Well, I've been on Mara for about... forever? I joined in 2005, so I guess it's been 8 years and a few months now. Yes, I know. I'm quite an old geezer. Anyway, I haven't been active for the entire time--life does have a nasty tendency to interfere with things. Anyway, enough about me. Onto the application!

My dream costume would be a Valentine costume. Can you guess who I'd use it on? I bet you can! If not, I'd be using it on my wonderful chibs Valentine. Technically valentine, but eventually I'll get around to getting a certificate so I can make it capital. How adorable would that be? Valentine the Valentine chibs! *squee* Plus, she's my only uncostumed chibs, so she's feeling a bit left out.

Well, here's where I would put some fancy picture of just how cute she would look if I could. But, I'm notoriously terrible with coding and graphics and I may just manage to destroy all of Marada if I tried. You don't want that, do you? So let's just use our imaginations and pretend there's something pretty, pink, and sparkly here. 'Kay?

I'd considered asking for a musical costume for Piangi. Please tell me you know why! Please, please, please! Restore my faith in humanity! *coughCHARACTERINPHANTOMOFTHEOPERAcough*. But then I realized that would be stupid, because all music pets have microphones or otherwise look like rockers. So I guess poor Piangi will have to go uncostumed until mara comes up with a more suitable Opera costume. Though, I cringe at the thought. Don't like the "fat opera singer" image. Nope. Being a private music teacher and aspiring opera singer myself, definitely do not approve.

Not that that's relevant, but it's a reason I'm seeking to costume Valentine instead of another uncostumed pet. Plus, she's one of the favorite children. The chibs are definitely the favorite children and all other pets just have to deal with it.

Thanks for reading!

"Come here, boy," she purred in silky tones, laced with cruelty and sadism. Her bright blue eyes flashed as her demand was ignored. The pitiful mound of tattered skin and battered bones didn't move. A loud, keening wail tore from its throat as with a mere flick of her wrist an invisible knife worked its way slowly down its arm, leaving a long, deep gash in its wake.

The woman's lips twisted into a grin as she giggled, "Oh! You do scream so beautifully!" However, her favorite plaything had no desire to continue entertaining her with his cries. In order to save himself from further punishment, he slowly dragged himself across the room.

His sadistic mistress narrowed her eyes in pleasure as she listened to the singing of the irons fastening the creature's wrists and ankles. Such lovely music they made! Rather like bells...

Clink, clink, clink. Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.

She clapped her hands in a childish expression of glee, a rosy tint in her otherwise pale cheeks. Oh! Such fun, such fun!

At length, the pitiable wretch came to kneel before her, head bowed, dark onyx eyes bright with pain and fear. Isabella's long, bony finger worked its way beneath his chin, tilting his head, darkened by dirt and grime, upward. He felt a piece of stale, hard bred pressed against his lips, a silent command to eat. And he did, taking food from her hand like a starving dog who was too stupid to flee from an abusive mistress.

She crooned cheerily, "Oh, good! You haven???t forgotten!" She ruffled his coal black hair the way one would ruffle the fur of a favorite pet. Once he finished the meager meal, she cooed sweetly, "And now we can play!" She dragged the very tip of her long, pale nail down his filthy cheek, leaving a long, thin scratch in its wake.

He tried to pull away, but her other hand held his head firmly in place. "Come now," she pouted. "You should know that Bella doesn't need to touch you to hurt you!"

She removed her hand, bringing it down, cutting through the air in a vicious, slashing motion. Her victim cried out in pain as a series of deep, thin scratches appeared across his face, as though she had scratched him instead of the air. Her shrill, sadistic shrieks of laughter filled the room. "Oh, yes! You know how Bella likes it when you scream! Will you scream again for Bella?"

He complied as she continued to tear into his flesh with her evil, cruel magic. He scr

When the boy awoke, there was no soft, luxurious rug, nor was there a crimson quilt. Neither was there a comfy cot in a room of rich browns. And there was no fire crackling merrily in a hearth. This room was cold, with hard, concrete walls and a rough, dirt floor. He felt his ankles bound by cold, metal shackles.

???Awake, Pet???? a familiar voice asked. He looked up at her beseechingly, questioningly, wondering if he had done something wrong. ???Ready to play, Pet????

Uncertainly, he nodded.

She loved him. He would listen to her.

???Lovely,??? she giggled. ???Stand against the wall, now, Pet,??? she crooned. He obeyed, turning his back to her as she asked. And suddenly his ears were assaulted by a harsh snap-crack.

It was different from the fire???s sound, and he felt no warmth. Instead, the snap was accompanied by a whoosh of air, and the crack a sharp, biting pain that made his knees buckle. Eyes wide with shock, he turned his head to see what had happened.

There was a leather strap in Bella???s hand.

He watched and saw that this snap-crack was the sound of her raising it and bringing it down on his back. His eyes were bright with pain, betrayal, and an unspoken question.

???You said you were ready to play, Love. So Bella???s going to play,??? she explained, insanity evident in her tone.

The steady rhythm of sounds changed.

Snap-crack, scream, snap-crack, scream, snap-crack, scream

With each scream, Bella sighed in ecstasy. ???Such a lovely voice,??? she purred contentedly. After the fifth blow, she set the strap down, and commented, ???I do believe we???ve had enough of that game.???

She approached the frightened, miserable boy and cooed, ???Now, now, Pet, don???t fret. Bella still loves you.??? Cupping his cheek, she murmured, ???Turn and face me.??? The boy complied, watching her with wide, anxious eyes. She spent a moment petting him and murmuring soothing, though empty, words to him to calm him.

And, even after she beat him, he threw his arms around her neck and clung to her for dear life, crying into her shoulder.

Once he???d calmed, she commented, ???Bella never showed you her special talent, did she, Pet???? The boy shook his head mutely. ???Would you like to see it???? He nodded.

Because his Bella would never do anything truly awful to him. He must have done something bad to deserve

He had moved to another room. He liked this one even better than the last. This one was Bella???s room. He loved her carpet. It was so nice and soft??? At night, he slept curled up on the plush, white rug, beneath the crimson quilt. She was good to him.

She said she loved him.

He was well fed there. Now that he was well enough to get out of bed, she let him eat by the table with her. He knelt beside her chair, and she fed him from her hand. Did other people who cared for someone do that kind of thing? He didn???t know. No one had ever cared for him before.

But, he imagined that they did.

Because Bella cared for him, and he imagined she acted the way others did.

He liked the way she made him feel cared for. He basked in her attention. No one else had ever paid attention to him before.

Presently, Bella sat in a chair by the fire, and the boy sat at her feet. She had a distant, dreamy look on her face. He heard her murmur, ???Mm??? Snap-crack, snap-crack, snap-crack?????? He guessed she liked the friendly sound of the fire as much as he did. He didn???t notice the flicking motion of her wrist, or if he did he missed the implication.
He fixed his eyes on the fire. It was so warm??? He inched a bit closer to it. So inviting??? He liked the fire. Bella asked innocently, ???You like it, don???t you, Pet???? Her lips twitched faintly as she said, ???You can touch it, you know. Go ahead, Pet. Touch it.???

The boy didn???t know any better. He???d never had someone to caution him to stay away from fire. All he knew was that it was warm, and he liked being warm. And Bella used it to make food, and he also liked food. Nothing that kept him warm and fed could be bad, could it? Foolishly, he reached out to touch the dancing, orange flames.

He let out a shout of surprise as it burned his fingertips.

He jerked his hand away, turning to look at Bella, who was smiling benignly. ???You have a lovely voice, Pet. Did you know???? she said calmly, ignoring the blistering burn on his fingers. She carded her hand through his dark hair, murmuring, ???What a wonderful Pet Bella has.??? Tilting her head, she asked, ???Pet, will you scream again for Bella????

The boy thought it was an odd request. But, he complied. He watched as her large, blue eyes narrowed faintly, her lips curling in a smile. It was nice when Bella smiled. It made him feel warm and happy. He liked ple

He woke, blinking groggily. He???d had such a lovely dream. There???d been a pretty, kind angel who???d come to take him away. As he became more aware, he realized that he felt decidedly odd. He wasn???t cold anymore. And there was something soft around him. Much softer than the cold, unyielding concrete he???d grown accustomed to.

He looked around, finding himself in a room consisting of rich, earthy browns instead of the horrifying white of his snow covered alley. And, upon further inspection, he noticed a fire glowing in a hearth, sending a reddish orange glow across the room, and that he was lying on a cot with a thick, red blanket atop him.
Was he still dreaming?

Someone opened the door. He sat up, eyes widening as he recognized the angel who???d taken him away. Her words came back to him.

Somewhere special??? Where he would be loved. And cherished???

Bella knelt beside the cot, offering him a bowl of steaming liquid. ???Eat up, Love. Bella wants you to get nice and strong.??? He took the bowl, delighted to find a flavorful beef and barely soup. Bella stroked his hair as he began to eat, purring, ???That???s right, Love. You belong to Bella now. Bella loves you.???

If anything had seemed off about the first part of the phrase, it was immediately disregarded. She loved him.

She told him he was loved.

A warmth spread over him that had nothing to do with the fire or the hot soup. No one had ever loved him before. At least, no one that he could remember. Unconsciously, he leaned into her touch. No one had ever kept a promise to him, either. But she had. She???d promised she would help him, and she had.

???Do you like that, Pet???? she asked. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt her breath on his ear. He relished the closeness. It made him feel wanted. Loved. Cherished. ???Pet?????? she mused. ???I like that. Would you like that to be your name, Love???? Her lips brushed against his cheek as she leaned closer to him, her voice dropping to a sultry purr as she asked, ???Would you like to be Bella???s Pet????

An unintelligible sound and a nod was his only answer.

A name.

She had given him a name.

He???d never had a name before.

He took another mouthful of soup, and Bella breathed again, ???That???s right, Pet. Eat.??? He narrowed dark, charcoal colored eyes in pleasure. He didn???t know there could be so many d