Practically dead on her feet from exhaustion, Shantotto meandered in the middle of the hallway leading up to the barracks. One petite hand was planted on her hip, the other still holding her fruity drink. A dour look had crossed her otherwise regal features, giving the tiny mage a rather intimidating image.
It'd taken her a hot minute to locate Pennywise after the dingy clown had slunk out of the barroom, but she wasn't about to let the show of jeopardizing unhelpfulness that had gone down in the arena go unanswered!
"Do all monsters like you cower after one fight that's gone a little sour?" Shantotto asked, frowning at a nearby air conditioning vent.
An unintelligible hiss emanated from the vent in reply. It seemed to rattle the entire thing, the solid metal grates fluttering like loose window shutters during a windstorm.
Shantotto was not impressed.
"Come out of there this instant, clown," she demanded, leaning forward to peer into the darkness within the vent. "Or else I'll do much more than frown."
Squinting, Shantotto could just barely make out the somewhat illuminated outlines of Pennywise's costume ruffles. The whimsically-layered fabric was bunched up around Its shoulders like a lion's mane, baleful and blue in the low light. Its limbs were contorted oddly and strained against the metal walls, spindly arms caging around Its gut and legs somewhere over Its head— probably the only way something of such great size could jam Itself into a space so small. Two yellow eyes glittered back at her through the grate, round and owlish.
"Nooooooooooo-OOo..." Pennywise whined, and here she could see the slightest flash of teeth. "Go away."
The short mage heaved a great sigh. "Snarling at me isn't going to send me away. If you want me to leave you should come out and have your say."
A growl emanated from the shadows, deep and croaky like a disgruntled amphibian. Despite this, a set of clawed fingers emerged from between the grates, grasped at the square-shaped vent cover's edges, and summarily wrenched it open with a hair-raising metallic screech.
Pennywise clambered out in Its typical spidery fashion, greasepaint-covered skin warping and bones crackling out a disturbing metronome all the while. It snuffled mightily at the little mouse once It was finally free, nose crinkling in puzzlement.
"Is something the matter? Other than the obvious, we've no time for idle chatter." Shantotto prompted, staring up at the clown's cheerily-painted face. Even when crouched down from crawling out of the ventilation system, the creature towered over her.
"Mmmm, yeee-es?" Pennywise asked, eyes refocusing on the regal mage-mouse. Its head canted to the side, fiery orange hair flopping over like a piece of droopy fungus and a string of drool dribbling from Its mouth.
It sniffed again, this time taking a good whiff of Shantotto's drink. The creature's face immediately twisted into a look of mild disgust.
"Sour, sour..." It grunted, clawed hands scrabbling fiercely at Its snout as if that alone could rid Its nostrils of the smell. "Sour everywhere in that room, yeugch!"
Shantotto stared confusedly at the monstrous being before her. Then, everything clicked into place.
"Oh, the drink! That must be it, I think," she mused, tapping her chin in thought. "I will discard it if it will ease our little feud, but you must promise to mind your attitude."
Pennywise nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Pennywise'll be your friend, pup!"
It'd taken her a hot minute to locate Pennywise after the dingy clown had slunk out of the barroom, but she wasn't about to let the show of jeopardizing unhelpfulness that had gone down in the arena go unanswered!
"Do all monsters like you cower after one fight that's gone a little sour?" Shantotto asked, frowning at a nearby air conditioning vent.
An unintelligible hiss emanated from the vent in reply. It seemed to rattle the entire thing, the solid metal grates fluttering like loose window shutters during a windstorm.
Shantotto was not impressed.
"Come out of there this instant, clown," she demanded, leaning forward to peer into the darkness within the vent. "Or else I'll do much more than frown."
Squinting, Shantotto could just barely make out the somewhat illuminated outlines of Pennywise's costume ruffles. The whimsically-layered fabric was bunched up around Its shoulders like a lion's mane, baleful and blue in the low light. Its limbs were contorted oddly and strained against the metal walls, spindly arms caging around Its gut and legs somewhere over Its head— probably the only way something of such great size could jam Itself into a space so small. Two yellow eyes glittered back at her through the grate, round and owlish.
"Nooooooooooo-OOo..." Pennywise whined, and here she could see the slightest flash of teeth. "Go away."
The short mage heaved a great sigh. "Snarling at me isn't going to send me away. If you want me to leave you should come out and have your say."
A growl emanated from the shadows, deep and croaky like a disgruntled amphibian. Despite this, a set of clawed fingers emerged from between the grates, grasped at the square-shaped vent cover's edges, and summarily wrenched it open with a hair-raising metallic screech.
Pennywise clambered out in Its typical spidery fashion, greasepaint-covered skin warping and bones crackling out a disturbing metronome all the while. It snuffled mightily at the little mouse once It was finally free, nose crinkling in puzzlement.
"Is something the matter? Other than the obvious, we've no time for idle chatter." Shantotto prompted, staring up at the clown's cheerily-painted face. Even when crouched down from crawling out of the ventilation system, the creature towered over her.
"Mmmm, yeee-es?" Pennywise asked, eyes refocusing on the regal mage-mouse. Its head canted to the side, fiery orange hair flopping over like a piece of droopy fungus and a string of drool dribbling from Its mouth.
It sniffed again, this time taking a good whiff of Shantotto's drink. The creature's face immediately twisted into a look of mild disgust.
"Sour, sour..." It grunted, clawed hands scrabbling fiercely at Its snout as if that alone could rid Its nostrils of the smell. "Sour everywhere in that room, yeugch!"
Shantotto stared confusedly at the monstrous being before her. Then, everything clicked into place.
"Oh, the drink! That must be it, I think," she mused, tapping her chin in thought. "I will discard it if it will ease our little feud, but you must promise to mind your attitude."
Pennywise nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Pennywise'll be your friend, pup!"
![[Image: tumblr_inline_ox9oq2UNpf1v9qbbn_540.gif]](https://68.media.tumblr.com/0f940b744e47adff247fbd62ee924a4c/tumblr_inline_ox9oq2UNpf1v9qbbn_540.gif)