*The red light faded from the teddy bears paw as it turned to regard the girl.*

"Done nothing wrong? Dear girl, I could not possibly care less. Pierrot and Harley are just acting according to the will I gave them. Playing their parts in an endless play, never aging, never changing, repeating the steps to a dance as old as man. And the Professor? Oh, but he has done wrong....and will do wrong....he will commit sin after sin, betray trust and hope time and again....all by my command...."

*The huddled over man seemed to be sobbing into the carpet, hands clenched into fists by his balding head. The demonic bears stitched mouth twisted into a smile, his paw pointing at the collapsed figure.*

"If you care so much, go to him. Help him to his feet, show some compassion to your fellow man...."

*The bear chuckled quietly, the dolls and puppets around the room chittering and clicking along in cacophonic accompaniment as they turned their tiny heads to stare at the girl and the man huddled on the floor. Their eyes seemed to glow a dull red in the candle light, every pair moving to follow her every motion.*

Nisha moved towards the professor but in a split second she paused and ran to the bear, lashing out with her leg and sending it off the chair. It was kick perfectly executed., One even with her training didnt expect coming.

She turned her back on him before kneeling beside the professor, a hand gently touching his back beofre whispering very quietly

"Is there anything i can to to help?"

*The bear flew from the chair back, hitting the wall with a squeek and a muffled curse.*

*The Professor's head snapped up, sunglasses falling away to reveal a face no longer human, features carved of wood, eyes of glass rotating in the sockets to stare at her with a dull red glow.*

"No child....and there is nothing I can do to help you now....I'm...I'm sorry."

*One of the Professor's white gloved hands lashed out, catching her wrist and spinning her around as he stood without any signs of his former infirmity. The elderly and feeble posture, even the blindness, it had all been a ruse. The man-ikin wrapped his other arm around the girl's throat, her arm twisted behind her back painfully as she was forced to look at the teddy bear picking itself up off of the ground.*

"A feisty little mare...that kick will cost you bitch....I was going to be more lenient than is normal, but you just killed what little mercy I had for the day. Harley, Pierrot. Get up and take her arms. And Professor...remember...this is your fault. When I break this little filly to saddle, you are responsible."

*The toys lining the walls tittered and giggled as the two clown men rose, each moving to take one of her arms from the Professor, cold wooden hands gripping down tightly. Their eyes, once twinkling with mischief and good humor, were now as dull and flat as any marionette's, the same dull red glow filling them as the lifted her by her arms and dragged her across the room.*

She gought against instinct to scream or fight, knowing very well she cant defeat three at a time.

And three dolls who cant 'feel' pain are not very easy to fight with.

She breathed calmly, her eyes scaning the room for a weapon, any weapon, as she was dragged across the room. She also calculated the distance between the door and the library.

*teddy bear... stuffed toy...* She glared at the monster hatefully. There was nothing she can do for the proffessor or the other 2 now.

*these two must be taking their powers from the stupid bear...if i can* she paused as her eyes landed on the teapot.

Liquid always makes things heavy... especially stuffed toys.

Taking a carefull and calculated kick she felt china connect with her foot and fly towards the bear.

*A marionette dropped from the ceiling, cackling in a wooden voice, catching the teapot in its nerveless arms, the tea splashing down onto the floor.*

"Kee kee kee kee!"

*The bear seemed to raise a non-existent eyebrow, shaking it's fuzzy head slowly.*

"Honestly, did you think that would work? The same trick seldom fools me twice. And for this second outburst, I have a very special punishment for you. Harley, Pierrot...take her to my studio. Professor...go keep her company until I arrive. I need to be free of this shell for what I intend."

*The bear turned to the throng of chittering puppets and dolls lining the room, making soothing gestures with his paws. The dolls quieted and became lifeless once more, the red glow fading from their eyes.*

"Consider further acts of violence very carefully girl. For what I intend, you do not need a tongue....and I have no qualms about removing yours slowly and painfully. Think on that as you await my arrival."

*The bear made a dismissive gesture, walking toward an ornate chest in the corner of the room. The two marionette men dragged the girl through the outer room and into the hallway, turning down a perpendicular passage to go further into the building. Their hands felt like cold wooden vices on her arms, unyielding, unfeeling. The Professor followed, cane left behind as the ruse was no longer effective.*

"Alas fair maid, twas not to be. I fear you'll never dance with me. You have stoked the master's ire, and I fear my sweet your fate is dire."

"Enough with the damned rhyming Harley. Just take her to the room and return to your places."

*The two marionettes nodded silently to the man-ikin, pulling her through an open doorway and pushing her toward the far wall. The Professor stepped in after her, shutting the door firmly, the sound of a lock engaging from the outside audible within the dark room. He flicked on an overhead light, the shapes of statues in various states of progress becoming visible in the spartan room.*

Atleast she tried...

Nisha felt a slight pang as she heard Harley's words. she cant help but smile though... there's something about him that make her feel a little bit cheerful.

She didnt even fight when she was forced into the room. Her eyes darted quickly, looking for an escape.. or even a weapon.

She brethed soflty, closing her eyes and letting her body relax aginst the wall. She can feel the tension in her muscles... and it took quite a bit of coaxing for them to calm down.

When she can feel herself brething normaly again, feel the fear she felt pushed to the far corner in her mind, her eyes scanned the room again. She pushed herself of and traced an unfinished arm, wincing cringing slightly but admiring the smooth lines and clean curves.

*The Professor spoke softly as she wandered the cold room.*

"Why did you have to attack him? He might have let you go without hurting you...but now...*shakes his head* That was very foolish. He normally lets me handle any student who wanders in here. I could have said you escaped and he'd have accepted it. After what you did....he'll have a puppet watching the hallway. I....I truly am sorry...."

*The elderly man-ikin watched her a bit sadly, the dull red glow in his glass eyes fading slightly. He stood with his back against the door, hands laced in front of his stomach, fingers twiddling nervously.*

*The room was fairly small, having once been a storage closet. The only opening was an air vent, fan spinning rapidly inside to keep the air from stagnating. In the middle of the room stood an uneven block of stone, roughly the size of a person. Most of the half-completed statues were of girls in various states of nudity, some in the process of being assaulted by monstrous beings.*

Nisha walked closer, laying a hand on top of the professors'.

"I guess i didn't like seeing you... or the other two hurt. My only regret is i wasnt able to kick hard wnough... or drench him"

She smiled at him gently.

"I knew this is stupid.. i only met you less than an hour... but i cant help seeing anyone hurt... and the way he's been treating you ticked me off..."

"The three of you are different from the other dolls some how. You seem to have your own minds...why is that?"

*The man-ikin looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.*

"I don't see how telling you would change anything....but, Pierrot and Harley are both marionettes. Always were, always will be. The master used them as a test of investing some of his power into dolls, to make them semi-free willed. He imprinted them with personalities taken from old stories and plays, out of whimsy I suppose...."


*The man sighed, shaking his head. The red glow reappeared in his eyes faintly as he continued.*

"As for me...well, you know the story of Pinocchio, yes? Man makes doll, doll turns into real boy? I'm exactly the opposite. I was a man, a professor at this school. Almost a year ago, I was told I was going blind. I was devastated. My entire life revolved around history. Books, films, pieces of a legacy left us by our ancestors, and soon I wouldn't be able to see them. As you can imagine, I was distraught, and when the doctors were proven right, and the light faded from my world, I began to consider ending it all. Just as I was fumbling for a knife, a rope, anything to leave this world, I heard a voice. The master's voice. He offered me my vision back, and an un-aging body besides. I felt I had nothing else to lose, so I accepted his offer....and became this. A puppet with the mind of a man, bereft of my soul, that being the cost of the arrangement. I didn't believe in God before...but now I do...and I fear I have damned myself in His eyes. You see...the master can control any puppet...and now I am one. I'm little more than a slave, though he does allow me some privileges. Never forget girl, no matter how human the three of us may seem...we are monsters as surely as he is, if for no other reason than he can make us do whatever he wishes."

*The man-ikin's head turned toward the door suddenly.*

"He comes....I am sorry...I am so sorry..."

*The Professor moved to one side, bowing his head as the heavy door swung inward slowly.*

"Its not your fault" She said quietly, her face hardening. She stepped away from him and turned, her usually gentle eyes narrowing as she instinctively backed away.

You werent damned.. its just this bear that damned you

She tilted her head to the side and instincively clenched her hands. She slowly breathed to relax herself as she faced the monster that was about to step in.

*A loud scuttling noise filled the room, as if giant wooden insects filled the hall. Marionettes, puppets, dolls of all shapes and sizes burst into the room, crawling on the ceiling, the walls, flooding across the floor. All of their tiny soulless eyes glowed a hellish red as the sea of moving toys swarmed towards the girl, washing around her with unmoving smiles and reaching hands. None actually touched her, each stopping inches from skin or clothes, chittering madly as they pulled back the appendage and merged back with the writhing mass of unliving motion.*

"They are quite excited to see you, young guest. They can feel my anger at your impudence and are interested to see what I have planned for you. Only two other women have ever struck me as you did. One is likely dead now, and the other will soon wish she was. You....I have not decided yet...but until I do...there is a little project you can help me with.

*Following the tide of toys was a terrible sight, a man sized and shaped figure, stripped of skin, muscles glistening wetly. Ropy green veins crisscrossed the toned muscles, pulsing slightly in time with the creatures breathing. Two great black rams horns sat on his temples, curling inward back towards his face. His eyes were like twin voids in the air, like looking at the space between the stars, bereft of light or humanity. Large black wings were folded on his back, giving the impression of a leathery cape swinging behind him. Four black x's stitched of coarse black thread lined the middle of his chest, mirrors of the markings on the chest of the teddy bear from before. Taloned toes clicked steadily on the stone floor as the puppet army herded her into the middle of the room, her feet almost tripping as she stepped onto a pedestal.*

"But, how rude of me....not to introduce myself when you are an honored guest in my humble abode....you may call me Akki...or master...whichever you prefer. And you are....Nisha, yes?"

She felt herself quail underneath his gaze. She was utterly disgusted by the way he looked, at the way he was formed.

If there was a picture for monster in the dictionary it would be this....

"Thedas to you..." She hissed in contempt hiding her fear in a mask of anger. "i dont think i gave you permision to use my first name now did I?"

"And as for you name... how about monster?" She snirked, her eyes glittering. "Akki doesnt really suit you....and master? Please. There's only ONE monster in the campus that i can call that."

"Hmm...just as feisty as that other one. Ah well. She broke eventually. And a firey mare is better than a docile one, once broken to saddle. I am curious as to which beast you are willing to apply that title. Perhaps I've met them..."

*As the demon spoke, he slowly circled the girl, the mass of dolls parting to allow him through, then moving back together in his wake. They chittered and rubbed their heads against his legs like affectionate cats, before turning back to stare at the girl. Akki sounded perfectly calm, his tone one of almost idle boredom.*

"I suppose it doesn't matter. Oh. That reminds me, you wouldn't happen to sing, would you?"

Nisha raised an eyebrow. Out side she seems so calm and in contoll but in reality she's quite nervous.

She's always seem people try this tactic... and fail. Keeping up a front. She knew either way themonster would get what it wants... and she was determined not to give it so easilly.

"Unfortunately i cant..." she replied. "I'm not a singer... nor an arts person"

"Ah well. Too much to hope for I suppose. I do rather enjoy the sound of a young girl's voice raised in song. A pity. You will have to amuse me some other way. Now....since you have been quite rude to me in my own home, I am going to require a small obeisance of you. Remove your clothing, or have it removed from you. I leave that choice to you."

*The demon stopped his pacing turning to watch her, arms crossed over his vein lined chest. His horned head cocked to one side, as if curious to see what she would do. The dolls around his feet chittered and danced to be so close to him, cavorting and gamboling like small wooden children.*