[PRP] What's with that Gloomy Face? - Zac/Gloom

[endejester]

It left him shaking; days after found him remembering all to vividly the red fall of blood. Her stupid… pointless sacrifice that just made him all the angrier because it had failed. Pointless death, self-sacrifice that had been…spit on, ground into the dirt and left behind in a pool of black blood and white lace.
Maybe it was counterintuitive that he’d come to Other Ashdown to find solitude when this was the very ‘reality’ where she had died, but it was here in his ‘other’ bedroom in his mother’s house that he curled up. The grey of the world matched the grey room, and under the bed, there remained a small box of secrets. He’d checked it when he came back, turning each item inside it over in his hands and then putting them carefully away.

People had supported Adoelle’s death, they had been alright with her being killed by Alg. They had preferred that…to his own suggestion. They could even have taken some of her blood, rather than all.

But when it came time for her death, god they had turned then hadn’t they. He wondered just how much humanity was being stripped away by this mystery. How did any of that balance out? Nothing… nothing made sense.

He’d moved to save Mellany, but he couldn’t say why beyond that she bore a human form. He knew why Temperance had, she was a nurse right? He thought the same reasons went for Autumn, how could you have a healing power like that and pick and choose. It had to be hard, especially since they hadn’t known the whole story. None of them could read minds, right?

He’d remember though, if anyone learned of his plans with Heliodora, he’d remember what they had supported her willing sacrifice…at least till it became an actuality.

He rubbed his hands, one over the other like he could wash away the memories of that horrible night.
“What is wrong with us?” he asked the empty room. “What the hell is wrong with us?” he scrubbed his palms into his eyes like he could rub away recent events.
At least he’d gotten Isobel out safely. Be he was missing so much information. What had they done, what could he have done differently…
He lay down on the grey comforter and pulled a pillow against his chest, staring without looking at the pile of plush pandas that sat in the corner.

“What are you looking at.” He growled at them.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

The pile of plushies shuffled them, falling apart as a squeak escaped from them. From something that was hiding within them.

A pair of luminescent white eyes appeared in the darkness of all the plush, shadows wisping up all of his form erratically. "Gloom wasn't looking at anything!"

endejester

 

[endejester]

He was startled when the plush animals first moved, drawing back and eyes widening but, then he saw a familiar little face and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Gloom” He said flopping back relaxed once more.

“… I was talking to the plush-animals.” He admitted. “I didn’t think I had company.”

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Y'looked lonely," Gloom said softly, his eyes focused entirely on Zac. "Lonely is sad. Y'shouldn't be sad."

endejester

 

[endejester]

He laughed, a soft sound half buried in his hand which he rubbed against his face distracted in half by his own thoughts.

"No Gloom, not lonely, not quite. Besides...you're here now, so I can't be lonely anymore, right?"

You could be lonely though, with people all around you.
Semantics, right?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom hunkered low to the bed, nosing at the blankets before he was pulling himself forward slowly with his paws. It was a slow creep closer, the shadows pulled in tightly and only a few wisps escaping off.

"Y'can still be lonely if Gloom is here." Even the shadow marten knew that. "There's nothing wrong with ya," he said as he continued to move closer, a slow drag of shadows along the bed.

end3jester

 

[endejester]

“I wouldn’t say ‘nothing’ Is wrong with me.” He shook his head. “… In fact I know most people would disagree if you could get inside my head.” He gave a not so chipper smile.

“And don’t be so clever.” He scolded, though he barely meant it.

“Were you there at the ‘Ball’?” He tipped his head. “ Because that’s just one more thing that I feel like keeps going wrong, but I really don’t know.”

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Gloom likes being clever," he replied, still scooting forward until he was nosing at Zac's leg. Shadowy paws were on his leg a moment later, pulling himself into his lap oh so slowly.

"I was," his voice was soft. "Gloom was keeping a friend company. She's safe now too ..."

endejester

 

[endejester]

“That’s good.” He said softly. “I’m glad she is safe, did you help protect her?” He said it in his most serious tone, letting the small other creature climb onto his lap, he reached for the strap of his bag and tugged it closer.

“…. What’s her name?” He added.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Lady," he replied, "but that isn't her real name." The shadows seemed to coalesce and pull together and he looked more real and less wispy. "Gloom just kept her company ... Gloom could only do certain things."

Then he was turning around in circles a few times before he settled comfortably into Zac's lap.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Lady.” He repeated thoughtfully. “…I think maybe I saw her in passing.” He wasn’t sure at all though. He reached a tentative hand to see if perhaps he could touch the small creature. “Ah… do you like, being petted?” He asked cautiously before he actually laid a hand on it though.

“You say she’s safe, was she one of the tithe? “
He pulled the bag onto the bed with them and fished into one of the small pockets on the face of the bag. He had an absurd enjoyment for the little quarter-machines, sometimes he would wear the junk he got from them, and sometimes it was just a bouncy-ball for Mogget. He thought gloom might like his latest ‘treasure’.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Pets are good!" he said with a pleased chitter, pressing into the hand that touched him. Gloom was not solid, not in the least bit, but there was something there to pet all the same. The shadows were cool to the touch, not unlike silk, and disappeared under Zac's fingers with each stroke of 'fur'.

"She was," his voice was quiet then, "but now she is not. She is a true Lady now, just as the others will be Lords." Then he fell silent as Zac was pulling something from his bag, something he was not quite sure of, and then peered at it.

Not unlike a cat watching a new toy.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Lords and Ladies….” He hesitated then for a moment but finished pulling out the trinket. A plastic ‘egg’ with a colorful top, but inside there was a ‘gold’ bracelet studded with plastic gems.

“Here…” He offered. “Do you want me to open it for you?”

He stroked the strange shadow feeling, the silky sensation on his fingers.

“Are you, alright with he being a real Lady?” He asked softly.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Can y'open it?" There was a brief pause. "Please?" Gloom could probably do so himself but this was something new that he did not quite know how it worked and he did not want to break it!

His paw pulled back from the container before he was rolling over onto his back to look up at Zac while he wriggled from side to side to get more comfortable. "It is the way of things. They are safer now."

endejester

 

[endejester]

Zac turned the little ‘egg’ in his hand, and nodded. He rattled it, and then sighed softly at some thought before gently squeezing part of it to release the two halves from each other, gently shaking free the plastic trinket.

“You don’t always have to like the way of things.” Zac said gently. “Do you come here often?”
It was an important question because of all his little boxes hidden through out Other Ashdown, this was perhaps the most ‘personal’.

azuredreams