"Who is she? Do you know her?"

"Nope.. She's been hanging around here for a few days if I recall, but I haven't seen her at all before that."

"Oh, so we've got a newbie?! It's been awhile since I last saw one!"

"Something like that. They usually don't last this long, though."

"You're right," Cashmere finally murmured in agreement to the curious chatter of Subcon minions around her. "They don't, do they?"

They all knew the answer to that— a rhetorical question didn't often need an answer. Not when it came to the subcontractors (tee, hee-) that came to work for the Snatcher in his forest. And this one was no different.

The day after she'd shown up, Cashmere had found a note on her bedside table. Undoubtedly from her ghostly boss himself, but unlike normal notes she was used to receiving, this one lacked his typical, affably-evil tone. In fact, it was one of the more serious warnings she'd gotten since living there— and for someone who was often treated like a golden girl, naturally the jarring dissonance in the note shocked her.

Cashmere,

I know what you may be thinking if you catch a glimpse of the newest newbie, but I'm telling you this now so that there's no confusion later.

You are not to have ANY contact with her whatsoever. If it were anyone else I'd allow you your typical little pranks and general mischief, but this one isn't like the others. She's dangerous, untrustworthy, and she's hiding secrets to something that even I can't foresee.

Stay put and do your own thing while you await further instruction. I'll come to you when we're sure she doesn't pose any kind of threat.

It wasn't signed. Notes like this never were. But nobody else in the forest had the authority to order her around so adamantly, leaving very few others who it could have been.

Now there she was, huddled along with several other of her guardian's minions behind the cemetery, watching in near-silence while the contractor (a tiny little thing similar to Cashmere in height and body type) flung a portrait of a screaming mafia man into flames caused by Fire Spirits.

The small group had to giggle at that, even though none of them were technically allowed to be this close to her. The girl couldn't see them from her vantage point, so what did it matter anyways?

"Y'know, guys," one subconite spoke up. "The more I think about it, when's the last time the Boss employed a kid instead of running them off? I mean, really?"

"What do you mean?" Cashmere asked softly, turning inquisitive blue eyes in their direction.

"Well, the thing is," the minion continued. "He's never addressed it directly, but– he's never made deals with another kid before. At least, no human kids that we can remember. They're always driven away before they can get too far inside."

The little girl stared back in response, dumbly. Accompanied by about ten more glowing eyes.

"That's totally different, you were born here!" The subconite tried to make the words sound better. "She's an outsider, but she's just a kid. Boss runs any kids he sees out of the forest. What's so different about this one that he has to work her over like the rest of us?"

A collective silence fell over the group at this. But while the other minions kept their cyclop gazes turned on the curious one who'd spoken up, Cashmere's eyes remained locked on the girl doing her chores several paces away…..


Hours had passed since she and the little group had spied 'n split, but Cashmere's thoughts hadn't yet shifted. The thought of her boss, the great and powerful Snatcher, employing a human kid out of the blue despite the fact that she'd never even seen another child in the forest was strange. Not only that, but the revelation that kids were being driven off without her ever being aware of their presence at all bothered her. Here she'd always suspected it was because other children were too afraid of the woods to go in them, but.. Was it true? Had he REALLY been chasing away any kid who set foot there? And if he was, why was this one being forced to run his errands when he had a perfectly loyal, healthy one right there?

A loyal, respectable little girl who had many a time asked her guardian for a friend to call her own— a REAL one, though. Living, breathing, human. Something that the Snatcher had never been able to give her, or so she'd thought.

These questions and more were enough to send her into a stunned silence for the duration of her time alone.

There was always an excuse that prevented him from delivering when she asked about it. Always a reason why he couldn't grant this request. Some days he's too busy, others he just has been too distracted to notice anything outside his tree. Peck, he'd even once told her that he thinks the sunlight outside the woods will melt him if he steps into it for too long. But Cashmere had not yet given up this hope; she hadn't given up on yearning for the one thing that could potentially sate her desire for exploration.

But how could she play THIS one off?

"Cashmere? You're terribly quiet," the Snatcher probed gently, while the two were sat down for their daily lunch. "Shouldn't you be yapping my ear off by now about one of the others falling into the swamp, or some obscure joke that doesn't even make sense?"

"Snatcher, why…. Why aren't there ever any other kids around here?"

Silence. The first remotely serious question since she'd asked to be allowed to explore the planet, and it HAD to be this one. A subject he wasn't in the mood to breach with the girl. What was with her and the sudden existential pondering lately?! Was she putting the pieces together? Getting restless? Puberty? It wasn't something he'd been properly trained to deal with, but she wasn't, either. She never had been, but he did what he thought was best with the child, anyways.

That added onto the warnings of the tiny voice inside his head made Snatcher rightfully wary. So he stared, but the look on his face was far from amicable.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, you forget yourself," the ghost replied smoothly, getting up to hover down from his tree and taking the basket of sandwiches with him. Cashmere, without fear or choice, followed him.

"Aside from me. I just… Heard something a bit weird, and it made me curious."

"Curiosity has killed cats all over since the world started turning, and you STILL pursue it?" Snatcher smirked back over his shoulder. "I knew you weren't that wise, kid, but this is something else!"

"I'm serious, I just— happened to notice that… Well, I've never really seen anyone like me come around here. And you know how long I've been waiting for one."

Here he paused in his shifting thoughts, but didn't cease his pace. The forest ruler had to keep his smooth, indifferent rhythm going, lest she catch on to the fact he knew more than he was letting on.

The moment she did, everything he kept so tightly locked inside his cold, dead heart would be in danger of unleashing. It all started with a question— so why not answer it with a question? Two could play at this game!

"Don't you know that there's more than one factor that would keep a whiny outer-brat from entering Subcon, kiddo?" Snatcher finally responded, and to emphasize his point, made a sprawling gesture with his hands to indicate just how potent their environment was at first glance. "Ummm, HELLO? Giant purple ghost that steals souls? Death swamp? Killer ice? Tree-nooses? Bear traps? Venomous spiders? Condemned outhouses? Dangerous wells that you can fall down and die in? Poison mushrooms? Magic FIRE? Has NONE of that occurred to you, or are you too desensitized to understand how dangerous it is?"

…. Perhaps he had a point. And despite herself, a sheepish smile curved her lips upward. All Cashmere could do was shrug, hugging herself while her guardian handed her another sandwich to replace the one that had sat untouched on her plate.

"Well then, can I ask why there's one doing chores for you right now? What's her deal? I know you said in your—"

"As far as a friend goes, you're not going to find what you're looking for in that one. You're just not. As I stated before, she's off-limits, and I EXPECT my verdict to be obeyed. Patience is a virtue, child, one which I regret to inform you that you do not possess. I'm an all-seeing, omnipotent eye! Not a miracle worker!"

In seconds, he was laughing again. That echoed, roaring sound of amusement that the girl was long used to by now.

"Don't you KNOW yet, though? If she's as bad as you thought? Didn't you say you'd-"

"Cashmere!" The Snatcher snapped in a sharp tone. "I said it once, I'm not afraid to repeat myself! You're here for your purpose, and she is here for hers! These are completely separate purposes. You're mine; I don't want you meddling in the affairs of my contractors when they're none of your business in the first place, is that understood?"

He just… Was determined to circumvent her at every turn, wasn't he? To restrict her movements, to lay claim over who she chose to interact with, to smother her… On one hand, Cashmere wasn't surprised. But on the other, this was the first time she had truly FELT the extent of what she was being made to do. And goodness knew she was feeling the constricting clench of an otherworldly purple snake slowly tightening it's grip around her.

Her face having fallen from her amused smirk from before, Cashmere made a noncommittal noise. Munching her sandwich quietly, and keeping her gaze low to the ground, the small girl silently sealed her fate with a short nod.

"Fine."


So I realized when I went to post the latest chapter that while A03 said I had 10 chapters, said I only had nine. So I went back to look and it turns out I never posted this one... OOPS! 😬I got a new laptop a little bit ago and I guess I just... Spaced? lol. My apologies. I'm posting them both right now to make up for it. Buckle up, though, it's gonna be a bumpy ride👀