††† .....All. †††

[The Black Orchid]

††† Parental and NSFW Advisory †††

††† Scenes will contain Violence of a graphic nature, Foul Language and Adult Content. †††

††† You've been warned. †††

†††††††††††††††††††† A Penny for a Tale ††††††††††††††††††††

Once it was over and the throngs of Children all gathered around were chanting and cheering, Maiko stepped forward. Still looking like some kind of dark and twisted Geisha girl.

She watched as Joshua walked from the group in his black and red robe and then turned to the gathered Children.

Maiko: “Listen up, My Children..”

The Children, the Twins and their female companion gathered around and Maiko looked around at them with a twisted little smile on her painted face.

Maiko: “Sunday, there's going to be some....renovations made to the family. We are putting the U.W.A.....out of business.”

The group began to grin and fidget around, happy to finally be able to do what they were destined to do.

Maiko lifted a hand and touched Sariel under the chin with a single fingernail. The woman's face filled with what could only be called pleasure and she purred. Maiko leaned forward and whispered in a excited growl.

Maiko: “....Get ready.....for war.”

Sariel and the Twins, all, nod eagerly as the camera faded on a final shot of the gathered cult as Joshua walked away behind them.

Maiko turned to walk into the darkness...

The scene opened up to a circus ring.. Through the black satin curtains walked the Priestess, Maiko. Still dressed as the dark and twisted Geisha girl.

There were Children sitting in seats that surrounded the circus ring in a half moon shape.

The ring itself was dark, save for the light that came on when the Priestess entered from behind the curtain. She stood there, her hands tucked into the sleeves of the kimono she wore. Her face still painted stark white with blood splashed upon her ivory white face.

“Let me tell you a tell for a penny.
One that you can not hear anywhere else..
Not anywhere else.”

The music started as she began to sing.

“I heard from a birdy, it doesn't end purdy.
It doesn't end well.
No, it never ends well”

She smiled as she gazed over her “audience”.

“Let me spin you a yarn for a cent.
Lord, would it not be a sin to deny yourselves a tale?
A penny, a penny, a penny for an old beggar-woman's story.
A story. A penny for a tale.”

She slipped her right arm out of the sleeve of the kimono to indicate to her right as it illuminated.

In the light was a woman with her back to the “audience”. The woman was blonde. And from the back, she looked only far too much like U.W.A.'s current reigning World Champion, Aerynn Donnelly.

She was strung up and tied to, what appeared to be, an old rack. Standing behind her was one of the Twins.

“There once was a doggy (Arf! Arf! Arf!)
She pranced in the moon with a mouthful of shiny red pennies.
She lept and she wagged, so proud of her shiny red pennies.
Yipping with glee!”

The sound of a whip cracking across the woman's back could be heard punctuating the air every so often.

"She trotted by the river (Trot! Trot! Trot!)
And oh, bless my soul, she saw her reflection in the water.
A pup with a jaw full of shiny red pennies.
In the water.”

Another crack of the whip sounded. A dark and ghostly smile formed upon the Priestess' face.

“She trotted as she plotted.
To pirate those pennies...”

The Priestess brought her right hand up. Placing the back of her hand against her forehead.

“Oh, how they teased.”

She spun around as she came forward. A second light illuminated another rack in front of her. Strung up to this rack was a man. His back was to the “audience”. Though many would believe it to be Broderick Montgomery III, himself. His hanging down. Behind him the figure of Sariel. Whip in hand.

She placed her fingers against his chin and lifted his head.

“Lord, Lord, that greed, it'll kill you.
Lord, Lord, go on, pass the hat, will you?
Your purse strings are tight.”

She grabbed the man by the chin.

“Bleed for a sinner.”

She tossed his head away from her.

She spun away and resumed her position at the back of the circus ring. And once again, the sound of two whips cracked. Seemingly against the flesh of the backs of both “Aerynn” and “Broderick”.

“I just need a few pennies more!
A few pennies more!”

She then lifted her left hand up and indicated to yet another rack to her left.

Upon this rack was a woman whose back was to the “audience”. From the back, this woman appeared to be that of Jeszika Gautier. Standing behind her.. The other Twin.

“But greedy, so greedy (Me! Me! Me!)
She snarled as she swiped.
And struck at the mud.
And the water.
A foolish pooch loots from herself in the water.
Her reflection struck back.”

She brought her hand up to mockingly cover her mouth and widen her eyes.

“Loooord, I want to go on with the song.
But don't make me bring up what she did to that pup.”

She looked back to “Broderick” with a mocking sad pouty face.

“That cute little pup.”

And then she made a face of disgust.

“I just might well up.”

Then she smiled!

“But I'll continue my rhyme for a dime!
Or a penny is fine.”

She gave the “audience” a pseudo sad face as she nodded.

“These are difficult times.
Thank you sir, you're too kind.”

She danced back over to where “Broderick” was strung up. Once again lifting his face up to look at her.

“Lord, Lord, that greed, it'll kill you.
Lord, Lord, go on, pass the hat, will ya?
Your purse strings are tight.
Bleed for a sinner.
I just need a few pennies more!
A few pennies more!
Lord, Lord, that greed, it'll kill you.
Lord, Lord, go on, pass the hat, will ya?”

She sneered at “Broderick”.

“Your purse strings are tight.
Bleed for a sinner.”

She tossed his head away from her again and danced away from him.

Back to the spotlight where she'd been standing.

“I just need a few pennies more!
A few pennies more!
A few pennies more.”

She lifted both hands up to indicate both “Aerynn” and “Jeszika” and smiled darkly. Evilly.

“And so our doggies (Bark! Bark! Bark!)
They'd kill for a bite.
At those shiny red pennies.
They lept and they barked at the dogs in the water.”

She lifted her head up and sang out.

“But their pennies, their pennies.”

She began to sink down to her knees. Lowering her head as she sank to the floor.

“They dropped down, down.
And after them, they shot down, down.
Down in the waters belooooooooowwwwwwwwww!”

Then she lifted her head up. Her hands clasped together at her chest as if in prayer.

“FATHER, REST THEIR SOUUUUUUUUUUUL!!!”

The spotlights had gone out on “Aerynn”, “Broderick” and “Jeszika”...

Leaving only the spotlight upon The Priestess.

She smiled darkly once more...

And then the light blinked out.