Betting on Black! Henry. Along with some detail sketches of his wings, Horns, and the thorn chains on his arm. I still love the idea of Piano Key patterns in the wings and the horns that make the shape of a Halo. I thought it was a really fun/unique design!
Henry has to dress very fancy/professional while at work (it’s also the casino uniform). He’s usually the bartender, but sometimes he runs some of the card tables. The thorn pattern on his arm is also on his tie!
Mod Rosie- Here are some notes about Boss the demon, an OC who's had way too much time to hang out in the back of my head and flesh himself out. I don't have a visual design for him yet, but I'm working on that.
> Boss is a chill dude most of the time. I wouldn't call him nice, but he doesn't go out of his way to be mean/cruel. He's content to chill and hang out in his casino. He's a powerful Pride Demon so he usually only sees the worst in humans, which is why he actually enjoys/is impressed when getting clients who need a demon for charitable/non-selfish reasons.
> Also, he's in the habit of calling people who summon/make contracts with demons "Clients". He treats his deals like business contracts/transactions rather than a chance to screw with humans/heaven.
>Henry and Boss actually get along pretty well. Despite technically being a servant/slave due to his deal with the demon, Boss treats Henry very well. Like a valued employee/coworker.
It's honestly a pretty friendly relationship, which has let the two build up a lot of personal respect for each other. Henry knows full well what he's allowed to do/push at and what Boss will put his foot down over.
(Henry secretly wonders if the real reason Boss wanted to “Hire” him was that he was lonely being by himself.)
> Has a little bit of a “Cool Uncle” vibe. Like, the chill uncle who's definitely broken the law at some point and might be part of the Mafia. Though he will neither confirm nor deny this fact. He also dresses the part a bit too. He smokes cigars, dresses in fancy suits, and wears long coats like their capes. He likes being fancy/well-dressed and, as such, makes sure his casino/employees are also dressed fancy/professional for work. (He's a strong believer in making good impressions for business.)
> Boss' idea of a “bonus” for good work is giving his contracted folks more power/abilities (thus making them more powerful demons). This can also come with giving them actual demon “forms” that are more frightening/monstrous in addition to the powers. Or make it possible for them to make contracts and Deals of their own if they felt like it.
> He may have once been an Angel, but he'll never confirm it or say what his old name was, if he had one. He often points out that, technically, Demons are the descendants of Angels. Not all of them were former angels, but they came from/were made by those that were.
> He's probably eaten a soul before, just to try it. But he isn't a fan of the whole thing. Part of it is due to the Pride Demon thing, he hates the idea of only having the power he's got because of the thing that got demons cast out of heaven in the first place. He'd rather have/earn that power himself, thanks.
He views the whole "soul-eating" thing as being the demon version of caviar or escargot. Demons don't do it because it's better, it's done as a flex of how powerful you are or for bragging rights. Other than that, it's pretty useless/pointless so he doesn't bother with it.
He will, however, threaten it to make a point/put someone in their place.
> If he's trying to be threatening or trying to show how powerful/dangerous he is, he'll force the chains from his contracts to appear and press his energy/power down on others. He usually words it as letting them see the "real" situation.
(Making it clear how much control he has over everyone present and how much he can force to happen through sheer will alone. It's actually really terrifying to see.)
ABOUT THE CASINO:
> The Casino exists in its own plane of existence, meaning anyone can come in at any time but also not anyone can stumble in off the street. Kind of a Nowhere Yet Everywhere thing.
> The casino is run via Karma instead of chance or being rigged. Boss wanted to do something different/unique, so he decided to make something that would actually give clients a chance at winning while also keeping the Angels off his back about operating so close to humans.
Humans can gamble their Karma to get various positives in their lives. Better promotions, better luck for a bit, better health, etc. Stuff that's simple and not something that would get a full Deal.
If you're a rotten person, you'll have a terrible losing streak. Or, you'll seem like you're winning for a bit, then you'll lose it all. (Boss feels no pity for those people.)
> Ghosts can make deals/gamble Karma to come back to life/make it so that they didn't die, but then they'd also have to gamble their Karma to see how good they come out instead. (Just because you make it so that the initial thing doesn't kill you doesn't mean you aren't still at risk of dying on the way to the hospital from blood loss/crushed organs.)
> There are different levels/layers to the casino that keep the humans/ghost clients separate from the demons who show up to unwind. Henry and the crew work in the human/ghost section, though some of the chiller/more laid-back demons show up there to hang out too.
> The casino is called the Preening Ace Casino since Boss is a pride demon.
Mod Rosie- Alright, here are some of the notes I have for stuff I've thought of for what happens to the various employees of JDS in the AU
I don't have demon/nephelim designs for everyone else, but a lot of them end up like them. The most I had was ideas for the kind of features that they would get: Angel/angel-reminiscent features for characters who were very kind/trying to help others and more monstrous/demonic features for those who were mean/cruel or incredibly selfish. (And animal-like ones for those who were more neutral/reserved.)
Norman, due to his strength and eye for finding trouble/troublemakers, gets made into a bouncer for the casino.
Henry, having worked for Boss/The Casino the longest, is the most powerful and has the most power over the other employees. There's basically a hierarchy of power within the contracts at the casino, with Henry at the top. Henry's also able to pull on some of the punishments that are built into the chains of the others since Boss put him “in charge” of them all. That ability/connection also tells him how everyone is doing mentally/emotionally, so he can jump in if someone is having a meltdown or relapsing.
Henry tends to keep a close eye on Joey, Sammy, and Susie since they seemed to most... Destructive (to themselves and to others) while they were in the studio.
Everyone now works in the casino since that keeps them all in one place and Henry keeps track of them all. They also get kept from the demon section since none of them are strong enough to handle a demon (except Henry at this point) since it's safer and means they won't piss off someone who'll come for them. Or who'll cause trouble for the Boss.
Henry has made (at least) one friend with a demon while working at the casino. She's a Fury and likes coming to him to bitch about bad clients and drink. She's figured out he was (unintentionally) murdered and swears that, if he gave the word, she would gladly go after the person who'd killed him. When she meets Joey, she knows she can't rip him a new one since he's contracted now. But she does take the chance to deck him for Henry.
The dining area gets a lounge area, with a lot of the studio's musicians now having jobs playing music. Either Allison or Susie now work as singers. (I almost want Allison to be more of a server while Susie sings since she doesn't seem interested in spotlight stuff. While Susie thrives on attention, despite needing a firm lesson in humility.)
At the very least, they switch back and forth between singing and waitress-ing. Henry probably has Susie strictly on waitress work until he thinks she's earned back the right to perform.
Hey all! Mod Rosie here with a new au that I’ve had bubbling away in the back of my head for ages now and have finally shared with everyone! I’ve spent a ton of time ruminating over it, and I’m excited to have finally written it down for everybody to see.
There’s still some stuff I haven’t figured out, but I’m sure my fellow mods (and anyone who sends asks) can help me find an answer for it. Also, this is very long, so there’s a Read More for folks on mobile.
First off: This fic starts with Henry being dead!
Henry died by accident, with a curse placed on him by Joey being partially to blame for causing it. He’d laid a minor Bad Luck curse on Henry that hit/triggered at a terrible time.
(Stumbling or tripping him at the worst possible moment and him getting hit by something lethal. Joey had just wanted to inconvenience Henry for quitting/leaving the studio, but he'd had no idea that the curse could potentially cost Henry his life.)
He ends up wandering/following after his still-living family and trying to look out for them as best he can. When his sister falls deathly ill, he's desperate to find some way to help her. By pure chance, a demon happens to be nearby and senses the terrified/frantic ghost calling for help and appears before him.
The demon is, in fact, a super high-ranking guy (like, King/”Royal Court” type). He's “retired” from tormenting humans, because he's realized that he just- doesn't care about the whole “Heaven Vs Hell” thing anymore. He's been doing it for so long and sustaining the rage/hate for it for so long that he just doesn't have the energy for it anymore. So he's been looking to do something new, that isn't dragging souls into hell. And he's settled on a casino that he’s called the “Preening Aces Casino”, that's run based on karma instead of being rigged, to let his fellow demons unwind and occasionally see how humans do if they actually have the chance to win for once. (And how humans who are terrible can lose it all).
(Basically, he's decided that the only side he wants to play for is his own. Just because he didn't feel like torturing humans anymore didn't mean he wanted to get all buddy-buddy with angels.)
Anyways, he picks up on Henry being desperate enough to make Deal and shows up to make it (and to test run some of his stuff).
He's surprised/impressed that Henry isn't trying to make a deal for himself, and decides he kinda likes the guy. (Since Henry stays polite, and doesn't turn demanding when he shows up.) It's not often he's faced with a ghost trying to save their still-living family and not trying to get revenge or be brought back to life. It's a nice change of pace.
He brings Henry in and learns that Henry's got really good Karma. Like, way too good for how early he's died.
So he checks, sees the remains of the curse, and decides “Hey, maybe I can do something with this.”
He makes Henry an offer, going “Look, you died young. You had a lot of good stuff ahead of you, and now it's gone. I'm feeling generous, so let me cut you a deal. Keeping your family safe while dead ain't easy, so how about I make you... Less dead? I'll make it so you mess around in the living world again, even make it so people won't think to question how you're around. But. You work for me. I got a bit of a project going on, and it would be easier if I had some extra hands to keep it running smoothly. Do the job for long enough and clear your debt with me, and I'll even cut you loose to do whatever you want without being one of mine. What do you think?”
Henry hesitates, thinking it over, then he finally accepts.
The Demon, who tells Henry to just call him “Boss”, then makes Henry into a demon. (Or a Nephelim? Basically a half-demon, half-angel.)
Henry gets wings and horns and has tattoos that look like thorn-chains appear on his arms. His wings have piano-key patterns on the primary flight feathers and his horns form a halo shape. (Because his Deal was to benefit someone else.)
The chains show that he's contracted/serving a demon, and lets Boss have a certain level of power/”control” over him and reminds him that he can't just take off or try to skip out on his end of the Deal. They can turn into actual chains if the demon chooses/needs to.
Boss doesn't do that, but the reminder/threat is there.
Henry normally works in the food areas (and occasionally some of the tables) of the casino in the levels reserved for ghosts/humans, and usually keeps away from the “Demon Only” areas of the place.
Boss has him do that since he's the least terrifying/unsettling to them. He doesn't need to administer anything but food and conversation, though he does occasionally need to kick people out/remind them of WHERE they are. Some of the human-neutral/friendly demons that stop by like chatting with him or having him draw stuff for them.
(The Casino is mostly run by “puppets” brought to life by Boss. He's willing to cater to his fellow demons but doesn't feel like employing any. Most demons know to not cause trouble for someone like him.)
Henry finds the job isn't as bad as he'd thought it would be (though he suddenly had a ton of info about his new position/boss get dumped in his head) and he has a lot more freedom of movement than he'd expected. It's surprisingly tolerable. It's not his ideal job, but it's not a bad one either.
Then, somehow, Joey gets a letter to Henry's PO Box, despite them not having spoken to each other in years. Henry waffles on what to do for a bit, then finally goes to the Boss and asks for a couple days off to look into whatever his old pal has for him. Boss lets him, and Henry heads off to the old studio.
(Henry, due to his new not-human nature, automatically has an illusion/glamour that appears that makes him look his “proper” age. It only comes off if he actively removes it/reveals himself.)
Henry gets to the studio and he instantly knows something is wrong but has no idea what. Thanks to being around demons/being a demon for so long, he's gained a sense for when something demonic is present/working in a place. He goes in and plays along for a while, then the machine turns one and everything goes sideways.
Things stay closer to script for the game, though Henry keeps using his powers in small amounts to try and make things easier/less dangerous for him. Upon meeting the wolf, and getting to the safe house, he confirms that Joey is in the studio with Boris. Though the wolf tells him that Joey is deep in the studio. Henry resolves that he's going to speak with Joey before this is over. And by “talk” he means some thing much more frightening/violent for his old “pal”.
But, around chapter 4, Henry goes “F*ck this Noise” and starts openly using his powers to steamroll his way through to rescue Boris. And also scare the shit out of Malice while he's at it. (This change in tactics also alerts Boss that something is wrong through the chain-connection, because he can feel Henry using his powers in larger/more active amounts than before.)
Not sure how the stuff with Malice goes right now, but at the end, Henry is so peeved off that he decides he's not going to keep delaying anymore.
He's going to hunt Joey down, NOW, and they are going to talk.
When he finds him (Admin offices, no village or river. Those get skipped, or at least glazed over.) Henry is pissed, and ready to take a chunk out of Joey.
(His eyes might be glowing a bit from rage, and anyone with him is able to see his horns and wings from the corner of their eyes.)
Joey tries to butter Henry up (he is unaware of the havoc Henry wroth on his way down) and convince him of how wonderful/amazing what he's achieved is. He was trading the souls of his workers for fame and fortune and bringing the toons to life. He needed EVERYONE from the studio to complete the deal, which was why he needed Henry to come back. But Henry shuts him down, telling him that he DOESN'T CARE what Joey was trying to do. Just that it was ruining the people he SHOULD have been trying to help. So Joey brings in the demon he made a Deal with to try to force Henry to their side.
Henry feels something try to latch on to him, but it fails horribly.
Because the chains from Henry’s contract/Deal blaze to life (bringing him to his knees because holy shit that's a lot of power being shoved through him) and Boss materializes there, royally pissed that someone tried to poach HIS servant and ready to open a can whoop-ass on the one responsible.
(Demons can sense if a person is already bound/contracted to another demon, especially if that demon is more powerful than them. And Boss is WAY more powerful than Joey's demon. Also, Boss is a Pride demon, while Joey's is a Greed demon. It's partially a personal trait, partially what they're most commonly summoned for.)
Henry is spooked because Boss is also flexing his power to tell the Greed Demon just how badly they've fucked up, but he's also relieved to have the demon there to help.
GD tries to regain control, but quickly figures out they've screwed up and now their Deal can't be finished. Which also means they're going to lose all the souls they'd gotten thus far. (Also, they've pissed off someone that outranks them and that's gonna be a problem.)
And now it’s also going to lose its thrall over Joey to make him gather souls for it.
(It's similar to the Vamp Henry scenario, where Joey came from a well-meaning place at the start but then the magic and demon intentionally twisted him/his mind so it could use him to do horrible-shit.)
Boss, pissed off and able to sense how unhappy Henry is about all this, decides he's gonna twist the knife a bit on this guy before his deal implodes and tells him just how late he is grab Henry. And how shoddy/stupid his deal was to be tied to having ALL the souls before it could be completed. Because now he can't complete it since HE'S the one who's got the last soul instead. (Also, the deal would have also fallen through if Henry had been straight-up dead too.)
The demon vanishes, and Joey finally comes back to his senses. And promptly freaks out about what he's done. Boss lets him for a few minutes, then steps up to make his own Deal.
He sends Henry back to the casino telling him to clean up and make something. (And to keep him from being there to know/influence the Deal. He cares about the people involved, which means he could accidentally skew the choices that get made.)
Boss basically gets Joey to gamble his chances at fixing everything. Since, if they let everything that happened go unchanged, everyone in the studio would be dead and Joey would be serving SEVERAL life sentences. But, if he's willing to put his possibilities/future on the line, Boss could mend as much as he could. (Joey doesn't have much else to give for it.)
Joey agrees.
(Boss also goes to the other souls and gives them the chance to play for their lives/freedom back, if they're willing to risk it.)
Everyone (or at least most employees) gets a scenario similar to Henry at the end, they're alive again but now they work at the casino to pay off being brought back and (to those it applies to) to clear up their bad karma from anything they may have done/been doing while trapped at the studio.
Henry shifts from being just the restaurant/bar guy to being the employee-manager on top of that. It's definitely an unexpected promotion, but he's also strong enough to keep all of them in line so he's not opposed to it. (Since Boss' idea of an employee bonus was a boost in power/expanding abilities.) Also, it's nice to have his old friends around again.
And that's as far as I thought about the whole thing.
Well-
Aside from envisioning/fantasizing about either Boss or Henry having a go at Malice about how she's a shit angel, but an exemplary demon.
No plans for Real/living Toons in this au, but it could be something that gets talked about later by us later.
Anyone remember the Uncle Same AU? I do, after having the sudden urge to scroll through the Mook Pool again.
Well I decided to make a family tree to make it easier to see how Harry and Sammy are related (and to help explain the dates)
It would make more sense if I could actually find birth/death dates for everyone other than Harry’s immediate family. But no one seems to have those so I have to make due.
One explanation I’m relying on for this is that Lily’s parents (and grandparents) decided to wait until later in their lives to have children (unlike Lily herself). I’m thinking they decided to wait until their mid-thirties to have kids as opposed to having them in their twenties.
One thing I know I want is for Sammy to be at least 10 years older than his cousin Harold (Harry’s grandfather), just to make sure than him being/finding out that he’s an Uncle is a shock.
It’s been forever, but I’ve slapped out another short in the kcau for yall. hope you enjoy.
~Mod Mango
The trip into the toy factory was an uneasy one. Even with Boris leading the way, Henry couldn’t drive away that nagging angel’s voice, the snobbery pointing out what may be hiding in the corners of his sight. He scowled and adjusted the blanket carefully perched around his shoulders to shield his still sensitive wings. Once the skin and feathers had finished growing in, the two of them both knew that they only had so much more time before it was too late for Henry.
The dark disappeared as Boris opened a door, and Henry saw spots from the brightness of the room Boris gently tugged him into. Once he regained his bearings, the man boggled his gaze around the room, trying to parse the sheer size of the factory foyer.
"Woah, this place is huge…" Henry mumbled. The angel's voice in his head commented pridefully on the Heavenly Toys label, but Henry couldn't quite understand it. Hersh's voice was still indistinct here and there.
Boris led him up the stairs and froze in the doorway. "Henry, the path's blocked."
Henry peeked around the wolf to see the belt of shelves in their path. "There has to be a switch to move it, right?" He asked. "Otherwise the door is just… useless."
Right on cue, the bookshelves started to slide along the trail out of the way. Henry looked over to Boris, who was smiling smugly. “Looks like there is a switch, Henry.” he joked, loping onwards.
The lights in the next room go out a minute after they enter, and some kind of music started up.
Boris almost carelessly latched onto Henry. A sweet voice hummed a pretty little tune until it screeched the last three words of the song. Henry’s new wings unconsciously splayed out, making him wince
“Ah, another fool pulled into the den of monsters.” a layered, low voice crooned, a tattered woman’s face staring at them both. She smiled darkly at the two of them until she spotted Henry’s wings. She scowled deeply. “I see. You’re that… replacement angel.” she accused. Henry shivered and forced the wings to close up despite the pain from the sudden cramps sending pangs up and down his entire body. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?”
She looked over at Boris. “And you have another one of them.” Her gaze became predatory after a moment or so of thought, honey smoothing over the rasp in her tone. “What’s a gal gotta do to ask for a little help?”
“What kind of help?” Henry asked suspiciously, and those ruined eyes turned onto him again.
“Just a couple tiny little… shopping trips, of a sort.” she crooned.
“Ah, ma’am - Alice, correct?” Henry began. “There aren’t any stores down here.”
She sniffed at him, expression souring. “That may be true, but I control the elevator. If you want to get anywhere past here, you’ll give me a hand.”
Boris looked at Henry. “Henry, I don’t think we can say no. There’s only so many stairs.”
The infected human closed his eyes and sighed through his nose pensively. He mulled over the “offer” with the other voice in his head offering his reservations.
“... Fine. You’ve twisted my arm. What do we need to do for you?”
The woman’s smile twisted sharply at him, and he couldn’t help the way his wings puff up.
“Why, it’s not hard at all, my cheap replacement!” She pointed into the other doorway to their left. “The elevator is that way. Take it to Level Nine. I’ll meet you there.”
The spotlight over her head turned off, and the room is empty again. Henry winced as the halo poking out of his skull decided to shift a bit. He lead the way out, readjusting his blanket and avoiding touching his wings as he walked with Boris following.
I hope you know what you’re doing. Hershel lamented.
Henry didn’t, but Hersh already knew that.
Henry working at his desk, Henry giving an unamused No, and Norman getting protective over Lamb Henry.
Henry being protected by Norman would probably do wonders for the faun’s nerves, Lamb or no. Because the Projectionist is big, strong, and everything takes him seriously.
Also he wouldn’t be having to go through the Studio’s dangers alone.
I based Henry’s side of of the argument off of an argument my Dad once had with one of our cats. The cat is question, a lovely Maine coon named T'pring, had been trying bring a live squirrel she’d caught inside the house.
They’d argued just like this, and you could tell they were actively arguing with each other.
It was hilarious, and something I can totally picture Henry doing with his sheep.
I’ve decided to take a trick from Optic Ink AU artist to give Norman/The Projectionist a more expressive face. I really like how it looks. Henry’s for more than his wool to worry about.
You know, thinking of it.
Faun Henry is probably having a harder time than canon Henry.
It was an open secret at Joey Drew Studios that it’s cofounder, Henry Stein, was a bit… Odd.
No one could really name one specific reason that he was different, but they all knew.
There were only two members of the studio who tried to figure it out. One was Wally Franks, the Studio’s young, curious Janitor; but the other was the studio’s own and namesake, Joey Drew.
Both men thought the reason he was so different, was due to him not actually being human.
Henry was used to their antics as they tried to figure out what, exactly, he was. It was funny, because they were both right. But he had no intention of telling them that.
And honestly?
He found their attempts at guessing his true nature were actually pretty funny.
Mostly because (in his own mind, at least) he was so much more mundane than the various supernatural they would throw out at him. A Wizard, vampire, bugbear, demon, a werewolf… It was a riot. Also he was pretty sure at least one of those would be considered more of a predator for his kind, which made being compared to them even funnier.
Henry was none of those. He was just a Faun, plain and simple.
Fauns were known shy and solitary woodland beings, with the legs/lower body and horns of a goat. At least that was the general image shown of them. Henry, specifically, was actually a rather sheep-like Faun. He had a sheep-like lower body, complete with wool that he needed to shear off every spring, and horns that curled around his head just like a ram’s. He was also a lot more sociable than most of his kin, he liked being around others more than hiding himself away in the wood.
That didn’t, however, mean there weren’t days where the idea of fleeing to the forests to escape the people in his life was really tempting.
His jaw twitched.
“Joey, why is my desk covered in herbs and surrounded by salt?” Henry asked, only just keeping his tone even as he spoke. He was pretty sure the salt was in a circle, which was a common warding technique, but it was useless against a Faun.
And the herbs were some of the strongest smelling ones he’d ever come across. He was getting a migraine from proximity alone.
Joey gave the faun his best innocent look, but all it did was make Henry’s frown deepen.
“Sorry Henry, I was trying store some stuff in the closet behind your desk and ended up spilling some things by accident. I’ve already called Wally and I’m sure he’ll be able to clean it all up.” Henry pulled a slow, deep breath (holding back a wince from the smell) then slowly let it out.
“Joey, is this another one of you “supernatural” tests? Because, in case you’ve forgotten, you already know that nothing here has any special effect on me.” Henry said in a tired, aggravated tone. “Heck, you’ve seen me eat a lot of these with various meals over the years. But we really need to get rid of them. Because this amount is giving everyone over here, myself included, a killer headache.”
Joey was an old friend, but that didn’t make dealing with his supernatural fascination any easier at times. Henry shook his head in silent annoyance the carefully stepped over the “spilled” salt on the floor, struggling to ignore the way herbs made his sinuses burn and started fussing with his stuff.
He heard more than saw Wally arrive, the younger man immediately exclaiming at the stench coming from the nook Henry’s desk was in.
Henry froze, his nose twitching, then gave a huge sneeze that made the faun stagger from the force of it.
“Woah, you alright there Henry?” Wally asked worriedly, stepping forward.
The faun snuffled, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand.
“I’m fine, the herbs are just really strong. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to work at my desk until this stuff is cleared out.”
Joey frowned while Wally nodded, wrinkling his nose slightly.
“Yeah, why don’t you take up one of the spare desks off the entrance room and I’ll get on cleaning this up.” Henry sneezed again and nodded, gathering everything he knew he would need for the day and heading back to the main entrance, thanking Wally as he went.
He knew there was a smaller room connected to the entrance that was set up as a spare animation station, but most didn’t use it due to how cramped the room was. But with the deadline coming up, it was the only free desk Henry could think of. Henry could handle being in a cramped room for the next couple of days it would probably take for Wally to clean and air out his usual work space.
He didn’t really mind small, cramped spaces, which was why he didn’t mind having his small, back hall work desk. It was working in a room where there was constantly someone in his peripheral vision that bugged him.
It rankled his faun instincts, having someone in that space. So for his peace of mind, it was better to have his own private space to work in, instead of trying to share a space facing away from someone.
Arms laden with papers and inks, Henry opened the door and carefully stepped into the space. He knew he would probably end up filling the room enough to have to squeeze his way in later. He could only hope he wouldn’t end up catching some of his wool on the door, that would hurt.
Well, he would just have to make due until his desk was usable again. That shouldn’t take too long. Hopefully.
Henry was a faun. A sheep faun to be specific. Nobody in the studio was aware of this, although they all knew that he wasn’t exactly human. Joey was constantly trying to figure out just what his old friend was, although Henry was careful to never let anything slip. Joey was his friend, and Henry loved him dearly, but he absolutely did not want to become one of Joey’s guinea pigs. Joey’s insatiable curiosity for everything supernatural was common knowledge, so it wasn’t surprising that Henry would want to keep his true nature hidden. Wally’s attempts to discover what supernatural creature Henry was was less irritating. It was hard to hate Wally, honestly.
“So, Mister Stein, how much do you know about the supernatural?” Wally asked. He was ‘sweeping’ near Henry’s desk. He’d been doing this for the past ten to twenty minutes, and Henry knew that the janitor was just looking for a reason to talk to Henry.
“Not too much.” Henry didn’t turn away from his drawings, trying to hide his growing smile.
“So, uh, you don’t know anything about satyrs or anything?”
Henry tensed up. People always got satyrs and fauns confused, and while he knew Wally didn’t mean anything by this, the idea of being associated with satyrs still offended him.
“No. I’m afraid I don’t,” Henry said through gritted teeth.
“You don’t?” Wally smiled slyly. “Then…What’s this?!” He produced a clump of wool from his pocket, waving it in front of Henry’s face. Henry stared at it in bemusement.
“It’s wool.” He replied calmly.
“I found it caught on a doorframe after you went through it!” Wally proclaimed. He looked very proud of himself, as though he thought he’d caught Henry.
“Well, I have a sheep,” Henry said. “I feel like I’ve mentioned that.”
“The wool’s…from your sheep?” Wally’s bravado faded.
“Mm-hm.” Henry nodded. “I like carrying some with me so I can do yarn work when I get bored.”
“Oh…” Wally’s whole body drooped.
“Sorry.” Henry patted Wally’s back. “I can give you some yarn if you want, though.”
“You make yarn outta the wool?” Wally asked, perking up a bit.
“I mean, I don’t produce all that much wool,” Henry said. “My sheep’s pretty small, but I always spin some of the wool to sell to Mrs. Rios next door. She likes to knit.”
“That’s cool.” Wally managed a small smile. “I’ve been meanin’ to get into knittin’.”
“It’s a good hobby.” Henry smiled back at him. “Anyway, I have to get back to work, okay?”
“Oh, okay! I’ll, uh, I’ll leave.” Wally grabbed his broom and left to go find some other place to sweep. Henry laughed softly to himself before returning to his work.
Henry stuck around for nearly a year before Joey’s constant attempts to figure out what Henry was finally got to him. Not to mention he was doing all the work while Joey took all the credit. It was just too much. So Henry left. He had to admit, he was much happier outside of the studio. He was able to take credit for his work, most people didn’t try to figure out whether he was human or not. It was much easier. But in the end, he was drawn back to the studio once more. He knew from the moment he got the letter from Joey that he was in for some shit. But he told himself that everything would be fine.
It was not fine. Within an hour of arriving at the studio, he’d awakened a demon, fallen down a hole, and had his glamour charm destroyed. His glamour charm had consisted of carved wooden beads in a leather pouch. The charm tricked people into not noticing Henry’s more inhuman qualities, such as his horns and sheep ears. Upon entering the Music Department, a Searcher had ripped the pouch, causing the beads to fly everywhere. That part was more frustrating than anything else. Henry had made the charm himself and it would take forever to make a new one.
“Just my luck.” He grumbled once he’d dispatched the Searchers. Well, at least a faun wouldn’t be as much of a shock now that Joey had literally turned everyone into inky monstrosities.
Sammy, to his credit, was at least slightly surprised by Henry’s appearance. When Henry woke up after being knocked out, he found Sammy staring intently at him. At least, Henry was pretty sure Sammy was staring at him.
“How curious, little sheep.” Sammy murmured. “Your appearance is strange to me. I’ve never seen anything quite like you.”
“Heeey, Sammy.” Henry leaned back a bit. “Bit close there.”
“What are you, my dear sheep?” Sammy asked, pressing his face closer to Henry’s.
“I’m a faun.” Henry leaned back even more. “Do you, uh, know what a faun is?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.” Sammy finally pulled away. “But that does not matter now. I must appease my Lord. I am sure you will make an excellent sacrifice. I doubt he’s ever feasted upon a faun before.” Henry’s heart sunk as Sammy made his way into the recording booth. Well, this was going to be fun…
One chase sequence later, where Henry surprised the Ink Demon by bleating in fear, he was with Boris and a perfect Bendy. Bendy was asking Henry question after question, utterly fascinated by Henry’s nonhuman nature. Henry answered every question he could. He was honestly still a little stunned by the fact that he was talking to Bendy and Boris. The cartoons he’d created. They were alive. They were alive and they had feelings and opinions.
“Hey, um, do you have a brush or something?” Henry asked when they reached the safehouse where Boris and Bendy had apparently been staying. “All this ink has been Hell on my wool.” It was autumn, so he hadn’t sheared himself yet. Which meant his wool was pretty thick. And the ink had been soaking into it ever since he’d fallen in the entrance hall.
“Oh, sure!” Boris nodded, opening the door. “I think I’ve got a brush around here somewhere. I like to brush out my fur sometimes.”
“Thanks.” Henry breathed a sigh of relief.
“Can I brush your wool?” Bendy asked with shining eyes. “Pleeeeeaaaaassse?” Henry hesitated.
“Well…Alright.” He said slowly. “But you’ll need to be careful.”
“Yes! Thank you thank you thank you!” Bendy threw himself onto Henry, rubbing his face against Henry’s sweater vest. Henry laughed softly, patting Bendy’s head. It was honestly nice to have Bendy so excited. Henry was always nervous when it came to people discovering what he actually was. He knew he wasn’t anything particularly interesting to others, but it was still nerve-wracking. It felt good to be accepted.
“Okay okay.” Henry hoisted Bendy into his arms. “Let’s get inside, okay?”
“Okay!” Bendy nodded, a big smile on his face. So they went inside. Henry could only imagine what would happen from here.
