Something Amiss (For Floozer)

[elwytrek]

Codi snaps out of his stupor at the mention of his name. "I-uh. If I had a bow I could shoot things... maybe." He stammers quietly.

The servant, Ocho, hardly reacts in his questioning. "A good stance... what would you do to get one, and what would you do if you had it?"

 

[Floozer]

"If I had a good stance... I could fling spells without having to panic or dodge. But so far I have been in nothing but bad positions. What would I do to get one? Well, I already bit a trolls tongue off, so that should tell you a fair bit. Almost anything... if it means escaping this hell."

 

[elwytrek]

Ocho's ear twitches again, prompting Codi to share as well. "I'd-I'd break out too. I have a family, and I promised I'd have them a fortune by now... but I'd do anything to get out of here."

The servant's face stays blank, opening the creaky trapdoor and gesturing for them both to go down the rusty ladder inside.

 

[Floozer]

She sighs and climbs down the ladder, honestly wanting a bit of rest after all that has happened.

 

[elwytrek]

The ladder leads down into a hallway, with Ocho urging Jasmine and Codi both to follow it. A bevy of lit torch sconces decorate the ancient stone walls of what quickly takes the shape of a prison. Sturdy barred doors denote cells, with ten or so on each side of the long hall, while a handful of guards, including two twin rat morphs and a very voracious-looking panther woman, stand half-asleep at their posts. Ocho's eyes are as glazed as always as he leads them all the way down, before tugging on their hands, urging them into a shadowed corner, and spreading his wings to shelter them from any wandering gazes. Suddenly, his expression is more alight with life than they've seen him so far.

"So, you guys are brave. You want to get out? I can help you, I swear, just... you have to promise to take me with you." He whispers, urgently looking to Codi, to Jasmine, and then back at Codi while yearning for their agreement.

 

[Floozer]

She is caught off guard, to say the least, as life springs into his eyes "Wait what... you can get us out? You want to leave too?" she asks, trying to process it all "Ugh... fine, but you have to move quick ok? So how can we get out?"

 

[elwytrek]

"Not tonight." He hisses, seemingly frantic with the discussion of escape alone. "When they first brought me here, Queen Farida stopped trying to break me in because I started pretending to be a mindless husk. I don't know if it's because she felt sorry for me or not, but she kept me as her ideal servant and... er... plaything... because with the bat wings, I'm halfway to looking the part anyways, but the other demons... they're suspicious of me already. If I went on my own, they'd hunt me, and Farida doesn't forgive deserters with anything less than a lifetime in the pit. You guys are strong... and brave... and I have another friend who can help. There's a hot air balloon the Queen's most trusted soldiers get to use when scouting out land, but it's in rough shape. It'll fly, I think, and far enough out of here that we can get a head start to real civilization."

 

[Floozer]

"Then what are we supposed to do? Just stay here and take whatever they throw at us? They already hurt Codi... and it was my fault..."

 

[elwytrek]

Codi flinches, staring sadly at the ground again, but not bothering to correct her. "And what about weapons? What're we gonna do if your Queen starts catching on?"

"You won't have to wait long, I promise, but when it comes to arming you two, that's where this plan falls short, I'm afraid. Most demons... I mean cambions... rely on magic and brute strength. The Tanarukk guards have their maces... but they're way too big. I can try for weapons, but no guarantees on finding anything good." He looks over his shoulder, before turning to face them again. "I have to go now, the Queen will get suspicious, but whatever it is she asks, just be compliant for a day... or two, maybe, and everything will be okay for you two. Okay?"

 

[Floozer]

"... fine... but you better not leave us twisting in the wind after all of this!" She says with a serious look to her eyes "Now uh.. I guess just lock us up now so they don't come looking."

 

[elwytrek]

Ocho smiles a bit, wings twitching in capped glee as he pulls back and leads them to one of the cell doors. Theirs is seventh from the exit and on the left, and as unremarkable as all the others. He quickly works with his keys and the lock, and as the door swings open, he holds it politely and gestures them inside. "Yes, I do have to lock you up. There are a few others already in there, but a woman of your... charms... will fit in just fine. Now remember, tomorrow, just be compliant. Don't do a total 180, but do what she says, bare minimum."

 

[Floozer]

"Fine... just... lets just get this over with." She steps into the room, looking around for who else is inside."

 

[elwytrek]

Jasmine finds herself walking through a short tunnel on her way to the main cell, with Codi scrambling to follow her heels. As Ocho's about to lock the door, he suddenly pivots on his feet and ducks his head inside, whisper-shouting to catch her before she goes. "Wait! I have something for you. A show of good faith." He says, pulling a small, ornate dagger from the belt beneath his tunic and holding it in his palm for either of them to take.

 

[Floozer]

She moves over and takes the dagger "...Thanks, I think I can trust you just a bit more now." She gives him a small smile and turns back around.

 

[elwytrek]

"Just... be careful. It was my mother's." He says, quite shy and tentative all of a sudden as he watches her take it. "Goodnight, with as good of a night as you can have."

In a moment later, Ocho's gone, rushing back the way he came up the hallway and to the ladder after swiftly locking their door. Codi stands near Jasmine, eyeing the dagger. It's quite the sight to behold, floridly crafted with rubies at the hilt, and gifted with a wickedly sharp steel edge and point. Codi seems a bit suspicious, keeping distance as she holds it.

"You like that guy? Think he's any good at keeping his word?" He asks.

 

[Floozer]

"If he is willing to hand off a dagger to new comers... there must be something to him. Would you like to keep it? I have magic and all that."

 

[elwytrek]

Codi still seems wary, as if some batch of dark magic were ready to just pour out of the dagger if he even looked at it wrong. "It could—you could... you know what? Yeah, okay." He says, feeling a slight surge of reassurance from her suggestion as he reaches to take it out of her hand.

"If you're coming to get us, or worse, just hurry up and do it!" A feminine voice hisses from within the cell, probably overhearing snippets of their talk.

 

[Floozer]

She hands him the dagger and pats his shoulder "For what it is worth... I'm sorry for what I did. I should have taken it... not you... I won't make that mistake again." She turns and walks down the hall "Sorry, not taking anyone. In fact, we are joining in."

 

[elwytrek]

"It's... whatever." Codi says, putting on his best game face, and forcing himself not to shy from her touch as he fidgets with the hilt. He calls down the smaller hallway to back her up. "She's right! We're friendly!"

As they take the short walk to follow the voice, they come into a surprisingly large, dimly lit cell. A dozen beds of hay with tattered sheets line the far corner, with a pretty little white haired human already laying in one with her back to the entrance, and a bulky orangutan man sitting on his back and staring at the ceiling. In their first step inside, the yellow and white blur of a lithe ocelot girl, taller than Codi, but shorter than Jasmine, is up in their faces and standing before them, tail swaying dangerously behind her as she watches them carefully. "Who are you?" She quickly asks.

"At ease, Ethel." says a chiding, motherly tone, upon noticing that they're in the same naked state as the rest of them. A well-built, delightfully curvy buffalo woman wears the voice with clear pride and experience, crossing her arms beneath buxom E-cup breasts that Jasmine swears she can see beading with milk. "But seriously, who are you?"

 

[Floozer]

"My nameis Jasmine and this is Codi. We were brought in today after I made a fair bit of noise. Had the pleasure of meeting the queen bitch herself and her play things."

 

[elwytrek]

The ocelot, Ethel, eases off, fixing her composure with a slight bow as she smiles at the two. "It's a pleasure to meet you, then. You two gave her the old what-for?" She grins, eyes alight as she gestures for them to claim a bed. The way she moves suggests a little bit of discomfort towards her own nudity, and from the corner of her eye Jasmine can see she's packing a little extra down below in a modest sheathe. Otherwise, her posture takes after the liquid grace that any feline ought to possess.

"She gave'ya the time of day? You give her a thrashin', or just suck her off?" The orangutan man cheekily grins, sitting up in his straw to assess the two newcomers.

"Hush, Maynard." The buffalo woman sharply scolds, before chuckling dryly at the poor joke and running a hand through her messy brown curls.

"Back atcha', Shauna." He coarsely laughs. "Now, what brought y'all here? They pulled me outta my own home in the jungle. Guess the world decided to play cruel with me when I said I needed to get out of the house more."

"They pulled me away from my kids while I was out foraging." The buffalo, Shauna, adds with a humorless smile. "Don't get me wrong, they're all grown. Must take better care of themselves then their poor mama did, because I haven't seen them around since."

"-and one of those... furry servant things just grabbed me from behind a tree and knocked me out. Blanche here," Ethel says, pointing to the white haired girl off to the side, "we don't really know her story. She's sort of in shock, I guess. We're all as new as you two are, assuming you did come in the cages just today. Where'd you get that dagger? The queen give it to you or something?"

 

[Floozer]

"Um.. no... can't really explain the dagger. We were brought in today but I tried to escape. Manages to get out of my cage but was over run when I went for Codi here as well. So they uh... did bad things to Cid and it is all my fault. I ones tongue off bit it ust grew right back. So mostly I just gave her a head ache at most..."

 

[elwytrek]

She sees Maynard, the orangutan man, raise an eyebrow at that. "You can't, or won't explain it? Don't go thinking I'm raggin' on you here, but if we're in a cell together, we can't go and start keepin' secrets, can we?

"Frankly, I want to know too. Shut me up if you're sick of the interrogation, but if you're strolling in with a weapon out of the blue, I think it's fair to let us in on how we could all earn our own. It's none of our business maybe, but I know I would appreciate it." Shauna sweet talks.

"B'sides, if you're goin' and bitin' their tongues off just right that, you've got brass balls enough without a pretty little knife." Maynard adds with a wink.

Ethel watches, and Codi just stays silent, strolling over to one of the hay beds and plopping down to let Jasmine do the talking.

 

[Floozer]

"Fine. It was given to us by someone in the camp. I can't say who or why, but they gave us that dagger. Codi can't use magic like I can so he is going to keep hold of it."

 

[elwytrek]

Codi looks a bit like a deer in the headlights as he tucks the dagger away beneath the straw. "Yep. Can't cast a spell to save my life. Or swing a dagger, really... but it's here and I'm gonna hold onto it." He firmly announces.

Ethel shrugs. "Finders keepers. No skin off my teeth, since I've got claws."

"It'll do. You're free to have your own mysteries. I can't speak for all of us in here..." Shauna says, casting a wicked look at Maynard, "but I'm sorry for getting on your case. More questions are the last thing you need right now, but that queen woman... I don't want to imagine what she did to you two, but rest easy, cause' I'll knock her on the head sometime for every last scratch she even thought about putting on you." She flexes her arms, smiling slickly, before sobering to a serious tone again. "But I mean it, if there's anywhere it hurts, please let me take a look."

"Eh. Just let em' rest. Don't start hovering." Maynard says, laying back down in his straw.

 

[Floozer]

"I am fine but... Codi could use a tender touch." Her shoulders slump and she takes one of the free beds at random "I did him wrong... and no amount of apologies is going to fix it now. Stupid... stupid coward."

 

[elwytrek]

Ethel gives her an empathetic look, not understanding the situation, but hoping to lend her support nonetheless. She takes the bed to Jasmine's right, between her and Maynard.

Meanwhile, from the strain in his voice, Codi's face is probably beet red about now. "I... guess a tender touch wouldn't hurt, to be safe, b-but it's embarrassing!" He stutters.

"And why is that, hun?" Shauna asks.

"Because they were getting all pokey and proddy in my... well... my vagina." He says, whispering the seemingly-forbidden word.

Her face quirks in a half smile. "It's nothing I've never seen before, but if it makes you that uncomfortable-"

"No! I have to make sure they didn't... y'know, mess me up inside or anything."

 

[Floozer]

"Codi... Codi took what was meant for me because I was a coward. They were going to.... to rape my ass and I paniced. I have never had anything up there other than toys and here comes this huge troll... I... I..." She chokes on her words, unable to say the rest.

 

[elwytrek]

Maynard still stares at the ceiling, frowning sadly with the story, but offering no words. The soft, dainty hands of Ethel tentatively work to massage her shoulders, while Shauna looks about ready to put a hole in the wall.

"Petty bastard of a queen! Pulling people out of their own lives just to play voyeur. C'mere, both of you. A hug helps." Shauna says, more as a command than a request as she moves to put an arm around Jasmine. Hesitantly, Codi scoots over and leans on her scaly form, his own body rigid as he reaches to hug them both. There's a slight sniffle as the dam breaks, and soon, he's sobbing freely on Jasmine's shoulder.

"I just want to go home." He cries.

 

[Floozer]

She winces and wraps her arms around Codi, hugging him tightly as she can "I'm sorry Codi.. i'm so sorry... I will get you out of here somehow, I promise." She says, tears dripping from her eyes as well.