Curse of the Black Mantis. (Closed for ErykaLorelei)

[Ravenloft]

3:20 pm
Black Mantis Curio Shop.
Shinjuku district
Japan

The shop keeper and owner of the Black Mantis, a wizened old man coughs as he enters, touching an orb made of jade. It begins to glow with an internal light, bathing the shop with its green hues. "Are you there Miko? Heheheh..." The old man calls out, laughing at some private joke as he goes over to a high shelf in his store, whereupon is placed a rare and exquisitely made china doll. He taps at the shelf with his cane, a gnarled and twisted length of wood. "Of course you are... Havn't changed your mind yet, have you?" A spark of energy shot from the doll, but the old man negated it with a wave of his hand before it could strike him. "I'll take that as a no. Heh!" The old man wandered about the shop before settling behind the counter, where he had a supreme view.

"Today is special, it marks the three hundredth year you have sat up upon that shelf, my dear, and for what, your foolish pride? Pah! I aught just be done with you and let your soul meet with oblivion... But..." Just then, the door to his shop opened with a jingle and an american buisness man entered. "Ah greetings, and welcome to my humble shop, young man. If you are in need of any assistance, please do ask, my name is Shoh." The old man greeted as he leaned forward against the counter.

"Thanks, I will." The customer replied as he started browsing. He ran his fingers along the spine of a miniature sculpture of a dragon, cast in brass. Little did he know that it was the prison for an actual dragon's spirit. Then he felt the silken hem of a black kimono, one that had been worn by Nobunaga himself. Finally, a doll sat upon a high shelf as though it were her throne caught the man's eye. All the while, Shoh watched the man like a vulture leering over its prey.

[ErykaLorelei]

watching you slowly as you watch me and I let out a soft giggle not knowing whether you heard or not and hoping you didn't as Shoh looks at me leeringly

"I see you are interested in Miko sir no finer a doll crafted I say she is over 300 years old you know"

my sensual eyes seemingly fixated on yours

[Ravenloft]

"Uh..." Jacob Williams began as he felt a strange draw toward the doll. Had it just giggled? It must be one of those that has a draw string, he thought as he turned to look at the elderly shop keep. "Yeah? How much does it... She cost? Must be worth a fortune..." Jake was about to move on but as he turned back, the dolls crystal like eyes seemed to draw him in again.

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh looks at how you are looking at Miko and steps over in front of you obstructing your view before speaking

"hehehe well how much do you think she is worth sir? hmmmm how much would you part with for such a beauty as she how much is history worth to an educated man"

once more you hear the subtle laughter and you wonder if old man Shoh here is a ventriliquist and a con artist just trying to make a buck off of your curiousity or is there something else about Miko something drawing you to her sensually designed eyes is there something unique about this doll

[Ravenloft]

"History, you say? Is there some sort of story behind that doll? If so, I would like to hear it. Someone must have put alot of time and love into crafting it." Jacob said, knowing better than to be baited into a guessing game of how much the doll was worth before knowing more about it. It was just good business practice.

Soft laughter drew his attention back to the shelf the doll sat on. This time he was sure he heard it. "What was that?" He asked, moving past Shoh, trying to see the doll again.

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh looked at you and smiled he knew he would be getting rid of Miko today

"you see it turns out that many of the greatest leaders have owned her in fact in 1227 Genghis Khan had owned her and since he died 2 weeks later the natives who were superstitious presumed the doll had something to do with it of course dolls do not kill people hehe but it turns out she originates from the years 1045 BC–256 BC during the Zhou Dynasty......"

I stop giggling but keep my sensually crafted eyes affixed on yours the strangest thing is you could have sworn my mouth was straight now I have a smile on my white painted porcelain face

"so as you see sir she is really unique in the fact she has survived close to 20 centuries of time she had started to fall apart back in the early 1300's but she was put back together in 1328"

he step between your view yet again as he shows you a rolled up scroll with the creator's picture on it

[Ravenloft]

"Really, that old huh? Shouldn't she be in some museum somewhere then?" Jake queried, finding what the old man somewhat suspect. "How could a porcelain doll not only survive close to three thousand years but appear so pristine." He wondered to himself as the old man blocked his veiw again. "Put back together... Right." Jake said with a nod, that explained its condition being so good. "Wait, was she smiling before?" He thought as the old man unrolled a painted scroll which he claimed to be an image of the doll's creator. Oddly enough, it looked as though the person in the painting could have been a much younger ancestor of the old man himself. "Let me guess, some distant ancestor of yours created her? How about a hundred dollars for her? Heck, your story was worth almost that much."

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh looks at you as you offer a hundred dollars with a look of intrigue and walks over to the shelf and slowly picks me up and carries me to you

"tell you what hold her for a few moments and then you can tell me what she is worth to you if a hundred dollars is still your offer I will accept it"

handing me to you in such a delicate loving manner as though I were his infant child or even his lover

"careful with her gown it is hand stitched also you know"

you make careful note that Shoh sidestepped your question about the creator of the doll

[Ravenloft]

"You know english pretty well for an old fellow." Jake teased as he accepted the doll into his hands. He was sure that the man was a total shyster, reminded him of an old Eddy Murphy movie.

"Right, I'll be carefu-HELL!"

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh looks at you as you hold me and he sees the look in your eye

"I can speak English because you speak it if I spoke Chinese you might not understand me I have been around a long time learn many things if you were Jewish I would speak Yiddish hehe but I see she likes you and you like her so how much you pay?"

the doll feels so warm to the touch surprisingly considering she has been on a shelf for who knows how long the eyes are affixed on yours as you hold her and admire her beauty and craftsmanship

[Ravenloft]

"I... Can pay five, but... Thats all I can offer..." Jake muttered, transfixed, hearing the old man's talk of being around so long, but not really registering what he was saying. "She's for my daughter in college, back in the states. A gift, to let her know I'm thinking about her..." Even as he said it, he knew he wasn't going to be sending the doll to her, not while he was over here. Perhaps he'd give her to his daughter when he got to see her next, and that wasn't going to be for at least another several months.

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh takes the doll from you and delicately her 5'9 form into a large box and wraps it for you

"I can have her delivered for you if you like"

[Ravenloft]

"No! Eh... No, I mean, I'll wait until you have her packaged up so I can take her with me now. Thank you." Jake said as he shook his head, drawing the five hundred he'd offered from his wallet and handing it to Shoh. "I wouldn't want to risk her getting jostled around and broken, you understand?"

[ErykaLorelei]

Shoh smiles insidiously as he hands you the doll

"of course sir here you go take good care of her and you will not regret it I promise"

[Ravenloft]

"Regret." That was the only word that stuck with Jake as he took the cab ride back to his hotel. He had looked over at the celophane and bubble wrap pakaging Shoh had put the doll in several times, each time finding that the doll's face was turned toward him. "Stop!" He demanded once, making the taxi driver stomp on the breaks, when he caught you from smashing against the back of the passenger's seat with quick hands. You could feel the quickness of his heart as he held you, wrapping and all, against his chest. "No... No, not you, keep going, please?" Jake said to the driver as he slumped back in his seat, holding you againts his chest a moment longer before setting you next to him, one hand around your cloth lined hip, to keep you secure.

[ErykaLorelei]

letting out a soft giggle trying not to scare you as you can not help but wonder "did the doll just say thank you?" my head rests on your shoulder as you hold me tenderly my cheek blush slightly and you barely notice out of the corner of your eye as the driver glances back

"you know mack that is a lovely doll I hope you take good care of it she might be worth something later y'know"

my hand nonchallantly falls lifelessly onto your lap as I rest against you my silky soft hair drapes across your chest

[Ravenloft]

"Its... Its for my daughter... Actually." Jake felt rather strange, as though he had been drinking, his thoughts kept slipping back to the doll, even while he conciously tried to think of something else. The cab got him to the hotel he was staying at and he paid the driver what he owed. As he walked into the hotel he muttered to himself while getting the key to his room out of his pocket. "What the hell is the matter with me? It feels like I'm obcessing over this stupid doll! I mean, its exquisite and all... But... I don't like the way its making me feel. Its as though, when I look at it, it's looking back."

He got to his room and went in, taking the doll and setting it on the desk top next to the tv. Drawing a chair over, he sat, facing the doll, wondering what he should do next. "I'll tell ya what I SHOULD do... I should put you in a drawer and put a lock on it... I've seen Chucky, you know. But then, I've seen Manequine too..." Jake took the doll out of its packaging and touched to smoothness of it's porcelin cheek. "Oh... What the hell am I doing? You're not alive... Are you?"

[ErykaLorelei]

sitting there looking at you as you walk around the room contemplating if I am alive or not as I watch you lay next to me on the bed and you seem like you are wanting to get some sleep after all the travelling I just lay next to you my beautiful porcelain face you see a look of contentment in my eyes that seemed almost human and there is a smile on my face

[Ravenloft]

Finally exhaustion and jet lag catch up with Jake and he falls asleep, laying half off the hotel bed. In his sleep he begins to dream of a lush and vibrant country side, unlike any he has ever seen in his life. It was Miko who was using her long contained magicks to alter his dream, creating a dreamscape for them to 'meet' in.

[ErykaLorelei]

The rolling beauty unfolding before you as a young woman approaches you and smiles beneath a painted face she is 5'8 126lbs very buxom but not overly so wearing a white kimono with red flowers all over it

"Greetings sir how are you today?"

the subtle beauty of her face hidden slightly by my jet black hair

[Ravenloft]

Jake was lost in the beauty first, of the land he found himself in, then the asian flower who approached him. "I'm..." There wasn't a word to discribe how he was feeling, but the look in his eyes as they rested upon Miko came close to expressing it. "Who are you?"

[ErykaLorelei]

lightly touching your cheek before holding your hand and standing next to you watching out over the serene field

"I am Miko Yokomuro it is lovely to meet you"

your body tingling with feelings you are not familiar with as in the real world I am lightly caressing your body with my fingertips my hair softly resting against you

"what do you think of what you see? you like?"

[Ravenloft]

"It is beautiful here, but... Is it real?" Jake asked before shaking his head, again trying to focus his thoughts.

"Miko... But you're the doll... The doll the old man sold to me... How can you be here, like this?" He asked with a growing unease.

[ErykaLorelei]

looking into your eyes and smiling softly as the sun starts to set

"shhhh just enjoy the scenery and enjoy being with me"

she turns towards you and caresses your face tenderly as she leans forward and kisses you so very lovingly and sensually

"this can be as real as you want it to be"

my hands caressing all over your body as you sleep my lips pressing tenderly to yours

[Ravenloft]

"Well... I've never been with an asian woman..." Jake muttered between kisses.