RP:A Disturbing Dummy Disrupts a Depressing Drink

Synopsis: Dezerae's relaxing evening becomes interrupted by the worst ventriloquist in all of Lithrydel.

Characters: Orphyn, Dezerae

Location: Spring of Vitality

Date: September 22nd, 2017

Spring of Vitality

Orphyn wore that dreadful mask tonight; She had been in one of her little up-to-no-good moods. It stood out against the backdrop of black that had been her attire for the evening, it's menacing and eerie grin just visible beneath the shadow cast by the hood sitting atop her head. She seemed to be humming along to some sort of twisted tune playing in her noggin, her footsteps a near skip as she navigated the all too familiar forest in which she frequently used as an escape in her strange capers. In her arms she seemed to carry what, from a distance, one might assume was a dummy of sorts- Well, at least half of one. It had no legs to speak of, but its top half seemed pretty intact. It was dressed in a fine gentleman's coat that has obviously seen better days, complete with four, wonderful gold buttons cascading down the chest. While the arms seemed to flop as she maneuvered, the head was pretty well supported. This of course, would be the dummy's more unsettling feature. Its hair was slick and combed back, face white as a linen sheet. It looked caked in powder. Two solid pink circles of blush highlighted the thing's cheeks, and its lips were the brightest shade of red. The worst part? The eyes. They seemed to be forced open with some sort of metal wire so that it seemed to be in a constant state of staring. They were green, and looked almost real. Suddenly, Orphyn came to a halt when she reached the infamous Spring, her cheerful, yet muffled voice ringing out into the night. "What do you think Louie?! Good place to practice?" In turn the dummy's mouth began to move, and yet the woman's voice was the one to answer. "Sure is pal!"

Dezerae wouldn’t have been noticeable at first glance. She was neatly sprawled out on the grass a ways off the side of the Spring, usually vibrant locks now drenched from the nearby water and now taking on a darker hue that better matched her gaze. Her eyes were closed but her chest still rose and fell, signaling that she was alive and breathing. Navy blue robes and clunky black boots were tossed to the side prior to now, leaving the feline in her loose trousers and body-fitted tank. Overall, the woman did not give off any threatening vibes. However, clung tight in her right hand was the neck of a bottle-like vessel, mostly likely encasing alcohol of sorts. And if examined closely, half the bottle would be empty and the contents were most likely circulating through the feline at this point. The soft voices travel to the feline eventually, and her gaze finally opens, rolling about to survey the area through peripheral vision. Once that yields no resolutions, the feline begrudgingly rolls onto her bottom, rubbing at her eyes as she comes to a rise. The bottle is set aside briefly, so that to corral knees to her chest in a brief moment of gathering her composure before she straightens herself drunkenly and averts her squinted gaze toward the new arrival.

Orphyn would not be long turning toward the sound of motion. She had completely missed the feline whom had been engaged in the relaxation of a drink, her grey-blues gazing out from behind those holes of black to better observe the isolated redhead for any sign of immediate threat. Drink? Shoeless. Very informal attire. Couldn't be law. Not out here like this. A vagrant? And then it dawned upon the woman. NO! An Audience! The twisted mask fastened to Orphyn's face shifted to the left in an unnatural way, a bit of a playful giggle coming through that slit mouth. "Oh! Hiya! I didn't see you there. Nope, no I did not! Funny place to sleep, you know. Hungry bears and creepy crawlies might get you." Another giggle. "Louie. Don't be rude. Say hello!" The odd woman's face turned toward the dummy, and the dummy turned toward the odd woman, it's mouth opening and closing with a badly mimicked male's voice ringing out. "Alright, alright. Keep your pants on!" The dummy turns toward Dezerae and speaks, "I'm Legless Louie! And this dodo-brain is Smiley!" Orphyn moved a hand to make the odd toy wave in the feline's direction.

Dezerae internalized the mask first, the facial obscurity throwing the feline off for a moment. Then again, that may also be due to the alcohol. Secondly, the gaze slowly rolled toward the doll, though innocent enough, carried the same intimidating aura as the mask itself. Head cants as she tries to scrutinize the doll until the concealed woman’s voice reverberates through her currently sensitive ears and forces crimson gaze to flicker upward again. The talk of predators made her inwardly chuckle; honestly, she’s probably already had any dangerous animal in this forest as a pet. Though the muffled voice was distinguishable, Dezerae’s fogged mind made it a bit harder to follow and once the woman and the doll stop speaking, the feline misses a bit in her opportunity to respond. Her both opens, and a croaked noise is releases, revealing signs of her long night of drinking. She tries again, this time her voice is raspy but understandable. “My name is Dezerae. It’s nice to meet you both. Why is someone so young out here? You also shouldn’t roam the forests alone.” It’s been decided that the hidden features behind this mask must belong to a child.

Orphyn taps on that mask with one naked finger, he words showcasing a bit of contemplation. "Dez...dezert...disarray..." Suddenly the head of the dummy aims toward the young woman and begins to mock her in that deep tone. "She said Dezerae ya doofus! What? Ya got wax build-up in your ears? You're gonna get bee's building a hive in there! The Gods knows there's room." There was frustration in Orphyn's retort, "Hey! That's not nice! I was thinking you big old jerk. You're a terrible dummy." And once more the other would respond, "Then you shoulda left me alone!" If this was part of the routine, it definitely needed some work. Suddenly, both faces snapped back in Dezerae's direction, and Orphyn would giggle once she looked to the bottle. "I got it! Dizzy Dezzy! Nice to meetcha too!" As a passing breeze filtered through, the scent of decay would gently taint the area; The origin, unknown. "Hey! I'm an adult, I'll have you know! I can handle myself very well. My best hiding places are in these woods!" As those latter words echoed out, her arms flailed, and she quickly caught the dummy before it fell from her grasp. The sudden motion caused something to fall from the dummy. It looked a little... meaty. "Sooooo Dizzy Dezzy, whatcha doooing? And why are you doing it all by your lonesome? Did you have a bad day?" Her voice quickly turned to fear, "Am I? Are we... disturbing your silence?!"

Dezerae was not the slightest convinced that she was not encountering a child at the moment but she’d keep that to herself, instead allowing her eyes to flutter between the two as they ‘conversed’. “You two seem to get a long great,” the feline murmurs, shifting about in attempt to stand. She forfeits and remains with her knees on the ground. The newfound name made scarlet brows furrow, the thought of her intoxication becoming a namesake slightly upsetting. Though Orphyn attempts to reaffirm her adult, the feline doesn’t comply. The scent of decay doesn’t hit the feline’s senses until the peculiar piece from the doll and rolls near the feline. Instead of being reasonable and inquiring about this, the feline instead attempts to stand again, speaking as she does so, “I was…napping.” Her way of translating drinking to whom she presumes is a child. “I did have a bad day, no worse than others but still bad.” The final inquiry makes the woman pause and due to her sensitivity to children and her inebriation, she offers a soft smile, “No, no. You’re not disturbing me. Though, I am concerned why there’s children roaming the forest…” Finally standing, Dezerae acknowledges Orphyn as quite a tall child but doesn’t particularly dwell on the matter.

Orphyn lets loose a muffled 'aw' and seeks to first address Dezerae's comment about children roaming the forest. "Children? Where?! Are they lost? Did their parents abandon them? We need to help them before the ghoulies come out and eat their brains!" And right on queue, the dummy opens its yap. "Yeah. Not like they'd get much out of you, Smiley. She's talking about you, stupid. You're the child!" Louie's creepy stare turns toward the feline as he mutters, "Yoooou. Neeeeed. Toooo. Taaaalk. Slooooooweeeer." Well that was that. The deranged woman had had enough. "You're so mean! I HATE YOU!" she screeched, causing a few nesting birds to frantically flutter off. The dummy hit the ground with a soft thud and there was sickening crack of something breaking as she began to kick the thing over and over in the chest. "MEAN. MEAN. MEAN. You were mean to the bartender. You were mean to the waitress. And you were mean to that woman! She won't be able to see from that eye ever again because of you!" Still her foot pounded into that torso- And as it grew more and more battered around, it was easy to tell, that this was no fabricated creation. It once was an actual person. "So fine! Then I'll make sure you can't ever see again!" One of those wicked daggers popped out of the sheathed at her hip, the pointed end used to pop out the eyes of Legless Louie- both of which were tucked into a small compartment on her belt. With the weapon once again finding its leathery home, Orphyn calmed herself. That dingy yellow mask was propped up atop of what appeared to be brightly dyed pink locks of hair, black painted lips curling into a genuine and caring smile. Like some sort of strange magician, Orphyn appeared right next to Dezerae, a faint black mist radiant with an energetic viridian hue left in her wake. She put one hand on the feline's shoulder and asked, "How come it was bad? Do you wanna talk about it?" This one was a strange one.

Dezerae shouldn’t drink anymore. Because apparently, when she does, young children with daggers attack dolls. A clear by-product of her intoxication. Hands reach, belatedly as Orphyn assaults the dummy, the eye gouging forcing the feline to recoil and allow the screaming woman to continue. Arms cross over her waist as she motionlessly watches, figure shifting only to rub at her eyes again. Gaze falls on the dummy once the attack is over, the feline even going as far as to feel slight compassion toward the plaything. The fact that a person may have inhabited the vessel never occurred to her and it was most likely for the better. The reappearance of Orphyn by Dezerae’s side does cause a ruffle down her spine, almost a lingering sense of danger and threat. But, instead of indulging in such precautions or sensible attentiveness, the woman shifts her attention to the apparent woman, waving away any of the residual black mist. “You’re an adult.” She utters this first, gaze looking her over before continuing, “With pink hair.” After she verbalizes her observations, the horizontal slits in her eyes dilate and contract as she prepares her response. “You know, when you’re having a bad life and it just makes everyday bad? It’s like that.”

Orphyn nods in an enthusiastic manner, fingers reaching up to pull a strand outward so that she too may see the bright color. "Yes! I wanted blue. I like blue. But SiN said pink stood out better. And when SiN says something, I listen, because SiN is my bestest pal in the whole world. I love her so much! But she hasn't been talking to me today." A momentary frown graced the human's features as she thought about where in fact her "imaginary" friend had gone today. This thought did not linger however, because that bright and cheerful smile erupted as she said, "That's no good!" Orphyn's gaze widens as she meets the felines, finally getting a better look at those wonderfully unique peepers. "Well. Why is your life bad? Are people mean?! Have you tried changing it?! My life was bad one. Really bad. People were mean. Not caring. They made me feel upset so much. And then one day, I said no more. No way no how. And I made a friend. And together we took life by its dirty rotten throat and happily choked the rottenness out of it!"

Dezerae mouthed the name ‘SiN’ to herself, attempting to mentally register it into long-term as opposed to short-term, where this encounter may just well land. “Best pal, huh? That’s cute.” She says, almost sadly. The cycle of emotions that develop on the colorful-haired woman face the feline tilt her head, attempting to process them individually. Eventually, Orphyn's loud and excited voice makes the redhead wince and refocus on her, “My life is bad because of many reasons.” She was prepared to mention a quip of how children would not understand but she remembers she is speaking with a woman. Instead, she attempts a different route of explaining, “I’m just not having much luck with friends. But, no, I honestly haven’t tried to change it.” The metaphor, or what she hopes was one, makes her smile faintly, “Admirable. I only wish I could be that assertive with my problems but it’s not working out so well, dear. Or…Smiley. Was that it?”

Orphyn 's face seems to change. Not physically, but emotionally. Mentally. There was something different in the way she looked. More present and in the moment than before. "Yep, that was it.But if you'd like, you can call me by my more... well.. known and given name, Orphyn." Her gaze trailed to the ground and the back upon what remained of 'Legless Louie', those black painted lip curling with a hint of disgust. She would have to get rid of that, eventually. And properly. "It takes time, for most. But I am sure some day, it will all just.... fall into place for you." the woman commented, returning focus to the conversation. "You should give it a try some time. Step out of your comfort zone! Everyone needs a friend. You'll go crazy otherwise." Soft laughter and a wink precede a moment of silence. In a casual manner, Orphyn finally removes the mask fully from atop her head, the hood soon to follow. The grossly marred item was tucked into her jacket pocket, and she ran those black nailed fingers through the matted, sweaty pink locks. "If you don't tell a soul about ...uhm.. Louie over there, I will be your friend! And I will give you discounted drinks over at The Corpse in Vailkrin if you ever pass through that way! Just, like, tell Patchy I said it was okay. I will deal with him later." That thought alone, dealing with the old grump, made her nose wrinkle with dread.

Dezerae notices the shift and changes Orphyn’s demeanor but doesn’t comment on it since it did not seem in turn. She now mouths ‘Orphyn’ to herself but quips softly, “Phyn. Do you mind that?” Her gaze follows the others toward the dummy, a bit bewildered since the pink-haired human is who attacked it. Again, she keeps that to herself for the most part. For the first time, Dezerae feels as though she was not talking to a children and it was a bit unsettling the change in demeanor. Like a completely different person. Crimson hues roll again toward the ground to the plaything once again before offering a shrug and smile, “It’s a deal. I highly doubt I’d have anyone to tell so you don’t really need to worry.” As though she hadn’t already agreed to secrecy, the mention of free alcohol made it even better of a deal. Hand rises to offer for a shake as a formality, “Again, you’ve got a deal, Phyn.”

Orphyn grins and wipes her sweaty fingers on her pants before taking Dezerae's hand in her own and gives it a warm and welcoming shake. "Deal Dizz- Um. Dez?" It seemed she was paying attention earlier, in some form or another, when the feline's face turned to disapproval of that random nickname. With hands separating, Orphyn looks to the sky above to note the position of the moons. It was getting later into the night and she needed to be on task to dispose of her discarded puppet. She turned away from her new friend and wandered over a few feet to pick up Louie by his arms, slinging the torso over he shoulders like some grotesque makeshift backpack. "It was nice to meet you, Dezerae! I am most positive we will meet again soon. Drinks, mmk? My treat! See if we can turn those bad days into better days! Until then, I need to go and uhm. Dig a hole." She nodded firmly. She was sure she didn't need to explain that.

Dezerae : Once they’ve sealed their deal, the feline leans forward to grasp the neck of her bottle and kicks her boots about so that they could fall upright and allow her to simply slip her feet in. Her antics made her miss Orphyn’s attentiveness on the sky, which would explain why the feline did not regard the gesture. Instead, she response to the comments instead of actions, “It was also nice meeting you, dear. Free drinks are my weakness, don’t promise me something so dangerous.” Eventually both boots are on and she’s able to lean forward and grab her robe, though it takes her extensive balance to not teeter forward, “Dig a hole?” The redhead debating pressing the matter but decided perhaps it was best to leave mystery around this pink-haired lady. She offers a wiggle of a wave as she slips into her robe, the thought of brightening her days still in the back of her head. Dezerae quickly glances at the bottle still in her hand and once Orphyn is not in earshot, she quips, “Until then, this should do for now.”