"You want me to help you and the big red oaf? Are you kidding me?" The red haired nurse demon stood before Jack her voice ringing through his skull with a sarcastic tone. She stood with one white gloved hand on her hip her other hand loosely gripping the silver blood stained metal pipe that she always seemed to carry.
"I don't like it much either." Jack grumbled. Sally ignored him.
"Please Lisa," Sally said sweetly. "One with fighting skills like yours should be helping to defeat Oogie. We need your help."
"Sally you needed my help the day you said 'I do' to this bone head." Lisa replied with a smug toss of her long blood colored hair. The white nurse hat with the blood red cross shifted slightly with the sudden movement letting a few stray strands fall across her pale featureless face. "Tell me, do I come across as a "helping" kind of demon. Because if I do we seriously need to talk."
"You help if you get something in return." Sally replied. "You're selfish not heartless." She replied though it was not exactly helping her case.
"Beg to differ." Jack grumbled.
"Wow it knows better! You can teach an old monarch new tricks." Lisa replied sarcastically. Jack glared at her contemplating attack. He decided against it he better not try to fight off the one demon who could help him. "Fine I'll help if you tell me what's in it for me." Lisa replied with a shrug. "But remember I already have a job, and permission to work as I please. You can't get much better than those conditions." She added smugly.
"Yes but if you don't help then you'll go back to being human." Sally reminded her. She saw Lisa's posture change, her cockiness had faded as her shoulders drooped slightly. Sally knew her friend well and was able to tell when Lisa was thinking something over. And she knew Lisa would agree, she had a very big grudge against humanity. One that Sally had never gotten the nerve to ask about and one that she was pretty sure he was better off not knowing.
"I see your point. I guess I can help if it's the only way." Lisa sighed. "I'll see you when the battle starts Jackie boy. And Sally, you owe me one." Lisa added before walking quickly out of the door the heels of her white high heeled shoes clicking loudly on the floor showing that she was irritated at having to give in. Lisa didn't like to loose. Her anger was both good and bad. It would drive her fighting skill but it would also make her reckless. The outcome of the battle was still unpredictable but that night at the manor they would know once and for all the fate of the Holiday Worlds.
*
"Hurry up Lisa we're already late. The other leaders are probably already at the manor! I wouldn't blame them if they have gone inside without me!" Jack said irritably as his fighting partner took her sweet time walking to the manor. "Don't you have super speed!?" he asked angrily as the demoness strolled leisurely toward the manor.
"Yes." she replied flatly. "But please Jackie dear, I prefer to wait until the moment is right." Lisa said calmly. She walked with her hands behind her back keeping a cool exterior and showing absolutely no concern for the battle ahead. Jack's nerves built up inside him making him more irritable as time went on. He could not believe that Lisa was taking so long! She normally loved to fight! Why was she decided this very moment that she needed to slow down!
"And how will you know when it's the 'right moment' if we never get there!?" Jack demanded furiously. Lisa just ignored him continuing at her own pace with complete apathy toward anything Jack said or did. He was considering running ahead of her, he had been considering that option for quite some time but he did not really trust Lisa to be left on her own. Knowing her, she was just waiting for him to leave her so she could turn around and go right back to the Hospital and hope that he got himself torn to smithereens. It was better to just stay with her. That way he knew she held up her end of the bargain. Lisa turned her featureless pale skin toward him as if waiting for him to do something. Jack's hand tightened around the Soul Robber which the Doctor had upgraded for him just for this battle. "WHAT!?" Jack asked at last sick of her staring at him... if that was what she was doing. He couldn't be too sure with her lack of facial features. She could be looking at pretty much anything.
"I'm a mind reader you dolt. I'll know when the time is right. Just like I know that you really want to hurt me right now. And I know that you secretly fear that the others went in without you and got themselves captured. And now you really are considering running off so that I'll get out of your head but you know what? It won't help." Lisa replied her mood greatly lifted by Jack's angst. She loved giving him a hard time especially if she could provoke him into attack. He knew Lisa's little games well and right now he didn't care if he played along. Anything that would make her speed up!
"I think your slow because you're weak. You must be loosing your touch. Why I bet if I attacked you right now you wouldn't even catch me." Jack said lightly.
"Really?" Lisa asked smugly. "How much do you want to bet on that? Because I'm pretty sure you'll want to withdraw after I-" Jack cut her off in mid sentence.
"SOULD ROBBER!" he cried unleashing the sticky stretchy green goop. It stretched from his hand at an incredible speed but to his astonishment Lisa caught it.
"I was talking." she said maliciously. "Now Jack, that was just rude."
"Sorry." he mumbled. Lisa released the green goop and it snapped back hitting him in the shoulder. She never let him get away with an attempted attack not even in high school. At last the two reached the manor only to find that Jack's fear had come true. There was a note on the nearby tree that read: Dear Jack, we waited for you but you didn't show. So we went in without you. Sincerely, Santa, the Easter Bunny... and listed every leader's name except of course, Cupid's. "Look what you did! They went in without me all because YOU had to take FOREVER getting here! I hope your happy now! If they are hurt I SWARE I will-"Jack began. But Lisa interrupted him.
"Oh dear," she said not even trying to sound as if she meant it. "Well looks like we'll just have to go in." She said with a shrug. She walked over to the dark cellar doors that lead into the Casino. "This looks right." she said sounding completely unfazed by the fact that because of her the other Holidays could be in massive peril.
"This better be a way in." Jack growled. He pulled on the doors but they were sealed tightly. "Way to go Lisa. They're locked tight." Jack sighed yelling at her was not going to get him anything but hurt. "There must be a key around here somewhere." he said abandoning the doors to search the unruly underbrush for any sort of key. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye socket as Lisa swung her leg around slamming the pointed stiletto heel of her white high heeled shoes that increased her already immense height, she was around six foot five, into the wooden doors shattering them in a single, violent blow. She brushed the splinters off of her.
"Found a key." she replied her cocky manor once again surfacing in her voice. Jack made a motion as if to roll his eyes if he had any but before he could respond Lisa jumped through the newly created opening landing lightly on the ground. Jack followed her.
"Way to go Lisa now the entire manor knows we're here." Jack replied sarcastically. Lisa continued walking through the dark hall her white nurse uniform making it easy to follow her through the winding passages.
"Correction, they know I'm here." Lisa replied. "You take that passage forward until it starts to slope upward. Follow it until you reach the upper most lever where you'll find Bunny Boy tied up with the other leaders. I'll distract Oogie on the lower level while you free them." Lisa instructed throwing Jack completely off guard.
"How do you know all of this?" Jack asked amazed.
"I went inside bug boy's head. It's hard because there are a lot of minds to read but I found the layout pretty easily." Lisa replied. "Now go!" Jack took her advice consider the option that she was lying but as likely as it was Lisa wouldn't do that to Sally. He ran up the steep incline reaching the upper level quickly. He spotted the Easter Bunny on a sort of Balcony tied up next to Sandy, Cupid, Aphrodite, and the other leaders. The Easter Bunny spotted him first but Jack placed a finger to his mouth signaling the leader to remain silent. Luckily he obeyed. Jack noticed something strange with Cupid. His head was down and his blonde hair fell; into his eyes covering them. His cheeks were wet and his posture was rigid as if he were in great agony. Jack spotted why his fellow leader may be in pain and felt rage fill up inside him. The best archer in all of the holiday's hand his left arm at an awkward angle. Oogie had done terrible things in the past but to break Cupid's arm was to sink lower than low.
"Jack thank heavens you've arrived." Sandy whispered as Jack slipped into the group and began working on untying bonds. "That maniac was just about to obliterate all of us. And that good for nothing Lisa Harper is helping him decide how to do it!"
"What!?" Jack cried. Too loud. Oogie who had been standing below them talking to a cool , collect, and deceitful Lisa. The nurse woman put a white gloved had on her smooth featureless skin and brought it down slowly in an exasperated motion.
"Moron." he heard her voice grumble in his head before Oogie reacted.
"No one takes advantage of me! I am the Seven Holiday's King!" Oogie shouted whirling around and knocking Lisa backward with a burst of Christmas Magic. She regained her balance quickly raising the lead pipe and striking the sack like creature hard. Oogie stumbled backward but recovered quickly. "A tough guy huh?" Oogie asked darkly. "Try this." Oogie turned his back on Jack briefly as the Pumpkin King untied the last of the leaders. Cupid stretched his wings as he was released muttering something that sounded like: 'What took you so long.' Jack looked back at Oogie who appeared to be doing nothing but Lisa suddenly grabbed the sides of her head letting out a loud cry of agony.
"MAKE THE BELLS STOP!" she screamed giving everyone who she was yelling at get a sudden and intense migraine.
"Christmas bells are supposed to let children know I'm here even in their sleep." Sandy explained realizing that it was his magic that disoriented the faceless demon who depended on her mind reading powers to get around. Sandy released an enchanted snowball striking Oogie in the back of the head and knocking him over. While he was down George Washington shot him several times with fireworks and the Thanksgiving Day leaders blasted him with fireballs. When the smoke cleared Oogie was inside an egg which had shielded him from everything. The egg cracked and he climbed out unharmed. Cupid flew down toward Oogie beating his angelic wings furiously trying to blow him over careful not to get hit by Lisa who in her disoriented state was swinging the heavy lead pipe at random. George and the two Thanksgiving leaders posed the biggest threat at the moment with their fire power. Oogie smirked remembering what other powers he had.
"Try a little bad luck why don't you!?" he called blasting strange green colored energy but striking above their heads and missing them entirely.
"Missed!" laughed the lead pilgrim as they walked forward.
"Wasn't aiming for ya." Oogie replied smugly as part of the ceiling he had hit collapsed trapping the three leaders beneath the heavy rubble.
