#Prismatic Fang Ch 5/8

[fandom-hell-ferrylass]

PRISMATIC FANG ~ Chapter 5

Even Heartstrings Need Occasional Tuning

A/N: WHEN WILL MY MTP FANFIC RETURN FROM THE WAR- oh there it is. yes, apologies, it took AGES for this update to let me write it, and then I got a stomach bug I’m still finishing up recovering from. I wanted to post this one directly to tumblr as well as AO3 as there’s some fanciness going on (I call it fancy, it’s just shiny to me cause I’m a dork XD)

will still be including a link to the Ao3 page, I’d love to see fellow TCups over there too <3

He sniffed. All that floated across his nose were the fragrances of nearby flowers, the unnatural, harsh chemical particles of the human world, a particular swirl of gray from a passing cloud being pierced by a sunbeam.

The barest trace of a tongue poked out between needling eyeteeth. All that tickled his tastebuds was the tang of a bird in a nearby tree, the fizzle of sunlight glittering off moving water, the thick, rich smoothness of true want and love.

His eyes narrowed and he swept them around suspiciously. All he saw was manipulated metal and constrained gaia and the wavy glow of life and magic filling the spaces between the world’s reality.

Chessur sighed, letting his head dangle off the side of the roof he was currently lounging on. Something was wonky in the state of Overland, and he had yet to poke it with even a single claw.

“The more you hunt it, the faster it will run away.”

The teal cat eyes flared as they drug lazily over to observe the speaker. Absolem leaned casually against a duct vent as he took a slow drag from his e-cig. Disney had requested he curb his smoking tendencies while in more public areas of the grounds. In general, he just found it easier than carting real cigarettes around.

“But I do so like a good hunt.”

KEEP READING ON AO3

The man’s blank expression flickered into a smirk for a moment. Shaking his head, Absolem pointedly ignored Chessur’s measured stare and gazed out at the world around their little hideaway.

From that vantage point, it was easy to see where the more industrial park ended and the amusement ones began. the taller attractions sprinkled around the two adjoining parks jutted into the wide wide sky, their various moving parts darting in and out of view on the properly-timed intervals. Absolem even imagined that tiny blink of white in the distance was the hotel their Mad-capped band currently deigned “home.”

Chessur leisurely twisting himself onto his back brought the bespectacled man’s attention back to the current here. Absolem stared archly at the Cat, noticing the playful pout on the other man’s face.

“It hasn’t done anything remotely interesting for at least half an hour, why shouldn’t I hunt it down? I am so very curious what it could possibly be.”

Absolem rolled his eyes and took another pull. Wisps of colour-tinged smoke curled from his nose.

“Whatever it is, it has been moving for the past 15 minutes. You and I both have it pinged - if it’s still around after, I promise I’ll go poke it with you. Would that sate your yawning curiosity?”

Chess purred, stretching languidly. “I suppose it will have to do. For now.”

This time Absolem chuckled softly at the blue-haired man’s playful, wheedling tone. He slipped around the side of the vent and began walking across the rooftop.

“Come on, then, the others will be here just soon.”

Chessur stretched again, giving Absolem enough time to reach the access ladder and begin his descent. The Cat’s smile widened frighteningly, splitting his face even as the man melted away in a puff of smoke.

The metallic squeaking sound was so faint, if he hadn’t been just off the door at one of the tables, Absolem wouldn’t have heard it over the band’s general happy din. He stilled himself and let his eyes dart around in search of the source.

<Skirk skirk>

Not the AC.

<irk eeerk>

Not their gathered faux audience in their rickety folding chairs (though those did produce an endless litany of annoying sounds).

<squeeeeeck>

<dunk>

Absolem blinked. He looked over at the wide double door that led out to the main hall.

His head tilted curiously. The push bar was ever just so slightly ... wiggling.

When Absolem strode over and pulled the door open, the last thing he expected was for a teenage Jabberwock to stumble headfirst into him from where she had been leaning her forehead against the other side of the door.

Without thinking he reached out to steady her, his long fingers curving gently over her bony shoulder. Eirian’s head tilted slowly and she blinked up at him, more owl than Jabberwock.

Absolem’s eyes flashed as he did a double take and peered into her disguised crimson ones.

“Steady on there?” He didn’t mean it to sound like a question, but the girl nodded her head all the same before stepping back and out of his grasp. He watched closely as she plodded to her spot and methodically began setting out her things.

“And our Jabberwocky makes seven, that’s the whole gang here, places, everyone!”

Absolem glanced at Tarrant as the man stood grinning behind his mic, nodding when the Hatter's roving eyes found his. But the Caterpillar’s eyes were still narrowed in contemplation while Chessur watched the man slip behind his keyboard and hold his spindly hands over the shiny plastic keys.

The Cheshire Cat barely paid attention when Tarrant signaled him to lead in. He went into muscle memory and was only dimly aware of the official start to rehearsal. His attention remained firmly shattered between his thin-faced friend and the feeling he was missing something that tingled behind his left eye.

That feeling always ended up interestingly.

Today was simply not having it with the Mad T Party’s rehearsal plans. Absolem grimaced against another throb in his skull - he couldn’t recall a worse day for the band, even back when they couldn’t play well enough to call themselves one.

Within the span of 30 minutes: one of Mally’s guitar strings had snapped and sliced his hand AND cheek; Alice had dropped her sheet music and gotten the pages all mixed up; Thackery had managed to sucker-punch Tarrant in the stomach with the head of his guitar, making the Hatter double over and the mortified Hare to wildly backpedal and crouch down behind Chessur’s drum kit, hiding behind his great ears; Chessur’s bass pedal somehow punched through the drum skin; and Absolem was almost positive three of his keys were one wrong look away from dying altogether.

For everyone’s sake, Tarrant called a break for lunch. A very, very long break. Absolem took the chance to at least try to deal with his small problem.

He was so absorbed in checking and re-checking the settings on his keyboard, the Caterpillar almost missed the tale-tell prickle across his scalp. In his right form, it would be one of his antennae twitching.  Even without them, he couldn’t help the odd little jerks he made with his head, shoulders jumping along occasionally.

To his left, out of the corner of his eye, Absolem could see Chessur’s manifested tail twitching madly, the gray-and-teal fur all on end. The Cat’s eyes slid to the side of his head, teal-rimmed black saucers meeting glinting butter-cornflower.

Here it was.

Neither visibly moved, but for the briefest moment, Absolem and Chessur froze in place at the back of the stage. Both were rapidly casting about, trying to get a solid lock on it.

Absolem almost didn’t register Eirian’s presence to his right as she squeezed past his keyboard and shuffled across in front of him and Chessur to get to her area.

He did, however, register the sluggish traces of muted, unvibrant specks hovering in the air behind her.

Chessur suddenly found a thin, serious presence hovering at his elbow. His ear twitched around, letting Absolem know he was acknowledged but Chessur’s eyes did not move from staring just in front of his stand.

“Doth my eyes deceive me.” Absolem’s voice was barely a low hum.

“I do believe it is.” The Cat’s bassy purr was equally as murmured.

“Seems like it. Didn’t know it could be seen here, though.”

“Suppose the madness is why. It is a wholly tangible thing for us.”

“Possibly, quite. Even so, that much? It can’t be healthy.”

“It’s not. Well-hidden though. Think it’s being dealt with?”

“Don’t know if it’s even been realized.”

“What to do, then.”

“Nothing to be done.”

“Something at least? That much could kill.”

Absolem huffed softly in annoyance. If he’d known the Cat was going to show his rare soft side, he wouldn’t have gotten involved. Chessur turned his head to match his ear, blinking owlishly at the Caterpillar.

Absolem sighed. “…. I might have some to spare.”

Chessur’s trademark grin flitted onto his face, albeit in a much smaller, kinder capacity. “Oh goody. Shall we meddle, then?”

Glancing out of their little council, Absolem noted the rest of the band scattered about the room, wearily trying to consume bits of food and keep their spirits up. “Might as well. Maybe it will change the luck. Today has been horrible.”

“Splendiferous.” Without warning, Chessur popped up from his stool and began herding Absolem out from the drummer’s area. “Let’s go get this little tidbit sorted.”

As quixotically as usual, Chess began to floatingly wander towards the figure sitting alone against the far wall, a deadpanning Caterpillar in tow.

Up close, the muted specks were clearer to see (as clear as such things could be, Absolem reasoned). The precise opposite what they usually were, the ragged things neither danced nor floated nor swirled through the air currents around them. They just hung there, suspended and sludgey, weighted down with their very existence until they eventually petered out or found something to cling to and infect.

“Always such a joy seeing the little bites about and about.”

The tense shudder that rippled through the girl’s thin frame when Chessur spoke wasn’t missed by them. Absolem noted when Eirian’s head twitched but she didn’t look up. The visible mist of specks spread out from her like a mass of creeper vines.

Absolem’s frown at the grody veil coloured his voice coldly. “I pity the poor souls these ones, in particular, have found to glom onto somewhere.”

“Their day probably looks like ours.” Chessur waited for the implied sting of his words to sink in.

It didn’t take long.

The tangled dark hair gave the impression of peering into a foreboding wood when they looked into her face. Gone were the coloured contacts. the crimson glow had spread out from her iris, and they found themselves reflected in the surface of a molten ruby, burning nearly white-hot and utterly, purely exhausted.

“Just say bad luck, it’s faster. No, scratch that. Curse is one word, it’s faster. Go with that one.”

Eirian watched the Cheshire Cat step down from his floating and take a real step across the floor. The uncommon action put him just off her left knee. She forced her head to tip back slowly until she could look him head on again.

She wasn’t prepared for the small, almost sad smile that replaced the usual toothy grin. Eirian’s brow curved into a perplexed expression.

“What?”

“It is nobody’s fault when they can’t see it happening to themselves. That is the hardest of all things to know. What they do when they are taught is what turns the hands to their right place.”

She blinked.

And looked to the other man. “Is his Madness flaring up?”

“What he means is, it’s not your fault the lessness has made today not pleasant. It’s very difficult for people to recognize when they are hardly themselves, something about it feels like a failing, or an omen.”

The teen squinted harshly at his words, and she dropped her head heavily back onto the arms wound together atop her knees.

“Believe me, I’ve been hardly myself much longer than today.”

Absolem’s frown deepened. Eirian jolted slightly when he suddenly sunk to the floor and knelt next to her. The Caterpillar canted his head forward, peering very hard from behind his glasses. The Jabberwock froze, staring back with wide eyes.

After a moment Absolem sat back, not breaking the stare. “You are not wrong. In the end, not sorting this will most likely kill it in you for good.”

“What are you talking about?”

Chessur knelt down and reached out a hand, laying it gently on the girl’s head to urge her to look at him. The sudden sheen of frustrated tears in her eyes made his face contort in the one look he hated most - a frown.

“You are losing your muchness, dear Jabberwock, and if you lose too much ... it will kill your will to live. You’ll die.”

“How do you know that?” The fear in her whisper was unmistakable. Absolem and Chessur exchanged a glance.

“We are ... not strangers to it.”

“When someone’s muchness depletes as quickly as we suspect yours has, they have no time to find a new harmony with reality.” Chessur’s face twisted at the word.

Absolem regarded her for a moment, reading her mannerisms. “You know about this.”

Eirian’s eyes darted to his, then flickered away. She swallowed.

“My ... mother. She always used to say my muchness had taken a hit whenever I had a bad go around. She warned me to never let it get too low.” The red eyes vanished behind tight-shut lids. “It was only After … that I realized she wasn’t being figurative.”

A few seconds passed before something smooth and cool pressed against the back of her hand. The teen cocked her head sideways, squinting down at the small glass bottle Absolem was holding out. The iridescent liquid inside shone prettily, and small, nearly invisible bubbles drifted through it. A small, worn tag fluttered from the stopper:

Eirian met the man’s eyes behind his yellow glasses. From memory, she knew the pale cornflower tint, and for a moment she watched the reflection of the Drink Me play across his face. He gently pressed the bottle against her hand again. Still looking at his eyes, she freed her hand and turned it enough for him to slide the container into her grasp.

“Drink Me is known to work in ... not necessarily expected ways. Perhaps it will give you what you need to feel much more yourself.”

She bit her lip before nodding, pulling her hand - bottle held fast - back out of sight. Nodding himself, Absolem stood, pausing to brush off his knees and put himself back to rights. Chessur watched him before tilting his head to brush his forehead across the girl’s hair. She didn’t move but he thought he saw the muscles in the side of her face contract in the exact way it takes to create a smile. He was sure of it, though, when he playfully brushed his tail across her neck and shoulders like a warm, fluffy snake. The corners of her mouth were visible now, an unmistakable grin.

“We are all mad here, dear Jabberwock. All of us.”

He took the minuscule dip of her head at face value and left her to her solitude. Absolem was already returning to their space and their friends. Chessur began walking after him, his silent footfalls traveling up to return the Cat to his regularly scheduled floating.

and there we are, Chapter 5 all done! I really hated and enjoyed writing this one, it was a definite challenge to dig into Wonderland’s brand of madness to get the chaotic vibes of both Absolem and Chessur. I think it turned out well, but what do you think? (that’s a hint to leave a comment, I’d really love to know what you thought!)

[thehierophage]

Atu XX: The Aeon

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Correspondences:

Hebrew Letter: Shin (c) Numerical Value as Letter: 300 Numerical Value as Word: 360/1010 [nic(Shin + Yod + Nun)/ ]ic(Shin + Yod + Nun fin.)] Meaning of Letter: Tooth Thoth Card: The Aeon (Atu XX) Alternate Title: The Spirit of the Primal Fire. Tree of Life Path Association: Path 31/31-bis, links Hod to Malkuth (8 & 10)

Astrological Sign: N/A Element: Fire / (31 bis.) Spirit (BA) Egyptian Godforms: Thoum-Aesh-Neith, Horus/Mau/Kabeshunt, Tarpesheth; (as 31-bis) Asar

Geomantic Figure: Those of Fiery Triplicity (p t q)

Gemstones: Fire Opal; (as 31-bis) Black Diamond Perfumes: (as 31) Olibanum, all Fiery Odours Plants: (as 31) Red Poppy, Hibiscus, Nettle; (as 31 bis) Almond in flower Animals: (as 31) Lion (Cherub of Fire); Sphinx (if sworded and crowned)

Colors (For Key 31 / 31 bis.):

King Scale – Glowing orange scarlet / White, merging Grey

Queen Scale – Vermillion/ Deep purple (near black)

Prince Scale – Scarlet, flecked gold /  The 7 prismatic colours, the violet being outside

Princess Scale – Vermillion flecked crimson & emerald / White, red, yellow, blue, black (the latter outside)

The Secret Instruction of the Master:

Be every Act an Act of Love and Worship!

Be every Act the Fiat of a God!

Be every Act a Source of radiant Glory!

Mnemonic:

Nuit, Hadit, Ra-Hoor-Khuit! The Aeon

Of the Twin Child! Exult, o Empyrean!

Liber CCXXXI

Then also the Pyramid was builded so that the Initiation might be complete.

Holy Book Reading: Liber LXV, Ch. IV

IV

1.  O crystal heart! I the Serpent clasp Thee; I drive home mine head into the central core of Thee, O God my beloved.

2.  Even as on the resounding wind-swept heights of Mitylene some god-like woman casts aside the lyre, and with her locks aflame as an aureole, plunges into the wet heart of the creation, so I, O Lord my God!

3.  There is a beauty unspeakable in this heart of corruption, where the flowers are aflame.

4.  Ah me! but the thirst of Thy joy parches up this throat, so that I cannot sing.

5.  I will make me a little boat of my tongue, and explore the unknown rivers. It may be that the everlasting salt may turn to sweetness, and that my life may be no longer athirst.

6.  O ye that drink of the brine of your desire, ye are nigh to madness! Your torture increaseth as ye drink, yet still ye drink. Come up through the creeks to the fresh water; I shall be waiting for you with my kisses.

7.  As the bezoar-stone that is found in the belly of the cow, so is my lover among lovers.

8.  O honey boy! Bring me Thy cool limbs hither! Let us sit awhile in the orchard, until the sun go down! Let us feast on the cool grass! Bring wine, ye slaves, that the cheeks of my boy may flush red.

9.  In the garden of immortal kisses, O thou brilliant One, shine forth! Make Thy mouth an opium-poppy, that one kiss is the key to the infinite sleep and lucid, the sleep of Shi-loh-am.

10.  In my sleep I beheld the Universe like a clear crystal without one speck.

11.  There are purse-proud penniless ones that stand at the door of the tavern and prate of their feats of wine-bibbing.

12.  There are purse-proud penniless ones that stand at the door of the tavern and revile the guests.

13.  The guests dally upon couches of mother-of-pearl in the garden; the noise of the foolish men is hidden from them.

14.  Only the inn-keeper feareth lest the favour of the king be withdrawn from him.

15.  Thus spake the Magister V.V.V.V.V. unto Adonai his God, as they played together in the starlight over against the deep black pool that is in the Holy Place of the Holy House beneath the Altar of the Holiest One.

16.  But Adonai laughed, and played more languidly.

17.  Then the scribe took note, and was glad. But Adonai had no fear of the Magician and his play.

For it was Adonai who had taught all his tricks to the Magician.

18.  And the Magister entered into the play of the Magician. When the Magician laughed he laughed; all as a man should do.

19.  And Adonai said: Thou art enmeshed in the web of the Magician. This He said subtly, to try him.

20.  But the Magister gave the sign of the Magistry, and laughed back on Him: O Lord, O beloved, did these fingers relax on Thy curls, or these eyes turn away from Thine eye?

21.  And Adonai delighted in him exceedingly.

22.  Yea, O my master, thou art the beloved of the Beloved One; the Bennu Bird is set up in Philæ not in vain.

23.  I who was the priestess of Ahathoor rejoice in your love. Arise, O Nile-God, and devour the holy place of the Cow of Heaven! Let the milk of the stars be drunk up by Sebek the dweller of Nile!

24.  Arise, O serpent Apep, Thou art Adonai the beloved one! Thou art my darling and my lord, and Thy poison is sweeter than the kisses of Isis the mother of the Gods!

25.  For Thou art He! Yea, Thou shalt swallow up Asi and Asar, and the children of Ptah. Thou shalt pour forth a flood of poison to destroy the works of the Magician. Only the Destroyer shall devour Thee; Thou shalt blacken his throat, wherein his spirit abideth. Ah, serpent Apep, but I love Thee!

26.  My God! Let Thy secret fang pierce to the marrow of the little secret bone that I have kept against the Day of Vengeance of Hoor-Ra. Let Kheph-Ra sound his sharded drone! let the jackals of Day and Night howl in the wilderness of Time! let the Towers of the Universe totter, and the guardians hasten away! For my Lord hath revealed Himself as a mighty serpent, and my heart is the blood of His body.

27.  I am like a love-sick courtesan of Corinth. I have toyed with kings and captains, and made them my slaves. To-day I am the slave of the little asp of death; and who shall loosen our love?

28.  Weary, weary! saith the scribe, who shall lead me to the sight of the Rapture of my master?

29.  The body is weary and the soul is sore weary and sleep weighs down their eyelids; yet ever abides the sure consciousness of ecstasy, unknown, yet known in that its being is certain. O Lord, be my helper, and bring me to the bliss of the Beloved!

30.  I came to the house of the Beloved, and the wine was like fire that flieth with green wings through the world of waters.

31.  I felt the red lips of nature and the black lips of perfection. Like sisters they fondled me their little brother; they decked me out as a bride; they mounted me for Thy bridal chamber.

32.  They fled away at Thy coming; I was alone before Thee.

33.  I trembled at Thy coming, O my God, for Thy messenger was more terrible than the Death-star.

34.  On the threshold stood the fulminant figure of Evil, the Horror of emptiness, with his ghastly eyes like poisonous wells. He stood, and the chamber was corrupt; the air stank. He was an old and gnarled fish more hideous than the shells of Abaddon.

35.  He enveloped me with his demon tentacles; yea, the eight fears took hold upon me.

36.  But I was anointed with the right sweet oil of the Magister; I slipped from the embrace as a stone from the sling of a boy of the woodlands.

37.  I was smooth and hard as ivory; the horror gat no hold. Then at the noise of the wind of Thy coming he was dissolved away, and the abyss of the great void was unfolded before me.

38.  Across the waveless sea of eternity Thou didst ride with Thy captains and Thy hosts; with Thy chariots and horsemen and spearmen didst Thou travel through the blue.

39.  Before I saw Thee Thou wast already with me; I was smitten through by Thy marvellous spear.

40.  I was stricken as a bird by the bolt of the thunderer; I was pierced as the thief by the Lord of the Garden.

41.  O my Lord, let us sail upon the sea of blood!

42.  There is a deep taint beneath the ineffable bliss; it is the taint of generation.

43.  Yea, though the flower wave bright in the sunshine, the root is deep in the darkness of earth.

44.  Praise to thee, O beautiful dark earth, thou art the mother of a million myriads of myriads of flowers.

45.  Also I beheld my God, and the countenance of Him was a thousandfold brighter than the lightning. Yet in his heart I beheld the slow and dark One, the ancient one, the devourer of His children.

46.  In the height and the abyss, O my beautiful, there is no thing, verily, there is no thing at all, that is not altogether and perfectly fashioned for Thy delight.

47.  Light cleaveth unto Light, and filth to filth; with pride one contemneth another. But not Thou, who art all, and beyond it; who art absolved from the Division of the Shadows.

48.  O day of Eternity, let Thy wave break in foamless glory of sapphire upon the laborious coral of our making!

49.  We have made us a ring of glistening white sand, strewn wisely in the midst of the Delightful Ocean.

50.  Let the palms of brilliance flower upon our island; we shall eat of their fruit, and be glad.

51.  But for me the lustral water, the great ablution, the dissolving of the soul in that resounding abyss.

52.  I have a little son like a wanton goat; my daughter is like an unfledged eaglet; they shall get them fins, that they may swim.

53.  That they may swim, O my beloved, swim far in the warm honey of Thy being, O blessed one, O boy of beatitude!

54.  This heart of mine is girt about with the serpent that devoureth his own coils.

55.  When shall there be an end, O my darling, O when shall the Universe and the Lord thereof be utterly swallowed up?

56.  Nay! who shall devour the Infinite? who shall undo the Wrong of the Beginning?

57.  Thou criest like a white cat upon the roof of the Universe; there is none to answer Thee.

58.  Thou art like a lonely pillar in the midst of the sea; there is none to behold Thee, O Thou who beholdest all!

59.  Thou dost faint, thou dost fail, thou scribe; cried the desolate Voice; but I have filled thee with a wine whose savour thou knowest not.

60.  It shall avail to make drunken the people of the old gray sphere that rolls in the infinite Far-off; they shall lap the wine as dogs that lap the blood of a beautiful courtesan pierced through by the Spear of a swift rider through the city.

61.  I too am the Soul of the desert; thou shalt seek me yet again in the wilderness of sand.

62.  At thy right hand a great lord and a comely; at thy left hand a woman clad in gossamer and gold and having the stars in her hair. Ye shall journey far into a land of pestilence and evil; ye shall encamp in the river of a foolish city forgotten; there shall ye meet with Me.

63.  There will I make Mine habitation; as for bridal will I come bedecked and anointed; there shall the Consummation be accomplished.

64.  O my darling, I also wait for the brilliance of the hour ineffable, when the universe shall be like a girdle for the midst of the ray of our love, extending beyond the permitted end of the endless One.

65.  Then, O thou heart, will I the serpent eat thee wholly up; yea, I will eat thee wholly up.

Love is the law, love under will.