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Meetings
In the center of the room lies an ornate cedar wood desk, cluttered but just short of messy, with various sheet music piled on top. The bookcases on each side are in a similar state, books shelved away neatly were it not for the lack of any semblance of alphabetization.
The boss of this domain can often be found with his feet up with no regard for decorum; a casual enough atmosphere for casual enough chats, surely.
Those who venture into the palace to seek out the emerald green door will find it's different than usual, sturdier, with a particularly bright sheen and emblazoned with an insignia.
The door is also always closed, though whether it's locked or not depends on when you visit.
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It's bloody. It's full of mirror shards. There's a stray dagger somewhere, and a pair of hairpins with blades on them. And amidst it all, is Hamelin.
Until he isn't all by himself.
The reflections don't show anything. If Hamelin doesn't look in the right direction he wouldn't see anything -- the mirrors show he's the only one around, after all. If he does, though...it's not much better. The mirror shards are moving by themselves. There's a vague form, taller than him, made of sharp angles, black and white and little else. A woman. A woman who is just wrong in every sense of the word. Even looking at her is unnerving, and not because she wants to be.
It's what's left of her in her current state. Leaving the depths of her realm is...very, very exhausting. But if she wants to keep at least a measure of...say...camaraderie so Hamelin follows her orders, then she has to make small sacrifices. The mirrors keep moving, but looking with attention will show there are bugs underneath the shards, gathering them together underneath Zola. The Beldam will just...take the body away. Get the life force. Stash it away for when there's enough to sustain her once and for all, and have more for rainy days. So to say. As much as the Beldam would love to, she can't consume any of it. But she's patient. She can wait.
No matter if Hamelin is looking at her or not, she speaks, her tone way too sweet for who she is]
I'm always listening. Do not worry, dear Hamelin. Your efforts are remarkable.
[The Beldam knows Hamelin doesn't exactly feel comfortable with her presence, or even her voice. She doesn't care. Nor it stops her from putting up the motherly demeanor she's so used to]
Aren't you...glad to be here? Isn't this better than fading away into nothingness?
Gratitude is a sign you were raised well~
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And of course I am. Who wouldn't be? No one wants their story to end. [ "Even if it should." supplies his heart. He laughs to cover its beating. ]
So yeah, I owe you. I haven't been able to make such a large cast dance for me in—ever? [ Snicker. ] And this is good for you too, right?
[ He's not sure why he's asking. It's not like it matters. ]
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[The Beldam would never outright say this is a life-or-death situation for her. Even when she briefed Hamelin on what to do, she hid she's on the brink of death -- although she wouldn't be surprised if Hamelin figured it out anyway. It didn't matter if he did]
I could tell you were good at this. Your...skill at herding them is admirable. Not that you didn't know already. After all...
[It's like her presence gets closer even if she herself doesn't]
...this is what you're good for. Don't worry about anything else. As long as you can do this, there's purpose for you.
[Okay, now she definitely got closer:]
You don't have to worry about anything. I'm not unreasonable. What's happening now is temporary, and afterwards... [She doesn't finish the sentence, letting Hamelin take his own guesses about what may happen afterwards. Let Hamelin be the one to give himself hopes, or be the one to make the future look gloomier for himself] Place your trust in me. You can trust I know best~
[Apparently this is the Beldam's way of keeping him in a leash -- aim for the weak points -- this one seems to feel resigned to listening to certain...people who barged into his sanity, and now she's doing the same -- and then make herself look like a solution. Usually she'd be far more caring and take it slower, but these days? She can't afford the luxury of building trust. The Beldam needs Hamelin under her control no matter what]
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So he continues onward, to this drumbeat, transposed now with more notes but still an orchestrated beat nonetheless. He laughs again and smears some of the blood on the floor with his hands just to see the colors. ]
...yeah, I've had a lot of practice. But- [ more laughter, dark and bitter. ] this is my purpose. So just let me keep playin' and I'll create a beautiful dance for you.
[ Don't come closer. Don't fracture what little specks of light he's managed to hold onto. Don't make him wholly and utterly lose his mind. ]
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[Thankfully, her presence seems to back off. The bugs gathering shards finally gather enough to make Zola sink into that mirror, disappearing into the depths of an even more distorted and warped location of the Beldam's realm. Corpses are always such a hassle to deal with. She'll just bury them when everything is over, but for the time being, may as well sweep it under the metaphorical rug]
We should talk more often, Hamelin. We should talk more often.
[She sounds quite satisfied]
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Ahh, like a weekly meeting? Don't you need your sleep? [ He smiles and the words continue to flow, a broken dam. ]
But it'd be pretty nostalgic! It'd be like the days when I was really head of the familigia.
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[Having moved here to the execution room is seriously draining. At least by talking to Hamelin through the mirrors or something similar should make it possible to contact Hamelin without wasting valuable energy.
Once Hamelin says that the Beldam's mood brightens up, but something about it just sounds so off. It probably is because after having showed who she is and what she does anything else seems like a mask she's using]
Oh, you should tell me all about those days! Tell me all about your life...about what you used to have. I'm a very good listener, dear Hamelin.
[You have to be, both to earn someone's trust and to get as much valuable information you can use in the future]
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But don't you know about the adventures of the Piper and the Dog? Oh, maybe you do but you only know the recited version and not the real one...so it's better if you hear it directly from me instead of shards of my memories.
OK, OK! I'll tell you all about it if that's what you want! You know I can't say no to you, right? [ With all the coy he usually has, plus a heavy undertone. He really can't say no to her when she's holding all his strings. ]
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[The Beldam definitely catches on the undertone and presses on it. Obviously she does, obviously she does]
We can sit together to a table, with a cup of tea or anything you'd prefer, and you can tell me all you want. These tales are better when they come from you instead of from other sources.
[The Beldam's form looks like it's starting to vanish into thin air]
You're an interesting one, Hamelin. Once this is all over we'll have plenty of time to talk. Doesn't that sound wonderful?
[Her voice is so cheerful now, talking of all the great times that are going to come once she's at full force. Wonderful times! With her realm, with her powers, with her being alive and at full strength, and with the occassional luring of someone to sustain herself on. Hamelin probably has more use after this, and she definitely intends to use him as a tool. She's not used to hosting an adult in her world of illusions and happiness, but she's willing to try. Give Hamelin a decently happy place to stay at.
And then, once that time comes...she'll feed from him. The time always comes, sooner or later.
Nobody lasts forever in her realm.]