...

...

[capurre]

[capurre]

Now his voice was louder than ever at a volume so increasing. The echoing in her pan was sounding like all around her surroundings. Everything he said was engraved to her malleable pan. The closeness was to become stronger than it did in the past, an urge to kill would steadily seed itself into her. The ex-huntress’s claws haven’t been wielded in perigees, still hidden below her human bed in the old cell room she’s neglected. Mind alteration aside, she was always looking forward to dusting off those claws.

"I understand. Daddy is my world, my everything. He’ll never leave me beclaws I will always think about him. If killing is what makes Daddy happy, I will do it. Your happiness is my own."

[keepsyouinstitches]

"GOOD GIRL."

His eyes faded to normal. It was done. He stood up, pulling her to her feet with him, smiling down at her. His thumb caressed her cheek gently.

[capurre]

[capurre]

His voice increased in power, booming in her pan as he made it his own again. Just as it was meant to be. 

"I know you will."

[keepsyouinstitches]

He stared deep into her eyes. Yes. This was how it was meant to be. He went to work quickly. He had wasted too much time bringing her defenses back down. His voice was loud and booming in her thoughts now.

"YOU ARE STRONG. YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING. BECAUSE DADDY SAYS SO. DADDY IS YOUR TRUE STRENGTH. DADDY IS YOUR TRUE HAPPINESS. YOU ARE TRULY LOYAL TO HIM, AND HIM ALONE. EVERY TIME YOU SLEEP YOU DREAM OF DADDY. AND YOU ARE HAPPY. DADDY IS YOUR HAPPINESS. DADDY IS YOUR STRENGTH. THE WAYS OF THE CLOWN BRING YOU HAPPINESS, BECAUSE THEY BRING YOU CLOSER TO DADDY. THE FEEL OF BLOOD MAKES YOU HAPPY, BECAUSE IT REMINDS YOU OF DADDY. THE WICKED ELIXER MAKES YOU HAPPY, BECAUSE IT TASTES LIKE DADDY."

Kurloz's fingers laced through her hair, twirling it around and around and around until her gripped her scalp firmly, though not painfully.

"YOU WILL KILL, ONE DAY. AND IT WILL MAKE YOU DADDY. BECAUSE EVERY DEATH BY YOUR BARE HANDS BRINGS YOU CLOSER AND CLOSER TO DADDY'S FINAL RETURN. AND WHEN YOU'VE KILLED ENOUGH. HE WILL COME BACK TO YOU FOREVER. AND YOU WILL BE FOREVER HAPPY."

[capurre]

[capurre]

  She mewled, nuzzling him when he kissed her brow. That wasn’t thought out, the nuzzling came out of instinct. How pathetic.

At least knowing she wouldn’t have to separate from Gamzee alleviated her. The purple and silver ring wrapped around her left middle finger was a vow that she would never abandon him.

With that being said, the walls that the Muralist built in her pan were beginning to decline. It wasn’t by forceful destruction, no violence enacted. Just sweet, well-placed words brought her defense down. 

Her arm slung around his neck, carefully but with a close hold.

"Thank you for coming back to me.."

[keepsyouinstitches]

He nodded, smiling down at her. His fingers tilted her chin up again, and he looked deep into her eyes. His flashing purple eyes lit up her face, and he pulled away at the wall in her mind. Slowly, gently, he moved the resistance away from the majority of her mind, and instead rebuilt the wall around the doubt she had for him. He would get ride of her doubts. His voice inside her head strengthened again.

"I will always come back to you."

He began to massage her mind, mold her thinkpan.

[capurre]

[capurre]

Her eyes stung as he sat her in his lap. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to sit here being held by him. She should have taken this opportunity of closeness to tear out his throat with her teeth and end this for good. But it never crossed her mind. What’s this? Nepeta Leijon is becoming weak? Was she truly losing her bite, her instinct to be a Leijon? Had she become this broken?

Obviously that was a case. She was nothing more than a disgrace to her name. An inspiration? No, just a pathetic wet blanket with a pan of mush. To be hated or forgotten by others.

She winced at hearing a second voice jump into her earshot, again tempting her like the first voice did. Even as he petted her hair, trying to soothe her from this anguish, she frowned and thought of the consequences of her actions, unlike last time.

"And what about my Bard? You won’t let me leave him, will you?"

[keepsyouinstitches]

Kurloz pressed his stitched together lips to her forehead. He waded deeper into her mind.

"You can leave him if you want. You can stay with him if you want. It is your life. Your choice. I have never controlled you."

Found it. It took him forever, but he found it. The Resistance. He couldn't remove it, that was the problem with messing with thinkpans: Anything put in could never truly be removed completely without something else to take it. It's why he could still start influencing her, even with this newfound resistance. But now, he could do something about this newfound stubbornness to his plan. He gently, very gently, began to strip down the walls in her mind.

"I never left you. You were in my motherfucking mind every day. They kept me from seeing you. They threatened me. Threatened to hurt you. I left to keep you safe. But I had to come back. I had to."

"Let him in let him in let him in let him in let him in he loves you and you know it let him in let him in let him in."

"I will help you be strong again."

[capurre]

[capurre]

She felt sick, contrasting the sweetness of his words. It was the kind of saccharine feeling that would lift someone’s spirit until it soared gaily in the clouds. A feeling that Nepeta wouldn’t allow at this point. Not to him. But he was persistent. He wouldn’t stop until the kitten hopped right up to the welcoming lap. Another pile of mistakes toppling one after another each time she took a breath. She should’ve just stayed inside the whole time.

Yet there she was, scrambling up to her feet and finding herself in the mime’s embrace. There she choked back sobs, her face pressed against his waist.

"Daddy, stop it.. I’m getting confused."

[keepsyouinstitches]

He wrapped his arms around her tight, kneeling down so she was in his lap. His mind gently dipped back into hers, the lights in his eyes flickering brighter again.

"Then don't think, kitten. Let me give you happiness. Let Daddy make everything better. I will never do anything you don't want me to do."

And behind his voice, was another voice. A voice that she had never consciously heard before. The voice that shaped her mind, slowly, into permanent states that even he didn't know where his influence ended and her mind began.

"Let him. Let him. Daddy makes everything better. Daddy makes you happier than you can ever be. Let him in."

His fingers ran through her hair, just as they used to.

[capurre]

[capurre]

Each word sunk deeper as if he was drilling into the protective walls, confusing her. She was hardly able to tell the difference between control and affection, it was killing her inside. 

"Stop it!" The Leo yelled with a childish whine in her voice, "You’re making it worse!"

Their eyes were locked in a deep stare, causing her body to shake. With a sharp gasp she felt her eyes welling up. Still she had the gall to call him out, yet anything she said came out as a frail whimper.

"You’re… gonna..tear me away from people who care."

Do not fall for it. Don’t fall into his arms again like a mindless puppet. He’s not your Daddy, he’s a villain. A wolf in sheep’s clothing waiting to sink his jaws into you. Instead of taking his inviting gesture, the girl fell unto her knees, moaning and holding onto her aching pan. What would her Bard have said if he were awake now and stepped outside to witness this? She didn’t need his help at all when she stood up to Cronus, why was this so different?

[keepsyouinstitches]

Kurloz frowned now. This was ridiculous. This was annoying. This was infuriating. They had turned her against him. Those meddling heretics. But he had her now. Keeping his arms held wide, he softened his thoughts again. Gentle. Sweet. Soft. Like purple cotton candy.

"who cares? who cares about you enough to let you be happy? tell me, my kitten. if you can say, without a single doubt, one person who cares about you and makes you happy the same way i care about you, the same way i've made you happy, before they tore me from you, then i will leave right now, and never return. i will be nothing but a happy memory."

His face was straight and blank, the glow of his eyes softening, leaving just enough of his mind in hers to speak his Whispers.

"let me in. and you won't be afraid of them anymore."

[capurre]

[capurre]

Nepeta was startled. Any minute now he would discover those walls around her pan and demolish them if he could. She would be a mindless slave, never giving into rationality. The loyalty she pledged to her Bard just a couple days ago would be broken. In that same day she ruined the friendship between her and her ex-kohai, and now she would tarnish everything between her and Gamzee. Was this to be her life? Taking solace and refuge with someone, only to betray them for the next person offering them affection? She still had a chance to change it, if she was strong-willed enough to do so.

"You want me happy? After everything that happened?!"

The girl’s voice c racked at her outburst. Her hands were still planted firmly to the sides of her head, as if that would give extra protection in a way.

"I just.. don’t want my pan to be played like a fucking toy. That’s what will make me happy."

[keepsyouinstitches]

The clown didn't move forwards, simply standing where he was. His eyes shone and flickered brightly, illuminating his face in all shades of purple. He slowly twisted his way deeper into her mind, gently, like a screw going into a hole that was already there.

"who told you i be playing? never played. never made. all you. never controlled. only allowed."

The mime's smile widened and he opened his arms wide, inviting her back into his arms. Where she belonged.

"not some evil creature." His thoughts began to echo with power, with influence now. "never hurt you. others hurt you. others forced you from happiness. Daddy never hurt you. Others took happiness away. Daddy made you happy. Daddy gave you peace."

He stared deep into her eyes. Deep. Deep. Deep.

"They want to keep you from me. They want you to suffer. You had a taste of the Dark Carnival and it was an oasis to the life of suffering they made you live, and they hated it. Not playing. Changed nothing. Gave you what you needed to be happy. Gave you what you needed to be strong. Then they took it away. Made you helpless. Made you sad."

He stood there, his arms wide. Inviting her into bliss. True, utter, complete bliss.

[capurre]

[capurre]

Her heart began to race. Little by little she backed away from the mime. She shouldn’t have ran into his arms as soon as he came back to her. Yes, the fragments of her affections did not completely die off. But then again, Stitches wasn’t the first and definitely not the only manipulator she fell head over heels for. In the same vein, she loved her late-ex. But if he came back to life, would she let him off the hook for locking her up, slapping her and making her homeless? Certainly not and this was no different.

And there he was, at work again with her pan. Muralist built protective walls over it since that incident, which would help resist unwanted intrusion. When she felt that, Nepeta cried out and shook her head, grabbing at her hair. Nepeta tried to force it out as well as she could, yet his soft words were able to be heard. Wait, he spoke. Wait for what? She was hunched over as she looked up to him, a sadness clouding her green eyes.

"Why? What you want?"

[keepsyouinstitches]

Kurloz was an expert. A professional. His sloppy demeanor, his lack of hygiene, did nothing to reflect the true machinations of his planning. No move was planned, because plans could be countered. There was no strategy, because strategies could be figured out. The true value of a clown, is in his improvisation.

The resistance was unexpected.

Keeping the words soft, in as close to her own thoughts as he could make them, he simply thought:

"you happy."

The best lies were partial truths.

[capurre]

[capurre]

She saw his smile fall and flinched. What was he going to do to her know that she knew the truth? Scream viscous words from his pan or perhaps even strike her in the face? No, instead he just thumbed over her lips endearingly. Silently reassuring her that he did care about her.

What would have enlightened her the past few months ago now just made her sullen. If he loved her, why would he need to infiltrate her pan to make sure she could requite it? Why would he leave her especially right after she knew the truth? The initial joy she had at his surprise return was fading into uncertainty. She shook her head and moved one of her feet back.

"Wait a sec.. This isn’t right. I’m not supposed to talk to you."

[keepsyouinstitches]

He still smiled, but his eyes grew hard for a split second. She had doubts. He thought he'd scrubbed those away. Pesky doubts, this damned will. Why were people meddling in his plans constantly. His time away would have helped others forget about him, keeping a low profile would keep him out of others thoughts. And still they meddled. He'd need to accelerate.

Without his contacts, the glow from his eyes were more brilliant than ever. His mind dove into hers headfirst, wrapping her thinkpan around his like a familiar blanket, the purple he'd planted almost indistinguishable from the original green of her mind. Colors were weird in the mind.

His thoughts were very, very soft in her mind. So soft, it would have been very hard to tell the difference between her thoughts and his.

"wait"

[capurre]

[capurre]

Nepeta frowned widely. She couldn’t tell what was more painful, the fact that he did it, or having to say this to him.

"When you left, a Grand Highblood, Mewralist. He saw my pan and.. he told me you were altering my pan and you gave me the feelings I still have now."

That was unusual. When Muralist dug into your pan, he supposedly removed all the fabricated traces of your blind love for him. Yet somehow, you missed him all those days. He felt important to you.

"Stitches, if that’s all true does it mean.. Do you really care about me? I don’t want any lies again. I was already hurt the furst time."

[keepsyouinstitches]

The clown's smile faltered, his head tilting to the side again. Interesting. A blood brother betraying him. Proof, yet again, that even blood could not be reliable to be anything other than paint. But, no time to dwell on that.

The mime regained his smile, before nodding his head. He cupped her chin in his hand and ran his thumb over her lips to indicate that yes, he did care about her.

[capurre]

[capurre]

She watched as he removed each contact, revealing a pair of normal eyes. The girl chuckled, staring into the eyes that now held more emotions as he held and caressed her.

"That was a neat trick! Got everyone fooled, huh?"

Yes, Nepeta, as if that was the only trick he committed on you. The realization set in, making her heart sink low. She wanted to be happy, she wanted him to stay, but it was time now that she confronted him. 

"Actually.. can I tell you something? It’s.. kinda serious."

[keepsyouinstitches]

The mime raised an eyebrow, still smiling. Why so serious?

Nonetheless, he nodded.

[capurre]

[capurre]

She shuddered as she tried to hold all of her emotions back. The last few weeks were terrible. Absolutely terrible. Her girlfriend was absent, she felt obsolete in her own timeline and two of her friends despised her. All she had left was staying at Gamzee’s hive, where she was neither ignored or scorned. 

But of course, there was another matter. She was now aware that her once beloved master controlled her pan, making her into the loving, obedient pet he wanted her to be. She was going to give a stern talking to him about it later.

"I missed you," she said as he tilted her face up. "I thought you would never come back. I was thinking everyone furgot about me!" She frowned, gripping tighter around his waist. There there, calm down. "Things could’ve been better but.. I’m glad you’re here now of all times."

[keepsyouinstitches]

Kurloz smiled down at her, his face unchanging. Of course she missed him. Good. Let's see how she was getting along. Time to use what he learned.

Still holding her close with one arm, he brought his other hand to his eyes and, one at a time, and pulled out the pure white contacts that gave the illusion he was dead. He blinked a couple times, his deep purple eyes adjusting to the sensation, before he looked back down at her, smiling a little wider.

His thumb ran over her cheek gently, softly.

[capurre]

[capurre]

There was no mistake. It truly was him. Nepeta thought he simply vanished into nowhere, leaving her alone like everyone else she loved. Slightly conflicted, she held her arms out. He still looked exactly the same before he left, then look at you. Your hair had grown past your shoulders, half of it was red. Your right arm was long replaced by a prosthetic, made entirely from metal.

"Daddy?"

With that uttered, she ran to him and buried her face in his chest. 

[keepsyouinstitches]

He wrapped his arms around her as she flew into his torso. She was quite different now. The robot arm was strange. But, what else could she do to replace an arm?

His fingers ran through her long hair, twisting and twirling between them. Red. An interesting, if not plain, choice. Not very colorful. But, her appearance wasn't what he cared about. Especially not now.

Kurloz's finger tilted her face upwards by her chin, smiling down at her. He tilted his head to the side. How was she?

[capurre]

[capurre]

Nepeta jumped at a sudden thump from behind a window. She checked if Gamzee was close to stirring, but no sign yet. Man that clown could sleep forever. With quiet steps, she went out to the door to find out who’s been making this ruckus.

The answer of course was obvious, as the incidence coincidentally occurred after her message.

[keepsyouinstitches]

The mime stood outside, staring unblinkingly at the window, his arms folded behind his back. His stitched smile ever-present on his face. When Nepeta appeared outside, he raised a hand to her and gestured with his fingers. Come. He looked exactly the same as the day he had disappeared. Skeleton clothing. Purple shorts. Purple boots.

[capurre]

:33 < ??!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[keepsyouinstitches]

There was a harsh tap on the window as a pebble hit the glass nearest to the cat-troll. There was another noise, more of a clunk now, as a larger rock hit the same window, causing the tiniest of cracks.

[keepsyouinstitches]

[maiden0ftime]

um are y0u 0k

[keepsyouinstitches]