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Chapter Text

It had been some time since Toad had been in here. He wasn't sure how long, there weren't exactly any clocks or windows to keep track with. The only gauge he had were the effects of his....session.

All the weight his arms had carried, straining against the chains, had left them with ugly bruising. And the shade they were took two days if his guess was right. And it usually was. 

He’d woken up on the futon, bundled up in a loose robe that was definitely not his own; it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. A bribe, a way to tempt him into behaving.

Be a good little mortal, and you get a treat. 

As if he'd let himself be pulled to that low.

Studying his arm, his attention was drawn from the bruising to the faded green crescent scars. The sight brought a deeper scowl to his face; it had been the first “session", and it wasn't the worst, but it was the one etched most clearly into his memory...

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He had managed to slip away from the casino and prying eyes, for but a moment; and in this moment, he had picked his way into Toad’s private office. Surely there had to be something in this room that would help him break the chain. Some book or scroll that explained things, that would be nice. 

He quickly made his way toward a large bookshelf; skimming over the titles, he ignored the various history tomes and manuals for random machines, until he found exactly what he'd hoped for: 'Magical Imprisonments and More: A How To for the Inexperienced'.

He flipped through the yellowed pages, until stopping on one that caught his eye. A chapter on breaking supernatural bonds, that had to be it. This was it, finally luck was on his side again—

The door slammed open, making him flinch as he glanced over his shoulder.

Liu Hai towered in the doorway, fury in his eyes and shark-like teeth bared in a snarl. Gladstone was frozen for a moment, fear quickly taking over, before he hastily tried to lighten the mood.

"H-hey, Leap Year, buddy! Was just lookin' for you; you know, you have got a really nice den here,"

The spirit's fury didn't lessen as he stormed towards the babbling goose.

"And I am really diggin' the jade curtains, really brings the whole Feng shui in here together and I can see you aren't buying a-word-of-this-so-I'm-just-gonna-go--!"

His speech dissolved into a jumble of words as he dodged around the advancing toad, and made a break for the door. A hand caught him by the arm though and jerked him back to face Liu Hai's anger.

He snatched the book from his grasp, and eyed the cover for a moment before fixing his furious eyes back on the panicking goose in hand.

"Clever, Mr. Gander, but not clever enough," he growled, warping the book back to its place on the shelf, "admirable as it is that you got this far, my patience is wearing thin with your antics."

"Well MY patience is wearing thin with YOUR....EVERYTHING!" Gladstone snapped back, pulling at his arm. 

"You think I’m gonna keep putting up with the fancy rooms and you acting like some grand showman?!”

"I think if you want to continue having the luxuries you have, you'll start behaving--!"

"I'm not a damn toddler!"

"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE ONE!"

"THEN STOP HOLDING ME HOSTAGE!"

They both fell silent to catch their breath, glowering at one another; finally, Liu Hai took a long breath, before releasing it slowly.

"You're going to go back to the game floor, and at least pretend to enjoy yourself, and maybe I'll forget about this grievance."

"No."

"....no?"

"No, I'm not going back out there! I'm not playing anymore, I'm not doing anything, I’m done!”

"Tread carefully, Gander..."

"Or what?! What're you gonna do?! Lock me in my penthouse?! Oh no, how terrible, I'll be stuck in a luxury suite— what a travesty! Like you can DO anything to me and risk losing your ‘precious’ unlimited buffet?! I’m not stupid—you need me!”

He jerked himself free, and stalked towards the door.

“Gladstone, I’m warning you right now, you don’t want to get on my bad side—”

“Oh, so this has been your GOOD side this whole time?! Well in that case let me put on my best smile then,” he stated with a terse laugh, before quickly shifting into a scowl, “thanks for the heads up.”

“You insufferable little—!”

“Oh, bite me, you glorified leech!”

Another tense silence fell as he continued to the door. Liu Hai's narrowed eyes studied him for a minute or two, his thoughts boiling over; then, a smirk slowly took hold. He snapped, and Gladstone jumped back in surprise as the door abruptly vanished.

A sense of unease began forming in his stomach as he turned back; Liu Hai wore an odd smirk as he shuffled his cards, eyeing him with an indiscernible gleam.

“You know, I’m starting to think you need a little more than simple verbal warnings. I think you need some time to reflect and consider how you'd like for your stay to go from here on out."

“I—you—what are you even going on about?! Bring the door back…!”

He trailed off as Liu Hai stepped closer.

“I don’t think you quite grasp how benign I’ve been with you, and how fortunate you’ve been…”

“This isn’t funny, I’m serious, let me out!”

His demands went ignored though.

"There is much you don't know about my methods, Gladstone; for example, I have many ways of draining the luck of mortals, but you've been fortunate enough to only experience the nicer methods."

"Uh huh, very interesting, about the door—"

"Harvesting through acts such as gambling, prolonged physical contact,"

Gladstone briefly paused at that; was that why he was so hands-y? Well he certainly wasn't going to be letting him continue his 'friendly' breaching of space bubbles...

"But, then we get to the more...brutal and direct methods."

"Look I was never big into educational speeches-- hey!"

Gladstone yelped as the toad suddenly snatched his arm in a tight grip, and yanked him closer. He gave an angered cry and attempted to push away.

"What are you doing, man?! Let go...!"

"For example, luck is tied to your qi, and as a spirit of luck, I can tap into it and drain you directly. It provides a larger amount with less effort on my part. But, unfortunately for you, it's quite painful."

"I literally cannot care any less about your dietary methods, now let go of me!"

Liu Hai gave a light chuckle and sneered, and something about it rubbed Gladstone the wrong way. It briefly made him pause in his movements, but it quickly returned as Liu Hai took hold of his jaw.

"But you probably should, if you want to continue living peacefully here,"

"What are you going on about?!"

Another laugh, and he pressed closer.

"There's a reason some legends refer to me as a luck vampire, Gladstone..."

It was a minute or two before he processed the statement, he was too focused on trying to squirm his way out of the hold; once it did, though, his movements ceased, as he slowly shifted his eyes up to meet the spirit's humored gaze. 

And behind the humor was the growing spark of hunger. 

His grin was now full of very sharp teeth that were evidently more than just for show. 

Gladstone's struggling returned with vigor, and managed to slip free—or perhaps Liu Hai had simply let him go. Either way, Gladstone took the chance, scrambling backward until the wall forced him to stop.

Liu Hai only grinned, stepping closer.

"Are we beginning to see just how nice we have it?"

“S-stay back! Don’t you even dare…!”

His threats didn’t affect him; Liu Hai sneered, leaning forward and resting a hand on the wall beside his head.

“I believe I asked you a question, Gladstone…”

"Yes, yes, I get it! Crystal clear here, we are on the same page, j-just put the door back and let me go and we can get back to the casino..!"

His frantic comments sputtered to a stop as Liu Hai took hold of his jaw. It forced his head to the side, and he gave a small whine as Liu Hai pressed closer, warm breath hitting his face.

"Mmm, but see, with you, it seems demonstrations are far more effective in getting my point across. Perhaps you need one to really understand your place here—"

"No," his voice was verging on hysterical, "nonono I'm good! No demonstration needed, point has been made! You don't have to do that no...!"

Knife like teeth grazed his neck, forcing his desperate ramblings into a shriek as he tried to push him away. Liu Hai snickered, before abruptly pulling him from the wall, and wrapping an arm around him. His free hand took a tight hold of one arm, pulling it out and tracing along it with his teeth. Gladstone’s meager hold on himself crumbled further as he strained against it, twisting and squirming and absolutely desperate in his efforts to talk his way out of this.

"Don't, don't, please...! Just let me go back to the casino, I-I can play games! Any game, you name it! As many as you want, I can play along, I'll play along, Toad please...!"

His sleeve was pushed up, he couldn’t see how but he assumed magic was involved at this point, leaving his arm exposed. Terror finally brought his wild yells and flailing down to a meek and desperate sob.

"Please…I'll do whatever you want..."

A soft laugh came; Liu Hai finally responded, hissing in his ear.

"I know you will."

Several sharp teeth sunk into his skin, and an icy hot agony bloomed and slowly spread down his arm. It climbed up his shoulder and crawled its way to his chest— and deeper, somehow. As if tearing its way into his very center; and then it began to pull.

A ragged scream went unheard by the world outside. 

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He hadn't realized how tightly he was holding his arm the pressure pulled him from the memory. He loosened his grip, and rubbed at the marks as the blood flowed back in. 

After that he’d done his best to keep his escape plans quieter. Not that it mattered, somehow or another Toad always found out. And each time ended with him trapped in his office and Liu Hai ripping into his good luck, draining him to the dregs and leaving him too exhausted to try anything else.

Of course, that was only part of the process; "reeducation" Liu Hai called it, and it was a cycle that had nearly driven him mad. 

Step one, be locked away in his office for an unknown amount if time. Left to sit with his thoughts, with the fear of knowing what was the come. Be driven to panic with every passing minute. That at any time--it had been different with every session--Liu Hai would appear and start the next step. 

Step two, Liu Hai ripping the good luck out from his core. But it couldn't just be that and done, oh no. Toad had to draw it out, run his sharpened teeth against his skin. Murmur in his ear, jumping between faux comforts if he was already in tears, and very real threats if he was in a more combative mood.

This step could go on for hours if he was feeling particularly fed up with Gladstone's antics. He'd take breaks between sessions, idly chatting as if they were just two friends sharing a lunch. Poking fun at his desperate attempts to flee the room. Taunting him as he clawed at the floor, dragged across it when he was mere inches from the doors.

"Oh, so close; perhaps next time you'll have better luck..."

"Now, now, where are you going? We're only on the first course."

"Relax, my little friend, we're almost done. Just hold still and I’ll make it quick..."

Step three; when he was FINALLY satisfied, then he'd turn up the charm and overbearing attitude. Cooing over him and ruffling his hair as if to settle him down. Assure him things would be fine if he'd play along, that if he'd do as he was told, life could be so great. 

He knew in some sense, it was true. Toad would and had treated him like a valued friend when he'd stop and play nice. But the way he'd look at him, the way he'd always have a hand on his shoulders, invade his space whenever possible...

It made his skin crawl. 

Just like it was now; the room was empty, but he could feel the eyes on him. Staring right through him and into his being. There was nowhere and nothing he could do to hide from the gaze. 

And it was driving him nuts. 

".....I know you're there! If you're gonna be a creep at least do it in person!"

Truth be told, he'd rather not have Liu Hai in the room with him. But at least then, he had a direction to aim for. 

There was no answer, and at first he thought Toad would just ignore him and stay wherever he was. 

But then that sense of being watched grew worse, and a hand suddenly settled itself on his head. 

"You called?"

He froze; why had he wanted this, again? This was worse, actually, much worse. 

".....I want my clothes back."

It was a stupid request, but he had nothing else to say. 

Liu Hai laughed, ruffling his hair in that unbearably cheerful manner. 

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not possible; mostly because they're nothing but ash at this point. Besides, don't you appreciate the lovely robe that I didn't have to give you?"

The tone was calm, but a sharp edge was underneath; a small reminder to respond carefully.

And that warning went ignored. 

"Not particularly."

Liu Hai's hand tightened slightly, and forced his head back to meet his humored gaze. 

"Well that's quite rude, my little luck charm; perhaps I should take it back, then, if you don't really care for it..."

Nope. Nope, that would be worse. 

He snickered at Gladstone's scowl as he drew it closer around him.

"I thought so; you really ought to be careful what you say. Even now there is much for you to lose..."

Gladstone only scowled harder, before jerking his head away. 

"I want to go home. NOW."

The sharp grin grew wider, and Liu Hai leaned closer. 

"And we both know that's not going to happen. So, you would best get used to this place, but fret not,"

The hand returned with more force, holding his jaw tightly and making him wince. 

"Soon enough, I'm certain you'll grow to like it."

Gladstone gave a hiss, jerking away again and shoving his hand back.

"I'm not gonna 'grow to like' anything! You can't keep me here forever! I'm gonna get out and when I do—!"

The hand suddenly moved to grip his throat, cutting him off with a choked yelp, and shoved him against the couch. Liu Hai's sneer had dropped into a heavy scowl.

"I can and will, Gladstone; as long as you have your luck, you will remain here. And if you're going to make things difficult then I won't hesitate to put you in your place. We both know I won't kill you, but as I’m sure you also know..."

His free hand came up, gently stroking his face as he stared at him in wide eyed terror. It was all he could do at this point. 

"There are worse things."

He was released without another word, coughing as he sucked down air and pushed himself back up. He said nothing as Liu Hai took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa, quietly shuffling his cards. Neither said anything for a while; Gladstone used it to collect his thoughts and air, shooting glowers at the figure beside him. He wanted something, he was sure-- he knew WHAT he wanted, but why was he waiting? 

Was it because he knew Gladstone had no where to go? He just wanted to draw things out longer, play with his food so to speak? Highly probable, considering--

He was pulled from his thoughts by his stomach uttering a loud growl, causing him to wince and curl inward. A laugh sounded, and he glanced up to see Liu Hai watching him with a knowing smile.

"Sounds to me like you're in need of a good meal."

Gladstone scowled, keeping silent for another minute longer before shifting his gaze to the floor.

"What do you want?" he snapped, voice flat; he didn't really need to ask about the what, only the price.

Another laugh, before a hand settled on his shoulder.

"Well that depends; what are you willing to do? How BADLY do you want it?"

Ah, so that was it, then; he wanted him to WILLINGLY give in. If he did so now, then he could easily keep upping the ante with every minor need that came up.

Well that wasn't happening.

He jerked his arm away, and turned away from him without a word. Liu Hai chuckled again, and rose from the futon.

"Very well then, I'll let you sit on things a bit more; just give me another call when you're ready."

He trailed off, and Gladstone assumed he left-- until his hands gripped both shoulders and he felt him hissing in his ear.

"But you know fully well the side effects that come with my feeding sessions, so I wouldn't wait long if I were you..."

And with that he finally left, leaving Gladstone to his thoughts.

He stewed for a while, trying to ignore his insistent stomach. 

As if I'd give in so easily... he thought, stretching out on the futon. 

But Toad had a point....he remembered quite clearly the aftermath of being drained. The fatigue, the empty chill, the nausea; food did help, along with the fancy teas he’d be given. They restored his energies and all, but obviously he wouldn't be getting any aid unless he literally begged for it. 

Which wasn't going to happen, he refused to let it.

He wouldn't break. 

He wouldn't break.

He would. Not. Break--

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