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 Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:38 pm
They had held each other for a good hour before Jericho had needed to return to the Prom, and Riley had decided to retreat to her room to freshen up and finish getting ready. That had left Malodore rather at loose ends; at first, it hadn't wanted to leave her, but being alone in a room with Vek was... less than a delight.
Thus, the plague doctor had informed Riley that it was running an errand, and hurried off at its top speed. It had several stops to make, after all, and not a lot of time in which to make them.
It made them.
When the plague doctor returned, it was not alone. Two cwn annwn followed it, though Luce kept having to herd Ombra, sometimes picking up the younger pup in her mouth to force his obedience. Malodore walked past Vek with a nod, opening the kitchen door and taking care of the mess within before putting both cwn pups inside, closing them in.
It then sat down on the couch, closing its eyes for a moment. Once again, it felt... unstable, but not in the way it had just a few hours earlier. Then, it had been tormented by its own fears, that Riley would not want to associate with it again, that it would still lose her despite her Bogeymen-sponsored rescue. Now, it felt excited, eager, as if the whole world had opened up to them both anew... which, in a sense, it had.
But underneath that was that old crawling fear, made stronger by the fact that the worst had happened once already. The Insanity still gripped her - and it would not lose her again. It still held tightly to its determination, its vow to never permit such a thing to happen again. The fact that she had returned had little bearing on such things.
And yet, it had been granted a second chance. The plague doctor sat back on the couch, releasing that fear - for now, it would simply enjoy her presence. This evening was all theirs, Vek not withstanding....
When Riley emerged once more, she would find Malodore (now wearing its 'fancy' cravat) sitting on the couch, occasionally giving Vek sidelong glances... and radiating innocence, akin to a cat that has just eaten all the cream.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:07 pm
Riley had actually spent a great deal of time in that bedroom doing nothing but standing there. She'd just spent an hour curled up in the arms of two creatures. Two creatures she couldn't even remember ever meeting. Yet their hands caressed her lovingly, their arms kept her close, and she found a solace she'd never known before as she curled within their love.
Love. She stood there in her room and stared at herself in the mirror. She was an Illithid who was loved - and this was nothing new for her. Yet, it was, completely, and utterly. Their love, their devotion was not out of fear or respect. Their touch was not the hesitant and careful brush of a devoted underling. They held her like she was theirs. Like she was theirs.
And she was, wasn't she? There was no doubt in her mind that she had given herselves to these companions, wholly and utterly. She could not understand the reasoning behind the decision, but that did not change the clear fact that the decision had been made. She was theirs, and they were hers, and she had loved them as dearly as they now loved her.
Even without her memory, she was able to recognize that.
Her hands rose up, and down, her arm. Her fingers brushed against the skin that had been pressed against cloth and scale for so long. One side was warmer than the other - she snickered at the realization. The dragon, she thought to herself, and his effortless emissions of heat. It should have been the plague doctor held between the two of them, to infuse the undead with enough heat to make it's heart start beating again. She was sure it was possible.
Then she wondered if they had ever tried.
Finally, her hands dropped to her sides, and she actually started to get ready. There was little she had left to do, but in the end she decided to change her choice of shoes, and she'd put in and taken out tentacle clips over a dozen times. When she returned to the front room, she looked almost exactly as she had a half hour ago - but felt a change had certainly occurred in the room, nonetheless.
She noticed Malodore's cravat almost instantly, and was about to comment on it, when she heard the sounds coming from the kitchen.
Malodore. She hissed violently, as her claws tightened. There is something in the kitchen..
She sounded - and looked - as if she was about to go on the hunt.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:57 pm
When Riley entered the room, Malodore stood, thoroughly enchanted by her appearance - now that it knew where they stood, that she wanted to renew their relationship, to start over and see where things led... now it could look at her with hope, not with fear and regret. "Ah, mia cara, I brought them back with me... I have been taking good care of Ombra while you were gone."
It walked over to the kitchen door and cracked it open, saying something in Italian and then bending down to pick something up. When it turned around, it had a squirming cwn annwn pup in its arms - and the squirming only increased when the pup spotted Riley. It pushed the door the rest of the way open to reveal a second, more adult cwn sitting there, and when she saw the mindflayer her ears rose, tail thumping wildly against the floor. She quivered with the urge to go greet and jump on her mindflayer friend, but for now Malodore's command held her in check.
Malodore peered at her over Ombra's head. "This one is yours. Ombra. He, and my Luce, missed you too." Its beak was open in a smile, and that joy was evident in its tone as well.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:09 pm
Riley straightened up out of her crouch and tilted her head, when Malodore turned to hold a pup out to her. It wiggled, and struggled, and it was clear it was trying to get out of Malodore's claws and to her. But she just stared at it, slightly offended by it's presence.
Then she looked up at Malodore, and back down at the pup.
That. She murmured, holding one finger out to point at Ombra - only to have the tip of it thoroughly licked by the tiny tongue that reached out as far as it could. She retracted her hand at once. Is mine?
Ah, but then it all came together, and her hesitation vanished in an instant as she collected the pup into her arms. Ahhh, I see. This was hers, and the other, larger one, was Malodore's. Why the creatures would have missed them was a question she didn't bother asking, because she had already solved the mystery.
A dinner for two. How romantic.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:12 pm
Malodore looked startled. "Ombra is your pet, mia cara." It offered her the memory of her and Luce playing together, of her getting Ombra and naming him, of her taking care of Luce and helping the plague doctor remove the cwn pup's terror after one particularly ill-fated field trip. "I certainly can procure you a live meal if you'd like one, but these are companion creatures, not for consumption."
... It was fairly sure she wasn't actually going to go for Ombra, but...
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:18 pm
Riley's face crumbled as she was corrected, and she slumped slightly in defeat. This is.. not a snack? She held the squirming creature up closer to her face - which proved instantly to be a mistake, as it pawed at her chest and licked her face as thoroughly as it could manage. At first, Riley tried to pull it away, but in the end Ombra was less squirmish when it was closer to her body, with ample access to lickable skin. She curled one arm around it loosely, and it found a niche there, balling up and licking her collarbone over and over and over and over and over and over and over and -
I am at a loss. The memories were vivid, and they told a clear tale. But knowing the love of Malodore was a hard enough pill to swallow in one day - the mere idea that she could find minipets companionable unless they were bloodthirsty, killer creatures-
Her eyes went wide.
Cam! Her voice cracked. What happened to Cam? Did you keep it, too? Is it locked away safely? Or did something kill it, and that is why I fell to this ball of softness and fur, in my grief?
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:21 pm
"Ah... he was not here when I arrived, mia cara," Malodore said, with regret. "I searched for him, but I could not locate him anywhere. It was as if he vanished without a trace... mi dispiace."
That said, it hadn't been entirely sad to have gone home with Ombra instead of Cam, but her distress was itself distressing.
Meanwhile, Luce let out a very quiet whine and inched forward a few steps. Still sitting down, of course. omg jealous
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:34 pm
LickLickLickLickLickLickLickLickLickLick-
Riley changed positions so that Ombra did not lick the same exact spot. He happily found a new spot and went to town on that instead.
I see. Her eyes held genuine remorse, at that moment. I suppose it makes sense. The Cthulhu are bonded to us when we are born. If we die, they cleave to the closest Illithid they can find. I can't imagine how far Cam must have traveled to find an Illithid.. it may not have survived.
She looked down at the pup in her arms, who in turn lifted his head, and licked her nose appreciatively. Surprisingly, the reaction was less disgust, and more amusement. She let out a soft chuckle, and shifted it again.
Yours seems quite well trained. She gestured with her head to Luce, who was still sitting and waiting for command. What a good little thing. Was there just the tiniest bit of coo in her voice when she said that? Perhaps.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:53 pm
"She is a good year older than Ombra, I believe, so it is to be expected," Malodore said, relaxing once more when it seemed the cwn pup wasn't in any danger of becoming a snack. "I am fortunate that she is such a tractable creature - Luce, here-"
Immediately, Luce got up, padding over to the plague doctor's side and sitting down, leaning against its leg and giving it an adoring look before turning her gaze back to Riley. Her tail thumped again.
As for the matter of Cam... well, it had no solace to offer one way or the other. "I hope he found someone," it said, after a moment, concern entering its voice. Not concern for the Cthulhu, though. For her. Dying and then coming back... well, it wasn't entirely abnormal in Halloween culture, especially since Malodore itself was undead, though born-undead instead of made-undead. But Riley was neither a ghost nor an undead....
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:04 pm
Riley kept her gaze on Luce with an especially watchful eye, and when she sat down beside Malodore, Riley bent down and held Ombra out to put the pup down in front of Luce. Are they related? She asked quietly. But as soon as her hands released Ombra, the pup licked Luce and came charging back to Riley, jumping up on her lap and burying itself in her chest. Riley plucked it up and placed it down in front of Luce again, only to have a repeat of it's previous actions.
And thus, Riley was forced to admit yet another creature into her life that loved her beyond the bonds of devotion, further still to where it claimed her as it's own, and demanded her love in return. She let out a soft sigh, and reached out to pet the well trained pup, Luce, on the head.
It. Riley's correction was.. ironic, to say the least. Cam had no gender. But I hope it did as well.
She stood up straight once more, her demeanor unchanged despite a very wiggly pup half-buried in her bosom, and supported fully by her dress - as her hands were at her sides. Thank you for looking after this.. She waved her hand at her bosom. While I was gone.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:15 pm
"You are welcome - I will tend to it when, ah. You have to go back..." Its voice trailed off, and it glanced at Vek for a moment before turning back to her. "But until then, I will stay at your side, as long as you wish," it said, fiercely.
Luce, meanwhile, had started creeping over towards Riley, an inch at a time. "Ah, someone else wants to say hello," it said, with a fond look. "Would you like to greet her?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:22 pm
The moment Malodore mentioned going back, Riley tensed, and took a step forward. Her hand reached out and took hold of Malodore's sleeve, an action born from instinct. Her body language clearly indicated that going back to that awful place was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She looked down at Luce when she was mentioned, but her hand still clung to Malodore's sleeve like a lifeline.
She wishes to say hello to me? Riley had come to accept the wiggling bit of fluff that demanded her attention, but she did not suppose that Malodore's pet liked her, as well. So she bent back down to the floor, and her dress flowered around her, blooming as it fell in cascades. Once it settled, she held her arms out, and Ombra stuck his head out of her bosom and panted, it's tail wagging out happily.
Luce. She'd heard Malodore call it that. What a beautiful name. Come. The command was full of quiet, easy power.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:28 pm
Malodore made a soft sound in the back of its throat and took her hand, gently twining its fingers with hers and squeezing tightly. It was not going anywhere, not now. Not until they made it-
It opened its beak in a smile, though, when Luce responded to the command at once, darting to Riley's side and leaning against her, looking up at her with pure adoration. Happygreetingfavoritepurple!!!! radiated from her. "Oh, she definitely remembers you," Malodore laughed, amused.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:35 pm
There was an odd, sort of world breaking moment when Luce rested against her, and she tasted it's thoughts, as lucid and useless as sub-specie thoughts were, in her mind. This pup - this little, beautiful creature with it's gentle eyes and warm body and adoring expression - she had, at some point, let this pup know her. Mind to mind.
Riley's hands itched to reach out to touch Luce, but instead they lifted and cradled her face, hiding it in shame.
Oh, Malodore. She whispered. I am frightened of what I have become.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:42 pm
Malodore stilled at once, sinking down to sit next to her; Luce pulled back, a questioning whine coming from the pup. "I... how so? Perhaps I can help ease your mind, mia cara," it said, quietly. It patted the floor next to it, and Luce immediately came alongside it, laying down and resting her chin on Malodore's knee.
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