Nightfall brings a shadow over New Meridian only for it to disburse in an array of lights, causing the city to appear like a beacon in the darkness. Overlooking the city from a far, a grave rests undisturbed, waiting for the next Skullgirl to awaken. Sadly, someone or something couldn't wait that long to meet the owner. It was a figure in a tattered, black and white hoodie, black cargo pants, black and red sneakers, and bandages covering pale grey hands. He places one hand in his hoodie pocket and extends the other over the grave as dermestid beetles began crawling out of his sleeve to fall onto the plot of dirt. Digging into the ground, the hooded figure waits for his minions to do their job. Moments later, Leviathan emerges from the grave only to get his skull trapped in an iron grip.
"Long time no see, Leviathan. I hope you weren't planning on resting peacefully just as your tombstone says." said the hooded figure, holding Leviathan at chest-level, stretching his body out from the grave.
"T...Talbot, why are you here?" Leviathan hisses as the grip around his head tightens to the point cracking is heard.
"What else, cartilage for brains? Settling the score with those who thought it would it be a good idea to kill me off."Talbot answers in an emotionless tone. He tugged harder on Leviathan to notice him well imbedded in the ground. He finally dug his other hand into the ground to see what his host looks like, making Leviathan struggle and yell in protest.
"This is Sienna "Squigly" Continello, right? Jeez...Your obsession with that family is annoying, Levi. Such a fragile body." Talbot says, glaring with his glowing yellow eyes towards the motionless body of Squigly in his grasp. He continues questioning Leviathan,"What's so special about her anyway? She's just an opera singer or was."
"Silence, Talbot. She's beyond special and in more ways stronger than a imbecile like you." Leviathan says, trying to wiggle out of his grip.
Talbot asks if could hear her story before he ultimately eliminates him, but gets the cold shoulder, which backfires when Leviathan watches him open his mouth showing fangs as sinister as Samson's and a long tongue. "What are you planning, Talbot?" Leviathan demanded and Talbot answers with a wicked smile before snaking his tongue through her sewn shut lips. Going deeper, they were now face to face and drool started to seep down Squigly's cheek and neck. A few minutes pass and Talbot retracts his tongue leaving behind a trail of saliva.
"So she's the last of the Continello Family that you've failed to protect and it seems she's not a big fan of Medici Family for what they did." Talbot says in a calm manner with his tongue hanging out and rubbing his chin, a reaction not fitting for what he just did. Leviathan was outraged as he forced a burst of fire into his face, having no effect, but he still releases Squigly's waist. Leviathan stopped in his tracks once he saw a large stinger protruding from his hand leaking a purple liquid that eroded the ground when a few drops fell close to Squigly's body.
"I have a proposition for you, Leviathan. I won't liquefy her if you help me find the others." said Talbot as the blue flames begin to disappear from his hoodie.
"I don't have a choice do I, but to your dissatisfaction, I'm only aware of one presence, that being Samson." Leviathan answered.
"Interesting, then I'm hunting two parasites in New Meridian." Talbot announces, letting go of Leviathan.
"Two? Who is the other unfortunate one?" Leviathan asks in confusion.
Talbot answers,"Khronos and Muse are already six feet under, but Sekhmet managed to escaped a few weeks ago. The other parasite in question is Samson and you will lead me to him."
Leviathan, still weary of the situation, asks another question,"What makes you think we won't just run away?"
Having a shadow covering his face, Leviathan couldn't read him once he answered,"There's a reason why you're awake. Right now in Squigly's body are terror-former beetles which not only supplies whatever it touches with my life force, but are also at the ready to eat you two from the inside out. In this scenario, you really don't have a choice."
"Then I'll agree to it if it means protecting milady. But there's a slight problem, I can't necessarily move without her help." Leviathan claims. Talbot then explains to Leviathan that his beetles aren't enough to revive a corpse that has been dead for some time so the hooded parasite bit his lip drawing black blood and commenced another mouth session with Squigly as Leviathan looked away in shame allowing a plebeian parasite to soil the lips of an innocent girl once again. Talbot leaned her against the tombstone and before long she started to open her eyes and stretching her arms, yawning.
"Aaaaauuuu mmmmm, was the next Skullgirl already cho..." Squigly couldn't finish her sentence once her vision focused on the figure in front of her. Getting to her feet and into a fighting stance, Talbot ignores her actions and orders them to to pick up the pace as he headed for the the city. Leviathan was explaining the current situation to Squigly including the part with her first kiss being stolen and how she is currently living on another parasite's blood. Without Leviathan's attacks, Squigly's fists felt like a kitten as she pounded on his back. Talbot just continues along listening to the directions given by Levaithan on the possible locations of Samson while ignoring the insults from Squigly which were also being spoken in another language.
"I can get rid of you whenever I feel like it if you weren't aware already, Squigly." Talbot reminds her.
"Shut up, Shut up, you pathetic excuse for a man! I'd rather be taking a dirt nap then to walk next to a pathogen like you for another second. Leviathan, help me, he doesn't deserve to live!" Squigly continues her insults as well as her soft hammer punches. Talbot asks Leviathan if they were making any progress while holding a squirmy Squigly by her waist. He said the last possible place was the MadMan's Cafe.
In the MadMan's Cafe, Filia was enjoying a midnight milkshake feeling an uneasy gaze from a middle aged man sitting at the end of the counter. With Samson, staying put under her hat, Filia decided to ignore the gaze for the sake of keeping the peace, it was especially for the best ever since she had to say goodbye to a friend recently. Sadly, Riccardo took the silence as Filia's way of playing hard to get, so he chose to make the first move and a very risky one at that.
"How about I buy you a real drink, sister?" Riccardo whispers in her ear, as he places his hands on her cheek and thigh.
"We've already got a drink, thanks." Samson says underneath Filia's hat.
"Uh... that's quite the deep..." Riccardo is cut short when his head suddenly smashes into the counter with an audible crunch.
"And familiar voice you have there."Talbot finishes the unconscious man's sentence as he faces a shocked Filia. Samson felt the familiar killing intent and lashes out at Talbot out of nowhere.
"Diiiiieeeeeeeeee, TALBOT!" Samson yells and attacks but Talbot takes each slash with little to no reaction until he finally forced Filia to the ground, pinning her by the arms.
"W..what's going on!?"Filia shouts in a panic.
A large centipede begins to crawl out of his back and positioned itself on his shoulder ready to pounce, but Squigly jumps on top of Filia, causing Talbot to stop.
"Move Leviathan." Talbot demanded, looking down at the pair with his yellow eyes.
"I'm not necessarily in control, Talbot."Leviathan explains.
"You lead him to us, Leviathan!? Some friend you are!"Samson lashes out.
Before the conflict and confusion could continue, Talbot simply grabs the two girls and drags them to a booth where Squigly and Filia awkwardly order milk shakes, hamburgers and fries from a nervous waiter. They sat on one side and Talbot on the other.
"I'm having a hard time with the way our deal is going, Leviathan?" Talbot asks with his arms crossed.
Filia gets into the conversation,"Firstly, what's going on!? Who are you and how is Squigly alive? I don't sense the Skullheart?"
Talbot offers his fast method involving a memory transfer and locking lips, but Squigly quickly shoots down the offer making Talbot explain everything from the beginning. Sensing the sudden decrease in blood thirst, Filia asks why he's so patient in eliminating Samson and Leviathan out of the blue, in which the parasites glare at the school girl causing her to look away. Talbot admits that he truly holds a grudge against Sekhmet for everything including Muse and Khronos for conspiring with him. Samson and Leviathan just left Talbot for dead after they obtained their hosts, leaving them with more important responsibilities to deal with.
Leviathan comes up with a solution that would benefit everyone,"Talbot, assist us in defeating the next Skull Girl and you'll definitely face Sekhmet, since his host is likely to go after her."
"Absolutely not!" Squigly protests as she blushes, touching her lips.
"I'm not working with him, he might take the heart for himself." Samson accuses him.
"Shut up, Samson. I'm not interested in the Skull Heart, besides wishes are a waste of time."Talbot says while attaching multiple straws together.
Filia makes her claim,"I don't think it's a bad idea, so why not?"
Hearing sighs of defeat, Filia went back to her milkshake to see the extended straw made by Talbot stealing her desert. Pinching the straw to halt the milkshake hijacking, Filia suddenly asks why Squigly is absolutely against it. Talbot saw no harm in showing her since he was unaware why Squigly was upset as well. The only reason he would do that was to share information faster and that really is the only reason he did it. So, telling Filia to come closer, Squigly witnesses Talbot indulge on Filia's lips swapping both information and spit. To her surprise, Filia was soon going along with it, giving it her all, even moaning a little while Samson crosses his arms in frustration as she continues. Finally parting, Filia tries catching her breath as she was explaining how she has a full grasp of the situation. But before they could leave the cafe, Lawrence is at the exit blocking their way, threatening Talbot for what he did to Riccardo. Filia, Squigly and Talbot leave the cafe with Lawrence placed next to Riccardo in the same head-smashed-into-the-counter position. Filia offered her newly formed team a place to stay at her apartment, which everyone eerily agrees to.
Filia asks another random question,"During our kiss...information swap, I noticed there was often a Dagonian and I think one of those Black Egrets appearing."
Talbot answers,"Those are friends I met on the way, apparently they have business here in New Meridian too. But in the mean time, let's find the Skull Heart first."
Upon reaching the apartment in the downtown area, Filia and Squigly shared a nice comfy bed while Talbot was sleeping on a lumpy couch in the living room.
"A mafia school girl and an undead opera singer? Wonder what the others are dealing with."Talbot asks himself as he drifts off to sleep.
In Filia's room, Squigly glares daggers at Filia for her unexpected acceptance to Talbot's indecent methods back at the diner.
"I..is something wrong, Squigly?"She asked while laying on a bed in her underwear.
"How can you willingly sully your innocence with that digesting pest?"Squigly questions Filia, siting on the floor wearing borrowed pajamas.
"Innocence? What are you..."Filia couldn't finish her statement as Squigly leaps on her, grabbing her shoulders and yelling,"You k..k...k..kissed him!"
Filia's eyes were spinning from Squigly's assault. Samson on the other hand was getting tired of this and yelled at the girl,"Stop you idiot, I'm getting motion sickness!"
Squigly stops, but continues her glare. Samson asks if this is something related to girls, seeing how he himself was confused. Leviathan chimes in and says to Samson,"Well, Squigly here, sort of had her... first kiss taken by Talbot." Samson bursts out laughing and Squigly starts struggling Leviathan. Filia, thinking she understands the situation, holds Squigly's hands tightly. "Don't worry, that was my first time too. I only did it because I was curious and well if I'm hit on again like the time at the cafe, I might meet someone I like and...uh...um..that was good practice. ha ha ha..." Filia confessed while laughing nervously, but that just made the undead opera singer even angrier. Squigly then goes into a rant about Talbot being an abomination and what not, in which Filia listens with a sweat drop hanging over her head. The door suddenly slams open, making the girls jump.
"Keep it down! I knew drinking those milk shakes late at night would keep you two up." Talbot scolds them, pointing at the two and showing his row of fangs in a frown. Filia realizes her skimpy outfit and screams, then Squigly throws a pillow at his face. In that moment of blindness, Talbot could feel an excruciating amount of pain in his crotch making him jolt. The pillow fell as did Talbot, giving him a view of Filia and her extended leg. The hooded parasite curled up into a ball groaning in agony; Filia continued stomping his head while covering her top and bottom with her hands; Squigly preaches more on Talbot's crimes now including the intrusion of a girl's sanctuary; Samson and Leviathan laugh themselves to tears. It takes a few minutes for everyone to calm down and recover, but eventually they manage to get some rest.