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[h1][color=7B81B3]Kenshiro[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/SizLDki.png[/img][/h1]
[sub]With [@AtomicEmperor] [@NoriWasHere][/sub][/center]
[right][code]Friday
Kari’s House -> Luca’s Apartment[/code][/right][hr]

Ken had brought Luca closer to Lynn, ensuring that they’d be close enough to hear. At first, all he could do was wrap his arms around her in an attempt to give some sort of comfort. But the fire in her eyes matched the flames that were still raging in the remains of Kari’s home.

[color=7B81B3]”If that’s your passion, then I think we can make things happen, Sister… We find ourselves at a unique crossroad. I need to know what you saw.”[/color]
He looked back at Luca, patting the bubble with his arm.
[color=7B81B3]”Let’s get you both where you need to go. We’ll talk on the way.”[/color] he offered his hand to Lynn.

[color=6B8E23]”Oh, we’re going back to the same place,”[/color] Luca said from inside the bubble, voice slightly hoarse. [color=6B8E23]”Lynn’s been staying at mine… safety in numbers and all that.”[/color]

[color=F08080]“I will,”[/color] Lynn said with a sniffle.  [color=F08080]“And yeah, safety in numbers.. Father wolf is still on the prowl,”[/color] Lynn sighed as she moved closer, [color=F08080]“I’m good to go.  We have much to discuss.”[/color]

Ken scooped her into a bubble similar to Luca’s, linking them together with a thinner membrane that the two would be comfortable to talk through without the risk of infection. Still remembering Luca’s place from Halloween, he forced the three of them high into the sky and gave a lazy bump.
Traveling at the speed of a car on the highway through the air, this was a lazy cruise compared to the speeds he usually hit. Assuming the Rot would simply be blown away by the wind, Ken opened up a few sections near the front, where he sat and looked down at the two non-fliers.

[color=7B81B3]”Sometimes I like to fly like this and get my thoughts cleared out…”[/color] he called over the din of the wind. He had angled everything to push most of the air away, but the noise was still considerable.

[color=6B8E23]”Whoa, everything’s so tiny down there,”[/color] Luca said, head tilted down to look underneath him, smiling slightly. He was still clearly not quite himself, curled up into a tight ball with his legs against his chest in the bubble, but the views were nice. [color=6B8E23]”Thoughts literally cleared out by the wind, it’s a good technique, Ken!”[/color]

[color=F08080]“Your thoughts are cleared by this?”[/color] Lynn shouted as she wrapped her arms around her body.  She was really high up.  Like really, really high up.  And she was moving fast.  And she was too sober to truly enjoy the view.  She instinctively reached for her flask and groaned when she remembered that it was gone.  She would need to make up for this grave injustice later on tonight.  [color=F08080]“Ken we’re going to have our discussion over a drink.”[/color]

He grinned at both of them. But he could take a hint occasionally, and decided he’d do his best to help Lynn out as well.
[color=7B81B3]”At least Luca gets it! We’ll do more flying; I think it’d be therapeutic for you, Dear Brother! Just relax, and enjoy.”[/color]
Closing them both back in, he jostled them slightly to ensure there were no weak points, and formed a blast that accelerated them to the point that the trees and the eventual streets below them flew by in blurry greens and greys. It wasn’t long before they were decelerating just as fast. 

The scariest part, at least for passengers, was the fact that they were in zero control at the end. It was ominous to hear the noise simply stop as you approached the ground at terminal velocity. But just like ninety-five percent of the time, the landing was devoid of accident or injury.
[color=7B81B3]”Destination arrival!”[/color]

Lynn was immediately released from her bubble, and he pulled Luca in to look at him.
[color=7B81B3]”Would you like to be let out? Or are you still weakened?”[/color]

Luca stretched out his arms and legs, wincing slightly. He still hurt, the energy expended in rotting away someone else and being rotted in turn was… a lot. But he was also used to it. He grinned at Ken from within the bubble.
[color=6B8E23]”I’m good! You can let me out, I’m not going to collapse or anything.”[/color]

[color=F08080]“That was something,”[/color] Lynn said when a chuckle as she took a few wobbly steps to regain her balance.  [color=F08080]“Thank you for the ride, Ken.,”[/color]

The support slowly faded around Luca as he was stood upright by the unseen hand.
[color=7B81B3]”Of course… Now, this alcohol? Upstairs?”[/color] he asked. [color=7B81B3]”Or, should I return at a later point? I know things got… Strange. But, I’d [i]really[/i] love to uh… Well…”[/color]
He gave a sad look to them.
[color=7B81B3]”I guess I don’t want to go back to my boat alone. Tennogama is there, sure. But, he’s strange. He’s not a lover, really. He gets why I’m sad, but he can’t relate. I’d like to be around people who may.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Oh, of course, you’re welcome to come over, you can even stay the night if you want- Wait, do we have any alcohol left in my apartment, Lynn?”[/color] Luca turned to look at Lynn, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. [color=6B8E23]”Didn’t you complain last night we were out?”[/color]

[color=F08080]“I may have said something,”[/color] Lynn paused as she looked to Luca and smiled through the emotional pain, [color=F08080]“Ken, there is a store around the corner,”[/color] Lynn paused as she rubbed her arm, [color=F08080]“I could use a drink, walk me to the store and we can talk about what I saw?”[/color]

Ken was covered in swords and gear and mud. He’d been blasted through a floor’s worth of dirt at the end of things, and crawled his way out mid-hallucination. He shook his body.
[color=7B81B3]”Right, right. Wait here. I’ll be quick; I should go get clothes.”[/color]
The man bubbled back up into the sky until he was high enough up that launch wouldn’t damage anything. Then he was gone like a UFO into the afternoon sun.
It left Lynn and Luca enough time to idly chat before he rocketed back with some very comfortable looking clothes. Loose pants of a foreign material, a scarf that seemed to hum a little tune, clacking wooden sandals, and a North Face hoodie that Kari had gotten him for his birthday one year.

He hit the ground with a clacking noise, readjusting his ponytail as he approached.
[color=7B81B3]”That was good. Tennogama was shocked at the speed. Come now.”[/color] he waved. [color=7B81B3]”We shall journey to the liquor.”[/color]

Lynn motioned for Ken to follow.  [color=F08080]“I saw several possible futures at Kari’s house,”[/color] Lynn started with a sigh.  How to explain what she saw without sounding crazy?  [color=F08080]“There were a few possibilities that were shocking, but I want to tell you them all the same.  There was one where we learned that Lyss was wrong, and summoned the wrong Kari.  Another where Kari swapped bodies with another universes Kari to save herself, another one where she swapped to live the life she always wanted away from all of this, another where she accidentally swapped and is stranded, [/color] Lynn paused as she looked around, making sure no one could hear how crazy she sounded, [color=F08080]“one where Kari was father wolf, one where she was father wolf but doing this to stop a great evil, one where she was being controlled by the snake.  A few more like those and lastly,”[/color] Lynn looked to Ken and let her eyes linger in his, [color=F08080]“I saw Kari alive and she faked her death to stop a monster,”[/color] Lynn exhaled finally and took another deep breath.

As Lynn went on about the futures she saw, Ken simply listened. Shiro-Nin were always listened to in his culture, no matter the potential depravity in their visions. Students of the Ten Paths were taught to cut through what was impossible and what was truth. But, so often were the portents of potential future marred by the veil of insecurity; one simply took it all for face value after a while. 
It was the only way to not panic. He’d seen what he wanted in the pink mist. His course was, somewhat, readjusted. It was just good to hear there were so many options where Kari was alive.

[color=7B81B3]”How many futures was she dead, Lynn?”[/color] 
His eyes hadn’t really met hers until her head shifted. He felt comfortable, which probably wasn’t good: Tension needed to exist to keep him on the razor’s edge of anticipation. It was the only way he could keep his Murasaki soul alight with the flames of war.
So asking the worst possible question placed him upon a tall cliff with crumbling rock beneath his feet. He was ready for the bottom to fall.

[color=F08080]“Very few, she’s killing us in more futures than ones where she’s dead,”[/color] Lynn Lynn sighed, [color=F08080]“If she’s alive, she’s either killing is for the greater good, killing us because she’s fallen victim to the snake, killing us because of a grudge, or she’s trapped somewhere else, left for somewhere else, or is actively trying to stop whoever or whatever is killing us.  If she’s alive, she probably watching us right now”[/color] Lynn paused as she looked at Ken again, [color=F08080]“the question is,”[/color] Lynn looked around and down to the ground, [color=F08080]“If she’s alive, what’s the end game?”[/color] 

Ken found it incredibly difficult to imagine that there were actually [i]less[/i] futures where she was dead. Surely, it had to be her wanton desires running amok and affecting her visions. 
[color=7B81B3]”I usually tried to time my investigations with upswings in her mood. But the last time, there was… No way, really. She was so down, she kind of told me to just go. Like, in that loving way she does. Like she didn’t want to be a burden to me.”[/color]

He fiddled with a coin in his pocket, footsteps clacking against the concrete sidewalk.
[color=7B81B3]”If I know her, she clammed up to save herself. But, I doubt she’d do anything to hurt us, but… She’s a real control freak these days. If things aren’t going perfect, it gets dodgy.”[/color]
There was an unconscious grin that came over his face.
[color=7B81B3]”I’m not talking too much shit, am I Darling? I’d hate for you to get the wrong idea.”[/color] he said into the air, doing his best to give off the tough guy attitude he liked to put up for her when she was feeling low.


[color=7B81B3]”Don’t worry; we’ll get you back. I’m floating in anticipation.”[/color]
The clacking suddenly stopped, Ken’s wooden footsteps replaced by gentle pops that pushed dust away on the sidewalk. A smirk drew across his face as he ceased the playing and impacted the ground again.

[color=7B81B3]”Truthfully, Lynn, I can’t rule any of them out except the accidents. She’s too sharp for accidents, even these days with her attitude. Too tight laced. There’d have to be serious duress for her to make a mistake.”[/color]
He nodded as they came to a stop at a crossing.
[color=7B81B3]”Now, the one where she’s killing us? Not on her own. She’s not Batman; she doesn’t have a plan to kill everyone. She’d need serious backup, which means she’s somehow being empowered by a force that’s probably not her, or she’s found a crew of like minded individuals without asking me. Which would be cool, but also shitty.”[/color]

[color=F08080]“We need to find her, Ken, and the two of us together,”[/color] Lynn pointed between them, [color=F08080]“will draw her attention, you know?  She’s really smart, and if she is killing us I’ve just made us both targets.  If she’s not?  If she’s out there trying to protect us from the sidelines,”[/color] Lynn paused as a tear welled in her eyes, [color=F08080]“If she’s protecting us, i just want her to know that she’s not alone in this.  She can have help.  I know a spot, and if Kari is paying attention she’ll know exactly where my safe space is,”[/color] Lynn smirked, [color=F08080]“maybe she’ll come say hello.”[/color] 

Ken thought about where exactly Kari could be led to that she'd actually go to free of her own will. She wasn't exactly a traveler or much of an adventurer.
[color=7B81B3]”We'll do what we have to…”[/color]

He started to think about what it was that he was really chasing. It wasn't easy for him to separate his feelings into different categories, and they simply lived in a squalid pit together. Only Pride and Anticipation were standouts, the constant Lux exposure truly coloring his emotional spectrum in swaths of purple and gold.
[color=7B81B3]”You know… Where I come from, we don't date. Arranged marriages, targeted breeding and intermingling of the clans; rarely do people like me choose who to love.”[/color]

Targeted breeding?  Lynn knew that Ken came from an interesting backstory, but that…..

He stared up at the light for a moment, anticipation for the sign to cross welling inside him.
[color=7B81B3]”When I came here, I was fascinated by th social dynamics. Like, I never saw two Feminine-presenting people kissing, or being accepted as a pair. It was strange to me, and I couldn't understand.”[/color]

He frowned at Lynn.
[color=7B81B3]”Being here so long now, I understand that you're simply free to love who you come to love. So, I guess… You still love her? Probably just like I do? And you're free to, and obviously if it helps finding her that's good. But…”[/color]
Trying to think of all the things she'd explained to him, Ken tried to imagine what Kari would say.

[color=7B81B3]”I… What I mean is… That is to say, hoping, or knowing…”[/color]
The light switched, and Ken quickly pushed across the road as he stammered to find his footing in his own mind.
[color=7B81B3]”I am… Insecure. She's told me so. I am not quick to jealousy, so much as I am quick to despair. And she would be upset at me for even considering this. But I have to ask: Do you wish to remain with her? When we do inevitably find her, and ensure her safety and the safety of our Coven, will you pursue her?”[/color]

Lynn thought long and hard about the final question.  There was a part of her that so very much loved Kari.  A part of her that was very much in love with the idea of potentially getting back together.  [color=F08080]“No,”[/color] the tears welled a little more, [color=F08080]”no, our ship has sailed,”[/color] Lynn said as she wiped a tear from her eye, [color=F08080]”long ago.  I stayed on the docks and watched her steam away from me.  I had so many chances to get on board with her, you know?  I could’ve stayed with the most amazing person I have ever known.”[/color]  Lynn paused as she looked at the ground, [color=F08080]“I won’t stand between you two, Ken, that’s not why I want to find her.  I still love her, but I want her to be safe,”[/color] Lynn paused as she held back more tears.  In truth she wanted nothing more than to be back with Kari, but too much had happened.  Too much had changed.  Too much had changed, but not Lynn.  Lynn was still the very same person that ruined that relationship.

Ken took a long, deep breath.
[color=7B81B3]”Until this return, I don't remember speaking much to you. We hardly know each other, so you probably don't realize how useless I am…”[/color] he admitted.
[color=7B81B3]”Honor binds me to a duty: To hunt the Fiends who slaughtered my family and left me empty. Eight years ago, I had a wife. A child on the way. I… Can never give myself to her in a way that she deserves. I'm full of pain and loss. She needs someone dedicated to her, Lynn. Not to vengeance. And I've said that to her countless times, but she cares so deeply that she won't… Won't let go.”[/color]

Clearing his throat, Lynn would easily be able to tell that Ken was also getting emotional.
[color=7B81B3]”But she's no safer with me. No better off. I've even brought up… What is it? Polywog Love? Where, multiple people are in the relationship? I just feel so wretched… So, maybe now's your chance to make things right?”[/color] he finally suggested.

[color=F08080]“Polywog Love,”[/color] Lynn eyes were suddenly bright but confused.  What could it mean?  Lynn thought long and hard about the context of Polywog Love before a single loud, sharp gasp filled the air.  [color=F08080]“Do you mean polyamory,”[/color] Lynn asked with a bemused tone, [color=F08080]“If so, that’s a whole beast in and of itself,”[/color] Lynn smiled.  [color=F08080]“I’m a lot alike you I’m coming to learn tonight,”[/color] Lynn cleared her throat, [color=F08080]“some evil apparition is out there ensuring that my bloodline is cursed.  I’ve lost my entire family to this fucking thing.  My parents, my siblings, my cousins, my aunts and my uncles, and grandparents, great grandparents, so on and so forth going back to when my ancestors made a deal with a devil,”[/color] Lynn looked at Ken, a thought entered her mind forcing her to both smile and shake her head, [color=F08080]“what I’m hearing is Kari has a type.  Emotionally damaged, emotionally unavailable,,”[/color] Lynn chuckled as she began to count the traits on her fingers, [color=F08080] filled with so much anger for what the world took away from them but still kind enough to want to make a difference anyway.”[/color]

Ken was a bit shocked to hear it. He wondered if it was really an apparition, or some trans-dimensional monstrosity towing the line between that and true creature. It was difficult to know without experiencing it.

But what she was saying held weight. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Ken spun and wrapped his arms around Lynn.
[color=7B81B3]”She never told me…”[/color] he held her tight. [color=7B81B3]”But, who knows? Maybe this is our chance to do better. And when she's back, and everything settles down, maybe we can show her that she can have the best of both worlds? I'm not opposed, really, to… Poly[i]amory[/i]. I think she has that kind of love to give. Don't you?”[/color]

Why admit he didn't feel like he was enough? It paid, Ken assumed, to brighten her spirit more than it paid to imagine the nerves and hurt that would come from knowing that he had to share… But he was desperate to please without breaking his oath. Settling meant that it was all over.
But this could be a loophole. They may all be able to have their cake and eat it, if he just let go even a little bit.

[color=F08080]“The future is, as always, uncertain,”[/color] Lynn said with a genuine laugh, [color=F08080]“I’ve had my chance and I blew it, I don’t want to step in and ruin it again.  I don’t think it’ll be pretty for anyone involved, and I don’t want to ruin it for you.  I’m not opposed either, but I am not trying to push my way back in at the expense of you,”[/color] Lynn hugged Ken back all the same, [color=F08080]“but I  guess we’ll greet the uncertainty of tomorrow in a drunken stupor tonight”[/color] Lynn pointed to the store that was just up ahead, [color=F08080]“do you want to get drunk and reminisce about the ones we’ve lost,”[/color] Lynn asked with a raised eyebrow.

[color=7B81B3]”Too drunk, I begin to summon my allies from Gama. This is bad for multiple reasons, so I will exercise a modicum of restraint.”[/color]

He touched his pockets weakly.
[color=7B81B3]”Shimmer is a bureaucratic hellscape-”[/color]
Pulling one of his gold coins out, he held it up.
[color=7B81B3]”-Just about anywhere magical, you hand someone gold and they give you what you want. Here? You hand someone a gold coin and they have a conniption…”[/color]

[color=F08080]“Plastic is king here,”[/color] Lynn said with a smirk, [color=F08080]“drinks are on my friend.”[/color]

After a quick trip through the store, Lynn emerged with two twelve packs of a strong IPA in hand and several bottles of vodka in two bags hanging around her wrist.  As the duo approached the apartment complex she spotted two familiar souls.  [color=F08080]“Hey,”[/color] Lynn spoke to Jasper, and Lynn, [color=F08080]“you guys just….”[/color] Lynn paused as she saw Lila’s wings once again, [color=F08080]“just get in?”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“Yeah, yeah we did,”[/color] Jasper said with a fake smile, [color=98FB98]“I’m going to run up real quick and talk to Luca, can you give me a five minute head start?”[/color]

[color=F08080]“Sure thing.”[/color]

Lila simply nodded her head.  Jasper turned towards Ken and threw a quick wave as he headed into the building.

Watching Jasper head in, Ken gave a big wave. But, he was more happy that Lila was okay. He moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her and wobbling back and forth for a moment.

Oh this is nice.  Lila allowed Ken to embrace her and in that moment she forgot about the maiden, the vision, the claws, and the wings.  Instead she let her head rest on his chest, wrapping her wings around him for a prolonged moment before she released them.  This was nice.  

[color=7B81B3]”I’m happy to see you too… It was a little scary hearing Emily calling you out like that; so it’s good to see you in one piece. I’m only sorry we didn’t end it for good.”[/color] he said calmly, his hand rubbing her shoulder as he pulled out of the hug.

[color=DA70D6]“It’ll take more than Emily to bring me down,”[/color] Lila thought as her mind flashed images of Emily’s mangled corpse, [color=DA70D6]“Thank you though, Ken, it’s so good to have you back,”[/color] Lila finished with a smile.  

[color=7B81B3]”It’s good to be back in the presence of friendship. I often miss everyone’s antics, but your memories do help me. Occasionally, I pop back into the shimmer if I’m close to a door, just to see if anyone is using the land. The camping is year-round, so I always encourage people to use it!”[/color] he expressed to her, his lux sending little bubbles of telekinetic energy through her feathers.
[color=7B81B3]”But, I’ll be here for the foreseeable future. I find it so strange that now all we can do is wait.”[/color] 

[color=DA70D6]“Well at least the waiting is better with company, right?”[/color]

[hr]

Luca had gone up to the apartment as soon as Ken and Lynn went off for some drinks. His thoughts were calmer now after the time he’d spent with the two of them, and the time in that little air bubble. He pushed back down the Rot’s influence and began to feel a bit more himself.

It was difficult to get over what he’d done to Sloane. It wasn’t something he could view in any positive light. While he could understand while Jasper shot Carol, as much as he disliked it, and accepted that he and Sloane would be better for each other… There was nothing good that would come from how much he’d hurt Sloane. Apart from it bringing her and Jasper closer together, maybe. 

Something he was fine with. Completely fine with. There’d been no chance with Jasper anyway. He was straight, and why would he want to be with someone he couldn’t even get close to? Luca was happy enough being friends and keeping the warm, fuzzy feelings he had to himself. 

He sighed softly, pulling his legs up to his chest where he sat on the worn couch. He’d need to reach out to Sloane later to make sure she was alright and properly apologise… But not right now. His head drooped onto his knees, hair messily falling across his face as he closed his eyes for a moment. He just needed to rest a bit, and everything would be fine.

[hr]

After what felt like an eternity Jasper was walking up to Lucas’s door.  He had driven Lila here, which was difficult given her newfound wings, but left her outside with Lynn and Ken..  Jasper knew that Luca was more than likely feeling a thousand terrible feelings and he also knew the reason he left early and without him was because of them.  He needed space, he needed alone time, so Jasper did his best to accommodate them.  But he did not want to leave Luca alone all day.  For that reason, Jasper had made sure to stop at the store on the way home and grabbed a bag full of Lucas’s favorite snacks and a giant tub of ice cream.  As Luca taught him so many weeks ago, when someone is sad there’s nothing like ice cream.  Jasper grabbed the key to the apartment and opened the door.

[color=98FB98]“Hey,”[/color] Jasper said as he walked through the door, [color=98FB98]“I brought you the snacks that you like.”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”Oh, hey,”[/color] Luca looked up with a smile - it wasn't quite as bright as normal, so it was obvious he still wasn't feeling great. The time alone had let him at least gather his thoughts a bit, and get everything under control… but seeing Jasper again was a different thing. He'd brought Luca all of his favourite snacks. He was so thoughtful. Of course, it was what you'd do for your best friend. He shouldn't let it give him more false hope.

[color=6B8E23]”Where are the girls? You didn't leave them behind, did you?”[/color] Luca asked, quickly moving to a topic that wasn't him as he stood up. He awkwardly hovered a distance away, looking at the bags, then at Jasper. There was an awkwardness that hadn't been there before. Things Luca had to talk about but wasn't sure how to… Carol, what happened with Sloane. A lot. [color=6B8E23]”They both… didn't look so great.”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“They needed a moment to talk about what they saw,”[/color]  Jasper said as he rubbed his head.  So did he, but how to speech approach that conversation?  [color=98FB98]“They’re in my car, and should be up in a few minutes.  They’re better but nowhere near good, that whole fight was messed up,”[/color] Jasper sighed.  He quickly scanned over Lucas’s body, checking for signs of injury or pain and smiled when he saw neither.

[color=98FB98]“How are you feeling by the way, Luca?”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”I’m… well I'm as alright as I can be! What happened with Sloane was…”[/color] he grimaced. It was difficult to not still see it. To [I]not[/I] imagine it happening to all the other people he cared about. He knew it was always possible. A risk he'd tried to avoid until the coven got back together. [color=6B8E23]”It was bad. But I'll reach out to her and make sure everything's alright!”[/color]

He smiled again, moving to the kitchen - making sure to give Jasper a wide berth - to grab himself a plastic bowl and spoon for the ice cream. [color=6B8E23]”A lot happened, huh. I saw you… managed to make the rifle useful.”[/color]

Shit. [color=98FB98]“I, uh,”[/color]  Jasper started as he rubbed the back of his neck.  He walked towards the counter, giving Luca a wide berth as well, and began to pull things from the bag. He knew that Luca was very fond of Carol and he knew that Luca would not be happy that he semi-murdered his friend.  [color=98FB98]“I did yeah, I did get it to be useful and I think…I think I was the one who took Carol down.  Did you want to talk about that?”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”Yeah,”[/color] Luca said softly. He reached out for the tub of ice cream, quickly heaping it into his bowl, then also took a big chocolate bar. He broke up the pieces and mixed it into the ice cream - easier to carry, less risk of losing some of it to his abstraction. He then went back to the couch with the bowl, rotting fizzling at the plastic exterior slowly, and turned to look at Jasper. He wasn't sure how to word things. He wasn't mad at Jasper. He understood. But it didn't mean it didn't upset him. 

[color=6B8E23]”I’m not- I'm not really upset at you… I understand. Carol can heal any of them, but…”[/color] Luca trailed off, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth to give him a moment more to think. [color=6B8E23]”It still hurts her, and she didn't ask to be like that. Unlike the rest she's there because she has no other choice… Emily promised to help her. I just don't like seeing one friend hurting another, you know? I still hope we can settle things by talking…”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“No I get that,”[/color] Jasper said as he turned around and leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms as he did.  [color=98FB98]“Normally I would never do something like that, you know?  And I didn’t want to kill anyone who could actually die.  I figured that if I took out their biggest healer, we could force them to run away.  In the moment I did not think of how Carol would feel, and you’re right.  She did not ask for this, she’s just trying to get fixed and Emily is stringing her along because she’s more useful broken.”[/color] Jasper paused as he rubbed his temple.  [color=98FB98]“and I know you two are really close so I know it must’ve hurt you too.  I am sorry Luca.”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”Its alright, I'm not the one you should be apologising to…”[/color] Luca smiled slightly. [color=6B8E23]”I understand that you just did what we needed to, and that I'll need to get used to it if 8th Street keeps coming after Lila… I'm going to try talk to Emily’s sisters as well, see if there's anything we can do. But, would you mind apologising to Carol? I have her number.”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“I know, I know,”[/color] Jasper paused as he checked the time, [color=98FB98]“it was midnight right? When Carol respawns?  I can shoot her a text in the morning that way she can have her night without the chance of fuming over her killer, you know?  But I will apologise, give her the ‘hey, I murdered you and I’m sorry’ and see if she’ll forgive me.  I can do that.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Yup, midnight, I'm surprised you remembered,”[/color] Luca said, smile widening. It was difficult to stay upset at Jasper… not that it was really at Jasper. More the circumstances. They really sucked, and the main person at fault was Emily… [color=6B8E23]”Thanks for being willing to do that! She'll probably call you a motherfucker a few times but that's just Carol…”[/color] he trailed off and laughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. Jasper really was a great… friend. [color=6B8E23]”How was Sloane after I left?”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“I did not stick around Sloane as much as I could’ve,”[/color] Jasper trailed off.  She had Drake, Sully, and a few others to look after her.  [color=98FB98]“I spent a lot of time with Lila and Lynn.  Lila needed a few rounds of the chalice to close her wounds, and I did my best to lighten the mood for her,”[/color] Jasper paused as he leaned his head back, [color=98FB98]“Lynn needs a lot of support right now after what the mist made her see,”[/color] Jasper paused as he looked over to Luca, [color=98FB98]“You can say no to this, but do you mind if I ask what you saw in the mist?”[/color]

Luca's eyes widened for a moment, cheeks darkening slightly as he remembered what he saw - it was enough to temporarily push away his worries. Of course he couldn't tell Jasper… even if Jasper did somehow like him back, the hallucination had been way too embarrassing! That painting… with the heart cloud and the rose arch… it was too much. [color=6B8E23]”I didn't have the rot with me anymore, and everyone was happy. You were there- uh, and so were Olivia and Carol! They didn't have their apparitions either. It was just really nice and calm…”[/color] Definitely didn't involve Jasper pseudo proposing to him. [color=6B8E23]”What did you see? You don't have to answer either!”[/color]

[color=6B8E23][I]Please don't say Sloane.[/I][/color]

[color=98FB98]“I saw…..”[/color] Jasper trailed off, his eyes shooting to the ceiling to think of the words, [color=98FB98]“something I’ve been wanting for a while, something I didn’t ever really think would be around again you know?  I thought that part of my life was well and truly closed, but since I’ve been around you.... all again it’s become clear that I have a lot of introspection to do, you know?  So it showed me what’s at the end of that journey.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Oh…”[/color] Luca smiled, even as his thoughts raced. Something Jasper had been wanting for a while, that was around again? That had become clear after being around everyone? Around the coven? That he needed to do introspection for? It must be Sloane. He'd realised his feelings - seen a future with her - and it was pushing him to think about why he ‘hated’ her. Of course. That made sense. Who else could it be about? Definitely not him… haha, that would be too nice. [color=6B8E23]”Well… I'm glad you got something out of it! Sounds like we both had good visions, at least. Something for us both to work towards. Me towards being rot free,”[/color] and able to touch Jasper, even if that wouldn't happen even without the rot, [color=6B8E23]”and you with that… something you want. I'm glad.”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“Yeah…Something,”[/color] Jasper said as his eyes shot over to Luca and he flashed a warm smile.  Jasper knew he wanted to talk to Luca about these feelings but right now was not the right time.  With everything that happened with Sloane, Lila, and everyone else he wanted to wait venue he brought them up.  He had his suspicions about Luca, and he was certain he felt the same way, but he did not want the worst day of Luca’s life to be overloaded like that.  

[color=98FB98]“How about a chill ending to this day.  I think the girls will be down.  I can cook us all dinner, we can watch movies together, and we can rest up all weekend long and recover,”[/color] Jasper said with a smirk.

[color=6B8E23]”Sounds good to me… I think we all need it after [i]that[/i],”[/color] Luca smiled softlya at Jasper, seeming to relax more. He ate another spoonful of ice cream. [color=6B8E23]”Let’s just put on something easy to watch… maybe another bad one? Something we can chat and laugh through. Oh, we might need to think about sleeping arrangements if Lila still… has the wings.”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“She’s still got them….. how do we go about making her feel better?  Do we pretend the wings aren’t there, acknowledge them, I don’t know what to do,”[/color] Jasper said in response, [color=98FB98]“What would the sleeping arrangements look like what do you think?”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”I think we should pretend they’re not there,”[/color] Luca said, thinking about his own situation. He didn’t want certain issues brought up. [color=6B8E23]”I don’t enjoy the rotting being brought up, myself… And sleeping wise, I don’t know. I don’t think she can share Olivia’s bed with Lynn anymore. Maybe Lynn can take the couch and you…”[/color] sleep in my room, is what Luca wanted to say. [color=6B8E23]”I don’t know.”[/color] 

[color=98FB98]“How about-”[/color] Jasper started but was cut off from the sound of the girls and Ken entering the apartment.  Lynn lead the way and turned back to make sure Lila got through fine.  Lila, still not fully in control of the wings, struggled to fit through the door without catching the door frame.  She sighed as she turned to the side and shimmied into the room in full.  Once inside she flapped the wings twice on accident and sent a gust of wind through the apartment.  [color=98FB98]“How about I grab Lynn and Ken  and go get my camping set from home, my sleeping bag and mattress pad.  Maybe I can camp out in your room tonight?”[/color]

Luca was glad he was sitting down, because the gust of wind was strong enough it might have knocked him over… since his legs were once again feeling weak. He stood up after, one hand on the arm of the couch to support him, with a smile towards the girls. As if he hadn’t almost killed someone, and Lila wasn’t stuck with wings. [color=6B8E23]”That sounds like a good plan, Jasper… there’s plenty of space in my room, you should be able to sleep outside of my aura!”[/color]

Though having Jasper sleeping in his room was… something Luca really wanted, but also didn’t. He wanted it under different circumstances. Would he be able to sleep with his crush right there?! Maybe being so sick would be a blessing, since he’d eventually pass out anyway. He pushed the thought away, cheeks slightly red, and looked over at Lila. [color=6B8E23]”Me and Lila will pick out the movies while you’re away… but if you take too long there might not be any ice cream left!”[/color]

[color=98FB98]“I’ll have Lynn check if we need to stop,”[/color] Jasper said as he shot a wink Lucas’s way, [color=98FB98]“Lynn, Ken,  you’re with me.”[/color]

Lynn looked every part of a person who had just stopped crying.  Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen, and her makeup had run completely and there was no salvaging the kind of damage her tears had done.  She looked to Luca and flashed the weakest smile, then back to Jasper and simply nodded.  Lynn led the two out of the room, and Jasper turned around and faced Luca once more.  He flashed him a big smile as he closed the door and left with Lynn and Ken to hopefully begin the night of recovery for everyone.

[hr]

When it was just the two of them, Luca sat back down. He went to suggest that Lila sit next to him, but after a moments thought realised it… wasn’t really feasible. She’d have to properly stretch out her wings, and then they’d touch him and… he didn’t want to find out if they could rot too. [color=6B8E23]”Do you… want to talk about it? I understand if you don’t. But I’m happy to listen. I understand how shit dealing with an Apparition is.”[/color] As if to prove his point, he accidentally rotted another hole in the arm of the couch.

Lila found a chair and tried to sit down near Luca and struggled to figure out how to actually do it.  The wings seemed to get in the way of a comfortable position no matter how she tried to avoid it.  She had been given a white tank top that did little to hide the feathered chest beneath them but for whatever reason it made her feel less exposed to the world.  Eventually she simply wrapped the wings around herself and leaned forward in the chair to get the stem off then pressure point.  [color=DA70D6]“For whatever reason all of this,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked around her visit, [color=DA70D6]“is only like really really scary,”[/color] Lila paused as  let out a nervous chuckle.  She was terrified.  She did not know how to properly communicate this and instead tried to deflect with humor.  [color=DA70D6]“I thought I was done, you know?  I thought that Britney would be able to help me and steal away the apparition before it got to a bad spot,”[/color] Lila paused as she hugged herself tighter with her wings, [color=DA70D6]“but she still here.  She still is in my head, her body is coming out of mine, and that mist…. That fucking mist, made it perfectly clear that she wants to bring death and destruction to the world.  I thought Britney would be able to help me,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked down to the ground, [color=DA70D6]“and I got her drunk and let her try to do the sealing anyway,”[/color] Lila paused as she felt her tears coming to life once more.   [color=DA70D6]“I don’t know what to do Luca.[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”I’m sorry, Lila,”[/color] Luca said softly, looking at her with a knowing sympathy. He understood too well. He’d spent ten years trying to get rid of the Rot as he destroyed everything around him, and it ate away at him. But at least he still looked normal. He couldn’t live normally, but for now he looked… mostly human. [color=6B8E23]”I wish I had an easy answer. I’ve spent years trying to look into a way to get rid of the Rot. They don’t make it easy, do they? I’d hoped you’d been able to seal her but… I guess not.”[/color]

He shook his head, smiling at her and wishing that he could offer some kind of comfort. If only he could at least hug her. [color=6B8E23]”Even if Britney didn’t help, maybe someone else can. I know you won’t want to, but Greta was working on something for me before I left 8th… maybe once things die down we can talk to her? Either way, I’ll do all I can to help you… We’ll figure it out.”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Let’s make sure you get the cure first,”[/color] Lila joked, [color=DA70D6]“one month in and I’m going crazy, I can’t imagine ten years,”[/color] Lila cuddled her wings into her even tighter once more.  [color=DA70D6]“I have fucking wings that can glow green, I have fucking wings man.  I could get rid of them but the bitch didn’t tell me how.[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”You get used to it… and hey, worst case we get a little cottage in the middle of the forest and become the local cryptids,”[/color] Luca joked in return, trying to alleviate the… shit situation. Even if that wasn’t something he could do, because he wouldn’t be around there for it. [color=6B8E23]”If there’s a way for you to get rid of them… maybe it’s like how I can suppress my rotting touch. I had to figure that out myself too. Its… hmm. How do I describe it? I have to put all of my energy into willing it away, and concentrate on [i]not[/i] rotting things… Aha, that isn’t very helpful, is it?”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“That was…. One of my hallucinations.  I had one, and the maiden had one.  In mine, I was in the middle of the forest.  I had a home, a life there and I never really stayed in one spot for long.  Everyone still came to see me though.  No matter how I looked, they still came and treated me like a friend.  You tackled me.  So yes.  We could become the local cryptids, maybe cause a bridge to collapse on Emily who knows,”[/color] Lila joked as her wings no longer hugged her as tight, [color=DA70D6]“what did you see in the mist?”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”That one sounds a lot nicer than the death and destruction one… I’m sure we can make that happen. And no matter what, you’ll always be my friend, and hopefully one day I [i]can[/i] tackle you,”[/color] Luca said. Then, his face turned bright red when he thought about what he’d seen. It was just so embarrassing! But at least he could tell Lila about it… maybe it wouldn’t feel so bad if he did? [color=6B8E23]”Well, obviously I didn’t have the rot. Jasper was there and we… hugged. Fuck. This is so embarrassing, but he got out this painting! It was of us and I had a literal sunbeam smile, there were roses everywhere, and even the clouds were in the shape of a heart! He got down on one knee with it and asked me to be his boyfriend… Lila, it was so cringey! I can’t believe my mind came up with [i]that[/i].”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Oh my,”[/color] Lila said with a smirk as her wings unfurled completely and spread out, [color=DA70D6]“that’s the cutest one yet!  Do we know what Jasper’s was?  He didn’t look too beat up like Lynn so probably wasn’t with his friends again,”[/color] Lynn paused as she tried to lean back in the chair but stopped when she hit the base of her wings.  [color=DA70D6]“Luca that is so cute though,”[/color] the conversation pulled her away from the doom and gloom for at least the moment, [color=DA70D6]“You should tell him,”[/color] Lila crossed her arms with a satisfying smirk across her face.

[color=6B8E23]”No way!”[/color] Luca’s eyes widened, and he waved his hands in front of him, clearly very flustered. [color=6B8E23]”Jasper’s straight! He said his was about something he’s been wanting for a while so… I think it must’ve been someone else. We’ve only been in each other's life again for, what, a month? I can’t- imagine! ‘Hi Jasper, the mist made me see you pseudo propose to me with a sappy painting and a ring you pulled out of it, do you actually like me?’ I think I’d die of embarrassment before I even finished speaking!”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Honestly…. Yeah I’d rather out the maidens plan to raze St. Portwell then tell a guy that now that you mention it,”[/color] Lila chuckled, [color=DA70D6]““I can talk to Jasper for you, if you are okay with it?  I won’t tell him how you feel, but I can see if his wrist is a little limp you know what I mean?[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Yeah, it's super embarrassing,”[/color] Luca groaned, covering his face with a hand. He peaked at Lila through his fingers with a half smile. [color=6B8E23]”I mean maybe… test the waters. Nothing too extreme! I don't want him to get suspicious, in case it ruins our friendship. That's more important than anything… imagine how awkward it'd be for all of us.”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Don’t worry Luca, I am sneaky,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked around, [color=DA70D6]“I will be like “Yo, bro what’s up?  You like men right?  What’s that like?”[/color]

Luca’s shoulder started shaking as he tried to hold back laughter, but he couldn’t help it, bursting out into a laughing fit that ended in a series of harsh coughs. [color=6B8E23]”That’s- Fuck, Lila, haha that’s not subtle at all! You can’t just… say that to a straight guy!”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Trust the process my friend,”[/color] Lila joked as she couldn’t contain a laugh.  [color=DA70D6]“I won’t be that direct.  I’ll take him out in the next week, once we’re all recovered from the attempted hate crime, and work my magic,”[/color] Lila laughed again, and as she did she accidentally extended her wings out.  She did not freak out this time.  Instead she looked at them in detail for the first time with clear eyes.  [color=DA70D6]“Fuck the maiden and all but these are beautiful,”[/color] Lila took in a deep breath.  Her wings were indeed beautiful.

[color=6B8E23]”They are,”[/color] Luca agreed with a smile. They really were nice to look at, and he was glad Lila could at least see that a little bit after the pain she’d gone through when they came out. [color=6B8E23]”Maybe you can see if you can keep them when you deal with the maiden… But like, wings you can just pop in and out as you like. It’d be a cool party trick!”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Only if they don’t break my back open every time.  Like, imagine you’re the unlucky person who stands behind me at a party.  Just a face full of blood and skin,”[/color] Lila gagged at the thought.  Her eyes went wide.  [color=DA70D6]“Oh fuck I totally got a few of us  with the wings arrival,”[/color] she placed her hand over her mouth.  [color=DA70D6]“I need to text them and say I’m so so so so sorry for splattering them.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”It probably smelled better than those Zombies, so really it isn’t so bad?”[/color] Luca tried to joke, rubbing the back of his neck. [color=6B8E23]”But yeah, we both have apologies to make… Bit of a shitshow, huh? We really can’t catch a break.”[/color] 

That’s putting it lightly.  Lila pulled her wings in as she closed her clawed hands into a fist.  [color=DA70D6]“I’m going to get Emily back for all of this,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked at Luca, [color=DA70D6]“this shit show is entirely on her shoulders,”[/color] an idea entered her head.  She reached out to the murder and began to issue commands.  As she did, her eyes went black in an instant.  She commanded dozens of them to monitor the 8th street from afar.  Just to see if Emily made the fatal mistake of leaving her mansion.  They would be spread out all across the town and in the countryside.  Once one spots Emily, a second murder would converge on her location and shit all over her.  She commanded her crows to stay safe, away from those who could hurt them, but to cover Emily in shit.  Then, another idea entered her mind.  She sent out a third command, to the murder at large not in the second group.  Once a day they would shit all over the mansion, on the steps, on the roof, in the bushes, and on any car parked nearby.  

Lila’s eyes returned to normal as she severed the command.  [color=DA70D6]“Don’t worry Luca, I will make the transphobes afraid again,”[/color] Lila joked.

[color=6B8E23]”Oh yeah, they’ve been way too confident lately,”[/color] Luca laughed, hiding his concern at Lila’s eye change. She was in control right now, that much he could tell so… he put it to the back of his mind. [color=6B8E23]”Emily’s… a bitch. She deserves whatever comes her way. But… I’m going to try and talk to her sisters about some stuff. They’re nothing like her. I want you to know, because, well, Emily’s clearly targeting you.”[/color]

Lila smirked at the words.  Emily was targeting her, but Lila knew she had much more versatility.  Lila hoped that her murder would prove to be quite the thorn in Emily’s side.  Lila would need her murder to do much.  A war was declared, and Lila would do well to keep the bitch in her sight.  [color=DA70D6]“She’s going to get a lot coming her way,”[/color] Lila said with a smirk, [color=DA70D6]“I don’t want to hurt them, though, they seemed lovely and tried to stop Emily.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”They are. I honestly don’t know how they’re related to her… At least they didn’t come along today. They always tried to help me back when I was in 8th… Greta and Carol too. They’re not all bad but-”[/color] He coughed, smiling awkwardly. [color=6B8E23]”While I hope we can talk it out with most of them, Emily and Vashti… well, while they’re in charge, 8th won’t improve.”[/color] 

[color=DA70D6]“How are you feeling,”[/color] Lila added to change the subject.  They had talked enough about her problems, it was time she returned the favor for Luca.

[color=6B8E23]”I’m alright, just a bit tired after everything,”[/color] Luca smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn’t really a lie, because he did feel alright. Upset that he’d hurt Sloane, but it had happened and he was moving forward from it. He just had to not let it happen again. [color=6B8E23]”I’m really hoping that something like that doesn’t happen again… Or that next time no one tries to hug me, haha.”[/color] 

[color=DA70D6]“Yeah,”[/color] Lila knew that the best way to ensure that it never happened again was the painful death of Emily, [color=DA70D6]“I hope that we never have to experience something like that again.  It was cruel,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked at Luca, [color=DA70D6]“I hope you know that none of that was your fault though, hug included.  Emily is the one who holds responsibility for Sloane getting hurt, and Emily is the one who will be paying for it.  You had no control, and neither did Sloane.  I know you, and I know it’s eating away at you, but just remember that.  For me.  Okay?”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”I know, it was part bad luck from me being so close to Sloane when it hit…”[/color] he shook his head. What Lila said wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t entirely blameless. If he hadn’t been there Sloane wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Just going out he risked hurting people. He should have control. [color=6B8E23]”I can’t really pretend it didn’t suck, but I’m not going to let it get me down. I’ll talk to Sloane tomorrow, apologise, and move past it. It’s just after managing to avoid it for so long… Well, you’re right. Emily’s fault.”[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Let’s find the movie for the night, do you need anything?  I can do my best to scoop out some ice cream,”[/color] Lila offered.

[color=6B8E23]”Some more ice cream would be great, but don’t push yourself! Grab some as well… or other stuff, Jasper got loads of snacks!”[/color] Luca grinned. He slowly pushed himself up and went over to get his desktop turning on stick. It took a moment to control the rotting, but once he did he used it to turn the computer on. Once it was on he brought his keyboard and mouse over to the couch. He didn’t have much time before he’d rot through them, so he started searching immediately… he’d hand it over to Lila if he didn’t find anything before.

[color=6B8E23]”Ooo, what about this? I bet Ken will love it.”[/color] The cursor hovered over a movie called ‘Samurai Cop.’

[color=DA70D6]“Oh I don’t think I have ever seen that one,”[/color] Lila said as she walked into the kitchen.  She grabbed the tub of ice cream, and attempted to pull it open but her claws simply sliced through the lid.  [color=DA70D6]“Fuck. Well how about we wait until the lover boy is back,”[/color] Lila said as she used her palms to grab the tub and place it back in the freezer.

[color=6B8E23]”[i]Lilaaaa[/i],”[/color] Luca jokingly groaned, once again holding his head in his hands.

The door opened after a few knocks, and in came Jasper, Lynn and Ken, who in tow had a bubble full of camping stuff.
[color=7B81B3]”Arigatooooo, thank you for having me Luca!”[/color]
Ken’s face was a little flushed. Clearly he’d given into Lynn’s earlier suggestions and had, at the very least, a few sips of something between leaving and returning. 

[color=6B8E23]”Ken! It’s no problem!”[/color] Luca looked up at the three entering with a grin. [color=6B8E23]”The more the merrier! There’s plenty of space… Me and Lila were just choosing a movie- oh, Jasper, mind helping with the ice cream. Me and Lila… well, apparition problems, y’know.”[/color]

He stood up with a slight grimace, gesturing to the large livingroom-kitchen. It was mostly an empty space, though there were a few more undamaged chairs since Ken had last visited, courtesy of Luca ordering them for the other three. He’d made sure to avoid everything but his ‘side’ so the rot didn’t start destroying immediately.
[color=6B8E23]”Just put the camping stuff anywhere, Ken. We’ll figure out where everyone’s sleeping later!”[/color]

[color=7B81B3]”You’ve got it, my friend. LUCA! My Brother; I may not be able to help Sister Lila with her… Apparition issues… But! Yours, I can potentially assist with. It will keep my mind off of utilizing my Kin abilities. And I would like to test.”[/color] he offered, putting the camping things in a secure and out of the way corner of the open space.

[color=98FB98]“Apparition problems,”[/color] Jasper raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the freezer and opened it, noticing that the lid was sliced cleanly.  [color=98FB98]“That’s not a problem, I got you Luca,”[/color]

Lila walked to Luca and mouthed a “I got you” with a grin.

Lynn took a big drink from her beer as she found a nice spot to sit.  She looked at the movie selection and smirked.  A fun choice.

[color=6B8E23]”Thanks Jasper, bro!”[/color] Luca grinned, shaking his head at Lila with a laugh. She really didn’t need to do anything, it was fine. But with the ice cream (and possibly his love life) being sorted, he could give Ken his full attention. 
[color=6B8E23]”Of course, if you have something you think will work… Well, I’m willing to be the test subject. It’s not like it can get worse?”[/color] He laughed.

Ken shrugged.
[color=7B81B3]”If I remember, the Bastard’s trouble is radial… But, I wanted to see if I could force it back. I didn’t know if concentrating it in a Lux shell would concentrate it upon you, or if it would just… Let us be close to you for once. I’ve made a way to hug you at any distance, but… How tight can we get it?”[/color]

As he finished, Ken lifted his right hand and directed a great deal of Purple Lux into a phantom hand that closed itself around Luca’s arm. He could feel the weak particles being rotted in the air, and he started to close the gap tighter and tighter.
[color=7B81B3]”Tell me if it hurts you or anything… If it doesn’t, we’ll spread it across your body. See how it goes.”[/color] he said, tugging the rot closer and tighter toward the center of it’s infection.

Luca watched as the phantom hand wrapped around his hand, and started to squeeze inwards. At first, it was just tight and uncomfortable. Like an intensified prickling against his arm and a squeeze from the pressure itself. Then, as it got closer, it started to hurt. Like sharp nails were scratching across his skin, then they became burning hot. It was a pain he felt when the rot went more rampant, or the days where he wasn’t doing so well physically. Not quite the constant background ache that came with his condition, but not to the level of the rotting of his insides either.

Luca’s scale of pain was incredibly skewed. On a scale of one to ten, he’d rate a badly broken bone at a five. Yes, it hurt, but being able to let people close was worth suffering through it. Maybe not risking hurting others, only himself.
[color=6B8E23]”It feels fine, you can spread it, I think,”[/color] Luca smiled, no signs of pain visible across his features. He was well practiced at hiding it.

Ken grimaced as he felt a great deal of the particles slipping around from one edge to another. He was certain they were bounding directly through Luca with little care as to the thickness or shape of his flesh. Microscopic holes. But Luca was telling him it was fine. 
So Ken faked a smile, and let the sleeve of telekinesis wrap around Luca, slipping its way under his clothes and coating him until there was a strange sensation of suction. The layer disappeared, slipping just under the first few layers of skin. 

The result was a seamless subdermal coating, trapping the rot just below the skin and leaving Luca the freedom to see, hear and breathe at the cost of a constant low powered vibration echoing through his body.
And more pain… Whether or not he could handle it on such a scale, Ken waited with baited breath to see. 

[color=6B8E23]”Whoaaa,”[/color] Luca held out his hands, turning them, before touching the couch without rotting it away. He grinned. [color=6B8E23]”Ken, this is awesome.”[/color]

Of course, it was also incredibly painful. The rotting aura was trapped and pressed against his already rotting skin, all of the decay that affected around him suddenly trapped. It was bad. The vibration through his body amplified it as it forced straining joints to move slightly. But… it still wasn’t the worst pain he’d been in. This was the level of pain where he could still get out of bed, to eat and go to the toilet and maybe watch a movie. He wasn’t doing much more tonight. He could bear it. It was worth it. 

[color=6B8E23]”Thanks, Ken!”[/color] Luca said cheerfully, pushing to his feet and going over to hug his friend. It was the closest to a proper hug they’d had, different from the normal ones that Luca had always appreciated too. Standing was more difficult. His legs felt like they were being ripped apart, his muscles slightly trembling. But he was already in so much pain, he reached this level of pain [i]while[/i] destroying everything. 

Letting go of Ken, Luca spun around towards the kitchen, eyes locking on Jasper.
[color=6B8E23]”Jasper, look, I can actually get close to people!”[/color] Luca’s smile was bright as he went towards Jasper, slightly faster than the sluggish walk he’d made towards Ken. His chest constricted, breathing difficult as the rotting penetrated through his skin. Another step, and his leg went out from underneath him, sending him falling in Jasper’s direction.

Jasper was stunned.  Luca was walking, and he could actually move without worry of the rot.  Jasper put the bowl filled with ice cream down on the counter and crossed his arms.  It was incredible, the power of Ken, and Jasper wondered if this meant… [color=98FB98]“Oh shit,”[/color] Jasper thought to himself as he saw Luca start to fall.  He reached out, shot his hands under Luca’s arm, and pulled him steady.  However, he pulled him a little too hard and brought him in nice and close.  They were practically hugging.

[color=98FB98]“Well how about that?”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”Pretty… neat…”[/color] Luca panted out, chest heaving up and down. He automatically leant in towards Jasper, furrowing his brow. Maybe he couldn’t handle this after all… no, he’d just exerted himself too much by walking. It was just a bit… a whole lot of pain. Really hard to breathe. He could feel the rotting underneath his flesh, scraping away at his insides. No, this was getting worse. It still wasn’t the worst because… he was in control. There was no visible damage.

Just his heart’s weak thudding slowing down. His lungs being scraped by shards of glass. The distinctive feeling of his organs rotting. A feeling he was accustomed to and in tune with enough to know when it was worse, when it was killing him faster.

It was bad. He’d made a mistake.

[color=6B8E23]”Ken…”[/color] The single word came out as a weak whimper. Shit, this was really bad. Now everyone was going to be worried.

[color=98FB98]“Ken, take it away,”[/color] Jasper said to Ken with a panicked tone in his voice.

Panicked, Ken instantly released the spell to a comfortable distance, being sure to bump Jasper and anyone else away from being too close. He’d been extremely happy to see Luca so excited, but now it was far more sour. 
He opened a hole in the bubble and began to circulate air through it to try and give Luca some extra comfort as the Rot’s influence expanded again.
[color=7B81B3]”I knew it! I felt it, the way everything was so weak… Like it could all crumble! I should not have kept going… I’m so sorry, my friend… What do you need? Can I make it better!?”[/color] he pleaded against the barrier.

Luca had slouched to his knees, not able to keep himself up, one hand on the plastic flooring beside him as he took deep, heaving breaths. The intense pain subsided, and the pressure on his lungs and heart reduced. Blood, already rotten, pumped around his body again. It still hurt. It still hurt a lot, but it had reduced back down from a level of actively damaging… At least, just the normal amount of internal damage he was constantly suffering.
[color=6B8E23]”It’s alright, Ken, it wasn’t your fault,”[/color] he said when he finally had enough air in his lungs to do so, holding up the hand not supporting it and shaking it slightly. He didn’t want Ken blaming himself. He was the one who’d said it didn’t hurt and decided to risk it. He hadn’t expected it to be so fast or deadly. [color=6B8E23]”I just need a bit of time to recover… It’s not that bad. Just a bit of rotting under my skin- aha, I’ll have to hit the gym again to get those muscles back.”[/color]

He coughed rather than laughing at the poorly made joke, holding up an arm that clearly hadn’t had much in the way of muscle strength in the first place. Of course, it had rotted much more than that. Luca knew that of all the people here, unless Lynn had peered into his future, Ken had the best idea of how bad it was. It was difficult for Luca to hide fully from one of the few people that had visited him over the years. But, still, the internal damage wasn’t so obvious. He’d like to keep it that way.
[color=6B8E23]”What I really need… is to lie down on the couch when I can move, with some ice cream, and a movie, and friends.”[/color]

[color=7B81B3]”Don’t move! I know I’ve got tricks that won’t… Won’t hurt you.”[/color]
His hands flicked between one another again, and Luca’s body simply floated. It didn’t cover him in the same way, and having been affected by Enlighten before, Ken figured Luca wouldn’t struggle.
With a phantom hand, he patted Luca’s head and floated him to hover in place just over the couch. He touched him down softly, half smiling as the whole situation settled.
[color=7B81B3]”There… I wish there was more. Jasper, maybe, will feed you ice cream so you can save the spoon.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Thanks Ken, you’re the best,”[/color] Luca smiled brightly, as if he hadn’t been dying moments ago, and it hadn’t taken a further toll on his life. His cheeks darkened slightly at the suggestion, furtively glancing over at Jasper. [color=6B8E23]”That would be… nice. Y’know. My [i]best friend[/i] helping out.”[/color]

Lila simply found a bar of chocolate, broke off a small chunk as best she could, and ate the chocolate with a smile on her face.  She looked at Luca, flashed her eyes over to Jasper, then back to Luca and simply raised her eyebrows twice in quick succession.  Lynn, meanwhile, downed another beer and watched the scene unfold in real time for the first time.  This was apart of one of the possible futures she’d seen, and she knew that Luca and Lila were going to try and sus out Jasper.  She could spill the beans ahead of time, but she much preferred letting everyone take it at their own speed.  She turned to Jasper and tapped her fingers on an imaginary watch.

[color=98FB98]“I gotchu bro,”[/color] Jasper said with a wry smile.  He grabbed the bowl of ice cream, a spoon, and walked over near Luca and sat down to his side, just out of range of the rot, and scooped a small dollop of ice cream and held it out.

[color=6B8E23]”Thanks, man,”[/color] Luca blushed slightly but tried to play it out with a casual response, leaning forward to eat the spoonful of ice cream. He smiled at Jasper afterwards. It wasn't like it meant anything… Jasper was just helping him out! Totally straight friend ice cream feeding. Ken had suggested it too so that just made it a normal friend thing. 

[color=6B8E23]”Oh, does someone want to start the movie? I already picked one out with Lila,”[/color] Luca pointed to the keyboard and mouse sitting on the floor some distance from the couch. He turned his head slightly to look at Ken. [color=6B8E23]”I think you'll really enjoy this one, Ken, it's… got some kind of Samurai in it.”[/color]

Ken clicked his tongue between his teeth, settled up on the floor with his sandals off and his legs twisted into a pretzel. He sat upright like a board, and had pulled his sweater off to sit in a tank top with his abnormally toned shoulders and neck on display. As well as what looked to be a tattoo; the curse mark in the shape of the Fiend’s Teeth.
[color=7B81B3]”Samurai? Poor guy. What do you mean by some kind?”[/color] he questioned flatly.

[color=6B8E23]”Well, the movies called Samurai Cop and,”[/color] Luca forced himself to look away from Ken's muscular shoulders (it was a respectful look) towards the large screen, which was showing the movie title and poster. He gestured to the white guy with long hair prominently in it. [color=6B8E23]”I’m pretty sure that guy is the Samurai so it's… not very traditional? But it looks fun!”[/color]

As soon as the shirt was off Lila’s eyes went black.  Her vision focused on the muscular definition, getting a much more clear visual thanks to her enhanced vision.  She immediately shook her head, returning her eyes to their normal color, and looked away from Ken.  As she did, she fumbled with the chocolate bar in her hand and dropped it to the ground.  She struggled to pick it up with her talons.  Lynn just took a sip from her beer as she reached over and hit the play button.  Jasper meanwhile had his eyes lingering on the muscular frame of Ken.  He did not let them linger for long, returning them back to Luca with a smile, but he did enjoy what he saw.  

[color=98FB98]“I’ve watched so many interesting movies since I started being around you Luca,”[/color] Jasper chuckled as he looked over to the screen with a schule, [color=98FB98]“I think this one will continue that trend.”[/color]

For once, Ken found himself silently staring in awe as this movie played out in front of him. The warning and everything, it all just passed by as he listlessly stared into the screen as though he was taken in by it all. He was a cop, mostly. Ken failed to see how he was a samurai, mostly because it didn’t really go over his financial or social situation beyond being a cop. He trained, sure, but Ken was just waiting to see what was going to happen.
The truth was, he wasn’t exactly a high-minded individual. Concept building, subtext, implication; they didn’t sit well with his straight forward brain. Most of the time, rather than getting hung up on it, he just let it roll away.

So he found no reason it couldn’t be the same here. He was a samurai simply because he had a sword, and that was all the audience needed. Sure.
Ken found himself laughing aloud, not thinking about anything besides being entertained by the goofy spectacle. A phantom hand popped the fridge door open, bringing over a bundle of beer for everyone to have.
[color=7B81B3]”Kanpaiiii!”[/color] he took one and raised it up as the cap magically peeled away.


Luca wasn’t quite as engrossed in the movie as Ken, turning towards Jasper to get spoon fed more ice cream here and there, but he was enjoying it enough that it was easier to ignore his aching body. He laughed quietly - because some of it was so ridiculous, rather than a good comedy. But it was fun… and it was fun because he was watching it with his friends.

[color=6B8E23]”Oh, Ken, mind grabbing me a soda?”[/color] Luca asked, grinning brightly over at him. Then he looked back at the screen in time for yet another [i]amazing[/i] reaction from Frank, now his favourite character. He pointed. [color=6B8E23]”Y’know, I think I should start just pulling faces like that in the back of coven meetings… I think it’d really improve things. Whenever someone says anything stupid…”[/color]
He laughed.

“Compared to me, you’re all nothing,” Lynn did her best Anya impression and pointed to Luca for the face.

Luca pulled his lips into a thin, slightly downward pointed line, eyebrows raised and eyes slightly narrowed. Then he turned his face more towards Lynn, eyes widening and lips forming a silent ‘oh’ of disbelief.

A can of soda lazily slid into Luca’s point of view, snapping open and pouring itself into a little canless bubble for Luca to slurp it through, courtesy of Purple Lux’s most useful of Telekinetic principles.
All Ken could do was smile as he held one hand in position to channel the spell. His headband, and channeler, was tied tight around his right bicep, which it mostly hid from view. 

[color=F08080]“Can I get another, another beer Ken,”[/color] Lynn asked with a slight hiccough.

[color=DA70D6]“Me toooooo, I would get one myself but,”[/color] Lila moved her clawed hands and sighed.

[color=6B8E23]”Having you around is great, Ken,”[/color] Luca grinned, drinking from his little canless bubble… It was nice not having soda mixed with rust. [color=6B8E23]”I think we’ll all forget to walk if you keep doing things like this for us.”[/color]

Ken was fixated on the movie before him, just giggling at the absurd banter and actions found within. In his head, he found himself being strung along by anticipation’s strength. This translated into his Purple Lux manipulations being strongly on-point. The beers floated about the room now, dancing their way from the fridge to be popped open cold and fresh before the requesters.

[color=7B81B3]”You know…-”[/color]
Ken shifted on the floor to a kneeling position. From his sweater pocket, he produced a sheathed Tanto blade covered in strange, reptilian motifs crawling up and down its scabbard. Another beer floated on, and as Ken placed the knife down, he cracked open the beer.
[color=7B81B3]”Tennogama will like this movie.”[/color]

His hands flicked, and from the sword, a faded figure grew more and more solid in the room. It got a little humid even, as through the mist, Tennogama’s figure and form were scaled down to sit perfectly alongside Ken. 
Those who had seen the massive toad previously on Ken’s property would recognize that he was, unlike usual, clothed in what was some incredible robes that resembled the pants that Ken was wearing.

Big golden eyes blinked around the room, and he cleared his throat before letting a croak rumble through the living room. He did not speak, but the sides of his mouth curled up into a slight smile, and he raised one padded hand to wave at the attendants.
[color=7B81B3]”Did you see, Tennogama?”[/color] Ken asked, putting the beer down in front of the sword as an offering.
Magically, a tankard appeared in Tennogama’s hands. He simply croaked again in response. Ken’s head spun around to smile at the others.
[color=7B81B3]”See? Very excited reaction.”[/color]

Luca twisted around slightly to look at Tennogama with slightly wide eyes, raising a hand to wave. He’d seen him before the few times he’d been able to visit Ken’s, but had always made sure to keep his distance. His touch may not be so deadly for an Apparition, but it weakened them.
[color=6B8E23]”That’s-”[/color] Luca didn’t want to say that the croak didn’t sound excited at all, just like… a normal croak. Well if Ken said it was an excited reaction, it must be. He grinned. [color=6B8E23]”Good to have you, Tennogama! Glad you’re enjoying it too.”[/color] 

A light tap at the window caught Luca’s attention. It was the perfect volume that only he and Jasper, closest to the window, would be able to hear it. He carefully turned his head away from Ken towards the window. At first all he could see was a single, skeletal finger. Then, glowing eyes. When they caught Luca’s eyes, another hand raised to wave. Luca’s heart started thumping in his chest. They were back- but why now. Wait. This was an opportunity to show everyone else, even if they couldn’t talk about it!

[color=6B8E23]”Jasper,”[/color] Luca whispered, nodding towards the window. Jasper would understand. He’d know what to do.

Tennogama, without true physicality, was little more than a presiding ghost among the group. But he was keen, and still ready to read aura. Eyes twisted in the socket, moving toward the window in the search for prey. After all, though many may not recognize, Toads are predators in their environment. In the microcosm on which they most often feed, they are behemoths. Goliath, threatening with their ear shattering war cries as they amble and trudge through the mud toward whatever insect they’re eating.

He felt an insect rattling at the window now. There was another croak, but Ken was already too distracted by the movie and the beer to come about. His phantom-like frame stood, trudging toward the window slowly.
Thankfully for Luca, the projection was just a projection. The rot couldn’t do what it wished to the deific creature, for all of its physicality lay within the blade that sat on the floor with a beer. Rather, he stuck his ethereal form through the wall without struggle, eyes narrowing at the intruder outside.

Skelly’s eyes narrowed as what would’ve been lips curled downward. They pointed to the giant toad and quickly pointed behind themself with their thumb.  They then pointed to Jasper, and Luca, and used their thumb to point to their own chest, showing the giant toad that those two were theirs.  Using their top two hands Skelly showed the giant toad that he wanted to strangle them.

Tennogama’s throat was consistently growing the entire time that the entity tried to mime out what it wanted to say.
By the time it was finished, his upper body had practically doubled in size. The fabric of his robes was pulled taut against his frame, and he began to shake slightly. Eyes glazed over, padded hands tightened their grip on the wall.

The croak that he released would’ve shaken the building if he had physicality…
But then the tongue flew out of his mouth, causing Skelly’s mouth to go wide with fear.
[hr][center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjEwNi43NjY3NjcuVTJ4dllXNWxJRVpoY21sei4w/bachelorette.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/r7scdkh.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/QIUSezo.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/ycOCuCr.png[/img]
[sub]With [@Atrophy][/sub][/center]
 [right]Saturday, 10am
[code]Tranquil Haven Park[/code][/right]
[hr]
Sloane eyed joggers with suspicion as she made her way to the entrance of Tranquil Haven Park. She had been one of them once, dressed head to toe in pricey athleisure, running in motion at a crosswalk waiting for the hand to become a little green guy while checking her fitbit, enjoying the fresh air while feeling the burn, just annoying the piss out of everybody else who woke up with an aching hip and a bad back. Since Father Wolf she had condemned herself to the treadmill, suddenly finding the prospect of going out alone and running through parks with heavily obscured sightlines a bit more terrifying than before. It’d be a lie to ever say that she had felt safe, but back then she had at the very least felt prepared. Now uncertainty clouded her mind, making everything grayer like the autumn skies above.

Sloane wrapped her arms around her as the wind blew, the brown leaves rustling past her through the iron bars of a creaking gate, as she posted up against a stone pillar next to the entrance. Slow anxiety gripped her stomach, a feeling she thought would go away when she saw Luca round the corner and half-raised her hand to get his attention, falsely believing that company would be the cure. The feeling didn’t vanish; if anything, the sight of Luca amplified it. She was scared, actually, a natural response to seeing something that had almost killed her, but it wasn’t instinctual self-preservation that put her on pins and needles. She wasn’t scared because of Luca, she was scared for Luca.

[color=silver]“Hey,”[/color] said Sloane, managing to steel herself enough to make eye contact. 

They should probably move out of the entrance, if only to keep Luca away from the Blind. Tucked away off to the side of the park, in the opposite direction of the gazebo where they had their first meeting, was a small amphitheater where occasionally local actors would recite Shakespearan sonnets or a ten-person folk bands would perform covers of Wagon Wheel to a crowd of mostly empty stone stands. Sloane only knew about it because she had attended what she had been told was going to be an auction there before, realizing quite quickly by the amount of people in denim overalls that it had really been more of a rummage sale and having to excuse herself after becoming involved in a heated discussion that just because something had belonged to a grandparent and had sentimental value didn’t also immediately mean it had any kind of material value. Given the weather, it was probably unbooked for the season.

[color=silver]“Thank you for sa—”[/color] she started, wincing ever so slightly as she pivoted what she was going to say and turned abruptly, heading off in the outdoor theater, as she said, [color=silver]“Thank you for coming. Let’s find somewhere that’s not so busy.”[/color]

When Luca appeared at the entrance of the park and spotted Sloane, he smiled warmly as if the last time they'd met hadn't nearly killed her. He ignored the anxiety eating away at his stomach - or perhaps it was just the rot. The tingling pain was difficult to differentiate, sometimes, as was the harsher breathing. He wasn't entirely sure what they were going to talk about. He'd apologise as much as he had to, of course... And make sure she was alright. She did look fine, at least. 

[color=6B8E23]”Of course! I'm always happy to meet up, and have plenty of time,”[/color] Luca said cheerfully. It was obvious at first glance that he'd dressed to cover as much skin as possible. A worn jacket which revealed skin-tight long sleeves underneath it as it moved, and gloves sealing any gap. His pants were almost too long, ragged edges occasionally brushing the ground, and the light scarf around his neck was stifling in the autumnal weather. Underneath his chin was a surgical mask - just in case. 

He followed Sloane towards the amphitheatre. It was quiet - very few people would choose to sit around in the colder weather, and even less on stone seats when there were slightly more comfortable benches dotted around. Luca found a spot on one of the lower steps. He glanced at Sloane, and tried to figure out if he should stay standing to take a seat... Well, he wouldn't be able to stay standing for long. Even after some healing from Sully, yesterday had taken a toll on him. It was thanks to Sully's healing that he was able to get out of bed at all.

[color=6B8E23]”Mind if I sit down? My knees aren't great these days,”[/color] he shrugged, still smiling, and took a seat on the stone steps anyway. It was a good material - more difficult for him to get through, though he wasn't so concerned with the amount of layers he was wearing. He couldn't quite hide the grimace as his legs protested under the sudden bending, his arm moving out to support himself on a higher step on the way down. He straightened them out when he was sat, alleviating the aching slightly, and looked up at Sloane. [color=6B8E23]”I'm really sorry about nearly- for hurting you so badly. I should've been more careful. Are you feeling better now? I know it's a lot of pain to deal with, even if you got healed after...”[/color]

[color=silver]“Stop,”[/color] said Sloane, dismissively waving her hand. She stood away from Luca, arms crossed, staring at the empty stage. She chewed on the inside of her lip, having noticed the pained expression on Luca’s face as he sat down. [color=silver]“You don’t owe me an apology. What happened wasn’t your fault.”[/color]

It wasn’t entirely true. They could easily blame 8th Street or even go as far back to rightfully point a finger at Britney, but the Rot should’ve been sealed a long time ago. She didn’t understand how after all of these years Luca still carried the Rot with him. She lowered her head, wondering if she maybe just did not care until it had affected her. She shifted uncomfortably and glanced sideways at Luca. 

[color=silver]“In fact, I’m sorry. I should’ve been the one to have reached out, and I definitely should’ve been the one being careful,”[/color] said Sloane, turning towards Luca. Her hand tightened on her sleeve, remembering how much of a burden she had become once 8th Street had unleashed the undead horde. She hated how useless she was in a fight. [color=silver]“I’m only alive now because of you, so thank you. Seriously. You saved my life. Anyway…”[/color]. 

Sloane sighed, a genuine look of concern breaking through as she asked, [i][color=silver]“Are you okay?”[/color][/i]

[color=6B8E23]”It's what anyone would've done, but... You're welcome, I'm glad I was able to help you out."[/color] Even if it had resulted in him hurting her afterwards... Saved, and then nearly killed. Ironic, wasn't that what Britney had done for him? But he was grateful for the ten extra years he'd gotten.

Luca tilted his head, a hint of confusion crossing his dark eyes at Sloane's question and concern. Had he been obvious about the pain when he sat down? Or did she... Figure it out? No, he was good at hiding the reality. Maybe she was worried he'd be upset that he found out she liked Jasper? No, it wasn't like [I]he[/I] made his feelings obvious either.

[color=6B8E23]”Yeah, I'm good! Having a reason to go outside always makes it a good day,”[/color] Luca smiled, lying easily. It didn't feel so much like a lie. This was just how his body was - constantly hurting and deteriorating. Since he'd accepted his death he'd really become alright with it. Maybe his 'okay' wasn't the same as other people's, but that was fine, right? He'd learned it was better not to dwell too much on the negatives. Today, he was outside. He was able to walk. He truly was okay.

But... Sloane's genuine, visible concern confused him. He wasn't entirely sure where it had come from. And for someone as expressionless as her to show it, she must be really concerned. But why? Unless... [color=6B8E23]”You, uh, didn't hear anything I said while affected by the mist, did you?”[/color]

[color=silver]“I don’t know. I thought you were—well, it doesn’t matter,”[/color] said Sloane. [color=silver]“Look, there was some concerning stuff I noticed when we had all met up at Auri’s, and then last night I thought I heard something.”[/color] 

Sloane took a seat on the same stone stand Luca was on, giving him a generous amount of space. She recalled the off things she had noticed at the first meeting: Luca’s aversion to hospitals, the prescription pill bottles he had dropped when his bag had disintegrated. Honestly, given all of the burner phones she had at first thought he’d just decided to deal drugs and perhaps even sampled some of his own supply. At the time it had been the easiest way to explain why Luca had seemed so chill when his wrist had been broken.

[color=silver]”When I asked if you were okay I didn’t mean if you were good. I’ve known you long enough to know that you always just say that you’re good. Let’s pretend that I didn’t hear anything you said while confused by that mist,”[/color] said Sloane, blinking away the sudden panic she felt at the realization that if she had actually heard Luca then that meant Luca could’ve heard her.  [color=silver]“Given your question, I now refuse to believe that there isn’t something else. If it’s none of my business you can just tell me it’s none of my business, but I want a real answer this time.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Luca, are you okay?”[/color] asked Sloane, staring at him, looking for any signs of further lies. 

 [color=6B8E23]”I…”[/color] Luca’s smile wavered slightly. Technically it was none of her business - but it was also coven business. He was like this because of Britney… Which was part of the reason why he didn’t want anyone to know. They’d pity him and hate her more. So, he’d tell a different half truth. He didn’t want to just brush off Sloane’s concern. He glanced away as he continued. [color=6B8E23]”Not always. I’m basically chronically ill. I have good days and bad days, but it's manageable-”[/color]

[color=silver]”Shut up. I know that you’re dying.”[/color]

Luca froze, lips slightly parted around his next words and eyes widening. She had heard… and she knew. Something that he’d managed to hide from everyone in the current coven, and nearly everyone in his life. Shit. He hadn’t wanted it to get out at all. [color=6B8E23]"Yes, I’m dying. The Rot’s killing me slowly… I haven’t known for long. Not properly, at least."[/color]

He looked back at Sloane with a peaceful smile. There were no signs of distress or blame in his expression. Since she already knew, he would be completely honest. Sloane could… probably take some of the details he generally tried to withhold. [color=6B8E23]"I managed to keep the Rot suppressed long enough to get a short checkup at a hospital. They couldn’t figure it out, because I’m rotting from the inside. But they could tell me that I’m dying… They said I probably only have a few years left. But with the rate things are going, I think I’ll be lucky to have one."[/color]

Luca looked up towards the sky, letting out a soft sigh. In a way, it was nice to talk about it. The only person he’d really spoken to was Greta, who’d figured it out before he could even try to lie about it… and then it had spread a bit in 8th Street. But he’d hidden it from even Olivia. [color=6B8E23]"The real answer isn’t so nice, is it? But I’ve accepted the inevitable, after doing what I could to get rid of the Rot."[/color] 

[color=silver]“Sounds more like you gave up,”[/color] said Sloane mechanically.

She exhaled in frustration and leaned forward with her hands folded and her elbows resting on her knees. A curtain of black hair fell over her face and hid her expression from Luca as she angrily stared at the ground, grinding a dead leaf into dust with the toe of her boot. While everyone else was banding together to take down Father Wolf out of the hope of securing their own future, Luca was doing it knowing that he had none. It was admirable. It was unfucking fair. If anybody deserved to be rotted alive from the inside it was the psychopath that had adjoined the apparition to Luca.  Sloane sneered. No, nobody deserves something like that, not even Britney. She wiped her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear, staring forward, unable to look at Luca. 

[color=silver]“Sorry, I’m being a bitch. Don’t listen to me. That just…sucks. I have no idea what you must be going through,”[/color] said Sloane. She scoffed and shook her head, almost as if she were laughing at herself. [color=silver]“What am I saying? Last night wasn’t the first time I’ve almost died, but it was the most pain I’ve ever been in. To have something like that drag out for years…”[/color]

She covered her mouth with a hand, trying to comprehend how long he must’ve been in pain, becoming indignant that he hadn’t said anything sooner, rather frustrated with herself that she hadn’t spoken to him sooner. Her eyes darted around the amphitheater as if she was searching for a solution that someone had carved into the stone. The others had sealed Apparitions before, but as far as she was aware the first step in the process was coaxing the Apparition out of its host. She couldn’t recall a time she had ever even seen the Rot. 

[color=silver]“Yeah the real answer is not so nice, but being nice usually doesn’t come to a real solution either, ”[/color] said Sloane, sitting back up and turning her head to Luca. A hint of heat radiated off of her words. [color=silver]“How long have you known?”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]"Two years."[/color] 

[color=silver]“Two…two years? And you didn’t tell us? Luca you’re a…you’re a fucking idiot!”[/color] yelled Sloane, punching her own leg for emphasis, [i]idiot, idiot, idiot[/i] echoing off of the amphitheater. [color=silver] “You’re not dying from some terminal illness. You’re being poisoned—murdered—by something Britney Williams did to you and you haven’t said anything? Why?”[/color]

[color=#6B8E23]"[/color][color=#6F9121]W[/color][color=#73951F]a[/color][color=#77991E]s[/color] [color=#80A11A]a[/color][color=#85A518]n[/color][color=#89A917]y[/color][color=#8DAD15]o[/color][color=#92B113]n[/color][color=#96B512]e[/color] [color=#9FBD0E]a[/color][color=#A3C10D]r[/color][color=#A7C50B]o[/color][color=#ACC909]u[/color][color=#B0CD08]n[/color][color=#B4D106]d[/color][color=#B9D504]?[/color][color=#BDD903]![/color][color=#C1DD01]"[/color] Luca snapped, eyes flashing with uncharacteristic anger and flecks of green around the edges. He grimaced, twisting away and raising a hand to massage his forehead. Taking a deep breath, he was able to push down the sudden irritation. It was getting harder to keep a hold of his emotions… shit… it was progressing faster than he’d hoped. 

When he turned back towards Sloane, he was calm again, the normal Luca with a smile and optimistic outlook. [color=6B8E23]"I understand why you’re angry, Sloane, but what’s the point in telling anyone? I’ve spent [i]ten years[/i] looking for a way to get rid of it. I know people would help even without this… detail. I don’t want to worry the people I care about… and I don’t want everyone to turn on Britney even more. We don’t need that.”[/color] 

While he hadn’t forgiven her, he didn’t want to hold onto that resentment either. He had for a while and it had only fueled the Apparition inside of him. [color=6B8E23]"I just want to live the rest of my life peacefully. If I told people, they’ll spend the whole time worrying and treating me like an invalid. I don’t want that."[/color] 

Sloane had recoiled in surprise when Luca snapped at her. She couldn’t recall a single time she had seen him get angry before. It was the only thing that had kept from immediately opening her mouth again to retort. The words settled in instead. Was anyone around? Certainly. Probably. Just not her. Ten years and outside of a chance run-in or Merry Christmas text she had never even bothered to check in or even think about Luca. She was a bad friend.

Hell, until now she wouldn’t have even considered Luca to be a friend. Sloane had dehumanized him by identifying him only as a victim. On occasions she had worried about him but only in the pitying way one worries about a dog locked inside of a hot car with the windows rolled up on a summer day but takes no action to help, immediately forgetting about the sad sight the following day, only ever thinking about it on some restless nights where it’s three hours before her alarm and she still hasn’t fallen asleep, mixed in with a storm of other past regrets that fade once more by the morning time. She had been doing everything he was afraid people would do to him if they found out before she had even found out. It made her feel gross. 

But the thought of letting him continue talking like this felt even worse. Any further silence and she would feel as if she was condoning his behavior. Maybe she was doing the wrong thing here, but the other option was inconceivable. 

[color=silver]“You’re full of shit. You are so unbelievably full of shit,”[/color] said Sloane, jumping up to her feet. She approached Luca, stopping just as the hairs on her arm began to tingle. [color=silver]“You wouldn’t be here if you wanted to live the rest of your life out peacefully. You’re not that selfish. I saw the look in your eyes last night when Sullivan was putting me back together. You were terrified. You didn’t want me to be hurt. You don’t want anyone to get hurt.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Let me explain something to you. Earlier I said that last night was the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I lied. The worst pain I ever felt is a recurring one that comes whenever it wants, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing,”[/color] said Sloane, shoving a trembling hand into her coat pocket, her voice breaking for a second. [color=silver]“It’s the pain that comes whenever I think about Jade or Jinhai , knowing that not only will I never see them again, but that I never even really had the chance to say goodbye. It’s funny. I’ll eventually learn to accept that they are dead and never coming back, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I didn’t have a chance to tell them how much they actually meant to me.”[/color]

[color=silver]“You said you don’t want to worry people who you care about. If you actually care about those people then you’d do the right thing and tell them what’s happening to you,”[/color] said Sloane. [color=silver]“Because that pain I feel is chronic. I’ll have it until I die.”[/color]

Luca’s eyes widened, and he shuffled backwards when Sloane approached him. There was that fear in his eyes again - the fear she’d get too close and he’d hurt her again. He didn’t want that. His hand shot up to his mask, going to pull it over his face but pausing when Sloane stopped just outside of his aura. [color=6B8E23]”Of course I didn’t want you to get hurt… or anyone else. [i]I[/i] don’t want to hurt anyone.”[/color]

He looked away, recoiling as if Sloane’s words had wounded him. His fingers dug into his pants, scrunching up the fabric. He knew, deep down, that she was right. The kinder thing would be to tell people and let them prepare. Was not telling them selfish? Yes, probably. He didn’t want to deal with it. The crying, the worrying, the coddling. Having to deal with everyone else’s preemptive grief while his own mental state deteriorated. [color=6B8E23]”But isn’t it cruel to make them suffer for longer? Do you feel like by knowing, my death will be easier?”[/color] 

Luca turned back to Sloane with a sad, sympathetic smile. [color=6B8E23]”The pain would still be there. Maybe you’d have more closure, but the pain would always still be there. That’s just grief… and I’m sorry you have to carry that.”[/color] 

[color=6B8E23]”I know you’re right. I should tell everyone. And I will, eventually. But there’ll come a point where I can’t be around anyone. You know what I’m more scared of than dying? Losing this,”[/color] he tapped his head. He felt that he owed it to Sloane to at least be as honest as he could be, when she was being so honest with him - even if it was in a rough manner. He got it. He could see it all came from a place of concern. [color=6B8E23]”And I will. My body isn’t the only thing that’s rotting. Eventually, I’ll lose myself, and I don’t want anyone to be there when it happens. If I tell everyone… it’ll be more difficult to just disappear.”[/color] 

A heavy silence fell between the two as Sloane held her tongue. The first thought she had was to hit Luca with a harsh counterpoint: if he had already given up and accepted that he was going to one day lose his mind, then what did it matter what he wanted seeing as how he wouldn’t even remember it happening? The second thought was that she was a terrible person for even thinking about saying that. She imagined that if she was in his situation she’d do the exact same thing. She wouldn’t bother telling anybody too, knowing that she’d be driven insane by the pantomime of people pretending to care about her just so that other people would think they were kind. 

Of course, she would never be in his situation. It was just one of the many privileges that came with having access to Lux.  Her fingers brushed against the frayed edge of her old tarot card channeler.  [i]The pain would still be there.[/i]  Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible change in her expression as she balled up her channeler as if it were a piece of rubbish. Sloane scoffed to herself, realizing that for a moment she had almost let someone suffering from brainrot to convince her to listen to him. Luca was wrong. Her pain wasn’t grief. Grief was inevitable. The deaths of Jade and Jinhai had been preventable. She suffered from regret, and she knew that she would regret it forever if she allowed Luca to make her believe for a second longer that his rotten end was inevitable.

[color=silver]“Luca,”[/color] said Sloane, sharply slicing through the silence, her face softening as she stepped back to her spot and took her seat again, giving Luca more than enough personal space. [color=silver]“I’m sorry. I want to say that I understand, but that just would be belittling. I doubt that I could truly comprehend all that you are going through. All I really know is that you don’t deserve this. Sometime ago I may have suggested that sealing an apparition to never use it again was an act of cowardice. Given what I know now, I think it’s safe to say that I was extremely, horrifically wrong. As an apology, I promise to stay silent about this. You may tell the others when you think it is right.”[/color]

Sloane fished the crumpled tarot card out of her pocket and smoothed it out on her lap, the wrinkled Queen of Swords looking as if she got a fresh injection of counterfeit Botox. She shifted herself to sit cross-legged and turned so that she was directly facing Luca. She gave Luca a soft, almost shy smile. 

[color=silver]“No, that doesn’t feel like it’s an appropriate enough apology, especially considering that I still owe you my life. What if I just make it so that you don’t have to talk to anyone about it at all?”[/color] asked Sloane rhetorically. [color=silver]“So, how have you tried to get rid of our Rot problem? I don’t want to go down any paths that you’ve already found to lead nowhere.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Thanks, Sloane, I appreciate you trying to understand, at least,”[/color] Luca smiled warmly at her, feeling relief when she promised not to tell anyone. He had never been hung up on her implying that many years ago - in fact, he’d understood where she came from. It was reasonable to see magic as a gift when to many it was, and to see it as something they should use to help others. He would if he could. He’d come back in the hope that he could help. 

[color=6B8E23]”Hey, I’d hardly say you owed me your life, after I almost ended it right after- surely that makes it even?”[/color] Luca waved his hands in front of him but, at the end of the day, he couldn’t really say no to her offer of help. Because he did want rid of the Rot. He’d spent ten years trying to figure that out, with help here and there. He didn’t want to be a burden on others by making them help him, but he’d also gladly work with them. Sloane seemed to genuinely care and want to help… Well, of course she did. She was a good person, even if she was a little rough about the way she went about things.

[color=6B8E23]”I won’t say no to your help.”[/color] Luca smiled, the slight tension still held in his frame disappearing as he relaxed. He didn’t have to defend himself anymore, or talk about his inevitable death. Even after accepting it, it didn’t get easier. [color=6B8E23]”The most obvious method is sealing, but that requires the Rot coming out of my body. It never does that, and it never takes over if there’s a risk of that. It’s too smart for it to be that easy. Back… before the coven dissolved, after you left, we tried using the Apparition Killer on me to get it out. It started to rot the tip of the blade as soon as it touched me. Since then I’ve mostly been looking into methods to drag it out. Talking to people, researching… Kari was working on something before we fell out. Greta too, before I left 8th. She’s made me potions but none of them have worked yet. I’ve been looking for any kind of artifact that would help, and I’ve tried asking around the friendlier factions. It's been difficult with limited resources and movement.”[/color]

[color=6B8E23]”Basically, it needs to be something that will force an Apparition out in a way that it can then be sealed.”[/color]

Sloane leaned forward, elbows on her knees, fingers bridged in front of her lips, and listened. It was news to her that Ashley had tried to help Luca back in the day. She had always assumed their old leader was so far up her own ass that she was unable to even see the problems that others were having. Ashley had never bothered to bring it up when Sloane had demanded she hand over the Apparition Killer a few days before the woman had been murdered, arguing that it was wasted in her incapable hands. The corner of her mouth twitched as if it had been hooked by a feeling of guilt, thankfully hidden from Luca. As for Kari? Well, it wasn’t a very big surprise that she had turned out to be a disappointment. Sloane had a similar experience where Kari had suddenly shut her out of her life, too. 

But that wasn’t what mattered now. 

[color=silver]“The Rot being strong enough to tarnish an artifact like the Apparition Killer is…quite something,”[/color] said Sloane, unable to say what she truly thought: it was absolutely terrifying. She spoke softly, thinking out loud, [color=silver]“Perhaps something could be crafted with Orange Lux to remove the Rot, but I don’t know what that would be…”[/color]

Sloane wasn’t a creator. She was a plagiarist. Her magic took something someone else made and corrupted it. Even with Anya’s help she doubted they would be able to craft a spell, let alone then create an artifact, in the time Luca had left. Sloane’s face soured. There was the slightest possibility that Sloane’s mother might know something, but the door for learning from her had been closed, locked, sealed over with brick and mortar and followed with the slaughtering of the masons to keep its location a secret so that it would never be unearthed many years ago. It would be nothing but a painful waste of time. 

[color=silver]“The likeliest of ways to exorcise the Rot would be with Black Lux. Maybe Lyss—”[/color] Sloane suddenly stopped and glanced away. Another preventable loss. Sloane shook her head.

 [color=silver]“I don’t know. I’ll think of something. It’s not like you’re actually an idiot. If the solution was so simple you would’ve already found it.”[/color] It was pretty much the closest to a complement Sloane was typically capable of making. [color=silver]“In the meanwhile we can focus on taking preventative steps. Slow the Rot down. Keep you being you. Stormy might be able to keep an abjuration aura on you, although he’d basically have to be attached to your hip the entire time. Plus, he’d undoubtedly ask questions. Sullivan, then? A daily dose of the Chalice could greatly extend the time we have, and he’s so thick he would believe any excuse you feed him.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Would you be willing to do that?”[/color] asked Sloane. 

[color=6B8E23]”I would be, as long as it can be done safely,”[/color] Luca said, nodding. He decided to ignore the derisive comment she made towards Sully - who was also his friend, but there was no point starting an argument over it. [color=6B8E23]“I can’t drink directly from the Chalice without damaging it too, but we had our methods… I’m sure they still work! I’d rather that over Stormy… I think he’s already a bit suspicious, and he has his own life to live.”[/color]

He smiled genuinely at Sloane. While he hadn’t wanted her to find out - because he didn’t want anyone to find out - he was glad she’d been willing to hear him out and help. Some of the others would only panic, or get overly sympathetic. He appreciated actions more than words. [color=6B8E23]“Thank you, Sloane, seriously. It's been quite lonely looking for a solution by myself after Olivia left… and then I’ve been too sick to do it at all recently. Something the Chalice will help with. It’s mostly physical, thankfully. The mental symptoms… are minimal. Memory loss, and the like.”[/color]

Luca put a hand on one of the higher steps, bare fingers peeking through fraying gloves. As they came into contact with the stone it started to visibly erode beneath them. Grey dust formed and was quickly carried away by a light breeze. Luca didn’t even notice as his fingers sank down into the rock. Sloane stared at the step, her pulse quickening, but she did not say anything. 

[color=6B8E23]“If you find anything you have my number- oh, but since I have to change phones a lot I’ll sometimes miss messages. If I don’t respond… Well, Jasper’s probably your best bet,”[/color] Luca gave a knowing smile, ignoring the knife stabbing into his chest at the thought of them being in contact. [color=6B8E23]“Maybe you can get closer too.”[/color]

[color=silver]“W-w-what?”[/color] 

Sloane’s eyes snapped back to Luca, wider and more alert than he would ever have seen them, as her cheeks reddened. Why would he say something like that? Had Jasper asked him to—a wave of horror swelled over Sloane, her pupils tiny like pinpricks, as the crashing realization flooded her private beach, the undertow dragging her out to sea. If she could hear Luca in his hallucination, it only stood to reason that Luca had been able to hear her. It felt for a moment as if she were truly drowning. A shaky hand rubbed at her flushed throat. 

[color=silver]“O-oh, shoot! I’m going to be late for my meeting with Auri,”[/color] said Sloane, glancing down at her wristwatch. She sprung up to her feet, frighteningly animated for someone normally so reserved. She looked as if she was a deer about to bolt, but then the reality of their situation set in. The park was a nice place for a private conversation, but the secludedness was a double-edged sword. 

[color=silver]“Walk me to the gate?”[/color] she asked. Requested, really. How could Luca not oblige? 

The pair left the amphitheater the way they came, separated by a healthy amount of space, although as they walked back a peculiarly lively Sloane protested all a bit too much. 

[color=silver]“I can tell you right now that Jasper is anything but my best bet, I mean, I swear, he just has it out for me for no reason, it’s absolutely ridiculous, he probably wouldn’t even answer the phone if I called and, anyway, I don’t know what you think you heard but it’s was probably just part of a hallucination, or even if I did say anything it’s not like what I said actually means anything, like it did with your situation but that doesn’t necessary mean it would with my situation, not saying that I’d have a situation, honestly, if anyone has a situation it would be Jasper, I mean, did I tell you how he painted a painting about me, like who even does that, he’s got like some weird kind of obsession, I mean get this last night I’m like,”[/color] 

She finally took a breath, [color=silver]“Almost completely naked, not by choice (not to bring up a sore subject, but anyway)  and he just waltzes over after not saying anything to me at this meeting or the last one and just goes, [i]feel better, okay[/i], like why would he even do that, and besides, my point is that I don’t understand why you would think we should get closer, like even if hypothetically I was interested in him, which I am most certainly not, but let’s say that if I maybe was it isn’t like he’s single anyway.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Is he?”[/color] she finished, having blabbered the entire way to the gate, a hint of hope in her voice.

[color=6B8E23]”Sloane, you obviously like him,”[/color] Luca said bluntly, laughing slightly. He tried to ignore the tightening in his chest as it got a little more difficult to breath. It was just an ache that came with his decaying body, that was all. He'd accepted last night that Jasper was more likely to like Sloane than he was to ever like him. They'd look good together... And as a friend of them both he should help with that, right? [color=6B8E23]”I heard some of what you said in the mist… don’t worry, I won’t judge you, I get it. I’m rooting for you guys.”[/color]

Jasper had even painted something about her. That hurt more than anything else. Jasper had painted Luca when they became friends again as a gift but… it had been stolen by the skeleton haunting them. But it wasn’t about him, it just was him. He was sure the one about her came from deeper in Jasper’s soul. Maybe it showed his true feelings? [color=6B8E23]”He said that because he was concerned for you… And yeah, he actually is single.”[/color]

Luca smiled tiredly - hopefully Sloane would just figure it was from his sickness of the body rather than the heart. He pulled up his surgical mask to cover it up anyway. [color=6B8E23]”Well, I won’t keep you from Auri. Thanks again, Sloane.”[/color]

[color=silver]“Nuh-uh, thank you, Luca,”[/color] said Sloane, smiling slightly, her defenses immediately shattered by his bluntness, her silence serving as admittance, the bubbling anxiety eased by his support. Jasper was concerned about her? She wanted to believe that was right, and for the first time wanting that didn’t make her feel so perplexed.   [color=silver]“See you later.”[/color]

The two parted ways, Sloane feeling a little less weight on her shoulders despite choosing to bear some of Luca’s burden and walking with a bit of spring in her step. Luca was a really nice guy, a good friend, and proof that she needed to curb her growing indignation to the rest of the Sycamore Tree Coven. Sloane came to a crosswalk and turned to look back at Luca, watching him go away from her in the opposite direction. Her good mood shifted as he turned the corner, disappearing from her sight. She realized something. She didn’t want to see him go. No, no, no, that wasn’t quite it. 

She was afraid Luca wouldn’t come back, or that he would come back but it wouldn’t actually be him. Sloane rubbed her hand where the Rot had eaten through her flesh the other night, reimagining the pain coursing through her body. Luca had said something that in the moment she had glossed over it, but in hindsight it terrified her:[i] [color=6B8E23]”My body isn’t the only thing that’s rotting. Eventually, I’ll lose myself, and I don’t want anyone to be there when it happens. If I tell everyone… it’ll be more difficult to just disappear.”[/color][/i] 

Her hand tightened into a fist. It didn’t make any sense why he would want that. If his mind was destroyed, then what took over his body?  She clenched her teeth, her jaw firm, her eye twitching. Running away when the Rot could take over his body at any moment was absurdly dangerous. An Apparition strong enough to resist the artifact that had allowed them to take down the Stygian Snake? Something like that just couldn’t be let loose in the city. Her whole body burned as visuals of a rotted city flashed before her eyes. She told herself that she shouldn’t even waste her time thinking about it because it wouldn’t come to that. She would save Luca. The little red hand became a green man. Yes, she would save Luca, she knew she could, there had to be a way, but if that failed, if it was what he wanted against the safety of everyone else…

She’d cross that bridge when she came to it. She would cross it without a moment’s hesitation. For now, however, she just simply crossed the street.
[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QIUSezo.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/ycOCuCr.png[/img]
[img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjExNi5hY2FjZWYuUTJ4aGJtTjVJRkJoZEhKcFkycy4x/burn-out-fade-away.regular.webp[/img]
[h1]Miranda and Jacqueline Reid[/h1]
[sub]With [@Zombiedude101] [@Shin Ghost Note][/sub][/center]
[right][code]Saturday, 12pm
Dairy Queen[/code][/right][hr]

After what happened at Kari’s house, and setting up [i]yet another[/i] new phone, Luca got back in contact with Jacqueline to meet up. After a bit of back and forth they agreed to meet at Dairy Queen on Saturday. There was enough outdoor seating that there wasn’t a major risk of Luca accidentally touching a Blind. 

Luca had arrived a bit early, finding a table away from anyone else who’d chosen to sit outside on a cold November day eating ice cream. Thankfully, it was just a few people here and there. He’d dressed as if it was twenty degrees colder - hat, scarf, gloves and most of his skin covered. He even wore a mask on the lower half of his face, which he pulled down to his chin as he took a seat. Better to be safe, after what happened with Sloane.

[b]”Was it [i]her[/i] that did it to you?”[/b] A familiar voice spoke up from the booth behind him. The boy was tucked into the corner, wearing an oversized raincoat and baseball cap that just barely fit, with no sign of the 

[color=6B8E23]”Huh?”[/color] Luca spun around, thin frame tense until he spotted who was talking to him. He let out a soft sigh of relief. The ‘it’ was obvious, the her… just as obvious. But as Luca smiled at Clancy, he didn’t quite give a direct answer. He didn’t know [i]why[/i] he was asking. [color=6B8E23]”If you mean the person that adjoined my Apparition to me… I have no hard feelings towards her, so it depends why you’re asking.”[/color]

[b]”And you're [i]okay[/i] with that?”[/b] Clancy's expression crinkled, betraying his confusion.

The last time they'd met, he’d been a smoldering patchwork of charred rags and jagged flesh, with several punctures that bled into an emptiness within him. 

Now, he was back in clothing, not even a scraped knee to show for it. [b]”Anyone even [i]try[/i] to help you?”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”I grew to be okay with that,”[/color] Luca said softly, smiling at Clancy. He genuinely looked fine with it. And he mostly was, after all these years. He assumed that Clancy’s… sympathy came from being in a similar situation. Luca hadn’t figured out exactly what he was, but adjoined was one of the possibilities. 

He could tell the Rot knew, but it refused to tell him. [color=6B8E23]”Some did, at first. When I was part of 8th Street, people there were trying to help. As for Sycamore… well, most went back to their normal lives and I never asked for help. Now some are helping - Sloane, Adora. Ah, but-”[/color] 

His expression turned slightly more pained. [color=6B8E23]”Your cousin tried to remove it using the same knife we used to kill the Stygian Snake, before the coven dissolved. It didn’t work.”[/color] 

[b]”I'm [i]sorry,[/i] for what it's worth.”[/b] Clancy said, like aome distant guest at a funeral offering formal condolence, but there was a subtle indicator of sadness in his tone, [b]”I thought she could help me too.”[/b]

With [i]what[/i] he needed help was left unanswered, for now.

He shifted the conversation quickly, [b]”I've heard about the knife. Where is it now?”[/b]

Luca tilted his head. So Clancy was similar to him, the way that he needed help with however he was. But he wasn’t going to press about something the kid clearly didn’t want to talk about. [color=6B8E23]”Lost, I think. I’m a bit out of the loop, but no one found it after Ashley was killed. It’s worrying that it’s missing.”[/color]

[b]”Who would know?”[/b] Clancy slid out of the booth, paced over and inserted himself adjacent to Luca, keeping to the corner. The bagginess of his clothes suggested they weren't made for him. [b]”Those [i]assholes[/i] following that cheerleader?”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”I’m not sure,”[/color] Luca shook his head, brow furrowing as he thought about it. Who’d last seen Ashley? He wasn’t sure. [color=6B8E23]”There's a chance Emily or her coven has it. They’ve been stealing Artifacts for a while… but I think if they did she would’ve rubbed it in our faces. Sloane might know something. She kept track of a lot of our Artifacts- but she also lost a fair amount of her own.”[/color]

[b]”Got the feeling [i]she[/i] won't be much use anytime soon…”[/b] Clancy's remark wasn't intentionally pointed at Luca or his part in the [i]incident[/i] that had led to Sloane's injury, but it was a careless one  nonetheless.

Judging by the skinny latino's tightened expression, the boy realised this too late.

[b]”I didn't mean like [i]that[/i],”[/b] he bristled, awkwardly correcting[b]”Not judging you. Hurt more people than your [i]parasite[/i] ever will. It [i]sucks.[/i] But that's… tough luck, I guess.”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”It’s alright,”[/color] Luca shook his head, expression relaxing. He hadn’t felt like Clancy was attacking him with his words, rather it just reminded him of the danger he posed to others. [color=6B8E23]”You’re right that it sucks. If I could control it, that would be one thing, but I just destroy everything I touch. I’ve… managed to avoid something like that for years, until yesterday. So yeah, tough luck, I suppose! I won’t be letting it happen again.”[/color]

[b]”You control [i]what you can,[/i]”[/b] Clancy's leaned forward, his gaze locked on the latino, [b]”You remember who you are and hold onto it with everything you have, because the [i]other[/i] way things go is that you lose yourself and…”[/b] he trailed off, holding the thought for a moment.

[b]“I've been there. It [i]sucks.[/i]”[/b]

Their conversation was interrupted by Jacqueline and Miranda entering the Dairy Queen. Jacqueline wore a brown leather jacket, a white tank top with her pink bra exposed, and blue jeans and brown cowboy boots. Miranda wore a mini-skirt and a T-shirt with Gorillaz album Demon Dayz over her chest with black boots. They both sat on the booth across from Clancy and Luca, and Miranda waved at him.

Jacqueline placed the Expert’s Book on the table, before asking, “Luca, it’s great to see you again.”

[color=6B8E23]”Jacqueline, Miranda!”[/color] Luca grinned, waving to them both. He pushed the conversation with Clancy to the back of his mind - losing himself, and just how possible it was, wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on. [color=6B8E23]”It’s so nice to see you both… It’s been a while, huh? How have you been? And oh, thanks for the heads up yesterday!”[/color]

He then looked at Clancy, and back at the two of them. [color=6B8E23]”Uh, this is Clancy, Ashley’s cousin. He… tagged along.”[/color]

Both Miranda and Jacqueline grimaced.

“... It’s great to meet you,” Jacqueline broke the awkward silence, smiling at Clancy as she said. “No, problem, but we have been… good.” 

“Busy,” Miranda said. “I guess we owe your Coven an apology for what happened at the Halloween Festival...”

“... And Kari’s House,” Jacqueline sighed.

“... Yeah,” Miranda began. “... [i]And Kari’s house.[/i]”

[b]”You're [i]sorry.[/i]”[/b] Clancy said, tone bristling with sarcasm, [b]”So why are you wasting your time with that [i]Prom Queen?[/i]”[/b] he pointedly asked, his crinkled eyes fixated on Miranda, [b]”She obviously doesn't give a [i]shit[/i] about any of you.”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”Hey, hey, let’s not be like that,”[/color] Luca held out a hand towards Clancy, trying to diffuse things a little. He hadn’t exactly been invited, and Luca had wanted it to be friendly. [color=6B8E23]”Emily’s their older sister, you know how it is with family…”[/color]

[b][i]”Knew.”[/i][/b] The boy corrected him, unfaltering in his withering gaze. [b]”That's all gone, now.”[/b] It was true. His family were [i]gone[/i], save for the daughter that Ashley left behind, and she was better off away from the lot of them. 

“And we weren’t talking to you,” Jacqueline told Clancy.

Luca smiled at Miranda and Jacqueline, mouthing an apology, before continuing. [color=6B8E23]”And she should be the one to apologise… Though I know she won’t! You guys shouldn’t have to clean up after her mess, but… I’m glad. Hopefully we can talk it out sometime. Britney I get, but Lila… is it really just for what happened at the festival?”[/color]
“Yes, but-” Miranda sighed before she was interrupted.

“... You never said you were bringing a kid along,” Jacqueline said, pointing at Clancy, “We shouldn’t be talking about this in front of him.”

Luca laughed awkwardly. [color=6B8E23]”I didn’t invite him, he just kind of turned up! Funny, that… If I was going to bring anyone along, I would’ve told you- and it probably would’ve been Lila herself!”[/color]

He then turned to Clancy with a questioning smile, asking in a surprisingly upbeat but blunt tone, [color=6B8E23]”You weren’t following me, were you?”[/color]

The boy shrugged his shoulders, dismissive. [b]”Making sure your favourite serial killer isn't finding an easy mark.”[/b] There was more to it than that, but he hadn't wanted to elaborate at that moment, [b]”I have my reasons.”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”... I live with three other people just now, I’m rarely alone.”[/color] Luca’s smile didn’t waver, even though he found it strange. He rubbed the back of his neck, turning to the Reid sisters. [color=6B8E23]”He’s been sort of coming along to the coven meetings so I guess… he’s sort of part of it? I already, uh, told him about the Expert’s Book before Emily attacked us.”[/color] 

Jacqueline’s jaw dropped.

“... You did what?” Jacqueline asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Luca… [i]Luca…[/i]” Miranda rubbed her temples, shaking her head before she said. “... Who else did you tell about the Expert’s Book?” 

“Look, you remember [i]I’m[/i] the only person who can use it?” Jacqueline asked. “Right? [i]Right?[/i]”

[color=6B8E23]”I, uh, yeah, course I remember that,”[/color] Luca’s fingers dug into the back of his neck as he looked upwards, the picture of someone who’d realised he’d fucked up. [color=6B8E23]”Kind of… everyone? Who could hear, uh… Jasper, Lila, Lynn… Ken, maybe? I was explaining 8th Street to him and, y’know, saying [i]how[/i] you guys are part of this whole Father Wolf thing without… being Father Wolf.”[/color]

His smile finally wavered as he struggled to not just dump everything on them. [color=6B8E23]”I brought it up cause we had a recollection about Kari, and we were trying to figure out… literally anything about Father Wolf. I thought I could talk to you about it and see if you knew anything just, I kinda said it out loud. Big mistake, I know, I’m sorry! Hopefully no one-”[/color] he glanced at Clancy, [color=6B8E23]”-else comes after you for it.”[/color]

[b]”I remember you now,”[/b] Clancy’s crinkled eyes tightened a little further, cold condemnation boring back at their disapproving faces, [i][b]”Why are you all so obsessed with stealing from some dead slut?”[/b][/i]

He’d echoed, word for word, what Emily had said while 8th Street had picked apart Kari's cabin.

[b]”That’s what your [i]sister[/i] said, right? While you were trying on a dead girl’s panties like a couple of high schoolers.”[/b] For a moment, a joyless grin formed across his lips - almost hideous in the way the lighting cast across it - before straightening out, [b]”[i]That[/i], and the part about affording [i]shit[/i] a million times more than what that [i]whore[/i] could afford.”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”That wasn’t Miranda and Jacqueline, that was Maya and-”[/color] Luca tried to interject, but was quickly cut off by Clancy slamming a palm on the counter, hard enough that the latino might’ve noticed the crack forming just across from him, at the edge of the table.

[b]”And no, it’s not [i]his[/i] fault I’m here. But Ashley is dead. She was family. So are others that were supposed to be her friends. Some are assholes. Some-”[/b] and for a moment, Clancy's gaze shifted back to Luca, [b]”-are not. But that list of dead people is [i]growing[/i], and forget Britney - all while this happens your [i]sister[/i] is trying to kill someone because... high school crap?”[/b]

[b]”So-”[/b] he continued, ready to speak over anyone who tried to interrupt, [b]”Unless you [i]want[/i] to be seen as one and the same, or you just want to get [i]stuck like a pig[/i] by the asshole that’s doing it, it makes sense to use this magic book of yours. Help us [i]find[/i] this asshole, before he kills you and [i]your[/i] ‘friends’.”[/b]

Jacqueline and Miranda looked at each other before Jacqueline shook her head.

“We weren’t members of the Old Coven,” Miranda corrected him. “He’s not coming after us, anyway… And we aren’t responsible for what other people do...”

“... You think we haven’t tried?” Jacqueline said with a roll of her eyes, before she grabbed the book, put it in her lap, and continued, “You think we aren’t worried for Em? Vashti? Greta? Luca? Lynette? You think we wouldn’t help if we could?”

Jacqueline opened the book, looked down at it, and said, “Oh, wise and all-knowing Expert’s Book, tell us everything about Father Wolf.”

After a few seconds, Jacqueline slid the Expert’s Book across the table. It had reduced from a comprehensive lexicon to a one-page leather pamphlet. 

“This is all we can get from Father Wolf,” Jacqueline said.

Warily, Clancy leaned forward with an outstretched palm to turn the binding cover over and view the book's contents.

The singular page was blank on both sides. Just a white sheet of paper.

“... I don’t know how, but the book doesn’t know anything about Father Wolf,” Jacqueline shrugged. “Which means he has some information-denial abstraction, or….” She sighed.
“... He doesn’t exist.”

Luca just [i]stared[/i] at the blank pages, then back up at Jacqueline. Shit. This wasn’t good. If he didn’t exist… well, that just didn’t make sense. He had to exist. How could he not? [color=6B8E23]”If Father Wolf is only an identity he uses for this murder, the book would know, right? It… has to be the former. Shit. I’m sorry, I thought you might have information and… wondered why you didn’t share it. Because I know you both care.”[/color] 

He rubbed the back of his neck again, grimacing. [color=6B8E23]”But this isn’t good… another dead end.”[/color] 

[b]”You're not the only ones with access to this, are you?”[/b] Clancy asked, his tone only just softened compared to before, [b]”Someone else in your..  crew, maybe?”[/b]

“I’m the only one who can use the book,” Jacqueline said. “As in, if someone else tries to use it, the pages will go blank.”

[b]”Cool.”[/b] Clancy shrugged, betraying  no particular emotive response one way or the other, [b]”Convenient too, I guess. You trust her, then?”[/b] he addressed the question to Luca.

[color=6B8E23]”I trust her,”[/color] Luca nodded without hesitation, shocked expression relaxing slightly as he smiled at Jacqueline and Miranda. [color=6B8E23]”I trust them both more than I do a lot of Sycamore - not that I don't trust them either. Thank you for showing us, Jacqueline… and I'm sorry that I only got in touch with you for this after so long… I should've been better about it! I miss you guys, yknow.”[/color]

He absentmindedly rested his hand on the edge of the table, immediately pulling it away when bare fingers started to erode through it, adding to the already formed crack. [color=6B8E23]”Uh, do you know anything about Kari? I- we- know that you guys got her notes.”[/color]

Miranda and Jacqueline looked in between each other before Miranda turned to Luca.

“We don’t have the notes anymore,” Miranda began. Clancy seemed ready to pounce on that, lips parting, but Jacqueline cut him off, “Yeah, someone paid us to get them. But, what do you want to know about Kari?” Jacqueline asked, “We… know a little bit.”

[color=6B8E23]”Not much, she… cut me off after I joined 8th,”[/color] Luca sighed. It was difficult to stay positive thinking back on a friendship he’d ruined. [color=6B8E23]”Please keep this from Emily, but Lyss summoned her ghost… except it was a different world’s Kari. That’s why we started looking into her. Otherwise, all I know is that Emily wanted her to join, and she went to someone else instead.”[/color]

Miranda leaned forward “We don't know anything about her ghost being different, but…”

“... Why are you acting we care about what happened to that rich asshole?” Jacqueline rolled her eyes, then laughed.

“... Well, Kari went to Blake Schmidt’s organization, the Elite,” Miranda explained, “With her help, they were tracking down sealed Apparitions and artifacts and giving them to his associates.”

[b]”Blake who?”[/b] Clancy asked, briefly glancing towards Luca. [b]”Whatever, they sound like another group of [i]assholes[/i] who [i]think[/i] they’re any better than the assholes who throw gang signs and smack.”[/b] He was starting to fit the pieces together, and he was [i]not[/i] amused at the mosaic they formed, [b]”And when you’re talking about [i]artifacts[/i], you’re talking about stuff like the [i]axe[/i], right? Or maybe just that [i]knife[/i] Ashley used to kill the snake thing, right? I know your sister wouldn’t leave her alone.”[/b] He pulled in the claws, leaning back into his corner of the booth, [b]”If it’s not with her, what’s the magic book say?”[/b]

“Well, allow me to explain how the book works because there are a few assumptions here,” Jacqueline laughed, as she put her shoulders on the table. She opened the book, looked, down at it, before looking up at  Clancy. “It’s not quite an ‘artifact-[i]artifact[/i]’-” Jacqueline finger quoted, “-it’s a Sealed-Apparition [i]inside[/i] of the book with a personality and whatnot. It works in [i]weird[/i] ways sometimes.”

Jacqueline shook her head, “So, to get to the point, sometimes when I ask the book the same question too many times, it will go blank. Like refuse to give me information on that subject ever again… I asked it that question too many times...” She shook her head.

“And look,” Miranda shook her head, “It was [i]our[/i] fault that Emily started harassing your cousin. We… [i]need[/i] the Apparition Killer.”

“To help our friend, Annabelle,” Jacqueline shook her head. “She’s… been cursed.”

[b]”You're saying you [i]don't[/i] know where it is, then? Maybe [i]he[/i] trusts you,”[/b] Clancy fingered towards Luca, [b]”But I had a [i]shitty[/i] first impression of your crew. Who even paid you for the notes?”[/b] Again, he turned his attention back towards Luca, [b]”Do [i]you[/i] even know some Annabelle?”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”Yes-”[/color] Luca didn't get more than a word in before he was interrupted. 

“... Well, I guess you’re going have to figure that out for yourself then,” Jacqueline said as she stood up, “I don't know who you are, but we came to talk to Luca. Not you.”

She grabbed Miranda’s hand, and she followed behind Jacqueline, however before the two left, Jacqueline paused. She spoke to Luca, “It's great to see you again, but this is too much. Bye. We’ll talk to you later!” She waved Luca off.

Then they were gone.

Luca waved after them, mentally making a note to just invite them round to his place next time… if he could make sure Lila was out at the time. He turned to Clancy with a half smile. Most people would be annoyed or blaming, but Luca seemed… fine about it. Visibly tired, but fine. [color=6B8E23]”I can help you find the Apparition Killer, if you’re looking for that. I don't have much to go on but… I'm sure the rest of the coven will want to find it too.”[/color]

[b]”I don’t-..”[/b] Clancy almost shot back, but he gave some thought to it, his tone softening, [b]”You said it didn’t work on you, right? Did it [i]hurt[/i] that thing in you, at least?”[/b] The boy was [i]annoyed[/i] that the girls had left almost as quickly as they’d arrived, before he’d got the answers they needed. 8th Street had things to answer for after their business at the cabin.

[color=6B8E23]”Not really,”[/color] Luca grimaced slightly, before returning to something closer to a smile. [color=6B8E23]”It didn't work because of the rotting. When they tried to use it the tip started to rust and then disintegrate when Ashley tried to force it through. It didn't even get to it. It's why I've accepted I'm probably stuck with it, y’know? Even artifacts can't get through. It might work on others… Ashley refused to try it on my friend Olivia after I destroyed the tip, so I don't know.”[/color]

[b]”It still [i]works[/i] on other [i]monsters[/i], right? Your ‘apparitions’?”[/b] 

[color=6B8E23]”Yes, far as I'm aware. It worked on the Stygian Snake, and the monsters it summoned,”[/color] Luca nodded. [color=6B8E23]”Those of us with ones attached to us are a bit of a… special case, I guess.”[/color]

[B]”Can't fix me, either,“[/b] Clancy chortled, barely concealing a bitterness in his tone, [b]”But it'll settle a score.”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”Ahh…”[/color] Luca rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit awkward about it. [color=6B8E23]”Well hopefully we find it soon, if someone like Emily got it…”[/color]

He didn’t really want think about what would happen in that case. [color=6B8E23]”For score settling.”[/color]

[b]”With or without her sisters, she needs dealing with..”[/b] Clancy tugged at a phone in his pocket, [b]”You have a phone number?”[/b]

[color=6B8E23]”Yeah, I do… I have to change phones a lot, but I always get it swapped over. Might just miss some messages because of it.”[/color] Luca smiled, before rattling off a set of numbers when Clancy seemed ready for it. [color=6B8E23]”Feel free to get in touch anytime! I really don't do much.”[/color]

[b]”Same,”[/b] the boy nodded, a thin, weary smile forming for just a moment as he keyed the numbers in beneath his coat, [b]”Don't usually keep the numbers, though. Makes it easier when….”[/b] he trailed off, stood tonleave, then reconsidered as he exited the booty, [b]”..  you know.”[/b]

He offered Luca a weary nod.

[color=6B8E23]”Yeah, I know,”[/color] Luca laughed lightly. Not that he'd ever had to… but it was a plan for the future, when he got worse. He smiled tiredly at Clancy, also starting to get up. [color=6B8E23]”Well, I'll see you at the next meeting? And next time… maybe give me a call before turning up outta nowhere, yeah?”[/color]