Orchid

Lycaeon--Evil But Girly

It's creepy, seriously. This also scares me.

I don't want to lose my sister to the Yin forces. It would be better if she were dead. If I'm identical to Shira, and she's identical to Lycaeon, and I'm Yang, I have a bad feeling that she'll be Yin. 

 Lycaeon gapes at us when she comes closer and lifts a hand to her heart with a lacy gloved hand. "Oh, dear! Orchid, you are so beautiful, as my little assassin here reported to me." Her eyes, which are so dark green they're almost black, hardens as she meet Hero's gaze. "And here's the rebel. I've heard tell of you so much, I've always wanted to meet you." She has a slight British accent. Or is it French?

 Lycaeon gives off a strong feeling, like Shira, but unlike Shira, her feeling is bad, like maggots crawling up my skin. Her tone is light and flirty, but there's a cold edge to it that scrapes every word like an iron knife. She's dressed in a silky lacquered black dress with twinkling obsidians that hurt my eyes when I stare at them and an elegant red cloak with a carved oak leaf holding as the brooch. Xander respectfully bows to her.

 I grit my teeth. "No need for the welcoming. Where is the orb?"

 Lycaeon laughs playfully, twirling a strand of her dark, flowing and untamed hair with her gloved fingers. "No need to be so...." She taps her chin. "What word shall I use? No need to be so....hostile."

 I frown at her. "That's ironic coming out of your mouth, especially since you're the definition of hostility."

 "Very true. Xander said you not only are beautiful, but you are smart." Lycaeon looks me up and down critically. "Where did you get that hairstyle? It's wonderful," she purrs. "But of course, Vidalia isn't the fashion-loving land. It's more into fighting, but clashing just ruins hair." Her glossy black curls hang over her face flawlessly.

 I touch my hair out of instinct. It's in a simple braid that ends in a hanging ponytail. Nothing too special. I try to look bored. "Ok, where's the orb?"

 Lycaeon smiles and holds out a hand to Xander. Xander shudders again as he reaches into his pocket and quickly drops the glowing, beautiful white orb-half into Lycaeon's hand as if it were a ball of fire. He recoils as the nimbus of white light surrounds him and dances around him, illuminating the bit of his good self, but disappears shortly afterward. I berate myself for thinking I could heal of his hurt and bitterness.

 Lycaeon cups the orb around her hands. "Isn't it pretty?" she asks. "I could crush it under my foot, you know, but I would rather not. My sister would die immediately as if someone stomped on her heart and destroyed it. It wouldn't kill me, but I'm sure that it would be unbalanced. Vidalia and Earth in chaos. I would love to see Darkness dominate, but there's too many good-doers. It wouldn't make a difference, especially with you two on her side." She wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Besides, the orb is too powerful. It would make me good if I was exposed to its light too long. But make no mistake, my power protects me....for now. And what of my reputation? My love will side against me."

 The light is being blocked by the radiation of Lycaeon's darkness, I think. It's probably true. It might not affect her for maybe up to ten minutes, but it will take over her. And who's her love? I can't imagine who would love this girly but evil one. Xander is too young for her, if my hypothesis is correct. Lycaeon is ancient.

 "Oh, and phooey. Stupid me!" Lycaeon slaps her forehead. "I could counteract it." Her gloved hand reaches in her blood-colored flowing cloak to a hidden pocket and brings out a pure black orb-half. It brings cold fear and angry revenge thoughts in my heart, and I squeeze my eyes shut to block it out. In my fury, I blast a fireball at them.

 Xander and his puppet mistress look surprised as the fire comes hurling toward them. Lycaeon merely lifts a hand, and the black orb forms a glassy shield wall in front of her. She has no regard for Xander, though, so he has to defend himself by spinning the ball into nothing with a tornado in his hands thrown at it. He looked exhausted, though. I want to take advantage of that. Hero senses the weakness on Xander and forms a fire ball of her own, but doesn't throw it at Xander. Instead, she hurls it at the wall.

 Lycaeon just stands there, doing nothing but smiling a thin-lipped grin that I instantly hate, along with the other things about her. She's evil but acts innocent, which angers me. She's trying to copy Shira's light attitude, but no one can.The ball that would've set the whole building on fire just glances off with a shee sound, like metal scraping metal. Hero looks surprised.

 "How can you do this?" Hero yells at her, and lunges at her. Lycaeon just mutters "Meh" and waves her hand lazily. Hero slams into an invisible air shield and she doubles back.

 "How can I?" Lycaeon looks at her hands, mocking a surprised look. "Well, it's pretty easy. Yin gives me pretty good powers."

 "And who's the love you mentioned?"

 Lycaeon now looks genuinely surprised, as if she didn't count on Hero remembering those details. "Um...he's handsome, with dark hair and beautiful doe eyes to match. His name is Zilon. Don't worry. He won't fall for you. He doesn't date girls younger than him."

 "It's not like I'm interested," Hero says with a voice dripping with anger. 

 "Anyway, my sister and I have been fighting over him for a long time," Lycaeon says as she goes on. "This is the reason for this petty war. If Zilon just makes up his mind, this boring war can be over and I can go back to fashion. But no, my cheries! Non, c'est horrible! He cannot make up his mind. He likes Shira, but tra-la-la, he will find a poisonous drink on his dining table if he decides he will take her as his mate. He should just choose me and be done with it." She giggles. "But I'll be bored with him and kill him in his sleep. You see, everything except fashion bores me."

 Lycaeon is an absolute monster. I shudder. "How many past husbands have you killed?"

 Lycaeon shrugs. "My first one was Alexander the Great. Ah, he was valiant, and I never had thoughts of killing him until he conquered a lot of lands and got very generous with his captives. I told him to beat them bloody and senseless, but he didn't listen. I absolutely hate others that don't listen to me, but I was so faithful to him that I ignored his leniency. But he married another, and that was all I could tolerate. I decided to poison him. Come next month, he was as dead as a rock." She giggles again. "I attended his funeral--y'know, and his poor friend Plutarch was a waterfall of tears."

 "That's very cruel," Hero sums up.

 "And my second husband was the first Tsar of Russia. He was not faithful to me. I must've seen him with at least six other women. I think two were named Anastasia and Maria, non? I was responsible for Anastasia's death--I swayed her into thinking that mercury was good for health. Mais non, les filles, c'est n'est pas une bonne chose! She died with the ugly mercury in her hair, which leached into her skull, I think. But she influenced my dear Ivan the Terrible into tyranny. Ivan's death was from a stroke while playing that fool game chess--oh, I hate it so because your victory is small and it's for fun--leaving the throne to his young child, which led to the Time of Troubles. What a wonderul name. Isn't it, young girls? Let's have tea in the verandah. I insist." She strides off, leaving us to look at each other and follow.