Nameless Ghoul

Standing on the Precipice

It was late afternoon by the time they woke from their nap and the sun had already set. Itzal showered and got ready for his evening of hell. He smirked as he realised he would almost rather be locked in a room with Santos for the evening; at least he would know what to expect.

Sunshine could tell he was worried, and he let her fuss around him as she was getting ready. Papa and his ghouls and ghulehs were having a festive dinner in one of the nicer dining halls in the Abbey. Once Yule was underway properly, he wouldn't get much of a chance to socialise just with them. They all seemed excited and were getting dressed up for the night.

Sunshine wore tight black jeans and a pewter coloured, sequinned halter top that swooshed around like quicksilver when she moved. She was breath-taking, as always.

Itzal just wore his basic uniform of jeans, a long-sleeved top and a hoodie as it would cover up most of his scars.

They never used to bother him so much, but now that he was interacting with more people and ghouls, he had noticed the way their eyes would subconsciously flick to any scars that were visible when they spoke to him. He found the attention unwelcome, even though he knew they couldn't help it.

It was worse with the ghouls because it was unusual for them to have scars. Only the most severe, life-threatening injuries would usually leave one and even then they were faint when they healed.

Shadow ghouls, unlike other ghouls, did most of their healing in their shadow form, so if they couldn't change into the black smoke and back again, they would heal almost as slowly as a human. Changing before the injury fully healed would prevent any scars from forming.

But Itzal had twenty years' worth of abuse mapped out on his skin. The worst areas were his back, his neck where the collar had been and his wrists from the bloodletting at the rituals. His torso also bore the evidence of many injuries from the fight club and various other ritual cuts that the witches had made.

He could cover his body easily enough, but people noticed his wrists, his neck and his hands. The few scars on his face thankfully were not too severe.

He kissed Sunshine goodbye and she gave him a reassuring hug. She could tell how nervous he was.

"It'll be fine, Itzal, just be yourself."

He nodded and left.

The ghouls had already started drinking and were joking around in the lounge as they waited for the ghulehs to finish getting ready. He wished them a good night as he made his way to Secondo's ghouls' lair.

It had the same layout as the others. The lounge intersected the corridor on one side and the kitchen on the other.

Itzal wasn't sure what to expect, but as he walked down the hallway, he felt more of a sombre atmosphere from the place than the lair where Papa's ghouls lived. He could hear music playing. He recognized Black Sabbath playing at a volume where conversation could be heard. It was definitely quieter than the lair where he was staying. Because there were no ghulehs bonded to Secondo, the place had a bit of a bachelor pad vibe to it without any of the cosy feminine touches of the other lairs he'd been in.

Secondo's ghouls were milling around the table in the kitchen. There were snacks on the countertop and drinks laid out; several types of whiskeys and various mixers, plus some soft drinks. They all looked up and greeted him as he arrived. Earth, Air, Fire and Water sat at the table. Quinn was pouring himself a glass of liquor. The ice crackled and clinked against the side of the glass.

He had briefly seen all of them before, but he hadn't spoken to any of them really except for Earth. His anxiety spiked and he forgot that he had formed a bond with these ghouls now. They would feel it when he was in proximity like this.