Masquerade Dollies

[Kaenniswen]

Hurrying from one dense pocket of shadows to the next, I flinched away from the curious stares I received from people that walked by. My long hair hung in front of my face creating a curtain that made it hard for anyone to really look at me. I followed the blue shod feet, my feet, wherever they took me and hugged Leika for comfort. Her firm little body grasped the lace-covered hand that held her tightly, comforting me in her silent way. Through the misty haze that hung over the street I spotted the next shop and hurried for it.

Pushing the door open, I hesitated and watched the tendrils of mist slowly creep along the ground and into the shop as if beckoning me to enter. Clutching Leika to my chest, I glanced back out at the street before stepping in and letting the door shut behind me. Hopefully, this time, I had the right shop.

“Excuse me? Is anyone there?” My quiet voice barely broke the silence of the store.

[Lasair Anubail]

Lasair popped up from behind the counter as she heard someone enter her shop and call out. The locked of her long, blood red hair were tied back away from face today, mostly because they were covered in dust. Then again, her entire person was covered in dust seeing as how she had a small rag in her hand and appeared to be cleaning. But what could be covered in that much dust behind her counter would be a mystery to anyone other than her.

Smiling, the small Fae was just about to call out to her new customer when she saw her nine inch tall Godhand plushie walk across the dark wood of the floor carrying a massive tome in his hands that something made of cloth really should not be able to support.

“Ugh! Lasair, where do you want this thing?”

She smiled at him, “In the back room please and thank you.”

He grunted again and quickly moved away, his form coming around behind the counter and then disappearing into the heavy, purple curtain that separated the back of her shop from the front. After he disappeared, two other plushie each was sporting their own wings came flying out from the back room carrying rags in their hands. Quickly and without orders, they began wiping some of the many shelves and bookcases that lined her shop. They carefully moved jars filled with funky powders and teeth and claws and various other parts one hoped had come from an animal or creature and not a person.

Turning her eyes from her busy little plushies, the woman looked at her rather tiny little customer, who was surprisingly even smaller than her. Ohh, maybe she was a mini human, or a young human. She’d only ever met one human child before.

“Can I help you with something?” The small Fae asked, rather cheerfully as she blew a strand of wayward hair from her face.

[Kaenniswen]

The dusty figure that appeared behind the counter deserved a look, a long one. Even covered in dust she was pretty, and she had wings too! Eyes wide, I watched a book with legs walked up to the pretty lady. It was almost a disappointment when the book turned just enough for me to see the small male doll-like figure that carried the book

“Leika, it can move and talk too.” I whispered to the doll that I held I looked at her wondering if she could also talk, but simply chose not too. Hurt feelings over Leika’s silence was stalled as two dolls entered from the purple curtain, flying. Hastily, I moved to get as far away from the pretty lady and her cleaning toys as I could.

Behind me I could feel the cool soothing presence of a shadow. Without thinking too much about it, I step back slightly on to the edge of it and pulled it to hide the side that always scared people. Scared people hurt me and yelled, most often calling me demon or something almost as mean. I hoped the Lady with the pretty wings and hair would be one of those mean people.

“I, I wish to make something that hides what scares people. Something pretty to cover the ugliness. They consider me ugly.” Vaguely, I waved to the right side of my face but didn’t part the curtain of hair that covered it.


A crystal mask that covers the right side of the face only, it makes the eyes of a person looking at her skim over or dismiss the horrific side of her face.

[Lasair Anubail]

“Ugly?”

Lasair looked sceptically at the small child that was hiding herself at the moment. She didn’t look very ugly to the Fae; in fact she looked rather pretty. Perhaps there was something wrong with her face for she seemed to be very reluctant to show it.

Moving out from behind the counter, Lasair approached the small girl and knelt down in front of her. Her golden eyes tried to see what the girl was hiding from her; after all, she needed to know what she was synthesizing before she could really start. But the shadows and the hair did a good job of hiding it.

“Can I please see? I promise it won’t scare me.”

A smile pulled at her lips as she said the words. If men like Godhand and Dan Lagh’ratham didn’t scare her, something as simple as a scary face was going to do nothing to this Fae who truly needed to learn the meaning of words like caution and fear and self preservation.

[Kaenniswen]

I drew back further into the cool, comforting grip of the shadow as the Lady came out from behind the counter. She promised to not be scared, but I had seen that promises were like smoke. You could make it and see it, but never truly keep a hold of it. Leika turned in my hands and snuggled against my chest.

Kneeling, the Lady was right at my height even though I hung my head to keep my hair hiding my ugly side. I watched her for a long moment, looking for signs that she would hurt me.

"Okay, just don't call me a demon. I don't like it when I'm called that." My gloved hand swept my hair back behind my ear even as I lowered my head a little more. With the hair no longer blocking what little light could have reached my face, I barely caught the dull gleam of light on the white bone of my cheek. Taking a deep breath I glanced up at the Lady and hoped that she had seen enough, that she wasn't scared or angry with me.

"See?"

[Lasair Anubail]

It was slightly shocking, more so than Lasair expected from such a cute little girl. But she didn’t shrink away and she didn’t call the girl a demon, most of all it didn’t scare her though. It made her feel rather sad that such a nice girl would be born so horribly deformed, unless of course someone did this to her. In that case, that someone deserved a right few smackings around and then a kick in the butt, real hard.

Smiling softly, the small Fae reached out and placed her hand against the side of her face not...well, not to strange looking.

“Well, I’m not gonna lie to you, because you already know it’s not very pretty looking. But, you’re definitely not a demon and you’re still beautiful to me.” She gave her a soft smile as she gently stroked her cheek.

Her plushies were still walking around cleaning the shop, but both Tristram and Avery had turned to look at the girl when she revealed her face, though they wisely kept their mouths shut. Even though they could both be big meanie’s sometimes, they knew there was no reason to be cruel to the girl, she seemed to have suffered enough already.

“And, I think what you want will be rather easy.” She moved her hand away from the girl, not wishing to make her any more uncomfortable if she had. “Godhand!” She called out to the plushie that had disappeared into the back room. “Can you bring me tome five?”

There was no shout back to her, but there were a few thumps and grunts and some complaining and after a few moments her patience was rewarded when the small Godhand plushie came back carrying a large tome in his hand. It was not as old looking as the other ones she had, in fact it was in quite good condition. Thanking him, she began flipping through the pages and after a minute or two she turned the tome around in her hands and showed the girl a picture of an extremely beautiful looking butterfly with large, blue shimmering wings.

“It’s the main ingredient for your synthesis. It’s called the Crithlon butterfly, it’s about six inches big and you can find it in Luthmor and the areas around Talmhaidh. Your other ingredients are two unblemished, clear crystals, which can be found in the cave behind the waterfall in the shopping district you’re already in. You’ll also need two Seachmall flowers, which grow in Fiorair and the heart of Coinin, which is a cute little fluffy thing that looks like a rabbit.”

Closing the tome, Lasair placed it on the ground and turned her attention back to the girl, “Anything else you need, sweetheart?”


2 unblemished clear crystals, two Seachmall flowers, the heart of a Coinin and the wings of a Crithlon butterfly.

[Kaenniswen]

Something rough brushed against my skin, sandpaper I thought as the sensation fell away to the distant sensation of pricking needles. It didn't hurt but it wasn't a comfortable sensation. I guess the Lady is mad at someone else, but why? Just because this pretty Lady wasn't scared of didn't mean all everyone wouldn't be anymore.

A silent breath of relief noisily escaped me as the light touch on the whole side of my face disappeared. It was an automatic reflex to toss my head, shaking my hair back in place to cover my face once the pretty Lady turned away and called for something.

The noises that issued from the back room, the thumps, grunts and complaints drew my attention for my silent admiring of the Lady. A book walked into the room, parting the purple curtains for a moment; or rather the same tiny doll like man that had carried a book back past the purple curtain returned carrying another book. Curious and more at ease with the shop and its unusual inhabitants I slowly stepped away from the shadows, my gaze fixed on the little man.

So interested in the dolls that at first I didn’t realize that the pretty Lady was doing just what I asked of her. The book turning to show me a picture of the butterfly finally caught my attention. Sheepishly I looked at the picture and tried to listen to what she told me. I sneaked glances at the two flying dolls once in a while as they moved items on the shelves and cleaned.

"Can I have the list on paper? I forget things a lot."

[Lasair Anubail]

Lasair smiled at her as she picked the tome up from the ground and then stood.

“Of course you can!” She understood that human minds just couldn’t hold as much information as Fae’s so there was no problem with her giving her a handwritten list; in fact she had been planning on it anyway. The ingredients necessary in synthesizing could sometimes be long and hard to remember, especially to someone not native to the region of Dheathain. So Lasair had come under the habit of giving everyone who came into her shop a physical list instead of just a mental one. After all, even she forgot things from time to time.

Moving to the counter in the back of the shop, Lasair set the tome down and then reached into one of the cupboards. Her hands came back out with a quill and a piece of parchment. Quickly and with writing that could make most monks jealous, the small Fae began to write down the small list of ingredients, happy that the girl would not need to search very hard to get what she wanted. After all, she was just a child and making her trapeze all over Dheathain just wouldn’t do, nor would it be particularly safe for the girl. There were too many monsters out there ready to devour cute and innocent things like her. Lasair knew; she had been in the receiving end of their teeth more than one.

Finishing the list, she moved back to the small girl and knelt down once more, handing over the slightly yellowed parchment.

“There’s your list. Make sure you come back safely and with all of the items on it.”

[Kaenniswen]

I took the offered list and after only a tiny hesistation I smiled brightly up at the Lady.

"I'll be careful. Besides I have Leika with me to help out." Eager to start my new adventure I headed for the door stopping only long enough to wave back at the Lady and her neat dolls.

"Bye!"

[Lasair Anubail]

Lasair waved at the small girl as she left her shop, wishing her safe travels. Despite what was wrong with the other side of her face, she was a gorgeous little human and the Fae couldn’t wait until she came back. It was just such a shame that other humans thought her a demon simply because she was born different. Humans really were intellectually stunted creatures.

Turning from the door, the small Fae began collecting her tomes once more and slipped into the back room.



Both participants receive 75 experience!