3.50 A Liar and a Thief

Torus checked the salon door; it was locked, the 'Closed' sign was on the door. He looked in from the window, the light was coming from the backroom... If the salon was closed, what was someone doing there, after-hours and in the dim? Under current conditions, the shadowy activity reeked of a clue, he had an idea who it might be, too. He could see shadows moving, there was definitely someone inside.

         He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the master key, unlocking the door as quietly as possible. But as he pushed it open, the bell clanged loud.

         "Damn!"

         "SShhh!" Mel pulled her finger to her lips when she heard the bell, slipped off the massage table and hurried toward the storage room, closing the door behind her.

         "Hide!"

         "Where shall we hide?" Mika whispered, terrified now, following Bella and Mel to the closet, too small for all three of them.

         Torus could smell bloody vanilla the moment the door opened, confirming his hunch.

         "Hello? Is there anybody in here?"

         Mel recognized his voice.

         "It's Torus! He can't know I'm here!" She slipped inside the closet, closing the door.

         "What are we supposed to say?" Bella hovered at the door, panicking. "He's going to ask why we're here!"

         "I don't know…" Mel snapped. "Make something up…" Then an idea. "Seduce him... See if you can get yourselves into the Villa... Tell Nolan to come down! No one else!"

         Bella and Mika exchanged terrified glances, seducing Torus was basically impossible and going to the Villa wasn't something they had rehearsed for and their position looked really bad right now.

         "He's gonna say we were B&E'ing or something!" Bella began flapping her hands.

         "Here!" Mel pulled her bracelet off and removed the key. "Tell Torus I gave you the salon key, tell him I left you some hair product or something."

         "Hello-o-o-o…" Torus called out again. "It's a Security check…" He could see the shadows darting in the back behind the curtain, there was more than one body inside...

         "Oh, Hello?" Bella suddenly emerged through the beaded doorway with blushing cheeks, Mika gingerly in tow. "Your Honor!" She feigned surprise and curtseyed, making her best effort to seduce him in spite of the odds.

         "And you are?" Torus focused his lenses on Bella first, scanning her body up and down.

         "My name is Bella. Goddess of Finias" she replied with steeled nerves. "Rabbit year.... And this is Mika, Goddess of…."

         "I know who Mika is" he cut her off. "What are you doing in here?" He grilled, scanning her physique. "The Salon is closed, didn't you notice the locked door?"

         Bella felt her cheeks heat up.

         "I'm just picking up some hair products” she stammered at first but the story flowed with surprising ease. "Mel put them aside for my thesis research but... Well…." She shrugged, gesturing to the direction of the Grand Courtyard... "You know what happened to Mel…"

         "No, I don’t, actually" Torus noticed her nervous smile, she was feigning sincerity, her deception was exposed by her pink cheeks, her story had holes.

         "She gave me her key this afternoon when I spoke to her outside the washrooms" she showed him the key, sensing his distrust. "Dion was even there! Honest!"

         "Did you obtain official authorization from Dion before you entered his locked premises?" He held out his hand, requesting documentation.

         "I... Um, not really…" She turned to Mika. "Did you get the tablets signed?"

         Torus noticed her ability to shirk blame was a natural talent, she was classy enough to be a VIP guest, quite fine in fact, definitely a potential replacement meal too.

         "How many lashes are issued for an Unauthorized Entry?"

         "Lashes?" Bella felt her heart pounding, forcing the blood that had rushed to her cheeks down to her feet, she couldn't take a lashing, she was too delicate. Dizzy from the sudden loss of oxygen, her emotions rose like a tidal wave inside her, she was drowning.

         "Please don't tell Dion! I really didn't think I had to get authorization, he offered me a position at the Salon! I'm basically staff already!"

         Torus chuckled, amused by her easy play. Was she a thief? Perhaps.

         "Where's Mel?" He quizzed, walking towards the curtained opening, sniffing the air.

         "I... I don't know" Bella tried to sound sad. "She was wounded really bad, do you think maybe she went to the Moha Lab?"

         "The Moha Lab has been packed up" he reminded, her innocent looking expressions were adorable. "Why would she go to the Moha Lab? Hmmm?"

         Bella felt the blood return to her face, realizing her story was coming apart she decided to shut up.

         Torus noted her silence, was she a liar? Perhaps that too. He looked inside the salon but it was empty, the tell tale shadows darting across the walls had perhaps been Bella and Mika, there were no golden harnesses laying around, no bloody trails... He sniffed the air again. Bloody vanilla. The smell suggested Mel had been here, at the very least.

         "Please" Bella begged, "you know how much my reputation means to me, my back is pristine, just look at it!" She dropped the shoulder of her dress and spun around, seductively gathering her strawberry blonde curls out of the way so that Torus could see her virgin skin.

         It was true, Bella had never been lashed, her back was pristine perhaps but he couldn’t resist looking at her hair, cascading quite nicely down her shoulders, and she had that red thing going on, too. He had never noticed her before, she was quite desirable.

         "Alright" he agreed, "I'll keep this breach between us, however you'll need to prove you're worth excusing. There's no room for thieves and liars in the New Empire."

         Mel trembled in fear as she listened in from the closet, praying…

         "Anything you need me to do"

         Torus glanced at Mika, she was lovely too, another potential meal replacement. "It turns out we need a few extra goddesses at the Villa tonight. I'd like you both to come as my guests, I'm heading there now."

         "Really?” Bella's face lit up at the offer.

         "Right now" Torus assured and headed for the door.

         Bella and Mika followed him to the door, but as he held it open for them he noticed Bella's empty hands.

         "What about the hair products for your thesis?"

         "Oh... Yes!" Bella hurried back into the salon in search of some product, now she was going to be a thief?

         "Here" Mel whispered from the closet, holding out a few bottles. "Don't you dare fuck it up!"

         "There's still no sign of Bakkon or Mel" Torus reported to the king upon arrival at the Villa, goddesses in tow. "But I found some Extras." He could sense Atalon's mood was icy, now there was more bad news to share. "No one has seen either of them. There's a trail at the salon, a trail of blood at the temple, but nothing else." Torus could only come up with one theory. "Do you think perhaps Mel and Bakkon went to Hellias?"

         "Mighty Medel!" Atalon couldn't believe his ears. "You too? What's wrong with you? Have you all been brainwashed? You IDIOT!"

         Torus clenched his fists, it was one thing to be belittled by Atalon, another thing altogether when there were goddesses present, but now wasn't a good time to start a fight. He took a deep breath, reminding himself of the Grand Plan, this outburst only assured everyone they were doing the right thing.
         "It's Bella isn't it?" Dion broke the tension with a bright observation, pleased to see she had made her way into the Villa. He had been right about her, she was smooth, perhaps even smooth enough to be the next Mel.

         Atalon calmed as Torus introduced Bella to the gods, they already knew Mika from the Skin Club.

         "I found her stealing hair products from the Salon" he elaborated. "She begged me not to tell, Ha-haaa!"

         "Ha-Haaa!" The gods laughed out loud bringing the color right back to her cheeks.

         "It's especially lovely how her red hair matches her cheeks!" Medena chimed, unable to resist a cheap shot. 

         The jokes helped to ease the tension, but Atalon wasn't amused, he snapped at Bella angrily.       

         "Where's Mel?"

         Bella felt the blood drain from her cheeks, her hands began to sweat, she had heard all about the king's rages, everyone was terrified of them and now he was directing one at her, personally, inches from her face... Don't you dare fuck it up...

         "I... I don't know…" she stammered, only to realize with a near heart attack, she had just lied to the king!

         "You LIE!" Atalon roared, his fist clenched, poised to strike, veins bulging from his neck.

         Bella went into shock and stumbled backwards.

         Torus caught her fall, set her straight and snapped. With a violent shove he pushed Atalon backwards into the wall, his rage erupting like Mount Ekar itself.

         "Leave her ALONE!" He hissed. "She's MINE!"

         Shocked, winded and completely caught off guard, Atalon had to catch his breath as he regained his footing, Torus had never stepped out of line before, not like this! He eyed the angry juvenile with opened eyes, there was an element of Aquilla in his rage... He had the fire inside. For the first time Atalon felt genuinely threatened by the young god's power. It was good that Malodon was sending him to Fomora, obviously he knew about it. Atalon examined his lying bride, a thief no less. They were a perfect pair. That his primal desires had finally matured was a good sign, too.

         "Well then, if that lying thief is yours, I must congratulate you on your selection" he straightened his lapel. "She's quite lovely, I have a feeling that red hair of hers is going to be a leading trend in the New Empire!"