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A Borrower at the End of the World part 30: Cat got your Tongue?
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Word count: 3200ish
Warning: talk of previous body mutilation, swearing, physical/verbal abuse, dehumanization, and psychosis. (AN: Oof)
***
Now…
Dark. Cramped. Cold.
The walls Briar traversed day in and day out felt suffocating to a man who had spent his last couple of decades roaming the outside world freely. He felt stifled, forced to stay in a place that constantly set him on edge. It was a nightmare house crawling with beans. Soldiers. Maids. Townspeople. Who knew how many were here at any given moment. For what purpose or for how long?
It wasn’t safe to travel on the floors. Walking on mantel tops and climbing tables in the light of day wasn’t an option either. The borrower was forced to navigate the dark, complex maze withing the walls of the mansion.
If it was just himself that he worried for, he would have left as soon as he arrived. Go from house to house until he either found someplace safe to hide or a tiny crack in the exterior wall and made a break for it.
Unfortunately, with Jace and Layla, he didn’t have that option.
Living with two humans who were constantly aware of his presence had made Briar soft. He had to relearn a lot of his bean detecting instincts that were still waking up from hibernation. He had almost been caught a few times in the past few weeks by soldiers and those maids running rampant through out the mansion.
Yes, weeks.
Briar and the kids had been living under this oppressive roof for too long. Even when they were traveling, Briar didn’t like to stay in one place for this long. Layla was still being forced to go to school, coming home crying every other day. That was bad enough, but something was wrong with her. More than her usual crying or being upset. It had been a while since Briar had heard more than a sob from her throat, and he was becoming increasingly concerned as the weeks went by.
Jace would come back from boot camp looking utterly exhausted, but he said the days were getting easier as he grew more used to the training. He even managed to make a couple of friends. Than bean-girl Hannah didn't seem so bad. Once or twice a week he was assigned to guard duty of the main gate, with a supervising officer, and they even let him help patrol the outer perimeter too. Briar intended to leave with him the next time Jace would be sent out on patrol, get a better idea of the mess they had gotten into. Though, Jace didn’t know that yet and hadn’t agreed to it. Briar figured it be better to tell him once they are outside.
The little man did his best to visit the kids when he could, but now that he had made it to the first floor, it was even more difficult and exhausting to find a way back upstairs to their bedroom. At this point, Briar hadn’t seen them in about five days, as he searched the various rooms for any signs of other borrowers.
Two days ago, he did see screws lined up along an outer wall like a ladder. Perfect for a borrower to climb leading to the top of a book shelf. Though it was old and breaking, that was good enough for Briar to keep looking on this side of the house, though it was the side soldiers and the General more than often occupied. Leading to too many close encounters with soldiers stomping about with their heavy boots.
All the chaos and stress and need for escape only made him all the more desperate to find any wall symbols or other borrowers that might help him get answers about this place and possible ways out.
Today, Briar entered a vast room through a rat hole at floor level beside a tall book shelf. The room had several red velvet chairs surrounding a grand mahogany wooden desk. The chair beside the desk looked like a king’s throne. The shelf beside him was stacked with books and a large mirror on the opposite wall.
Despite his better judgment, Briar left the safety of the walls to explore this new space. Based on the description Jace had given him, this was part of the forbidden wing of the mansion. The General’s office.
He walked away from the rat hole, giving him a clear view of the slightly ajar metal door leading to the hallway, with complicated locks, evidently there was information in here that General Monroe didn’t want anyone to find out. Perfect.
He knew he had ro be quick, a bean could come back at any moment.
He noticed a piece of paper laying on the elegant rug, apparently having fallen off the mahogany table at some point after a bean meeting. Briar couldn’t make heads or tales of the words, but he did recognize the images. A map, showing a birds eye view of the town. It would have more up to date information than any wall symbols, given it seemed the town surrounding the mansion was significantly new compared to the building at its heart. This paper was only a small portion of the map, showing a corner of the town. Briar looked up and spotted more sheets of paper on the desk above.
Taking out his hook, then swinging it into the air and catching on the side of the desk. He pulled to make sure it was steady before making his assent. Having recovered from his injuries by now made it much easier to travel and borrow in the mansion. Though he was getting on in age, leading to his bones creaking and aching at the most inconvenient times.
Making it to the top, he didn’t let himself rest before taking in the pieces of paper before him. The town expanded in all directions from the mansion at its heart, having been built around it. At the bottom, blue markings clearly defined the lake and a thick black block separated a stream from the large body of water. A dam. The human-beans built a dam, leading to the river becoming a lake. Both fortifying the south side and providing water to the entire town. Briar had to admit, he was impressed with the ingenuity.
The walls bordering the town ended abruptly beside the lake as if anticipating the water would be enough to deter anyone from escape or entrance.
Near the water, but still within the walls indicated food and crops, farm land. Few bean made buildings occupied this map. Worst comes to worst, the kids and I could hide somewhere here and swim for freedom, Briar thought.
A soft gasp and shattering porcelain broke the silence of the room.
Briar turned pale and locked eyes with a woman standing not five feet from the desk on which he stood. A human-bean. There was nowhere to hide, nothing but the maps on which he stood.
Neither moved, taking the other in.
The woman had dropped the tea set she had been carrying upon seeing the borrower. One of the cups had shattered and tea was quickly seeping into the intricate rug, staining it. But she never took her eyes off the borrower.
He recognized her as one of the maids who had been taking care of the children, but he knew that grace would not extend to someone like himself.
The woman was the first one to move, she pinched the skin on the back of her hand and closed her eyes. Blinking and squeezing her eye lids as if trying to wake herself from a dream. She did this several times, even holding her breath at one point.
She finally opened her eyes and focused on the borrower. A gasp escaped her slightly parted mouth as her bottom lip quivered. Her eyes began to water, she was almost to the point of tears.
Briar went from terrified to utterly confused. What did he do to possibly make her cry?
Before they could stare at each other any longer, heavy boots were heard marching down the hall. Jolting both the borrower and bean out of their stupor.
More human-beans.
In a flash, the maid reached down and grabbed the tea pot, still leaking liquid onto the rug, and ran towards the desk Briar stood upon. She was too fast.
She’s about to kill me. Mash my bones with ceramic porcelain. Or trap me. Deliver me to the other beans to be interrogated. I’m not sure which would be a worse fate.
The tea pot was coming down like a fist from the heavens. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst, but instead of hitting Briar, she slammed the tea pot down in front of him.
He looked up at the bean in utter astonishment, but was met with the sight of her back. Not only was the tea pot there hiding him from sight, but she put herself between him and whoever was on the other side of the door.
“And that is why you have to be tougher on your recruits, Sergeant.”
A chill ran up Briar’s spine. He recognized that voice and venom filled his veins. He instinctively grasped the needle at his hip.
“I’d say I have to disagree with you, Colonel.” Another voice Briar recognized, Drill Sergeant Brown. Jace’s officer. “I find being strict is important, but showing compassion and respect for their abilities can be just as crucial.”
The third soldier, who Briar didn’t recognize, scoffed. “You’re definitely too soft, Brown.”
To Briar’s dismay, these three beans entered the room. Colonel Johansen, Drill Sergeant Brown, and the third man towered over the human-bean woman. The human shield before him was ridged, yet she didn’t move as the men came closer.
The other soldier raised an eyebrow and took in the state of the room and woman standing ridged in front of the desk, “what are you doing, girl? Get a move on, clean up this mess.”
The maid shook her head.
“Mel. That was a direct order. Move.” The Colonel said. The maid stared daggers at him. He gritted his teeth, irked at her defiance, but watched her for a moment. Then his demeanor changed, a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, that made Briar shiver. “Don’t tell me you started hearing voices, seeing things again?”
Mel scowled indignantly.
“I understand the doctor recently cut back on your medication, but you couldn’t have relapsed that quickly.”
“She hears voices sir?” Sergeant Brown quirked an eyebrow. “Her?” He emphasized that word as if to say ‘are you kidding me?’
“Yes, voices. And she sees things that aren’t there.” The Colonel reveled in how uncomfortable the room got. “She may look all sweet and innocent, aren’t the most dangerous of them usually are? She’s the schizophrenic savage who gave me this.” He followed the path of the scar that went from his chin to his eye.
The other men balked. Looking from the short young woman to the terrifying officer. To think that she was the one to lay a hand on him was almost absurd.
Mel didn’t deny it. Her mouth stayed shut as she stared at the men before her. Briar noticed the white knuckled grip she had on the table.
“How?” The third soldier asked. “How did she…”
“Well, it was about three years ago,” Johansen tapped his chin. “This mansion was the home of the Perkins family. Very wealthy, old money and all that.” As the Colonel spoke, he made casual strides about the small room. Moving it like a vulture about to feast. Never taking his eyes off Mel. She didn’t break eye contact either. “Ernest and I had been chasing a pack of Razors for a few days, but unfortunately, they had broken into the Perkins mansion, killing almost everyone. Luckily for the one surviver, I was there to rescue her.”
Mel sneered at his words. A growl started in her throat, so quiet that only Briar could make it out.
“I found her in the kitchen, screaming about some… oh, what was it?” He snapped his fingers trying to jog the memory. “A hammer? Hazelnuts? Or was it Honey?”
Mel bristled at the sound of that last word on his lips.
“Anyway, she was trying to claw her way into a tiny hole in the wall, probably hoping to crawl inside and hide like a rat. I grabbed her, trying to save her life, may I remind you, and she slashed my face with a fucking butcher knife.” The Colonel only paused his stride to take in his fellow soldiers' shocked faces. He turned his cold eyes to the woman, “what? Not going to defend yourself, Mel?” He smirked, “Cat got your tongue?”
Mel all but turned red with blind rage, she let out an audible, guttural growl from her throat. Making the Colonel smile wider. The other two men took a weary step back.
“That’s awful,” Sergeant Brown said.
“Oh, it wasn’t all bad.” Johansen had finally finished his vulture swoop around the room and was almost beside her. “Why don’t you step forward and show these fine men what I gave you in return?”
She stumbled back against the table, shaking it and tried to turn around, but it was too late. Briar backed up against the tea kettle, closing his eyes to wait out the shaking world around him. An oppressive shadow overtook the desk.
The Colonel grabbed her face, forcing her jaw open with his fingers. “Look,” Johansen said as he turned her open mouth to the other men.
A gasp escaped the third soldier, “… H-her tongue."
“You cut out her tongue?” Sergeant Brown’s eyes darkened as he watched Mel try to wrench herself out of the man’s oppressive grip. “You mutilated another human being?!”
“Oh please, she ‘mutilated’ me first! Plus, she is less than human. We are now looking at the shell of a woman, who could have inherited a dynasty of wealth driven to insanity when her family was killed. We even took her house and used it as our base. And yet after all that, she chose to stay. Why is that my dear?” He turned her to face him, squeezing her jaw harder
Mel began to cry out in pain. She was shaking, the humiliation was too much. She would have tried to cover her mouth, hide the gaping hole the muscle once occupied, but she refused to let go of the desk.
“Sir, you’re hurting her–” Sergeant Brown stepped forward.
“Stand down soldier.” Colonel Johansen said, “I’m just showing you how to properly teach a lesson–– Ow!”
Mel bit his hand while he was distracted, forcing the large man to let go of her face. He pushed her back against the desk, she let out a brief cry, but kept her grip on the desk.
“Why you insolent, little snake! Apparently I didn’t teach you well enough the first time—“ he raised his hand as if preparing to strike her across the cheek.
Briar almost cried out for the giant to—
“Stop!” Sergeant Brown attempted to grab his superior's arm, but he wasn’t fast enough.
Mel flinched, bracing herself against the desk.
“That’s enough Johansen.” A deep voice spoke, commanding attention. Everyone froze.
Colonel Johansen straightened up, saluting the General. The other two men followed suit.
“I would appreciate it if you do not harm my staff any more than you already have.” General Monroe strided into the room with the confidence of owning the place, which he did. “Are you alright, Mel?”
She quickly nodded, not looking up at him. Her arms and legs shook with adrenaline and anxiety.
“I think we should leave her here alone, sir,” Sergeant Brown suggested.
“Very well, shall I send for Annie to help you clean this mess?” The General turned back to Mel, who shook her head. General Monroe grunted before looking at his subordinates, “We’ll discuss your reassignment in the mirror room, Johansen.”
Mel and Briar perked up at the same time. Reassignment, what is that supposed to mean? Briar thought.
Three of the men left.
Sergeant Brown stayed behind, “Are you alright?” He offered Mel a hand. She ignored it, refusing to meet his gaze. “Right, dumb question.” He sighed. “I do apologize, Miss Perkins, he shouldn’t treat you that way.”
She lifted her head slightly at the name she had long since stopped using. Tears welling in her eyes.
Sergeant Brown reached down and began to pick up the broken pieces of ceramic and set them on the tea tray. “If I can offer any comfort, Miss Perkins, The colonel will be leaving in two days for another razor hunt down south.” He looked up at her and for the first time, her eyes met his. Almost hopeful. “He could be gone for a couple weeks or a few months. We aren’t sure, but at least you won’t have to be scared in your family home for the time being.” He held the trey out to her.
She hesitated before slowly prying her hands from the desk, still covered in sweat and shaking slightly. She took the trey, before setting it on the table slightly away from Briar.
Sergeant Brown tipped his hat to her in return and took his leave. Closing the door behind him.
Silence returned to the room, but fear permeated the space. Briar was alone with the bean who had just protected him, to her own detriment and pain. He was at a loss for words as he watched the titanic woman before him sink slowly to the floor as her legs finally gave in to their shaking, weakened state.
She seemed so strong a moment ago, a woman protecting him from three men bigger than even herself. Now, it felt as if Briar hit her hard enough, she might shatter.
“I…” Briar began but cut himself off when Mel flinched. She hesitantly turned, he was just above her head now as she crouched on the floor. Her eyes were wide as if not entirely believing he was there. Briar gulped, “Thank you.”
Tears began to well once again in her eyes, blurring her vision. She covered her mouth, stroking her lips in a calming gesture.
“I’m… sorry for causing you so much trouble.” Briar bowed in shame.
She shook her head before forcing a smile to her tear stained cheeks.
“Is there anything I can do to repay you?”
She paused. Pointing to the rat hole he had come from. (He was a little unsettled that she knew exactly where it was.) Before opening her mouth, “H-uuh-ey.” Her voice was weak and hoarse from unuse. “Ooo you o H-uuh-ey?”
Briar stared in confusion.
She let out a frustrated sigh, “H-uuh-ey?” She knew what she wanted to say, but her lack of tongue made it almost impossible. Being forced to approximate sounds to the best of her ability was still almost unintelligible. She shook her head, it wasn’t worth the hassle.
After a long pause, she whipped her tears and sat up, meeting Briar eye to eye. She pointed to the hole in the wall once again, gesturing with her head and eyes.
Briar squinted, “You– do you want me to leave?” Briar almost couldn’t believe it. When the kids found him, they never wanted him to go, now this bean was telling him to hit the road.
She nodded, ending with an affirmative grunt.
“I– okay.” he hesitated for a moment before taking out his hook and dropping the line to the floor below. He looked up at the bean and found her back was to him. She proceeded to clean the tea stains on the carpet, scrubbing with the cloth she kept in her apron. Leaving Briar to his own devices. As he scaled down the cliff, he noticed that he didn’t feel the familiar sensation of bean eyes staring at him. Layla loved to watch him climb even though he frequently asked her not to. He would sense her watching him. But now he felt nothing.
Briar touched the ground safely and retried his hook from the cliff. He cautiously backed away from the giantess before him, not taking his eyes off her. She never turned around, he could hear the soft sounds of sniffles as she whipped her eyes again.
Briar made it back to the bookshelf where the rat hole lay. Against his better judgment he called out to her, “Thank you again, ma’am.”
Her soft gaze turned to him, instantly finding him on the far away floor. Her smile did not meet her eyes as she nodded and began to stand up. She took hold of the tea tray, picking up the tea kettle that had shielded Briar from view just minutes ago. Setting the dirty rag on the tray before turning towards the door.
As she walked away, her shirt swung in her stride, revealing a little more of her leg. Her white sock had also fallen lower than the other and Briar noticed something black on the outside of her right ankle. He might have brushed it off as a mole or a birthmark, but its distinct silhouette made him do a double take.
Wait was that–
He was about to call out to her, but she had already made it across the floor to the exit on the other side, shutting the metal door behind her.
He shook his head. The stress and lack of sleep must have finally gotten to him. If he didn’t know any better, ge would have said it looked like a symbol.
***
Mel lore drop! (My poor baby girl has been through so much! 😭) Once upon a time, she was a wealthy heiress who had everything. Now reduced to a maid in her own family home. Mute and heavily medicated. Is she truly as insane as the Colonel claims she is? Why does she choose to stay here? What is holding her back?
💬 2 🔁 0 ❤️ 21 · New character sheets unlocked! · For my story “A Borrower at the end of the world!” (They are all human characters.) Jace
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I don't usually post ref stuff but I finished all my design updates just in time 💪
Mel was finally revealed by @urbanqhoul so I can finally share this guy
He’s such an ass I love him
Some animal mask girls...
Fun fact: pink kitty girl is a character I got from @pineapplethatisall 7 years ago 😭
[ ID: a waist-up drawing of a character, where the entire piece has a dark blue tint to it. she has shoulder-length dark hair, tan skin, and her eyes have the outlines of an iris but remain white. she's wearing a button-up shirt under a light colored sweater. she has her head tilted to the side with a relaxed smile, blood splattered on her face. behind her is a red halo. end ID. ]
oc-tober day 2 prompt: newest oc. this one's not necessarily the newest but it's definitely in recent memory with little development so far. umm her name is lyla and she was [slits throat motion] but she walked it off and she's fine now, guys, really, lets all calm down.
Cringetober day 4 - Angel x Demon.
Introducing Mel!! I made him in March to match @wingstobetorn ’s heroine oc but didn’t post it here
Full name: Melvin Lee Moreau(he/she)
Age: TBD, student
Height: 5’4
An art trading game
