"So...you came all the way back for me." Mischievously, Missy winks at the man waiting by her stall as he watches the children cry happily playing amongst themselves outside the village. Missy after talking to the vendor by her side saunters over to his side stoically staring ahead.
"For gelato." Sternly, he grumbles glaring at the smirking girl.
"I'm taking that as for me." Missy smirks smugly handing over the basket of gelato, a part of her cooing at seeing the glint gleaming in his hues, a childlike glee as sparkles seemingly surround his face, a heavy hue of ruby red upon his cheeks gushing over the offerings.
"And I'm taking that as no matter what I do you won't leave me." Ingram mutters, a heavy hue of ruby red upon his cheeks making Missy giggle gleefully seeing the hidden happiness in his timid tone from her words.
"Nope not going to leave I'm afraid." Animatedly, Missy winks at him.
"Great just great…" Grumbling, he sighs staring ahead at the children playing amongst themselves, his hues softening slightly sadly at the thought of a certain child with perky pink hair.
"You…like kids?" Missy asks as the two sit down upon the grassy heels, her hands around her legs curling in on her chest turning to quirking her head to the side softly staring at the man by her side.
"No…" Hollowly, he responds, his brow furrowing from the children playing seeing faint figments of a young girl and boy, playing with a man with chestnut brown hair beaming brightly at his children, happily joining the two in their fun and games making his heart ache at the sharp sting of pain in his hues.
"You seem to like staring at them…" Tentatively, Missy whispers, her hues softening slightly seeing his glassy gold as she places her hand on his leg making him flinch from it. Apologetically, she looks at him about to remove her hand when…
"So do you." Gently, Ingram takes her hand in his making her hues widen when feeling his thumb brush against the top of her hand, admiring her pretty pink petal nail art.
"Well they are my main customers you know?" Meekly, Missy smiles softly at him squeezing his hand.
"You and your partner I take…" Tenderly, Ingram spares a glance towards the man tending to the line of cheering children.
"Oh Bran isn't my partner he's my father." Missy smiles at Ingram.
"…You don't look alike. I assume you take after your mother." Befuddled, Ingram takes note of the raven haired man with a bright bountiful black bird eyeing the two.
"Probably, I'm probably a mix of both my dad and mom not that it has anything to do with Bran." Gently, Missy smiles strained sadly staring at the ground below.
"I see." Ingram states simply staring out at the kids.
"…You know most people say sorry about that." Teasingly, Missy points out having heard the apologies time and time again and yet…
"Why would I? You don't seem sad or annoyed at your circumstance." Calmly, Ingram deadpans.
"…But you do." Dubiously, Missy points out making Ingram scowl.
"Hm?" He turns to her.
"You look sad almost annoyed at your circumstances." Calmly, she points out.
"…" Silently, Ingram eyes the deserts in his basket.
"Is it to do with your sister again?" Attentively, she asks making him sigh sadly.
"She's just so…frustrating always has been…" Bitterly, Ingram seethes, scowling at the miserable memory attempting to force him down memory lane…
Quietly, the sound of the mandolin echoes throughout the forest alongside the cheery chirps of the birds and crisps crinkle of leaves from the brisk breeze of the wind wandering through the forest where a picnic blanket lays below the two figures leant against the trunk of the tree. A woman smiles softly at the gentle sound of the meek mandolin as the gigantic claws labelled death struggle to strum as one small shy cracks breaks before him making the man by the woman's side curse anger getting the best of him from his supposed embarrassment. He raises the mandolin in the air about to destroy it only for a pair of hands to softly stop him. Surprised, the skeletal mask turns to the woman, his skeletal mask softening slightly looking bashful ashamed almost.
"Sorry…" Softly, the beast bows his head, his tone soft sombre as the bird watches on, his hues narrowing at the anger of the beast beofre him. He knew of the beast's temper and yet she still persisted, she softly places her hand upon his cheek as he leans into her touch almost softening from her touch leaning into it happily at ease in her hand. She clams him down, gently taking the tournament from him. He was trying to get better; the bird had seen the beasts attempt at it especially when it came to a certain top hat cane wielding weapon.
"It's alright…you're getting better." Attentively, the woman whispers, her hand slowly slinking back to the mandolin that she swiftly fixes much to his astonishment as she hands it back over to him.
"You…think so?" Shyly, he asks almost hopeful.
"I know so." Smiling, she promises as his skeletal mask glows a crimson cherry, bashfully bowing his head bringing a small smile to her lips as she simply leans against his side as he wraps his arm around her bringing her close, the tow sharing a soft smile happy to be in one another's presence. No one coming to disturb them, no one asking anything of them, no one bothering them as they simply enjoy one another's company.
"Mother isn't going to like this…" The bird soon shifts forms once the date ends as Death tidies things up while she leaves where as soon as she is at a far distance, her sweet smile soon shifts to a smug sadistic smirk, her façade faltering as the bird swoops down revealing an older Ingram furrowing his brow at her.
"This could help mother's research." Resolved, the young woman dismisses Ingram furrowing his brow by her words seeing her steely stare. She simply looks ahead almost oblivious to the shy smile of the lovestruck Death, a part of Ingram unable to even imagine let alone see the embodiment of death pluck a flower muttering she loves me she loves me not she loves me…
"This could unearth mother's wrath." Worriedly, he whispers to her panicked. He couldn't cover for her forever…
"Look we are low on resources that guy and his lot are swimming in resources we need. Mother may be too proud to agree to it but I know we are struggling and I am willing to make that sacrifice." Sternly, she snaps sharply at her brother bowing his head from her words, she was right they had run low on supplies but to do this to…
"To dance with death?" Panicked, Ingram whimpers weakly, he couldn't help but feel worried for her, how she even managed to get his attention still baffles him…
"I'll do what I have to for mother. Wouldn't you?" Sternly, she reminds Ingram flinching from her words.
"…If he founds out you could die…If she founds out you could…" Anxiously, Ingram stares shakily down at his fidgeting fingertips.
"Mother wouldn't kill me, she's spent too much on me to kill me." Arrogantly, Ava scoffs shaking her head almost amused at the thought.
"So you'll see him again…?" Disappointed, Ingram sighs sadly.
"Look I don't know what he wants with me. All I know is this, that thing has a mind of a child, he has no clue on emotions he thinks he loves me weirdly enough. So I've decided to amuse him, play along with his little game. Might as well make use of this deluded fool's mentality and to do that, I need get closer to him. The closer I do the more I can make use of him…I'm doing this for us understand?" Gently, Ava places her hands on her brothers shoulder staring into his hues darting down to the ground before looking up at hers again as the staring cycle continues until…
"I…understand." Pained, Ingram bows his head watching her walk off. He supposed she had a point as if that thing could love, as if that thing could even understand that was…only a human could, only they could, their mother's love…that was all they need, just like mother said, that was all they needed. They needn't need anyone else but their mother's love. Still… he eyes the fleeting figure of Death daintily attempting to master the mandolin, a childlike wonderment glee to the instrument as Ingram couldn't help but feel the small sliver of pity towards his mortal enemy at the situation he had found himself in.
"Sounds to me that your sister bullied you to see this guy…" Missy remarks snapping Ingram out of his stroll down memory lane.
"This guy had the emotional intelligence of a toddler constantly she would say for the greater good but I could she see was lying!" Huffing, Ingram grumbles glaring to the side slightly puffing his cheeks out at the memory.
"Oh yeah?" Missy exclaims, a small smirk upon her lips.
"Yeah! Someday she would look out the window blushing or have this stupid smile on her face when she would have this stupid flower he would give her. Urgh it was revolting…and for your information, she didn't bully me she just…she knew better like mother." Miserably, Ingram curls in on himself bowing his head at the fact firmly in his head.
"Hmm…" Missy's small smirk soon falters, furrowing her brow at him concern clear on her furrowed features.
"You know I've been the one telling you about my past but I don't know a lick of yours." Ingram points out his hues narrowing at the girl.
"Well I got the past out of you from gelato what will you offer me?" Mischievously, Missy leans back against the grass bed bemused.
"A feather?" Frowning, Ingram shyly shuffles showing said feather he had plucked from his cute but…
"A date." Dubiously, she counters.
"…You're not serious." Surprised, Ingram blushes brightly taken aback at the sheer boldness of the woman before him.
"And if I am?" Amused, she wiggles a brow.
"You're relentless." Ingram chuckles coyly shyly shaking his head at her.
"And you're adorable." Smiling, Missy responds.
"Urgh would you stop that?" Blushing, Ingram whines weakly huffing.
"Maybe for a date?" Teasingly, she counters coolly.
"…Will gelato be there?" Shyly, Ingram wonders.
"Maaaybe…" Missy draws out teasingly.
"Fine now spill." Sternly, he orders her earning a small snicker from her.
"Well I'm nothing much just a regular human nothing special." Shyly, she shrugs stretching her arms out eyeing her newly done crimson cherry nails.
"For a weapon…" Ingram remarks making her freeze briefly by it.
"Y-You…" Scared, she turns to him.
"I can see your soul." Simply, Ingram answers.
"Are weapon souls different from normal souls?" Softly, Missy ponders puzzled.
"Not necessarily I'm surprised you can keep your weapon form under control though." Impressed, Ingram gives her that.
"It was hard at first my sword would just keep coming out of my torso time and time again heh I remember one Halloween I went as a stabbed victim." Merrily, Missy recalls.
"The sword helped I take?" Amused, Ingram smiles shyly at her.
"I won the school best costume though the headmaster had to have a word with me about it!" `Giggly, Missy beams brightly at the memory.
"…Why didn't you go to a weapon academy?" Curious, Ingram probes puzzled.
"Couldn't afford it besides…I don't like fighting and eating a soul and facing those scary monsters a witch at that! No way!" Terrified, Missy wraps her arms around herself terrified at the thought, a small shaky smile upon her lips.
"…You think your parents were weapons?" Shyly, Ingram ponders.
"Well maybe…I mean I think I think their blood was thin or something they didn't seem to have inherited the ability from me. Apparently, they wanted nothing to do with a monster like me due to it…" Pained, Missy bows her head saddened, she didn't even have strong of a weapon, it was a sword that was all and even then it was mainly used as a kitchen knife.
"…A monster huh…" Ingram furrows his brow at the thought.
"Yeah…" Missy bows her head, trying to blink back the tears threatening to fall from the bullies around her old playground, teasing; taunting her however she remained strong, smiling despite it all refusing to let those bullies win and have her shed such diamonds on them…that was what her pop taught her anyway, only share those diamonds with those that matter…
"Then they clearly have no clue what real monsters are." Aloofly, Ingram states surprising Missy.
"…You…mean it?" Meekly, Missy whispers weakly.
"I know it. You are far from a monster." Ingram scoffs shaking his head almost amused at the thought.
"…Thank you." Tentatively, she smiles at Ingram who blinks befuddled by such a warm gaze.
"…I should go." Swiftly, Ingram arises from his seated form.
"You'll come back right?" Hopeful, she asks him.
"…Course gelato doesn't last forever." Smirking, he argues showing said basket to her once more making her smile shyly.
"Yeah heh…I'll be waiting." Smiling, Missy places her hands on her hip.
"Good I won't accept any others but yours." Resolved, Ingram states the fact firmly before taking off, heading off to who knows where…