Chapter 16: Scene &^ – Price Paid

"Alright, how am I starting this? Get down on my hands and knees?" Holly had accepted that she would need to pray to this Malice, but figuring out the best way to pray to a ticket booth wasp was easier said than done. She didn't understand how one little wasp could do all that damage she'd seen, but if the wasp wanted to be worshiped, by the Amusement Box, she was going to try.

"Yeah, easier said than done, mister sign." The word 'mister' seemed to elicit a painful grating noise from the wasp. "Miss?" The wasp calmed down, even letting out a pleased buzz. Okay. So it was a girl Malice, that helped. Or maybe it didn't? Holly couldn't exactly use her meager feminine wiles on a girl. If this was a guy Malice, she could at least try flirting, but girls don't date other girls, right? That would be too easy.

If Holly could cut all the men out of her life and avoid dating them ever again, she absolutely would. But things as they are, she's not lesbian. Right? Wouldn't she be so lucky! She could date girls all she liked, and they were way prettier than guys. God, she wished she was lesbian. Wait, no; God didn't exist. Amusement Box. Closer! Holly was definitely easing into the mindset.

"I'm going to try praying, and you can just give me some feedback. Tell me how good I'm doing?" Holly sat on her knees, clasping her hands together. "Oh, Amusement Box, carnival of great… amusement. I pray to thee," Holly began, getting a lukewarm response from the wasp behind the counter. "No good?"

"I'm trying my hardest here, okay?" Holly huffed again, folding her arms. "It would be convenient if you had some way to measure how much faith I was sending your way. Do you have anything you could use for that?"

There was a long pause. The wasp fluttered aimlessly inside its booth before a pole emerged from the ground. One of those mallet-bells, a strength tester that would react when you put in pressure. Usually, that strength tester wasn't far from the food court. Holly leaned over, confirming that the bell had been relocated closer, not created wholesale.

That put the powers of the Malice in front of her into perspective. They seemed to be able to relocate items from all over the park; if her assessment of the situation were correct, that would be how Amusement Box built that cathedral in the middle of the park. It would also explain the missing Merry-Go-Round. Holly could see that the unicorns had been worked into some kind of grotesque gargoyles atop the cathedral.

"Okay, that's neat. You have a cool power, Amusement Box." Holly had to give the Malice credit where credit was due. She watched as the strength tester bobbed upwards, registering a little faith. The wasp buzzed happily and did an adorable flip. At the same time the thought the flip was adorable had crossed Holly's mind, she could see that the wooden cork on the bell had risen slightly. Shortly after, she watches as it fell and rest on the ground.

"I praised you, and the faith tester recognized that," Holly muttered. "Do you mind if I run a few tests? I think I've figured out how to pray to you, Miss Amusement Box." Holly stopped.

That bobber shot right up when she said the word 'Miss.' What? Holly wasn't even praising her that time—

…

Ohhh.

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"Miss Amusement Box?" The bobber perked up a fifth of the way to the bell. "I think your park looks lovely today. You're so cute!" The wasp was slim and feminine. Maybe she could work with that? Holly watched as the bell continued to rise and wobble. "I think you might be the cutest girl I've ever met! You've got excellent curves!"

The bell started to ring, the surface of the earth shimmering with a shade of red. Holly feared she had made a mistake based on the angry hue, but the bobber continued smacking the bell. A sign burst from the ground, causing Holly to jolt and step back. The wasp buzzed with excitement, looking straight at the human on her property.

Holly slowly nodded, mind chugging along. "The most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on." Of your species, Holly mentally added, hoping that her words had earned her a free pass. The sign began to melt, the asphalt letting out a sigh of steam, and a ticket slid through the window.

Holly took the ticket and walked forwards, down the path the Malice had provided. She was doing pretty well for herself, so far as she could tell. More signs popped up on her way to the church doors—

The signs made her feel welcome, a friend rather than an enemy. Holly had new ammunition in her back pocket— this Malice was weak to praise. As long as she could maintain their current relations, she might be able to use that to her advantage. Holly pushed on the large double doors, the central floor opening up before her eyes.

A massive statue dominated the room, an angel with a television screen for a head. She wore a suit and spread her arms wide, inviting all to sit and worship. In front of the statue sat a modest throne, and a purple-suited woman with a very familiar monitor for a head was sprawled across that throne lengthwise. Her thick thighs bobbed back and forth, dark red boots clicking against each other, and her black and glistening claws rested against the corner of her screen.

The monitor flickered, and a demonic-looking young woman flashed a smile. A crystalline voice spoke in Holly's mind, inducing her spine to tingle. That voice was cute. "Rule Three: Enjoy Yourself! It's nice to meet you, human!" The screen crackled, and Holly could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

"How about we talk, human? About aspirations, nightmares, and dreams."

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