Welcome to Gaia! ::

Teaser:
(from ch. 6)


"Take my voice. I don't really need it anyway, right?"

"Right." Her anger dissolved. "Now, if you'll just sign here." She produced a contract from thin air and handed him a fluffy pink quill.

"You don't mind if I just peruse that before giving it the ol' John Hancock, do you?"

The girl swallowed hard, licked her lips and gave a strained smile before handing over the document. "Of course not. Be my guest."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda of the aforementioned... Uh huh. ...undersigned is responsible for... Okay. The contractor must... Yup. ...for the payment of one (1) voice." The merman caught the octopus' eye. "This seems all in order, Miss Peacecraft."

"Of course," she agreed shoving the quill at him.

"Of course," he repeated. "Well then, nothing left to do, but sign the thing, right? Right. Okay..." He took the pen. "Well, voice, it's been a ride, a long road of trials and difficulties, training and building, and endless sessions with the Music Man and-"

Relena snapped. "Just sign it already!"

Duo winked at her. "Right. Here goes nothing." The tip of the pen touched the paper. "This isn't pink ink is it? 'Cause I'm gonna have to insist on black."

"Oh, for Neptune's sake! Just sign the bloody document!"

"Woah, calm down, princess. I'm on it." He scribbled. "Duo 'Maxwell' Triton." He stared at his signature for a second. "I just knew it was gonna be pink. Gag me!"

"With pleasure," said the Sea Hag, wrapping both hands around his throat. "Now, sing!"

"Ow. That's delicate flesh you're abusing there."

"Sing," she repeated, relieving some of the pressure, "Please?"

"Um..."

"What now?"

"I'm thinking. My mind's gone blank. Not one song."

Her grip faltered. "You're really ruining my moment, you know that, don't you?"

"Sorry. Um... Okay, I've got one. Go for it."

The hands closed around the soft neck again. "Now, sing!"

"Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener. That is what I truly want to be-e-e. 'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me!" He held the last note until his face turned blue.

"I hate you so much," the Sea Hag muttered as her fingers slid through the flesh and pulled out the glowing ball of Duo's voice, quickly stuffing it in a seashell.

Duo stared in rapt fascination as Relena flew about the room, snatching up bottles of liquids and vials of solids and then mixed them all together in an actual caldron. She uttered not a word, but at one point the bubbling concoction exploded into a green and yellow vapor. She dipped a ladle into what remained of the mixture and then curled a finger at him.

He approached and downed the entire ladleful of the vile fluid. It tasted like cotton candy...

For all of a half a second. After that it was more like molten lava, straight from the Earth's Core, oozing its way through Duo veins. Something was shoved down his throat, cutting off his breathing and just before he passed out, he felt something latch on to his arms.