Crumbelina? Who was Crumbelina diCaramello? She certainly didnāt exist at the moment, for the being that hovered before the injured butter racer was in no way human⦠or pure, untainted code, anyway. Having taken over control of her body once more, the roars of the horrorterrors became louder, but this time, they didnāt echo only through the mind; they escaped through Crumbelinaās - or, the puppet that she currently was nowās - dark lips. It was an odd, and absolutely terrifying sight, to be sure, to witness such a monstrosity laughing through the normally cool and collected girl. The laughter boomed and wrought havoc on the surroundings; shattering nearby jawbreakers, breaking branches off trees, the likes - with its unearthly quality, possessing the menacing, thought-provoking voice of the Gods From The Furthest Ring, while having the emotion-filled ring of Crumbelina's voice echoing along with it, saying the exact same words They did.
It made sense; They were utilizingĀ herĀ vocal chords andĀ herĀ body, after all.
.ĶĶ .ĶŅŅĢ.ĶĶĶĶ”Ķ
They peered down at him through blank white eyes, no emotions - none from the puppetmasters, none from the puppet - seeping through the doll's face, quietly observing Markie, eyes closed, still reaching out for the cold gray face.
YĶĶĶOĢ¢Ģ͔͢UĢ·Ģ”ĢĶ̧ Ķ¢Ķ ĢøĢĢ·AŅ̶̔ĶĶRŅĶ̶ĶĢ“EĢµŅ ĶĶĶAĶ̵Ģ̶ Ķ̶̶FŅĢOĶĶ ĢOĢLĶ”ĶŅ.Ķ
And yet, despite those words, They made the body sink to the candied ground, still staring at the boy, but this time, you could feel their influence both waxing and waning. Waxing just enough to still maintain control, and waning just enough so that the boy would not be corrupted. They had promised not to hurt Velvet, but... They seemed unable to find it within Themselves to harm Markie in such a state.
Whether it had been Them initiating the action or Crumbelina goading them from the inside, nobody could say, but the doll body knelt, allowing the boy's hand to graze her cheek, before pushing forward and once more pushing away the fringe and brushing her lips against his forehead: the protection charm.
MĢµĶ ĢaĶĶĶ YĶĶ Ķ yĢ“Ķ O̵̶̓͢Ķų̶ĶĶĢ” ŅĶB̵ĶeĶ” ĶĢSĶ̸̵̓mĢ¢IĶĶĶĢlĢĶ”ĶĶ”EĢĶĶĢØdĢøĶ̧̓ ĶĢ”UĢ·Ģ·ĶĶ p̵̓͢O̸̧ĶĶ ņĶ̨͔͢
The doll straightened up, as if nothing had happened. Then, with nary a whisper, Crumbelina's body moved away from the boy. Their work was done.
Now to meet their demise.