Young Writers Society

"Which makes it rather entertaining," Enide said, standing up and eyeing the newcomers. They looked strange, they smelled like cigar smoke, they were very interested in drinking games, but Denebola seemed to be comfortable around them (given how close she was standing next to them - the lionness usually made it obvious what she felt about someone). Not that Denebola kept the best company, but Enide was inclined to trust them.

"Speaking of which," the fox said, "Who should go next? Nathan answered his question, if I remember correctly. And I would certainly not be against a drinking game, should we need to pass more time in this cave."

"Me either," I said, despite never having taken part in a single drinking game in any of my lives. Technically, I was too young, but where was the harm in it-

Nathan, who had up until this point been nervously spinning a strand of hair around a finger when he saw the newcomers, quietly pointed out, "...You died when you were still a teenager, and you haven't aged since then."

"I'm mentally prepared for it," I confidently declared, only to pause and quietly add - not intentionally - a few seconds later, "...I think."

"In as much as you can prepare for a game in which you are already incapacitated," Enide said, smirking. That switched to a frown soon enough. "So, you are ageless? Were you not already dead, I would call you immortal."

"Oh, no, I'm definitely mortal," I said - even though I had earlier resigned myself to my fate of saying more than I wanted to, I once again felt a wave of frustration when I remembered two more people were present. "I just died when I was teenager, stayed physically as a teenager while I was a ghost, and haven't been alive again long enough to have another birthday."

"...He's physically seventeen," Nathan quietly said.

"But I'm more than a century old," I added, "so I can probably handle a little alcohol - and I'm mostly just saying that because I want to try it."

I paused.

And then I swore.

"This will be an especially entertaining drinking game, I should think," Enide said, grin growing a little wider.

"We don't have to drink," Nathan quietly said, scooting a little closer to me as his gaze stayed on the newcomers. I was starting to realize I didn't even know their names, and that they didn't know mine, either. They probably couldn't guess what was up with Nathan and this place - figuring out he was the personification of lying wasn't something you could guess with a single look.

"We don't technically have to, but I want to," I declared, right before turning to the newcomers. "Before we start playing any game, we should do introductions - not all of us know these guys like Denebola apparently does."

I gestured at myself. "I'm Van Sullivan-"

A pause, and a quiet swear - I had been hoping I could just say I went by Skull, even if it wasn't my real name.

"-but everyone calls me Skull, thanks to me haunting my skull for more than the past century."

Nathan didn't offer an introduction yet; he just used me as someone to hide behind, barely peeking around me to look at the newcomers.

"Enide," she said, giving a small nod. "Queen of Foxes."

She looked over at Nathan, who was now hiding behind Skull. For the personification of lying, which suggested he was both powerful and not necessarily human, Nathan sure didn't like having company around. Then again, he was in the wrong body, in the wrong place, talking to people he wasn't familiar with. That had to be stressful. "And would you like to introduce yourself?" she said. "It would be perfectly acceptable if you did not, though you are somewhat significant when it comes to why we are all here."

Nathan's hands gripped my arms tightly.

"I...I'm not ready yet," he said. His voice faltered, and he ducked a little more behind me. "I...I'll introduce myself later..."

I glanced back at him for a second before turning back to Enide, giving a slight shrug.

"Would you prefer that I introduce you?" Enide said, tilting her head slightly.

Nathan frantically shook his head.

"I feel that explaining your identity would be help the newcomers figure out where they are and how they found themselves here, and not doing so might leave them confused and frustrated, but I will respect your wishes," Enide said.