Snippet #2716356

6 PM

Sonea opened the door to her shop and stepped inside, quickly shutting the door behind her. Looking flustered, she flicked on the lights to her shop so they displays could be illuminated. Sure it was closed but she had to be able to see where she was going. Her eyes passed over the displays or armor and weapons, looking to see if everything was still in it's place. She hmphed just a bit as she stepped into the side door on the right which lead into her apartment and headed inside.

The interior was lush with decour, potted plants and a small sill outside sat with fresh herbs growing with a small garden outside filled with roses and other fruit bearing plants. It seemed cozy as she set down her groceries. No sign of the cat, at least what she thought was a cat...maybe she was hallucinating the cat. Or maybe that cat was some sort of playing of light on her eyes. She sighed once and began to remove the items from her bag and put them onto the counters of her small kitchenette and opened the cubbords to place them inside. While opening one, was the severed head of the Chesire, grinning at her.

"Good afternoon"

She screamed and dropped the item she was going to place inside and slammed the door to the cubbord on the cat's face. There was no noise from inside but there was a woosh of air as the Cat now rested upon the countertop, balancing a chef's knife on his nose.

"Your a bit tense..Puurrfect. When your not on edge, your taking up too much space"

It grinned as Sonea reached out with her prosthetic arm and snatched the blade by the blade and set it back into the slot in the block while growling a bit at the cat.

"Go away, you arent real. You are not real...."

"I am about as real as anything else inside your noggin Sonea. You cannot possibly try to deny yourself that luxury. I am here and I am you, a piece of you at least. There is much you have forgotten isnt there? Now that we are alone and company wont be here till about eight, we have plenty of time to chat"

"We have nothing to talk about because you arent HERE!" She exclaimed and threw a tomato at the cat, which went right through it. The Chesire tsked loudly several times before he pointed to the kettle which sat on the stove. Your going to need that...I set tea for six. And YOU need to listen to what I have to say. Things have been set in motion that cannot be undone"

Sonea ignored the cat and finished putting away the groceries before she left the kitchen to head for her bedroom. As she left, the cat followed after her, appearing before her face and placed a paw on her forehead. She stopped and looked at the cat with hostility and anger as she tried to swat him away. The back of her hand connected and the cat vanished with a puff of smoke.

She nodded to herself and went into her bedroom to find the cat rooting around under her bed, only to pull out a box and set it ontop of the bed. Her gaze turned jagged as she had not moved that box from under her bed in years. Ever since...no no she shook her head several times as she headed for her closet.

"You never once thought to open it. Why? Arent you afraid to see whats inside?"

"I know what is inside cat. You do not need to remind me"

"Do I?" He asked as he reappeared before her and gleamed into her eyes, his own sapphire blue orbs piercing her own as she suddenly felt afraid.

"An eye to see the way, an arm to guide the path. A soul to drown the Light of Man..."

"Shut up...shut up shut up SHUT UP!"

Sonea yelled and turned to the bed and grabbed the box from ontop of it and swung it at the cat, which did absolutely nothing as the cat seemed to only grin wider and wider, threatening to tear it's face in half. He chuckled at her while growing in size and ferocity of his words.

"An eye to see the way, an arm to guide the path. A soul to drown the Light of Man...remember Sonea. Remember the night. You still have the nightmares...I know you do. Open it Sonea....Open it"

Sonea put her hands to her ears and pulled herself down as she fell on her ass. Crawling away from the cat which now appeared more as a monsterous tiger then a simple house cat. Maw red with blood and claws covered in gore with splatters of blood on it's coat with a grin chiseled onto its face.

"You claim to see what is before you and the life you have. Yet you are living in a wonderland Sonea...You have forgotten because you cannot see what is around you! OPEN THE BOX!"

Sonea screamed in bloody fear as she opened the box and gazed within it.

Within it rested a knife, long and sharp with swirling runes intertwined within the metal. Cold and made of a finely wrought iron ore with leather handle and a hold at the end of the hilt towards the top. There were swirls of silver along the top of the finely made blade with a small gemstone set in the bottom of the blade and appeared to be coated in dried blood. Her blood...

"The Vorpal Blade is snicker snack. It is swift and keen and always ready for service. Ahh Sonea, we cannot ever go home. No surprise really. Only a very few manage to find the way and most dont recognize it when they do. Their delusions are too die hard...only the savage regard the endurance of pain for the measure of worth. To forget pain is convinient, to remember it is agony. But the search for the truth is worth the suffering...and our world was damaged but is safe in memory. For now"

The Cat, now appearing normal was resting on it's back in mid air, staring at her with glowing eyes. A giggle coming through his furred lips as she was visibly pale and staring at the blade. Reaching out with a quivering hand, she took the blade and upon gripping the blade, she felt a wave of nausea come over her and she passed out cold.

The nightmare had come again, the same as before...the same misery and horror as before but something was different. More could be seen....she was in a circle of sorts, herself and seven others. All of them were garbed in black robes, chanting in a tongue she did not understand. The man from before with the knife she had seen in the box hovered over her and held the knife up to her chest.

The gemstone glowed as it touched her chest and she struggled in vain to get free...

"An eye to see the way, an arm to guide the way. A soul to drown the Light of Man, A Servant to sway the Black. Young Sonea, the Black has chosen you...to guide our eternal flock to a realm far beyond here. To the Other Side...and you shall be our salvation"

The knife went down and she awoke screaming and panting, looking about frantic and eyes full of terror. She held up the knife in her hand towards the room and she gazed for a few moments longer. She lowered the knife and then looked down at it, staring at her reflection in it and ran her fingers across it.

"You are well on your way" Said the voice of the cat

"Set the pot for tea...a guest is here"

She breathed in heavy as she heard a loud knocking coming from her door. She breathed heavily and coughed a bit while fixing her hair up and placed her knife behind her back and under her shirt. The time read 8pm

"Coming!" She yelled from upstairs and quickly ran down to the shop's entrance so she could greet the man, Felix at her door with a bit of a pant.

"Good evening! Welcome to the Sunny Shield! I take it your here for tea? Well come on in. Don't mind the weapons and armor" She said and stepped aside for him to enter. One down, four to go...