Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

"Hanako was always very resourceful."

"Indeed, she seemed to be. I became very curious after your little chat with Quinton," he said, glancing at the half zombie who was currently trying very hard not to salt his meal with his own tears. Quint knew where this was likely going, and his eyes were moist with regret. He should have known better than to let her talk like that in front of the cameras, just like he should have known better than to let himself give in to her sweet voice and alluring scent when she wasn't in her right mind. Now Ray had months, if not years worth, of fuel to torture them with.

"So I had it looked into. I thought that perhaps I could give you a gift for your birthday. How lovely would it have been for you to have your sister by your side on such a special day?"

He smiled down at her, and beside him, Cora couldn't help herself as her eyes momentarily looked up at him with pure and unfiltered hatred. Sayori didn't deserve this, and as far as she knew, hadn't done anything to earn a punishment. Maybe he wasn't trying to punish her, however, but break her.

"It seems as if I could not bring you the gift that I wanted, however, as the report said that she had already perished."

He put his fork down slowly, and menacingly brought his arms up to cross his hands on the table as he ever so slightly leaned down towards her.

"Would you like to know what happened, my little bird?" he asked quietly, his mouth twisting up into a sick grin.
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"...and then she said that she was in pain and I woke up...I can't stand waiting while she's out there somewhere, suffering."

Vin didn't move as he spoke, but he couldn't help but swallow hard as he heard those painful words, his eyes momentarily escaping the stress of holding his gaze by looking down at the floor. He didn't like it either, but he was smart enough to see the reason behind Jameson's warning, and the need to be careful. Still...how long did they have?

"You can speak candidly with me now we're alone- no need to pretend for anyone."

His eyes came back up, listening to what else Damien had to say. The pain and betrayal fueled his anger once more and helped to squash down the feelings of regret, and the kindship that he had felt for the steely eyed man, that wanted to claw their way back in. He didn't know who this Toby was, though the name sounded familiar. But right now, it wasn't at the top of the list of what he wanted to ask.

"You know, you're right. No need to pretend" he growled, sitting up a bit and putting his elbows on his knees.

"So why did you do it, Damien? Why did you hurt those women? Why did you do it to Cora?"

His voice was quiet, but deep and deadly serious. He had no intention of going anywhere, now, until he got some answers.

 

[Poprockz]

"Indeed, she seemed to be. I became very curious after your little chat with Quinton, So I had it looked into. I thought that perhaps I could give you a gift for your birthday. How lovely would it have been for you to have your sister by your side on such a special day?"

Sayori didn't like how he was referring to her sister in the past tense, figuring that he was trying to rile her up. He could say whatever he wanted but she knew that he likely didn't have any concrete evidence as to the fate of her sibling. Her eyebrow twitched as he mentioned bringing her sister there for her birthday, the very thought making her feel so very revolted. Hopefully Hanako would never even know of the General's existence, staying safely on the other side of the world.

"It seems as if I could not bring you the gift that I wanted, however, as the report said that she had already perished... Would you like to know what happened, my little bird?"

She had been eating her pot pie as he spoke, and was about to bring another bite up when he said that her sister was gone. Closing her mouth, she lowered the fork and let it rest on her plate, her shaking hand now resting on the table. It took her a moment to calm down, a lump in her throat now being felt, but she eventually was able to look up to him and say in the most neutral voice she could manage (her words still trembling slightly), "I would not. If you are trying to tell me that my sister is dead, then I respectfully do not believe you. Words are but puffs of air, General, and it is still possible that either the report is incorrect, or your men are misinformed."

With that being said, she started to try to eat once more, her hand shaking as she brought the bite to her lips. Hopefully all he had were words, Sayori not willing to accept anything but actual pictures.

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"You know, you're right. No need to pretend. So why did you do it, Damien? Why did you hurt those women? Why did you do it to Cora?"

The look he gave Vin might have been described as a sober look if he wasn't drunk off his ass. But if Vin wanted to know his story, then he might as well spill the beans- he probably wouldn't remember anything tomorrow morning anyway.

A sigh left him before he began. "Well then, let me give you some backstory. My mother liked to whore me out to other wealthy women and couples. I'm only into women, but faking goes a long way. I always used to get away with not cumming for men by saying that I was saving it up for their wives. They liked hearing that. It saved their egos and made it seem like I was enjoying myself...You know, it was some of the only times my mother would praise me. Every once in a while, she would say, "that was an acceptable job, Damien. Go wait in the car." Maybe that played into it, getting that bit of positive attention.

It was more than that though. My whole life, the people at my manor avoided me for fear of my mother, and after Toby I didn't have any friends. To put it simply: I was isolated, lonely. When my mother started trading me for favors it was the first time in my life that someone had touched me, caressed me, complimented me. It was disgusting at times, but I couldn't shake how it was the only thing I had ever really been good at. I was always told how amazing my body was, how good I made them feel, and that was intoxicating to me.

This went on for years and I got used to it- it was a part of life. I really hadn't intended anything more, having always been told that no woman would ever love me. However perhaps my mother was worried that I would eventually become independent. I had found a reminder my mother had written herself for an "eye displacement surgery." Her eyesight was fine, so I started to suspect that maybe she was intending it for me. Turned out I was right. She came in the middle of the night with a needle to knock me out. She should have known that I'm a light sleeper..." His look became grim for a moment before he shook his head.

"I put her in a coma, but I didn't feel much better afterward. I think part of me secretly hoped that she would wake up and punish me. One might not think so, but living a life like that used to sound appealing to me. If she hadn't tried to debilitate me, I think I would have stayed with her for my whole life. While it wasn't a life I enjoyed, it felt almost cathartic to be punished since I knew I deserved it.

Anyway, once she was in a coma, the favors stopped and there was no reason for them to continue. I felt... so empty. So much emptier than I had ever felt. It never occurred to me to try to date someone. Once they knew my history that would just leave, leaving me vulnerable to heartbreak. I also knew that they didn't deserve to be with someone like me. I didn't know what to do, how to live for myself now that she was gone. I tried to do some one-night stands, but they would always track me down and seek something more with me because who I was and the company I ran.

So I... started to take women. It was always three days at my cabin. And I would silence them with the threat of my influence afterward. In those brief days it almost felt like... Like I had someone. Delusional, I know, but... it was nice." he admitted. "I made sure they had good food to eat and drink and I never hurt them, I just..." Damien turned over on the bed so that he could face away from him. "I'm just disgusting. Nothing you say to me will be something I haven't told myself countless times."

 

[Drobabes]

Kuznet watched her as she picked her fork back up, her answer to his question doing nothing to dissuade him. However, he was a patient man. If she wished to finish her meal before she received her punishment then so be it.

Together the madman's little family sat and ate their dinner, Kuznet saying nothing more as he finished his meal. The only indication that he gave that he might not be ready to drop the subject was the occasional glance and small smile he gave Sayori. Once they were all done, Quint having drank the full glass of water he had been given even though he could smell the sedatives long before he tasted them, Kuznet took all their dishes to the kitchen and began to make short work of washing them. While he was away, neither Cora nor Quint moved from their places at the table, having not been given permission to leave.

Quint couldn't bring himself to look at Sayori, so he just crossed his hands in his lap and waited. Cora on the other hand let her gaze go from lingering on her brother, worrying about the way he was acting, to lingering on Sayori. When she looked up and saw her staring, Cora couldn't seem to pull her gaze away at first, her expression too full of concern and fear for what Kuznet was scheming. He didn't leave them in suspense for much longer.

Coming back to the table, he dropped a paper file down in front of Sayori on the table. Where he had procured it from was anyone's guess, though Quint knew from experience that he was very good at hiding things within plain sight. It was likely what he had been doing that night, before he had left him alone in Sayori's room after having collected the eggs. Where he went next finally had Quint looking up, his stormy ocean eyes watching with pain as Kuznet slowly strolled behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, affectionately stroking them like he so often did to Cora.

"Perhaps it is a good thing that I was not able to retrieve your sister. You do not seem very appreciative of my gifts."

With that said, he reached down into his pocket and procured the pearl necklace that he had given her. Delicately, he laid it down on the table just before her and then reached in front of her to open the folder. The first thing that would greet Sayori would be a picture, and as he reached in to slowly spread the rest of them out for her doe eyes to see, his other hand reached up to cup her cheek and stroke her soft skin.

"It always interests me to see human nature play out in such ways. Her husband did not seem to want to wait for his fate after being bitten. Perhaps if he had waited, he might have lived."

Cora couldn't look, and with a hand going up to cover her mouth, she quickly averted her eyes away and tried not to shake. Quint on the other hand couldn't seem to control his reaction as well, and a little sob made his breath hitch as his eyes took in first the picture, and then Sayori herself. Right in that moment, he had never felt so close, and yet so far away, from another person. It was like that table was a great canyon between them, and if he dared to try and fly over to her, Kuznet would see to it that his wings were burned to ashes.

After he had made sure that each picture was visible, he let his fingers slide down and pick the necklace up. Bringing it up to her delicate little neck, he slipped it around her skin and latched it before placing his hands on her shoulders once more. He then bent down near her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin as he spoke to her.

"Do not worry my little lamb. I will take such good care of you."
______________________

"Well then, let me give you some backstory. My mother liked to whore me out to other wealthy women and couples."

He didn't know what exactly he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been that. A bit slowly, as Damien went on to describe more and more filthy details of just what he had been put through as a child, and then as an adult, Vin felt his anger being replaced with disgust and a feeling so foul that he didn't really have a way to describe it.

What had been done, and what might have happened had he not acted, to the man laying there before him was horrific. As he went on to explain about taking the women, Vin could only sit there and stare at him with wide eyed shock, his hands trembling slightly on his knees, though it was difficult to see in the dim light.

"I'm just disgusting. Nothing you say to me will be something I haven't told myself countless times."

His brown eyes watched him roll over, and he found that, even if he had been able to say anything, he didn't know what to say. To any of it.

After a moment more of sitting there in utter silence, he suddenly stands up. He doesn't look at Damien as he makes his way over to the vodka, picking it up, and then reaching over and picking the hammer up. Then he walks out of the room and shuts the door behind him. Once he was outside, he stands there for a moment, hesitating, before deciding to use the hammer to bar the door shut. Likely if Damien really wanted to, he could probably kick the door down or figure out some other way out of the room, but that wasn't really Vin's intent at the moment. He just didn't want him getting any more booze.

He made his way down stairs slowly, his mind still buzzing and a bit numb from the story he had been told. Once he was at the stairwell, he sat the booze down and then made his way outside. He needed some fresh air.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori wanted to get up and leave, but the fact that Cora and Quint hadn't moved clued her in to the fact that she needed to wait until Kuznet gave them permission to retire. She waited patiently, mulling over what he had said to her before looking up to glance at each of her table mates. While Quint's reaction wasn't concerning, Cora's was. They locked eyes and she could see that Cora was worried about her. She tried to give Cora a little smile before looking away. She wasn't going to give any credence to his claims, so Cora didn't need to worry.

To say that Kuznet standing behind her and stroking her shoulders made her uncomfortable was an understatement. She detested his touch, but she also hated the feeling of him hovering over shoulder outside of her range of sight. It was obvious that he didn't want her gaze though, the object of her attention being that file he had placed in front of her. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that she wasn't going to like what was in there, her body tensing under his rough hands.

"Perhaps it is a good thing that I was not able to retrieve your sister. You do not seem very appreciative of my gifts."

She was confused for a moment before he laid down those pearls. A shocked little breath was sucked in, her eyes widening and her body starting to tremble in fear. She had taken them off to shower, but then she had left them off under one of her pillows. While she had meant to put them back on, she hadn't really wanted to, forgetting about them before they moved her here. She swallowed hard, her mouth having become dry as she saw his hand move and then flip the folder open.

What she saw made her freeze, her breath shallow as her face paled considerably. Cora and Quint faded away into the background as all there was was the pictures, herself, and those rough hands on her skin. The pictures depicted her sister. One might argue that it could have been anyone with all that blood, but she knew it was her. Hanako's body shape, that hummingbird hair pin in her hair... it was certainly her. She had given that specific pin for one of her birthdays and there was no way that Kuznet could have known that. Included in the pictures was Yasuo, her husband.

"It always interests me to see human nature play out in such ways. Her husband did not seem to want to wait for his fate after being bitten. Perhaps if he had waited, he might have lived."

Her eyes took in the pictures and suddenly it really hit her- her sister was dead. Her smile, the way she laughed, the light in her eyes, it was all gone. She had known from the beginning that it was unlikely that she was safe, that it was entirely possible that her sister had perished with most of the world, but this was undeniable proof that he was showing her. It wasn't photoshopped, it was her. He had taken the cruel opportunity to show her the dead body of her beloved sister.

Leaning back in the chair. her arms went to the arm rests and her hands squeezing the ends tightly. Numbly feeling that hateful necklace be put back onto her. She wasn't sure what he had done with her ribbon, but she didn't care.

"Do not worry my little lamb. I will take such good care of you."

"No..." Sayori shook her head and choked out an anguished sob, "NO. Not her. Not Hanako. No." Another hard sob came from her, not caring whether it amused Kuznet or not. She felt like there was something twisting and tearing her heart to pieces, the woman reaching out to the pictures to caress one of her sister's. "No, please no... Please... Tell me it's wrong, please. Tell me it's not real. She can't be gone. She-" Sayori broke down further, simply sobbing and letting the tears pour down her cheeks.

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Damien heard the door open and close, a slight noise of something being situated outside the door being also heard. He assumed that Vin had tried to lock him in, disgusted at the story he had told, as well he should be. After all, not even a sad story meant that he deserved forgiveness. He curled up in the dusty bed and closed his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't dream again, not if it meant that she would be ripped from his arms each time.

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Outside, the "photo-sensitive" man was taking a stroll, Robert walking at a leisurely pace while actually doing his own little patrol. He couldn't sense any zombies nearby, but that could change at any minute and he liked knowing that his wife could sleep in peace. He silently ruminated regarding Sabastian, having sensed that heartbreaking sadness from him earlier, the sadness lingering throughout the entire day until the little man was asleep. He was worried about him, wondering if he was going to be okay when Vin ended up leaving.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora squinted her eyes shut hard and shook with the effort it took her to stay quiet. She knew all too well what Sayori was going through, and though she had been miraculously saved that true fate of losing her sibling, Sayori would never have that. The proof of it had been thrown down there before her, used to twist the knife in deep during her moment of weakness. It was just like when she had gone to his house, and Ray had a body orchestrated to appear as Quint, to make her believe that he was gone. Cora doubted that this was some clever ruse, however, knowing that he wouldn't want to waste resources that he didn't already have just to fake a death for her sister, for a knew member to his 'family' who he didn't truly care about just yet.

"Mm" Kuznet hummed, giving her shoulders one last little affectionate squeeze before he let her go and stood back.

"Off to bed with you now."

As soon as his permission had been given, Cora all but hopped out of her chair before scooting it back carefully. She blinked away her tears and then looked over at Quint, who was still just sitting there and staring at Sayori. She usually wasn't the one taking the lead in these situations, but right in that moment, she knew that someone had to be stable.

"Quinton," she said, getting his attention.

"Let's get her up to bed."

He finally seemed to come out of it a bit, knowing what Cora had really meant was that they needed to help Sayori. She needed them right now, and he needed to put his own pain aside.

Scooting back from the table, he did as Cora had and carefully put the chair back just so. He then made his way around the side of the table, careful to avoid Ray's sick look of amusement as he came up to Sayori. Once there, he started to pull her chair back as Cora took her by the hand, trying to pull her up.

"Come on," she said softly.

"Let's get upstairs."
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He was leaning up against the side of the building, not having made it much farther than that, when he spotted Robert. The light from the full moon was enough to provide enough visibility to recognize that wild hair, and with a shaky little exhalation, he cleared his throat to speak.

"Couldn't sleep? Or are you just enjoying the moonlight?"

Vin tried to give him a smile, but he still felt a little numb, and if he was being honest, kind of lost.

 

[Poprockz]

When she received nothing but a pleased hum from Kuznet, she simply continued to cry. She knew he wasn't going to suddenly tell her that it was all a silly joke, but her words had been more out of shock than realistic expectation.

"Off to bed with you now."

She figured she should probably move, but she felt lifeless. All the energy seemed to have left her body and been replaced with an aching sadness. Therefore she sat there and made no move to get up until she felt the chair move. She looked up and saw Quint and then Cora, hearing that soft voice of hers trying to coax her to come with them. For a moment she considered staying there in that chair and dealing with the consequences, not caring whether he punished her or not.

However, even through her pain she knew that it wasn't just her own wellbeing at stake. With a bit of difficulty, she slipped off the chair and leaned on Cora, wrapping her arms around one of Cora's and continuing to cry. Her hand clutched Cora's as she was led away and upstairs, soon finding herself in the room once more.

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"Couldn't sleep? Or are you just enjoying the moonlight?"

Robert looked up in surprise, having thought that Vin's body would have demanded a full night's rest at the very least. The fact that he was up and his posture didn't seem pained boded well for his recovery. That being said, there was something off about him. He could clearly see that something was eating away at Vin, though he assumed it might be regarding Sabastian.

He offered a smile and walked leisurely up to Vin. "Hmm... A bit of both, and perhaps a bit more. Sometimes fresh air and a walk are great for letting one's thoughts untangle, or at least to quiet them. What brings you out into the moonlight?"

 

[Drobabes]

As soon as they were up the stairs, Cora wrapped her arm around the little women's waist and pulled her close, helping to support her until they were in the relative safety of the room. They led her inside, Quint shutting the door behind them, and then once they were inside he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He wanted to go to her, to wrap her up in a tight hug and hold her against him like he had done before, but he still felt unsure. Would she let him do that?

"Quinton, put the bedding on the ground. Like we...like we used to..."

He swallowed and looked at his sister, a bit of hesitancy in his expression until he nodded and made his way over to the bed. He made short work of it, peeling everything off and then laying it all down on the ground until they had a nice little nest of pillows and soft sheets against the side of the bed, where they would support their backs. He sat down a bit shakily, his body still sore and the sedatives taking their toll, and then he got the blanket ready to wrap around them.

Once it was ready, Cora led Sayori over to it, and, not really understanding yet just why Quint was acting so awkward or what they had gone through, she guided Sayori to sit down between the both of them on the soft pillows. Once they were all down, she took the blanket and wrapped it around them, a soft but firm feeling being felt against the skin of their back.

"Sayori..." Quint said as he looked down, his voice a bit choked for the little women who he now cared about so dearly. What could he say? What could he do for her?

_______________

"I guess I just needed some of that fresh air too" he said, running a hand up through his hair.

"I could use a smoke, but" he said, his voice breaking a bit as he let out a chuckle.

"I seemed to have gone through my last one."

After that he was quiet for a moment, looking around for something to sit on. He found it in the form of a folding chair. Two, actually, as it looked as if they weren't the only one's who liked to enjoy the great outdoors. Moving over to one of the seats, he sat down and looked up at the moon for a long moment, and then he turned his gaze back to the half zombie.

"Robert, can I ask you something a little...well, a little uncomfortable?"

 

[Poprockz]

Lost in her own little world, Sayori simply stood there and cried softly, not paying attention to what Cora was saying or what Quint was doing with the bed. It didn't matter anyway. The only thing on her mind was that she was now completely alone and that her sister had died without either of them having been able to say goodbye.

She soon found herself sitting with her back against the bed, the soft sheets around her as Cora and Quint sat on either side of her. It all felt alien, as though she wasn't even really in her body, watching from the outside looking in. It all felt so overwhelming, the knowledge that her sister and likely her parents were dead. She had been trying to deny it, but it was the cold truth. Even if her parents didn't turn, they were older and in a crowded place, likely having succumbed within the first week.

There was no one left for her to turn to, the only people who cared about her were sitting on either side of her. She had only known Cora for a day, and while she was fond of her, she didn't have as much of a connection to her.

"Sayori..."

It was that soft, concerned voice of his that finally caused her to look up at him, pain in her eyes. Maybe it would be okay to seek comfort from him just this once. Leaning over, she simply let her body rest against his. She wanted to put her arms around him, but she felt like that might be too uncomfortable for him, instead simply closing her eyes and putting her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to hold me if you don't want to, just... let me rest here like we did when I woke up in your room... Please."

---------------------------------------------------

Robert gave him a polite nod when Vin mentioned wanting a smoke. Personally, he felt like it was probably a good thing Vin get off that habit, not only because it stunk, but also because those would be increasingly hard to find.

He watched as Vin went over to one of the chairs, walking over and sitting in the other with a bit of a sigh. Stretching his long legs, he leaned back and crossed his ankles, letting his hands clasp in a relaxed manner against his abdomen. The moon was gorgeous tonight, and he wondered if there were people still keeping track of the moon cycles.

"Robert, can I ask you something a little...well, a little uncomfortable?"

"Please do," he replied in a calm voice without any hesitation. It had been expected that Vin needed to talk, and he was more than happy to lend him an ear and hopefully lighten the load on his soul.

 

[Drobabes]

"You don't have to hold me if you don't want to,"

Didn't want to? She was almost acting as if she were the one that had made it so uncomfortable between them, and Quint felt a fresh wave of guilt roll over him. Still, they would hopefully have time to discuss that later. Right now, all he wanted to do was comfort her and pull her soul away from that dark pit of despair that Kuznet kept trying to throw her into.

Shifting a bit, he wrapped his arm around her and then gently tugged and nudged her little body, trying to encourage her to sit on his lap. Once she had settled where she wanted to be, he brought his hand up to hold her shoulder while the other hand stayed wrapped around her waist. After just a little more hesitation, he brought his lips down to kiss the top of her head softly, his own tears spilling down into her hair again.

While Cora stayed beside them, watching her brother for a brief moment as he attempted to comfort Sayori in the way that he often comforted her, she found hers attention soon drifting to the door. She would be here to comfort Sayori if she wanted it, knowing how she was feeling, but there was an anger behind those hazel eyes that was growing minute by minute, hour by hour. She still believed in mercy. She still believed that people did not deserve to be killed, but...this was simply so cruel. It was so, so cruel. And it needed to end.
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He brought a hand up and rubbed the side of his face for a moment before letting out a sigh and sitting back.

"When we got out of that church, the prison,"

He crossed his arms and looked down at the ground, his face becoming troubled.

"Do you regret what happened?... Should I regret what I did?"

Vin hadn't put a whole lot of thought into it since having left that church far behind. Not that he had had a whole lot of time to reflect, but now that he was, he felt like he was standing on shaky ground.

"At the time it seemed right. It seemed like it was the only logical choice-he needed to be stopped. I mean, he was bad, wasn't he?"

His voice took on a bit of a nervous tremor as he suddenly looked up at Robert with a need for validation.

"What he was doing was disgusting, it was evil, wasn't it?"

 

[Poprockz]

It didn't take much nudging for Sayori to take the invitation and sit on his lap, her arms tucking close to her chest as she curled up against him. While his arms weren't warm, their comforting pressure helped immensely and her dainty body relaxed. All she knew was that despite what had happened between them, he was allowing her to seek comfort from him and for that she was so very grateful. Those soft lips against her hair made her sigh, the woman sniffing before starting to feel a bit drowsy. She was pooped, the day having been extremely draining.

Though part of her wanted to stay awake simply to take comfort in his embrace, she soon found herself lulled into slumber, breathing softly against him within a short amount of time.

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"When we got out of that church, the prison, do you regret what happened?... Should I regret what I did? At the time it seemed right. It seemed like it was the only logical choice-he needed to be stopped. I mean, he was bad, wasn't he? What he was doing was disgusting, it was evil, wasn't it?"

Robert's face became a little more serious and he nodded, "I do regret it, though I am not sure what I could have done differently."

He sighed and sat up a bit, resituating himself as he started into his viewpoint, gesturing as he spoke. "Good and evil are too simple, they are things people put in stories to make people more certain of who to hate and who to trust. To the people of the church, he was good and I was evil, to you I was good and he was evil. Perhaps he had been a truly good man of God for most of his life and only strayed later. If a man runs a homeless shelter, donates to the orphanage, and participates in soup kitchens, but then goes ahead and murders someone every five years, is he good or evil? Would one ask why he did those things, or would they look more at the impact? Would it change things to know that he was a politician simply vying for power, murdering the greedy and redistributing their wealth to the needy? Context matters, motivations matter, and what someone does afterwards matters."

"I never got a chance to see whether the preacher was truly repentant, or whether he was just upset that he was caught. Was he willing to change himself to be better? Was there a reason that he was tormenting others? The reasons don't necessarily make things better, but it gives me more insight into whether he could be helped or not. There is no denying that we were all leaving that place and that left to his own devices, the preacher would likely have gone back to is own habits, especially since he had no motivations to change."

A conflicted look came to his face and he looked at Vin. "I have to admit that I struggle with it though. I pray about it and ask God to guide me because I can feel hatred in my heart for that man, what he did to my wife and probably several others. I know that my hatred is borne from love, a love for people and a strong desire to protect them. But... it is still a poisonous feeling that I don't want weighing on my soul.

"It's not for me to decide whether you regret it or not. All I know is that even if he needed to die, his screams will haunt me- it was unnecessary pain merely done to make us feel better." He looked down in shame, a quietness settling as he waited for a response.

 

[Drobabes]

He didn't let her go, not even for a second, and as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, Quint found his own tears finally beginning to dry. No doubt Sayori would be having many a hard day ahead of her, but as long as she let him hold her, Quint felt like at least he could help to ease some of the pain. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling and the very thought of it made him look over to his sister, his heart suddenly beating a bit harder with fear.

"Cory..."

The tone in his voice was what made her look away from the door, and when she saw the expression on his face, she forced herself to soften her own gaze.

"I hate it when you get that look" he said quietly, trying not to wake the women in his arms.

"I know" she said with a little sigh. It was a look that scared him, and she knew it. It was the look she had gotten on her face after Kuznet had taken the one thing from her that she had ever wanted, and it was the reason that Quint had took the initiative in trying to kill him, so that she wouldn't. She knew it only scared him because he was afraid that if she did it, she would cross some kind of line. Become some kind of, twisted monster. Become something that Ray had been trying to twist them into for years. But she knew that's not what would happen, and right now she didn't want to argue about it.

Shifting from her spot, she very slowly got up, and then went over and sat on Quint's other side. Leaning back against the leg of the bed, she lifted her arm so that he could move himself and Sayori so that he was leaning onto her chest. Once he was comfortable enough, she readjusted the blanket around his shoulders and then began to gently run her fingers through his hair.

...

She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, the sun was up, and Quint had managed to roll himself over in the bed so that his stinky feet were perched right underneath her chin and his arms were wrapped around her legs, holding her like a teddy bear. At first she knitted her brows in annoyance, but quickly enough her gaze softened into a little smile and she reached down to stroke the back of his leg. She knew she wasn't going to be able to wake him up-nothing short of a bomb going off would have, but she just wanted to touch him.

___________________

Vin listened quietly, only offering a small nod here or there. It was all so much, but honestly, it just left him with more questions and regrets than answers. These types of thought experiments would have been something that he enjoyed debating about, or spending long hours thinking on, before all this happened, but oh how different it was when the idea was no longer just that. When the situations was no longer just words on paper; a fun experiment to play 'what if?' with. It was real, and there had been real consequences.

"It's not for me to decide whether you regret it or not. All I know is that even if he needed to die, his screams will haunt me- it was unnecessary pain merely done to make us feel better."

His last words make him look up, meeting his gaze for a brief moment before looking away again. After a moment more, he hangs his head down and puts his face in his hands.

"You're right," he says, his voice muffled and strained.

"We didn't need to do that, and we did it anyway."

For another few seconds he was quiet, and then he cleared his throat and rubbed his face a bit hard. When he sat back up, there were tears in his eyes, threatening to spill down his face.

"I feel like my life has just been a series of repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Never learning my lesson. Maybe I'm no better" he laughed, shaking his head and looking out towards the abandoned town. No better, and maybe even worse in some ways.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori didn’t awaken from Cora’s movements at first, the little woman having ended up behind Quint as the “big” spoon with her arm wrapped around him. Her face had been snuggled up against his back, the woman breathing evenly, unaware that she was essentially holding him. Unlike Quint though, she wasn’t a deep sleeper so the movements of Cora’s eventually roused her. When she started to stir, she sleepily rubbed her face against him affectionately before realizing what she was doing.

Her arm was quickly withdrawn from him and she turned over, scooting away slightly. She didn’t want to overstep, especially since he had been gracious enough to allow her to sleep in his arms despite everything. Sayori then moved to the edge of the bed and sat up, her legs hanging over the side as she simply sat there.

The memories of yesterday had been slightly subdued, the woman finding herself feeling a bit numb currently. She didn’t want to think about Hanako or about the General’s sick games. Sensing a bit of movement, she turned her head and saw that Cora was awake. She mustered up a little smile, “good morning.”

——————————————————

Robert simply looked at him for a moment, wondering what this was really about. It felt like the priest was being used as an example, Vin struggling with something else as well.

“As far as I know, you do not delight in the suffering of others, and you don’t live for yourself at the expense of those around you. That being said, we all have things we should try to improve and being aware of that is the first step to change. You have to have belief to change though, belief in yourself or someone that believes in you. Most people have the motivation to change, but they lack the belief that they can or that it would matter if they did.

“Love and acceptance play a part in that as well. Recently, someone asked me whether people who have done unspeakable things even deserve love. I had answered yes, because I believe that love and accountability can be separate. Perhaps if the priest had been loved and accepted, he wouldn’t have felt the need to take from others. If one doesn’t have any love, then what is there to lose?

My point was that you can love yourself and accept love from others while still holding yourself accountable. Try to be better, fail, try again. Honor your mistakes by moving forward rather than letting them drown you.”

He smiled and reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder and though his eyes couldn’t be seen through his sunglasses, it could be assumed that he had an unwavering fondness in his eyes. “I love you as a dear friend, Vin, and I believe you can change. Though it may be difficult, I think you are much more capable than you think you are.”

 

[Drobabes]

Cora watched her movements with a small smile, the little women not seemingly aware of her actions until she was fully awake. Once she was awake and had scooted towards the edge of the bed, Cora started to get up herself, though it wasn't easy-Quint was clinging onto her legs even harder now that he had sensed her trying to pull away.

"good morning."

She returned her smile, though she tried her best to hide the pain in her own. Sayori was likely still in that comfortable bliss of numb, the closest she might be able to not having to feel that full on pain of the night prior, and Cora definitely didn't want to shake her out of it until she was ready.

"Morning" she said softly, then, turning her attention back to Quint, she started to peel the blanket off of him. She only got it about halfway down his shoulders before she realized he wasn't wearing the shirt that he had sat down in last night, and that his skin was covered in even more bruises. She kept her reaction together pretty well, simply reaching up to push the blanket back over his skin and then trying a different tactic to get him up.

Sticking her finger in her mouth, she got it covered in drool, and then she very quickly stuck it right in his ear. It had the desired affect.

Quint let go of her legs immediately, one of his hands shooting up to swat her hand away from his ear, while the other ran through his hair with mad speed, like someone had just dumped a bucket of insects over his head. Before he even had time to process what was happening, Cora had hopped off the side of the bed and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her so that he couldn't simply barge in on her. Not two seconds later, the sound of the shower could be heard, and Quint was left sitting up in bed with a very angry scowl on his face and the blanket pooling around his waist. His arms were simply holding him up on either side of him, and his brood chest was left displayed in the morning light.

"Fucking brat."

"Can't hear you Quinton!"

"I said you're a fucking brat!"
______________

Vin simply listened once more, his face turning towards Robert as he watched him speak and his hands wringing a bit in his lap. It was true, he did not delight in others suffering, nor did he get any pleasure from taking advantage of people. Despite the brave face he liked to put on and his admittedly bad temper, he was actually a very empathetic man, and it hurt him deeply to even try and imagine how scared those women must have been. Just like it had hurt and enraged him so severely to see the way in which Genevieve had fell to her knees in the prison, having been tricked into something so awful for a false promise of hope. That had also played into his feelings of righteousness when they had finally gone after that corrupt preacher and why he hadn't turned away. Looking back on it now, though, he realized that he might have been just as blind as those onlookers, watching as the preacher had thrown Robert into that tub of ice water because they truly believed him to be evil. And yet, at the same time...Robert had done nothing wrong to anyone. Damien actually had done things; very bad things.

"Love and acceptance play a part in that as well...I believe that love and accountability can be separate. Perhaps if the priest had been loved and accepted, he wouldn’t have felt the need to take from others. If one doesn’t have any love, then what is there to lose?"

Delvin looked at him a bit more sharply then, holding his gaze for a only a moment more before he felt the need to look away.

"You know, it was some of the only times my mother would praise me...My whole life, the people at my manor avoided me for fear of my mother...When my mother started trading me for favors it was the first time in my life that someone had touched me, caressed me, complimented me."

The hand on his shoulder caused him to turn his face back slowly, his pained expression giving way to soft smile as Robert told him that he considered him a friend. He knew he would have been alright without him saying it, but hearing it out loud still made him feel good.

"Thanks man. I appreciate that."

He reached up put his hand over Roberts, giving him a few affectionate pats before bringing his hand back down to his lap and once again, just looking out into the night for a moment. After another pause, he clears his throat once more.

"Could you forgive that preacher for what he did to your wife? If it was done to me, I don't know if I could" he said, his eyes roaming towards the building that Sabastian was staying in.

 

[Poprockz]

Cora was watched with curiosity as she reconsidered taking the blanket off of Quint, then wet her finger. Sayori wasn't quite sure where she was going with it until it was shoved into his ear. A grin came to her face as he immediately reacted, finding that knee-jerk reaction to be hilarious. It was so funny that she couldn't help but giggle as Cora fled into the bathroom to hide from his wrath.

Her eyes were crinkled slightly as her giggling quieted down, her gaze going from where they were fixed on the bathroom door over to where Quint now sat on the bed. She was trying really hard not to giggle again from the look on his face, the woman putting a dainty hand over her mouth to hide her mirth.

Though soon her gaze dipped lower than his face when he was calling out to Cora, noticing that Quint was currently shirtless. While the bruises across his skin did make her sad, it didn't necessarily surprise her at this point, having known that the bruises on his face had only been the tip of the iceburg. Still, she couldn't deny that part of her really wanted to reach out and slide her hand up his chest, to feel the smooth firmness of his body. The very thought caught her off-guard, the woman tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before quickly looking away.

It wasn't too unnatural to think that, was it? She had eyes and it wasn't a secret that Quint's body was quite handsome. Perhaps it was this place, causing her to hyper-sexualize everything. Yes, these thoughts would fade over time as she got used to being here with them. She imagined that at some point Quint would become almost like a mischievous cousin to her, a very platonic closeness.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. You should be grateful- we tried everything from jackhammers to screaming goats and nothing seemed to wake you." Her voice was quiet but playful, the woman angling her body in his direction slightly.

--------------------------------------------------

"Thanks man. I appreciate that."

"No need to thank me," he said with a gracious smile.

"Could you forgive that preacher for what he did to your wife? If it was done to me, I don't know if I could."

There was a period of silence after that question, Robert taking it very seriously. He leaned forward and put his chin in his hands, looking down at the ground before sighing and sitting back again.

"Well... I suppose that depends. My anger stems from the fact that he took advantage of her and made her go through something no one should have to go through, man nor woman. He did it selfishly, thinking only of his own pleasure and superiority rather than the impact it had on her. If he were to sit down and think of the pain he had caused, and if he found the ability to feel true remorse, that would be a good start. However, in order for my heart to want to forgive him, I think I would want him to try to be a better man. I would want him to stop his evil deeds because he knew just how painful it was for the other person. That would be a true acknowledgement and a way to honor the mistakes he had made."

For a moment Robert paused, seemingly debating something before opening his mouth again, "I think I would have wanted to help him. I would want him to be accountable, but I would also want him to be loved. Deep down, we are al beings of love and fear, children who simply want to be held."

He shook his head and shrugged with a sigh, "take it with a grain of salt. My theories and philosophies change over time, so maybe next time you ask me I might have a different answer.

 

[Drobabes]

"we tried everything from jackhammers to screaming goats and nothing seemed to wake you."

He gave her a goofy grin, which only added to the way in which his hair had a bit of a cowlick, making it lop over towards his left side. Suddenly he let's himself fall back down on the bed, and then he rolls over on his stomach and let's out a loud, "aah-aahh!", imitating the sound of the very goats she was talking about, as he stretched his arms out wide on the mattress.
____________________

"However, in order for my heart to want to forgive him, I think I would want him to try to be a better man. I would want him to stop his evil deeds because he knew just how painful it was for the other person. That would be a true acknowledgement and a way to honor the mistakes he had made."

Once more he was quiet, seemingly just taking in what had been said. After a while, he sniffed and raised a hand to wipe his eyes.

"I don't know man. I don't know if I can wrap my head around that one. At least not yet..."

Off in the distance, Vin saw the shadow of a person walking in their general direction. He watched for a moment until he figured out that it was simply one of the soldiers, likely doing a perimeter check. Maybe it was the young man who had been lying on the floor when he came in.

"Alright Robert," he said, starting to get up out of his seat.

"I need to find a cancer stick before my brain has a meltdown."

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori giggled once more, unable to keep herself quiet from how adorably goofy he looked with that hair and grin. She almost wanted to lick her hand and try to tame his hair, but at the same time it kind of suited him.

She had expected some kind of witty retort, but what she got was that awesome goat impression. He even seemed to be trying to bug his eyes out slightly like a goat might, the little lady almost snorting as her shoulders started to shake.

"Quint, stop it!" Her eyes closed for a minute as she tried to calm down, but when she opened her eyes again and looked once more, she couldn't stop from laughing again.

In her sleep, her dress had become a bit disheveled, now on her body at a slight angle. Because of this, the shoulder of her dress slid down as she lowered one of her arms to wrap around her stomach. She herself had a bit of bed-head, her hair being a bit more pixie-esque like how she looked when she was upside-down on his bed.

"You're trouble, Quint! Trouble, trouble trouble!" She leaned forward slightly, wondering if he would get the reference.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't know man. I don't know if I can wrap my head around that one. At least not yet..."

He shrugged again, "No one is going to make you. If you don't want to forgive someone, that is entirely up to you. Not everyone can be helped, and sometimes they chose their own evil ways even when offered a hand. I suppose you just have to focus on taking care of yourself and those you love first and foremost." With that, he crossed his arms and listened to Vin's next sentence.

A little knowing smirk came to his lips and he said, "You know, there definitely isn't a nightly poker match going on in that building over there. And they definitely don't wager smokes and things of that nature. If people don't have anything to wager, they're out of luck because there's no way they accept funny actions as wagers as well." Robert winked at Vin and pointed at one of the buildings, a light visible in one of the lower windows.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora heard the commotion from inside the bathroom and she couldn't help but smile as she stepped under the warm water. She was glad that he was able to make her laugh; those precious little moments being some of their only reprieve.

"Quint, stop it!"

He turned his face so that he could meet her gaze as he gave her another goofy grin, the sound of her laughter filling him with hope. Maybe he could fix some of the damage that he had done, or at the very least, keep his promise to take care of her. Unless Ray decided to separate them for good, then he couldn't take this from them.

His eyes were drawn by her movement, moving up her petite body a bit slowly as they took in the way that the morning light was delicately kissing the soft skin of her shoulder. Her hair was a bit unkempt from their slumber, and with the little grin on her face, Quint was once again reminded of a little fairy and it made her look absolutely adorable. He didn't want to acknowledge the feelings he was having, and later he would try to push them away and bury them down, but right in that moment he was still just tired enough to not have the tight grip on himself like he usually did.

"You're trouble, Quint! Trouble, trouble trouble!"

His grin softened into an affectionate little smile as he laid his head down on the sheets, his eyes almost seeming sleepy as they took in her beauty...and the bruises. What he wouldn't give to get her out of here, to keep her safe...

"Is that a quote from Peter Pan? I haven't seen it in years" he chuckled, and then he cleared his throat a bit so that he could get his voice a bit lower.

"'Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than anything in this whole world!'"

He laughed a little after he said it, though the sudden feelings that came along with it surprised even himself, and with a bit of a funny look on his face, he turns away to look at the door. Quint had only meant to say it as a joke, a way to keep the mood light between them, but after he said it, it almost felt true. In a way, it was, but now it was...different. There was more to it now; more that he wasn't ready to face yet.

"I smell coffee..." he says suddenly, trying to distract them both from acknowledging his awkward little lapse in judgement.

"...and someone's burning it!"

He hopped out of bed rather quickly, making his way over to the closet and rifling through all the frilly clothes until he found a new shirt. Putting it on, he turned to give her a grin as he buttoned it up.

"How much do you want to bet it's ol'London Bridge down there?"

After he got his shirt on, he uses his hands to comb his hair out as best he can before readjusting his belt. It seemed as if he was in a hurry now, intent on getting out that door and stopping the crime that was happening in the kitchen.
_____________________

That seemed to finally pick his mood up a bit, as he sat up and gave Robert a mischievous grin, his eyes following to where he was pointing.

"You don't say? Well then I definitely shouldn't go get my guitar, and I definitely won't be up, likely for the rest of the night."

He let out a little laugh, moving away from his chair and giving Robert a pat on his shoulder before bidding him a good night and making his way over to the building.

 

[Poprockz]

Her laughter died down, ending with a comfortable little "hm" sound as she looked at him fondly. He had a bit of a dreamy look on his face and his mention of Peter Pan led her to infer that he was probably reminiscing about the childhood movie. It seemed as though he wasn't getting the screaming goat song reference, but she could always enlighten him later. For now, it seemed they had stumbled upon fond memories of beloved movies.

Sayori herself had really liked that movie, liking the idea of flying off to a land where she never had to grow up.

"'Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than anything in this whole world!'"

That caught her off-guard, the woman blinking as she realized that not only was he simply quoting the movie, but it seemed like he was referring to her as Tinkerbell. She had been called that nickname before by family members and friends, largely due to her haircut and pixie-like stature, so that didn't necessarily surprise her too much. What was more surprising was that he was using such a sweet quote from the movie when there were plenty to chose from.

Her cheeks went slightly pink, secretly feeling a bit pleased. It made her wonder whether he was trying to reaffirm with her that he still cared for her despite what had happened between them. The idea that it could mean more than that didn't even occur to her at this point, assuming that Quint wouldn't be able to move on from his late wife any time soon, especially with how wonderful she was when the described her.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the funny face, looking up when he mentioned the coffee. Sayori sniffed, not being able to smell its aroma through the closed door. Come to think of it, Quint had excellent sense of smell though, so it made sense that she wasn't able to get a whiff just yet.

"...and someone's burning it!"

An eyebrow was raised and she simply watched as he quickly hopped up and dressed, finding that this new black shirt was equally as flattering as the last one. It gave him a mature look in a way, and she thought to herself that if the world really did go right-side-up again, he would definitely get spammed with porn requests.

"How much do you want to bet it's ol'London Bridge down there?"

Her eyes flicked down to his shirt and she noticed that he had missed a button, now buttoning the entire shirt in a slightly uneven way. She wanted to keep her mouth shut about it, but she couldn't help a little smile that came to her lips. Walking over to him, she paused and said, "one sec, your buttons are all wonky."

She reached out, unbuttoning the last 3 buttons with those nimble fingers of hers and then rebuttoning the 4 buttons correctly, making sure he was now presentable. Her fingertips occasionally brushed against his abdomen through the fabric when she went to grab each button. Only when she was done did she realize how awkward that might have been since she had never hesitated to help any of her family or friends with a rogue button or a bra strap. With an awkward pat to his shoulder and a swift step backward, she clasped her hands behind her and cleared her throat, hoping to distract them both.

"Oh! The coffee is probably still burning. You'll have to stop him before it gets too far." Sayori donned a fake dramatic face and finished with, "help us Obi-Wan Quintnobi, you're our only hope!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Robert merely chuckled and watched Vin walk away, waiting until he was far away before sighing and looking to his left. "Eavesdropping, are we?"

Sabastian's head poked out from behind the corner of the building, a bit of a sheepish look on his face. "Yeah... I can't really spend any time with him because of things and... I just wanted to hear his voice."

The other zombie smiled softly and got up, walking over to him and putting his arm around his shoulders, "I know. Let's go to bed though. I hear we're getting a large shipment soon and it might end up being tomorrow. We may have to stay up so we can unload everything when the soldiers are mostly asleep."

And with that, they returned to their own building.

 

[Drobabes]

"one sec, your buttons are all wonky."

Quint was just working on what he thought was the last one until she pointed out his mistake, and upon realizing she was right, he gave a bit of an eye-roll and smirk-more to himself for his silly mistake than her. He started to reach down to fix it, only to find her own dainty little hands already there and making quick work of it. He almost reached up out of habit to stop her, but just as soon as his hands came near hers, he stopped himself and put them back down. The strange feelings of affection were still a bit strong, and it definitely wasn't helping that each light brush of her warm skin against his chest was bringing back memories of the euphoria that they had both felt after the eggs had come.

He had to force himself to hold still and not swallow nervously as her fingers finished the last button, her warmth still being felt through the fabric. When she took a step back, he took advantage of the distraction to turn towards the door, trying to hide the look of embarrassment and slight guilt on his face. Not only had he done her wrong, but now he was feeling like he was doing his late wife wrong as well. Or more accurately, he felt as if he should feel guilty, for having any kind of feelings for another women after having just lost his wife and still not even having had any time to really mourn, but he didn't. Not as much as he thought he should, at least, and that bothered him.

Sayori clearing her throat draws his attention back to her, and the next thing she does takes him by such surprise that he has about a two second lag before he suddenly bursts out laughing, his face turning away once more, though this time, not to hide but to lay his forehead against the door for a moment. She had done such a good impression that Quint was immediately reminded of all the satire and comedy impressions that he had seen of Star Wars, and it made the mirth swell in him very quickly.

It was good. Though he could deal with those other feelings, he didn't want to, not yet, and until then, he was going to look for distractions. He was going to look for things that were easier for him to grasp and handle, and what he was better at-comedy and laughter.

After he got himself under control, he wipes the tears from the corner of his eyes and then he suddenly pulls the door open with a bit of force before sticking his head out into the hall, basically blocking the entrance with his body. From inside the room, Sayori would be able to hear him taking a few quick sniffs before he very quickly pulls his head back in and then shuts the door. With a somewhat serious expression on his face, he looks down at her and drops his voice down.

"It's not safe Princess. You will have to stay here, in the safety of the shuttle, while I go forth and vanquish the enemy!"

With that, he quickly yanks the door open and then darts out before shutting it behind him. Another two seconds pass before the door opens again, and Quint looks at her through the small gap, his expression deadly serious.

"Please pray for me Princess. If I do not make it back...tell Cory that, no, she cannot have my last pair of socks."

And with that, he was gone!

...

About ten minutes later, Cora got out of the shower, drying herself off and stepping out with a towel wrapped around her once more. Instead of changing into a new outfit, however, she simply took the same dress she had been wearing, and changed in the bathroom. Once she was done, she came out and gave Sayori a tired smile.

"I'm going to head downstairs. There should be plenty of hot water still, if you want to shower?"

Her eyes traveled over to the window, noticing that the sun had just barely peaked up over the hills. They had gotten up early, it seemed, though that didn't really surprise her. After yesterday, they were probably all very exhausted and had fell asleep rather quickly.

 

[Poprockz]

She smiled widely, pleased that he had liked her impression. His shoulders could be seen shaking just slightly as he laughed with his head against the door. When all was said and done, she and Quint could at least share a laugh. Cora came off as more world-weary, though she suspected that under that goofy grin of Quint's, he had his own fatigue from the many things he had been forced to go through. She didn't doubt that Cora had a good sense of humor, but perhaps she simply didn't have as much energy as Quint did.

In some ways, Quint reminded her of Francisco. While Cora seemed to prefer facing the direness of their situation straight on, Quint and Fran seemed to offer a chance to pretend that it didn't exist. To be able to act as though she wasn't being kept prisoner as a sex-slave was a saving grace for her; perhaps that was why she was more drawn to Quint than to Cora. Of course part of it was the slight history they shared, but she hadn't clicked with Cora in the same way she had with Quint. It was as though he was constantly trying to remind her that sunshine could indeed reach such a dark place.

"It's not safe Princess. You will have to stay here, in the safety of the shuttle, while I go forth and vanquish the enemy!"

Sayori was about to reply when he darted out the door, the woman giggling and turning to perhaps sit on the bed while Cora showered. However, she blinked in surprise as Quint popped back in, pausing as he spoke again.

"Please pray for me Princess. If I do not make it back...tell Cory that, no, she cannot have my last pair of socks."

"Ha!" She watched the door click shut again, shaking her head as she sat down. He was adorable sometimes, and she liked playing with him. Laying back and spreading her arms out, she sighed and turned her head to the window. Some coffee would be nice...

.........

When Cora came out and put on that same dress, Sayori wondered to herself why Cora was dressing in the same outfit. It was possible that Kuznet simply really liked that dress so she was doing it to please him, but maybe Cora just didn't have the energy to pick out something new. It was understandable, considering everything that had happened with the General the day before.

"I'm going to head downstairs. There should be plenty of hot water still, if you want to shower?"

A smile was given to Cora before she nodded, "yes. I think I would like a shower. I'll be down when I'm done." Surprisingly, she hadn't had any nightmares last night, but she still wanted to start her day a bit fresh.

Going to the bathroom, she closed the door and her smile slowly faded. She didn't want to be alone where her thoughts might catch up to her, so she resolved to shower quickly. The faster she was done, the faster she could focus on something else. Even the fear of the General would be better than the deep sadness that threatened to swallow her up. She showered extremely efficiently, only taking just enough time to wash her hair and body sufficiently, doing a slight touch-up on shaving her body hair. It didn't take long before she was reaching out to turn off the water.

Sayori stepped out onto the bathmat and leaned over to the counter, grabbing a small towel to pat her face dry before applying a facial moisturizer. She wasn't really doing it for the General, merely trying to keep her skin nice and moisturized while she still had the opportunity to do so. When she was done, she sighed and absentmindedly stepped forward into the little puddle of water she had made, slipping and falling forward toward the counter. In a panic, she scrabbled on the counter, trying to grab something as she started to lose her balance further and slide backward; it wasn't helping that her hands were still slightly slippery from the lotion.

Unfortunately for Sayori she wasn't able to get ahold of anything that would help, but she did end up bumping a delicate, thin-glassed vase that had some fresh flowers in it, likely picked from nearby. It was was knocked off and onto the floor, shattering into many sharp pieces. Not a moment later, Sayori herself fell to the floor and while her hand cushioned her fall slightly, it also landed straight into the pile of glass.

"Ah!" a pained gasp came from her as she felt the sharp pinpricks dig into the skin of her palm and fingers, the woman lifting her hand to see the damage. There were many small pieces of glass in her hand, several that would likely require a keen eye to remove. Though it was getting a bit harder to see the smaller pieces as her hand started to bleed and obscure them a bit.

There was minute of silence as she tried to process what had happened, her breath catching in her throat at the thought of possibly being punished for breaking something. Carefully avoiding the glass, she shakily got up and sat down on the lid of the toilet and looked at all the shards, a worried expression on her face as she tried to decide how to proceed. Her hand was awkwardly held out as it dripped onto the floor, her arm shaking slightly. Cora had said that honesty was the best policy, but she wasn't sure if she had the courage to mention it to him. Should she try to pick up the shards, or would he think she was trying to hide what she had done if he caught her in the act? While she could probably get some of the glass out, she wasn't confident that the tinier pieces could be removed by herself and she didn't even have any bandages for afterward.

She hunched her shoulders a bit and put her face in her good hand, her mind thinking of the worst-case scenarios. What if he bent her over and took her ass until she died? What if he had Niles drag her to the shed and whip her again? What if Cora or Quint were hurt because of her clumsiness? Soon she lowered her hand and looked down again with anxiety etched upon her face. There were many smaller shards, but at least there were a couple large ones that were going to be easy to pick up. One of the larger ones caught her eye, the woman noticing how sharp it looked.

Her gaze slowly looked up to the door and then back to the shard, regarding it now with a certain hunger. It looked sharp enough to cut easily, and she doubted that they would be able to get there in time to stop her if she moved quickly. If the cuts were vertical, not even stitches would keep her trapped in this house any longer. It would be so quick, a flick of the wrist twice and she could be free if she only took the opportunity.

Quint and Cora had each other to lean on, and they were used to watching people come and go as Quint seemed to indicate before. Every time she was in danger around Quint, he jumped to save her at the cost of his own wellbeing. When he had sealed up her back and made Niles mad, when Kuznet put her in his cell to impregnate, when they had experimented on her, when Niles had tried to defile her at night, each painful time he had severed his tentacle, even chewing one off with his teeth... All those times he had been defiant to the General and the Officers for her sake, and how had she repaid him? By coercing him into doing lewd things for her.

And now she was being used to shackle Cora, the perfect pet to make her compliant. Perhaps that was part of the reason Kuznet had chosen her- the fact that Sayori looked so small and helpless. She was nothing but a burden for them both... And it wasn't as though she had any hope of seeing any of her family again, especially not... Hanako. Her hand extended slightly before hesitating, her dark lust apparent on her face. She was so conflicted, inner turmoil raging within her as to whether or not she would really take that leap.

Her hand suddenly stopped and was brought back a bit hesitantly. What if she didn't succeed though? What if they busted down the door before she was done and applied some of Quint's goop? She imagined that General Kuznet would punish her severely, probably intending to make her wish she had been successful. It reminded her about the time when Officer Francisco warned her about the cliff, telling her that if she wasn't dead by the end then she would wish she had been. Still, perhaps it would be worth the risk.

"Goodmorning Sleeping Beauty."

"I will always, look forward to seeing you Sayori. Because every time that I see you, it means I know you are alive, and smiling, and that one day I'll get to hear you laugh again."

"'Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than anything in this whole world!'"

A few tears started coming to her eyes as she thought of Quint. She wanted to see him again, to lean against his cool body as they sat together or to hear his laugh at one of her jokes. It was so selfish, especially after all she had done, but when she thought about never seeing him again, she felt a pain in in heart. Would her need to stay by his side a bit longer give her the strength to withstand the General's sick desire to toy with her mind and body? If there was a God, would they take pity on her for making the decision to stay?

A dejected chuckle came from her as she shook her head. It seemed as though she wasn't ready to go yet, though she almost wished she didn't feel that way. Perhaps that would change in the future, but for now she decided that she wanted a few more good memories with her dear friend, and that she wanted to set things right.

With a sigh, she reached for the waste-basket, picking up all the shards she could with her good hand and depositing them inside. She then wetted some toilet paper and used it to clean up the tiny shards since she didn't have a dustpan and they clung to the damp material. She soon had it all cleaned up, even the droplets of blood. Going over to the sink, she rinsed off her hand with a wince and then looked around for a towel. They were all white or pink, so she decided against using one of them and instead wrapped her hand in toilet paper, the blood seeping into it.

It was difficult, but she was able to dry herself off and dress with her good hand, though she had to leave her hair wet, those small locks looking a bit spikier from the water.. She chose a dress she simply had to pull up her body, carefully pulling up a pair of white stockings; it was a wonder how there never seemed to be a shortage of them. What was even more difficult was getting the pearl necklace back on. If she showed back up without it, she imagined his displeasure would only be heightened, especially since his words last night almost seemed like a warning.

To her credit, Sayori was a very resourceful person when she needed to be, finding a paperclip and using it to help her clasp it around her neck. Now that she was ready, she took a deep breath and took the waste basket downstairs with her, knowing that Kuznet would likely be displeased if she left any glass for Cora to get ahold of. Her bloody hand hovered just inside the basket, the woman unwilling to risk it dripping on the carpet. The toilet paper was doing a pretty good job of soaking up the blood, but toilet paper certainly wasn't anything close to actual bandages in terms of managing blood.

It was painful, the glass in her hand, but it was the fear of what was to follow that occupied her mind. Looking around, she tried to spy where Kuznet was. The quicker she brought it to his attention, the quicker she wouldn't have the anxiety of the situation crushing down on her. The glass also stung quite a bit, her hand twinging whenever her hand would make the slightest movement.

 

[Drobabes]

"It smells fine."

"No it doesn't, Fran! It smells like burnt donkey turds doused in whatever the fuck Polaroid Boy uses to shine his shoes."

Cora brought up a spoonful of oatmeal to her mouth, pausing for just a brief moment as her lips twisted up into a smile. It quickly dropped off her face as Kuznet's cold hand reached down to tuck her hair behind her ear, his icy blue eyes glued to some document or report. He had it on the other side of his plate, and although she could have tried to turn her head to read it, not only would he catch her doing it, but it was likely something very boring and not worth her time. He never kept important documents out in front of them, usually saving the mundane and tedious tasks to get through during his morning meal.

"Well then it's probably the beans we're using," Francisco said, reaching around Quint to grab the bag of coffee. Just as soon as his hand came near the bag, though, one of Quint's tentacles came out to smack it away.

"Get the hell out of my bubble, I'm working here."

"Yea you are; working on earning yourself a fucking ass whooping if you touch me with one of those things again."

"Oh what are you going to do about it, old man? You already ruined the only thing I get up for in the morning."

"Ray?" Cora said, ignoring the two men's bickering in favour of looking up at her tormentor with an innocent expression, waiting patiently for him to finish reading the line of text before his blue eyes turned to her.

"I really liked the picnic yesterday. Can we do that again today?"

She hated kissing his ass. Needing his approval for anything brought such a wave a nausea rolling through her stomach, that it was difficult not to cringe. But...she had ulterior motives. And for once, she was brave enough to follow through with them. She needed to be outside, where her scent could carry on the wind, and maybe, just maybe... Someone would recognize her. Maybe someone could save them, this time. After all, anything had to be better than this personalized hell.

"Hm" he said, moving his hand down her neck, and then across to her jaw.

"Do you want fresh air?"

She swallowed nervously, her eyes going down to his arm for a second before coming back to meet his gaze. It was a bit of a trick question really, and she knew that if she wasn't specific, then he was likely to just tell her to open a window and deny her request.

"I would like some exercise. My legs are...sore. I think from sleeping too much..."

Her voice was clear, but a bit quiet, so when she heard the sound of the tea kettle being dropped onto the counter a bit clumsily, it made her flinch. She didn't turn away from his touch, but her eyes did dart over to Quint, wondering why he had dropped it. He wasn't usually clumsy.

The expression on his face made her a bit nervous, but it wasn't until he tried to dart out of the kitchen that she really got worried. She had been around Sabastian long enough to recognize that he was likely smelling something they couldn't smell, and whatever it was had him scared. Without really thinking about it, she started to stand up, only to quickly feel a large hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down into her seat with some force.

"Quinton."

His voice wasn't loud, but the tone of it was enough to make the half zombie freeze just before he got to the entrance, and then look back at the mountain of a man with a pleading gaze.

"Blood," he said, his ocean jeweled eyes wide with panic.

"She's bleedin-"

He didn't need to say anything else, as before Quint could even finish his sentence, Kuznet had stood up and strode past him, meeting Sayori just as she came into view of the entrance. His eyes first took in her nervous expression, and then traveled down to her hands and what she was holding.

"Go to the sink" he said calmly, gesturing with his hand for her to come into the kitchen.

"Francisco, wash her hand off while I get my tools."

His expression was exceedingly neutral, and he barely even changed the pace of his walk as he ascended the stairs. If anger or punishment was what she had been expecting, then it seemed as if she would not be receiving it. Or at least, not yet.

 

[Poprockz]

It seemed like they were all in the kitchen, so she had just turned in that direction when Kuznet came walking out. The fact that he was coming out to meet her was surprising, the woman not having made the connection that Quint could smell the blood. She froze as his icy eyes took her in, bracing for some display of displeasure. He didn’t seem like the type of man to rant and rage, being as composed as he was, but she had at least expected a hand around her neck or some other such physical punishment.

“Go to the sink. Francisco, wash her hand off while I get my tools.”

She could only stand there in bewilderment for a moment, wondering why he seemed so unbothered. It almost seemed like he didn’t care. Honestly, she would prefer if he didn’t care at all, but she knew that he didn’t like it when things were different to how he wanted them to be. As such, she flinched slightly when he passed her, a look of anxiety on her face as she briefly turned and watched him move up the stairs.

Was he doing it on purpose, delaying his reaction? Did he know what it was doing to her to be in limbo like this, not knowing whether it was going to storm or not? Also, she wondered how he was able to take in the situation so quickly. Perhaps he had heard the clink of glass as she moved and saw her hand from above, making an assumption about what had happened.

Whatever the case was, she had been instructed to go to the kitchen to wash her hand off, so she walked over to the kitchen, giving Quint a worried smile as she passed him. She then proceeded to the sink and let Francisco take off the toilet paper that was wrapped around her injuries. One of the pieces shifted from the movement of the toilet paper and fell into the sink, a “plink” sound being heard before the water was turned on. She winced from the water, the cuts stinging as they were rinsed.

Turning her head toward Francisco, she said in a worried voice, “it was an accident... I didn’t mean to. I even cleaned it up, so there shouldn’t be any kind of mess up there.” It was important to her that the distinction be made that it hadn’t been deliberate, thinking that they might suspect otherwise. She wasn’t aware that there was a camera in the bathroom, a secret eye that had captured everything from her clumsiness, her moment of indecision, to her crying and cleaning it all up.

 

[Drobabes]

Her nervous smile was met with a look of worry, and as she moved towards the sink, Quint came to stand behind her, his tentacles having unconsciously come out to twitch in nervous agitation as he watched over her shoulder as Francis held her hand under the sink. He was just opening his mouth to ask what had happened when she took the initiative to explain. His eyes looked down at her wound, taking in the placement of the glass. It did seem as if she had just fell on it, but he couldn't help the panic that made his palms sweat and his heart race. What if she had decided to try and hurt herself with one of those shards of glass? Do some kind of damage that would be much more permanent then the slices in her palm? Kuznet wouldn't let her die, not now with the healing gel that Quint himself could produce, but the half zombie also knew that Sayori would have never been the same had she tried.

Cora had changed, after all. It was as if letting the darkness get so close to her soul had given it the opportunity to reach it's inky black hand into her heart and steal something precious away. The very thought of that happening to Sayori as well put a disgusting feeling in his chest, like a cold ball of mud dropped right down into his stomach.

"it was an accident... I didn’t mean to. I even cleaned it up, so there shouldn’t be any kind of mess up there."

Francisco's light brown eyes looked down at her and crinkled a bit as he gave her a smile.

"And here I thought I could give those paper flowers another shot. I suppose I could wait for another lesson, but you know I did promise miss Lynn that I would bring her something sweet in return for more of that flan pudding."

From the table, Cora sat cemented to her seat, her eyes simply taking it all in with a slightly scared expression on her face. She was trying to hide it behind her meal, finishing her food with a similar diligence to Sayori, but she couldn't help but worry about her knew companion. Kuznet was quick and efficient; he would come back with his little tool kit, which had enough of a variety to deal with most any mild wounds, and he would take care of the problem first. But, even though he was focused and efficient, Cora knew from experience that it was a very bad sign that he had shown absolutely no reaction. It meant that he was going to be 'kind'. He would doctor her wound...and leave the punishment for later.

Just a mere moment later, Kuznet was beside them, sitting a small black case on the counter. It was similar to the case in which he had brought Sayori her paint set, but when unclasped, this one held a variety of medical tools.

"Go sit down Quinton" he ordered, stepping over to the sink and turning the faucet over to his side, so that he could thoroughly wash his hands. Once they were cleaned to his satisfaction, he dried them on a clean towel, and then reached for a long pair of medical grade tweezers. He then held his hand out, palm up, over the sink, and his icy eyes looked down at Sayori with neutrality once more, fully expecting her to be compliant and place her hand within his.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori could feel Quint hovering over her shoulder, glancing at him briefly as Francisco spoke. He looked concerned, as though he might be worried over the state of her hand, or perhaps he also shared her own anxiety about how Kuznet would react. Maybe it was both, but whatever the case, she felt a need to quiet his worries. Quint had enough on his own plate without having to worry about her any more than he already did.

"And here I thought I could give those paper flowers another shot. I suppose I could wait for another lesson, but you know I did promise miss Lynn that I would bring her something sweet in return for more of that flan pudding."

Despite her current situation, she couldn't help but perk up the slightest bit at the mention of that custardy dessert. In that moment, she had a distinct appreciation for the officer. It seemed like he was trying to cheer her up and put her at ease, having picked a clever way to do so. Though it wasn't enough to quiet her fears, at the very least it was going to be something she could look forward to.

"Well, I'm sure my hand will go back to feeling better in no time, so perhaps there's still hope for us to get some of that delicious pudding." She angled her body slightly toward Quint and while she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop with Kuznet, she gave him a small but reassuring smile. "If you put some of your gel on it to heal it quicker, maybe I'll give you half of my own flan."

A second later she heard the click of the case upon the counter, jumping slightly at the unexpected sound. He had returned more quickly than she had expected, having been a bit jumpy as it was.

It had been her right hand that had been injured, so it had felt natural to come up to Francisco's left side to rinse it off. However, now that Kuznet was now on her left side, she had to cross her arm in front of herself to lay it upon the cool skin of his palm. While it wasn't an inconvenience, she disliked how it meant that she couldn't subtly keep herself away from him as much.

She also disliked how automatically her body reacted to his outstretched hand, as though she were starting to get used to the gesture. It was like she was a puppy that had been trained so shake paws, and that thought left a bad taste in her mouth. Though there wasn't much time to ponder that as the discomfort of being around the neutral-faced sadist came to the forefront of her attention.

When Sayori had angered him back in the cells when he dressed her, and when he had been angry at Cora for the tattoos, he had expressed his annoyance. In Cora's case, he had waited until later for punishment, but he had still delayed it. Even if he was delaying punishment, it would have made sense for him to frown or even give her his smirk or demented grin. As it was, the General seemed all business right now. She tentatively wondered to herself whether maybe he was feeling a bit more merciful since last night had went very well for him, the man perhaps being in a good mood now that he had been able to enjoy both his pet and his lovely Cora. Would it be safe for her to say something or would it be better to remain silent?

"I apologize for breaking the vase, General." Was all she said, her voice soft but clear.

 

[Drobabes]

Her simple joking had the desired affect, Quint's expression softening a bit as he gave her a little smile and nodded. It seemed as if she was alright; mentally at least. Either that, or she was simply in a bit of shock from the fall and pain.

"I'm going to hold you to that" he said, his soft smile twisting up into a bit more of a grin until he was ordered to go sit down. His eyes darted up towards Kuznets's own, and although he wanted to plant his feet on the ground and be stubborn, he ultimately gave in and did as he was told because he trusted the General's medical expertise. He would have her hand patched up all the sooner if he simply got out of the way.

Once they were left relatively alone-Francis having taken his own breakfast over to the table and picking up the paperwork that Kuznet had started, the tall man began to examine the wound. For a moment, as he quickly plucked the larger pieces of glass out with the tweezers, it seemed as if he was going to ignore Sayori's quiet plea for his forgiveness.

*Plink.*

After the third, or perhaps fourth, piece of glass was dropped into the sink, he reached over and turned the water back on to a gentle stream before moving her now bleeding flesh under the current to rinse it. Finally, his icy eyes met her nervous gaze.

"What happened, my little bird?"

He pulled her hand from the water with a deceivingly gentle caress of her wrist, his thumb lingering over the prominent vein just below her skin for just the briefest of seconds, as if he were teasing her with the idea that she had the opportunity, and perhaps should have used it while she could.