Amy: I pressed button!
Lilith: Okay, being how nothing has blown up, I don't think it was too big of a change.
Miu: Okay, but w-what did it do?
Erin: *Angry Mute Noises*
Amy: Well, that didn't change, so that's good.
Erin: *Glares*
Amy: No, wait, I wanna try this...
Lilith: What exactly are you typing-
Erin: *Shoots lasers from her fingers*
Azazel: JESUS, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?
Miu: Is E-Erin okay?
Amy: Who the fuck cares of Erin's okay or not, I think I just figured out unfathomable power!
Lilith: Wow, didn't think you'd know that word.
Amy: Come on, Lil', it's preschool knowledge! It's power that's without fathom.
Lilith: Of course.
Erin: *Aggressive humming noises*
Miu: C-can we please remove the muzzle thing please? I think she's about to pass out.
Amy:... Fine, but only because I need someone to keep my power in check.
Lilith: Oh, look at that, a fathom in your power.
Amy:...
Erin: Fucking FINALLY! My God, why does it feel like someone ripped tape off of my mouth?
Lilith: *Muted*
Amy: Ha, and with that, I've banished the fathom from my realm!
Azazel: Does anyone know what "fathom" means!?
Amy: It doesn't matter, reality and truth is all by my own definition! I am the will of the world now, I can morph and shape this plain of existence into my own image! THE WORLD WILL BE MINE!
Miu:...I'm suddenly getting a very terrible feeling.
Erin: Oh, you're only now getting that?
Lilith: *Shrugs and goes to sit in the corner, content with this turn of events*
When Hope first got back to Jade's little cabin, she couldn't help the slight feeling of guilt crawling up her spine.
Most of the entire time she'd spent helping the clean up move along, she'd heard bits and pieces of what the other two, Etrigan and Solgren, spoke about in hushed whispers. At first, she didn't want to eavesdrop, but the more she heard, the harder it was to ignore.
"God, this is worse than that 'ole mess Lez caused with Ose." One of them, Solgren if she remembered correctly, said as he pulled another corpse towards the pile.
"No, you're thinking about that fight with Phenex," The other, Etri, replied before giving a disgusted groan, his shoe sinking into a puddle of red on the ground, "Now that fight wasn't fair. I don't care if Phenex was backed up by 'dozens of the Rift's strongest' or whatever, he barely lasted ten seconds."
There was something oddly calming about hearing the two talk while they worked. Honestly, she was worried that it would be nothing but an awkward silence between the three of them, so even if she wasn't directly included in the conversation, it was still nice.
"Well, regardless, it was seriously funny." Solgren laughed as Hope picked up another limb, doing her best not to make a face before tossing it aside, towards the ever-growing pile, "I tell you, nobility be damned, there's nothing scarier than a Rifter demoness."
"Tell me about it," Etri seemed to sigh. At least, Hope assumed that that huff was some sort of sigh, she wasn't too sure at the time, "Hell hath no fury like a Rifter named Lez."
"Quit wasting time tryin ta sound cool and 'elp me over 'ere."
"Oh, says the guy with the fake accent."
Hope remembered the grin that fought to cross her face at that moment, a small snort escaping her mouth as she continued to clean up. Honestly, at the time, she wasn't too sure what she had to do besides making sure everyone was dead. But, if the massive red stain in the grass was anything to go by, she didn't have to do much.
"Hey, Honey Buns, you mind coming over to help over here?"
And that's when they're disgusting clean up job had turned into a fun little hangout, of sorts. It was nice to see that, after the shakey introductions and awkward ice breakers, the two demons were actually a lot of fun to be around.
At least, they helped time fly while dealing with the bodies.
But the best part, without question, were their stories.
"So, 'ere I am, sitting down and minding my own business, and Lez comes stomping over." Solgren said, kicking another corpse into the pit, "I 'ave no idea what's going on, and before I know it, she 'its me across the face! I kid you not, it was full force, open 'anded, cheek-meets-'and contact!"
"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you eat her cookies," Etri snickered, shaking his head as he went through the camp's supplies, "God, that was, what, when the town was first being built?"
"Yeah, damn, it really has been that long." Solgren murmured, more to himself than the other two, "for some reason, the only real difference between Lez then and Lez now is her 'eight. That's it."
"That, and she used to be such a crybaby." Etri said, a small snort following his words out, "I mean, remember how much she started to tear up when Foraii said that he was taking away her cabin? She could have cried us a river."
"Yeah, that's assuming she didn't sneak in a 'it or fifteen." Solgren said, a shudder going up his spine, before he shot Hope a grin, "But look at us, spillin baby stories. I'm sure that you 'ave a lot to offer up as well."
"Oh, umm," Hope remembered awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck, "Honestly, it's not much different than what you guys have talks about. Erm, if anything, has she always been… umm…"
"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you mean 'impulsive'?" Etri offered, half jokingly.
Hope had snapped her fingers, "Yes, exactly! God, I totally forgot the word for a second!"
"I don't blame you, when Lez is around, she kinda becomes an acronym for the word." Solgren grinned, shaking his head as he dusted off his hands, as if that would do anything for the blood caked over his hands, "That kid… For as long as I remember, the second something comes to mind, that's the one and only plan of action for 'er. Granted, I never did meet anyone more determined than 'er-"
"I think you mean 'headstrong'."
"-BUT I digress." Solgren all but shouted, giving Etri a look.
"You know, come to think of it, that's probably why she and Foraii have a hard time seeing eye to eye," Etri said, voice a bit softer than it had been seconds before. He leaned forward on a shovel he'd found, almost looking lost in thought, "They're so similar, it would be a miracle if they didn't fight every time they had differing thoughts."
"Which is exactly what they do." Solgren deadpanned, "Regularly. Without fail. Endlessly."
"Thank you for that sarcasm, Sol." Etri said snidely, trying to point at Solgren with the shovel, only to have the end fall back to the ground, "It was really necessary at that very given moment."
"You're welcome."
Hope laughed at that, making a sound between a giggle and a groan when Solgren threw an arm at Etri. All the while, Hope remembered feeling warm, content with cleaning away from them as well as avoiding their mess.
She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of Jade, in a way. Sure, they were all Rifter demons, but they all seemed a lot closer knit than her first street family had ever been. Not that she hadn't loved them dearly at the time, but she knew for a fact that none of them would be willing to go as far as these two obviously were.
No, it wasn't that Jade wasn't well loved, these two were more than enough evidence for that. So, if that wasn't the case, it had to be-
She was thrown from her thoughts by the heat arising from under her palm. Confused, she looked down, slowly but surely being brought back to the present by the red hot coils under her fingers, "Oh crap, I totally forgot!" Hope yelped, hoping and praying to whoever could hear her that the smoke wasn't as bad as it seemed.
And thus, brought her back to why she was baking cookies.
Or, if the dozens of burnt trial runs were anything to go by, still trying to get it down right.
In her defense, she had no real idea how to work this thing at first. Granted, it wasn't too different from the ovens back in hell; but she was positive that, after tinkering around with it for the past hour (at the very least), she had gotten the hang of it.
Granted, the burnt brown piles of said otherwise, but still.
Progress was progress.
"This one will work for sure." Hope muttered to herself, whipping the cookie pan towards the window, watching the burnt heaps sail out into the night before setting up the next set. She popped it back into the oven, closing the door before going back to lean against it.
With only the cold wind for company, Hope allowed her mind to drift back to the events prior.
Er, she tried to do that before the door had been kicked down.
At first, she had moved to violently clean up the evidence, all but throwing her body up and about in order to hide the mess that had befallen the kitchen. She couldn't help but hope and pray that the smell of burnt cookies wasn't too strong.
Honestly, the last thing she wanted was for Jade to come home to her cabin smelling like smoke.
But all of those thoughts went straight out the window the moment that Jade had begun angrily muttering to herself.
"H-hey!" Hope offered, unsure what else could be said. She could practically smell the anger rolling off of Jade's shoulders, and that was with her little emotion sensor being ignored.
Jade was absolutely livid.
She watched as Jade stalked over to the couch, glaring down a pillow before grabbing it. Hope opened her mouth to say something, only to jump a bit when Jade smashed the pillow into her face and screamed.
"H-hey, are you, umm… Do you wanna sit down and..." Hope muttered, noting how her voice was much too quiet to hear over Jade's silent fuming.
She watched as Jade stalked back over to the door, snatching up an old bag next to the door before throwing a hand up. Hope stared, confused as to what the hell that was supposed to mean, only to watch as Jade walked back out, slamming the door shut with her foot on the way out.
It was only then that Hope allowed herself to inhale, completely unaware that she had been holding in her breath up until now.
That was… New.
Hope took a moment to breathe, still unsure of what exactly happened. Granted, she wasn't an idiot, she was at least 75% sure that this issue was Foraii related.
The only real equivalent Hope had to a person like Foraii would be Ms. Sarai, and even then it wasn't much of a comparison. There were too many differences, but even then, Hope understood how it must have felt.
She was roused from her thoughts when she remembered what was in the oven, quickly moving to open it up in order to avoid the burnt cookie conundrum.
Taking it out, she could help but feel a bit lucky that she had taken up baking when she first
Honestly, she had only made cookies as a way to patch things up. While she wasn't exactly sure what she'd done to Jade, she had a good idea and felt the need to apologize. She probably wouldn't want anyone roaming around in her head, but she couldn't change the past. What's done is done, she could only move on and attempt to fix the issue from here.
With that thought, she eyed the liquor bottle, temptation taking over. When she came back, she found the bottle lying next to the doorway. If the big red bow on it was anything to go by, she assumed that one of the demons had left it as a sort of gift. She thought it was weird how it had managed to keep cold, only to take an experimental whiff of it. Yep, without a doubt, that was hell's alcohol.
Without a second thought, she picked it up, tucking it away under her arm.
Cookies and alcohol, a truly perfect pairing.
She looked around for something suitable to put the cookies away in, giving a cracked glass jar a look before tossing it to the side. Finally, she found a small cardboard box that, upon first inspection, didn't look to be too dirty. Figuring she was pressed for time at this point, she packed the cookies away, making sure to also have the bottle in her hold before heading out of the cabin.
Her skin prickled at the cold winds that whipped past every now and then, temperature only further dropping the farther she got from town.
Regardless, she focused her mind on finding Jade, following the trail her brain gave her. She barely noticed how tightly she was clutching her bag until she felt the cardboard box indent under her fingers a bit, her hands greedily trying to absorb the heat from the cookies.
"God, was it always this cold?" Hope muttered to herself, head whipping from left to right, before finally catching sight of a familiar plume of pink hair bobbed about, "Jade, there you are!"
In hindsight, Hope shouldn't have called out her name like that. Especially after seeing her storm off as she had done.
Regardless, there was a knife embedded into the tree next to her now, and she was too far in to backtrack now.
From where she stood in the clearing, Jade glared at the Hope, anger seething from her being.
"What the fuck are-?" Jade began to ask, only to shake her head, thinking better of it. She scoffed, throwing her head to the side before inhaling deeply, "Of course it's you, it's always you."
Before Hope could say anything, Jade let out a feral scream, launching her fist straight through a sturdy tree. The bark crunched under the force, Hope given only seconds to marvel the act before Jade roundhoused kicked the tree.
Hope ducked down, hair wildly flailing about as the uprooted tree flew overhead, landing somewhere amongst its brethren.
All in all, she wasn't as angry as Hope thought she'd be.
"You know, normally I'd be surprised that you managed to find me, but at this point I'm just angry I didn't expect it." Jade muttered, rage simmering down to a bitter annoyance, eyes never once losing their fire, "Maybe you never learned this in your part of Hell, but normally, when someone angrily stalks off, they need time to cool down. Alone."
Hope, unable to speak at the moment, instead moved to lift the bottle and the box in her hands.
Jade's eyes narrowed further, "Is that… Is that mine?"
"Someone dropped it off by your door. I picked it up when I got back." Hope found her voice, slowly taking steps into the clearing, "I also made cookies."
Jade threw her head back in what Hope could only describe as a harsh laugh, her mouth contorted about angrily. Hope had to take a step back when Jade's "laughter" didn't stop, instead going strong for another minute or so until she finally broke to breathe.
"So that's your plan, huh? Buy me with poison and burnt poison?"
"In my defense, they're not burnt." Hope couldn't help but say, "But the ones a may or may have not thrown out the window are beyond repair."
"So that's what the smell in my house was," Jade muttered, shaking her head. She gave Hope another once over, the gears in her head all but grinding, "So that's your big plan? Give me alcohol and cookies and maybe, just maybe, I won't hate you for life?"
Hope took a moment to breathe, "No, but this is an apology."
She waited for Jade to interrupt, only to find her silent, "I want to apologize for what I did back in the De Angelus mansion."
"Oh, is that so?" Jade snapped, her emotions bouncing from one to another so quickly that Hope was getting whiplash, "Well, if you really came here with that on your mind, I don't know what to tell you, Hope."
"Than don't talk, just listen." Hope muttered, before clearing her throat, "Before you say it, yes, I don't truly understand what I did to you. I only know that it was enough to make you uncomfortable and angry. I won't ask why it does, I don't deserve that, but I do want to try and make things right."
When Jade didn't budge, Hope opened up the box of cookies, shaking them around in order to let the smell saturate into the air, "They're chocolate chip."
Jade scoffed at first, unable to look her in the eye as if the trees had suddenly grown an arm or something. Finally, Jade shook her head, taking a seat in the clearing before patting the spot next to her.
With a small smile, Hope took a seat, placing the cookies and bottle down as she did so. Jade eyed the bottle, just a hint of distrust in her eyes, "... You're taking first sips to make sure it isn't poisoned."
"Fair enough."
"Nd an'thur thin 'bout catz!" Jade said, her speech barely comprehensible at this point, "They jus'… I thin they all… Ya know what I sayin?"
Normally, Hope would have found this sudden change in speech and action to be odd, especially from Jade. Sure, Jade had her moments where even Kuro would have had to give her a second thought, but it was never to this level.
No, Hope was pretty sure that Jade had never devolved into what Hope could only describe as a spineless jelly blob.
Granted, Hope didn't really think she could judge if her own giggling was anything to go by.
Maybe downing that whole bottle as quickly as demonly possible wasn't such a good idea.
What's done is fun, she could only groove on and exempt to affix the tissue from bear.
… Or something like that.
"But ya kno' wut I hate moar den catz," Jade grumbled, taking a moment to compose herself as best she could, before belching, "Foraii."
Hope could only hiccup in agreement, her head just a little too fuzzy at the moment. Granted, nothing stopped her from raising the bottle in her hand, cookie in the other, "Foraii more like fuuuuuck tha' guy."
The few scattered bits of Hope's rational mind couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. By the time this was all over, no one would remember anything. Ignorance is bliss, or some shit like that.
"Right?" Jade grinned, swaying slightly as she stood up, taking a moment to clear her throat before putting a hand dramatically over her chest, her voice dropping into a perfect impression, "Hi, mai name'z Foraii, and I'm sooooooooo best."
Hope couldn't fight down her chortle, laughing like mad as Jade waddled about, her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out, "I don need ta tell anyone im a demon o' pride, cuz it's 'bout as obvi-HIC-obvioos as my butt chin!"
Jade did a twirl, somehow able to keep her face out of the dirt in her dizzied state, "I know everthin, and cuz iz impossib' ta be wrong, tha muz mean I'm ALWAYS right! Yes, there'z nu wey someone else coul' pruve me otherwise, I'm just too FUCKING PERFECT!"
The tiny sober part of Hope's mind flickered abruptly, the rational part of her brain attempting to force itself forward as Jade's giddy laughter slowly became slower, bitter. Jade's once mad cackle had turned sharp, almost distressing.
"Hai, my namez Foraii," Jade mumbled, lacking the drive behind the words as her slur slowly but surely began to fade, eyes narrowing as if she didn't know exactly what was happening, but was still aware of the change, "I… I can't… I don't…"
It was as if someone had flipped her switch. Jade wobbled to a stop, her hands dropping to her sides as her knees began to shake. Hope's delayed mind hadn't realized that Jade was falling until something warm dropped down on her.
Even then, Hope stared down at the sad, drunken demon that had landed on her, confused as to exactly what was going on.
"...Some people, man." Jade muttered, snapping Hope from some of her drunken stupor, her brain unable to put her thoughts together at the moment, "You think ya know'em anden just… Fuck man."
Hope did her best to console her, her mind telling her that it was appropriate to put her hand on Jade's cheek, "You're okay." Hope managed, those two words all that her brain could put together.
Deep down, Hope knew what was going on. Hope could literally feel what Jade felt, especially when the shapeshifter this close to her. She could feel Jade's emotions washing over her in small waves, and even then her sorrow and anger. But, there was something else there, something Hope couldn't really put her finger on.
"You know, when I first met Foraii, I thought the world of that guy." Jade muttered, her slur all but gone, voice having gone from a shrieking roar to barely audible, "He took charge and led; he was confident."
It was as if those words were magic, slowly easing Hope out of her intoxication and back into the real world. Regardless, Hope didn't know what to do. Hell, what could she do? Here Jade was, drunk as hell and about to pour her heart out on something that was obviously guarded. All she could do was let Jade's head lie on her lap and offer an ear to listen.
"Solgren used to like bringing up how I was when I first came up here," Jade said, her tone bitter despite the small smile on her face, "Way back then, I used to trail Foraii around everywhere. Anything he needed, I was ready before he got to ask."
"Etri use to call me a fangirl," Jade mused quietly, her arms falling to her sides as if they no longer had the will to lift her hands, her fingers threading through the grass, "Sol used to tease me, too. But I didn't care, Foraii was my idol. I'd do anything for him."
Jade laughed, no, it was more of a soft giggle, "I remember, if Foraii could do it, I would follow suit. And, if Foraii couldn't do it, I HAD to do it. I remember how proud it would make Foraii, it honestly felt like I could do no wrong."
Hope didn't want to voice it, but the question hung in the air. Unsaid or not, the two couldn't turn a blind eye to the obvious.
"Then, I grew up." Jade spat, somehow sounding both tired yet venomous, regardless of her rather slumped body position, "Then I started asking questions and taking initiative. And he didn't like that now, did he?"
"God, I remember the first argument we had." Jade said in a low growl, her anger slowly but surely building behind her sedated demeanor. Jade didn't need to speak of it, Hope could physically feel it. It felt as if Hope herself was living through that very moment, feeling the waves of confusion and dread roll over and crash down on her. She felt like she was suffocating, drowning almost.
Hope couldn't help but feel a little choked up, her dizzy head not helping at all.
"I remember when praise got traded out for fury," Jade muttered, "I remember when admiration got traded out for spite."
Hope was quick to note how Jade had begun to tense up, her shoulders rigged against her leg as Jade began to shake ever so slightly.
"I hate it when all he does is scold me," Jade all but spat, her tone slowly growing stronger as her hands curled into fists, fingers digging into the dirt and grass beneath them, "It's like he wants, no, NEEDS to find some sort of fault in what I did."
"Well, sorry we can't all be as perfect as you!" Jade shouted, startling Hope with her sudden change in volume, unable to do much when Jade's head whipped up out of her lap, "I'm sorry that you're just the best person in the world, and that no matter how I try, I'll never be good enough!"
All Hope could do was sit back and watch as Jade shouted at the sky, yelling at the stars as if they could respond, "It doesn't matter if I'm trying or not here, cause you don't care regardless! You don't care that I'm doing my best here, you don't care that I do what I believe is right, and you don't care that I'm still trying, regardless of all the shit you throw my way!"
"I'm sorry, okay? That's what you want to hear, right? You want me to say that I'm wrong and that you're right, cause that's all that ever matters to you! So, if that's the case, then fine! I'm sorry that I'm impulsive, I'm sorry that I don't take orders well, and I'm so sorry that I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"
Hope nearly went blind at the copious amount of emotions Jade was manifesting. All that rage, sorrow, bitterness, it all bubbled to the surface and poured out into a large, sloppy mess. But there was something else in there. Under all of those other emotions and thoughts, there was one that Jade seemed so desperate to hide.
Shame.
Hope didn't realize Jade's current state until the girl threw her head back down on Hope's lap, two thin streams trailing down her cheeks.
"I don't want to be useless," Jade sniffled softly, a choked sob leaving her mouth, "I don't want to be left behind because I was weak. Not again."
And like that, Hope understood. There was no need to read deeper into this, nor was there a need to search her emotions for a direct path. No, that was all Hope needed to understand.
"You're not weak."
Jade turned to look up at Hope, eyes still a bit hazy and dazed, "...What?"
"You're not weak," Hope muttered, her mind feeling somewhat disconnected almost. It was like she didn't need to think before speaking, whatever words tumbling out of her mouth being something from deep down. Regardless, she continued on, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weak people don't normally snap back when they don't agree with something."
Jade blinked, staring at Hope as if she'd grown a third eye, "... I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm just saying," Hope went on, her eyes almost glazing over as her mouth continued to run. It all felt almost second nature, the way that she ran her hand through Jade's hair while speaking softly, "I don't think that weak people have a backbone, especially not like yours."
"Wait, why-"
"I'm also inclined to believe that anyone who grew up in the Rift and made it out alive isn't weak."
"You're not making any-"
"God, just shut up and let me give you some praise." Hope hiccupped, her vision growing a bit blurry as she leaned herself up against a tree. At least, she was pretty sure that this was a tree. No, maybe it was more like a- No, Hope shook her head. That really wasn't important now. What was important was… Was…
"You can either take my word or leave it, but I think that you're not weak. You're quite the opposite, if anything." Hope finished, feeling her words slur ever so slightly toward the end of that. Nevertheless, her words had prevailed.
Jade blinked, her eyes hazy and confused as she attempted to process her own thoughts as well as Hope's words, "...You sound like you're talking out of your ass here."
To that, Hope couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face, "There you are. I was beginning to think that I lost
To that Jade scoffed quietly, eyes looking anywhere but Hope's face. Her cheeks were still flushed red, surely to be blamed on the alcohol should Jade remember, "Why the hell am I even confiding in you, of all people?"
"I'd like to think it's because I'm friendly and easy to talk to." Hope jested, her tone playfully offended.
"Shut up, I'm blaming it on the alcohol in my system." Hope couldn't help but snicker at that, "That, or it's my need to be brutally honest."
With that, Jade flopped back down, her eyes looking hazy and confused as if her brain was trying to claw its way up, still adrift in the ocean of alcohol in her system, "...Whatever, fuck you."
To that, Hope laughed, the sound just a little distorted to her own ears, "Someone becomes quite eloquent when they're drunk."
"Whatever." Jade grumbled, waving her hand to the side, as if that would get Hope to shut up, "God, you're not helping my headache right now. Do me a favor and stop existing."
Another chuckle left Hope at that, the sound filling the now dead silence in the air around them, before finally falling itself. And so, in their somewhat drunken daze, the two of them sat there, unable and unsure of what else could be said.
"You know what, Hope," Jade finally managed, grinning to herself in an almost lost fashion, "You're not too bad to talk to."
"I feel like this is a follow up to some kind of insult."
"...Yeah, sorry dude, but your cookies legitimately suck ass."
Corvus felt groggy as he awoke, eyes shifting about as he came to. His mind was reeling, unable to remember what was going on, or where he had been-
"It's about time you woke up, bird brain."
The moment he heard that voice, nothing else mattered. It was almost as if all his troubles melted away in that single second, his smile turning almost dopy at the sight of the person before him.
"You were tossing and turning a lot, you ended up waking me up." Kuro yawned, her cat ears flicking about as she laid back down, her purple eyes looking both coy and concerned, "You alright?"
"I am now." Corvus answered, his response sounding oddly warm, as if he was meant to say something like that.
Kuro laughed, rolling over closer before placing her hands on his exposed chest, "That was so stupidly cheesy, and you know it."
"I never said I did." Corvus murmured, sliding am arm under her head before bringing her closer, resting his head on hers when she snuggled into his shoulder, "I feel as if I just had the weirdest dream."
"Oh?" Corvus all but battered her ears away when they perked up at attention, much to Kuro's amusement, "Do tell."
"I don't remember a lot," Corvus muttered, one hand absentmindedly playing with Kuro's hair, the other rubbing her hip, as if it had to remind itself that she was there beside him, "I can only think of bits and pieces."
Kuro seemed to think on it for just a moment, before shaking her head, "If you don't remember much, then it probably wasn't too important," She muttered, tracing little designs onto his torso, fingertips almost tickling him, "A lot of the things you tend to forget aren't too important, anyway."
Corvus shook his head, mind reeling as he tried to think. For some reason, it felt as if unease was knocking on their door, trying to come in with something… Important.
"Let's be honest here, if you can't even remember the poor girl's name, I don't think she meant much to you."
Corvus laid there, eyes slowly going wide as he began to stiffen up. Kuro's once ticklish touch now felt like thin blades, the weight of her head on his shoulder now akin to the weight at the end of a chain, "...What was that, Kitten?"
"Honestly, it's amazing how little regard you have for others," Kuro went on, her voice sounding a little faint at this point, as if she were talking to herself rather than anyone else, "I can't help but envy your callousness."
Like that, Corvus snapped up, nearly throwing Kuro off of him as he did so/ Kuro yelped as she fell back, nearly thrown off the side of the bed, "Case in point!" Kuro said with a slight snicker.
"Where is Violet?" Corvus muttered, only now standing from the bed, his bare feet feeling oddly cold against the carpet, "Crap, where is she?"
"Oh, is Violet the new girl to catch?" Kuro muttered, before plopping herself back down on the bed, hands held up to the sky as if she were trying to pull the ceiling down, "What's the brilliant plan this time around, Crow crapper? Gonna bite her with your stupid 'tracker venom' bullshit? Or, no, maybe you're just gonna pull her out of her life and force her to conform to yours."
"If you're not going to say anything helpful, than I don't want to hear it." Corvus all but spat, the panic beginning to build up in his chest.
He nearly jumped when cold hands trailed their way across his chest, Kuro's body pressed against his back, ""Tell me, 'beloved'."
"What's your plan when you get to her? To prolong the inevitable? Or maybe you're going to pull her along on your own selfish journey?" Kuro's fingers trailed up his torso, her nails feeling as if they were trying to cut him open, "I bet she thinks that you're there to help her, but no, you have other plans, don't you?"
"Kuro, let go." Corvus muttered lowly, his mind reeling.
"Ah, how the turntables!" Kuro giggled, pulling her hands from him before spinning him around, forcing him to face her, "Face it, bird brain," Kuro said, pushing her index finger to his chest, "deep down inside of the black heart of yours, you don't care about her."
Corvus moved to grab her hand, her cold hand hanging delicately in his, "I care about you."
"That's your excuse?" Kuro scoffed, ripping her hand out from his before walking back over to the bed, flopping onto it with another yawn, "You're good at coming up with those, I'll give you that."
Corvus couldn't help but lean forward, drawn to follow her. Follow her to the bed, follow her out of the room, hell, he'd follow her out of a window is she wished, "I'm doing this all for you."
"Why?"
"You know why."
Kuro pulled her face from the bed, eyes narrowing as she studied him, "...I guess I do."
Kuro shook her head, throwing her arms over her chest before laughing, the sound dull and desolate as she looked Corvus over once more, her eyes watering just a bit, "And here I thought that apathy was linked to my sin."
Corvus jolted awake.
He took a moment to breathe, unable to stop shaking as he looked over the abandoned shack's interior. He didn't notice how tightly he had been holding the blankets until something slapped it.
Corvus turned to the side, watching as the offending hand fell off, Violet pulling her arm back as she curled up on her side, still asleep. He watched her for a second, wondering if she'd roll over again as she dreamed. How nice it must have been, not to know what was happening-
Corvus shook his head, unwilling to let those thoughts continue. No, he was close to figuring this out he knew it. He looked over to Violet's body, a small smile gracing his face before he lay back down, their noses almost touching.
He was so close to the answer, he felt it was right in front of him. He'd bring Kuro back, he'd make up for everything, and they would be happy.
Just as it should have been.
"Don't worry, Kuro," Corvus muttered, clearing Violet's face of her hair before cupping her chin, "I'm going to fix all of this."
With that, he placed a small kiss on Violet's nose.
Amy: *Typing away gleefully at the keyboard*
Erin: Jesus, keep that up and your fingers are gonna catch fire-
Azazel: *Hair catches fire* HOLY FUCK!
Miu: P-put her out!
Erin: Umm, I don't know if you know this or not, Miu, but I make fire! I'm not too good at putting it out!
Azazel: *Doing the chicken dance while crying, hair blazing it like mad*
Miu: So are w-we just g-gonna watch?
Erin: Well, I mean... It's not like Azazel's dying or anything...
Azazel: *Incoherent screaming while flapping arms around*
Erin: If you have the energy to scream, than it isn't that bad!
Amy: *conducts a torrent of water right at Azazel* Wow, I totally forgot that I could do that. Huh.
Azazel: *Collapses and cries*
Erin: Jesus fuck, Stone!
Amy: Hey, I didn't force her to curl up! I only did everything else!
Erin: Wow, for some reason, that doesn't help your case!
Amy: Wasn't aware that I had to prove shit to you, "Dusty".
Erin: You don't gotta do shit, you waterlogged fuck!
Amy: That was garbage- Wait, where's Miu?
Miu: *Standing over the desk, fingers ready to type* I w-wonder...
Erin: Shit, Miu, don't!
Amy: Get away from that, fuck-!
Lilith: *Reading a book in the corner, looking up every now and then before going back to her book*