Doflamingo's Pov
Elizabeth had returned home some time ago although I was busying myself with other matters. Mainly examining my little creation and making the necessary repairs. "That stupid mutt damaged my work... but who was the one to repair it? The stitchwork is quite nice almost as if I sewed it myself" It lacked perfection however it stopped the sand from pouring out for a bit. I could have left it alone but decided against it as I cut another thread to redo the stitching myself. The thread used would not have held together for more than a week so it was better to do this now. Besides Elizabeth was taking an afternoon nap on the couch making this time work perfectly.
"There we go. It is a shame I did not see whose mutt ruined my work... Go back to her and I will call for her within the hour" The doll had given a slight nod before leaving the palm of my hand to prepare to jump from the open window. I turned on my heels just as it jumped but that was fine, I knew it would end up right where I needed it. "Fufufu. Little Elizabeth is coming out to play" I had only been expecting to see her later tonight but since her parents were gone, I thought why should I waste a good opportunity for fun.
"I wonder if she plays hide and seek?"
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Sometime Later...
Elizabeth's Pov
'Knock' 'Knock' 'Knock'
"I'm up... Hm, what was that sound?" I had thought my parents had come back but when I listened for hints of my mother's voice, I didn't hear a thing. "Must have been the neighbors" My body laid back on the couch hoping to get another few hours of sleep. However, the moment my eyes shut the light sound of knocking hit my ears. "What the heck was that?... It's the same sound from my dr- It couldn't be"
At first, I only got up to make sure I wasn't crazy but when I noticed the clock hands weren't moving my mind concluded this was another dream. "It's weird to be having the same kind of dream twice... Where did I put my key?" The last time I checked it was sitting on my nightstand but before I could end leave the room, I noticed my doll was sitting on the back of the couch holding it. "Where'd you get that?... You look better" The neighbor lady had fixed her up the best she could but these stitches were different almost like someone had redone them. "Are you going through the little door as well?"
To make myself seem saner I tilted her head up and down in a mock 'yes' gesture. "There's good. Let's see if the tunnel is there in this dream as well" The couch was still heavy but I managed to push it out of the way before crouching down to instead the key and unlock it. Carefully I pulled it open and just like last night a tunnel was present. However, this time the tunnel appeared smaller with various items lining the sides. I stared for a moment longer but figured I'd still fit so went ahead with the plan.
It was tight although I made it work as I eventually came to the end. This time the other door was left wide open allowing me to enter the same room as before. Looking around I couldn't see Doflamingo. "I wonder where he is?... What's this?" I noticed on the coffee table there rested a chocolate box and while I knew it wasn't mine, I was on the hungry side. "He won't mind if I take just one" Reaching for the box I tried to take the top off when out of nowhere a pair of hands wrapped around my wrists.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
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Ten Minutes Later...
"You hit quite hard for such a small girl" He shouldn't have scared me half to death or stayed that close to me. However, I couldn't exactly take back my punch. "I said I was sorry but you shouldn't be sneaking up on people" He probably was giving me a look behind those shades, I could feel it or I was just overthinking things. "You were the one trying to steal my chocolates. What brings you here Elizabeth?" I got a bit confused since I thought it was him calling me over here. "Didn't you knock on the door?"
"No. Are you sure you heard knocking?" Maybe I hadn't heard it although the house was old so the sound could have been something else. Well, I swore it was knocking but Doflamingo had no reason to lie to me. "I thought I did but I was half asleep... Why can't I have one of those chocolates?" He didn't look like the type who enjoyed sweets and even last night he hadn't eaten at all. "Would you like one?" The box was now resting on his lap although I almost thought this was a trick. "I am hungry"
"I suppose you could have one but I doubt this is the kind of treat you'd like" The box remained closed and I stared at it for a few seconds while deciding on what I should do. After a while, I decided I'd like to at least try one of these chocolates. "How are you so sure about that?" Within a second his smirk widened before a box was presented to me. "Fufuffu. Here try one" I moved to take one although stopped short when I saw what was in the box. "That's more li-"
"Something wrong Elizabeth?" Doflamingo was waiting for me to take one of the chocolates but how did he expect me to eat whatever those were? I mean even if this is a dream, I wasn't completely insane. "They're moving... and they're shaped like bugs" He slowly lowered the box back to his lap however kept the cover off. "Do you have a point?"
"It's almost like Harry Potter and the chocolate frogs... Are you sure I can try one?" Since this was a dream, I thought they would taste like any other chocolate. "Have you never eaten chocolate before? I'll eat half if you have the other. They taste fine and the moving is simply for effect" If he had said they were fine then I would choose to believe him. However, before I ate one, I had a few questions. "We don't have moving, bug-shaped chocolates in my world... Does everyone here eat stuff like this?"
"I'm the only person here besides you of course" As far as I was aware that had been the case however, I thought more people would live around him. However, I wasn't going to ask him any more questions right now. "That wasn't what I meant. You know what forget it. Gimme the chocolate before I change my mind"
"Quite demanding but as you wish... Make sure to chew it before swallowing I would hate for you to choke" He didn't even let me touch the chocolate as it was pushed into my mouth. I expected it to taste sweet and creamy but that wasn't at all what hit my tastebuds. Spitting it out was my first thought although I didn't want to hurt Doflamingo's feelings since he clearly enjoyed them. "Chew Elizabeth... Come on... That's it now swallows" It nearly made me throw up but somehow the chocolate had gone down. "Do you want another one?"
Never again would I be eating something so gross. "N-No, thank you" My tongue was still tingling from the weird chocolate and an aftertaste lingered although it would be rude to ask for water. I'd have to suffer for a little longer until Doflamingo offered me a drink. "Suit yourself" He went for another but this time I watched as something slimy pulled away from the other half. It wasn't regular nougat however I made the mistake of asking. "Wait, w-what kind of filling is that?"
"Fufufu. It is beetle soaked in rum" That came off his tongue so calmy but I had thought I miss heard him. "It's what?" My hands were already sweating as I waited for him to speak. I wanted him to say anything else however I already knew that wasn't going to happen. "It is beetle soaked in rum. Why are you staring at me as if you have seen a ghost?" I didn't know whether to throw up or pass out. Either way that bug was now in my stomach while Doflamingo just looked at me.
I had decided after a bit that this jerk needed to be told exactly how this wasn't right. "Y-You fed me a bug!?" His facial expression refused to change even after my tone rose and, in a way, it ticked me off. "I do not understand Elizabeth you saw firsthand what they were when I opened the box. You freely chose to taste one" Okay, I could see where he was coming from although there was no way in hell, I would have eaten one if I had known the truth. "You lied to me! You said nothing about them being real bugs!"
"No, I said the moving is by effect only. You could have asked about what they were" Alright, maybe I should have asked although I didn't think I would have to. Besides I was a bit concerned about why this man was eating bugs covered in chocolate. Sure, this was another world although eating bugs was still creepy. I couldn't exactly bring it up so I just chose to insult him in a joking manner. "Jerk" The damage was alright done, I needed to move on before things got too heated. "Fufufu. You should remember to ask for more details in the future. I am glad you came to visit though"
I would have started to glare at him but I was taken a little off guard by the fact he was happy to see me. "You are?" I could list on one hand all the people that were glad to see me so I was doubtful about this man's claim. "Of course, it has been lonely here without anyone to keep me company" That was right, he was alone here and that made me have less doubt. There was still some but we'd see how things went. "I am happy to see you too... even if you did feed me a bug, I suppose it was sort of my fault. Friends can make mistakes all the time but if anything like this happens again there's going to be hell to pay"
"When did we become friends?" He seemed shocked I had called him my friend. I didn't see why as he must have had other friends at one point. "The first time we met silly. In fact, you're my first friend in this new place. I used to have plenty but after moving I haven't heard from any of them. You might not be real although I'll enjoy this while I can"
"I am more real than you realize, Elizabeth, my Little Doll. Fufufu. What shall we do today? Pick anything and I will try to make it happen" Was that a nickname? He hadn't called me that before and I couldn't see where he had gotten the idea from. "You're little what?" I thought he'd realize it was weird although that didn't happen as the nickname was repeated. "My Little Doll. It is a fitting name do you not agree?" Maybe it had been from his view although from mine it was a bit of an insult. "I might be small but why call me a doll?"
"You are simply perfect just like a doll. Fufufu. So, what do you desire to do today?" Hearing that caused my cheeks to grow hot and if Doflamingo noticed he never made a comment about it. I turned away from him before coming up with an idea that I thought would be nice. "Do you have any yarn?" I still had my back to him so I didn't notice when his finger wrapped around a strain of my hair.
"I do, follow me" When I turned to follow, I noticed his finger unraveling from my hair but I kept my thoughts to myself. He was acting strange and a little touchy however I found it nice. Maybe I would figure him out one day or this dream would be the last time I saw him. Unfortunately, that wasn't a question I had an answer to. "I hope to see you again"
"Did you say something, my Little Doll?"
"Nope"
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To Be Continued...