01-05-2004, 07:41 AM
Good to hear, Tiamat. ^_^
*chuckles at urban's sig* That's hilarious. ^_^
Anyway, here's Scene 16. It's sorta...@_@...so watch out. ^_^
And...GO!
***
He stumbled out of the bathroom five minutes later, eyes rimmed with red, and bumped right into the lady with the long nails. He backed up a foot or so and peered at her. She gave him a pitying look and pointed with a single clawed finger.
Tai stared at the finger, then pushed past the lady without so much as an "excuse me" to grease his departure. He heard her make a sound somewhere between a sniff and a snort (a sound somehow reminiscent of a sneezing elephant) behind his back, then the click of her heels as she walked away.
Tai had to fight the urge to turn and scream at her. Just a good, long, incoherent scream, for maybe thirty seconds or so. Maybe then she wouldn't be so apt to try to tell people what to do, the uppity little bi--
*That's enough, Tai, we get it, you're mad and confused and exhausted. Now stop pissing and moaning about it and go home.*
But he didn't *want* to go home, because home was where his sister was. And if *he* was where his *sister* was, eventually he'd have to look into her eyes again, and if he did, he didn't know what he would do. Explode, maybe? Just go "KABOOM!" and splatter himself all over the walls? Doubtful, but it would sure make things easier.
He couldn't go home. Not yet.
Tai walked--no, *shuffled*, his feet dragging across the concrete in long, hoarse scrapes--past the various booths, cutting a path through the people crowding the area. He could feel their eyes on him, taking in his red eyes, pale face, sagging shoulders, limp arms and leaden feet. He knew their thoughts, their oh-so-discourteous thoughts: that boy is stoned, that boy is smashed, that boy is dangerous, that boy will mug and beat you if you give him the chance, he is oh-so-dangerous and oh-so-epitomizing of his generation. Watch out for that boy, he's crazy.
He didn't care what they thought of him. As long as they left him alone, he didn't give a damn about their thoughts or opinions. They could all go to hell.
So he made his slow, noisy way through the accusatory mob, his head full of buzzing, bumbling bees, clouding his thoughts and numbing his senses. The lids of his eyes flickered up and down as he fought to stay conscious, and his upper body was beginning to slump forward. Something in the corner of his mind kept telling him to stand up straight, open your eyes up a bit more, you look like a zombie. He heard the words, but was helpless to do anything about it.
Which is why when he came to the centipede on the path, he thought nothing of just stepping right in in his drained state.
He regretted it instantly, for as soon as he entered some random body bumped into him, sending him careening into someone else, who pushed him away with their elbow, knocking him into a hefty woman, whom he bounced off of and was sent spinning into another person, from which he began all over again. He was like a pinball caught between a series of bumpers, bouncing from one to the other, moving fast but going nowhere. His head lolled wildly on the axis of his neck as he shot from person to person, feet stumbling across the pavement, trying to find purchase even as he tumbled through the crowd--
--and then out, as one final shove tossed him out of the centipede's guts. He landed flat on his back on the pavement, eyes wide, gazing up at the darkening sky. Stunned, he laid there, unmoving, and contemplated the meaning of life, the universe, and everything--everything and *anything* except what he needed to be thinking about.
*Kari*.
*Screw Kari,* he thought, scowling.
*Oh, is that what you want?* said a little voice in a sing-song rhythm. *Is that what you meant? You want to screw Kari?*
Tai's eyes widened with panic. *No! That's not what I meant!*
*Oh, really?*
*Yes, really! I meant--*
*You meant what? You meant "forget Kari, she's not important"? Is that what you meant?*
*No!*
*Then what?*
*I--*
*Maybe you meant that you should screw Kari, because she's not important; you can do whatever you want with her. Is that it?*
*No, no, no!*
*I think it is.*
*Well, no one gives a damn what you think!*
*You do.*
*No I don't!*
*Sure you do.*
Tai's eyes narrowed; orange-red clouds were reflected in his eyes. *Why would I?*
*Because I'm* you, *dummy. I'm the voice of instinct. I'm all your impulses given speech. All the things you want to do at the spur of the moment are whispered into your ear by me. I cannot be ignored.*
*Oh, really?* Tai grinned a dead man's grin. *Well, watch this.*
He laid there, staring up at the sky, with that lifeless grin plastered on his face, and he ignored the voice of impetus.
In its place, another voice spoke up.
*So, what're you going to do?*
*About what?*
*You know what.*
*Yeah, I do.* His eyes darted to the side for a moment, then returned to the burning sky. *What* do *I do? What* can *do?*
*Well...it's all relative to one thing: whether you love her like she wants you to love her, or not.*
*But how can that be what she wants? She's eight! She doesn't know love from a good case of gas! And neither do I! I'm barely a teenager! A kid! We're both kids! And related!*
*She knows what she wants because she knows. Love knows no bounds, as they say.*
*Fuck what they say. It'll never work.*
*How do you know?*
*Because it won't! Something like this could never work!*
*Ah, and there you're wrong. Things like this work all the time.*
*What? No they don't!*
*Yes, they do. You've just never noticed them in action, because, at the time you witnessed them, you weren't paying attention.*
*Whatever.*
*You'll see in time. But right now, you have to get home. Get up, dust yourself off, and follow her. She's alone, and it's getting dark. You don't want to leave her unprotected like that, do you?*
*No. It would be wrong.* He got up, brushed gray dust off himself, and headed for the exit. As he walked, he tentatively reached out to speak to that last voice. *You're not going to leave me, or anything, right?* He had no desire to be left alone with the voice of impetus again; he'd begun to despise that voice.
*Never. I'm you, after all. I'm not going anywhere.*
*Good, because that other voice is a pain in the ass.*
***
It's a bit odd, I know, but it's nothing a little editing can't solve, neh? ^_^
agz
*chuckles at urban's sig* That's hilarious. ^_^
Anyway, here's Scene 16. It's sorta...@_@...so watch out. ^_^
And...GO!
***
He stumbled out of the bathroom five minutes later, eyes rimmed with red, and bumped right into the lady with the long nails. He backed up a foot or so and peered at her. She gave him a pitying look and pointed with a single clawed finger.
Tai stared at the finger, then pushed past the lady without so much as an "excuse me" to grease his departure. He heard her make a sound somewhere between a sniff and a snort (a sound somehow reminiscent of a sneezing elephant) behind his back, then the click of her heels as she walked away.
Tai had to fight the urge to turn and scream at her. Just a good, long, incoherent scream, for maybe thirty seconds or so. Maybe then she wouldn't be so apt to try to tell people what to do, the uppity little bi--
*That's enough, Tai, we get it, you're mad and confused and exhausted. Now stop pissing and moaning about it and go home.*
But he didn't *want* to go home, because home was where his sister was. And if *he* was where his *sister* was, eventually he'd have to look into her eyes again, and if he did, he didn't know what he would do. Explode, maybe? Just go "KABOOM!" and splatter himself all over the walls? Doubtful, but it would sure make things easier.
He couldn't go home. Not yet.
Tai walked--no, *shuffled*, his feet dragging across the concrete in long, hoarse scrapes--past the various booths, cutting a path through the people crowding the area. He could feel their eyes on him, taking in his red eyes, pale face, sagging shoulders, limp arms and leaden feet. He knew their thoughts, their oh-so-discourteous thoughts: that boy is stoned, that boy is smashed, that boy is dangerous, that boy will mug and beat you if you give him the chance, he is oh-so-dangerous and oh-so-epitomizing of his generation. Watch out for that boy, he's crazy.
He didn't care what they thought of him. As long as they left him alone, he didn't give a damn about their thoughts or opinions. They could all go to hell.
So he made his slow, noisy way through the accusatory mob, his head full of buzzing, bumbling bees, clouding his thoughts and numbing his senses. The lids of his eyes flickered up and down as he fought to stay conscious, and his upper body was beginning to slump forward. Something in the corner of his mind kept telling him to stand up straight, open your eyes up a bit more, you look like a zombie. He heard the words, but was helpless to do anything about it.
Which is why when he came to the centipede on the path, he thought nothing of just stepping right in in his drained state.
He regretted it instantly, for as soon as he entered some random body bumped into him, sending him careening into someone else, who pushed him away with their elbow, knocking him into a hefty woman, whom he bounced off of and was sent spinning into another person, from which he began all over again. He was like a pinball caught between a series of bumpers, bouncing from one to the other, moving fast but going nowhere. His head lolled wildly on the axis of his neck as he shot from person to person, feet stumbling across the pavement, trying to find purchase even as he tumbled through the crowd--
--and then out, as one final shove tossed him out of the centipede's guts. He landed flat on his back on the pavement, eyes wide, gazing up at the darkening sky. Stunned, he laid there, unmoving, and contemplated the meaning of life, the universe, and everything--everything and *anything* except what he needed to be thinking about.
*Kari*.
*Screw Kari,* he thought, scowling.
*Oh, is that what you want?* said a little voice in a sing-song rhythm. *Is that what you meant? You want to screw Kari?*
Tai's eyes widened with panic. *No! That's not what I meant!*
*Oh, really?*
*Yes, really! I meant--*
*You meant what? You meant "forget Kari, she's not important"? Is that what you meant?*
*No!*
*Then what?*
*I--*
*Maybe you meant that you should screw Kari, because she's not important; you can do whatever you want with her. Is that it?*
*No, no, no!*
*I think it is.*
*Well, no one gives a damn what you think!*
*You do.*
*No I don't!*
*Sure you do.*
Tai's eyes narrowed; orange-red clouds were reflected in his eyes. *Why would I?*
*Because I'm* you, *dummy. I'm the voice of instinct. I'm all your impulses given speech. All the things you want to do at the spur of the moment are whispered into your ear by me. I cannot be ignored.*
*Oh, really?* Tai grinned a dead man's grin. *Well, watch this.*
He laid there, staring up at the sky, with that lifeless grin plastered on his face, and he ignored the voice of impetus.
In its place, another voice spoke up.
*So, what're you going to do?*
*About what?*
*You know what.*
*Yeah, I do.* His eyes darted to the side for a moment, then returned to the burning sky. *What* do *I do? What* can *do?*
*Well...it's all relative to one thing: whether you love her like she wants you to love her, or not.*
*But how can that be what she wants? She's eight! She doesn't know love from a good case of gas! And neither do I! I'm barely a teenager! A kid! We're both kids! And related!*
*She knows what she wants because she knows. Love knows no bounds, as they say.*
*Fuck what they say. It'll never work.*
*How do you know?*
*Because it won't! Something like this could never work!*
*Ah, and there you're wrong. Things like this work all the time.*
*What? No they don't!*
*Yes, they do. You've just never noticed them in action, because, at the time you witnessed them, you weren't paying attention.*
*Whatever.*
*You'll see in time. But right now, you have to get home. Get up, dust yourself off, and follow her. She's alone, and it's getting dark. You don't want to leave her unprotected like that, do you?*
*No. It would be wrong.* He got up, brushed gray dust off himself, and headed for the exit. As he walked, he tentatively reached out to speak to that last voice. *You're not going to leave me, or anything, right?* He had no desire to be left alone with the voice of impetus again; he'd begun to despise that voice.
*Never. I'm you, after all. I'm not going anywhere.*
*Good, because that other voice is a pain in the ass.*
***
It's a bit odd, I know, but it's nothing a little editing can't solve, neh? ^_^
agz