“MIMI!!” Riku’s hands immediately clasped onto his ears; a bellowing shriek horrid enough to break glass could be heard echoing from that vast house. Large iron clad doors swung open, and the shrieks continued to echo from their hollow halls; it was so terrible, Riku thought his ears might bleed. The girl cringed, her hands too, covering her own ears, though from what Riku could tell, it was more fear than the noise itself.
From the doors, a monster was unleashed; it’s face a sickly green, and it’s large yellow eyes bulged from it’s thin face. Long, oversized black garments swamped the frail body, and it’s bony hands were clasped tightly around a wooden staff w/a green bauble that gleamed with a foul light at the end. It looked like that of a witch, and Riku gathered that “it” had to be a “she”.
Yet the girl still cringed behind Riku, desperate for a hiding place. The tall witched walked, no, almost glided (for her feet were always hidden from the public view) towards them; her scowl then seemed to transform as her thin lips split into a toothy grin, her fangs present.
“Mimi, who is this new friend you seemed to have made?” she inquired, her voice as sickly as her appearance, and reminded Riku that of nails screeching against a chalkboard.
Mimi peered up at her from the tops of her eyelids, clearly afraid of giving the “wrong” answer.
“I…I think…He said his name was Riku…ma’am!” she added quickly, her voice timid. It was almost like magic, because as soon as the words escaped Mimi’s lips, Riku stepped forward, almost like an act of defiance, as if to protect Mimi. The witch still grinned, as she lowered herself, taking Riku’s fleshy face into her bony hands, clasping it like an old grandmother.
“Riku…we’ve been expecting you. I apologize for the lack of welcoming this girl must have brought, but at least you’re here…Mimi!” Mimi’s head jerked up quickly.
“Yes-yes ma’am?!”
“Take Riku to his “prepared” room, then once he’s comfortable, send him to my quarters so we can have a nice chat about what to do about his missing friends, understood?” Mimi nodded furiously as she snatched Riku’s hand (though he was completely unaware when she had let go in the first place) and tore through the grand hallways of Hollow Bastion. Not only did stairs line everywhere you went, but Riku kept noticing a large, heart shaped crest. The outline was a crimson red, and the inside was a dark black. It seemed to haunt them as she dragged him through the halls. Then she stopped at a fairly large door, that adorned the same crest. She then took out a ring of keys (from God knows where) and started to fumble with them, trying out every key. As she tried to unlock the door, Riku noticed something peculiar that clung to her wrists.