Lilith:...I refuse to admit that I'm bored without the usual idiots fighting and crying.


"Puppeteer, now is NOT the time to have this conversation!" Lilith could do little more than roll her eyes at Painter's words, too busy trying to keep on her feet as Lizzie's shadow lashed out.

"No, fuck that nonsense!" Lilith could hear Puppeteer shouting from behind her, most likely from behind a tree, "For all I know, we're not going to have time for this later, so I want this said here and now! Lilith, if you can hear me, know that we love you and all, but you're NOT allowed to walk back to the mansion with us anymore! Ever!"

"Save your monologue for later and help Lilith!"

"Oh, yeah sure, cause you're so useful hiding in a bush!"

"For the record, you're both being equally useless!" Lilith ducked under a black tendril, her voice just barely louder that Lizzie's background cackling, "But hey, by all means, screaming at each other from behind greenery sounds like a better usage of time!"

She didn't get a chance to hear their comeback. Or, more accurately, Lizzie didn't give her a chance to do so. Lilith's boot stepped down right as Lizzie's shadow shot up, encasing her entire heel. Lilith cursed, throwing the scythe's blade down into the ground and holding tight, fighting against Lizzie's apparent need to toss her around like a ragdoll.

Of course, it didn't really matter much when Lizzie pranced over, casting a malicious grin down at Lilith's masked face before hooking the top of her foot into the blade, kicking it out of the ground. Lilith had seconds to comprehend that shit eating grin before she was sent flying, thrown into a wide arc to land right on her back.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she could see a blurry image of Puppeteer and Painter leaning over her. "Fuck, she's out." Puppeteer murmured, waving his hand over her face.

"Am not." Lilith spat, accepting the hand Painter offered while slapping Puppeteer's away, "Just needed a quick breather."

Puppeteer looked like he was about to say something, only to have his words reduce themselves into a pitiful yelp, his whole body suddenly being thrown somewhere off to the right. On the plus side, it gave Lilith a direct line of sight for where Lizzie stood, her hair billowing out as she clapped with her clawed hands, "And here I thought having more friends would be fun!"

"...Is she pouting?" In any other scenario, Lilith would have laughed at how utterly deadpanned Painter sounded, "Is she seriously pouting right now?"

"If you think that's weird, just wait until she starts breakdancing." Despite her attempt to ease the mood, she felt the grip on her scythe tighten, fingers attempting to dig into the metal of her pole as she watched Lizzie, looking for an opening, "She's got moves that are to die for."

"...You did not just tell a dad joke." Lilith snickered ever so slightly as she rushed forward, hoping that she could catch Lizzie off guard, "That's it, it's all gone to shit, Lilith told a dad joke. That's the first sign of the apocalypse."

Lilith slid under Lizzie's initial swing, hooking the blade around Lizzie's waist before pulling, kicking both feet straight into her side. Lilith winced at how she could feel something crunch in Lizzie's side, like her bones were crumbling under the force of Lilith's double stomp.

She didn't get a lot of time to think on it, especially when Lizzie grabbed both of her ankle's with her clawed hands, flashing a smile before flipping Lilith over in an arc, "Going down!"

Lilith coughed as her back collided with the ground, scythe having flown from her grip in the hit. Before she could try to get up, she was pushed back down by Lizzie's foot, "Aww, did I hurt you, big sis? Do you need me to kiss your booboo?"

"Oh no, don't worry about it," Lilith sputtered, one hand reaching up to grab Lizzie's ankle, attempting to "I'm not too much of a fan of cooties. Besides, I had nothing better to do."

Lizzie's grin faltered for just a second, her tone dropping a bit too low for Lilith to like it, "You know," She sighed, leaning down close enough for Lilith to feel her chilling breath against the inside of the mask, "I never really did like that mask of yours."

Lilith winced as Lizzie trailed a clawed finger down the side of the plastic, the sadistic look in her eye much too close for comfort, "Makes it hard to tell if you mean what you're saying. Hard to read a person's face when you can't see it."

Lizzie's laugh sent a chill down Lilith's spine.

"I wonder… Why don't I give you a reason to wear it?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Painter jumped up from behind Lizzie, using Lilith's fallen scythe as a sort of lap bar, holding her arms down to her side before shouting, "Now, Puppeteer! Do it!"

Painter jerked Lizzie back, doing his best to avoid Lizzie's sharp nails and sharper teeth. She tried to kick and scream but, by second nature, Lilith threw her hand out, her shadow following up and out to grab at Lizzie's feet. Golden strings flew from somewhere behind her, whipping and twisting themselves around Lizzie's torso, binding her arms to her side, "Got her!"

Puppeteer, as per usual, celebrated much too early. Lizzie grinned, her neck creating a loud snapping sound as she twisted around, sinking her teeth into Painter's shoulder. Painter let out a shout, letting go in order to cover his open wound.

Lilith moved to help Lizzie, not realizing that she'd let go of her hold on Lizzie's feet before it was too late. She tried to shout a warning, only to have her mouth run dry as Lizzie managed to wiggle her fingers out, sinking them into the strings around her.

"Holy shit, is Painter oka-Woah, wait what the fuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!?" Lilith ducked as Lizzie whipped her body around, laughing as Puppeteer swung around like an oddly shaped battle mace.

Lilith rushed over to Painter, helping him stand back up as he stared at Puppeteer flying about, "...Why isn't he letting her go?"

"Beats me."

Before Lilith could say anything, she pushed Painter to the side, just in time to lift her arms to attempt to shield herself from the incoming Puppeteer. She watched with surprise as her shadow rose to shield her, Puppeteer's body splaying out against it.

He seemed to finally put two and two together and let Lizzie go, the golden strings fading away. Unfortunately, this gave Lizzie a chance to throw both hands out, the ground becoming more black than dark green.

"Hey, big sis." Lizzie grinned, throwing her head to the side as she snickered, eyes flicking about from Painter to Puppeteer, and then back to her, "I'm curious; which one of them do you like more?"

Lilith didn't think. She could see Puppeteer pulling himself up from out of the corner of her eye before jogging over to help Painter up, having the smaller man lean on him. She turned to them, her shadow seemingly jumping forth before she could think to command it to do so. She could just barely comprehend Puppeteer's surprised face, and even then Lilith wasn't sure if it was due to the ground giving out from under him, or how Lizzie seemed to appear before him in a matter of seconds, claws out and ready to slice them both to ribbons.

And, just like that, the two dropped into Lilith's shadow, Lizzie's lunge throwing her right over Painter's hair and into a tree. Lilith threw her hand out, eyes having yet to turn from Lizzie's fallen form as her scythe popped up back into her hands. She took a step forward, only to have her vision suddenly go fuzzy, lungs feeling as if they were beating each other for oxygen.

She didn't have time to think about it too much when Lizzie pulled herself back up, throwing her head back in laughter, "I thought I'd have to kill them both so that we could have time to ourselves! I don't care what you think, THIS is comedy!"

Lilith didn't have time to retort on Lizzie's sudden Joker-like pose, instead jumping back Lizzie leapt at her, giggling and swinging about as she did her best to tear Lilith's throat out. The entire time, Lizzie giggled, "Aww, there's no need to be so seriously silent, you know! Where's all that sarcastic bullshit you seem so keen on spitting? Go ahead, throw some lines at me, and I'll do my best to throw some your way as well! I promise!"

"My god, you seem to be doing more spitting than fighting." Lilith growled, swinging the blunt end of the scythe into Lizzie's side, the moment of surprise enough for Lilith to throw both hands out, pushing Lizzie with the force of her own shadow.

If Lilith could feel bad, she would have winced as Lizzie flew through a tree or two, only to groan as pain exploded in her side. She felt like she was looking through a kaleidoscope, lungs unable to function to a point. Why was her vision fuzzy? Why did she feel like her chest was about to implode?

She just barely had time to raise her scythe, blocking Lizzie's clawed strikes as best as she could while staying upright.

One of Lizzie's swipes threw the scythe from her hands, the next only barely deflected by her shadow. Each step back felt like a mile on her legs, her knees feeling about as structurally sound as jelly. Each time she lifted her arms to block herself, her shadow leapt out to do the same, deflecting and blocking any lethal strikes Lizzie threw her way.

"Aww, are you feeling tired already?" Lizzie cooed, her words somehow coming out despite the maniacal glee rolling off of her tongue, "All worn out from your new tricks?"

Lilith felt a curse fall through her lips, reaching out to block )and hopefully hold down) Lizzie's outstretched arm, only to fall over at the last second. She flailed, attempting to drag Lizzie down with her, only to have that clawed hand push her down faster, back colliding with the ground.

"I'm getting a little sense of deja vu here," Lizzie leered over Lilith, her foot coming down to stomp Lilith back down against the ground, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, it's fun when I come out on top."

"You know," Lilith wheezed, mind swimming in the sea of drowsy confusion as her lungs fought for air, hands fumbling to grab at anything that would help to ground her, "I can't help but notice how oddly sexual you're getting."

Of everything that she'd said, of course that was the comment that Lizzie wouldn't be okay with, if the additional weight to her chest was anything to go off of, "...Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Lilith did her best to cough out a laugh, even when Lizzie leaned in a little too close to her mask, thankful for the plastic protection between her and those teeth, "For the record, just because I won't call you my sister doesn't mean you should try for the whole 'daddy/mommy' thing."

"...You're not very funny, big sis."

"Not trying to be."

"...I've decided that your sarcasm is irritating," Lizzie finally muttered. Lilith couldn't help but note how, when she wasn't giggling and cackling like a child, Lizzie was pretty intimidating, "And that stupid mask of yours isn't doing you any favors."

That was the only warning Lilith got before her face was alit with fire. She didn't feel the broken pieces of plastic, too consumed by the red falling over her eyes, tinting the whole world in the deep color.

"Shh," Lizzie pressed a finger to Lilith's exposed lips, her smile much too close as the cold wind blew over her hot face, "You'll ruin the image with your screaming!"

Lilith tried to fade out, get away, only to have a sharp pain shoot her up spine, rushing down her arms and legs. She did her best to breathe, did her best to keep calm despite the feeling of wet flesh on her face. And the screaming, was that coming from her!?

Her mind was running in too many different directions at once, all while her body seemed to fail her. All she could feel was the wind blowing across her face, which seemed to be a whole other story to her already disarrayed mind.

She felt Lizzie, for some reason, step off of her chest. She could just barely understand her jeers turning to sugar sweet words, mockery almost. She was talking to someone, someone Lilith couldn't see. She did her best to get up, barely able to roll over and keep her face, unable to ignore the visual of her skin melting right off of her face.

And just like that, someone was helping her stand up, two supportive hands reaching out to hold Lilith by her forearms. She blinked, unable to really determine who it was under the hood, eyes unwilling to work with her. She could have sworn that, for some reason, she could feel some sort of dread and revulsion coming off of the figure.

Before she knew it, the ground under them gave out, Lilith falling forward onto the other Shade. She felt something cold, a finger, press against her forehead. And just like that, she was out.


"...This is bullshit." Jeff scowled, throwing himself onto the opposite side of the couch, kicking his shoes up onto the table in front of him, "Pure and absolute bullshit."

"No way." Ben muttered, much too engrossed in his game to even pretend to care. Jeff complaining was as natural as the sun rising every morning; it happening this morning, it was going to happen next morning, and nothing he did was going to change that outcome.

"No, I mean it." Jeff grumbled, all but pouting from under his hood, "Shad claims this spot daily."

"Yes, he does."

"And if I wanna sit here, I gotta either wait until he leaves, or hope and pray that he won't notice when I push him off. And that later option never really works out well. Ever."

"Is that so?"

"But Nooooo," Jeff threw his hands up, knocking into Ben ever so slightly. The smaller man huffed, leaning as far away as possible while also continuing the game. He had made it this far with the boss, he wasn't willing to let it all go to shit now, "The moment that Painter and Puppeteer run in all panicked and shit, Shad just drops for them!"

Ben huffed, throwing his remote to the side as the fabled "You Died" came into view, before finally turning his head to glare at Jeff, "Are you HONESTLY bitching over Shad taking your spot on the couch?"

Jeff rolled his eyes, giving Ben a reflected glare, "And what if I am?"

"Dude, you're such a little kid."

"Okay, well, if you think it's so childish, then let's trade seats."

"What? No!"

"Why not? If it's such a childish thing, then why is it bothering you?"

"It's bothering me because I don't want to move!" A part of Ben's mind couldn't believe that he was actually arguing with Jeff over this, but he was more than comfortable where he was. He wasn't going to move just so that Jeff could try to make a point, "If anything, it's even more childish for you to make me move!"

Before Jeff could retort, something fell from the ceiling. Jeff jumped, Ben letting out a yelp that totally didn't come from him as the fabric of a heavy coat billowed out in front of them, heavy boots landing on the low standing coffee table.

Shad gave them one stern look, and just like that, Jeff quickly jumped from his seat. Ben caught Jeff dusting off his seat before he hopped off of his seat, watching Jeff retreat before shaking his head, "And to think he was bitching about you sec- Holy SHIT, is that Lilith!?"

Ben didn't get an answer, Shad pushing past him in order to lay her out on the couch. Ben leaned to the side, trying to get a good look at Lilith's face, only to be blocked off by Shad's shoulder as the taller Shade shot up.

"Painter, Puppeteer, where are you two!?" Shad shouted, his voice more so felt than heard as he took a step back, eyes seemingly on anything but Lilith's face, "Thought you'd have the Doc up here and ready by now!"

"We can't find him!" Puppeteer shouted, dashing past the doorway, only to backtrack as his eyes landed on the couch's back, "Oh god, good, you found her, thank- JESUS FUCK!"

Puppeteer was barely seconds faster than Ben, the very words on his own way out of his mouth. That was also the moment that Painter ran in, Dr. Smiley in tow, "Painter, I really don't have time to be your muse or any-Oh dear."

Painter, ever so eloquent, took stared at Lilith's face for less than a second before making a break for the kitchen. "That's gonna be a mess." Puppeteer muttered, although he didn't specify if he was talking about the one on the couch or the one being made in the kitchen.

The Doc cursed, pushing past them all in order to get a better look at Lilith's face, "Someone needs to go and grab the red kit on the first shelf, now."

"On it." Shad vanished right through the floor, taking the opportunity to get out of the living room as quick as possible.

"Puppeteer, if you'd be so kind as to check in on Painter." Doc murmured, snapping on a pair of new gloves before moving to brush Lilith's hair from her face, wincing only slightly when it stuck to her forehead from the blood, "It would be a shame if he choked on his own vomit."

"Y-yeah." Puppeteer muttered, finally tearing his gaze away from Lilith's face before floating over to the kitchen, as if he didn't trust his legs at the moment.

All the while, Ben had yet to look away from Lilith's face, much to Dr. Smiley's irritation, "Do you have nothing better to do than standing there and watching, Ben?"

"I… I umm… Yeah…" Ben took a step back, giving the doctor space. But, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to look away. He nearly threw up as the Doctor moved away the mutilated flesh, doing his best to see the damage without causing too much more irritation, "Shad, where the FUCK is my medical supplies?"

As if on cue, Shad popped up next to the Doc, handing him what Ben assumed was one of those standard store-bought first aid kits, "Is this-?"

"Yes thank you get out of my space." The Doctor all but pushed Shad out of the way, quickly opening and going through the kit, "Why you didn't decide to take her straight to the basement will forever remain a mystery to me, Shad."

"I wasn't thinking," Shad admitted, staying just close enough to be of service in case the Doctor needed anything more, eyes having long since pried themselves from Lilith's mutilated face, "I just… She was on the floor, barely breathing… And her face-"

"Is going to be fine." Ben really didn't like how, for once, the Doc sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as the other two. Regardless, he worked to salvage what he could of Lilith's face, his hands moving to grab the scalpel from the kit before turning back to Lilith, "She's going to be okay."

Ben fought to keep the mild bubbly feeling down his throat, unable to watch the Doctor work any longer. He felt like he was on the same page as Painter, his insides threatening to burst out if he didn't find something else to look at. Not wanting to think about the supernatural biology behind a ghost vomiting, he offered one last polite head nod to Shad before making a break for the stairway.

Meanwhile, Shad fidgeted where he stood, unsure what else he could do at the moment. Sure, the Doc looked like he had it, but it felt wrong for him to just stand on the side and watch. But, before he could voice anything, the sound of dress shoes creaking against wood echoed through the living room.

The Doc didn't seem to care too much for the sudden disturbing sounds; if anything, he was too engrossed with his current work to notice as Slender walked into the living room, "Ah, there you are Doctor, I was wondering if… If…"

Shad looked up just in time to watch Slender stop in the doorway, head tilted to the side ever so slightly, as if he couldn't really comprehend what was going on in the living room. He seemed to look from the couch, to the Doc, and then back to the couch.

Finally, Shad cleared his throat, mind racing to put together the right words to describe the situation, "I… I umm… Painter and Puppeteer just… And I kinda… Yeah."

"How eloquently put." Dr. Smiley muttered, his hands flying about as he bandaged the side of Lilith's face, "Damn, I don't know if stitches are going to be enough for this."

Anyone else would have assumed that the tall being was more confused than anything, but Shad had known the entity for years. He could read his tightening grip on the doorframe, the slight tap the toe of his shoes. He seemed to take a moment to collect himself, ever the image of professionalism.

"Why aren't you doing this in the basement, Doctor?"

"You know, I had the same question." Doc all but sniped, taking a moment to pull his bloodied gloves off in favor for a new pair, tossing the two somewhere over his shoulder as well as a quick glare in Shad's general direction, "SOMEONE decided that it was a better idea to put her on the couch rather than, I don't know, my metal tables that are meant for operations such as these."

"I'm pretty sure that I already apologized for that, Doc." Shad's voice had a dangerous edge to it, one born from both guilt and irritation. He could feel the shadows in the room bending towards him, as if they were trying to offer their own comforts, "But hey, by all means, if it bothers you so much, why don't we just move her?"

"Too late for that," the Doc murmured, seemingly too preoccupied to offer a proper reason as he went back to work, wincing ever so slightly as blood spurted out and onto the couch, "Might I recommend that we burn this couch when this whole fiasco is over?"

Slender offered a slight nod to that before moving towards the kitchen, stopping for just a second before walking in. Shad couldn't help but wince at the sound of Slender's clipped tone, his voice just low enough to be incomprehensible, but he was pretty sure he was interrogating Puppeteer and Painter.

Of course, the only real answer he got were Puppeteer's stuttering words and Painter's sickening moans, but Shad wasn't about to jump in and try to help.

"Honestly, I don't know how this place keeps itself running," Dr. Smiley muttered to himself, threading a needle as he spoke, most likely unaware that he was thinking aloud, "Between this one finding herself in my care every other week, and with how everyone here is either at each other's throats or being passive aggressive, it's a miracle that anything ever gets don't around here."

He continued to mutter to himself, even while stitching up what he could of Lilith's face, most of his words sounding similar to Slender's from the kitchen: barely legible word babble.

Finally, Puppeteer and Painter emerged from the kitchen, Puppeteer helping Painter walk as the poor guy struggled to fix his mask back to his face. The two stared at Shad, seemingly more than happy to ignore the couch, "So," Puppeteer started, fingers drumming against his side, "I don't suppose you found her mask?"

"It was in pieces." Shad muttered, watching as Slender walked out from behind them, moving to stand next to the Doctor at the couch, "Honestly, I think the mask did it's job and then some. I could only imagine how bad this would have been had she not been wearing it."

"Regardless, I don't think that Lilith's gonna be too happy when she wakes up." Puppeteer tried to jest, only to flinch when Slender's head whipped around to stare at him, "I mean, you know, cause she kinda loves that thing and, well, you know."

"I don't think she's going to be happy in general." Painter offered weakly. He didn't bother to explain any further, instead, dropping his head to Puppeteer's shoulder like a tired child.

"Right." Puppeteer said, unsure what else could be done before moving to pick Painter up, "So, I'm gonna just take him to his room. Unless someone needs me to stick around?" He turned to Slender, Painter babbling something softly as he was held bridal style.

"No, you may leave."

Shad wasn't sure how Slender did it, but what should have been a soft reassurance instead came out like a threat. At least, that's how Puppeteer seemed to take it, all but sprinting out the room and up the stairs.

"Someone sounds a bit antsy," Dr. Smiley muttered under his breath, moving to wipe the sweat from his forehead, "There's no need to take out your pent up frustration and aggression on them, you know."

Slender opted to ignore the Doc's comment, his stance rigid as he bent over slightly, "Will she be okay?"

"Most of the bleeding has stopped, so that's a good sign." Shad couldn't help but note how the Doctor didn't deliver a standard yes or no to the question, "Mentally, I won't know until she wakes up. Physically, I haven't been able to check yet. Emotionally, I'm sure you'll be able to help her out, yes?"

"That's not my main concern here, Doctor."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Maybe if you lie to yourself enough, it'll become truth." She couldn't help but feel as if he shouldn't be here for a conversation like this, even without reading between the lines it was clear that there was more meant behind what was being said, "Do me a favor and get out of my light, yes? It's hard to properly stitch when I can't see where the needle is."

Slender gave a curt nod as an apology, standing back upright next to the couch. Sometimes, Shad hated how easily he could read Slender, eyes unable to look away from how tightly he gripped the couch corner, his other hand coming to rest at his side, tapping out something on his leg.

Finally, the Doctor sighed, getting up from his knees before pulling his gloves off, "That'll hold; at least, it should." Rolling his wrists, he moved to clean up what he could of the mess, "I don't suppose one of you could move her to the basement for me?"

Slender didn't give Shad time to volunteer, already moving to pick Lilith up. Now that he noticed it, Lilith was much smaller than the taller entity. Granted, no one was anywhere near his height, but seeing Slender cradle her really gave the impression of Lilith being rather tiny, "Shad, if you're not busy, I'd like to speak with you."

"Sure." Shad muttered, moving to help the Doctor clean up as Slender stepped out of the room. Shad wanted to ask about what, but being how Slender was already out of sight, he sighed, "Man, does he always have to be so cryptic?"

Thinking back, maybe it wasn't such a good time to be starting conversation with the Doc, regardless of if his intent was lightening the mood. The Doc didn't seem up for it, moving to gather himself as well as his kit, before looking to the couch, "I don't suppose you could dispose of this now?"

"Umm…" Shad snapped his fingers, sending the couch straight through the floor, "Like that?"

"Perfect." Dr. Smiley muttered, dusting off his lap coat before taking a deep breath in, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lock myself in my basement and attempt to drink myself to death while you look for a new couch."

"I'm gonna what?" Shad muttered, watching as the Doc stumbled off, "You're just gonna leave me to figure this out?"

"Precisely." The Doctor mumbled, as if his mind was already moving elsewhere, "But hey, next time this happens, you can try and save a person's face while I look up the best bargain deals for a new sofa."

Shad winced at that, one of his hands trailing up to rub his arm, before asking, "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to contemplate how I've become a background character to a very poorly written romance novel." With that, the Doc walked off, heading for the basement door, "If I'm lucky, I still have a bottle of Vodka left over."

Shad could barely bring himself to move towards Slender's office, watching as the Doctor mumbled to himself from the corner of his eye, pulling open the basement door before throwing his head back to sigh.

"I got my Doctorates for this."


Lizzie hummed to herself, wiping the blood from her forehead as she surveyed what was once a family campsite, "You know, I can't help but be proud of big sis!"

The wind whistled with her as she moved to clean herself up, porting the leftover water from a water bottle over her head, "She finally made it past the "I need to control myself" stage! Did you see her, daddy? She was doing amazingly!"

Lizzie tilted her head to the side, nodding as hummed to herself, taking a seat at a foldable table, "I know that you said it was necessary and all, but… Did I really have to do that to big sis?"

Lizzie jumped ever so slightly, before shaking her head, "Oh no, I'm not! I would never question you, daddy, you know I wouldn't! It's just that… I don't want to hurt big sis. I just want her to play with me."

Lizzie's head bent at an unnatural angle, nodding as she swung her feet about, "No, no you're right… You're sure that this'll all work out, daddy? No, not that, I mean, will all these bodies be enough?"

Lizzie giggled, shaking her head like a child as she leapt off of the table, spreading her arms open, "Hear that, boys and girls? This isn't NEARLY enough for what needs to be done! And you know what that means!"

As if on cue, rustling could be heard from behind her. Lizzie grinned, head whipping around as her fingers cracked and popped, "This is going to be a long night!"


Lilith:...Why does my face feel itchy all of a sudden?