Beat 84: Now THIS is Hot Blood!
It’s at times like these where I have to wonder what sort of deity I’ve
irritated to reach this point, Lloyd thought with sagging shoulders. But he perked up quickly, and focused his
gaze dead ahead. But even if I’ve incurred the wrath of heaven, that’s no excuse for me
to stop now. I need to figure this
out. And soon.
He watched Deirdre’s
stars closely. One fully dimmed; the
other, well beyond half-empty. It almost
looked as if some cruel cartoonist had taken his eraser to the star’s light,
rubbing away every last bit of gleam -- of hope -- he could reach. Despite that, Deirdre looked remarkably calm;
she’d dropped all pretenses of looking comely and seductive, and merely stood
in place with crossed arms and a slight smile.
If Lloyd didn’t know any better, he’d have thought she’d found inner
peace.
“Better work fast,
sweet cheeks,” said Deirdre. “If you
don’t figure out what you’ve missed, then you’re going to have to live with the
consequences.”
Lloyd leaned forward,
eyes wide. Hold on. What was that? He pressed down one more time, but
ignored Sheila’s words. He just kept an
eye on her body -- or rather, the head that poked out from the stall. Her
left ear -- has it always wiggled like that as she spoke? He pressed a finger to another line
almost at random.
“I…I-I’m doing all I
can to try and change myself! I don’t
wanna be a loser anymore -- that’s why I need you, Lloyd! Let me bear your children!”
That time, her ear didn’t wiggle.
Was that just a coincidence? No,
no, it couldn’t be…there has to be some secret.
She wouldn’t do it unless…unless…
He tapped another line.
““Nuh-uh. If I have children with my true love, then
the curse that’s been in my family for generations will finally be lifted.”
There. There it was again -- the
ear wiggled. Could there be a connection
between the two lines? Or perhaps a
connection to several lines? And if so,
what sort of stake would an imaginary friend have in… Lloyd gasped sharply. Hold
on. Could it be that…? Yes, let’s give these lines a try.
“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Sheila wailed, pawing at her face.
“It…it wasn’t supposed to be this way!
I was gonna…we were gonna…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
No wiggle. And as confirmation,
there’s also…
Sheila stumbled
backwards onto a suddenly-appearing bed.
“I…I did everything she told me to,” she moaned. “What did I do wrong?”
Still no wiggle. And yet, if I
press this line…
“If that’s true, then I
bet I can get you all fired up -- and give you the hottest meal you’ve ever had.”
There it is! And with that, I
can turn the tides of this battle!
Lloyd turned to Deirdre
and nodded. “I can see it now -- what
you hoped I would see for myself,” he began.
“It goes without saying that you’ve been offering counsel -- however
troublesome -- to Miss O’Leary. But the
precise frequency of it was a mystery until this point. Now I understand that you’ve been more than
just an assistant she would consult every now and then, or when she had a
moment’s peace; you’ve been whispering in her ear, feeding her lines for the
sake of an outcome of your preference.
I’d wager that, were I to sift through every line of dialogue up to this
moment, a hefty percentage of them would be lines orchestrated by you.”
Deirdre just stood
there and smiled.
“That said, you can’t
control her at every moment. You can
make suggestions, but Miss O’Leary’s natural willpower and psyche will act on
their own regardless of your intentions.
It’s when she’s at her most emotional that she’ll act spontaneously,
independent of you and dependent on
her own burst of thought. And it’s when
she takes back the reins that you’re most likely to fret.
“Even so, that’s only a
small facet of what’s at play here. The
takeaway from this is not your fear, per se, but your bravery; you have the
confidence to say, think, and do what Miss O’Leary herself cannot -- and
because of your influence, she does things that she would never do on her
own. In essence, you’re already
effectively a part of the real world, even if it’s indirectly. Simply put, you are more than just an
imaginary friend -- you’re an irrevocable part of Miss O’Leary. You ARE Miss O’Leary. And if she were to lose you, she’d be missing
one of the most important parts of herself.”
Deirdre chuckled. “Not bad, boy. Not bad at all.”
Lloyd watched as
Deirdre’s star vibrated -- and with a sudden chime, reversed its ebb. The light that couldn’t be bothered to reach
every corner splashed into every inch of it.
I’ve done it! I managed to pull off a small win. Now that I have the momentum, I can…
He glanced at Sheila --
and sure enough, her half-star began to empty.
“Congratulations, boy -- you managed to point
out the obvious,” Deirdre said with a slow clap of her hands. “But me oh my, it feels good to have someone
say it out loud. Thing is, I’m guessing
that there’s someone else who can’t take the news quite as well.”
No! I’ve been tricked! Lloyd nearly bit his thumb in two. I was
too careless. Of course something like
this would happen; I was the one that said I’d have to balance out the two
halves, and now I’ve completely shattered it!
He watched Sheila carefully; the lady herself began to slump and pale,
as if she’d run a marathon on five minutes’ worth of sleep. Her half-star had long since turned into a
quarter-star (and less) -- and the golden glow turned into a pulsing red. Each revolution left the stars moving slower
and slower, struggling to stay in orbit; each new pass let loose a low-pitched
beat.
Lloyd didn’t even have
time to think, or even register his sped-up heartbeats. He just started talking.
“Miss O’Leary! Don’t lose heart yet!” He slammed his palms on the desk. “I won’t allow you to fall prey to despair! That, I promise you!”
It looked as if it took
all of Sheila’s energy for her to look at Lloyd. “A-as if you’ve got a say in the
matter…” She started to sway and
buckle. “It’s no good…I’m nothing
without Deirdre. What can I do without
her?”
“You can still stand on
your own! I believe in your strength,
even if you don’t?”
“What strength?”
“I…it’s…” Lloyd shook his head rapidly. “You’re braver than you think, Miss
O’Leary! You just have to realize it!”
“No. No, I’m not.”
“Then you…there’s
still…y-you may have faced problems in the past, but each new day brings with
it new hope! Tomorrow awaits, and brings
new promise!”
“But what if I don’t
want to see tomorrow?” Sheila lowered
her head. “Maybe…maybe it’s better if I
just…disappear.”
“Miss O’Leary, you have
to --!” Lloyd chomped down on his
tongue. No. That’s no use. There isn’t a single word of praise that I
can offer to pacify her -- anything I give will just bounce right off her. What I need is evidence. Something that not even she, with her low
esteem, could deny. But what? What can I offer her now? What?
WHAT?
He clutched his head and stooped over; if not
for his elbows propping him up, he might have slammed his head right through
the desk. Damn it…this is my fault. I
failed her. I did my best, but in the
end I couldn’t do anything to help her.
All I did was make things worse! He
clamped his eyes shut, using so much force that he thought he might tear his
muscles apart. I failed her. I failed her…I…I…!
“Lloyd!”
Lloyd looked up from
the desk, and followed the sound to its source -- straight to Deirdre. “What happened?” she asked, her gaze growing
steely. “Where did all that confidence
go? I thought you had this thing all
wrapped up and ready to go. Don’t tell
me you’re the one losing heart!”
“But…”
“Didn’t I tell you
already? The only ‘but’ that matters is
mine.” Her eyes darted to Sheila -- to a
star barely holding on to a tenth of its light -- and then back to Lloyd. “You care about this girl, don’t you? That’s why you’d stick your neck out so far
for her. That’s why you’d go toe-to-toe
with me. And that’s why, when all’s said
and done, I can’t help but admire your efforts…even if they might be the end of
me.”
Lloyd opened his mouth
to speak, but Deirdre held up a hand. “Seeing
you squirm like this is seriously a turn-off.
So stand up. Be a man. If you’re going to be the hero, then be the
hero. Prove that you’re worthy of being
my toy…and worthy of being her special someone.” She crossed her arms and chuckled heartily to
herself. “Would you listen to me, giving
my would-be killer a pep talk…but I guess it can’t be helped. If I’m going to lose, I want to lose to
someone who’s actually worth talking about.”
“Ma’am…”
Deidre cocked her head
and smirked. “I’m in the mood for a
gamble, Lloyd! So roll the dice
already. Let’s see who comes out on
top!”
Lloyd ran his eyes up
and down Deirdre’s form -- confident and brazen, but with a calm posture; she
was a far cry from the forceful seductress he’d known just minutes ago. He ran his eyes up and down Sheila’s form --
she looked mere seconds away from collapse.
In a few moments, her star would barely have five percent of its light
left. And after that…
He stood up straight,
took a deep breath, and smiled. “It
seems as if I’m more fragile than you’ll ever be, Miss O’Leary. To make such claims and promises, and let
myself nearly fall prey to a panic attack…and to be rescued by one of the women
I’m supposed to be saving…I truly am a shameful person. Shameful, indeed. But I suppose that’s why…that’s why I…”
He curled his hands
into fists -- and slammed them against the desk with enough force to kick up a
few gales. “I cannot allow myself to
give up now! I cannot -- I WILL NOT fail
you, Miss O’Leary! I won’t allow you to
vanish from this world -- and by my beating heart, I’ll see to it myself that
you can face the world with a smile!”
Deirdre closed her eyes
and laughed. “That’s the way to do
it. Now, follow through on those pretty
words of yours.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to.”
“B-but…but can you?”
Sheila asked. “What can you do with a
zero like me?”
“More than you know,
Miss O’Leary. It’s precisely as I said
-- I have every intention of turning zero to infinity. BUT, I won’t be doing it alone.” He clapped a hand to his heart. “Faults, failures, and foibles are endemic to
my very being. My words can only do so
much, and even this passion I wield like a blazing sword dulls and chills in
the face of reality. But weaknesses --
imperfections are a part of us all. We
may overcome them, and we may live with them…but there is always the risk of
being blinded by them. We may refuse to
see the possibilities that exist within us, merely because we obsess over our
inability to reach perfection. And
that’s precisely why I’m here for you, Miss O’Leary.”
He held out a
hand. “I’m right here. If you would refuse to accept your strength
-- to accept yourself -- then allow me to fulfill my duty. Let me remind you of the power that blooms
within.”
And he clamped his hand
into a fist. “It starts with this.”
TO BE HEARTINUED…
No comments:
Post a Comment