I'm not going to lie: Writing down everything that happened with Garrett back there was pretty therapeutic. Maybe I should have started keeping a journal a long time ago. I guess even the darkest clouds have silver linings, huh? Garrett also did keep his promise about serving me something good: In addition to my normal bowl of gruel, he brought me these pretty damn tasty honey cakes. They were soft, fluffy, and hands-down the best food I've had in a long time, even before I was captured by these mamono. I suppose I can forgive him for that.

Anyway, as of right now, they still got me locked up in this cell. There isn't much time left before I'm due to be married. However, I now know who exactly I'm being married to. That's actually the reason why I'm writing this entry, because something has happened that's put a lot on my mind lately.

I spent a good portion of the day going over my escape plans, or, well, lack thereof. Yeah, try as I might, I still have no idea how to break out of this place. The architecture of the desert region pyramids is completely unfamiliar to me. There's nothing in Order territory that I've broken into that has a comparable layout. Now, another skill any master thief should have is the ability to map out a building in his head as he explores it. You know, make sure you know where the dead ends are, as well as potential escape routes if your plans go south. Windows are a big help with that, but out here, there don't seem to be any. I haven't been able to see the entirety of this place, but a lot of it is corridor after corridor. I can definitely see why this place hasn't been picked clean yet, even after centuries of being 'abandoned' before the age of the current mamono lord.

The bars of my cell are made out of solid obsidian. At least, I think it's obsidian. No way am I gonna be able to file my way out of here, even if the knife I keep in my boot was enchanted with powerful magic. There's another good tip for you, by the way: Always carry a hidden backup weapon. I digress. As much as I hate to admit it, it seems I won't get my first chance to make a break for it until at least my wedding day.

Great to know, I guess. . .

After dinner, I climbed into my bedroll and tried to go to sleep. I don't know how long I was out, but I was awoken by a high-pitched, shrill voice.

"Hey! Thief! Wakey-wakey!"

I jolted out of bed, thinking that I was somehow in more trouble than I already was. When I turned to face the area outside of the cell, however, it wasn't Farah who was there. Instead, there was a sphinx. She swished her tail back and forth, smirking. I swear, I could hear her purr when we locked eyes.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" she greeted. "Sorry to wake you up, but I need a bit of your time."

Still half-asleep and annoyed at being surprised like that, I grumbled something that I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure was something unflattering. I made my way to the bars to get a look at this girl. I knew what sphinxes were as a concept, the outer guardians of the pharaohs' tombs, but I didn't recognize this one. Her skin was a deep tan, which wasn't surprising given our location, and her eyes were a bright green. Her demeanor was light-hearted and playful, but I wasn't fooled. There was the shrewdness of a spymaster in those eyes. I was being watched closely, even if she did her best to draw my attention away from that fact with her body language.

"Who are you?" I asked once I got up to the bars. "Shouldn't you be guarding the entrance to this place?"

The sphinx merely laughed at me, as if that was somehow a completely ridiculous question. "I could, but do I wanna? Fuck no! Bo-ring!" She extended her pawed hand through the bars. "I'm Diana. Pleasure to meetcha', Sticky Fingers!"

"It's Johannes," I muttered, not taking her up on the handshake.

Diana regarded me for a moment, but her smirk only grew wider. "I got a riddle for you: Do you think I care what your name is?" Before I could answer, she leaned in, widened her eyes, and bared her teeth in a mean-spirited grin. "Nope! You got sticky fingers; I'm calling you Sticky Fingers!"

I didn't have the energy or patience to argue this. I just wanted to go back to bed. It was already hard enough to fall asleep with all the torches lining the walls, burning with a bright blue fire. I wonder if that's some kind of magic. If it's aphrodisiac-related, I don't feel a thing. Oh, I'm getting off-point again, aren't I?

"Whatever," I said dismissively. "Does Farah want something with me?"

"Your undying obedience," Diana declared with a playful wink. Her comment made her chuckle. "But seriously, not that I know of. Between you and me, I don't really care what Farah wants. Ever. She's an uptight bitch."

At least we could agree on that. It made me smile. Actually, it kindled a spark of hope that I wasn't able to hide. "Wait, are you going to break me out of here?"

Diana shook her head. "Wrong again, Sticky Fingers! You're lucky I'm already married, or else you would've been hit with my curse by now!"

And there went my hope. I must've looked a bit deflated, because her gaze softened a bit. Only a bit, mind you. "Aww, cheer up! I came down here for a reason."

I grabbed the bars and leaned in close, frowning. "Which is?"

"I'm doing a favor for the woman of the hour," Diana explained. "Even if almighty Farah said no!" Suddenly, her gaze flicked over to her left. "That's your cue, girl!" She waved a paw over. "Get over here!"

A mummy came rushing over, her height considerably shorter than the tall sphinx next to her. Most of her body was wrapped up in bandages, as you might have expected, but there were still several patches of exposed skin visible. She was bronze, a bit darker than Diana, with shaggy, unkempt black hair that fell to her waist. At first, she kept her face fixated on her sphinx friend, but even without a good look at her features, I knew who she was at once.

"You!?" I shouted. I couldn't help it. Of all the mummies that I could've been paired up with, why did it have to be her? She turned to face me, and one glance was enough to confirm it.

Her mouth opened to say something, but no words escaped her. Instead, she stared. Her eyes wandered up, down, and all around my body. Although I was angered by her presence at first, the longer I stared, the more I just got uncomfortable. Her dark brown eyes narrowed, which only confirmed my suspicions that she was busy undressing me with her eyes.

When this mummy failed to introduce herself, Diane apparently decided that the burden fell on her shoulders. She cleared her through. "Sticky Fingers, this is Henibi. I like to call her Nibi for short, though! Henibi, this is Sticky Fingers."

"We've already met," I growled bitterly.

Henibi still said nothing. I wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't even hear what Diane or I just said. All she did was stare. I moved a little to the left, and her eyes followed. A dash to the right? You bet she did the same.

Diane could not suppress the urge to snicker at this. "Oh, she is so into you, Sticky Fingers."

"I can see that. And stop calling me Sticky Fingers! It's-"

"-My husband."

Henibi spoke up for the first time. My attention turned back to her. She had been staring at me for quite a while by this point, but it was only now that we actually locked eyes with one another.

I wish I could tell you how I felt at that moment. Was I angry? Frightened? Confused? Resigned? The thing is, I don't really know myself. All I could do was stare her down. I thought that if I showed my dissatisfaction with this whole situation, it would make her back down. However, if I was showing one of those emotions, I certainly wasn't scaring her away.

Desire. She looked at me the way I looked at treasure. I would bet my life that if it wasn't for the bars separating us, she would have tried to mount me right then and there. I mean, I wouldn't have let it happen, but her intentions were clear enough.

"He's perfect," she managed after another painfully long silence passed. "I. . . I never thought I would see the day where I would be married to my very own husband."

"Dreams do come true, Nibi," Diana assured her. Then, she turned to me. "What about you, Sticky? Don't you just want to rip those bandages off and put your hands all over her body?"

All I could do was shake my head. "She's the reason I'm in this mess in the first place."

"I don't think so, Sticky," Diana argued, wagging her furry finger in my face. "She's not the one who came up with the totally smart idea to rob us. This is all on you."

"Well, if it wasn't for her, I would have gotten away with it! Can't deny that, huh?"

"Husband, please calm down," Henibi uttered. For a mummy, I have to admit that she has a very nice voice: soft, high-pitched, and perfectly clear. I would have expected something far more hoarse. Regardless, I turned to face her and looked her in the eyes for the first time. I must have been a nasty sight, because whatever it was she had to say, she didn't say it. Instead, she stared, and I found myself looking deep into those deep brown eyes.

I wish I could tell you that I knew what came over me in that moment, but I don't really know myself, to be honest. Those eyes were absolutely marvelous to look at, and the longer I stared, the less wrathful I felt. Was I being soothed by her presence? Must have had something to do with mamono mana. Whatever it was, I actually calmed down completely before too long.

"You're. . . uh, very handsome," Henibi uttered. Her breathing deepened. Almost as if she was hypnotized, she closed as much of the gap as she could with the bars in her way. That put her pretty close to me. Despite this, I didn't back away. "Truly, I am honored to be wed to a man like you."

"You shouldn't be," I managed after a little while. "I'm scum. That's what your boss says, right? You're marrying scum, Mummy. Maybe you should tell her to call that wedding off, eh?"

Henibi regarded me silently, but her expression was still one of awe, not disappointment. I began to wonder if she even heard what I said. At last, she extended a hand through the bars. "May I touch your hand? I. . . I'm sorry. I don't get many chances to talk to men, let alone feel what they are like. I just. . . with you, I want to know."

I thought I was the enchanted one, but here she was, so preoccupied with looking that she was struggling to concentrate on her own sentences. Once again, for some reason, I felt compelled to obey her. Presenting my left hand, I watched her index finger slowly hover over it. She glanced up at me one last time, silently requesting permission. I could only nod.

With an extreme amount of delicacy, she brought her finger onto my palm and began to trace along the lines. The sound of her sucking in a harsh gasp of air did not escape me. Had that hurt her? I don't know how; this was something she apparently wanted. In any case, she continued, running her finger along each of mine. She was cool to the touch, but not nearly as frigid as I was expecting from one of the undead.

"Aww, fresh mamono love!" Diana squeaked. "Ya' love to see it!"

"What is your name, Thief?" Henibi inquired as she continued exploring my hand. "Your real name, not whatever Diana has taken to calling you?"

"Johannes," I uttered.

"Johannes," she echoed. "The beautiful hand of Johannes. Such a wonderful, exotic name." Just when I thought she was completely entranced, she glanced up at me and smiled widely. "I can't wait to scream that name at night, beloved."

Something about her last sentence managed to break whatever hold she had over me. 'Beloved'? How could she say something like that about me? We literally just met! Well, not counting the time she got me captured. That's definitely not something in her favor, either. No longer was I talking to this hauntingly beautiful woman, but instead an undead husk completely desperate for her first lay. At once, I yanked my hand away from her and stepped back.

"You don't even know me," I growled, disgust plain in my tone. "You don't know who I am, or what I want in life, or the kinds of things I care about. You think you have any right to treat me like I'm some sort of exotic treasure? Go fuck yourself! I'm marrying you because I have to, not because I love you."

"Sticky!" exclaimed Diana, the humor and cheekiness suddenly disappearing from her tone. "That's such an awful thing to say!"

I ignored her. Henibi merely stared at me, her mouth agape. Perhaps her mind needed a moment to drink in all that I had just said. Then, with a bow of her head, she meekly stepped back.

"I understand," she whispered. Her voice had gone weak and shaky. She might have been crying, but I dared not look into eyes to see for myself, lest I got enchanted all over again. "I a-apologize. . . I didn't. . . I'm sorry."

"Apologize!?" Diana hissed. "No, Henibi! He should be apologizing to you!" She lurched towards me. For once, I was glad the bars were there. Murder was in her eyes. "Apologize to her! Now!"

"Or what!?" I shouted back. "You'll tell Farah!? You already aren't supposed to bring her down here. What do you think she'll do when she finds out you went against her!?"

"I already told you: I don't give a flying fuck what Farah wants! What do you think she'll do when she finds out you made your bride-to-be, one of her own soldiers, cry!?"

"She shouldn't be surprised!" I retorted. "She knows exactly how I feel about all of this! She still went through with the idea."

"D-Diana?" Henibi whimpered. "C-can we just g-go?"

Diana looked back at Henibi, then bared her teeth at me. "You know what, Sticky? I wish she hadn't given you the choice. It's too good for you." She turned away, her tail unusually stiff as she made her way toward the exit. "C'mon, Henibi. Let's go spend our time with people that are actually worth it."

Henibi watched her go, then gave me one final glance. I suppose she expected something more from me, anything at all, even if it was just a parting shot.

I gave her nothing. There was just nothing I could think of that was worth saying.

"S-sorry," she muttered again, and then she scrambled after Diana. I was alone once more.

What happened has been weighing on my mind ever since. I'm not going to lie, part of me feels guilty for snapping at her like that. I don't think there's any debate that she found me attractive, but at the same time, I'm feeling even worse about the upcoming marriage. How can she really, truly devote herself to me in the way a spouse should? How can I do the same to her? Maybe she's prettier than I expected, but at the end of the day, I'm about to bed a glorified zombie.

That is, if Farah doesn't change her mind and have me killed for this. Garrett supposedly had a freakout with his bride-to-be, though, so I'm hoping this is something that can be worked out.

Man, I wish he was here. I could really use his advice right now. . .