User blog:MockingJester/Hallow Eve's wonder cave

Day 1, 12:00 pm :

Man, writing in my journal like I'm talking to someone is weird. Anyway, I'm Steve--why am I introducing myself to a journal? No, seriously, why am I---ugh.

Anyway, I'm coming to this particular section of town as part of my vacation. My slightly obligatory time off, courtesy of my boss. According to him, being on the verge of collapsing midway through welding is 'unsavory' to the company. I did want to pull extra shifts for the company since that complex partially collapsed. From what I heard, the ground was pudgy. They needed steel and welding, and I had nothing better to do.

Well, I guess he appreciated that bout if I'm getting extra pay for basically doing nothing. I was going to take it easy and laze around home. The imperative word is 'was'.

That is because a friend of mine just sent me his keys to his old place. A cozy apartment he was leaving. The man got married to a Kakuen, monkey girl he picked up a while ago, and I figured they didn't want to stay in a place that was looking small. Not with the prospect of becoming a family.

The man has a few weeks on the apartment's lease before it becomes available to rent out. Being the overly cautious guy I know he is, he already paid for at least two months in advance. Guess that means I get two months free in his place before movers pack up.

2:00 pm :

Finally, I'm here. Man, the Vegas roads sure are straight, but excessively long. I almost fell asleep a dozen times on the wheel. The heat doesn't help either.

But I'm here. I can mope around as soon as I unpack the goodies I brought. But first, a tour of the place. It's clean and cozy, as expected from him. I heard that Tanya of his was a bit of a handful at first when it came to the spotlessness of the place. Hmm.

Huh, the fridge is full. I guess he didn't want to bother moving the groceries in the new turf and expected me to start munching. Well, he's not wrong. I forgot to bring food here, and I'm starving. Let's see, let's see what's present.

Day 2, 8:00 am :

I really am used to an early awakening. The sun is barely rising, and I'm already up. Reflexes. Usually, I'd be prepping for work, but with a two-month vacation, my options are pretty wide. I guess I can go walk a bit, see what's around here, get some references as to how to spend my leisure days.

8:20 am :

It seems I'm not the only one that's an early bird. Not with this many people passing by this curiously foggy morning. I see a lot of 'extra' appendages here. Feathers, claws, wings, scales, anything and everything supernatural. Well, not so much 'supernatural' as just different. A typical sight, though, maybe not this early.

Walking next to a costume shop, I now know why. Man, I almost missed the fact that we're in October. No wonder I see so many of them prancing around more than usual. Halloween's a fine excuse for them to double down with their extra appendages. It makes it easier for Halloween-based events.

To think I would have missed all the neat things coming out of Halloween. Well, now I'll have an ear firmly on the ground.

Day 4, 11:00 am :

So, I've heard of a few caverns somewhere in Vegas. A bunch of them are brought up as spooky attractions. Well, I almost missed it before my boss sent me off with a note to 'stop overworking myself into a coma'. Alright, then, guess we're going down the caves.

9:00 pm :

Man, I cannot believe just how massive these caves are. They feel like a small city on their own. And, man, the decorations are something to behold. The foggy atmosphere, the dim lighting making this place look like the deep of the night, and the realistic details make me think I just wandered into a graveyard. And an abandoned city. And a derelict temple.

I can't even fully look around on one of them unless I dedicate a whole day to each one of the five. I can't do that when the dark is really setting in outside--ohh, oh, wait. There's a sixth one. Maybe I have time to see the front before the place closes...

9:30 pm :

Hmm, this one seems a bit barren. I mean, the atmosphere is here. The dripping water, the hollow whispering of the wind, and the somewhat bleak ambiance are all firmly established. And there's nothing more. No Halloween banners, no realistic skull, no artificial fog even. Nothing but emptiness. Then again, the cave's entrance didn't have anything like a post to indicate the type of place I'd be stepping in. Is this one still being worked on? Maybe, I'll look back here tomorrow when I have the time. Time is something I surprisingly have in ample supply as of now.

Day 5, 11:00 am :

Well, I've showered, brunched, and dressed up. Nothing else to do than to wander in that cave with a few flashlights. I don't want to get lost or start bumping into stalagmites.

I take my things and venture into the small road leading to the many fitted caverns. It's still heavily popular with people wandering in and out. Many of them seem to be entwined with one another, huh...

Anyway, I make my way to the sixth one--and I'm just noticing that it doesn't have a road like the rest. Weird...

I go down the entrance to this distant cave, expecting all that I see. A lot of stalagmites in the way, a lot of hanging stalactites, a damp, slightly humid place, and darkness. A lot of darkness.

And a few noises. There's a small squeaky beep I occasionally hear as I wander further in the darkness. My only light is the flashlights I brought, one for use and another for an emergency.

But, try as I might, I can't seem to locate the small beeps that seem to come from the stalactites. It feels like something is among them, watching me. It's pretty unnerving.

I turn back. After wandering deeper for a minute, I turn back. Frankly, the eerie feeling should be natural, but this one feels too real. It's like something is hiding here, hoping to see me going further in the cave where--yea, I'm going back.

As I turned back, I felt something leap out. From the darkness of the ceilings, something blurry and misshapen in its speed leaped out. I could feel the air shrieking in my direction, crying out like a speeding bullet.

I'm not sure how, but I somehow dodged it. As I began to run, I know immediately that my attempt would fail to make space between me and whatever just crashed on the floor. My instinct prompted me to drop to the floor, narrowly escaping its grasp.

Her grasp...

Yes, it was a she. Scrambling for my flashlight that dropped from my hand, I quickly point it at the falling dust giving way to the dark. My flashlight cuts through the meager rest and gives me a jarring stare into what almost crashed at me.

Initially, it looked like a bat. A massive one, too. Big leathery wings as black as the night. Ears poking out from atop its head. Furry feet that ended in a frightening set of razor-sharp claws. And curves as smooth as...wait, curve?

A leather belt swirling around her chest, just barely hiding a reasonably generous bust for her slightly smaller size. If I was to be suicidal enough to try and measure myself to it...her, she'd probably be a head and a half smaller than me. But, somehow, the way her hips bucked around the simple sash covering her waist made no illusion as to the feminity of the creature that tried to crash at me.

Not that this ever crossed my mind with the sheer amount of frightened adrenaline pumping through me. By then, her head shakes and spits gravel and dust. Her face snaps in my direction, a full row of cruel fangs sneering in my way. The sudden snap makes me quiver somewhat. I've met with monsters before...by the distance. For reasons like this. This one looked like she wanted to eat me, or worse.

But, as I strive to keep the light on her, she suddenly starts to quiver. A lot. Her bat arms coil around her shoulders and shake. Her knees rattle in a barely kneeling position, constantly threatening to tip her over with how ahead she was leaning.

I couldn't exactly see her eyes, not with the gray hair and bangs that were hiding them. But, as I continued stepping back quietly, not knowing what made her so quivering, I could swear she was looking at me with a frightened gaze. Almost begging me not to leave her here.

I don't budge and continue making my way back, keeping my flashlight on her, not wanting to be tackled. Eventually, ascending the way back to the surface, I could no longer see her, not with the distance giving way to the darkness here. She disappeared but not in my direction. She just left.

I run. I didn't know where she went or whether she's even in the same spot quivering, and I don't care. I run from this place and tell the closest thing to a guard. Or an organizer, anyone with a semblance of authority. Of course, that happens to be a monster. Charcoal pigmented one.

Communication is a bit complicated. Mostly from me making sure to keep a distance. Odd as she was staring at me, she did state that there isn't supposed to be anyone in here. If there was, it no longer was for a long time. Then what did I--

Bah, whatever. I was out and was never going down here again. Whatever was here didn't need another visit.

Day 10, 12:00 pm :

Ugh, in the last few days, I've been getting the same dream over and over. The same face staring at me in the same darkness and the same whimpering voice. Day on, day out, the same one sucker-punched me into worry. You know...despite also remembering that she almost crashed into me, intended to inflict god-knows-what on me.

...

Why am I writing ellipses in my journal? Anyway, the visits to the massive Halloween caves made this dream hone in harder. As if I should do something about it. And it never stopped screeching, never stopped whining in my head.

Well, it won. Despite my instincts telling me this is a horrid idea, I'm going back. Maybe I can catch it...her and see what's the deal? This is not going to end well for me.

12:10 pm :

I went back beyond the first five caverns, fun as they can be to visit and explore. I was supposed to go for the second one in-depth...

Fortunately...I think, the attraction place is so packed that nobody even bothers looking in the direction of the sixth one. Easy to sneak in. Even if I was stomping about, I doubt my unsubtle steps would be caught on by the rambunctious noise of the lively crowd.

The darkness quickly re-asserts itself around me as I descend the uneven stairs. Feeling the place in hindsight, it feels kind of lonely. I thought that maybe, this bat...person? Not sure, I thought that she took this place as her--

I feel someone's eyes on me. My instincts compel me to take slower, more quiet steps. My flashlight turns on as I no longer see the guiding light of the outside. I slowly carry on, much more aware of my surroundings, a likely result of my other senses taking over my eyes. It's not easy to see in this pitch blackness.

A faint chip echoes to me. And it does again like last time. I know what's coming next. I pre-emptively hit the ground. And, right on cue...

A rattling cacophony of bursting rocks and spitting gravel erupts upward. It falls nearby, giving me a bitter taste of acrid air. Before long, I quickly get back up and bring my flashlight on the puff of smoke.

And there she was. The same gray hair hanging over her eyes. The same raggedy top beset by belts. The same somewhat torn lower sash just barely hiding her hips and waist.

But, oddly enough, she doesn't hiss. Not like last time. No, she just quivers as if caught in a cage. Her face in particular seems adverse to looking in my direction, as close as I was.

Huh, I'm closer to her. And she seems more fearful than usual. I wonder, shaking hand, whether it has anything to do with the flashlight. Daring a bold move, I quickly pull the light away from her and shine it directly over my head like a lamp post.

Two things happen: her shaking stop as if she no longer was in an electrified cage. But, as she rises, a more fierce grin on her face, the apprehension, the second thing, returns partially.

She is free to move, a thing I partially kick myself for allowing without running straight for the exit or flashing her again. But, watching her apprehensive attempt to close in leads me to think that light is a source of fright to her. I hindsight, it makes a bit of sense. I doubt I'd enjoy being flashed by bright, blinding lights if I spent most of my time living in darkness.

So, funnily enough, I'm safe from harm...as long as my flashlight doesn't fizzle out. Although my arm would come tired. Better this than what she may do to me if I falter.

After circling me for a minute or two, the batwoman simmers down. The light seems to be a big dissenter. I'm not sure what to do or say. Actually, she seems less hostile than what I'd expect from resignation. She looks calmer as if she sniffed me out. Well, she did...from a distance. I'm guessing she figured out I'm not here to harm her or anything.

It gives me a good look at her. The fact of stringent fright gives me a slightly more accurate description of her. Or, it would, if she wasn't covered in a layer of dust.

Hmm...my instincts compel me to--no, that'd be stupid. Even after this daring risk. I'm going back. I have nothing to say or give. Better not waste both our time trying to think of something to say.

I turn, I go, firmly keeping the light hovering over me, my arm tiring slowly. And I hear her whimper 'Don't go...'

It was a meek voice, a weak one. It sounded like one that didn't eat anything in days. Looking back at her, I see frail movements, nothing like the earth-cleaving fall she did twice before. She's trembling either out of hunger or fear. I'm not sure which is better.

"Are you hungry?" I recall myself saying before my brain could compile boilerplate words. I think I got confused at myself for a moment. Not as much as I was at her slowly beaming face, thinking I had something to eat.

I didn't. I ate before coming here and brought nothing. I guess she also figured that out with how her ears flap down in disappointment.

But, they perked up again as I, once more, spoke out "Hey, don't worry, I can go get something for you". All of this, before my brain could catch up to what I just said.

Great, I now had to find what a bat could and would want to snack on...

1:00 pm:

A quick phone search later, I'm back down the cave with new batteries, a bright flashlight, and a heap of mangoes from a nearby shop. A few eyes glance in my direction, but, forget about me soon enough. They probably think I'm here for an extended exploration of the actual Halloween caverns.

I carefully descend again to the darkness of the abandoned cave, a load heavier and a small chip on my wallet's green. They only sell premium stuff and that is bound to ask for premium fees.

I make my way to the depth of the cave, but she appears in the same way as ever, crashing on the floor. This time, doing so closer than usual. The batwoman immediately recovers from this as she smelled the heap of potassium I brought.

I slide the bag down in her direction and back off as quickly as she skitters at it, tearing the thin orange plastic apart with no effort.

In minutes, she eats the whole thing, all of the bananas, and licks the peels clean. She must have been extra hungry. And now, she's licking her palms as her haste to chew left quite a bit on her.

I use this interim to quietly walk away, still surrounding myself with my flash's light, mounting the towering way back to the surface. But, not before hearing a meek whisper from her. A pretty indistinct voice. The batwoman who was now looking back at me, a glance of gratitude and...hope?

Her hands are temptingly joined over her chest. She doesn't say much. But, between her glancing sideways, timid steps, and other factors I'm not sure I was reading right, she seemed to hope that I'd come back with more. She must be really hungry.

Honestly, my instincts are still telling me to avoid doing so.

Day 15, 9:00 pm :

Well, it happened again. And again. I thought I'd just come in carefully while nobody's looking, drop a few fruits and leave. That plan went south the moment she began looking at me with pleading eyes.

Do you know why I'm always late returned from my noon expedition? Or why do I keep writing to my journal like I'm talking to someone? Well, besides her abrupt 'crash meeting' like every other day, she looks happy to see the munchies. Or, judging by how she looks at me with a broad smile, at a visitor. I think.

Well, she clearly doesn't like when said visitor ups and leaves. Which tends to get her pleading for a return. Of course, I try telling her I can dump a big stack of fruits for days, but it's not enough for her. I could tell with increasing clarity as she slowly got closer to the light that surrounded me.

And, the more I came back with a random assortment of fruits, the more I felt at ease, somehow. I even began wondering if tiring my arm in keeping a light over me was necessary. That one came with an easy justification from the inhumane strength of her pouncing. But also a struggling one as my body began to believe she'd never try anything like that. It was too at ease.

And the way she shakingly tried reaching out inside my improvised light shelter didn't help. She doesn't speak much, if ever, but I could tell, somehow, that she wanted in. Or, have me turn it off. 'Yea, right' became increasingly difficult words to hold me.

On the fifth day of this daring excursion I was doing, I got to see just how springy she was. I'm guessing she hasn't eaten or spoken to anyone in weeks because this was nothing like how stuttering she used to be in the first days. Right now, she was flying in and out of view between the stalactites.

Her lively acrobatics sure are entertaining, even when she occasionally flew out of sight in the darkness, to then spook me with surprising speed. She seemed to enjoy appearing out of nowhere just a bit too close for comfort.

Still, I can't deny the fact that her form, her graceful flight, no longer stuttering with bouts of aggression or overwhelming lethargy were all...you know, I think six days in a dark, moist cave is enough for a guy like me. I think I'll

She saw me move as I usually did somewhere in the encroaching darkness. And lunged. Well, she squirmed a bit, probably gauging the light source I've been keeping oy myself. Squirmed. Puffed her chest in a single breath. And lunged.

I wasn't able to nearly dodge this one...

She crashed straight into me and clung to my waist. Even with how relatively small she seemed to be, the batwoman was still reaching up to my upper torso, clinging to it with her leather wings. Now...I sought to panic a lot. My body rattled in overwhelming adrenaline, trying to push me to shove her off, push her away, anything before she tried anything.

I didn't. Among the endless sensations plowing me, shaking was the most prominent. Hers. She was shaking. By quite a lot to be able to outpace my sheer terror. The flashlight I dropped was nearby, shining me along in its path. It petrified her. Not enough to stop her from tackling me as I see.

I hear her faint quivers. She truly is frightened. Probably at being alone for so long if I'm to believe what the woman from before told me. About this cavern being long abandoned. Did she have a flock that forgot her here? Or maybe it's the flashlight.

Maybe I can research that a bit more. For now, high as my panic can be, it is outpaced by insight. It ousts my brain, compelling me to suggest that she comes with me for a while. If I'm right about a potential flight of others like her, they're probably somewhere else. Maybe they'll come back. But, I can't let her stay here scared.

Her face beams with joy as I spoke the words before I could think them through. Her voice is surprisingly soft, far from the hiss of my first time here. Soft and smooth, it tells me she's pretty much developed if somewhat distraught. She looks pretty easily trusting in me.

So, we go back to the top, to a darkened sky of the night...well, after I ask her to get off me so I can stand up. She...Merly, as she told me, follows me sheepishly from a distance as I use the flashlight to see through the dark.

The other caverns, their entrances, at least, are still full of people. Merly looks at them, curious. Her eyes, hidden by hair, glimmer in marvel. I should think about showing her here once in a while.

Day 16, 8:00 am :

Well, I have officially begun to share a relatively small apartment with someone else. Of course, she got the master's room. A big bed, big sheets, all that. Not knowing how long she's been sleeping on rock and dust, I think it was appropriate that she get acquainted with a silky mattress.

With how she's sleeping like a brick up there, I'm assuming they don't have beds down in the cavern. I can't quite say the same for the sofa I've been relegated to. It feels like he used to sleep on it. The mattress is all deformed and whatnot.

Anyway, that malformed sofa made me wake up earlier than usual. And I can't sleep. Might as well go see how she's doing.

8:10 am :

Hmm, I guess I should have told her she could sleep on the bed. Right now, she's hanging off the ceiling's light with the sheets on. As expected, the lights are off and all the sliders are on. The place is as dark as it can be.

Maybe later, she looks like she's having a good dream. In the meanwhile, I might as well go lookup instances of bats around here.

9:00 am :

Looks like she woke up. The small puff of sheets flapping on the stairs tells me as much. I made sure to leave a bowl of sweet fruits on the kitchen table for her to eat. I made sure to garnish it. I can't be sure for how long she waited.

Her walk is a bit unorthodox, what with the way she keeps to the darkness. Since it was still morning, there were quite a few shadows around here. Shadows that she clings to. It's pretty funny to see her leap and tippy-toe around the ground with sunlight on them. Well, unless I'm around, on which, she somehow gets a flight of confidence. Or if she.s hungry.

I hear the sheets flop to the ground as she spreads her wings, starving for the bounty idling before her. I might as well start eating too. I won't be scrutinizing the internet for that information any faster.

9:15 am:

Merly stopped eating, getting curiously close to my plate being basic pancakes. The few glimpses of blue hiding behind her gray hair are shining with admiration. Even though they're nothing more than ordinary.

I ask her whether she wanted some and she furiously nodded. Well, alright, I'm not one for hoarding this stuff. I pull up a second fork and knife for this and cut up a piece for her. She tries it, and...

...my breakfast's gone. She tried one bite and then ate the rest. The pancakes, the toast coated with Nutella, everything is gone. And she also ate her bowl.

Well, I did offer her a bite. I make another batch for me, this time. And Merly is here throughout the ordeal, practically clinging to me as I do. Her eyes are glued to the making, mesmerized by the process. This time, I also include a few extra fruits I bought in excess for days I can't go buy.

But, as I sit to fill my stomach with newly made goodies, I feel her tugging on my sleeve. Looking at her, I see yearning eyes wrapped in envy. She tells me she wants something fancy like this. The fruits, I mean. I tell her it's the same but sliced, but, she gives me a whimpering look.

With a heavy sigh, I get up from my chair again and gather a few fruits that I slice. Her eyes beam with yearning as I set the plate on the table's side...that she picks up and puts next to me.

With a faint, more reserved smile, she eats. Much more slowly, much more quietly, almost matching my leisure pace. The frightful caution she errs on is replaced by timidity. It's not bad...

10:00 am :

Time to get her some clothing. With eating and dishes done and behind me, I sought to look around and see if I could find out about a flight of bats that happened relatively recently. I couldn't with Merly flapping and flying around. No, the former and latter aren't problematic. They're kind of endearing as it shows a regain of vigor.

No, the problem came around when I coughed. And coughed again. And again. And the place suddenly got dusty like a coven of dust bunnies came and wreaked havoc here.

After the second glass of water, I couldn't ignore it anymore. And the source was easily tagged as Merly flapped her wings, sending a gust of dust around watching the outside, the place I took her from. I don't know how long she's been in that cavern and all that downward crashing didn't help with how much dust was clinging on her body.

Her 'clothing' needed a wash, she needed new ones and a bath. So I'm going to focus on the former.

10:10 am :

Calling her to the bathroom, I see her running with excitement as I dim the lights somewhat to offset her potential wariness. The last thing I need is a frightened batwoman running amok because of a room full of light.

Anyway, she runs toward me. And at me. She doesn't stop in front of me. No, she judged it appropriate to leap and cling to my waist...which feels like the start of a recurring event. I don't know, something tells me it might be.

I set her down, realizing just how 'developed' she is despite being mildly smaller than me. Her leather wings and hand disappear behind her, giving me an ample view of her proportions, giving me no illusion that I'm dealing with an adult. A very substantially 'blessed' adult'. At that moment, I realize that I am about to ask her to--

I tell her that she needs to take a bath or a shower because of all the dust she's spreading. She nods and whispers 'O-ok' before stepping into the bathtub. Good, good, maybe that'll be easier than I thought.

I hear her disrobing and immediately turn away, even if the slight darkness is my friend at this moment. I point to the sink where she can put her clothes and turn around, hurridly storming out as I hear the water run.

And her high-pitched voice squealing. Of course...I'm sure she's fine. Probably not used to a stranger's bathroom. She should be--

"Eek! Cold! Cold!"

Having just closed the door behind me, I give it a wide berth as I step back inside, instantly catching a glimpse of her nubile body. My eyes close in panic, but the image is already burned into my mind. Firmly.

"Help, please! The water is cold! Too cold!" Come on, all of this just because she can't turn the other faucet? I meander blindly in a slightly dark room, refusing to open my eyes at any moment until my shin bumps at the tub. Ok...

I kneel down and instantly feel her wet arms cling around my nape. Her voice and breathing are close by. They feel inhumanely warm, soft, and smooth. A bit too much for my liking.

"Hold on, let me just..." Trying to ignore this triumvirate of sensations, I lower the cold water's faucet and balance it with the heating one. Soon enough, the water becomes lukewarm, more than enough for Merly to get comfortable, removing her arms from me. The wet glistening on my shoulders gives me no illusion of a need to change the top.

"Ok, you should be fine."

"Y-yes...thank you." Her voice is remorseful. Slightly. I put a hand over her head, somehow finding it despite not opening my eyes in the meanwhile, and feel her melting into a more benign demeanor. It's a learning process for both of us, but, I don't mind it. Better this than to have left her alone in that place.

"You think you'll be fine now?"

"Y-yes." Her meekness is appealing. I leave her again in the bathroom but close the lights fully this time. She is fond of darkness.

10:20 am :

"I'm finished!" Merly's voice comes from the bathroom.

"Good, get dressed and we'll get going."

"With what?"

"Well the clothes that I--

Ohh. I forgot to get some spare. I don't think I even gave her a towel to dry up. Ugh...

"Ok, hold on." I am lucky that my buddy didn't fully empty this place for there were a few stragglers. A lot of tops and...shorts? Is that what now-wife wears?

Whatever, I run back down with some of it and a towel. I run into the ambient darkness of the room, opening the light to avoid any mishap and inadvertently trigger one.

The sudden snap of the lights makes her panic. Her panic, for some reason, compels her to hurry to me. I can barely make out her nude form before I end up on the ground with a quivering bat clinging strongly to me.

Good thing I had a towel to arm myself as it takes the bare minimum of bodyweight off me. As for the rest, I'm forced to feel every curve of her chiseled, smooth presence absorbing into me. The soft, delicate weaving that went into every piece of her body, seemingly armed and intended on--

"Hey, I think you've on me. Do you mind moving?" I try suggesting, noting how heavily she trembles. Lights this concentrated really do terrify her.

"Hhhh..." She doesn't answer me but remains clasping.

"Hey, come on, now, I'm here. You don't need to be afraid." I try again to no avail. She is paralyzed, yet shaking. Her voice also rattles in half-finished whimpers. Her eyes are undoubtedly closed

With a heavy sigh and a hope that I don't regret this, I hug her back "Hey, it's ok." One of my hands swarms around her waist. The other goes for her nape. I whisper a few words of reassurance, words that come out of me before my brain can catch up.

"The light won't hurt you. It's harmless." I can feel her breathing softening, giving me space to slowly lift us into sitting rather than laying. Her head merges with my completely-soaked top for a few seconds before her eyes mirror mine. She looks at me, working herself into a cautious trust before nodding. Her body still shakes, albeit much less. Absorbed by her sheepish visage, I kind of forget that she's nude, wrapping a towel around her.

She, in turn, reiterates with another hug, not letting the towel dry her. This one is more appreciative rather than instinctual. I take it more willingly, more placated by the fact that a towel was giving her basic covering. At this moment, I feel kind of glad to have brought her here.

11:00 am :

Once again, I find myself having underestimated the monument of the task at hand. I wonder if he ever had to deal with this...

So, with spare and very unfitting clothing for Merly, we went to the closest clothing department, the Apple's Curve. It was a woman's department...I wonder if he had to deal with this.

Anyway, I told Merly to buy whatever--no, I wanted to tell Merly to buy whatever she wanted, but, what with the place being full of lights, she got a bit of a fright and stuck to me. She coiled around my arm like a snake with a phobia of height.

I thought seeing other women with extra appendages or something would ease her but, no. Looked like she was going to have a panic attack unless I accompanied her in. Which I did to no end of discomfort.

A lot of eyes followed as I unwillingly let myself be dragged by Merly's peeking curiosity on fashion. Some were weirded out, others seemed to wink at her. She didn't pay any attention to them. She just went on and piled every strip of clothing, short tops, and bottoms, on me to try them out. It wasn't enough that I was the only man here, no, she also wanted my opinion on everything she tried.

The worse part? It all fit her to a tee. It was uncomfortably molding to her body like a second layer. Nothing was left to the imagination of her chest peeking at a perfect c-cup, hips curvier than an apple and a waist as smooth and seamless as an hourglass.

The way she was beaming at me, flashing a timid, innocent smile as she waited on my word to take it or not didn't help at all. Looking at her made my heart pounce, furiously beat like it was struggling for air. My eyes were constantly drawn to her trembling, peach-coated lips. They locked on them, almost completely snuffing out the rest of my senses. The face they were bonded to only served to draw me in further, drive my heart into a greater frenzy.

I didn't know I was breathing so hard until I suddenly felt her wings coalesce on my cheeks "A-are you ok?"

I was not. Something was wrong with me "Yea! Yea, I'm fine. I not used to small space like this."

"Ohh, ok. We can go, I have what I want." Stepping out of the testing cabin, she still clung to my arm, rubbing against it, never aware of this ailment that was slowly starting to eat at me.

I bought everything that we had and bolted out with Merly still so close, trying to ignore every stare that darted on my back. I think I've been shadow-banned from this place.

Day 22, 11:00 pm :

She truly enjoyed herself in this. I expected that, as we went back for her to change. I told her we could visit the other Halloween caverns if she wanted. And, man, she took her leisure time going through the first one, the grave-theme one.

Unsurprisingly, Merly had no problem wandering about, either by running or flying. She didn't mind the others as much in this darkened place. It was pretty much the opposite. People here seemed enchanted by her fitful joy, going as much as derailing the main path to explore the extent of the decorations in the depths.

Seeing her constantly run back to me like we were a thing made some of them, the monstrous ones especially, ask me if we were. I was quick to tell them that we just met, relatively speaking...in my head. All they heard were incoherent babbling that most of them took as a yes.

And, again feeling Merly's body pressing on my arm as she pointed to a spot she wanted to take a closer look at did not help. Half the time, she cut me off with a needy desire to wander further in before I could throw a response to the constant question coming back. Sometimes, I wonder if...I doubt it.

Anyway, returning home was somewhat of a breeze with a few lamp posts here for me to follow. The rest of the streets were dark. Her element of preference.

However, back home, she got tired, wandered back to the bed upstairs. At first. As the next days went on, she got more confident in the light, no longer so scared. It was a gradual process. The days in the carnivals, the caverns underneath in the evening, the idle city exploration in the morning, it all made her more sure of herself, stouter.

I expected an eventual move on with this. With her not so frightful, I thought she'd somehow located the apparent family that forgot her, the same people I've been trying to find alongside our days out. I saw it in my mind, the impromptu goodbye as a flight of bats somewhere would have drawn her attention like the few that came twice in two distinct days.

But, she seemed more adherent to me. What was once apprehension was now timidity. Every morning, she waits close to me as I wake up, a warm, yet bashful smile on her face.

When I make breakfast, she is here, looking to learn how to do what I do with a close eye. When we eat, she makes sure to put her chair next to me, the same blossomed smile with her fangs barely peeking out. Sometimes, she just forgoes the middle man and sits on my lap with a big, cheesy smile on her lips. The sort that would make any man's heart melt and mind go blank.

On the 20th of the month, Merly apparently didn't find the master bed as comfortable. Not as much as a guy sleeping on deformed sofas seeing as I now began feeling her atop of me, asleep like a rock in the morning. You know, with outdoor and indoor lights.

She was warm and tender to the touch...not that I went and did something weird. No, these were the sensations that hailed me. And seeing her ears twitch, the prelude to her awakening, her rose head and faint morning smile, a 'Hehe, g-good morning...' from those peachy lips and brightened face...

I wanted to keep her. In this instance, this sight I am beholden to since that moment gave me the deep desire to keep her, hold her close, make her mi--

...

I think I'm going down under something. Some sickness, maybe? Ugh, it's a good thing a flight of bats was spotted not far from here. The edge of the city, huh?

Day 23, 4:00 am :

I didn't think they'd be here if I went any later. I would have gone in the night but was too sleepy for that. Four in the morning was the best I could do to bring Merly to her fellows. It was a twenty-minute drive to the place. I thought she'd be excited to know that I found them. I thought to make it a big surprise for her still sleepy head. She was...I think. Part of me thought that, perhaps, it wasn't. Well, not as much as assumed.

I saw them posted on a cliff to the Hundred Waves sea. They seemed transfixed either at the waters or the moon that was still high in the sky, never noticing our approach. All of them were outfitted in dark and gray clothing, of sashes and belts. All of them had large wings of leather reaching out the same length as their hands.

A few of them, however, looked in this way and spotted her. Their eyes widened beyond the band of hair hiding them. Joy illuminated their faces. Merly was astonished herself. Tears and happiness clogged her eyes and throat as she ran to them, arms and wings spread out. I watched on for a few minutes as their cajoled each other. A batwoman, her mother, her sisters, the coven that followed. They were happy and remorseful at how forgetful they were.

I didn't want to intrude on them nor cut away at this moment. I turned and walked away in silence down the mountain to the cliff, leaving Merly to her peers. This was our goodbye.

Day 29, 1:00 am :

The days felt empty, now. I know, I know, it sounds cliché and overdone to go for a line this movie-level of cheesy. But, I didn't have many other ways to describe it. Having someone else to share your vacation with despite their occasional quirks is a blessing I didn't count on until I left Merly to her kin. Things are quiet--

Hmm? I think I heard something break. Hold on, let me go see--yep, a window broke. And the pieces are all indoors. Damn...

I get quiet. Very quiet. I was going to go sleep, so the lights are off. I could have opened them, but, whoever was inside would have gotten a hint. And I don't want that. Not without know who and with what.

I didn't get to search for long. Hushed as I was, the intruder didn't make any allusion to hide, branding a glimmering blade in the reflection of the moon almost full. He wore clothing as dark as the night, the only visible thing being his seething gray eyes "Where is she?!"

"What?! Where is who--

he immediately lunged at me, his stabbing arm thrust forward. I dodge it, but he crashes against me, shoving his whole body at me. This, I can't dodge so easily. We fall on the ground, this lunatic on top of me.

Once again, his knife comes close to my chest, only stopped by my two hands contesting him. I can feel my heart beating in my throat, threatening to burst. Every ounce of strength I had was used to keep his blade from carving me like a pumpkin.

All this time, he keep spouting and screaming 'Where is she?! Where is that bitch?!' She?! Did he mean Merly?

"I swear, I'll gut you slowly like a turkey if you don't start talking, you dipshit!"

He was emanating complete seething, almost possessed. He was relentless, his fist periodically crashing too close for comfort as he quickly realized that I wasn't going to talk nor let him stab me.

"I've got all day, buddy! Nobody's coming to save your soon-to-be carcass! I can extract that whore's location good and slow!"

The hell?! What did this psychopath want with Merly?! Did I miss an episode or something?! This is unreal--I--I don't know if I can last against this guy. He's completely under his blind rage and that somehow worked as a force. I--I can't die here! Not like this! Not like--

Ahh...

He's...he's gone. Sh--I almost felt his knife poke at my heart and now, he's gone. But, where? I only felt a gust of wind pass by.

Ohh, the front door is opened. Well, not so much opened as snapped in half. Talons carved it open in the middle. Talons. Wait...

No...

My hearing gradually returns to me. I forgot I didn't hear much as I was trying to keep cold steel from penetrating my thorax. But, I'm hearing the psychopath. He's screaming?

"Ahh! Gah! Get off me, you crazy bitch! Get off!"

There was pain in his voice. A lot, if I'm to assume the increased panic and desperation. My eyes adjust to the darkness and my body stops trembling enough for me to move. I see his knife on the floor, idle.

"Gah! Someone get this psycho bat off me! Help! Help!!!"

A bat. Oh, of course, a bat. Slowly, I stagger to the source of the noise, a secondary room that was practically empty. And, there he was. The intruder, the guy who got uncomfortably close to killing me...desperately holding his arms on his face. Even from here, I could see the buzz cut from a hood that no longer existed. Tatters litter the ground.

His arms were bare, clawed at from lacerating hands...wrapped with a wing each. His entire top was nothing more than pieces that struggled to stay coherent. Even the mask he had on his face was gone, giving me a preview of a scar on his cheek. Reminds me of something...

A body slightly smaller than his was straddling him, locking legs on his torso while arms swiped left and right atop of him. He wasn't bleeding, but the screams that were forced out of his throat said all that I needed to know.

His eyes were wide in fear, completely robbed of the seething rage he was spitting at me. He was wet with terror, not helped at all by the chafing hiss that sounded more like the shrill howling of a night predator. This really put the fear of God in this man's soul as he screamed alongside, pure horror clothing his face.

I would too if I didn't recognize the gray short hair that masked her face to a certain degree.

"Merly?"

The shrieking bat that was gorging herself on his fear stopped suddenly, a deformed pair of snake eyes glaring from beyond the hiding band. I never noticed how glowy they were in the dark.

I felt at ease, however. It was dark, she relished the deep and could have held this...state. But, no. Her expression returned to the soft-spoken timid bat that I was used to. The same one who, forgetting the psychopath she was clobbering, leaped at me, a bright smile on her lips fully realized with contact.

I caught her, making little of whatever injury I might have suffered, more surprised than anything. Not at how apt she was at saving me. Just at her presence "Merly? What are you doing here?"

She answer in the only way she could: rubbing her head and nose on my neck. It was very familiar to feel. Inhumanely soothing as well with faint whimpers.

I noticed more shadows stepping in from the frame behind me. Others with broad wings on their arms. Three of them, all with the same glimmering eyes in the darkness. One of them was far taller than the two. Her hair was locked in a hair clipper behind her, giving off a motherly atmosphere. A mother--ohh.

Merly's mother. Which means the two were her sisters. A family of three, well, four, if I'm to include the father. Turns out he's in their home far from here. But that is beside the point.

They searched for me. I couldn't believe it even as I held a timid Merly in my arms. I left too soon. She wanted to present me to them, the guy who stumbled on her. But I left too soon, thinking to make this a goodbye.

Merly was quick to find me, an easy feat when you can fly. She was quicker to decipher the broken window and hearing the grunting inside. Her mother spare no expense touting at how her daughter swiftly mangled the door in half before speeding like a torpedo on this guy. She was screeching like a banshee the whole time...not that I could hear it with how much I didn't pay attention to anything auditory.

He had no chance, even with his dagger. I've felt her hugs and how careful she was not to break anything on me. He didn't have the same luxury. Not with his hurting arms, his hurting torso, and suffering hips, the spot she crashed into. He was lucky, she could have done much worse.

Anyway, they told me that she wanted to stay here. Or where I went. With me. She felt like something was lacking. What a matching coincidence. Though, asking them about the man that their mother was forcefully holding on the ground, her razor-sharp foot gently clutching around his throat, they didn't know him. Never saw him. This guy and Merly had no story between them.

That clarification came with the police. They came with a wanted poster and a bit of a story. Hearing that the guy broke in this complex months ago made me realize: this was the guy whose face my buddy kicked with his steel-capped boot. Oh, I remember now the story he told me in chat. Some psychopath that abused his now-wife once broke in to try and kill her. And he beat him to the ground with a monkey wrench. Broke his wrist and scarred his face with a kick.

The guy broke out, somehow and wanted revenge. But, he was going back. Back to an even worse sentence. A sentence that was enough to make whatever he endured like mere probation.

Everyone left. Merly's sisters, her mother with a wink in my direction, and the cops. I wouldn't have to fund any reparation here. But, for now, it was just me and her.

It was dark, but I could see her brilliant blue eyes still shimmering...getting closer. Amidst tatters and scratch marks, she staunchly lunged in, offering me a taste of her warm lips. Her hot breath was a short prelude to her intention far different from what I've heard of batwomen. Supposed to be aggressive in the dark, she was bold but sweet. She clearly wanted this to be a two-way occurrence.

With how close I came to giving in in the days we shared this place, I gave in. Holding her frame against me, I took the initiative and made this a long, sloppy kiss where we shared everything. Moans, whimpers, caresses, nothing in the way of small intimacy was spared.

I realize now just how much I relished her. The way she gasps between kisses, the small, high-pitch moans, the surprising stable grip that did a better job portraying her fanning desire to taste and feel more, all of it drove me close to madness. It was intoxicating, to say the least as if a spectral entity did everything in its power to make sure that our match was as seamless as possible.

Only with the need for air, we stopped. Our bodies clung to each other like that weird fruit I've recently heard of, one said to enchant the small deeds of intimacy. I had no more reserves about letting my touch taste the smoothness of her skin and the curves of her feminity. Even her chest, which was moderate, felt like cloudy pillows pressing on me. And I was wearing a full pajama set.

"C-can we...?" Amidst the stare shared between us, Merly spoke, her delicious voice leaking out in persistent shyness "C-can we go to bed...together...?"

The last word came as quietly as the wind of the night. Heh, after coming this close, I don't think I can start putting up with the sofa anymore. I simply smile, her nightly sight spotting it. With a soft smirk of hers, Merly simply gets up, hands tracing to my fingers, and pulls. She pulls me along with her. In the darkness. Not much of an issue anymore. Not after watching her clobber a guy who was seconds away from gutting me.

She leads me through the corridor to the master's room where we lay together. Me on the bed, a hand to entice her to me. To sleep on me. To sleep with me under the sheets.

Passing my palm on her cheeks announces the sandman's arrival, putting her to blissful sleep with me not far behind. She is surprisingly light despite sleeping so heavily.

Day 30, 10:00 am :

The day before Halloween is here. On this ongoing morning, Merly offered to cook something for both of us. I guess she watched me do it enough to grow confidence. Well, enough to start, at least. Yea, I had the pleasure to guide her very intimately.

...a few weeks ago, I would have felt perverted for saying something like this with this much enthusiasm.

Following this, we didn't do much. Merly didn't feel too much excitement. Maybe it was that new step putting us close to each other. It felt like it as she suggested just lazing around the apartment today.

We sat on the sofa and had a Halloween-themed movie marathon. With her sitting on my lap sporting a snuggly gray sweater and black short shorts, I couldn't help but feel her smoothness. She is tender to touch, especially with my hands wrapped around her waist, innocuously at the belly where the top seemed to stop. A cheeky smirk occasionally strode on her lips as her hands held mine close, giving me the impression the sweater is short on purpose.

Of course, as the day advanced and the movies got more frightening, Merly lost her cheeky composure. The way she quickly spun and buried her face on my upper torso made that clear. I didn't feel like teasing her for this, not with the gratuitous money shots of the violent, gory scenes threading from these b-tier movies that often went overboard with the kills.

I just held her close, whispering when it was ok to watch again. Her timid demeanor made it easy for me to find excuses to sneak small kisses on her whenever she looked up to me for comfort. Worked a hundred percent of the time, with her retaliating sometimes.

We spend the entire day like this, only stopping to call for pizza as I didn't feel like moving too much. I doubt she felt like leaving my lap either. We even end up sleeping to some random viewing deep in the night with me laying on the malformed sofa and Merly atop of me. Interestingly enough, feeling her warm body snoozing made it easier to bear that overused furniture.

Day 31, midnight :

Halloween. The day of peaking fright and trick or treating. The most ominous day to come around with the day never really coming but being a state of the nightly day...became the day of confession to me. No, not from me, but to me.

Merly pulled me outside. She wanted out, sure enough. But, the way she seemed insistent...

I once again, am reminded of her immense strength by the way she takes flight and swoops around like an eagle. The blur that was the bat was the only thing I saw before she snatched me from the ground with her talons. Days before this closeness of ours, I would be panicking hard. As of now, I'm having the time of my life getting to see the city of Las Vegas from a bird's eye view...even if the whole 'take flight' part was a bit out of nowhere.

She flies me to the six caverns, the last one. The place where we met. On foot, she cusps my hand and runs afar, taking me along. There was a depth I didn't spot. A place beyond the already bottomless-looking cave. there was water. Running water.

"There was a second layer?"

"Mhm, hmm. Most people don't go as deep as bats like me. They can't quite see in the ambient darkness."

She explained to me that this place, the second layer of depth that I was witnessing, that was filled with small bioluminescence of flies and a great lake at the heart of it all, was her old home. Well, periodic home. It turns out that they didn't abandon her. She just wasn't aware of their departure, a rare instance of neglect. And, frightened by the lonely cavern that was, didn't think of moving back here, thinking that her family would come soon enough. They thought they lost her along the road to another cavern far from here and searched every city between it and here.

But now, they didn't worry when they left her here for the second time. In this place, this home of her where they'd come back in the summer from their migration.

With me. Where she confessed her love to me, the man who gave her shelter and patience. She wanted to spend her long, long life with me. I accepted it in a heartbeat. She was too sweet, too gentle to reject. Even less so after she saved my life.

Taking on a bout of bold confidence, I clutched Merly from the ground in this endless expense of water from the cliff we stood in. Her arms anticipated this and swarmed behind my nape. She looked in awe as I confessed my beating heart to everything that she was. I would have no other woman by my side save for her.

"Oh, Steve, darling...~ This kiss was more than a kiss. Atop of the cliff leading to the further depth of the cave, we made love for the first time. There was no one but flies in the distance, lighting the cave. None but us two longing to explore each other in greater detail.

This is the place where I made her my wife. And my woman...

---

"Ohh, wow!" The shrill excitement of a child running atop a cliff echoes in the lonely cave, snuffed partially by running water. She couldn't have been any older than three to be still new to jogging.

"This place is so much bigger than you told me, mommy!" She turns back to two approaching shadows while leaning into the edge of the precipice. Her small bat wings are spread out, giving her confident stability.

One of the shadows moves from the entrance, revealing a woman that looked much more motherly in all the right places. She still shined with that gentle, slightly timid expression that earned her a loving husband, the man beside her. But, it was now complemented by a mother's love, prompting her to spread her arms out for her running bat pup longing for it.

"Mhm hmm. Do you remember your aunts and grandmother? They also used to live here. Which is why this place is so big."

"Woah, really?"

"Yep. The whole family periodically comes here to share and play. Like we are thanks to daddy's outstanding work. Isn't that right, daddy?" Merly looks to the man who stepped out of the shadows as well, putting his hands on his wife's shoulders to a smirk of hers.

Steve made sure to time his vacation with the periodical gathering of her family to this place. It makes for much easier and earlier driving to Las Vegas, to this park that opens every Halloween.

He made it a tradition to their excitable pup, Louise, who was staring with awe at all the fireflies that were dancing in the whole expanse of the deeper cave. Finding his 10-year old journal made this place a family destination as she relished her reading ability, daydreaming of this location.

She was just as beautiful as her mother, matching her eyes, but taking on his black hair while it was also in her mother's style. Caressing her hair revealed the shining blue that bounced off Merly's pair, who often had to stop herself from cuddling her daughter to sleep.

"Well, I couldn't say no to our pup, could I? Not with the aspiration to make her eyes glimmer with awe." Steve answers back, a hand brushing Louise's cheek.

"And I wanted our little one to know where mommy and daddy came together." She added, watching her youngling continually staring in the vast cavern featuring fluorescent waters, clean to dive in, to drink, to enjoy.

Her upcoming was the tide of 7 years, a delightful surprise to Merly, who, once, thought that, perhaps, they weren't compatible. Louise was her joy in life, as much as the man who held her close. And soon, they would be able to share that joy with her family, slowly converging to the depth beyond the top that remains ignored by the park, unneeded.

This was going to be quite a thing to tell to his old friend and his family of Kakuen. Maybe an item from here?