You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
((How do you respond?))
Pandora responds with a chuckle, low and melodic but ultimately follows her order with ease. Sitting down on the cushion, he folds his hands on his lap and offers the older woman a smile.
"What a tempting offer, but a story can't be told without knowing the author, now can it? My name is Pandora, no last name"
The old hag gently tilts her head before responding "Is that your true name?"
"No ma'am" He confesses with ease, his smile never faltering as he continues "It's a self given name"
She nods, gesturing with her hand for him to continue.
"As for my story, well..." He looks at the tattered ceiling of the tent their in, trying to collect his thoughts before looking back up towards the old hag and starting his tale.
"There once was a boy who had a loving family, who frequently traveled from town to town. The foolish boy had hated it, as he had to lose friends over and over and over again, had to get accustomed to being in one place just to move the very next month, but at least he still had his family, a blessing he didn't realize he had until it was taken away from him, by his own hands no less" His smile becomes gentle, his eyes becoming unfocused, almost like his looking through the old hag.
"They were in a new town and he had gone out to play, but ended up stumbling across a group of people. They were lost they said, and the boy jumped at the opportunity to help them. He had wanted to help, he really, truly did. He wanted to help this people find shelter, what the foolish boy didn't realize was that this 'lost people' were anything but lost, didn't realize their dark looks or their sharp swords and ended up leading a bunch of bandits to their next target. They pillaged everything, murdered and burned the village to the ground. The only survivor? The same foolish boy that had doomed the village and his family"
His eyes refocus as he slightly leans in towards the direction of the old hag "Would you like to know a little secret?"
The older woman looks at the young man and nods slightly.
"Contrary to popular belief, the boy had died with the village that day, and me? I´m what remains of him"
(Fun fact: Pandora's backstory is based off of pandora's box, the bandits symbolizing the box and Pandora being...well, Pandora)
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