Mimi's Demons

Chapter 49: Coercion 101

"Ah yeah, this is the good shit."

"Mr. Cromwell," said Omen, tone full of disapproval.

"Crap. I meant crap. Not that you're new toys are crap, just, dang, Mimi. What even is this?"

"Voltron," said Mimi, not used to feeling proud or having something to show off. "Defender of the Universe. Only losers have never heard of Voltron."

"Of course I've heard of it, but I got better things to do than watch cartoons all day, like practice my leet hacking skills."

"That sounds boring."

"Hey, I'm not judging your hobbies, don't judge mine."

"You judge me all the time! Calling my Barbies stupid and stuff."

"That's 'cause I'm obligated, as a man, to say so."

"You're thirteen. That's not a man."

"Shows what you know."

Mimi sniffed and got to work detaching the lions being used for the massive model's arms. She had the sudden thought that posing her lions around her room in various stages of attack seemed pretty cool. Juli watched each folding and twisting of the intricate lion parts with unveiled fascination. No kid could resist something with that many little mechanical parts, let alone a hands-on techy kid like Juli.

"I also got some cool balls," said Mimi, setting her first lion next to the TV. "Want to go to the tennis court?"

"Are you nuts? It's, like, a million degrees outside."

She snorted. "Wuss." And got to work on transforming the other lion/arm.

Juli scowled. "I ain't no wuss, I'd just rather have fun than have an endurance contest."

"No, you're a wuss. Look at those skinny arms."

"Hey! Is this pick on Juli today? I'm growing, alright? I liked you better when your tongue was too swollen to talk right."

"Teasing is how I show affection," said Mimi, clicking the last lion limb back into 'lion' position rather than robot arm. "And critique my minion. Wussy minions aren't any good."

"Well fine, I'll nag dad for some weights or something." Juli couldn't resist any longer and reached out to finger the Voltron robot's head.

"You could just learn martial arts with me."

He stopped mid-fingering the head back into lion jaws. "Eh?"

"Yeah," Mimi got that puff up proud feeling again. "The Boss is going to start me on fighting stuff next week. Going to learn swords and knives and knuckle sandwiches, it's gonna be sick."

"Why do you call him the boss? He ain't your boss."

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Fine, Dad."

Juli got a cat-like little grin as he got the courage to detach the entire black Voltron torso. "Not what I heard. You call him 'Papa.'" He clutched the lion/torso to his side and fluttered his lashes.

Mimi scowled, which she was much better at than anyone else, by the way. "Don't mock me."

"I thought teasing was how you showed affection."

"Yeah, how I show affection. From you it's just in...insubordination."

"Oo, big word for a fifth grader." Juli was already halfway done twisting the torso back into a lion. No fair. It had taken Mimi several tries just to figure out one lion.

"Ugh, that's it, no Voltron for you." She snatched the black lion from his grasp.

"Hey!"

"Respect your master."