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[A Small Everyone]

✦ piper; tags; location: text; tagged: name

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[div style="width: 445px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 8.5px; color: #77BFA3; text-align: justify; line-height: 99%;"][align=right]✦ piper; [url=https://www.bearbonesrp.com/index.php?topic=19520.msg496809#msg496809][b][i][color=#77BFA3]tags[/color][/i][/b][/url]; [u]location:[/u] text; [u]tagged:[/u] name[/align][/div]

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[A Small Everyone]

✦ NOTEWORTHY EVENTS ✦

the dates of these events will be based on irl dates for the sake of organization.
Key: unmarked = minor ; * = injury ; ** = major ; *** = major + injury

❝ 2020
━

[A Small Everyone]

✦ ALABASTER: PART I ✦

trigger warning: blood

xxIn a cave illuminated by torchlight, the orange glow created illusions with the shadows of stalagmites. The darkness danced brilliantly, faux creatures dipping in and out of the light to the faint music of crackling fire. Such gentle noise was accompanied by that which lingered within a large binding circle that had been carved in the center of the cave. A mixture of blood and saliva dripped from the figure's lips as they muttered incoherently; ragged, broken whispers portrayed some ancient desire to be close with something that - to it - would be unreachable. That pale, masculine figure knelt, unmoving, and naked save for thick cloth wrapped around their hips. Scars littered their alabaster skin, rough edged and deep. The creature's knees were bruised, their forelegs riddled with cuts and infected wounds. With shut eyes, their face was pressed against the backs of their hands which laid flat against the cold stone. From the long, white, ragged hair that grew upon their head, a set of elk-like horns branched out. They'd clearly been crudely carved over the years, shaped and forced back by golden wire to appear faintly as a halo. Yet, despite the attempts at holiness, its shadows too danced.

xxThe door in the right corner of the room squeaked open as two robed figures shuffled in. However, when the last reverberation of wailing metal faded out, the whispers had not ceased, nor did the being stir. The two men approached a table at the right of the circle, the man in blue and yellow casting a stray glance to the demon. His gaze remained locked on their bloodstained, malnourished frame even as the man in gold, white, and red tried to wave for his attention.

xx"You think it's putting up an act?" Father Julian muttered, tone hushed as he finally stripped his eyes from the one who kneeled.

xx"You don't need to whisper," Father Coran replied, "It's not going to steal your voice."

xxCoran's statement nearly seemed joking, a certain wit in his eyes in his odd attempt to lighten the mood. Julian exhaled harshly through his nose, warm mist drifting out into the cold air to express his annoyance. Yet, despite the joke, Coran's frame and movements were stiff and slow as he sat the Bible down on the table. There was anxiety in him, as their always had been in dealing with these creatures.

xx"It wouldn't be at this for days if it were," Father Coran finally replied. Coran reached up to scratch at the thick, greying hair upon his head as he prepared a bowl of holy water. As he opened the Bible and flipped through it, Julian's eyes found their way back to the creature. His chest tightened the more he stared at the way the light illuminated their pale body. Part of him kept expecting it to rise and step out of the circle without so much as a warning. Such darkness radiated from its presence and, while that was certainly to be expected, he preferred it to not be so.

xx"Found it," Coran stated, a cue for Julian to feed the demon. Yet, he would hesitate, shooting a pleading gaze towards his brother. He protested, "We shouldn't feed it; why do we feed it?"

xx"You know exactly why-"

xx"But what if The Most Reverend is-"

xx"Do not finish that sentence."

xxJulian shrank away from Coran when he snapped, gaze averting from his brother's hardened stare. A long moment of silence passed between them, still yet accompanied by the demon's inaudible whispers. His muscles tightened when he felt Coran's hand on his shoulder shortly before Coran leaned in and whispered, "You need not be afraid. Most Reverend knows exactly what he's doing."

xxFather Julian lifted his gaze, tight lipped as he struggled to find the right words. He finally asked, "You really believe he's not wrong in keeping a demon here?"

xx"Wholeheartedly," Coran replied, small smile not reaching his eyes as he tried in vain to reassure him.

xx"Even as it whispers? Calls to. . ." He drifted off, knowing it was a name not to be spoken here.

xx"We do not know who it calls to. The Most Reverend says it is in pain; there is a deep suffering in it."

xx"And to what ends do we have it suffer if not to kill or banish it?"

xx"The Most Reverend has not said."

xxHis shoulders slacked in defeat, eyes squinting shut. He knew not what to say to convince his brother that they should kill the beast already. He feared that, the longer it remained, the greater the chance it would do damage to the church.

xx"What if its whispers are infectious? What if they're prying the minds of good men open, dragging them away into madness?" he inquired inwardly. It was in this moment that Coran's grip tightened on his shoulder, a silent encouragement to look him in the eyes. Thus, Julian would lift his gaze to them, only then aware that his stare had been trained on the demon for the past few moments.

xx"You need not fear," his brother repeated, "You need not fear."

xx"We need not fear but we feed the beast," he replied.

xx"I know it is hard, but trust in The Most Reverends intentions, even if we do not know them."

xxWith that, his brother removed his hand from him and he turned back to the Bible. It was time to feed the beast, whether or not Julian thought it was right. Thus, bread in one hand as he lifted the bowl of holy water from the table with the other, he hesitantly turned walked towards the whispering demon. He paused then, before the binding circle, his only protection from the creature that he was about to cross. He knelt as Father Coran began to read from the Bible, Latin chants being mixed between the verses. Julian sat the bowl down and refocused his gaze on the beast. There were no veins beneath the skin, no redness to show blood pumping through the body. Yet, there was fresh blood upon its hands, rivulets of scarlet steadily, slowly flowing onto the stone. In this brief moment, he almost mistook its words for his brother's, "Father, who art in heaven, hallow be thy name, thy kingdom come. . ."

xxHe could not believe it; he thought he had misheard. His brows furrowed and he listened close, ". . . on Earth as it is in heaven. . ." it's voice rasped and frequently choked on blood.

xxThis creature, this demon, was praying.

xx"Father Coran! It's praying," he exclaimed as he stood sharply, fleeting gaze turning for his brother, only to retreat back to the strange sight. His brother fell into silence briefly, muttering that such things were impossible as he hurried to Julian's side.

xx". . . give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses. . ." the demon's whispers shuddered with agony, but persistently filled the air still yet. The two priests would remain there, listening to the creature repeat the same prayer over and over. It seemed to him that neither of them knew what to make of this.

xxHis brother would finally break the silence between them, "I cannot tell if it is mocking us," Coran paused to look at him, "Do you?"

xxJulian shook his head, "I do not know, but would it's mouth be bleeding if it were?"

xx"I think not."

xx"Should we tell The Most Reverend?"

xx"Yes, he needs to know," Coran replied as he turned and walked back to the table, "He needs to be fed first."

xxJulian nodded hesitantly, realizing only then that Coran had referred to the beast as a "he." The church had always insisted on calling demons "its" as to not attribute any worth to them. They were not people; they were not animals. They were evil. Yet, as he knelt down before the circle once more, he found himself mulling over his brother attributing this demon that sort of worth. There was once the possibility of a trick, perhaps the demon wanting to be given value so that they may take sympathy upon it and set it free.

xx"Still yet, if it played tricks, why did its mouth bleed? Could it be that it was biting its own tongue?" he thought. However, it choked on the words it spoke; it was clearly suffering yet it continued to call out to the Lord. He silently asked himself if it was deserving of sympathy.

xxHis brother began the rite again, so Julian would pull himself from his thoughts. He dipped his hand in holy water and then used that same hand to lay the bread beyond the borders of the circle. Upon retracting it, he announced that it was done. Father Coran ceased the rite and shut the Bible, stating, "Let us go back upstairs. We can't hesitate any longer with this information."

xxAs Coran proceeded past him, he remained knelt before the circle. The demon's prayers did not stop even to take of the food it had been given.

xx"It will likely not eat with us in the room, Father Julian. Let us leave," his brother's voice was more urgent this time around. Julian would nod, but he would not stand as his eyes would drift to the cave wall just beyond the demon. There were no shadows dancing beyond it.

xx"Father Julian!"

xxHe jolted to his feet then, "Apologies," he said as he hurried for the exit. Julian closed the door behind him and gave him a stern look in the eye.

xx"You saw something."

xx"It didn't have a shadow is all."

xx"The demon didn't have a shadow?"

xx"No. . . and I could've sworn it did."

---

I feel I've written better but I might rewrite this in the future; I'm not sure if I'll continue it.

[A Small Everyone]

✦ PIPER'S HEARTCHART ✦

dm if you'd like to be added to this list! your char will have to have interacted with piper at least once.
GUIDE: [abbr=vehemently hates]❥[/abbr] [abbr=hates]❥[/abbr] [abbr=heavily dislikes]❥[/abbr] [abbr=dislikes]❥[/abbr] [abbr=unease/tension]❥[/abbr] [abbr=jealous]❥[/abbr] [abbr=neutral]❥[/abbr] [abbr=inquisitive]❥[/abbr] [abbr=trusts/calm]❥[/abbr] [abbr=respects]❥[/abbr] [abbr=platonically likes]❥[/abbr] [abbr=romantically likes]❥[/abbr] [abbr=platonically loves]❥[/abbr] [abbr=romantically loves]❥[/abbr]

[table]