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| - Phoenix shrugs, "An' I've told mine..so, guess that's it for the night?" She sips at her whiskey before adding, "Unless the stupid dragon comes back, anyways." Whitefur nods in agreement, finishing off his tea and then goes about cleaning his whiskers. "I guess so." Raeft laughs, leaning back and steepling his fingers. "And what, pray tell, am I, in all of this? Though it may be late and it can wait..." A sparkle burns from the Incubus' eye as he rocks in a chair which, inexplicably, is not a rocking chair. (His tail on the ground, pushing forward and back, seems to aid the smooth motion.) [OOC] Whitefur says, "oh, he's an incubus now, is he? :)" [OOC] Raeft says, "Only by self-proclamation." [OOC] Phoenix says, "He always was." [OOC] Raeft says, "By nothing else, Whitey." [OOC] Raeft says, "I would defend it by saying: "Everyone needs their hobby."" [OOC] Raeft says, "And also: "The best way to lay claim to titles, like aristocracy, is to assert them with absolute certainty, loudly and often, and kill those who disagree."" Phoenix tilts her chair back, offering some of the popcorn to Raeft, "Didn't know if you wanted t' tell a story. But I'm more than willing t' listen, if you wanna tell." Whitefur gives a little chuckle. "I'm up for more listening." Raeft reaches out and takes a handful of popcorn, popping a few pieces into his mouth. "No, I don't really. But I felt like a useless lump and was getting lonely keeping quiet. But I think I can come up with something, given a minute... hmm." Scratching one fingernail on the wooden tabletop, Raeft takes a deep breath and seems to consider for a moment before beginning: "It's become cliche' now, but surely anyone would know that there is nothing there in the light that is not also there in the dark... I've been amazed more people aren't frightened by that. And my story runs thus, simple and short though it may be... "In a dark space, awoke five people whom we shall call Deep, High, Scratchy, Affeminate and Cheerful. These aspects sitting snugly with the discourse which will follow..." Clapping his hands and glancing at Ix, Raeft says: "But first, servant girl. Beverage?" A wry grin, and the demon prepares to continue his tale. [OOC] Whitefur says, "Effeminate, y' mean? :)" [OOC] Raeft says, "Thanks." [OOC] Raeft says, "Affeminate people must come from Affemia." [OOC] Phoenix thought that looked wrong.. [OOC] Raeft says, "(And Whitefur would know)" [OOC] Phoenix browquirks. [OOC] Whitefur says, "eh?" [OOC] Raeft suggesting you seem saner than either of us, Whitey. And infrequently tyop. [OOC] Raeft says, "Typo." Phoenix quirks an eyebrow at Raeft and pitches a piece of popcorn at him. The bottle of whiskey, about half-full by this point, is set on the table where Raeft can reach it, though. Whitefur seems content to listen, a brow ridge raising in curiosity. "First to awake in absolute twilight, unable to see anything at all, was Deep. His voice echoed in the dark: "Hello, is anybody there?" Cheerful answered him with: "Oh, absolutely. Yes. How are you? Are your muscles sore? Have you been eating well? There's food." A scraping sound placed some stone object just next to Deep's hand, and he reached inside, feeling something cool and smooth, like moist and slightly squishy berries, which he reasoned they were. When brought to his mouth, for he was starving indeed, they were slightly salty yet oddly sweet. Not stopping until he was full, Deep considered the state of his muscles. Sore. Stiff, difficult to move. His legs were apparently broken and he told Cheerful as much. He also could not remember how he had arrived there. By now, High had awakened, and interrupted any response Cheerful may have given. "Where am I? I can't move my legs, hello?" Acquaintance gradually made, Deep began to search about him for some means of making light, and realized he could feel gaps in the slightly sticky floor all around him. Some wet substance coated it, and he was isolated and not near to High, nor could they stir their legs, even with much effort." Raeft takes a belt of whisky, pausing to gather thought for the next part of the story. Phoenix takes a handful of popcorn, chewing quietly as she listens to the story. She glances at the bottle of whiskey, hmming softly to herself. She murmurs softly, "I think we're gonna need another bottle, soon." Whitefur continues to listen, flagging down the waitress for another tea. Raeft continues with only a bare pause, moving straight into: "Scratchy called out that he too could see nothing, as he awoke. Reasoning took hold in them, as Affeminate finally added his voice and thoughts to their deliberation about escape. Investigation of their bodies revealed that their legs had apparently been encased in hard stone, impossible to remove, and were not broken. They had suspected this, for there was no pain. Skittering noises in the dark near the edges of their hearing made each of them dark and fearful. Cheerful, on the other hand, was always quick to defray them with: "No, don't worry. The stress will only make your muscles sore, and then you will never escape. There is food, I can feel it around me and push it over to you with a long stick. Drink as well." And in this way a long, interminable time passed. Food there was in plenty, somehow, and they wondered and long argued how and in what way it arrived there. Affeminate thought they were in hell. Scratchy thought it heaven, for there was peace and the food was not objectionable, and for once he had company. Cheerful and Deep each reserved judgement, it seemed. High just cried, frequently and at length... until one morning the crying was gone. Stir though they may in fruitless effort to escape, and feeling a cold wind in the cave that led them to suspect High had somehow gotten out and panicked, days (subjectively) passed with no sign of the departed one, and always Cheerful persuaded them to be positive, and Deep kept to himself, and Scratchy asked for seconds at every "meal", and got them, to determine from the scratching. The berries of the first day, Deep found, were not duplicated among the meals. Often it was slightly crunchy meat, or other things which he felt glad he could not see. And thus it continued, with their number at four, and the scittering in the darkness greatly lessened, but their bellies full, and stir-craziness beginning to set in." Raeft belts the rest of the whisky. "Yes, we will..." Whitefur continues to listen, his ears working like little radar dishes, back, forth, back, forth. He does seem to snort a bit at the mention of High. Always with the crying... Phoenix nods, standing and heading over to the bar. She retrieves two more bottles of whiskey, setting a few cred-chips down on the bar before returning to the table. She sets the bottles down, pushing one over to Raeft; the other is opened and she takes a belt from it. "One morning later on the subjective timescale of those present...Effeminate couldn't find his legs. Not to say he couldn't stand up, but the stone was gone and replaced with stubs where his legs had been. And then the screaming, and panic, and the knowledge that the bottoms of the stumps were clotted with the same stone, bound to the floor. Deep tried to calm matters, but little could seemingly be done. Effeminate would touch no food that day, said Cheerful, and he seemed most displeased at this, quite outside his usual nature..." Raeft smiles, relaxing. "Not much longer..." He seems to be considering something, and tents his fingers. Whitefur takes a sip of tea, listening. Phoenix takes another belt of whiskey, supplementing it with a handful of popcorn as she continues to listen. Raeft continues, in one long string: "By the next day, Effeminate was dead. He had apparently bashed his own skull in on the rock, from all they could ascertain of his last words and the banging. His last words were "Webbed! It was webbed!", so, they'd assumed suicidal madness." Raeft takes a belt of whisky, hiccuping as if he actually could get properly drunk, and goes on: "Scratchy faded away, possibly having eaten himself to death, and this left unflappable Cheerful and an increasingly frightened Deep. "What's happening here? This is... my arm is gone, and Effeminate yelled about losing his legs, and... damnit." This was just one of many similar conversations as Cheerful tried to dissuage Deep from following Effeminate. Alone now in the cave, Cheerful always urged games of desparate bid for freedom. Being legless and armless, Deep was not the type to believe them. And suddenly, it got warmer... birds could be heard. And Cheerful, one day, started this conversation: "Ah, it's done then. You're free to go... pity about the darkness.." "What are you talking about?" Asked Deep. "Surely this is some new horror! Some madness sought to destroy us. This IS hell... I'm done..." And, Deep pitched himself off the side of his perch, into one of the holes he had found on the first day. He might have made it if..." And Raeft trails off, smiling and leaning back, taking another belt of whisky. Whitefur raises a brow. "If...?" He doesn't seem content with this cliffhanger. Neither does Phoenix, who glances at Whitefur and adds, "If what?" She takes a belt of whiskey, attention on Raeft. Raeft shrugs. "Do not say I did not try to prevent the knowledge. He might have made it if it weren't a rather narrow hole in a very very wide spider's web. Cheerful swooped down, on that glorious summer day, in the wide hall he had kept lit the whole winter with bright torches, high above so the humans would be comfortable and alive but not note the warmth until summer came. He had not had to eat all of them. Taking tiny pieces while using his paralyzing venom to remove pain, and when he could eat no more of them without killing them, finishing them completely and dropping the bones off of the web within the high tree so their mouldering corpse would not upset or hurt the others. Removing their eyes was necessary to prevent panic, fighting, suicide, and overt discomfort. The little hoarse-voiced one had even seemed happy... the eyeless corpse of Deep hung from its noose of spare, sticky web, and Cheerful sighed. He had kept them well fed, hadn't he? He was not cruel. Besides, he'd needed to do something with the eyes after he removed them, and the chittering squirrels and bluebirds and beetles had bothered them in the night... Poor things. " Raeft laughs quietly, finishing the bottle, eyes sparkling, wings and tail lashing and flapping in some slight mirth. "Sorry I didn't have a better story prepared." Whitefur blinks a few times and then applauds. "Not bad. Not bad at all," he says. The cat gets up, brushing off his tunic. "But with that, I must take my leave. I have pumpkins to make and zombies to kill before I head off to bed for the night. Thanks all, for the storytelling." "...dude, that's fuckin' creepy.." Ix applauds as well, "'S better than mine was." Raeft shrugs. "It's easier when it's happened." And wind blows through... dissolving the demon like ash, as he vanishes into the air and leaves 'Ix all alone... Phoenix sighs, announcing to the thin air, "I can't suck you off if you're not here. You realize that, right?"
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