3.13 Rumours

Atalon almost choked as the ebony and platinum tresses swirled across the lens of his telescope. He whipped the instrument away from his eye and pointed to the couple in disgust, just as Medena and Hedena returned to view the action.

         "MIGHTY MEDEL!"

         The sisters hurried to the railing, it wasn't difficult to spot the nucleus of evil on the dance floor, just in time to take the heat.

         "I TOLD YOU TO BRING THAT HIDEOUS PARASITE UP HERE!"

         "Give Eden time to do her job" Medena scolded, defending her plan. "She's playing him like the fool he is, don't you worry!" She calmed, knowing. "You're just not used to having a birds eye view of her at work, is all. That bitch is making him think he's in control, that she fooled you shows just how good she is!"

         Atalon lifted the telescope back up to his eye and studied the couple more closely, still unconvinced, just as the crowds erupted in cheers and applause as Firelight finished their song.

         The seeds had been sown, the music was a hit with the aribu of Atlan, they loved it, Neter could feel the phoenix rising inside their hearts. He took the moment to befriend Eden as the cheers filled the courtyard around them. She was very beautiful, judging by her fine clothes she was a Vine Goddess, one of Atlan's finest, to be sure.

         As if reading the same music, the band broke out into a ballad, kindling the flame of the romantic mood. He took her hand and invited her into another dance, bringing her closer.

         Passionate thoughts stole her mind as he held her close in his sandalwood embrace. Warnings that crept in to warn her weren't strong enough to keep these feelings at bay, she didn't want to lose this moment, this moment was the sexiest encounter she had ever had… Was she under his spell?

         Eden hadn't forgotten her gig, or forgotten all about Medena, she fell captive to naughty fantasies as the magic of lust took hold of every nerve in her body. She liked his sorcery… Rebellious ideas of running away with the god of Death stole her mind. She knew she was malfunctioning badly but the moment was so sensual she felt helpless, like melting butter in his hands, she couldn't resist falling victim to his spell. She knew the truth. The moment she brought him up to the Villa, they would take him away, maybe even kill him. She knew how much they despised him, they despised him over all the Lemurians, there's no way they would just let him go... Worry gave way to feelings of lust once again as he kissed her head, so tenderly...

         "FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Atalon slammed the telescope on the rail, exploding. "I WANT THAT PIGMENT-DEFICIENT TERRORIST UP HERE RIGHT NOW! GET YOUR FAT ASSES DOWN THERE AND SORT IT OUT!"

         Josh couldn't believe his ill fortune as he reached the salon door. "It's closed?"

         "Hello Josh, is everything all right?" As if gifted from Medel again, Dion suddenly arrived from up the street, keys in hand, just in time.

         "Your Honor!" Josh heaved a sigh of relief as he saluted his hero, once again assured his changing luck was divine. "I'm so glad you're back!"

        

         The Salon had never been so quiet. It was a rare moment for Josh; time alone with a god, time that couldn’t be wasted. He pondered his pitch as Dion toweled him off, studying himself in the reflection of the mirror, rehashing his incredibly bad but good luck today. It was all one big sign, he was meant to do this, this entire moment had been engineered by the great Medel, there was no other explanation.

         "Thank you so much…" He wondered how to best word his pitch. "It was the worst luck, but my enemy would have timed it better."

         "How's that?"

         Josh knew how the salon worked. "This is just between you and I, okay?"

         Dion sensed yet another Tabloid story breaking. "Okay…"

         "Five minutes before that bird shat all over me, I was talking to the love of my life" he bravely confessed. "Legitimate love this time" he clarified. "DNA love. Dion, she's perfect for breeding innovation, you should see her hair! I'm using her for my thesis! I know it's illegal, so I need help. This could be the research project that will launch my career in the New Empire! This is my big break! The timing is incredible, don't you think?"

         Dion couldn't believe what he was hearing, for a moment he was stunned in shock... The balls! "Really?" He tried to sound calm. This was Josh repeating old programming glitches, they were like an infection that wouldn't be cured, glitches that just got worse, he didn't want to know anymore, dreading to learn he had fallen for a Lunie. "And who is the lucky lab rat?"

         "One of the Lunies." At that moment, Dion felt like his best friend. Dion was the only one who knew. Dion had been his strongest support when the Karen scandal had gone down, saving him from an Expiry Assessment. He knew Dion would save him again if his intent was in any way misconstrued. He owed his future success to Dion. Dion was the only one who could help him.

         "Don't tell anyone, please, Dion. I need her, this is my chance. Oh my god, Dion you'll absolutely adore her, she has the most beautiful chocolate brown curls, real chocolate brown, flaxen too, like you've never even seen before!"

         "You have no idea what I've seen before" Dion reminded, interested, nonetheless. "Chocolate brown flaxen curls?" He was growing a new impression of Josh, perhaps his skills had been overlooked, he listened to his plan with an open mind.

         "Yeah…" Josh smiled, recalling the beautiful bouncy locks with vivid imagination.

         "Speaking of your worst enemies…" the god of Beauty interjected.

         Josh held his breath, surprised by his change in subject matter and tone.

         "You better be careful down there."

         Josh was lost. "Excuse me?"

         Dion looked him in the eye through the reflection of the mirrored wall. "I'm telling you as a friend. You need to watch your back."

         "Watch my back?" Josh echoed, now white as the slime that had crowned him that day. "Are you serious?"

         Dion was serious. He didn't have to say any more. The Soloha gig had felt too good to be true, he knew what this was about, someone narked. "Why, what are you suggesting?"

         Dion chose his words carefully. "There are a few individuals in Atlan who have identified you as a thief."

         "WHAT?" Josh gasped. "A THIEF?" It made no sense, he hadn't even heard a rumor. "Who said THAT?"

         "There's a rumor going around that you're dealing some kind of drugs down in the courtyard. Drugs you stole from the lab."

         "DEALING DRUGS? ME????" Josh echoed, heart pounding, he wasn't sure who knew and who didn't, he certainly didn't want Dion to know. "That's BULLSHIT! Who said I was dealing DRUGS? I never stole any drugs from the lab!"