The Theater

Watching as the panicked shade went calm without any change from him or anything else, Mal thought to himself about the oddity as he was smiled at with sharp teeth that more than likely hurt. Not that he was frightened or minded that at all. He played with wild animals often, finding them so endearing, but not all of them wanted to play nicely like a cat or dog that was meant to be pets. WHich was fine, he did bring it upon himself in most cases.

“Oh you sweet and cute shade, there’s no human bodies under the floors of my theater. Which, by the way, is my home and indeed my place. I bought it recently at an auction and will be staying here from now on.” Picking up the shade and running his hands along the other’s back like a lost puppy who just needed cuddles, the tattoos loosened now that the other was in Mal’s grasp and being cuddled. “You must be a newer shade, how old are you? Century or two old? It’s so cute how you’re learning how to live over off to get revenge.” Cooing at the other male while heading towards the scratching noises that were getting louder, they had to be close to whatever creature was stuck in with them.

Snarling at the completely bonkers whatever they were, Zepher jerked at his restraints, getting more pissy about them the more this guy spoke. It had been less than a century, he was pretty sure, since he woke back up. It was difficult to keep track of the days he had simply phased in and out of paying attention to his surroundings. For days on end he had searched out the person that he most wanted revenge on, weeks, months maybe? Had it actually been years? Shaking his head, he hissed again, that didn't matter. The other one was awake, if still broken and needed to learn. "Just sell it again! This is our home! You think I'll just let you be? I'll ruin anything you try to accomplish here. It won't just be those petty pranks, if you stay here maybe I'll simply take your life too for getting in the way."

Still more lies, but he did try to bite at the other's shoulders for clinging so familiarly to him. He didn't care about killing anyone other than the person that had murdered him. Breaking the other more by putting needless blood on their hands wasn't his goal, Zepher wanted them happier from now on, like it used to be. "Wait, is that stupid rabbit still in here?" He sneered, distracted for a moment by the scratching noise. He swore he had scared them out too, but it seems they were persistent.

“Now why would that I do that you silly shade? I doubt you actually want that as well, have you ever been through an exorcist? They are not any fun, and with you so young I doubt you’d stay in this realm if it’s completed.” Continuing to stroke the upset shade that was now biting at him like a teething hellhound, only adding to that cute comparison he had for them.

Starting to wonder what creature could have crawled inside, he was humming to himself to one of the songs he had performed in the town he was in previously. It had gone so well, still remembering those cheering faces all dressed up to see him and his group he had been with for months before departing. That was the way of a traveling actor though, not that he planned to travel much with so much work on his hands.

“Rabbit?” He asked the other, stopping as he had only more questions on how could a rabbit even get inside. Was it someone’s pet? He didn’t have to wonder for long, as he pushed open a door and saw a... rabbit?

Much bigger then a rabbit, about the size of a medium sized bear over small and super cute as he was expecting. Most warm colors with what looked like jem lime armour on it, it was chewing on some papers on the floor as it suddenly stopped, staring at the pair with it’s big red eyes. Its small nose wiggling at them before quickly hopping away from them in it's terrified ways, more then likely scared of who he was carrying from what he just heard.

“Wait, come back here rabbit! You can’t just eat papers!” Heading after it, he just wanted to feed it, maybe it was one of those dragons he heard about? They had such a variety to them that was possible.

"I'd get rid of them before they could even try!" Snarling at the stranger, despite his insistent biting, every time his teeth pierced the other's skin, those blasted tattoos would run over the wound healing it. Apparently just tiring himself out the more he tried to bite. Thinking they couldn't heal the other if he simply didn't pull out, Zepher sunk his teeth in as far as he could and watched those tattoos get closer. Stopping for just a moment before rearing up and smacking him. "Ow, dammit," he growled at them before deciding to give in.

It was way too much effort to put forth to be getting attacked by a body accessory of all things. Glancing back briefly, he hissed at the fleeing rabbit. "Yeap, that's the one. Giant pain in the butt that keeps coming back or running into places." He didn't even understand how it was able to get itself locked into rooms. It was just loud and annoying, and he didn't want it to start eating Zeph's stuffed animals.

Simply laying his head down against their shoulder, for now life had been accepted with no way out at the moment. He wasn't able to switch back either or Zeph would start freaking out again at being able to be touched. "You're super annoying, you know that?"

“You sweet summer child.” Malphas sighed, ruffling the hair tendrils again as he let the shade teeth away, not that his tattoos were having none of that even if the owner didn’t mind at all. They were there to protect Mal, which they were doing a fine job of as Mal knew they always would do.

“Why don’t you just feed it, it’s probably a dragon.” It caught him off guard how mean this shade was, though not surprising as he had met many before. They weren’t known for their bleeding hearts.

Pausing his chase to stare at the shade, he held him with his single arm for a moment as he raised the other, flicking the other’s nose before he went back to his shade. Heading after the rabbit that vanished into a side room, he peeked his head around a corner of a doorframe to see the poor beast just curled up against a wall. Giving the pair the biggest eyes as Mal awed, ruffling around his pocket for some jerky to offer as he inched closer.

“There, there. You’re a very good baby...” Cooing softly as he moved slowly, he did glance at the shade who was just a butt and would need to be taught how to be kinder. “Unlike the mean shade, who is a very bad boy.”

"Like hell," huffing, Zepher was pretty sure he didn't have a sweet thought in his entire being. "A dragon or just a huge pest. Either way, if I feed it it'll just stick around. And much like you. I'd rather it drop dead." Continuing his grumbling, he had calmed down enough to stop wiggling for the moment. This just started up again as the shade leaned away from the strokes along his head, what did this idiot think he was? Another rabbit?

That flick against the middle of his face was a real shocker though. Zepher even froze up for a moment before hissing again to latch his teeth onto the other's horns. Not very effective, nor would they bleed, but he just wanted to bite out his frustrations at the invader he couldn't get to leave.

"Ooo, yes, you know how I love it when you talk dirty to me," he sneered, still gnawing on the horns. It was better than calling him cute, so that was a step in the right direction.

“Oh we’re going to have plenty of time to get you trained to an extent.” Mal sighed, just wanting the shade to cooperate but noooo, he was a butt who wanted to try and be big and bad with a demon who had lived his life and gave it up to enjoy his days with mortals who were so much more entertaining.

For now though, he was not his cocurn. With Zeph busy gnawing on his horns with reckless abandonment of a dog on a bone, it left the rabbit more at ease that the mean ghost thing wasn’t yelling at it. Slowly it inched forward to sniff as what Malphas had to offer it, eventually reaching out to gently nibble before taking the smaller slab of jerky and fleeing back to it’s corner. Smiling, Mal cooed how it was such a lovely rabbit, holding out his hand after to get a small sniff before the strange dragon was back to nibbling away.

“How does Rosalie sound?” Perking up at the name, Mal was already deciding he was going to keep the rabbit and was happy she liked her name. “Yes, such a good Rosalie, you’re going to help me make this place pretty riiiiiight?”

"Kinky," Rolling his eyes, Zepher finally pulled away once he was satisfied enough that he had taken his anger out on the not quite chew toys. Thinking maybe he could make a clean get away with Mal being distracted by the giant rabbit, and having been suuuuch a 'good' boy not wiggling as much, the shade tried for his great escape.

Unfortunately for the shade, even if he could get the stranger to loosen their hold on him, the tattoos were apparently much less cooperative. Only feeling them grow tighter as if to spite him, he was starting to think Zeph's panicked thoughts would be easier to deal with bouncing around. Gently prodding the one pushed to the back, he was being quiet enough Zepher thought he might have decided to hibernate. But nope, they were apparently just quietly fawning over the giant bunny... God dammit.. as long as they were calm now. They could deal with the annoying tattoos; life experience.

Freezing for just a moment, Zeph blinked and looked around. Everything was bright and crisp again in the dark, dusty theatre compared to the shadowy void he was looking through before. Which meant.. yes! Looking over the stranger, there was the bunny that kept running away again! "Closer! Make it come closer again~!" He cooed quietly at the one that still had him wrapped up in that loud whisper that wasn't much of a whisper. All panicked thoughts of being able to get grabbed gone, the adaptable derp able to get over it surprisingly quickly Zepher noted.