After a few turbulent pushes, the door is forced open with a crackling whine. From the impenetrable darkness of the outside, a shivering figure steps into the tavern. Thin lips behind dust grey hair formed a small frown at the cobwebs collecting dust on the barren shelves behind the bar. Rain water drips continuously from his sleeves and pantlegs pooling into a puddle around bare feet. The figure twists the edges of its cloak, splattering a small torrent of rainwater onto the creaking floorboards. Despite it’s best efforts, the figure remained soaking wet and instead settled for crossing his arms for warmth, of which there was none. Seeing as he was the first to arrive, the figure pulled out a stool from the only unbroken table and sat down with a squish.
The second to arrive was shrouded under embroidered black linens with a body hunched into a twisted question mark. Only a wrinkled, malformed arm jutted out from underneath the linens to wipe away tears from whatever wept endlessly beneath an inky-black veil. The soaked figure payed it no heed and continued to tap his finger on the tabletop.
The third entered noiselessly through a window. It crawled through on many arms, a headless amalgam of limbs which slammed against the floor once its elongated body fully slid itself through the window before pulling itself to the table.
The fourth had the appearance of a shapely woman in a ball gown. However, upon closer inspection one would notice the lifeless porcelain skin and ball joints that forced her to move in a jerky fashion. She peeked over the ornate fan she held to her rigid face with a pair of lifeless sea-blue eyes.
The fifth was simply a charred corpse with a fiery scarlet crown that hovered over its head.
As each new member took its seat, the soaked figure exaggerated his tapping until finally he broke the silence, “Figures the fool would be late to his own meeting.” The four remained silent. “Nobody showed up anyways so why should he bother right. Does that joker even know how suspicious it is for us to convene like this? ”
The porcelain doll answered with a metallic voice of grinding gears. “Silence drowned one, the others will watch.”
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“Lady of whispers with all due respect those gathered here today are no small fish, i'm sure both factions are already observing us. In fact, I bet we might even hear from them soon with how feverent their conflict has been lately.”
“Nonsense” The mourning one croaked between sobbs. “Aged are we that even our names have faded to time. We outsiders have held ourselves impartial as far back as even before the age of creation. Even they, foolish as their feeble minds may be, should understand our purpose in keeping balance. They will do nothing, just like their predecessors before them. Their petty squabbles between order and chaos are beneath us.” The mourning one seemed to hunch deeper into its sorrow.
The mass of arms shuddered in agreement, and the charred corpse remained motionless. The drowned one, noticing that silence had fallen upon the room once more stood up from his stool. “So we all agree that the idiot wastes our time.”
As the drowned one rose to leave, an unexpected mock came from the table. “Balance, must be kept. Order and chaos will continue to feud as we stand aside to hold everything together right?” The new member of the table rested his feet on the table and leaned his chair back. “How dull, how boring.” The man donned the clothes of a filthy vagrant. He was of an indiscernible age and had vague facial features. The only part of him that stood out was a pair of clouded white eyes that gazed through eternal oblivion.
The drowned one, unsurprised, grimaced at the blind featureless man “Well if it isn’t the exile. For someone of true sight you sure have a dangerous habit of making us wait. We were about to take our leave.”
The exile smiled first at the drowned one and then to the others at the table. “Oh, on the contrary I think they will stay. After all, they wouldn’t risk being here in the first place if they didn’t think what I had to say wasn’t worthwhile.”
“Nonsense” The drowned one began walking towards the door, but looked back in confusion when the others failed to follow.
“Always the short sighted one little brother.” The exiled laughed and then turned to the table with open arms. “Excuse my tardiness friends, some preparation was required for what is to come”
“Enough with the small talk, out with it Exile,” coughed the mourning one.
“Our faith dwindles Exile, your debts to us increases evermore” The lady of whispers moved one of her blue eyes to look at the vagrant.
“Oh, i'm sure you’ll love this” The vagrant pulled a trinket of metallic hoops from beneath it’s cloak. The runes on the hoops burned an eerie violet that reflected his clouded eyes.