It was cold and dark. Cold was fine, but the dark was unusual. I blinked several times, but light didn't shine through like I expected it to. Not even moonlight or the dull light of stars seemed to appear. How odd.

I felt myself wobble as I push down against a rough, stone floor. I look around pointlessly given that I can't see. Though my eyes were trying to adjust, my senses told me my surroundings were not a good place to be. Perhaps the smell of the air, stale and old, or the echo-y quiet I could hear. All negative signs.

Slight lightness finally began to materialize in my vision, and I struggle to make sense of it. Around me seems to be smooth stone walls, unfamiliar to me, with an interesting style to them. The light seemed to be some pale sickly grey, coming from somewhere? I wasn't sure, I was just glad it was there. I seemed to be in a small room of some kind? There was nothing in it apart from a old looking blanket on the floor in the corner and a door at one end of the room.

After a few moments of staggering, I try to pull myself up to my feet, but was stopped by the sudden heavy sensation and drag of weight on my right wrist. Quickly I examined it.

A... chain?

What the hell? I tugged at it; a shackle like thing was relatively tight around my wrist with a chain connected to it, which lead down across the floor and seemed to connect to one of the walls. It takes a second for the distress of my situation to really hit me.

When it does, I immediately begin yanking on the chain, attempting to slide it off my wrist, to no avail. Unconsciously I looked down to reach for my staff.

My staff…. Where is my staff?

Even more panic assaults me, but I keep myself calm enough to examine the room over and over, searching every nook and cranny for my staff. When I can't find it, I freeze.

What happened to me? Where am I? What is this place? Why am I here? Who put me here? How long have I been here? Why and I chained up? Where is my staff?

The questions pile up in my head and I feel dizzy. This is some kind of mistake. The yetties… maybe they caught me sneaking in and finally snapped, and had a dungen made for me? No thats a bit crazy… I'm allowed in North's place now. Someone else? But who? Humans don't know I exist, except for a few, so it wasn't them…

When I can't figure that out, I go through the rest in a frazzled panic, with the same result as the first. Instead of thinking I decide to shout.

"Hey!" I yell in no particular direction. The room was small, the walls were solid. No windows, one door to my right. I walk over to it; its old, big, looks to be made of heavy metal. I see now that the pale light source is peeking in through the small barred window in the door. The chain tugs at my wrist just before I can reach, but I am able to twist my body enough to be able to get close enough to push and pull at it to know it is locked tight.

Before I thoroughly examine whats outside, I shout again. "Hey! Anybody!" I listen as my voice echos hauntingly through the apparent hallway. It is distressingly dark down each end of the hallway the door would open to. I can't see much through the tiny barred window in the door, but I continue to shout, getting a bit more frantic with each hollar. I wasn't necessarily scared that I was locked up like this, I am good at getting out of any situation. Under normal circumstances I'd just find this amusing. But the fact that my staff is missing is what is making me nervous.

"This isn't funny! I didn't do anything bad enough to get locked up, ok!" I say as light-heartedly as I can. Surely this was some kind of joke, or weird capture by Bunny or North like last time with the sack… right?

"Alright look, just give me my staff, and I'll leave, and um…" I am not so good at bargaining… "I'll make up for whatever I did!" I must have done something bad to make someone angry enough to lock me up. I mean I know I cause trouble, but this was extreme, right?

A laughter suddenly echos back at me.

A familiar laughter.

"Oh I was hoping you would say something like that." His voice echos. I jump, spinning around; the voice seems to emanate from all around me. I turn my head back and forth in the small room searching, then back to the door. Where is he?

"Pitch?!" I yell, still turning. I suddenly feel extremely exposed without my staff.

"Did you miss me~" His voice echoed in a casual purr. His voice sounded close, but I still couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where are you?!" I shout. I may not have my staff but if at least I could know where he is I might feel less exposed.

"Boo~" The word, though spoken softly, is loud and close to my ear, and I feel his breath on my skin. I jumped across the room and spin around to see him.

Pitch. He is there, standing in front of me ever so casually, with an amused smile on his face as he chuckles at my startled state.

I pause, frustrated that he is amused, but can't quite muster anything to retort to his stupid tease. If I had my staff, I probably wouldn't have such a pit in my stomach facing him like this.

"What…" I struggle to regain my composure. Don't let this asshat see you afraid. Of course you're not afraid of him. You kicked his ass. I tell myself this and force a fake-relaxed disposition on myself, shifting my weight and crossing my arms.

"I thought you were hiding under a bed somewhere…" I voice, surprising myself at how convincingly casual that sounded. My false bravado gives me more confidence. "Or dead." I cock my head.

Pitch pauses, the smile never leaving his face. I blink at the pause, uncomfortable.

"Yes, well, death would have been rather convenient for you." He finally responds smoothly. "But I'm afraid I don't simply just 'die' so easily". He says this as though it were ridiculous I would even assume he died. To be honest I didn't really think about what actually happened to him. I didn't see him die. I don't even know if he can die. Us spirit types are strange like that. I don't understand how it works myself.

"Yeah it is inconvenient to have to listen to that stupid accent of yours again." Stupid accent? I try not to cringe at my own stupid statement. I realize I'm pandering. "Is this your revenge? Locking me in here and talk at me to death?" Somehow I managed to make it sound even more cringe, but whatever. At least I got back to what I needed to know; why was I here? He brought me here, to what, punish me? Get revenge? What a creep. So butt-hurt over losing he'd go this far. Or maybe he's planning something and this is his way of keeping me out of the way. Why not just get rid of me for good then?

I am disturbed by his sudden smile. "Thats not too far off, actually." He shifts his weight casually, eyeing me up and down in an odd way.

Another moment of silence, and I feel a wave of pure discomfort take over me. I'm not sure why. I don't like how he's looking at me. I can't help but shift under his gaze.

I should have made a witty retort, but then I remember that this creep has my staff. He broke it last time. "Where is my staff?" I ask, my casual attitude replaced with a serious one.

"Oh~" He breathes as though he forgot. "Don't worry about that, I've gotten rid of it." The vagueness of that answer upsets me a lot. "You won't be needing it anymore."

I roll my eyes at the predictable answer, but am surprised when he continues. "Unless, of course, you decide to use it in a way I see fit." He doesn't stop smiling at me.

I am both surprised and amused by that statement. "Seriously?" I ask in disbelief. "You're trying that again?" I can't believe the question, but I also note that it probably means he still has my staff somewhere, and it's not broken again.

"Oh don't worry Jack, I know you wont join me in your right mind~" He says undeterred. He suddenly takes a few steps closer, and I involuntarily take a step back before remembering to take a stance and not be intimidated.

I let him get too close for comfort, and he stops just in front of me, looking down at me with those creepy eyes. I puff up my chest in response, looking him dead in the eye.

"So I'll just get you out of your right mind." He says casually. I blink. What does that even mean? Before I can ask, I see him lift up his hand, and I jump away, my back immediately hitting the wall behind me. He moves it slowly to his face and blows a glittery cloud of dust at me. Before I can even react, I feel it sink into my skin, and I feel my consciousness fade.