9. Chapter 9

AN: Nothing fancy here. This is the chapter that comes after the previous chapter, but BEFORE the next chapter. It's a cool new thing I'm trying out.

Wolvenstrom: I can answer "yes" to at least one of those questions. But I can't tell you which one(s) it applies to. I hope that was informative.

In a city that was so frequently terrorized by the nefarious and monstrous alike the Royal Woods Mall stood as a bastion of relative peace and tranquility. Amid the sights and sounds of the mall, bystanders would often find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Archetypes of all walks of like. Heroic, villainous, and even those who found themselves walking a path that lay somewhere in between, all were free to go about their business, confident in the peace that was secured by one simple, unspoken, iron-clad rule. "Don't fight at the mall. That's where I buy stuff." Violators were typically dealt with swiftly and unmercifully, and one reason that a certain irate, blonde villainess, hospital bound and barely conscious as she was, would still find herself jumping at shadows for the foreseeable future.

However, this was only a surface level peace, in a sense that would prove to be very literal. Deep beneath the levels of active commerce, past the point where basements became sub levels, two individuals went about their business.

"Are you done yet?" Hissed the taller of the pair. A girl, older than her companion by several years. Long brunette hair tied in ponytail draped down her back and over the form fitting, frilly black dress she wore. In spite of the elegance of its design, it clung to a girl with a ferocity that was anything but, playing particular emphasis on her shapely hips, which swayed side to side in a most lascivious manner as she paced the perimeter of the room. "We need that door sealed nice and tight."

"But not too tight." She corrected herself a moment later.

"I'm working as fast as I can." Muttered a younger boy, nervously brushing a few locks of his messy red hair out of his face before he returned to his work. Unlike the girl he was dressed considerably more plainly; a long sleeved green shirt accompanied by simply black pants, the only adornments of note being a the string of thick, bulging pouches that wrapped around his midsection. "Most people would get a specialist for a job like this."

"Most people have resources." The girl retorted as she completed her circuit, coming to a stop behind the boy. "You're the best I could get. And frankly, that isn't saying much." The boy winced, mostly out of reflex. This was a sentiment shared so frequently that it had long lost his sting. And while he'd love nothing more than to pay the girl back in a very physical manner, that was a fight he just couldn't win. Not as he was. Not at this time, at least.

"Can you at least keep it down?" He glanced around nervously. "I think they can hear us."

"Don't be—" Her reply was cut short as a chorus of moans resounded in a manner most unsettling. Moments later, the door began to creak, the sound slowly ramping in volume as an increasing amount began to press against it from the opposing side.

"...Ridiculous." She finished, surreptitiously taking a big step backwards. Then several more. "Hurry!" She implored, her tone having lost a considerable amount of its edge.

"Just need to finish setting the charges." Sweat soaked fingers working frantically as the moans increased in intensity, the room's dim lighting beginning to flicker erratically.

"Finished!" He said at last, relief evident by loudness of the exclamation.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

The boy squeaked in surprise, scrambling backwards as the door began to strain against its hinges, the hasty reinforcements he'd added being the only things that held the large slab of metal in place. He winced in pain as he slammed into a pair of shapely, yet rigid legs, abruptly halting his momentum. A quick glance upward revealed that they belonged to his companion. That revelation wasn't necessarily a comforting one.

"Great." She reached down, grabbed the boy by his shirt collar, and yanked him to his feet. "Now we're leaving."

THUMP THUMP THUMP

What little professional pride that dwelled within the boy compelled him to quickly take stock of himself. He had his tools, he had his supplies, and most importantly, he had the detonator. Now they could leave. He turned to relay this fact, but found himself addressing...nobody. The room was empty, save for himself and the increasingly oppressive presence on the other side of that door.

"Every time." He grumbled. "Every, single, time." His frustration did nothing to slow his own egress as he quickly fled the scene.

"Screw you!"

"Piss off!"

"Stop trying to police my feelings!"

SLAP!

Lincoln flinched as a painful, stinging sensation blossomed across his cheek. He hadn't been certain what to expect from his day out with Leni, but the sheer amount of verbal abuse he'd received was definitely a surprise. Physical abuse, however, was a new and unwelcome turn of events.

"And take your stupid garbage with you!"

Lincoln sighed as a wadded up ball of paper bounced off his face. Insult had now been added to injury. Reluctantly, he knelt down and snatched up the paper ball, unfolding it and trying his best to smooth it back out. A cartoonish representation of Leni's face smiled back at him, set against a background of sparkles, cupcakes, smiling sunflowers, and other such saccharine things. The phrase, "Please Be Happy!" emblazoned at the top seemed to sum up the point of the piece rather succinctly. The job had seemed fairly easy, Leni had given him a stack of the things and had asked him to pass them out to passers by. One would have thought the act of trying to convey such an inoffensive message would have been better received by John Q. Public, but...

Lincoln yelped as a sharp pain ignited in his shin, causing him to topple over and spill his remaining supply of fliers. He winced as he hit the ground shoulder first, a brief sensation of numbness from the impact quickly being replaced by a dull throbbing pain that began to spread throughout his body. Glancing up, he peered through the still slowly cascade of papers that were gently drifting to the ground around him, and was able to make out the frowning face of a girl about half his age. Dark skin, long brunette hair, and a face that gave the impression of someone who was constantly finding things to sneer at. He vaguely recalled that he'd encountered this girl about an hour ago, and things hadn't gone well.

"I thought about that flier again!" She shouted, giving him one more kick in the ribs for good measure. Task having apparently been completed, she flounced off, her step oddly light. As he lay there, wheezing, trying to regain his breath, Lincoln decided to count that one as a victory. Because at this point, he sorely needed one.

Lincoln slowly climbed to his feet, trying to accommodate his aching joints while retrieving as many fliers as he could. He spied a bench not too far away, one which was blissfully devoid of people who might shout things at him, and began to shuffle towards it, deciding it was time for a break. Or three.

Lincoln groaned, a mixture of pain and bliss as he sat his aching body upon the hard plastic seating. It wasn't much, but right now he'd take any relief he could get. Still, he found himself worrying about Leni. After all, if he was having this much trouble spreading such a simple message, surely the blonde much have it much worse.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Lincoln's eyes snapped wide open as a very familiar voice wafted in his direction. He sat up and spun around, trying to find the source. There, as he'd suspected, was Leni, only a short distance away, talking to a guy who seemed to be roughly her own age.

"Pretty please?" She continued, clasping her hands together. Lincoln spied a flier in the guy's hand and groaned to himself, suspecting the worst. He'd better get over there and—

"Y-yeah, okay." The teen replied, nodding emphatically. "Can't argue with that logic. I will be happy."

"Yay!" Leni shouted, throwing up her hands in delight. The motion caused her ample chest to undulate noticeably.

"Yes." Leni's newest convert said in a suddenly monotone voice, eyes locked onto Leni's still bouncing breasts. "I'm suddenly very happy." Lincoln couldn't help but feel a bit miffed. And yet...he couldn't exactly blame him. Leni could be extremely convincing.

"Good." Leni nodded, giving him a friendly pat on the back before turning to leave.

"H-hey, wait a sec!" The guy reached for Leni's arm. "You know, I bet I could get a lot happier if you and I could go grab a—"

"Nope." Leni cut him short, sliding out of reach without even bothering to turn around, continuing on her merry way without missing a step. Lincoln let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then sunk back into his seat. Moments later, Leni daintily sat down beside him.

"You knew I was here?" He asked, looking up at the older girl.

"I always know where my Linky is." She responded, wrapping one arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. Normally Lincoln might have felt embarrassed at such a show of affection in public, but right now he was desperately in need of positive human contact. So he eagerly returned the gesture, wrapping both arms around Leni's midsection and emphatically hugging her back. He felt he might have been a bit too enthusiastic, but Leni didn't seem to mind. Leni never minded one bit.

The pair sat there for a while, enjoying each other's company. Lincoln feared that Leni would say something about the sizeable stack of fliers sitting next to him, or perhaps about the ones he couldn't salvage, those that had been shredded or crumpled beyond saving, many still drifting around in plain sight. However, nothing was forthcoming. He couldn't help but notice that she herself wasn't carrying any, implying that she'd unloaded her last one in that encounter he'd just witnessd. He knew better than to compare himself to his sisters, particularly at something that was their actual job. Leni herself would be the first to tell him that there was nothing wrong with doing as poorly as he had, without a hint of irony or malice in the older girl's voice. And yet, he still felt like he'd failed her somehow.

"Hey, Linky." Leni pulled Lincoln from his thoughts with a gentle nudge to his side, thankfully not the one he'd been kicked in. "Is that one new?" She asked, pointing with her free hand. Lincoln resisted the urge to stop and admire how soft and supple the limb attached to that hand was, instead choosing to follow it to its destination. "Ah." He said aloud as he finally noticed what Leni had been indicating. Just across the way was a music store, and right in front of it was a large, cardboard standee, advertising the work of a very familiar artist.

"Jingle Jams and Sleigh Ride Dreams." Proclaimed the bold lettering on the base. "Be The First Person You Know to Pick Up the Hot New Musical Stylings of The Sirens, Today!" The standee itself depicted life sized images of the titular duo, better known to him and his family as Luna Loud, and her girlfriend/partner/bandmate, Sam Sharp. The pair were clad in matching Santa outfits, cut short to leave their legs bare and fitted to accentuate their feminine curves. Cardboard Luna was beheading what appeared to be a trio of elves with a large, rusty battle axe, a grin of manic glee spread across her face, while Cardboard Sam was trying to catch the now airborne heads in a big, festive looking cloth sack. He had no clue how she managed to get that design through her marketing department, but he couldn't deny that it looked pretty fantastic. Maybe fire the guy who wrote that tagline though, that was awful.

"No." Lincoln replied. "I mean, yeah, the album is new, but the songs are pulled from her old stuff. Luna said her new album is taking longer than expected, so I guess corporate threw this one together to prime the pump a little." He shook his head in disgust. "What are they thinking? It's August!"

"Hmm." Leni hemmed to herself. "Luna told you that?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Couple of days ago."

"But she's still on tour?" Leni pressed.

"Well...yeah." Lincoln nodded again, somewhat slower this time. "But we stay in touch. Calls, texts, Sam gets in on them too, it's fun."

"Hmm." Leni repeated, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

A seldom used light bulb in Lincoln's head began to flicker ever so slightly. Was Leni...bothered by something? "Doesn't she call you guys?"

"Uh uh." Leni shook her head. "I'm pretty sure she only calls you, Linky." Leni's pleasant, bubbly tone never wavered. But there was something about the way she said those words that gave him pause. He was tempted to say there was a certain...archness, to the words. But this was Leni. Surely it had to be in his head.

"Want me to put you on the phone next time she calls?" To his surprise, Leni pushed him to arms length, and simply stared at him, looking him up and down. Finally, she let out a small sigh, and hugged him tightly once more, planting his face firmly between her breasts.

"Never change, Linky." She murmured, planting a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

"Let's change the subject." Leni said abruptly, briefly releasing Lincoln so they could return to their original seating arrangement. Lincoln's lungs were delighted.

"Okay." He gasped, trying to be as discrete as possible about refilling his lungs. "What do you want to talk about?"

"How about the fact that you aren't having fun?" Leni's tone remained pleasant as always, but Lincoln wasn't able to stop himself from stiffening at the veiled accusation.

"I am having fun." He protested, looking up at the older girl.

"Nuh uh." She shook her head. "You're having fun with me." She gave him an extra little squeeze for emphasis. "And I totes love that. But you aren't having fun doing what I do." That...was actually a pretty astute observation, and one he didn't immediately have a response for. Thankfully, Leni didn't push for one, seeming content to let him mull it over.

"I guess..." Lincoln ventured at last. "I'm having trouble understanding why you do this."

"To make people happy, Linky." Came the immediate and expected response.

"Right, and you've already explained why that's important. I get that." He paused, considering his words. "I guess I'm just having trouble understanding why you do this."

Leni leaned over, resting her head atop his own. "And what do you mean by that, Linky?"

"Because you're strong, Leni. I've seen you blow away tons of Soulless all at once with a wave of your wand." Lincoln waved his own arm demonstratively. "You could easily handle the kind of stuff Lori does."

CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP

"Carol." Lori seethed, one eye twitching. "Why is this group wearing clogs!?"

"I've seen you fight alongside the others, and you're always amazing." Lincoln continued, hoping he wasn't sounding like too much of a fanboy. "I guess I'm just not understanding why you choose to do...this—" He picked up a flier. "—kind of stuff instead."

The warmth that Lincoln had grown so accustomed to vanished as Leni withdrew her arm. Lincoln experienced a brief moment of panic, thinking he might have angered the girl, but a quick glance revealed that she merely appeared to be deep in thought.

"I see." She said at last, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "You think I'm strong because I can fight good, right Linky?"

"Well...yeah." Lincoln responded, cautiously. It seemed like the obvious answer. "I watch you on TV all the time. Last week you took a punch from that really big Husk, and it barely slowed you down. You held it off until that bus full of kids managed to get away, and then kaboom!" He clapped his hands together. "You exploded him, and every other Soulless for like, a block. It was awesome!"

"And...you want to be like that?" Leni prompted.

"S-sort of." Lincoln flushed as memories of his flight with Lori resurfaced, entirely unbidden. "Maybe not exactly like that. I don't think I'd look good in frills." He added, forcing a laugh.

"You could totes pull off that look." Leni replied distractedly, still deep in thought. Finally, she folder her hands neatly in her lap, and let out a small sigh.

"I don't want that for you, Linky." She said, softly. The ambient noises of the mall seemed to fade away, Lincolns world suddenly shrinking to include himself, the beautiful, sad looking blonde girl sitting next to him, and nobody else.

"You don't want me to be a hero?" He asked at last, trying not to sound hurt.

"It's not like that, Linky." Leni gave him a pained look and reached out, giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "I don't want you to have to go through stuff like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's scary!" There was an edge to Leni's voice that he'd never heard before. It was...unnerving to hear the bubbly blonde speak like that.

"You think your problem is that you're weak, Linky." Leni continued. "You want to save people, and you think that if you have powers like me, or Lori, then you can do that. You think becoming stronger will solve all your problems, but it won't. It just makes things complicated. It makes things..." Leni shuddered. "It makes things scary."

Lincoln tried to wrap his head around her words. "I don't get it." He admitted. "If I was in danger, you'd save me by blowing whatever was attacking me to kingdom come."

"In a heartbeat." Leni replied, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"But if you were the one in danger, there wouldn't be a thing I could do about it. But if I was like you, or Lynn, or Lori, maybe...maybe I could—" Suddenly Leni grabbed Lincoln by the shoulders and shoved her face directly into his own, so close that they were nearly touching.

"You could run, Linky." She said, softly, tremors wracking her voice. "And whatever happened to me, you'd still be okay." Leni released Lincoln and slumped down in her seat.

"I have to fight because I'm strong, Linky. Not because I want to." She took a deep breath. "I hate fighting. Husks, robots, supervillains, it doesn't matter what. Fighting is scary. But I have to do it, because if I don't fight, people will get hurt. I have responsibilities, and when I mess up, that..." She swallowed loudly. "That sticks with me. But if I don't fight, then people are guaranteed to get hurt. So I do it, I have to, but..."

Leni let out the breath she'd been holding and looked Lincoln sadly. "I don't want you to have to go through that, Linky. I don't want you to be strong I want you to be safe, and happy. And if you were like me then...I don't think you would be."

That was...a lot to digest. Lincoln wasn't entirely certain that he was equipped to properly process this revelation. But what he did know, was that his big sister was looking very distraught, and desperately in need of a hug. And that was definitely something he could do. Lincoln reached out for the older girl, heartened somewhat by the way her eyes lit up when she saw him drawing near, and then—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Lincoln froze, mid-motion as slow, sardonic, clapping rang out. He turned in the direction of the sound and saw a shapely girl in black striding towards them. The girl locked gazes with him, and she smiled. Lincoln gulped nervously in spite of himself. It wasn't a nice smile."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, Lovely Leni." The girl said, coming to a stop several feet away. She planted her hands on her curvaceous hips. "Unfortunately, you and I have a score to settle." Lincoln had been about to protest, Leni clearly wasn't in any shape to deal with...whatever this was. Much to his surprise, however, Leni responded immediately. She leapt to her feet, gesturing with one hand as she did so. There was a brief, brilliant flash of green light, and suddenly her wand was in her hand.

"Get away from here, Linky." Leni said, not taking her eyes off the other girl.

"What's going on, Leni?" He asked, worried. "Who is she?"

"My rival." Leni replied. "Dark Magical Girl, Irritable Fiona."

Lincoln opened his mouth to respond, when a loud CRACKLE resounded, followed by the sharp scent of burning ozone. An instant later, Lincoln watched, wide-eyed as an obsidian blast of something that looked an awful lot like fire rocketed towards the bench he was still sitting on. Thankfully, in the time it took for him to process his impending doom, Leni stepped in front of him and batted the blast away with her wand, sending it rocketing off into the distance. Harmlessly, he hoped.

"I'm not irritable!" Shouted Fiona, stamping one foot on the ground as she readied a second blast.