Pirates Versus Privates : Versus Vampires,5

"Ahaha! You should see the look on your face! Come, tell me that wasn't a beautiful surprise!"

"I will do nothing of the sort. You've exceeded my expectations. Had I known you were so good at surprises, I would have been much more comfortable with that runaway piece."

"This again? Very well, let's see him again. If it becomes too much, we'll reign him in."

~*~

Though the Captain had many good memories of his mother, the memory that always stood out was the very last time he had seen her. She laid on the floor of their humble home, a stranger's brutal hands on her throat, and her voice becoming shallower with each last scream. The young boy was hidden yet could not force himself to look away from watching the life drain out of her eyes. It had been a slow and agonizing process as he saw every muscle move its last. When the deed was done and the man had left, the boy was no longer a boy, and the imprint of death had so darkly struck him that he had vowed to never see it again, since he knew he would no longer see her again.

Yet there she now stood, dressed in bridal attire, startled that she had caused a different kind of fear. The Captain was clutching his head, unable to close his eyes, and looked very well on the verge of screaming. "What is this?! What is this?! Ye told me ye were me allies… what kinda  sick trick is this?!"

The Count had little idea what was happening, but he did know he had little time for his partner to have a break down. "Emily, leave!"

"B-But…" She looked back and forth between the mice, not understanding what she had done. Surely she had misheard since she knew she had bore no children during her mortal existence. But there could be no denying the mental shattering the Captain was experiencing, his mind half with them and half in the past.

"Leave!" The Count barked, making it understood that there was no room for argument. Seeing the Captain experience this was not just familiar due to shared faces – how many times had the Count experienced nightmares so similar? Emily gulped, but obeyed, sinking into the floor and vanishing from their sight entirely. Once the Count was sure she was gone, he looked to his reflection, waiting a moment for him to settle before speaking. "… That was no trick. I honestly did not know she bore any connection to you." He cut a glare to Leota. "Though someone should have."

The psychic had said so herself that in the mind link, she had access to their memories. Since she would not look at any of the men, it was silently made obvious that she had already known about the Emily from another world. "… I had thought we would send him back before seeing her. My apologies. But we must not waste any more time, and get to my tower."

"Sure," Oswald muttered dryly as he resumed walking. "As long as you're not hiding anything else."

The Captain swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes on the back of his sleeve. After shuddering, he suddenly stormed up to Oswald, yanked Leota out of his arms, and walked even faster. "I'll make sure of that meself! Ye keep anything else from me, and I'll drop ye!"

The Count quietly went along with them. Though he would protect Leota if it came to that, he sympathized with the pirate. The group of four spoke no more of what had transpired, and made an effort to pretend as if nothing had happened as they headed to the tower.  Every so often, the Count spotted Emily hiding around a corner, no doubt still curious as to her connection to the vampire's look-a-like. She always made sure to disappear anytime there was a chance the pirate could have seen her, but the Count silently chided her with his eyes when he could.

When they arrived to Leota's room, she asked to be placed on the table, and the Captain did so rather roughly. Now back on her pedestal, her full powers returned, and her green shine intensified, encompassing the entire room. Wind blew although the windows were closed, and tarot cards flapped about above the heads of the men. "Oswald!" She called out, as several cards began to freeze in place. "In order for this spell to work, you have to aide me. Did you bring me what I asked?"

"Of course." With his hand of flesh, he dug into his pockets. "After telling me to come here, Leota asked me to bring a little something special…" He pulled out what first appeared to be a simple rosary necklace made out of wood. "In the business, we call this weapon the Darkest Prayer. Each bead has been dipped in the blood of a different saint." He flicked it around his wrist, and then began to spin it around faster in his fingers, creating a tiny blur of brown. The tarot cards began to shine d ark due of red, spitting out redder lines back and forth to the spinning rosary. As a spider-web of blood colored lines began to form, Leota floated four more cards to the mice, fitting two into each of their hands.

"Keep these with you at all times." She instructed, noting the confusion from the two mice. "Conventional weapons don't work in the All Gateway. Give one to your women when the time is right, and they will align with you. Oswald and I must stay here to keep our way open." The spider-web began to change shape, now forming into a simple rectangle. "Find Gracey, get the girls, and go home. The more time that is spent doing otherwise risks our destruction."

"But no pressure or anything." Oswald couldn't help quip. The inside of the rectangle began to turn into the sky and ocean blue that they by now had all come to dread.

The mice exchanged one more look, and then stuffed the cards into their clothes. The Count stepped forward, ready to start the journey. "Thank you, both of you. Rest assured, we-"

"Geronimo!" The Captain sped forward, jumping into the abyss with all the excitement of a child diving into water.

The Count stood for a moment, baffled, and wondered if the Captain had recovered from his emotional trauma so easily, or was just putting up appearances. "He's not going to make this easy." He grumbled, and calmly stepped into the blue.

As soon as they entered, both men fell downward, a never ending spiral of jeweled worlds. All of the jewels looked alike, leaving them confused as to where to even start looking. But when they both looked down at the same time, they spotted one jewel that was clouded in a murky gray, as if encased in its own fog. The men reached out, and grabbed it, putting their faith in one guess.

~*~

When E opened the cell door to the imprisoned females, Minnie was quick to get on her feet, defending her counterpart. The doll returned the gesture with a quizzical smile. "One, two, what would you do? Three, four, follow me out the door."

"I refuse!" Minnie knew hand to hand combat, as did all enlisted in the NAVY. "Unchain Mina at once, or I'll-" E smacked the private across the face with a hand that felt like sheer steel. Minnie collapsed to her knees, clutching her wounded cheek while Mina cried out for her fallen friend. E then happily walked further into the cell, unhooking Mina's chains from the wall. She then dragged Mina by the chains, walking out of the cell block. "Five, six, come along quick!" Minnie, knowing she had no choice, scrambled to her feet, and followed her hobbling companion.

The silver steel on Mina's body made it painful for her to walk, so she had to move slowly if she wanted to move at all. Minnie walked up behind her and whispered, hoping that E wouldn't care about their conversation. "Mina… if I could find a way to free you, could you do something with those powers of yours?"

Mina winced, not able to spare a look back. "I told you, I don't know how to use them!"

"I think this would be a good time to find out." Minnie held Mina by the arms, trying to keep her steady as she walked. "You just have to try! If our Mickeys can't make it to us, then we need to save ourselves. I can't fight these guys without my weapons, but who knows what your powers could do?"

Mina shook her head, refusing all chances to think kindly of herself. "It will never work, Minnie! I can't do it! I just don't know how!" She shook her head vehemently, and groaned as that too caused her pain. "We may look alike, but I'm not like you at all. I can't fight, and I've always needed someone to save me. I can't do anything…" How could she argue otherwise? Her entire life had been sheltered by her uncle, and after that, Mickey always saved her when it counted. She was just a weak and helpless girl.

The prisoners were led to a gigantic, wide room filled from top to bottom with shelves of broken dolls. Some were ruined by old age, while others had been deliberately smashed apart by hand. Top to bottom, shelf to shelf, these destroyed dolls gave the room a sense of frustration and defeated accomplishment. Mina recognized the disgusting watchdogs that had attacked the Dragul castle as they were now waiting in corner of the room for further orders. In the middle of the room were two flat tables with silver chains attached to the sides. There was a doll for each table, as tall as an adult human woman, which is exactly what they looked like. Unlike E, they were perfectly still, standing up straight with dead eyes and clutching silver axes in their hands. Clocks were embedded in their backs, quietly ticking backwards. Gracey stood between the tables, clapping at the arrivals. "Daddy's so proud of you, E! Now, let's get our guests comfortable."

"Seven, eight, I'll set them straight!" E giggled, delighted to hear such praise. She let go of Mina's chains only to grab Minnie by her wrists, lifting her up and taking her to the left table.

"Let me go, let me go!" Minnie kicked about, despite it still not helping her. "Whatever you're doing, it won't work!" She continued to protest as she was put down on the table and chained down, restricting her resistance. E then merrily went about doing the same to Mina, but as Minnie looked up from where she was laying, she saw that her neck was in the perfect position if the dolls wielding the axe near her let go of its weapon. Frightened, she turned her head, and saw that Mina's neck was in the same danger. "Oh… no, no, no… you're… you're not actually going to…"

Gracey stroked E's straw hair for a job well done. "It's all been leading up to this moment, and you've been wonderful, E. Daddy couldn't have done it without you." E laughed and clapped her hands, then pranced around the tables in her ecstasy. Gracey chuckled at her enthusiasm, and then held aloft his staff, clutching the clock that was on the very top. "You girls don't need to be so upset. You're doing a great service with your sacrifice." He twisted the clock back three times, and in response, the axe-wielding dolls began to mechanically raise their weapons. "You will die for love, and for what better reason could there be?"

"You're insane!" Minnie screamed at the top of her lungs, as both women squirmed in their chains.

"Probably." E shrugged his shoulders, dismissive of the insult. "But think of this as a compliment. With the two of you dead, your worlds will be so effectively changed, so warped, that the fabrics of the All Gateway will rip and tear, leaving me to sow it back up my way. Your futures matter deeply. Who would have thought?" He leaned to one side, playfully pinching Minnie's cheek. "The disgraced private who would save the world from a horde of robotic monsters and change the laws forever." Then he leaned to the other, doing the same to Mina's cheek. "The brave countess who would lead an army to save her husband and continue a proud bloodline." He then clapped his hands together, applauding their loss. "Your worlds need you. And now when you die, they will die with you. Like the phoenix, your death will bring about life…" He reached out to the ceiling, and threw his head back as he announced to only them. "My Emily will live once more!"

What he expected was applause from E. What he got was a red rectangle opening up in the ceiling two feet away from him, dropping two bodies into the room. The Count, during his fall, had managed to summon his dark energy and form enough of a wingspan for him to gracefully land on the floor. The Captain fell flat on his face next to the Count. Fairly sure he broke a tooth, the pirate lifted his head. "… That was fer all the 'choppers' jokes I made, wasn't it."

"Let's call us even now." The Count's eyes easily found Gracey and E, and he set all of his anger on the kidnappers. "I will only tell you once – release them!"

The girls harmoniously cheered their lover's names, while Gracey's upper lip twitched. "… This is… unprecedented. E, get rid of them."

"Nine, ten, they won't live again!" E clapped her clock palms together, giving the call for the demonic watchdogs to destroy the mice men. The clock hounds raced towards the heroes, snarling and clawing, ready to tear them apart.

The Captain still had a sword ready to pull out, no longer afraid for the upcoming fight. "It's too bad, I like dogs."

"It doesn't look like they share the same sentiment." The Count turned his wings back into the same sword he had fought the Captain with. "You're next, Gracey!"

The dogs set about them, and the battle was not easy for the men. They were fighting gears and steel, but never gave an inch, slicing and dodging to the best of their abilities. The dolls around them suffered for this war, as thrown bodies would shatter shelves and send the toys fallen to the floor. However, the boys had learned from their graveyard experience. If they didn't defend each other, they'd lose the other, and that would only make the fight much harder. So as they fought, they defended their clone, suffering through torn clothes and tougher bites, saving each other just in time. It was a unique piece of teamwork that was serving them well, as one by one each dog fell. When they needed further incentive to fight, all they needed was a glance at their distressed damsels, as the axes above them rose higher and higher, and it was enough to give the men ten times more strength.

Gracey's cheerful demeanor began to dissolve as the fight furthered on. It seemed he had not expected the Mickeys to do so well on their quest to save their maidens. "… Oh, so very impressive… I did not think they could get this far. They do not have the conviction I do… but no matter!" He slammed his staff on the ground, convinced the victory was still his. "The girls will die at the exact same time! Such a shatter of futures and destinies will have enough power to destroy all worlds! You don't stand a chance against me… the King of Clocks! Can you even conceive what I've done!" But for all his bragging, the boys weren't being slowed down. In fact, they were winning, and the bodies of the strewn open dogs were laying around them. The watch dogs had turned out to be elaborate dolls themselves, made out of gears and clocks, and machines could only go so far.

"Eleven, twelve…" E did not need an order to know what to do. She ran head first in the battle, intending to use her massive strength to send the boys to their graves, hands reaching out for them. "You will not stop him!"

The boys saw her coming easily enough, and not only side stepped her, but tripped her as she passed. "That didn't even rhyme!" The Mickeys shouted together as she fell into a heap of destroyed doll dogs.

Unfortunately, E may have had a point. For all the battles the Mickeys were winning, it wasn't stopping the axes. Gracey grinned as he saw the weapons coming into their perfect places, relieved that his plan hadn't gone astray. "There we go… Ten… Nine…"

Minnie understood exactly what he was counting down. "Mina, you have to try! You can do it, I know you can!" She hollered as loudly as she could, desperate on this impossible tactic.

"Eight… seven…"

"I can't! I can't!" Mina screeched, seeing her impending death loom ever closer. "Mickeeey!"

"Six… five…"

The men heard the shouts of their women, and echoed their own shouts of horror and loss. "No!"

"Four… three…"

Minnie clenched her teeth, her mind racing. If Mina wouldn't fight for herself, what would she fight for? Though the girls were different as night and day, they were still the same embodiment in heart and soul. If Minnie had such powers, what would drive her to do? Twisting the memories and loves of their pasts together, she made one last try, putting all of her faith on something she knew to be true for both women. If Mina wouldn't do it for herself…"Think about what Mickey's life will be without you!"

Mina stopped in place and her eyes widened.

"Two…"

The dolls holding the axes swiftly shot their arms down – and in the time of a blink, the dangers changed. A blade of dark energy erupted from Mina's open palms, severing the chains that bound her and the arms of the deadly doll over her. In the same moment, standing up quickly, her scarred hands grabbed the silver axe, and she threw it hard enough to decapitate the other axe doll, causing it to fall over backwards. The power overflowed out of her, the energy continuously distorting into different shapes in her pained rage. "I… will not… let him suffer anymore! Everyone always makes him out to be a monster, but I won't let that happen! He deserves to be happy, and I make him happy!" She waved her hand about, momentarily turning her energy into a sharp whip that lashed open Minnie's chains, freeing her. "I don't know what you went through or what you lost to make you do this… but this stops now!"

"Well said, Countess." Minnie stood up on her table, dusting herself off. "You picked the wrong girls to hurt. We don't know how to give up when the one we care about is danger, and we need them as much as they need us! You already lost when you chose to pick on us."

This was further proved as the last of the dogs fell to the floor, and the heroes walked to their heroines, proud of what their girls had accomplished. "Careful, turtledove," The Captain whistled as he helped Minnie down from the table. "Or ye'll make me fall fer ye all over again."

The Count offered his bride a tender kiss on the cheek as she was helped down. "Every word is right. I need you in order to ever feel happiness again. And now we'll take back our happiness."

Reunited, all four mice looked at the maddened Gracey, unanimously challenging him with four combined voices. "Time's up, King of Clocks!"

Gracey clutched his staff tightly enough that his nails began to tear through his gloves, incredulous that everything had been stopped so suddenly. "Impossible… impossible… impossible! How could a bunch of filthy rats get this far! You can't possibly love each other as much as I love Emily! I have done all of this for her, and what have you done?" He pointed his staff at them accusingly, his entire calm demeanor gone forever. "Your works are miniscule, compared to my work! I spent countless years traveling worlds to learn spells of time! I built all of these dolls by hand, infusing them with forbidden magic! I created this world, I did it! E, come here!"

Upon being called, E began to somersault, jumping right over the startled group and landing delicately in front of her father. "One, two, I'm ready to do!"

"This is not a full world." Gracey hissed, grabbing E by her straw hair. "No one can create a full world, composed of life and histories… I could only create a castle… but I no longer have need for it! I will start anew!" He then yanked upward, ripping E's head off of her neck, and holding it high in the air. Her headless body stumbled, and then clattered to the floor, clinging onto his pants for a fraction of a moment before going completely still. "The spells she knows kill mortals who use them… so I infused them into a doll, so she could wield them… this worthless doll, who could never be my child! Who could never be my Emily!" He threw her head on the floor and it shattered into a million pieces. "This moronic abomination was the foundation of this made-up world…"

Without the foundation, the world could not exist. Everything around the mice began to dissolve, from the walls to the dogs to the dolls. They all faded into nothingness, returning them to the swirling blue nexus that was the All Gateway. All of the living bodies began to fall, and the mice grabbed their loved ones close to keep them safe. Gracey spun as he fell, arms outstretched in free flying motion. "My Emily died before I could put the ring on her finger… was I supposed to just live on without her? How could I? My beautiful Emily, who loved my dolls! I delved into the knowledge of the All Gateway to find her again… and do you know what I found?!" He grabbed one of the floating jewels, and then threw it at the four mice. In a split second, their vision changed…

… "Mickey." Princess Minnie instructed, wagging her finger in front of her boyfriend, managing to portray authority and adorability at once. "I said to call me by name! We're together now, so I won't have you call me princess."

The short musketeer quickly looked around, double checking that they were alone in her private garden. "… Aw, gee, Princess, don't ya think we'll get in a lot of trouble for it? I mean, I'm already a commoner, and people might say…"

"I don't care what people might say!" Minnie grabbed him by his arm, bringing him close enough for their noses to brush together. "I love you. That is all I care about. Now, I insist you call me by name! In fact, I order it, and you have to obey my orders."

Mickey sighed, but had no urge to deny her, smiling as he blushed. "… Sorry, Minnie…" He gave a soft kiss to her little bangs, but she was hardly satisfied with that. She pulled him down even further, making their lips touch…

Their vision returned just as swiftly, continuing their all through the All Gateway. Gracey sneered, collecting more jewels in his hand. "And they live happily ever after. You see, you ingrates are not alone. Look, look at what you are!" He threw the jewels at them once more, and again they saw visions of themselves in different lives, flickering moments of a boy and a girl finding love together no matter the odds. "A masked vigilante for justice and his duchess… a Romeo and Juliet of different planet kingdoms…   a werewolf and red riding hood… in every world, it's the same! Mickey and Minnie, always together! You are always together, you always find love, you always live out your days in happiness! And do you know what the fate of my Emily is in each of these worlds? She dies! She dies before we can be together! Why! Why does she have to die in every world, but you two always find each other?!"

Gracey spun around, jumping off nothing, and tackling down the Captain, dragging him down. "Won't you help me?" He shook the pirate by his jacket as he delved further into hysterics. "If we destroy the worlds, we can repair them! We can give Emily life again! I know she was your mother! Help me bring your mother back! You want to see her again, don't you?!"

At first, the Captain thought that a good punch to Gracey's face would be the correct answers. But after Gracey reeled from the assault, the pirate decided to add on. "Don't ye speak fer me or fer me ma. I spent a long time gettin' over her… and I still managed ta find the strength to live. Ta find happiness. But what yer goin' about ain't even close ta love… ye did all this fer yerself! Loss is a part of life, and ye can't ruin our lives fer yer own selfishness!" He pulled out the tarot cards Leota had given them, still unsure what to do with them but figuring now was as good a time as any to try. "Find yer own happy ending… cause we ain't ever lettin' go of ours!"

"Then to hell with all of you!" Gracey howled, flipping himself up straight, and holding up his staff, the needles on the clock spinning rapidly. "I'll find new worlds to get these damned women with, and kill them! There will be weaker ones out there, ones that can't be saved by your cheap love! I will get back my Emily!"

"This ends now, Gracey!" The Count withdrew his own cards, holding them in between his fingers. "Love is not something that can be measured… but we will fight to save it!"

The four cards began to glow bright white, and then slid out of the men's fingers. They swirled around in place, and then flew to each of the mice, forming into a weapon in their hands, while repairing their clothes and their wounds, but then the light swallowed them completely, changing their forms little by little. Leota's power before had shown them what they looked like to themselves – but now, they became how their lover saw them.

When the light faded, the Count and Countess Dragul were in royal black and red garbs, the most powerful and beautiful king and queen to have ever existed, and they wielded proud scepters with sharp sword ends, the sight of which would make any invading army surrender at once. Private Mina was now a high class General, exuding strength and power in a uniform that now covered her lovely legs, and her elongated pistol now required two hands to wield due its length and size, creating a shadow to give fear to all criminals. Captain Mickey's rags were now a smooth armor, coating his body from the neck down, a haphazard knight with many scars of battle proudly on display, no doubt helped by the giant swords lodged in each hands, able to cut down any ship to size.

"This isn't fair!" Gracey swung his staff around, attempting to create another portal so he could ambush another world for his sick ambitions. "I love her! I love Emily! Why is your love stronger than mine?! It's not fair!"

The four heroes jumped down to meet him, weapons at the ready. "Love is knowing when to let go!" The Count used his scepter to strike off Gracey's left arm.

"Love is acceptance!" Mina smashed off Gracey's right arm with her similar weapon.

"Love is mutual!" Minnie shot off Gracey's left leg in one blow.

"Love is understandin'!" The Captain severed off Gracey's right leg in fluid motion.

The tears of his body gave no blood or bone to worry over. What spilled out of him were gears and oil, just like his dolls. He had been at his quest for so long, that his body decayed, and he replaced his imperfections with his own creations. In his mad search for love, he had lost and forgotten his humanity. That made the final blow come easier, as all four reigned down upon his head. "And our love is here to stay!" His head smashed open from the all mighty force,  sending chunks of copper wire and oozing oil splattering down. All that was left was his lifeless torso, floating in front of them in limbo. The fight was finally over.

"Well done, travelers."

A brand new feminine voice entered the realm, and a petite body floated down towards the disembodied body. All that could be seen was a green cloak embedded with constantly moving words glossed in gold, and pale hands poking out from under the sleeves. Anything under the hood was a mystery. The mice raised their weapons, ready to take on the new opponent, but the figure held up her hands in defense. "At ease, I am not your enemy. I am here to send you home." With a wave of her hand, the changes to their bodies and clothes were gone, and their weapons were no more. They looked exactly the same as they had before Gracey entered their lives.

"And I was just getting used to wearing pants!" Minnie groaned, tugging down on her NAVY skirt.

The Count looked the cloaked figure over, unable to make any sense of her. "And just who… or what… might you be?"

"Think of me as a Gatekeeper. Someone who observes all worlds, and keeps the peace between them." She snapped her fingers, and two red rectangles opened up behind the mice.

"A fine job ye did guardin' this place!" The Captain tapped his foot in annoyance. "Why didn't ye help us out, if that's yer job?"

"I would say you did a fine job on your own." Though they couldn't see her face, her voice made it sound like she could be smiling. "The damage will be repaired. When you enter these portals, you will be sent back to before these events happened. Your memories, and the memories of all those involved, shall be erased, in order to keep balance."

Despite being more than eager to return home, there was slight disappointment at this news. The counterparts faced each other, grateful for what the other had done but knowing their time together had come to an end.  Minnie reached out to shake Mina's hand, but the countess took her for a hug instead. "Thank you for giving me the confidence I needed."

"Yes, well, try to keep it up, will you?" Minnie chuckled a little, ruffling Mina's hair. "It won't do to have any kind of me to think badly of herself."

The Count held out his hand and the Captain earnestly shook it. "… I apologize for everything I put you through. But you put up a good fight, and I admire your conviction."

"Aw, ye were doin' the same as me. Just tryin' ta protect yer woman." He grinned, flashing off his gold tooth to try and prove it was better looking than giant fangs. "And quit it the monster stuff. Yer a better man than that."

The group parted, ready to return, but a thought occurred to Minnie, and she raised a hand in question. "Wait, I need to make sure… anything we do right now, we'll forget and never remember?"

The cloaked figure nodded. "Yes, you will not ever recall it."

"Good." With that in mind, Minnie yanked her captain by the shirt and kissed him hard on the mouth, effectively shocking everyone in sight. When she was finished, she bashfully pulled back, mumbling in a girly fashion. "Thank you for rescuing me, Mickey." She then shoved him away, running right for the portal closest.

The Captain stood there slack-jawed for an overly long moment before he snapped to attention. "H-hey! T-Turtledove… no, no, ye come back here! Ye come back here this instant and kiss me more!" He sped after her to the same portal, and it closed when they were gone.

Mina burst into laughter, and the Count managed to let a few chuckles go as well. They linked arms, doubting they'd ever believe this tale even if they were allowed to remember it. They entered their own portal as husband and bride, and this portal also closed up and away. The cloaked figure nodded in approval, and then waved her hand in a spiral motion around Gracey's torso. A tiny light floated upward from his body and into her hand… a pawn chess piece. "Yes, I think we've all had enough of that." She then casually walked as a white tiled floor formed underneath her, leading her to a quaint table with a humble chess set in play on top. "I told you this would be fun." She sat down in her chair, and pulled down her cloak so her hair could fall in place.

"You've more than proven your point." The figure on the other end conceded, using one piece to knock over another. "But still, let's try and prevent that sort of thing in the future, shall we, Melissa? If the others found out we lost control so easily, we'd never get invited to their tea parties again."

"If you're so worried about it, you form the next game, Maria." She licked her lips in anticipation, fingers already trembling. "Give me a delicious story. I want to see your latest tragedy…"

With a high pitched cackle, the other held out her hand, and as she unfurled her fingers, a brand new jewel was born into her grasp.

"Ahaha!"

The End.