"Ow! Watch where you're driving that thing!"
"Apologies, Miss Rochefort."
"Fletcher, get my bags from the trunk."
Paul and Law looked up from their card game. "Oh great, the bitch is back" said Paul.
"And has learned nothing." noted Law.
Lili was ordering the help around as usual. She had been discharged from the hospital as there was not much they could do to help heal her, so she persuaded them to sign her out.
Lili spotted the two of them. "What are you two looking at??" she screeched. They looked at each other, rolled their eyes and went back to their card game.
"I wonder if that clumsy oaf Marduk would take these bags for a few bucks. It would save time. Fletcher! Find him and ask!"
Paul and Law looked at each other. Uh...oh...
___________
"There's yer bags, lady. No sweat to it. You got my money for me?" Marduk held out his bear-paw like hand.
Lili paled slightly. Yes, Craig, here's your money as promised" she said, uncharacteristically politely. She gave him a $20 bill. "And thank you for the help."
"Ain't a problem." Marduk sauntered off.
Lili breathed a sigh of relief. "Ugh. What a massive smelly ape. He's all brawn and no brains. FLETCHER! MY WHEELCHAIR! UP THE STAIRS!!"
On the other side of the wall, Marduk sneered. To himself he said "All brawn, huh? No brains, eh? I'll make sure you get yours. Guess you ain't been pounded on hard enough yet."
________
Lili came out of her room at 4 PM. Everyone else was hanging out with reach other, or training, or playing games. Lili didn't care to associate herself with what she considered the riffraff. She had money, who needed them? As she stepped out of her room, she was greeted by a massive hand around her mouth and one in her hair. She yelped and froze stiff. "So, little lady, you think I'm all brawn, do ya? It's cause I talk like this, is it?"
Ice water ran through Lili's veins. Oh God, he heard me, she thought.
"I ain't got brains, do I? All I am to you is a primate that lugs your bags for cash? I'm gon' remove my hand from your mouth, and if you scream, you gon' end up in a neck brace. Now you best give me an answer I like, fast."
He removed his hand. Lili was frozen in white terror. She was shaking. "M-m-mar... Marduk... I... I didn't... please... please don't hurt... hurt me.. I just got out of the hospital, I-"
"You ain't learned a damn thing about respectin' other people, has ya? Asuka kicked yer ass, you's back from the hospital, and you still out there orderin' yer hired help 'round like they just shells what ain't got feelings."
"A-a-alisa beat me too.." she stammered.
"So you's had yer li'l ass kicked twice now and you's still a miserable cow?" Marduk asked incredulously. "What's it gon' take to make you realize people ain't just for you to walk all over?"
"It was my parents! They're completely filthy rich! They spoiled me as a child, I wanted for nothing! Whatever I wanted, they got me! It just... it was the way I was raised. I don't expect that to be a valid explanation, but I just... I just don't know any better."
"In other words, you's stupid and inconsiderate, ain't ya?"
Lili swallowed her temper. "I suppose, yes... I had a spoiled childhood, and maybe.. maybe they didn't take the greatest care they could have with my personality..."
"And you sayin' you can't change that? Hmm. Maybe you needs a bit of a hand with that..." and he wheeled her over to the south-end flight of stairs.
Lili began to panic. "No, no, no, Marduk, please, no! I'm asking you, please, don't do this to me.."
"Then beg me."
Lili hesitated and fumed for a moment. She did have her pride... but then maybe her pride was what got her into trouble in the first place. That and her hugely oversized mouth.
She did as she was told. "Please Marduk. I'm swallowing my pride and I'm doing it. I'm not just asking, I'm begging you, please don't throw me down those stairs. I'm already hurt... please don't..."
Marduk smiled. "Yar off to a good start, lady, but ya need to learn that ya need to be respectful alla the time, not just when you's bein' threatened. And I feel ya ain't learned that yet from yer beatings, what with the way ya been screaming at your help since you got back."
Lili began to scream. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
Marduk clamped a hand over her mouth again." WHo do ya think is gonna help you? You done pissed off every single person 'round here. Even that little Chinese girl, siao... see-ow.. whatever her name is. She's a sweet little thing and you cheated to beat her. Even she dislikes you, which is unusual. Nobody's gon' help you. Now I hope they kept that bed vacant."
Marduk gave her wheelchair a hard push. "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Lili screamed in pure terror. Then she crashed and slammed down the flight of stairs. She fell out of her wheelchair. Her head banged into the stairs hard on at least three separate occasions. She hit the railing once. Down and down until she landed in an unconscious heap on her back, legs crossed over each other. Her left arm was bent under her, possibly broken. She was completely motionless except for the rise and fall of her chest breathing. She had left smears of blood all over the tile steps. As a final insult, the wheelchair landed of top of her and bounced to one side. Blood was starting to pool around her head. The hair around the wound soaked some up, but not all, like a sponge dropped in a bucket of water. The pool grew larger. Bruises were already starting to form on the harder impact sites.
Marduk looked down at her over the rail. "You gon' learn respect if it has to be beaten into yer scrawny prissy li'l ass sooner or later." And he left her laying on the tile floor. She'd be found sooner or later. Whether anyone did anything to help her was up to them.
