Red Lights in Texas (Part 1)
The morning after, Josephine woke up bright and early, meditated, prayed, showered, ordered breakfast, picked out her outfit for the day, and even took the time to head downtown to explore the city. All of this occurred while Malcolm was heaving with rage from still being commanded to sit in the corner.
When Josephine returned to the hotel after her little outing, she was surprised to see Malcolm attempting to go against her command and attempt to stand up. Josephine placed her souvenirs down on the hotel kitchenette counter and pulled up a chair to sit down in front of Malcolm as she eagerly watched the giant of a man over exhaust himself. The defined muscles rolled under Malcolm’s skin as he lifted himself up from an invisible bondage. “Fuck!” Droplets of sweat mixed with a few tears slowly started sliding down Malcolm’s face until his whole body was drenched in bodily fluids and looked as if he had run a 30-mile marathon.
After a few minutes of watching Malcolm struggle to stand up, Josephine snapped her fingers to release him from her command. When Josephine noticed tears falling down Malcolm’s face, she has a vivid flashback to what her father made her endure before leaving for her mission. The sudden release caused Malcolm to fall to the floor and suck his teeth in pain as he accidentally applied pressure to his wounded wrist. Josephine leaned in close to Malcolm and palmed his bearded face that was soaked, flushed, and puffy from fatigue. “Remember your place.” Josephine held her right hand out signaling for Malcolm to lay his broken wrist on top of it. Initially Malcolm was hesitant, but his fear for what Josephine had planned if he didn’t abide by her command had him nervously obey. Josephine closed her eyes and said a small chant to herself that Malcolm couldn’t understand, while simultaneously tracing the shape of a diamond over the wounded area. A couple chants and a few hums later and Malcolm’s wrist was back to normal and felt better than before.
Malcolm pulled his hand away from Josephine and slightly leaned back on his legs with his hands resting on his thighs as he analyzed her. He couldn’t figure out her motive or what her end goal was with him. The analyzing halted when Malcolm noticed his finger imprints lingering on her neck. Even though Josephine's healing powers still worked at 100% when healing others, her ability to heal herself was slowed down by 30%. When Josephine noticed that imprints from Malcolm’s hands were still visible on her skin, she made sure to make a mental note to speak to her father about such a vital ability for her survival being weakened. Immediately after noticing the marks, Malcolm bowed his body down to the floor pleading for forgiveness. “I am sorry, Empress Josephine! Please forgive me and my irrationality, Empress!”
A wave of sadness discreetly washed over Josephine as she looked down on Malcolm groveling at her feet. She could tell that he was genuinely apologetic but also somewhat terrified of her and she hated herself for it. Although Josephine was the Empress of Chaos, she didn’t enjoy being viewed as a monster or having people fear her. Although she desired power and control, she also desired having people love and respect her. Fear was something Samore thrived off, and Josephine didn’t want to rule over people the same way her father did. Throughout the centuries Samore ruled with an iron fist drenched in blood, and his tyranny only worsened when Josephine realized she could gain some sort of acknowledgment from her father if she was violent and did his bidding. Samore used Josephine’s longing for his fatherly love to his advantage and turned her into the bloodthirsty enchantress she was today.
Even though Malcolm attacked Josephine out of anger, she knew that he was just doing what he was brainwashed to do since birth, and she couldn’t stay mad at him. “Defend the throne and kill anyone who threatens it. The throne gives you life! In return, you will lay down your life to protect it!” This was a mantra that was repeated to everyone in the Cartiér empire since the beginning of time. For the first time since meeting Malcolm, Josephine’s eyes softened, “Look at me Malcolm.” Malcom timidly looked up at Josephine and immediately felt his body go limp in addition to his eyesight going pitch black. Josephine took a quick glance at her Audemars Piguet watch, “Hm, he should reawaken in 8 hours. Gives me enough time to finish exploring the city.” Josephine snapped her fingers and a weak but feasible force lifted Malcolm’s heavy frame and placed him down onto the bed. Josephine walked over to where Malcolm laid and placed the palm of her hand at the center of his forehead before reciting a spell, “Remember the past as the past and remember the present as the present. From sunset to dawn, may your memories be the ones you hold dearest to your heart.” Josephine paused and noticed the bags beginning to form under Malcolm’s eyes from being awake for over 24 hours. “Sleep well little warrior.”
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Even though Josephine was the Empress of Sudan and an Enchantress who lived in a gold dripped Empire with the newest technology, she always had a soft spot for collector items, one of them being classic cars. The older the car the better, and Josephine’s secret love was brought to life when she saw all the decked out timeless cars driving around Texas. Josephine wasted no time locating a used car lot and settled on buying a restored 1964 Chevy Impala, candy painted a godly white and sitting on 27-inch wheels. A couple hours passed as Josephine drove around Houston, Texas blasting music and ‘swangin’ before a notification update on Erik Killmonger’s possible location pinged to a nearby strip club with bright red neon lights. “Hmm, wings and ass. Seems very American.” Josephine pulled up to the establishment ready to send Erik Killmonger to the clouds in the sky when a sudden strong whiff of dark magic caught her attention and placed her on high alert.
As far as Josephine was concerned, her only “challenge” that walked the earth was her father, but after seeing how the extraction affected abilities that would mean life or death for her, she decided that she would be overly cautious to every situation until she returned to Sudan and regained all her powers. The smell of cheap weed and liquor filled Josephine’s nostrils as she entered the strip club. Immediately all eyes were on Josephine when she strutted into the club and it wasn’t just because she was dressed like she should be performing on stage #6 wearing a see-through crop top and jean shorts that left little to the imagination, no, the extraterrestrial aura that radiated off her had every man and woman wanting to catch a glimpse of the being that graced their presence. Josephine easily walked through the crowd of dancers, bottle girls, and customers the same way Moses walked through the Red Sea. The parting of the crowd was used to Josephine’s advantage as she took the time to scan for her target. Josephine searched every corner of the club and grew more agitated every time she searched an area and all she found was everything sinful and everyone sinning. Whomever gave the tip that Erik was at this strip club would be sure to receive an earful later.
“Excuse me, are you looking for someone?” A light tap on her shoulder and the intensified smell of dark magic caused Josephine to shudder before turning around to see a peculiar looking perfect stranger eyeing her suspiciously. This perfect stranger was about 6’3, sported a slim but muscular frame adorned with mocha skin and a beard that was somehow full but patchy at the same time. The vibe that this stranger gave off didn’t match the vibe of the current environment, or at least that’s what Josephine thought. She pictured the perfect stranger somewhere in an art gallery or sitting on a beach writing poems at sunset, not in the middle of ass, titties, and dollar bills that smelled like booty juice, coochie musk, and unforgivable iniquities.
Although the attraction to the stranger was instant, the scent of dark magic that coated this man’s aroma had Josephine on pins and needles. “Maybe I am, maybe I am not. Are you in charge of this establishment?”
The perfect stranger raised his eyebrow in an inquisitive manner, “Defensive after a simple question? I can tell by your accent and…” The perfect stranger paused to blatantly look Josephine up and down as he rubbed his chin, “…and by that outfit that you aren’t from around these parts. The name is Theodore, but everyone calls me Theo.” Theo waited for Josephine to introduce herself and held out his hand for her to shake it. Josephine looked down at Theo’s hand and walked past him without saying another word and continuing her search for Erik.
In a flash, Theo teleported himself in front of Josephine causing her to stumble in her tracks. A beautiful smile that Josephine couldn’t decipher what intentions dwelled behind it plastered across Theo’s face as he reintroduced himself. “I said my name is Theo. Usually around these parts after someone introduces themselves the other person does the same thing. It’s rude not to.”
Josephine looked at Theo’s shifty eyes and watched them switch from brown orbs to crimson red, and back to brown. “I know what you are, Theo. For your own safety there’s nothing for us to discuss.” Like before, Josephine waltzed past Theo and continued her journey to find Erik until she placed her hands on her hips in frustration after coming up short again.
Josephine hadn’t noticed, but Theo was leaning against a nearby wall smoking a rolled blunt and taking in Josephine’s presence. “If you’re looking for that Erik fella you won’t find him here. That nigga probably got tipped off that someone leaked his location and dipped.”
Josephine whipped her head around in Theo’s direction, “Who said I was looking for someone named Erik.”
Theo walked close to Josephine and blew a weed infused cloud of smoke around her as if he was a dragon. “Because only someone looking for a motherfucker like Erik Killmonger would come into the hottest strip club Texas has to offer and not marvel at a pair of titties at least once.”
Josephine blushed at Theo’s brashness, “Is that the real reason you came here, Theo?”
Theo grinned with joy, “Yes! I finally got a smile from the Empress Josephine, otherwise known as the Empress of Chaos. Daughter of the Sudan Empire and heir to the throne.” Theo somehow closed the gap between him and Josephine, so they were chest and chest and now had them both pressed up against a wall in the back of the strip club where they were all alone.
Josephine flickered her eyes to a darkened violet, “So you know who I am.”
Theo blinked his eyes to a fiery crimson red, “As do you.”
Josephine stared deep into Theo’s eyes. There was something ominous and alluring about them that intrigued her into wanting to know more. “Last time I checked, the enemy of my enemy is still an enemy, so where do we go from here, Theo?”
Theo leaned in close so that his lips hovered over Josephine’s, barely raising his raspy voice above a whisper. “Wherever you want to go-”
The sound of people screaming and running out of the strip club forced Theo and Josephine to cut their intimate moment short and rush back into the club to investigate what was going on. Low and behold Malcolm was in rampage mode searching for Josephine. “Empress! Empress Josephine!”
Theo looked over at Malcolm and then back at Josephine, “I think the giant, light skin, Incredible Hulk nigga scaring all the bitches away is looking for you, Empress.”
Josephine rolled her eyes at Theo and made her way over to Malcolm. “May I inquire on why you are causing mayhem in this business? Our mission is to be discreet. Or have you forgotten your basic training as a soldier?”
Malcolm’s chest heaved up and down until he regulated his breathing, “I… I can’t really remember what happened after we got to the hotel. I can see bits and pieces, but it must have just been a dream. I must have been exhausted and passed out. When I woke and realized you were nowhere to be found I panicked and then when I received a tip that Erik would be at this location I rushed over here as soon as possible.” Malcolm paused and pushed Josephine to the side as he made eye contact with Theo and his voice dropped an octave. “But when I arrived a strong scent of dark magic and tainted blood defiled my nostrils.”
Theo sized up Malcolm and chuckled to himself before approaching him, “Dark magic and tainted blood. Hmm, that is quite the description my nigga. I could’ve sworn I was just wearing Calvin Klein cologne. Nice to see you again, MJ.” Theo held out his hand awaiting a handshake.
Malcolm looked at Theo’s hand and spit on the ground. “The name is Malcolm. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”
Theo sarcastically retracted his hand and looked at Josephine who seemed completely uninterested in the conversation and was making herself a drink behind the now unattended bar. “Do they not shake hands in Sundanese culture or are you both just rude as fuck?”
Malcolm rushed to fill the gap between him and Theo with the intent to kill in his eyes. “Watch your mouth when in the presence of royalty.”
Theo continued to lustfully gaze at Josephine and bit down on his bottom lip as he watched her throat muscles move while swallowing down shots of cheap liquor. “Aye, come get your guard dog.”
Malcolm noticed how Theo was looking at Josephine and jealousy in addition to the wrath he felt began to bubble over inside of him. Without thinking he pulled an enchanted knife from out of his back pocket. “Let’s end this right here, right now.”
The sound of a now slightly buzzed Josephine plopping her ass down on the bar counter forced Malcolm to peel his eyes away from Theo and focus his attention on his barely dressed Empress. Josephine had a bottle of Tequila in her hand that she was drinking out of the bottle like it was water. “If you must have a dick swinging contest, can you guys at least wait until I get drunk enough to tune out the bickering. You sound like two children on the playground.” Josephine paused and took a big gulp out the bottle. “I hate cheap liquor. It always tastes like watered down poison. I’ll probably have to drink 500 of these bottles just to feel anything.” She paused again to take another swig. “Anyways, why are you two fighting? We all are looking for Erik.”
Theo interjected, “I’m not looking for Erik.”
Josephine tilted her head in confusion. “Then how did you know I was here looking for Erik?”
Theo shrugged and grinned, “Lucky guess.”
Josephine squinted her eyes at Theo and thought of a certain sexual position she wanted him to put her in. Theo coyly smiled and let his eyes travel down to her lazily crossed thighs. That simple eye movement was all Josephine needed to confirm that Theo had a mind reading ability. “Hmm, lucky guess indeed. Well, if you weren’t here looking for Erik then why were you here tonight?”
Theo twirled his head around and waved his arms in different directions. “It’s a strip club and I like titties and ass! Why the fuck else would I be here on a Saturday night?”
Malcolm interjected, “Have you no shame with the vulgar speech you use with the Empress?”
Theo looked at Malcolm, then at Josephine and finally back at Malcolm, “Your Empress that’s sitting over there with a Jackson 5 Afro, a see-through half shirt that barely covers her titties and hoochie mama shorts, likes all this vulgar shit. Maybe if you took the initiative and told her to do a split on your dick, you might get some action, MJ.”
Malcolm had heard enough from Theo as he charged to attack him and the two began throwing blows and swinging enchanted weapons at each other. The combat between the two men was interesting, considering the slight height difference, but that didn’t stop either of them from landing critical hits on each other. Theo would go for a right hook and in return Malcolm would go for a left uppercut. The fighting between the two men went on for 3 minutes while Josephine continued to sit on the bar and sip away on the cheap bar liquor. If she was in possession of her full abilities this fight, and previous conversation would have been over a long time ago. Theo would have been laying on the floor with his brain splattered over the dance floor and Malcolm would’ve been placed in a Pandora’s box until he figured out the needed spell to release himself. Since Josephine didn’t have her full abilities and was still figuring out what she could and couldn’t do, she decided that she was going to sit her pretty ass down and mind her business.
After 3 minutes of attempting to beat each other to a pulp, the men realized that they were an even match for each other and backed away breathing heavily and staring each other down. Unfortunately, tonight there would be no winner and both men accepted that… Or so Theo thought. Just as he was about to call it a truce for the night, Malcolm started up attacking again, causing Theo to teleport himself to a different area of the club where he could catch his breath. Malcolm was about to hunt Theo down in the club when Josephine decided she was over the battle and told Malcolm to leave with her.
“I cannot let an enemy like that walk away from me alive. I must take the opportunity to finish him off!”
Josephine grabbed Malcolm’s hand causing him to involuntary jolt with excitement from her touch. “Theo is not our target, Erik Killmonger is our target. After we kill Erik then you can worry about killing Theo. Until then, let’s go.”
Theo watched as Malcolm followed Josephine out of the club and back to the car that she drove to the club. Theo wasn’t sure when he would meet Josephine again, but he knew that the next time they met it would be an everlasting memorable moment for them both.
