📜🎩 T H E ☆ M A G I C I A N - Act 67 (incl. pics!)

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Spotify🎵 Mel | Mary | Bastet | Lusje | Lynette 🎵

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T H E  ☆  M A G I C I A N

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Act 67

Mel

With their face slightly turned due to the impact, Mel needed a moment to comprehend the situation.

Rosemary had hit her. Even though it didn’t hurt much, it really came out of nowhere for Mel. And for Mary, too, by the look of her face.

Though, truth be told, they deserved it. They had traumatized her, raised hopes, and now were taking it all away from her. The girl had every right to be angry at Mel. Even to hate them.

“Stop this nonsense!” She cried out.

Shit, man. Let me at least take over and do this for you, the demon’s voice echoed in Mel’s head.

No. Mel closed their eyes, a deep breath of gloom leaving their mouth. It had to be done. Don’t falter, Melchior.

“I am sorry for causing you inconvenience, Rosemary—”

Slap!

Another hit. This time, it hurt. Damn, this girl was strong. And surprisingly cruel. She knew that Mel barely survived death, didn’t she?

“I said stop!” She yelled, this time even louder and threatening, with such assertiveness that it made Mel shut up.

“I know what you’re trying to do!”

Mel had chosen this path and tried to do it delicately; of course Mary wasn’t having it. So it was time for the harsher approach. They had hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Sorry to show you the ugly truth, my dear,” Mel deliberately used the term of endearment in an ironic tone, but doing so caused them pain. “You’re entitled to be angry. I am nothing more than a trickster. A con artist, even. And I’ve grown tired of the situation. So if you’d excuse me—”

Another lunge, but this time Mel caught the girl’s arm and prevented another slap. 

They got up, now towering over Mary, trying to get out of the leveled position, but the young woman squirmed her arm out of Mel’s grip and just proceeded to hit Mel’s chest with her fists like a drum. 

“I said stop! Stop!” She cried, “I won’t let you do this! If you want to break up, fine, but not with this… this… this show!”

Wait. She wasn’t angry because of the breakup? 

“I don’t know what you mean, lieverd, this is the first time I am not playing a show with you.”

Ouch. Ouch.

“This! I mean exactly this! How you use your pet names as if they were a joke! How you’re trying to act like you don’t care for me! Do you think you can fool me?”

“Oh, my love, I’ve already fooled you many times.”

Oof. This was too much, even for this purpose.

Another slap.

You definitely deserved this one, the demon commented in Mel’s head.

Then, two tiny hands grabbed Mel by the vest and shoved her with surprising, determined strength back into the chair.

“I need you to shut up and let me talk, I will not allow you to treat either of us this way any further,” Mary commanded, now with tears streaming down her face, but with an unbending voice.

The strength and maturity within her words overtook Mel, and seeing her crying like this hurt worse than they could’ve ever imagined. They wanted nothing more than to hold Mary, or at least vanish into a portal, never to be seen again; but neither was an option.

“Listen,” Mary pleaded, “You’re trying to break up with me because something happened. Because you got yourself into trouble, and you’re ashamed for taking my help, or maybe because you want to protect me, I get that,” she continued, and put Mel into place by that, surprising them again with her keen eye and empathy. “So let’s talk, okay? Stop treating me like a stupid child that needs protection, not only from others, but even from you! I know I can be a little stupid and naive, and I have nowhere near as much life experience as you do, and I have so much to learn, and maybe I really don’t get what you’re going through—but I still deserve to be treated like a sane, adult person, without pulling off a performance to make things easier for me or whatever! Don’t toy with me like that! It’s way more hurtful than you think, and on top of that, so very demeaning!”

Wow. You really had no chance of fooling her. What a bomb.

Mel tried to gulp down an invisible lump that had been forming in their throat, to no avail. They suddenly felt way smaller than they were. Mary really could see through them in an uncomfortable amount.

“Did you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they answered, dumbfounded.

Holy shit you didn’t just call her ma’am.

If Mary was surprised about Mel’s response, she didn’t show it. “Good. So let’s handle this like adults, without a show. Have I been correct with my assumptions about why you want to break up?”

In light of their inability to talk, Mel just nodded, still perplexed.

Mary crouched down in a semi-sitting position, now looking up to Mel.

“Okay. Good. Thank you. That’s very sweet of you. But have you considered asking me if I want to be protected? That you would take away my voice in this, along my chance to decide? Like I wasn’t able to decide what kind of life I wanted to live?”

If she put it that way... It did sound very demeaning.

After leaving Mel some seconds to process her words, she continued: “And on top of that... Does nothing of what I’ve done for you put you at ease? I have never questioned you and your lifestyle; I accept your secrecy. I didn’t even try to figure out what had happened to you, even though it killed me to know and protect you, too; I respected your wish and didn’t call an ambulance, got everyone away from you... Because I respect you as you are. Please… please understand that. And please treat me with the same respect.”

Mel could feel the truth of her words. Mary’s honesty and passion shone through her. She suddenly seemed so much stronger and grander than ever before, and Mel felt as if, for the first time, she was able to get a glimpse of the real Rosemary, whom they had only seen through glasses tainted by arrogance, loneliness, or fascination before.

“I… I understand what you’re saying.” Mel noted, talking carefully and slowly now, giving their best to not let arrogance and ego seep into their thoughts, “You are right. I panicked. I was full of self-loathing and fear; I didn’t think straight. I am sorry.”

“I’m sorry that you had to go through this, love,” Mary responded, surprisingly composed, with this overwhelming warmth in her voice, while reaching for Mel’s hands and squeezing them gently. “Can I please say one more thing? Then you can let me know if you still want to break up?”

Mel nodded again, sheepishly, with Mary’s honest and direct communication making them lose their voice. Despite everything, she was still kind and considerate. She really was too good for Mel—maybe even for this cruel world.

“Okay,” the girl began, “I would like you to know that I, in fact, want to choose to be with you. I admit I don’t know the risks you’re dealing with; maybe the guy from the venue was, like… part of the mafia, or maybe it’s a mental illness that does this to you or something, but… but I really don’t need to know to decide for a life with you in it. Even if I have to take care of you regularly, like in the last few days, even if I risk being hurt or… or… even worse… I’m willing to take these risks for you. My life had been so dull before I met you—so empty. I thought I’d never discover my voice, or friends, or happiness, or … you know, feelings in general. But everything has changed since I met you. I finally feel… I don’t know, alive. And… and maybe that’s so foolish of me, but I… I kind of thought you would feel the same. At least a little. And if this is not the case, then tell me—without an act—and I will have to accept that. But if it is… if I, too, make your life better, or make you feel seen or heard or less lonely… I… I’d be really angry at you if you just break up with me because you decide all by yourself what’s best for me.”

Mel’s breath faltered. 

No one, except for the demon, had talked to Mel like this before, and looked through them to such a degree. It was scary. Terrifying, even. But also safe, in its own way. Mary sees them—with at least some of their mistakes, their arrogance, their audacity, and the danger they are in—and she still wants to stay. It made Mel feel loved. Accepted. And human, in some strange way. 

Maybe it really was presumptuous to decide for her, even though Mary couldn’t possibly know the magnitude of what she was getting herself into. She still had a life of her own, decisions of her own. Her hopes, fears, and struggles revealed that she was more than just the small aspects Mel had witnessed and romanticized so far.

“You… you really would want to continue seeing me, even though I have so many secrets? Even though you don’t know what’s going on with me?”

“Yes, you dummy! I’m not stupid! You were very clear about your boundaries from the very beginning, and I decided to be with you anyway!”

“But now you know how dangerous those secrets can be,” Mel said, digging deeper.

Mary squeezed Mel’s hands harder, as if she wanted to reinforce that she was not willing to let them go.

“Yes. And honestly, this makes me want to be with you even more.”

Mel gave her a puzzled look. “How so?”

“Because I don’t want you to go through this alone. True, you haven’t told me much about yourself, but it’s obvious to me by now that you are very lonely. You keep everyone at a safe distance, for whatever reason. And now you’re trying the same thing with me. But I won’t let you, at least not out of concern for me. The thought of you going through stuff like the last whole week alone… God knows how often you have to endure things like this… It really kills me, thinking about it.”

Mel looked at the soft, gentle woman, who somehow managed to sneak into their life and make it so easy to love and feel at ease with her. They didn’t remember the last time somebody worried this much about them. It was a strange feeling. Uncomfortable but pleasant at the same time. 

I know you’re mad at me, but … dude. C’mon. She gets ya. She’s stronger than ya think. She clearly cherishes you, both for selfish and altruistic reasons—a perfect combination. Overthink your decision. 

There was nothing to overthink. Mary had made herself loud and clear, and Mel had listened.

“You truly never cease to surprise,” Mel eventually stated

The girl came a little closer, her beautiful eyes full of hope. “You said that before.”

“Because it’s true. And because I love that about you.”

These words conjured a faint blush onto the girl’s cheeks. 

Mel continued, “I want to apologize, again. I am grateful for your honest words. You are right. You don’t deserve a performance, nor to be treated like a child. It is one thing to look out for you, but another to take away your autonomy. I just felt so bad for what I had gotten you into. And to be honest, I still don’t know if I can live with that in the future, even though I respect your decisions. I care for you, Marietje, deeply. More than I cared for anyone in the last decade, probably. Even… even if it scares me a little to admit this. But I heard you. So I would propose this: Give me a bit of time to figure matters out for myself. With your wishes in consideration in mind. Then we can discuss this again—without an act. Does this… does this sound fair?”

Mary came even closer, her whole front was now squished against Mel’s shins. She was warm and soft.

“It does. Very. I appreciate it, Melchior,” she said, then lifted Mel’s hands towards her lips to kiss them gently. “Thank you for listening and understanding. And… and sorry for slapping you.”

“I deserved it. I apologize for making you do it. And… for the way I behaved, and the things I said. I’m truly ashamed.”

Mary looked at her in thought. 

Then she said, “If… if we stay together, or no, I even mean that in general: please promise me to never do this to me again. You can toy with me for magic tricks, but if it comes to your secrets or my feelings, just tell me that it’s something you can’t share, and I will accept it, and we’ll find another way to talk about it. Okay…?”

“That’s very fair. I promise.”

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