Chapter 53 – Nightlife in the Pit
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"Hey... I'll take another hot rum coffee... cough. Cough! Cough! And another pitcher of Gold Crescent... for my friend here. Thank you."
"Sure thing. Ahem... sorry for the wait tonight. Another pitcher for this young lady, and a hot coffee for you... it'll be out shortly."
 
The pair of psychics enjoyed their drinks and the comfortable quiet of the bar's peaceful atmosphere. Black Smoke turned to his tiny blonde companion, speaking in low tones while leaning in conspiratorially.
 
"You know, Miss Planner... grrrgghh... your new armor... I can't wait to try it. Cough."
"Hehehe! Are you sure? If you transform into your real body while you're inside it... don't you think it would get ripped to shreds? Hee hee. I think you're stronger without any gimmicks."
"Yeah, I know... I was just kidding. Cough."
 
Black Smoke patted his jacket and chuckled to himself. His expression quickly shifted from humor to anger, and he spoke angrily to his short, blue-eyed boss.
 "Damn it! I hate you, damn it! You're the worst! Always making fun of my real body! Grrggg! Uuuuugh! Damn it... dammit all to hell! Haa haa! So funny..."
 
The tall, slim man crumpled forward onto the table and pretended to burst into tears. The bartender returned with their drinks at that moment. In a show of bravery, Black Smoke downed his coffee in one gulp, wiped the foam from his mouth, snorted disdainfully, and poured himself a beer.
 
"Grggh... ahhhh... I can't take it anymore."
 Miss Planner was watching him with a slight smile on her face.
"Stop acting so immature. Hehe. That coffee is really getting you worked up. You're shaking."
 
The thin, pale, and skinny man took a long pull from his glass.
"Haha... you're right. I'm sorry. It's just so frustrating... I've tried to be more mature about it... but it's hard... you know how hard it is for me? If I wasn't playing office with you and dear Wolf... I'd be fine. Hahaha. But I have to hold myself back around other people... I can't do anything unless I act like a big dumb moron. Cough. Cough."
 
Miss Planner leaned in closer to her assistant.

"I understand completely. It's hard hiding who you really are, right? I bet if you could just let loose every now and then, you wouldn't be such a mess."
"You mean... you'd let me go nuts again?"
 
"Hehe. What use is a wild beast locked up in a cage? No fun, no freedom, and no will to fight. Your true nature, Black Smoke, is a powerful thing. It needs to run free. Hehehe!"
"Cough. Cough. Wow... you're starting to sound crazy... but I guess that's what makes you special."
 
Miss Planner smiled warmly at her assistant and stroked his head. She couldn't help it.
 
"When someone is as powerful as you are, they shouldn't feel ashamed of that. There's nothing wrong with embracing your strength. As soon as I'm in charge, I'll give everyone a chance to unleash their inner monster."

Black Smoke licked his lips nervously, and his eyes shone brightly. He was drunk.

"Hahhh. Remember those... Controller pills?"
"How could I forget?"
"Cough. I kept some... and used them. They're not as potent as I thought they were... so I had to take a lot of them. Cough."
 
Miss Planner was drunk, too. She leaned back in her seat and clapped a little too loudly.
"Really? How brave of you!"

"You know, Miss Planner, I don't need your praise... cough. Cough. I'll admit it. The first time I ate one of those things, my mind went haywire. It was like a nightmare, but even worse... I can't describe it. I don't want to get into detail. Ahem... Anyway... aaah... I'm not as strong as a real Controller yet, but... I'm close! Cough! Hahahaha! If I keep working on it... I know I'll reach that level."
 
"You're very confident, aren't you? Well done. I don't doubt it for an instant. You can make it happen. Can you give me a demonstration?"

"What? Huh?! Oh, sure! But... uhhh... here?"
"Why not? I'm curious!"
 
Black Smoke unsteadily rose to his feet and pointed his right hand towards Miss Planner's face.
 
'Miss Planner, I want you to drink the rest of that pitcher of beer! Now!'
 
The psychic woman's body shuddered a bit and she slowly reached towards the glass pitcher. Her long blonde hair draped down onto her shoulders and a few strands fell into her eyes. After a moment of struggle, she broke free of Black Smoke's control and quietly brushed her hair with her fingers, her head low.
 
"Not bad, Smoke. You actually surprised me."
"You... you're amazing, miss!" exclaimed Black Smoke in shock. He rubbed his temples and stared at his boss. "I... I can't believe it. You defeated me so easily. Cough."
 
The tiny woman poured herself another full cup from the pitcher and sat up in her chair again. She drank too much at once and sat there coughing a little. The smell of alcohol wafted from her breath, mixing with her perfume.
 
"Well, you're still learning," said Miss Planner with a smile, licking foam off her upper lip and brushing it away with one finger. "I don't think I could stand up to a real Controller that easily. Hehehe..."
"Ahh! Hahaha... haaaaaa... ahhhh..."
 
Miss Planner giggled. It wasn't a mocking laugh; rather, it was almost like Black Smoke could hear her thinking about something.
 "You're a sludge monster, a cloud of vapor, a Controller... I can't decide what to call you anymore!"
"Cough. Right now... I'm just your assistant."
 
Miss Planner looked deep in thought. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips together as if trying to envision something.
 "What if you were... a Feeder too? And a Sleeper... and a White Tablet. And a Purple Shadow. Or maybe a black one?"
 
Black Smoke laughed and pounded the table. He held out one hand, and then snapped it shut into a fist. His wide grin was unmistakable.
"Cough! Cough! What if I were all of that? You've got some imagination... I don't know what to say. Is that... even possible? Hahaha!"
 
Miss Planner smiled slyly. She slid back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head.
 
"My imagination is limitless once I've loosened up a little... you'll become anything I want you to be. For example... if you were a Feeder, I would just eat you up... but anyway, I want you to be a Shadow. I want you to live in my brain... and you'd only be allowed to come out when I need you to do some work for me. I also want you to be a White Tablet that can suck in all the light from the sun and cast the world into darkness, and a Sleeper that can merge with the planet and move the continents around however I'd like."
 
"Ohhh! Ha! It seems like it'll take a lot of effort, but... but I'm gonna turn into that thing, Miss Planner. Aaah... damn it! Those Controller pills are worse than torture! What do I have to do... to turn into a Sleeper? I can't... I don't wanna die! Oh god, my stomach hurts. Uuuugh!"
 
Miss Planner patted Black Smoke on the head again. He wailed in despair. The tiny blonde Miss Planner stroked his dark hair comfortingly as she lifted her drink to her mouth. She drank deeply, leaving a big red lipstick stain around the rim of the glass.

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