[center][color=#FF0000]"[/color][color=#FF2400]H[/color][color=#FF4800]a[/color][color=#FF6D00]d[/color] [color=#FFB600]a[/color] [color=#FFFF00]g[/color][color=#DAFF00]r[/color][color=#B6FF00]e[/color][color=#91FF00]a[/color][color=#6DFF00]t[/color] [color=#24FF00]e[/color][color=#00FF00]x[/color][color=#00FF24]a[/color][color=#00FF48]m[/color][color=#00FF6D]p[/color][color=#00FF91]l[/color][color=#00FFB6]e[/color] [color=#00FEFF]t[/color][color=#00DAFF]o[/color] [color=#0091FF]l[/color][color=#006DFF]e[/color][color=#0048FF]a[/color][color=#0024FF]r[/color][color=#0000FF]n[/color] [color=#4800FF]f[/color][color=#6D00FF]r[/color][color=#9100FF]o[/color][color=#B600FF]m[/color][color=#DA00FF],[/color] [color=#FF00DA]O[/color][color=#FF00B6]r[/color][color=#FF0091]o[/color][color=#FF006D]s[/color][color=#FF0048].[/color][color=#FF0024]"[/color]

[url=https://youtu.be/MPwF6YTLLuc][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019cf9bb-46db-751e-b914-7d35ec6409d3.webp[/img][/url]

[color=#FF0000]♪[/color][color=#FF1700]I[/color] [color=#FF4600]d[/color][color=#FF5E00]o[/color][color=#FF7500]n[/color][color=#FF8D00]'[/color][color=#FFA400]t[/color] [color=#FFD300]k[/color][color=#FFEB00]n[/color][color=#FBFF00]o[/color][color=#E3FF00]w[/color] [color=#B4FF00]w[/color][color=#9CFF00]h[/color][color=#85FF00]y[/color] [color=#56FF00]b[/color][color=#3EFF00]u[/color][color=#27FF00]t[/color] [color=#00FF07]t[/color][color=#00FF1F]o[/color][color=#00FF36]d[/color][color=#00FF4E]a[/color][color=#00FF66]y[/color] [color=#00FF95]f[/color][color=#00FFAC]e[/color][color=#00FFC4]e[/color][color=#00FFDB]l[/color][color=#00FFF3]s[/color] [color=#00DBFF]l[/color][color=#00C4FF]i[/color][color=#00ACFF]k[/color][color=#0095FF]e[/color] [color=#0065FF]i[/color][color=#004EFF]t[/color][color=#0036FF]'[/color][color=#001FFF]s[/color] [color=#0F00FF]g[/color][color=#2700FF]o[/color][color=#3E00FF]n[/color][color=#5600FF]n[/color][color=#6D00FF]a[/color] [color=#9C00FF]b[/color][color=#B400FF]e[/color] [color=#E300FF]a[/color] [color=#FF00EB]g[/color][color=#FF00D3]r[/color][color=#FF00BC]e[/color][color=#FF00A4]a[/color][color=#FF008D]t[/color] [color=#FF005E]d[/color][color=#FF0046]a[/color][color=#FF002F]y[/color][color=#FF0017]♫[/color][/center][hr]

Acid Drop's head tilted to the side, the weed's trademark response to unexpected situations. It took only a moment to notice the pattern, but by then there was a King Kong to deal with. 

[color=00aeef]"Mm. I see."[/color] Even at her words' newfound velocity, that was all she could say before the silverback lunged at her with its arm tensed to swipe against her skull. 

Acting entirely on instinct, her body moved well before her mind understood what had happened. As it did, it also realized what had happened on another level. [color=00aeef]"How very 'human' of me."[/color] The words carried the same emptiness hers had always had, as if they could implode upon themselves at any moment.

As the final word left her lips, Suika's eyes trailed upwards to the underside of the ape's jaw. Her body, [i]Tsubomi's[/i] body, and magic had registered the intent of the primate and ducked back before it could backhand her, then forward once more to hold it at bay with her own before the ape could pull it back to try again.

Suika idly wondered if Tsubomi would be this much stronger than Zassou had been until now if she hadn't fallen to darkness. With the girl still holding the silverback's right arm with her left, it reared back its left to smash the interloper like an empty tin can. 

It never made it, its reach cut too short to reach, its balance thrown too far off. The negative emotions it had been fed were forced to be vomited back up by the weed, new and brighter ones shoved down its throat to replace them. It didn't send the ape back to its unevolved form but it was enough to send a shock through its 'muscles.' 

For an instant, Acid Drop wondered if this was right. Tsubomi had always tried to be honorable, even in her illicit activities. She always wanted to be a hero, one who could reach out to those who had been discarded and bring them light. She had given her all passionately in everything she did, even when it might kill her.

There was no honor here. No hero to save the day. No rush of passion found from putting one's life on the line. 

No, this was only a cleansing. Of bad thoughts and dark dreams. Of harsh emotions and deep fears. Of monkeys and their human typewriters. And most importantly, it was a cleansing of past and present grudges, though perhaps only one-sidedly. 

Devil Arm swirling against her palm, Acid Drop pushed off with her hand that held the ape's arm and drove the now still blade under its jaw. A perfect performance, though she didn't know it, which mirrored Black Gate's own acting with Tsubomi once the stage had been vacated by the other actors.

As she pulled the weapon away from its newest victim, she ceased her feeding of the unconscious student body completely. She didn't know how much time she had, but the possibility before her was too tempting. In a single selfish act, she did what may have been the best option anyway, to prevent the school's populace from questioning these events.

Starting with those near Acid Drop's feet, everyone in the cafeteria was slowly engulfed in a wave of apathy, their emotions being stolen from them. She didn't have the storage space, but she refused to open the floodgates to what she already had. If she could be as precise as earlier on instinct, then she reasoned that she could do even better with effort.

[i][color=#00AEEF]L[/color][color=#00ABEC]i[/color][color=#00A8E9]k[/color][color=#00A5E7]e[/color] [color=#009FE2]a[/color] [color=#0099DD]g[/color][color=#0096DA]a[/color][color=#0093D8]s[/color][color=#0090D5]-[/color][color=#008DD2]b[/color][color=#008AD0]u[/color][color=#0087CD]r[/color][color=#0084CB]n[/color][color=#0081C8]e[/color][color=#007EC6]r[/color][color=#007BC3].[/color][color=#0078C1].[/color][color=#0075BE].[/color] [color=#0075BE]U[/color][color=#0078C1]s[/color][color=#007BC3]e[/color] [color=#0081C8]j[/color][color=#0084CB]u[/color][color=#0087CD]s[/color][color=#008AD0]t[/color] [color=#0090D5]t[/color][color=#0093D8]h[/color][color=#0096DA]e[/color] [color=#009CDF]e[/color][color=#009FE2]x[/color][color=#00A2E4]c[/color][color=#00A5E7]e[/color][color=#00A8E9]s[/color][color=#00ABEC]s[/color][color=#00AEEF].[/color][/i]

Acid Drop took a deep breath. She was at risk of wasting everything she took from the unconscious ones around her, but she pushed through the thought of failure. 

This amount of effort wasn't enough to break her limits, but she already knew that. Besides, it would be enough, as long as she could simply bend them. In a blink, she found herself several meters further into the cafeteria, a large swath of monkeys defeated. 

It wasn't enough. She'd only cleared just under eight percent of the remainder. As the rest turned and continued their push towards her, she began to doubt if her request to Oros and Evil Eye was wise. 

No. It was too late, her hands had already been stained by hope. The encroaching troop couldn't take that away. 

[color=00aeef][i]One-hundred eight.[/i][/color] A waste.

A dozen more primates fell.

[color=00aeef][i]One-hundred four.[/i][/color] Yet more wasted strength.

Another handful of monkeys, another few human trees picked clean of their bounty.

[color=00aeef][i]Ninety-eight.[/i][/color] That was enough to refill, right?

[color=00aeef][i]One-hundred two.[/i][/color] Too much.

[color=00aeef][i]Eighty-six.[/i][/color] Too little.

[color=00aeef][i]Ninety-three.[/i][/color] It would do.

The deluge of emotional fruit born from the sleeping humans had run dry. Even in her attempt to not waste any of her stockpile, she'd burned through enough to make room for more. She wouldn't be at a full tank if she needed it, but it would have to be enough. 

As she glanced around the room to count the remainder, something felt off. The abnormal heat in her, [i]their[/i] chest burned so brightly that it threatened to turn Acid Drop to ash. This was 'fun,' wasn't it?