Episode 008 Previous Episode	Next Episode
“A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love.” Friedrich Nietzsche The large auditorium was completely forgotten. Marilyn and Everett existed in their own tiny world, the back of her chair the only thing between them. “That was unexpected,” she whispered. “It’s the truth,” he said quietly, for once unable to meet her gaze. “I mean, you and I, we…” His words trailed with his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “What ever did happen to Victor?” Marilyn smirked quietly, turning subtly away as well. “After the World Alliance fell apart, he and I quickly followed. There just wasn’t, I don’t know, there just wasn’t enough to hold us together once that was gone. That’s the thing about falling for someone like me. You fall for someone who has a passion, who is truly invested in something, then you have to fall for that passion too.” She shrugged harmlessly. “He didn’t.” “He didn’t want to save the world,” Everett said. “Yeah, well,” Marilyn said curtly. “A lot of people don’t.” She turned around, once again acknowledging the meeting. “If the Rose is captured,” asked another person, “what charges will he be brought up on?” “I would have to direct that question to the chief of police,” said the mayor’s aid. “But I would imagine he’d be charged with trespassing, interfering in police matters, and reckless endangerment to name a few.” “Why don’t you charge him with assault and battery?” Marilyn whispered glumly to herself. “I mean, he hurt those poor, defenseless criminals.” “You’re still mad, aren’t you?” Everett asked to her. She looked over her shoulder at him as he leaned over the side of the seats. The nearness of their faces made her heart skip a beat. When she tried to speak, she found her mouth strangely dry. “A little,” she admitted innocently. “You left me behind.” Everett looked down, unable to respond quickly. As words swirled around him, he couldn’t find anything to say. When he looked up, Marilyn was watching him, waiting for his response. “I know,” he admitted quietly. “I know you wanted to go. I know you wanted to be part of what seemed like some great adventure.” He looked at Marilyn, his eyes shaking with earnestness. “Believe, there was nothing great about what we did.” “Everett,” she said, “you saved the world.” Outside the auditorium, the crowd was clustered into tightly-knit groups. Church organizations stayed near the corners while social groups networked amongst each other. Journalists and reporters walked and talked on their cell phones. Everett leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets as he watched the people. There was a sound and Marilyn came out of the bathroom by the auditorium. “Having fun?” she asked. Everett shrugged. “What are you doing?” “Watching,” he said. “Watching what?” “The people.” Marilyn smirked. “Are they that interesting?” “You can learn a lot about a person, just from the way they stand or they way they walk,” Everett said. He nodded to a woman standing alone in the corner. “Take her. She’s wearing a red dress that she probably would have worn ten or fifteen years ago. That she’s wearing red means that she’s probably trying to stand out. That she’s wearing a dress that’s flattering on a twenty-something college grad, but looks kind of trampy on a woman of her…” He looked at Marilyn, smiling as he tried to find the diplomatic words, “experience, tells me that she’s here trying to get laid. She’s wearing her hair up in a bun, in a pretty conservative style, though, one that doesn’t match the dress. That tells me that she’s probably rather old-fashioned in some ways, so why she may be looking for some action, deep down inside, she’s looking for someone to complete here life.” He turned and looked at Marilyn. “Do you always look for the smallest details about people?” she asked. Everett just smiled. “What about him?” she asked as she pointed towards the security guard by the stairs. Everett smirked. “Ex-Army or Air Force. He was a bully growing up. Not a really mean one, but he did push other kids around. Maybe the real bully’s right-hand man. The way he stands, I’m guessing he watches a lot of pro-wrestling. He lifts weights a lot, but he lifts mainly the vanity muscles. You know, the chest and the biceps. So he’s got big muscles that do absolutely nothing but look big.” “Uh-huh,” Marilyn nodded. She pointed to a journalist talking on his cell phone before the tall window that looked out over the street. “And him?” “Kolchak the Night Stalker fan,” Everett said with a geeky smile. “He’s got the trench coat and everything. He’s got aspirations to be a fiction writer, probably not mystery, though. My guess would be either horror or sci-fi, probably with a military bent. He wrote for his school paper in high school or college, but not probably both.” Marilyn turned to Everett, one eyebrow raised coyly. “And me?” Everett smiled warily. “You want to keep my attention without actually seeming interested in me,” he answered, his honesty taking Marilyn by surprise. “You want me to join in your aspirations to save the world and you want to learn all the little secrets that there are to know in the world. You’re just flat-out curious by nature, but also kind-hearted.” “You get all that, just by the way I stand?” she asked. Everett shrugged, looking away. “That and the haircut,” he said with a wink. As the meeting started back up, Marilyn and Everett were sitting next to each other. In the middle row of seats, Everett leaned back, his arms spread out across the backs of the seats, while Marilyn sat to his right, leaning forward, listening. “We need to emphasize,” the mayor’s aid’s note card was saying, “that the need to stop the Crimson Rose is one of public safety and public concern.” Sounds of discontent came from the crowd. “We know that the people are worried about their security and the security of their family and neighborhoods. That’s why this criminal must be brought to justice.” More boos and jeers. “Does she not realize how unpopular what she’s saying is?” Marilyn asked rhetorically. “I mean, even if you have to tow the administration’s line, at least temper what you’re saying so the crowd doesn’t hate you more. These people don’t want the Rose brought in; they want to give him a medal.” “Yeah,” Everett agreed. “I’m guessing that one of the mayor’s speech writers put together her notes, which probably means he or she doesn’t like her.” Marilyn turned to Everett. “So what’re the knights up to?” Everett smiled. “Sydney’s still trying to get through her graduate thesis. Edgar just bought this old motorcycle that he’s trying to fix up. The thing looks like its more rust than motorcycle. Ledger’s…well, Ledger’s Ledger. He’s spending most of his time at the kung fu school these days. Armand’s thinking about switching majors, from history to either graphic design or biology; I can’t remember which one he was leaning towards last.” “There’s a weird combination,” Marilyn observed. “Yeah,” Everett nodded. “And Roland’s kind of like me, in this weird pre-graduation limbo. He’s talked about moving down to Atlanta.” Everett looked at Marilyn with a quizzical look on his face. “It seems like most knights end up in Atlanta at some point in their lives, I don’t know why.” “What about Morgan?” she asked. “What’s he up to?” Everett smirked, trying to keep from laughing too hard. “Anger management,” he said slowly with emphasis. Marilyn laughed, covering her mouth before it escaped. “Oh my god! Really?” “Yeah,” Everett nodded. “He apparently vandalized a cop car; he won’t tell us why. And he got sent to anger management classes.” “That’s…I don’t know,” she said. “That’s either really appropriate or really scary, I’m not sure which.” “We’re all going with it being hysterical,” Everett chuckled. “And what about you?” Marilyn asked with a look as their laughs died down. “You’re nearing graduation. Are you going to stick around, or is there some far off, distant land of glorious adventure that’s calling your name?” Everett just laughed. “Adventures always seem a lot neater on TV. The risks more accessible, the fights more beautiful. The reality is, I’m growing up and I’m not sure where life’s going to take me. I know that things are going to change, for me and for the knights, in the near future. I just don’t know how.” “You sound like you’ve been to see Madame Kieri,” Marilyn said. “Madame who?” Everett asked. “Madame Kieri,” Marilyn repeated knowingly. “She’s this weird psychic down on Roan street. Everybody I know says she’s really good. She had Malcolm so convinced, he moved to San Francisco when she advised him to.” “Sounds like a loon,” Everett chuckled. “I don’t know. He’s engaged now and has a great job,” Marilyn submitted. “He seems happier than I’ve ever known him to be.” Everett just shook his head. “Psychic, fortune-telling, it’s all magic and there’s no such thing as magic.”
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