It was 1:45am as Nyx walked home from work.
She hadn't planned on working a double at the restaurant, but when her coworker called out last minute, her boss had given her a choice: "Stay, or you're fired." The goblin snarled, moonlight glinting off her pointed teeth. Grandia worked them like slaves. Nyx's sharp nails dug into her palms as she envisioned hurling her fist into her boss's face, but no matter how it vexed her, there was no way she could take a seven foot tall minotaur.
Nyx pulled off her uniform's cap, unleashing a shock of blue hair. It was an unseasonably warm October. Her body was damp with sweat, and she could still smell the grease in her clothes as she opened the door to her apartment.
The youth groaned loudly as she was greeted by piles of dirty clothes everywhere. Since she'd neglected to do her laundry for over a week, there were no clean clothes for after her shower. Throwing open the fridge door, she grabbed half a rotisserie chicken and devoured it angrily over the sink, bones and all. Then she wiped her hands and face on a dirty t-shirt, stuffed it and the rest of her laundry into a laundry bag, and walked down to the laundry room.
Sitting on the washing machine, Nyx purred as it whirred beneath her. After spending 16 hours in a loud kitchen, she was relieved to hear nothing but its soft mechanical churning and the hum of cicadas. The surrounding apartments were dark, and a warm breeze drifted through the open laundry room door. She closed her eyes. Beneath her, the washing machine rocked and vibrated. Pursing her green lips, Nyx spread her legs a bit. It felt good. Nyx's round butt and thick thighs jiggled as the machine gently shook her body. Her brow furrowed slightly. If she sat here long enough...
One of Nyx's pointed ears twitched. Something was scuffling past the laundry room window. She jumped up, but saw nothing through the dirty glass. Probably a resident, she thought. It was a small complex, and she knew most everybody. A few night owls, but most would be asleep at this hour. Maybe it was an animal? It sounded too big to be a possum or a raccoon. Nyx quietly made her way to the window.
The complex had two floors and was arranged in a U shape, with all doors facing inwards. In the center was a courtyard of grass, a few scattered trees, and a pool that didn't see much use. Only the entrance door led out to the street. Surrounding the complex was a parking lot, with a gate that closed at night. After 9pm, the only way in was with a remote to the gate or a key to the front door. Nyx always wondered what the point of this was, considering it wouldn't stop anyone who could fly or climb...
A shadow darted past the window. Gasping, Nyx threw it open to face the lurker.
"I'm not afraid of you!" she shouted in her most menacing voice. The concrete wall across the parking lot echoed her shout. She looked back and forth. Nobody sign of anyone. Pointed ears twitching, Nyx listened carefully for a few more moments, hearing nothing but cicadas and the washing machine.
Irritated that her private moment had been interrupted, she shut the window. The washing machine stopped after a while. She transferred her clothes to the dryer and headed back.
Hot water cascaded down Nyx's shoulders, her eyes closing as it flowed over her tired muscles. She was strong for a goblin, and tall, too, at five foot (152cm) even. Toned, sturdy legs led up to a peachy ass, curvy hips and a gently muscled belly. Her breasts were small but supple, with puffy nipples just a bit darker than her jade skin. Short, unkempt blue hair framed her gamine face, her fierce yellow eyes a stark contrast to her otherwise soft, pixie features. Pale freckles adorned her like a shawl, from her hairline down her chest and back. She knew she was small, but she was a fighter, and she held herself as such.
Standing on one leg and then the other, Nyx washed the soles of her dirty feet. Like most goblins, she did not wear shoes, choosing instead to wrap her feet in bandages when she left home. Her pointed toenails would never fit in shoes, anyway. She gritted her teeth as she quickly scrubbed between her toes, which wiggled uncontrollably as she held back a snicker. Though she would never admit it, she was unbearably ticklish, to the point that she could even tickle herself in some places.
Nyx got out of the shower and dried off, then went to her bedroom to assess her clothing situation. One pair of blue-and-white-striped panties and a purple bra sat at the bottom of her drawer. She slipped them on and glanced at the clock. It was 3:30am. Maybe she could sneak down to get her laundry without anyone noticing. At least, there was a better chance than if she waited until tomorrow morning.
She started down the dark hallway, cicadas buzzing in the trees as she tried to step as quietly as possible. It wasn't the end of the world if someone saw her, right? She wore a bikini to the pool sometimes, was this really so different? Nyx's hypervigilance alerted her to the left leg of her panties riding up her butt crack as she walked. A blush rose in her cheeks as she imagined one of her neighbors seeing her naked behind. Quickly, she closed the gap to the laundry room, eyes darting around as she entered. Vacant. Phew. She quickly threw on a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, gathered her clothes and started back to her unit.
About halfway back, a familiar scuffling stopped Nyx in her tracks. She dropped the laundry bag and whipped her head in the direction of the sound. Stillness - not even a hint of movement. She held her breath as she remained frozen. Nothing broke the silence; even the cicadas had stopped chirping. No animal that Nyx knew of could move that fast, so someone must be lurking in the darkness. Nyx lowered her stance, forming her fingers into claws as she scanned the courtyard. She waited.
After a while of stillness, Nyx slowly picked up her laundry bag and stepped quietly to her apartment. As her hand touched the door handle, something wrapped around her face.
"MHPHhhh!!"
Before she could struggle free, whatever was wrapped around her face also coiled around her body until she was totally immobile. She tried to scream.
"Anyone you wake will die," a voice whispered in her ear.
Fearing for her neighbors, Nyx stopped. As she struggled to break free, the strong coil around her body lifted her off the ground and carried her into the apartment. The door shut and latched.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
The lights in Nyx's apartment went out. With her arms pinned against her body and legs roped together, all she could do was wriggle uselessly. Her mouth was pinned so tightly she couldn't even bite her assailant. Tears of fear and rage welled in her eyes. She squirmed as much as possible, but the coil's grip was unbelievably strong. Transporting her into the bedroom, the coil held Nyx over her bed, then unwound and deposited her there. Springing to her feet, she dove at her capturer.
"I'll kill you!" she screamed, slashing with her claws. Her hand sliced through open air. "Where are you, you bastard!"
She made for the living room, but gasped as she was thrown backwards by some invisible forcefield. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to turn on the light, but the switch was just beyond the barrier.
"Please, Nyx... I'm not going to hurt you, and I don't want you to hurt yourself," the voice spoke again. It was surprisingly gentle, which only enraged Nyx more.
"Fuck you! You broke into my house, you put your hands on me, I'll kill you!"
"You
do
have quite the temper... but I have a remedy for that."
As Nyx searched the dark for the mysterious figure, she became aware of a sweet scent filling the room. Quickly, she covered her mouth and nose with her bedsheets.
"What is this! Are you poisoning me!?" Nyx coughed out of reflex, though really, the scent wasn't irritating at all. In fact, it was quite pleasant.
"Please relax, Nyx... you can trust me. I'm not going to harm you," the voice soothed again.
Nyx tried, but she could not determine what direction the voice emanated from, nor what creature possessed it. She couldn't even discern if the voice was male or female -- it had qualities of both. Unable to hold her breath any longer, she began to inhale the saccharine aroma. As she did, a curious feeling welled inside her. Though she tried to fight it, small sounds began to escape her lips.
"There we go... don't fight, just let it out."
First a squeak, then a giggle, then boisterous laughter began to pour from Nyx. She fell back on the bed and wrapped her arms around her midsection. It was as though she had heard the world's funniest joke, and no amount of fighting could prevent the gales of laughter that flowed from her. Just below her own laughter, Nyx could hear the creature laughing, too. However, the sound was not mocking or scornful - they sounded delighted. Were they laughing with her?
After a while, her laughter calmed and she began to catch her breath. Silence fell on the room. Though a tingle of elation still lingered in Nyx's chest, she kept her wits about her.
"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked into the quiet dark. Her words hung, unanswered for what seemed like ages.
