Chapter 15: Marionette
Chapter 15: Marionette
"Why did the old man fall down the well? He couldn't see that well."
"I tried to make up a joke about a ghost, but I couldn't. It had plenty of spirit but no body."
"What is the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?"
"I don't know."
"You can tuna piano, but you can't piano a tuna."
"What about the pot of glue?"
"I knew you'd get stuck on that."
"..."
So when are we gonna get to the music part?
Eden wondered as he cut a small part of his pastry, putting it into his mouth while simultaneously nodding externally.
"Millions of people are doing the exact same thing as you are right now."
"At one point in your life, you were exactly pi years old. Nothing is on fire. Fire is on things."
"Why was the mushroom invited to the party?"
"Why?" Eden asked sheepishly.
"Because it's a Fun-Gi."
"Why do skeletons never fight each other?"
"Why?"
"They lack the guts."
"..."
"Let me entertain you both with—"
"Sis!" Theo finally managed to exclaim, interrupting her in the middle.
He instantly leaned over towards her and tried to whisper something in her ear. However, it was of no use as he seemed somewhat agitated, exclaiming in her ear. Well, that wasn't the problem...
The problem was that...
Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah!
People around the area glanced at their table with weird looks on their faces, clearly weirded out. First of all, this fool was exclaiming loudly, and second of all, he was literally saying "Blah! Blah! Blah!"
What kind of nonsense was this...?
"Mmm, I understand."
She nodded her head before exclaiming, "Ah, my apologies, I almost forgot the purpose of our meeting. Let's catch up on the discussion." Saying this, she lightly tapped her head as though repenting for her mistake.
"SIS..." Theo once again exclaimed, his face completely red as he wondered how such a woman came from the same womb as him. And soon quickly those two started bickering once again.
Eden: "..."
What the f*ck? What did you understand? Blah? Blah? Blah?
No, like... What in the actual f*ck?!
What exact kind of creatures are these two siblings?! How come they have yet to enter the radar of the Avengers?!
Shouldn't those people in black suits with a memory-erasing flashlight be informed about the existence of these two aliens?
Where on earth is the SCP Foundation?
Eden felt like he had come out with two kids. A shy kid and an extremely extroverted kid. One was socially awkward, the other was awkwardly social.
The shy kid would kill him by staying quiet, while the awkwardly social kid would kill you with bad jokes and giving random existential crises.
These both were one heck of a dangerous pair.
Haa... These kids... Hugie would be able to manage them both perfectly...
Haa... Eden once again sighed. Nowadays he was sighing a bit too much, wasn't he? It definitely wasn't a good sign.
With one final sigh, Eden whipped out his phone and clicked on the play button, starting the song.
What was life?
What was fate?
What was destiny?
Did a person in this world have free will?
Or were they nothing but a puppet?
Theodore and Lena, at this moment, instantly shut their mouths as they heard the dim song.
When the two-minute-long song finally ended, Lena smiled. "Good, pretty good."
"Indeed." Eden agreed. Other than the system, everyone else had said that this song of his was pretty good. Unfortunately, in the battlefield known as
Thinking of them filled Eden with excitement. If he won, not only would he receive the prize money and other rewards, but also the rewards from the system that'd make him a better artist.
Shaking his head and getting rid of such thoughts, he looked at Lena who gave off a faint smile. "Looks like you're aware of the fact that pretty good won't survive for long."
"Yes, ma'am." Eden smiled.
"I see, and well, I actually do have some suggestions. Not only as a sound engineer but also as an enthusiastic literary person and listener to songs."
"You should change the foundation, aka the base emotion of this song."
"What?"
"Well, let me rephrase it for ya. The potential of the song is hidden... Probably will be erased if this is the direction you go on. It will remain nothing but just pretty good." She slowly played with her hair.
"Don't you think that the song is a bit too inspired?"
***
"Hey sis... Long time no see..." It was already past ten. The pair of siblings walked on the street, enjoying the scenery.
"Indeed." Lena smiled.
"Indeed? That's all you have to say?"
Both of them stopped in their tracks as Theodore looked at Lena with a serious face.
"..."
"You know right? No one can take that chibi face seriously."
"Don't drift away from the topic. I know that father might've been a little bit hard on you... And after 'that' happened, you won't forgive them, but please... Give them a second chance. They don't deserve it... But you do..."
Lena looked at the dead serious Theodore. A second later, her lips parted.
"Womp Womp."
"Womp womp?"
'Did she seriously say Womp Womp? What is this, brain rot?'
"Ah, I see. Of course, as usual, you're still living under a rock, aren't you?"
"Don't drift away from the discussion—"
"Discussion? It was never a discussion, to begin with. Go live under their wings for your entire life, but I won't be able to do so." She said as she walked away.
"Just remember, take no BS from them. Tell me if they try to do something."
"..."
"You'll still see me, right?"
"Yeah, after all, I'm a sound engineer."
Theodore felt like a lump of something was stuck in his throat. He wished to speak, but no words came out. This was the most talking he had done, but he had to do it. After all, he was seeing her after a whole two years.
It was because of her that he had come to this foreign land...
Haa... I just hope you live peacefully...
***
Lena quickly reached her apartment. Hiding from the landlord, she entered her room, locking herself in. The darkness was almost terror-inducing.
Lying on the bed for a few seconds, she whipped out her phone which was in silent mode all this time.
=Zhan: B*tch, how dare you leave early today?=
This was Zhan, an important director of the Storm Company, one of the famous companies in the top 10 related to the music industry. He was also the man who helped her get in the company. He was a bastard.
=You: I asked the senior executive of my department for permission.=
=Zhan: Did you ask me? No right, b*tch? Be sure to do whatever I ask tomorrow, or else I'll file a complaint and immediately terminate the contract.=
Her fingers faltered for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. A smile appeared on her face after she took a little breath.
Looks like I was being a hypocrite. What's the use of lecturing Theo, eh? People like this are everywhere...
=You: F*ck off. Do whatever you wish. I could care F*cking less.=
It was only after meeting her little brother today, that she realized she was repeating history. Not caring about the reply of the f*cker, she switched her phone off and then stood up, walking in front of the mirror.
Intently removing her hoodie, her eyes fell on the reflection. The moonlight, which usually made things more beautiful, added to her beauty. Beneath the hoodie, her skinny arms riddled with scars and all kinds of horrendous nightmarish wounds appeared.
Amidst the night, she made a vow.
"Never again..."