[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] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi41MWNlMGUuU21GemNHVnlJRmRwYkdSbC4w/millaysia.reg.webp[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi4wNjhjOGUuVEdsc1lTQkNiR0ZqYTNkdmIyUSwuMA,,/gritluefdemo.regular.webp[/img] [h1][color=7B81B3]Kenshiro Murakin[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/SizLDki.png[/img][/h1] [/center] [right][code]The House on the Hill > Gas Station > Luca’s Apartment[/code][/right][hr] Luca was quick to make his way out of the building when the fire alarm went off - the last thing he wanted was to be caught in something like that again, and force someone to help him out. It was a false alarm but… he was glad he didn’t take the risk. It looked like the meeting was over, anyway. They hadn’t really gotten anywhere… besides Lila’s good plan of sub-groups. [color=6B8E23]”Ken, do you want to come back to mine again? So we can discuss everything more? What about you, Clanc-”[/color] He realised midway through what he was saying that Clancy had disappeared… towards Britney, it seemed. Luca gave him a wave to indicate he could come back over when he was done, then looked up at Ken with a smile, before finding Jasper, Lila and Lynn in the crowd and gesturing them over. Ken found himself torn between calling Jack back through the Eleventh Gate and spending the night around people who were… Well, enthusiastic about his companionship at least. Another night of drinking with Lynn and watching poor Luca cough and moan? When he was in such a wretched mood himself, it only seemed right to punish Jack with his presence… But they wanted him around. And Jasper always had something good to say, so he was a genuinely welcome presence among the air of otherwise hopeful despair. He took a moment to let Jack know that he was going with them, and with what little enthusiasm he had left, he put on a smile for the others. [color=7B81B3]"Well, am I our transportation for the evening?”[/color] he asked the group with a smile, anticipating the alcohol at the end of the rainbow would dull the headache of having to scoop so many others up at once. [color=6B8E23]”Well Jasper drove us here, but there's not enough room for all of- oh,”[/color] Luca paused as Lynn said she was going to meet with Bianca and would be home later… alright. As long as she was safe! But Bianca was nice and a federal agent so she probably wouldn't let Lynn get hurt or anything. [color=6B8E23]”Well, I guess there is, even if Clancy comes with us since he can get close to me without worry… but it's still probably better for Jasper's car if I go with you? One of the seats in the back is looking worse for wear… so I'd really appreciate that, Ken! At least our fridge is properly stocked with food and beer and that… I think. Jasper, Lila, you didn't drink all of it when you got back last night, did you?”[/color] [color=98FB98]“No,”[/color] Jasper sighed, [color=98FB98]“but Lynn was feeling the alcohol last night so I will stop on the way back! Am I cooking again,”[/color] Jasper smirked as he looked over to Lila and then Luca. [color=DA70D6]“What,”[/color] Lila said as she held up her talons before she pointed to Luca, [color=DA70D6]“Do you think we’d be the best cooks for this party,”[/color] Lila smirked as she looked over to Ken and lost her breath for a moment, [color=DA70D6]“what about you Ken? Can you cook ,”[/color] Lila asked with a smile. It was easy to make Ken bashful. Lila had seen him cook plenty while he lived with Kari, and he took the compliment to heart. [color=7B81B3]"Can I cook- They expect farmers to cook! And I will simply cradle you in the seat, Luca. One is far easier than five.”[/color] he gave Luca a telekinetic pat on the shoulder. [color=7B81B3]"After we’ve arrived, I will return to my boat! I have special ingredients, and some utilities which will prove indispensable in the process of preparing [i]the balls[/i].”[/color] he beamed like the daytime sun, happy to talk about food. [color=DA70D6]“The balls,”[/color] Lila asked with a hushed voice as she tilted her head in confusion. [color=6B8E23]”B- Balls?”[/color] Luca's eyes went wide as he looked at Ken, then very subtly at Jasper, then at Ken again. [color=7B81B3]"[i]Takoyakiiiiiii…[/i]-”[/color] Ken tilted his head back slightly, neck craning as he mimicked the sarcastic motion Kari would often do when he was being odd or foolish. [color=7B81B3]"-What did you think I meant!? There’s just uh… Well, I have this cephalopod in my freezer unit and when I grilled it, it tasted delicious. So I figured making fried balls would suit it as well! But, I don’t have a word for it so it’s ‘random meat-yaki’. Hence, [i]]The balls.[/i]”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“That makes so much more sense,”[/color] Lila chuckled, her wings flapped in an amused way. [color=6B8E23]”Oh thank god, that does sound real nice Ken, but I was worried there…”[/color] Luca laughed, wiping non existent sweat from his brow. He then looked at Lila with a grin. [color=6B8E23]”I thought you were coming for mine!”[/color] Clancy returned midway through the conversation from around a corner, only briefly stopping to pause in trying to figure out the context of people coming for the bird-girl’s balls. [i]Whatever.[/i] It wasn’t the strangest thing any of them would have heard tonight, least of all him. Whereas he’d been a little [i]underdressed[/i] before, courtesy of the unseen assault on his person, he was now wearing a musty leather jacket, speckled with white patches that betrayed the presence of [i]mold.[/i] For his part, the boy seemed unperturbed by this fact, and more satisfied that he was [i]somewhat[/i] presentable, even if that meant rolling up his sleeves. [color=6B8E23]”Hey!”[/color] Luca turned to Clancy with a bright grin when he reappeared. Like Clancy, he was completely unbothered by the mold - also a frequent presence in his life. [color=6B8E23]”That’s all of us, if we're good to go- oh, assuming you wanted to stick with us? We were going to go back to my flat and… discuss things, I guess?”[/color] [b]”Uh.. sure.”[/b] The boy answered with a reserved expression, [b]”Just warn me if you see a dark woman in a trenchcoat on the way out.”[/b] he gave it consideration, then added, [b]”And [i]run[/i].”[/b] Fortunately for them, no such woman was outside, or [i]anywhere[/i] in sight. [color=DA70D6]“I think I saw her, at least my crows did. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”[/color] The boy bristled at the answer, fingers tightening into a balled fist, releasing, then starting the cycle over again. [b]”If she shows up, don't waste your time with her. Just [i]get out[/i], she’s stronger than she looks.”[/b] He looked over at Lila and gave her a once-over. [b]”Thanks… Lila. Right?”[/b] Names were still something he struggled with. Too many faces, too much time on the road. But he'd try, at least for now. Luca nodded with a smile, glad that Clancy and Lila were getting along well enough! Not that he knew Clancy well at all but he felt a connection with the boy. [color=6B8E23]”We’ll all avoid her if we see her, right? But… let's get going! With Ken we can all fit in Jasper's car without me destroying anything…”[/color] He laughed awkwardly, but still grinned brightly. [color=7B81B3]”Quite the entrance to make, Clancy. Just another notch in the belt of insanity our Coven has decided to wear to the meeting…”[/color] Ken commented offhandedly. [color=7B81B3]”But you're unalone now. We will crush the woman in black together.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Yeah, we’re not useless in a fight. Jasper can paint magic guns now so we’re safe.”[/color] [color=6B8E23]”Oh yeah, it's been great for fighting all the bees!”[/color] Luca said, pressing his lips together in frustration. He still couldn't talk about the skeleton… which was annoying. But fine. He wasn't going to let it ruin time spent with friends, not after that meeting either. [color=6B8E23]”Ken’s right. If we stick together hopefully she won't approach you again. You're welcome to stick with us as long as you want.”[/color] [b]”I'll think about it, I guess.”[/b] Clancy truly was ruminating over the idea. A few [i]issues[/i] complicated the matter, however. [b]”You don't [i]owe[/i] me anything. Didn't have to help before, but… thanks.”[/b]. [color=6B8E23]”It’s not about owing it's just… helping a friend! But no pressure, we've got our setup for safety anyway,”[/color] he gestured to himself, Jasper and Lila. Then, which far more energy than someone who'd been hurt so many times that day, he started ushering them all away from the old mansion… without actually getting close. [color=6B8E23]”Lets go!”[/color] [hr] [B][I]This[/i] is home for you?”[/b] Clancy had asked as they passed through another row of close-knit blocks. [color=6B8E23]”Yeah! It's not that bad once you get used to it,”[/color] Luca shrugged. His words were a bit muffled, cradled and bubbled as he was by Ken's magic. [color=6B8E23]”I have a large place, and the landlord doesn't care how damaged it gets! Pretty perfect, honestly. Everyone minds their business too.”[/color] [color=7B81B3]”I remain unconvinced that you and your fellow tenants haven't simply decided to squat in that place. Or that the landlord isn't an exceedingly old individual… Not that I find anything wrong with either prospect, only that having such a nonchalant individual in charge of property maintenance bodes poorly for the investment's longevity…”[/color] Sometimes, little pearls of simple wisdom fell from Kenshiro's mouth without him even stopping to think about them. The topic had made Clancy bristle, [b]”[i]Lots[/i] of landlords who are also [i]assholes[/i] out there, I think.”[/b] Eventually, he shrugged, [b]”Seen worse though. At least nobody's shooting up on the corners here.”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”Hey, Ken, I pay my rent on time to an alright, middle aged man who doesn't really care about maintaining the place so much as he does getting my money,”[/color] Luca shrugged, seeming entirely unbothered by a landlord who to most people would be an asshole. He just had special needs… namely a place already in disrepair. [color=6B8E23]”Technically it's just my place… the other three are temporary residents. But Clancy’s right, could be worse!”[/color] [color=7B81B3]”Shooting up? Like, down in Los Angeles with the gangs and such? Dreadful business…”[/color] Ken frowned, shaking his head. [color=7B81B3]”You’re right. And if there were gangs, we would set them straight!”[/color] [b]”I don't know about LA, I never went this far west before I heard about Ashley… but back where I came from a lot of places had their bad side showing. Chicago, Flint, Cleveland… [i]Detroit[/i] never got better.”[/b] They had slowed at the next intersection. Just down the road was a gas station, an unusual shining beacon in an otherwise unremarkable block of apartments, permanently closed storefronts and laundromats. [color=98FB98]“I keep forgetting I’ve been been a taxi lately,”[/color] Jasper said as his car beeped, and a status flashed across the dash saying Refill now - 50 miles until empty, [color=98FB98]“I’ll grab some gas real quick,”[/color] Jasper says as he pointed towards the gas station. Pulling in, the only other car present was a silver-olive minivan of the late-noughts with a visible crack in the rear passenger window and a gouge in the paintwork below it. The car stood idle, both front seats occupied. The driver was a thirty something with a beanie cap and a close-cropped beard, head bobbing to the faint thrums of some [i]colourful[/i] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyIDMWPI780]music[/url] leaked through to the outside. His companion, by contrast, was clean-shaven with a crew cut, but the lack of movement or interaction with the driver betrayed something [i]off[/i] about the man. The only sign he was [i]alive[/i] was the occasional rotation of the head in a fourty-five degree angle, not unlike a camera on a swivel mount. A hollow, glassy eyed expression peered back at anyone who watched. No attendant came out to greet them. [color=6B8E23]”Why don't we get snacks while we're here?”[/color] Luca suggested, carefully opening the car door and rolling out. He couldn't actually go into the gas station shop, even as rundown as it was, but it was nicer to be out of the car for a while… plus he couldn't see Jasper refilling the car so well from inside… [color=6B8E23]”I'll take basically anything!”[/color] As he talked he looked over at the idle car, catching that glassy eyed stare and responding with a polite smile. That seemed to yield no acknowledgement, either. Ken, still dressed in full kit in the passenger seat of Jasper's car, did his best to slip out of his vest full of equipment without disturbing it too much. Too bad the massive sword he kept with him practically blocked all normal movement. [color=7B81B3]”Gah, fuck…-”[/color] Popping the door open, he slid out from under the sword and was now standing in the parking lot like a modern ninja. His headband hung from his waist like a belt, and his black on black jumpsuit was still tightened to his body with padding. Unzipping the top, he slipped out and wrapped it around his waist by the arms like a mechanic. His white tank top was dark with his sweat, muscles rippling as he stretched out for a moment. [color=7B81B3]”I will get us sodas, Luca! I crave corn syrup and red dye.”[/color] he said enthusiastically. Moving to his vest, he popped a section open and pulled out a crisp twenty. [color=7B81B3]”You said snacks too? Chips? Or, something sweet?”[/color] Lila could not even think of anything to say as her eyes remained on Ken’s form. Her eyes went black and her vision enhanced to get an even closer look. [color=98FB98]“A mix of savoury and sweet if you could,”[/color] Jasper said as he began to fuel up the car. [color=6B8E23]”Chips and some chocolate!”[/color] Luca said cheerfully, going from a wide eyed stare at Ken to a wide eyed stare at Jasper, cheeks heating up a bit. While Ken and Jasper stepped towards the station, Clancy had a wary eye on the van, his reserved expression betraying little else. [color=DA70D6]“Everything okay, Clancy?”[/color] Lila stayed behind due to her current bird form. It wasn’t as bad as its been but she still felt weird going out in public like this. That made him tilt his head in her direction by a few degrees, offering a half-shrug, [b]”Just watching.”[/b] Truthfully, he was feeling a little more exposed than usual in light of recent events. Something about the two in the car rubbed him the wrong way. [i]Maybe the music.[/i] Although he couldn’t figure it out yet. As Ken left to enter the station, a [i]third[/i] man was stood by the counter, a squat twenty something with a green [i]Oregon Ducks[/i] cap and a pair of aviators obscuring the top half of his face. He wasn’t in uniform; far from it, he was wearing and a khaki coat with what looked like [i]oil[/i] stains smeared across their surreptitiously rolled-up sleeve. Naturally observant due to his training, as Ken stepped into the shop he made a full three-sixty rotation in a slow and organized manner. His ankles smoothly rotated him mid stride as he got a good look at the place. The store itself seemed no different from any other, save that it was perhaps due for another mopping. A reheated food stand stood with the lights on, but no products out. A shelf at the far side seemed somewhat disordered as though someone had knocked it over and made a half-assed effort to prop it back up, but otherwise all seemed business as usual for this side of town. Some generic radio station hit played from the overhead speakers, a sing-songy [i]optimist’s[/i] track which contrasted against the vulgar, guttural politik-metal screeching that had been leaking out of the minivan, The only [i]other[/i] thing that seemed out of order were the surveillance feeds to the late 00s screens overhead the counter. For whatever reason, they were presenting a generic, bluelight [i]NO SIGNAL[/i] error. ”You buying’ something or not?” The [i]clerk[/i] asked, somewhat impatiently. [color=7B81B3]”No, I thought I'd just ruin your peace of mind.”[/color] As Ken made his sarcastic response, he was already at the drink cooler pulling out glass bottles filled with tasty, sugary soda. For a moment, he let them hover in the air as he removed their weight, then quickly gathered them again to prevent any Blind confusion. Moving to the counter, Ken placed the sodas down and smiled. [color=7B81B3]”Can you ring and bag those while I get the other stuff?”[/color] he asked out of courtesy. His back instantly turned to make way for the snacks. “.. paid enough to be some fuckin’ errand boy..” The clerk muttered the statement beneath their breath, roughly shoving the drinks over to the exit area with a bag haphazardly left beside it. The driver of the minivan had stopped appearing so [i]animate[/i] in the time that had elapsed since then, although the music still seeped from the van in grinding pulses. His attention was now on Jasper, finishing off the pump and heading towards the station. He uttered a few words, although it was muted by the windshield between them. [color=98FB98]“Filled up,”[/color] Jasper said as he could sense the discomfort of the group. He opened up the truck and grabbed a canvas as he walked in to pay for the snacks and food. He began to paint his knight. “That your car?” Suddenly, the clerk's attention was on Jasper, knuckles impatiently rapping on the counter. Jasper continued painting, but looked up long enough to see that the man was talking to him. Jasper looked towards Ken, before his eyes drifted back to the man. [color=98FB98]“It is. Why do you ask,”[/color] Jasper asked as he finished his painting. “[I]Because,[/i]” he grunted, a hand snapping into a coat pocket, “You're gonna hand over the key." A split second later and he'd withdrawn a snubnose revolver, keeping it level with Jasper’s midsection. "[I]Slowly.[/i] Hands where I can see 'em." “B-A, one more near you!" the clerk hollered to the back of the store, and the storeroom burst open, another two men in similarly obscured garb emerging. “Keep an eye on the chinaman, any shit you send ‘em to buddha.” Moments later, the storeroom burst open, another pair of similarly garbed men emerging with weapons at the ready. One was carrying a pistol, the other a cut-down shotgun. Still standing at the counter, Ken’s brow furrowed as he looked back and forth between the scattered group. [color=7B81B3]”Keys? To the car? For what?”[/color] He was holding onto the parcel of snacks trying his best to put them down onto the counter. Producing the twenty from his pocket, he still looked confused, totally missing the fact that they bothered at all to call him a Chinaman. [color=98FB98]“Ken, he’s trying to rob me. Say, are you guys into the paranormal? Have you guys seen something that there’s no logical explanation for? Like,”[/color] Jasper paused as he pulled the knight from the canvas and the knight emerged between Jasper and the guns, [color=98FB98]“did anything change here?”[/color]. Jasper raised his hands up all the same “Shut the fuck up and pass meEFUCK!” Startled, the clerk reflexively squeezed off a round in the direction of Jasper and his knight, “-it’s the forest fucks!” The Knight simply took the bullets without effect, swung his sword and slapped the gun out of the man's grasp, tthen pressed forward, grabbing him by the throat and raising him up, blade pressed to his throat as he kicked away in a panic. [color=98FB98]“Can we have a talk about manners? Drop the guns, kick them over to me, and let’s talk.”[/color] Jasper asked as he continued to stay behind the knight but kept the armoured homonculus in between him and the guns. “You know who you're fucking with, cocksucker?!” Shotgun had his 12-gauge pointed at the knight, while his pistol-wielding companion had sights on Kenshiro [color=7B81B3]”This isn’t how I imagined getting my soda today… Was it something I said?”[/color] Ken let go of the snack bags, having removed their weight, and let them hang there in the open for a moment. His hand gently bumped them as he spun, and as they got close to the man with the shotgun, the chip bags exploded into fantastically salty confetti. The snacks flew toward the man’s eyes, and Kenshiro expected panic as the bags popped. “Fucking greEARGH!” A panicked burst of buckshot was loosened by ‘Shotgun’, while his companion with the pistol had already skidded to the floor, firing off a round in the air in the confusion. Kenshiro was already channeling his Mage Hand to block a barrage of bullets, pocketing and pressurizing big sections of air between himself and the gun wielding threat behind him. Even if the target missed, he was already swinging his fist toward the rapidly stacking layers of airbags. The second they burst, whether a bullet or his fist, a gust of air like a burst-cannon would be plenty to send a normal man flying. From the car, it hadn’t been immediately obvious there were armed men. The pop of gunfire and the splintering storefront window immediately dispelled them of that notion. Clancy, whom had neglected to make use of the seatbelt, had clambered over to the door, squeezing past Luca’s personal space to climb out. While he made a beeline for the storefront, his focus on the situation at hand had temporarily pulled his attention from the minivan - which, in a matter of seconds, had gone from stationary to accelerating, the front fender lighting up and slamming into the back of Clancys shoulders and crushing him down into the asphalt as the whole weight of the van came atop him. Moments later, the passenger door opened and the glassy-eyed stranger stepped out. “A-are you sure that’s the kid?!” The driver asked, in a panicked tone. Whoever he was asking gave no answer. Instead, the passenger continued towards the storefront, thrusting through the sliding door with their forearm with a pistol clutched in-hand. A command was issued and the murder obeyed. All around the gas station her crows began to descend in three, black tendril like formations. One tendril quickly descended towards the man running, one towards the open side door to the minivan, and one towards the broken windows of the storefront. The first to be hit by these attacks was the running man, the tendril simply passed over him and a thousand crows struck out with their claws as they passed by the man’s entire body. The second tendril began to attack the man in the van, they lingered and began to attack the driver’s eyes and throat, eliciting a shriek as he threw his arms up in defense. The final tendril flooded into the gas station and began to do the same to the men inside. As they descended they too were struck by bullets and several more felled felled by the broken glass and falling debris, and Lila lost dozens in the first wave. The backlash hit her mind immediately and Lila grabbed the sides of her head as she screamed. The situation was only amplified as the glassy-eyed man seemed to offer no reaction as the crows sunk talons into his flesh, instead reaching out and tightening hard-as-iron fingers around one bird’s neck and crushed it, using their other hand to do the same as if in some berserker-induced trance. The only thing Lila had achieved was to disarm the man, as one bird dislodged it from their grasp. While the berserker pressed on into the store, they made for the nearest target - Jasper’s knight, mindlessly charging into the armoured golem like a football player. Everything was suddenly going to shit, and Luca barely had the time to think. He reacted on autopilot, pushed to protect his friends without much thought for himself. He ran toward the beserker as fast as he could, physically shoving into his back in an attempted tackle that ended up more like a weak, but rotting, hug. Thanks to Luca and his intervention The Knight was alerted to the coming berserker. He simply tossed the man he was holding towards the other men with guns and swung the flat side of the sword towards the berserker's face. Skin blistered and atrophied as the man was pulled into the corrosive embrace, and at the same time the conjured steel appeared to [i]burst[/i] the man's nose and cheek, blood spurting forth, and yet he seemed relentless. Instead, he spun in a sort of death roll with Luca as the two plummeted to the ground. With crimson fluid seeping from gouged eyes and a broken nose, the man appeared to stare back at Luca with some cold determination, fingers prying for his throat and tightening, even as the skin fissured and [i]rotted[/i], his other features matching in short time. Luca struggled underneath the man, hands grasping at his wrists and further decaying his flesh. He struggled to breath, though, and didn’t have the strength to push him off even as the decay across his skin intensified. The man grew skeletal, cheeks hollow, what little hair remained falling away, his clothes in equal measure. Yet, no matter how the others might've tried to pry him away, he held on with a grip hard as iron, depleting weight still pinned atop Luca. Pinned by the rear pair, who Ken was desperately trying not to simply crush into bloody pools, the usually vicious fighter felt sheepish and hamstrung: The situation was simply too strange for him to come to grips with, and he could only deal with what was in front of him. Hearing Luca’s pain, he decided he wasn’t concerned with the lives of a couple more individuals. The gravity around him plummeted as he channeled the Ten Ton stance, and his foot stomped a fissure through the heavy air that caused the very pressure to snap mundane bones like balsa. Spinning he turned to face Luca… But saw something more horrifying. There was a metallic crunch outside, followed by the sound of crunching glass as someone rushed into the storefront. A pair of [i]smaller[/i] hands reached over the top of the berserker's head, fingers jamming into either side of their mouth, and wrenched hard, until the connective tissues between upper and lower jaw split, and the man was wrenched away in a visceral display. Clancy relinquished the now-twitching corpse. He was slightly worse for wear, the back of his head missing a portion of scalp and a [i]nasty[/i] roadrash gouged into his already-ragged jacket, but otherwise standing. Unlike the berseker, beneath whom a pool of blood was slowly forming from where his jaws had been pried apart. The ‘clerk’ had been knocked unconscioud in the fray, and the other two stick-up men were sprawled on the floor and bleeding, brought down between the efforts of Kenshiro, Jasper and Lila. The driver, outside the store, had been suspiciously quiet, and the windshield and driver’s side window of the minivan was spattered with blood. Clancy's cold gaze was set on the other two men at the far side of the store. Pacing past Jasper and Kenshiro, he kicked aside their weapons, peered into the storeroom, out of sight of the others, and scowled as the sight of the [i]actual[/i] clerk's body tied to a chair, their face a purple, bloody swollen mess. The tile floor of the backroom had been broken apart with sledgehammers apart to reveal a safe, stacked with unmarked dollar bills and several baggies of powder. It told a tale that he'd seen countless times over. The boy stepped back outside, attention back on the main group. [b]”This was [i]bad[/i]. I think they were with those biker [i]assholes[/i]-”[/b] he moved towards the bloodied shotgun wielder, then crouched and tugged at the collar of his shirt to expose the runic tattoos just beneath his collarbone. [b]”[i]Nazi[/i] assholes. You shouldn't be here. I'll cover our tracks and catch up. Is the car ready?”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”I’ll need… some help… back in the car,”[/color] Luca panted, looking over at Ken, holding his throat with one hand. There were slight marks there, red fingermarks and slightly rotted flesh. He’d managed to push himself up to sitting on the ground, but he couldn’t get up further, just looking at the carnage. [color=6B8E23]”Ken… can you help?”[/color] [color=98FB98]“Hey, hey take it slow again Luca. Twice in one day, that makes it official you are not doing anything at all at the party. If you need anything I will provide,”[/color] Jasper paused as he looked towards the men who had attacked them. A rage built in his heart. Jasper’s Knight took several steps towards them before he raised his sword, and went to bring it down on the men. Jasper pulled his life force back from the construct before it connected and the knight and his sword turned into a falling puddle of paint that coated the men. [color=98FB98]“Ken, help Luca back to the car. I’ll grab our stuff.”[/color] Scooping Luca into his protective bubble, Ken brought his friend close and slipped his hand against the pressure. It didn’t stop his hand from reaching out to touch Luca, the bubble forming a protective layer around it as Ken smiled and brushed Luca’s hair back a little bit. [color=7B81B3]”You did good, Luca… Rest; you protected us.”[/color] His comforting voice brought the two of them back toward the vehicle, bubble rocking slowly the whole way. While the others were occupied with carrying Luca back to the car, Clancy’s attention was on the three men. The clerk was barely conscious, gasping for breath after a close call with the knight, while the other two were in varying states of coherency. One had smashed his head in the scuffle and seemed concussed, the other was half-blind with a twisted leg and broken fingers. It made no difference, they were disarmed and in no shape to fight. The boy found it [i]easy[/i] to drag them into the backroom, one-by-one. One gave a whimpered shriek, the other barely snorting out an answer as a tiny hand dragged them by sleeves into the backroom, out of sight. The clerk came last, spattered with paint. Clancy tugged at his foot, clutching and dragging him by the ankle like a cat that had caught a pigeon in its jaws. That elicited a startled yelp, “W-wh-wait, ‘m sorry, ah’ve gorb cash, jush lemme go!” to no avail. A series of panicked noises and muffled shrieks seeped out from the half-closed doorway, and as they left, the lifeless body of the driver lay slumped across the dash, the engine still running with a metallic whine. It looked as though the man’s head had been slammed into the corner of the door from some external force, pulled repeatedly until it had been left a bloodied pulp. [hr] After a quick stop at another store to actually stock up on snacks and drinks, the group of four reached Luca's apartment. Luca assumed that Clancy would be able to find them just like he had every meeting but… he texted him his address anyway as he got out of Jasper's car. He could walk again, though the continued support from Ken's magic was helpful. He led the way into the rundown building, into the lift then out finally to his flat. As he opened the door, he turned his head to grin at them all. [color=6B8E23]”Make yourselves at home! Well two of you live here and you’re over often enough Ken, it practically is home! But let’s just relax… maybe talk about today. Plans and stuff.”[/color] Jasper led the way for Lila, hands still pressed on her head. Lila quickly made her way to the couch and collapsed face first onto it and did a fake sob. [color=DA70D6]“I don’t know why the bird bitch let’s me keep doing that,”[/color] Lila groaned. [color=6B8E23]”Turning into a bird? Or… losing them?”[/color] Luca asked hesitantly, moving out of the way of Jasper and Lila. He grabbed a more worn wooden chair and sat down on it, still in a lot of pain. [color=6B8E23]”Are you alright, Lila?”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Losing them,”[/color] Lila answered, her voice muffled by the cushion, [color=DA70D6]“no, but yes, but nooooo,,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked up over to Luca, [color=DA70D6]“how about you? How are you?”[/color] Lila [color=6B8E23]”About the same,”[/color] Luca laughed slightly, shrugging. [color=6B8E23]”My body hurts, but that’s nothing sleep won’t fix. I just need to not push myself too much tonight! Sadly you’ll all have to wait to try my amazing and definitely existent cooking skills.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“I wait with baited breath,”[/color] Lila laughed as she buried her head back into the cushion. [color=6B8E23]”Next time… but today, Ken’s cooking for us,”[/color] Luca turned towards their friend with a grin. There was some loud banging outside, like a fire hydrant was destroyed, but he barely reacted. Loud noises and violence was normal in this part of town. He’d grown used to it. [hr] The group inside Luca’s place weren’t alone. A certain skeleton was watching, two skeletal arms holding them up while the others subtly drew images in the mist on the glass. Their glowing eyes peered over, watching their prey. They were happy… but not alone. They would have to be careful when hunting them today. From below, a half-foot chunk of brick flew forward with sufficient velocity to strike the side of the entity's ‘head’, or at least their ribcage. Skelly’s head twisted all the way around as if it was doing its best exorcist impression and stared down at the agitator. The boy glowered back, his face onky barely illuminated by the street lamp ahead. He didn't recognise the skeleton nor it know him, although the two doubtless understood that they were staring at a fellow [i]hunter[/i]. In the dim lighting, the boy’s eyes were two sunken pits harbouring no light. The presence of blood spatter, still smeared across the corner of his scalp, along with the faint coppery tang [i]seeping[/i] into non-existant nostrils only accentuated his feral appearance. [b][i]”Leave.”[/i][/b] A demand. A [i]warning.[/i] Clancy growled with a child's voice, but something deeper rumbled behind it. Hunger, bitterness, hatred and self-loathing, all folded into one. Skelly let go of his grip and plummeted to the ground. A few seconds later they impacted, knees absorbing the impact, with all his arms at his side. Their body twisted around to face the boy. Their eyes were on the ground, but slowly raised up to match Clancy. A soft, guttural laugh filled the air as their arms spread wide. The shadows of the street seemed to come alive as each hand formed a fist. “They’re [b][i]my mark[/i][/b].” [b]They [i]were.[/i]”[/b] Like a cat, the boy cautiously stalked forward in a closing circle, undeterred by the gesture, [b]”But you're doing a [i]shitty[/i] job, so now they're mine.”[/b] Skelly’s eyes almost seemed to widen in shock, their skeletal head creaking into a tilt. Their hands opened, upper arms widespread in a mocking gesture. They didn’t move - towards or away from Clancy. Their lower arms went back into fists, moving in front of them. “You hunt [i]messily.[/i] I hunt with style. And I saw them first.” The boy shrugged, brushing a few fingers over his scalp, then snapped the other hand outwards, grasping at the skeletal wrist outstretched nearest him, [b][i]”Style.”[/i][/b] he echoed, meaning to tighten his fingers until he felt bone buckle. Clancy would feel the body of Skelly suddenly give way to smoke. As they disappeared into a shadow that fell to the ground. The shadows danced around Clancy before Skelly manifested behind him, and the two top most arms grabbed at Clancy’s shoulders and the other two at his arms. “You know nothing about having a flair for the [i][b]dramatic-[/b][/i]” [b]”Shut-”[/b] The boy pulled taut, ephemeral fingers tightening around his tatterd sleeve until [i]skin[/i] buckled and gave way, the old leather straining. Tanned hide and fabric tore, and the [i]shadow[/i] of a skeletal elbow snapped free from the now-limp sleeve, jabbing backwards in the skeleton's direction, [b]”-up.”[/b] With a quiet oof, Skelly took the sharp elbow to their skeletal hip, grip on Clancy loosening. But they started cackling. They disappeared into the shadows again as Clancy swung with the other fist now free, laughter still echoing around the street. “Silence is for the hunt, not for the climactic fight.” Skelly reappeared at Clancy’s side, one of his arms lashing it with sharp claws at his side. Spears of bone raked through the leather, briefly impedee by the facade of skin, before stopping at the underlying [i]shadow[/i] that formed the boy's [i]real[/i] body. A gnarled, skeletal hand with dark stalactites for fingers clenched around the arm, while the boy kicked one leg outwards into what counted for a femur bone with hydraulic force. Skelly allowed the hit to pass through his form as they shifted to a shadowy form. The fire hydrant exploded behind him as he took a few steps towards Clancy, head twitching quickly. “You can’t stop me.” The guttural laugh once again filled the air. With Clancy’s leg still inside the shadow Skelly returned to their physical form, cutting into the middle of his leg with their spine. A moment later the skeleton retreated into the shadows. A voice seemed to ring out from every shadow on the street. “You can not stop me, you can not stop the hunt.” Skelly reappeared a few steps away from Clancy and grabbed at him with all four hands. Two aimed for Clancy’s hands and two aimed for his feet. Again, four limbs pulled taut, straining at their joints, cloth, leagher and illusory flesh tearing at their seams in a fashion not unlike a quartering.the boy’s eyes crinkled, and then he jutted his head forward, butting his the peak of his forehead against the skeleton's lower jaw. Skelly reeled backwards from the blow, feeling the bone structure pf their jaw cracked from the impact. The creature was beginning to realise this wasn’t such an easy fight…and it was noisy. They had to end it quickly or leave. The hands on Clancy’s feet let go to grab his scalp and try to pull his head off. Bony fingers dug into whatever promise they could find; temples and eyesockets. The boy writhed as this creature appeared to [i]gouge[/i] his eyes out in its efforts to prize his head off, and then- [i]Snap.[/i] The boy's upper jaw forcibly yawned open, wider than it should've, the artifice of cheek and lips giving way to a shadowy, faceless maw, characterised only by needlepoint teeth and the skull-shaped outline of shadow that should've been a head which started from the lower jaw upwards. Legs freed, Clancy's remaining body jabbed a foot into the ground for balance, then wrenched an arm in as hard as he could, hoping to pull the skeleton's form a little closer, then snapped his jaws down upon the exposed length of bone with enough force to crack open marrow, snapping through it like brittle wood. In an instant the full body of Skelly turned to shadows, which dissipated as a roar filled the nearby area. A few seconds later everything went silent. Across the street Clancy would watch as three hands appeared out of a shadow cast by the street light. Two of the hands made a motion like they were choking an invisible person while the third slapped at where the head would have been. A second later all three hands flipped off the boy, before they disappeared for good, leaving him to be drenched in the outpour from the broken hydrant. [hr] At the other side of the same windowsill, a half-formed skeletal hand crept upwards, thin digits pressing into the exterior frame for grip. Another hand, moments later, reached up to fiddle with the locking mechanism, seeking to prize open the latch without breaking anything. When that failed, the hand rapped its shadowy knuckles against the glass as lightly as it could, producing a rattle that shook the group from their conversation. Luca let out a strangled cry, jumping and causing the chair he was on to topple backward. He fell on his ass, panic clutching him. It was the skeleton. It had to be. It was back to torment them and- Wait, the skeleton wasn’t shadowy. The crown of a familiar head of charcoal hair peering over the top all but confirmed it. [I]Fuck[/i], it wasn’t the skeleton, it was… [color=6B8E23]”Clancy! Oh, uh, can someone get the window open?”[/color] Jasper ran over and opened the window, stepping back afterwards to give the boy some space One of the boy's feet was braced against a gutter pipe, the other an AC unit, from which he pushed off and used or momentum to clamber through the now-opened window. He looked worse than when they'd last seen him, a dark line of shadow bisecting his head where upper and lower lips met, leaving him with the impression of an oily glaswegian grin. And his extremities were again missing the facade of flesh, taking on a shadowy, angular appearance. As if to add to his haggard appearance, the boy was almost drenched, droplets of water beading off his uneven exterior and tattered coat and into the carpet. It took Clancy a moment to realise how [i]messy[/i] that might have been, as he glanced at the wet spot forming wherever he treaded. [b]”Sorry about your floor. There was a skeleton… [i]asshole[/i], watching you when I got here. Says you're his mark. ”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”Don’t worry about it,”[/color] Luca waved a hand, pointing to all of the various spots of rotting in the apartment. Then he looked at Jasper excitedly. [color=98FB98]“NEVER HEARD OF A SKELETON ASSHOLE LIKE THAT,”[/color] Jasper shouted incorrectly. He wanted to ask if it was the same looking skeleton that haunted their waking moments. Clancy shrugged, [b]”Four arms?”[/b] then reconsidered, [b]”[i]Three[/i] arms now, maybe.”[/b] In the narrow lighting of the apartment, the boy's face was lit up, only further highlighting the dark line running from either corner of his mouth. [b]”Never met a skeleton that talked, or grew back bones before. Too many of us in this town.”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”That’s- nothing like anything I’ve seen before!”[/color] Luca managed to get out after straining a lot. He groaned, trying to pull the chair he’d knocked over back up and accidentally rotting through the back. Another thing to replace… just the normal. Concentrating, he managed to pull what was left of it up and sit back on it like it was a stool. [color=6B8E23]”We don’t have a skeleton problem around here, just a lot of clowns. Constant clown attacks.”[/color] [color=98FB98]“And bees. We often have to fight a bee swarm around here.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Who gets into so many fights with bees,”[/color] Lila’s voice was once again muffled by the cushions. Like really? Who willingly picks a fight with bees? [b]”Someone stupid enough to throw rocks at their nest, maybe?”[/b] Clancy shrugged again, then pivoted to shut the window behind him. That muffled the sound of water spurting and sloshing across the sreet from the burst hydrant, and for a moment he caught a view of his own reflection, the rictus grin cast across his face and the oily silhouette that formed his extremities. [b]”I'm.. sorry. That you got hurt because of me, today. I don't really have anyone to… talk to like this, but you're good. Thanks.”[/b] His attention shifted back to Lila, brow arched, [b]”Prom Queen wanted you. I get Britney, but why you?”[/b] Lila raised her head, but her eyes squinted in the light as if it was causing her a migraine, [color=DA70D6]“Emily was being a cunt, deadnaming me, and I punched her in the face.”[/color] [b]”Deadname?”[/b] His brow arched, [b]”Is that like a curse or something?”[/b] Lila pushed herself up with her arms before she rose to her feet and stood up tall. She looked to Luca before she looked back at the kid. [color=DA70D6]“I wasn’t born with the name Lila. What do you know about trans people kid,”[/color] Lila asked with a soft smile. [b]”Uhhh…”[/b] Gears slowly turned, a vague understanding forming, [b]”[i]Right.[/i] Like the people who are into different stuff. You weren't always…”[/b] he idly tilted a palm at her, [b]”Yeah?”[/b] [color=DA70D6]“Yes and no. Up here,”[/color] Lila tapped a clawed finger against her head, [color=DA70D6]“yes, but the rest of me needed some help to get to where I felt most at home in my body. Which is why these wings and clawed hands are so annoying now that I think about it.”[/color] [b]”I think I get it… you're okay. You aren't an asshole. [I]Emily[/i] is, though.”[/b] He raised a gnarled palm, the facade of flesh slowly filling in like paint coating an empty canvas, [b]”So you can be [i]you.[/i]”[/b] Fingers clenched into a half-fist. [B]”I get it. I'm… [i]older[/i] than I look. Not really a kid anymore. Stuck like this.”[/b] Where his sleeve was tattered, he pointed at a puckered section of flesh across his sleeve that looked like normal scar tissue. [b]”Fell off my bike a few months before I was [i]made[/i] like this. That was years ago. But my body… or whatever keeps me like this, still thinks I'm twelve-and-a-half.”[/b] [color=DA70D6]“That sounds terrible,”[/color] Lila was lucky that The Maiden wasn’t as pushy when it came to accepting the gifts. She knew that the longer any of these changes lingered the harder it was to get them to go away. If she didn’t figure out a way to better control the wings she very well might be stuck with them forever. [color=DA70D6]“how old do you think you are?[/color] [b]”A hundred years, maybe?”[/b] His expression crinkled, [b]”Drove horsecarts and read by a candle.”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”A hundred?!”[/color] Luca gaped. That was… a long time to be alive. A really long time to be alive. It was possible without magic, but most a hundred year olds weren’t so… spry. His shock quickly turned into a grin, and a joke. [color=6B8E23]”Shit, I didn’t realise we were in the presence of a grandpa… Got any wise words for us young’uns?”[/color] [b]”Don't believe everything you're told.”[/b] A strange cackle slipped forth from the boy, threatening to offer them a smile. It would've looked pleasant, if not for the thin gap still running across the boy's face and casting another glaswegian grin. [color=6B8E23]”That much is obvious,”[/color] Luca laughed. He shrugged. As much as he was always positive and liked to see the good in people, he knew a thing or two about not trusting them. After all… it was thanks to another person that he was like this. [color=6B8E23]”Especially with magic. We have a few people in the coven that can mess with your brain.”[/color] [b]”Older…”[/b] Clancy paused to consider, before more spilled out, [b]”I lost track. [I]Years.[/i] More. My parents were in the war… Mom ran away from the nazis, lost her family in Poland… Old Man fought ‘em. My brother got drafted just after I [i]disappeared[/i], and he never made it home.”[/b] This time, there was no dryness to his tone. No wry grin. [color=6B8E23]”Shit, that’s rough, I’m sorry,”[/color] Luca offered genuinely. [color=6B8E23]”I bet it was hard having to just watch after you changed. I… kinda get that, a bit. I can’t ve around my family either. None of them are magic so just getting close to me would kill them. It sucks. I had to cut them off for their own good and that was… shit. I can’t imagine a hundred years of that.”[/color] [b]”I understand.”[/b] he nodded, eyes lidded, [b]”After I… changed, I wasn't me for a while. Didn't care who I hurt... spent a long time alone in the parks. I [I]tried[/i] so many times to stop, and couldn't. Couldn't end it either. Only got [i]me[/i] back by accident.”[/b] Lila felt the cold talons of The Maiden drag her mind down to the mindscape and Lila was powerless to stop it . Lila’s body nearly stumbled over but her eyes quickly rose to meet the ‘boy’ and a smile spread across her face. [color=FFE4E1]“How fascinating,”[/color] The Maiden spoke through Lila with ease, [color=FFE4E1]“who are you, and I don’t mean you boy,”[/color] The Maiden paused as she pulled Lila’s body up straight and tall, [color=FFE4E1]“have we crossed paths before? I know the Rot very, [i]very[/i] well, I like to be familiar with all my companions.”[/color] Clancy's expression crinkled again, betraying irritation. [b]”[i]It[/i] isn't in the driver's seat, and it'll stay that way.”[/b] His jaw set, [b]”I don't deal with parasites.”[/b] [color=FFE4E1]“Oh I’m not a parasite.,”[/color] The Maiden chuckled as she knew she was something far worse. [color=FFE4E1]“You’re boring,”[/color] The Maiden faked a sigh as she released Lila and sent her back up. Once again Lila nearly stumbled as she returned to control. [color=DA70D6]“I hate when she does that.”[/color] [b]”Does [i]it[/i] make you hurt people, too?”[/b] he asked, bluntly. [color=DA70D6]“She’s pushed me into fights, but doesn’t ask that I seek one out,[/color] Lila added, [color=DA70D6]“I think she tried to have me curse Vashti but that didn’t work but she knows what strings to pull to make me want to fight. To change people.”[/color] [color=6B8E23]”I’ve been trying to help her with that,”[/color] Luca offered, rubbing the back of his neck. He was uncomfortable from the moment the maiden had appeared, feeling the Rot stir inside of him. But it didn’t make any move to try and take over. It never did. [color=6B8E23]”I’ve spent ten years suppressing it. Not quite a hundred but… I’m good at it. It just sucks. Us adjoined- or whatever it is for you- gotta stick together, though, right? Maybe we can really help each other.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Yeah, you have the tradition Adjoined, the agent thanks to an apparition sealed within me, the cursed by an apparition which is vaguely adjoined, and whatever flavour of adjoined you are. We cover most of the bases.[/color] [b]”I don't know [i]what[/i] I am. Britney thinks I could be an abominathing.”[/b] He seemed resigned, [i]tired[/i] without fatigue. [b]”Maybe I am. I don't [i]feel[/i] human anymore. Won't age. Can't die. Barely remember what it's like to sleep, or be warm. And I…”[/b] he hesitated, then glanced up at Luca, [b]”Can you trust me?”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”Yes,”[/color] Luca said without hesitation, before smiling. [color=6B8E23]”Even if you’re not technically ‘human’ that’s… necessarily a bad thing. Not all non-humans are evil. Plenty of humans are. And really, how human are we? I rot everything I touch and Lila’s turning part bird.”[/color] He laughed. [color=6B8E23]”Getting a bit too philosophical there but, I trust you. I’ve just got a feeling, y’know… plus the thing inside my head doesn’t like you. That counts for something.”[/color] [b]”I don't… I want you hurt, but… when this is all done, you need to stay as far from me as you can. You and your friends, it won't always be safe. This… I hurt people.”[/b] Clancy reconsidered, [b]”No. I said I'm in control of me, but that's not all true. I'm always hungry. [I]Starving[/i], but not dying. Only thing that stops it… [I]meat.[/i] Fresh, live meat. I said I lost myself… I tried to stop when it happened, and something [i]else[/i] took over. Don't remember all of it, just… forest, hiking trails, [i]bodies.[/i]”[/b] Luca smiled sadly when Clancy mentioned staying away from him when this was all over. If he was honest with himself, Luca didn't see himself living that long. His lifespan was shortening and shortening with each stressful incident. And for the first time he found himself wanting to tell someone that he was dying. But he didn't. [color=6B8E23]”We’ll deal with after when we get to it… But you stopped? Found yourself again?”[/color] [B]”I got lucky, something reminded me of who I was. I was [i]Clancy.[/i] But I had to choose between being a monster, or being a monster that hurt bad people. Like.. those assholes at the gas station. Or the other bikers that went missing. [i]Joe Skinner[/i] was my work. I'm telling you because you trusted me at the bar. Helped me, so maybe you'll get it.”[/b] Luca nodded. [color=6B8E23]”I get it a bit. You… do what you have to in a way that minimises the damage. So you can still be yourself as much as possible. If I didn't just rot things… if I had to choose… I think I'd still have to do it. Or it'd take over.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Don't say that,”[/color] Lila paused as she concentrated, making a single feather on her wind spark to life. No one would be tempted to pluck the feather but they would feel the allure of the feather as it pierced through their emotional fields. [color=DA70D6]“If you have to hurt people, and you have to rot stuff, what does that mean I have to do?”[/color]. The feather stopped emitting the cursed light as she chuckled. [color=DA70D6]“One day at a time, right Luca?”[/color] [color=6B8E23]”Right,”[/color] Luca smiled at Lila, even though he felt that burning pain in his chest from the Rot straining within him. The allure of the feather, momentary as it was, had it wanting to get out. He suppressed it just like he always did but it was… uncomfortable. [color=6B8E23]”You’re right, Lila! It’s not like me to not be positive. I’m sure there’s a way to make things easier for all of us, so we don’t have to…or don’t have to as much. We’ll find a way.”[/color] The boy quietly listened, ruminating on his thoughts. He looked back at his reflection in the mirror, contemplating matters. [color=DA70D6]“Regardless, Clancy, you’re like us. We got your back. If that bitch that shot you ever shows up again I’ll peck out her eyes, Luca can rot her knees, you can take your revenge, and Lynn can show you how nice the future looks without her in it.[/color] Clancy [i]had[/i] been silently listening, but the mention of the hitwoman had prompted him to speak, [b]”You should probably run if you see her. I've been hit with worse stuff before, but that crystal thing… hurt at the time, but it was the first time I could feel... [i]any[/i] pain.”[/b] It had almost been a reminder of what it was to be [i]alive[/i], in a twisted way. Thoughts drifted on. He was looking for his own revenge, but not on [i]her,[/i] and not just that alone. [b]”I keep thinking about what happens if-.. [i]when[/i] I find the asshole who killed Ashley. She [i]was[/i] family. [i]That[/i] wasn’t a lie. But after that... I don’t want to keep going like this. I’ve lost track of years, where I’ve been, what I’ve done... what if I run out of [i]assholes[/i] to hurt?”[/b] It was something he'd never opened up about before, his tone weighed with decades of a cold, lonely bitterness, interspersed with brief moments of blood and meat. [b]”I’m [i]tired.[/i] I’m just... here. Not even really here, just what’s left of me, memories that I’m just hanging onto and [i]needs[/i] to keep quiet. And always knowing that if I ever slip....”[/b] Clancy balled up a half-gnarled fist, raising it to his chest. [b]”I’ve only told one other person this - apart from you, Luca. I guess it doesn’t matter. I want to find the [i]thing[/i] that made me like this. I want to [i]end[/i] it. Break the cycle. That's why I wanted Ashley and her knife. She [i]was[/i] going to help me.”[/b] Truthfully, he wanted more than he was willing to admit. [I]No more hunger. No more cold. Just sleep.[/i] Lila listened intently to the words that Clancy spoke. She was tired too and it had only been a month of her having the maiden sealed inside of her. She has lost bodily autonomy, sanity, and even her plans for the future. She dreamed of being this advocate for queer kids, to build a space that they could thrive in, and now her future involved the maiden, the crows, and the changes that come along with them. She couldn’t imagine what another year of this would be like, let alone the time that Clancy had to deal with this. Lila was tired. [color=FFE4E1]“Don’t worry Lila,”[/color] The Maiden whispered in her ear almost seductively, [color=FFE4E1]“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll give you training tomorrow, teach you to master my magic, so that you never face to worry about what the future holds for you.”[/color] [color=6B8E23]”We’ll help you find the Apparition Killer,”[/color] Luca said, with a slight smile towards Clancy. He understood the want to be free. For him it had only been ten years… ten long years of not being able to live normally. But he was still alive and he was still himself. He couldn't imagine nearly a hundred. It must be tiring. Neverending. Even with so little time left himself, he wasn't jealous in the slightest. [color=6B8E23]”I don't know if we can help you find whatever made you like this, but we can try. So that you can be free of it and… rest.”[/color] Luca understood well enough that Clancy wasn't adjoined like them. He probably wouldn't survive the destruction of whatever made Clancy into this, because it was what was keeping him alive in the first place. Not really alive… but he didn't comment on that. It wasn't his place. He was someone who'd accepted his own fate too. [color=6B8E23]”Thanks for telling us all this. I know it's not easy when people can… well they don't understand. We're not the same, but we're similar. We all have our struggles because of Apparitions. We'll find the Apparition Killer for you and everyone else it could help.”[/color] [b]”... thanks,”[/b] Clancy mumbled, after a moment's pause, [b]”No one else knows except…”[/b] For a moment, he contemplated invoking Adora's name, but he'd promised to keep [i]that[/i] conversation between the two of them, or at least about the part involving her seeing a head doctor. [i]Better to play it safe.[/i] [b]”... Britney [i]probably[/i] has something figured out. Don't trust her.. not really. Not with what she did and who she talks to.”[/b] [color=6B8E23]”Britney… is complicated. But you’re probably right to not trust her,”[/color] Luca replied honestly. Because while he’d ultimately forgiven her for what she did, he didn’t trust her. He then waved a hand in front of his face. [color=6B8E23]”But let’s take a break from all the seriousness! Let’s put on a movie, have some of Ken’s famous ‘balls’- well I don’t know if you can eat normal food, Clancy, but you can still enjoy a movie, right?”[/color] When was the last time he'd sat down to watch [i]anything?[/i] [b]”Sure, I guess.”[/b]