"I came down this way earlier, doors are locked." Joab states plainly, standing impatiently before the dining hall's still closed entrance.

  "How long ago did you try?" Jezee asks.

  "I don't know, forty-five minutes...an hour, maybe?"

  "Are you blind, illiterate or just stupid? There's literally a sign right here..." remarks Lily, dripping with snark as she motions to a nearby notice detailing hours of operation, "You didn't even read it, did you?"

  "You're being awfully lippy for someone whose stuffed head would look great on my wall, you mouthy doe."

  "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I was a stag? Or is your grasp on biology just as flimsy as your grasp on bill payments?"

  "C-can we just keep moving...please?" Jez stammers, trying not to notice the tall woman's intensifying glow.

  Lily merely smirks, turning towards the entrance,

  "Well, since you asked so nicely..."

  She promptly gives the doors a good knock, having barely the time to retract her hand when a thin latch in the wood slides open. A large, inky black orb peers out at them through the darkness, bordered by what looks to be metal plating of some kind,

  "Ahk' nierhla?"

  The voice is strange; a bit gutteral and almost tinny.

  "Let us in, Blake; we're here to see Nick." Demands Lily with the kind of familiarity one might have with an old coworker.

  The being takes a second to reply, letting out a short huff,

  "Shu'ma, tasqoy na si'eh."

  The maroon woman places a dainty hand to her well-pronounced chest, as if almost offended,

  "Well, not if you ask like that, you cybernetic abomination."

  The being's tone quickly shifts from cold and hungry to teasingly apologetic,

  "Aww, padoh ni tolel. Pei' rohkiu sia kassn'u o'shem."

  Lily smiles, sprouting a look of mischief,

  "Oh, Blake...you know just how to make a gal feel special..."

  Before anyone else can interject, she grasps the bottom of her crop top, the reds in her skin contrasting sharply against the rich blue of the fabric as she promptly lifts, shamelessly presenting what lays beneath. For a moment, Blake offers little more than silence. The being's beady black eye simply stares, seemingly content before muttering to himself and shutting the latch,

  "...mir ley'sah."

  The dampened clanging of metal components is then heard before the thick wooden door begins to shift. Its movements are slow as it gradually swings open, revealing a dark hallway on the other side, its far end glowing with a subtle amber hue.

  Lily confidently leads the way in, her tone flirtatious as ever,

  "Thanks, Blakey."

  "...is that how you sneak into all the parties?" Joab asks, following suit.

  "Why, is there one in your pants you'd like me to crash?"

  "I'm not talking to you for the next five minutes."

  The corridor feels oddly cool, moreso than any other part of the resort thus far...and Joab can't help but wonder if perhaps it may have to do with where they're headed. According to Lily, the embodiment of his unchecked anger made its dwelling in the lower levels of the mindscape, an area with only a single way in or out. This, oddly enough, happened to be the dining hall, within which was apparently a doorway into the basement. Once more, Joab attempts to wrestle his anxiety into submission, doing everything he can to not overthink the situation.

  The muted creaking of oven doors, rumbling dishwashers and the sharp clatter of plates and cutlery begins to fill more and more of the air as they approach the tunnel's exit. Amongst the kerfuffle, Joab notices a new, unfamiliar voice; loud, boisterous, jovial, but above all else...hungry. Nearing the threshold, his eyes increasingly adjust to the warm glow of what certainly does look to be some kind of dining hall, one whose airspace buzzes with speedy little mechanized servants not at all unlike what he witnessed in Lily's room. His attention is stolen rather quickly, however, as his eyes land on an enormous mound of miscellaneous junk piled against the centre far wall, upon which is seated...

  "More steamed Brussel sprouts please, and could I have another order of those delectable pork buns? A-and if it isn't too much trouble, I would love another serving of that delicious slow-cooked lamb..." The enormous man chuckles almost menacingly, politely wiping his face with a dainty elegance, "...w-with a side of cow tongue soup, and enough inari to feed a small army!"

  A gluttonous cackle escapes the fat, ogrish creature as his robotic minions continue to serve him enormous platters of food in a virtually endless stream. The scene was nothing short of cartoonish, from the bustling servants to the ginormous, well-dressed man seated upon a throne of appliances, clothing and all manner of random goods. Joab feels himself nearly overwhelmed by a mixture of bewilderment and disgust.

  ...gee, that's flattering... he grumbles internally, Let me guess: you represent my insatiable desire for moderation. Good God, man, I cannot wait to figure out how to get rid of you all...

  It doesn't take long for the man's attention to turn to the three newcomers as they enter the hall. A rather friendly smile spreads across his portly face as he leans forward, raising a few clawed fingers to adjust his glasses,

  "Ahhh, Lilith! Truly you are a sight for aching, hungry eyes- ...and Jezebella, it has simply been too long! Oh, who is this mysterious third party I see with you?"

  Fighting back a slight reluctance, Joab steps to the front, fully revealing himself. The massive being's eyes widen considerably,

  "Wh- ...Joab Uriah Neeson...in the flesh...?" The air practically rumbles as he lets out an astonished laugh, "Remarkable...extraordinary! I simply cannot believe my eyes! It would appear that I owe you an apology, Jezebella; you were right all along, hah-hah...brilliant!"

  His focus quickly turns as one of the myriad servants approaches, carefully setting down another platter of steaming food nearby,

  "Oh, is that the four-cheese lasagna I ordered? Wondrous! I-if you have a moment, go fetch four chalices and a barrel of our finest meritage, please...it would be rude to leave such esteemed guests empty-handed."

  Jezebella suddenly seems to perk up,

  "...wine?"

  "We need to get into the basement." Joab's delivery is cold and direct. Many of the soaring minions turn their heads almost in shock, as if some kind of unspoken boundary had just been pushed.

  The corpulent entity seems rather unbothered as he swallows a large fish whole,

  "No."

  A spike of indignation flares up within the young man,

  "...excuse me?"

  "It simply cannot be done. My throne rests firmly in its path, and it will not be moving any time soon."

  An awkward pause lingers before Joab speaks again,

  "If I make Lily flash you, will you let us through?"

  The maroon woman blinks, wearing a baffled look,

  "...'make' me?"

  "Oh, Mr. Neeson, the impropriety!" The large entity recoils, "You must have me confused for some kind of...erm...sexual fiend."

  "Watch it, hippo." Lily hisses.

  The plump man continues, "No, no, no, no, I don't care much for such things...my joy in life is cuisine, sustenance, food of all kinds; from every people, every culture, every background, every palate...it is all just so wonderful! Without it, one cannot live their life...nor would it be a life worth living."

  "Please, Nick," Jezee begs, floating a little closer, "...we need to get through."

  "For my own sake as well as your own, an open passageway to the tunnels cannot be allowed to occur. T'Rahd is...how you say...not entirely fond of visitors."

  The anger quickly rising within the young man becomes nigh impossible to ignore as it threatens to bubble over,

  "You obviously don't understand; this is important!"

  "Unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice...either I remain as I am and continue to have the tunnels sealed off...or, I remove the barrier and allow violence and blind aggression to reign supreme..." he leans in, taking on a rather stern tone as he peers over his glasses, "...not in my kitchen, not in my dining hall...not...on...my...watch."

  He slowly reclines, feeling as if the point had been made,

  "The answer is no."

  Joab wasn't sure if he could stop what was about to happen. Without warning, he speedily starts towards the throne, drawing a long carving knife from the breast of a large roast chicken. No longer truly in control of himself, he quickly scales to reach the enormous man, utterly devoid of hesitation as he places the blade against his fat throat,

  "Wh- Mr. Neeson-"

  "Shut up. Shut up!!"

  The room falls into a thick, dead silence as the many robotic minions become frozen in distress. Jezebella hovers wide-eyed alongside Lily who, even in her arrogant indifference, struggles to hide her shock.

  "Now you listen here, you breathing tub of lard..." Joab snarls, "My journey may have only just begun, but I am not about to have it snuffed out early by some gluttonous swine who thinks he's doing the world a favor!"

  The tension in the dining hall thickens. The young man continues through heavy breaths, scowling and laser-focused,

  "This may be your kitchen...but it's my mind. Now, you're going to open that passageway and let us through, or so help me, God...I will gut you like the sedentary hog that you are."

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  A pregnant silence once more befalls them, but is promptly broken as Nick sprouts a menacing grin the width of Joab's torso, multiple rows of pointed, chisel-like teeth on full display,

  "...of course! A-anything for our wondrous host."

  A few rapid snaps of his leathery fingers bring his minions back to attention,

  "Remove the barrier."

  Without a split second's hesitation, the drones obey, swarming the base of the makeshift throne. The heaping mound is slowly moved to the side, revealing a gaping hole in the wall bearing host to little more than darkness. Nick politely motions to the entryway as if to usher them through,

  "As per your request."

  Knife still in hand, Joab climbs down from the junk throne and starts for the shadowy entryway, followed right after by Lily and Jez.

  "Once you're in, the entrance will have to be sealed behind you. Call out when you wish to return." Nick explains, his minions already beginning to return the mounding pile to its original position, "I hope you know what you're doing."

  The young man does not respond as the light around fades to near nothingness, he and his companions disappearing along with it as they are swallowed by darkness. A fresh silence graces them for but a few precious seconds before it is abruptly interrupted by Lily's flirtatious voice snaking through the blackness,

  "My, my, Jo-Jo...that was quite the display of aggression just now, beautifully dusted with little sprinkles of meanness here and there..." an amused, almost cute chuckle escapes her, "...such a delicious little sandwich of fury and spite."

  "Please don't encourage...that." Joab replies, a slight embarrassment taking ahold of him as he slowly begins to simmer down.

  "What? Are you clinically insane?" The lustful embodiment retorts in disbelief, "That was hot!"

  "It's exactly the kind of behavior I'm looking to put in the past. I would've preferred that neither of you had witnessed it, but...what are you gonna do? "

  "I can't believe you! You let out the tastiest side of yourself for the briefest of moments, and then turn and act like it's somehow a problem not one minute later?! Why do you gotta leave me so blue-balled, you little tease?"

  The darkness gradually begins to break as Lily's signature red glow slowly reappears.

  "Why do you assume everything's about you, you haughty mattress?" The young man snarls.

  "Have you already forgotten who I am, Jo-boy?"

  "No, but that'd be one hell of a blessing!"

  "Aww, muffin, you don't mean that..." the maroon entity purrs, her luminescence growing brighter, "we all know you find me irresistible."

  "In your dreams, deer lady."

  "Mm, indeed...now why don't you get down on your knees and make it real?"

  The young man fails to hold back his anger any longer,

  "Okay, y'know what? If you're just gonna be a soul-sucking antagonist, then do me a solid and just kill me now. You've got the whole obnoxious sociopath shtick down to a fine science, so if you really are just a 'reflection' of me or whatever, then why not take the next logical step and add a little violence into the mix?"

  "Any brute with an IQ squarely around room temperature can swing an axe or take a crowbar to someone's knees..." an unsettling sight begins to unfold as an additional jaw sprouts from below Lily's mouth, its own unique voice whispering in tandem with hers as she creeps closer, "...but getting under someone's skin? Diving deep into their psyche and pressing on the widest, bloodiest, most infected wound you can find? Now that takes skill."

  Joab swallows, trying to hide his unease, "That's pure evil."

  "That's pure you, idiot; we're all pieces of you, remember? You just acknowledged it."

  "I don't have to take any of this, you snide whore."

  The maroon creature grins, the second jaw's crooked daggers dimly lit by her sinister red glow, "Ahh, case in point; twas merely a taste, but so readily it shines!"

  "Oh, tighten your collar and step off!" The young man snaps back, footsteps echoing dryly off of the concrete as he promptly continues further into the tunnel.

  "Oh, I love feisty men." Lily sighs blissfully, bone and muscle shifting alike as her second mouth disappears back under her skin.

  "He isn't feisty, Lily, you're just a bully." Jezee comments, following along as they start after Joab.

  "Why don't you go fly into a window, little birdie?"

  "Okay, that was uncalled for." The pastel blue woman huffs, increasing her speed as she floats off.

  "Watch your head!" The maroon entity calls out mockingly.

  The mild glow from Jezebella's eyes doesn't do much to pierce the shadowy surroundings, but is just enough to make out a few surrounding details as she catches up to Joab. Hesitation dominates her tongue as she floats alongside him, his very stride radiating with agitation.

  "Hey..." She finally breathes, surprised at how fast she found the courage to speak.

  "...hey."

  "...I'm...sorry for Lily."

  He scoffs,

  "Yeah. I'm sorry for her, too."

  "Wha- No, no, I meant I'm sorry about her."

  "It's alright..." he sighs, looking back to the tall woman now trailing close, "Some people are just insufferable."

  Lily smirks, "Oh, like you don't enjoy a bit of mean girl every once in a while."

  "Yeah, 'once in a while' being the key phrase, you buckshot catcher."

  "Yeesh, another deer insult? Hoof could've seen that coming?"

  Jezee's eyes drift to the floor, clutching her upper arm timidly,

  "It's best to just ignore her...there's no point trying to get her to stop."

  "Yeah," Lily pipes up, "I take orders from only one person, me."

  "Is that so, General Solo?" Joab rolls his eyes, quickly turning his attention back to Jez, "Ignore her, huh? Just how exactly does one achieve that? "

  He suddenly finds himself lurching forward as the maroon woman jumps and latches onto him from behind, the faint smell of red wine reaching his nose as her silky voice fills his ears, "With great difficulty, it's nigh impossible."

  "Get off me, Lily!" He growls as he twists and thrashes, throwing the entity off.

  "Wait, you don't like it from behind?"

  The young man sighs, more irritated that the woman had landed on her feet than anything else.

  "Who could I have gotten that confused wi-" Lily cuts herself off mid-sentence, wearing a feigned realization, "Hey, Jez-"

  "No, Lily."

  "Oh, come now, little birdie; with an oversized booty like that, how could you not want people to play around with it?"

  A fierce, dark blue blush takes over Jezebella's gentle features as she attempts to obscure her self-consciousness,

  "I-it's not oversized!"

  "Awe, bashful little kitten...you afraid Jo-Jo might notice and turn you into a quivering mess?"

  "OKAY." Joab raises his voice, feeling more awkward by the second.

  "S-shut up, Lily!"

  "Oh, don't act like you're not already thinking about it..." The fiercely glowing woman continues, an abrasive edge creeping into her voice, "I see the way you look at him with those timid little 'pick me' eyes, you slut."

  "I am not a slut!"

  "I suppose you're right...that usually involves being attractive first."

  Jezebella appears to pale, slightly,

  "Wh- ...I- I am attractive!"

  Lily narrows her eyes, her voice lowering as her second jaw once more becomes visible,

  "...even you're not stupid enough to believe that."

  The floating woman's teary eyes are impossible to miss in the malicious red glow,

  "I...I can't be around you!"

  A short silence descends upon the remaining two as Jezebella floats off down the corridor. Joab turns to the tall woman, an angry grit entering his tone,

  "What is your actual problem, Lily?"

  With both mouths wearing toothy grins, the entity reaches out as though offering a handshake,

  "Hi, embodiment of mean-spiritedness; perhaps we've met?"

  "I'm not screwing around here; watching you torment everyone within your spiteful range is seriously getting old."

  "Oh, you are such a hypocrite; you've practically made a sport out of hurting those around you...why is it suddenly such a moral tresspass when I do it?"

  "Just give it a rest, Lily." He sighs, resuming his walk, "...I think she's had enough."

  An air of mischief crosses the entity's features as she follows, her second jaw retracting,

  "...there's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "...oh my...oh my, oh my, oh my!"

  "What?"

  Lily can't help placing her hands to her cheeks in mock glee,

  "Our stoic little white knight has a crush!"

  "...WHAT."

  She shakes her head with a chuckle, the young man's attempts to sound offended not at all lost on her,

  "Odd choice, Jo-boy. You know she's just a piece you, right? I mean, I embody pride, and even I think that's weird."

  "Weird?? You've been tryin' to get in my pants since the moment we met!"

  "Lust and romance are not the same thing, you dunce...that being said, if you think for a second that I can't tell when you're lying to me about attraction, you're a moron."

  Once more, Joab stops. He immediately pivots, giving the entity a look that wished it could kill a thousand times over,

  "What do you want me to say, Lily?! You want me to open up to you and expose all of my 'wide, bloody, infected' wounds for you to poke at? Or perhaps you'd just like me to roll over and take it like a good dog? I know you'd love nothing more than to break me down and suck the life clean out of me like the twisted energy vampire that you are...but I think you'd do well to remember why I'm here. Once my anger is taken care of, Lily...you're next."

  The tall woman leans in with her signature unflinching smile, eyes half-lidded,

  "...you want to get with Jezee and her thick, juicy thighs...don't you, you dirty boy?"

  "I am done talking to you."

  A snarky swoon escapes Lily's lips as she watches him start back down the corridor,

  "...ohh, how I love our conversations."

  A fierce but familiar anger pulses through Joab as he makes his way through the dark, doing his best to avoid occasional obstacles as he attempts to navigate the near total blackness. It was strange; anger was most assuredly nothing new to him, but righteous indignation, especially over the mistreatment of someone other than himself...that was something he had not felt in years. Jezebella was a bit odd and a little annoying, but she didn't deserve the kind of treatment being given to her...not by a long shot.

  ...and the deer lady has the gall to claim to be a part of me...she's little more than a parasite, a cyst or tumor. Once I figure out how to cut her out...she's gone.

  After a few minutes of careful walking, he happens upon a staircase extending further down into even thicker shadow, its darkness offset by Jezebella's pastel blue complexion as she sulks nearby. He slowly approaches the woman as she sits huddled against a wall, head down,

  "...hey."

  A moment passes before there's a response,

  "...hey."

  "You, uh...you gonna be alright?"

  "...yeah, I'm just upset, that's all...I-I'll be okay." Her shaky tone betrays her reassurance.

  "You shouldn't have to put up with that."

  "She's never going to stop...it's not by her nature. It's literally who she is."

  With that, a familiar silence takes to the air. The young man falls into debate with himself for a moment, wrestling with whether or not to break it. This feeling, this...sympathy...was a sensation he hadn't realized he had gone so long without. How long had he been so cold?

  "Y'know," he finally breathes into the stillness, "being a therapist was never my strongsuit, but...if...if you ever need to rant or whatever, I...I'll listen. I mean, I'm not sure how much good it'll-"

  "You will?"

  Jezebella's seafoam green eyes teem with what Joab can only think to describe as a 'sweet, cautious vulnerability'. He meets her gaze, suddenly feeling a little put on the spot,

  "...yeah...yeah, I will."

  "Promise?"

  "I promise."

  A rather cute smile takes ahold of Jez as she leans in, wrapping her arms around him,

  "...thank you."

  The young man hesitates for a moment before returning the gesture; though it wasn't expected, he certainly was not about to complain,

  "Yeah...don't mention it."

  For a minute or two, a much more amicable quietness takes over as they rest in each other's warmth. The way Joab feels the entity's wavy, silver-white locks tickling his fingers as his hands sink into her soft waist, the way her pastel blue skin contrasts with his own subtle olive tint...it was strangely pleasant. For a being meant to embody dislikeable traits, Jezebella certainly wasn't unapproachable. The slightest pang of dread begins to slither its way through the young man as he remembers that he'll eventually have to dispose of her...

  Don't get attached, idiot, he scolds himself internally, we're here for one reason and it's not to make friends.

  "So, are we just gonna sit here and be a bunch of sappy knob-heads, or are we gonna get moving?"

  Lily's unabashed ability to kill the enjoyment of the moment was so agonizingly on brand. Slowly, Joab breaks away from Jezee's embrace, suppressing the urge to snap back,

  "No...no, we're moving; let's go."

  Without any further ado, the trek into the thickening shadow continues as they descend into the nearby stairwell. The pocked, grey concrete surrounding them feels as if it wishes to suck the life dry from their bodies, the staircase itself feeling more like some kind of mouth or throat for the traveling morsels as they make their way down into whatever horrid depths await. Joab swallows, trying to think of something to say as a means of ignoring the unease building inside,

  "So, this angry guy...do we have any idea where he is?"

  "T'Rahd?" Lily replies, "It's anyone's guess, there's no way to know for sure...you do realize we're in great danger just being here, right?"

  "...is he really that bad?"

  "No, we just keep him locked him away for fun. Come on, Jo-Jo, use that thick skull of yours; you saw how the elephant man protested...he did not want to move that throne."

  "Any idea how long we're gonna have to search for?"

  "Uh, no. The only thing anyone can really tell you about these tunnels is that they're vast, dangerous, and horribly built. I don't know who in their right mind thinks that four and a half square kilometers of randomly segmented corridors is a good design choice, but-"

  The stuttering shuffle of Joab's feet grinding to a sudden halt cuts Lily short,

  "Wait, wait, back up...four and a half square kilo- What the hell?? That is utterly absurd! You have to be joking..."

  The embodiment's condescending grin was anything but a surprise,

  "Oh, my sweet, innocent, darling summer child...the subconscious mind is a veritable ocean in its own right, virtually endless, its known edges extending as far as your deepest traumas and then some."

  "...y'know, this would've been very useful information to have had earlier."

  "Oh, like it would've impacted your decision to come. Look, whatever the case, we're here now, so let's quit acting like a couple of hosers and grab this bull by the horns! Besides...second to myself, obviously, this whole situation is easily the most interesting thing to have happened around here in a very long time...if you honestly think that I'm going to let my fun be snuffed out this early into its development, you're dumb."

  Joab lets out an amused and bewildered huff,

  "Well, since you're apparently such a keener, feel free to lead the way. Besides, if nothing else, these halls are dark and your skin glows whenever you piss me off, so...get to steppin', minx."

  "Don't mind if I do." The maroon woman replies through a proud smile, promptly taking the lead.