The Dollmaker

Stefano's body clock had told him it was finally time to get up on his feet. But with her mentor busy gallivanting somewhere, he wasn't really in the mood to train alone.

Opting instead to sink his head into the pillow, just a few more minutes of shut-eye wouldn't hurt. Or so he thought…

"Ouch!"

The cleric was in for a rude awakening as his eyes were forced open by the stinging sensation on his forehead.

His painful shout was quickly drowned out by the laughter of a certain mermaid. In her right hand was a spoon, the instrument of her mischief.

"Did you just fucking hit me in the head with a spoon? You Goddamned mermaid!" Stefano's irritation was palpable as he rubbed his temple.

"Wake up, big adventure tomorrow. Help me get runes."

Then, Gloria rolled out of Stefano's room humming.

On the upside, there was already breakfast prepared on the table. Bread and fried eggs, with juice on the side.

As Stefano sat down and took a bite, he was still a bit miffed by the mermaid's little prank. His tone calm, but there was a bit of resentment underneath, "Next time you're going to wake me up, please don't spoon my forehead. A simple nudge on my shoulders will do."

"You mad?" Gloria grinned, obviously trying to vex the cleric. "Eat fast, we go to Augustia."

"Of course I would be mad!"

+++

"For the last time, Gloria, I am not hopping on your lap."

Right outside their apartment, the two bickered on the side of the road. Stefano's demeanor was resolute, he will never concede to the mermaid's ludicrous suggestion.

"Why not? We get there faster!"

Granted the reason for Gloria's suggestion was far from being utilitarian, he only wanted to boast how fast her ride can go. With Stefano on her lap to witness it.

"I'm not going to sit on your lap, or anyone's for that matter!"

Was it the emasculation? Some part of it might be. But aside from that, hitching a ride on a wheelchair just seemed awfully wrong. Even if that wheelchair was state of the art and magically forged.

"Oookay." Gloria smirked.

Was that the end of it? Stefano highly doubted it. As a matter of fact, that grin on the mermaid's face told him that she was up to her old mischievous tricks again.

Stefano gestured with both of his fingers, pointing to the mermaid, "I'm keeping my eye on you, stay there as I wait for our carriage."

There was a moment of silence shared between the two. Gloria's sly smile remained, heaping the unease in Stefano's chest. That unease would soon pile up and bury him, turning into dread as he was swept off his feet without warning.

Slipping past his vision and into his blindside, the mermaid used her wheelchair to tackle him!

Giving him no time to protest, Gloria immediately took to the road, passing by carriages and wagons.

Winds howled past Stefano's cheek as he held on Gloria's neck for dear life.

"Euegheugehug…" his screams turned into a blurb as their speed fast approached 60 miles per hour.

Stefano gawked in horror as he saw the curve ahead, while his 'ride' wasn't even intent on slowing down the slightest. The cleric closed his eyes, bracing for impact into the house straight ahead.

The runes inscribed Gloria's wheels lit up purple. Inducing friction by gravity, the same magic that let her scale effortlessly through stairs, allowed her to make a sharp turn that race horses would envy.

In a city ripe with all kinds of magic and all manners of creatures. The citizens of Elaria had a high tolerance for what they considered absurd. Yet all passerbys turned their heads, you would be too when a mermaid going 60 on a wheelchair carrying a man suddenly drifted in front of you.

+++

"I don't understand, why would you give it the ability to go that fast!?"

Chart in hand, the dwarf sitting in her desk littered with magical trinkets received Stefano's complaint.

"Why shouldn't I give it that ability? If anything, that would allow yer mermaid friend over here to safely disengage from any danger."

"What danger!?" Stefani exclaimed, obviously remaining riled at the circumstance of how he arrived into the dwarf's workshop. "She is the danger! Have you seen how destructive the cannons you've attached to that wheelchair are? If you can still call that thing a wheelchair."

"Oh, ya ain't seen nothing yet, that chair could still improve."

The mermaid beamed at Augustia's words. The possibility of causing more mayhem delighted her so.

Stefano defeatedly sighed, "By Mithra, please don't."

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder. He turned around to see Jared giving him an encouraging smile, or at least that's what Stefano thought it was.

"You have got to go with the flow my dude, worrying too much is totes bad for the circulation of your chakra."

Hunching his forehead, Jared's ridiculous hairstyle along with that smile that's brighter than the sun did the opposite of encouragement for Stefano.

"What the fuck is a chakra? And would you please tell me how you are so laid back all the time?"

"That's like, the internal energy swelling within you, my man. Like I said, just groove with the current, don't swim against it."

Jared's answer confused Stefano even more. Was chakra just another name for mana? Groove with the current? Maybe if he just pretended to care he would leave him alone.

Stefano gestured his hand on top of Jared's shoulder, with a mock look of inspiration on his face, the cleric said…

"Great advice, so glad I went into this workshop to receive your wisdom instead of relaxing at home."

+++

With plenty of time to spare after Gloria stocked up on her runes, the duo decided to roam around the busy city.

They came across a newly opened shop that teetered on the bizarre. How bizarre? Its front display was filled with life sized mannequins.

A human in Knight's armor. A wood elf wearing a verdant green dress. A tiefling wearing a ball gown.

All life-like, all creepy. For Stefano that is. His companion seemed more than eager to check out the other display inside.

"Go in!" The enthused mermaid was ready to head inside.

"I don't know Gloria, don't these mannequins freak you out at all?"

The look of unease on Stefano's visage was prevalent, as if the mannequins would attack them once inside. But to Gloria, there was no basis as to why he would feel that way. The mannequins were clearly made for purchase, and though she wasn't looking to purchase one, she can't help the urge to admire the craftsmanship up close.

"Pffft. No worry, we look inside quick then leave."

Gloria strolled in the shop with Stefano close behind her.

Both of their eyes widened but for purely different reasons.

To Gloria she was astonished as to how each of the rows of mannequins, all belonging to different races, were clearly made by the hands of a master artist.

To Stefano, the uncanny valley sensation that the surrounding dolls provoked within him made his heart sink. It wasn't just unease anymore that he's feeling, it was…fear.

"Welcome, you two. Any particular doll you would like to purchase?"

The appearance of the smiling young man with auburn hair snapped Stefano out of his frightened faze. His tone courteous, while his face particularly handsome. His black coat along with his undershirt and pants was gaudy enough to be considered that of a noble's.

"Where are my manners? I am Izma, the owner of this humble mannequin shop." Izma approached both of them, his hands hoisted behind his back along with his dignified gait meant that he was of a high pedigree.

"I have a question, please don't take this the wrong way, but…why mannequins?" Stefano didn't want to offend the affable man, but he clearly wanted to know the reason for such a talented individual to consign himself to making purely dolls.

"Hmmm. The market for marble statues are oversaturated, and while I am aware that my mannequins are clearly not for everyone, they have a certain charm to them. Don't you agree?"

(No, I don't fucking agree. These dolls are CREEPY.) "Ahhh, yeah. Sure. Definitely."

I mean, both of them aren't going to buy anything, Stefano would do well to return the pleasantries offered to them by Izma and keep his mouth shut about how his dolls bothered the cleric to his core.

"We have no money to buy, but your dolls look good!"

The praise that Gloria gave made Izma chuckle.

"What a shame. I thought I would finally have my first customer since moving to this city." Izma's eyes locked in on the mermaid. "Say, little mermaid. Would you like to model as one of my mannequins? I've never made a mermaid before."

Obviously admiring the mermaid's beauty, Izma's hand moved on his own to brush Gloria's hair, all in order to feel what material he would need to replicate such lovely strands.

Be that as may, Gloria being touched out of the blue immediately reversed the duo's high opinion on Izma.

As soon as Gloria was about to slap his hand away, it surprised her that Stefano was faster, the cleric wrangled Izma's wrist away.

The smile on Izma's lips did not fade, but the look of animosity within his eyes foretold his ire, "Unhand my wrist, cretin."

"Apologize first." Not to be outdone, Stefano's gaze harbored hatred, one uncondoned by the teachings of his religion.

Izma chortled, "For what, touching her hair? She should be honored to be touched by an artisan such as I."

The surroundings creaked.

They were the sound of ball joints moving.

They were the sound of magical automatas ready to murder with a single command.

They were the sound of all the mannequins turning their heads to Stefano, peering at him with their blank eyes.

Izma's free hand revealed the platinum lionhead necklace hidden underneath his shirt, "Last warning. Unhand me, or else."

What would Stefano's friends have done? If it was Antani's hair that had been touched, Ellamir would have broken his jaw first and dealt with the consequences later. Yulia might be the peaceful sort but he guessed that she's obviously not going to back down at his threats.

And what about him? What could he do against an adventurer several ranks above him? Nothing. Burning anger at both his powerlessness and the man before him melted the fear in Stefano's heart as his hold on Izma's wrist remained firm.

Dousing that anger, Gloria's hand reached for Stefano's arm.

The mermaid pleaded, "Not worth it. Let's go." Her chaotic nature whispered in Gloria's ear to burn the whole store down, ensuing in a fight to the death against the doll maker. However, endangering the life of a close friend was not something she was willing to risk.

Stefano relented. And before the two rolled out of Izma's shop, Gloria turned around to face the doll maker one last time, "Your dolls are creepy, they suck!"

Slamming the door behind him, Stefano left the premises with a grin.