Chapter 29: Creatures Of The Night
It was quite nice! Just the three of us, sitting together in the lukewarm water (we negotiated.) Amina sat to my left. Leaning gently onto my arm. Ren decided to splash around in the water a bit before climbing up my arm and onto my right shoulder. We were really enjoying ourselves! That is, until we realized we were being very intimate with each other. And that took the three us way out of our comfort zones (you guys really jumped the gun there!)
We had a tender moment back there. But we quickly realized that we were not ready to cuddle up together in the buff. I was still just a kid after all. No idea how old Ren or Amina were, but I could tell that they were not having much fun either. And after another ten minutes of awkward silence, we got out of the water.
Ren and Amina decided to get changed in our room, so I stayed behind to dry myself off. Despite the big splash Amina made (in more ways than one) earlier, the water failed to reach my clothes. This small convenience allowed me to change in the relative safety of the men's bathroom. When I was done, I threw the wet towel into a basket with a sign "Towels Here Please" written on it. I then waited patiently outside our rooms door for the girls to finish changing.
The spooky décor didn't really freak me out that much. But I couldn't shake the feeling something, or someone, was watching me from the shadows. I gave my head a shake as I tried to pull myself together. "Snap out of it Bain." I muttered to myself. "Your just imagining things." (are you sure about that?)
Suddenly, I heard something in the distance. Footsteps. Slow, heavy footsteps were making their way down the dark passageway, straight towards me. It was only when the stranger was passing by that I realized something. There was nothing there! Absolutely nothing! A few tense moments passed until the ghostly footsteps faded away into the distance. "Let's just think of something else, shall we?" (like seeing Amina naked?) "….I hate you." (Yeah….I know.)
I thought it best not tell Amina about my brief encounter with a ghost. Even though it would have been hilarious, freaking her out would have caused me more trouble than it was worth. Ren….maybe later. So when the two of them emerged from our room, we headed down stairs for some dinner. Magenta was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs and quickly lead us to the door leading into the dining room.
From behind the door, I could smell freshly roasted beef and potatoes. I could also hear someone playing a trumpet. As well as a small number of girls singing to its vibrant melody. There was laughing, cheering, and even some clapping going on. Magenta turned around to address us before letting us inside. " A large number of guests have gathered here over the last couple of days to celebrate someone's birthday." She explained.
Amina stepped forward with an uncertain look on her face. "Are we intruding?" She asked nervously. Magenta slowly formed a smile. "Not at all." She responded softly, "The party goers are quite happy to have more people join the celebrations." Amina and I exchanged nervous glances. Things did not end well the last time we joined a party uninvited. But we were hungry. And Ren didn't seem to mind. "Yeah! Let's party tonight!"
Magenta opened the door and we walked inside. Ren was quite amused at what she was seeing. But Amina seemed to be close to having a heart attack. Standing on a round dining table was a Cheshire Cat. Her frilly top and mini skirt was a deep shade of purple that matched her cat like tail and ears. She was the one playing the trumpet. And quite well I might add.
Running around her in circles were three Jubjub's. They were a subspecies of the Harpy. And much like the recently departed Titania, Ceana, they were completely pink. Their fluffy feathers. Their hair. Even their tightly fitted clothing that barely covered their ample body parts. Everything was pink. Altogether, the three of them were singing a song to the Cheshire Cat's rhythm. And they were just about wrapping it up.
"Happy happy birthday! Happy happy birthday!"
"Lucky rabbits, lucky rabbits, we celebrate your birthday! Hip-hip Hooray!"
"Fluffy, Fluffy, we love you! Flopsie, Flopsie, and you too!"
"We'll give you hugs and kisses, all night long!"
"But first were gonna sing you this song!"
So there wasn't one, but two birthday girls. And they were standing just a few feet away. Laughing and clapping as they watched the childish spectacle unfold. They were March Hare's. Part rabbit. Part girl. And all horny as hell (love your poetry mate!) They were wearing very tight-fitting blouses that barely contained their massive cleavage. And I decided to ignore the fact they were not wearing any bottoms (now this is a party!) From where I was standing, I couldn't really tell the two apart. Leading me to the conclusion that they were twins.
Amina grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her. "I really think we should come back later." She whispered into my ear. For once, the two of us seemed to be on the same page. Ordinary Mamono are troublesome enough. But these girls came from Wonderland. And that was bad. Very bad. Wonderland is a Demon Realm, ruled by a Lilim who is known as "The Queen Of Hearts." She's Freyja's older sister. And, from what I've heard, is one of the loopier members of the demonic family.
All her subjects have been driven completely mad by their hunger for….man juices. There's not a single scrap of food you can eat, or a drop of water you can drink, without being turned into a sex crazed maniac. Even the plants and buildings are supposedly extensions of The Queen Of Hearts vulgar desires. And no man has ever entered Wonderland (willing or otherwise,) and returned. If the owners of this place were trying to scare the shat out of me, they've done well. Forget Werewolves' and Vampires! This is the kind of stuff that would give me nightmares!
"Yeah….maybe we should." I whispered back. "But the party's just getting started." Came a third whisper. I didn't move. I didn't speak. I didn't even breath. The Cheshire Cat was no longer standing on the table. She had somehow teleported behind me. Her hands resting gently on my shoulders as she breathed onto my neck. It wasn't until Amina ran over to a table and picked up a chair that I decided to act.
I stepped sideways to block Amina's path. "Amina, stop!" I shouted. Holding my hands out defensively. "She's just saying hello!" The Cheshire Cat decided to make things worse by wrapping her arms around me and purred into my ear "That's right, baby. I just wanted to say….hello." Cheshire Cat's are really good at teasing people. And right now, this one was doing a really good job.
But it wasn't I, nor Amina that reacted first. It was actually one of the March Hares. She advanced onto the Cheshire Cate, and pulled me out of her grip, and into her own (so….soft….) "Carol!" The March Hare shouted. Her voice was so soft and ditzy, it wouldn't've scared a mouse. "These are our guests! You need to be nice to our guests!"
Carol sighed and walked away. But not before giving her friend a firm slap to the ass. My saviour's reaction was a squeal that made my entire body shake. "You can have him, Fluffy." Carol sighed, "But only because it's your birthday today." Amina quickly pulled me away from Fluffy as she was rubbing her sore behind. "Sorry, but Bain's not a birthday present!" Amina stated firmly.
Fluffy smiled and bent over so their eyes were level (so….much….CLEAVAGE!) "That's ok!" She responded brightly, "My sister and I have a man already!" She then turned around and pointed a finger towards her sister. She appeared to be sitting on a man's lap. He looked only a few years my senior but would have towered over me if we stood side by side. He had short, red hair with the sides shaved off. He wore a white buttoned shirt, black trousers, and dance shoes that appeared to have been polished very recently.
Ignoring the fact the poor guy had two March Hares to look after, I decided to make one last attempt to get the three of us out of there (even though Ren was already saying hello to everyone.) "Are you sure were not intruding?" I asked her anxiously. Fluffy grabbed my arm and began to pull me towards the other guests. "Of course not!" She responded loudly. "There's no need to be shy!"
Looking ahead, I realized Ren was having lots of fun with the other party goers. Amina was following close behind me. She did not look very happy. But we both knew it was too late to back out now. The party was just getting started (just don't touch the punch kid.)