[PRP] behind the door (oliver & gloom)

[azuredreams]

The thing about working at the fourth wall was that people had to just accept some of the oddities. Displays would be shifted slightly sometimes come the next day (or sometimes entirely knocked over) and other times small bits of inventory would go missing.

Cid would shrug it off. Make alien hands and say ghosts before he move on to whatever he needed to do (or help a customer).

It was around closing that Oliver would notice it. The stranger than normal noises in the basement that sounded like happy chitters.

... and when he went to investigate, he'd find himself in the other ashdown version of the shop. Which, surprisingly enough, was actually an old, faded replica of it's actual self.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Ollie had come to expect a lot of the oddities, but accept them? No, no, he didn't accept them at all. Actually, it peeved him a little that s**t kept going missing, because he felt like it reflected bad on him as an employee. The last thing he needed was going onto tumblr one day and finding one of those "haul" posts with a bunch of weird comic s**t.

So when he was the only one in the store and he heard the weird noises, he armed himself with a broom and readied himself for the descent into hell (see: the basement).

...except, upon entering he found himself in the shop. Like, the first floor of the shop, but... not? Everything was faded. Old. Creepy. Derelict. Otherworld.

He shrieked before poofing into a raccoon. It wasn't the best defense mechanism, but it was his mechanism.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

The chitters continued and were most definitely louder now that Ollie was in other ashdown. Worse that they were coming from the basement, the cracked open door letting them be heard.

A light flickered, strangely a dark luminescent purple. Then a voice was heard. "Gotcha!!!" ... it was quickly followed by more chitters that definitely sounded like giggles.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver tried to repeat the same "gotcha?", but it came out as a garbled animistic chuff. His tail was bushy behind him, pelt bristling, head looking rather small against the roundness of his fluffy body. He was a very rotund looking raccoon.

He hopped a few times in place before attempting cover behind a box on the floor.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Whatever it was in the basement was not paying attention to Oliver. It was, in fact, tussling with what looked like a Tuxedo Kamen handpuppet (Cid would be so pissed; one of the few things that he actually could be cranky about). The eerie light, pulsing with shadows, illuminated things to be seen.

Though the creature in question was very much shadows himself and clearly having a field day playing in what looked like ... a sanctuary of geek and nerd toys. A small one, at least, because it was all gathered around what looked like a large kyuubey beanbag that was well used and taken care of as a bed.

Me1ancholies

 

[Melancholies]

The raccoon peeked out, his snout snuffling curiously at the scene. Oliver unfortunately did not know the value of the hand puppet, so the importance was lost on him. Still, that was his inventory! The inventory that had been steadily going missing over the course of the last week (and longer it looked like!)

Oliver wasn't going to stand for that. Play him like a fool would you? He hopped out from behind his safety, fur floofed up to the maximum as he let out a shrill, agitated sound.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom squeaked, immediately tumbling into the kyuubey beanbag with a startled chitter. The darklight went out almost immediately, shadows flooding the area and a living darkness taking over. Only the glow of his eyes, a bright white, was visible while everything was black.

"Y'shouldn't sneak up!" he squeaked out.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

You shouldn't be stealing! he desperately wanted to say in return, but instead he hopped up and down threateningly, his fur floofed, his throat still producing an impressive array of loud raccoon sounds. Even when faced with the living shadow, he continued to hop.

What else could he do, really? Run? This was his goddamn raise they were probably talking about here, and Oliver was ******** starving for income.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom sniffed at the air a moment, the shadows receding until he was visible with bits of him disappearing as they wisped away. The angry noises from the raccoon did not seem to affect him at all.

Nor the hopping.

Instead he scurried forward and touched noses with Oliver.

"Y'a moonwalker," he said, clearly distracted by this fact. One had to wonder if he was too ... Gloom to be worried or scared.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver thought for a second that his wild tactic might be working. The shadows receded and left behind a tiny marten, and Oliver was ready to go in for the kill. Unfortunately that was before Gloom dashed forward and smashed their faces together.

Oliver screamed.

Or rather, screamed as best as a raccoon could. He backed up with startling momentum and proceeded to trip over his own feet, stumbling around in an impressive display of animal drunkness. So much for being the high and mighty inventory thief slayer.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom just watched as the raccoon screeched and tumbled backwards, his own ears flicked backwards to block some of the noise. He crouched down, body flat and pressed to the ground and watched him.

Dragged himself forward little bit by little bit.

Sniffed at the air before he, in a very quiet voice, "Gloom didn't mean to scare."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver barked. Or well, made the weird raccoon equivalent to a bark. It was scratchy and squeaky and pathetic. He was flattened against the ground like a pancake, his snout snuffling a mile a minute. It looked rather comical given the expansive poof of his fur.

Tentatively he nudged forward also, slinking across the ground like a slug.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom was still pressed flat to the ground, his ears flicked back and his tail curled partly around his body. He only dragged himself forward a little bit at a time.

"Gloom is sorry," he repeated.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Ollie's nose continued to wiggle. His tail wiggled. After a while, he realized he could become a human that was easily ten times the size of the pine marten, and he wasn't exactly sure why he had shifted like this in the first place. A moment later (and weird inexplicable sensations of bones re-breaking and molding together aside), he was sitting upright as a person. He blinked slowly.

"How are you talking as an animal?" His look was total confusion.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom did not move away, instead staying close and watching as the raccoon gave way and shape to the moonwalker.

"'cause Gloom is shadows not an animal." He paused, tail swishing and shadows wisping up and off of him. Definitely still a pancake on the floor. "Gloom just likes this shape."

Melancholies