Desert Time (Always Open)

[Lessien Melwasul]

~Names, cities, faces and years. These things supposedly changed, but to the sensitive eyes of Lessien? There was no proof that they actually did. She had been on the road too long. It had all become an monotonous blur of young girls and old money. It made her arrival that much easier even if it was completely unplanned and rushed. That and that part alone gave her something resembling a blast of desert air in the peak of summer. It set her on an uncomfortable edge. Papers, copies, torn magazines littered the seats around her as she tried to put what ever fucked up fairy tale she was entering into order.~

"A mask of gold hides all deformities."

~Betty snorted out loud.~

"Show me the money, Lover I'll show you incest defined and fully realized."

"They all slept soundly that night."

~Blackthorn, Wallace, Pyro had all the genetic traits of oblivion. The worst had been Blackthorn, the insatiable ego in over-driven need then mixed with unlimited credit. The end result being predictable in the form of a crater the size of Ohio. Pyro had been an idiot, and had died several times for that exact reason. Wallace had shown the most promise, and promptly ran two companies into the ground. Such was their lots in life. Not one of them took the money and ran. Each had gone down in proverbial and literal flames.~

"Turn the page and see."

"Zhafaria Rouge, a parent-less child of oil and sand? Oh, my heart simply aches."

"Fire makes us stronger."

"Or ends it all right there. I wonder if she saw it happen?"

"Rescue me."

~Alice pleaded.~

~Idle thoughts, Lessien truly did not care. She already knew the future of Zhafaria Blackthorn Wallace Pyro Rouge. Her fate was sealed and ticking away on some private clock somewhere out in the desert. A clock that was far more intricate than any General Manager she had ever run across in her many, many, many years.~

"Names forgotten."

"Names purged, dear Alice. Names purged and burned from the skin like the parasites they all have been."

~Charlatans, carnival barkers, frauds, cons and sociopaths. They were words that would be found on any truthful General Managers resume, if such a creature actually existed. But considering their hearts pumped pure lies instead of blood, she doubted she would ever read one. Freddy Jackson seemed to be a combination of at least three. His charade? Trying to put the fun back into wrestling.~

"A penny for every word."

~From the outside looking in, Lessien appeared far more unstable than she actually was. The easy conversation was audible but self contained and fluid. It was animated only by the rising smoke and pointed gestures. The form of Lessien did not hide herself in corners. She only hid her eyes behind the now infamous dark lenses, protecting her cursedly sensitive eyes. She turned heads, which uncomfortably turned back away. Were they afraid one day it might be them? It was ridiculous to even ponder. There would never be another Lessien.~

"Everybody has a weakness."

~Alice never lied.~

"Dig Alice. Dig."

~The form of Lessien drove the butt of a Lucky Strike into the bottom of a glass, Lucky Starz ashtray. She then automatically lit another off the smoldering remains. This company's first show, Anthrax, was coming. It was named after a particularly nasty piece of bacteria or a completely irrelevant 80's metal band. Both could kill you dead. She had to decide if she was going to kick down the doors in her usual style or play the spider this time and wait.~

"... and wait, and wait."

~Alice sang quietly, while the hand of Lessien clawed tight.~

[Lessien Melwasul]

~It didn't take her long too sift through the information she had collected, only 16 hours had passed since she had first sat down. Ashtrays had been emptied and glasses filled only when necessary for Lessien never tipped. She had no soft spot for broken families living on broken wages. These things simply did not register. It was amazing how long that particular list had grown.~

"A thousand little stories scraped against her eyes."

~Alice said of the papers that littered the table and floor around them.~

"She never saw a thing, sweet Alice."

~Indeed they did not enjoy a photographic memory. Their mind was far too cluttered and hot wired for that. Someday, someone would put it all together and realize how completely improbably it was that Lessien even existed let alone thrived in the world. Betty and Alice had never put the puzzle together. They had simply crammed the pieces together until they were all used up, never bothering with details such as the picture or shape. The form of Lessien walked. The form of Lessien moved. The form of Lessien carved her name into little girls too. The form of Lessien was a living, breathing school of the shorthard

life. A GPS for wrong turns made.~

"Turn the page."

~Alice pleaded softly.~

"I suppose you're right. Let's do this the old fashioned way.

~She was never really good at playing the spider when kicking in the door was usually more effective. She stabbed out her Lucky Strike, and slung her kit bag around her neck. She left the papers where they were, except for one. A small company map of SCW which she jammed into her Earth worn jacket. Alice breathed free. Crowds parted if they saw her coming, others she just weaved around until she swallowed by humanity whole... just another face in the crowd.~

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