Chapter Text
The Lady had been on the Maw a long time; long enough to memorize every hallway, every corridor leading into rooms upon rooms of necessities, every nook and cranny it had to offer. And, certainly, long enough to know when something was wrong.
The elevator dinged as it reached her stop, its rusty doors opening to reveal a…less than sanitary kitchen—cleanliness was not the chef’s priority when it was only to get dirtied again the next day.
….
It couldn’t hurt to clean every once and a while.
….
Muffled complaints from the next room fell silent when she stepped out. All staff on the Maw knew the Lady had no reason to go to the lower levels, instead choosing to stay in her quarters for most of the day; the sudden inspections always set them all on edge. If she were there then something must be going wrong.
….
A splat! sounded as a tomato was crushed underneath her foot. The clattering of pots and pans―an ever-present, beautiful background noise that never ceased―fell short.
Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight of the chefs. A chorus of ‘yes, ma’am?’s and ‘It’ll be just a moment, ma’am’s strung from the two; a pair of horribly disfigured, smelly, and horrid siblings with a preference for violence and the neatness of feral hogs. They had washed up on the Maw decades ago and offered a chance to work—a deal they had very eagerly snatched up. Now, they worked in the kitchens, preparing and sending meal after meal up to the guests.
“The next course should have been sent up an hour ago.”
“Right, right. It’ll be up in a moment. Right , Bill ?” The first chef gave his twin a pointed look. His brother glared at him over his shoulder, but not before giving a nervous glance towards the Lady.
“Right, Ted.”
The Lady nodded, confirming their efforts and shifting to the elevator once again, giving them a harsh note about the filthy state of the kitchen along the way.
…..
My ship has no business looking like a pigsty.
…..
The elevator dinged again as she left, taking her up a few floors to the guest’s accommodations. Tables upon tables of food lined up for them to eat their hearts out, dishes clattering as they were tossed aside, the guests bickering as food was stolen from one person to another, and the stench of hundreds of bodies all crammed together.
It made her want to throw up more than the kitchens did. The mask served to cover up a tiny bit of the smell, though it served more to cover up how much she loathed in front of her oh-so-beloved guests.
She paused as a hand tugged on the side of her kimono.
………
How dare they!?
She swallowed back her disgust as she pulled the fabric away, turning to the grotesque excuse for a creature and putting on a false sickly sweet smile.
“Is there anything you need?”
A sick, undecipherable groan came from the guest. Her smile tightened behind the mask.
“I’ll let our staff know of any concerns.”
…
Miserable creatures.
How do they live with themselves?
She made her rounds around the rest of the guests quarters, stopping when needed and handling disagreements where needed. Though, what stood out to her most however, were the nomes that ran in front of her just as she was about to leave.
Nomes never strayed to the guests quarters. Despite their puny little brains, they knew not to wander too close, lest they be snatched up and eaten by a more observant guest.
No…something was off. Through all The Lady’s observations and inspections, nothing had ever been wrong.
…
She brushed her concerns to the side after a few moments. The nomes weren’t the brightest creatures, much like the children they had been before. Why did it matter to her if they roamed too close to the guests’ chambers? There would always be more nomes and more children if there was a shortage of nomes.
Ding! The elevator went for the third time, bringing her back up to her quarters. The silence was almost heavenly, the cleanliness impeccable compared to the rest of the Maw. Her residence had always been held up to such standards; she deserved nothing, less after all.
The silence was almost too heavenly.
…
Where the hell are they?
…
Usually, as soon as she finished making her rounds throughout the ship and returned upstairs, the shadow kids would run to greet her, tell her about what kind of shenanigans they got into, to brag about protecting her residence. However, The Lady knew the shadow children of the Maw were infamous not only for catching unsuspecting kids off guard, but also having a knack for getting into trouble.
She ascended the stairs to the upper level, where most of the trouble happened—children getting lost trying to escape, stray nomes that got stuck in rooms, and the like. Whatever it was, the shadow kids would take care of it in…violent manners, more or less.
The violence was fine as long as they cleaned up after.
Tiny hushed voices hit her ears the moment she stepped foot on the second floor. One side of the hallway had stacks and stacks of books next to the wall, pleading for her to finally put them away, while the other side held a small table with nothing more than a candle, perfectly upright and never burning.
Today, it had been knocked over.
……
They must have just gone past here. I wasn’t gone very long.
…..
She was about to investigate, almost reaching the first room before a bright light shone from the middle of the room, sending several shadow kids running out and hiding behind her.
Strange. She looked down at the children, who were looking up at her with frightened looks. Nothing scares them.
….
Unless…
Her train of thought trailed off. After prying the kids off her, she cautiously stepped foot into the room. A TV blared static at her.
….
……
“Explain.” The little shadows shook their heads at her from the doorway, refusing to even step foot into the room.
“I am n-” A sudden spark pulled her attention away from them and back to the TV. She knelt down in front of it.
Sparks flew.
Static screeched throughout the room.
Pictures blared throughout her head, making her recoil.
No. Stop. It hurts it bleeds
Mmake it stop itb bleeds
Stop
S t op
……
Children, clad in yellow and brown.
Children, or monsters?