H.E.L.L - Highly Entertaining Life in Limbo

Status
Not open for further replies.
Annabelle's face shone up as Niazon seemingly changed his mind. That was much easier than expected. Almost too easy. Suspiciously easy even. Well, whatever. She could go out whenever she could get an escort and that was enough for her.

Before she was able to say anything though, Niazon continued to speak. A shiver went down Annabelle's spine as he finished his last sentence. She was pleased that she could go out and she hadn't thought of breaking that promise, so that last sentence was definitely unwarranted. "Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll only go when Leilah has time to take me." Annabelle responded, making it clear that she didn't wish for him to guide her around. Who would want to have someone like him with them who would threaten them every tenth minute? Even though she did want him to make her heart beat again, that was not something she needed during a town trip.

"You do realize that I got what I wanted when you told me I could go, even though it is during somewhat restricting circumstances. Threatening me was unnecessary." It only took her seconds to decide to tell him her thoughts. Maybe she spoke her mind a bit too much, but it was the truth. She wasn't going to pretend as if she accepted his threats. Annabelle layed down on the bed again while continuing her speech. "If we're done talking, I would appreciate it if you left me alone. I've had enough threats of torture thrown at me for one day." Even though she said that, she was fully aware that she would awaken that anger within him once more at a later date, forcing him to threaten her again, just to get to hear that precious sound she longed for. Well, she didn't like being threatened, but if that was what it took, she might have to use that method sooner or later. At least if she couldn't find another way. Maybe she could ask Leilah about it first. Leilah was a human like her, and had been dead for quite some time. She should know one thing or another about it. Maybe she knew how to get the sensation of a heart beat without a demon scaring you half into nothingness.
 
[fieldbox="Punishment for every crime, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
"No, I was not threatening, nor was it unnecessary. You have behaved in such a way so far that I feel the need to remind you this last time. Maybe learn some insight Annabelle and you'll understand so much more about this world." Niazon replied collectedly, resting in his chair. It did not bother him the least that the guest only seemed to want Leilah around. To the overlord it was all the same. The girl's atittude seemed pointless to Niazon, she was overly sensitive and maybe it was the same for all the souls. So he got up without a word and left. There was nothing else for him to say to her. Nothing apart from careful planning on when to bring Leilah in. But as of now, he had his duties to attend and even before he reached his office, the form of Niazon has disipated into a wisp of shadows as the overlord has taken on his true form.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Annabelle pulled the sheet over herself and curled up into a small, authority defying, ball. Pretty much every time she had a fight with her mother, she immediately threw herself onto the bed, at least if they were at home, and stayed there in her little cocoon either until her mother came in and spoke to her more gently, usually with a gentle hand put on the girl's head, or until she had slept the anger off herself.

Of course no one would come in to comfort her this time, so all she could do was to sleep it off. Well, that was if she could even fall asleep. It only took her fifteen minutes to give up on the idea and she left the bed. At first she stayed in the room, going between trying to entertain herself to muttering about Niazon being a stupid idiot who didn't understand anything.

Then, a few hours later, she heard something. A whisper. It sounded like the wind, but she was sure it had come from behind her and not from outside the window in front of her. Or had it come from the sides? She wasn't sure where it came from, but being alone in a creepy old castle hearing stuff kind of freaked her out. Were there ghosts in hell? Souls that had died and come back from the after after life? It sounded ridiculous, but so did hell itself.

The girl walked up to the door and opened it slowly. Maybe someone had spoken to someone else just outside the door, but she could see no one in the corridor, except for the guard who just turned around the corner and started walking down the corridor Annabelle now stood in. He past her without a word, but he did look somewhat strangely at her.

She walked in the opposite direction of the guard. The girl truly wished she knew more people there, being all alone and slightly freaked out at the same time wasn't the best feeling in the world. It reminded her of the times she had watched horror movies with her friends and then walked home alone at night. The same feeling of something horrible that's about to happen even though you know you're perfectly safe. The only difference was that on earth, she at least has a cellphone and could talk to someone the whole way home.

"Are you searching for something?" A man's voice sounded behind her. Annabelle recognized it immediately even though she only had met him once. It was the guy that had been there when she woke up.

"Uhm, not really. Just looking around. You know. Sometimes you get ants in your legs and just need to walk." Annabelle shrugged. The man's expression didn't change the slightest.

"There are no ants down here, and even if there were ants, it would be impossible to get rid of them just by walking." He corrected her, not understanding the metaphor at all.

"Right." Annabelle laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I didn't catch your name before."

"You cannot catch a name in hell. That is only possible on earth through a summoning." The girl was completely lost at this point. This guy was quite hard to talk to, but he was making her feel more at ease, because he was someone she could talk to.

"Summoning? What's that?" She asked, trying to get the conversation to go on further. Since Crumuru didn't have any obligations to deal with at that point in time, he decided to stay with the girl for the time being and make sure she didn't do something stupid again. They walked in the corridor and he answered as many questions as he could without revealing anything that needed to be held a secret to the girl. Beside the questions, Annabelle also spoke about her life on earth at times when something reminded her of an old memory. Crumuru couldn't relate to any of her feelings or understand much of what she was referring to though, but still, he let her keep going on until she had a new question for him.
 
[fieldbox="Friends in unfriendly place, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
The overlord has returned to his chambers. Outside the darkness has fallen and howls of creatures hardly imagined by any living soul tore at the fabric of the blackness. Even the candles in the windows could not pierce the eclipse, only what at first seemed as the reflection of the flame in the glass, then turned out to be the blaze of the land over the bridge. The overlord stood by one of his windows, his own echo of appearance indiscernible on the dark canvas. His mind was far and wide, contemplating his options in this war he so did not want to be part of. But as the dust of the parchment in his fireplace read: 'You're a coward. Last ruler to stand down in this coup...they will come...you won't have a choice but...' The flames consumed the words of malice and truth as his mind was absorbed with possibilities. So far they did not know. So far, he could still maintain his neutrality.

"My lord." A voice came from the other side of the door after a short series of knocks. "The girl is on the move. She's been seen walking down the south corridors." A sigh escaped him. If he ever were to know what being a parent meant, this sure made him feel as one. "Dismissed. Belzhar ordered, shadows coming to embrace him like a blanket of serenity and comfort. For a moment, his own chambers where just as lightless as the world outside until the candles gained the upper hand and revealed an empty room, vacated by its owner.

He was travelling through his abode at a speed much faster than feet could provide. From shadow to shadow, from corner to corner, he was everywhere, he saw everything and the control he could exert over the environment whilst being undetected was enlivening him. At last, he found his target walking with one of his trusted servants. He needn't worry about her, nor her venture at that moment. He could have returned to his chambers and continued scheming the protection of his region from the forces oppressing it each day. Yet, he stayed hidden within the very walls, watching the girl. Crumuru would feel his presence around distinctly but under the orders that were given, no mention of the overlord's attendance was allowed; hence, he could be confident in his anonymity for the time being, until he would decide to let himself known.​
[/fieldbox]
 
As the overlord came closer, Crumuru of course noticed it immediately. He did no attempts however to reveal his master's presence. If Belzhar wished for her to be aware of him, he would have made it more obvious for the living soul.

"Why do you even have such a system?" Annabelle asked. They were still on the topic of summoning. It was just weird that they could be so easily turned into slaves if a human found out their name. Who even came up with that idea?

"It has always been that way and it will always stay that way, it is nothing we control. We were simply created that way." Crumuru informed her. "It's just like humans still having an appendix even though it is unnecessary and can get deadly infections easily. You were just born that way. And just like we can choose to never go to the human world, thus making sure no human will ever accidentally find out our name, you can cut out your appendix and make sure that it doesn't kill you in the future. But neither you, nor we, will ever follow that advice, we only try to take care of the problem once the mistake happens." Crumuru was more informed about the human worlds changes during the centuries than most other demons. Not because he was particularly interested in them, but in case any information would ever be needed, he made sure he was up to date on the scientific changes in the human world. Mundane every day things such as cooking, relationships, emotions and hobbies on the other hand, was things he deemed unnecessary information and did not bother making his minions look into for him.

"Wow, you seem very up to date. Leilah only seemed confused when I talked about my futuristic foods." Annabelle chuckled, remembering how the woman had considered apples coated in melted sugar as candy. She figured the girl might not have had any opportunities to see the above world after her death. It was probably a demon only thing.

"Considering that the now never can become the future nor the past, your so called futuristic food is not futuristic at all. Actually, most of it was probably created hundreds of years ago or at least a couple of decades, considering you've probably eaten them your whole life, thus making them foods of the past." Annabelle rolled her eyes. This man took things far too literally, and always seemed to have a need to explain why the saying did not work. It was quite entertaining.

"Well, it's futuristic to Leilah, since she... became a soul long before my food was even created." Annabelle explained herself. It was hard to say 'died'. It felt like such an insensitive thing to bring up, even if the person in question wasn't there. "I hope she isn't too bothered with my request. Maybe I shouldn't have put so much new things on her so fast when she's from a completely different time period. The culture shock can't be easy."
 
[fieldbox="Friends in unfriendly place, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
Belzhar was once again reaffirmed why Crumuru was his right hand. Crumur knew much of what was important in the world above. He could be called the well of knowledge that Belzhar just did not have time to gather himself. Also, Crumuru's attitude, whilst somewhat rigid, served well to the overlord's needs. Even the overlord found it rather ammusing.

At Annabelle's next comment, Belzhar felt confident his secret would stay hidden. Leilah was a soul that has been around very long, longer than Annabelle might realize. She has already made peace with her death and that helped her to become one of the most versatile individual. With accepting her decline in the real world, Leilah was able to meet various souls of various times without prejudice or hatred for the life they lost or the time they lived in. Hence, the foods that Annabelle spoke off did not bother Leilah one bit. There was no culture shock to be had, no surprise or envy. That was the alias that Belzhar built up for himself. An alias that was well known of amongst his dominions.​
[/fieldbox]
 

"She isn't bothered nor shocked. At most she's just uncertain where to find the items." Crumuru told her, not going into any details as they didn't matter to him.

"You can't know that." Annabelle told him. "Just because she hasn't said anything doesn't mean it doesn't bother her. Emotions are more complicated than that." She tried to explain. It was quite funny how they had gotten into this long conversation without even trying. Somehow Crumuru was the hardest person to get but he was the easiest to have a conversation with. A slightly frustrating conversation at times, but still a conversation. Well, Leilah was also pretty easy to talk to.

"Please, don't be upset." From his tone of voice it sounded more like he was saying, don't be so irrational woman, which probably was the case. "Leilah has been with us for a long time." Longer than Annabelle could ever imagine. "She isn't bothered by your request." He reassured the girl.

Annabelle still didn't believe it, but decided to just accept it for now. It was better if she asked Leilah about it later. She went into other topics with Crumuru, whom decided to play along for now since he was certain his master would feel more reassured if she didn't walk around alone after all the trouble she had caused them.

 
[fieldbox="Darkness raid, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

The overlord was content indeed. The fascination he took with Annabelle was even stronger now as he watched from the shadows. Young and gullible...she was not different from many other souls he played around with before, but she was special...for her talent of course. She was quite the intriguing one to observe as well. However, he withdrew from following the two around and transported himself to Annabelle's room, going through what she has written so far. Grim. Nasty. Nope, definitely would not want to be subjected to that himself, but others... a content nod swayed his shadowy figure as he knew this could elicit some good response from the souls across the bridge. Then suddenly a heart tearing, soul shattering roar shook the outside air, the darkness seemed to ripple. Moments later a horn sounded. It was an alarm. "Already?" Belzhar muttered to himself as he kept reading over the story, clearly unimpressed nor bothered by the sudden rush of guards outside to secure the walls. It was the raid of Darkness and its creatures. A way to boost up the energy levels for the region. It appeared as a break in, but it was controlled by the guards.

The shadows around him smirked, filling Annabelle's room before he was no longer there but around the corner from Crumuru and her. He marched just as he heard couple guards marching from the opposite direction to get into position. "Faster! Or you need me to kick you in the arse to get you to your post?!" Niazon shouted authoratitavely across the hall at the couple soldiers who really should have walked much faster. With eyes wide open, fear struck in the hues briefly, they sped up just as they were told. His eyes then landed on Crumuru and Annabelle as if considering their position. "You're dismissed Crumuru. Make sure the overlord's quarters are secure. I'll take care of Annabelle." The man said as he arrived to a stop by their sides. There wasn't much to secure in his quarters. It was just a complicated way to stay in role to tell Crumuru that his services with Annabelle were for now terminated and he should just disappear. "Pardon my language Annabelle, but sometimes soldiers can be rather thick-headed."​
[/fieldbox]
 

"What was that?" Annabelle asked as a frightening roar could be heard from somewhere far away. It wasn't the same as the howls she had heard on several occasions, this was different. Crumuru didn't even flinch. It didn't have so much to do with everything being faked, but more to do with him just never bothering to be frightened. It was better to keep your head cool in all situations and find the best possible solution for it. Now since it was fake, there was no solution for him to find.

Before he could give her a reply filled with lies, his lord appeared to take over. "Of course." Niazon replied to what was an order in disguise. "Be careful now young lady." He told Annabelle, as if to warn her for the danger that was approaching, even though he himself knew there was nothing there. If his master wish to play his games, he would follow in his footsteps.

"Niazon." She wasn't too excited seeing him, after all, there had been a fight between them just hours earlier. Though maybe he didn't saw it as a fight. Maybe he saw it as her being an unreasonable kid. It wouldn't surprise her if that was the case. "What's going on? What was that sound?" Annabelle asked him. Even she could realize that it wasn't the time to have another fight. What was she worried about either way. The castle was the safest place, right? That was why they didn't want her to leave because it could be dangerous out there.
 
[fieldbox="Darkness raid, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

"It's the Darkness raid. Occasionally the walls get overwhelmed with the creatures and breech happens. They rage around the streets until killed or driven away by the guards. They starve for souls and gather around cities like these." Niazon explained. It was not a lie. Those creatures were hideous, extremely dangerous and deadly to anyone who knew next to nothing about protecting one's self. Their purpose was also truthful. Hence, no soul venturing outside a city or town ever survived long enough to tell any tale and among the monster's skeletons in the desert-like, grey plains, one could see occasionally a human skull or bone covered in the fine dust. It was another working of the realm to mark the absolute end of a solute. "Which reminds me," his eyes that moved from Annabelle to the window, contemplating the resounded roars and screams, now settled back on the girl. "I offered you something." His stone chiseled jaw line wasn't so hard set even though his eyes were somewhat apprehensive.

"I said I could take you out at night for you to see the reasons why you are asked to stay indoors. Unless you'd prefer to return to your room and use the writer's brain of yours to imagine the creatures. I bet, it wouldn't be far from the reality and I can escort you." Within the shadows cast by the torches along the walls, Niazon appeared to be slightly frowning. After all, he gave her his word, he'd stay true to it, hoping that the experience would teach her a lesson at least to stay put. None of that meant, however, that he was happy about it.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Annabelle gulped, which came out much louder than she had hoped it would. Starving for souls? well, she had chosen a bad day to be a soul on. "D̴̛͜o̡͠n̵̡'̴̷̀͢͢t͏̡̛ Go..." The girl turned her head only to stare at an empty wall. Hadn't there been a whisper just now? Something go... Was she imagining things again?

"I.." She started. D? Do? Do go? Was that what something had whispered? No, it must have been her imagination. Or was something... or someone telling her something? Be it her unconsciousness or something supernatural, there was something there that wanted her to go. To see what was out there. Maybe... Just maybe it could give her that rush she had felt earlier. Maybe she could feel her heartbeat again. "I want to see it." Annabelle finally said determined, not caring that much about him being troubled by it. He wouldn't like anything she did except if it was sitting quietly in a room. That definitely wasn't her style, so why even try to please him?
 
[fieldbox="Darkness raid, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

He watched her with calm patience, knowing her answer even before she spoke it. Given to how fiercely she advocated her right of going wherever she wanted, it would be highly unusual if she were to suddenly decline. He did not look angered at her decision, but gave her one short nod. "Well, then you make sure you stay close to me. The Darkness is thick tonight and it will swallow you up." Talking about the night outside as if it was an alive being might have been strange. But only those residing in Hell, those directly part of the deepest shadows, knew the truth. They knew that demons were incomparable to the ferociy and fright of the Darkness. It was to be respected and kept as far away as possible.

Niazon then took them on a brisk walk away from the living quarters to an area still under the roof of the castle with numbers of soldiers at their stations. "My horse." Niazon spoke the order simply, and a low ranking infantryman ran off. "Sir!" There came another man running. None of the soldiers in here utilised illusion to hide their true appearance and affirming that they came in many shapes and styles, none apetizing to the eye or particularly friendly. In fact, those who looked their way, their eyes scaled Annabelle as if to devour her for a second dinner. Yet, this demon soldier looked solely at Niazon. "Sir, the breech happened in eastern quarter. There seemed to be herd roaming the streets." The demon spoke with certain tinge of uneasiness. That coaxed a risen eyebrow from Niazon. A herd was always the worse of the bad news. "How large?" The soldier visibly swallowed unsure of the number, unsure how to deliver the following. "Alpha seems to be with them." The lean muscles on Niazon's cheeks danced as his hand twisted into a tight fist for a moment and the overlord inhaled sharply. "Get man on the high ground and in the streets. Chase them out, or kill them."

"Sir, your horse." There was the infantryman, handing over the reigns of something that only remotely looked like a horse in shape. It had strong, abbys black bones that were peaking through the supposed muscles mass which seemed to be made from shifting black steam itself. It had no eyes, only empty sockets where the mass of the being swirled almost in a hypnotic manner, yet it still seemed to be able to see. There were no lips covering its sharp teeth which for certain could tear meat off the bone. Clearly a horrid creature, yet in front of Niazon, it was calm and waiting. "Sir, what about the girl?" Spoke the man who earlier gave the report. "She is with me and she either comes back or not." He said simply, swooping himself up onto the steed which had only the reigns but no saddle. Extending his arm reluctantly towards Annabelle, the concern was clear in his eyes. Coupled with his hardset features, it certainly came across as if he was truly worried about her safety, yet chose not to speak of it openly. Whatever was out there, he clearly considered more dangerous that few moments ago. A few went insane from seeing the Darkness and its creatures, even more so with souls. The overlord could speak endless tales of the effects on the mind if he ever chose to. "Last chance Annabelle. Whatever happens to you out there will most likely have lasting effects. Insanity being the milder of options. Death being the kind one." It was facts, but somehow, the last part of the sentence did not come out as smoothly."I can always take you during the day." This was no play. He didn't want her to stay in this time to limit her, but to truly protect her from whatever was out there.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Annabelle had a hard time keeping up with Niazon, but somehow managed it in the end. He spoke of the darkness as if it was alive, though considering the place they were in, maybe that was the case. Soon they arrived to a place with various demons with very different shapes and forms. One of them spoke to Niazon, he, at least she suspected it was a he, looked much like a human covered in bark with two branches growing out on its head. What made him stand out the most though was the glow that seemed to come from inside him and showed itself in his eyes, mouth and even nose. It was as if his insides were caught on fire. There was definitely some stories she could write about that. She wondered if the soldier would mind if she stole his appearance for a character.

They spoke of things Annabelle did not understand fully. Alpha? Herds? Was it worse than it usually was? Somehow, Niazon actually seemed worried now. Sure, there had been something there that had told her not to go when he offered, but now it felt as if he truly believed she would be a lost cause if she came with him. "Are you trying to tell me I'm not insane already? Well that's nice of you." Annabelle chuckled slightly nervously.

"If you take me into town tomorrow morning, I won't come with you today." She then said. Quite frankly, the sincerity in his worry had made her a bit too worried to leave. That rush had been great, amazing even, but it might not be worth loosing her mind for. "But you have to promise that it will happen tomorrow, no excuses, no take backs. If I don't believe your word, I'm coming with you tonight." At the very least she was good at pretending on the outside that she wasn't scared of going.
 
[fieldbox="Darkness raid, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

She almost coaxed a smirk from his lips at her first comment. Almost. It was only a small shift in the structure of his face that gave a hint on the internal amusement he felt for a brief moment. Otherwise, his expression remained emotionless, listening to her demands. He knew that not agreeing to her terms would cause trouble that he could already feel in the air. She was precious to his plan and no matter how much he wanted her to comply to his will, he would not put her in wat of danger so openly to have her submit. "I will." He said to Annabelle and there was no doubting he meant it. Especially when yet another blood freezing roar rattled the night at its very base. This time, it sounded closer as it wreaked havoc through the eastern sector. As if in response, the gate at the far end opened and a troop was dispatched, running into the darkness. Through that opening the night appeared like thick liquid enveloping the whole world and shapes within it seemed ghastly. The sound that came in was a cocktail of screeching, screaming, growling and roaring, with the stomach turning squelching that only imagination could process. It all mingled together in strange, unwelcoming and disastorous ways. "I trust you to take her to her room." Niazon then added, addressing the soldier that brought his horse. He could be missed here unlike the captain who gave Niazon the report. Moments later, the overlord in his disguise dashed through the gate which closed behind him and only then he back as black as the darkness, becoming one with its origin.

That night, the fate of many was sealed as the gate closed. The Overlord suffered a blow that unsettled his conviction, made him feel antsy to say the least. He escaped almost unharmed, unlike some of his soldiers. They were down on souls in the city too. Many fell and the region was weakened in energy supply, which only urged Belzhar to get as much from Annabelle as possible. But what was more, the attack was organized. The alpha was subdued and ridden by someone Belzhar wished didn't venture into his region. It was Legion... A demon well known in the human world and very well feared all over the planes. Legion was one of the leading figures against the central region, against Satan. His visit to Belzhar was of many meanings and neither of those the overlord liked or appreciated. Belzhar was threatened, reminded that just like others, he was a leader and his neutrality was hindering him. Yet, the overlord saw a desperate call for help in those words too. To tip the scales of this raging war in Hell, Belzhar would need to pick a side - either stand with Satan, or bring him down. He wasn't sure which one was the lesser of the two evils.

However, the Darkness has gone a few hours ago. The overlord has given out orders and sent Crumuru to check on the land over the bridge, spike the energy supply somehow. Perhaps, he could use the bits of the story that the overlord read yesterday. Now in the shape of Niazon, he ventured the castle towards Annabelle's quarters. Thoughtful frown was settled on his features as his mind still contemplated the damages done, the messages received. Without much thought, he brought himself to the door and his knuckles rapped on it. He had to change his strategy with this girl to receive what he wanted.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Without any words of protest, Annabelle went with the guard to her room. She seemed to finally be getting somewhere, and she didn't have to risk her life to get there. Though there was still that feeling of longing that begged her to go. Just for a minute. Just for a small rush. Would it be worth the risks? In this instance, even she had to admit that it would be going too far. Her hand traveled to her chest, searching for a heartbeat, but there was no sounds to be heard. How far would she have to go to hear it again?

What kept her awake that night wasn't the howling from the nightmare fueling monsters that were roaming the streets, but the ideas she had gotten from her glimpse of all the guards. It was amazing how something so small could give her mind so much. Just an appearance and a story was born. Just one word and a backstory was created. Sometimes inspiration came from the oddest of places.

When someone knocked on the door, Annabelle was asleep on top and under a layer of papers. If she had been in her physical body, it would have ached like crazy after having slept in a sitting position, but now she didn't even notice it. It took a few seconds before she actually realized where she was and why someone was waking her up, and once she realized it, she rushed to the door while papers swirled everywhere. It would definitely be a pain to figure out the order in which they should be put into, but whatever.

"Yeah?" She opened the door excitedly, like a child at Christmas. It was Niazon as she had suspected. A page that somehow had gotten a corner stuck in her dress finally fell off. "Whew, I almost thought you would try to get out of it or something. I'm so ready to leave right this second." Her foot tried to casually push the page back inside the room, while she also tried to leave it. It was more than noticeable that she had just woken up as her hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed for weeks.
 
[fieldbox="Darkness raid, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

Niazon was just as taken aback by the quick response as any other guy would be. His hand was still somewhat lifted in the air from the knock on the door and his first response to Annabelle's over-zealous greeting was a risen eyebrow in genuine surprise. Dropping his hand to the side, his height over Annabelle allowed him to see the mess behind her. And boy was it a proper confusion in the room. "I promised I'd come, so I did." He muttered before pointing his finger at all the papers, so far not giving her looks much attention. His mind was clearly elsewhere for the time being.

"Busy much last night?" He questioned, getting secretly excited for his own reasons. All these papers...could they be stories? Ideas? New ways to implement in the land over the bridge? Could all this be an answer to the momentary drop in the energy supply? When his eyes returned to the girl, his hues were alight for reason privy to his own mind. But at last he took a look at her and amusement misplaced wherever was lurking within his hues. It even revived the smirk on his face. "You look like a pack of Vualrun's licked you clean last night." Whatever that insinuated, whatever those Vualruns were meant to be, the idea clearly brought joy to Niazon as the smirk on his lips widened a little into a grin before he lightly shook his head. "Why don't you first put yourself in a more presentable state and I'll..." His eyes swayed back towards the papers carelessly lying all over the floor like a newly put carpet. The overlord was eager to read but had to control himself. "I'll pick the papers in the meantime." He said pushing his way past Annabelle into the room.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Annabelle almost thought she would have to snap her fingers in front of his face for him to wake up from his trance like state, but then he snapped out of it all on his own. She let him pass as she tried to imagine what a Vualrun would actually look like. Ideas popped up in her head, one after another, and the creatures just became weirder and slimier for every time. Eventually she just let it go.

"Uhm, yeah. I got some... Inpsiration from the guards. Not sure what papers are concepts and idea maps and what's actually the story though. I'll figure that one out later. Though I gotta say, this was probably the most dramatic piece I have written so far. Maybe not the most original but still, a few new ideas definitely popped up." Luckily Annabelle didn't realize that people would read them for completely different reasons than the story itself. Well, she was partly aware of it, but it would be heartbreaking if she knew that no one would care at all about anything but the torture itself. She didn't want her work to be recognized as a gore fest alone.

She made a grimace as she saw herself in the mirror. "Ugh... Why are bad hair days still a thing in the afterlife?" She mumbled and started to comb through the mess. "So, gonna tell me what happened yesterday, or should I just write about it and let you grade me on how on point I was?" She then asked the man, who seemed slightly easier to talk to today. She wasn't sure why, but the air around him seemed different, not so shut away and angry.
 
[fieldbox="Fresh start, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

In the room, he almost needed to ballet across the floor on his tip toes just so he wouldn't step on papers and ruin them with his boots. "I can see something hit you..." He murmured. Unlike Crumuru, Niazon didn't take everything literally. Moreover, some of the phrases on Earth weren't so uncommon in hell. After all, the city was full of souls from all kinds of dimensions. Niazon would bet there would be couple phrases even Annabelle herself might not be familiar with. As she explained her fit of muse from previous night, he began gathering the papers. His mind was rather analytical and methodical. Soon he was able to sort papers into the three categories she mentioned - concepts, idea maps and bits and pieces of stories. For a supposed general of military forces, he would be an adept at a clerical job.

"They aren't. But good looks add to every woman's beauty." A compliment uttered as he collected the papers, yet he did not fail to raise his eyes and look at her with a smirk soon hidden in thought. Belzhar didn't often pay compliments, even if Niazon came across as a charmer. But perhaps this was his way of starting afresh with Annabelle. After all, Niazon was his physical form and if he were ever to earn Annabelle's trust to the point where she would share with him anything, it certainly would not surpass the wall of resentment he so masterfully gave rise to with his previous behaviour.

By then, he has gathered quite a few papers with story scribbled all over the sheets and he was skimming through it. Little did Annabelle know that his interest shifted from the gore component to story itself. At first, perhaps, when he found her, his main aim was to extract the nasty with little intention of keeping the rest. But maybe boredom or intrigue slowly shifted his aims. Not drastically, Belzhar was still mainly into the torture, but here and there he read around the context as well. Hence, as she asked him about the previous night, he was reading to context to put the papers in order before he looked up to her.

"You want me to give you nightmares, be my guest. I'll tell you all about the soldiers with stomachs ripped apart, innards spilling, Darkness creature's putrid smell of rotting flesh as it attempted to tear you apart." Oh he was so doing that on purpose. Strange way to tease a young lady, but there was indeed amusement in his eyes. It would seem that charming a woman in hell was less refined and within different boundaries than up on Earth. Yet, whatever story he'd tell, he would leave Legion out of it. She needn't know. She mustn't know. "Or I can take some things off and show off my fresh heroic scars."​
[/fieldbox]
 
Was that a compliment? From mister stone-face? Wow, was she imagining things? Or maybe she was still asleep. He probably hadn't even woken her up yet. Maybe she was stuck in inception! That would have been really cool, but she was probably not that lucky.

Annabelle listened as he said stuff that probably should freak her out, but didn't in the slightest. Part of the reason was because it felt as if he was making up stuff that hadn't really happened the other night. Though even if it was all true, she felt more interested in hearing about it rather than feeling frightened by it. Knowing she was in the land of the dead made it seem a bit less horrible somehow. Not that she didn't feel sorry for them, if she ever saw someone hurt down there, she would definitely feel terrible for what happened.

"You got battle scars?" Annabelle asked as if she didn't believe him. Though who could blame her when he still looked as hot as the other day? It looked more as if he had spent the night filing paperwork rather than going into battle. "Doesn't seem very impressive when you're still walking just hours later." Annabelle teased the older man, pretending not to be impressed in the slightest.

"For your information, nightmares are the best sources of inspiration, and they're not as deadly as other things down here." She then added. Annabelle had never felt that her nightmares bothered her. Sure, she was terrified while dreaming, but afterwards they were more entertaining than anything else. She finished up her hair and fixed the parts of her clothes that had gotten messy. "Now I'm ready to explore."
 
[fieldbox="Fresh start, #cd5c5c, dashed"]

His eyes lifted from the papers. "They are not necessarily fresh." He replied with a bright sheen over his eyes. Allure? Suggestive remark for her imagination? He certainly had to exert control in order not to have pull on his face from her ever present assumptions over everything just so he would remain as friendly as he attempted to be. "When you end up being the captain of your overlord's forces, you can't afford to get injured much anyway." Then his eyes dropped again, laying down the last sheets on their assorted piles. However, her next words intrigued him. Nightmares did not terrify her? That was most certainly unusual and the interest reflected in his hues. "Is that were you get your inspiration for these?" He waved his hand in semi-circle over the papers whilst making his way towards Annabelle. He couldn't lie and say he didn't find that strangely attractive. A first soul he has met that wasn't frightened by the absurd figments of their mind.

But, now that she has fixed herself up, Niazon had no more reason nor excuse to have them stay around longer so he could read some more or perhaps land a few more personal questions, but that could not be helped. "And if that's the case, let's go then." He concluded, opening the door for the girl. It would seem that the rough edges of his personality weren't as rough as they first appeared.

For a few moments, as they walked, he was silent, either listening to her words or just not disturbing the calm quiet, until curiosity did not leave him alone and it certainly would not kill him. "Say, have you finished any of the stories? You seem to have been busy writing a lot ever since you came." Casual question and a remark, nothing to see there. Yet for Niazon it was rather important. After the night's attack and Legion's snarled words, it was more than clear to the Overlord that he would need to up the defenses, the juice in the region and generally do anything to maintain the neutrality which has been turning more and more fragile by the day of this senseless war.​
[/fieldbox]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back