@prestideception &&. said... Were they not wide awake, the Fount would have been convinced this was a nightmare.
One moment, they were at their desk, reorganizing papers and preparing exams for the Academy, when the candle illuminating their work blew out. The next they knew, laughter surrounded them, and those eyes. Those same hideous eyes that always plagued them. The ones they could never properly rid themselves of.
The Fount grips their staff tightly and rises up from their seat, their jaw shifting and brow furrowed. "Who are you? Why do you insist on haunting me?"
This had to end. Now.
Else this torment would never cease.
it isn't merely one voice that's laughing — oh, it is DOZENS. young and old. high and deep. melodic and grating. voices that transcend the boundaries of such simplistic definitions altogether. ( coupled with a jam-curdling echo that distorts them even further. ) it feels like an entire crowd — nay, an AUDIENCE has gathered seemingly for the sole purpose of laughing at their expense.
❝ who am i? ❞ a single, oddly familiar voice cuts through the cacophony. the ringleader, the star, the main character makes his long awaited appearance! ( you may now applaud. ) ❝ who am i? my, my, my, is that a JOKE? ❞ the eyes, all glowing with an eerie blue light, seem to crinkle with amusement — as if they are but projections of the speaker's hidden face. the room beyond them may as well no longer exist; the darkness is impenetrable. it's as if the fount has been transported directly to the ocean's deepest depths. a cold, lonely place occupied only by the virtue and this eldritch presence that regards them with the strangest sense of familiarity. ❝ i take time out of my verrry busy schedule to drop by for a visit, and what do i get? no hello? not even an ounce of appreciation for the SET DRESSING? oh, i am hurt! this look is a classic. ❞
the darkness ripples strangely. as if it's tangible. as if it's a liquid. a cookie — or perhaps something merely masquerading as a cookie emerges from the tarry gloom. ❝ knock, knock. ❞ he says, flashing a mouthful of wickedly sharp teeth. ❝ who's there? it's meee! ❞ still no applause? c'mon — now THAT was an expertly executed entrance!
the beast opens his mouth to continue — only to pause mid-inhale. he squints. ❝ ... uhhhdid you do something with your hair? ❞ his tentacles also squint. ❝ i thought you hated it like that. ❞