|
It had been a long time since her love had died, and yet the pain stayed with her. He had been the kindest, handsomest and noblest man alive, and they had killed him. Even now her fists clenched with rage, even though she had avenged his death, tracked his killers and destroyed them. Tears swam in her golden eyes, and she brushed them away. She had given up her piracy for that boy. And he had gone after a noblewoman, who loved him too..and died. Harriet had loved him and he knew it. And even though she was always a bit too aggressive, too forward, she only did it because she was afraid..afraid that she would grow soft. And she had, and he had died. And Harriet had returned to her piracy. For what reason was there now to remain a loyal, noble creature if the only true reason was the one that was dead? Yes, buried along with his sweetness, his naiive kindness, his loyalty and nobleness..and his acknowledgement, the first and final acknowledgement, of her love for him.
Harriet downed the sake and smiled grimly, her fangs cutting into her lower lip. She could return to the life of destruction and easy, lazy sin that she had known before he changed her. Yes, she wanted to..but at the same time she knew she wanted to be good as long as she could have him... 
Harriet clutched her coat around her as she stepped outside. It was a cheerful spring morning, and cherry blossoms were borne upon the wind, and the sweet music of the piper boys who played upon the hill drifted lazily into the ears of those who wandered outside. Harriet was deaf and blind to the beauty. She had no care for simple, shallow beauty.
I must return to my old ways, Harriet thought firmly, and at once she felt the old confidence, the cocky assurance and the strength and power flow in her blood. She lifted her head and smiled, dropping the coat upon the ground. She wouldn't need it. She was warm.
Harriet meandered through the crowds in the marketplace, glancing back and forth at the different booths. Once, she had opened a booth, in a carnival, and he had come to scold her...she smiled gently at the distant memory and took hold of her sanity once again. No one could stop her, in her old 'hunting grounds', her beautiful, sensible, wild clothing, and her happy-go-lucky, thieving, mischievous and deadly manner. She had the power, the gems. Ah, yes..the sword was no more and the gems were back. She missed the days of cajoling and whining to get it back, and now, she thought with a quiet laugh, she hadn't needed to do that anyway. She reached a red-gloved hand to her throat where a glowing golden gem was embedded firmly in her flesh. Two more were on her wrists. And with those, she could do anything. Even..call up a demon or two.
My kin, Harriet mused with happiness. Stealthily, she crept behind a booth and watched people go by, waiting for a gap. The gems glowed simultaneously, and from the water over yonder a misty apparition ascended.
Harriet watched intently, her eyes shining, and chuckled as people's screams greeted the demon she had raised from the water. With the gems on her wrists she controlled it, making sure it harmed no person fatally, but for fun made it destroy a couple of booths. Destruction was humorous.
Except...
..when her life had been destroyed.. 
Harriet shook her head, wiping those troublesome thoughts from her mind. It did her no good to dwell on the past.
That just won't work, Harriet, she silently chided herself, you'll have to do something more to prove to yourself that the past is gone.
Harriet snapped her fingers. She knew just how.
Streaks of black and red mud painted Harriet's cheeks, staining them dark memories of terror past. A tight and silent red and black outfit completed her look, making sure she would make no sound as she broke into the Trust bank, the central bank of the planet she had teleported to from Danach--Kurai. Harriet stood outside of the Trust, hidden in the shadows, staring at the rooftop that was her goal. Her mind strayed to what he would've said, and impatiently Harriet jumped, a high, graceful leap that set her on the rooftop. For a moment she paused, staring down into the skylight, down to the floor flights below.
These thoughts will get you caught, she warned herself, or killed. Be careful, you foolish daydreaming demon. Remember that everyone knows that you're Wanted.
With calculated pressure, Harriet drove a diamond blade into the thick glass of the skylight, slicing around the perimeter. Before the glass could fall, she caught it with deft fingers and pried it loose of its pane, setting it next to the gap she had cut open.
Easy, she mused, but there will be more to come.
Harriet carefully sat on the edge of the pane, using her arms to hold on while she lowered slowly to the hallway below. Tensing, she stepped lightly onto the marble floor, and let go of the pane. Not wishing to risk being heard by any night watchmen, she floated a half-inch above the ground. The safe would be somewhere in the bottom floor, and there were five flights to cover safely before she had to crack the safe...with a small smile Harriet patted the little packet of heavy explosives that was attached to her thigh. Maybe she wouldn't have to crack the safe..
Harriet covered four floors before she had a run-in with a watchmen. He was easily dealt with. At first he was wary of her, but by controlling him ever so slightly, she made him her slave, and as he approached her, licking his lips, she beckoned, the goddess of death.
"Goodnight, little man," she murmured, catching him by the throat and quickly strangling him. As the body dropped with a thud to the ground, Harriet laughed coldly. Her heart grew a little more icy..
Harriet reached the bottom floor without another mishap, and scanned the halls quickly before choosing a long passageway that seemed to lead underground.
"Bingo," she murmured, grinning toothily, and started forward.
The hallway was dark, lit only by small, dimly glowing wall-lamps. Harriet found the light no problem, as her golden eyes burned on their own. At the end of the passage, a heavy steel door stood in her way.
"Open sesame," said Harriet, placing her fingers on the lock and depositing a small, glowing ember. The lock quickly melted, and Harriet sauntered through the door. She anticipated more obstacles; the mortals couldn't possibly be that inferior as to believe a thief would be stopped by a paltry guard and a little door...well, maybe an amature. But Harriet had had over 20,000 years to perfect her thieving, murderous ways, and she knew all the tricks. For instance, she knew that there would be lasers..
Harriet pressed the gem at her throat, and at once a thick mist settled through the large room. Thin, glowing red laser beams made a cat's cradle through the room, virtually twisting in every corner of it. Harriet threw back her head with a laugh, and using her gymnast's dexterity, she flipped through the room to the back, where a large safe was embedded in the wall.
"Hallelujah!" exclaimed Harriet, and stuck her explosives to the safe, placed an ember on them, and slid through the wall, out of the way of the blast.
KAAAA-BOOOOMM!!
Harriet came back through the wall and entered the gaping hole where the safe's door had once been. Inside, Harriet encountered a camera. Grinning, she posed.
"Fromage!" she shouted at the camera, then slammed her fist through the lens, crushing it.
Pulling bags from a little pack around her waist, she filled them with all the money in the joint, roughly enough to make her a billionaire twice over. Satisfied, she left about two hundred dollars in the safe, and teleported to the rooftop.
On a remote planet called Earth, Harriet was enjoying her money. On Earth the wealthy were respected, and almost no one had questioned her wealth. Hallie had bought a large and beautiful home by a warm ocean, and was currently relaxing in a stunning bathing suit, eating a fudgesicle. In front of her the waves crashed powerfully on the beach, reminding Harriet of herself. Beguiling, seductive, and strong.
Young men flocked to gawk at the beautiful, sexy 'young' woman, unaware that they were beholding a piratess more infamous and dangerous than any gangster from Earth's past. But for now, Harriet was only being lazy, and had no interest in destruction. If she had known who was watching her, Harriet would've been a little more alarmed.
Later on, Harriet visited a karaoke bar, enjoying the music and the sweet, hot sake, the cute surfer dudes and the tan, ditzy valley chicks.
This is the life, Harriet thought, and ordered everyone a round of sake and some sushi and spicy wasabe for herself. Down the bar, someone in a shrouded hood watched her..
At night, Harriet walked down the city streets, alone. She savored her newly rejuvenated freedom, tasted it on the air, felt it run like an electric shock through her body. Someone watched her from the shadows...
Harriet woke up late in the morning and stretched, yawning massively. She lay in bed, in her loose kimono, looking out the window as she called room service for her breakfast.
"Hello? Ah, good morning to you, too." Harriet smiled cheerfully. "I'd like room service, please." She paused for a moment. "Well, what do you have? Mmhm, mmhm..I'll have that..and some of that, too, I think. Yes, some juice, too. And maybe some tea?" Harriet laughed. "Yes, of course. Oh, and send up the cutest guy you have. Or woman. Yeah. Tell him not to be too surprised if I ask him to stay." Harriet frowned for a moment, then laughed easily. "Of course I know this isn't...but I'm sure he won't mind." Harriet laughed again to whatever the person on the other line said, and hung up abruptly, sighing and leaning back.
A knock on her door startled Harriet out of her sleepy reverie. She rose and answerered the door, a smile already snaking across her face. She beckoned the cute young man inside, who was the handsomest buff, tan and dark specimen of the human species she had ever seen..well, the buffest, anyway. And the darkest. The tannest, maybe. He was hot, anyway. And the slow smile he gave her told her all she needed to know. He wasn't surprised one bit when she coyly beckoned him toward her and onto the bed. Harriet sighed and tried to be satisfied, but all the while she was deeply reminded of him, and it hurt. Not that they had ever...
An hour later, the man left and Harriet ate her cold breakfast, and tried not to think of him. After her meal she dressed and left her room, taking the elevator down to the lobby and walking out the door. She intended to have a good time.
And all the while, in the back of her mind, she knew there was a shadow of doubt. And a very real danger of losing her self control, if the shadow surfaced..
You've got the good in you...
I trust you..
Harriet...
Good-bye...
Harriet, after a day of partying on the beach and in the city, tossed and turned in her bed as dreams and memories filled her mind. Suddenly, she sat up, sweaty and wide-eyed. The glass door to her outdoor patio was open, and the curtains were waving in the cold night wind.
"Who's there?" Harriet whispered, her voice wavering. No one answered her, and she got up, closed the door, and went back to sleep.
Harriet's eyes shot open. It was four o' clock in the morning, and she knew what she had heard was real. Someone was outside, on her patio. Harriet rolled over to face the patio door, and her heart caught in her throat. Outside, the shape of a gigantic lizard stood on her patio. A person stood with the dragon, and he, or she, it was hard to tell under the hooded cloak, tapped insistently on the door.
"No," Harriet whispered.
There is a good in you...
Come with us.
"No," Harriet repeated.
COME!
"No!" Harriet shouted, springing out of bed, facing the door fiercely. It swung open, and the cloaked person stepped into Harriet's room, completing her worse nightmare. "I won't come, I won't remember, I won't begin again! I..I..No!" she cried, grabbing her red outfit and teleporting out of her room, quickly changed into the new outfit. She flew on the wind, crying very gently. Even there she couldn't escape. The blue dragon and the terrible cloaked rider gently floated beside her, the rider holding out his or her hand to Harriet the entire time. Harriet paused and straightened midair.
"What do you want?" she asked softly, brushing away the hair in her eyes.
You know what we want, and this time it was the rider speaking into her mind. Harriet turned away, clutching herself, suddenly cold.
"No," she repeated quietly, "I don't know."
You're just afraid..
"I'm not afraid of anything!" Harriet screamed and whirled to face the rider and dragon. She cupped her hands, forming a small orb of dangerous, crackling energy.
"I'll kill you, if you don't leave me alone! I'm not afraid to kill--I've done it countless times!" Harriet shrieked. The rider nodded.
We know that. Birith told me. We know much about you.
"Get out of my head!" Harriet said, putting up a mental shield and winking away, teleporting back to her home, Danach.
You can't escape us there. You are Wanted...besides which, that is where we come from.
"I know," Harriet softly admitted, landing in a secluded place. The blue dragon, Birith, and his rider, Tero, landed. Tero threw back her hood and smiled cautiously at Harriet.
Tero jumped lightly down to the ground, and Birith lay down, shaking the earth. Tero stepped forward, and Harriet glared viciously at her.
"Don't come closer."
Tero stopped, shrugging, the smile still plastered on her face.
"Why do you want me? I know I'm wanted, but dragonriders aren't part of the law enforcement." Harriet stared intently at the fair-haired bluerider, and Tero's smile grew wider.
"That's the good part. I'm sorry we had to stalk you like this, but.."
"You can't tell me I've been Found?" Harriet's eyes reflected stunned disbelief. Tero nodded slowly.
"No," Harriet said, shaking her head. "You can't expect me to do that. I'll get caught..I'll have to give up my piracy..again. I'll have to dedicate myself.."
NO seems to be the word of the day, hmm? Birith growled. You won't be caught. And I don't think you'll mind giving up the piracy thing. It feels good...
"That's the problem," scoffed Harriet. "I'm not used to the 'good' thing." Harriet got ready to turn away, when a new voice came to her ears. It was rich and firm, steady and in command.
"Harriet. Turn around, look at me." Harriet slowly shuffled in a circle. A tall, tan, black-haired woman with a shock of white hair stared calmly back at her.
"My name is Baeris. I think you'll find something new at the Healing Den.." Harriet shook her head.
"Wait a second..what is the Healing Den? What does it have to do with me? I'm not in need of Healing." Baeris shook her head and smiled slightly.
"The Healing Den is not a Healer's place. It is a place where people from all places come to join with strange and wonderful dragons..and as for Healing, it does a little bit of that, too: Healing of the heart. Which, I believe, you need."
Harriet smiled slowly, and nodded, stepping forward.
"I'll go."
Harriet lay quietly in her new cathair that she had formed close by the Healing Den. She mused over her past, her present, and her future..Would a dragon actually choose her? Or was she doomed, as she supposed, to live the life she had always known? It had begun to bore her. The painful memories, the equally painful, deliciously fun thieving and partying..all old. And now this, this strange, strange 'frenzy', where dragons and riders of cross gender chased each other around..well, that part was to her liking. Maybe one day she would be chased around..mm. But..the dragon part was stranger still.
Ah well, Harriet thought and rolled over, sighing happily and daydreaming of the happy days to come.
PERSONA: Harriet (demoness)
GENDER: Female
AGE: Ageless
ORIGIN: Danach
OCCUPATION/RANK: Thief, murderer, demoness, pirate..the evil list goes on and on..
HAIR: cyan/silver
EYES: Golden
HEIGHT: About six feet, eight inches. She can get shorter or taller, depending on her mood.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: With the physique of a goddess, Harriet is rather exotic, and almost even, with striking gold eyes and a spiky mane of cyan hair, as well as those cute little fangs. And she's well-endowed..*ahem*
VOICE QUALITY: Mature and steady, with a crazy laugh. She has a nice voice.
LITERACY: Not very literate, but fairly cunning all the same.
CLOTHING: Wild, funky, and cool.
JEWELRY: Not very often. Once in awhile she sports rings, earrings, and necklaces.
FAMILY: None
SEXUAL ORIENTATION/ RELATIONS: Bi-sexual. No relations right now, although she was close to a boy who died previous to this.
PETS: None. Might do her good though..learn a little responsibility.
SKILLS: Adept fighter, as well as pirate, thief, murderer..etc. She can conjur demons and uses the three gems embedded in her flesh as a incredibly strong power source that can generate dangerous weaponry.
PASTIMES/HOBBIES: Being lazy! She loves to be waited on, flirting, karaoke, going to the beach, making money, spending money, flying, causing havoc, being bad, etc.
PERSONALITY: Impulsive, undiciplined, and lazy as sin. She seems to have had little experience dealing with personal responsibility or society in the past. Has a crazy, destructive streak. On the other hand she is fiercely loyal and rather forgiving of others, and can be loving.
The last of the bunch, another long dark blue, threw his wings out and flapped hard, then tried jumping into the air. He did this several times, leaping away from Nuikath's small nest. But he couldn't quite get into the air. Not until Harriet homed in on him.
"There you go, Tiuth," Harriet said, gems glowing and her long finger pointing at the blue, as she floated him over the next sand rise.
I will learn to fly without that, my friend! Tiuth bespoke to her, and the ancient thief-assassin's heart melted away completely. The love, the absolute and total devotion, how many more words did she know for how this dragon felt toward her--and how he made her feel!? Sobbing happy tears, Harriet had to set her new bond on the ground again, because she couldn't see where they were going.
Dark Blue Tiuth bonded to Harriet
Large for a blue at the Healing Den, at 33 feet long, he is willing to go anywhere and do anything for his bond. He will not allow her to wallow in sadness or badness for very long.
When I found her it was a cold, smoky twilight evening and her eyes were closed, pale lashes shedding delicate shadows on her cheeks, her hair like mercury and all wild, like an imp's hair. Her lips were perfection and her skin was soft and a strange and beautiful costume, a dress, colorful and bold, covered it. Small gems rested, embedded in her wrists and throat and I lifted her in my arms in the smoke and spilled water into her mouth and those eyes opened: golden. Those who knew her told me she was a demon and I didn't care, her beauty was more exquisite than any angel's.
"Who are you?" she murmured in a confused voice, her eyes flashing. I grinned and rubbed the back of my neck bashfully.
"Oh, I'm Aubrey! Who are you?" The beautiful stranger stood up and smoothed her crazy, spiky hair and gazed at me for a moment. She smirked very gently, her white teeth sharp.
"That is no matter. But if you really want to know, my name is Harriet." She looked around, her eyes narrowed. And then she turned back to me, and flung her arms around my neck. I blushed violently, not at all displeased.
"Oh, I'm so scared!"
You made a fool of me, but them broken dreams have got to end.
Hey woman, you got the blues, cos' you ain't got no one else to use.
There's an open road that leads nowhere, so just make some miles
between here and there.
There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in,
You took my body and played to win,
Ha Ha woman it's a crying shame,
But you ain't got no one else to blame.
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
Rolled in from another town,
Hit some gold too hot to settle down,
But a fool and his money soon go separate ways,
And you found a fool lyin' in a daze,
Ha Ha woman what you gonna do,
You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you,
It's so good that you're feeling pain,
But you better get yourself on board the very next train.
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
Evil woman how you done me wrong,
But now you're tryin' to wail a different song,
Ha Ha funny how you broke me up, you made the wine now you
drink the cup,
I came runnin' every time you cried,
Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes,
Ha Ha very nice to know, that you ain't got no place left to go.
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, E-evil Woman, Evil Woman
Electric Light Orchestra
|
