C'thelli's Demonic Orphanage

3

The first of the figures to step into the light, and subsequent owner of the voice that threatened to fight him for the food, was a pint-sized creature no taller than Feimo's hip. Bushy, grey algae covered a wiry wooden skeleton, barring the head, which was adorned with a vibrant array of colourful flowers and branches that resembled an elk's antlers. 

To his surprise, the tree's jaw opened as easily as a breeze, "I will not warn you again, villain! Either hand over the food or stick 'em up." The lichen spoke with a confidence unbecoming of his stature. There must have been some sort of drug in the desert. It would certainly have explained why he felt so good when he ate it, and why C'thelli's houseplant was a highwayman.

The demon shrugged. If he had been drugged, then he might as well have some fun with it, "Huzzah! Keep thy distance foul... Plant? For with each bite I take from these sweet treats, I become even more powerful," he said, stretching his voice into a booming pomp before scarfing down another mouthful.

"Oh, God, miss C'thelli adopted another freak." 

A tall and slender figure clad in a translucent cloak floated through the door. A dozen orange eyes blinked and twitched from the two of them, to a green gem which rested in her emaciated hand. No detail of the muscles and veins were spared from the naked eye as the wraith's papery thin skin flexed and writhed in the light.

Offended by the moody attitude of the apparition, the lichen rounded on them, "Hey, roleplay is a perfectly fun pass-time," the talking tree declared with a wagging fist. He was promptly ignored, with the apparition silently phasing through him and levitating towards a doorway where the cakes had floated from moments ago. "Algie, back me up on this." The lichen became desperate, turning towards the final newcomer who stepped past the threshold of the door. 

A purple changeling with a singular eye that emitted null in the way of life, spoke with a matter of fact, "You will die alone." 

The four words sent the demon through a spiral. Whether these things were real or just a by-product from the germs of the floor-food interfering with his brain, he never thought he would hear a child say something so evil. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. On one hand he was impressed by the girl's heartlessness. But at the same time he felt ashamed. He was a demon, evil was in his blood. It was what he was made for for crying out loud! So why couldn't he have thought of such a thing himself? And why did it unnerve him to see somebody else say it?

"You," the changeling looked at him with a pondering tilt of her head, "You are the one from my dreams. Remember rule thirty-two," the girl said, before walking towards the stairs. Even though Algie had left, Feimo failed to shirk an oppression that tainted the area. It was like a shadow, coveting him as his ears twitched with each prolonged creek of the girl's foot upon the stairs. How was he supposed to make sense of that? Could he? At least the tree kid was still here, a dejected sniff came somewhere from him, probably from the leaves.

"I think we both need a boost to our power after that," the demon said hesitantly, the second bun in his claws lowered for the lichen to take. It was taken with a gentle 'thank you', the previous confrontational attitude had been extinguished like a fire, leaving nothing but a forlorn disposition behind.

"I thought that I'd be used to them being mean by now." The plant boy murmured with a sad look towards his treat.

"You new here too?" the demon asked with his mouth full with the rest of his cake. The tree shrugged. "Awesome, me too. You can show me the ropes!" he exclaimed.

"Me? But isn't that mistress C'thelli's job?" he asked, finally biting into his food.

"Yeah, but she's a witch!"