Third time's a charm! [Quin x Panda]

[Rudolph Quin]

Coming home was like stepping into a place he'd never been before. Not a place he and Wynter shared. Not a place where he expected her to be. Not anymore. Just a stranger's house. The realization that she would never come through the front door ever again hit him like a splash of glacial waters and yet he was too numbed to react. Stumbling past the threshold, Donnie was little more than a zombie, scooting on uncooperative feet as he surveyed the space with new eyes. The living room welcomed him first, filled with their amalgamation of furniture that they each had brought to the relationship and a few pieces they'd bought together to make it all work. Once a comforting and inviting place, now empty and bizarre, seemingly without purpose. Donnie stood there by the couch, cocking his head in frustrated confusion at the pieces of furniture as if to question: why are you here?

An aneurysm. What luck. It was like a sick, cosmic joke. And the doctors, with all their knowledge and schooling, could do nothing to help her. Not now or ever again. Suddenly overtaken by rage, Donnie grabbed a vase off of a side table and threw it at the wall, putting his whole body into the motion with a snarl of rage and despair. Fatigue lanced at him again forcing him to sit on the couch and he let out a heavy sigh as he put his head in his hands. His already sore and tear-weathered eyes began to water again but he held off crying for the moment, if only to restore that pleasant numbness from before. If only to keep himself from feeling anything for just a little while longer.

While struggling with his internal pain and sorrow, the doorbell to the apartment suddenly rang, dislodging him from his private misery. Although he was thankful for any distraction at all, Donnie was loathe to see or be around people right now and he let out a reluctant sigh as he got up to answer the door. Standing on the threshold was Max, a friend of Wynter's from work. Looking just as torn apart as he was, her face unmade and hair falling from a quick ponytail, she paused a moment with trembling lip, trying for a smile but almost making herself cry in the process.

"Thought you could use some company right about now..." He wasn't sure what to say and he knew he should invite her in but when he made to open the door wider, he instead stepped forward and engulfed her in a hug. Without even meaning to, he started to sob over her shoulder, holding her tight and trembling, as if he'd fall apart if he let her go. Her own tears falling down her middle-aged and wrinkled features, Maxine's maternal instincts kicked in and she made soft consoling noises while rubbing his back.

"I just miss her so much..." he whispered.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Wynter heard Donnie opening the door and rushed from the bed, ready to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him as hard as she could. The last few days had been a blur, and the last thing she could remember before this morning was being extremely tired at work and almost falling asleep. The red head practically skipped out of the bedroom, ready to leap into his arms when she saw the look on his face. He looked… broken.
"Baby… whats wrong?"
She walked towards him, her arms opening to wrap around him and hug him as tightly as possible. She was just about the lean into him when he whipped a vase at her midsection, causing her to scream and cover her face. But what she heard the vase shatter and felt nothing, she opened her eyes and turned around, seeing the vase in pieces on the floor before feeling her heart drop.

"Donnie…. please tell me that you can hear me…. please…."
Her voice started to crack, walking towards him and reaching out carefully. All she wanted was to make contact with his shoulder or waist and feel how warm and sturdy he was. As her fingers touched him, however, they moved through him, almost as if she didn't exist. There were no words for how empty she felt. Tears started streaming down her face as she dropped to her knees on the floor, sobbing out 'I love you' over and over as she ran her hands back through her thick curly red hair. Nothing would ever be okay again. She'd never get to hold him again, or feel his skin against hers in the dark mornings when he'd wake her up to shower her with affection. It was all gone now. Obviously, she had died, but she didn't know how. The last thing she could remember was being tired and having her vision start to fade out. She had figured it was just from skipping breakfast, but clearly something much worse had happened. Finally, the tears wouldn't fall anymore, and as the doorbell ran, she looked up and watched him walk away to answer it. At least she'd be able to see him everyday. Of course, she'd have to watch him fall in love with someone else eventually, but at least she'd be able to see him happy. Hell, maybe him and this further girl would even have kids, and she could figure out a way to play with them.

Suddenly though, a dark thought crept into her head. Her death would have been a terribly negative experience for Donnie. What if he left? She'd be stuck here with some random person and he'd be somewhere without her! Panic set in, and she knew that she had to communicate with him somehow. But how? She watched him fall into Max's arms and start to cry, and slowly, she walked over to him, wishing it was her arms that he was sobbing into.
"It's okay…. Donnie…. I love you so much…. Please…. please tell me that you know I'm here…."
Of course, there was nothing, and through tears, she noticed a book on the table that hadn't been there before she passed. It was a handbook for people suffering from her affliction, so she picked it up and started to read the first page, hoping it would explain to her a way to at least say goodbye to him.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Meanwhile...

In another living room in a crypt crawling with vermin and in serious need of an interior decorator, a spirit stirred. Lounging back on a threadbare recliner, literally on it's last legs and covered in stains and crumbs, a ghoulish man scratched himself through his boxer briefs. On the out-dated television screen in front of him was a show involving smarmy puppets with obnoxious cartoon voices, constantly interrupted by occasional scribbles of static. When a sandworm puppet showed up on screen, the corpsey spirit fished out the remote from the cushion of the maroon recliner and muttering under his breath, "This is gettin' a bit too intense..." he changed the channel with a click of a button.

Switching to what he termed the "Entertainment Station" a news caster presented the latest bulletins for the Underworld. As charming and dashingly good-looking as he'd been in life, except for being, well, you know, dead, the blue skinned reporter started to list off the latest newest additions to the land of the dead. Casually chewing on a Madagascar roach, the man in the chair barely paid attention until his eye caught sight of the latest photo put up on the screen next to the news castor's head. Suddenly alert, Beetlegeuse sat up, the chair creaking in protest as he did so, and he stared at the screen with a growing leer of approval. "Hooo-mama! Looks like we have ourselves a nice little sweetheart added to our midst! Can't let that go to waste!"

Laughing uproariously, a typewriter appeared out of nowhere and while murmuring to himself in irreverent glee, he began to type out a message.

"Hey there, newbie spirits! Are you fed up with being ignored by the living? Tired and bored with the shackles your lack of flesh has put upon you? Then I'm just the guy to help you! There are all sorts a' ways to get the attention of the oblivious breathers and I can show ya how! For introductory lessons from a renowned professional, just give me a call!

BEETLEGEUSE!
BEETLEGEUSE!
BEETLEGEUSE!

Say it once! Say it twice! Third time's a charm! No longer should you be forced to watch the living go on living without you!"

Jerking the paper out of the machine, he quickly folded it and crumpled it between his greasy hands until it vanished from existence...

...slipping neatly, and quietly into the book currently in Wynter's hands.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Dark thoughts ran through her head the longer she read. Why couldn't Donnie have died with her? Why couldn't it have been a car crash or some sort of home invasion gone wrong? Food poisoning or a gas leak. Something that would have made it so he was here with her. And it wasn't that she really wanted him dead, it was that she was scared and all alone. She had no one else. Everything she had been told her whole life was fake. Oh, you'll go to heaven if you're good, and you'll see everyone you ever loved. Yeah, right. This wasn't heaven, and while she did get to see the person she cared for most, she got to watch him break with grief over her death. Not to mention the fact that she was dead. She was dead in her twenties, for God sake! And while she still wasn't sure how she died, she was sure it wasn't anything interesting. Just some freak accident that no one would have ever suspected.

Wynter was ready to give up with the stupid book. It was written in backwards riddles that didn't make any sense, and the only thing it could be called a handbook for was confusion. She was just about the slam the book shut and start crying again when she turned the page and saw something out of the ordinary. Well, more so than everything else. The page didn't look like it belonged with the book at all, and her curiosity got the better of her. She read it slowly, blue eyes narrowing in thought as she ran her tongue over her lower lip gently.
"No longer should you be forced to watch the living go on living without you...."
She whispered the last sentence to herself, looking up at Donnie before back down at the book. She tore the page out, folding it up and shoving it into her pocket as she got to her feet.

She had to get out and take a walk or something. She couldn't look at all the cutesy little pillows and delicate little trinkets she had spent hours meticulously arranging to make their home. It hurt too much to know she had wasted all that time she could have spent with Donnie by worrying about the apartment. Maybe she'd contact that, what was it? Beetlegeuse? Maybe. She shut her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, opening the door carelessly and walking outside. It wasn't until she got outside however until she realized what had happened. Everything was sand, and it looked..... strange. She took a few steps and was planning on taking more, when she saw some worm like creature snaking through the sand. However, this thing wasn't three inches long like a normal earth worm. It was gigantic. Black and white striped and moving through the sand fast. And towards her! Wynter booked it back towards the door, pushing it open and getting inside quickly. She slammed the door, and with ragged breath, she did what she had to do.

"Beetlegeuse Beetlegeuse Beetlegeuse!"
She shut her eyes tightly and held her breath, waiting to see if whoever this person was would really show up after all.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Completely unaware of the excitement that Wynter was experiencing, Donnie sat with Max at the small two-person table in the kitchen. The tears had dried up by now and they shared quiet conversation over cups of coffee - tea for Max, and the smell of the herbal mixture that had been Wynter's favorite, gave Donnie pangs of crushed hope every time he caught a whiff. The kitchen was just the right size for two people to get around comfortably in. Donnie rubbed his eyes, trying to dispel memories of cooking meals with Wynter - going on 'cooking adventures' she used to call it...

"It was just so sudden..." he said with a shake of his head. "We were on our way to a barbecue at a friend's house and suddenly, she wasn't responding to me in the passenger's seat." Max made a small noise of consolation and reached across the table to touch his hand. "And the doctor's... they don't know... shit!" That frustration and anger started bubbling up again, but he didn't have the energy to feed it so he just shut up for fear of losing it again.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Max finally said, "Hey, listen, if you need help packing up some of her things, I could--"

Instantly alert, Donnie shook his head. "No! No, I'm... I'm not ready to get rid of her stuff yet."

Max nodded in understanding and gave him a compassionate look. "Alright, take your time. But you know, it's not really healthy to cling for too long, Don." He knew that but he did feel a bit raw from having to hear it this early. Good God, couldn't they wait until Wynter was at least in the ground before they started talk of moving on.

At first, he was relieved to have the company of someone else who felt his loss but now Max was starting to wear on him. "I think I just need to be alone for right now..." he said firmly, making moves to start getting up to show her the door.

As soon as the name falls from Wynter's lips for a third time, the apartment around her begins to spin and shrink, as if drawing away from her to a great distance, extremely fast. When the spinning stops, the space around her resolves itself as a circular room filled with doors. Intricate designs and borders surround the door frames and the baseboard all around the room, yet everything is in disrepair. The wood is chipped, the paint is peeling, and there are dubious stains and congregations of mold upon the walls and ceiling. Even the intricate, dizzying, black and white, checker pattern on the floor is interrupted by a gaping hole in one spot and cracks mar the tiles, as if ready to split open another threatening hold into the abyss below. And to top it all off, there is something skewed and slanted about the architecture, as if whoever made it wasn't quite right in the head.

Each of the doors has a different design and personality to them. Some are tall, some are average sized. Some are double doors, some hold just one. Some are painted dark, and others are white; as if they were all taken from different houses and put together here.

"Hey-oo, there, sugar-tits!" a grating voice says from behind her. Before she can turn to see who it is, Wynter is forcefully spun around coming face to face with a dead man. His head is crowned with wild wisps of blonde, unwashed hair spreading out from a dirt encrusted scalp and his skin is pale like someone leeched of life and dotted with greenish splotches of rot and mold. His eyes are surrounded by dark circles of flesh, his teeth are crooked and rotting and his fingernails are blackened and gross. And this entire, corpsey package is wrapped up in a cheap, black and white striped suit.

"I knew you'd make the right decision! You know, too many folks try to go this thing alone and end up wearin' themselves down and wastin' their time! But there's an art to it, a finesse and you and I understand that! From now on, you and me, babe, we're a team at this! I'll get ya everything ya need and teach ya everything I know! I'm the ghost with the most! You couldn't have picked a better man to make a deal with!" Beetlegeuse couldn't seem to sit still, moving around like a hyper man making a presentation while at the same time expressing extreme gratitude. And he seemed to have no concept of personal space, pulling Wynter close to him, touching her hips and shoulders in intimate and encouraging ways.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

What a trip! No sooner had the words left her lips then the room went topsy turvy. It reminded her of the time Donnie had dragged her onto some ride on a carnival on one of their first dates. She had gotten sick for hours after that, and he had had to bring her straight home to go to bed. Her eyes clenched tightly, trying to hold on to her wits. She felt the room finally go still, red hair in her face as she finally opened her eyes. Well, she certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore, and Donnie was nowhere to be seen. The room made her cringe, however, and it made her feel better about all the hours she had spent decorating and fixing up her old home. Wynter walked towards the strangely shaped doors, blue grey eyes peering through the room before she was caught off guard.

Lucky she had been a dancer. When she was suddenly jerked around, her instincts kicked in, the girl spinning on one foot before coming face to face with him. Oh my god, he was vile! He looked like he hadn't showered in at least a century, which made her wonder about cleanliness here in the afterlife. He talked so fast she could barely keep up. Finesse? The ghost with the most? Jesus, even those giant worms were better than he was. However, when his hands started grabbing at her, she pushed both of them off, the petite girl backing up slowly as she spoke.
"Listen, Robin Thicke.... just slow down...."
The red head slowly crouched down, holding her head in her hands as she thought. She had to figure out what to do. This was a lot to deal with in just a few hours, even though she must have been dead for a few days, at least. She stood up again, keeping a few feet of distance between her and the strange man as she looked him over.

"You're Beetlegeuse?"
She asked, her face showing just how confused she was. Sure, what had she really expected? His name was 'Beetlejuice' for God's sake. She tried to shrug off his grotesque appearance, shuddering slightly as she pressed on.
"You can make it so Donnie can hear me? See me? I can go back with him, right?"
Her eyes pleaded for her boyfriends attention one more time, and she willed back tears as she swallowed hard. Even though she had this fantasy of her coming back as a ghost, and Donnie falling head over heels in love with her all over again, she knew the likelihood of that happening was slim to none. Deep down, she knew that when he saw her, even if he wasn't terrified of her, that he'd want her to leave. He couldn't be with her in her spectral form, and if men in the spirit world all looked like Beetlegeuse, she would never date again.

"I just need a few minutes with him. He's.... hurting. I did this to him, and it's my job to make it right. I need him...."
She looked back up at him, letting herself open up to the idea of his assistance. But once he was done helping her, she was getting away from him once and for all.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

An ugly grimace fluttered over his features as he winced at the use of his name. Quickly, he recovered from his discomfort enough to seem like he was listening to the rest of what she had to say but hardly a sympathetic look entered his eyes as he watched her get teary-eyed. It was the perfect situation, if he had to be honest. Her desperation was exactly what he needed to make this scam work and he was as eager as she was to get started.

"Okay, listen up, babe, because I'm only gonna tell ya this once," he said, slithering smoothly up to her to put an arm around her shoulders. "Rule, numero uno: never say the name aside from the summoning, 'kay? It's a very sensitive process and kinda trigger-happy. Once, ya go in, another time, ya jump out, next thing ya know neither of us will be where we wanna be. Ya can accidentally screw things up between us just by throwin' it around carelessly. So, please, no full names, Winnie. If ya need ta call me anythin', just settle for 'Juice', alright?

"But in answer to your question, yes, I'm the guy," he stepped away from her to spread his arms grandly for her with a sick smile plastered on his face. "And abso-lutely I can help ya do all that and more! It's kinda an involved process, since you know, there are boundaries and such that complicate what the breathers are willing to open their eyes to. First, he's gotta notice stuff and get used to the idea of something else being there but through working at it and step by step, we'll get ole loverboy to come around. Hey, ya might even be able to be together forever, who knows?" Heh, not likely. "In order to do all this, you and I gotta get real close, become real pals, so's I can train you in the arts to the best of your abilities.

"Of course, before we get to alla that, we gotta discuss the method of payment," another smarmy smirk toyed at his features as he zipped around her, looking her up and down from all angles, murmuring appreciatively to himself. "Just a trifle really, when you're lookin' at the big picture of things, I mean not much passes for currency on this side and hey, a guy has needs even when he's dead." He chuckled as he rambled, licking at his palm and brushing back his hair and then straightening his tie before continuing. "See, I will teach ya everything I know, all the little secrets and shortcuts and how to master your skills so much that it'll seem like afterlife is better than life. But here and there, I'll need a few sexual favors. It's not up for discussion, you either want into my knowledge to help him now or you spend eternity watching him suffer then eventually moving on brokenly with somebody else. All that I need from you is a bootie call whenever I want it."

Beetlegeuse nodded his head illustratively and then slowly offered her his hand for a shake. A symbol etched itself on his palm, dark at first, then glowing with internal purple light, ready and waiting for her hand to fit against it. "All my knowledge. Loverboy back in your arms. Just for the occasional dance between the sheets. Do we got a deal?" A menacing eyebrow arched suggestively as he awaited her response.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Wynter had almost been hoping he'd say no. That he was Beetlegeuse's assistant or weird uncle or something. Anything to make it so she wouldn't have to deal with him for God knows how long. His mention of getting close to her made her want to take a hot shower, even the thought of him anywhere near her making her feel just as grimy as he looked. Already she regretted calling him, but what other options did she have? That handbook was as useless as matches in a storm, and she hadn't been able to get his attention on her own. Not to mention those horrible creatures in the sand outside. No, she needed help, and he was clearly the only one willing to help her.

"Payment? But you're dead!"
Oh, she didn't like this. He went from an annoying little basket case to eyeing her like she was some piece of meat, the girl spinning around to try and keep him in front of her. Whatever currency would work in the afterlife would be fine with her, well, at least, that's what she thought. But when he mentioned his needs, she scowled and cocked her head slightly. Needs? What needs? See, Wynter had been one of those perfect catholic girls. The ones who did nothing with anyone for fear it'd keep her out of Heaven. So at his first mention of it, she didn't understand what he was talking about. But as he elaborated, her face turned to something of sheer horror, the girl rapidly backing up as she shook her head. SHe knew he said it wasn't up for discussion, but come on! This was disgusting and vile and....

"I never even.... slept with Donnie...."
She said softly, her head spinning as she tried to figure out what she was going to do. It sounded like she could get rid of him if she said his name, so the thought of repeating his name until he got away from her sounded perfect. But Donnie flashed back into her head. He was so broken down because of her, and she felt like she owed it to him to make him happy. Although, even if she did get back, if he ever found out about what she had done to get back to him, he'd hate her. The red head looked over him hesitantly. How bad could it really be? She'd just lay still and let him do whatever he had to, and it would mean nothing. She sighed, resigning herself to the disgusting horror show that was about to become her existence.

"Don't you... want to take a shower or... I don't know... brush the dirt off yourself?"
Wynter sneered slightly, taking a few steps over to him as she placed her hand out, about an inch from his. This was it. Her last chance to back out and refuse to let him have her. But she didn't know what other choice she had. Her small, pale hand slipped into his greenish one, the girl dropping her head slightly, purple hued light spilling out from between their hands as she smoothed out the pale green sundress she was still wearing with her free one.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

As their hands fit together and the purple light began to glow, Beetlegeuse beamed in satisfaction, feeling the bond of the deal cement itself to the both of them. Now, whether she knew it or not, there really was no escaping him, even if she said his name 3 times. Sure, she'd go back home but the bond ensured that he'd always find her and he'd always have a way of sneaking back in. At least until the full measures of the contract had been filled but by that point, he'd probably be tired of her.

When the power of the seal had finished it's bonding process, the glow faded and Beetlegeuse pulled her flush against his body, dipped her low and gave her a hearty kiss on the mouth. Cradling her body with his greasy hands, he let them grope and squeeze her playfully, delighting in the petite curves of his new toy. Preening over her anticipated reaction of revulsion, he dropped her to the ground and turned smoothly on his heel. "Alright, let's get cracking, babe! Time to learn you on how to be a ghost!"

Walking away from her, one of the doors opened as he approached, creaking in agonized protest as it swung wide to admit him. The room it led to was just as dark and dingy, the theme of disrepair and abandonment continuing. The wallpaper in here was dark purple and peeling and ripped in several places, the dark wood floor warped and giving the space a tilted perspective. Against the wall there was a bookshelf, fashioned like a coffin standing up without the lid, and shelves and books instead of a corpse inside. The rest of the room was like a living room, with a small table where an old fashioned rabbit ears TV sat in front of a ratty, maroon recliner, and an ominous, darkly colored couch and coffee table off to the side. Everything was still and nothing had a face but the design of clawed feet appearing on the tables and the couch, gave the impression of threatening creatures slumbering. It almost seemed like in the next instant, the furniture would spring to life and walk around.

"First lesson: if ya can think it, you can make it happen," Beetlegeuse explained, waltzing into the room. "Old rules of physics and material logic no longer apply here and you can pretty much manipulate anything to do what ya want. That is to say if you're not going against the will of a more experienced spirit." Of course, indicating himself with a sharp adjustment of his suit. To give her some examples, Beetlegeuse pointed at her with a finger gun and in a blink of an eye, he had her wearing high heels, black leather skirt, gaping bodice with voluptuous cleavage, and fishnets. Suddenly airborne, he hovered in the air before her, and chuckling said, "We'll try somethin' simple and small. Try to move somethin' just by thinkin' about it. That's the first thing we're gonna need to do to get your boyfriend to wake up to you still being around. You gotta make him feel like you're there, even though the moron can't see you. So, move somethin'." He hovered near her and gave her a pep-talk as he pointed at the items in the room. "Think about it, visualize it, tell it what to do. Sometimes it helps to move your arm or something when you're just startin' out, like pointin' where ya want it to go."

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Talk about repulsive. He grabbed her and kissed her, hard, and she wanted to crawl straight out of her skin. Every part of her his disgusting fingers grazed made her arch and contort slightly to try and avoid contact. Of course, there wasn't really a way to, well, not until he dropped her to the floor. She made a disgusted noise, wiping her mouth several times before straightening out her clothes. Hey, he didn't say she had to like it. Only put up with it. As he walked towards a door, however, she scrambled to her feet, not wanting to be left behind. Who knew what sorts of things where in this realm, and she didn't want to deal with anything else. Beetlegeuse was enough of an issue.

Wynter followed him inside, the girl standing still in absolute shock. It looked like something out of a horror movie, and she didn't know if she really felt safe being in there for any period of time. It felt like something could grab her at any moment, and despite how horrifying a thought it was, she tried to get closer to him, At least he was used to it. She listened as he spoke, eyes scanning the room for any threats to her well being. She knew she was dead, but she didn't know if things could still hurt her, so she was trying to be as careful as possible. Oh, wasn't he just so full of himself. She went to scoff at him when she felt her clothing change. She stumbled lightly in the new heels, looking down at her body and gasping slightly. Wynter had never in her life worn anything as revealing as this, but for some reason, she kind of liked it. Sure, it was nothing she would have ever done before, but now? Maybe she was looking at this all wrong. Maybe this was her chance to live a little bit. Life had been boring, so maybe now it was time to have fun.

She stared at a book that was sitting slanted on the shelf, taking a slow deep breath as she tried to make it move. Mentally, she told it to move, tried to see it moving where she wanted it to go. But it didn't go anywhere. She stared at it harder and harder, frowning a bit before finally giving up.
"This is stupid."
She threw her hands up, ready to whine when the book went whizzing by her ear. Suddenly, she remembered trying to move her hand like he had told her, so after taking a deep breath, she tried again. Lifting her arm up, she pointed at another book and whispered under her breath, willing it to move towards her. And it did! Sure, it was shaky, not really moving exactly the way she wanted it to go, but it slowly moved towards her. Once it was close enough, she reached out with her other hand, releasing the book with her mind so it would drop into her hands. She smiled at the book, happily opening it and thumbing through the pages as she looked over at him, a huge grin on her face.

"I did it!"
She said, knowing it sounded somewhat childish, but still. She was excited. She placed to book down on the table, trying to readjust to clothes to cover her a bit more out of habit as she spoke again.
"How come I can come here, but I can't leave my apartment? I tried to earlier, and there were these.... giant worms or something...."
She shuddered, the thought of those horrible creatures sending a chill down her spine.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

"Yeah!" he exclaimed in approval as she moved and caught the book just as he instructed. With a crooked smile, he gave her a firm slap on the butt, pausing only to palm and squeeze the pert flesh through the leather skirt. "You're takin' to it quick! I knew you were a smart one. Now all ya need to do is practice and you'll be able to do it without movin' a muscle!"

Beside the couch, along the baseboard, a small black and crawling insect inched it's way along on spindly legs. Smoothly leaving Wynter's side, Beetlegeuse moved over to the wall and caught it with his hand, roughly picking it up. After inspecting it momentarily, he took a hearty bite from it while sitting perched on the arm of the couch. Whilst crunching and chewing on his insectoid snack, Beetlegeuse returned his attention to her and her questions.

"Well, Winnie, since your a newb and all, you're gonna be bogged down in the useless bureaucracy of the underworld for a while," he said. "As much as physical laws no longer apply to you, there are other restrictions now in place. It's all really boring and I don't really wanna get into a discussion about Saturn an' all, so, let's just say that you'll eventually be able to leave but you can't yet and leave it at that."

Standing up, he walked over to her and stood in the middle of the room, spreading his arms wide. "My realm is just another extension of the netherworld and I was able to bring you here because you summoned me. I felt, for the deals we were going to be making and the powers I was gonna have you practice, it'd probably be the most comfortable place. Speaking of which..." That leering look entered his eyes again and he raised an eyebrow. "I think it's time we took a little break to get ta know each other a bit more intimately. You can either give me a blowjob or we can make-out for a few minutes." He let his dark eyes wander over her and licked his teeth lasciviously as he waited for her answer. "I'll let you choose which one and then right after, I'll teach ya somethin' else. How does that sound?"

Honestly, things didn't get better than this. It really didn't matter which she chose to do right now; he'd get her to do everything eventually. Man, he loved desperate spirits!

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Even though it had only been a few minutes with the repulsive spirit, she was already starting to get used to him. So much so that when he grabbed her backside and kneaded it in his hand, she didn't move. In fact, she was almost a little willing to have him grab her like that. Well, that would fade soon enough. She levitated the book back to it's spot on the shelf(albeit a little crooked), spinning round as his voice neared behind her. She saw him standing behind her, looking at her like she was a piece of meat, and once again she felt extremely vulnerable in his presence.

She was regretting her decision to even involve him right about now, especially with his next sentence. Both thoughts were repulsive. On the one hand, making out with him would normally have been the best option without a question. However, she had just seen his little 'snack' and fearing finding insect legs in her mouth later, she wasn't so sure. However, going down on him help a few different challenges. Firstly, she hadn't ever done that before, and certainly didn't want her first time to be with him. Not to mention the fact that he didn't look like he had washed even his hands in centuries, let alone that part of his body.

The red head grimaced as she looked at him, biting her lip as she walked over to the couch. She sat down and curled up, patting the spot next to her reluctantly as she finally spoke.
"How long do I have to kiss you for?"
She asked bluntly, looking down and running her fingers through the wild curls. Wynter couldn't believe she was going to do this, but she was sure if she didn't go alone with it, he'd have some way of making her. You know, since she sealed the deal with him and all. She slipped the heels off of her feet, letting them hit the floor with a thud as she looked around the room. How could anyone choose to live like this? He didn't seem to care about filth or decay or raggedy-ness, and the whole thing was very unsettling to her. She was used to clean and tidy and proper, and her only hope was that eventually, she wouldn't need him anymore, and she'd be able to sever the contract and stay with Donnie.

"Lets just get this over with, okay?

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Wynter's discomfort and revulsion with the activities he proposed did not offend Beetlegeuse in the slightest. In fact, he preened in response to her physical expression of disgust, chuckling to himself about how he could give her the willies without even trying. Afterall, this room and the bug eating wasn't even close to the worst he could do!

After her reluctant invitation, Beetlegeuse plopped himself heavily onto the couch beside her with a raspy giggle. "Aw, don't worry, Winnie!" he said to her, bouncing on the cushions and slowly scooting closer to her. "I know it was a hard decision to make because they're both really fun but we'll get to everything eventually! And hey, maybe I'll let ya tongue my trouser snake right after if you really can't wait! Haha!"

Effortlessly, he curled an arm around her waist and quickly pulled her to him, depositing her neatly onto his lap, with her legs straddling his thighs. With how her legs were spread, the leather skirt he'd made her wear rode high to bunch up in tight folds where her hips and thighs met. "I think you'd be more comfortable right here," he purred, suddenly changing gears from loud and obnoxious to more sultry and teasing. With pale hands cradling her waist, he pulled her flush against him, her exposed underwear right up against the front of his black and white striped pants. If she thought he was gross looking before then she got an up close and personal look at him now, in all his corpsey glory. Surprisingly, there was little to say about the overall smell. There was a faint odor of something musty and rotting but it was leeched of impact, like the scent was diluted by a cold absence of smell.

Without giving her a chance to think much about resisting, he plunged his hand into her curly locks and pulled her to him even as he leaned forward to latch their lips together. The smell remained tolerable with that same musty, turned earth odor on his breath - not unpleasant but a bit like an aftertaste of dirt. At first the kiss was chaste with Beetlegeuse's lips working at Wynter's, gently molding together and smacking lightly, coaxing movement out of her with his mouth. Then his tongue begged entrance, poking at the seam of her lips with a wriggling insistence. After a moment, he got tired of waiting and pinched her nipple through her top to get her to open her mouth in shock. Chuckling in his throat, his tongue delved into her open mouth, stroking and wrestling with hers playfully. That graveyard taste would be even stronger with their tongues meeting but hopefully not intolerable.

Sitting relaxed on the couch with her on top of him, Beetlegeuse idly kneaded her ass cheeks in his hands, rocking their bodies back and forth with small protesting squeaks coming from the dilapidated couch. Below her, his cock started to harden in his pants, the tent at his crotch poking up between her legs at the front of her panties, rubbing against her with their swayed motions.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

There weren't enough words in the English dictionary to describe how repulsive Wynter found Beetlejuice. Her skin was crawling before he even touched her, and the second he came over onto the couch, she regretted ever making a deal with him. She let out a small squeal as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap, her hands instantly finding the hem of her skirt to try and tug it over her thighs. It was useless with her legs spread the way they were, and so she moved them to his chest, but not in the normal fashion. It was to try and keep him away from her. Even though she had agreed to kissing him, she didn't really want to especially with how close he was now. He had a distinct odor, but she couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it was more mild than she thought it would be, given his appearance. However, his appearance was jarring up close, the young woman wanting nothing more than to get as far away from him as possible.

However, there was a part of her brain that responded to the change in his voice, the girl shuddering slightly as she was pulled against his lips. She was resistant at first, clamping her lips together and not even allowing him to kiss her entirely. She started to loosen up, though, gently kissing him back but not allowing the kiss to grow any deeper. Well, until he pinched her breast. She gasped and tried to pull away, but his tongue was already inside her mouth, and she couldn't get away from him anyways. His grip was too tight. She was finally able to place the smell, and now taste she was sensing. Dirt. Like being buried for so long had made it so he'd always carry the earthy smell with him. At least it wasn't a terrible smell. It wasn't unbearable in the least, which allowed her to become distracted as he started to rock her on his lap.

She didn't want to admit it, and she couldn't even believe she was thinking it, but the way his crotch was pressed up against her underwear clad sex gave her chills, and without meaning to, her fingertips gripped into his shirt tightly. Wynter had never felt this kind of sensation in her life, so needless to say, she liked it a lot. And without meaning to, she started to get into the kiss, pressing her hips down against his slightly as she whimpered softly against his lips. She couldn't believe what she was thinking. Five minutes ago she had wanted to keep him as far away as possible, but now she didn't want him to stop. It felt good! Now she understood why Donnie had always tried to get her to change her mind. She didn't know how it felt so good, or why, but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that he didn't stop.

Wynter could feel his length growing harder in his pants, and the feeling of his stiff member pressing up into the cloth of his pants gave her exactly what she wanted. She started grinding on him slowly, a soft groan escaping her lips as she broke away from the kiss. Her head leaned into his shoulder, the girl not wanting him to see how crimson her cheeks were or just how much she was enjoying herself.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Already he had her humping and moaning against him like a bitch in heat! Honestly, he wasn't surprised. With the reserved air she'd had about her and even her ability to be easily grossed out by every little thing he did, it made sense that she was hiding a mountain of desire under that virginal facade. And all he had to do to get a few cracks to show was pet her kitty real nice. Heh!

With her blushing face buried in his shoulder, Betelgeuse latched his lips against her neck, sucking deeply on the exposed skin enough to surely leave a passionate bruising mark. "Mmmm, ya like that, don't ya, sweetheart?" he murmured in a husky voice, cold breath ghosting across her cheek and throat, cooling his saliva trail. "I bet ole Don boy's never touched ya like this before." His hands continued to move her hips even as she ground against him on her own, his member hard and hot, leaking excitedly in between them. "It ain't so bad, the things I could show ya..."

Nibbling at her earlobe he chuckled under his breath and abruptly stood from the couch while lifting her with him, her legs dangling on either side of his hips. Then he quickly turned and plopped her back down to sit by herself on the couch. Suddenly, the couch came alive and some hanging, useless draperies on the wall above it moved of their own accord. The furniture beneath her moved like rising bread dough, spreading her legs with a mound of plush fabric and reclining her back at the same time. Then the draperies snaked down and wrapped around her wrists, gentle at first then pulling her hands and arms above her head, restraining her.

Pleased with his work, Beetlegeuse looked down on her with an enlarged, skinny tent jutting from the front of his trousers, almost cartoonish in it's obscene display. Ignoring himself for the time being, he leaned forward to talk to her close by her ear and cheek, his dark-circled eyes lighted with the fire of avarice and lust. "Are you excited?" he purred with a crooked tooth smile, his finger tips drawing circles around her erect nipples through her top. Then his dirt-encrusted hand moved lower between her legs to pet and draw more circles and spirals against the clothing there. Feeling the dampness on the front of her underwear, his smile widened and he rasped, "Oh, yeah, definitely all riled up!" in triumph.

Crouching down before the couch, Beetlegeuse hooked a finger into her underwear and slipped them down her thighs. Giving her a look like a naughty little boy, he pulled the panties completely off one leg, leaving them to dangle on the knee of her other. When his face was met with rosy, moist flesh below, he breathed low in satisfaction and plunged his face between her thighs. Tongue cold and wet, he licked her lower lips, delving between her warm petals with testing thrusts. Listening and watching her, he curiously explored the intimate place, searching for the button that would set off the pleasure centers inside of her. Here he was, going where no man or ghoul had gone before! The first to lick a path to Wynter's orgasm.

 

[The Unusual Panda]

Wynter groaned as his lips suckled at her neck, her finger tips digging into him harder as she shut her eyes. Half of her wanted all these wonderful feelings to stop so she could tell him to get off of her. This wasn't right. She shouldn't be being intimate with someone she just met no more than an hour ago, tops. Then again, she was a corpse, and maybe it would be kind of fun. It sure felt better than anything else she had experienced in her life. Even as she thought about her conflicting emotions, her hand moved into his hair, not even noticing how disgusting it truly was. She needed him closer in a primal way, and when he pulled away from her skin, she whined slightly, listening to his voice as she pressed her hips harder into his length. She could feel it prominently between her legs, where the tip of it was pressing against her, and the more she could feel, the more she wanted to feel even more of it. God damn it, she liked it! And as repulsive as he was, she was just going to have to let him make her feel good, for fear that no one else would now that she was dead.

The red head gasped as she was lifted from his lap, the woman clutching him harder as she finally spoke.
"Don't stop yet…"
She whimpered, her voice finally betraying her thoughts. She knew he'd won, and by this point, she didn't really care. As long as he didn't let all of the wonderful buildup go to waste. However, he dropped her before she could react, the small thing bouncing onto the couch as she looked up at him with a confused stare. However, soon enough her attention was on all the moving furniture. One second, her legs were being pushed apart by an animated couch, the next it was reclining her. All the while, her hands were being bound and pulled away from her, making her back arch as she looked up at him slightly nervously.
"What are you doing?"
She asked, staring at him as he walked over to her. She swallowed hard, her eyes wide as she noticed his erection and looked back up at him. As his finger touched her chest, she gasped and pressed up into his touch, the girl practically melting into the couch at the feeling. However, his hand on her sex made her pull against the restraints slightly, moaning happily as she tried to get him to rub at her more.

Wynter wanted to speak again and tell him how terrible waiting was, but at the way he knelt between her legs, she knew she wouldn't have to wait long for whatever he was going to do. She stared at him intently, slowly lifting her hips up slightly to help him get her panties down. Again, she felt that catholic guilt eating away at her for what she was about to do, but she shoved it out of her head, not allowing it to ruin what happened next. The second his tongue touched her now bare slit, she whimpered loudly, her eyes shutting tightly as she bit her lip. His tongue felt perfect against her sex, and she rather liked how cold it felt. As he licked her all over, she started to get impatient, struggling more and more against the restraints as her moans grew more frequent. However, once his tongue hit her sweet spot, she gasped and sat up slightly, begging as she struggled against them.
"Let me go….. I need…. to grab you…."
She murmured desperately, wanting nothing more than to shove her fingers into his disgusting, matted hair and hold him closer to her desperate, sex starved body.