![This Isn't Life, This Is Death [Marceline Anicetus] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
I HAVE BECOME DEATH
the destroyer of worlds
TAGGED: ... | WORDS: 1539 | NOTES: ...
Specks of ash floated across the sky in the direction of Savage Skull; well, they were coming from that guild's location. They fluttered down into the streets of Clover Town, dancing and weaving their way through the crowds of people. The flecks passed by dainty home after lovely home, never once stopping to admire the pretty features of the town. These flakes were dead set on going to a single home within the town, a home of two lovely parents and their children. Flying their way through the streets, they eventually came upon a gated home, where they swirled inward on each other. Moving forward, the tornado of the ashes puffed outward, revealing a beautifully pale woman in their wake. Glancing upward at the building, the woman reached a hand outward and touched the white picket fence gate of the home.
When her hand touched the gate, the wood that made the structure began to weak and crumble beneath her touch. Taking a step forward, she pushed the gate out of her way, watching as it swung on its hitching, then fell off. Marceline walked across the stone pathway that cut through the lawn, observing, too, how the grass wilted and the stone eroded. The living world was a pathetic place, and the clients made a mistake in letting a woman like her take up the job. Each step up to the porch was followed by a creaking and snapping sound, resulting in the wood breaking in half. Upon reaching the doors of the home, she would raise a hand as if to knock, but hold it there for a moment, thinking. She was wondering to herself now: how would this all play out? Easy answer to that: everyone in the house would die.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Marceline stood at the door of the home, in which a very young girl and her goldfish lived. She came here upon request of the parents, as they were distraught in telling their daughter that her beloved goldfish had died. Nothing about this job would be that difficult for the Savage Skull member, as death was a natural process to her. So, breaking this kind of news to the young girl would be a piece of cake, though Marcy could expect crying to ensue from the child. Thinking of the possibility that she would have to deal with a crying child, was something she couldn't quite comprehend. Ultimately, when it came down to figuring out what she would do, Marceline just couldn't think of what she was supposed to do. Hopefully, the parents would not get mad at her for harshly breaking the news to the lovely daughter, when she didn't know how else to.
"Who's there?" a woman's voice called out in a questioning tone and inside the home, Marceline could hear footsteps. Before long, the door swung open and a lovely lady of blonde hair stood in front of her, dressed in a polka dotted dress of cream hue.
"Marceline Anicetus, magus of Savage Skull; I came here upon request that your daughter's-" she began, but was cut off by the woman.
"Say no more; please, come in; our daughter is upstairs with her goldfish bowl, frantically looking around for her pet," the lady stated. "My husband's at work right now, so it's just my daughter and myself at home, I hope that isn't too much of a big deal."
Marcy nodded in acknowledgement and stepped inside of the home; the moment that she did so, the floorboards began to creak. "Not at all, I just need to speak with your daughter if that's what you requested; it shouldn't be too long with that." Her eyes darted toward the housewife, silently watching as minuscule motions belied that her magic wasn't working. Specks of the woman's skin could be seen falling off her, though the lady was clearing trying to hide the pain she was in. Looking away from the wife, Marceline advanced in the home and headed up the stairs, touching the railing with her gloved hand. The woodwork fell apart and crumbled at her touch as she made her way up the stairs and turned the corner down the hallway. She paused for a moment and looked back down the stairs, toward the decaying woman, "what's your daughter's name?"
"Annabelle," she answered the mage, clasping her hands together and silently, in pain, watching her disappear around the corner. "Her room is just to the left, first door that you come across; it has her name right on it, so you can't miss it!"
Marcy heard the woman call up to her and explain to her where she would be able to find the daughter's bedroom. She was right, for the moment she turned the corner and looked around, her eyes landed upon a white door with a fancy plaque on it. Engraved on the plaque was the daughter's name and Marcy walked over to it, knocking lightly on the wood frame. "Annabelle, are you in there? Your parents asked for me to speak with you about your pet goldfish, do you mind if I come in?" The zombie lady didn't wait for an answer from the child, for at the touch of her hand, the door had started to rot away. Soon enough, there was a hole that she could look through and she saw Annabelle sitting on her bed, looking into the bowl. At first glance, the child seemed to be cooing at the bowl, as if trying to coax her pet fish to come out of hiding.
When the door had fully rotted away, Marceline stepped inside and sat down on the bed, next to the young girl. The floorboards and the bed sheets began to rot where she walked and sat down, though slowly, as if deliberately. "Annabelle?" she asked again, reached forward to place a hand on the girl's back, lightly touching her clothing.
"What are you doing in my room? No one's allowed to be in here without my permission!" the little girl stated, looking up at her.
"I came in here to talk to you about your goldfish. . ." Marceline repeated, looking the young girl in the eyes.
"He's just playing hide and seek and won't come out," Annabelle answered her, though her bottom lip clearly quivered.
"He's not playing hide and seek, Annabelle," the magus began, gripping her shoulder tightly with her gloved hand. "Your pet goldfish. . . what was his name?" She first wanted to engage the young girl in small talk about her former pet.
"His name was Cracker. . . like the goldfish crackers that you buy in the stores," the little girl smiled as she replied to Marceline.
"I see," Marceline answered, smiling back at the young girl and giving a small chuckle to show that she was all right. "Well, Cracker had to leave the home and go on a journey to another place. I hope you don't mind that. Unfortunately, something came up and he won't be able to return to you, so he wanted to tell you goodbye and to have a great life. But there's something else I wanted to ask you. . . Cracker might not be around anymore, but there's a way for you to be able to see him."
Her eyes silently studied the child as she took in what she was telling her, her bottom lip quivering even more. However, that quivering had stopped the moment Marceline brought up the chance to be able to see him again. "Really? How will I be able to see him again? Will you please tell me? I really want to be able to go and see him!"
Marceline smiled again and patted her lap, allowing for the little girl to crawl into and cradle herself there comfortably. Quietly, Marcy wrapped her arms around the upper torso of Annabelle and rested her cheek gently on the top of the girl's head. She hummed a little, a soft tone that her mother had always hummed to her when she was a child and awaiting her own death. As the two sat there, Annabelle's breathing stuttered in the silence, then stopped altogether, and she fell limp into Marcy's lap. "If you die with him," she murmured softly into the hair of the now still girl's head, stroking it lightly with a free hand. Silently, the woman stood up with the girl's lifeless body in her arms and laid back on the bed, setting the empty fish bowl next to her. It was done what she had needed to do, now she could head back downstairs and tell the mother she was finished.
Slowly, Marceline left the young girl's room and descended back down the stairs, only to find the crippled body of the mother on the floor. A dark look crossed over the woman's face and she scoffed at the deceased wife's body, stepping quickly over it. There was no need to tell her anything if she was dead; they could live peacefully together in the afterlife, without the father and husband. Without another glanced backward, she headed out of the door of the home and back to the guild hall of Savage Skull.
When her hand touched the gate, the wood that made the structure began to weak and crumble beneath her touch. Taking a step forward, she pushed the gate out of her way, watching as it swung on its hitching, then fell off. Marceline walked across the stone pathway that cut through the lawn, observing, too, how the grass wilted and the stone eroded. The living world was a pathetic place, and the clients made a mistake in letting a woman like her take up the job. Each step up to the porch was followed by a creaking and snapping sound, resulting in the wood breaking in half. Upon reaching the doors of the home, she would raise a hand as if to knock, but hold it there for a moment, thinking. She was wondering to herself now: how would this all play out? Easy answer to that: everyone in the house would die.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Marceline stood at the door of the home, in which a very young girl and her goldfish lived. She came here upon request of the parents, as they were distraught in telling their daughter that her beloved goldfish had died. Nothing about this job would be that difficult for the Savage Skull member, as death was a natural process to her. So, breaking this kind of news to the young girl would be a piece of cake, though Marcy could expect crying to ensue from the child. Thinking of the possibility that she would have to deal with a crying child, was something she couldn't quite comprehend. Ultimately, when it came down to figuring out what she would do, Marceline just couldn't think of what she was supposed to do. Hopefully, the parents would not get mad at her for harshly breaking the news to the lovely daughter, when she didn't know how else to.
"Who's there?" a woman's voice called out in a questioning tone and inside the home, Marceline could hear footsteps. Before long, the door swung open and a lovely lady of blonde hair stood in front of her, dressed in a polka dotted dress of cream hue.
"Marceline Anicetus, magus of Savage Skull; I came here upon request that your daughter's-" she began, but was cut off by the woman.
"Say no more; please, come in; our daughter is upstairs with her goldfish bowl, frantically looking around for her pet," the lady stated. "My husband's at work right now, so it's just my daughter and myself at home, I hope that isn't too much of a big deal."
Marcy nodded in acknowledgement and stepped inside of the home; the moment that she did so, the floorboards began to creak. "Not at all, I just need to speak with your daughter if that's what you requested; it shouldn't be too long with that." Her eyes darted toward the housewife, silently watching as minuscule motions belied that her magic wasn't working. Specks of the woman's skin could be seen falling off her, though the lady was clearing trying to hide the pain she was in. Looking away from the wife, Marceline advanced in the home and headed up the stairs, touching the railing with her gloved hand. The woodwork fell apart and crumbled at her touch as she made her way up the stairs and turned the corner down the hallway. She paused for a moment and looked back down the stairs, toward the decaying woman, "what's your daughter's name?"
"Annabelle," she answered the mage, clasping her hands together and silently, in pain, watching her disappear around the corner. "Her room is just to the left, first door that you come across; it has her name right on it, so you can't miss it!"
Marcy heard the woman call up to her and explain to her where she would be able to find the daughter's bedroom. She was right, for the moment she turned the corner and looked around, her eyes landed upon a white door with a fancy plaque on it. Engraved on the plaque was the daughter's name and Marcy walked over to it, knocking lightly on the wood frame. "Annabelle, are you in there? Your parents asked for me to speak with you about your pet goldfish, do you mind if I come in?" The zombie lady didn't wait for an answer from the child, for at the touch of her hand, the door had started to rot away. Soon enough, there was a hole that she could look through and she saw Annabelle sitting on her bed, looking into the bowl. At first glance, the child seemed to be cooing at the bowl, as if trying to coax her pet fish to come out of hiding.
When the door had fully rotted away, Marceline stepped inside and sat down on the bed, next to the young girl. The floorboards and the bed sheets began to rot where she walked and sat down, though slowly, as if deliberately. "Annabelle?" she asked again, reached forward to place a hand on the girl's back, lightly touching her clothing.
"What are you doing in my room? No one's allowed to be in here without my permission!" the little girl stated, looking up at her.
"I came in here to talk to you about your goldfish. . ." Marceline repeated, looking the young girl in the eyes.
"He's just playing hide and seek and won't come out," Annabelle answered her, though her bottom lip clearly quivered.
"He's not playing hide and seek, Annabelle," the magus began, gripping her shoulder tightly with her gloved hand. "Your pet goldfish. . . what was his name?" She first wanted to engage the young girl in small talk about her former pet.
"His name was Cracker. . . like the goldfish crackers that you buy in the stores," the little girl smiled as she replied to Marceline.
"I see," Marceline answered, smiling back at the young girl and giving a small chuckle to show that she was all right. "Well, Cracker had to leave the home and go on a journey to another place. I hope you don't mind that. Unfortunately, something came up and he won't be able to return to you, so he wanted to tell you goodbye and to have a great life. But there's something else I wanted to ask you. . . Cracker might not be around anymore, but there's a way for you to be able to see him."
Her eyes silently studied the child as she took in what she was telling her, her bottom lip quivering even more. However, that quivering had stopped the moment Marceline brought up the chance to be able to see him again. "Really? How will I be able to see him again? Will you please tell me? I really want to be able to go and see him!"
Marceline smiled again and patted her lap, allowing for the little girl to crawl into and cradle herself there comfortably. Quietly, Marcy wrapped her arms around the upper torso of Annabelle and rested her cheek gently on the top of the girl's head. She hummed a little, a soft tone that her mother had always hummed to her when she was a child and awaiting her own death. As the two sat there, Annabelle's breathing stuttered in the silence, then stopped altogether, and she fell limp into Marcy's lap. "If you die with him," she murmured softly into the hair of the now still girl's head, stroking it lightly with a free hand. Silently, the woman stood up with the girl's lifeless body in her arms and laid back on the bed, setting the empty fish bowl next to her. It was done what she had needed to do, now she could head back downstairs and tell the mother she was finished.
Slowly, Marceline left the young girl's room and descended back down the stairs, only to find the crippled body of the mother on the floor. A dark look crossed over the woman's face and she scoffed at the deceased wife's body, stepping quickly over it. There was no need to tell her anything if she was dead; they could live peacefully together in the afterlife, without the father and husband. Without another glanced backward, she headed out of the door of the home and back to the guild hall of Savage Skull.
credit goes to Lunar of GS & THQ
