User blog:Cherubic Card/The Beginning-Part 2

Sunlight pierced the curtains of my eyes. Bringing a hand up to block its oppressive view, I took in my surroundings. A round table sat in front of me, with three chairs surrounding it. I occupied one of them. I was in a kitchen, the knives on the counter told me. Through a doorway was a living area, and within it a worn, tan couch sat complimented by a sandy-colored carpet at its base. From there, a set of stairs lead upwards to an area I had never been.

I had been here before, in many past nights.

It was just recently, one night I woke up in a place other than my mountain shack. It was nothing more than a dream, but everything felt so real, the colors, the warmth, I could even taste the air...

My thoughts crashed as two arms wrapped themselves under mine and around my chest, and what felt like two ridiculously soft cushions pressed onto the back of my neck. I reacted instantly, snapping my own arm up to apprehend the assailant.

It did, but not the with any of the speed I had demanded of it. Slowly, my right hand reached up to the elbow of the one holding close to me. Gently, I squeezed it, looking up calmly and smiling. All of this happened without my intention or input. It was not as though my body was taken over or acting of its own accord, but rather... I was the one doing it. But it was not my will. It was as though you could see through the eyes of another, experience what they did as they did, but could not influence it. That's the only way I could describe the experience. This place has never known my presence, but I was certain that I was me.

The face in my vision had a smile that was equally gentle as the one I... My body was giving her. She was beautiful, as she was every night. She was as unchanging as the kitchen, the table, even the number of the chairs and the order of knives on the counter. Her hair seemed to shine golden, especially in the sun; It looked as though I could slice off a lock and sell it to a jeweler for coin enough to keep me drunk until death. It was bound in a small, tight bun at the top of the back of her head. Holding the hair in such a style was an ornament, it was a circle with half of the inside occupied by a sun radiating beautifully, the other half empty. Her face... God, it was maddeningly beautiful, words couldn't do it justice, but... She appeared to be around twenty or so. Her eyes were dark, brown pools surrounding pupils that you could stare at infinitely, they were deeper than the night sky. Her face was round, but by no means fat. Lean, but soft looking, it incited the desire to squeeze it like you would a child's. Looking down from her face, her clothes were truly nothing special, a simple farmhand's dress with a slightly loose, except at the breasts, thin shirt covering her torso, but on her slim form they wore as beautifully as the most intrinsic wedding dress... Damn it all, I'm no good at this. Her ruby lips parted as she asked the all-too familiar question.

"I didn't wake you up, did I? You just looked too inviting for a hug."

Her words trailed off with a giggle, one so sweet it sounded as though it could charm a songbird.

...I'm sorry, I don't know you. The words don't come out, nor the apologetic frown meant to accompany them. My mouth does move, and despite the fact I hear nothing she smiles and replies anyway, as though she heard what she wanted, a secret shared between her and me, but not I.

"I know. I know you have to go, but..." Her words trailed off as she looked despondantly towards the floor. A single, clear bead rolled down her cheek. My heart lurched, not only because I didn't want to see her in pain, but also because even in distress she was beautiful, it was like adding diamonds to an already priceless gold statue. I had a overpowering desire to see this moment last forever and hold her head close to me, drying every tear that she shed. My body turns slightly to better face her, my mouth opening to try to put her at ease.

"Promise me." Her words ring in my ears sweeter and clearer than the finest bell. Her face was still soft, yet so strong. In the distance the banging of a hand on a door could be heard, but all of me, even I, was focused on the woman before me. "Promise me that I'll see you again, promise me you'll come back." I could tell she wanted to cry, but her eyes didn't yield to the flood behind them. My lips seperate as my eyes close.

My eyelids part, rough fabric tickling them as they do. I could hear the quick-rhythm dancing of rain on the roof. I was back, and for the first time I didn't want to be. Pushing myself up off of the mess of old jackets and other bootleg mattresses, I looked behind myself almost expecting to see her face. Unfortunately, or perhaps mercifully, only the wall stared back. Accepting that the dream had passed, I remained on my knees for what felt like the whole day. It felt comfortable, resting my form in such a stance. Sleep tugged at my mind, though my body did not move. Darkness swallowed my sight, as well as my-

*RAP RAP RAP RAP*

My eyelids snapped open so fast it felt as though I threatened to tear them. My door, someone was knocking at my door...

The banging on the door repeated, echoing through the insides of my ears as though the sound had originated from them.

"Enough enough, I'm gonna grab the door you annoying ritlr fabrarsh..."

My words trailed off as I forced my limbs to carry me towards the door. Gripping the doorknob and pulling the door open was my first mistake. Keeping it open was the second.

"Thank you for answering, it's not very warm with all of this rain, and cold weather just puts me right to sleep."

After leafing through that monster encyclopedia, I knew better what I was looking at. The rain parted around her, allowing nothing to distract me from her body. A long, green tail wrapped itself once around her waist, to keep it out of the rain I suppose, and large, green eyes complimenting similar-colored webbed ears studied my form. It was a good thing I had passed out in my clothes. Her face looked gentle enough, but had a strong reptillian feel to it, nothing like scales or anything, but... That was fitting, I suppose. It was a lizardman, same as the girl that visited yesterday. Supposedly, they're warrior creatures, but lazily dragging an eye over her form revealed no obvious weaponry on her, unless she was going to club me with the umbrella she held above herself. Her long brown hair coiled down, and a lock came up as she covered her mouth.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Shaking the sleep out of my head, I mumbled some answer as I closed the door.

"Thank you, it really is quite chilly out there..."

A scaled hand creeped along the inside of my arm, pulling gently towards its main body. Alertness finally flooded my senses as I jerked away from the unwelcome invitation. The first words since I was forced to stand rushed out of my mouth with the speed and purpose of water through a broken dam.

"Ok, granted I didn't close the door very fast, but that wasn't actually an invitation to make yourself comfortable. What's with your kind on my mountain anyway? Just the other day a little one barged in here."

The lizardman- woman's eyes opened slightly wider and returned to their original state. "Oh, so you are the man I'm looking for. Excellent. My name is Isadora, and this is my daughter Louise..."

A brown-haired figure about half as tall as the lizardman in front of me slinked out from behind the black and white-frilled dress of what was apparently her mother, and as my eyes took in her face recognition shocked my senses. The very same face and clothes that had barged into my house under a rainy sky somehow managed to again, with matching weather to boot.

"AH! You're that brat!"

"Am not!" As she denied the truth she pulled down the skin below her eye with a finger and put out her tongue.

Through gritted teath, I growled, "Your manners've certainly degraded since last you invaded my home."

"That's because the rain started again as soon as I had stopped running from you, and the bread you gave me was soaked by the time I got back to Mommy!"

Now pulling both eyelids down, sticking out her tongue had evolved into a full-blown raspberry aimed upwards at me. I responded by stomping the ground quickly but comparitively more lightly than yesterday, which sent her scurrying back behind her mother with only a pair of eyes daring to poke out. A satisfied sneer split my face as my dominance was established.

Two claps dispelled the air between me and the brat, followed by a soft but stern voice.

"Alright, if we're done playing around children, I'd like to sit down and discuss what I came here for. Ah, that table over there looks perfect." Before I could stop her, she had already made herself comfortable, scaled legs crossed underneath what stood out of the fabric mess. Her brat quickly ran after her, apparently I wasn't the only one caught by surprise at how fast she had settled in. The mother's smiling face facing mine, she privied.

"You're coming, aren't you dear?" Though her words had the upwards "curve" that you hear at the end of a question, it somehow came off as much more of a demand. Responding only by angrily snatching a match and cigar out of my jacket and lighting it as I marched over to the table, I sat down with crossed legs after a nice burn had been established and smoke had evicted the air from my lungs.

Smoke drifting lazily out of my mouth as I gestured towards the brat, I spoke dismissively. "Ok, about that 'dear' crap, that's gonna end right now. Save that for her daddy-"

"He's dead." I stopped completely as the words impacted the inside of my ears. The cigar burned on even without my coaxing.

I'm sorry.

The words bounced around in my head but never left my mouth. Quickly regaining composure, I sucked deep and looked towards the wall that I had stared at shortly after awakening earlier in the day. Gruffly I spat out a few words, shrouded in smoke.

"Hmph. It happens."

"And that, dear..." I returned my gaze to her face and put out the best glare I could. "...Is why I'm here. Sweetie, why aren't you sitting in his lap?" She directed the last sentance at her brat, and if looks alone were anything to go by, she was as suprised as I was.

"Mommy!? He's mean and old and nasty! Why would I-"

The face the mother gave her daughter sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't particularly terrifying, in fact her face was as gentle as ever, but something about it seemed so... Cold. It had shaken even me so badly that I didn't react as the young girl's brown hair chafed against my face as her bottom squeezed into the open space inbetween my crossed legs. Honestly, I would've remained frozen if the base of her tail hadn't pressed against... My tail, in what was almost a fight to occupy the same space. Blood began rushing towards my crotch, which started getting warm and pushing against...

"Whoa whoa whoa, what's the deal with this!? You tell your daughter to sit on some random guy's lap!? Are you insane!?" I would've thrown the little girl off, but I had no desire to anger the owner of the face now resting in a much warmer stance.

"But that's what this is all about, dear. I want you, and I want you to be her father too."