Post by The Crimson Ghost! on Sept 3, 2009 17:29:50 GMT -5
They were walking out on they're own power, Chen, Chen and Boolzian. Komosube saw to that much, the police not wanting to risk an incident with the largest man they'd encountered that day. Aito was silently fuming, while BoolZ was talking with the police, adding in that charming manner of his,
"Hey Officer...Brenda, is it? Look, I get homesick in long plane-flights, and it would practically be your duty to ensure that I don't, y'know, bail out or anything. You might have to ensure multiple times..."
Chinatsu watched Randy flirt with the slender, shapely(yet fit) dark-skinned woman in uniform who even now was biting her bottom lip and trying to remain her professionalism. However, Chinatsu didn't smirk or roll her eyes like usual when she witnessed her friend acting like the horndog he absolutely was. He's no doubt embarassed about being booted from GiW in the fashion that he was. He's hiding it with charisma and that laid back attitude he's known for, but I know BoolZ. I know my friend.
Soon they were outside, and the usual cold of the California nights were exchanged for a warm, roasted feeling, compliments of the fires. There was a black and white squad car waiting, even as Randy put out his cigarette on the warm asphalt, eyeing the police vehicle. He looked at the cops, and nodded, looking to end his hesitation, and Chinatsu saw that he could not find a way out of this one, he could not fool his way back into Battlegrounds or his former career with a wink and a smile like he used to. It pained Chinatsu to see him disheartened so, and before he took another step, put a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and they locked eyes, his of reluctance and defeat, hers watering with sympathy. He gave a smile, further masking his pain, further revealing it.
"Hey, kid...you're gonna do great, you know that? Hey, it won't be so bad, next shore leave you get we'll meat up in the T-"
She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, perplexing and silencing the RBI, before she hugged him tight, whispering in his ear.
"I'm not a kid. Stay safe over there, ok? It's all gonna be ok."
He nodded deep, and turned to walk away. She followed suit, not crying, not allowing herself to. She resolved herself to be strong, be strong, be-
"Hey champ!"
She turned around, and he gave a smug smile, pointing at her. The cops, all resolute GiW fans(luckily for this writer), allowed this dragging out of things, but looked impatient.
"Give 'em hell."
She nodded, grinning wide despite herself.
"Hell yeah!"
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The woods were black. Foul, dark things without life, branches that stretched out like the fingers of old women, cracked and wicked indeed. Little Chinatsu looked around, terrified, and could not move, could not move fast like she wanted to, couldn't run like a rabbit, could only trudge along like an aged doe in quicksand. All around she heard the somber, macabre threnody of blackbirds and vultures, and tried not to look up, tried not to do anything but survive. She'd heard this requiem composed by the things of death before, before when the Reaper, when Thanatos had thrown her cruelly to her death, with her legs gashed and injured from her earlier battle against Charon, it's cruel ferryman. She could do nothing but hide in the hollow of one of the great dead woods, nude and alone, vulnerable and scared. Here, her skill, her strength and speed, everything about her counted for naught. Here she was just meat for the devouring...
And here, reader, she sleeps. What is sleep within sleep? If she spends a dreamless, restless night within a dream, if time drags out forever in the space of a limited amount of time, does this mean anything? Surely it means something to her now, exposed and covered with black, worm-infested mud even as her physical body slumbers in comfortable sheets and blankets, young, nubile body covered by modest silks. What causes her mind to seek out horrors that she already conquered, what causes her to see the man named Dirge in the form of a raven's call, and Raenius in the form of symbols of death she feels but will not look at? Truly, a confusing thing, the human mind. She even hears this narration even now, at the ends of consciousness she is truly aware of the purpose of her life...aware how narrow and fickle it is, though she'll forget and bury the thought upon waking. She'll not remember you viewing her innermost thoughts like lecherous voyeurs, and perhaps that is a good thing. Ah, but here she awakens. Let us look further, unabashed in our hiding spot, just beyond her vision...
She awoke to find herself walking, garbed only in underwear, black and form-fitting. She blushed at her own vulgarity(though hadn't she been in less last night?), even as she kept her head down to avoid the sight of the horrible woods that surrounded her. As she looked down at her feet walking along the black dirt road, she was astounded to suddenly see herself walking along smooth, cropped grass of a wonderful GREEN color. Chen's breath was taken away, and looked around to see her now in the beginning of a wonderful, lively vibrant forest, the trees lush and young and GREEN, Chinatsu's clean body surrounded by wonderful cool air, oxygen. She turned around, to see that dark, petrified forest devoid of color or life, was right there, behind her! It was as if there were two separate forests, divided by an invisible, intangible but highly palpable line dividing the two.
"How very strange", said the young Asian beauty, inhaling deep the fresh, cool oxygen provided by the lush, GREEN foliage around her, when suddenly, she was aware of a truly queer sight; Up ahead in the distance, was a clearing, where the sun shone through like rays of Holiness, and all around the two figures in the middle, were little voodoo dolls that lay cast about. They looked to be made of potato sack cloth, and were absolutely without gender or feature save for three black holes in the face, two for the eyes, one for the mouth. They looked stuffed with stra and string and hair, and some were impaled with needles and nails at odd places. They were eerie contraptions, and in the middle of these discarded children were a man and a woman, who were even stranger sights. The woman was a complete gypsy, who's hair and clothing were absolutely WILD. Her clothing was revealing in...feminine areas, and Chinatsu found herself blushing and looking away when the woman would shift position lightly. And it wasn't an attempt at eroticism, the clothing. She merely did not care. Her eyes were intense and almost predatory, and despite her slender frame, Chinatsu got the feeling that the woman could absolutely rip you apart. The woman was currently fawning and tending to a man sitting in a chair, the looks of which baffled young Chinatsu. His hair hidden by a small golden crown, and his eyebrows long and fancible, he wore a fumanchu. His frame was bulky and frighteningly impressive, but it was stunted by his eyes, or perhaps accentuated. He was insane. Stark raving mad, pupils which expressed freely and loudly megalomania and delusions of grandeur. He was currently shackled to an old, peasant's chair, his wrists and ankles secured to golden-colored cuffs, and the same gold-color chains strapping him to said chair...it looked to have, strange devices on the legs of the chairs, with a long fuse, that stretched out so far Chinatsu could almost reach it from where she was! She knew somewhere in her mind that she had to be careful around these people, but she was tired and fatigued, and so, as happens with dreams, simply walked out without a care or plan in the world, giving a small wave of her hand.
"Hello. It's good to see there aren't just monsters in this forest."
She didn't see them, but she KNEW things were alive and watching, even now. The woman, who had been staring straight at her, snapped her head quickly and looked shocked to see her, yet not surprised. The (King?) in the chair looked up, a little surprised, but more upset. He spoke royally, his voice echoing as if inside a royal hall and not the forest.
Man: Innnsolent little trollip!
Woman: Nosy little bitch!
Man: Why, I should decapitatest thou like the poorly animated sprite you are!
Woman: Tho art, you mean.
Man: Thank thee.
Woman: The what?
Man: The thou.
Woman: Quite. But, anyway...
Man: What? Ah, yes! The trollip! Dost thou not know whom thy address is toward?
Chinatsu wasn't entirely sure why the style of conversation and description changed, but decided, merely, to go with it.
Chinatsu: Uhrm, sorry, but no. Who are you?
The man raised a brow threateningly, and huffed a breath, appropriately offended.
Man: You have never, ever heard-
Woman: Can't believe she's never heard-
Man: Have you been living among the birds-
Woman: Really quite absurd, darling!
Man: I am the Once and Always King-
Woman: Lord of any Ring-
Man: My name we now shallll siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
(At this the man's voice becomes a deep, rich baritone, operatic and lovely, as the birds perch on branches to watch the show, and the dolls begin to stir, rythmically. It is unknown where the band begins to play, but it is loud, and bold, and there is a lot of brass in the band.)
Dolls: Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa! Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
Man: I am the Lord of man and beast,
of jewels and gold I feast,
my effort is never least,
and I'll ensure I never cease!
Dolls: Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
Woman: You might say he's insane-
Man: But I'll demand that you refrain-
Woman: He doesn't mean to sound so vain,
Man: But greatness flows through my veins!
Dolls(in unison): We'll let you take the reins!
Chinatsu(unsure): Hmmm...la la, la? Hmm lallalallaa! Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
(Dolls: That's it!)
(The dolls all begin to dance around Lord Hastings, as one walks bouncily toward the fuse, taking out a nail through it's torso and striking that against the fuse to light it, as it goes slowly. This next bit of dialogue is regular, out of synch with the keeping rythm of the band.)
(One of the dolls, they all have child-like voices): Say, Lord Qin Shi Hastings-
Hastings: Yes, dear subject?
Doll: Well gosh, I don't think she understands yet!
Hastings: Then we'll set her straight!
They say that man must die,
but then I ask them why?
With Calypso on my side,
Calypso: Yer bacon'll never fry!
Hastings: With this magic paramour
I'll be sure to live forever-more!
And because this planet's such a bore,
All heaven's mine, forevermore! MWUAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
(All the time the fuse had been getting ever closer, ever closer, until finally flames begin to smash the ground, and the chair gets more and more unstable, but Hastings just continues to laugh, staring straight at the grinning sun, the GHOST-LIKE sphere thoroughly entertained. The dolls and Calypso all begin weeping, as one doll hops on it's Emperor's lap with a wreath of pink roses, placing it around the man's neck, kissing him on the cheek.)
Dolls(all at once, garbled): Goodbye King! We'll always love ya! Don't forget us! Please don't go! He's the swellest guy ya ever knew! I think he's a giant boob! tell us what Saturn's like, when we discover it! i STILL say he's a giant boob!...(and on and on)
Chinatsu watched with wide, giant eyes as the figure finally blasted off, still cackling like a madman, even as he got smaller and smaller and smalllllller, becoming just a fleck in the atmosphere, until suddenly, the rocket explodes violently, filling the whole sky with a pretty fireworks show. The crown, after a moment, came hurtling down, miraculously untouched by the spectacle, until it lands gently, defying physics, against a nearby rock, rhyming this sentence with a startling THOCK! By this time everyone nearby was crying, and Chinatsu, overwhelmed with emotion, wept for him, wiping her cheek even as she decided it was time to leave. It wasn't right she should be a voyeur, gazing upon this private funeral for a man loved by many. As she got closer, she could tell, that the crown was gold on the outside, but inside it was cheap wood. The crown was guilded, much like the chair, much like the man himself. Chinatsu remembered this, until many miles from the journey, she found an old cottage, and slept.
Another restless night, reader, another day passed in the sitting of a few actual hours. Even as she twists and turns in actuality, in her mind, the world ceases to exist, the whole universe reshaping, changing, the beginning of a metamorphosis that upon "waking", Chinatsu will take for granted. Even upon listening to this narrator, who is HIMSELF merely a pawn of the author, Chinatsu will refuse to realize the truth about everything. Chinatsu is a pawn of a pawn of a pawn, perhaps of a pawn. Take a moment, and ask yourself; are YOU really any different? Do you see strings upon your wrists and feet, controlling your actions? Is it because they aren't there, or merely that you refuse to acknowledge their existance?
With uneasy questions left unanswered, Chinatsu woke from the cave, still garbed only in a white bra and panties, that STILL brought a blush to her face. She was exposed against the inherent dangers of the world, and she didn't much like it. Carefully, she crawled out the cave, and when she was able to, stood and walked across the moonlight hills, crown in hand. Why? She wasn't sure. But it was important somehow....someone had blown up. Maybe.
The sound of church bells went off, and Chinatsu saw off in the distance a lovely looking church, the sound drawing her attention and making her smile. In the cold, she rubbed her arms, frowning a bit. The howling of wolves, the fluttering of bat-wings, Chinatsu was unsure about this country side, and would be happy to take refuge in the building.
Inside. She didn't even remember opening the door, but she was in now, and before her, was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen: On her knees, the loveliest blonde woman looked up at the altar before her, a weeping man in a white face with black hair and blacker eyes that bore into the soul. It looked alive, even as the woman humbly washed it, dressed as a nun or priestess, simple, yet oh so elegant, oh so beautiful. From....nowhere, perhaps everywhere, a choir sang, the pitch so high and clear that the gender was, much like dolls(strange how she thought of this), unclear, and unimportant. The Saint's black robes shifted, and Chinatsu wasn't aware of this, but she was watching from a side angle, and could see, behind it's back...it's giant, leathery ogre hand held a gruesome kitchen knife, made for demons, specially suited for fileting humans, especially those who were unaware of the scam! In her horror, she called out,
"Don't get involved with them! They'll devour you!"
The nun's child sat watching in the back row, legs kicking off the bench, as clueless as the mother to the impending doom! Even with the woman's natural strength and wickedness, there was no way to get away from such horror, such evil, such all-consuming humanity! Suddenly, the thing looked directly at Chinatsu, and with it's other hand, brought a finger to it's painted lips, and though the mask couldn't move, she could tell it winked. And before she could move another step, the monster brought it's other hand down, and the Priestess of Fear screamed a horrible, blood-curdling shriek before she was sliced in half, bone crunching sickly as marrow sprayed the blade of the cutlery, as well as pouring blood, so dark it was almost black until it glinted off the candle-lights. Her breasts were somewhat revealed, perfect save for now being mingled with the dress she wore. The Evil lifted the knife and the lifeless doll staring straight at Chinatsu with tear-streaked eyes kicked lifelessly, like a ragdoll being lifted by the neck. She was shaken and jerked, but didn't fall off the wicked blade until the ogre pushed her off with his other hand, letting her fall back to the church floor. She fell with such force that, at the same time her arteries sprayed blood all over Chinatsu and the woman's daughter, her legs broke brutally on impact with the cold stone floor. The monster leapt to the back pew, and the woman's daughter suffered a similar fate, the quick and SO SILENT terror slashing the neck so powerfully that some spinal cord flew out the opening, the youth trying to scream and just making a mess out of the ogre's mask. The thing seemed to love it, though it made no sound, and soon, it turned toward her. She was naked, and small, and alone, no way to fight it! She had to get away, had to, and before it could slash her she jumped out the stained glass window, glass sticking in her thighs as she crawled, crying and pleading, crawling as fast as she could, but aware she was only giving the horror a show, and tried backing away, seeing it walk slowly, toying with her, now it mocked like it was crying, taunting her...But It didn't see the moon.
The moon, with it's skeletal, grinning visage, was getting...closer, oh so closer, and the moonlight was stronger then the sun, even as the monster known as Raenius turned around, and was devoured by the benevolent deity, and Chinatsu wept tears of joy at her protector, her divine protector, her teacher. Her Ghost. He helped her to her feet, and to her amazement, her legs were fine, just fine.
"Heya, Firecracker, what's a matter?"
"Oh, I...I thought...I-I thought he was going to kill me...but you stopped him! You killed him!"
He smiled at her, and shook his head.
"Nah, I didn't kill him..I just slowed him down. It's up to YOU to stop him."
"Me?? What about his knife, he's so big, he's so fast, I can't, no, oh oh, no, I can't-"
She began breathing heavy, aware of her own partial nudity, blushing crimson in front of the ghost. He chuckled, and calmed her down.
"Look, it's true you can't fight him like this...but, I'll take care of ya. Teach a man to fish, and all that."
He pointed to the east, and as she looked, the sun began to rise, it's red against the darkness simply incredible, and oh, so beautiful. From it, something emerged, and floated to her in no time flat. Her eyes widened at the material, and put it on, quickly. No longer was she exposed to the world, and as she looked at her teacher, she pulled it over her face, grinning giddily even as he moved to the west, setting promptly. And when she heard the ogre getting back to it's feet behind her, she simply clenched her fists, and turned around. Ready.
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Chinatsu awoke with a start, and sat up in bed, glancing at the time. 9:30. She slept in, and felt...good! She looked at her hand, and clenched it, even as she began smiling.
She was ready.
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Yarn. Twine. String. Ribbons. Rocking chairs. Radio set to the oldies. Very ineffective fan blowing hot air all through the non-circulated store. Chinatsu had a feeling she'd find the new owner of GiW inside this crocheting store. She smiled and waved to the women, ignoring the double-glances at the asian woman. They weren't hostile glances, just...not entirely used to seeing Japanese, even now. Chinatsu understood it, and didn't really take offense at it. She thought she saw the old woman, but before she could take another step in her modest outfit, She saw Tate Levine waddle over, smile wide, waving his doughy, fat hand. Chinatsu smiled back, genuinely happy to see the person, but inwardly resigned to defeat. There would be no getting around Tate now. Chen furrowed her brows at the unintentional fat joke her mind made, hoping she'd be more careful in her speech then she was in her thoughts. She waved back.
"Ohh, hi, Tate..I see your grandmother is running the show now.."
He nodded, kind of disinterested in matters concerning his flesh and blood.
"Yeah, it's cool I guess...but, hey, you're back!"
She could see the shriveled old woman scooting away to get something or other, and Chinatsu held up her hand and waved, and the woman looked up, a little perturbed, before returning the wave, slowly. Chinatsu returned her attention to the giant little man before her, who was, roughly, the same age(she was 19 since July 4th). He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she cringed, though hid it well. His hand was incredibly clammy, and she was mildly sure he'd been eating something sticky...hopefully it was sticky food. That's it, 8 showers tonight. But right now, she just patted his hand, before leading it away.
Poor guy, she thought. Between Travis' indifference, Ghost's unusual insensitivity toward Tate and the other wrestler's tendency toward violence, it must be tough.
"Yeah...I couldn't stay away for very long, you know..."
"Hey, where were you, anyway?"
Looking at the time, Chinatsu's eyes bugged out of her skull, and she looked up at Levine. She opened her mouth, but Tate knew, nodding, and smiling. There was something in his eyes, though, that just wrenched the pity-meter she had.
"Gotta go? I understand...Big match and all...I hope you win!"
"Hey, thanks...listen, after the match if I'm not dead, I would like to hang out, just to talk...if you ever need to, you know where to find me."
His eyes brightened up just a little, but he tried to play it cool.
"Really??"
Ok, not so cool. All the same, Chen nodded, resolute.
"Really! But seriously, I have to get the f-"
A stern glare for a robust looking middle aged woman made her gulp, and nod, correcting quietly.
"I need to leave...see you around!"
She left, on her way, to Ghost's current pad here in Texas. She had something to pick up...
END PROMO.
"Hey Officer...Brenda, is it? Look, I get homesick in long plane-flights, and it would practically be your duty to ensure that I don't, y'know, bail out or anything. You might have to ensure multiple times..."
Chinatsu watched Randy flirt with the slender, shapely(yet fit) dark-skinned woman in uniform who even now was biting her bottom lip and trying to remain her professionalism. However, Chinatsu didn't smirk or roll her eyes like usual when she witnessed her friend acting like the horndog he absolutely was. He's no doubt embarassed about being booted from GiW in the fashion that he was. He's hiding it with charisma and that laid back attitude he's known for, but I know BoolZ. I know my friend.
Soon they were outside, and the usual cold of the California nights were exchanged for a warm, roasted feeling, compliments of the fires. There was a black and white squad car waiting, even as Randy put out his cigarette on the warm asphalt, eyeing the police vehicle. He looked at the cops, and nodded, looking to end his hesitation, and Chinatsu saw that he could not find a way out of this one, he could not fool his way back into Battlegrounds or his former career with a wink and a smile like he used to. It pained Chinatsu to see him disheartened so, and before he took another step, put a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and they locked eyes, his of reluctance and defeat, hers watering with sympathy. He gave a smile, further masking his pain, further revealing it.
"Hey, kid...you're gonna do great, you know that? Hey, it won't be so bad, next shore leave you get we'll meat up in the T-"
She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, perplexing and silencing the RBI, before she hugged him tight, whispering in his ear.
"I'm not a kid. Stay safe over there, ok? It's all gonna be ok."
He nodded deep, and turned to walk away. She followed suit, not crying, not allowing herself to. She resolved herself to be strong, be strong, be-
"Hey champ!"
She turned around, and he gave a smug smile, pointing at her. The cops, all resolute GiW fans(luckily for this writer), allowed this dragging out of things, but looked impatient.
"Give 'em hell."
She nodded, grinning wide despite herself.
"Hell yeah!"
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The woods were black. Foul, dark things without life, branches that stretched out like the fingers of old women, cracked and wicked indeed. Little Chinatsu looked around, terrified, and could not move, could not move fast like she wanted to, couldn't run like a rabbit, could only trudge along like an aged doe in quicksand. All around she heard the somber, macabre threnody of blackbirds and vultures, and tried not to look up, tried not to do anything but survive. She'd heard this requiem composed by the things of death before, before when the Reaper, when Thanatos had thrown her cruelly to her death, with her legs gashed and injured from her earlier battle against Charon, it's cruel ferryman. She could do nothing but hide in the hollow of one of the great dead woods, nude and alone, vulnerable and scared. Here, her skill, her strength and speed, everything about her counted for naught. Here she was just meat for the devouring...
And here, reader, she sleeps. What is sleep within sleep? If she spends a dreamless, restless night within a dream, if time drags out forever in the space of a limited amount of time, does this mean anything? Surely it means something to her now, exposed and covered with black, worm-infested mud even as her physical body slumbers in comfortable sheets and blankets, young, nubile body covered by modest silks. What causes her mind to seek out horrors that she already conquered, what causes her to see the man named Dirge in the form of a raven's call, and Raenius in the form of symbols of death she feels but will not look at? Truly, a confusing thing, the human mind. She even hears this narration even now, at the ends of consciousness she is truly aware of the purpose of her life...aware how narrow and fickle it is, though she'll forget and bury the thought upon waking. She'll not remember you viewing her innermost thoughts like lecherous voyeurs, and perhaps that is a good thing. Ah, but here she awakens. Let us look further, unabashed in our hiding spot, just beyond her vision...
She awoke to find herself walking, garbed only in underwear, black and form-fitting. She blushed at her own vulgarity(though hadn't she been in less last night?), even as she kept her head down to avoid the sight of the horrible woods that surrounded her. As she looked down at her feet walking along the black dirt road, she was astounded to suddenly see herself walking along smooth, cropped grass of a wonderful GREEN color. Chen's breath was taken away, and looked around to see her now in the beginning of a wonderful, lively vibrant forest, the trees lush and young and GREEN, Chinatsu's clean body surrounded by wonderful cool air, oxygen. She turned around, to see that dark, petrified forest devoid of color or life, was right there, behind her! It was as if there were two separate forests, divided by an invisible, intangible but highly palpable line dividing the two.
"How very strange", said the young Asian beauty, inhaling deep the fresh, cool oxygen provided by the lush, GREEN foliage around her, when suddenly, she was aware of a truly queer sight; Up ahead in the distance, was a clearing, where the sun shone through like rays of Holiness, and all around the two figures in the middle, were little voodoo dolls that lay cast about. They looked to be made of potato sack cloth, and were absolutely without gender or feature save for three black holes in the face, two for the eyes, one for the mouth. They looked stuffed with stra and string and hair, and some were impaled with needles and nails at odd places. They were eerie contraptions, and in the middle of these discarded children were a man and a woman, who were even stranger sights. The woman was a complete gypsy, who's hair and clothing were absolutely WILD. Her clothing was revealing in...feminine areas, and Chinatsu found herself blushing and looking away when the woman would shift position lightly. And it wasn't an attempt at eroticism, the clothing. She merely did not care. Her eyes were intense and almost predatory, and despite her slender frame, Chinatsu got the feeling that the woman could absolutely rip you apart. The woman was currently fawning and tending to a man sitting in a chair, the looks of which baffled young Chinatsu. His hair hidden by a small golden crown, and his eyebrows long and fancible, he wore a fumanchu. His frame was bulky and frighteningly impressive, but it was stunted by his eyes, or perhaps accentuated. He was insane. Stark raving mad, pupils which expressed freely and loudly megalomania and delusions of grandeur. He was currently shackled to an old, peasant's chair, his wrists and ankles secured to golden-colored cuffs, and the same gold-color chains strapping him to said chair...it looked to have, strange devices on the legs of the chairs, with a long fuse, that stretched out so far Chinatsu could almost reach it from where she was! She knew somewhere in her mind that she had to be careful around these people, but she was tired and fatigued, and so, as happens with dreams, simply walked out without a care or plan in the world, giving a small wave of her hand.
"Hello. It's good to see there aren't just monsters in this forest."
She didn't see them, but she KNEW things were alive and watching, even now. The woman, who had been staring straight at her, snapped her head quickly and looked shocked to see her, yet not surprised. The (King?) in the chair looked up, a little surprised, but more upset. He spoke royally, his voice echoing as if inside a royal hall and not the forest.
Man: Innnsolent little trollip!
Woman: Nosy little bitch!
Man: Why, I should decapitatest thou like the poorly animated sprite you are!
Woman: Tho art, you mean.
Man: Thank thee.
Woman: The what?
Man: The thou.
Woman: Quite. But, anyway...
Man: What? Ah, yes! The trollip! Dost thou not know whom thy address is toward?
Chinatsu wasn't entirely sure why the style of conversation and description changed, but decided, merely, to go with it.
Chinatsu: Uhrm, sorry, but no. Who are you?
The man raised a brow threateningly, and huffed a breath, appropriately offended.
Man: You have never, ever heard-
Woman: Can't believe she's never heard-
Man: Have you been living among the birds-
Woman: Really quite absurd, darling!
Man: I am the Once and Always King-
Woman: Lord of any Ring-
Man: My name we now shallll siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
(At this the man's voice becomes a deep, rich baritone, operatic and lovely, as the birds perch on branches to watch the show, and the dolls begin to stir, rythmically. It is unknown where the band begins to play, but it is loud, and bold, and there is a lot of brass in the band.)
Dolls: Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa! Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
Man: I am the Lord of man and beast,
of jewels and gold I feast,
my effort is never least,
and I'll ensure I never cease!
Dolls: Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
Woman: You might say he's insane-
Man: But I'll demand that you refrain-
Woman: He doesn't mean to sound so vain,
Man: But greatness flows through my veins!
Dolls(in unison): We'll let you take the reins!
Chinatsu(unsure): Hmmm...la la, la? Hmm lallalallaa! Hmmm-la la la hmm lallalallaa!
(Dolls: That's it!)
(The dolls all begin to dance around Lord Hastings, as one walks bouncily toward the fuse, taking out a nail through it's torso and striking that against the fuse to light it, as it goes slowly. This next bit of dialogue is regular, out of synch with the keeping rythm of the band.)
(One of the dolls, they all have child-like voices): Say, Lord Qin Shi Hastings-
Hastings: Yes, dear subject?
Doll: Well gosh, I don't think she understands yet!
Hastings: Then we'll set her straight!
They say that man must die,
but then I ask them why?
With Calypso on my side,
Calypso: Yer bacon'll never fry!
Hastings: With this magic paramour
I'll be sure to live forever-more!
And because this planet's such a bore,
All heaven's mine, forevermore! MWUAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
(All the time the fuse had been getting ever closer, ever closer, until finally flames begin to smash the ground, and the chair gets more and more unstable, but Hastings just continues to laugh, staring straight at the grinning sun, the GHOST-LIKE sphere thoroughly entertained. The dolls and Calypso all begin weeping, as one doll hops on it's Emperor's lap with a wreath of pink roses, placing it around the man's neck, kissing him on the cheek.)
Dolls(all at once, garbled): Goodbye King! We'll always love ya! Don't forget us! Please don't go! He's the swellest guy ya ever knew! I think he's a giant boob! tell us what Saturn's like, when we discover it! i STILL say he's a giant boob!...(and on and on)
Chinatsu watched with wide, giant eyes as the figure finally blasted off, still cackling like a madman, even as he got smaller and smaller and smalllllller, becoming just a fleck in the atmosphere, until suddenly, the rocket explodes violently, filling the whole sky with a pretty fireworks show. The crown, after a moment, came hurtling down, miraculously untouched by the spectacle, until it lands gently, defying physics, against a nearby rock, rhyming this sentence with a startling THOCK! By this time everyone nearby was crying, and Chinatsu, overwhelmed with emotion, wept for him, wiping her cheek even as she decided it was time to leave. It wasn't right she should be a voyeur, gazing upon this private funeral for a man loved by many. As she got closer, she could tell, that the crown was gold on the outside, but inside it was cheap wood. The crown was guilded, much like the chair, much like the man himself. Chinatsu remembered this, until many miles from the journey, she found an old cottage, and slept.
Another restless night, reader, another day passed in the sitting of a few actual hours. Even as she twists and turns in actuality, in her mind, the world ceases to exist, the whole universe reshaping, changing, the beginning of a metamorphosis that upon "waking", Chinatsu will take for granted. Even upon listening to this narrator, who is HIMSELF merely a pawn of the author, Chinatsu will refuse to realize the truth about everything. Chinatsu is a pawn of a pawn of a pawn, perhaps of a pawn. Take a moment, and ask yourself; are YOU really any different? Do you see strings upon your wrists and feet, controlling your actions? Is it because they aren't there, or merely that you refuse to acknowledge their existance?
With uneasy questions left unanswered, Chinatsu woke from the cave, still garbed only in a white bra and panties, that STILL brought a blush to her face. She was exposed against the inherent dangers of the world, and she didn't much like it. Carefully, she crawled out the cave, and when she was able to, stood and walked across the moonlight hills, crown in hand. Why? She wasn't sure. But it was important somehow....someone had blown up. Maybe.
The sound of church bells went off, and Chinatsu saw off in the distance a lovely looking church, the sound drawing her attention and making her smile. In the cold, she rubbed her arms, frowning a bit. The howling of wolves, the fluttering of bat-wings, Chinatsu was unsure about this country side, and would be happy to take refuge in the building.
Inside. She didn't even remember opening the door, but she was in now, and before her, was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen: On her knees, the loveliest blonde woman looked up at the altar before her, a weeping man in a white face with black hair and blacker eyes that bore into the soul. It looked alive, even as the woman humbly washed it, dressed as a nun or priestess, simple, yet oh so elegant, oh so beautiful. From....nowhere, perhaps everywhere, a choir sang, the pitch so high and clear that the gender was, much like dolls(strange how she thought of this), unclear, and unimportant. The Saint's black robes shifted, and Chinatsu wasn't aware of this, but she was watching from a side angle, and could see, behind it's back...it's giant, leathery ogre hand held a gruesome kitchen knife, made for demons, specially suited for fileting humans, especially those who were unaware of the scam! In her horror, she called out,
"Don't get involved with them! They'll devour you!"
The nun's child sat watching in the back row, legs kicking off the bench, as clueless as the mother to the impending doom! Even with the woman's natural strength and wickedness, there was no way to get away from such horror, such evil, such all-consuming humanity! Suddenly, the thing looked directly at Chinatsu, and with it's other hand, brought a finger to it's painted lips, and though the mask couldn't move, she could tell it winked. And before she could move another step, the monster brought it's other hand down, and the Priestess of Fear screamed a horrible, blood-curdling shriek before she was sliced in half, bone crunching sickly as marrow sprayed the blade of the cutlery, as well as pouring blood, so dark it was almost black until it glinted off the candle-lights. Her breasts were somewhat revealed, perfect save for now being mingled with the dress she wore. The Evil lifted the knife and the lifeless doll staring straight at Chinatsu with tear-streaked eyes kicked lifelessly, like a ragdoll being lifted by the neck. She was shaken and jerked, but didn't fall off the wicked blade until the ogre pushed her off with his other hand, letting her fall back to the church floor. She fell with such force that, at the same time her arteries sprayed blood all over Chinatsu and the woman's daughter, her legs broke brutally on impact with the cold stone floor. The monster leapt to the back pew, and the woman's daughter suffered a similar fate, the quick and SO SILENT terror slashing the neck so powerfully that some spinal cord flew out the opening, the youth trying to scream and just making a mess out of the ogre's mask. The thing seemed to love it, though it made no sound, and soon, it turned toward her. She was naked, and small, and alone, no way to fight it! She had to get away, had to, and before it could slash her she jumped out the stained glass window, glass sticking in her thighs as she crawled, crying and pleading, crawling as fast as she could, but aware she was only giving the horror a show, and tried backing away, seeing it walk slowly, toying with her, now it mocked like it was crying, taunting her...But It didn't see the moon.
The moon, with it's skeletal, grinning visage, was getting...closer, oh so closer, and the moonlight was stronger then the sun, even as the monster known as Raenius turned around, and was devoured by the benevolent deity, and Chinatsu wept tears of joy at her protector, her divine protector, her teacher. Her Ghost. He helped her to her feet, and to her amazement, her legs were fine, just fine.
"Heya, Firecracker, what's a matter?"
"Oh, I...I thought...I-I thought he was going to kill me...but you stopped him! You killed him!"
He smiled at her, and shook his head.
"Nah, I didn't kill him..I just slowed him down. It's up to YOU to stop him."
"Me?? What about his knife, he's so big, he's so fast, I can't, no, oh oh, no, I can't-"
She began breathing heavy, aware of her own partial nudity, blushing crimson in front of the ghost. He chuckled, and calmed her down.
"Look, it's true you can't fight him like this...but, I'll take care of ya. Teach a man to fish, and all that."
He pointed to the east, and as she looked, the sun began to rise, it's red against the darkness simply incredible, and oh, so beautiful. From it, something emerged, and floated to her in no time flat. Her eyes widened at the material, and put it on, quickly. No longer was she exposed to the world, and as she looked at her teacher, she pulled it over her face, grinning giddily even as he moved to the west, setting promptly. And when she heard the ogre getting back to it's feet behind her, she simply clenched her fists, and turned around. Ready.
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Chinatsu awoke with a start, and sat up in bed, glancing at the time. 9:30. She slept in, and felt...good! She looked at her hand, and clenched it, even as she began smiling.
She was ready.
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Yarn. Twine. String. Ribbons. Rocking chairs. Radio set to the oldies. Very ineffective fan blowing hot air all through the non-circulated store. Chinatsu had a feeling she'd find the new owner of GiW inside this crocheting store. She smiled and waved to the women, ignoring the double-glances at the asian woman. They weren't hostile glances, just...not entirely used to seeing Japanese, even now. Chinatsu understood it, and didn't really take offense at it. She thought she saw the old woman, but before she could take another step in her modest outfit, She saw Tate Levine waddle over, smile wide, waving his doughy, fat hand. Chinatsu smiled back, genuinely happy to see the person, but inwardly resigned to defeat. There would be no getting around Tate now. Chen furrowed her brows at the unintentional fat joke her mind made, hoping she'd be more careful in her speech then she was in her thoughts. She waved back.
"Ohh, hi, Tate..I see your grandmother is running the show now.."
He nodded, kind of disinterested in matters concerning his flesh and blood.
"Yeah, it's cool I guess...but, hey, you're back!"
She could see the shriveled old woman scooting away to get something or other, and Chinatsu held up her hand and waved, and the woman looked up, a little perturbed, before returning the wave, slowly. Chinatsu returned her attention to the giant little man before her, who was, roughly, the same age(she was 19 since July 4th). He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she cringed, though hid it well. His hand was incredibly clammy, and she was mildly sure he'd been eating something sticky...hopefully it was sticky food. That's it, 8 showers tonight. But right now, she just patted his hand, before leading it away.
Poor guy, she thought. Between Travis' indifference, Ghost's unusual insensitivity toward Tate and the other wrestler's tendency toward violence, it must be tough.
"Yeah...I couldn't stay away for very long, you know..."
"Hey, where were you, anyway?"
Looking at the time, Chinatsu's eyes bugged out of her skull, and she looked up at Levine. She opened her mouth, but Tate knew, nodding, and smiling. There was something in his eyes, though, that just wrenched the pity-meter she had.
"Gotta go? I understand...Big match and all...I hope you win!"
"Hey, thanks...listen, after the match if I'm not dead, I would like to hang out, just to talk...if you ever need to, you know where to find me."
His eyes brightened up just a little, but he tried to play it cool.
"Really??"
Ok, not so cool. All the same, Chen nodded, resolute.
"Really! But seriously, I have to get the f-"
A stern glare for a robust looking middle aged woman made her gulp, and nod, correcting quietly.
"I need to leave...see you around!"
She left, on her way, to Ghost's current pad here in Texas. She had something to pick up...
END PROMO.