theliedpiper

The Lied Piper sat with legs crossed in the Labyrinth of Tigers' Second Coil. Behind the bars, but that was safe here, unlike in the Third Coil. Here, they were something of a cross between an employee and a celebrity.

(Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but either way, nobody bothered them.)

They hummed casually on their kazoo, feeling out pieces of melody not yet fully composed. Their mind wasn't much on it; it was just something to keep them busy while they hung out with the Somnolent Hyaena. The creature seemed to enjoy the song well enough. It kept trying to nuzzle their side, like a big cat. Maybe it liked the rat smell on them.

Or maybe it just wanted attention. Every time the Piper's masked face met those green eyes...

Their limbs weakened. They tucked the kazoo into their belt, yawning. They felt they might finally lay down for a nightmareless nap.

Of course, that wasn't exactly the plan. There was a reason they'd waited until now to come see the Hyaena, and it wasn't just because of the nightmares sparked by this week's class.

(Honestly, they weren't much worse than usual. The professor had really hyped them up too much. Twisted dreams of forgetting and betraying their friends? Bone growing over their eyes? Monsters they fought shifting to have human faces? Yeah, that was a normal Thursday. They were fine.)

"Y'know, I expected my first death to be a little more exciting." They yawned as their strength continued to drain. Maybe they should've gotten into a duel instead. But this was more efficient. Dying on its own wouldn't soothe any nightmares; it would probably just make them worse. This method would kill two birds with one stone.

Er... kill one bird and put the other to sleep...? Whatever.

"Thanks for the help." They patted the Hyaena's head blindly. "You're a real one."

They had an appointment with a dead assassin. Hopefully they'd make it back in time for next week's class.

The green light surrounding them faded, and all went black.