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[Thugren]

The darkness of the opera fills in all around you as the lights fade, obscuring the crowsd in darkness. Soon music swells and a light illuminates, revealing a beautiful woman in a long flowing dress. Blue hair spills over her impossibly perfect forms and she grabs a microphone.

 

Music, Music pure and beautiful fills the opera hall, lulling all into silence, and its almost in that moment you canignore the true savagrey the woman can unleash in a moments notice.

 

"SO child..."

 

A soft, velvetine voice says across from you, snapping you from your reverie as you look at the woman squarely. ALmost like the woman on stage, Shango is a full figured woman. Long raven black hair over soft shoulder, and legs gracefully kissed by the purple silk dress she wore.

"Are you doing well?"

 

shango, mistress of dolls say, sticking a cigarette into her fingers and lighting it as she leans back in her chair overlooking the song.

 

'YOuve been here for waht a month now?... And that doll of yours is still broken.. I promised id fix it for you .. But you always avoid me after your trainings."

 

The music below swells, and for a moment you forget shango, seeing a vision of the doll below, the mistresseses personal doll Aurorawas an absolute pinnacle of the masters work. Human bits within a human like shell that hid a warrior without remorse or mercy. The sounds of bones snapping can still be heard in the back of your mind as you remember that woman pulling apart the groups of thugs that had found you , clutching the doll tightly on the slaver ship.

 

 

"I do not havve the time to hold your hand as much as i would like child......So im going to have you meet with my son heinrich.... Hes as good as i am..Possibly better in some ways.... But i want you to learn ok? i need you to be in shape with that doll of yours soon ok?"

 

Below the song begins to wane and shango smiles.

 

"We wont be here in berlin long...Once i meet these boys Altur has coming my way, we will be going back to Singapore, and once there i promise youll train directly with me... alright my darling girl?"

 

a warm smile spreads across Shangos face , looking into the eyes of the doll behind you.

 

"so much potential.."

[Oce]

Vale wasn't much of a fan being around many people, even before the whole incident. Being shy beforehand it was amplified tenfold, and as such, there was only three reasons that helped to quell the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. The first being that they were seated on the balcony, where there was slightly less people. The second being that Ida sat beside her, her only friend in this cruel world, as sad as it was.The third was a combination of the calm music that the doll on stage produced and Shango's soothing voice. The woman could be considered an ally, though she was terrifying. 

 

While Vale was indebted to the woman for saving her from the thugs, she didn't entirely trust her. Though it was probably the most trust that she had in anyone, which was yet another pathetic thing. All it would take is a minor lapse of judgement, saying harsh words or even an overly sharp glare, any break in a semi-pleasant mood would shatter any and all trust Vale had. The girl knew that it was bad, but she had been proven wrong again and again in her ability to read people. The result was plenty of painful memories, an endless circle of self pity, and a severed tongue. 

 

Shango was quick to fix the last issue, though Vale had not uttered a single word since. She rarely spoke, giving only basic answers through her marionette, Ida, when head nods weren't enough. It was obvious that Shango was annoyed by it, but Vale couldn't help it. Memories of the pain flashed through her mind every time she considered using her own voice, and god all the blood... Her fingers tightened on the arms of her seat as a way to ground herself, eyes briefly flicking towards Shango before refocusing on the singer for a couple more heartbeats, after Shango began to address her. 

 

The innocent question made Vale stiffen slightly, momentarily lowering her gaze in avoidance of answering such a courtesy question. A simple nod, though it was easy to miss. Spare the mistress the irritation for a few more moments before she was forced to borrow Ida's voice. Though she barely managed to hold still enough to ward off the flinch at the woman's next couple of sentences, she didn't have a response. Vale had intended to allow Shango to help, but the thought of being alone with her was terrifying and so she would always flee just before she could be caught. Just as she was about to apologize, the music that she hadn't been focusing on caught her off guard, drawing her attention back to the performer.

 

Just as Ida was an extension to her, Aurora was an extension of Shango. And as such, she was terrified of both of them. Aurora possessed immense strength, but she was likely following her mistresses' will. What kept them from tearing her apart like they did the thugs? She likely wouldn't be very useful to anyone, especially with as broken as she was. 

 

"Henrich?" Ida echoed as Vale stared at Shango curiously, her brow furrowing slightly behind her glasses, worrying her lower lip with her teeth at the thought of having to meet and pretend to trust yet another person who will inevitably betray her. It made the anxiety in her chest tighten until the marionette placed a cool hand on the girl's shoulder to ground it. "I.. I see," Ida muttered on Vale's behalf, her gaze dropping. 

 

She missed Shango's appraising gaze on her puppet. Though her doll was built sturdily, it appeared as if she was unfinished; humanistic in shape but for the most part lacking too many details that she could be considered a blank slate. Ida was as broken as Vale was. 

[Thugren]

shango stands, moving in a way that made the dres she wore cover her legs.

 

"she comes over to the doll as if appraising aa wounded child.

 

"Jagged edges and unsmoothe lines."

 

she says with a motherly tone as she runs her hands over the dolls features, and miraculously, as if working putty, they begin to shape and form correctly, softening the puppets face.

 

"Raw potential is such a beautifu l thing.... YOu look so much like me when ALtur found me in bangkok.."

 

ANother doll, this one a hulking beast like a fictional werewolf comes into view, its thick shaggy fur a deep crimson, and its sahrp eyes considering everything.

 

"Mistress... There is an issue with a customer refusing to pay and he...Got grabby with one of the girls."

 

Shango stops dead, her fands still working out some edges as she looks to the wolf, 

 

"Pull his legs off and throw him in front of the hospital..... WHich girl was it."

 

The doll winces and rubs his human like hands tyogether, jingling the chains.

 

"Farinne.."

 

Shangos eyes soften as she shakes her head.

 

'The girl who serves tea?.... she never did do it well... Have her sent to my room."

 

the wolf nods and leaves as shango crouches in front of Vale and lifts her chin.

 

 

"Ive taken a peek into your soul little one.... BUt like a doll...YOu have to learn how to pretend.... What happened to you is no longer real.... Your reality is my daughter now."

 

 

The music swells again, making shango smile as another figure comes into view. He is a young man, in about his twenties, and behind him, a figure in what appears to be a straight jacket and a hood stands.

 

"Henrich.."

 

shango breathes warmly as she stands, turning to face her son and embrace him into her chest, looking down at him.

 

"YOu be good to my little vale.... You have work with the nazis to perform yes? With That kronen girl?"

 

Karmac tries to speak, but its his doll that says in a whispy voice.

 

"YEs madam....Are we to take Vale?"

 

Shango nods wit ha smile.

 

"Yes.. I have some drachen to entertain tonight with Aurora.... Can you please make sure to protect her Dahmer? ?"

 

The doll seems to nod and comes over, its face obscured by its hood, but you can see two glittering eyes.

 

"Im James.... ANd your dolls name is?"

[Oce]

There was something about Shango's expression and sudden softness that Vale found enthralling and calming. It bought her a couple minutes of actually being able to breathe, relaxing back into her seat as her eyes flicked between the woman's face and Ida's. Her doll was unfinished, and even if Shango treasured Ida more than her, it just meant that the Mistress of Dolls wasn't going to damage Ida. Just as Vale's eyes began to droop just the smallest amount, the wolfman approached and the moment was shattered. 

 

Vale was pressed back against her seat, once again clutching at the arms, wanting to escape his sharp gaze while trying to remain completely still to avoid attracting his attention. It wasn't the fact that he was modeled after a monster, and she realized that he probably functioned as security, but he still had caught her off guard and she realized that she had been about to get too comfortable being around the intimidating Shago. The feeling was similar to getting caught doing something that she wasn't supposed to be doing, which even she realized wasn't the case. 

 

Overhearing the situation made Vale uneasy, nearly causing her hands to shake until she returned her focus to Shago, listening to her reaction closely. As soon as Shago reached out to her, she leaned forward an inch, eyes wide and imploring rather than flinching away. "Y-you can't punish her!" Vale's voice was hoarse as she spoke, Ida's mirroring her and overshadowing it. Then she had the decency of looking ashamed and snapped her jaw shut, looking off to the side with a dejected look on her face. 

 

"Sorry, it's none of my business," it was Ida's voice alone once again. Then Shango spoke, and for half a second Vale's face gave away her unadulterated pain and fear, eyes immediately snapping to Shango's, before her face went slack and she barely nodded. Pretend. It wouldn't erase the pain, just had to act unaffected by it. She could probably pull it off.

 

Vale didn't look up when Shango pulled away, instead staring down at her lap as the woman greeted her son. Then a doll was speaking to her, and she wouldn't be rude so she glanced up at him as he introduced himself. She wished more than anything at that specific moment that Ida wasn't just a hollow shell.

 

"Ida," said the broken doll.

[Thugren]

Such a pretty name....How did you."

 

Dahmer began and suddenly shango spoke.

 

"Away from her cutter.... You and Karmac go get provisions prepared..."

 

The doll backs up instantly at her words, and shango comes over, crouching before vale.

 

"SIlly girl...DO you think id hurt her? No.. Im going to comfort her and give her someplace to rest and recover...Than i will have Aurora teach her how to make tea.... I only dole out punishments if my children cross lines...You do not have to worry."

 

 

Carefully the woman places a gentle kiss on  Vales head and she looks at ida.

 

" Wish that german boy would hurry along..... Id love to put a soul in this so it could suit you...A beautiful girl should have a beautiful doll

[Oce]

Vale immediately grew defensive, Ida leaning forward in her seat behind the girl. Just before her doll shifted in front of her, Shango called him off. The girl relaxed just a fraction, her eyes focusing on Shango rather than the several strangers around her. Even when the woman was once again crouched in front of her, Vale kept her attention on her rather than walking away. Her quiet tone and soft words made the girl once again sink back into her chair, folding her hands in her lap and fidgeting slightly.

 

Then Shango was leaning forward and kissing her head, and Vale hesitantly wrapped an arm halfway around the woman's back, in an awkward hug. She held Shango still for several seconds, longer than what was probably socially acceptable, before her arm slipped away and she lowered her gaze, returning to fidgeting. She hoped that that wasn't crossing the line, and for a moment actually was worried that she had.

[Thugren]

shango watches her for a long moment, than smiles warmly, letting out a bubbly laugh.

 

'You know waht henrich..... You handle entertaining tonight and make sure the girl being sent to my room is given a warm meal and a few days rest..... Vale and i will go handle this little issue ourself."

 

Shango pets vales head softly and stands, snapping a finger audibly enough to make aurora stop mid concert and look up. A second later, she nods and goes through the back of the stage .

 

"I dont know why im handing you off to anyone..YOu are my little girl...Im going to take care of you personally."

 

She snaps to a figure standing at the end of the hall, one that always seemed to be there but never spoke, and the shadow fades.

 

"come come little rabbit...Lets teach you how to pretend."

[Oce]

Vale jumped at the sudden laughter, eyes widening, but she didn't jerk away. She had been expecting some sort of reprimand because of how intensely Shango had been staring at her, but instead the barest hint of a smile spread across her lips as she basked in the warmth of the laugh. She wasn't used to it, even well before the slaver ship. It.. Was a pleasant change, the girl decided.

 

She nearly asked 'we will?' before she caught herself, cheeks burning as Shango petted her, lowering her head but still not pulling away. Vale managed not to be startled by the sudden snap, but she did stand up a little, glancing around the theater's balcony warily, expecting someone to lash out about the sudden pause in the music. When no one did, she stood up fully, standing remarkably close to Shango's side, almost pressed against her side, Ida slowly getting up as well.

 

"That sounds frightening," Ida murmured almost playfully as the doll reached out to take Vale's hand, though she stood behind her. 

[Thugren]

shango runs a gentle hand up and down the girls back, leading her to the workshop on the bottom level and guiding her inside.

 

The girl who had been hit before was already there, laying on shangos bed and dozing as shango walked past the plush furnishings into a room on the other side. As you follow you are given a moment of pause. To the untrained eye, bodies hung from the rafters, arms , legs, eyes and skulls. But from your experience you can see the telltale articulated joints, sockets awaiting fulfillment. This was shangos workshop, and in the center of it all, you can see a doll. 

 

At the first stages of building, it is merely a skeleton with a makers core sitting quietly on a seat, its hand in a suppliant position of prayer.

 

"Child.."

 

shango says , pointing to her cabinet.

 

"We will be going out today with my doll zero and aurora......but first can you please get my corset from the counter.....These puppies are going to bother me."

 

she comes into view and you can see she is topless, squeezing and lifting the hefty breasts before sighing.

 

'hurry now.."

[Oce]

Vale didn't quite relax under Shango's touch, but she didn't pull away either. She squeezed Ida's fingers before releasing her so that they could walk properly. Even though it was not quite as practical as most would think, the cool smoothness of Ida's hand was an irreplaceable comfort. It stung deep that Ida was merely an extension of her will; it was no better than hugging yourself, no matter which way she thought of it. The sudden bitterness that welled up in her chest, like an insufferable plague, prompting the girl to unconsciously lean further into Shango's side with a barely concealed wince.

 

Shango's room wasn't where Vale was expecting to be led. Eyeing the slumbering girl as they silently walked past, the contents of the next room were far more interesting to her, causing her to momentarily freeze in the doorway as she took in all of the spare parts. As she wondered whether they were intended primarily for replacements or for creating entirely new puppets like the bare boned one in the center of the room. Shango's voice snapped her out of it, prompting her to stumble a couple of feet. 

 

Ida waited by the entrance, arms folded over her chest as Vale scurried over to the cabinet, carefully searching for the mentioned corset without touching anything she could avoid; she deemed it too rude to rifle through someone else's belongings. Cautiously picking up the article of clothing, and, after being prompted to hurry, rushed it over to Shango with almost comedic speed, very nearly tripping over her feet until she presented the corset to the mistress. Vale refused to look at her, her cheeks a bright red as she looked off to the side, turning around when Shango accepted the article. 

 

When she spoke, Ida didn't mirror her, leaving Vale's voice pitifully quiet and partially broken. "May I ask where we will be going?"

[Thugren]

shango smiles and takes the corset as the cloaked figure stands in the doorway.

 

'hello zero dear..."

 

she says with an airy breath.

 

'can you please outfit yourself with a butchers pins and be ready for a heravy engagement?

 

The hooded figure nods and leaves as shango continues to dress.

 

"Well....The drachen are just a tad bit uppity since they toppled the naazi regime and have since started killing the wrong people....So i have to send a message to adolfo... And porbably meet up with the older dragon himself."

 

shango points over to a seat.

 

"ida..Sit there dear..We are going to outfit you with some defensive weapons."

[Oce]

Ida turned her head towards the cloaked doll, more out of reaction than anything else; the doll and Vale didn't share senses so the girl gained nothing from the unconscious act of her will. At least the doll, Zero she learned, didn't send shivers up her spine or set her on edge. He seemed too much like a shadow, and shadows rarely shifted, much less attacked. Even if her reasoning was flawed, Zero didn't seem to be a threat. He wasn't as scary as Aurora, who had torn people limb from limb in front of her.

 

"Heavy engagement? Are yo-- .. we fighting?" The words made her wince, clutching at her arms and shrinking into herself. Vale wasn't a violent person, but she acknowledged that she had to use self defense. She was tired of incidents like the one on the slaver ship. 

 

The girl lifted her head to spot the seat, directing Ida to follow Shango's command. The doll sat with perfect posture, sitting straight up and staring directly in front of her. With a wince, Vale realized that she would have to put more effort into making Ida appear more human.

[Thugren]

Yes my darling..We are going to fight."

 

shango says as she walks over to ida and puts a hand on the figures chest.

 

'En..."

 

she says calmly, speaking a word of mastery to the doll and all at once, Idas limbs go slack and the joints snap open, revealing the endoskeleton beneath like a morbiund swiss army knife.

 

"YOu have to learn how the world works baby girl..And your role within it.... I will gladly take you to my bosom...But to remain there you are going to have to fight."
 

carefully she puts an array of pins into Idas arms and limbs, fully inseting several blade sets and advanced strength pins.

 

 

"And your magic, and doll strings will need to be worked as well child.... Im going to be trusting my life to you..."

 

Zero returns and stands in the hallway, revealing a bandaged face with two catlike yellow eyes.

 

"SUch a good boy zero.."

 

shango coos softly.

 

"Vale...can you please open his chest for me and place a bloodthrist pin in him for me?'

 

she holds up a singular red pin in her perfectly manicured fingers.

 

"Im working on ida."

[Oce]

Vale flinched as Shango opened up her doll, wincing at every piece of hardware that was implanted in her friend. She had known that it was going to happen eventually, but there was little preparation that could be done. Seeing blades inlaid into Ida's arms made the girl shiver and look away, thoroughly uncomfortable. She was shaking when she carefully took the pin from Shango, mindful not to come into contact with skin.

 

She realized that she was going to have to spill other people's blood and the thought made her sick to her stomach. She would do it to protect herself, if she was able, but... Ida deserved better. Swallowing back the anxiety and fear, she slowly approached Zero, her free hand held out in front of her as if she was trying to placate a wild animal. Before she came too close, she stopped, hesitating. "M-may I..?' 

 

When she received a nod or something that signalled consent, she lightly rested her palm on his chest, murmuring the word she had heard Shango use. "En."

[Thugren]

Zero nods and as you speak the words he staggers back into a chair . His body roils and expands suddenly , and in a terrifying display his body tears open revealing his endo skeleton.

Blades, claws and scythes gab from his frame .

Heavy duty strength and resilience pins are dotted all over his frame and at his center, unlike most dolls is an advanced makers core with a heart aorta in it.

As you place the pin you notice zeros head lifts up, hitting you with a bolt of concern as every doll you have worked on was asleep during creation.

“ so rude zero..... staring while the poor girl works...”

Shango chuckles as she closes ida up, smoothing out the dolls features more to make her humanlike .

“ gonna scare her..”

[Oce]

Vale didn't flinch bad like she had expected to; just furrowed her brow, worried that Zero felt pain by the slight modification. She wasn't aware that dolls could be fully awake during these procedures, she had assumed that it was similar to pulling the plug for electronics, though the core was still there. "Does it hurt?"

[Thugren]

zero moves his hand slowly, fighting the restraints of his open articulated joints and pins  and takes Vales hand in a soothing gesture.

 

He doesnt speak, and you can tell, he is unable to, but a warm, gentle voice speaks into your mind.

 

"No dollmaker....I do not feel pain anymore.... I am ok."

 

shango vomes over and takes vales hand tenderly, kissing the tip of each finger before guiding the younger girls hands along the pins, ensuring each one is secure.

 

"He is my pride and joy.....My ultimate doll.... His sister Auroa is often jealous of this."

[Oce]

Vale blinked slowly, curling her fingers around his stiff ones carefully. "Anymore? So you hurt before.." The girl sounded so pained over this, worrying her lower lip between her teeth until Shango took her hand. The injured expression faded, to be replaced with embarrassment as the woman kissed her fingertips, earning a blush and a soft whining noise. 

 

The girl nearly recoiled away from the pins, but held still by Shango's hand and encouraged by it, she focused on memorizing the number of pins and their specific placements. "He's gorgeous... Must make Ida look like a child made her.." She sighed softly, brushing her free hand along Zero's cheek for a moment before pulling away from them both. It was mildly overwhelming.

[Thugren]

considering no one taught you..Ida is perfect."

 

shango says with aplayfull purr and she snaps, and with a clatter of snapping joints zerop is closed and he stands.

 

Shango touches his face and looks at the doorway, where aurora stands in a black silk dress. She smiles and comes into the room, resting a cheek on shangos shoulder.

 

"teaching the little one mistress?"

 

she says wit ha warm smile.

 

'I remember when i pulled her off of that ship...She was so scared..it broke my heart."

[Oce]

Vale jumped at the snap, not expecting the sudden closure of Zero, backing up a couple more steps unconsciously. She felt like she was invading a private moment. Muttering an apology though she wasn't entirely sure why, it just wasn't very comfortable being somewhere she clearly didn't belong, having touched a treasured person. She shuddered as her gaze snapped to Aurora, her eyes widening. She would have thanked the doll for saving her, but all that she could manage was a quiet keening noise.