The Stumble Inn

Nabat threw one of her daggers down in a fit of rage, and it exploded into shadows that twirled into nothingness. She shrieked at Kasei-La, her voice echoing strangely. "I AM NOT LONELY! I don't need you! I don't need anyone! I'm a proud warrior, sharp and fierce! Nothing like that pussy cat I walk beneath! Nothing! He gets lonely, not me! I don't need you!"

"Jeez, I just wanted to be friends..." Kasei-La sighed, looking kinda dejected. "Didn't need to throw a hissy fit... Hey, Taban? Are you up there? Tabaaaaan?"

"Taban, Taban, Taban! Who needs Taban?! Everyone wants Taban, not me! That's how it's always been! Always the rejected one! No one wants their shadows, some even get left behind! I bet that Wesa ditched HER shadow! Well, you CAN'T HAVE HIM BACK! I want to be up! ME! He can be under for once! I want out! It's not FAIR!"

"...How can you say no one wants you when I just asked you if I want-- Oooh, you're a doppelganger... A shadow..." She looked kinda pensive for a moment. "Ohh... I wonder what my shadow has to say to me..." Then she looked up. "Um... I'd be uh... Honoured to have a such a great warrior as a friend, though I am probably not worthy of your sheer... Erm... Talent..." She was actually trying to sound as kind as possible, but she was obviously unnerved by how upset this girl seemed. "Hey! I got an idea... Wesa sleeps during the day... Right? Well... Urm... If it's okay with Taban... Or not, I don't wanna make either of you mad... I'd spend time with you until Wesa wakes up and needs Taban... You'd be the boss and everything! How does that sound?"

"HA! Like that ever happens! I'm a defense mechanism, nothing more! Pansy boy won't let me out unless I'm needed! Ha! I wasn't even needed this time, but I got out! Yes, I did! Take that! Went through all the trouble of learning to harden his blade for no reason!" She looked down at her own greenish "shadow" and grinned at it. "You still need me, namby pamby! You can lock me away for years at time, but you still need me when the flames come out, don't you? Not so tough when facing Real Death, are you?"

"You seem to be rather focused on being unhappy, when you could work with Taban... I mean, you seem grumpy, but if you were really bad, you would have probably tore this place up, right?" She giggled "It's kinda funny that Taban's feminine side is the aggressive one... How's that for stereotypes... Oh, I shouldn't be joking now..." She bit her lip, and looked up at this rather terrifying girl. "I mean, it's not fair for Taban to keep you locked up... Right? You're right on that one. But please, calm down." She winced at her choice of words. No one liked to told to calm down. "I-I mean, uh, y-you still haven't told me your name. I'd kinda like to know it." She didn't want to push any buttons, but this girl seemed to have a lot.

Nabat stomped on her shadow a couple times, cackling to herself. "Nabat! My name is Nabat! The immortal, the indestructible! Provided no one burns up poor wittle Ta'bykins! As long as there is light, there is shadow! That's why I'm the fighter! ME! Not him! Not poser nancy boy with his oh-so-fragile soul! That thing breaks, we're BOTH toast! I can't believe him, really! It's tradition! For an aeons old soul, he sure doesn't keep much with tradition! The sun is supposed to love the Moon! Not the grass! Hahaha, you can't even get that right, can you? Pathetic little groundling. Does she still scorn your advances? Or did you prove yourself with your pathetic attempt at a rescue?"

"You're using shadow and light as if they're bad things. Fungus only grows in the dark... I know you don't like being compared to a mushroom, but... Well, they're important. They make sure that the soil is rich so things like grass can grow! Light can burn you, or make you sick! You don't have to be bad, Nabat... Please, just... Enough with this! No one should tell you what you're supposed to do! If Taban wants to love Wesa, then he can! You should be proud of him, too! A-and you! You don't have to be just a shadow, or a fighter! You don't have to be mean! U-unless you like to be mean, then I guess..." Kasei-La felt a sort of confidence bubble in her stomach. It came up out of her throat, completely against her will. "You know what? You're being stupid. You're having what's called a tantrum. I offered to be your friend after you said no one wants you. You're just scared, that's all you are. That's it, isn't it? Taban is the brave one for breaking your stupid traditions! You're the coward!" Kasei-La stopped, stunned. A single thought crossed her mind; Ooooh boy, I am so very, very dead.

"I AM NOT A COWARD!" Nabat shrieked, and lunged at Kasei-La. Just before she hit her, Nabat burst into smokey shadow as she was pulled back to the ground. With a slight reality warping jolt, Taban pulled himself back out of the ground, looking slightly sick. He swayed where he stood, before lowering himself to the ground and curling up cat-style. "Said to lee'me 'lone. . . " Taban slurred, covering his face with his hand.

Kasei-La glared at him. "Why? So I wouldn't know you're locking someone up? Fine, she's evil, great. But she at least has the right to exist! I think..." Her meekness was coming back to her. "...Sorry, I shouldn't talk like I know what's going on..." She rubbed the back of her head, blushing. "Maybe Hal could help you with this shadow problem? I don't know, really... I mean, we could seperate you two, or something... I'm really not sure what gadgets we have, but I'd like to help you." She looked at him innocently, with her "Don't get angry at me" look in full-effect.

After taking a painkiller, Molodi had quickly fallen asleep while the music still played. Oddly enough, her nose twitched as she slept, accompanied by a constant whimper-like sound. It was something she had done since she was very young, and she was unlikely to ever stop. Unknown to anyone else, she dreamed of a life she could have had, namely, one with children. How dearly she wanted some... If only she had not been born sterile.

Taban glared at her from down on the ground. "You can' ge' ridda my shadow. S'my shadow. But she doe'n' need ta be out either. . . " he slurred, still fighting to regain full control of his "body." "I don' belong in the shadow world. She does. An' I don' need her anymo'e. Need ta. . . be worthy'a ealn-boro."

Kasei-La stared at him, incredulous. "...So you're proving your worth to Wesa by holing up someone who obviously just wants to get out? I thought you were supposed to be a good guy, Taban! That's... That's... EVIL! You also seem pretty choosy about what traditions you follow. I mean, she belongs in the shadow world, according to you, but from what she said, Wesa is supposed to be in love with the Sun, not you! How fair is that? You just get to... You're a jerk!" Kasei-La stormed back inside in a huff, angrier than she had been for a long while.

Quin blinked as his shadow raced from him, his eyes growing dull. Taban would notice a black shadow attaching itself to him if he could notice the incredibly quick thing, but he would have to be paying attention.

"Hellloooo there, Nabat! Seems like you and I have a common problem. I know what it's like to be trapped too... Bet it makes you angry... But you know don't know who I am, do you? Some people call me Lucifer, Boogeyman... Satan. And, uh... Recently, I've been attached to some dead weight. Normally, I'm not powerful enough for it to matter, but with most of my followers being the lovely types like a certain Mr. Fred Phelps, the evil side of existance is the one in power... so, if you just do me one teeeeeeensy tiny favour, I can give you a body... Orrrrr, I can just help you get away from Mr. Sissy. You'll be your own woman, with your OWN shadow. One that doesn't complain. All I need is a vessel for my new Messiah. Someone to spread around the love, if you know what I mean. Preferably... Thirteen, Fourteen. I need to match up with the Virgin Mary, you see. I can take older, but I'd really like it if you got me a young one. All you have to do is give them my mark, and they'll be pregnant with the new Dark Christ! You'll be changing history!" Mr. Id moved independently, unlike Nabat, giving off a clue that something wasn't quite right as he gestured with his hands

Taban slowly got to his feet and stumbled into the mist. Why was it so evil to love his ealn-boro? Why did it matter what caste he was born into? It wasn't his fault, dammit! It wasn't! That little kid, she had no idea of his culture, so she didn't know what she was talking about, really. He didn't get to choose Wesa, so much as she was the only one that he could love. She WAS his ealn-boro, his soul other. He was simply in the wrong caste. Nabat was not his fault. She really should remain in the shadow world. The only time they were to come up top was during times of war or absolute desperation. But he could understand why she was angry. His strength was her weakness. But there was no turning back now, not now that he had forged his soul-blade.

Nabat shoved at the other shadow. "Go away, you twit. You're not a real shadow at all. You're inbetween the shadow and light world. Besides, he's an idiot, but he's my idiot, ya digs? Buzz off."

"...You're supposed to say yes." Mr. Id sounded perplexed. "You do realize I'm currently the most powerful entity in existance, right? I can give you anything you ever wanted, and more. Come oooooon. If not, I can always..." His voice became the voice of Legion "Make every little fear you've ever had come true as I give you a mortal body and kill you over and over and over and over and that won't be all. I can do immensely horrible things when I don't get my way, you see, and I will be sure to save the most horrible for you. I can give you holes to fuck, and I can make you spawn every one of my little demons as they rip themselves from your belly. I can be everything you don't want me to be and more. So you're going to listen to me, or suffer the consequences. Do you understand that, you little worm?"

Kasei-La pouted to herself as she washed up her face, sighing. "...I was too hard on him... I bet he would have explained if I didn't run off... Still, it's not nice of him to keep her locked up like that. Urrrgh..."

Molodi mumbled in her sleep, about to roll over onto the side with the bullet in it, but jerking back and whining in pain. "матуся..."

"You realize that you're retarded, right? Buzz off before I pull you fully down into the shadow world and you completely disappear without someone to cast you."

"You do that, and I light Mr. Taban here on fire." Mr. Id cackled. "But fine, I'll find someone else to help me... Just remember, little Nabat, that when I take control... I'm coming for you first." He ripped away from Taban, having gained a basic understanding of how he worked. Now he didn't have to be attached to the weaker, good side that was Quin... But someone would notice if Quin just vegetated all day. Oh, conundrum!

Violently, Molodi shook awake, shrieking loudly and girlishly, along with a mangled combination of Russian, English, and Ukrainian, making her completely incomprehensible.

Kasei-La was heading out to say sorry to Taban, when she heard the loud shriek. Gulping, she decided not to pay it any mind, and walked back to Taban, raising her hand to speak. "Look, Taban... You're still kind of a jerk, but I can't really call you a jerk until I know why you're being a jerk, so can you tell me why you're being a jerk?"

Quin just stood there, a line of drool rolling down his chin as he stared at a wall. "Unnngh..."

Taban looked at her blankly. "What does it matter? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of everything. It's not my fault that I'm her ealn-boro, okay? I didn't choose it! She didn't either! I can't even escape it when we leave our damn PLANET." He flattened his ears, aggravated. "And she's a SHADOW. She has her own world. It's not like she's in a damn cage or something."

Kasei-La blinked, and blushed. "I'm sorry... That just isn't the way she made it sound... I'm sorry I called you evil and a jerk and stuff..." She scuffed the ground with her foot. "Um... I guess it really doesn't matter why you love her, though. I mean, you do love her, right? Would do anything for her and all that? Just like on TV?" She had never actually seen true love in a long time, so it actually interested her quite a bit.

A wicked thought crossed Mr. Id's twisted mind. "...That Denton boy. No one seems to like him... And he's similar enough... YES!" No one would hear Denton scream as he was forced into place as Quin's shadow. "Exceeelllent..." He smirked to himself. "Now, Taban is tied to something about his planet, Aylem... I should become an aspect of Wayside... The fog, of course..." Out of sight, Mr. Id let the fog become dense, and form him a new body... Well, not a body, but close enough, really. Something that meant he could roam free. But, unbeknownst to him, he had also given himself the downsides of being a spiritual entity. Though he didn't know now, he had his own opposite in the Shadow Realm, or at least a place similar, and he had sacrificed his own powers. "...Interesting." Looking down, he frowned. "...I don't have a penis. How am I supposed to get my jollies now?"

Quin shook his head, blinking rapidly. "Woah, there, disturbance in the force."

Taban's expression softened a bit at the mention of Wesa. "Of course I would, she's the other half to my soul. My ealn-boro."

"Yeah... And she really loves you too, I mean, why else would she get mad at me like that... Listen, I'm really, really sorry. I can't really call you a friend because you're so much older than m... Well, actually, Wesa's a lot older than me too, so I guess it doesn't matter, but... I was just being stupid, alright?" She smiled up at him shyly. "Despite what Nabat said, I also think you're pretty cool... You're kinda like a hero I hear about on the radio shows back in Imperial Space. Colonel Krisby, Shipmaster of the Good Ship Spacewalker and Guardian of the Love of His Life, Lady Tallow! Today he fights against the inhuman Kaiserate scourge for the good of you and me!" She had tried to make her voice sound like it did on the radio. All hollow and stuff.

She grinned. "He used swords too! Except they came out of his his wrist bracers, not his body... But still."

Taban laughed. "Of course she loves me. I will never have any doubt of that. She has half of my soul, she'd better love me! And you really can't take anything Nabat says very seriously. She lies."

"She kinda acted like I did when I was five and missed my nap..." Kasei-La giggled.

"She's my shadow. The older and more mature I get, the less mature she becomes. That's why the elders of my planet never use their shadows. They either fight themselves or leave it to the young."

"So... Does that mean if you get mature enough, she'll be like a baby, or something?" She blinked, confused. "...Ah, well." She shook her head, and gave him a hug. "I'm gonna go check out that scream!"

Molodi sighed as her chest puffed in and out. "Ugh... Nightmares..." She looked to see if Mel was there to see her little freak out. Many of the words she had shouted in all languages were along the lines of "Don't hit me" or "Daddy, no."

"No. . . but she'll be almost as immature as one. It's sort of. . . fuzzy math."