Malus Story 8. Freedom of Choice

  Not as many years ago.

  Vionte and Timotea, now cssmates, were in school, making small talks between lessons.

  "How did you find the math test, Vi? I kinda struggled with it, honestly. I hope i've gotten at least the minimum to pass..."

  "I don't think it was so difficult. I may have done some errors here and there but otherwise it was rather easy..."

  Timotea shrugged.

  "Well... Cssical you i think... You make hard things easy and easy things hard... Like... You were the only one to struggle with the lingua franca test."

  The half-succubus gnced sideways.

  "Don't remind me. I hate that subject. And i don't like having difficulties."

  "I know that. But face it Vi, nobody's perfect."

  Vionte put an arm on her desk and then she put her face on her hand. She was not happy about what she heard.

  "I wish i was perfect though. Everything would be easier."

  Timotea put her hands on her hips.

  "Are you sure? Perfect people would attract a lot of hate through the sheer envy those other people would feel about you."

  The other girl dismissed the statement by waving her hand around.

  "True... But if i was perfect i would easily dispatch them so the problem would not subsist."

  The cat-girl rolled her eyes.

  "Yeah, sure..."

  She then changed topic.

  "You know, i was thinking about making some money."

  Vionte was confused.

  "Can i ask why?"

  Timotea put a hand on Vionte's desk.

  "Because i'd like to make some money. I don't like the idea of being a leech to my parents when they struggle to make end meets."

  "Ah... So you want some money. You can ask me. I don't mind giving you a hand in that department."

  The cat-girl was now feeling awkward.

  "Yeah but... I'd prefer not to be in debt with anyone... And... I don't think i can trust you with such matters."

  The half-succubus was petrified. She didn't really know why she felt like that, but she was now hurting. She was also speechless. Timotea was feeling rather bad for it though.

  "Vi... Are you alright?"

  "I... I wasn't expecting that, honestly... I... Thought you trusted me."

  Timotea rubber her head.

  "I do that but... You know... There's something about you that scares me a bit. I think you know that there's something that feels off about you."

  The half-succubus remained silent, leaving the cat-girl to feel awkward. Then Vionte spoke again.

  "You're not wrong... I'm not that normal... But being told that is not pleasurable nonetheless."

  The half-succubus then rexed a bit.

  "So, what are you going to do with your money problem?"

  "I'm going to get a job Vi."

  The girl was perplexed.

  "A job? You can't really get a job at our age! Unless..."

  She then panicked.

  "Timotea! Please don't risk your life for a bunch of coins by becoming an adventurer! Anything but that!"

  The cat-girl rolled her eyes.

  "You worry too much Vi. Being an adventurer may not be the most remunerative job, but it has it perks. For starters, you can travel around the world, see beautiful pces, and test your fighting skills against many opponents. And i'm paid for it. Not much, but i'm still paid."

  Vionte was becoming irritated and disperate at the same time.

  "Why don't you become... I don't know... A fighter... One of those that do it for sport and doesn't risk being killed by a beast or an outw... I don't want you to die..."

  Meanwhile Timotea was rather calm.

  "Yeah, but i can't travel that way. Also... I'm too young to be paid as a real fighter. I don't really have a choice if i want to make some money."

  Vionte crossed her arms. She was nervous, desperate and on high alert.

  "I... I think you should take a loan from me... I'm not going to ask for anything in exchange... You can call it a gift from me... He... Hehe..."

  "No, Vi. I'd like to walk on my own. I really appreciate your willingness to help me though. But it won't solve the problem, because then i'd leech of you instead of my parents."

  Saying that, the cat-girl hugged her friend. Vionte, however wasn't responsive.

  'I can't let her endanger her own life! I have to protect her from herself!'

  Timotea noticed that the other girl was stiff, but she ignored it.

  'She's really stiff... She isn't really the hugging type but... she's stiffer than usual... I think i made her upset, but, as far as i know... she usually calms down and let things slide rather fast...'

  ---

  Later.

  It was almost lunchtime. Timotea and Vionte were leaving their cssroom to go to the canteen. The cat-girl, who was in front, suddenly stop.

  "I should go to the bathroom, could you keep me company?"

  The half-succubus nodded. The duo then went to the bathroom. However, Vionte unconsciouslu made a creepy smirk as the two of them proceeded. Inside the bathroom, Vionte's right hand glowed as she prepared herself. She then attracted her friend's attention.

  "Timotea, can i ask you something?"

  As the cat-girl turned towards the other girl, Vionte threw a spell at her. Suddenly, Timotea stood still, as if she was sleeping. The half-succubus cleared her throat.

  "Timotea, hear me out: you're not going to risk your life by becoming an adventurer..."

  She however suddenly stopped talking. She started to to have second thoughts.

  'Is it right to forbid her to become an adventurer to protect her?'

  She thought for a while.

  'I don't want to lose her to an accident... But... Who am i to forbid her what to do?"

  The half-succubus decided to interrupt her own spell, releasing her friend. Timotea felt dizzy, but then she became angry.

  "VIOLANTE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

  The half-succubus was embarassed. Her index fingers poked each other as she was trying to find her words. The cat-girl, however, had no patience, so she grabbed Vionte from the front of her shirt.

  "TELL ME NOW!"

  Vionte was genuinely scared.

  "I-i-i... I don't want you to die! I want you to be together with me! So... So..."

  "So what Vionte?"

  "So... I was hypnotizing you into... Removing your interest for adventures..."

  Timotea was left speechless. She released Vionte and left the bathroom without speaking to her, forgetting about her needs. Vionte extended her arm towards her fleeting friend.

  "I'm sorry..."

  But Timotea ignored her. The half-succubus was left alone. She was looking at the floor. She cried. Initially slow, she then cried intensely.

  ---

  Later.

  At the exit of school, at the end of the lessons, Vionte was leaving the pce. She was gloomy and devoid of energy. She also felt bad for angering her only friend. As she was leaving, Timotea, who was waiting for her, grabbed her arm.

  "We need to talk."

  The cat-girl grabbed the other girl and took her in a secluded pce. They ended up near in a small yard behind the school. The cat-girl turned towards the other girl.

  "Let's cut to the chase. Do you realize how horrible it is what you've done? To hypnotize someone and removing her ability to choose for herself?"

  Vionte nodded.

  "I... Got a grasp on it."

  The cat-girl sighed.

  "I can see that you understand it, but i can't see you feeling bad about it."

  The half-succubus got angry.

  "I'M FEELING BAD ABOUT IT! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU!"

  Timotea crossed her arms.

  "Vi... I don't see you feeling bad about me as a person, not as your property."

  Vionte was left speechless. She then looked at the ground below her. She then looked at Timotea, then she gnced away.

  "I... Don't know."

  Timotea pinched the upper part of her nose.

  "Vi... Do you understand that is it difficult to discuss with someone like you? Let me tell you how hard is for me to believe your cims after today if you are unable to have any real feeling for people outside yourself."

  Vionte was unsettled by such words.

  "I... I didn't want to hurt you. But... I don't want you to risk your life pointlessly."

  Timotea was losing her patience, but she tried her best to remain calm.

  "You already told me that... And that's the only reason i decided to talk to you again. But let me be clear. Try stunts like this one another time and i won't give you other chances. It will be game over for you."

  The half-succubus gulped, then she nodded.

  "I'm sorry..."

  Timotea looked at Vionte straight into her eyes, without saying anything.

  "Well... I know that... Otherwise i'd already be a puppet... But Vi... You have to smooth out some parts of your character. Friends don't hypnotize each other when they have a disagreement on something. Friends accepts each other as they are... With exceptions, of course... They don't correct each other. I want you to remember this."

  Vionte shuddered, then she hugged Timotea as she cried again, saying nothing. Timotea embraces her friend.

  ---

  As she returned home, Vionte, still saddened and angry to herself, noticed a bookshop. She shook her head, attempting to regain some composure before she entered the shop. She browsed around, seemingly finding nothing that could interest her, until she noticed a novel titled: "The fictional character i love came to life and the government is hunting me for that". She took the book and read the synopsis in her mind.

  'Piergiorgio De Rossi is a loser with no family or social skills that is currently a hobo. His only possessions are a couple of clothes and a book he read in his teen years. One night, as he is busy keeping himself warm, he first hears a voice, then he finds out that his favourite character from the book, Lady Isabel, was now next to him. Lady, Isabel, known for her warmth, her fun and nurturing personality and her kindness, takes pity on him and decides to help him get his things together. Unbeknownst to them, however, a government officer noticed the strange event.'

  Vionte sighed.

  'Warm, nurturing, funny and kind, huh... If only i were like that instead of being an entitled apathetic monster that hypnotizes people... I'm such a horrible being... I don't deserve Timotea... Still... Lady Isabel... I'm sure that someone like her would only exist in fiction.'

  She then took the book and bought it. As she was going to the cashier, she had a weird smirk on her face.

  'Maybe... I just have to become like a fictional character then, like Lady Isabel... Or someone else in the rare case i should find her unlikable... Nobody forbids me to bring a fictional character to life... And the government would have no proofs that i did something like that...'

  Vionte chuckled as she paid for her book.