Save the Nighttime for Your Weeping [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

"I came out here to find adventure. I heard a story about you a while ago, and thought I would look into it. Since I'm a bard I take telling stories seriously, I wanted to know what was true and what wasn't." She smiled at the witch in front of her.

She still had a feeling that she was in deep trouble. How couldn't she be when she was in the middle of a swamp with a witch who supposedly ate people. What a thrilling prospect. Roasted Rosemary over a fire. Hahaha.

"I'm a wolf-squirrel actually. It's a very strange story, my family that is. If you want I can tell you about that bizarre fairy tale as well? Though I was wondering if you really could tell me your own story. I would love to spread tales of a great swamp witch that no one can challenge. However that might be over stepping my boundaries."

[Vyn]

Meecha stared at the rose-smelling dog-squirrel for a long time, listening to what she had to say and not entirely sure whether she was proud or annoyed or just curious. Someone was telling stories about her, which Meecha didn't entirely appreciate... but this girl had asked, and was willing to exchange stories.

Perhaps she'd be willing to do that.

"You tell me your story an' perhaps I'll be tellin' you mine." Meecha grinned her yellow-toothed smile and eyed the odd Tulgey mutt breed curiously. "If your story is entertain' enough, then you can here mine." Meecha liked it when people really worked to give her what she wanted. Some, like she had, knew the rumors and were afraid... Others, like Christoff, just liked to please... It was the stupid ones that really annoyed her.

Luckily Rosemary was not that kind of stupid, even if she did make Meecha's nose itch when she breathed too deeply.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary nodded and took a deep breath. Now it was time to tell a tale. "My family started in Corvistowne. A place filled with madmen and people who barely follow the law. There lived a beautiful Highlander man who married a wondrous Corvie. However, the happy ending fell through after the birth of three children. The wife died. The father died. And the youngest child died. The only one left was the beautiful young man and his slowly dying sister."

"The beautiful young man with flowing hair was a doll maker. He was half Corvie and have Highlander, with no particular pride in either. And he gave his sister a Wicked idea. She decided to cheat death by turning into a doll. However, she turned her brother into one first, she wasn't going to experiment on herself alone, of course. That was her downfall. She tried to experiment on another, someone as wicked as her from the courts. And the Queen herself slew her."

"The brother was alone. And there he stayed for years, locked it the basement until a raccoon came upon him. He was free, and so he wandered. After many trials, he eventually ended up in a dark and deary place called Tulgey where he met a Queen. A Queen who had a love of dolls..."

And Rosemary paused to take more air in. "I wouldn't want to bore you. This is satisfactory so far?"

[Vyn]

Meecha had crouched down, taking in the story as she watched the Tulgey girl begin to speak. She very much got into the stories she told, and Meecha couldn't help but be intrigued. Places filled with mad people were often very interesting and they often died a lot, so Meecha could fully enjoy the tale that was being woven.

The hamster's gaze would be unnerving, hardly blinking as she started in quiet interest. She had many questions, mostly involving horrible experiments and how they worked, but she was halted by the cliffhanger and her thoughts were suddenly drug to that thought instead.

Why was she stopping? Who was this Queen?

Meecha's lip twitched and a yellowed smile cracked its way across her dark, dirty features. "Ya, ya... It be good, real good... Wha happened to the doll man and this Queen?" Meecha had never met a Queen but people always spoke about them with such reverence which meant this Queen would be special, interesting... "I want ta hear more."

[Kari Muffin]

The corner of Rosemary's mouth twitched into a wicked grin. It was wonderful having someone hanging off your every word. When you did, it didn't matter what you were, or who they were. It was just a wonderful feeling. She had power with her words.

"When the Queen saw him, she immediately wanted to make him hers. The poor broken doll couldn't do a think about it, because the Queen had the terrifying ability to break anything she touched! The Queen took him back to her home amongst the forest filled with strange and dangerous creatures. He was locked up there, as she tried to fix him. It only made things worse... you see she slowly fell in love with the doll man."

Breath of air.

"And the doll man fell in love with her, but there was nothing he could do about it. That was until The Queen visited a very powerful Mage. He knew what to do and helped the doll man break the curse. However, he was still a doll because the Queen was still fixated with him not being of flesh and blood.

When all seemed lost, the Queen finally admitted to herself that she loved the Doll more than life itself, and she was willing to do anything for him. And then something happened. Something amazing. Once he was not of flesh and blood, and then the next day he had a heart beat. Slowly. Slowly he became something other than a Doll. To the Queen's delight he was still as beautiful as he could ever be.

But that's not a happy ending, it's only the start of the terrible troubles they faced. For the Queen's father was a wicked old man, and her mother was the uncaring short. The poor Doll man stood no chance against them... and yet he had to gain their approval before he because The Queen's one and only true King."

She smiled and waited for a reaction.

[Vyn]

Meecha found herself grinning back at Rosemary.

She was almost excited to hear more and definitely impatiently eager. Eager enough that she found herself squirming slightly as she waited for Rosemary to start up again, only to fall into a silent spell of listening the moment the wolf-squirrel began to speak.

There was a lot to follow, yes, but Meecha was utterly riveted upon the story. Doll People were interesting, Meecha had decided, and that he became not a doll was even more interesting. Queens that could break what they touched also delighted Meecha as she loved breaking things quite a great deal.

And... and then she did it again. Those horrible pauses where Meecha was forced to sit patiently and wait for more! The hag shifted awkwardly and wrinkled her nose, giving in to the urge to press. "So? Did he get da approval? Huh?" Meecha stamped her foot a little, eager and impatient and wanting for more. Rosemary definitely had a captive audience.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary gave the woman a wicked smirk. This was so much fun. It had been a while since someone had been this hooked. Her tail twitched at the stomping of the foot. Okay, well she better hurry before something went wrong.

"It wasn't easy. The poor Doll man had to go through tests upon tests. The first was defeating a monstrous demonic cat of massive proportions! And then he had to win the Queen's approval by showing that he was submissive to her father... which was a difficult task indeed. The poor Doll man was nearly broken again, and again, by the various tests. And evil monster of a sorcerer wanted to break him for taking The Queen away... but the Doll then realized how powerful he really was. He had the power to make a person feel nothing, to control them by a simple touch. He had no reason to be afraid of some petty things...."

She continued to elaborate about the various things The Queen and The Doll did. The various little things that had happened in her parent's life including the traumatic story of how she and her four other siblings were born making a "Happy ending."

"Of course, there's no such thing as a Happy Ending, because.... dangerous things lurked in the Doll's past. The only family he had left found him, and stole away his pure Highland daughter. There is no end to any good story.... because The Doll's story leads into six other stories. I'd gladly tell you more, but I'm starting to get parched."

[Vyn]

Meecha was happily riveted, fascinated by the story the Rosemary wove for her. Doll people! That was such a wonderful concept and it had her head swirling with curiosity the entire time Rosemary spoke. Animating Doll People was sort of like Voodoo, wasn't it? That was wonderful!

And when Rosemary finished, Meecha was in a delightfully good mood. She liked that the story didn't have a Happy Ending, that there was more. It made it more real... and it meant she might get to hear more which intrigued her greatly. She held off asking more questions and just offered a very toothy yellow-stained grin.

"I s'pose ya ken come home wit' me. I owe ya ah story 'n' ya ken git ah drink." Maybe she should warn her that most Outsiders didn't take well to the water here? Nah, it'd be funny to watch her face... Without warning she struck off toward her hut, it wasn't too much further into the swamp but Meecha wasn't a patient person. "Ya coming?!" She snapped over her shoulder as she walked.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary could have wiggled in victory, instead she remembered to keep her composure. She was still in the middle of a swamp, and if she got "lost" she would be slightly screwed. After all she still wanted the woman's story!

"I'm coming! Thank you very much for your trade!" She said as she bounced after Meecha. A nasty hamster swamp witch that could probably pop her head off like a bloody daisy. That somehow didn't sit well with with the canine squirrel, but she shoved it down with her worry. She had the ability to teleport out if she really needed to.

Something to drink? Rosemary's tail wagged a bit. Maybe she would have some strong alcohol? That was always good. She'd heard rumors about what people had out in the swamp like this.

[Vyn]

Meecha was happy she was already on the move when the peppy dog-thing started to follow her.

She was far too peppy, and she smelled to... rosy. Meecha was glad for the story though, that made it much much better. Hopefully she would continue to be interesting and then Meecha would have a good night in store even if it was spent with an outsider.

It was a bit of a trudge through the mud and the muck, but Meecha was good about finding easy paths through the swamp until she would finally reach the little hut she called home. Lao, of course, was there to greet her with a cheerful chirp.

The swamp hag grumbled at her pet and made her way into the kitchen, beginning to pick out things here and there. Mostly she was looking for some food for Lao so that it would go find a corner and not try and sit on her again. "Whatcha want ta drink?"