#shatteredlittlestar

The locals in this part of town tell tales of a beast lurking deep in the woods. A constantly changing sugary serpent known only as...

The Dragon of Deliciousness.

Frankly, Maria thinks these stories are bunk. Not because she doesn't believe in dragons — she met a woman who rode one — but because she doesn't have a reason to go pick a fight. Who goes out of their way to bug some big animal that probably just wants to be left alone?

What leads her to the outskirts of the Sweet Candy Forest is more curiosity than anything else. Maybe there's truth to those rumors, maybe not. Or maybe there's something else worth seeing in there.

It doesn't take long for her to find somebody else. What looks like a pink ghost is standing by the edge of the woods.

She looks like a spirit, but... she's just a kid.

A chill runs down Maria's spine.

After a moment of staring, she realizes she should say something. She tries to get the kid's attention by yelling, "Hey, kid!"

"You weren't thinking of going in there, right? All by your lonesome?" That's definitely not safe.

The Librarian was unhappy.

His ears pinned back, his back hunched. He gripped the rock candy wand less like a wand and more like a bludgeoning rod. A moving light caught his attention and he growled in its direction.

The light was pink -- his first thought was one of those horrid candy monsters. But, giving the air a whiff, he squinted his eyes.

"If you are sentient, come out from behind the wall before I bludgeon you."

The pile of wooden planks has grown. Whenever this was by their own doing or not, well, who can say? In the end, it matters not how they were obtained. They’re chara’s now.

there’s a pause, a stiffness that overtakes them, when the little hero approaches. Chara goes still, before glancing over.

they’ve got a hammer in one hand, and their thumb in their mouth. Seems they were trying to nail two planks together.

“…….. can I help you.”

Still, he watched the unfamiliar setting go by as the car eventually rolled to a stop.

And when it dropped him off in front of a house with his name on it, he walked in with the same blank expression.

At least, until, a teenager ran out of the other room. Followed by some...thing.

"Hello?"

If it was a Devil, he didn't want to scare the kid, but he also only had a wooden sword. "Is someone there?" He knew she was, but it's better to give her the option to call out or appear.

✦come on, this has got to be cheating!✦

what had started as an expedition to hunt down some food for a group huddled in the theatre had become a challenge of hide-and-seek — pitting the duo and their commission-mate against near twenty Glitched that flittered in and out of sight. each attempt any had made to slip through had been met with one of the corrupted reappearing just to prove a point that they'd cut off the chosen route. and their numbers only complicated the challenge of breaking out their hunting ground, leaving them little room to work with.

✦haven't either of you been able to crack their movements? they'll keep running circles around us all week at this rate.✦

"no, and complaining isn't going to help". admittedly, Lumine's tone was sharper than normal. the consistency with which she and the other by her side had been ambushed was wearing on her patience.

initially, she had wondered if the food might have acted as a lure, but there were those waiting on it, and abandoning the haul to the mob wasn't an option — as someone with a clear sense of justice, their companion wouldn't sign off on the method either. and the amount ruled out simply entrusting Paimon to carry it ahead as a means of transport as well as test, leaving their options frustratingly limited.