Growing Lilies

L.007

"I like dames, is that okay?"

The older woman just stared at Marie for a few seconds, then laughed.

"Last night you told me you're a bloodsucking vampire possessed by a magic elf songstress from another world. I think I'm fine, Hon. Want some coffee?"

Marie gave her a smile in return. Her teeth had grown in while she slept, and she was still in a world of pain. But, she was good at keeping that away from her outward expressions. Decades of experience as an idol made it easy, no matter how much something hurt.

"I don't think I can drink that stuff. It smells like motor oil."

She sighed and rested her chin on the table. Her hostess came and sat at the table with her, sipping at her mug. It was just black coffee, but the smell made Marie's eyes water. She felt hungry, but between that and the still lingering smell of whatever had been for dinner she was certain it wasn't food she could eat.

"Do you like the clothes? I went around to a few places. All of it is second hand, but it didn't look too grody."

Marie had tried on all of the clothes she'd been given. In every combination. Multiple times. Really, it was just difficult to stave off the boredom. She was sure that she should be laying low, at least for a night, but she was feeling energized. She didn't want to be still. Then morning had come, and she'd passed out. Now she was freshly awake again, and catching Faye at the end of her day.

Eventually she'd decided on a pair of jean overalls, a striped shirt, and a beanie. It'd be scandalous in some settings, but as long as she avoided anywhere fancy most people wouldn't give her a second look.

"Most of it fit, I only had a few pieces left. Like what I got together?"

Faye took another sip of coffee.

"I think you'd look better in the dresses, but if you want to be more casual I'm not going to judge."

Faye was the honest and straightforward type. Marie found it charming. She gave the woman a grin, with her head still down on the table.

"I'm itching to get out tonight, and I want something that I can move around in. I gotta see how strong my body is. Want me to rob a bank or somethin' for ya? I got nothin' to lose and I'm pretty sure I can get away with it."

The other woman stared at her from across the table for a minute, before rolling her eyes.

"I don't need it. Stay out of trouble."

"Yes Ma'aaaam~"

That got a giggle out of her. Good. Marie was determined to be a good guest. But, Lhexa wasn't used to people treating her so kindly. Her instincts were to distrust everything Faye did and said, but… She found herself wanting to do something nice for the woman. Or was that Marie's feelings? She wasn't sure. Everything felt so complicated.

Was Marie still here…? Who was she? When she was back on Wedli's resort, and now? Was Marie just part of her now? Was she still here? Was she somewhere else? Would she come back?

If she really was just a part of Lhexa now, what did that make Lhexa? Would she become someone else if she did this enough?

She'd had a night to think about all of this, and nothing else. And now… She just wanted to move. She was just waiting for the sun to be definitely all the way down. Although she was feeling pretty certain she was safe at this point.

"I think I will go out tonight though."

"Oh yeah? Where to?"

"You ain't allergic to cats or anything are ya?"

"No?"

"I'm gonna go steal a Pickle. See if it settles my stomach."

Marie rose, and started towards the back door. Faye's voice caught up to her though.

"Dunno what that means, but be safe okay?"

"Of course. Ain't nothin' out there that can hurt me. G'night Faye. See you in the morning~"

She turned and waved, then walked out the door. Something about that exchange stuck out to her as odd, but she wasn't quite sure what yet.

The sky was still very slightly light, and Lhexa could feel her skin tingling a little. But, it wasn't particularly unpleasant. The breeze was refreshing, even if it was still a little too warm for her tastes.

Instead of the gate, Marie effortlessly hopped the fence. It was good to see that her body might not have the titanic strength that she had in her first moments here, but she was still hardly weak. The pavement wasn't cracking under her anymore either.

She felt good. Great, even! She wanted to run, to skip, to jump! She was free here. Oh sure, there was probably a whole vampire mafia trying to find her and kill her, but she didn't have to practice for the next show. She wasn't stuck in a cell. She could go anywhere, do anything! And she knew just what she wanted.

Pickle. The grumpy old cat had been such a comfort to her once upon a time. It was absolutely criminal that the crusty little thing was still back at the casino and not with her. Plus, it might help her sort out her feelings.

Was it Marie who wanted Pickle? Was it Lhexa? Was there a difference? Her heart was troubled, but Lhexa wasn't the type of person to just ruminate on it if she could help it. It was time for action. She'd get the cat in her hands, and then figure out what she was feeling.

There was no more place in her life for not living how she wanted. She'd spent so long under Wedli's thumb. All to work towards a dream that they'd keep just out of her reach forever. Her first taste of freedom was attacking that abusive pig of a manager, and that had been met with being forcefully locked away.

But not anymore. Now, she only had herself to live for. Her years long dreams of being an idol, of living on the stage felt so small now. The universe was her stage. All the worlds inside, everything Ena had promised her. She was free.

And right now, there was nothing better than the wind on her skin, and the stars above her head. As the last of the light in the sky dissipated, the lights of the city became more and more clear. The small suburb she was walking through had its fair share of lights on in the homes, but no street lights. So the light of the main strip was dazzling. She felt like a moth, dragged forward by the bright flames.

After all, wasn't that what they were for? Lures, for a very different sort of vampirism. Lhexa knew all about how gambling worked, and wouldn't be suckered into spending money. Not that she had any. But, the prey would be lured even if it wasn't her. It really was a good gig. People came here to give their money to these rich folks, and while there some of 'em would give their lives too. In the glitz and glamour of a seedy town like this, a few missin' folks weren't going to be easily noticed.

Okay, it was time for a real test of her new body. Marie got down and braced herself. Time to see how fast she could get to the strip if she was really trying. She counted down to herself.

"Three, two, one, go!"

She took off running. At first, she didn't feel much faster than she did in her original form. Lhexa's body was pretty fit, despite rigidly working towards aesthetics above function. She had to be able to perform afterall, which was often a marathon worth of activity in itself. But just as she was reaching what she thought was going to be her top speed, she realized that it was more like she wasn't used to moving her legs faster than that. Not that she couldn't. So, she put more focus into it. Faster. She could go faster.

Her form wasn't perfect. It wasn't even good. Marie wasn't used to running, and Lhexa didn't do it for the fun of it. But maybe she would if it felt like this. She wasn't even out of breath. If her movements weren't so awkward, she could do so so much more.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

She was going at least as fast as a car now. Must be… fifty miles an hour? Sixty? It had taken a while to get up to speed, but she still felt like if her form was better, if she was more used to this, she wasn't close to reaching her actual limit yet. She just didn't know how to.

The road ended in a three way intersection, with a house directly in front of her. But the strip was that way. The home had a wrought iron fence. She hoped it could support her weight!

With a leap she jumped, planting a foot on the top of the six foot fence, and leapt off that as well. She cleared the house, landing roughly in the sandy dirt behind it. It wasn't a graceful landing. She absolutely ate it, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. She had some experience with prat falls, but that had been rough.

Despite that, when she sprung to her feet, she was laughing. It felt so… good! So free! So wonderful to just be able to move like this! A second later and she was running again. Once again, she felt it building inside her.

The unbridled joy of her new life. This world was hers. This universe was hers. She'd live how she wanted here, and there was nothing that was going to stop her.

This time, as the magic formed around her she gathered it up, spinning it as if it were cotton candy. Her emotions. Her magic. She wasn't sure what kind of spell she'd use it on, but she wasn't just going to let it rot away. She'd made this. Her feelings had made it. So, she gathered the immaterial material of it up, and continued her run.

Who was she now? It didn't matter. Not really. Not if she could feel like this.

She slowed her roll when she got into town. No use drawing extra attention to herself after all. It still felt like a hop skip and a jump to where she was going though. The Golden Kumara. It wasn't a particularly upscale joint. Some of the little lightbulbs that made up the display outside weren't working. But, it was a few in a sea of hundreds so it wasn't super obvious.

It was three stories tall, with about forty rooms total. The first floor was entirely a casino, complete with back end for the staff to work. Marie briefly considered going through the front door and disemboweling anyone who tried to stop her. But that was just the high of freedom talking. She was trying to stay out of trouble. She'd promised Faye.

So, instead she dipped into the alley and went around back. Apart from the trashcans, there was no one there. Unfortunately, that included Pickle. It'd have been too easy if the mangy thing had just been perched on the trashcans where she used to feed him. But it wasn't surprising that he wasn't.

The Golden Kumara had roaches and rats. Pickle was supposed to be taking care of them. That's why he was supposed to go hungry, and the managers had been so against Marie feeding the poor thing. She'd done it anyway of course. Marie had always been a bit of a brat towards authority anyways.

She wasn't about to give up! Marie opened the door like she had a hundred times before and marched inside. The security guard, Ron was his name, was asleep at his desk. Typical. But she wasn't concerned about avoiding everyone who knew her anyway.

There was a small locker room area before the kitchen, and there she found her first hurdle.

"Marie! Is that you? What're you doin' here hon? We heard you quit."

Drat. This couldn't be easy forever. Oh well. She'd try to talk her way forward. The other girls employed here were not all that different from her, and she didn't really want their blood on her hands. She turned and faced Shelly. Although… now that she was looking, maybe she wanted Shelly's blood somewhere else. Her teeth were aching…

Marie shook it off.

"Oh yeah, I just dropped by to grab a couple things I forgot. I'm not workin' tonight."

"Oh yeah? Did'ja get a new gig? What happened?"

Marie smiled warmly in return. It was good that acting came easily, even in a new body. If she had to re-train that skill like muscle memory it was going to be a pain.

"I got someone takin' care of me actually."

Shelly oohed appreciatively, and made a show of looking for a ring on Marie's finger. Marie rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Freddy finally propose? I don't see a ring."

Her blood ran cold. Freddy. The next time she saw that scum sucking– She pushed it down. Let it go. The feeling washed over her in an instant. That was for later.

"No no, not like that. Extended family came into town. Offered to hold me up for a while. Actually, have you seen Freddy around? I think he's been avoiding me!"

"What? No! Don't say that. You two were always so cute together!"

"It's true! Has he been here?"

"Oh yeah, practically every other night. Can't keep him away from the tables, you know how he is."

"Would ya give him something for me?"

Shelly nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah! Sure! Need some paper and somethin' to write with? I'll be your cupid. Don't you worry your pretty little head!"

Marie grinned. This was gonna be fun. She took the offered pen and paper, and wrote a little note. "You can't run from me. -M" Then she handed it back to Shelly.

"Thanks a million. I owe you one."

Shelly waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. Us girls gotta stick together."

"I'll make sure you're promoted when I own the place."

Shelly laughed at that. She did have a pretty smile, yet to be worn down from this place despite being here longer than Marie had.

"Oh sweetie don't tell me you're on that too. It'd break my heart to see you at the tables."

"Don't worry about me. You won't catch me gambling!"

"I better not!"

"Hey, before I go, have you seen Pickle around? I wanted to visit."

Shelly's face soured a little.

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen in his favorite spot. I'll never understand why you like that thing. He hisses and swipes at everybody, and he's not easy on the eyes neither."

"I just like him! He's a kindred spirit."

"As kindred as beauty and the beast?"

Marie laughed, genuinely charmed in a way she hadn't expected from this conversation. Shelly really was sweet. It was a shame she had to be here of all places.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess so. So can I go see 'im?"

Shelly waved her on through, and headed off back to work. The 'kitchen' was really more of a glorified booze cabinet. But, it did technically contain food. There was a fridge with some premade sandwiches and sliced up cheese. But mostly it was for beer. And in a small liquor cabinet, she found exactly what she was looking for.

Pickle had always liked pawing this cabinet open and sleeping inside it. Much to the bartender's irritation, because whenever anyone ordered any of these drinks he had to contend with an angry cat swiping at him. But, upon seeing Marie he perked up immediately.

She reached down and swept him up in her arms. He was dusty, and had a cobweb lightly laying across the fur on his head from the cabinet, but she dusted him off. Pickle was a large black and white tomcat. He had short fur, scars over a bit of his face and tail, a missing fang that made his remaining one jut out of his mouth, and a frame that made him seem both decrepit and ageless.

Marie spun him around a few times right there in the bar. Then something caught her eye. She could see out into the casino from here, and it was a kaleidoscope of colors. Magic. The same concentrated emotions that she had found and used several times before. Although, these colors were… different. Vibrant, violent, almost painful to look at. Hope at war with crushing despair and desperation. She could identify it immediately. In a second, she thought about grabbing some, but… she had Pickle right now. She'd remember for later. Right now it was time to get out of here.

As she turned to leave though, she had a small realization. When these people were feeling these extreme and heavy emotions, they created these imprints. Yet, Faye had never created even a hint of fear from her. That's what stuck out about their conversation this morning.

With a renewed genuine grin on her face, Lhexa practically danced her way out of the kitchen and into the locker space. Thankfully it was empty. This time, Ron started awake as she opened the door. She took the opportunity to hold Pickle up to him for a moment.

"Nice to see ya, Ronnie. I'm taking Pickle if anyone asks. Byeeeee."

He started to argue, but she was out the door before anything as coherent as a word came out of his mouth. And then she was in the alley again, Pickle under one arm meowing irritably, smile on her face.

And a man standing in front of her. She'd almost bumped into him. He was tall. Olive skin, thin build, dark hair, probably in his thirties. He wore a leather jacket with a torn T-shirt and jeans underneath. On his head was a baseball cap with a cartoon dog emblazoned on it. He also had an intricate tattoo around his neck that really stood out.

Marie was about to apologize and move past him, when he knelt to the ground and lowered his eyes. He was saying something, in hushed, quiet tones. He didn't lift his head once--not that it would have helped. He definitely wasn't speaking English. Italian maybe? It sounded foreign to Marie's ears.

"Hey pal. You're in America. You speak English? En-g-l-i-"

She was speaking the syllables slowly when he spoke.

"Yes Master. You had directed me never to speak to you in the foul native tongue unless necessary. Have you, in your infinite wisdom, changed your mind?"

"In my--what?"

Marie blinked, and then her mind caught up with what he'd said.

"Huh?"

"I came to find you, My Lord. Your form has changed, but that is you is it not?"

"Ah, crap."