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 Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:25 pm
Things weren't okay. Had they ever been? She shouldn't sleep, but she had to. Rest for the mind. Or was it more toil? Jack DAMMIT, WHY WOULDN'T IT-
"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" Riyo screeched at the top of her lungs as she sat up in a bed that didn't appear to be hers.. Or, was it?
The sheets were a lighter tone of red than she was used to. In fact, one might almost say in the pleasant morning glow that they were...
"PINK?" Immediately her hands reached up to take a hold of her long... Hair?
Where was her hair? WHERE WAS HER HAIR?! It was... It was short! The ghoul vigorously combed her nails through it, almost trying to convince herself the rest of it was there somewhere. It hung down over her shoulders like a phantom. She wasn't sure whether she enjoyed the extra breeze to her ears or not.
Immediately there was a hazcat rushing to reassure her, rubbing himself against her side as if silently asking if she was okay. It was as Felix usually did. Felix was being Felix. So what was up with this room? The dark wood was traded for a light pastel rug, and the furniture was made up with a lighter color of oak. Everything was so... Vibrant. It almost hurt her eyes.
"Princess?!" Called a masculine voice from somewhere else in the strange dwelling. Who was that? The voice seemed familiar but... She couldn't quite put a claw on it.
And then the door burst open without any warning. An older feline with long, black hair and a goatee practically flailed into her room with a look of utter determination plastered in his face. Wait. Was he wearing a pink apron?!
Riyo's eyes immediately widened in horror when the figure appeared. It was like a ghost from the past that had always been floating over her shoulder, just far enough out of sight that she swore she only remembered certain parts of. But there he was, in the flesh.
"YOU GET AWAY FROM ME!" The feline screamed loudly, grabbing whatever she could find and throwing it in the direction of the intruder. Unfortunately, it seemed all she had handy was pillows.
"Woah!" Like a graceful drunk, the man narrowly managed to dodge the pillows, swaying back and fourth trying to catch his balance with his tail. "Hey, I'm getting too old for that!"
When the ghoul ran out of things to throw, she jumped off the bed and folded up in the closest corner she could find, her body shaking in the terror of seeing him again. It was... It was her father. The man who had abandoned her. He who left her with that wretched woman was now standing in her space as if he had been there all along.
"Oh honey." His ears folded back when he realized how distraught she was, slowly approaching her. "C'mon now. We've been over this. It was all just a bad dream. It's really me. There are no such things as hunters."
... What?
Slowly, Riyo began to uncurl so her dilated pupils could fully examine this man. "N-no. You abandoned me! You left me-"
"... With your mother." Her father finished, smiling sadly. When there was only a foot of distance between them, he knelt down so they could meet at eye level. Crimson to crimson. "I know those few days you were with her were scary honey, but you can't let this take over your life. You know full well she's out of the picture now and you never have to see her again."
"But! She-"
"Shh. You haven't seen her since you were four. And she hasn't seen us. Who knows what she's doing right now."
... None of this made sense. Riyo hadn't just fabricated all of that, had she? Her mother abusing her. It seemed so real. So painfully real. And what about the hunters? The terrible dreams? The weapons?
Had all of it just...
... Been some terrible nightmare?
Riyo's eyebrows knitted together as she looked into the eyes of the man with the title 'father'. It felt like she hadn't seen him in such a long time.
"Do you..." The feline started to choke on her own question, a familiar feeling of water welling up in her eyes beginning to overwhelm. "D-do you... Love me?"
The man seemed surprised for a moment, and only a moment. A big, warm smile overtook his lips. Riyo thought it was the only thing she had remembered about him for the longest time. "Of course I love you, my little scareling. There is nothing I love more in all of Halloween." Calloused hands reached up to cup her cheeks. Even through the roughness, she could feel their warmth. That precious warmth of another being that she craved so much.
But what was love?
The question only nagged her momentarily as she started to sob. The hiccups overtook her when her father wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her close.
This was what she always wanted.
This was all she ever needed.
Someone to love. To love her. Something beautiful that she didn't need a dictionary to explain.
"Whoo. That must've been a whopper of a bad dream, ay princess?"
Princess boil.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 4:34 pm
Riyo slowly began to rediscover the life she'd supposedly left behind during the nightmare. Instead of an expansive mansion, they lived in a cozy cabin on the outskirts of the woods. Instead of having gaudy, expensive attire, the feline's closet was full of simple, yet pretty dresses. Instead of having an irresponsible and truant father, he was a caring, loving homebody who cooked, cleaned, and even hung the laundry out to dry. It was both humorous and... Comfortable.
In fact, the more she breathed in the fresh countryside air, the more happy she became. For once, Riyo felt pleasant. She was more than just tolerable. She was friendly. There was no hesitation in her smile, for all was right with the world. There was no reason to keep her from smiling.
"Dinner time, kid! I made your favorite." Called the now familiar voice of her father- No. Her dad. Why be so formal? She was a simple ghoul. No need for sophisticated language.
Riyo had been standing at her window, practicing the violin while Felix listened. Usually it would sound screechy and somewhat horrifying, but today it was in the same mood as she: content. A pleasant melody floated through the window and flew off into the distance like a bird learning how to fly.
Why did you learn how to play the violin in the first place?
It was a simple question, so why was it festering in the back of her thoughts? "Coming." The ghoul called down to her father, setting the instrument carefully back into its case.
As promptly as she entered, the ghoul found her seat at the small table, wearing a casual pumpkin-colored dress with little frills on the end. Riyo liked it, though if asked she never would've been able to explain why.
A lovely plate of tuna was set in front of her, grey on the outside and a warm red on the inside. He was right. It was her favorite. Looked like even Felix got his own bowl.
"Don't forget, your friends are coming over later. You ghouls shouldn't stay up too late, though. I know you're excited about the prom, but school is still priority." With a cautious smile, Riyo's father sat down in front of her with his own plate, immediately digging into it.
... Prom? Prom was coming up and she'd forgotten about it? Oh, yes. Someone had asked her, hadn't they? But who?
Well, at the very least it didn't seem like an appropriate thing to ask him. "Hey dad.." Riyo said inbetween bites. "Why did I start learning to play the violin?"
For a moment, and only a moment, her father froze. It was like holding a small gear in place, stopping every cog that ran the machine. "I told you to. When you were young, of course. At first you were hesitant, but look at you now!"
That's bullshit. You know you did that yourself. FOR yourself.
The voice was louder this time. Sharper. Honestly though, was it that big of a deal? What did it matter? She knew how to play the violin and she liked it.
Who knew you were so weak-minded?
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 7:43 pm
Later in the evening, loud raps at the door called out to announce the arrival of said friends. Somehow or another, the ghoul managed to beat her father to the door, opening it with the vigor of a scareling opening the door for skeleton Jack.
"Riyo!" The three ghouls called out in unison. Hel, Xiu, and Mitsu stood at her door cheerfully. All as happy as she was. Not a hair had changed on their head. It appeared that they were all just as excited.
"Come on in guys. Dad made some spookies." She certainly didn't like them but her friends did.
The ghouls filed into the cabin, one by one, with Xiu at the back and a strange shaped bag in her hands. When all three of them stopped in the kitchen, Riyo couldn't help but ask. "Uh. What's in the bag Xiu?"
And then came a sturdy, almost painful hand wrapped around her shoulders. "What do you think it is, friend?" Hel chirped, a slightly devious grin on her lips.
"Uh. The corpse of a very flat man? Did you guys run over Titus?" The feline guessed and grinned nervously.
This seemed to cause all three to look at each other with furrowed brows and curious glances. "Who is.. Titus?" Mitsu asked and tilted her head.
"Is that the name of your date? You said it was a surprise." Xiu followed up, her cheeks puffing out at the idea that the surprise had been ruined.
At first, Riyo could only blink. She could understand Mitsu not knowing who he was, but... Xiu? And Hel hadn't responded viciously. "Y-you know. Titus? The jerk? The guy we go to school with? He tried to pull out your feathers, for Jack's sake!" Riyo's voice raised as she turned her head towards Hel, who looked even more confused.
"Oh. I get it. You guys are joking. Haha. Very funny."
... Still nothing.
"Riyo, are you okay?" Mitsu squeaked quietly, her canine ears folding against her head.
"She had a bad dream." Her father interjected as he set a plate of spookies on the table the ghouls surrounded. "So her memories have been a little shaky. The way it sounds, that boil was probably apart of your terrible nightmare."
A gentle hand rested atop her head, ruffling her short hair before disappearing to do his own thing.
The ghoul seemed dumbstruck at the very idea that the boil didn't really exist. He HAD been real. She had touched him! And he had... He had kissed her! She remembered how furious she was and how terrible it had been of him at the time.
Well... Maybe she hadn't imagined it. Maybe he WAS the one taking her to prom, and the idea of him going to their school had been fabricated! Wait, why would she want him to take her to a prom anyways?
You're never going to get the taste of bullshit out of your mouth at this rate.
As a couple of moments silently passed without a word exchanged between the gaggle of ghouls, Xiu awkwardly brought the bag back up. "W-well. Lets not focus on bad dreams. Tomorrows the prom, remember?"
And suddenly everyone was excited again. "Y-yeah! We finally found you the perfect-" Hel's hand cupped Mitsu's mouth before she could finish the statement, which caused Riyo to look confused this time.
"Just open the damn bag, Riyo." The valkyrie scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Ears perking as the bag was shoved towards her, the demoness could immediately feel fabric under the plastic. ".. Is this?" She wouldn't let them answer. Her hands eagerly removed the wrapping with a big, bright smile threatening to burst through.
It was... Quite possibly the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. A dazzling pure white with rose accents. Just enough of a ruffle to not be too gaudy, with a slit up the side to make it look sexy.
"We had so much fun picking your dress, Riyo. Thank you..." Xiu's eyes warmly looked her over, basking in the glow of the feline's smile.
"For what?" Riyo managed to ask when she finally pulled her eyes away from the complete elegance of the silky fabric at her fingertips.
"For trusting us enough to let us." Mitsu finished the thought, her tail beating against the chair she plopped down in.
It was like some sort of beautiful fairy tale, and the ghoul had somehow managed to come out on top as the princess.
You're not a princess. You're not pure. You should never be in white. You KNOW this!
The voices grew louder, and in turn, Riyo tried to grow more deaf to them. More ignorant. Her hands wrapped around the piece of clothing. Held it close as if it was a creature in need of comfort. Embraced it like a lover. "No, Thank you. Thank all of you. So much. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my whole life."
That's because you haven't. You're never happy. And you'll never truly be until you stop these childish games.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:36 pm
When the next morning rolled around, the voice in the back of her head had become more developed. More intruding. It sounded like someone, but she couldn't really put a finger on who. Like someone she had known once upon a time..
Riyo walked into the kitchen, wearing what looked like a school uniform. Apparently they had always had uniforms, though she couldn't really remember seeing it before this.
You're never happy with ignorance. All those prying questions you ask on a daily basis.. So why be content with this?
"Morning princess." Her father cooed, frying up some eggs at the stove. Why did the nickname bother her so much? It felt almost incomplete.
"Morning." The feline said simply, sitting at the table her friends had been at the day prior. Riyo had taken the initiative to hang her dress on her closet door. Long after they left she had still been looking it over. So why didn't that feel right? It was a perfect dress, but it was as if both were positively charged. It ended up pushing her away.
"Sleep well?" The man turned around with skillet in hand, still wearing that obnoxious pink apron.
"Well... Not really." Honestly she couldn't remember sleeping at all. "Everything has felt... Wrong since I had that nightmare. Like... Like reality is flawed, I guess."
Her father, who had been pushing scrambled eggs onto her plate, froze after she conveyed that fact. It was another strange glitch, like he had ceased to function at her prying.
When he finally came back seconds later, he finished scraping the remnants onto her plate and sat down across from her with a worried expression.
"Why are you so eager to believe you can't live in a happy reality?" He asked softly, reaching out to put a hand over hers. "You don't have to be a defeatist here. Your world can be overflowing with positive emotions, if you just let it."
Something about the way he spoke made her skin crawl. No. It made something under her skin crawl.
A world without conflict is imperfection at its very core. The voice bellowed out.
"Are you saying... This world isn't real?" Riyo asked hesitantly, reaching up to touch her short hair.
"I didn't say that. This world is as real as you make it, Riyo. As are all other worlds. Reality is based on your perception, isn't it?"
"No. That's not-"
"Isn't the grass greener up here, princess?" He interrupted, squeezing her hand as if to keep her from escaping. "Aren't you tired of falling down that bottomless pit? This is what you imagine is at the top of that cliff face you can't see over. This is what you've always wanted. Isn't knowing I love you enough? That your friends love and adore you?"
The hand around hers hurt, as if to suggest that it could very well be real. As if to say the world was offended that she would suggest its intangibility.
Wasn't it you that suggested hard work is the only way to get what you want? Are you a hypocrite too? Wouldn't this be considered cheating?
It was. It was cheating. She knew it, and yet Riyo wasn't fully ready to accept it. This was why people cheated. She got so tired of working so hard and only receiving minimal benefits. If everything she ever wanted was here... Why not just accept it?
You'll get bored of it eventually, Princess Boil.
"Yeah... I should be going to school now." He said 'love' so casually, but that was all he did. She had no evidence of such a thing. Did she love him? How could she love somebody if the very thought escaped her entirely?
Grabbing her bag, the ghoul yanked her hand away and stood without touching her eggs... Though her father didn't seem to care.
"Have a good day at school, Princess." Was all he said, a sad smile creeping over his features as he watched her leave.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 3:07 pm
If the morning hadn't felt surreal, school certainly did. She had met up with Xiu and Mitsu half way, listening to them chat about trivial things and smile the whole way. It wasn't until they were almost there that she realized something.
"Hey Mitsu. Where's Shun?" Riyo asked curiously.
It almost horrified her that she gave the same blank look she'd received from asking about Titus.
"M-mitsu, whose taking you to the prom?" She decided to reword her question, figuring this would give her the answer she needed.
"Oh, um... Some guy from the coffee shop next to school. He seems very nice."
Oh, would you look at that? Another person who added conflict to your life is missing. You're starting to see a pattern here, aren't you?
"Xiu, is there another bakeneko that goes to our school?" Riyo asked almost desperately.
"N-no. Not that I can remember Riyo. What's wrong?"
None of them were there.
None of them had made it past the interview for this new reality, it seemed.
But shouldn't she be happy? They were all unnecessary stress, weren't they?
Weren't they...
"Nothing. Everything is fine."
---
The day at school had gone by so fast Riyo barely remembered what she had learned when she got home from school... If she even learned anything. It was time to get ready for the prom, right? She still didn't know who was taking her, but for some reason she found herself hoping and praying it was him. Just so she could say this wasn't a fake world. That she could live here as long as there was someone to stir up trouble over the stupidest things.
The voices had stopped. At least for now, and gave the ghoul a moment's peace. Allowed her to focus on getting ready. On wearing her dress and fixing her hair. On looking in the mirror and making sure everything looked right down to the smallest detail. She felt pretty. She felt like it would be impossible to look any better than she did right now.
But she didn't feel happy.
The thing that made success so great was the chance at failure. Overcoming that chance. The bitter taste of failure is what made victory so sweet, so how was she supposed to fully enjoy her success when there was no other option?
A loud, bellowing knock caught her off guard, causing the ghoul to jump. He was here! Shoes, she needed shoes! She-
There was a red glint from the closet that caused her to freeze. Carefully, quietly, she slid the door open.
Those shoes.
Those red shoes.
She remembered those shoes. The shoes she had bought just before her bet with Titus. The shoes that had been so uncomfortable they made her bleed. The shoes she'd thrown at him...
Putting them on now, it was hard to believe they could've been uncomfortable. But that was the point, wasn't it?
You're starting to get it now.
"Princess, your date is here." Of course her father wouldn't sound happy about it. Just like any man watching his daughter go off with some strange boil.
Now was the deciding factor.
Now was the time to see whether she tried to cope with this reality or not.
Outside her window was a sports car... And in her living room...
Was a vampire.
A very familiar vampire. The vampire who had helped her try to win the bet. A bet that had supposedly been all fabricated.
The boil stood from the couch, seemingly stunned by her appearance. "Well hello there, beautiful." He cooed, subconsciously adjusting the red tie that went perfectly with his white suit.
Too perfectly.
Riyo looked stunned, but not for the reasons she should've been. She was stunned that, even though this was a perfect would, she was unhappy with it. It lacked all the things that caused her strife. And because of that, she was going to give it all up.
She really was a masochist, wasn't she?
Slowly, she began backing up towards the door. Both men looked at each other, then back at her. "Riyo... Where are you going?" Her father asked.
"Back. I'm going back."
They started to advance.
Immediately Riyo took off her high heels. "I won't let you feed me this pseudo reality anymore. I'm not going to be satisfied with the lies."
"Just go to the prom. Enjoy yourself. Have a good time. It'll clear your head, I promise. Don't do this!"
Riyo choked back the tears that threatened to break out like a pack of stampeding elephants. "I won't let myself be satisfied with ignorance anymore..." With that, she slammed into the door. Knocked it down. Started running.
The calm night turned into a terrible storm in a matter of seconds. She couldn't avoid the puddles. Her dress became dirty. the briar bushes she ran through tore holes in it, and when she finally reached the place she was running to, it was in pieces. As it should've been. As she deserved.
There she stood, at a familiar cliff face. Her feet were firmly clasped to the edge, shaking in fear of what she wanted to do.
But couldn't.
She had to jump. Back into the abyss where she belonged. But she couldn't.
"Need a push, Princess boil?"
The voice. It sounded like... It was right next to her now. Gasping, Riyo turned around as fast as she could, clutching the red heels in her arms.
Titus...
"I think you'll find this time that there really is a bottom. And when you hit it, you'll finally be able to start climbing back up." His hands rested on her shoulders, eyes staring into hers as if judging the quality of her soul.
"B-but what if I can't?" She asked softly, beginning to shake in his grasp.
"Well s**t, it can't get any worse, can it?" With that, his sharp teeth appeared from behind his lips, which curled up in a grin. It only took one shove to push her over the edge. One shove to knock her back far enough to fall.
One shove to send her reeling back into reality. "See you on the other side, princess boil."
Riyo watched as the cliff face became smaller. As Titus gave her one last salute while she plummeted. Tears fell freely from her eyes, only to be left behind while her form continued to fall.
All she could manage was to mouth the words 'Thank you' to a boil who couldn't even see her anymore. Her body turned in mid air to look down at where she was falling.
Finally, after years of falling. After ages of waiting for it...
She could finally see the bottom.
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