#fearfordinner

‘A god has no fear.’ The words echoed around Nora’s mind. That was her line. She was fear. Was it another bugbear? Her tongue worked absently at the ring in her lip. She hoped it was another bugbear. Fear herself lounged on the headstones of one Johnny B. Bald. Somewhere to her left a trip of ghosts were having a pointed discussion on respecting headstones. Something something… Not seats… Honor those long gone… Youths these days.. Nora’s gaze shifted over to them once making direct eye contact with them before proceeding to completely ignore their conversation. A shrill scream cut through the night causing the ghosts to take a break from their yapping and look around. Nora’s fingers fumbled into her pocket to grab her screaming cell phone and turn off the alarm. Midnight. Her prey should be here soon. It was time to start crafting her illusion. 

It started with a rattle of breath. Lungs heaving to get air in and out of a closed throat. A voice moaning with each exhale as if the act was the hardest labor imaginable. The body started to paint itself into life next. The humanoid shape was covered in thick, short black hair. Under its two normal humanoid arms sprouted six more down its toroso. They were thin and segmented, and each tip resulted in one giant claw instead of a hand.  Red eyes opened in abnormal places around the body. Except for its head. Empty sockets sat above the open fanged gash of its mouth. A mouth that opened revealing more rows of dangerously sharp fangs. It would do, Nora decided. She replaced her phone in her pocket and pulled out a vial of supposedly fake blood. Nora dosed herself liberally in the liquid. Then she made a nice little puddle under an angelic monument. The angel stood amongst the graves, hands spread open with a serene look of peace on her features. Nora sprinkled some blood on the monument before draping herself on the angel’s arms and playing dead.

Hekakleidi strode through the graveyard, keeping their eyes peeled for the person they’d come to challenge. The human had insulted them, questioning if gods truly didn’t have fear. The demon was here to show them the meaning of fear; her Saint’s eyes would see to that. Virgil was looking worse for wear, the long weeks of housing her enormous presence taking its toll. He was barely a dark cloud of person-shaped shadow. There were rings of golden-white char around both eye sockets and the points where her hands extended from his head. The various wounds he’d gotten since becoming a Saint had never really healed; the prayer marks carved into his eyelids and palms, the stab from Milo, and the other few cracks and scrapes, had only gotten worse, and the demon’s eye-covered form was very visible underneath. Caustic magic dripped from his faint outline, sizzling as it dripped onto the ground. 

Hekakleidi did hope that Virgil would last. They liked his body, and not just because it’d been a gift from Myrrha. He’d always been the puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit, ruined by the brutality of his mother, and seemingly without purpose in the demon’s plans. Myrrha had wanted to make him a sacrifice. But Hekakleidi had enjoyed being in him; he’d been chock full of fear from his trip to White Crest, and made for a very nice meal. She liked his dimples, and the eyes which could turn non-fae insane. Something in her also enjoyed showing Myrrha that everyone had a place with her, even the child she loathed so much. 

Her bone-like, peripheral antlers loomed out of the Saint’s head, bright white, nearly as tall as Virgil himself. Their walk was more of a shuffle because of Virgil’s current state. Hekakleidi was powerful, and Virgil was worn down. The graveyard darkened naturally in response to Virgil, though no shadows dared to touch him now. 

The demon peered through the eyes at the base of the antlers, searching for any signs of life in the graveyard. What it saw was… difficult to comprehend. It seemed to be some kind of spider monster, covered in red eyes, with hooked claws for hands. The angles of its legs were all wrong, twitching, looking ready to coil up and spring at the drop of a hat. All in all very strange. The demon wondered how it’d typed the message earlier if it didn’t have fingers. 

Despite themselves, Hekakleidi felt a bones-deep fear creeping over them. It didn’t make much sense; their true form was more hideous than this loathsome spider. But, as if compelled, terror was welling up within them. Even Virgil had awoken from his deep slumber, watching with blank panic as the monster glared at them. 

“You are frightening my Saint,” said the demon, though the booming rasp which meandered from masculine to femanine was quivering. Their magic plucked up loose gravel and stones, swirling around their body, ready to strike at the slightest movement. They pointed a hand at the creature, challenging it. “Come and meet your destruction. I will feast on your blood.” 

One of Nora’s eyes popped open, rolling around to look at the figure standing near her. Antlers? Bitchin’. Nora always wished she’d had antler. Bear ears just weren't frightening. People on the internet were always sharing memes about their ears being friend shaped. Antlers were decidedly not friend shaped. Plus they were made out of bones? Fuck yeah dude. That was metal. As she laid in the statues arm’s playing dead Nora considered the effort it would take to keep an illusiary pair of antlers attached to her head at all times. Too much effort, she decided. Shame. Besides who was this Saint? Nora only saw one being there. Did this ‘god’ talk about themselves in the third person? Either way the sweet rich otherworldly taste of their fear was hers for the taking. A nice snack. A proof of a lie. This ‘god’ was probably friends with Leah. 

The spider creature flashed in and out of existence like an old TV losing picture to static. With a silent pop it disappeared from where it had been to reveal itself behind ‘Saint’. “Hun-gry” The creature wrasped in its strangled voice. It jerked forward, mouth opening wider then anatomically possible. As the mouth got wider and wider it became easier to see the horde of baby spiders crawling around inside. They also had their little mouths open reasy for their own feast. Not that the illusion would draw any blood. 

Light was sucked out of the graveyard in response to Virgil’s terror, darkness lengthening and deepening, swirling around him like a loyal pet trying to bring comfort. None touched him, not with the demon there, but they kept near. His shadowy form shuddered and tried to dissolve away, showing even more of Hekakleidi’s metallic golden skin and uncountable eyes beneath. He wasn’t truly awake, but the horror was causing subconscious reactions. Hekakleidi breathed a sigh of annoyance, diverting control to keeping the body from turning into a nebulous blob. They opened Virgil’s eyes and took off his sunglasses, burning bright light becoming the sole source of illumination. The monsters did not so much as flinch from the beam, the madness not taking hold. 

The demon tensed as the monster flipped around behind, turning to face it again, letting the burning white of their eyes flash through the yard. They reached out with their senses, trying to find a center of pain within the thing, and the creatures it’d spawned, but there was nothing there to manipulate. The only living fear was located off to the side, among the statues. 

Some foul fleshbag had tricked them. Anger clouded the fear as Hekakleidi turned towards the true creature. Their magic reached out, plucking them up from their spot and dragging them over the graves and statues until they were close enough to reach out and touch. The maddening gaze of their saint remained fixed on their face, illuminating their face in white. Their antlers twitched, the fingers forming into fists. 

“Your illusions are weak and pitiful. Gods do not appreciate being tricked.” They snarled, clutching the throat with Virgil’s claws. “I should kill you for your crimes. But if you beg, perhaps I will spare you.” 

The fear tasted like something new. Something Nora had never had the privilege of eating. It tasted like a mix. A mix of something Nora had never come in contact with that she could only describe as effervescent mixed with ethereal. It was ungodly delicious. She could sit here eating that fear all day if the stranger had let her. Instead Nora found herself being dragged from her spot on the statue and towards those burning bright eyes. Those burning bright beautiful eyes. Nora let out a little giggle as she saw them. “My grandma, what bright light houses you have.” The giggle didn’t leave her voice with that statement. Nora’s hands reached out towards the face as she stumbled to regain all her balance. “I would not believe my eyes…if ten thousand fireflies were your eyes…” Nora murmured her fingers itching to touch the brightness. 

“But!” Nora let out a very large bubble of laughter now. “Gods do feel fear. You were practically ready to shit your pants. I could smell it.” She’d let her illusion drop as she was dragged across the graveyard. Now the spider creature appeared to envelope Nora in its many legs. “Boo!” She fell on her butt from laughing so hard. “I’m the god of fear after all.” It didn’t occur to Nora that she wasn’t acting herself. In fact, she’d never laughed this hard her whole life. Her voice and mannerisms had always leaned towards the monotone inexpressive but now her hands were gesticulating and emotion wrapped around her words giving them warm hugs before sending them out into the world to exist. “If you kill me, how will we be friends?” Nora stumbled back up to her feet looking earnestly into those bright beautiful eyes. Nora reached out to grab the hand of her newest friends. “Two gods sitting in a graveyard no feet apart cause they are gay!” 

Every impudent word the creature spoke made Hekleidi angrier. They couldn’t lie and say that they had no fear, since they’d obviously been tricked into it. But when she claimed to be a god of fear, something in the demon snapped. 

“You are neither a god nor my equal. You are an ugly liar.” They shook the body once. “Look into the eyes of my Saint. You will find madness there, my false god of fear. Let me see how you handle this gift.” 

As their hands and words created a distraction, Hekakleidi struck, letting her antlers curl with a crackling of bones to press to Nora’s temples. Her fingers pressed in and in until they passed through the flesh and inside the skull, feeling around for the center of pain. It was buried somewhat deep, but it’s size more than made up for it. The demon drained away the pain, pushing their corrupted magic into the space left behind there. Reverence would be the only thing Nora felt now. They drew back, searching in her eyes for that expression of wonder. “I have set you free, my Nora. Do you not feel better now? Do you wish to worship? I have made you beautiful.” 

Their voice had taken on a hungry, raspy tone as they fought back the urge to eat Nora whole. Instead, they used their magic to pull the blood from their neck, sending it to be absorbed by the antlers. To their dismay, it was fake. They’d have to find different blood to feast on. Nora was proving to be too entertaining to kill. “I am Hekakleidi. I have taken your pain. I am a merciful god. It is your place to worship me.” 

“Liar?” The word stung Nora. Sure, she’d been called ugly many times before but a liar she was not. Wasn’t she the pillar of truth in a community ran by the liebrary? Wasn’t it her that stood up for truth at all times? She looked up into the eyes, as if she’d find the truth there. “I’m no liar.” She stated. “I tell the truth in all things. In everything.” Her hands reached forward to frame the face of the eyes she was looking into. There was something in those depths that she couldn’t name. “How are you a saint and a god?” She asked. 

None of that mattered within a second. Within a second she went from intense pain to irresistible adoration. “I..” Nora blinked before a smile stretched across her features. “I do feel better. You’re so generous.” Her hands stroked her temple as she came to terms with everything. The world was different then it once had been. It was no longer her fighting the current of the world to stay adrift. Because now Hekakleidi was there. A bright beckon to follow. “I do wish to worship you.” Nora threw herself to her knees as she’d seen countless times on tv. A bubble of pure joyus laughter coursing through her. She’d never been this happy before. Despite the late night at the graveyard, the world had never been so bright before. 

She was trying not to do this as much. It was easy to justify stealing — it always had been, especially when the houses she was stealing from were this big, or when they people she was stealing from were as well-dressed as some of the ones who hung out downtown — but Cass always felt pretty shitty after, when the money was spent and she was laying in her bed trying to fall asleep at night. So she was trying not to do this as much, but it was hard to resist, sometimes. It was like there was a magnet pulling her in, drawing her towards shiny things that might weigh down her pockets just a little more than she needed. And this mansion? It looked like the type that was probably full of all kinds of shiny things.

Getting in wasn’t particularly hard. It was almost as if whoever lived there didn’t care whether the place was protected or not, and maybe that should have been her first sign that this wasn’t the best house to hit. White Crest was the kind of town where, instead of alarm systems, people had… other kinds of precautions.

Like, for example, the thing staring her down from across the hall.

It wasn’t a dog. It was dog-like, but it wasn’t a dog. Cass’s heart was in her throat at the sight of it, and she found herself frozen where she stood as it looked at her and she looked at it. It was like a standoff, only interrupted by approaching footsteps. For the first time, Cass was a little relieved that someone was definitely going to catch her; a person would be preferable to deal with than whatever this thing was. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing,” she blurted, not yet looking at the presumed homeowner as they approached. “I took a wrong turn and wound up in your living room. Classic party foul. Do you mind calling off your… dog?” Far from her best lie, but she was kind of freaking out a little here.

Nora had been enjoying her time home in her mansion by painting in the nude. The truth was all occupants of the haunted mansion knew that it was fifty fifty if Nora would decide to get dressed on a given day. Everything had been peaceful. Munch was working on his art, Nora on hers and Babadook was snoozing in his bed. Until he wasn’t. Nora recognized the sign of alertness that crossed over him as he ran from the room and let out a mournful howl. Nora watched the yeth hound but decide to finish what she was doing before following. “Are you coming?” Nora had asked the haunted paint brush, but Munch had declared he was much too busy with his latest masterpiece to deal with whatever this was about. 

Now where oh where could that dog have gotten off to. Nora stopped in the kitchen to get a hunk of ham to eat as she looked around. It didn’t take long for Nora to find the newcomer. “Who invited you?” Nora asked in her bored monotone between bites of ham. The ghosts normally only invited other spectators over. Nora walked over and poked the person in the face. Yeah. She didn’t seem like a ghost. Babadook continued letting out its mournful howl. For him this was a tasty treat. Someone scared of him. A victim for his little games. 

Cass turned her head towards the woman when she spoke, faltering when she realized she was very naked. Flushing, she turned her head away and brought her hand up to form a wall between her eyes and the naked woman. “Sorry! I’m sorry, I didn’t — Oh my god.” This was, without a doubt, the worst break-in she’d ever had. Normally, it would be easy to fall back on her silver tongue and talk her way out of the situation, be it through use of her powers or simply through her skills as a con artist. But between the howling creature and the woman’s unclothed state, Cass was too overwhelmed to even attempt it. 

The woman came closer, poking Cass in the cheek, and she made a face. “Uh, my friend lives… near here, but I’d never been to his place before. I thought this was his house, and he told me to come right in when I got there, so I just… came right in to the wrong house.” It wasn’t a particularly strong lie, but it was hard to think of a better one. “Can you please make that thing stop howling? It’s really starting to freak me out.”

“I wasn’t aware that someone lived near here.” Nora made no attempt to cover herself as she considered the layout of her little hill. There was her large estate, the graveyard, some roads. The nearest house was a twenty minute walk in good weather. She also didn’t know her neighbor’s names. Maybe she should bring them meat baskets some time. That was considered neighborly right? “Who’s your friend?” Nora continued asking as if this was a normal conversation. She waved a hand at Babadook who stopped howling. “He just wants to be your friend.” Nora explained, motioning her companion closer. “He’s very friendly. His name is Babadook.” Babadook padded forward. His big eyes looked mischievously up at the intruder. Babadook even smiled, revealing his gleaming sharp teeth. “I think he likes you.” Nora added, patting him on the head. 

“It’s possible that I took a really wrong turn,” Cass replied, still avoiding looking at the stranger. Breaking and entering was one thing, but looking at someone who’d thought they were naked in the privacy of their own home was a kind of invasion of privacy that Cass wouldn’t commit. Even if the woman did seem pretty unbothered by the whole thing. Taking a gamble and going for a common name, she said, “James. He, um… He’s actually the guy I went to for my fake ID, so I don’t think he’d want me giving out his last name. You know, privacy and all.” The implication she was hoping to sell was that she was younger than she was; it was something that tended to garner sympathy with people. An adult breaking into your home was a felony that you called the police for. A kid doing it was a bit of childish mischief you responded to with a scowl and a warning not to do it again. “Babadook,” she repeated, glancing down at the creature and making a face at its sharp teeth. “What, um… What kind of dog is Babadook?” 

Nora’s ham juice covered hand reached out laying open in front of the girl. “Hand over the fake. I want to see if its any good.” Nora wasn’t a stranger to fake IDs but if this James was any good she might go to him for some other forgery type items. Forging was its own type of art that Nora could respect. Nora looked down at Babadook as he started circling their guest. “He’s a mutt.” Was all she answered. Kaden had said something about Yeth Hound but when she’d tried to google it not alot came up. Mutt seemed easier. Babadook’s tentacles danced happily. “Oh. Did you want something to drink? Or eat?” She offered the chunk of half eaten ham in her hand. “I’m forgetting my manners.”

Shrugging, Cass reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, producing her license. It was a fake ID, after all — even if the name on it was the one she used in place of her actual legal name. If the woman asked for the fictitious James’s information, Cass could easily claim that she couldn’t hand it out to just anyone and get her information to give to ‘James’ instead. It was an easy enough lie to sell. “A mutt,” she repeated, glancing to the creature again. “Right.” A mutt with tentacles. Just White Crest things, apparently. Looking down at the ham, she tried not to make a face. “Uh, I’m good, thanks. I should probably get going soon, actually. You know, wouldn’t want James to worry.” The longer she was in here, the harder it would be to keep up the lie. And the lie was pretty important when there was a dog-like creature she was pretty sure wanted to eat her in the mix.

“This is a good fake.” Nora declared. “Can I keep it?” Nora started walking away down the hall towards the kitchen, ID still firmly in hand. “Cassidy.” Nora read off the ID. She paused in her march down the hall, turning around and offering out the hand with ham in it. “I’m Nora, its a pleasure to meet you.” At which point it became obvious she had thrust her hand out for an introductory hand shake, not to feed the ham. “Can I meet James? Seems cool.” Plus she never knew when she’d need a fake ID. Babadook stayed next to their guest, still staring up at her and making it clear that he was going to stay near her for the foreseeable future. 

“No,” Cass replied, “I kind of need it.” She could get another one easily enough, but it was a hassle she didn’t really need right now, so she followed the woman towards the kitchen. “Cass,” she replied. “I prefer Cass.” Carefully, she took Nora’s hand and gave it a shake. “You, too.” The question was one she’d been suspecting, so she shrugged. “I can give him your info, but he’d kill me if I gave you his. He doesn’t like people just handing out his contact stuff, you know.” Reaching out, she plucked the ID from Nora’s hand with deft fingers, sliding it back into her wallet and glancing down at Babadook. “Hey, do you always walk around naked? I mean, it’s your house and you can do what you want, but I kind of feel bad being here.”

Cass took the ID back. A disappointment. “Sure, you know where I live. Give him my address.” Nora looked down at herself as if just realizing she was naked. “Don’t you? How else are people supposed to see my art?” Nora motioned at the mirad of tattoos and piercings that adorned her flesh. In truth, she just didn’t care about wearing clothes. She’d walk around town as naked as the day she was born but some people just didn’t shut up about that kind of thing. “You shouldn’t feel bad. It’s just a body. Everyone… Most people have them.” Nora pushed open the door to the kitchen and pulled down two glasses. After looking at Cass for a moment she decided Cass looked like an apple juice person and poured her a glass before sliding it over the island at her. “Sucks you just got lost. Breaking and entering is a lot cooler. You could have stolen something.”

“Okay,” Cass agreed, though there was, of course, no ‘James’ to pass the information along to. If she ever came across Nora again and the woman asked about it, it would be easy enough to say that James wasn’t interested, or that his business had shut down, or that he’d been arrested. Lies were easy to tell, and easier still when you had time to prepare them. “I usually wear clothes,” she replied, “but I guess I don’t have much art to show off.” She had piercings in her ears and septum, but those were visible without requiring her to get naked. “It just… feels like an intrusion or something, you know?” She leaned against the table as Nora pulled out the glasses, taking the one Nora slid towards her and taking an experimental sip. Apple juice. Nice. “Ha,” she said, a little nervously. “Well, that’d be illegal. And I don’t see a ton of stuff I’d want to steal, anyway.”

“That sucks for you. Art is cool.” Nora poured herself a glass of Jack Daniels and took a sip. She was an adult she got to drink adult drinks. Nora forgot some people were adverse to doing illegal things because it was illegal. What were the police in White Crest going to do? She’d never seen them manage a simple arrest. “That’s a bit rude.” Nora mumbled into her drink. “My art is famous in some places.” Going into her home and saying that she had nothing worth stealing. Okay so the place was a little barren, covered in cob webs and old. Cass had obviously just not been to the right places. Noting Nora’s distress, Babadook let out a mournful howl, scooching closer to Cass. “I break and enter all the time and never tell people they don’t have things worth stealing.” She also never stole. Unless food counted. Nora mostly liked to go in to take a look. Maybe meet a few people. 

“It is cool,” Cass agreed, because she had always admired tattoos and the like. And Nora’s were cool. Subtly, she glanced around the apartment at the mention of famous art, trying to see if she could find any of the pieces. “Well, maybe you just don’t have it displayed out here,” she said thoughtfully. “What would you say is the most famous art piece you have? The one worth the most money? I bet that’d be worth stealing.” It was a little weird trying to make up for upsetting someone by telling them you’d steal from them, but this whole situation had been weird from the start. And it was really only getting weirder. “You break and enter all the time? Really?”

"Everything here painted by me is famous. I'm a famous painter." Nora deadpanned the statement, her blank face revealing nothing to Cass. Of course Nora knew she wasn't a famous painter except the cult following of her more horrific series, but that didn't mean this girl knew that. Nora strode out of the kitchen, beckoning Cass to follow as she led her towards the ball room. She currently had her first White Crest bear series set up in it. The hallway there had her Ham series on display. As they walked Nora expanded on her breaking and entering. "Everyone should break and enter. Its fun. Its how I make most of my friends." Upon entry to the ballroom Nora waved a hand towards the art. "In the sitting room I have my monster series." Nora told her once they got to the ballroom. It wasn't to be confused with her White Crest series which did have monsters but those monsters were her friends. The other series they were made up from her imagination. 

“Really? How much do your paintings sell for?” Cass hadn’t heard of her, but she was hardly well-versed in famous painters. All her knowledge about art came from Metzli and their gallery, and beyond that, she only knew of famous historical painters. Famous historical dead painters, usually. “So, uh… If somebody broke into your house, you wouldn’t be mad about it?” She followed Nora through the ballroom, looking at the paintings that hung. She might not know about art, but she recognized the skill involved. “You’re good,” she offered, allowing her voice to reflect how impressed she was. It was probably the least she could do, considering the fact that she’d broken in. “Where do you get your… inspiration?” 

The truth of the matter was Nora hardly sold her art. Not because people weren’t interested but because she really only felt like giving it to people who she felt deserved it. Such elitism was classic for the one percent that Nora grew up in and she saw nothing odd about it. “Thirty thousand  each starting price.” Nora declared, assuming that would be a pocket change amount for anyone inquiring. “No. I’d be interested in having a new friend.” It was a bold statement considering Nora was still trying to make friends with the person currently breaking and entering in her house. While in the nude. “I get my inspiration from my need to scare people. And friends.” Nora nodded. “Oh, speaking of friends, Jeremy is probably waiting for you.”

“Thirty thousand?” It sounded like an awful lot, though Cass knew there were paintings that went for far more. For a local artist, though, and one she’d never heard of… It seemed steep. Steep enough that she was pretty sure Nora was lying, but she wouldn’t call the other woman out. Not when she was still trying to get away with breaking and entering. “That’s a weird way to make friends,” Cass decided, but she didn’t push the issue. After all, it had worked out well enough for her, even if she wasn’t entirely sure Nora knew she’d broken in. At the next statement, she furrowed her brow. “Your… need to scare people?” She thought of Marley, looking at Nora a little more carefully. No red eyes. Maybe it was a figure of speech, then. Blinking at the mention of a Jeremy, Cass nodded. “James,” she corrected smoothly. Even in her flustered state, she was a good enough con artist to remember the name of the ‘friend’ she’d been going to meet when she ‘accidentally’ wound up in Nora’s living room. “And you’re right, he probably is wondering where I’m at. Um… Thanks for the apple juice. And for showing me your art. It really is cool.”

It was rude to get lost in someone’s house, tell them they had nothing worth stealing, and then criticize the way they made friends. Nora examined Cass for a long moment, her expressionless features giving away nothing. “Do you often tell people their choices are weird?” Nora inquired, conjuring an illusion that made her eyes into snake slits and a forked tongue hiss out of her mouth. “Or am I getting special treatment?” After the question dropped Nora turned away and motioned Cass to follow her as she escorted her towards the door. “Babadook will see you off the property. Feel free to get lost here anytime you wish.” Nora made a single to Babadook who ran out the door and stood waiting for Cass in the front yard. 

“Only when their choices are weird,” Cass shot back easily, flashing a bright grin. She followed Nora back to the front of the house, to the door whose lock she’d picked to break in. It was lucky she’d closed it behind her; otherwise, things would look pretty suspicious and, despite Nora’s claims, Cass wasn’t really eager to confirm that she’d broken in. Casting Babadook a dubious look, Cass nodded hesitantly. She still wasn’t really sure about the ‘dog,’ but it hadn’t attacked her yet and she saw no signs of aggression in it now. Pausing for a moment, she held her phone out towards Nora. “Put your number in my phone,” she requested. “We can be friends, too. If you want.” 

Jared wasn’t completely comfortable to be away from the farm that day, but he’d given his word, and he wasn’t going to go back on it. Surely everything would be fine for an hour or two while he did this. So there he stood, in a t-shirt that implored passing customers to support the performers behind him. He was holding flyers and smiling as wide as he could whilst flagging down passers-by to take them. A mime he’d started to consider a friend had mimed that he should come and help them out that day, the mime in question part of an air-band as a side hustle for working at Yours, mime, and ours (where Jared was a frequent customer). “Don’t forget to support your local mime performers! They’re good at what they do and they have mouths to feed at home whilst working on their passions!”

A music box was an odd reward Nora decided twisting the box around in her hands. The eyeball, a necklace that she’d taken to wearing frequently, was a much more satisfactory prize. Nora was about to flip open the prize she’d come to winterfest to claim when her eye was caught by the mime band. Oh great! They were performing. Music box forgotten and shoved into her pocket, Nora trudged through the crowd to admire the artists at work. There were no hard feelings on her part that her last encounter with a mime had left her rainbow colored for a week. There were hard feelings to deal with on her part with the idea that her favorite mime had died right in front of her. Ideas that she refused to acknowledge. A shout about helping mimes made her ears perk up. Nora snatched a flyer from a giant, glancing over it. “I want to help.” She announced. “The mimes are great.” 

Most people passing Jared by were trying their very best to ignore him, he watched many fliers find their way into the trash. It was a little disheartening but overall expected, you didn’t have shirts like the one he was wearing unless there was some serious stigma going on. His head tilted down and a more genuine smile bloomed on his face as someone actively approached to take a flier. “They are! One of my friends is in the band, they’re honestly great at what they do and everything helps, people in town aren’t so forgiving for being different…” he trailed off before he could add just how strange he found that considering the variety of species that you could find in all corners. Jared blinked away the thought and returned to focus on the person showing interest. “So-” He was cut off by an obnoxious laugh off to the left towards the gingerbread house. He couldn’t quite hear what was said but the way the group of people mock mimed along with the band rubbed him the wrong way. His face soured. 

Friends? With a mime? Was that legal? Wouldn’t that be like being friends with mythical legends who are way cooler than you? Like the real babadook or maybe the boogyman? Even goatman. They were all famous figures Nora admired but wouldn’t know how to befriend if they were before her. It was a sudden moment of awe as her blank gaze passed between the giant and the band. If she helped could she be friends too? Nora dug in her pocket and pulled out her beaten up old wallet. She was ready to pay a large sum of money before laughter met her ears and she could see a group of adults, probably in their late to mid thirties, making fun of the mimes. A different way to help crossed her mind as she watched them enter the gingerbread house. “What if we scared them?” Nora asked, her monotone making it sound like a serious and reasonable suggestion. “Make a point that people can’t keep mocking mimes because they are quiet.” 

He’d forgotten what he’d planned on saying next to the other when she piped up with an idea. Jared looked after the group as they laughed and joked at the expense of his mime friends before heading into the gingerbread house. He nodded slowly before deciding it was a perfect idea, no amount of money fixed hurt feelings, but a little bit of revenge might. “Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea. People are always doing stuff like that.” Jared frowned and tucked the fliers into his back pocket, ready to so what it took to have those meanies regret their choices. “Let’s do it.” he said only pausing a split second before moving towards the gingerbread house (that had already closed its door on the group, trapping them) to ask “What’s your name anyway? Since you’re leading the charge, what’s the name of the commander? I’m Jared.” he offered preemptively.

Commander? Nora liked being called a commander. She could see it now, a field of dead bodies around her as she stood tall, proud on a rock, wearing a military jacket. There’d be some life in the people somewhere, and they would be full of fear. Life changing fear. The kind of fear that made for a meal instead of just a snack. She’d paint that picture later. “Nora.” Nora answered, her affect betraying nothing of the mental spiral she’d just followed. “Are you good at scaring people?” Nora hadn’t noticed the door close behind the other group. She pushed through the crowd and to the door, pushing it open and holding it for the giant - er - Jared. She wondered if he’d hit his head on the door frame. This Jared, friend of mime, was about to see things. She hoped he’d enjoy them as a fellow lover of mimes. 

“I’m not sure, Usually it’s by accident, but I could try and make something work.” He wondered briefly if he could get away with using his glamour to help spook the group, without his partner in crime noticing. It would be far easier to do some scarring in the name of the mimes if he could make himself look like he had stripes like some sort of angry chameleon. Jared ducked in the door that was held open for him, and it pulled shut behind him. The inside was dark, the windows were as they tended to be on small gingerbread house kits that you could buy at the store, the windows were painted on in icing rather than cut out. It was pitch black aside from the gaps around the edges where the icing hadn’t fully sealed the walls in place. The group were in the next room of the house whispering now that it was dark as humans tended to do, as if the dark was suppressing any noise. Using the quiet he mimicked one of his kids' cries as loud as he could just to start them off. The angry call of a bies sounded from his lungs abruptly and clearly for a singular second before cutting off to return to silence again.

The noise that came out of the giant’s mouth was absolutely brilliant. Loud. Jarring. Inhuman. No animal Nora could recognize. She gave one slight nod of approval. Maybe this stork, now nicknamed for being a giant bird and not just a giant, accidentally scared people more often than naught. Reaching inside herself, Nora lit the string of her magic. Her fingertip traced across the gingerbread walls as she walked. Icing started to coat her finger but she ignored it. Instead she concentrated on making the screeching noise of steel on steel. She’d seen it cause the hairs on people’s neck to rise. She hoped her cover of dragging her finger would be enough to fool new friend Jared. She’d claim it was a party trick or something. Damn, she really hated frosting. 

Jared extended his glamour past his usual skin cover to also alter his clothes just that little bit, the mime shirt was a little too telling after all. Instead he added stripes subtly in the darkness, only really put in place for his own peace of mind rather than for any impact. He hoped it was too dark for anyone to notice, so that he didn’t have to explain to Nora either. The noise she was making sent a chill up his spine as well for a half a second before he settled into it, it was easier knowing where it was coming from...sort of. He had no idea how she was doing it, but he was certain it was Nora doing it at the very least, no other way a gingerbread house could make that noise. The group were muttering to each other, clearly unsettled as they headed into the next room trying to find the backdoor to escape. Jared spotted a runner rug down the hallway, so he stooped to tug on it and send the last straggling person flying into the rest, holding back a snicker as they toppled like bowling pins.

Was the stork looking a little stripy or was it the shadows of the gingerbread house? It wasn’t very well lit. Probably because it was made out of ginger and not wood. Nora found herself wishing she bore the strips of those they came to protect. An illusion manifested itself across small patches of her clothes; black and white alliance patches. The group they’d followed in were becoming less of a snack and more of a meal. Nora took a deep inhalation in, enjoying the rewards of Jared’s carpet tug. They piled to the ground obviously scared of what was going to happen. “Where’s the exit?” One shouted. “I-I don’t know, I don’t see any. How can this place be this big?” Panic made their voice high pitched and frantic as they shouted over Nora’s noise. She let the noise fall, leaving them and their prey in a sudden silence. “Boo.” Her monotone was briefly followed by an illusion monster appearing behind them. Black and white stripes mime meets masked monster with a giant maw and sharp rows of teeth. It gurgled towards the fallen group. Slowly. Leaving a trail of stripes behind it as it went.

Jared was unaware that it was Nora that had created the mime monster, he himself had seen the mimes do some incredible stuff so he wasn’t put off at all. It was a mask of only a slight surprise, thinking that they might have stopped performing to aid in this situation for themselves. This is why when a striped goo seemed to seep in the cracks of the gingerbread house (to form into another more ‘traditional’ looking mime on the ceiling) he didn’t even flinch. This mime turned it’s head like it was an owl to look down at the monster curiously for a split second before scuttling down the wall towards the now scrambling pile of humans. Jared flattened himself against the wall of the gingerbread house and increased his glamor in the moment to look more like the mime that had appeared on the ceiling, although not able to move his head like it had. He didn’t have quite the same energy, but he tried his best. The group screamed and swore and scrambled past Nora and Jared being chased by both Nora's creation as well as the mime who had come to see what was happening, only to be delighted with its findings.

This scene was beautiful. Perfect. Picturesque. The gaggle of bullies trying to run away. The mime manifesting. The illusion chasing, gurgling, gnashing its giant teeth. Nora was almost satisfied with the scene and the meal but it was missing something. A soundtrack maybe? Oh. She had the music box. Maybe that would add some ambiance to the whole shindig. It took a minute to windup the old box. It popped open displaying a couple wrapped in each other's arms dancing an eternal waltz. The music began, gentle, haunting, almost mournfully and her eyes fixated on the waltzing couple. She was met with an absolute need to waltz. Carefully she placed down the music box and held her hand out to Jared’s, the silent question to dance. A question that only had one answer as everyone around them started waltzing together. The gaggle were screaming in terror now, practically drowning out the beautiful music. “Why are we dancing?” Why can’t we stop dancing?” “Why am I dancing with a mime?” 

The screaming had drowned out the ticking of the small music box winding up, so when the tune started Jared almost didn’t notice his body was moving towards music. Taking Nora’s hand they began to dance through no action of free will. The screaming did not die down, it seems the music was taking their movement alone, their voices would remain their own. Spinning around the room he was sort of delighted to have noticed that one of the group of humans had paired with a mime, who had turned its head all the way around again to watch the scene unfold in full rather than focus on it’s partner. “What kind of music box is that?” Jared asked Nora, his voice only faltering when her platform boots came down on his toes, yelling over the screams and panic of the humans with as wide a smile on his face as he could muster. Acting as is if the extra noise was only part of the song. He suspected magic, but he didn’t want to outright ask. 

“I do-” Nora had never been good at dancing, and despite the dance being magically pre-choreographed for them, that didn’t go away. “Oh sorry.” She mumbled. “I don’t know anything about the box.” Nora nodded at the mime as they twirled past the beautiful friend. “It was the reward I got for getting second place.” First place shouldn’t have won. Her art was masterful. Oh well. Beggars couldn’t be winners. But apparently second place could be dancers. “I wonder how long it lasts.”