Allye/Performances/The Spider's Eyes

Real Date	2023-10-26
Game Date	447-02-14
Event	Tavern Troupe's Night of Frights Storytelling Contest
Point of View Character	Allye

You say, "While you all get your votes in, I have prepared a little tale for you all as well."

You hum cheerfully to yourself.

Elore's eyes widen as she suppresses a cough and a puff of smoke comes out of her nostrils.

Useff says, "Oooo."

Elore ponders.

(Almarius shuffles her feet moving slowly towards Nilme, suddenly she jerks her head up looking at her in silence.)

Almarius gazes at Nilme.

Cozi says, "And Renst came with a big tail."

Cozi rubs Renst's tail.

Nilme squints at Almarius.

You clear your throat.

You grin.

You recite:
   "The first time something strange happens in the house is the third night after the newlyweds have moved in."

Timorias says, "The Story of how Elore burned down a village."

Renst places his hand over Cozi's mouth.

You recite:
   "Elina sits at her vanity, brushing her long black hair with a soft brush."

(Almarius tilts her head slightly to the right, and then left.)

Cozi nibbles on Renst's fingers playfully.

Elore exclaims, "Hey, it was already burning when I got there!"

Renst quietly says to Cozi, "Nobody want's to hear my child hood tales.."

Elore smiles innocently.

You recite:
   "Brush, brush, brush.  The motion is smooth and mesmerizing, as she watches herself in the mirror."

Timorias chuckles.

You recite:
   "As she brushes, she begins to notice something odd in the mirror's reflection."

Almarius blinks.

Eruwyn gazes at you.

You recite:
   "Behind her stands the large teak armoire that has been gifted to the couple by the home's previous owners.  It is too large to move, they'd said, and soon thereafter their caravan of belongings had trundled away."

Ears tilted forward, Renst curls his tail around Cozi's waist loosely.

You recite:
   "So the large, beautiful house that overlooks the river bluff and its teak armoire belong to Elina and her new husband now.  The hour is late, and she has been thinking of him and wondering when he will come to bed."

You recite:
   "In the mirror's reflection, the armoire's door slowly, ever so slowly, creaks open."

Useff gulps.

You recite:
   "A spider darts out of the open armoire, and it makes a mad zig-zagging dash across the room."

Eruwyn covers her mouth with her hand.

Vixonia twitches an ear nervously.

Cozi shrieks!

You recite:
   "Elina screams, leaping onto the vanity and shouting for her husband.  Dalton rushes into the room, panic melting into amusement to find his wife on her dainty perch, pointing her finger wildly."

Cozi exclaims, "MURDER IT!"

Useff nods to a translucent forest-green jumping spider.

Renst rubs Cozi's left ear.

Timorias asks, "Fire! Where's Elore when you need her?"

Almarius reaches towards Nilme's right eye but she instinctively flinches back to avoid her.

You recite:
   "Retrieving a tumbler from their nightstand, Dalton captures the spider.  He peers at it through the glass and murmurs to the creature soothingly, giving his wife a wink as he slips out the door to release his captive into safer surroundings."

Jessalyne takes a sip of her coffee.

Useff lets out a long sigh of relief.

Cozi says, "It's just going to come back with spider babies..."

You recite:
   "The spider pauses as it is deposited on the grassy ground, seeming almost to gaze up at the man with its many eyes.  Soon enough, it skitters off."

Elore rubs her hands together.

Eruwyn softly asks, "This is going to require so much fire. Where's Aetheline?"

You recite:
   "The man returns to the house to reassure his wife that danger has been averted.  She grins sheepishly, and he pulls her into his arms, into a fierce hug."

You recite:
   "Elina awakens the next morning to find an odd red bump on her shoulder.  A spider bite."

Almarius grins slowly.

Hebion looks at Eruwyn and shrugs.

You recite:
   "It itches, she complains to Dalton.  He smirks, asking her if she thinks the spider from last night has returned to take its revenge.  He waggles his fingers at her mystically, and she rolls her eyes with a laugh."

Cozi begins an eerie, warbling wail of despair.

Eruwyn softly says, "Please don't be what I think it is..."

Eruwyn covers her eyes with her hand.

You recite:
   "The next day, the spider bite has begun to fade.  The angry, red skin seems now muted and pink, and the itching has subsided.  But she feels tired... so very tired."

You recite:
   "Sitting at her vanity, Elina finds that her hairbrush is covered in tangles of spidersilk.  A tight web woven among the bristles sticks to her fingers as she tries to pull at its fine, tacky strands."

Timorias says, "I see where this is going."

You recite:
   "She calls out to her husband in the next room, her voice far more weak and fragile than she'd intended, telling him how strange it was.  He hummed back to her, seeming distracted."

Cozi says, "I thought she was going to look in the mirror and not see herself..."

You hum to yourself.

You recite:
   "Days pass, and Elina feels more and more drained.  She takes to her bed, filling her time by knitting a pair of tiny shoes.  But a morose cloud hangs over her, smothering and dark."

The sun rises in a crisp, clear blue sky, heralding another fine day.

You recite:
   "Halfway through a row of knitting, her head snaps again toward the armoire.  What is that noise?  Is that scratching?"

Timorias says, "The Spider replaces the wife so it can take her place."

You recite:
   "She climbs out of bed and pads slowly over to the armoire.  Both doors are thrown open, to reveal an empty interior.  Elina huffs out a frustrated sigh."

Eruwyn fidgets nervously.

You recite:
   "Something in one corner catches her eye, though.  In the back, at the top.  She leans into the armoire, reaching one hand forward to the small, pallid, papery shape."

You recite:
   "Just before her hand touches the sac's surface, it bursts open.  A puff of gray dust hits her face and she stumbles back, coughing."

Dromond says, "Eww."

Vixonia quietly exclaims to herself, "Pallid, papery shape... some great wording there!"

You recite:
   "She coughs and coughs, but still the scratchy sensation plagues her throat.  She clutches at her neck and throws her head back to cry out.  But no sound escapes her."

You recite:
   "Instead, spiders... hundreds upon hundreds of tiny, skittering spiders rush out of her open mouth, their tiny legs crawling all over her skin."

Timorias says, "Well thats not nasty at all."

You recite:
   "Elina wakes with a scream."

You recite:
   "Ah, it's only a nightmare.  The bedroom is dark now, so very dark."

You recite:
   "A sliver of light appears before her, and she realizes she's behind a door.  That's odd."

You recite:
   "She slips toward the scant line of light, cracking the heavy door open to peer into... her own bedroom."

You recite:
   "The candlelight is bright, and she sees herself sitting at her vanity, across the room.  She is brushing her own long black hair."

Eruwyn gasps!

You recite:
   "Brush, brush, brush."

You recite:
   "Dalton enters the room and leans down to press a kiss against her forehead.  No, wait.  That's not her forehead."

You recite:
   "She sees herself smile slowly, cruelly, staring into the mirror's reflection at the ajar armoire door."

Cozi whines and complains bitterly and generally manages to act like the world was created specifically to inconvenience her.

You recite:
   "The image cracks into a refracted scene, and Elina gazes on in horror, through her many eyes."

You sink into a deep curtsy.

Dromond gazes at you.

You give Timorias a playful poke in the ribs.

Eruwyn looks at you and applauds!

You grin.

Useff's jumping spider exclaims, "What a wonderful story!"
You notice Useff's lips move slightly.

You say, "Called it so early."

Vixonia gulps.

You babble something incoherent at Timorias.

Jessalyne chuckles.

Jessalyne takes a sip of her coffee.

Timorias says, "See? Told ya. She was replaced by Spider girl."

Vixonia looks at you and applauds!

Jessalyne applauds.

Cozi shrieks!

Useff applauds.

Cozi edges away from Useff.

You giggle.

Vixonia says, "Eww..."

You exclaim, "Looks like the results of your voting are in!"

Timorias says, "The next day she steps on herself."

Vixonia exclaims, "But wonderful!"

Nilme softly says to herself, "Traumatized."

You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Vixonia.

Nilme shudders.

You rub Nilme gently, trying to massage any sore muscles.

Almarius darkly exclaims, "Y...y...yucky!"

Eruwyn asks Nilme, "At least it wasn't more dolls?"

Jessalyne takes a sip of her coffee.