"Wasn't me she was foolin', 'cause she knew what she was doin'."

This story's rating has changed to M.

Arc 1 "Dirty Laundry", Chapter 3/3

CONTENT WARNING:
Heavy sexual themes; some loose references to non-con, but nothing actually happens.

"Everyone has to pay the bills somehow," he chuckled.

Valleri groaned. "Fuckin' of course it's you." She and Emilitia had called for refills on their drinks, both of them growing weary of the emotionally-charged news interview. They'd only just started, though, so they elected to take a short break as they waited for their drinks to arrive.

Valleri somehow didn't expect their waiter, carrying their drinks on a platter, to be none other than Mother Fucking Grimm, dressed up in a bartender getup and all.

Emilitia looked at the menacing-looking Troupe Master, nervous. "Uh, why are you here?"

"Forget 'im. He's just a clown."

The devil-bug barked a laugh as he set their drinks in front of the two women, "I keep picking up odd jobs and they keep firing me! I don't even know what I've been doing wrong!"

"You don't 'pick up jobs,' you walk in and start pretending to be an employee. I wouldn't be surprised if you stole that outfit, too." Valleri took a quick swig of her drink and, judging by the high quality, decided that Grimm only delivered drinks and didn't make them. She'd rather not put her mouth near a Grimm Special. "And they always kick you out 'cause you either make a scene, or set some shit on fire."

Grimm clutched his chest in mock agony. "Ah, such scathing, uncalled-for comments! How's your career going, Valleri?"

"Shut up," Valleri wanted to smack that smirk right off of his face. Then she shook her head and scooted over in her booth, "Actually, you sit down; you're part of this story, too."

"Wyrm, don't remind me," Emilitia groaned. She seemed horrified at the prospect of this menace being even tangentially related to Marissa and her case.

"Ah," Grimm interrupted, "but I really must get back to my work-"

"You and I both know this job's not gonna last the rest of your shift anyway," Valleri insisted. "Okay, so where were we…"

"Hey, uh…" Valleri twiddled her thumbs, "Thanks again. For letting me stay here, I mean."

Marissa giggled, patting her back. "You've said that three times now! Here, do you need a nightgown?"

"N-No thanks."

Valleri and Marissa had talked on end about her situation, the Songstress being startled by the so-called "murderer's" consideration, despite all the rude things she'd shouted at her earlier. Valleri, in turn, was floored by Marissa's generosity in letting her stay the night while they worked things out.

"Are you sure?" Marissa asked, tilting her head at Valleri's thuggish getup. "That doesn't look very comfortable to sleep in…"

"I'm… used to it."

It was growing late, and Valleri had gotten situated in a guest room across the hall from Marissa's own bedroom. The butlers were diligently tuning out all of the Lumafly lights, evoking the closest thing to nighttime in a timeless cave. Valleri was exhausted, but a funny pride welled up in her chest. Her first night back on her own in the city, and she was spending the night in a penthouse. I'm doing a bit better than I expected, she joked to herself.

"So, we're both on the same page about this plan, right?"

"Yes, although…" Marissa frowned. "It seems a bit simple. It makes me nervous…"

"Hey, making it more complicated will just make it more likely to fall apart," said Valleri. "That, and why would we spend the time planning some elaborate scheme when a simple one works well enough?"

(That, and Valleri's head was already such a jumbled, chaotic mess with everything that'd been happening lately. She was getting tired of the thinking, the endless questions. She liked simple.)

"I… suppose that's true," the Songstress confessed. "We can always work out the kinks come morning, then."

Valleri nodded. (She couldn't believe this woman went from calling her a murderer to being one of her best friends, all because Valleri overheard her getting extorted. One of Valleri's only friends, honestly. And in her position, she'd treasure any friend she could get.) "Uh, if there's nothing else…"

Marissa smiled. "Alright. I ought to be getting to sleep myself."

Valleri turned and pushed open the large, heavy doors to her lavish bedroom. It was even better than the luxury suite she got in the White Palace, if only because this room actually had a color pallet.

She froze in the doorway. "...Marissa?"

The Songstress turned. "O-Oh, yes, did you need something else?"

"Do you think…" Valleri pursed her lips. Spit it out. "Do you really think I'm a… murderer?"

Marissa clutched a hand to her chest, but said nothing for a spell. "...I suppose I did, at first," she confessed. "But only because everyone else was so convinced, I had nothing else to believe. Getting to know you myself…"

Marissa smiled, "No, Valleri, I do not think you are that kind of person. I can see even the accusation alone is tearing you up… and if you are truly innocent, then you just need to have faith that everything will work out."

Valleri kept her head down, her hand clutching on the door handle in a vice.. "...Thanks. G'night."

She closed the door maybe a bit too quickly behind her.

Have faith.

Yeah, right.

It's so easy to think about death.

So easy to get frustrated, to let petty anger blind you and make you think, "I want to kill this person." Everyone thinks that way every now and then, it's normal. But almost nobody ever follows through, and nobody understands what it really means to take a life. To most, the concept seems so distant, because most people have never really hurt somebody.

Not in the way she had.

You've never spilled blood on the sidewalk. You've never had to think about that person's time, who they were close with, what they were hoping to accomplish that they would never get the chance to.

You've never had to watch the life fading from an innocent person's eyes, thinking to yourself, this is all my fault.

Valleri was back at the crosswalk.

The gun felt warm in her palm.

A body was lying in a pool of blood in front of her.

That was the magic that death's hand conjured. You take a real person, with family they love and family they've been fighting with, with an education, with a love life, with a job, with a history.

Someone who's been through ecstasy and depression and monotony, someone who has their own inside jokes with their friends, someone who's been to lands and seen sights you couldn't dream of. Someone who understands things in a way only they could really understand.

And then they die. And then the some one becomes a some thing.

All of those traits, all of that individuality, all of that spirit, erased in a moment. The person is no longer a person. It is a body.

Los Angeles was in flames.

Red-hot fire licked at her, scarring her. Valleri screamed, feeling the gun slip out of her hands, singed red from the inferno. She shouldn't act surprised. This was where she was headed her whole life. Valleri was condemned to this fate for as long as she even knew what a crime was.

Valleri was burning in Hell for her sins.

Through the thick black smog that filled her lungs, two ruby-red eyes beamed down at her like a car's tail lights. Had the devil come to claim her black soul?

"I found you."

Valleri collapsed, hitting the floor of the guest bedroom as she awoke with a start. It was still dark outside.

She didn't know why it was called the Pleasure House. The name was practically false advertising; she didn't even see any sexy bugs. Just a bunch of rich losers in their spas and saunas.

(Sexy bugs. God, what the fuck was this kingdom doing to her. Was she really that touch-starved? This whole schtick was like something out of some teratophiliac back-of-the-bookstore cheesy interspecies romance novel, except instead of freaky tentacle sex, it was just jail time and poverty.)

Regardless, it had managed to attract a decently sized crowd, dozens of bugs all huddling around a stage in the main hall. It was a weird little scene Marissa was running here; significantly larger than a bar gig that would have ten or twenty people in the audience, but it was also a far cry from an actual opera performance, even a relatively small one. It was quite literally just a large-ish room with an elevated platform in the back. Valleri absently wondered if they hosted charity fundraisers here.

She held her cloak closer to her body; nobody would recognize her voice, but showing her face would cause panic and ruin the whole plan.

And it was a simple plan, too: disguise as a staff member and pull Emilitia away, then beat the information she wanted out of her.

Valleri was sneaking about the crowd in her thick cloak and mask, wondering if she'd ever be able to walk around in public without hiding her face, and feeling pessimistic. Maybe if she weren't so obviously unique as a human in Hallownest, she could get away with it, but she was never so lucky.

Backstage, Marissa was probably getting all fancied up to the noble's liking. Somewhere, some old bastards were probably running a betting pool over who she'd get married to and when. The idea of Marissa being a puppet of higher society made Valleri's blood boil.

Since Marissa, being the star of the show, obviously couldn't do much to help, her only job was to keep the audience's attention so that nobody paid any mind to the noblewoman getting mugged in the corner. Foolproof.

Said noblewoman was just walking through the door, carrying herself like she owned the place (and she probably did).

Target sighted. Moving in.

"Excuse me," Valleri made herself apparent, pushing to get up close to Emilitia, who was less than pleased about having her attention forcingly pulled towards her. "Are you Miss Emilitia?"

"That is Lady Emilitia, thank you."

Emilitia had her head in her hands, groaning over her notebook. "Please don't mention that… the sins of my past already haunt my every waking moment."

"Wasn't that all an act? Plus, it's been like, two days."

"Silence."

"That is Lady Emilitia, thank you."

"Of course," Valleri dodged. "The Songstress has requested to meet with you backstage. If you would please follow me?"

This was it. This was the moment of truth. A few nearby nobles had turned to stare at Emilitia, floored by the opportunity this woman was being graced with, wondering with jealousy what she had done to deserve Marissa's attention that they hadn't.

Emilitia sized up Valleri, looking up and down her heavy purple cloak.

She turned to face the stage.

"Tell her, 'no thanks.'"

Valleri's train of thought derailed. Her words hung off of her lips as her breath froze.

Emilitia turned away, chin up, and kept walking to her seat.

"O… Of course…" Valleri mumbled, inaudible over the shuffle of nobles that was already following behind Emilitia, vanishing in the crowd.

'Of course.' You had this whole goddamn plan set up, and the moment something goes wrong, the best you can do is 'of course.' You're fucking useless as always, Valleri. Can't even do a mugging right.

Valleri stepped back, half-stumbling over her cloak. She'd… just retreat for now and make a new backup plan. This show would still last a little while, right? She had a bit of time to work with.

A hand rested on her shoulder. A clawed hand.

"Are you having trouble, miss?"

Valleri spun around to see a new bug, also dressed up in Pleasure House staff robes, but Valleri got the feeling he wasn't exactly working here either. He was only an inch or two taller than she was, his chitin black and red, with a white striped face.

But the most catching part of him were his eyes. His ruby-red eyes, an inferno raging within. Eyes that Valleri couldn't look away from.

While she was speechless, he spoke. "I ask that you please wait backstage. I can handle this matter for you."

Valleri stumbled back again, before taking off for the backstage area. Pushing through a few disgruntled noblemen, she spotted the red bug approaching Emilitia, but didn't stick around to see what he was going to do.

Just as she ducked backstage, she saw that most of the staff were clearing out, and Marissa was making her way onstage, applause filling the room. God, she was pretty. Once all this shit was over, Valleri hoped she could have a successful music career, one built off of her own talent instead of blackmail.

Valleri scrambled around, hiding behind a curtain. Let the show begin.

"Excuse me, Lady Emilitia."

The haughty noble turned to face him. "What now?" she whisper-shouted.

He rested his claws on her shoulder, leaning into her ear with a jagged grin.

"Someone is waiting for you backstage, my Lady. She wants to know about the letters."

Emilitia froze. Her face was half-stricken with horror and fury.

Silently, obediently, she walked towards the backstage entrance.

Valleri almost didn't want to know what that creepy-looking guy did, but she could see Emilitia sneaking backstage, so she wasn't gonna argue.

She'd thrown off her cloak and had wrapped some gauze-like tape around her hands to hide her human skin, as well as throwing on a mask. She felt like some kind of ninja now, which was cool as all hell, but now she needed to act like one.

The backstage area was dark and empty, all of the show staff having ran off to actually watch. She could see from her hiding place that Emilitia was standing in the center, alone, her expression contorted with discomfort. Good, everything was in position and she was ready to move.

Valleri was momentarily stunned as she heard Marissa singing from behind the curtains. Her voice was resonant, supernatural. There were no words, but she could suddenly see why Marissa was called the Songstress, and why her singing was considered a privilege of high life. The sound itself reverberated down into her bones and made her shake.

"Hello?!" Emilitia raised her voice, trying not to be overheard by the audience outside. Oh, shit, that was another thing Valleri needed to consider; if either of them screamed, it'd all be over. "Who's there?!"

With a deep breath, Valleri steeled herself, and sprinted straight at her.

What she wasn't expecting was for the noblewoman to reach into her cloak and pull out a fancy dagger, its silver blade glinting in the light.

Shit-!

Valleri tucked into a roll as Emilitia swiped at her, stopping behind her.

The noblewoman was fast, raising the blade over her head-

Valleri caught her arm, smashing a hand down on it, the knife dropping to the floor. Emilitia cried out, and Valleri quickly covered her mouth with her hand, silencing her.

A muffled scream came from behind the curtains, and some of the guests near the front of the audience murmured in confusion and concern, some of them trying to peek behind to see what was happening.

Marissa took a nervous breath, her voice almost cracking before she sang even louder than before.

Hurry up, dammit.

Valleri kept holding Emilitia's arm in a bind, as if threatening to snap it should she try anything. "Start talking," she said through gritted teeth.

"About what?"

Valleri yanked her closer, "The gifts! The ones Marissa's been getting!"

Emilitia looked confused. "Shouldn't you know? Since you work for him, after all."

"Huh?"

"...So you don't know about the letters at all."

Emilitia kneed Valleri in the stomach, making her double over. Emilitia yanked out of Valleri's grip and reached for her dagger, putting it to Valleri's neck.

So she's not all talk? Fuck, this is gonna be tricky.

Valleri elbowed Emilitia in the chest, breaking out of the headlock. She grabbed Emilitia's arms again, striking her in the neck to disorient her. Emilitia responded by smashing her fist into Valleri's mask, essentially punching her whole face at once.

The two exchanged blows, wrestling over the bejeweled dagger.

Both of them were oblivious of the silent red flames that burned away at the support ropes, not there just a moment ago.

Valleri and Emilitia both clutched the dagger in a vice, their hands grabbing at each others shoulders as they tried to tug it away from the other, and-

Something snapped.

The ropes unwound, nearly flying off of their winches.

The curtains drew back, and light flooded the backstage.

Valleri turned, blind panic seizing her heart as she looked out over an ocean of noblebugs in the audience, all staring right at her.

Grimm cackled in his seat. "Khahaha, this is my favorite part!"

"You're insufferable."

It was worse than stage fright. Valleri wasn't an actor, there wasn't a script to follow. She was essentially caught red-handed in trying to assault somebody, and half of Hallownest's nobility was there as a witness.

Images were flashing through her mind faster than she could process them. Being surrounded by guards at the Palace- Causing a scene in the City square- The crosswalk-

Even Emilitia was frozen solid, her grip on the dagger more of an instinctual response than from any attempt of fighting.

The spotlights were blinding, blaring down right at them. Valleri was thankful that her mask hid whatever horrified expression she must've had, because all eyes were on her. Even Marissa, the former star of this show, had turned to look at her, her face a mixture of terror and disappointment. Probably second-hand embarrassment.

Valleri wanted to scream, to run away, to fight back.

But if she did that now, it'd all be over for sure.

She gulped, steeling herself. After a few tense moments of excruciating silence, Valleri found herself holding the dagger and Emilitia's fist in one hand, and with her other arm, snaked it around Emiltia's waist.

Before the noblewoman could protest her horror, Valleri stepped out into the spotlight with her.

Marissa, God bless her, caught on quick. Stepping off to the side, the Songstress began with a soft, low tune, as Valleri pulled Emilitia across the stage in an impromptu dance.

The dagger, held in both of their hands, glinted in the light.

As their waltz began, Valleri found herself almost settling into a rhythm. Emiltia looked like she wanted to die, probably wishing she at least had a mask of her own. This is the least you deserve, Valleri thought bitterly. All the nobles watched in confusion and concern at the two very clearly inexperienced dancers stumbling around on the stage, some of them eyeing the dagger with a cautious glare.

It was such an expensive-looking dagger, too. The blade had a silvery, ethereal glow to it, and the hilt was golden, adorned with jewels and gemstones. Its vaguely S-shaped body made Valleri think of old Alladin stories she read once. It seemed almost out of place in the blue and dreary City of Tears, but she also wouldn't put it beyond a rich bitch like Emilitia to carry one around. Jesus, the thing was so gaudy, she was surprised the noblewoman would ever consider using it, in the same way celebrities would buy fancy shoes or cars and then never use them out of fear of getting the things dirty.

The dagger. Emiltia's grip tightened, and Valleri realized that their fight was just getting started.

Valleri's arm around the noblewoman's waist pulled her closer, their chests almost pressing together. Emiltia made a small "eep" at the sudden contact, thankfully covered up by Marissa's singing, which was only growing in tandem with their dance.

Picking up where they left off, Valler whispered into her ear. "What the hell do you mean by 'letters?'"

Emilitia seethed, "You have nothing on me, so I have nothing to say to you."

'Nothing on her?' Valleri furrowed her brow, thinking about what she said earlier.

("Shouldn't you know? Since you work for him, after all.")

Emilitia had gone backstage because she had assumed that Valleri was working for someone, someone who knew all about the gifts that Marrissa had been getting. But when she found out otherwise, Emilitia had remarked that Valleri didn't know anything about 'the letters.'

Without warning, Valleri spun Emilitia around in her arms. Marissa brought her voice up to a high note, and the crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed as Valleri leaned back dramatically, holding the knife to Emiltia's throat.

Their faces were so close. "You can't keep doing this." Valleri didn't know what Emilitia knew, but it didn't matter if she could still save Marissa.

"I know," Emiltia hissed back. "But I can't stop, either."

Emilitia pressed her hand against Valleri's shoulder, pushing her back up. Valleri cursed mentally; Emilitia knew that if either of them did anything that resembled an actual struggle, the crowd would panic and ruin everything. Valleri couldn't resist at all as the noblewoman simply pushed her out of the bind she had put her in.

Marissa's tempo increased as their waltz turned into something more like a tango. The crowd watched with tense uncertainty as Valleri and Emilitia weaved across the stage under the spotlight, their bodys pulling together as one before flying apart, only held together by the tips of their fingers.

Valleri had no idea what the fuck she was doing anymore. How was she going to explain this to the cops if they caught her again?

"Haha, yeah, funny story actually, you sent me to the Teacher's Archives, which then redirected me to some celebrity's house, and now I'm causing a public disturbance to save her from blackmail! That's not a crime, right?"

The dagger went from hand to hand, exchanges decided by split-second battles of dexterity every time Valleri and Emilitia's hands met. Their fingers wrestled for just a moment, imperceptible to the audience, before whoever had a better grip on it by the next upbeat of Marissa's song got to keep it for the next few moments. It wasn't about who had it the longest, it was about who happened to be holding it whenever something critical occurred.

In the far back of the audience, Valleri could spot that red bug leaning against the wall, looking pretty damn pleased with himself. He probably caused all of this. Prick.

"So what are you doing with all of this," Emilitia spoke up, snapping Valleri out of her thoughts. "If you aren't a part of this whole ring?"

Ring. Something about that word in this context made Valleri anxious. "I'm trying to help someone break out of it," she retorted.

Surprise flashed across Emilitia's face for a moment, before her grim expression returned. "Well, give up while you still can. Nobody can escape 'him.'"

Valleri grit her teeth, "Stop saying such cryptic shit!"

They stopped in the center of the stage, and Valleri tried yanking the dagger back from Emilitia. The noblewoman caught Valleri's arm and tried to palm it, but Valleri twisted her wrist to catch the blade's hilt first.

The crowd stared in terror and suspense as they both grappled for the dagger.

Marissa watched on nervously as her singing heightened in volume and speed.

From far beyond, the red bug watched with keen interest.

In a desperate lunge, Valleri accidentally hit the blade too hard, sending it flying out of Emilitia's hands and high into the air above them.

The spotlights shone on its blade as it spun in midair, the crowd gasping.

As Valleri stared up at the dagger, spiraling up to the ceiling, trying to judge when she should jump to grab it, something occurred to her.

The gifts. The letters. The ring. Escape. 'Him.'

"But I can't stop, either."

'The letters' that she was talking about were blackmail material. Whoever 'he' was, was blackmailing Emilitia, too.

Emilitia was as much a victim here as Marissa was.

Valleri blinked, not looking at the blade, but at Emilitia. In a split-second decision, she grabbed the noblewoman's hands and twirled her around, just as the blade started coming back down to earth. With the grace of a dancer, Valleri leaned back in Emilitia's arms.

For the same reason as before, Emilitia couldn't let go of Valleri to grab the dagger, or it would be clear to the crowd that something was wrong. She was forced to hold onto Valleri's waist, who simply reclined in her arms, her arm reaching far back behind her.

Without even needing to move her hand, the dagger's hilt fell straight into Valleri's waiting palm.

The crowd erupted with applause and cheers, even the red bug in the back looking almost startled by the display. Valleri could barely believe it worked herself; she could've grabbed the blade just as easily as she could've grabbed the hilt.

But the applause meant nothing, other than a boost to her ego. This fight wasn't over.

Emilitia tugged Valleri back up, and they held each other close as they danced more delicately now. Marissa's voice had changed from a bellowing opera into a meek staccato, mating the dancer's pace as they tapped around like ballerinas now. Emiltia grabbed for the dagger, but Valleri held it just out of arm's length, like holding a toy over a dog's head.

"I think I get it now," Valleri breathed. "If I can save Marissa, then I'll save you from this, too."

They were so close, she could feel Emilitia's breath hitch. "You can't save anybody."

"Bet. Name and place."

Emilitia was silent, her face tense. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drag the dance out of Valleri's control before she reigned it back in.

"If you stop hurting Marissa," Valleri said, "I'll throw myself at beating whatever bastard's got you under his thumb."

Finally, Emilitia relented. "Fine! ...Fine. I don't want to hurt her anymore. I'll tell you everything once this is over."

Valleri spun the noblewoman under her arm, smiling. She won. "Good."

"Now, can we hurry this up? This is so humiliating…"

The poor woman had probably suffered enough, and Valleri was getting sick of this charade too. With a quick nod to Marissa, she twirled around the stage one more time, feeling her feet begin to ache. In a final, grand display, she grabbed Emilitia by the waist and spun her high in the air, silently marveling at how weirdly light Hallownestians seemed to be.

At the end, they both held the dagger up in the air, with Marissa finishing on a high note behind them.

The crowd roared.

The staff swarmed all around them, asking questions, making demands, furious that they weren't informed of a change in the Songstress's stage plan. They couldn't even get a second of privacy to talk, the bugs tugging at them in every direction, the yelling filling her ears.

"OI!"

Everyone froze as Marissa descended the stage and stormed over. The sea of bugs parted for their Songstress, her pink wings fluttering in barely-contained rage as she stared down Emilitia, stopping just inches away from her.

The slap echoed through the room.

Emilitia recoiled as she was struck by the furious butterfly. Valleri thought about how awful of a day she must be having.

A long silence filled the room, the workers not even mumbling their endless stream of gossip. "LEAVE!" Marissa screamed, and all of the Pleasure House staff scrambled out of the doors, running away to shoo out everyone in the audience as well. The bustling turned into a scatter, into distance footfalls, into nothing.

They were alone in the backstage area.

Marissa slapped Emilitia again.

The noblebug was silent for a moment, cradling her aching face as she refused to meet Marissa's eyes. "...Perhaps I deserved that," she mumbled.

"After all of that chaos," Marissa raised her voice, "You two had better have sorted everything out, or Wyrm help me, I will stab both of you with that dagger." Valleri wondered how Marissa's voice wasn't sore after all the singing and yelling she'd been doing today.

"Y-Yeah," Valleri said, still shaken up by the whole performance. "I think we've come to an agreement."

Applause filled the room. "What a marvelous show! I can't recall the last time someone had impressed me so!"

Everyone spun around. That tall, dark and handsome bug from before was clapping sarcastically, his red eyes fixated on Valleri.

"Who the hell're you?!" Valleri said. "What do you want?!"

"Ah, I ought to introduce myself," the red bug bowed dramatically. "I am Grimm, the master of my Troupe. Perhaps you've heard of us?"

"Nobody'll hear from you ever again if you keep up that attitude!"

Valleri ran up, throwing a fist into Grimm's face. He dodged the blow without any effort, his crimson claws raking up Valleri's mask and splitting it into pieces. The porcelain shreds clattered to the floor, and Valleri stupidly turned around in shock.

Emilitia shrieked. "Y-Y-You're-!" Marissa slapped a hand over her mouth, but her panic didn't subside.

Grimm feigned surprise. "Oh, yes, I forgot! You're quite notorious in the Kingdom, are you not, Valleri? What were the charges again, triple murder?"

This time Valleri did hit him, now in the gut. "How the fuck do you know my name?" Valleri glared down at him, "And what do you want with me?!"

"Oh, but everyone knows your name now, Valleri!" Grimm cackled. "But you don't intend on wearing that mask around forever, do you?"

Valleri was shaking now. "...Who are you? Really?"

Grimm chuckled. "Worry not. I am merely an entertainer, one you've caught the keen interest of. I don't intend on getting involved, beyond observing."

So she was being followed by a deranged clown who was acting like an edgy, all-knowing eighth grader. Fucking fantastic.

"L-Look, can we talk later? I'm dealing with some important shit right now!"

"Oh, of course. Don't let me stop you, I'll just be right here." So he wanted to overhear their conversation. This seedy-looking bastard wasn't gonna get in her way.

Valleri grabbed Emilitia and Marissa by the arm, dragging them both to the far end of the backstage room. Valleri kept looking over her shoulder, occasionally catching Grimm looking at them, but he didn't seem to be trying to move any closer. Good.

Huddling together, she asked, "So, name and place?"

Emilitia stumbled for a moment, "A spider named Walsh in the Tower of Love. There's rumors that he has ties to the Topaz Clan, so be on your best guard."

The Topaz Clan. Those were the bastards who killed Hurley.

Marissa's case suddenly got a lot more personal.

"Oh, the Tower of Love! I used to work there!" Grimm had suddenly appeared behind them without alerting any of them, and Valleri nearly screamed. Can this guy fucking teleport?!

"What do you mean? So you ARE working for this guy!" Valleri got into a fighting stance, ready to take out this son of a bitch if he tried anything.

"Heavens, no! I had no involvement in this mess! What kind of people do you think the Tower of Love hires?"

Emilitia furrowed her brow. "What kind of… Oh, don't tell me…"

Grimm threw his arms behind his head, striking a provocative pose. "Once a working man, always a working man! If any of you girls are feeling lonely, I'll give you a discount~"

Valleri wanted to vomit. This guy reeked of STDs.

"Okay, ignoring that," she forcibly changed the subject, "Emilitia, what can you tell me about this place? Other than that it's apparently a freaky fuckhouse."

"I-I don't know what would be helpful," Emilitia stuttered. "The tower is concealed behind a wall of rock on the far side of the city, only a few windows poking out near the top. They're strict on security, and having to deliver gifts to them was always a pain."

"Wait, deliver gifts?" Valleri asked. "Like, the same gifts that Marissa's been getting? You take those, only to hand them over to this Walsh guy?"

"I- Yes."

This doesn't make any sense. Why would she do that? Even if she was under orders from her blackmailer, those instructions don't make any sense… Unless…

She turned to Grimm. "You."

"Me."

"You said you worked for this Walsh prick before, yeah? What's the simplest way to get in and out of the place?" If this creepy bastard wasn't gonna scram like she wanted him to, then he'd better make his sorry ass useful.

Grimm hummed thoughtfully. "Well, there's nothing 'simple' about the Tower of Love. 'Simple' plans never work as you want them to, see. Too many variables you don't even bother to consider. No, the best plans turn the whole world into your stage, outthink and outpace the enemy in spades. Turn everything on its head."

As inspirational as it was, Valleri had the sneaking suspicion he was poking fun at her 'simple' plan to interrogate Emilitia. She crossed her arms, "Fine, what's the best way to infiltrate this place?"

"Well," Grimm considered, "I think we can conjure a solid plan. Though, ah," he gestured to Emilitia, "May we borrow that dagger of yours?"

"So, where'd you learn those knife skills, anyway? I thought prim and proper nobles didn't bother with combat, no offense."

"I was a journalist before I ascended to nobility," Emilitia explained. "I still am, but I didn't have the resources and protection back then that I do now. Any good journalist always has someone out for their head, so I needed to be able to defend myself from anything. I'm no knight, but I can hold my own against a thug or two."

Valleri blinked. "Damn. That's actually kinda badass."

Grimm drummed his claws on the table, looking diabolical. "Now, you already know the details of the plan we drew up, but as for how it played out…"

Emilitia grimaced, setting her quill down. "O-Ought I skip this part…?"

"Nononono, trust me, this is where it gets good, I promise."

"Hey babe, you live around here often?"

The skimpily-dressed girl sitting next to her looked at her funny. "What?"

Valleri's finger guns closed into an awkward fist, and she lowered her hand back to her side. "...Nothing. Just a joke."

"Oh… Okay."

Valleri fumbled with her heavy cloak and mask. The last thing she wanted right now was to cause a panic and ruin the whole plan, so as usual, she needed to go out in public in a disguise. She was slowly beginning to realize that she'd probably have to do this for as long as she stayed in Hallownest… however long that was. Valleri was never the type to think too much about the future; figuring out how to survive day to day was stressful enough for her. She wondered what would happen if her mask fell off right now, how immediate the reaction would be…

Oh, right, the hooker.

"So, uh, what's your name, sugar?"

"L-Luna. My name is Luna," the bug stuttered. Was she new?

Valleri had thrown on her disguise and just waltzed into the Tower of Love, basically asking for sex. She was certain she'd get busted for such a thick cloak being a security issue, kinda like trying to wear a Halloween costume into a bank, but the guards were apparently used to this kind of anonymity.

They were either dumb or cocky to let her in when she had this shiny-ass dagger in her jacket.

Or maybe they were used to their patrons being armed to the teeth, too; this joint wasn't exactly the pinnacle of legality and principle. And if Emilitia was to be believed, this was a Topaz Clan den. She was literally walking into a mafia hideout. One wrong move and they'd gut her, or toss acid on her face, or drop her in a river with concrete shoes, or…

Valleri realized that nothing was getting done, so she absentmindedly took Luna's hand and stood up. The lobby they were sitting in was surprisingly packed, almost feeling more like a masquerade ball than the Hallownestian equivalent of a rave orgy. The lights were a dim purple, and all the walls and floors were padded like an insane asylum. She didn't need to know what for.

ONE blacklight gets in here, and this whole place goes out of business for health violations. Watch where you step…

"So can we get a private room?"

Luna made a small noise as she bumped into a stranger, her grip on Valleri's robed hand tightening. "U-Um, I believe that costs extra-"

"I got it covered, I think, let's just go."

Valleri handed a bag of Geo to one of the staff, got a few misunderstandings arranged, and soon enough, she and Luna were being escorted upstairs to a much quieter, much cleaner, private room.

Private room. This was as exciting was it was fucking ridiculous. She wanted to laugh.

The guard closed the door behind them, locking it with a click. Valleri knew he was standing right outside, probably listening in on them so he could tell when they were done having fun. Or maybe he was getting himself off to them. She wouldn't put it past anyone in this hole in the wall.

Valleri looked over the room through the holes in her mask. It was simple, with a luxurious plush bed, a potted plant or two, and a mirror on both the wall and the ceiling. The ceiling mirror was interesting, she could only imagine being able to get an aerial view of yourself getting fu-

"U-Um," The timid girl, Luna, started. Valleri still wasn't sure if she was actually as nervous as she looked, or if it was just a 'cute and innocent' act to attract more customers. "H-How shall we begin?"

'Shall'. Maybe Valleri was exaggerating about the raunchiness of this place. It certainly wasn't a place to bring your kids, but it really did feel like a ball. If the lights were a bit brighter and the clothes a bit more modest, it might almost look like a fancy dance event among nobles, or even a royal gala like the Kingsday event was.

Except there weren't any rules, nobody knew who anyone else was from the dim lights, and everyone's DICKS were out.

'Shall'. Valleri snorted. This girl was funny. She liked her.

"I wanna fuck your mouth." And then seeing Luna's expression of horror, she added, "With my mouth."

'U-Uh, o-okay."

It was awkward at first, clumsy. Valleri had never been with a hooker before, and especially not a Hallownestian one, so she had no idea what the expectations were. Was she supposed to, like, grab her? And what about her mask, did she throw that off or wait until Luna was too engrossed to panic? How far was she supposed to go?

Valleri blinked, and she found herself holding Luna against the wall, hands and arms running up and down each other. Luna had one leg wrapped around her waist and another barely touching on the floor as she frantically embraced her, trying to pull her closer. Valleri ran her soft, warm hands over her insect partner's chitinous hide, at this point more curious in her anatomy than aroused.

This was the key moment. Hesitantly, as if afraid, Valleri brought her lips to Luna's face. Her mask had fallen to the floor, but it was dim enough that Luna couldn't make out her face anyway, so she mustered her strength and gave the kiss her all.

It felt electric. Holy fucking shit. Valleri had only made out with a few nameless faces before, but Luna was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. She was inhuman, her sharp fangs running along Valleri's dull teeth, and her tongue was long enough that it could go down her throat, if she wanted to go that far. Luna could grab her cheeks with her mandibles and force her even deeper into the kiss…

Their bodies ground into one another as they made out, Luna moaning into her mouth. Valleri still wasn't sure how much of it was fake, but God, at this point she didn't care. This was heaven. It was fucking insane, this was like a page out of some raunchy alien romance novel, or some weird niche-fetish-y shit like that. And Valleri was starting to get the appeal.

But she couldn't get too attached. Luna began to get breathless, even as they briefly broke apart to breathe before smashing their faces again. Her vice grip shook, her limbs loosened, and her body grew sluggish.

Soon enough, Luna's arm fell limp at her side.

Valleri pulled away slowly, taking a good, long look at Luna's sleeping face in the dim purple light. She smiled.

"I feel bad, having to use you like this," she was mostly just talking to herself at this point. "But a plan's a plan. Gotta stick to it."

Valleri carried Luna over to the bed, setting her down, making sure her head was resting neatly on the pillows. She pulled the covers over her; feeling them in her hand, they probably only looked fancy, and were actually thin and cheap, likely because they needed to be thrown out and replaced all the time. Probably cheaper than washing the things, or maybe just easier. These guys apparently had all the money in the world to play with.

She cupped Luna's face in her hand. "You were so good for me. So good. I might have to come back for real one day~"

Valleri left one final, gentle kiss on Luna's forehead. The girl mumbled a bit in her drug-induced sleep, but didn't stir.

Satisfied, Valleri examined the room. There was nothing worthwhile on Luna's person - not that any pockets could fit on such scanty clothes - nothing behind the bed frame, nothing on the rim of the mirror or door. Finally, checking under the pot of the plant, Valleri found a small key.

It would go to the door just behind her, with the guard outside; it was likely there for emergencies, or if the guard outside needed to leave them locked in to attend to something else. Now, it would work to Valleri's advantage, giving her a head-start in her infiltration.

She recalled Grimm's words.

"The ground floor is where most of the guard detail is amassed, because that's where most of the patrons are. It's the biggest liability, but the good news is that it makes the rest of the Tower relatively light on security. If you can sneak your way past that first floor or two, it doesn't matter how you chose to fight the rest of the way up."

"If you can get, say, a private room on one of the higher floors, then you'll be starting with the advantage. The only question is how to get around whatever harlot they lock you up with…"

And that was where she had her burst of genius.

Standing over the pot, Valleri opened her mouth, gagging, and spat out the wad of Swanroot she had been keeping on her tongue this entire time.

"Alright," she huffed. "Now comes the hard part."

The guard to Luna and Valleri's private room was found unconscious three hours later, lying on the floor with his head stuck between the door and the frame, partially bleeding.

Guards were sweeping through the main lobby.

Confused guests startled at the sudden spike of security, glancing around anxiously, murmuring among themselves. One of the guards, a grizzled Mantis, roughly shoved a ladybug, causing them to spill their drink on another girl.

Many bugs were starting to make for the exit out of fear, and those that hadn't were being escorted out by the unyielding security detail. Glasses were dropped and shattered, chaos was running through the Tower's very veins, and nobody knew why. Nobody could understand why their evening of fun had been interrupted, or if they needed to be afraid for their safety, and even the guards couldn't tell them anything helpful.

A few floors above them, Valleri smashed a wine glass over one of the guard's heads, sending him to the floor in a shower of shards and alcohol that glinted in the dim light.

Two accompanying guards startled at the attack, not sure how to apprehend the culprit. Valleri just smirked, twirling the glass bottleneck in her hands as she brandished it like a shank.

"Let's dance."

One of them tried to tackle her, but Valleri dodged out of the way and jabbed him in the side, making him collapse on the glass that was already littering the floor. She spun around and stabbed the other guard in the shoulder, before elbowing the back of his head and stomping on the small of his back.

Valleri didn't stop to celebrate her victory. Her success here wasn't about how many bad guys she could take out, but how far she could make it into the Tower. This was about efficiency.

As she ascended a staircase, another guard came down, ready to intercept. She threw her bottleneck at the wall, sending a spray of glass shard at the guard that caused him to startle for a moment. Valleri sprinted up the stairs three steps at a time, before clocking the guard in the back of the head. He tumbled down the steps, rolling to the bottom before hitting his head, knocking him unconscious.

More times than not, she was only weaving around guards rather than facing them. She thought about Emilitia's dagger hidden under her jacket, but didn't pull it out. It wasn't time yet.

She was getting closer, though. She could feel it.

From around a corner came a new figure, dressed in a velvety purple two-piece. Valleri readied herself to fight, and-

"Wait, Grimm?!" she shouted. "What the hell?! I thought you were with me!"

Grimm sashayed his hips as he approached her, the skirt swaying under his movements. "Have to support the family somehow. Guard detail pays well~"

His crimson claws seemed to grow a neon red, before bolts of fucking fire flew at her. Valleri screamed as she dodged, the plush walls behind her erupting into flame. Grimm spread his arms wide, hellfire dancing at his fingertips-

Valleri darted up and decked him in the throat. Grimm wheezed as he stumbled back, and Valleri noticed that the fire hazard around them had suddenly vanished.

"Oh, yes, the fire can go away when I'm done with it, so I never do any more damage than I intend to. I giveth, and I taketh."

"Sounds like it's just taketh to me."

Grimm looked intent on starting it back up again, though, as he plunged his claws into the floor, and a shockwave of fire erupted forth as though from the depths of Hell itself. Valleri was beginning to sweat as some of the fire caught her arm, but only left a burn mark on her leather jacket instead of hurting her.

Valleri loved that jacket. This time, Valleri hit him in the jaw with as much force as she could muster. She grinned as she saw a tooth come loose, Grimm spitting blood on the floor as he collapsed on his side.

"Agh- Good show~" he mumbled, not stopping Valleri as she kept moving, leaving him behind.

She didn't know why Grimm was here, but it didn't matter, as long as he kept his word. He seemed to be a force of chaos like that, doing whatever pops in his head on a whim regardless of who he's helping or hindering. She thought about the advice he gave her.

"The one you're looking for, he doesn't expect anyone to pull a fast one on him, but just in case, he always keeps a switch in his coat pocket. You know, one of those fancy spring-loaded knives that flick out when you press down on them?"

"I know what a switchblade is, Grimm. I'm just surprised you guys even have a thing like that in this kingdom."

"It's not as complicated a device as you think. Hallownest has trams, too, you know!"

But she shook her head; she was just getting distracted with idle thoughts. She was nearing the top now, so this was the moment to focus and make sure she did it right. She felt her legs power on, the number of guards dwindling as she broke through their last defenses and-

Her knees knocked together, and Valleri tumbled to the floor. She felt the rug burn against her as her momentum jolted back and left her reeling.

She tried to stand, but found that she couldn't pull her legs apart. Looking down, her knees were tangled in some kind of web, like she had been shot by Spider-Man or something. She tried to pry her legs apart, but the webs were like elastic, and she couldn't tear them.

Her immediate thought was to grab for the dagger, but not yet. Not yet.

She tried to crawl forward, but her hands were plastered to the floor by another shot of web. She couldn't pull her hand up.

She was starting to panic as another web caught onto her midsection. She was pinned to the floor completely, no matter how much she pulled and struggled. She pulled her head up and caught a glimpse of a figure, a four-armed and four-legged grey-furred figure with a cane and vest.

He raised his hand, and another web plastered over her eyes and face. Valleri blacked out.

As Valleri roused back into consciousness, she realized her eyes and mouth were still covered by a blindfold and gag made of spider-silk. She also realized her limbs were spread eagle across a plush bed, and her wrists and ankles were tied to the bedposts.

"Boss, she's waking up!"

A moment of silence as Valleri struggled against her bonds. A gruff voice spoke, "...Was this… really the best option we had for restraining a prisoner?"

One of the guards hummed. "We don't keep prisoners often, but we do tie people to beds all the time. This is all we know how to do."

...Were these guys stupid? Suddenly, claws grabbed at her face, and her blindfold was torn off, leaving her gag on. Valleri squinted as she adjusted to the light, and saw that she was in some kind of fancy office-slash-bedroom, lined with velvet and gold and mahogany. It looked like a stay-at-home mobster's private quarters.

Standing before her were two genetic beetles in the same purple Tower of Love staff outfits she had seen all the other guards in before. But standing between them was a spider, grey fur and chitin under a romantic red and violet vest across their midriff. He had the same body shape as Herrah's knight Ramones, with four arms and four spindly legs, and he walked around with a cane that had a heavy metal knob on the top.

Simply by the cane alone, she realized this was Captain Walsh of the Topaz Clan. She recalled what Grimm had to say about his cane.

"Don't let the grey chitin and cane fool you, Walsh is actually fairly young. The grey is hereditary, not from age. But people make that mistake all the time, so he carries around a fancy cane that he doesn't really need."

"Wait, but that'd just make him look like a harmless old man, wouldn't it? If he wants to be tough, then why's he carrying a cane around?"

"Well, for about the same reason you're bringing that dagger, I reckon."

With her blindfold off, Valleri could now see that yes, they had actually tied her down to a bed. She wanted to groan through her gag. Didn't these bastards realize how awful this looked?

One of the guards ran his hands along her legs, and Valleri tensed up. The guard chuckled, "Heh, she doesn't like that. You think she might be good working down below?"

"Hah, she's so soft and warm, she'd be a hit. It'd be fun to see her break down and-"

The guard's comments were cut off by a fist to the face from Walsh, surprisingly. Valleri blinked in surprise as the Clan Captain delivered swift blows to both of his own men, leaving them groaning on the floor in pain.

"You idiots," he hissed. "Don't you understand who this is? Don't you understand the gravity of this situation?" He kicked one of them on the ass, forcing them to scramble for the door. "Get out! I'm handling this by myself this time!"

As the disgusting guards fled and slammed the door behind them, Valleri almost felt an iota of respect for Walsh. Almost.

The Captain turned back to face her. He crept across the floor over to the bedside, his dark eyes staring into her soul. Valleri could barely breathe, she was helpless. Walsh tossed up his cane and held it by the bottom, running the heavy metal head up her torso and nudging her chin with it as he stared at her, silent.

Valleri got the impression that Walsh was just as terrified of the coming conversation as she was.

"...Are you here to kill me, too?"

Her eyes widened in realization, and she tried to frantically shake her head, trying to shout muffled denials through her gag. Maybe if she bit down hard enough, she could chew through it. Or maybe she'd bite off her own tongue.

Walsh seemed to regard her reaction with an expressionless hum, running his cold cane handle over her shirt, rustling it. Then he raised the cane high, and slammed the metal head into her gut.

Valleri's mind was blinded with pain as she lurched in agony. She felt bile rise in her throat before she fought to swallow it back down, unwilling to vomit into her gag. Her stomach was definitely going to have a nasty bruise the next day, and she could feel cramps and aches running throughout her whole body, making her thrash under her restraints.

Holy shit. This was a torture session. Walsh wasn't fucking around.

Valleri could feel the cold metal of her cross against her neck, and found herself praying that she'd make it out of this okay, that Grimm's plan would work.

She was just thankful that the blow didn't reveal the dagger that they'd forgotten to take out of her jacket.

He roughly grabbed her face, his claws digging into her skin and drawing blood. She stared up into his six eyes in terror as he growled, "That was just for your stunt earlier. I don't wanna hurt an innocent, but I'm told you killed a friend of mine."

Valleri shook her head again, fighting off frightened tears. Walsh kept talking, "You know him, right? His name was Blue, a former Clan Captain like myself. Now, we had our fights, and I'd never say this to the guy's face, but... he was a dear friend of mine." He turned around, his claws leaving red-hot scratches on Valleri's cheek as he yanked away. He paced through the room, "Family, even. Sometimes, he was the only reason I kept going. And I'd never forgive myself if I didn't see his killer brought to justice."

Those guards from earlier were right about one thing: human flesh is nice and soft, while they were only used to tying up unmalleable chitin. When he wasn't looking, Valleri managed to squeeze her lower palm through the bindings.

Walsh looked back at her, glaring. Valleri moved her hand back up before he spotted. "Well?!" he roared, storming over and ripping the gag right off of Valleri's face. "Anything to say for yourself?!"

Valleri groaned, sweat forming on her brow as she glanced up at him. She felt and probably looked like shit. "I'm not… a murderer."

Walsh stared at her for a long moment while Valleri fought to catch her breath. Then he huffed, an amused grin playing at his features.

"That's what we all say, Valleri."

Valleri blinked in confusion, sweat rolling down her temple. She stared as Walsh pulled away from the bed and stalked over to his desk, picking up a file that was waiting in the center of the table for this specific moment. He chuckled lowly as he recited its contents to her.

"Valleri Crowes. Diplomatic turmoil. Homicide. Assault. Theft. Disruption. Resisting arrest."

He seemed to revel in smug victory at her terrified expression. "Know where I got this information from? A spy in the City Guard passed this on to us. He'd be arrested or maybe even killed if he were ever found out."

Valleri was shaking. The Topaz Clan… They're so much more dangerous than I thought they were. They already know everything about me.

"The point I'm trying to make," Walsh explained, setting the file down, "is that this isn't the White Palace. They've already interrogated you, haven't they? They're blinded by their rules, their image. This game is played differently in Hallownest's underworld."

Valleri's hand slipped a little further out of the rope. Almost there…

"Even if I've never taken a life with my own hands," Walsh walked closer to the bedside again, "I'm no saint. I have no doubt that my actions have resulted in the deaths of scores of bugs, sinners and innocents alike, who have gotten in my way." He leaned over her, his face so close to hers she could almost smell him. His expression was seductive, disarming. He was practically purring now. "This is just business. I'm not here to patronize you. I'm not going to act like I'm better than you. I'm not going to judge you like they would in the Palace."

He stroked his claws gingerly across her cheek, feeling the blood and tears soak into his claws. "Nothing that happens here has to leave this room. You can tell me anything."

Valleri's hand slipped out of the rope and into her jacket, where she pulled out the bejewled dagger and swung it at Walsh.

With two of his four hands, Walsh managed to catch her arm as the blade was just hovering over his chitin. He smirked down at her as she struggled in his grasp, desperate to get even the tip of the blade to graze him as they wrestled. One arm against two. He didn't even need to take his claws off of her cheek. It was hopeless.

"Well. That tells me everything I need to know."

With a free third hand, he chopped down on the inside of her elbow, sending shocks up Valleri's arm. The golden dagger fell from her fingers, and her arm dropped limply by his side.

Her fingers grazed Walsh's coat pocket.

Walsh picked up her hand, balled into a tight fist, and held it back up to the bedpost. Silk flew at his fingertips as he tied Valleri's fist up into a big ball of webbing, now with no more chance of slipping through. She wasn't going anywhere, and her last ace up her sleeve was now on the floor and out of reach.

Valleri couldn't help but laugh.

The Captain glared down at her, upset at being kept out of the joke. "What's so funny?"

"N-Nothing, but-" Valleri choked out a tired chuckle, "C-Can you blame me for trying to stab you when you've got me tied to a goddamn bed?" He wanted to act like her self-defense was some kind of 'gotcha' moment, but she wasn't a killer. Not now, not ever.

Walsh stared down at her for a long moment. He reached down, taking her chin in his claws and making her look him in the eye as he brought his face close again. If the bastard wanted to kiss her, he should just say so.

"Pretty women like you shouldn't curse."

"Get fucked."

He blinked, backing off with a blank expression. This guy was weird. "...Alright, I get your point," he grumbled. "Plenty of people out there would want to stab me. That doesn't make you Blue's killer."

His eyes glanced downwards, catching the glint of the dagger that had fallen out of Valleri's hand. He picked it up off of the floor, holding it and running his thumb along the blade. "I had you pegged as a street thug. Where'd you get your hands on such a fancy thing?"

"Emilitia gave it to me," Valleri breathed. "It was a gift."

Walsh looked at her, trying to piece the puzzle together in his head. There was no way he didn't know Emilitia, with how he was personally collecting from her. Or maybe he had his lackeys do it for him and had no idea where all his wealth came from, only that it was from the innocents in the City. Valleri emphasized the word 'gift', hoping to maybe get some information out of him about the gift's origins.

Recognition flashed in his eyes, and Walsh perked up. "Oh, I remember now! This is my dagger, actually."

Valleri blinked. "What?"

"You don't know? I thought you would've figured it out by now, if you've been following my trail through Emilitia." He chuckled as he set the dagger on his desk, "It's simple. I give my wealth to Songstress Marissa, and then let the nosy journalist know that something's up. Emilitia comes along and takes the gifts away, but then I use one of her own dirty little secrets to 'convince' her to bring the gifts back to me. And as an added bonus, she takes Marissa's legitimate wealth from her shows as well, resulting in a net profit. Legally, all of it counts as profit from her performances. Its true origins are untraceable."

Money laundering, Valleri thought incredulously. He made Marissa and Emilitia tear each other apart for money laundering.

She shook her head frantically, trying to break through her reinforced bonds with renewed fury. "What 'dirty secrets'?!" Valleri shouted. "What the hell d'you have on her?! What are the 'letters'?!"

Walsh looked surprised that she had a clue of what they were. It was only for a brief moment, but his sideways glance at his desk drawer didn't escape Valleri's notice.

"Ah, I get it now," he said. "You're trying to save them from this ring, aren't you?" At her glare, he continued. "Why? What do you expect to gain from it?"

Valleri was silent.

"Don't they just infuriate you?" Walsh provoked, coming back to the bedside again, the intensity of his whispers making Valleri's ears ring. "Fighting over their own confusion instead of trying to be civil, fighting to the death to work their way up the social ladder. Those prim and prissy bitches."

Valleri averted her gaze, but her whole body shook.

"...They do piss me off," she said through gritted teeth. "It pisses me off how stupid they are, how they just let the world walk all over them and treat them like shit!"

She thrashed in her binds as she spoke, emotion overtaking her. "They're too stupid to defend themselves from people like you!"

Walsh didn't glare down at her like she expected him to, but instead, he seemed almost impressed. "...Hm. You have a good heart, despite everything. Tell you what, I have an offer for you."

He sat down on the bedside, his grizzled expression suddenly familiar and friendly. "I've been looking for someone as capable as you. Someone who's better than the rules set before them. Someone strong enough to single-handedly storm my Tower," he chuckled.

"In return, I could help you prove your innocence. Hallownest's law reaches far, but our network runs deep. There's no sin you wouldn't be able to uncover working for me."

Valleri pursed her lips. She didn't want to look at him. She just needed to hold out a little longer.

"So? What do you say?"

"...I dunno. I'll have to get back to you on that."

A guard burst through the doors as if on cue. Walsh and Valleri's heads snapped up, staring at the panicked and slightly singed guard as he gasped for breath, struggling to get his words out.

"B-Boss-" he coughed, "Boss, the Tower- G-Ground floor-"

Walsh froze. He spun around and ran to the window, ripping the curtains aside to reveal a grand cityscape of the City of Tears.

And far below him, the Tower of Love was in flames.

It was actually just Grimm and his Troupe doing an impromptu performance, but Walsh didn't need to know that yet.

The crimson glow illuminated Walsh's horrified face, unable to tear his eyes away from the inferno that raged in the streets below. The Tower stood almost directly above the King's Stag Station, so a sizable crowd of bugs had gathered around to watch the circus of flames that Grimm was conducting. It wasn't a stretch to say a majority of them were patrons of the Tower that were kicked out while Valleri was tearing the place a new one.

Either Walsh didn't see the Troupe and thought the Tower was actually on fire, or he did know it was an act, and realized that Grimm was stealing his customers. Either way, he wouldn't stand for it.

He roared as he spun around, glaring down the poor guard with fury. With the red embers rising behind him, he almost looked like some kind of demon about to burst into flames. Walsh stormed to the door, shoving the guard aside.

"Outta the way! This is an emergency!"

"B-But Boss," the guard stammered. "What about the girl?"

This was the crucial moment. Walsh turned to look at Valleri, tied up to the bed and helpless. If this was a real emergency, he obviously couldn't just leave her there to burn, but he couldn't let her go, either. She was crafty, powerful, dangerous, and was the main reason for his pounding headache right now. There was no telling what she could do if left unattended.

But his eyes cast down to the golden dagger on his desk. Her one ace, the trick up her sleeve, and he had her completely disarmed.

He had already won. There was nothing left for her to do.

He spun back around. "Put her gag back on and watch her until I get back!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him.

The sound echoed through the empty office. They were alone. It was just Valleri and the guard now. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her chest, scarcely able to contain herself.

The guard sighed, picking up the gag and preparing to tie it onto Valleri's mouth again. "Alright, just make this easy for us both and I won't be too rough on ya."

As he leaned over to bring the gag to Valleri's lips, she didn't even try to resist as he fumbled with the spider-silk thread. Because it didn't matter anymore.

It was over.

.

Everything went exactly as planned.

.

"Wait, but that'd just make him look like a harmless old man, wouldn't it? If he wants to be tough, then why's he carrying a cane around?"

"Well, for about the same reason you're bringing that dagger, I reckon."

.

The golden dagger was a fluke. She had never planned to stab anyone with it.

Because that would be too easy, too obvious. Walsh had seen right through it and disarmed her like it was nothing. If she actually planned to take him out then and there, she'd be fucked now.

But the dagger wasn't for stabbing. It was a distraction. A ploy to make her seem more harmless than she was, once it was ripped away from her.

By putting up an obvious last-ditch plan and having it fail, Walsh thought that was all she had left, and that she was utterly helpless now. But that couldn't be further from the truth, and it was that same mindset that would be his downfall.

He only needed to think he had won.

.

"He doesn't expect anyone to pull a fast one on him, but just in case, he always keeps a switch in his coat pocket. You know, one of those fancy spring-loaded knives that flick out when you press down on them?"

.

"Well. That tells me everything I need to know."

With a free third hand, he chopped down on the inside of her elbow, sending shocks up Valleri's arm. The golden dagger fell from her fingers, and her arm dropped limply by his side.

Her fingers grazed Walsh's coat pocket. Reaching in, with masterful dexterity born from years of surviving by pickpocketing, she silently plucked Walsh's switchblade out of his pocket and palmed it, making a fist so he wouldn't see.

Walsh picked up her hand, balled into a tight fist, and held it back up to the bedpost. Silk flew at his fingertips as he tied Valleri's fist up into a big ball of webbing, now with no more chance of slipping through. She wasn't going anywhere, and her last ace up her sleeve was now on the floor and out of reach.

Valleri couldn't help but laugh.

Pressing down on the side, Valleri hissed in pain as the switchblade sprung out and inevitably nicked her fingers, but those were just minor wounds. They were worth it for the sense of victory she was feeling now.

The force of the spring-loaded switchblade was enough to pierce through the web ball around her hand, cutting it open. She could move.

The guard fumbled with her gag. "Now hold still; I get that this is unpleasant, but if you'd just-"

He screamed as Valleri plunged the switchblade into his back. The blade wasn't long enough to make any fatal wounds, but he flung himself off of the bed and was left rolling around on the floor in agony, hemolymph gushing from the open wound. Poor bastard didn't need to get caught up in this, but Valleri didn't have time to be merciful right now.

Working quickly, she cut her other hand and legs free, scrambling up from the bed. Holy shit, the worst torture they inflicted on her were the cramps she'd have for ages after being tied up and spread eagle for so long. She stumbled like she was getting out of a car seat for the first time after a long road trip, but quickly righted herself, kicking remnants of webbing off of her boots.

The guard tried to stand up, but Valleri grabbed a nearby vase and smashed it over his head, porcelain shards dusting the floor as the guard collapsed, unconscious. Valleri really hoped the guy would live, and didn't have any hard feelings for her afterward. She was just trying to survive.

She took a second to look out of the window, having to squint to see into the blinding inferno below. Grimm was really giving it his all; flames licked the walls of the Tower, always spiraling closer to the crowd but never quite touching. Dancers and musicians spun around like it was some kind of demonic circus ritual. She grinned; Grimm said he didn't want to get involved, but he'd never turn down the chance to put on a show. Convincing him was a lot simpler than she expected.

She snapped back, knowing she didn't have much time before Walsh returned with a whole squad of guards. She fumbled with his desk drawer, finding it locked. Cursing, she jammed the switchblade into the lockhole, wiggling it up and down until she heard a click and the drawer slid open.

Holy shit, there was a lot here. Half of these papers probably had contents she didn't even want to know about. But she tore through them, discarding all the junk about prostitution, extortion, and some other Topaz Clan names she didn't recognize.

She'd glanced at enough private intel to get her killed ten times over before she found a small envelope. It was from Emilitia, and addressed to Marissa, surprisingly. This had to be what she came here for.

...She had promised Emilitia that she'd just burn whatever she found. But…

Curiosity took hold, and Valleri found herself opening the envelope to find a few sheets of spider-silk paper inside. A number of them had scribbles and looked half-finished, so these letters likely never found their way to Marissa. Valleri was still learning Hallownestian, so she could only make out a few words, but the message was clear enough.

Valleri's eyes widened as she read.

And then a small smirk grew on her face.

And the smirk grew into a manic grin.

"Oh my God," Valleri had to fight to keep herself from laughing. There was nothing wrong with the contents inside, no dark or disgusting secret, nothing like that. But this… this couldn't be the same haughty and sadistic Emilitia she had known so far, right?

The doors slammed open.

Valleri spun around, envelope in hand, confidential Clan documents scattered on the floor around her, while a shocked Walsh stared her down, a dozen guards standing at his back.

"YOU!" he roared. Valleri panicked, grabbing the golden dagger that he had left on his desk and throwing it at him.

He managed to block it, but the blade cut open his hands, leaving him kneeling over in pain as hemolymph dribbled down his arms and over his vest. Guards flanked him and ran to tackle Valleri.

She dodged, grabbing the police file they had on her as well, holding the documents close to her chest as she made a dead sprint to the window.

And she jumped through.

The glass shattered high, high above the City.

For a moment, she was flying, clutching a bundle of papers as she flew over the City of Tears, the light glinting off of the glass shards around her. She was weightless at the top of the world.

She'd been here before, at that church in the square. Her body had been ripped apart by that Great Knight, and even now, that hollow hopelessness was sending shivers down her spine.

But this time, she had won. Why did she feel the same way she did then, that her life was over now?

And then gravity took hold, and Valleri was in freefall.

She couldn't help it. She screamed.

She was falling to her death, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. The wind roared in her ears, and Valleri felt very, very small in her own body.

She was just another raindrop, falling into the gutter.

Was this how she'd die? Her life spiraling into some insane fantasy land, and becoming a splotch on the sidewalk for two people who wanted to see her head before she met them?

Phantom pains of having a rapier thrust through her chest wracked her body. Whatever this vessel of hers was, it was no longer in her control.

Her eyes caught the inferno below her. Was she falling to Hell?

Was this what she deserved?

Was this what Lucifer felt as He was struck from the Heavens and descended into the depths of the Earth?

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She didn't want to die.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't want to-

.

.

.

.

A pair of chitinous arms caught onto her and held her close.

Valleri's eyes snapped open. Standing in the center of his circus inferno was Grimm, having caught her out of mid-air. She could feel his heartbeat in his chest like a hearth.

She could barely breathe, and couldn't stop shaking. She just jumped off of a fucking skyscraper. "Y-You…"

Grimm gave a signature, devilish grin. "Don't mention it. I had to make sure this dance ended on a high note, of course!"

The crowd around them roared with cheers and applause. Valleri squeaked, having forgotten that they were surrounded by onlookers, who seemed willing to ignore her human features in their approval of Grimm's performance.

Valleri had had more than enough stage fright for one day. She threw her arms over her face, trying to hide in a confused Grimm's arms.

Walsh stared out over the city through the broken glass window, watching the fires of Grimm's inferno be snuffed out as his guards chased them away. He'd instructed them to capture Valleri as well, but he wasn't feeling optimistic about it.

As expected, a guard burst in. "Boss! We couldn't find the human; she and that devil got lost in the crowd."

"...I figured as much."

"Should we move to hunt her down? We have men on standby and-"

"No," Walsh mumbled. He looked down at the golden dagger in his bleeding hands, watching the City's pale blue light reflect off of its silvery surface. "Don't bother."

"I… Y-Yes, sir."

Valleri Crowes...I'm still not convinced if you're Blue's killer or not. But either way, you've caught my interest…

"So… Don't lie to me. You read those letters, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"Do you intend to burn them, like Emilitia asked?"

"No. But I know JUST what to do with them instead-!"

Emilitia finished the last of her notes, setting her pad and quill down with a content sigh. "Ah, what a suitably dramatic ending to such a story! We can discuss the details of what we should and shouldn't include in the article, but I think the people will be delighted to read this! I'm sure your reputation will skyrocket as well, Valleri!"

"Pfft, I wouldn't be that optimistic. Maybe it'll make people not want me dead, at best."

"Oh, don't be like that," Grimm chided playfully, shoving Valleri on the shoulder and making her almost spill her drink.

She pouted at him. "How can I not be depressed when I didn't even get to cash in on that bounty Walsh had? If I'd just beaten the guy up and turned him in, I would've gotten ten mil!"

Emiltia sighed. "We didn't even know about that until after the whole ordeal, so it doesn't really matter anyway. Besides, he's still out there, you'll get your chance one day."

Valleri sighed. Being an up-and-coming bounty hunter was hard work. And she wasn't even getting paid for this first job. It was one of those shitty "paid in exposure" things that she couldn't really complain about at this phase, but it also wasn't going to pay any bills or put any food on her plate. It wasn't like anywhere else would hire her.

"Here, I have something that should make you feel better," Emilitia smiled. She fished around in her pocket, "Marissa couldn't make it, but she wanted me to pass this onto you as a 'thank-you' gift."

Valleri blinked in confusion, holding out her hands. Emilitia dropped a single small key into her waiting palm.

"Huh? A… key?"

Emilitia rose from her booth without elaborating. "You'll find the address engraved on the side. I'd tell you what it is, but Marissa made me promise not to say anything, since she wanted it to be a surprise."

"Uh… O-Okay." Valleri decided not to press it too much right now. "Say, how are you and Marissa doing, anyway? I'm glad you two are getting along again, now that everything's over."

Emilitia scratched her chin, laughing nervously. "It's still a little rocky. Blackmail isn't something you just move past and ignore, even if neither of us had a choice…" She flashed a grin, "But I think everything is going pretty well, all things considered! I actually have to head out right now to meet her at a diner downtown, or I'll be late."

Valleri flashed her a friendly grin. "Well, don't let me keep you! And hey, get me a copy of that article once you're finished writing it!"

Emilitia nodded, gathering her things and waving as she walked out. Once she was gone, Grimm sighed, relaxing in his seat. "She already paid, by the way. You can just finish up whatever you've got left."

"I feel bad having her pay the tab, but it's not like I have any money, anyway…" Valleri looked down at the key in her hands. "Marissa wanted this to be a surprise? What's it go to, I wonder?"

"It'll be an apartment."

Valleri's face scrunched up in annoyance, and she punched Grimm in the shoulder. "Grimm! Don't spoil it!" She rose from her seat, trying to run after Emilitia to thank her, but she was already long gone. Journalists had places to be, she supposed.

Grimm stood, extending his crimson claws to her, still dressed in a fancy bartender outfit. He flirtatiously batted his eyelids at her, "Shall I escort the lady back to her new home?"

"...Grimm?"

"Yes?"

"Fuck off."

Marissa always had fanmail, but it was usually sorted out by her assistants, and she rarely read or responded to any of it herself. But as the strange gifts that caused her so much grief finally stopped showing up at her doorstep, in their place was a single small envelope. She couldn't begin to guess how it bypassed all of her secretaries, at least not until she read the outside.

It was addressed to her, and while it said it was from Emilitia, it also had "AND VALLEI" scrawled next to the From line. Typical; she hadn't known the startup bounty hunter for a full three days, and she was already one of few people who could beat her security.

Furrowing her brow, Marissa unsealed the envelope and pulled out several papers inside. As she read, she felt her chest tighten, and blood rush to her face.

"W-Wow…"

Dearest (~Songstres~)

.

Dearest Marissa,

Although we have not spoken much as of late, with our (~fates pulling~)

.

Dearest Marissa,

We have not spoken much as of late, with our (~fates pulling~) lives guiding us in very different directions. However, I would long to pull our threads of fate back into one, and I would ask you to remember all the times we have shared throughout our youth before you consider the feelings of mine that I would lay bare in this letter.

(~It may sound like a childish thing~)

I love you, and I realize now that perhaps I have always loved you, though I could not recognize it at the time in my foolish (~infancy~) adolescence, or perhaps I was simply afraid to confront myself.

The glow of your rosy wings leaves my gaze lingering. I catch myself daydreaming about running my hands through your golden hair (~like they were patches of long grass~)

Your eyes leave me stunned leave me frozen, and I can hear my heart beat out of my chest when you are near. Your voice is mesmerizing, hypnotic, and I (~make a point to~) attend your shows at every opportunity, because for a fleeting moment, lost in a crowd of strangers, your singing makes me feel at home.

(~Your legs~)

.

Beloved Marissa,

(~Now I've

Had

The time of my liiiiiiife

And I owe it all to youuuu~)

.

Dearest Marissa,

I have died

To myself

And now I live for you

And your voice

Soft and sweet

Rolling deep throughout myself

Ringing

Singing

Notes reaching high above us

(~And~)

.

My Beloved Marissa,

Words struggle to convey how (~much I FUCKING love you what the WYRMFUCK ARE YOU DOING TO ME WOMAN my body keps shAKING MY and mY FACE IS ON FIRE WRITING THIS STUPID SHIT DOWN

GOD WHY AM I GAY AND WHY ARE YOU HOT

im probably only writing this because of hormones

Just absolutely RUIN me, my bedroom window is unlocked every night, there's rope under the bed we can use~)

Fuck,

Chapter name and summary are a reference to Walk This Way by Aerosmith.

god okay, i never thought a MR chapter would hit 13k words, but ig I just have a habit of doing that now

This wraps up the first sub-arc, and one of the bigger struggles of this chapter was making sure everything made sense by the end, so if you have any questions, please let me know. This chapter definitely came on a lot stronger than previous chapters for obvious reasons, since I was kinda planning to set the rating to M from the start, so I pretty much stopped caring about being modest. Hopefully it didn't come off as *too* strong though, and future chapters shouldn't be like this either

There's probably a lot I can say about this chapter, all the dumb ideas that I threw in on a whim like the knife-dance, or all the headaches over Valleri and Walsh's conversation, but I'm kind of on a tight schedule to upload this before my family whisks me away for Thanksgiving. Oh, happy Thanksgiving, by the way!

Next chapter, we'll go back to Chance, since I've left that cliffhanger alone for too long. Please please please leave a comment, and thank you for reading!

Note for FFN: Forgive the weird formatting, this site doesn't allow strikethrough text so I had to make something up. I strongly suggest you read this story on Ao3 instead, is possible

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