#n.b she's a total 'blank slate' of a troll and can only experience memory and emotion by draining from other trolls

[cloudbattrolls]

“I can offer you splendid gifts, like the ones your lover has gained.” whispered the chimera.

She gazed at the clock face. White, with a gold rim, black ticks in four places. 

She looked at the beast. Beasts weren’t supposed to speak, were they? Beasts were for killing and eating.

The chimera stared at her, then smacked herself with her spare paw. “Of course, you’ve no more memory than a flea. Nothing more than instincts. Why, you barely have a consciousness at all...”

The words slid in and out of her head. They left no impression, and had no more meaning than the buzz of insects.

“No way keep track of time, even! Poor thing.” She mused. “I don’t like to give up my watch, but I think you might need it more. Though it wouldn’t do you much good on its own...”

She watched the creature exhale a sort of green mist into the watch, and for a moment, its eyes went dead. Then it strung the watch around her neck. 

She blinked.

“Where’s Priori?” The maroon demanded. How could she have realized Priori wasn’t there? Why was she wearing a watch? She needed to get back to Priori. She’d gone null again.

Wait.

If Priori wasn’t here, how was she feeling?

A proud grin stretched across the face of the creature in front of her.

“Like it? That’s only a taste! I can give you so much more.” She soothed, green eyes wide.

“You’re just like the dragon! She came and now Priori’s all weird and I hate it and you’re going to do something awful, too.” She said, pointing a finger in the face of the beast, so close she nearly touched her nose. “Why don’t you just leave us alone? Go back to your blueblood! We don’t want you here. We’re happy.”

She tore off the watch and looked at the beast again.

It sighed and picked up the watch, clicking its tongue and shaking its head. A part of her dimly registered that as behavior to be wary of. Beasts shouldn’t act like trolls.

“Little Tabula.” the chimera murmured. “You don’t even understand how blind you are. How little time you have. If only you weren’t so perfect, I could leave you be.”

The beast spread its great wings and ran, beating them and flying off. Tabula turned away, forgetting it, and didn’t hear the words it muttered.

“If you won’t make a bargain with me, your lover will do it for you.”