[Gift] Nighttime Frights

The advisory was nothing but a joke.

Since the Burrowgatory-wide warning, buns have mostly kept to themselves once nighttime rolled around. Those who frequented the usual late night haunts were nowhere to be seen with naught but worried whispers on the wind. This was a new, uncertain time for Succubuns and Cherubuns alike. It wasn’t the Burrowgatory that Athos had come to know. Faces he grew accustomed to seeing no longer seemed to pop up at familiar hangout spots. Gazes shifted with an uneasy tension lingering in the air. The unrest did little to deter the purple Greed bun from living his life as he has been. He continued to frequent his favorite bars and dives, went to shows at underground venues that had them, and otherwise wandered the streets without a shred of fear.

Anyone who came across him at night would think twice before attempting anything with him. He was a bun with many traits, most of which was rather intimidating to behold. Compared to most buns, he was just a bit bigger and sported grand horns, piercings, and hellfire just to add to his sinful appearance. He knew he had to thank the demons that raised him, knew that their peculiar personalities only seemed to contribute to his strange and off-putting visage. It seemed even fellow hellfire buns avoided him or at least, didn’t initiate conversations with him if they could help it. Athos didn’t seem to mind since it meant he could wander through the streets for as long as he wished.

Fear wasn’t something he felt towards others so much as he felt within things that troubled him. His reaction to fear ranged from rage to cold indifference. Things he couldn’t understand or concepts he thought too hard of, like the unknown or what, if anything, came after death, were frustrating topics for him. He feared them the way a caged, wild imp does when first captured– thrashing about wildly with only survivor’s instincts to guide him.

A pair of imps came up beside him, a Wulven and a Fiendish Jestie after having wandered a little behind him. He didn’t usually let Allegory of the Cave or Electric Lemonade out, given the ongoing dangers, but he figured it was alright to let them out every now and again. They were smart enough imps to either run back home or at least hide somewhere safe and find him again. He picked up Electric Lemonade and continued his nighttime stroll with Allegory beside him, giving the Wulven an acknowledging pat on the head. Allegory huffed, pleased by the attention and felt at ease at Athos’ side.

Every imagined scary noise or ominous shadow lurking in the distance didn’t seem to bother the Greed bun in the slightest. His imps didn’t seem all that affected either; certain and confident as their bun owner. At one point, Electric wanted to walk alongside Allegory and wiggled his way out of Athos’ hold, unfazed by the abandoned sidewalks they treaded.

“Don’t get too distracted, otherwise you’ll get left behind again.” He warned the Fiendish Jestie, though he’d certainly wait for the silly imp to catch up as he did earlier. “If you get tired you can just bump my tail and I’ll carry you again.” The Jestie jingled its little hat in confirmation as the trio continued along.

They took a shortcut through the park, a usually bustling place during the day now emptied at night. He didn’t even see a bun or doll jogging by, betting they were too scared to be caught outside with the warning in effect. The bun and his imps continued through the winding path back to their neighborhood, stopping by a late night donut shop for some snacks. Athos indulged on two baker’s assorted dozens, even grabbing Electric and Allegory their own little baggies of donut holes to take for the road. Athos exchanged his carats and went on his way, finding himself closer and closer to the apartment complex.

Soon enough, they arrived right to the stoop that would lead them inside their building. Athos fiddled with his keys before letting himself into the building then onto an elevator that took him up to the 13th floor. When the doors slid open, he wandered down a hall that took him right up to his apartment, only to go one door over to the apartment next to his. He took one particular key out from his keyring and easily let himself in, noting the low lights and some imps curled up on the sofa nearby. He placed the boxes of donuts onto the nearby kitchen counter before wandering over to the sofa, noticing some blankets and a small heap of something underneath. He pulled back the blankets to find a sleeping Cvett, undisturbed by all the racket. Athos unhooked his mask and flopped beside the envy bun, much to the sleepy grumbles of the other. Cvett turned to face Athos, allowing his tail to lazily lay on top of the bigger bun. In response, the purple bun wrapped his tail around Cvett’s and pulled the covers over them both, mostly covering Cvett save for his tiny envy horns.

The nighttime wasn’t all that bad and he knew if anything were to happen, Athos was more than certain he’d handle himself just fine.