ellarose
babe with the power
“Heeeey, gramps.” Lettie sang with a lazy drawl, gliding into the laboratory like she owned the place. Her wings fluttered with a flourish before she folded them neatly behind her and planted her elbows down on her boss’s desk. It rattled, disturbing his quaint little cup of tea. Crane lowered his paperwork, revealing the frown she often earned with her audacity. It wasn't even remotely threatening. If audacity alone could get her fired, they'd have gotten rid of her a long time ago. She dropped her chin in the palms of her hands and grinned. “You called?”
“Olette. You’re late. And I see you’ve already squandered your last payment on… shoes.” Xanthe hassled her from behind and judgement pronounced itself in the deepening wrinkles on Crane’s decrepit old face. Lettie resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, instead daintily lifting her leg to show them off in all their glory. Her grin bordered on impish as her coworker scoffed. Oh, poor Xanthe. Deriving her daily dose of joy in her attempts to siphon Lettie’s. As per usual. Too bad that never worked out for her. “Real practical.”
Real practical. Lettie mocked Xanthe’s voice in her head, perhaps a few tones snobbier than it had actually been. Her colleagues here at the creation corp were real brainiacs— but they wouldn’t know style if they found it under their fancy microscopes. And it wasn't her fault that she stood out like a star among rocks in this place. Graced with avian-sharp features, iridescent wings that rivaled a butterfly's in complexity and a constellation of freckles that glittered like diamonds in the right lighting? It was truly perplexing that she never took an interest in modeling. But beside her looks, she also possessed a brain... and, um, a criminal record. When this high-tech organization practically begged on their hands and knees for her expertise, she knew immediately that her first order of business was to find herself a killer work wardrobe. Because if it was mandatory to wear dweebish safety goggles in the lab, stars knew they needed to be decked out with the most elegant carvings. Sure enough the ones she wore on her head now were a beautiful work of art, engraved with delicate clouds, wings and flowers. And if everyone in the building wanted to stare because she was too gorgeous for their so-called superior minds to comprehend... then let them stare. She thrived on the attention, thank you very much.
And truthfully? Lettie stole the shoes. When the heist was as simple as a few clicks, how could she resist? All she had to do was hack the necessary glyphs, which she then magicked into the soles of an old pair of boots and shazam! Sparkling new kicks. She adored these platforms specifically for the fact that they lent her an extra inch of height, bringing her intimidation factor up to a whole new level. Yeah, yeah. The lab had taken her under their wing to… how did they phrase it again? Put her ‘deviant talents’ to good use? The geezers at the top nodded sagely and they insisted she would live a happier life if she sank her efforts into a productive cause or something like that. Don’t get her wrong, the opportunity was great. The pay was great. She needed the pay. But it was nobody’s damn business where her cash went. Especially not Xanthe.
Lettie never lost her smile. She was content to let them go on believing she was an airhead. Mostly because she was self-aware enough to know how annoying it was-- and their annoyance? It fed the mischievous faerie in her like a full-course meal, baby.
“Well, I’m about to earn it all back. Rumor has it my next gig is huge. Mind-blowing. Life changing.” Lettie shot finger-guns at Xanthe and winked, daring her to be as jealous as she ought to be. “Hear that, Xanthe? I’m about to settle all of my debts.”
Xanthe sniffed and ducked behind her clipboard. Coward.
“…At least you’re eager.” Crane sighed. Lettie beamed. It was kind of a wonder that he hadn’t fired her yet. Maybe they hadn’t found anyone nearly as brave as her to indulge in their tests yet. Or, you know, stupid. “Xanthe, see to it that Olette makes it to the examination chamber.”
And off to the examination chamber they went. Lettie got the usual spiel, which she mostly tuned out because she'd already heard it a thousand times before. The doors hissed open and anticipation bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she stepped inside... and the mind-blowing relic she was meant to hack into with her oh-so special magic? A cube. An uninteresting, measly little cube on a pedestal! And this was supposed to be life changing... how? She pursed her lips, the anticipation bubbles popping one by one. Ugh, Ravan! That skeevy vampire wannabe totally lied to her.
Pffft. Lettie would've invested a little more energy in her anger if it wasn't also sorta funny. Like for all the corp's big talk about being so grand and beneficial, their passion projects were really underwhelming. Welp. At least she was getting paid. Time to get this over with.
“Hey there. You gonna tell me why a cute little thing like you is worth all the fuss?” Lettie poked it out of mild curiosity. All it did was turn over. Boring! But just as she began to consider which spell to try first, the sides clicked outward. Okay? Then a humming sound emitted and each face lit up one by one with odd glyphs she had never seen before. It glowed brighter and brighter yet until the chamber itself warped in a kaleidoscope of color. Oops. Did they tell her she wasn't supposed to touch it? She forgot, you know, because she wasn't listening. “Wasn't me." A bold statement, considering she was the only one present. But who knows? No one could prove it if she insisted the ghost who broke her sink every three months or so came to work with her! The light became so bright that her eyes burned behind her goggles and she had to squeeze them shut. Blindly, she closed her hands around the cube in attempt to stifle the light."Wait, I didn’t do anything, I—“
Except there was no point in wasting her breath anymore, seeing as no one was around to hear her excuses but the cube she still clutched in her hand. Lettie felt strangely weightless and a fierce wind roared in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she realized she was free falling through the clouds of a stormy, dismal sky. What. What!? What was this, some... some kind of practical joke!? No. It couldn't be. She had a feeling she'd have gotten along with those old stiffs at work a lot better if they actually possessed a sense of humor. The strands of hair blowing around her face were bluer than this sky, so much that she got the distinct feeling that she didn't belong here. Well, of course not? That went without saying. Well, awesome. If she died she could fancy herself going out like brilliant falling star. But truth be told, this falling star didn't want to crash and burn so soon if she could help it! With a cry of desperation, she pumped her wings against the wind to no avail, unable to fight whatever gravitational force was dragging her down, down, down...
She crushed the stupid cube in her fist. "This is all your fault!" Did she expect an inanimate object to feel guilty? ...No, not really. But it was worth a try, you know? The occasional stroke of dumb luck could be unexpectedly reliable in her experience and--
Smack! Lettie collided with something and heard the chilling crack of bone. A violent pain blazed through her, burning her up into nothingness as her world fizzled into absolute darkness. And she died. She totally died.
No, she didn't. But she did pass the fuck out.
“Olette. You’re late. And I see you’ve already squandered your last payment on… shoes.” Xanthe hassled her from behind and judgement pronounced itself in the deepening wrinkles on Crane’s decrepit old face. Lettie resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, instead daintily lifting her leg to show them off in all their glory. Her grin bordered on impish as her coworker scoffed. Oh, poor Xanthe. Deriving her daily dose of joy in her attempts to siphon Lettie’s. As per usual. Too bad that never worked out for her. “Real practical.”
Real practical. Lettie mocked Xanthe’s voice in her head, perhaps a few tones snobbier than it had actually been. Her colleagues here at the creation corp were real brainiacs— but they wouldn’t know style if they found it under their fancy microscopes. And it wasn't her fault that she stood out like a star among rocks in this place. Graced with avian-sharp features, iridescent wings that rivaled a butterfly's in complexity and a constellation of freckles that glittered like diamonds in the right lighting? It was truly perplexing that she never took an interest in modeling. But beside her looks, she also possessed a brain... and, um, a criminal record. When this high-tech organization practically begged on their hands and knees for her expertise, she knew immediately that her first order of business was to find herself a killer work wardrobe. Because if it was mandatory to wear dweebish safety goggles in the lab, stars knew they needed to be decked out with the most elegant carvings. Sure enough the ones she wore on her head now were a beautiful work of art, engraved with delicate clouds, wings and flowers. And if everyone in the building wanted to stare because she was too gorgeous for their so-called superior minds to comprehend... then let them stare. She thrived on the attention, thank you very much.
And truthfully? Lettie stole the shoes. When the heist was as simple as a few clicks, how could she resist? All she had to do was hack the necessary glyphs, which she then magicked into the soles of an old pair of boots and shazam! Sparkling new kicks. She adored these platforms specifically for the fact that they lent her an extra inch of height, bringing her intimidation factor up to a whole new level. Yeah, yeah. The lab had taken her under their wing to… how did they phrase it again? Put her ‘deviant talents’ to good use? The geezers at the top nodded sagely and they insisted she would live a happier life if she sank her efforts into a productive cause or something like that. Don’t get her wrong, the opportunity was great. The pay was great. She needed the pay. But it was nobody’s damn business where her cash went. Especially not Xanthe.
Lettie never lost her smile. She was content to let them go on believing she was an airhead. Mostly because she was self-aware enough to know how annoying it was-- and their annoyance? It fed the mischievous faerie in her like a full-course meal, baby.
“Well, I’m about to earn it all back. Rumor has it my next gig is huge. Mind-blowing. Life changing.” Lettie shot finger-guns at Xanthe and winked, daring her to be as jealous as she ought to be. “Hear that, Xanthe? I’m about to settle all of my debts.”
Xanthe sniffed and ducked behind her clipboard. Coward.
“…At least you’re eager.” Crane sighed. Lettie beamed. It was kind of a wonder that he hadn’t fired her yet. Maybe they hadn’t found anyone nearly as brave as her to indulge in their tests yet. Or, you know, stupid. “Xanthe, see to it that Olette makes it to the examination chamber.”
And off to the examination chamber they went. Lettie got the usual spiel, which she mostly tuned out because she'd already heard it a thousand times before. The doors hissed open and anticipation bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she stepped inside... and the mind-blowing relic she was meant to hack into with her oh-so special magic? A cube. An uninteresting, measly little cube on a pedestal! And this was supposed to be life changing... how? She pursed her lips, the anticipation bubbles popping one by one. Ugh, Ravan! That skeevy vampire wannabe totally lied to her.
Pffft. Lettie would've invested a little more energy in her anger if it wasn't also sorta funny. Like for all the corp's big talk about being so grand and beneficial, their passion projects were really underwhelming. Welp. At least she was getting paid. Time to get this over with.
“Hey there. You gonna tell me why a cute little thing like you is worth all the fuss?” Lettie poked it out of mild curiosity. All it did was turn over. Boring! But just as she began to consider which spell to try first, the sides clicked outward. Okay? Then a humming sound emitted and each face lit up one by one with odd glyphs she had never seen before. It glowed brighter and brighter yet until the chamber itself warped in a kaleidoscope of color. Oops. Did they tell her she wasn't supposed to touch it? She forgot, you know, because she wasn't listening. “Wasn't me." A bold statement, considering she was the only one present. But who knows? No one could prove it if she insisted the ghost who broke her sink every three months or so came to work with her! The light became so bright that her eyes burned behind her goggles and she had to squeeze them shut. Blindly, she closed her hands around the cube in attempt to stifle the light."Wait, I didn’t do anything, I—“
Except there was no point in wasting her breath anymore, seeing as no one was around to hear her excuses but the cube she still clutched in her hand. Lettie felt strangely weightless and a fierce wind roared in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she realized she was free falling through the clouds of a stormy, dismal sky. What. What!? What was this, some... some kind of practical joke!? No. It couldn't be. She had a feeling she'd have gotten along with those old stiffs at work a lot better if they actually possessed a sense of humor. The strands of hair blowing around her face were bluer than this sky, so much that she got the distinct feeling that she didn't belong here. Well, of course not? That went without saying. Well, awesome. If she died she could fancy herself going out like brilliant falling star. But truth be told, this falling star didn't want to crash and burn so soon if she could help it! With a cry of desperation, she pumped her wings against the wind to no avail, unable to fight whatever gravitational force was dragging her down, down, down...
She crushed the stupid cube in her fist. "This is all your fault!" Did she expect an inanimate object to feel guilty? ...No, not really. But it was worth a try, you know? The occasional stroke of dumb luck could be unexpectedly reliable in her experience and--
Smack! Lettie collided with something and heard the chilling crack of bone. A violent pain blazed through her, burning her up into nothingness as her world fizzled into absolute darkness. And she died. She totally died.
No, she didn't. But she did pass the fuck out.