After I had taken Louis to the infirmary, the rest of the Drama Club members had met up with me and now we were waiting for Louis to regain consciousness while I was lost in thought.
"I hope Louis-senpai is okay, Connor," Legosi told me as he was floating above Dom and I looked at him with a hidden message in my eyes that told him I felt the same way, just as Louis started stirring and we all looked as he moved around and sat up before most of the Drama Club members perked up and cried out his name in relief.
"What the...wait, I remember. What about the audience?" Louis questioned as he looked at Sanou and Tao for answers.
"Don't worry, you collapsed after the curtain closed and they didn't see anything at all, though Legosi suddenly took charge and had Bill inform the nurse about your condition while he carried you here," Sanou explained and Louis shot me a look of surprise while I was feeling uncomfortable at being put in the spotlight.
"I see..." Louis trailed off as he eyed me for a few more seconds and looked down thoughtfully.
"Anyway, it's 8:00 PM and the medical team checked you out but according to them, you broke your left leg so it looks like you won't be able to take the stage for tomorrow's performance," Bill informed him bluntly and Louis looked at him in shock just as Sanou didn't look happy with Bill breaking the news in such a manner.
"Bill, please," Sanou reproached him sternly and Bill looked taken aback.
"What? What's the point of hiding the damn truth, especially from Louis-senpai?" Bill pointed out defensively.
"Yes, but even so..." Sanou trailed off and the other members started voicing their own opinion on the matter, just as I saw Louis looking more and more pissed while he clenched the blanket and he glared at everyone.
"So, one broken leg and now I'm some fucking helpless cripple to be coddled with?" Louis spat bitterly and everyone leaned back from his angry expression while I grimaced at his reaction.
"Oh, uh, no, we're just-" Sanou stuttered nervously and Louis ignored him as he looked at Bill.
"Bill, you'll be my replacement for tomorrow's show by playing Adler," Louis told him, causing Bill to start appearing stunned at first until his expression changed to excitement.
"A-Are you sure about that?!" Bill exclaimed excitingly and Louis nodded.
"Yes, of course I am because you've worked harder than anyone in the Drama Club and I hope you don't disappoint me," Louis told him and Bill put on a serious expression.
"I won't let you down, I swear," Bill vowed and Louis laid back down in the bed.
"See to it that you don't now get out of here," Louis said and Sanou looked at everyone.
"Alright, everybody, let's leave so that Louis-san can get some rest for tonight," Sanou suggested and we all left the infirmary before heading back to the Drama Club.
After we all headed back to the Drama Club, Bill and Sanou started chatting while the rest of us waited to see what'll be decided next since we were down an actor and someone needed to play Bill's part as an antagonist.
"The dance team and actor team are already working at full capacity," Bill notified Sanou, who looked at him.
"Who has similar stature as you and is available?" Sanou wondered thoughtfully and let out a noise of realization as he and Bill turned around to look at me, causing me to quickly duck behind a whiteboard.
"Legosi!" Sanou called out and I flinched before peering out with my ears flat against my head and holding an uncomfortable expression since I've never done acting before and the thought of an entire audience staring at me during tomorrow's performance made me nervous.
'Oh, shit...' I thought uneasily as Legosi floated over to me with a sympathetic expression.
"Yeah, I know how you feel...I've been with the Drama Club for quite a while but I've never done acting before so technically this will be the first time I've performed on stage since it's my body you're possessing," Legosi stated as I let out a shaky breath and walked into view before heading to Sanou and Bill.
After I was told what my role is and handed a kendo stick, I was gripping the practice sword while looking blue in the face as Bill was wearing Adler's skull and swinging his kendo stick around on stage during his dramatic made up speech that Louis didn't give him and he lifted the fake skull to show his face once he was done.
"And that's what he said," Bill said to Sanou and the pelican teacher sighed.
"I'm counting on you, Bill, and we'll rehearse all night if we have to," Sanou stated and Bill laughed.
"What the hell are you worried about? I know all the lines and the staging too so if I were you, I'd be more concerned about..." Bill trailed off and I knew that he was talking about me since I was standing in front of a table and holding the kendo stick like it was a lifeline as Kai came over and placed a box down onto the table while I sighed.
"Why the fuck are you acting so down like that? I'm the one who wants to perform but can't," Kai grumbled as he walked away and I looked at him.
"That's not the problem," I said as Kai left and I heard someone approaching me from behind before suddenly resting an arm on my shoulder and I looked to see that it was Bill.
"You'll be fine and even if you screw up, it won't affect the rest of the performance since it's a minor role after all," Bill told me and I shot him a deadpanned expression.
"If it's not that much of a problem, then why not eliminate it?" I questioned sarcastically and Bill chuckled as he playfully shook me.
"Legosi, I don't know where you got that smartass attitude, but I like it," Bill admitted while I sweatdropped and let out a noise of irritation.
'Well, talk about an unexpected development...shit, this is not how I wanted to spend the evening,' I thought dryly as Bill and I headed to the stage and stood across from each other once we climbed up onto the stage.
"You were handling the lights from above so you should have a good grasp of the staging already, now let's give it a try," Bill declared as I frowned and tested the kendo stick by twirling it and doing a few practice swings.
"Well, I haven't done this in a while-" I said and was cut off from saying anything else when Bill did a jump and tried to whack me, causing my training to kick in and I expertly blocked the strike before quickly dodging a few more attacks and blocking another swing with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth.
"Well, look at that...now that's what I'm talking about!" Bill exclaimed with a grin and my eyes turned cold and dead before I suddenly found myself back in the Wasteland with a Raider trying to stab me with a sword.
I threw him off with a shove and dodged a few more lethal attacks as I twirled my sword and did rapid strikes that forced the Raider on the defensive until I forced the blade to the ground and grappled with the Raider.
"Yep, you're definitely a gray wolf and I don't know how you got this good with a weapon but it's making me feel pumped and you wouldn't be able to act like this around a red deer!" the Raider growled as he broke out of my hold and swung at me but I blocked it while wondering what the hell he was talking about.
"Are you enjoying this, you sick bastard?!" I snarled as I battled for dominance so that I could kill this Raider and look for Dogmeat since I don't see him anywhere.
"Of course I am because I get to show off all my acting training on stage and it's what I worked for!" the Raider shouted before we did a deadly dance of blocking and swinging until we were struggling again and my blood started boiling at the thrill of making the world a safer place by killing this Raider.
"Hey, Legosi, whoever said that us carnivores can't be the ones to shine in the spotlight, huh? Tomorrow, I finally get to show everyone just how it is for an animal as powerful as me to exist in this world!" the Raider yelled and I roared as I pushed him back and kept swinging at him fluidly with expert strikes and he tried to defend himself.
I dodged the attack with ease and my counter came in a haze as I swung my sword down in front of the Raider's blade while simultaneously pushed up on the hand that held it, breaking the Raider's hold around the grip. Momentum drove my body around as I spun and swept my attacker's falling legs out from under him while grabbing the loosened sword from his hand and by the time the startled Raider landed on the ground, I had one blade against his neck and the other one pointed between his eyes as he looked alarmed.
"Connor, calm down before you seriously hurt him!" I heard a familiar voice shout and I snapped out of it to see that I had Bill pinned to the floor with the two kendo sticks while he and the others were staring at me in shock and disbelief.
It was those looks and the stunned gasps that made my eyes widen in horror and I backed up while dropping the kendo sticks, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my body fast and causing my heart to race while my breathing came out in short, powerful gusts. As fucked up as it was, some dark part of me loved the danger and the action while it scared me at the same time, my mind knowing that this was wrong but my body loved it as my training gave me the skills but these combined instincts of a wolf and a human drove me.
It was quiet for about a minute as Bill stood up and groaned slightly while picking up his kendo stick, then the other club members suddenly broke out into cheers as they clapped at what I'd did.
"Holy crap, that was awesome!" Dom yelled in astonishment.
"Yeah, did you see how fast Legosi was?!" Kibi agreed as I avoided eye contact and shoved my hands in my pockets.
"Damn, Legosi, where the fuck did you learn how to do that?!" Bill exclaimed in disbelief as I grimaced from all the attention that was thrown on me and inwardly scolded myself for losing control in such a manner.
"Um...I've been taking self-defense classes," I lied uneasily while I felt embarrassed for what had just happened.
"I'll say...if that had been a real fight, I most likely would've been dead. Legosi, it'll be wolf vs tiger tomorrow so when it comes to our battle scene, there'll be no need to pretend and it'll be one hell of a show.
With what you just did, we'll give the audience a show that they've never seen before so we got this," Bill encouraged and I shrugged as I picked up the kendo stick and hopped off the stage before putting the sword down on a table and getting my backpack.
After I had said goodnight to the others and changed into my uniform, I left the practice building and remained lost in thought while Legosi was watching me until he cleared his throat to get my attention.
"Connor...that was impressive and I guess it's true what that shadow said, that you killed so many lives. Why did you do it and what was the point of being responsible for so much carnage?" Legosi inquired hesitantly and he looked taken aback when I chuckled and looked at him with a hollow expression.
"Why does anyone do the things that they do? Let me give you a piece of advice, stop digging and let it go because there are some things that you are better off not knowing and the less you know, the better," I warned bitterly as Legosi appeared unsettled by my empty tone of voice and dead look.
"A-Anyway, Bill and I are both carnivores, right? How the hell did he come to that conclusion?" Legosi wondered and I shrugged.
"Who knows, but I think he was just trying to be the tough guy when in reality, he was completely nervous about tomorrow," I stated while I was passing another building and heard the side door opening before looking and seeing Els leaving the building.
"Legosi!" Els called out and I waved.
"Oh, hey Els," I greeted as she ran up to me with a smile.
"Long day, huh?" Els asked and I flicked one of my ears as I pondered my next choice of words.
"Yeah, something like that," I muttered as we started walking back to our dorms together.
"I know it's been crazy, but I'm sure everything will be fine," Els said and I nodded as I looked at her.
"I think so too because Bill is something else," I admitted as I recalled what just happened and if it'll happen again.
"Well, I think you're amazing...listen, Bill's running around acting tough and all, but I know that he's actually really nervous. Legosi, he's going to need your support tomorrow so just remember that, okay?" Els told me and I hummed thoughtfully before looking at her with a small smile.
"Yeah, you're right," I agreed and Els suddenly grinned, much to my confusion.
"Wow, so you do smile!" Els cheered and I stared at her with a puzzled expression.
"What? Of course I do so what gave you the impression that I didn't?" I questioned in confusion and Els chuckled as I looked at her strangely.
"We're going to give it our best performance tomorrow, so goodnight," Els said as we arrived at our dorms and I nodded just before we went our separate ways.
"Goodnight," I told her with a wave until I headed back to my dorm and suddenly stopped before looking up at the moon and Legosi looked confused.
"Connor, what is it?" Legosi asked and I looked at him.
"You know, Bill makes it sound like a bigger deal than it really is, but I'm going to give it my best tomorrow as well," I stated before turning away from him and heading back to the dorm so that I could get some sleep for the big day tomorrow.
After I had gotten some sleep and woke up feeling fully refreshed, I had gone to my regular classes and now was the time for the play as I was in the backstage and sitting on a crate while reading through my script and memorizing the lines under my breath just as someone entered the room.
"Nearly showtime so did you sleep well?" Sanou inquired and I picked up an odd distinct coppery scent that was familiar until I stopped reading the script.
"Sure, why the hell not?" Bill reassured as I started sniffing the air to try and figure out where that scent was coming from and looked behind me, just as I discovered that the scent was coming from Bill while he looked at me oddly.
"Um, what is it?" Bill inquired hesitantly while I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"Anyway, Louis-sempai and I were out in the hall gossiping about you but it wasn't anything bad," Bill assured and I stood up, then I proceeded to walk over to him and got right into his personal space before sniffing deeply to find the origins of the scent as Bill leaned back with his hands up.
"Whoa, hey, you're kinda making me uncomfortable, pal," Bill admitted nervously as I discovered that the scent was coming from one of his pockets and glared up at him.
"Bill, what the hell-" I started questioning until I was cut off by Bill.
"Oh, I gotta hit the bathroom real quick!" Bill cried out and suddenly bolted out of the room and I looked at the others.
"Excuse me for a minute," I said and chased after Bill while Dom called out for me to hurry up before the show started.
I chased after Bill with a determined glare until we went into the nearby bathroom and Bill turned around before smirking at me with a hand on his hip.
"Oh, following me into the bathroom, huh? I didn't know you swung that way so are you in love with me or what?" Bill joked but I wasn't in the mood and shot a dark glare at him while clenching my fists.
"Bill, answer me this...what the fuck are you carrying on your person?" I interrogated and Bill looked taken aback for a second until he laughed.
"I should've known that a wolf like you would be able to sniff it out so do you want a taste? Is that what this is?" Bill inquired as he reached into one of the pockets on his Adler costume while I sniffed at the scent to try and figure out why it was so familiar to me until Bill took out a small glass bottle that had a red liquid in it.
"Wha...the hell is that?" I questioned dubiously with a complete puzzled expression as Bill held up the bottle so that I could see it better.
"It's rabbit blood," Bill answered and something just woke up in me while my eyes widened in horror and I suddenly heard dark whispering coming from nowhere as Bill smiled.
"Hey, it goes without saying, but it's not from a student. A senior who's a bit of a rebel gave it to me and I keep it in case of an emergency and this would qualify as one, don't you think?" Bill explained as pure rage rose up inside me while memories of looking at my hands soaked in blood and finding relief from using Chems to escape the horrors of the Wastes flooded my mind.
Then I recalled the rabbit girl and something in me just snapped as I rushed at Bill before grabbing his collar and pinning him against the wall, then Bill yelped with a startled expression before laughing nervously at the look of pure murder that was on my face.
"Shit, take it easy and hear me out! Legosi, it's easy to live like you, lurking in the shadows but unlike you, I want the damn spotlight! This is just justifiable doping, that's all! Why the fuck would you understand when you avoid the truth and act like an idiot for the sake of the herbivores?!" Bill shouted and hearing him say justifiable doping brought back memories of when I was in a bad place after my dad died, then I clenched the cloak's collar even harder with a vicious growl before I shoved him back and let go.
"Bill...I should be grateful, you showed me what'll happen next once we're on-stage and when we see each other on-stage...I will make you pay by putting the fear of God into you," I threatened coldly, causing Bill to look unsettled for a second before he walked past me and left the bathroom while I stared at the exit.
"Connor, he's got a point because we have no right to judge him," Legosi told me and he recoiled when I shot him a dead expression.
"You're wrong...I'm going to teach that fucking junkie a lesson he'll never forget and then he'll know what it's like to feel helpless and afraid...I'm done running," I hissed menacingly as I walked out of the bathroom and headed to the backstage.
After I had made it to backstage, I changed into my costume and took the prop sword before waiting until it was my turn to make an appearance, then I headed to the stage while Sanou and Sheila were voicing their concerns about Bill looking completely nervous until they saw me approaching them.
"Legosi? Oh, wow, they did a really good job at making you intimidating so how do you...feel?" Sanou inquired hesitantly as I passed him and Sheila with no signs that I had heard him while I entered the stage and Bill turned around to see me.
'Alright, Bill...if you say that drinking rabbit blood is a justifiable performance enhancement, then show me what it does so that I can break you,' I thought darkly as I stepped into the light with a cold glare.
"There you are, you foul demon! I will show you the way to the other world so that your regrets shall-" Bill recited as he aimed his fake sword at me, then I tossed mine down and clenched a fist before rushing up to him and cutting him off by sending him spinning in mid-air with a nasty hit before he crashed to the ground and everyone around us gasped in shock as I headed over to Bill and got on top of him while his eyes were wide behind the Adler mask.
"Hey, are you fucking crazy?! We're in the middle of a performance so stop it!" Bill hissed quietly as I leered down at him and raised another fist.
"I told you that I would put the fear of God into you, Bill," I whispered coldly before I struck him again, then I knocked the mask off with a heavy strike and it went flying until it hit the ground near us as I saw that Bill's nose was bleeding and he had a black eye that was swelling up.
I heard the audience whispering to each other about how this wasn't a part of the play, but I ignored it as I finally gave in to the killer in me and just kept hitting Bill until more memories of death and carnage popped up in my mind, then I started letting out grunts of anger and rage until it turned into full-on screams of fury and anguish when the memory of being forced to leave the Vault a second time by Amata caused me to turn my heavy strikes into complete rapid pounding as I had lost any sense of control and just wanted to kill again.
Then, one of my fists was grabbed and I snapped out of my bloodlust to see that Bill was holding my fist and wheezing in pain while his face looked like a bruised and mashed apple.
"That's enough...Legosi," Bill choked as he forced me back and stood up until we were grappling with each other.
"Is this some kind of fucking punishment and do you think you're the perfect carnivore? Well, let me tell you, you're not," Bill growled as we struggled and turned until I was facing the audience and he put me in a bear hug.
"You smelled rabbit blood before, isn't that right? Was it your prey and did you kill it?" Bill whispered and I just let out a quiet groan as his grip got tighter.
'God, I can't take this anymore,' I thought as I gasped in pain and Bill continued to say his lines before I started feeling what appeared to be many sharp objects ripping into my flesh.
'Fuck...he's ripping my back apart,' I thought as I let out choking noises of agony from Bill's claws carving my back like a Christmas turkey.
"You need to calm down for my sake and this is the proof of our bond...we'll both have stripes where we'll wear with pride," Bill told me as I gritted my teeth from his claws raking my flesh and kicked him in the groin in a desperate move, causing Bill to let out a choke before he let me go and clutched his groin as I kept standing and swayed with a dazed expression.
"Fuck...you," I wheezed as I was running on sheer willpower and Bill looked at me with a pained grimace.
"Legosi...God, you can barely stand at all, now just give up so the show can go on," Bill told me while wincing and I glared at him weakly before I stumbled to him with my fists raised, just as I slipped and collapsed onto my back before grunting in pain.
"O sad wolf, accept your fate!" Bill declared as he picked up his sword and walked over until he stood above me with a grin.
"I'm the star so let me lend the final blow while I look at you right in the eyes," Bill stated as he sent his foot onto my chest and I gritted my teeth in pain as Bill raised his sword.
Just as Bill swung the sword down, my blade came out of nowhere and sent it spinning into the air just before I saw that it was Louis and Bill turned around until his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Louis being on-stage.
"You are having way too much fun," Louis said and the audience gasped excitingly as Louis placed the Adler skull on his head.
"Unfortunately, you're going to have to play the villain now," Louis stated as he covered his face with the skull and aimed his sword at Bill.
"I know who you are...let me show you, imposter, who the real Shinigami is!" Louis declared as the audience went wild and broke out cheering at the top of their lungs while I sat up weakly and grimaced at the nasty pain that flared in my back.
"Legosi, leave the rest to me and don't let the audience see your back," Louis told me and I looked at him in surprise since he should be recovering right now but he was here and putting on his role as Adler to save me.
"Back down if you're not prepared and the many sins you created, I know about them all so why don't you drink my blood too?! That's how you'll become a true Shinigami! Now leave, I've no time for imposters!" Louis demanded dramatically and Bill backed up with gritted teeth before turning around and rushing to the backstage as the lights shut off and the spotlight shone on us.
As Louis said his final line, I gazed up at him as he turned around and held out a hand before guilt hit me and I hated myself for what had happened because of the animal blood doping bringing back a part of my past that I wanted to forget, then I looked away from Louis as shame rose up from nearly killing Bill and acting like an uncontrollable animal.
"It's okay, you're alright now," Louis reassured and I looked at him again before hesitantly reaching out and grabbing his hand until Louis helped me to my feet and the audience cheered as I looked at Louis.
'The cheers won't stop...I wonder what they think about this performance and how will the others react?' I thought as we headed backstage and after a while, Dom was busy disinfecting my back until he started bandaging it.
"The performance was a success, on the outside at least. The audience was really happy and left the building completely satisfied, but that fight of yours scared the hell out of us so if you don't make us understand what happened out there, the herbivore members won't be able to associate with you two anymore," Sheila lectured and I stared at her with a stoic expression.
"I'm fine, though, since I'm busy stopping the bleeding," Dom chimed in as he was finishing up.
"It looked like Legosi started the fight," Sanou pointed out and I looked at him.
"Yeah, I did," I confirmed and the others appeared to be shocked at my confession.
"Why?" Sanou questioned and I shook my head.
"I can't say," I replied and the others looked at me in concern.
"I don't get it, you're normally so quiet and you're both carnivores so try talking to each other," Sheila stated with a worried expression.
"Louis looked absolutely livid when he left from the rear entrance after the performance ended so if I were you two, I'd go see him right now," Sanou said as I was putting on my shirt and buttoning it up when Bill flinched at that.
"Wait, us?!" Bill exclaimed in disbelief and Sheila sent him a firm look while Sanou appeared to be just as stern with us.
"Yeah, you two, so go thank and apologize to him because if you don't get this over with, we'll all avoid contact with you and don't you dare start fighting right when you leave!" Sheila snapped irritably just before Bill and I glared at each other until I sighed and gestured for him to follow me as we left the backstage.
"Hey, Legosi," Bill spoke up after a short awkward silence.
"What?" I questioned while avoiding eye contact with him.
"Why the hell didn't you tell them that I drank rabbit blood? What's your fucking game?" Bill interrogated and I shrugged.
"There wasn't any reason for them to know that since they already had to deal with us trying to kill each other," I answered and pursed my lips at the thought of what I did.
"Well, the real problem is that Louis-sempai seems to know, considering what he said when he was on stage and if that's the case...shit, he might as well tell everyone and my eye is swelling up along with my nuts aching something fierce after you kicked me there.
Seriously, not cool at all because you just don't kick a guy in the nuts," Bill told me and I huffed.
"Cry me a river, I won't be able to wear my suspenders for a while since it'll cause the injuries on my back to flare up," I grumbled as I shoved my hands in my pockets.
"Eh, you'll be fine with saggy pants...hey, Legosi, your punches and the low blow really hurt, but you didn't beat the shit out of me so that I could claw you, I can tell. You kicked the shit out of me because you wanted to feel like you were in the right since I could tell how desperate your hits were.
I don't know what kind of attachment you have towards rabbits, but there's no use fighting it because we're carnivores and we both have the same markings-" Bill lectured and was cut off from saying anything else when I shoved past him and moved ahead with a glare.
"That's not the reason why I beat the shit out of you...there are two things I despise in this world and that is not only someone who can find comfort in a performance enhancer, but who thinks they can cheat their way to the top with said performance enhancer.
That kind of filthy habit and arrogance pisses me off like you won't believe," I snapped irritably.
"Hey, the hell's with that attitude?! You're a sheep in wolf's clothing!" Bill insulted and I shot him a nasty glare.
"Whatever, dickhead, now quit fucking following me!" I shouted as we shot looks of murder at each other.
"What the hell do you mean?! We're going together to apologize, dammit!" Bill retorted and I gritted my teeth until I took a deep breath to calm down.
"You know what, how about we both shut the fuck up before something stupid happens again," I suggested and Bill nodded.
"Fine with me," Bill agreed and it became silent after that as we headed to the rear entrance to find Louis.
A/N Hey everyone, I have returned and I want to explain why I haven't been on this site in a while. The reason why is that one of my cats, who had been with me for 14 and a half years, had passed away from stomach cancer so I needed to take a step back from writing so that I could pull myself together because it was really hard losing her since she was a part of the family.
Anyway, I'm back and have recovered enough that I'm going to get back to writing more content for you all to enjoy and as for why Connor just lost it when Bill revealed his doping, I had put down that Connor had turned to addiction with Chems after his father died in a horrible manner so discovering Bill drink rabbit blood to enjoy the high it gives to carnivores brought back memories of his addiction back in the Wasteland and a PTSD episode kicked in.
I did this because I wanted to emphasize that Connor is far from okay and even though it looks like he has his shit together, he's still in a very bad place and certain things will set him off like either being attacked unexpectedly like the sword practice he and Bill did or Bill revealing his doping.
Well, enough about me rambling and I hope I'll be able to keep writing without having some kind of relapse, so let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.
