It would happen again tonight, Ahri knew that much. She had had an inkling it would. Throughout the week there was a small tickle in the back of her mind that slowly built to an undeniable nagging that took every opportunity to remind Ahri what she was about to do. The only good thing was that she would not be doing it alone.
She and Evelynn called it "going out" and it was more or less the truth. Dressed up, they would leave the penthouse in the early evening and not come back until much later in the night, sometimes even just before daybreak. At first, it worried their respective bandmates, but after the first few times of seeing Evelynn and Ahri return in slightly disheveled clothes and make beelines to the bathroom, they learned to keep their questions to themselves. The first conversation was hard, and Ahri feared it may even scare the other two away, but with the emphasis that it was crucial for their survival, any feelings of doubt were assuaged. Now it was almost a routine: get ready, "go out,"return, clean up, and breathe a sigh of relief knowing the next time wouldn't be too soon — as long as they killed tonight.
Now the routine began as Ahri sat down in front of the vanity mirror to gently squeeze the remaining water from her hair, the barely concealed scowl pasted on her face showing just what she thought of these "outings".
She relinquished her beautifying ritual to muscle memory as she plunged into the trance-like musings that came along with it.
. . . What if I didn't go this time?
Ahri grasped a golden case of soft pink lipstick and gently swiped it across her bottom lip.
I can say something came up. Tell Eve I'm busy and that she should go on without me. She can handle herself alone. And in the meantime, I can . . . stand it.
Her gaze broke from her freshly glistening lips to catch her reflection's eyes in the mirror. A knot twisted in her stomach, but couldn't tell if it was from her anxious thoughts or her growing hunger - but both equally terrified her.
"I . . . can't keep doing this," Ahri muttered, cradling her pounding head. She lifted her head just enough to peek at the undisguised torment on reflection's face and her ears fell. I just wish the price wasn't so steep.
She swallowed the lump threatening to choke her throat. She remained in silence for a few moments before gathering herself. She took in a cleansing breath, checked her makeup one last time, and rose to her full height. Her reflection assessed the black off-the-shoulder dress and gold-accented heels in their entirety chosen for tonight's "outing" as Ahri gave a twirl. Judging by the doppelgänger's small, approving smirk, Ahri knew she had made the right choice.
"Wish me . . . luck," she told her mirrored likeness, but it was hard to ignore the unease slowly creeping back onto both their faces. With one last cleansing breath, Ahri straightened the straggling makeup accessories strewn across the vanity table and turned off the light as she escorted herself out, plunging the bright, gilded room into shadow.
Slowly, Ahri walked into the hallway of the second floor of their penthouse. Through the glass panels of the landing, Evelynn sat cross-legged on the armrest of the couch in a sleek plunging neckline black dress that hugged all of her curves in the right places. She chatted with Kai'sa as the dancer sipped tea in the armchair next to her. Akali sat cross-legged on the floor, furiously tapping away on her video game console. The mundane scene was enough to lift Ahri's spirits and she announced herself with the click of her heels against the stairs as she walked down.
Evelynn smirked. "Well, aren't you gorgeous."
Ahri shared in Evelynn's smile as she flippantly tossed her pink ombre hair. "You can't rush art, you know." Her lithe fingers traced brushed the long blonde bang from her eyes. "Are you ready?"
"Thought you'd never ask," Evelynn replied silkily, standing from the couch to smooth out her dress. She offered Ahri her elbow. "Shall we?"
By all intentions, Ahri should have taken a step forward, but her body unconsciously swayed back. Her hesitation raised unspoken questions in Evelynn's eyes that swiftly evolved into goading demands to take the outstretched arm. Ahri reached out her hand, but faltered just shy of touching skin. She searched Evelynn's eyes again, but found no comfort there. Ahri's ears dipped as she hooked her hand in the crook of Evelynn's arm.
"We won't be long, girls," Evelynn promised with a wink, and pulled Ahri a little closer to her side. Ahri frowned and Evelynn pretended not to notice. Instead, the diva drove the conversation, acknowledging goodbyes and dismissing warnings to be careful with a wave of her hand and Ahri affirmed with a silent nod.
Evelynn opened the front door and it was all Ahri could do to cling to Evelynn's side as the last chances of staying slipped away and she was pulled into the creeping gloom of the hallway.
No going back now.
The thought echoed in Ahri's head from the moment she and Evelynn left the doorway to when they arrived at their chosen spot for the evening. Try as Ahri might, that echo was soon overcome by more dreadful thoughts the moment she and Evelynn stepped out of the car and walked arm-in-arm up to an unassuming building. It loomed over Ahri like the shadow of a great wave ready to swallow her whole, and Evelynn was leading her right into the swell. The tip of her crystalline tail twitched warningly and the hostage-like grip upon her arm pulled her ever closer to Evelynn's side until they were all but glued together.
"Relax," Evelynn commanded lowly. "We both need this and you know it."
"It doesn't mean I have to like it," Ahri grumbled.
Nonetheless, Ahri allowed Evelynn to lead her through the blacked out steel and glass doors and into an equally black room. The only source of light was a literal window cut out in the wall directly facing them, where a clerk waited expectantly. The diva exchanged a few words with the clerk, but Ahri paid little attention until Evelynn tugged her towards the wall off to their left. Evelynn gave it a light push and the thin outline of a door slowly faded into view, widening to reveal a room drenched in hazy blacklight and star-like fairy lights suspended from above. Ahri could have spent hours gazing into this dazzling endless abyss, but a small tug on her elbow and a quick glance at the mischievous glint in Evelynn's cat-slit eyes dashed all hopes of enjoyment.
With a dejected sigh, Ahri drifted away from Evelynn's side just as Evelynn literally vanished from hers. The Gumiho was surprised; even in the flickering shades of the room, it was pretty brazen to slip into her demon shade in public view. Evelynn must be eager tonight. Ahri wished she shared the sentiment.
The Gumiho helped herself, gliding through an endless stretch of infinity rooms of dripping fairy lights, glowing orbs, and stained glass. They enticed Ahri to abandon her mission, but the occasional slight nudge of her arm from her invisible friend reminded her of why they were really there.
And that was when she saw him, just barely peeking over the arc of a white-hot floating orb. The young man hardly hid his interest as his dark, gentle eyes fell completely upon Ahri, captured and entranced.
Ahri could feel Evelynn's pleased smirk as she whispered in her ear, "He's perfect."
He smiled and Ahri dared to smile back. The diva melted away from her side just as the young man approached the Gumiho. Ahri's tail twitched behind her and she slowly lifted her hand to her lips, crossing her forefinger and thumb into a heart shape and blew softly. The young man paused a moment, as if lost in thought, then his pace quickened. Ahri smoothly ducked away from him, slipping just out of reach and slowly slinking towards the door to another, darker room, where Evelynn waited.
Ahri crossed the threshold of the door, parts of her swallowed by shadow while other parts glowed blue under strong blacklight. The enchanted young man followed, and Evelynn slowly emerged into view behind the Gumiho as vision of magenta and gold. The demoness draped herself across Ahri's shoulders, brushing her full lips against Ahri's cheek. The young man's interest piqued and Evelynn grinned monstrously, rewarding him with a full kiss to Ahri's cheek.
Ahri shuddered, her skin crawling with cold goosebumps. She tried to pull away, intent of smoothly slinking away to leave their target in Evelynn's more than capable hands, but the demoness held fast, her manicured black stiletto nails digging sharply into the clammy flesh of her shoulders. Ahri was going to go through with this, and Evelynn was going to make sure of it.
Evelynn took Ahri by the hand and squeezed her fingers in a death grip as they made their way towards the back of the black-lit room, the young man nearly tripping over himself to keep up with them. Evelynn giggled lowly in her throat as leaned against the wall, Ahri clinging to her side. The pressure of her weight pushed a section of the wall open, revealing it to be an exit door. Cool night air brushed against Ahri's skin and the Gumiho all but tumbled into the alleyway behind the museum, leaving Evelynn to fully entice the young man outside.
Ahri stepped back until she touched the cold brick wall behind her.
Evelynn ducked out of the young man's eager reach.
In his dazed stupor, he drew closer to block Ahri in between his arms.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Evelynn almost couldn't help but strike, sinking her nails into him from behind until they pierced flesh. She silenced his cries with one of her lashers, and pulled him further down the alleyway with the other to keep her ensuing assault away from unwanted eyes. She didn't like it when others watched.
In that same moment, Ahri couldn't help but remove herself from the scene, literally pressing herself against the opposite wall to watch the horror unfold. Her ears folded in on themselves and her tails curled around herself as she tried desperately to block out the carnage, biting her lip hard to keep her own screams from mixing with the young man's as Evelynn had her way with him.
Suddenly it was her turn. Evelynn stood over the man like a conquerer, cruel and leering. Ahri could barely hear her encouragement to "have mercy" on the man and finish him off, to consume his soul before it left on its own accord, but she couldn't. Ancient memories that should have been long forgotten invade her mind and now it wasn't a random man in front of her, but her love, her beloved, and that made things all too real. Ahri hardly registered the terrified squeak that left her trembling lips, nor the fuming curse from Evelynn as she raced away down the street, teardrops trailing in her wake.
It was too much. This was too real.
Lungs aching and feet on fire from running in heels, Ahri found herself collapsing against a solid brick wall, the music pulsating just behind its solid walls telling her she was outside a club. Of course that didn't help her hunger in the slightest; she could essentially feel all of the souls lighting up with joy and it drove her to cradle her head in her hands as she fought desperately to keep her urges at bay.
This is too much.
"Ahri!"
The terrified Gumiho opened her eyes just in time to see Evelynn slam her clawed hands on either side of her head, trapping Ahri between the brick wall and Evelynn's piercing stare.
"What did you just do?" Evelynn roared. "He was right there! I practically gave him to you!"
"I don't care!" Ahri cried, meeting her friend's burning stare with her watery one. The blonde shook her head furiously. "I can't do this anymore, Eve! I can't keep going out like this!"
Evelynn rolled her eyes. "Call it by its right name, Ahri. Hunting!" She captured Ahri's chin between her forefinger and thumb. "This isn't a matter of can or can't. You know it and I know it - we both need this!"
Unable to hold Evelynn's stare, Ahri tore her chin away and hung her head, staring down at her clean glittering heels and Evelynn's shimmering blood-spattered ones.
"There has to be another way," Ahri whimpered to herself, and then when Evelynn demanded she speak louder, she jerked her head up and nearly screamed right in Evelynn's startled face, "There has to be another way! All this wanton killing, all these people. You only consume their pleasure, their pain. You don't see what I see! You don't see their souls, their hopes, their dreams, who they loved, who loves them."
Ahri's shoulders trembled and her tears made dark stains on the concrete beneath them. "You don't have to live with that!"
A harsh gasp choked the sobs out of Ahri as she suddenly registered the feeling of being grabbed, pulled in, and crushed against another body. Her crystalline blue eyes widened more than they ever had before as Evelynn not only pulled her in with her arms, but her lashers had unfurled from underneath her clothes and coiled around her as well. It took all but a moment for Ahri to surrender herself to Evelynn's embrace.
"You're right," Evelynn began. "I don't see their souls, what makes them them - nor do I care. I don't have to live with their meaningless memories or even know what my actions have done to them." She pulled back just enough to meet Ahri's gaze, smoldering gold orbs staring into tender honey ones. "The morality of what we do means nothing to me - as long as it keeps you with me that much longer."
Ahri's ears dipped back, her eyes squinted shut, and soft pink blush dusted her cheeks as Evelynn touched a kiss to her hairline.
"And I will make sure you are with me," Evelynn finished, "even if it means holding your hand every step of the way. I'm not letting you go so easily, Foxy."
A half-amused laugh escaped the Gumiho as Evelynn stepped away enough so she could gather herself, clearing away the tears pooling at the edges of her lashes. She blinked when Evelynn clucked her tongue with a shake of her head and beckoned Ahri towards the street.
"You're ruining your makeup, love," Evelynn chided softly. "And that won't do."
She led Ahri by the hand around the corner to the entrance of the club, the door curiously resembling a large, steel bank vault. Under Evelynn's guide, they slipped in through the line, and into the main barroom before veering off to the bathroom. There were a couple other women already there, but a quick, sharp look from Evelynn was enough to render the room empty for the two pop stars to have some privacy.
Evelynn set Ahri against the rustic, red marble sink and lifted her chin to assess the black trails of mascara before gently clearing them away with the edge of a wet paper towel.
"You have too many emotions," Evelynn stated as she continued to clean Ahri up. "What am I supposed to do with any of them?" Satisfied with her work, Evelynn tossed the paper towel away.
Ahri turned to fully face the mirror, not so much as a smudged on her cheeks. Evelynn certainly had a talent for making anything flawless. "Between the two of us, someone has to have them," the Gumiho stated, catching Evelynn's reflection as she stood half-concealed in shadow, arms folded beneath her chest.
The diva's smirk only grew as she neared into the soft light emitting from around the mirror. "And I'm certainly glad it's you, darling." She brushed her clawed fingers through Ahri's long bang, brushing it to the side.
"I don't know," Ahri hummed. Much to Evelynn's confusion, she grasped another paper towel and wet it with her tongue. She then touched it to the diva's cheek, cleaning away the small spatter of blood that had made it to her face. "I think the world can benefit from seeing a different side of you every now and again."
The diva gave a soft laugh, flicking her silvery hair. "And where would the fun be in giving everything away? No, thank you, love." She took Ahri's hand once she had finished throwing away the paper towel. "Now, after our 'incident' earlier, you wouldn't mind buying this beautiful woman a drink as an apology?" she winked with a smirk.
Ahri rolled her eyes playfully and hooked both her arms around Evelynn's. "Not at all."
They left the relative quiet of the bathroom for the main room of the club, where a decent amount of people were funneling themselves between the bar and an enclosed outside patio swollen with dancing patrons. Arm in arm, the two pop stars pushed themselves to the bar, easily gaining a spot where they were promptly served.
With cold drinks in one hand and each other's fingers in the other, the two faded into the throng of clubbers gathered outside, slinking around the edges until they emerged into an open space at the far end of the alley-like dance floor. If Ahri didn't know any better, she would have assumed they had stumbled into an unused set of West Side Story. It wasn't their usual go to during these outings, but something about being surrounded on all sides by weather-worn brick crossed with defunct telephone wires, pipes, and pseudo windows held an uncouth sense of charm. Though the same couldn't be said for her companion, as Evelynn seemed dissatisfied in more ways than one.
A smiling couple emerged from a door off to Ahri's left and the raucous noise and warm light from within hinted at another barroom. Before Evelynn could respond, Ahri had her by the hand and led her inside, not disappointed when it was indeed a two-level barroom, albeit much smaller than the one they had just passed through, but warmer and more inviting. The tight space of the stairs forced Ahri to take the lead as she pulled Evelynn up with her to a loft-like room that was relatively empty save for a couple groups lingering around the long wooden table in the middle of the room.
Ahri finally let go of Evelynn's hand when she settled on a small, upholstered sitting nook flush against a large window that allowed them a good view of the dance floor below.
"I figured you would rather like the view from up here," Ahri stated, coyly resting her cheek against her hand, "rather than being at ground level."
Despite the diva's eye roll, she couldn't help but smile. "You know me too well. I need to fix that." Evelynn dramatically took a seat across from Ahri, and gazed out into the dance floor purposefully, her fluorescent eyes searching. They lit up suddenly and Evelynn gestured for Ahri to look down at the young woman that had the misfortune to capture their attention.
Evelynn took a sip of her cool drink, giving Ahri a knowing wink over the rim, but unlike the unbridled predation with their first meal, there was a softness behind her white-hot pupils that Ahri felt privileged to receive.
"You're famished, and dinner awaits," Evelynn declared, setting her drink to the side. The diva brushed her clawed hands against Ahri's fingers. "Are you ready, my darling?"
Ahri's cool blue eyes softened and she gave Evelynn's hand a squeeze. "You'll be with me?" A small smile painted itself across her lips as Evelynn stood and pulled her up along with her.
"Even if I have to hold your hand every step of the way," the diva smirked.
