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[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

Time: September 3, 2000
Status: Private - Sphix and Anathema (complete)
Setting: The hospital wing
Summary: The sphinx has had enough of her itch.



The sphinx was completely vexed. What had first been a barely noticeable itch had, over the course of a few weeks, turned into a maddening itch instead. Then it had transformed into something unbearable.

She had tried not to think about it. The sphinx had attempted to occupy her mind by making some occasional expeditions to the upper floors of the building and, after it no longer offered sufficient excitement, by starting to systematically open every locked door she could find in the cellar. When it came to tearing down doors, lion paws were surprisingly useful. The sphinx had found some interesting things lying around in some of those locked rooms, apparently forgotten by everyone else. She had arranged some crates into piles and amused herself by knocking them all down. Then even that stopped helping to direct her attention away from the itch, and after she accidentally scratched her neck with a claw, she turned back into a woman and stalked off to find some help. Hadn’t she seen a hospital here somewhere? In a hospital there was bound to be someone who knew what to do.

When she walked up the stairs she started to sing. She hadn’t sung anything in a while, and it would keep her mind away from the itch till she reached the hospital, wherever it was. She didn’t have any tune or rhythm or words in her mind, but that had never stopped her before.

“I see some stairs and now I hit my toe and there are some lamps in the ceiling”, she sang in Greek. “And I haven’t met Hera and that is actually a very nice thing, because I wouldn’t care to see her, either…”

Comments

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Someone was singing in a language that she didn't quite recognise. And they were getting closer to the hospital wing and herself. Anathema looked around herself to make sure anyhting for minor cuts and scrapes were at the ready, as that was what she usually got in here. And then most of the time, an angel could readily heal them, but she worked days and Gabriel nights, and at least she was doing soemthing slightly useful. If anything major rocked up, Gabriel could be called anyway.

She shook her head to stop her stream of conscience and wondered if the person singing was someone whose rooms were on this floor, or someone who actually needed her.

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

“And now I see the hospital and that is really nice, too, because I was getting irritated enough to eat someone”, the sphinx sung. She would have liked to eat someone, actually, but she suspected that counted as harming people, and Apollo would not like that.

She stopped singing and went to the hospital door. The sphinx jerked it open and peered inside. There was a not-Greek woman there - she did look quite delicious, but, as Sphix reminded herself, Apollo probably would mind if she ate her - who was probably a doctor. The sphinx smiled an archaic smile and strode in.

“Hey, you”, she said. “I need something for an itch. Now.”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Anathema started a bit at that. She was used to seeing people a bit sore in a generalised area, but this demanding was something new. "Um, for an itch you say. Well, how bad is the itch and, er, where is it?"

It might not have been exactly what this woman wanted to hear, but until she knew what she was dealing with, there wasn't really anything she could do. Thankfully there were an assortment of creams for bites, or poison ivy. There were even a few for a more...personal itch.

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

The sphinx narrowed her eyes, leaning over the desk towards the woman. “It is all over the place. In my neck. See my neck? It stings.” She ran her fingers over the deep scratches in her skin, careful not to wince Sometimes having sharp claws was truly a disadvantage.

“And my arms itch, too. See?” Sphix hopped on the table and showed her arms near her face. “All red. And by back. And sides. And legs.” She leaned closer still and smiled. “Do you really want to know how bad it is?”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Er, no, no need for that. I'm sure it is pretty bad." She got up from her desk and went over to one of the cabinets that housed the creams. She looked around in there for a while before finding the only cream that would seem to do any good. It said not to apply to large areas really, but it was the only one she could find that would be effective as far as she could tell.

"Here. Um, try using this. And would you like the scratches on the back of your neck treated? They look nasty." They also didn't look like they were done by a human. But couldn't the demons in the Manor heal themselves? Hmm, maybe this woman was a god like Loki. Or something else entirely.

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

The sphinx turned when the woman moved, keeping her in sight. She tensed her muscles, ready to leap to the door if she tried to escape. She didn’t, though, but instead came back with a tube of… something. The sphinx snatched it from her hands and eyed it suspiciously.

“What’s this? And my neck…” She touched the scratches again, thinking. They would take a while to heal. “Yes. You may treat them.” She lowered her hand and scowled at the woman. “But don’t try anything, or I’ll… I’ll…” Well, what was there she could do? If she wasn’t to harm anyone, how could she get the doctor to do what she wanted? “I’ll tickle you”, she decided. She had plenty of feathers for that. “I’ll tickle you till you can’t breathe. And then I’ll pull out your every hair, one by one.” It didn’t carry the force that threats of killing and eating and tearing apart did, but it would have to do.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"It should help stop the itching." Anathema replied.

After hearing the threat given, she smiled politely, not that she wasn't ticklish, but it wasn't the worst thing she had ever heard. She hoped the smile wouldn't be taken as an insult, it wasn't meant as one.

She grabbed a bit of gauze from her supply cabinet that was always nearby, and some antiseptic too. The last thing she needed was this woman to go around saying she had gotten an infection from a treated wound.

Carefully, she cleaned the area and covered it so that it wouldn't get dirty. "Come back tomorrow and I will see how your neck is doing. Is there anything else you needed?"

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

Sphix twiddled the tube while the doctor saw to her scratches, forcing herself to be still. The woman seemed strangely unaffected by her threats, and that didn’t make the sphinx happy at all. She liked to be feared.

“Yes, I’ll certainly come back tomorrow”, she said when the doctor had finished. “You can count on it.” Was there anything she could do that would shock the woman? Sphix eyed her up and down. What was it that Apollo had said, again? Oh, yes. There were other beings here. Other gods. Not that this woman seemed like one to her, but the sphinx had to admit that even she could - and sometimes did - make mistakes.

“You are a human, right?” she asked, just to be absolutely sure. “What’s your name?”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Human? Yes, I'm human. One of the minority here at the Manor. Mainly you find Angels, Demons or Gods here. My name is Anathema. Anathema Device. Nurse here at the manor."

She smiled again. "And what is your name?"

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

The sphinx didn’t say anything for a while but instead opened the tube and, after sniffing the cream carefully, applied some on her arm. The itching eased a short moment later. Sphix nodded and returned her gaze back to the woman.

“My name? Do you really wish to know it?”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

After being asked if she really wanted to know this woman's name she hesitated. Did she? Was this woman like another aspect of War or something?

"Well, if you don't want to tell me that's fine. I don't need to know."

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

The sphinx was disappointed. What had happened to human curiosity? Perhaps it was this place. Living in a place like this just might teach people to mind their own business.

“I didn’t say I did not want to tell it”, Sphix said. “I asked if you wanted to know. Since you don’t… well, we will leave it to that until you change your mind.” She hopped back to the floor and gestured towards the door. “I’ll return to the cellar. You can find me there.” What would Anathema Device say if she saw all the bones? Maybe she ought to invite her to dinner. If she could find some human flesh… that was bound to shock her.

“In fact, to show you my gratitude, I am going to prepare a meal. Just for you. And I am going to get very annoyed if you refuse to taste it.”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"A meal? In the cellar? Well, that's a bit of an odd place to stay, isn't it?" She asked. She was beginning to dread this, bu tshe didn't think she could say no to this woman about this one thing. She seemed very serious about this meal. "Er. Alright, but just so you know, I am a vegetarian."

That wasn't the entire truth really. She preferred to eat health food and the like rather than meat, and so meat was somethign that she rarely ate at all. Only on special days. Like Christmas.

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

A vegetarian? A vegetarian! The sphinx was seething inside. There went that plan. On the other hand… Anathema would come to cellar, and she would see the bones… well, unless she suddenly decided to become blind, too. And the sphinx could still eat human flesh. Let’s see how she liked that! Sphix smiled again, not entirely friendly.

“I will see you tomorrow. And again on dinner some time later. Take care of yourself - we don’t want to see you go blind, now, do we?”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Blind? No. I'm not planning on going blind any time soon. But I will go down to the cellar to look at your neck tomorrow if you are more comfortable down there than up here."

Anathema had the suspicion that she was being set up for something, but that could wait until tomorrow at the earliest. She could worry about things then. She would just have to pack her breadknife with her just in case she needed a weapon.

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

“Tomorrow?” Sphix blinked. Would she be able to hunt down a human in such a short time? Perhaps she would manage. Yes. And there hadn’t been any police searches here, so they had probably stopped looking for her. It would be safe to go out. Oh, yes.

“I can set up the meal for tomorrow, too”, she said. “So if you wish to visit me in the cellar, you are welcome.”

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Sure then, tomorrow it is. I guess some time in the afternonn would be good yes?"

[theban-sphinx.livejournal.com]

“Afternoon. Yes”, said the sphinx. Then she went to the door. “My lair might be difficult to find, though. I will meet you in the lobby. Until then.” She walked out of the door and slammed it shut behind her, taking satisfaction in the loud bang it generated. Then she headed back to the cellar, singing in Greek as she went. She should sing more often, she decided. It was surprisingly relaxing.