[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ovQDg3F.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ItU46sA.png[/img]         	[img]https://i.imgur.com/AhVmyFc.png[/img]
[h2][color=8877BD]Nessa Mendoza[/color] & [color=0D6793]Elay Motta[/color]  [/h2][/center]
[right][code]A Dingy Motel, South Side. Tuesday > Wednesday.[/code][/right]
Nessa dragged herself out of Elay’s apartment block, and then back to the South of the city. Taking the boat didn’t require ID, so long as you could pay the fee and were willing to risk your life. Which she was. There was enough cash left in her pockets for the trip, and maybe another week survival beyond that. 

Hooray… 

Unfortunately, the boat didn’t sink like it always seemed to be one wave away from. Leaving only the dull ache of inflicted pain to stave off the void inside. She felt sick with herself. 

And why had Garf stopped him? He knew what she’d done. Every single Motta deserved at least one punch. Maybe that’s why he stepped in. Needed to make sure the rest got their chance. 

There was no point going back to the apartment block, even if she had the key. She’d just rot there. She literally had [i]nothing[/i] now. Might as well go out with a bang. 

Back to an old haunt, a bar favoured by particularly awful people. It was all too easy to pick out some muscular, violent looking guy and hit him with a [i]want me[/i] curse. It faded after her fucked her, but after the first round it was easy to get more. The curse just sped the inevitable up. He would’ve slept with her one way or another. 

The motel they ended up in was especially seedy. The sheets probably hadn’t been cleaned in days. Didn’t matter to Nessa. Not much did, anymore. 

She lay on the grimy bed on her stomach, propped up with one elbow as she smoked her way through a packet of cigarettes the guy’d had in his pockets. The bruise on her back from being slammed into the wall was covered by a myriad more, as if Elay had never touched her. The split lip had been bitten enough it stung more. Still wasn’t enough…

She could feel the heavy ache as all her thoughts started to weigh on her. Smoking wasn’t enough to quiet the clamour. At least she could afford to stay here a couple of days. Maybe she’d never leave this bed. 

The man next to her was slowly stirring again after a short nap. The arm around her waist, keeping her there, slowly started to move. There was still some hope that she’d shut it all up long enough to continue with her miserable life. Maybe this round would be the one. 

It must be nearing morning. At least the thought of Moriah losing it at Elay about not getting her to the office gave her a hint of pleasure.

Not that she’d ever have the chance. There was the faintest sensation of being watched in the dark. Of being stalked. Like there was something [i]else[/i] which had nothing to do with its surroundings. An unnatural thing.

[color=FF8604][i]’Ah… Good to see you don’t let the hole go unoccupied for too long, Nessa. How’s the cigarette?’[/i][/color]
Two big yellow eyes formed in the corner of the room like sunlight shining from the cosmic void. They devoured every bit of low light, even the hot cherry of her cigarette growing duller at the very presence.


Great. Perfect. The cat was still going to bother her. Thank fuck the guy was still half asleep. A thin Pink thread connected the two again as she carefully monitored. Ready to erase Garf’s very presence from the Blind’s eye. 

Her head turned to glare at the shining eyes, before averting when it got too strong. Like trying to stare at the sun. It just made her more pissed off. She was sober now- sober enough to regret pushing things so much, even if she’d deserved the reaction. [i]Ruining[/i] things again. The cat coming back to taunt her just made her feel worse.

[color=8877BD][i]’Better smoked in peace. Fuck off, take your judgement elsewhere. I’m not listening to any more of your bullshit.‘[/i][/color]

The cat’s grin came across in luminescent teeth, still pearly white but somehow reflecting the same grey dawn’s light as the eyes.

[color=FF8604][i]’And what bullshit is that? I’m not judging you, it was an observation. You [b]clearly[/b] don’t get hung up on sentiment, do you?’[/i][/color] he asked to goad, his mental connection tenuous at best. 

She wished she didn’t. Then she wouldn’t feel so awful. There wouldn’t be an additional emptiness on top of all the guilt. For what? Another piece of shit? But for all his awfulness, Elay had treated her like a person. Hadn’t even hit her till she pushed him when they were both drunk out of their minds.

[color=8877BD][i]’Bullshit about him not leaving. Clearly not the case! Fuck off. Course I ain’t so stupid to get attached after a day.’[/i][/color] She was. She absolutely was…

[color=FF8604][i]’Daddy really spanked that ego into a nice, square peg, didn’t he? Christ on the cross… You’re like a broken record with that shit. I tried to tell you! Stay in the hall! This would’ve been so much easier if you’d just hung out there. Within an hour, I could’ve gotten him to let you back in. A few? He’s got an apology. He’s downstairs, waiting. Sent me up to get you. Said he couldn’t see who you were with up here.’[/i][/color] he calmly explained, letting the sensations of the last few hours ripple across her emotional field.

[color=FF8604][i]’Please don’t make him come up here. Make both our lives nice and shiny and easy, and just… Get your clothes. I’ll take care of the schmuck. We’ve got to be at the Registry in a few hours.’[/i][/color]

Nessa stared at him blankly. What bullshit. He’d have let her back in? [i]Apologised[/i]? Why would he even be downstairs? What did he get out of it? Apart from keeping his sister off his ass…

But what did the cat get out of lying? Oh. More pain to eat, probably. 

She carefully pulled herself out from underneath the arm that had been pinning her down, coming to sit on the bed. Still staring at Garf.
[color=8877BD][i]’I don’t believe you. Why would he care, anyway?’[/i][/color]

Garf’s large form stepped from the shadows until the front two paws sat in visible light. He, for once, almost looked cute. Like the cartoon Cheshire cat comes to real life… He even looked well groomed, all of the truly ugly and patchy mangled fur covered by some vague illusion. Like putting a silk hat on a pig.

[color=FF8604][i]’Well, his [b]argument[/b] was correct. You have no idea what those women did to [b]him.[/b] You remember anything about Nikkita, you remember that she had zero qualms about completely rescripting someone’s brain. Elay was created more than he was gestated. Just like all his siblings. Only, they planned on him being a male. Think. Think about all those thoughts you pulled out of Cadenza. [b]I’ll help you.[/b]’[/i][/color] he offered calmly, extending the olive branch of his head leaning downward to let her touch the third eye that opened up.

Nessa flinched back initially. She [i]knew[/i] what she said was wrong. She’d been goading Elay on purpose! And she hated herself for it, especially as the soberness hit. Hated who she was. She didn’t want to remember. She couldn’t remember a lot from Cadenza, it was so fuzzy. Only what hurt her most seemed to remain. 

[color=8877BD][i]’[b]Don’t[/b] bring her up.’[/i][/color] She hissed mentally at him. 

But as much as she was touchy, she was curious. Wanted to wriggle her way into Elay’s life as much as she could, even though she really didn’t believe it was possible. Her hand drifted forward to touch the offered eye, shaking slightly.

As she let her hand slip across its melty surface, she’d be able to hear that voice again. So many times, she’d just [i]sit and babble[/i] while Nessa was trying to work. Trying to distract her, the only tactic she knew against Pink and Blue Lux. It was so much more obvious now that it was clear. Now that it was back for the fleeting moment.

[color=FFB31C][i]You know… Where I come from? You wouldn’t be afraid of him. We like to eat men who can’t behave in Culla.[/i][/color]

By then, curses had even stripped away her fake accent. The Matriarch had worn a hundred masks: The layers upon layers of emotional fields gathered from her soul-progenitors to be projected back across her like a lattice of protection. She was so magically complex, so utterly inhuman…

But she tried desperately to act like she was. And in doing so, had spilled a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of Cullan society. About the Whispering Flesh, and its constituent pieces. Even bits about her own family. Bits about [i]her son, who was the same age as Nessa.[/i] 

[color=FFB31C][i]Sixteen… Was the age my Sires released me from my pool, at least my body physically. My Bim-Elay is sixteen now. Safe. Thank the Deer… Safe from your rotten Father. Were you rewarded? For last time we met? Did he allow you to attend your friend’s party? A girl must explore herself. Have fun while she can.[/i][/color]

It was all so vivid now. A flare in the brain, hot and full of sparking metal as it shot like a firework only to explode into a thousand pieces. Fragmentary knowledge, all coming to settle in the same little spot for her to call upon.

Nessa pulled her hand away as soon as she could, breathing heavily. But the memories were still there. They were hers, after all. Tears slipped down her cheeks against her will. She couldn’t control the reaction. 

It was funny how one of the only people to treat her like a [i]person[/i] had been a victim. A victim who was hardly human herself. But… Cadenza was more human than Charles, to her. 

Reliving it hurt more than it brought any relief. The guilt was crushing her again. She knew she couldn’t have done anything. She’d always remembered the pain so vividly, the moments were her brain seized up because she had the slightest thought about helping Cadenza. She was as much a victim of her father… But that didn’t absolve her of her crimes, did it?

[color=8877BD][i]’You know why I said what I did. It wasn't cause I believed it. I got the reaction I wanted.’[/i][/color] Even her mental voice was shaky. The returned knowledge was a lot to consume, nevermind the emotion that came with it. 

[color=8877BD][i]’’Showing me that doesn't change anything… I already knew I was wrong. It doesn't make me believe that Elay's fucking downstairs waiting. If anything, I believe it less now. Why would he come back? Why would he care who I was with, too? None of that makes any fucking sense!’[/i][/color]

[color=FF8604][i]’You are not the only creature capable of feeling guilty, Nessa. And two wrongs surely don't make a right, but maybe he understands… That you were fishing. That you feel as though you need to do that. That its [b]fun[/b]. Which he doesn't love, but understands.”[/i][/color]

Garf's tail swept from one side to the other, curling up so the tip was just visible through the shadows. His voice finally spoke up, actually humming across the small space.

[color=FF8604]”You're… Going to make him, aren't you? If you valued this man you're with for even an iota of time, I would suggest at least leaving the room. Because if he sees this man… It won't end well, Nessa.”[/color]

[color=8877BD]”Valued… Him?”[/color] Nessa tilted her head, pointing to the man stuck in a half awake state thanks to her magic. Why would she? She'd been inside his mind. Seen all the nasty shit he'd done in the past and planned to do in the future. That's why she'd chosen him, after all. The worst of the worst. Made her feel less bad about using him. 

She was safe because of her magic, anyway. It only went as far as she wanted. 

[color=8877BD]”I don't. I'd be doing the world a favour if I fried his brain right now.”[/color] She shrugged one shoulder, legs unfurling to at least hang off the bed. Trying to decide if she was going to at least follow Garf's suggestion… But she still didn't believe him. That Elay was really there, or that he'd really be bothered by any of it. Possessive or jealous in any way… 

[color=8877BD]”And you're right. I'm going to make him. Because I can't trust it otherwise. I still don't trust anything you say either.”[/color] She stared at Garf, the cigarette still held between her fingers burning out. She crumpled the remnants in her hand, not caring about the burning pain from the still smouldering tip, before pulling out another one. 

[color=8877BD]”It’s really hard for me to believe that Elay will care- be at all pissed of that I fucked someone else- without proof.”[/color]

[color=FF8604]”Well, then do me a favor at least: Gather your things. You have the amount of time it takes to get from the handicapped spaces outside up to here.”[/color] Garf said with a tremendously flat tone. 

It made no difference to him, except for one single problem.

[color=FF8604]”And wake your John up. If I withdraw all my strength when he comes in, we both get a free struggle show. Appealing to you, my little sadomasochist?”[/color] 

[color=8877BD]”Mmm, appealing enough. So long as Elay can still smash his head in.”[/color] Nessa intoned back, slipping off the bed. Her clothes had ended up on the floor near enough to it, and she went about collecting them. 
[color=8877BD]”I ain't got any other things, cause my suitcase is still in Elay's fucking car.”[/color] 

She pulled back on her underwear at least before the magic keeping the man half asleep withdrew, jolting him awake on the way out. 

“Huh? What're you doin' outta-” 

[color=8877BD]”What, I ain't allowed to leave?”[/color] Nessa cut him off before he could continue. At the same time she moved further away from the bed, grabbing her coat to complete the pile of clothes in her arms. Going towards the wall so that she was out of the way. 

The man was quickly waking up, but somehow hadn't noticed the cat. Instead he was swinging his muscular, tattoo covered body out of the bed with an annoyed expression. Clearly expecting a continuation of last night now he was awake, upset that Nessa wasn't right there. So he started moving towards her to get exactly what he wanted.

Garf was in an odd position. He didn’t know [i]exactly[/i] where Elay was, thanks to his little takeover last night. There was a haziness that stifled his ability to track his Host, and an equally hazy barrier preventing direct communication. The two were only passing vague emotions between a thin wall of mist, Garf’s anticipation layering onto Elay’s anger. The two could only guess how the other was planning to actually handle the situation.

Elay himself was in the elevator now. She wasn’t here by herself, because she wouldn’t have come here by herself. She’d have gone back to the Bull, back to Deciduous where she’d be just fine and safe. But she wasn’t. She was here, which meant there was someone else up there. Fine. No problem. Whatever. He didn’t care, obviously. They weren’t dating, so he didn’t have to care. But she split before he could apologize, because she didn’t really understand. And Garf [i]said[/i] it was a sex thing. He didn’t get it. Didn’t get why she liked that kind of thing. 

She wasn’t getting it this time. This was serious. His livelihood was linked to her now, after all. They had [i]plans.[/i] Plans that he wasn’t intent on letting her escape from, nor was he willing to let what could become comfortable slip from his hands.
So she liked kinky shit… She liked getting tossed around. He could do that without being an asshole. But, bruising her like that? He only saw his Ma’s face after the fact, or his Sisters. Any of them. Probably Bryn. She used to give like she got, but it was the only female face he’d ever seen in his life become a different color after his fists were done with her. She used to get him back… That was all different.

He hit Nessa defenseless. Completely out of turn. She didn’t deserve it.

As the elevator dinged open, Elay could feel the little whisps of Nessa’s magic in the air. The sensation of Garf’s direction. There was tension. Long strides brought him in front of the door he knew was the final barrier.

On the other side, Garf had taken advantage of the man’s absent mind to push the threat. He’d had no intention of Nessa escaping without some kind of reminder, and pushed the John’s mind into an aggressive overreach. Hands rushed forward, wrapping around Nessa’s neck as his massive body shoved her against the wall. Garf was looking for the response she’d have, whether it was the usual one of apathetic suicide, or if for once she’d actually have some other reaction. Confusion, fear, hope that someone was actually going to save her…

Nessa was a bit [I]pissed[/I]. Her Pink Lux reactively blasted out, and she could feel the manipulation. But she was blocked from doing anything about it- because no matter how strong her magic was, she couldn't dampen down such explosive, magically pushed anger in time. Not without getting seriously hurt. 

There were the reactive survival instincts, Blue and Yellow sparking off her skin without much targeted use. Zaps of boils here and there, a knee trying to shove into his crotch. She wasn't really scared… It would be fitting.

Not even killed by someone who deserved to kill her. Right when she'd been fed that drop of hope again. Oh, was this what Garf had wanted? For her to let go of the mind? So he could do this, and get a feast before she died?

If Elay really was there- if he got there before stopped being able to breath- if he did anything to stop it- fuck, then she'd have to trust him… [color=8877BD][I]Stupidly hopeful even to the fucking end.[/I][/color]

[color=FF8604][i]Scream, Nessa! And never forget, there’s always a price to pay: [b]And I, your Debtor![/b][/i][/color]

[color=8877BD][I]Fuck. You.[/I][/color] She couldn't glare at him, but her anger was obvious enough. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, at least.

[color=FF8604][i]You wanted him riled up!? Scream! Give him a reason to [b]protect you![/b][/i][/color]

Fuck this fucking cat- she couldn't scream even if she wanted to. She could barely breathe now! The leg that had been trying to knee her attacker kicked to the side, knocking over the flimsy chair there. At the same time Pink Lux desperately reached out for [I]someone[/I] recognisable, hitting Elay outside the door. There weren't any words… But the emotions- all the anger, despair and desperation- were clear.

Elay only felt it for a single solitary moment before he let his left leg hop backward. The right foot smashed against the lock and bolt, post-human physiology pumping every extra bit of control into the joints and tendons crashing into the wood and snapping it apart. In that same instance, Garf let [i]everything[/i] go. Suddenly, the hands weren’t strangling Nessa. He wasn’t holding her against the wall. He wasn’t even really on his feet. 
Elay felt it happen in the same moment, the feeling of everything but his own genetically modified base level falling out from under him. 

But he was still more than a normal man. More than enough that, when he snagged the John by the back of the head and spun him around just to get cold-cocked in the face, he hardly flinched. The John, still disoriented but driven by a fight instinct natural to people in his lifestyle, let whatever blows he could rain upward toward Elay’s face and chest. 
Elay, however, had no intention of letting this man beat on him. There was a terrible animalistic sensation; domination simply wasn’t enough. An instinct that had been forced into him upon his Adjoining, and the most inhuman part that flourished where reason had once died. 

Right elbow met the brow of the forehead, downward momentum causing a hairline fracture across the diameter of the skull that nearly separated the cranium from the face. The John, still a true specimen of Blind tenacity, reached back to grip Elay’s hair in a desperate attempt to get him away from where he was going…
Because Elay’s elbow kept the John’s head in place. Struggling. Thrashing. While Elay forced himself back down upon the throat of the John. His mouth wrapped around the bulge, chomping down and causing the most blood curdling scream to choke its way out of a bloody hole.

As Nessa struggled to catch her breath not but a few feet away, she’d have a terrible front seat to the Whispering Flesh’s patented physiological upgrade system. No child left Culla without it, they said. The expectation that, should each and every child be born to the most powerful cult of Green Lux users on the face of the planet, that they all be so representative in mind and body. The shock that, even without Garf, Elay’s monstrous strength and sheer brutality meant that he was capable of great and terrible feats.
Fingers didn’t slip into the fresh wound so much as they crushed their way through tissue and sinew. Violently, until all five fingers gripped around the same chord of bone and nerve endings. 

The John would’ve only struggled a few more seconds were it not for Garf’s intervention. A cruel thing, and to the John’s horror, all the more painful as his nerve endings were lit on fire in a series of stimulatory neural arcs that kept him from going into shock from the pain. [i]Permanently.[/i] Not that Elay noticed when the guy tensed back up, or when he started to claw at his back and rip hair out of his head. Elay already had what he wanted.
His free hand pressed down on the shoulder, knee jerking up in between himself and the John’s chest. And with a single, heaving tug, Elay buckled his spinal chord. Severing it between two vertebrae, it came loose with a satisfying [i]thock[/i] before the severed head soared across the room and smashed into a nearby lamp.

Not that Elay was done, but Garf sat beside Nessa with a satisfied look on his face.

[color=FF8604]”Ohhhh no, the toy broke. That’s not [i]exactly[/i] what I expected.-”[/color]
Looking down at her, Garf let his cat-sized head brush against her shoulder.
[color=FF8604]”-I’d never let anyone kill you… Neither would he. But if you want to be hurt? I can make it happen.”[/color]

Elay was too blind to his rage to hear Garf, standing and letting his boot heel cave out the slowly hollowing chest like a tube of toothpaste.

Nessa had finally stopped gasping for air, moving back to sit on her knees instead of on all fours. She should probably feel sick. Or some kind of horror. She didn't. She was too fucked up. She'd seen all sorts of horrendous transformations as a teenager… This wasn't any worse. If anything she felt excited. Gratified. 

Sick, twisted pleasure from Elay protecting her in such a brutal way. 

[color=8877BD]”For some reason I don't trust you.”[/color] She bit out, voice hoarse. Her throat hurt a lot, making it difficult to talk… But it was pain that she'd been looking for. She just didn't enjoy it being so uncontrollable. Not when she'd been dragged out from her suicidal apathy for a moment. 

[color=8877BD]”What were you expecting? A nice fucking chat?”[/color] She shook her shoulder to try and get Garf's head away while stretching out to gather the clothes she'd dropped. 

Her gaze never left Elay, however. Heated enough that it practically burned a hole into him. She didn't actually say anything- didn't want to try to drag him away from his fun. Just stared.

[color=FF8604]”A struggle, at least! Like we discussed! I mean, [i]I thought we discussed this![/i] I can feel your frustration, but…-”[/color]

Suddenly, things were slightly more strange. If one didn’t know any better, that his whole sustenance was built on the back of things like personal trauma, and a gluttonous hunger for real and raw emotion, it would almost sound… [i]Like he was some kind of confused lover.[/i] Having taken the play a little too far, and having to explain themselves in the crashing comedown.
Only, her emotion was already there. It’d be a fruit to pluck later on, as all Wampuskind were cultivators of the finest vines of pain and pleasure among the realms. So, maybe that was all a part of the game too? 

[color=FF8604]”Trust me or not. He’s stuck with us, I’m stuck with him… You’re stuck with us now too, Nessa. You’ll come to deal with it in time; That I’m the one in charge, and I always get what I want.”[/color] he said smugly, twisting his ever-lengthening tail around her arm possessively. Eyes squinted, and a smile formed.

Elay felt the clatter of the ribcage finally snapping, which shot his foot down harder to break him out of his mindless actions. On reaction, Garf let Nessa’s arm go and made like nothing was happening except their twinned staring. The giant of a man pushed down onto both knees, bloody hands wrapping around her face without any kind of aggression. But they were forceful, moving her into whatever light he could in order to get a better look at her face.

Not enough bruising for her to be a victim. But he held her gaze up to his regardless.

[color=0D6793]”Why… Did you leave?”[/color] He asked her sternly, voice hitching only for a moment.

Nessa stared at him silently for a moment, eyes squinting. Why had they both expected her to just [I]stay[/I]. Stay and hope? When had that ever worked? Once or twice she'd tried to get exes to take her back. Before everything fell to pieces, when she was a teenager. It hadn't ended violently or anything, but it certainly hadn't worked out. 

[color=8877BD]”Do you… Seriously need to ask?”[/color] She responded eventually. There wasn't the normal bite to it. Not yet, at least. 
[color=8877BD]”You literally threw me out. Why wouldn't I leave?”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”There is an [i]office[/i] downstairs. You’re an employee. I can’t stop you from using the office now. Or, fucking, Deciduous! I went, I looked for you there first, because I thought, figured, assumed…-”[/color]

He paused, releasing her face and leaving both sides colored bright red.

[color=0D6793]”-Why… Why? Why [i]this!?[/i]”[/color] Elay growled, throwing both hands downward at the fresh corpse, and the cat that was biting pieces out of the half-strewn guts. He was the cleanup crew, after all…

[color=8877BD]”Because I needed it.”[/color] She answered simply. 

How did she even explain beyond that? That she'd assumed it was all over, including the job? She'd been so overwhelmed with guilt and self hatred because of what was said about his [I]Moms[/i], and as soon as she was alone it started eating her alive. It quieted down with the feeling of flesh on flesh, whether pleasant or painful. Both was best. 

She was surprisingly calm, not snapping back at him. She was still processing what had happened- that the cat hadn't been lying, and that he was actually there.

[color=8877BD]”And I didn't expect you to look for me. I assumed that was it.”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”It’s [b]Garf![/b] It’s the fucking Cat, it’s the Cat, it’s the fucking Cat! It’s the Cat-”[/color] he snapped, turning and letting his leg snap out. He caught Garf right in the gut, sending him flying like a tennis ball toward the ceiling, bouncing him down into the nightstand, then back onto the floor in a rolling heap.

[color=0D6793]”-He says you’re important, so you’re fucking important! I try and set you up, keep you close enough, but you want closer! You want to [b]wooooooorm[/b] your way into my head because you think there’s something that you’re going to get out of me… [i]This!?[/i] Seriously!? Why!? Why do you want the fucking worst, what the fuck is it with you, why can’t you just keep your goddamn mouth shut instead of-”[/color]

There was a heavy burst of energy that buckled Elay at the knees, making him think twice about moving on at the same pace.
[color=FF8604]”Elaaaaaaay! Enough! I’m saying enough now, get her up and go. I can only keep the other Blinds asleep for so long before someone hears too far away. I’ve got to clean up.”[/color]

With a deep breath, Elay nodded and pulled back from Nessa for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Garf’s entire body swallowed Elay up and spat him out clean of any blood. He swept both hands down, scooping Nessa under each arm and standing.

[color=0D6793]”Come on… We’ve got work to do before we go and get you registered. Where’s your phone?”[/color] he asked, knowing damn well he’d never bothered to call her. Just [i]expected[/i] she’d be one place or another. Never bothered to confirm anything to begin with.

[color=8877BD]”What fucking work do we have to do?”[/color] Nessa managed to groan, ceasing tiredly glaring at him. She hadn't had the energy to snap back at him for once when he went on and on. Sure, it was all about the importance, of course. Made sense. She was important because of his Moms, after all. Silly of her to think it'd be anything else. 

[color=8877BD]”Let me get dressed at least.”[/color] She wasn't naked, but she'd only gotten the chance to get her underwear on before Garf made the guy go mad with anger. She half threw her coat at Elay as she pulled herself away enough to start pulling on her skirt. 

[color=8877BD]”My phone’s in one of the pockets. Do whatever you want with it. There ain’t much on it, anyway.”[/color] She looked at him, then Garf, pointing to her face and continuing in a much more snide tone. 
[color=8877BD]”Am I allowed to wash the blood off my face, or do I go out looking like I slipped in a blood puddle?”[/color]

Elay was already rifling through her pockets, then ushering her into the bathroom.
[color=0D6793]”Wash, wash. How’s your face, is it-”[/color]
Getting her into the light of the bathroom, it was clear where he’d hit her.

[color=0D6793]”-Jesus… I’m… Fuck, Nessa, I’m so fucking… [i]Why did you say that shit!?[/i] Why’ve you gotta be like that when I’m trying to hook you up? What’s the fucking point, it gets you off or something!?”[/color] he snapped, letting the water in the sink run while he grabbed a washcloth.

[color=8877BD]”Something like that.”[/color] Nessa shrugged. Better for him to think it was some fetish than see any of the deeper shit. Sure, it kind of was that too… But mostly because it was what she needed to keep going. What she deserved, anyway. What she was used to as well… 

[color=8877BD]”I was drunk and goading you! I wouldn't have gone so far if I was sober!”[/color] Or if she hadn't seen a woman that looked like someone she'd helped kill, and found out exactly who she was… 
[color=8877BD]”Didn’t expect to strike a nerve like that, anyway. I only wanted to piss you off a bit.”[/color]

She leaned forward, splashing water directly onto her face and rubbing away at the blood with her hands. She was fairly certain the washcloth would just make her dirtier with the state this place was in. 
[color=8877BD]”Don’t worry your [I]cute[/I] little head over it, I've had worse. And I'll come up with an excuse so it doesn't get up to your big bitch sister.”[/color]

Elay took a deep breath, shaking his head.
[color=0D6793]”You’re an employee. Not a member of the Twin Hill. You’ve got no right to protection under the laws of the Whispering Flesh, ergo she’d not do a fuckin’ thing to me over your condition. I’m not worried. Now, clean yourself up and call your ex. Tell him some asshole just tried to rob you, and that you need him to put you up. You’ve got a brick of weed as collateral, and that’ll leave him open for me.”[/color] he explained, sliding her phone onto the counter expectantly.

Well, it was good Moriah wasn't going to bother doing anything, but then what was he so worried about with it? The chef sister that'd warned him? Probably not, she was avoidable till Nessa looked better. Odd. 

[color=8877BD]”Tried to rob me of… What?”[/color] She rolled her eyes at him, finding that suggestion a bit ridiculous. Like she looked like someone robbable. They didn't have to worry about it much in her apartment complex, because no one had any fucking money.  

[color=8877BD]”Fine. But I want a cut of whatever you get.”[/color]

She wasn't particularly happy about it- but she didn't want him to change his mind, decide to ignore the cat and just leave her there. She could go along with what he wanted for now. What was the worst that happened? A repeat of what just did? 

More water splashed onto her face, and she managed to get most of the blood off it. It was easier when it was fresh. Didn't make her look any less like she'd come out of hell. Staring in the grimy mirror, she scrubbed the last bit off before washing her hands. Still wet, she pulled back her mess of hair and twisted it into a bun. At least it looked a bit neater. 

Then she reached out for her phone, picking it up. But she didn't make the call immediately. 
[color=8877BD]”How’s the fucking weed brick leave him open to you?”[/color]

She was already doing it again. She could never just do what he told her, she had to make a problem about it every single step of the way. She was willful. She wanted him to press her back. But, what kind of press back was she expecting? Not this.

[color=0D6793]”Y’know what? Figure it out. You wanna be around me so bad, you’ll make yourself useful. Fuck my plan! Go with whatever you want: Just get me some more money in my hand before we hit the checkpoint so that I can pay off the guard and you [i]don’t have to go back in the trunk.[/i] Or, would you rather just get that over with?[/color] he asked, a sly smile forming on his face.

She’d not had the chance to see him like this, really. How he was [i]most[/i] of the time. The mask of his own, which so rarely presented itself to those who he felt had already seen through it. Only the fresh got the most whimsical version of him.
Maybe it was less a mask, and more who he could’ve been. There was a Pink Lux Adept somewhere deep in that brain, one who remembered what it felt like to be inside the deepest recesses of another’s mind without the interference of a furry paw around his throat.

[color=8877BD]”[I]Sorry[/I] I wanted to know what the actual plan was! You're acting like I told you to fuck off. And no, I ain't getting back in the trunk. Do that and you'll be hit by the same shit when I get out.”[/color] She rolled her eyes at him again, but she was prodding him again more than snapping at him. 
[color=8877BD]”Just watch. I won't even need to mention the weed to get him to see me, or even offer to put me up.”[/color]

Her lips pulled up from a thin line to a taunting smile again. The moment Elay saw it, a finger came up. 
[color=0D6793]”Don’chu give me that look, Nessa… You don’t trust me, fine, but I certainly ain’t gonna trust [i]that[/i] look.”[/color]

[color=FF8604]”Relinquish control, my boy… Protect her if she gets in over her head!”[/color]
Garf had grown massive as he started to swallow the bulk remains of the body, mouth snaking around it without jaw structure. But, classically, he still seemed to speak perfect English around whatever he was eating. Like his voice didn’t really come from his throat.

Elay couldn’t deny what he was saying. Didn’t want to, maybe. 

[color=0D6793]”Fine… But whatever that bum did to you, I expect you hosed out like a fucking milk truck before you catch me to touching you again. Disgusting [i]puttana[/i]! Should I expect this every time I want some fucking privacy?”[/color] he snapped at her, freely using Italian to express his distaste for her eagerness to hop into someone else’s bed.

[color=8877BD]”Depends how you fucking phrase it next time.”[/color] Nessa paused her search for the right contact to shoot back, one hand coming up to flip him off. 
[color=8877BD]”You gotta be clear about it if you want exclusivity-”[/color]

Not that it was likely to happen the next time. Not if there was a chance it wasn't over… She could stomach a depressed night or two if he'd take her back eventually. But last night was too much. She needed [I]something[/I]. And he hadn't exactly said it in a way that made it seem like he was ever gonna see her again! 

Elay didn't have a chance to respond, because she'd called her ex while talking. It didn't even ring that long before he picked up…

“Well fuck, if it ain't the prickliest Bitch in the South. And here I was just thinkin' bout you… Decided to come back, huh? Wantin' to take me up on my offer now?”

Nessa's smile dropped, replaced by a disdainful frown. But contrasting her expression she hitched up her voice, sniffing as if she'd been crying. 
[color=8877BD]”I- I- I got attacked! I d-dunno what he wanted, I ain't got much, b-but- I can't go home. He might still be there. Please-”[/color]

“Why don't you just mind-”

[color=8877BD]”Because I can't! Do you understand, Kieran?! I can't get in if- I'm s-so scared, I think he’s gonna kill me if I go back. Please, just lemme stay one night, I promise, it'll be worth it.”[/color]

There was a moment's pause before he responded. 
“Come to the Bookie… Night ain't over yet til the sun's shinin’, Babe, and I'm still workin'! But I'll keep you safe, don't worry. Y’know the deal, Ness.” 

Thankfully he hung up before she had to force out a disgustingly stammered thanks. 
[color=8877BD]”[I]You know the deal[/I], go fuck yourself and die.”[/color] She hissed at her phone, locking it and resisting the urge to just throw it away. 

The irritation melted away in favour of playful teasing as she turned back around to Elay. 
[color=8877BD]”See? What did I tell you? Easy. Y'know the Black Book? In 14th? We need to go there.”[/color]

It wasn't a place she really wanted to go back to. A drug den and brothel masquerading as a club… Except the masquerade was incredibly thin, only held up by the fact it sold alcohol along with drugs and women. It wasn't like anyone cares in the worst areas of the South. It was one of a few Kieran ran as part of his drug dealing and whatever other shit he did for the gang he was in.

Elay only had a [i]vague[/i] knowledge of the place. But, he’d been by and outside enough to know where to go. But listening to her leverage whatever feelings the guy had toward her was a breath of fresh air. At least he knew she wasn’t just some victim complex walking around looking to suck free euthinasia. 

[color=0D6793]”I know the spot, yeah. Down in the Kiln, in one of those stack-houses on One-oh-four and Chester. This guy rolls for the Myconids, or is it the Brutal Bees?”[/color] he asked her, trying to narrow down which gang he was affiliated with.

[color=0D6793]”And what do you expect the plan to be once we get there? You gonna get him some place quiet?”[/color]

[color=8877BD]”Myconids.”[/color] Nessa answered, remembering now that she heard the names. Remembered how he kept saying he joined that one rather than the Bees cause of how much he liked shrooms…

What was the plan? Get money out of the guy, sure. Did she bother using the weed? She didn't necessarily have to… But the cards she'd held were a bit risky to play. She could play his twisted feelings, sure. But did she entirely trust Elay to get her out of that? She knew Kieran didn't just want [I]her[/I] in that way. He wanted her, and he wanted to be able to pimp her out. That was why they'd broken up in the first place… 

[color=8877BD]”Well, you gonna be able to control yourself if I gotta flirt with him to do that? I do that, it's easy.”[/color] Probably. There was a chance he'd try to bring along other people. 
[color=8877BD]”He’ll jump at the chance to fuck again. Probably throw money at me for it! Not that I'll let him- but getting him somewhere quiet ain't a problem. Then I guess if he won't just give me cash, you can smash his head in for it.”[/color]


Elay watched her as she splashed the last of the blood off her face to reveal the big hand shaped bruise clear across her split lip. He felt wretched for a moment, knowing that wasn’t ever what he should’ve done… But it wasn’t the first. That only made things worse.


[color=0D6793]”I’m willing to put up with a little bit if you think whatever he’s got underneath him is worth making a pull from every month, rather than withdrawing a one-time payment before it’s light’s out and dismantled. If you can trap him and gain him control, then dropping him the package as our toy’s gonna be a lot easier and more profitable overall than dragging him now. I’m not saying fuck him, just… [i]Mindfuck[/i] him.”[/color] he intoned conspiratorially, as if he was letting her into something.

[color=8877BD]”That would be a great plan if he wasn’t an Agent.”[/color] Nessa side eyed him as she used what little fabric her shirt had to dry her face, before pulling it back on. She meant Agent in the magical term, of course. Dude with a shiny magic ring and an annoying Emotional Field to go along with it. 

[color=8877BD]”He has a lot underneath him. Runs a lotta the drug shit for the Myconid- a good chunk of their prostitution ring too. But I [i]can’t[/i] get into his mind.”[/color] She could, technically, if she had enough time to crack the Emotional Field. It was often easier with Agents. But she wasn’t going to do that… She couldn’t let Elay know she could do that. 

[color=8877BD]”I can try ‘mindfuck’ him without magic. I can probably manipulate him… But it’s gonna be a hard sell. Especially if he can’t fuck me- which I [i]don’t[/i] want anyway, before you call me a fucking whore again!”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”Whore… Oops, too late, you already fucked one other asshole tonight. Bashful about making it two? Whatever, I’ll get the ring off his finger and he’s useless. He wants it back, he gets it after you rewire things. So, get him comfy, [i]try[/i] and get him alone. And [i]try[/i] to get it done within an hour.”[/color]

With that, he pushed away from the sink and forward, kissing her on the lips before pulling away and walking out of the bathroom.

[color=8877BD]”Oohhh, I thought you weren’t gonna touch me! Couldn’t resist, huh?!”[/color] Nessa playfully called out behind him, letting the whore comment and what followed go. This once. Just to move on and get all this fucking shit over with. She took one last look in the mirror, which only made her face look worse. But it helped sell the story… And she was still attractive like this. 

[color=8877BD]”Within an hour’s easy.”[/color] She followed him out of the bathroom, collecting her coat again. It really shouldn’t be hard to get him somewhere alone. Unless he was in a [i]really[/i] shitty mood. 

[color=8877BD]”But what’s [i]your[/i] plan? You going into the place separately, or just sitting outside? I need to know to figure out where to get him.”[/color] Because if Elay wasn’t inside, it’d be a real pain if Kieran tried to take her to one of the underground rooms. 

[color=0D6793]”Garf’ll keep an eye on you and give me a look around the place. Once you start moving somewhere, I’ll meet you within a couple minutes. Think that sounds doable?”[/color] he asked directly, pulling the door open for her while he watched Garf swallow the John’s feet like the fin of a fish.

Nessa glanced back at Garf before stepping outside. 
[color=8877BD]”Yeah, so long as he keeps outta my head.”[/color]
[hr]
It wasn’t a particularly long ride from the seedy motel in the 15th Ward to the Black Book in the 14th. With the sun just beginning to creep into the sky, there was a strange quiet as most of the night workers withdrew and only those with extra early shifts were about. That was until they got closer, and things got busier again. 

The Black Book wasn’t the only place of its kind in the area. These few streets were sometimes called the South Side’s budget red-light district. But there were a fair few other areas that could claim the same… 

Nessa knew the area better than she’d like, able to direct Elay to park somewhere out of the way- and out of sight- without it being too far from the building. She didn’t leave the car immediately, hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. 

[color=8877BD]”If… He makes me do any shit, just lemme deal with it. I can push the effects long enough with magic that we’ll still be able to go do the other work shit.”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”You… Got this. Ain’t made it this far being a pussy, have you? You like sleepin’ with me so much, go make your money. I’ll be there to catch you.”[/color]


Elay was already getting out of the car, with Garf far ahead in the building as he slipped his way between the gap in a couple of bricks. Being at the top of the club, Garf could get a good look downward at all the life from behind the ceiling itself.


[color=FF8604][i]Cat’s eye view, reporting in. This place is always busy like this, Nessa?[/i][/color] Garf asked, clearly not worried about whether or not he was in her head. Elay was already moving away from her, cutting through an alley toward a separate rear entrance of the building.

[color=8877BD][i]Quieter during the day. Less prostitutes, same amount’ve people doing drugs.[/i][/color]

Nessa shoved her hands in her coat pockets, pulling it close around her. She took a moment to prepare. Adjusting her posture to curl in on herself, back hunched to make herself seem smaller. Expression changing to one of someone on the edge. She undid her hair, letting the messy waves fall in front of her face. 

It wouldn’t be hard to convince him. 

The bouncer on the door barely glanced at her- no point bothering to check women. She moved through the dingy, narrow corridor that led towards the main room. 

Loud music immediately assaulted her senses, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim lighting punctuated by flashing lights. But it wasn’t loud enough to cover up all of the moans… She forgot how bad this place was. There were smaller rooms on the same floor off this one, and plenty of private ones… But so often people didn’t even bother moving. 

Ratty round booth seats made up the majority of the seating, with most of it filled up. People doing drugs- some near comatose from opiods, others high out of their minds- and then those here to watch the strippers on the centre stage, or get a bit of action from the girls. Nessa didn’t look with her eyes, instead letting her Pink slither out to find the right Emotional Field.

Exactly where she expected him to be. A table to the left, on a slightly raised platform which gave it a good view of the rest of the room. There he was… Tall, so white his skin seemed to shine anytime a light hit it. His wavy brown hair was slicked back and there was a near naked woman on one arm. Nessa could feel how fucked up her mind was with just a touch. There were three other men in the booth with him, also with their own women- or two.

As she approached, Kieran’s grin widened. 
“Nessa! Didn’t get caught by your wannabe killer on the way?”

She mutely shook her head, making her body tremble as she got closer. He let go of the other woman at his side, who’s body immediately shifted to lean on one of his friends. Shifting around the booth towards the edge, he patted the space beside him. 

“He ain’t gonna get you here- Fuckin’ hell, Ness, he got you good!”

As she sat down he was able to get a good look at her face, and the marks on her neck. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist to pull her close, fingers pressing into her bare stomach. 
“C’mere, smoke some’ve this, it’ll help cheer you up!”

He picked up a pipe with the other hand, holding it out to her. Filled with some kind of crystal… No thank you. She didn’t want to risk that shit.

[color=8877BD]”I’m alright. I don’t wanna risk going out there when I’ve done something…”[/color] She whispered, leaning into him. Doing her best to play up the scared act. It only worked because this guy had gotten her to use enough drugs that set off anxiety attacks, completely shattering her normal attitude. 

“You ain’t going anywhere, Baby. I said I’d protect ya! Course, you gotta gimme a lil somethin’ in payment, huh? So have a smoke.”

[color=8877BD]”Y’know I ain’t sucking your dick out here.”[/color] She hissed, body tensing slightly. She wouldn’t put it past him… and she fucking wouldn’t. 

“Aw, there’s the Nessa I know! So fuckin’ prickly- Babe, y’know I don’t wanna share with anyone who ain’t paying!”

[color=8877BD]”You ain’t still wanting to do that, are you? I came to you cause- cause I missed you! But I still don’t wanna do that…”[/color] She trailed off, shifting her body towards him with one leg coming to swing up over his. 

“We gotta see, don’t we? I was [i]real[/i] upset when you left, after all.”

Nessa had to bite her tongue, trapping the harsh response. He broke up with her! Kicked [i]her[/i] out! All cause she didn’t want to fucking sleep with other gang members for a little extra cash! 

[color=8877BD]”Let me make it up to you, then.”[/color] She shifted again, pulling herself fully into his lap. One arm wrapped around his neck, while the other hand trailed down his chest. His arm pulled her flush against him with a smirk. 
[color=8877BD]”I know exactly what you like… And I haven’t had any as good since. I’ll do anything, as long as it’s just us. I know you missed me too…”[/color]

She lowered her voice, leaning in to kiss him. His mouth tasted [i]bad[/i], but she was able to space out enough to make it as desperate as she was pretending to be. Fueling herself with images of Elay killing the other man earlier… 

“Fuck, you sure you don’t wanna fuck right here? You’re sure acting like it.” Kieran laughed as she pulled her mouth away. She could feel his reaction, and didn’t want him getting any fucking ideas with that. She narrowed his eyes at him, and he patted her ass comfortingly. 

“Kiddin’, you gotta learn to take a joke, Ness. C’mon, let’s go downstairs. But first, if you ain’t gonna smoke-” He reached towards the table, finding a pill and holding it out to her. 
“Open up. You’ll need the energy.” 

Fuck. Just like Nessa knew was going to happen, she had no choice but to let him slide the pill into her mouth. Even though the effects weren’t immediate, she could feel it starting. [i]Ecstasy[/i]. Could be worse. Could be better. She carefully suppressed it. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with it for another few hours… 

Kieran’s arm wrapped back around her waist, practically pulling her out of the booth. He was taking her out of the main room, towards the stairs that led into the downstairs rooms. They [i]were[/i] nicer than the ones upstairs. More private, too. She let him, pulling on the thread connecting her to the annoyingly intrusive cat. 

[color=8877BD][i]Still there? He moving?[/i][/color]

Garf had opened up a direct line from Nessa to Elay through himself in the same way someone would use two phones on the same land line. Elay listened, not saying anything, but listening intently as he took the first corner out from behind the wall by the back door to the Black Book. He couldn’t see that she’d been slipped a pill, nor could she see what he was doing in the interim. But, Garf had already laid out a decent pathway from the back entrance down to where he presumed they’d head. There were a couple rooms nicer than the others; no reason the head honcho wouldn’t use one of those.

[color=0D6793][i]I’m here. D’you know which room he’ll take you to? I can get in before you two get there if you have him stop at the bar for a drink.[/i][/color] Elay relayed the message through the waves of magic connecting them.
[color=0D6793][i]Is it the big one with the round bed?[/i][/color]

[color=8877BD][i]Yes.[/i][/color] After the confirmation, she flashed a mental image of it- just in case the rooms had changed in the months since she’d last been here. 

[color=8877BD]”Wait, let’s get some drinks first… It’ll make things even more fun, won’t it?”[/color] Nessa said out loud, drawing out her words and smiling up at Kieran flirtatiously. 

“Well it ain’t a party without a couple of drinks, is it?” He smiled back, tugging her by the waist towards the bar. 

[color=8877BD][i]All clear.[/i][/color]

Elay had to trust her. Garf wasn’t sending any signals contrary to her statement, so there could only be trust left. Thus, with a final push off his left foot, he made a skipping jog behind a dumpster. Off came the jacket, and the coat beneath. His bare shirt, and the shoulder-holstered forty-five dangling beneath it. Gloves stretched onto both his hands, and he tucked the jacket in a small bundle under the large green vessel before moving to the door.

The holster held more than just a gun and some ammunition, however. One of the magazine slots held a little multitool; the kind one got for doing [i]crime[/i] rather than scouting. This multitool had a set of picks and rakes built in, and he quickly went to work jimmying the lock open from the bottom. Trying to open it, however, revealed that it was fully bolted. Typical backdoor shit.
So rather than wait too long, he pulled the rake out of the lock and stuck the tool back where it belonged, then smashed on the door like his life depended on it.

It only took a few seconds for someone to do exactly what he needed. The bolt came unlocked, and as they were fiddling with the knob they believed to still be holding the door closed, Elay forced the door open hard and mashed the guard’s face into the back of it. Disoriented, he was powerless to stop Elay from grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him into the cold November morning sunlight for an assbeating. Elay’s skull was thick enough that knocking it against a normal Blind’s was a death sentence for the latter, so he was sure not to go full-on ram mode. Still, a couple of thuds, and Elay was dragging his unconscious body around a slight corner so he’d be locked out when he eventually came to. 

Rifling through his pockets, Elay took his wallet, phone, and the little walkie-talkie they used for security, then pushed his way inside to lock the door behind him. Figuring Nessa wouldn’t be much longer, Elay booked it across the hall he stepped into, then down the stairwell to the left. Garf was broadcasting the sense of lifesigns through the walls, giving Elay a vague understanding that there was someone at the bottom of the stairs. As he looked over the rail, nobody was there. So, he had to be on the other side of the wall, in the hall where the other rooms were.

Elay couldn’t afford to be slow. One quick glance gave him a pretty good feeling that nobody was going to pop out into the hall while he did his business… Pushing open the door into the hall for the downstairs suites, Elay turned right immediately and locked eyes with a man almost as tall as him. It was a little shocking, but violence was [i]far[/i] more shocking when one wasn’t expecting it. Unfortunately, whoever the Myconids sent this guy to protect the building couldn’t all be Adepts who had useful abilities, after all.

At least the gun wasn’t necessary. The fact that he used it as a blunt object could’ve been solved with the purchase of a cane or some other implement, but he’d not bothered to grab one from the alleyway. So, the butt of the pistol was used to stamp a roughly three inch by one inch rectangle into the unsuspecting man’s face, leaving his nasal passages irreparably damaged while blood flowed freely into his respiratory system. Rather than leave him, Elay used a single fluid motion to scoop the sack of dead weight and drag him toward the room he knew was the target. 

[i]Of course, the door was locked.[/i] Out came the pick set again, and the rapid raking afterward as he tried to force open a cheap lock.
[color=0D6793][i]Just give me one more minute, Ness…[/i][/color]

[color=8877BD][i]I’ll try.[/i][/color]
It wasn’t as difficult for Nessa to keep Kieran at the bar as it was to keep his hands off her. They were already straying towards places she didn’t want them, especially not in public. Or [i]at all[/i]. Not again. She never went back to someone now. 

[color=8877BD]”Mm- how about we take down a bottle?”[/color] She suggested, subtly shifting her body to divert the hand trying to slip into her skirt. 

“Great idea… Bring the most expensive one. Gotta celebrate, after all.”

Nessa let out a light laugh as she smiled. [color=8877BD][i]Celebrate what, you asshole. You achieving your dream of me grovelling at your feet? Keep fucking dreaming.[/i][/color]

The fetching of the wine bottle wasted at least another minute, and Nessa really couldn’t give Elay anymore. Not without letting Kieran feel her up right there, or getting drunk. There was already the fucking pill to worry about later. 

At least he was in a good mood as they finally left the bar, towards the stairs leading down to the underground rooms. It would give her some satisfaction to see that mood destroyed. 

“That attack must’ve given you a real scare, huh? You ain’t been this sweet since we first got together… Though I liked how fucking feisty you get. You ain’t lost that, have ya?”

[color=8877BD]”You’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”[/color]

Kieran laughed, pulling out a key to unlock the door to the nicest room in the building. 

“Huh, strange, it ain’t locked… Fucking, Mark must’ve forgotten to lock it again. Piece of shit…” Muttering to himself, he pushed the door open, pulling Nessa in right after him. 

He didn’t even wait to be all over her. Nessa couldn’t see where Elay was, but she knew she wanted this man’s hands off her- and she didn’t want to risk getting fucking caught when Elay popped up.

[color=8877BD]”Wait, wait- go over to the bed. Lemme give you a show…”[/color]

Elay had, by the time he’d gotten the door open, hoped there’d be an armoire or some kind of closet big enough to hold him [i]and[/i] the unconscious lummox. It was just fortunate that his nosebleed’s trail hadn’t been noticed in the dim lights around the room. But, it wasn’t Elay who wound up popping up first. Not when Garf waltzed in just behind Nessa before the door closed and saw Elay’s feet sticking out from under the bed.

[color=FF8604]”Mrrrrrrrowwwwww!”[/color] Garf meowed loudly, looking up at the two people standing in the room. He projected the sight, and Elay knew the play immediately.

[color=0D6793][i]If you were gonna do all the work, then why bring me down here!?[/i][/color]

[color=FF8604][i]Make him take me to the door, Nessa. Elay, slide out when he turns his back![/i][/color]

Elay braced himself, readying to slide out and go for the bastard’s head. An emotional field didn’t protect one from sudden blunt force trauma, typically.

“Why the fuck is there a cat in here?” Kieran questioned, pulling his face back from Nessa’s to stare at the massive, ginger cat. His hands stayed on her ass, glaring at the temporary intrusion. But it was just a cat…

[color=8877BD]”I fucking hate cats!”[/color] Nessa exclaimed, maybe exaggerating a bit much. She leaned away from Garf with a shudder, trying to wriggle out of Kieran’s grip like she was trying to get further away from a monster (which wasn’t too far from the truth). 
[color=8877BD]”Get it out, please!”[/color]

“C’mon, it’s just a cat, Ness. Give it another five and you won’t care.”

[color=8877BD]”I will- you can’t drug me out of it, Kieran. No fucking way. Get it outta here.”[/color]

He let out a heavy sighed, hands dropping from her as he approached Garf. 
“C’mere… I ain’t gonna hurt you. Be good.” He bent down to scoop the massive cat up and carry him out.

As Kieran got arms around Garf, he started to weigh himself down rapidly. Catching him off guard, the fool stumbled forward slightly.
“Holy shit, fat fuckin’ cat!”

His grunting, and the blood rushing to his head as he bent over, blocked out Elay’s footsteps against the floor as he slid out and forced himself forward in a single hard motion. With shocking strength, Garf hopped and smashed his back into Kieran’s face, sending him soaring backwards into Elay’s waiting arms.
And into his waiting skull, which had momentum still moving forward as the plan came together in one clean sweep. Elay’s forehead met the back of Kieran’s head with a smack, hands dragging down to grab at both of the falling hands in turn.

He was hoping that as the man slid forward in unconscious motion, he’d be able to slide the ring in question right off his finger.

Kieran barely got a chance to react. Magic had just started to spark across his skin, literally electrifying it, when the artifact that gave him his magic was pulled right off. 
“What the fuck, Nessa-?!”

[color=8877BD]”Oops. I may’ve invited someone extra. I thought that was what you wanted?”[/color] Nessa dropped the act entirely, easily latching onto his unprotected mind. She seized control of the parts of the brain that controlled his movement, forcing him to stay upright but unable to move otherwise. 

“Fucking whore- I should’ve known, with you acting so [i]nice[/i]. You ain’t got that in you!”

[color=8877BD]”You really thought I was coming back? When you wanted to sell me to your fucking ‘friends’?!”[/color]

“You- You must be her new guy?” He ignored her entirely, addressing Elay- as much as was possible when he couldn’t move his head. 
“Fucking drop her soon as you can. She’s bad fucking news.”

[color=0D6793]”Oh, man… I’m [i]so much worse.[/i] Y’know she likes gettin’ hit? Nutty bitch. Dumb as a tree stump. Gives your willingness to wind up in this situation a lick more sense. Nice ring! I’mma let the cat eat it if you ‘ont play nice, hear?”[/color]

Garf wasn’t worried about hesitating either, dragging his sandpaper tongue across Kieran’s eyeball just to torture him.

[color=0D6793]”So… Shroomheads, eh? I’ve been looking to start jumping down their stalks, so I guess getting in under your head’ll be a good start. I wonder how much of you we can change before people start to wonder what happened to you. Nessa? Whadda you think?”[/color] Elay asked, a sick smile crossing his face as he opened the floor for the two of them to connect in the most unhealthy way they could. 

[color=8877BD]”Oh, most of him. There ain’t many people who actually like him. They just want his drugs!”[/color] Nessa laughed slightly. 
[color=8877BD]”But it’s more fun if it’s still him in there. Layer enough control spells, and he can’t do anything about it… He’ll be aware the whole time. Like he is now! Every time he thinks about going against it, he can’t.”[/color]

“Wh-What do you want? Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you!” Kieran didn’t last long- he was used to being the big fish. And he knew what Nessa’s magic could do, even though it had never been used on him. 
“Is it money? Drugs? Just take it!”

Elay started laughing, leaning down and getting very close to Kieran. 
[color=0D6793]”If I told you it was your ass, would it make you feel better?”[/color]
He’d be able to feel Elay’s hand slowly but surely crawl up to rest on the top of his head. With a sickening comfort, Elay let his fingers ruffle through Kieran’s hair.

[color=0D6793]”After all, cutie like you?”[/color]
It was to scare him. He wasn’t going to remember this anyway… 

“Oh, oh go fuck yourself! Sick fuck, I’ll… I’ll… Don’t, please!” he started to plead.

[color=0D6793]”You wouldn’t remember it anyway… No, no… Cuz, see, when you wake up? You’ll be a whole new man. A better man, with a new boss! See, whatever you’re doing for the Myconids here in the Kiln, you’re not doing anymore. You’re doing it for Twin Hill. You have a new boss. It’s Nessa. Nessa, then me. You don’t take a shit in a strange toilet without telling us. And you [i]certainly[/i] don’t operate without paying up to us directly, understand me?”[/color]

“What the f-fuck is this!? The Mafia? You’re extorting [i]me!?[/i] Robbie G’s gonna hear about this!”

[color=0D6793]”Yeah! Yes! Absolutely, on both accounts. Welcome, thanks for your contribution. Here’s to you being dumb enough to let this slag back into your life a second time.”[/color] he grinned, bending down just a little closer to whisper something into his ear that even Nessa couldn’t hear.

But she could feel his desire to thrash and escape even through her magic. Elay started laughing, pulling away and taking a deep breath.
[color=0D6793]”Alright… Do what you want to him. He’s your pet now, consider him one of your first income sources. Welcome to the City Game.”[/color] Elay said coldly, standing and letting Nessa get to work as he stood by the door to keep it closed.

[color=8877BD]”Aw, thanks, you’re such a [i]romantic[/i].”[/color] Nessa cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone, smirking at him. 

She went to sit on the bed- and if Elay had anything to say, she didn’t hear it as she dove into Kieran’s mind. There was always some awareness of her own body, but not enough to really listen. 

What did she want to do in here? Just what Elay said? More? Take the revenge she couldn’t before?

Erasing what he didn’t need to remember came first. That was the easy part. Actually changing him took a bit more work. For her, it was more that she had to be [i]careful[/i]. She’d fried people’s brains with magic far too often to be willing to rush and risk it. 

But she knew which threads to pull. What to manipulate, changing him to be someone subservient to [i]them[/i]. To her. But she didn’t erase as much of him as Elay might’ve suggested to the poor guy. There was no need. She liked there to be a bit of a fight.

Someone who had to do anything for them even though he didn’t want to. The carefully layered cursed commands made sure of that. It was slower than changing his neural pathways… Layering one by one. But they were foolproof. Difficult for anyone without her rare combination of Lux to remove as well. 

There was the temptation to add one of the curses that would cause him pain if he thought about betraying her, or hurting her, or going against her. The kind that had held onto her own mind for most of her life. But she couldn’t. Even though she didn’t like him, she couldn’t lower herself to [i]those[/i]. Not willingly. The cursed commands was already using more of her Father’s magic than she wanted to. But it was necessary… 

Before she withdrew, she left herself an opening. Even if they gave him back the ring she’d be able to get in. A crack in the Emotional Field before it was even back. 

[color=8877BD]”Done, for now.”[/color] Nessa pulled back into her own body, standing back up. 

Kieran sluggishly walked over to the bed, before climbing onto it and lying down. He walked like a robot- controlled by Nessa before she completely pulled away. 

[color=8877BD]”He’ll probably be out for a while. Most brains can’t handle those kinda changes without sleeping. But I’m confident all my spells will hold.”[/color] 


Elay didn’t make any expression changes as he slowly sauntered over toward the edge of the bed where she’d forced him to lay. It was true enough, he was asleep. Perfect for a seed.

[color=8877BD]”What, don’t trust it?”[/color] Nessa instantly jumped to negative conclusions, rolling her eyes at him. She moved to the head of the bed, squatting down and reaching underneath. Pulling [i]something[/i] out. 

That something being a small safe. She typed in the code with ease, finding a small stash of hard drugs and a stack of cash. Probably what he took from while fucking someone in here- or how he paid them, maybe. Didn’t matter. 

[color=8877BD]”You wanna get high?”[/color] She joked. She was still having to actively suppress the effects of the pill on herself- a frustrating use of energy, and she could feel it ticking towards the moment she couldn’t keep it down. Another couple of hours… enough time to get through all the registration shit. 

Ignoring the drugs, she pulled out the bills and waved them in front of her face with a smirk.

Elay wasn’t watching. He was too busy staring at the ring in his hand. Mindlessly, the other hand moved to close Kieran’s nose shut. For a second, nothing happened, until the mouth opened up into a gape in order for the unconscious body to continue breathing. Without hesitation, Elay chucked the ring right into Kieran’s mouth, then released the nose. On instinct, the body swallowed.

The absent giggle made it seem like he enjoyed that. Why would he have done it if he didn’t? For once, he was feeling whimsical. Maybe not [i]happy[/i] but certainly whimsical. He finally looked up at Nessa with a glint in his eye.


[color=0D6793]”I think we’ve had a good enough day already, between last night and now. Two rackets, less than twenty four hours, and we get you registered for work? Mo’ll be off our back at least a day. Sure.”[/color] he said simply, stretching his gloved hand out. In the tight black undershirt, every bit of him rippled in response to even the slightest movement.

[color=8877BD]”Sure, what? You want the money, or the drugs?”[/color] Nessa bit her lip, unable to help herself from staring. She glanced away for just a moment, to pull out a couple of bags of white powder. She held both hands up, one with cash and the other with the bags, and her eyes narrowed teasingly. 

[color=8877BD]”Pick wisely… You can only have one!”[/color] Her eyebrows raised, smile widening. 
[color=8877BD]”But I could be convinced to give you both.”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”I don’t do snort, dumba-”[/color]

[color=FF8604]”His pocket, Elay…”[/color] Garf spoke up, hopping up onto the bed before standing on Kieran’s chest.
This man would have little rest in his future.

Elay reached into the slumbering man’s pocket and pulled out the little bottle of ecstasy, popping two into his mouth and grinning. There were plenty more, all satisfying little colors like vitamins. 
[color=0D6793]”It’s your haul.”[/color] he finished, holding his hand up and waving her off.
[color=0D6793]”We were supposed to get this idiot to buy the pot. I guess we’ll just leave it and let him sell it anyway, kick us up the cash. Garf?”[/color]

Garf immediately started gagging, finally spewing up the kilogram bale of pot from his endless gut.
[color=0D6793]”Leave the dust in the safe with it. He’ll know what to do, won’t he?”[/color] Elay asked, turning away and moving toward the door without waiting for Nessa.

[color=8877BD]”I dunno, maybe I want to get high as fuck. Blow away our money- Now I can clearly afford to get hooked on drugs!”[/color] Nessa shot a glare at his back, before staring at the bag of powder for a moment longer. It was tempting…

But she liked having her mind too much. She threw the bags back in, and pocketed the cash. She locked the safe back up and shoved it under the bed. She vaguely shoved the pot cube in the same direction with her foot, not bothering to actually put it on the safe. 

Not with Elay just fucking off and expecting her to do everything. She hurried to follow after him. 
[color=8877BD]”You seriously gonna go get me registered while [i]high[/i]? At least I can suppress it for a couple hours.”[/color]

[color=0D6793]”Gosh, aren’t you precious over it too? C’mon, you’on wanna get cuddled up all close when we get home? I can apologize to you [i]niiiiice and deep[/i].”[/color]
His laugh was probably natural. Probably the most natural he’d given her. There was a sixteen year old somewhere in there, trying to convince Jenny Merigold that she didn’t have to worry about what her parents would think. That same lack of care. That same willingness to reach for something that was dull but pure in its own adolescent way.

[color=0D6793]”By the time we get out of that office, you’ll be purrin’ on me. Maybe I’ll be amicable enough to deal with your bitchin’ by then.”[/color] he finally turned, holding the door open for her.
[hr][hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Ykr0chB.png[/img]            
[h1][color=ff7360]Loni Rodriguez[/color] & [color=19FFBA]Kiki Motta[/color][/h1][h3]Wednesday. 11:30.[/h3][sub]with [@AtomicEmperor][/sub][/center]
[right][code]Ward 10: The Circle, South Side.[/code][/right]
After having a day to think about it, Loni was beginning to have some doubts about what she’d agreed to with Momo and Kiki. Not with actually breaking up with her soon to be ex boyfriend- she still planned to do that. It was with confronting him. Was it really necessary? Wouldn’t it be enough that they weren’t together anymore? 

It didn’t help that she hadn’t spoken to Kiki since the mall incident. She was [i]nervous[/i]. What if her friend was upset with her! Nobody had blamed her then, but if she’d just had a bit of confidence and stood up for herself, no one else would’ve gotten in trouble. But she’d never have that kind of confidence… Which only made her more anxious. 

Knowing she couldn’t actually avoid it, Loni had texted Kiki to meet her in the South Side itself. She used the excuse that Vin wanted to see Luci, but it wasn’t fair to drag them over after they’d had a long and late shift the day before. It was only an excuse because Vin would do absolutely anything for the two of them. But the look of joy on their face when she turned up unexpectedly and dumped an energetic toddler on them made the little lie feel less bad. 

So Loni was alone, waiting in a small park in the Circle area of the South Side. It was near where her boyfriend lived- he said he had no classes from lunch onwards and would text her when he got home. So she was waiting on the text just like she was waiting for Kiki. She tried to actually wait, sitting on a bench with her legs swinging. The long, soft pink skirt she’d worn for warmth swooshed with each movement. It was too cold not to bundle up, with her thick, puffy jacket hiding the cute bustier crop top she had on underneath. 

Even though it was a breakup, she’d still dressed up like it was a date. Half her hair was pulled back into a little ponytail while the rest fell to her shoulders, and her makeup was a perfect balance of slightly adorable without being too childish.

As Loni’s head tilted to the side, she spotted something, and immediately jumped up from the bench. 

There was a big, reddish brown beetle shuffling through the dead leaves covering damp grass. Loni hiked up her skirts to crouch down and stare at it. There wasn’t much question of what it was after looking- there weren’t many beetles in this part of the country like this! [i]Eucanthas lazarus[/i]... She’d never actually seen one before! Her eyes practically shone as she watched the beetle going about its business, quietly shuffling behind it.

For Kiki, the morning hadn’t exactly gotten off to a stellar beginning. Unlike when they were kids and punishments were mostly simple things, being “punished” in the current day was far more annoying. Truthfully, she hadn’t had a morning. It started the day before, being shuffled off to the Detention Room. A dim, concrete box purposefully sapped of all of the Green Lux one would usually find in life. Joyless, the wards and enchantments on it are only there as a means of dragging the joy out of a person’s life.

Tasks then. All she had were tasks to be done. Those serving detention did mundane work; office level menial labor. Math problems, logic problems, writing essays about nothing. There was an assignment load, and a work list, and it was the only real nightmare that the otherwise joyous and fun-filled coven could think of. The hateful math box. Some were better at it than others, but from what she’d known before until now, Kiki didn’t handle it well. She wasn’t like her sisters, after all. She had to dance! Had to let her joy overflow from her body, or she died under the weight of the mask that grew upon her face.

Moriah hardly considered the Box a punishment when she had seen what Culla did to those who forgot when to follow orders. No, this practice had been put in place because she had no real desire [i]to[/i] punish in the first place. Felt it was detrimental. So, at least they’d be forced to do some actual useful work to make up for their little indiscretion, and she’d have plenty of time to cool off so the [i]actual[/i] disciplinary action could be doled out with an even temper. 
The Little Sister problem wasn’t something that could be settled based on this kind of thing. Culla would have her finger or worse for allowing an Adherent to manipulate the mind of a Matriarch. It didn’t matter that Little Sister was only ever going to be a Lesser Dame, nor did it matter that Moriah was one of the most powerful Nutypes of the entire Whispering Flesh. There were rules, and rules were followed for a reason.

So, Moriah had to discipline for once. Truly. And that meant sapping Kiki’s joy in a more permanent way. For the time being, she would no longer be dancing in Sin Sisters. Instead, she’d been relegated to personal secretary. Momo’s errand runner. There were plenty of people at the club who would’ve killed for the job, but… For Kiki, it meant being watched. Constantly observed through one of Moriah’s favorite scouting methods.

The parasite behind Kiki’s eye wriggled as the air temperature changed the pressure inside her skull vaguely. It was pulling direct feed from the retina, processing and storing Kiki’s every action in preparation for its single-use Recollection later on. Moriah would, each morning, allow her creation to wriggle into her sister’s head; a painful process to begin with, and then draw it back out the next morning to consume and remake. Each time she ate it, she’d gain the full twenty-four hours of events in the same detail with which Kiki lived it.

How long this would go on for? Kiki didn’t know. Probably until Moriah could trust her again, or at least until she felt her point had been made. At least she’d been allowed to go handle the Loni situation… Moriah had, after all, made it very clear that she didn’t [i]want[/i] to punish Kiki. Letting her go and do this was a concession just as much as a convenience. 

[color=15A663][i]”Do this right, it goes a long way toward making it seem like yesterday was a total fluke. Like you’d never have done something like that if you weren’t… I don’t know… Whatever the fuck you were feeling that compelled you to act like that.”[/i][/color]

[color=19FFBA][i]Pissed off? Spiteful? Yeah, real convincing that I’m not usually like that, Mo.[/i][/color]

At least, as far as she was aware, her thoughts were safe. She’d initially planned on flying over the river to get here, but found that she couldn’t muster up enough Green Lux to make a full body conversion. Still sapped from the Box and the Green parasite in her head, she’d simply cabbed it to the crossing, then made her way to the other side of the bridge on foot. Checkpoint guards rarely ever stopped anyone going to their destinations, which worked out just fine for Kiki. They almost always had their interest set on the people crossing [i]back[/i] from where they didn’t live. As if cross contamination was only a problem when you were making your way back to the nest. 
She was dressed like there was trouble brewing. Jeans and black boots with stiletto heels, hidden under one of Elay’s old greatcoats he’d given her as a souvenir. It made her feel a little safer, at least. A little more secure.

She’d not grown up with her brother around much. The absence made the heart grow fond, even though she knew what everyone called him behind his back. She thought he was brave, and wearing the coat made her more brave as a reflex. It dragged behind her like a cloak, or a gown would, and both of her hands were stuffed into the pockets as she click-clicked across the pavement and down the mile stretch toward the park she’d been told to meet Loni at. 
When she finally arrived, she’d at least managed to suck enough Green Lux out of the air that her channeler felt warm again. Like there was life enough to cast some fucking spells.

And seeing Loni tracking a bug as the first thing brought her Pink Lux back up to maximum RPM. The sensation of mentally redlining gave the worm a nice massage as it converted Pink Lux back into green for sustenance. Rather than interrupt her, Kiki stood a few dozen yards away in a blind spot, her magic hunting for the bug that Loni was admiring.

[color=19FFBA][i]Enlarge…[/i][/color]

The beetle’s relatively rapid growth began to push leaves and detritus out of the way, until it was roughly the size of Loni’s palm and scuttling became trundling. Kiki giggled to herself, waiting until Loni felt compelled to look around for the cause of the sudden growth.

[color=ff7360]"W-What the fuck?!"[/color] Without her daughter around, Loni didn’t feel any need to censor herself- not that she did much, but she tried to swear a little less! So maybe Luci would sound a bit more proper…

But the beetle had suddenly grown. Was it… A magic beetle? Holy shit! [i]Holy shit![/i] Incredibly excited, Loni reached out to gently tap it with a finger, letting her own Green Lux run across it. Oh, it was just a normal beetle. That meant… 

Loni spun on her feet, still squatting, to find the source. They couldn’t be far-

[color=ff7360]"Kiki!"[/color] Her excitement didn’t dampen, switching from thinking she’d discovered a magical bug to joy at seeing her friend. She hopped up, practically sprinting over to her. But she came to a halt a couple of paces away, hands anxiously waving about in front of her. 

[color=ff7360]"You- You ain’t hurt or anythin’, are you?!"[/color]

Kiki shook her head simply, opening both her arms expectantly.

[color=19FFBA]”Just my pride… You know, Momo can do that to a person pretty easily.”[/color] she admitted, a little sadness in her voice.

Loni’s expression fell a bit, eyes filling with shared sadness and guilt. She leapt forward into Kiki’s waiting arms, hugging her tightly. 
[color=ff7360]"I’m sorry! I shoulda stood up for myself!"[/color]

It was a little difficult to hug around the massive coat Kiki had on, so Loni’s hands slipped in and underneath it to properly wrap around her friend. She’d been worried that Kiki would be upset at her, sure, but she’d also missed her! It had been so quiet the night before… Sure, Loni didn’t have work and hadn’t felt much up for going to hang around the club anyway, but if Kiki wasn’t being [i]punished[/i] she would’ve dragged her into mindless movie watching with her and Luci. 

[color=ff7360]"So long as you ain’t hurt… Pride can come back, right? Not that I’d know, I ain’t got much of it… I suppose I’m proud of my dancin’ and my bug knowledge! So I got some to lose there… But Momo ain’t ever done that to me. I just seen it. I’m sorry you gotta go from that to dealin’ with this! If it’s too much, it ain’t like we actually [i]gotta[/i] ask him the questions Momo wanted to or anythin’. I can just go in, break up, then be done?"[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”Ooooooh no. I [i]want[/i] a little fucking conflict. This? Brings me joy.”[/color] Kiki grinned, both arms around Loni almost consuming her in the coat.

[color=19FFBA]”I’m uh… Not gonna be at work for a while. I’m on Lap Duty until, uh… Well, until she says so.”[/color]

Loni would’ve at least heard that term more than once. Lap Duty. Just about how everyone described working closely with Moriah. The idea that you were usually expected to be at the literal beck and call, like a lapdog. Her whims weren’t usually insane, and some of the girls and guys in the club tended to default the duty whenever there wasn’t anyone obliged to do so. Mostly those who actually wanted to be a part of the Coven, as opposed to just sucking up the benefits of being within the vague structure that was the Twin Hills.

[color=19FFBA]”So, maybe I’ll be behind the bar and shit, but… Y’know, no dances. And a lot more work outside than inside. Like this situation!”[/color] she pointed out at the nearby apartments, letting Loni spin in her arms to follow the finger.

[color=19FFBA]”Those ones?”[/color] she asked very simply, wondering where they were off to.

[color=ff7360]"Nope!"[/color] Loni shook her head, spinning to point to the buildings at the opposite side of the little park they were in. Nice semi-detached houses… At least, they were nice by South Side standards. [i]Very[/i] nice. The kind of place Vin wanted them to live in one day. 

[color=ff7360]"Over there. He ain’t back yet, cause he texted to say he was leavin’ the school just before you got here."[/color] Loni managed to explain the facts first before she turned back to face Kiki with wide eyes. 

[color=ff7360]"If you ain’t dancin’, and you ain’t gonna be inside much… I ain’t gonna really see you, am I?! Cause- Cause it ain’t like you get a real break, right? So you can’t even come up cause Momo might need you?"[/color] She tried not to get too upset about that. She did have other friends in club and coven! Just… Kiki was the one she was closest to. Honestly, she’d been relying on her being [i]around[/i] to help get over the loneliness that always came with a breakup. 

At least Vin was sleeping at the Leopold tonight. They didn’t have work today, and had promised they’d stay overnight and go into work from there tomorrow. Since it was only fair they spent all evening with Loni and Luci if they were going to be working most of Thanksgiving. Sure, Loni was working too, but her Thanksgiving was right there, in the same building she worked in! And sure, Vin said they’d be back before the day was done, but they’d still be away from most of it. 

But beyond today, Loni had no idea what their twin’s schedule was. Maybe it’d just be her and Lu outside of work. Though, she had already downloaded a few dating apps in preparation for being single again. 

[color=ff7360]”When are we gonna continue Lovely Heal?! I’ll forget what happened if we gotta wait!"[/color]

Kiki internally groaned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying Lovely Heal, only that it was so massive and full of stuff she didn’t want to give much attention to. Half the time, she was more interested in playing with Luci than she was actually watching the show. But, at the same time, why wouldn’t she want to be around Loni? So, rather than [i]outwardly[/i] groan, she grinned and spun them both to start off in the direction of the rowhouses.

[color=19FFBA]”Well… You’re Loni, right? Not some clay construct or whatever Moriah was babbling about? ‘Cuz, if you’re really you, then I bet you could go into her office and make a pretty good case about needing my companionship. And then, if you started telling her about the Lovely Heal plot, she’ll probably agree just to keep you from spoiling it.”[/color] Kiki grinned with a satisfied expression.

Her hand twisted into Loni’s, fingers long and strong wrapping around Loni’s own.

[color=19FFBA]”In fact, I bet if you tried hard enough, you could get a permanent Kiki detail, and then I can be [i]your[/i] lapdog, instead of hers.”[/color] she cooed, knowing certainly that the subtlety of such a hint would pass her like a jet overhead.

[color=ff7360]"No way, I ain’t convincin’ enough to get that!"[/color] Loni laughed in response, shaking her head. 
[color=ff7360]"What’d I do with a ‘lapdog’ anyway? It ain’t like I need anythin’ done like Momo does? I suppose it’d let you slack… And I’d love havin’ you around all the time!"[/color]

She swung their joined hands, not thinking much of it. Loni had always been an affectionate person, she just hadn’t had a lot of people around her growing up that were alright with it platonically. But now she was surrounded! Hand holding and hugging as friends was great!

[color=ff7360]"But I’ll definitely talk to her ‘bout needing you around… Cause it ain’t exactly a lie! Momo got me to move in for safety, but since Vin ain’t staying half the time… Well, I ain’t got the company I normally would. It ain’t fair to lose you too… Not that I’m losing you! Just all the time we’d spend together! But I’ll be so lonely if you ain’t around, and I’ll really start to miss you."[/color] She admittedly openly and with a smile.

It wasn’t exactly a secret how easily Loni got lonely. Not much about her was. She wore her feelings on her sleeve. 

But she was also incredibly oblivious to other people’s feelings that weren’t thrown right in her face. Otherwise she wouldn’t have said something so ambiguous, or immediately moved on to something Kiki wouldn’t want to hear. 
[color=ff7360]"I’ma need a babysitter soon, I bet. I already gotta couple matches on some apps."[/color] She giggled.

Babysitter? Matches? Apps?

[color=19FFBA]”Looooooniiiiii!”[/color] Kiki moaned.
[color=19FFBA]”Are you seriously not even waiting? I thought, uh… I don’t know… I thought maybe with us on lockdown, you’d not be so interested in finding a new assh- I mean, date! Guy! Why!? P-p-plenty of folks in Sin Sisters and Leopold! Fuck, try the Restaurant crew if you don’t wanna date a direct coworker!”[/color] 

Of course she didn’t want to hear about Loni dating. She only wanted to hear about Loni dating [i]her.[/i] But, she figured there’d be a little gap at least. Somewhere she’d be able to get better leverage from later on down the line.

[color=19FFBA]”I mean… I’ll babysit, but the chances of Momo not doing it herself are slim. Any excuse to take the baby, she always said."[/color]

[color=ff7360]"She does really love Lu, don’t she?"[/color] Loni couldn’t help but beam at that, stopping her from going on a bit more of a rant about how obviously she wasn’t going to wait. The clock was ticking! She didn’t want to be alone forever, and ideally she wanted another kid before Luciana turned four… So she wasn’t too much older… 

[color=ff7360]"And there… Ain’t really anyone in Sin Sisters? I ain’t really attracted to any of the guys that ain’t gay."[/color] Plenty of the girls that she found [i]attractive[/i], but she was looking for a partner not just to have some fun. That’s all it could ever be there, right? At least that was what her Mama had said, and the rest of the world seemed to follow it.

[color=ff7360]"I don’t really get how dating inside or outside are different? Ain’t like I’m gonna accidentally date one of the creepy shapeshifters- I know I don’t use it much, but I still got Black Lux! Ghosts ain’t gettin’ past me. And I ain’t gonna date anymore teachers…"[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”It’s only ‘cuz-” I can browbeat anyone there into pushing you toward me. “-things are so unsafe right now! Like, okay, you’ve got magic, but so did the other people you were with at the Cafe! Sure, Momo could handle a few of them, but… Us? Even now, we could get jumped and I’d be worried!”[/color]

Of course she wanted all of Loni’s time and affection, Vin’s position notwithstanding. Even Momo… Her jealousy wasn’t unbridled, but it was certainly a vast edifice of emotion standing strong like an ancient castle. She wanted what she wanted, and was spoiled enough to vaguely expect it.

[color=19FFBA]”I’m… I’m not your Mama. I can’t force anything. But, I’ll… I’ll make sure we keep you safe.”[/color]

Loni didn’t think her dating was a risk when it came to those creatures. It had been a coincidence there was one in that Cafe, as far as she could guess. Probably… It certainly wasn’t targeting her! She was too stubborn to change her course of action there, even if Kiki’s suggestion came from a place of concern.

[color=ff7360]"I got salt in my bag… Been carryin’ it since then. I could keep one of ‘em away with a protective circle long enough for someone else to get here- or wherever I am."[/color] She explained, not wanting Kiki to be worrying that she was going to be offed by a doppelganger at any moment. 

Sure, she couldn’t hurt them… But her protection spell was perfected with Vin. Low energy, long lasting, sturdy. Just depended on having people to save her. 

[color=ff7360]"But… I bet you could take one on! Vin killed one, and you guys ain’t so different magic strength wise, right?"[/color] She brightened up again, grinning. 
[color=ff7360]"They said it was tough, but they weren’t worried. So… I know you’ll keep me- us- safe! I trust you."[/color]

She didn’t say anything more about the actual dating- which with Loni meant she wasn’t changing her mind. 

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but she ignored it for the moment. They were close to the right house, but she wanted to put off the whole breaking up and questioning thing. It was just going to be uncomfortable.
[color=ff7360]"I’m gonna figure out more spells so I can fight more, instead’ve just being good at defence and helpin’ others. Maybe you can help! Another reason Momo’s gotta let you spend time with me!"[/color]

That did sound like a pretty good idea. But, she worried that Momo may push Loni into more coven duties if she got stronger. As it stood, she was “worth” more as a dancer. Her applicable spells to the chosen profession gave her a wide range of clientele who paid their cover fees every time her usual shifts came up. Then, got disappointed when she wasn’t in the Magic Room.

[color=19FFBA]”Maybe… Momo would probably say that’s a good idea, but I think she’d say that because she wants you more involved in the Twin Hills. If she wants you involved in Armina’s life, then there’s gonna be a lot more Matriarchs with eyes on you. I don’t really think it's fair when you never asked for that. But, it is what it is…”[/color] Kiki intoned, heels clicking against the stone of the walkway with each step.

[color=19FFBA]”She told me, by the way… That she brought you to see the Apartado?”[/color] she asked quietly, almost clearing her throat.

[color=ff7360]"Oh… Yeah! She brought me down to make me feel more confident, I think. I didn’t understand it all… But I felt all’ve Armina’s Black Lux."[/color] Loni couldn’t quite suppress the shiver down her spine as she thought back to it. The whispers of the dead echoing in her ears… It was always an uncomfortable feeling, and the memory of it didn’t have the same warmth the actual moment had. 

[color=ff7360]"I… Just wanna be able to properly protect my daughter. I gotta get stronger in a lotta ways to do that."[/color] Loni admitted, voice getting quieter too. 
[color=ff7360]"I don’t really want that kinda attention. But Momo said Armina’d be a Sister to Luci, and I want her to have everyone she could around her. And all’ve my future kids… But right now she’s the one I gotta keep safe. And I can’t with my magic like this, even if improvin’ it means things change."[/color]

Bold… 

[color=19FFBA]”Alright! Then, yeah! Momo will be onboard for sure. But, uh… I don’t know, I get this feeling I’m probably the last person she’d want helping you after the whole thing with Sori. I uh… I really am sorry. That asshole was just [i]crazy[/i] disrespectful, and, like, I knew who he was immediately. He gave Tiana so much trouble one time, she actually cried because she thought he was going to be in the fucking parking lot. I was hoping Sori would just beat her ass, that way Culla would have a reason to come here and… I don’t know… Clean up the city? I guess?”[/color]

Clean it up of all the animal men. All the dogs in people’s clothing roaming around looking for women to prey on. Of course, her mind wasn’t on the grand-scale class warfare that Cloverfield was more famous for: She was born on the winning side of that conflict. It was cursory compared to what she felt was the plight of their time. The inequality of the binary genders, and the social expectations that came with the system. 

She accepted biology’s intent: Being born to a cult of Deer worshippers meant that they all had a connection to what other religious groups may call “God’s Plan.” But, she also knew that humans were complex and far enough removed from that plan that things weren’t so black and white. 
But, just like people choosing not to follow those expectations at all had the right to do so, she believed equally that those in participation had the right to do so safely. If Loni wanted to date men? Fine. She’d never be the one to convince her otherwise.

But she’d never let a “man” step on her friend. She’d never brook such an insult. She’d be there to make life Hell for anyone who tried to muscle themselves around based solely on their positional expectations. She didn’t see that asshole’s behavior as that of an entitled, rich jerk: She saw an entitled, aggressive “Man.”

[color=19FFBA]”If my Nana’s said so, I think The Highest Lady would come… Especially after what happened to my Ma…”[/color] 

[color=ff7360]"Over- Over something like that?"[/color] Loni’s eyes widened slightly. What happened to Tiana was horrible. She didn’t deserve it. But wasn’t it just the way the world worked? If they… killed people everytime they did something wrong, then there’d be nobody left! 

Certainly not in this city. Maybe it was different in Culla, but here so many people were just like that. Loni had grown up experiencing all sorts of comments and getting trouble from men. She didn’t think it was right, but that reaction seemed a bit extreme. The [i]Highest Lady[/i]. She was [i]really[/i] important. 

[color=ff7360]"I ain’t sayin’ it’s alright, cause it ain’t, but it ain’t like… That bad, right? You just gotta learn to ignore it."[/color] Loni pressed her lips together as soon as she said that. 
[color=ff7360]"You probably think it ain’t somethin’ to ignore, don’t you? Vin always gives me a hard time for thinkin’ like that… But I don’t want any kinda violence like that! Not after the Cataclysm. It ain’t like only the bad people’d die, right? And it ain’t like they all deserve that much."[/color]

The way she’d grown up was fundamentally different, after all. While Vin had been the wild child rebelling against almost everything, Loni had been a follower. She tagged along with them, sure, but she also took everything their Mama said to heart. And their Mama had always pushed being [i]normal[/i]. To just ignore anything that wasn’t full on aggression.

The first time she’d really gone against her Mama’s teaching was by joining Twin Hill. Because her Mama always said to avoid covens. She’d told tales of the one she’d come from that had Loni unable to sleep for weeks. It was one of the reasons for wanting her children to be [i]normal.[/i] It was safer! And it was easier. 

[color=ff7360]"You’re not going to get too aggressive with my boy- ex, are you, Kiki?"[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”You know where I come from, boy’s don’t get to act like that. They’ve gotta be reminded that they ain’t worth our time! That they’re here because we decided not to hump a coat hanger the moment we find out they’ll be born with a penis. Like, fuck!”[/color] she snapped, hardly thinking about Loni’s current guy troubles.

Though, what… What was the plan? Oh, right… Ask questions. No, she’d not be doing that. No, no, she’d be telling. Mostly, telling the scum fucker where he could shove his pedophellic-

[color=19FFBA]”No! No, not… Not physically aggressive, I mean! Y’know, like, I know you don’t want nobody hurt, so I ain’t gonna hit him. But, I mean, I’ve definitely got some things I’d like to make sure he knows before, y’know, it’s all said and done, right? Like, don’t you want to hear how he really feels about getting back together with a teenager he groomed?”[/color] she asked bluntly, knowing that Loni wasn’t going to be considering the relevance of such a thing.

Loni hadn't even thought about that. Did she want to hear that? She wasn't sure. Maybe it'd make her feel less sad about ending things if his feelings turned out to be awful. But she doubted that, she really did. 

[color=ff7360]"Maybe? But I don't think he's been lyin' ‘bout his intentions or anythin', Kiki. I ain't defendin' him now I know that's wrong! But how'll his feelings be any different from the ones I know? Do they change just cause I know it ain't right now?"[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”Well, yes and no? People lie, Lon! Or, at least, they have an easy time obfuscating their intentions toward other people. Like, uh… I won’t project too much here, but let’s say that every time you guys fuck, he doesn’t really see [i]you[/i]. Follow me on the hypothetical:-”[/color]

Kiki took a single long stride forward, locking the front leg and pivoting on her toe in a perfectly smooth transition to a backwards walk; not something easily done in a pair of two inch stilettos. But she did it as naturally as the rest of her dancing. That physicality was what she did best, after all. But her secondary set of skills involved the observation of human emotion… Pink gave her plenty of insight into the strange things that other people felt.

[color=19FFBA]”-You guys fuck? He sees you in high school. The idealized, underaged version of you. That’s typically how guys like that get off! They continuously relive the moment where they, y’know, did the [i]wrong[/i] thing, and the taboo is where the sexual energy comes from! They’re like fuckin’ serial killers!”[/color] she hopped up and down slightly at the end to emphasize her displeasure toward the situation.

[color=19FFBA]”I mean… Again, that’s just [i]one[/i] of the ways that this whole thing goes from you thinking he cares about you, to you realizing that the only thing there was [i]sex[/i]. And, sadly, probably not even healthy sex! And if you can’t imagine that, just… Y’know, project that situation onto the future! Sixteen year old Luci? You’d never let some old man put his hands on her! Especially not sexually!”[/color]

[color=ff7360]"Of course not! I'd never let anyone near her like that!"[/color] Loni said immediately, with a violent shake of her head. It was much easier for her to see the negatives of the situation by thinking about her daughter. All of the things she just accepted for herself, but refused to accept for her… Ultimately, Loni didn't want Luci to end up like her. 

But it was still a lot to think about and process. Did he really only see the sixteen year old her? Was it really only for the sex? Just the thought of that made her feel… A bit sick. Empty, almost. Because it hadn't just been that for her. But she knew Kiki was probably right.

[color=ff7360]"I… just hope it ain't just about the sex. Even if it's still fucked up! I just… Don't want it to have been that. Like- Like it always is… But it's better to find out, I guess?"[/color] She tried not to look too upset by the thought. Thankfully they were too close to their destination for her to go on a full self pity tirade about how often this had happened. Partners she thought cared turning out to just want her body. She'd hoped it was less likely to happen with someone older and more mature. 


But they were in front of his house, with its neat little front garden she’d helped him with over the past couple of months. She took a deep breath, before moving down the cobble path. The little chime of the doorbell echoed out through the door, which didn't stay closed for long.

The man that opened the door was tall and handsome, with neatly cut brown hair and an immediate warm smile. His shirt was neatly tucked into slacks, sleeves rolled up to reveal nice muscle definition on his forearm. He didn’t exactly look like a math teacher… And it was no wonder he’d been able to get away with what he did. 

“Loni, honey… What a sight for sore eyes. I was worried you would cancel again, since you didn’t respond to my text.” There was a lightly chastising tone behind his warm words, as he stepped back to gesture her into the house.

Loni automatically shuffled forward and inside, not stopping him from pressing a light kiss against her lips the moment she was close enough. Not that she responded in kind like she normally would, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. 

“I already made you a coffee, just how you like it.” He finally looked away from Loni, over her head and towards Kiki. One eyebrow raised. 
“Who’s your friend? I didn’t expect other guests.”

[color=ff7360]"This- This is Kiki!"[/color] Loni managed to snap out of the nervous stupor she’d be in from the moment she rang the doorbell. Though it wasn’t enough for her to stop him from wrapping an arm around her waist to move her out of the way as he moved back towards the entrance.

“Ah… Kiki. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Adrian Evans.” He smiled, holding out his hand towards her. 

Kiki almost immediately attempted a rather unsubtle mind-arrest, her Pink-forward spell meeting an Emotional Field and recoiling with equal vigor before its tendrils made their purpose clear. It was strong, and colored like piss in a snowdrift. Which meant she wasn’t going to have all the answers just laid bare.
Whether or not he was skilled enough to know exactly what had just happened or not, she didn’t know. Magic-first policies were always dangerous for that exact reason: Probing another Adept was a crapshoot between them being some Cataclysm-Kindle without any academic knowledge of Lux, versus some of the world’s most intense traveling Wizards stopping into this particularly paranormal city for a spot of lunch.

And if he was a local, it was only harder to discern.

He was svelte, surely. Handsome, even, and Kiki could recognize the aesthetic qualities of the man without regarding him with any kind of positivity. In fact, it only made things worse in her mind, as this man could’ve found anyone. He could’ve had a normal life with a normal person, and done whatever the Hell he wanted.
But, now the Twin Hills were in his life. And their status as helpful guardians of love and joy, or a mob of radicals hunting for his vital fluids, hung in the balance for this man. Kiki wanted blood! Momo may have wanted something else, but Kiki was already seeing red when he stuck out his hand. Only, Loni was here. And she’d make more problems if what Kiki wanted to happen actually happened…

[color=19FFBA]”Boy howdy, I’ve heard a bit about you myself. Please, call me Ms. Motta. I’d rather we didn’t wind up on a first-name basis, Mr. Evans.”[/color] she smiled up at him with an eerie gaze, bypassing his handshake and walking past him into the house.

[color=19FFBA]”So… Lon? What do you two do for [i]fun[/i] around here?”[/color] she asked, treating the whole situation like she was less of a friend, and more of a protective services inspector.

[color=ff7360]"Uh- Uh-"[/color] Loni stammered out, thrown off by the change in Kiki. Sure, she should’ve expected something… But she’d expected either her normal bubbly friend, [i]or[/i] full on aggression. Not whatever this was! What- What did they do for fun around here?! 
[color=ff7360]"Just… The normal things?"[/color]

“What kind of answer are you looking for, [i]Kiki[/i]?” Adrien asked evenly, putting a hand on Loni’s lower back to guide her into the living room through the first door down the entry hall. Luckily for Kiki, he was a cataclysm kindled- felt the brush against his Emotional Field, but wasn’t much wiser about what it was. He was more tipped off by how she was acting than her magic use.

“We talk, watch television, I’ll read while Loni is on her phone, along with all the [i]normal[/i] couple activities.” He turned to Loni. 
“Why [i]is[/i] she here, Alondra? This is beginning to seem like an interrogation.”

[color=ff7360]"Uh, well, I wanna talk ‘bout some things… Kiki’s here to help."[/color] Loni tried to explain. Break ups were always hard, nevermind something like this. Sure, Loni broke up with about half of her boyfriends, but it had never been like this. Normally it was just differences or problems large enough she actually noticed and couldn’t deal with. Not being [i]groomed[/i] and having her friend there ready to go onto the attack.

“Oh? Well, if she makes you more comfortable… You know I only want the best for you. Have a seat. Anything to drink, Kiki?” Though it was subtle, his tone was awful like that of a teacher talking down to his students.

[color=19FFBA]”No thank you. Television sounds nice. Uh, what about when Luci comes? Have you- Sorry, Lon, I forgot, do you bring her here?”[/color]

Kiki didn’t have a lot of thoughts in the moment. She was lightning focused on the task. Of dragging something out of this guy. An admission, or something. Enough to justify it when she took all her frustration from the previous day out on him. After all, he was just about [i]nothing[/i] to the edifice of the Whispering Flesh. Her personal self justification was simple: I am above you. Nothing else existed, even the cursory reasonings of Loni’s problem fading into a singular point of light at the end of the tunnel.

The “Shit-to-Mouth Pipeline”. The fact that problems above her caused pressure directed at her, and her lower status overall in the system she occupied, created the joy of abuse. Of treating Blinds as animals to be shepherded, while lesser Adepts like this man were little more than chattel slaves for the grand design of the Ancients. 
In her mind, her social, physical and supernatural superiority equalled out to an overwhelming sense of moral correctness. The self-affirmation that she was doing the correct thing, in spite of how it made Loni feel…

Because she needed shepherding too. She needed hands holding onto her. Guiding her toward a light, rather than the listlessness of her current situation. Ergo, Kiki didn’t bother with many formalities. She handled it how she’d seen Moriah handle things in the past: With brazen confidence and joy. Taking [i]joy[/i] in causing discomfort for someone she saw as [i]lesser in all regards.[/i]


[color=ff7360]"Oh, no, I ain’t brought her around yet!"[/color] Loni shook her head, standing awkwardly in the livingroom with some distance from both Kiki and Adrien. He’d said to sit down, but did she want to sit down? Wouldn’t it make it harder to leave? But wouldn’t things be more awkward if she stayed standing? She didn’t know!

“I [i]haven’t[/i] brought her around,” Adrien corrected gently. He smiled, managing to keep any annoyance he may be feeling hidden- even disappeared for a moment into the next room to bring back that coffee he said he’d made Loni. It wasn’t long enough to let the two do anything without him there, though.
“Unfortunately I haven’t met Luciana yet, just heard so much about her from Loni. She sounds like a great child- unsurprising, since Loni is doing such a good job as a Mother, even for her age.”

So Loni ended up sitting down, perched awkwardly on the couch because now she had a coffee in her hands. And if she stayed standing she’d just spill it. She didn’t say anything, glancing between the two nervously.

“Are you worried I’d have a problem with Loni having a daughter already?” Adrien raised his eyebrows, before letting out a soft chuckle.
“I definitely don’t. It’s one of the things I like about her… After all, I want to be a Father sooner rather than later myself.”


Kiki’s face outwardly twisted into a disgusted grimace. She couldn’t even [i]think[/i] straight. All she could do was react toward the light she’d set for herself.

[color=19FFBA]”Awwww, fucking disgusting. Jesus fucking Christ… Y’know? Y’know? God, that… Fuck… And you’ve got [i]magic?[/i] Fuck, the Spider is an absolute bastard for giving [i]anything[/i] to you. You… You…”[/color]

Rather than letting herself reel further, Kiki cleared her throat and paused.

[color=19FFBA]”So… [i]What is this, Mr. ?[/i] You just, uh, y’know, reliving the moment? Everytime you thrust, you remember her sitting at her desk in school? How wrong it was? That’s what you like, right? The wrongness of it? Ephebophilia is [i]common in Men.[/i] So’s total pedophilia, but I’m guessing that you’re not exactly into [i]little[/i] girls. Or, you’d be pressing harder to get her here, wouldn’t you!?”[/color] she accused, body tense and locked up for conflict.

“Excuse me?” Adrien's eyes narrowed slightly, the friendly smile disappearing immediately.
“Do you understand what you're accusing me of? I don't know who you think you are to be coming in here with such harsh and false accusations.” 

[color=19FFBA]”Loni? When did you guys first meet, sweetheart? And how old were you when you had your first trist with this man?”[/color] Kiki asked, face becoming smug as she witnessed his joy fade from his body. She knew Terror would only make his magic stronger, but it was fine… What could Yellow magic really do against her overwhelming physique?


Loni was still processing the fact that he had magic- she hadn't known! Had he? Yellow wasn't exactly the informational type… but her attention snapped towards Kiki when asked the direct question. 
[color=ff7360]"We- We met when I was fourteen. Slept together when I was sixteen."[/color]

Adrien let out a somewhat tired sigh, before laughing. 
“That's what this is about? She'd reached the [I]legal[/I] age of [I]consent[/I]. It was between two fully consenting adults… And has no bearing on our current relationship either, almost six years on.” He turned away from Kiki to look at Loni. 
“Alondra… Has she been feeding you lies about what [I]she[/I] thinks this is? Is that what you wanted to talk about? I promise you, it's not what she says.” 

[color=ff7360]"B-But, they said cause you were my teacher, it ain't alright. Even if it's been so many years."[/color] 

“But I wasn't your teacher anymore, was I?” Adrien shook his head, not looking scared but… disappointed. 
“There was- and is- nothing wrong with our relationship.”

Kiki’s body was starting to steam with Green magic. She’d never be a Matriarch: That was never her right. It couldn’t be. She’d missed that. She hadn’t been that egg. But there wasn’t anything that said she couldn’t observe and imitate everything she’d ever seen. Copy, and doppel it in her own way. Even magic. Even spells that she couldn’t [i]see[/i] were still things she [i]felt.[/i] It wasn’t joyous that she’d never be the Queen of the Sun, or the Deer in Culla. 

But she’d be the face this man remembered for the rest of his life. She just… Needed him to say it again.

[color=19FFBA]”Listen, uh… Y’know, I think that your justifications are just plain [i]adorable.[/i] And, y’know, the fact that you can stand there and present those justifications with such a smug, superior attitude? It really tells [i]me[/i] all I need to know about you. But, hey, I was educated in the North. We tend to have a better grasp on things like intuitive power structures in social applications. Granted, you [i]must[/i] be educated somehow. They let you teach at a shithole like South-Central High School, so… You must’ve attended a few community college courses. I’m guessing, you maybe even went up North for it! Hell, Mr. Evans… I’m thinking now that maybe you even come from the same place I do. Because, really… Us people from the North are the only people around who come down here, settle in, and [i]use the local population for our own ends[/i] until we can’t anymore. Until there’s nothing left to use.”[/color]

She had been getting a little closer, every few seconds taking a gentle step toward him as steam started to curl up and off of her body. The imitation of pure Green power and manifestation. Migliorato, in her body, tended to make everything far warmer than she was able to sustain beyond a few minutes. She’d burned herself out, last time, within three. 
But even this most basic form of Matriarchal improvement was more than enough to give Kiki the sensation of confidence needed to finish this.

[color=19FFBA]”I… I want to hear you explain it to me one more time. But, don’t explain it like I’m some shithead you’re in charge of teaching. I want you to justify your position to someone like, oh… Your Mother, maybe. Fifth Ward? Geraldine Heights apartments, number two-eighteen. Ms. Tanya Evans? What about your father, Clarence? What about if we asked them how they’d feel, if your sister Wendy wound up being groomed and fucked by her teacher before she managed to get out of Pacerton Academy?”[/color] she cleared her throat, letting out the information that their intelligence people managed to scrounge up.

[color=19FFBA]”Go ahead. Justify it again like I’ve got the same education that you do. I can handle big words.”[/color] she said, not but a couple inches away from him. Their chests almost brushed against one another, and he’d be able to feel the heat radiating off of Kiki through her clothes.

While Adrien could feel the uncomfortable heat, he still wasn't scared. He didn't understand magic enough to know [I]what type[/I] Kiki had, and why it was so impressive she was heating up at all. While he didn't expect her to try to hit him or anything, a thin shield still formed around him. 

“That's quite the illegally obtained information you have there, [I]Ms Motta[/I]. Are you trying to threaten me? My parents already know about Alondra. It wouldn't make sense to keep the woman I [I]plan to marry one day[/I] secret from them. And they know how we met.”

Normally, hearing that kind of thing would make Loni feel happy- because it meant security! Someone who loved her! But right now, she just felt sick. She trusted both Momo and Kiki, which meant she believed what they said about him being wrong. So listening to him try to justify it… it wasn't pleasant. But that didn't mean she wanted him hurt! She could sense the Green Lux thick in the air, and see the steam curling off Kiki's skin. 

[color=ff7360]"Kiki, please, you said you wouldn't?"[/color] Loni spoke up nervously, putting down the mug she'd been gripping onto and standing. She didn't know if she should get closer. Could she even stop Kiki? Should she just trust her?!

“It's fine, Alondra. I'm not worried.” Adrien vaguely waved in her direction. 
“I'll justify it, as you wish. When we first slept together, I had no intentions for it to go beyond that. Alondra has always been very loveable and bright, and I've always been fond of her. While I don't think there was anything wrong with what happened then- especially since she came onto me first- it is unrelated to our current relationship. We met again by coincidence. It's the current Alondra- who's hardworking and family oriented, while still being so lovely- that I fell for. There was no grooming. Just two adults starting a [I]mutual[/I] relationship. Grooming would require me to retain that ‘power’ I supposedly had, wouldn't it? Though, us teachers don't have much power over South Sider children… But that's beside the point. It's balanced now. We both have jobs, places to live, external support- Alondra's even a mother already. Any perceived inequality is just you looking down on her education level, isn't it?”

[color=19FFBA]”Balanced [i]now!?[/i] Like it’s a fucking beam-scale in a classroom!? What you [i]did[/i] was wrong! Justifying it as a [i]child throwing themselves at you[/i] is disgusting beyond the pale! You had a responsibility to guide and steward her as a guardian and a teacher and you [i]failed when you took advantage of your power over her and allowed the situation to progress![/i] You accepted it and let it happen, and then have the utter temerity to continue to point toward [i]her?[/i] Like she could ever see you as anyone other than ano- No. No! Y’know what?-”[/color]

It all happened so fast… Was violence any more justifiable in the moment? This world was dog-eat-dog. Aggression and physicality was the only thing that equalized all before the primal, sinister nature of Dazzle. Of this plane of existence which both parties found themselves in for the moment… Kiki had been taught to use her words first… But that seemed reserved for those who garnered respect. Words had been used the day before, because there was some level of respect that Moriah had for that asshole’s father. She’d explained, of course, that it wasn’t the boy. It was the power structure behind him. The fact that his family had [i]wealth power.[/i] 

None of it mattered as her hand slipped down to the heavy math textbook on the cabinet next to her. All she could remember was Moriah’s qualifier… That if he’d been anyone else, treating them like that? They’d have disappeared. Kiki took that to heart; and believed truly that Moriah’s feelings would vindicate the action that came next. With the speed of hatred, and the joy of knowing the outcome was inevitable, the spine of the book met the side of Adrien Evans’ face with a hollow thump as the paper dispersed the impact pressure through each square millimeter of its surface area.

The weak, infantile shield he’d allowed to form shattered like it was made of glass, the little shimmering particles of light still clumped together tumbling into nothingness all around him as his legs gave out and his torso locked up. She’d nailed him right across the side of his face, cheekbone giving up the ghost until it could no longer defend a sensitive area like the temple. When the pressure arrived there, as if the shards of bone trying to vacate the flesh weren’t enough, vessels in the skull ruptured and sent immediate bruising across that entire part. 

It looked like a giant flicked him… By the time he hit the ground in a convulsing heap, it was clear that his face wasn’t put together properly anymore. The book had split the skull around the left orbital, the cheek bone pushing up and absolutely crushing the soft palate inside his mouth in order to make room for the row of teeth in his top jaw to curl over and touch the other side.

Kiki wasn’t shocked. She laughed aloud, Joy filling her as he was unable to even whimper a pleading apology. Maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad if she bothered to stop there, but she didn’t feel like she wanted to be done. And she wasn’t going to let him just escape. No, no… She’d teach him. She knew enough healing magic to at least fix the problem she made… Keep his brain alive, now that his emotional field was so weak from being unconscious.

She turned her head as her arm dipped down to grab Adrien by the collar.

[color=19FFBA]”You’re free to go, Loni… Or stay. I intend for him to be apologetic by the time this is done… But, don’t worry. I won’t kill him yet.”[/color] she said, her free hand wrapping around his face and pushing Green Lux into him until he was screaming and struggling again. 

Loni was standing frozen, hands covering her mouth to suppress any sounds that might alert others to what was going on. Not that anyone would care… Unless they were unlucky and there happened to be Hollow members nearby. She trembled slightly, eyes blown wide as she stared at Kiki. 

While Loni had constantly seen and experienced violence growing up, she'd never grown numb to it. Some violence was necessary, but the protectors in her life always seemed to go beyond what was necessary. They enjoyed it! His- His face was already caved in! He was screaming, how wasn't he apologetic? She couldn't even look at him without feeling more sick. 

[color=ff7360]"[I]Kiki[/I]…"[/color] She whispered, managing to shuffle forward and put a trembling hand on her friend's arm. 
[color=ff7360]"What do you mean yet?! You said you weren't gonna hurt him- nevermind kill him!"[/color]

But Kiki wasn’t shaking. She wasn’t doing anything besides standing there, staring down at the trembling man as the pain of his face being rudimentarily reconstructed by the equivalent of a blind person putting together a jigsaw, caused him to roar out again and again. How the fuck was she supposed to know exactly how his nose had looked before, or how his cheeks came up and formed a little ridge on his face rather than being a smooth and soft surface?

She didn’t care. She wasn’t concerned with anything other than keeping him alive for the process of reeducation.

[color=19FFBA]”Y’know, Fio sends letters sometimes? Telling us about places she’s in, or what she’s doing there. She’s always shocked when she finds a place where the men [i]protect[/i] the women. Shocked… At that? When I was younger, it was a little harder to understand. I just figured she was, y’know… Just weirded out by Men doing things instead of how we grew up.”[/color]

Classic Kiki; her head reeled backward, and her throat made a terrible noise as she choked up a loogie and hocked it in Adrien’s face.

[color=19FFBA]”But I got it pretty much as soon as I started working. That it ain’t about us as a Coven, or Culla as a place with its own culture. Fio’s heart bleeds. It bleeds for Blinds. The ones who have zero options: No way of defending themselves. She’s constantly shocked by the horror of knowing there’s a world where [i]something[/i] made one group more physically imposing than the other, yet didn’t program them to behave in a way that makes that [i]not[/i] a bad thing.”[/color]

She turned to look at Loni now, eyes no different than if Kiki had been going over a dance she was working on in her off hours.

[color=19FFBA]”He needs a lesson. A good one. One that’ll stick. And then, I need to hear him apologize. And mean it. That’ll only happen if we [i]make it happen.[/i] And if we can’t? Death’s a natural part of the process. Ain’t like you gotta worry about your stuff ‘round me anyway. Black Lux don’t freak me out.”[/color] she intoned, the unclear implication parting from her lips on the front end of a devious grin.

[color=19FFBA]”If I break him, just… Keep the skin as a puppet.”[/color]

[color=ff7360]"I ain’t doing that! I ain’t gonna use Black Lux!"[/color] Loni’s breath hitched, more panicked at the suggestion that she reanimate his skin than that he’d be dead in the first place. 

Her fear of that part of herself wasn’t because of Momo. Momo had just reinforced what already existed. She’d watched her Mama wither away from summoning spirits into her body day on day… Just the thought of that happening to her was terrifying. And it would, because her magic was so like her Mama’s! Her Mama had said so when she was still alive… And she’d learned some of her spells where Vin had never been able to. 

She could barely think about reanimating a corpse without wanting to throw up. 

[color=ff7360]"I don’t want it! If- If he dies, he’s dead! B- But, ain’t this enough? You already caved his face in! Why… Why get your hands dirtier?!"[/color]

Kiki waved her concern off.

[color=19FFBA]”It’s [i]his[/i] fault! If he’d just fucking understood, he’d be fine! I’d not have to fucking-”[/color] she stopped abruptly, letting her foot surge forward until the heel dug right into his chest, snapping a few ribs in the process.

[color=19FFBA]”-get my fucking makeup runny! Make me hot! Stupid fucker!”[/color] she shouted, kicking him again as her constant recovery spell tried its absolute hardest to help him cope.

Loni winced, reactively flinching back. She didn’t want to watch this… But she also didn’t want to leave Kiki to just beat him over and over again!
[color=ff7360]"B- But you don’t have to! Maybe he already understands- look, he’s crying, that’s basically an apology! That’s enough for me! And you- you ain’t the one he- he groomed!"[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”And we can’t trust the victim’s judgement! You already let this slime wriggle into your life! [i]Stand, animal![/i]”[/color]
Kiki had, in his unconsciousness, slipped in enough Pink tendrils to keep a hole wide open. Her command spell, a gift from Fio before she left for her last Tour, was enough to [i]force[/i] Adrien into considering standing up in spite of the pain.

But the body could not do what it was unable to do. Still, she [i]urged[/i] his mind, flooding it with Pink Lux until his brain was entirely mapped out. Every synapse, every neuron firing back and forth in rapid timing.
It wouldn’t hurt, however… Just [i]itch.[/i] At least, until she became more frustrated that her puppet wasn’t following orders. She was trying to force him to kneel, to give up his innermost feelings at their feet…

But she’d just have to settle for him screaming on the ground.

[color=19FFBA][i]”Give yourself to me… Give up your mind, and reveal your inner self!”[/i][/color] she commanded aloud, Green Lux pushing up against the Pink like a crowd of bodies behind a battering ram.

The puppet couldn’t talk, it couldn’t do much more than writhe in agony and scream each time the wounds were healed enough for his vocal cords to work. But all of his thoughts and feelings flooded into Kiki. Perfectly laid out plans. Sure, meeting Loni again [i]had[/i] been a coincidence. But it was one he’d hoped for. 

It was lucky they’d stepped in now, because he’d been getting ready to enact the next ‘part’ of his plan. A couple of months of dating was enough he wasn’t worried Loni would leave him. And she’d already had an accidental pregnancy before… What was another? Then, all that time subtly convincing her that it was [i]alright if she never amounted to much[/i] and [i]let someone support her[/i] would come to fruition. He’d get the perfectly obedient wife and mother of his children that he’d always wanted… 

[color=ff7360]"Kiki, stop it!"[/color] Loni had backed away further, chest heaving up and down as she watched in wide eyed panic. As much as she hated the violence inflicted on him, and the forceful control of Pink magic, it was more the [i]loss[/i] of the friend she normally knew. She was worried that Kiki would go somewhere she couldn’t come back from. 

[color=ff7360]"Please, stop. This- This isn’t like you!"[/color] 

Incredibly frustrated by the whole situation, there was a moment of Kiki’s face twisting in visible discomfort followed by the sound of Adrien’s simpering voice. She heard Loni… And didn’t want this being what stuck. She didn’t want to kill this man… But she had all the evidence she needed to be confident.

But it didn’t stop the argument coming.

[color=19FFBA]”No, it ain’t! But, y’know what? This is [i]exactly[/i] like you! Always trying to defend people who don’t deserve it… [i]Do you know how beautiful that makes you!?[/i] How nobody can fucking touch the color of the soul inside of you? Because you’re [i]fucking radiant![/i] Yet you let people walk on you and stain you and mark you with shit and don’t even bother fighting back for yourself! How the [i]fuck[/i] are you ever supposed to protect an Apartado for Moriah? How are you [i]ever[/i] supposed to protect Luci, when you won’t even protect yourself, Lon!? This guy ain’t sorry! He’ll never [i]be[/i] sorry! Because he sees you as a [i]slave[/i], and not as a human being!”[/color]

Her eyes were vibrant pink from sclera to iris. All the information she’d wrung from his mind was at the surface of her eyes, experiencing memories… Memories of all those years ago. Of the first [i]feelings[/i] this bastard had toward Loni. And [i]that[/i] made her want to vomit just as badly as it probably felt for Loni to consider raising the dead.

So she turned away from Loni, eyes falling on this half-awake man as his face continued to create new knitting for the bone to fuse. 

[color=19FFBA][b]”You! Pig… You’ve been judged, and found guilty of conspiracy against a member of the Twin Hill Coven. Under Cullan law, you’ve violated the Primal Oath. Were it our world, your punishment would be Gourmation… But this is Cloverfield… So you get to suffer with a fucked up face.”[/b][/color]

And she spat on him again, for good measure, before turning heel and making way for the door.

Loni was trying her best not to cry, rubbing her eyes desperately to stop any liquid escaping. Not [i]for him[/i]. Because of what Kiki said. But she [i]could[/i] protect Luciana! She knew she could, and she had… This wasn’t protecting. This was hurting! Horribly! She probably couldn’t ever do something like this, unless really pushed. But she shouldn’t have to. Because she’d protect Luci from ever being near anything that would require that kind of reaction… 

She just stood for a moment, staring at Kiki’s back. Finally she followed towards the door, weak words clawing their way out of her throat. 
[color=ff7360]"I [i]can[/i] protect her. How I’m treated ain’t any reflection on how I’ll let people treat her- But I didn’t know! And I was already gonna remove him from my life. That’s… That’s enough for me. Revenge ain’t protection! And- And I didn’t ask to have an Apartado to protect…"[/color]

It was difficult for her to speak, and she didn’t want to fight with Kiki. But she also couldn’t just back down on how she saw things. She got close enough to Kiki to reach out and grasp her greatcoat, worried she’d just walk away.

Feeling the hand gripping the coat, a thousand memories flooded her senses. A thousand hands reaching out to hold someone back… To keep them from leaving. She remembered her eighth grade graduation, when Elay was allowed to attend and see her. Or, the last time she saw Her Lady, the great Cadenza, whose own eldest daughter tried to get her to stop the course of fury and revenge… 

But none of that was [i]this.[/i] The hate was gone with the writhing body, after all. Gone, letting him deal with the fact that Loni was no longer in his head, and that there were significant patches of the last decade ripped from his memory; including his ability to do basic arithmetic. 
He’d not escape this ordeal without complications, after all… That wasn’t allowed. Every little difficulty she left him with was a heartbeat that felt lighter knowing that she’d put him in his place. She did make sure that he’d remember [i]her[/i] face, however, along with the primal fear association necessary to cause Adrien to uncontrollably piss himself if he ever saw [i]any[/i] of the Motta family ever again.

So there was only one thing left to do. Apologize to the person who was actually worth a damn.

Kiki spun on her heels, surging back toward Loni and wrapping her arms around her tightly. She didn’t cry, though she wanted to; rather cleared her throat and spoke calmly as she could.

[color=19FFBA]”I’m sorry, Lon… I shouldn’t’ve said that shit. I shouldn’t have, but, like… [i]I’m so sick of seeing you hurt![/i] Of, y’know, seeing… All these assholes take advantage of you. ‘Cuz, y’know, sometimes you really don’t know no better! Like this! You ain’t know he… He-”[/color]

She thought about his intentions. At their most basic surface level, they were at least somewhat noble. The idea that he [i]did[/i] want to settle down didn’t escape Kiki at all. He wanted a familial unit, and had the intention of taking pride and care into the scenario. But, his underlying motivations? How could she ever hope to explain in a way to Loni without-

[color=19FFBA]”-... Please, Lon… Let me just fucking show you? I need you to see what I saw. What I [i]knew[/i] from the moment I knew who this guy was to you.”[/color] she spoke sternly, both eyes locked into Loni’s.

Loni hugged Kiki back, sniffling. She was actually crying now, the stubborn fight in her draining away the moment her friend apologised. 
[color=ff7360]"It’s- It’s okay. I know you ain’t sayin’ it outta anythin’ but… frustration that I ain’t good at keepin’ myself safe."[/color] Her voice was slightly hoarse as she sniffed and cried, tear stained eyes looking back into Kiki’s. 

Did she want to see? She… She didn’t really. She didn’t want to know, because it was easier not to. Sometimes, not questioning things or learning was just another way of protecting herself. It was easier to be so happy when she didn’t have the knowledge. But… Kiki was more important. She shouldn’t have to suffer alone over something Loni had been oblivious to!

[color=ff7360]"You can show me… I wanna understand. It ain’t fair you gotta keep it all in… I should know."[/color] She nodded, not particularly confident. But her love for Kiki outweighed the nervousness anyway, and she dropped one hand to hold Kiki’s to open herself up for a Recollection- or however Kiki wanted to show her.


The Recollection flooded Loni's head as easily as water poured into an open pitcher. The intrinsic ability for all Supernatural beings to share moments and memories with full sensory understanding was oftentimes more than just a useful party trick. It was a way for Adepts to gain insight and understanding that otherwise wouldn't be available to the Blind population…

Even if that was often what they needed most. One could never avoid feelings and emotions lingering after the deed was finished; but Kiki's own Pink Lux backing the vague transluxal magic of the recollection would ensure that [i]her vision[/i] of the situation remained unobfuscated. 

And so, the memories and emotions flowed through Loni. Kiki's point was deceit and manipulation were happening. They always had been… Adrien's first sexual thought about Loni had been directly tied to her perceived [i]lack[/i] of intelligence, with a lingering mental statement included.

[I]”What else could she ever be good for?”[/i]

Kiki showed her all of his fantasies, from the sickest to the most coddling. His desire to trap her in Motherhood, which Kiki was only more angry over as she imagined that's probably still what Loni wanted in the end. Because of assholes like this, never looking to build up her confidence and independence.
But, at the same time, showing her that he was never intending on faithfulness being a trait for him to observe…

She showed her his new school girl. The one who, days previous, he'd deflowered in nearly the same fashion as her experience. It was a tremendous amount of detail for a recollection to cover, but that's exactly what they were for.
After a physical minute, the memories stopped passing back and forth, until Kiki was just standing there holding Loni's hand and looking at her.

Loni felt reactively sick, curling forward instinctively like she was going to throw up. She wouldn’t- she had the magic to stop it even if she would. But seeing everything he’d thought and felt made her skin crawl. She’d thought he’d [i]genuinely[/i] liked her. Even when she found out he was grooming her, she still thought he at least cared for [i]her[/i]. Not just who she could be. 

Not someone with her wings torn so she couldn’t go out. Loni [i]did[/i] want to be a wife and mother- to have more children than just Luciana- desperately. But she also wanted to be a dancer and a coven member, to be as free as she was loved and looked after. 

And he’d been [i]cheating[/i] on her. It wasn’t the first time she’d been cheated on- and she’d learned you couldn’t expect cheaters to change. Forgiving them and trying again just resulted in getting hurt the same way… But it had never been like this. The grossness of being cheated on, but also knowing he’d had another victim- many more, maybe. Other girls just like her. Girls who may not have the support she did now.

[color=ff7360]"I- He-"[/color] She sucked in a harsh breath, squeezing Kiki’s hand tight. She was sobbing more now- the ugly kind with deep heaving breaths, streams of tears down her reddening cheeks and loads of sniffing. 

It was so difficult to see and think about. It reinforced what she thought about herself- that she could never amount to anything more than she was. But it was also horrible to be put in that box… To have someone want to strip away other things that made her who she was. She [i]knew[/i] she wasn’t smart, not in the right ways, but she could still do things. Even if it was something other people looked down on… But she’d like to see them on a pole… 

[color=ff7360]"Why don’t anyone see me for who I am?! All’ve it! I- I ain’t just stupid… Or a Mama… How am I meant to find someone who’ll marry me and have kids with me but also lemme dance and still be [i]me[/i]? Why ain’t there anyone who wants all that? I- I thought he did, even with all the… problems."[/color]

This was the expected and, selfishly, desired outcome of the scenario. Not only was she hurt, but she was asking good questions.

[color=19FFBA]”Believe it or not, Lon? It's way more normal for people to feel [i]nothing.[/i] Momo says that's why most Blinds can't kindle; their emotions are all fake. This guy was magic… Yellow Lux. Genetic, partly, but he must've felt true Terror at some point. Which, in my eyes, explains everything.”[/color] she said, reaching out with both arms as she let Loni's hand go and fully embraced her.

Of course, Kiki hadn't exactly [i]known[/i] any of the deeper parts without having hurt the guy first… She was intent on violence solving the problem long before the severity was ever revealed. Which, along with what Loni was saying, started to give Kiki the feeling that she needed to assess herself.

But the feeling passed like a heartbeat. She wanted Loni for Loni. Physically, spiritually, emotionally: Her sweet nature and spontaneous attitude made her fun and emotionally intelligent. And Kiki liked [i]knowing more[/i] because she enjoyed the idea of teaching Loni. And being the one to help her sort out things in a logistical fashion appealed to her logical parts. 

[color=19FFBA]”I… really, really love you, Loni. I don't think you get how much I- We -care. I… Its… It ain't fair. But, if you ain't smart, and you ain't physically imposing, you give off prey vibes. I see it all the time when we're out down here! Dudes think you're just some easy mark! And, uh… Well, by your nature, you kind of are! But that [i]should be okay![/i] Only, it attracts the worst people in our society to you! People like…-”[/color]

She turned her head to look back at the groaning Adrien. A false sentencing. In light of new evidence, Gourmation was the only option.

[color=ff7360]"I know… It ain’t like many of the better people’d want someone like me anyway."[/color] Loni hung her head despondently. She felt like it would be fine if she was an easy mark if she at least saw red flags before they hit her right in the face. Sometimes she didn’t even know about them! Or if she didn’t see them, but was strong enough it didn’t matter.

Like Vin. Loni was fairly sure Vin had no idea that this whole thing had been wrong- they would’ve hurt the guy themselves if they’d known. But the relationships they had seemed healthy! Though, they had lost the love of their life during the Cataclysm.

[color=ff7360]"But… It ain’t like everyone I dated’s been bad… Just… the majority, maybe. Like- Like Luci’s dad! He wasn’t so bad till I got pregnant, and he was only nineteen too. I was the one who wanted to keep her. Like- Like imagine you got someone pregnant right now! Would you want- wait, that ain’t right. You’d be… Gettin’ pregnant?"[/color] She frowned, managing to ramble about an entirely different shitty ex. Sure, put that way he wasn’t so shitty, but he’d still completely abandoned his pregnant girlfriend. 

[color=ff7360]"Uh, anyway… I just dunno how to fix it. I guess I gotta just keep tryin’."[/color] In her rambling, Loni was completely distracted from paying attention where Kiki was looking- or picking up any cannibalistic intentions. 

Kiki couldn't help but latch onto the one thing that she felt made any kind of difference.

[color=19FFBA]”You… Loni, I [i]can[/i] get someone pregnant. And if I did? It'd be because I [i]knew[/i] I wanted to! It ain't supposed to be like that! You can't just fucking… Smash your pelvises together and not expect a fucking goblin to pop out! Luci's incredible, and you're lucky for that [i]in spite of[/i] her asshole dad. But you don't know how his crumbling bum genes are going to affect her later in life! She could become a natural fucking asshole, just like… Like… That [i]Asshole![/i]”[/color]

She tried to figure out what to actually say that may get some point across to Loni that wasn't covered up by dredging up her previous choices.

[color=19FFBA]”You… I think it'd be prudent to start by observing people with actually healthy relationships. Which are at a premium here in Cloverfield…”[/color]

She thought for another second before a smile came over her face.

[color=19FFBA]”Loni… Will you go to Roanoke with me!? You've met my Nonnas before, but it was during the Cataclysm, so they weren't exactly huggin’ and holdin’ hands constantly, but they've got the best relationship I've ever seen! They've been together all their lives, but they're still just as in love with one another as the day they emerged together!”[/color]

It was… A strange scenario. The Cullan Matriarchs Allegra and Belladonna Motta were twins. This information would've been obfuscated, as Loni had only ever been exposed to Motta-adjacent Matriarchs. It'd be easy to assume, simply, that all Matriarchs just [i]looked the same[/i]. To understand their status as sister-wives would only serve to confound the mind, as their post-human forms entirely bypassed conventional Blind understanding of biology.

To Kiki, it was [i]mostly[/i] normal. Normal enough that them being “as close as the day they emerged together” was just a beautiful fact of true love, and certainly not a vaguely programmed behavior created by an even more obscure figure that she'd only heard cursory things about. Certainly normal enough that it looked, by all accounts both close and distant, like a rather ideal partnership.

[color=19FFBA]”Please!? They can help! I know they can! Nonna Bella even reminds me of you a bit!”[/color]

Loni tilted her head, sniffing a bit more. The tears were starting to slow at least. The day they emerged together sounded a little strange, but she decided not to question it. Matriarchs were strange, after all! They were born in green vats and shit!

[color=ff7360]"I ain’t gonna say no to somethin’ like that… So long as Luci can come? And we can get enough time off work… I suppose it ain’t gotta be a long trip. Just a night or somethin’. If you think they can help, I believe you."[/color] She responded sincerely, starting to smile at Kiki through the tears. It’d be better next time. She always believed it would be.

She’d find the one and be happy. She could move on from the hurt. It might just take a little longer this time with everything Kiki had shown her.

[color=ff7360]"It’s a shame Vin’s partner ain’t around anymore… They had a real healthy relationship, I think. Not quite together that long but it’d be closer to home. Not that I got a problem with goin’ on a trip together… It’d be real nice honestly."[/color] She was properly bouncing back now. There was a possible solution. At least, something to do to help. 

[color=ff7360]"Are you, uh… Do you gotta go back right away? You ain’t able to hang round a bit longer or anythin’? Maybe see Luci?"[/color]

There was a sad, longing look on her face.

[color=19FFBA]”I… Should stay here, actually. Moriah will make his life a lot worse if she pulls this recollection and realizes that I didn’t hand out the proper sentencing. I’m… I’m sorry, Lon. There’s too many laws that aren’t yours, but still protect you from shit like this. If he was a Blind, he’d be fixed. But, he’s magical; he falls into a completely different category for that kind of thing.”[/color]

She cursed her study of Cullan Law. She wished she could plead ignorance, and further still the ignorance of what Moriah would do to him if she didn’t get this done. And she wished moreso that Loni was [i]for[/i] it. She hated the idea of death, and Kiki knew it. But, neither were in charge ultimately.

[color=19FFBA]”If you want, go home. I’ll… I’ll meet you there, hopefully. If not, I’ll call. We’ll send someone else to pick you up.”[/color]

[color=ff7360]"I’ll- I’ll wait outside!"[/color] Loni said with a hint of confidence. Just a little bit. She… Didn’t want to see whatever the proper sentencing was. Or even know about it. She wanted to run home to her daughter- but it wasn’t like she was going to escape the speak of murder. 

Vin would probably want to do it themselves when they found out. 

But more than that, she was worried if she just went right home she wouldn’t see Kiki again for [i]days[/i]. She didn’t want that! 
[color=ff7360]"If I’m allowed to? I don’t wanna… see… But I’ll feel worse if I just leave. That ain’t fair."[/color]

[color=19FFBA]”I’ve never done this before… I don’t know how much he’ll scream. I’m told a lot.”[/color] Kiki admitted quietly, taking a deeper breath.

[color=19FFBA]”So… Put some headphones on or something. Gather any of your things that may be here.”[/color]
She leaned forward again, pecking Loni on the lips, letting the little “innocent” kiss linger a moment longer than it needed to. Then, she brushed past her, moving toward Adrien’s body. He’d stopped shouting at least, and was starting to come to enough that he had a sense of the world around him again.

Enough to protest when Kiki took his ankle in her hand and started roughly dragging his half-limp body toward the basement door.