//------------------------------// // Breaking the Rules // Story: Finest Gold and Silver // by Quicksear //------------------------------// Gale bathed in the soft glow of the stage lights, giddy after another successful performance, even if it was a small crowd. A few dozen smiling faces, though, was more than enough to lift her own spirits. She bowed, bending low over her guitar, before backing away and leaving the stage. She heard calls for an encore, and she nearly fizzed with happiness, a spring in her step gliding her across the dance floor towards the bar as she accepted praise from every side. By the time she reached San-Marie's side, she was glowing. "Woo, go Gale!" The blonde girl crowed, raising a drink to her friend's success, "You knocked the house down, girl! Here." Gale accepted the drink from her friend as she sat down, nodding her thanks as another singer began on the stage. Gale sipped at the tall glass, but she heard the bar stool beside her creak as a figure eeled onto the seat and an oily voice slid into her ears: "Wow, that was really well done. 'Chasing Cars' is one of my favorites. Beautifully sung, miss...?" Gale turned with a frozen smile to the preening wiry man beside her, trying to ignore his barely hidden ogling as she ground out, "So everyone thinks, though I think its meaning is lost on you, Mister Smith...or have you changed your name again?" San-Marie choked into her glass. The man flinched, but smiled pleasantly, his words heavy like syrup. "I think you must have me confused, Miss, my name is-" "EyeDrops, as far as I'm concerned," Gale spat, "You might not know this, you jackass, but exactly one year ago today, right in this very bar, you and your disgusting lifestyle lost me my best friend. I'd suggest turning around and leaving before I break your damned nose." Pretense dropped from the man's face as he sneered, "Oh, come on, what's with it and the girls in this town? I just want a good night, okay?" He leaned around Gale and nodded at San-Marie, "Hey, you up for it?" He rolled his eyes as she tried to suppress her gag reflex. He continued, standing, "Ugh, you girls are hopeless. Can't say I 'm sorry your 'friend' ditched you-" Whack The man recovered to glare at Gale, who held her fist back for another punch. "You say one more word," She whispered, "One more, and you're leaving here in pieces." "You bitch," He growled, "Oh, you're gonna pay..." He stopped talking when a glass shattered against his head. Gale turned and held a shaking San-Marie as both girls watched the man slide to the floor, shouting profanities and clutching his face. "Come On," Gale said, "Let's get out of here, I'll take you home." "Oh Gale...I-I'm so sorry..." San-Marie stuttered. "It wasn't your fault, San, he had it coming," Gale soothed, guiding her friend through parting, silent crowd to the door. "N-no," San started again, "I mean for Marc-" "And that wasn't your fault, don't dare blame yourself for that. Let's just go." Gale led San-Marie to her car in the parking lot. Throwing her guitar on the back seat, Gale got in and started off, leaving the scene behind, happy to be away from the sexual predator. Only, predators thrive in the chase. ***** He waited til her lights went off. He'd followed her all across the blasted city, to that other girl's house first, but there was no way he could get into a big place like that. But it was this girl, the singer, that he was really after, and her apartment looked...much more manageable. He slipped up to the front door, quickly running through the locks. One regular on the front, screwdriver and bobby pin, and one slide catch on the back, number eight wire. Easy. Practice makes perfect. The door swung open lazily as he stepped through into the entrance room. Directly in front of him was a cabinet with a few random items and this ugly statue thing. A hall led in either direction, one to a lounge, and the other to the bedroom. He would usually go straight to the goal, but he wouldn't mind a snack... He dithered in the entrance hall, undecided, eyeing that weird statuette on the dresser. He smirked as the moonlight struck its horned head, reflecting in its oddly sized eyes, flicking light in his direction. He padded up the warped stone creature, trying to work out what it was. Goat, snake, dragon, horse...a Chimera? And the eyes still glinted in the light. He scowled, leaning both ways, trying to see how those eyes followed him. With his attention so taken with the weird statue, he barely heard sleepy sounds of breathing down the hall. He shook his head suddenly. He was here for something! He was going to get it! But he still couldn't look away. 'Oh my, aren't you an evil chap?' He blinked. Wait, what...? 'Yes yes, you ask yourself where the strange disembodied voice is coming from, I proclaim myself to be the statue, you ask if you're hallucinating...' Am I high? '...or that, and after a bit of back and forth, you finally accept that you're talking to a stone draconequus. Boring old run around. Let's skip that and get to the good stuff, yes?' Holy shit, He thought, I'm tripping so bad... He looked at the statue, with its glinting eyes over a smile that was definitely not there before. 'Okay...I'm going to offer you a deal. It's a simple deal: you see, I'm not exactly meant to be here, and no one really wants you here either. But I can't get home myself; I need a little help. In return, you'll get a new look, new name, new home, to do with as you wish. And me? I'll get the power to give you even more than that. If you're high, you've got nothing to lose, and if this is real, you've everything to gain. I think that covers all the bases. What do you say?' He shook his head, backing towards the sounds of breathing behind him. Uh, maybe some other time, ugly dragon-thingy, I got some ass to tap right now. The eyes flared white, 'Too bad. Don't say I didn't play nice. What is your name?' He screwed up his eyes against the light, scared enough to speak aloud. "W-what?" 'WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!' "Paul Reedeclythe!" 'Ahem...' He felt a massive weight on his chest and a pressure in his head, pushing everything aside. He screamed. "What's your name, again?" "Pau...p...M-Marc Warner..." The world spun as he hit the floor, but he didn't feel it. All he could focus on was the sheer nothingness, the void in his own head, even as the world bleached to white amid and cascade of clamouring laughter.