Unlike so many of her peers, Renata loved the ghastly new environment they found themselves in. She lived for creepy things, for finding the horror in everyday life, and the strange magic that seemed to bind this place together filled her with a buzzing giddiness. The spiders were great, but this was better. Even Diavolo seemed more at ease here, curling up next to a new roommate. Renata had hoped he’d tear at least one of their curtains to shreds, just to prove he could, but Diavolo was sweet to a fault. His lack of dastardly behavior left a lot to be desired, actually.
Entering the common room, Renata expected to find her familiar snuggled up to a warm body. The creature lived for pats these days. She waved merrily at Mathilde, shaking one of the jars full of bugs she was carrying at the other girl. “On the first level,” Renata answered with a confidence she hadn’t earned, because she was not one hundred percent certain that was the correct answer. “I saw a room of windows with lots of gnarly vines creeping up the glass. Rather dark for a greenhouse, but I think it fits the aesthetic of this residence. Don’t you?”
Renata stacked three jars – crickets, centipedes, and gooey slugs – on the floor between them as she sat down. Diavolo looked at the bugs as if they were treats, and Renata swatted the air in front of his face. “Don’t eat them.” She told the cat, as if he could understand. In the same moment, Mathilde produced treats, and Renata grinned with amusement. “Yes, please,” the perpetual sweet toothed teen would never turn down candy. And because this wasn’t the sort of offer that came with expected payment, Renata eagerly reached into the bag to pull out a few.
Black, red, and an orangish color with golden flecks… she chewed on her cheek as she considered the option, even though she knew which one she’d eat first. Renata never shied away from an adventure, even if it meant daring to eat the black jellybean.
She’d been hoping for something grotesque. Rotten flesh, ichor from a spider, something dreadful, but, alas, she wasn’t so lucky: “Licorice, yum.”