Part 30: Full of Crazy
Chapter 23.5: Full of Crazy
“Gah!” I exclaim, jumping in fright. “Wha- Big Steve?! Don't do that!” I say, holding my chest and gasping. Seeing him and... that... is not the best way to begin my day, to say the least. Not that Big Steve sees is that way- in fact, I'm wondering if he sees anything the way us puny mortals do anymore.
Or if he's doing the seeing in the first place, if his next statement is anything to go by.
“Happy Easter from Mr. Hoppity,” he says, handing me a plastic-wrapped chocolate egg. At least I hope it's chocolate.
“Uh, thanks?” I say, receiving the chocolate gingerly. “So... does this mean another kiss?”
“What?” Big Steve asks, genuinely bewildered.
“Well,” I begin, “the last time he gave me a present, I had to kiss him, right?” A terrifying(?) thought entered my mind. “Or am I supposed to kiss you?”
Big Steve's eyes widen into dishplates around 0.8 Kyos across, and he shakes his head vigorously. “NO!” he says, before running off a moment later. I guess I dodged a bullet there. And not only that, I got free chocolate! Which apparently comes with a free 'gift':
Of course, I only find out about this when I accidentally grip the egg a little too hard right after the first bite, causing it to burst all over my robes. But hey, free magic!
You don't actually get a spell from eating Big Steve's Easter egg (at least, I hope it's Big Steve's...); Boost Strength is a Level 15 Green Magic Spell. I just thought the coincidence was hilarious.
As i'm walking out of the bathroom, having washed off all I can from my robes, I run into Ellen. “Hey, Mary!” she grins at me, before catching sight of my robes. “...hungry?”
“You could say that,” I sigh, dabbing at my semi-stained robes with a paper towel. “I, uh, squeezed an Easter egg,” I tell her.
“Well,” Ellen replies, “I might have something a little less messy and a lot more squeeze-friendly: An exam snack pack!”
I raise an eyebrow. “A who the what now?”
“It's only $5 a box, and they're very nice too!” Ellen says enthusiastically, and I can't help but grin myself.
“All right, all right, spare me the spiel,” I laugh, handing her the money. She takes the cash and pencils my name in a little book, promising to deliver the boxes the next week. I wave her off, and we part ways before I sigh out of earshot. The exams- I'd totally forgot about them! Sure, I might have had my excuses, but I still had my schoolwork to attend to. Oh well, at least there's the weekend- or would have been.
As I walk to get our allowances, my blood runs cold as I pick up a little something extra- a small envelope with my name on it. And a blue flower delicately attached above my name. I have no illusions about who it's from- but how did it get here? How did Damien get here- if he was even here at all?! So many questions running through my mind, I fail to notice someone coming up behind me.
“Wait!” I exclaim, but all that time she's spent in the Sports Club obviously hasn't gone to waste, as she simply zips past me and plucks the letter from my hands “Oooh, a new secret admirer, eh?” she smirks slyly.
“Hey, give that back!” I say grabbing at it while Virginia dances around, holding it just out of reach.
“Hey everyone, I forgot my ledger- what's going on?” Ellen asks as she comes back.
“She stole my mail!” I say, vainly grabbing for the letter.
“I'll give it back in a minute~!” Virginia laughs, leaping onto the bed and pulling the card out. My heart falls into my stomach- I can only pray Damien hasn't said anything too incriminating...
“Wait a minute!” Virginia pouts. “This card is blank!”
“Ha!” Ellen says smugly, folding her arms. “Serves you right for peeking at other people's things!”
“Thank you, Ellen,” I say primly, before turning back to Virginia with as much fake smugness as I could muster.
“Sorry,” Virginia says, still pouting as she hands me the card and envelope. I keep up my smug expression, but honestly I'm just relieved none of them have made the connection between the envelope and Damien. I mean, it's blue for crying out loud!
I walk outside to the hedge maze- at least here I can be assured of a little privacy. I turn the card in my hands- it does seem empty at first. But a moment after I touch it, letters begin to form.
Damien Ramsey posted:
You should be pleased to hear- or so I hope- that I have also had a shower and a meal, though the food here is nothing compared to the Glen. I will need all my strength to plan a new life, now that everything is gone.
I have keyed this letter to your blood so that none but you may read it. I will write to you again soon.
-Yours, Damien
Well, that's good to hear at least. Despite my own remaining suspicions about his sincerity, that little lizard part of me in the back of my brain is relieved that Damien's pulling himself back together.
Which in turn, just provides the setup for the more evolved areas to smugly tell said lizard brain 'We told you so' when I receive Damien's next missive the very next day.
Damien Ramsey posted:
But I cannot bring you there, no matter how much I want to, not at least until you have the strength. It has also just occurred to me that you might not even want to live in a castle- I should have asked. I can live somewhere else, as long as you'll come see me. I love you. I need you. I'll conquer the world for you, if you want.
Please, Mary, I beg you. Tell me how I can please you, because I don't know what else to do.
-Yours, Damien.
Well, I can't exactly do that unless you give me a return address, Damien. Though I have to admit, that whole 'conquer the world for me' thing is really flattering. I grin to myself- ruling the world would be a little much right now. Maybe I'll start off ruling from the shadows; manipulate some one here, blackmail someone there- I wonder if I could have Damien assassinate a few people for me?
...oh dear, he probably would.
I have to admit, I'm kind of looking forward to the next letter- it's terrifying and very flattering indeed knowing how far Damien would go for me. I have to admit, it's also quite suspicious, though I doubt he'd make such grandiose promises if he was really willing to harm me.
Damien Ramsey posted:
Are there enemies you wish me to punish? I could crush them or force them to worship you. If you like, I could have them simply enslaved, so that they may live forever knowingly serving your every whim. Whoever you'd like. Anything you'd like, if you would let me be yours.
Yours, Damien.
I start to worry about what he might do next to impress me, and I spend my next period in White Magic not paying attention to the class at all, absorbed in worry. When Potsdam does call on me to cast a normally concentration intensive spell, I end up with a bit of a nosebleed from trying to make up for lost attention.
The next day, I'm back in my room after classes and on the lookout for another letter, but I don't find any. Virginia didn't say anything about finding a letter, and as my thoughts wander, I feel a chill run down my back.
What if Damien decided that action spoke louder than words? I tried to think of anyone whom I might have let slip as an 'enemy'- Grabiner? Would Damien be crazy enough to go after him? Or maybe Potsdam? Did I ever tell Damien about how she creeped me out at times? What if he goes after Angela-
…
Hmmm...
I shake my head. No, not even Angela deserves... whatever Damien might be planning. If he's even planning anything. Is he?
“Argh!” I yell to a thankfully-empty room, and I crumple onto my bed- whereupon I hear something crinkle under my pillow. I reach under it, and then only do I find Damien's letter. I glance around the hallway as I step outside, and once I'm sure nobody's following, I decide to go to the library to read it- Virginia's got her Sports Club activities outside, and I think Ellen's handling the snack shipments. Whatever- all I know is that I shouldn't be interrupted.
Damien Ramsey posted:
It was wrong of me to offer to crush your enemies, wasn't it? I shouldn't do such things- unless you want me to, I mean, I'm not a good person, Mary. I will never be a hero or a saint. My first impulses will always be cruel ones.
But I will hold them back, if you want me to. I need you to guide me. I need you to give me direction, or I am lost. You have torn my world apart, and only you can put it back together. I want to pledge myself to you, and only you. I want everyone to see me kneel to you, to have them know you have claimed em as your own, and that you have claimed me, and I have been defeated, and that I am yours.
And if it is too soon for you to accept my oath of eternal fealty, I will settle for the next best thing- I wish to be your escort at the May Day Ball. Of course, all this depends on my being able to enter the Academy grounds- would you make a plea for my cause to Potsdam?
Yours always, Damien
I lean back and sigh- even now, Damien can't seem to shake his flair for dramatics, it seems.
Part of me want to champion his cause- I know it's stupid, but I do still love him, and I don't want to keep hiding my feelings for him in secret. Truth be told, I also want to rub it in the faces of people like Angela- me, taming the untameable Damien Ramsey! Also, with the whole school knowing, there's no way that Damien would be able to pull a stunt like he did in the gym again- not with Professors Potsdam and Grabiner among others watching him.
And that is where I start getting suspicious.
Damien said it himself- 'every good lie has a grain of truth', and the truth here is that Damien's had a lot of time being magical than I have. I also don't think he's bluffing when he mentioned his resources- they may be piddling compared to other demons, but I've never known Potsdam to have her own alliances. Or being able to summon a dragon. There's also the fact that Damien's actively requesting to be let back in- if he's got something planned, then lifting the wards would definitely be Part One of whatever he's got planned. Besides, if Damien's sincere, the last thing I want to do is let everyone know about my ace in the hole.
I look back at the letter in my hand. Who are you, Damien? A prince of demons, a master of dark powers- and of all the people in the world, all the people you've been with, and you want to be mine? Even assuming that's true? And if it is... what will I do with all that power? Would I wield you like a weapon, or mold you into someone better?
I shake my head. All that can come later. Right now, I have a decision to make.
And there you have it, sports fans! Seems like someone here's crazy- either Damien's crazy over Mary, or Mary's crazy for actually considering some of Damien's offers! Maybe both! But more intriguing is Damien's request to be allowed back in- do we have ourselves a bird in the hand, or is there a snake in our boot? What do we do, goons?
-Professor Potsdam, tear down those wards!
-Play it safe- besides, isn't Mary supposed to be in charge here?
Voting ends at 2200 GMT, November 4th!