MASKTOURN

The room behind the door at the end of the rotting chamber is… strange. It feels out of place within the rest of the Citadel. This isn’t a temple’s inner sanctum, or a desolate chamber passing as living quarters. It isn’t even a half-ruined ghost of a structure. This.. is a child’s bedroom. A rather… modern child’s bedroom. It’s a small room. The twin bed in the corner of the room takes up a considerable amount of the space, and what’s not taken up by that is occupied by the overfilled dresser and the desk covered by assorted books and papers. The only real space to stand is on a woven small rug that covers all of the hardwood floor not occupied by furniture. The bed is covered by woven blankets, hand-stitched quilts, and a great number of stuffed animals (a good number of which seem to be frogs). Both the dresser and the desk are covered in an assortment of trinkets, small toys, and collectibles. The desk also hosts a mess of old school papers, books, a broken lamp. The desk chair is draped with four jackets and has a bad wheel. The walls are covered in unframed posters and a child’s embroidery sampler. The window over the bed is covered completely by lacy curtains- they let sickly yellow light in, but no view of the outside. Whatever this place is, it was once lived in. Lived in, to the extreme. And it’s not meant to be here.

Albanes returned to her room late in the night, and did not think of what Naiyta must be doing at the moment. She did not like to think of it more than she had to. She passed effortlessly through the sick hall and through the door of her childhood bedroom, the bedroom she had taken here. The home she could never leave. In the sacred privacy of her room, Albanes took out the jar that held the worm. The worm that was so like Melinoe. She couldn't let in perish in the arena. She couldn't say goodbye to Madelyn yet. She rested the jar on her windowsill, next to the smaller one that only held the corpse of a similar creature. Albanes took something else from her robe- a little bit of boiled meat she had taken from the refectory- and put it in the jar for the worm to eat, taking care not to let it out. Even if the bite wouldn't affect her, she still wanted to avoid the incoveience. "Eat up, little friend." She whispered, and watched silently for a very long while.

8:07 PM

( @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱 )

The worm seemed unbothered with the new surroundings, and even if it had complaints, it could not voice them without Isi. It was still picking at the rotting chicken that Isi had placed in to the jar all those days ago... As Albanes dropped the new meat in, it quickly switched its focus over to that and began feasting. That old meat wasn't going anywhere, but who knew when something would come in to take this new thing. It wiggled up to it and began to rip away small shreds at a time, teeth wriggling in animalistic glee for having all this food at its f- spike-tips? It had gotten so much food recently that there was actually a bit of refuse in the jar mucking up the bottom. That didn't seem to bother the creature. In the small jar beside it, Melinoe lay coiled in a strange dark orange liquid. It seemed so lifelike that one might think it could start moving at any time... But it hadn't for such a long time. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

@innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes sat, silently watching Anne, for a long while. After some time, she sighed, and left. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

Anne did not care that Albanes left. And Melinoe didn't seem to either.

... Anne was still enjoying its chicken, though it had now spent so long on the new piece that the old had entirely rotted away. Didn't help that it was sitting in its own refuse. It didn't care though.

(</3)

albanes and anne the worm