mrs. Overdose just
shrugged. “Whatever. I was gettin’ tired of bein’ your workhorse
anyway. I like money, but I got my
limits. And I’m pretty sure you can’t
pay the amount I’d be askin’ for.”
Lloyd took a step
forward. “We’ve played your game, Gaston
-- and you have lost.”
“Yes, I suppose I
have.” Gaston tossed the key into
Lloyd’s hands, and turned his back on the trio.
“Well then. I suppose I’ll be
bidding you farewell for now -- and rest assured, your friends and family will
be of no more threat to you. I’ve
released my hold on them, so you won’t have to worry about any midnight
shenanigans. Just be wary that I won’t
show the same kindness if they come near me again.”
“A strange display of
philanthropy,” said Lloyd. “What for?”
“For a job well done,
obviously. The victor deserves a trophy,
and I’m happy to offer it. Your comrades
shall see no more harm -- for the moment -- and as it’s of no more use to me, I
see no need to visit your home ever again.
So build the best base you can, while you can. You’ll need it.”
“And as for you…?”
“As I said, I would
prefer not to be in this room when the festivities begin in earnest. I’m of such a frail constitution, you see.”
“And where do you think
you’re going?” JP shouted.
“Wherever I
please. After all, none of you can stop
me. No one can. Everything from here until my destined
victory is little more than a game -- the lead-in to my masterwork. And who among you can prevent my advance with
your limited means?” He glanced over his
shoulder, the smile on his mask seemingly stretching a bit thinner. “What are
you going to do? Kill me?”
None of them answered.
“Come come now, surely
one of you can…oh, I suppose you can’t.
The boy would sooner slay a dragon than stop me. My dear madam would do well to stay her
weapon, unless she desired a sound thrashing from the authorities. And you, Lloyd…what chance do you have? As you are, your powers are useless on
me. And I would assume -- quite rightly,
I’d wager -- that you could never stain your hands with the blood of another
man, no matter how much you’ve been wronged.”
“I may not be able to harm
you,” Lloyd admitted. “But the police
can --”
“You assume that I
don’t have them on my side already? And
besides, what makes you think you can hold me in place long enough for them to
take me away? With a snap of my fingers
I could have Mrs. Overdose shatter all three of you into dozens of pieces. Surely a fate you wish to avoid, yes?”
All three of them
reeled -- a motion that drew another cold laugh from Gaston. “You want to know what you should do
next. Well, I’ll gladly tell you what
you WILL do. You’re all going to let me
go and do as I wish. To do otherwise
would be…ku fu fu…less than ideal.” And
with his shoulders jostling, he started for the door.
Lloyd winced. Gaston had walked in with zero chance of
defeat. Even if Lloyd had managed even a
slight victory against him -- even if he had won Mrs. Overdose to his side --
her mere presence offered the ultimate countermeasure. And even if it didn’t the threat of that
impending brawl could do the job just as well as a spray of bullets.
“JP. Lady Overdose. We have no choice but to fall back for now,”
Lloyd said at last. “It’s as he
says. To strike him now -- to even
approach him -- would invite catastrophe.”
“You have got to be…” But noting his state of affairs, JP could
only nod. “Yeah. For once, you’ve got a point.”
“Lady Overdose, I trust
you have no objections?” He gave her a
slight smile. “It’s the servant’s duty
to protect the master.”
“Tch. Sure, whatever. Just don’t get in the habit of givin’ me
orders.”
“Of course.” Lloyd watched as Gaston waltzed out of the
auditorium. The masked man turned
towards him one last time, smiling and laughing, before closing the door and
vanishing from sight. “We need to
go. I think it’s time for us to begin
planning our own offense.”
TO BE HEARTINUED…
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