Lloyd blinked for what
felt like the first time in an hour.
While he thanked Aphrodite that Trixie hadn’t tried to attack him, he
still didn’t find any solace in her bleak stare. He wasn’t getting anywhere, just sitting by
the door like a guard dog; he’d have to take a chance. “Are these accommodations enough for you,
Miss Walters?” he asked. He waved a hand
in front of his face. “My apologies if
my room isn’t quite up to your standards of décor; had I known I’d be playing
the host tonight, I would have furnished it far more suitably.”
“Yer room ain’t the
problem, pal,” said Trixie, glaring at Lloyd from the bed with sheets clenched
tight.
“Oh? Then what is?”
“Ya been starin’ at me
for the past hour. How am I supposed to
get to sleep if I gotta keep an eye on you all night long?”
“You could sleep with
your eyes open.”
Her eyes slid
momentarily to a door on the left -- a plum-hued door, just barely a shade
above black thanks to the street lamps’ light slipping through the blinds. “Ya got a nice room,” she muttered.
“No, no, this is
nothing too spectacular.” Lloyd followed
her gaze to the purple door. “My
closet. I wouldn’t recommend opening it,
my dear. It can get rather…er…unsavory in there.”
Trixie nodded. “So…listen…mind if I ask ya somethin’?”
“What?”
“Why do ya keep starin’
at me?”
Lloyd smiled cheerily. “Establishing eye contact is the first step
in forming a satisfying, long-lasting relationship! If I’m to make my ambitions more than just a
flighty dream, then I’ve no choice but to appeal to the daughters of Eve in
whatever manner I can.” He held out a
hand. “Are you in the mood for a bit of
late-night socializing? I assure you,
that is my only aim for now.”
“Like that’s supposed
to make me feel better, pal.” She shook
her head. “Fine. Whaddya wanna talk about?”
“Well, how
about…ummm…hmmm…you know, I so rarely get this far when it comes to women that
I’m a bit at odds. What do women usually
talk about in situations like these?”
“Ah, ya know -- just
whatever comes to mind. Stuff that’s
been buggin’ us, or --”
“An incendiary
statement provoking a pillow fight?”
Lloyd stroked his chin. “At
least, that’s how common media outlets paint the picture. Who’s to say how truthful the occurrence
actually is?”
“What’s yer problem?”
“Huh?”
Trixie stared at Lloyd
with a heated gaze, leaning forward and twisting the sheets about. “Takin’ me into yer home…actin’ all
buddy-buddy with me…goin’ around and talkin’ like a damn lunatic…” She glanced at her hand for a moment. “And I still don’t know what ya did to
me. Ya tryin’ to make me yer slave or
somethin’? Ya wanna make every girl in
town a part o’ yer little harem thing?”
Lloyd stared at her
with widened eyes -- and then, offered a slight smile. “Yes.
I DO want to make you a part of my harem.”
“So yer some kinda
perve-”
But before she could
finish, Lloyd held up a finger. “BUT I
have no intention of making a slave out of you or anyone else, Miss
Walters. As disgraceful as it may sound
on the surface, I can assure you my intentions are far nobler than they
appear.”
“What’s that mean?”
The price turned aside
for a moment, taking in a few deep breaths.
“How to explain this…?” he asked himself. He sighed quickly. “You assume that what I’m after is the
pleasure associated with a harem -- that is, the carnal relations you’d expect
from such an organization.”
“W-well, yeah. Just not in so many words.”
“Then as you or any
normal person would put it, you think that all I want is to make love to as
many women as I can.”
Trixie could only nod.
“You wouldn’t be the
first to assume such -- and you won’t be the last.” Lloyd lowered his head, with just a slight
smirk visible in the night. “I want to
gather as many people as I can together, under one world-renowned
umbrella. And when I do, I’ll begin
moving towards my goal in earnest.”
“What’s that?”
Lloyd looked back up at
her, grinning like a child with a lollipop.
“To spread love.”
“Yer serious?”
“Why wouldn’t I
be? Love is the force that permeates our
world, transforming us, enlightening us…and in more than a few stories,
entertaining us. It’s a power that I aim
to make more known, more respected throughout the land -- a counterbalance to
the cynical times that grip us, as well as the loss of faith in humanity. We need love now more than any generation
before us; therefore, as its self-dedicated agent, I intend to spread it as far
as my mortal body will allow.” He shook
his head and laughed. “Silly me. Though my body may be flesh and bone, my
spirit will endure for generations to come -- and so long as it does, so too
shall my dream.”
Trixie’s mouth moved,
but not a single sound came out of it.
“Oh. There is one minor caveat to my harem,” said
Lloyd, rubbing his cheek with one finger.
“As per my specifications, ideally those with specific body types are to
be the first official members.”
“Specific body ty-”
“Buxom women. They’re the ones I want to show my love to
first.”
“…Yer sure yer not a
pervert?” Trixie asked, her brow tightening.
“Last I checked I
wasn’t.” He shrugged. “What I do, I do for a reason. I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a
bit haphazard at times, but there is indeed a line of reasoning that I adhere
to.” He waved a hand through the
air. “It’s all squiggly, like this. See?”
Trixie stared blankly
at Lloyd as he drew a garbled mess -- all with the same lighthearted grin. Before he could say anything more, she held
up a hand. “Hate to cut ya off, pal,”
she said, patting her crown, “but I’m beat.
Mind if we call it a night? We
can talk tomorrow.”
“O-oh, yes, of course! You women should get as much rest as
possible, so you can retain your supple charms!”
Trixie flung herself
down onto the mattress, and threw the sheets over her face. “Yeah, yeah.
Whatever you say, Romeo.”
“Romeo…that’s the
second time you’ve called me that today.”
“Yeah.”
Lloyd turned aside, his
eyes narrowing and his lips tightening to maintain that smile. “Heh heh…Romeo. Ha.
Yes...that name doesn’t suit me at all…”
He glanced upward at Trixie.
Still hidden by the sheets.
Perfect. As an actor, he couldn’t afford to slip up in
a performance.
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