About Primarily an RP Blog for my cute daughter, Rosie. Also dabbling in a bit of multi-musing with Vincent Metzger & Strade from Boyfriend to Death. ⤠My Muses ⤠WARNING! This is an 18+ only RP blog which will include (tagged) gore, porn, and other gruesome themes! ⤠Rules ⤠Art Credit Strade & Vincent icons taken from Boyfriend to Death 1 & 2, as well as The Price of Flesh and were drawn by gurobob & electricpuke. Icons for Rosie were taken from the Sailor Moon Anime, the UtaPri manga, Scum's Wish, and various porn doujins lmao.
Mason always hated shlepping out to the city to get his new prey. If there was a way to do it without leaving his cabin, heād choose it in a heartbeat.
When he first laid eyes on the woman up for auction, he was honestly a little dissapointed. She was a tiny little thing, looked like sheād break down crying in the first five minutes. He didnāt necessarily mind the crying, but it made the hunt painfully boring if it was from the get go.
As soon as the bidding started though, she proved the first impression to be wrong. Her choice not to answer at all was encouraging, so he put in the first bid. Quiet he could work with. Quiet could hide. Especially a little thing like that.
The other two bidders were not quiet. At first he could sort of tolerate it, or at least ignore their comments well enough to focus on the task at hand. But after the woman in the chairās one definitive answer piqued his interest and he upped the amount a bit, the other two started bickering almost non-stop. When Mason met the gaze of the quiet woman, he decided to end the show right then and there. He could afford it, and in that moment, he found it hard to put a price on the sound of those other two shutting the fuck up.Ā
The payment process was simple and quick, especially since he always paid in cash. Since heād escalated to his full budget all at once, it was even quicker than usual; he just handed over the entire box to them and had them count the bills.
And then Mason was off. He drove her all the way back home in his truck, then parked and carried her the last stretch. She was easy to carry, lighter than previous yearsā prey. But that would work to her advantage out here. Still⦠her clothes left something to be desired. She wasnāt dressed for the mountain cold, and he certainly wasn't about to let such an expensive purchase freeze to death the first night. Heād already set up all the traps before leavingāheād found out the hard way years ago that it had to be the day of, lest another creature fall into the traps meant for the person he brought home. So he still had some time to change her into some of the smaller clothes he had lying around. They werenāt a perfect fit, but theyād definitely get the job done better than the stuff she had on. He folded those clothes and placed them in the corner of his cabin, unwilling to waste the fabric no matter how flimsy it was.
Finally, Mason got together a bag of some essentials for her to bring with her to further ensure she didnāt die the very first night, then brought her out to the middle of the forest and set her down, waiting for the drugs to wear off and her to wake up.Ā
----
The smaller woman continued to please from the moment she awoke. That annoying woman at the bidding had been rightāshe could follow simple instructions, and follow them well. That was going to make the start of this much easier. When he took off the blindfold, her big, wide-eyed look was almost cute. Made her even more doe-like.
He wasnāt surprised when she declined to offer her name; she barely offered anything at the auction itself, at least verbally. He gave her a few moments to change her mind, but continued on when the silence persisted. It wasnāt that the silence bothered himāquite the opposite, reallyābut it was really time to get started if she didnāt want to chat. After giving her the supplies sheād need, he turned around to get his crossbow. To his absolute delight, she was already halfway gone by the time he turned back.Ā
Mason fired a warning shot, one that was meant to solidify the idea of this for her (though to be honest, sheād already caught on real fast), and it hit its target dead on. The sound of her scurrying away quickly faded into the forest.Ā
Now is when the hunt really began.
Mason started as he always did, stalking carefully through each clearing while still remaining quiet enough to alert nothing of his presence.Ā
He even managed to startle an actual deer grazing in one of the clearings when it failed to notice him until he was feet from it. If he had been hunting deer today, it wouldnāt have even noticed that before its life ended.
Heād fully expected to see some sign of her, even this early in the game; most people left traces of some sort. But there wasnāt a single stray footprint in any patch of mud, not a single broken twig on the way to any of the more narrow hideaways. He didnāt even hear a single sound out of place. After checking all of his traps, he started to wonder if perhaps she wasnāt traveling by ground at all.Ā He looked up to the trees with an amused smile on his face.
āNot a deer after all then.ā
None of his usual prey was particularly good at climbing, nor was he, so this added an interesting new obstacle. But she couldnāt live up there; sheād have to come down sooner or later, even if only to get relief from the cold. And if she was dumb enough to light a fireā¦well. Things would change pretty quick.
As he made his way around the forest once more, he stopped briefly outside of an all-too-familiar swamp, frowning as he stared at it. Technically, he hadnāt checked in there, but there was a reason for that.
When Mason first settled down here, he could have sworn he saw two glowing eyes looking back at him when he passed by the area. But that alone wasnāt something that would scare him off; that could have been any critterās eyes reflecting the moonlight in the wrong way.
The first and last time he set foot in that place properly, everything was quiet. Too quiet. Not a single bird was singing, not a single cicada was chirping, and the air itself seemed strangely stagnant. Another time, when he was hunting near the area, he saw a deer avoid escaping into the underbrush of the swamp at the expense of running through more open field. Whatever was in there, if a deer chose death over entering, it wasn't a place he ever wanted to be in again.
Well, if she was there now, she couldnāt stay there forever either. With a soft, barely audible sigh, he turned around and started to head back, keeping an eye out for any fires as the sun fell in the sky, and temperature right along with it.
Admittedly, it was pretty cold.Ā As Kaori stood hidden amongst the trees and did a quick sketch of the clearing, she was grateful for her upbringing. She could imagine that someone unused to mountain weather would be in Hell right now.Ā
She moved quickly and quietly; keeping all of her senses on high alert. Twice, she caught sight of him in the distance and was forced to back pedal through the forest. It was a bit annoying to have to do it while working on this map (daylight burned quickly this time of year), but her only choice here was to work around him or die, so.
Eventually, the sun began to set, and Kaori knew she was going to have to shift her focus. She'd sketched out a decent portion of the surrounding area, though there was a chunk of it that was still missing...Hmm.
Around her was nothing more than the sound of nature transitioning into nighttime, which she took as an indicator that her hunter might also be settling in for the night. Just to be certain, she climbed up again, and located the cabin. The lights were on, and she could see his giant silhouette in the window.
So the monster had a bedtime? Good to know.
She put thirty minutes worth of distance between herself and the cabin before finding a big, long, dry stick. The stars were out now, and with them the temperature was dropping rapidly. Using her fire starter and the stick, she made a torch, and used it to light her way.
While exploring around for a place to sleep, she spots a pathway she hadn't noticed in the daytime. Following it, she finds herself in a gloomy little swamp. Immediately, she feels a sense of serenity wash over her. Stepping closer to the water, she notes that the ground here is softer and wetter than the rest of the forest. All of the wood and leaves are too damp so she doesn't bother gathering kindling from here.
Still, this place had plenty of big bushes and a large, if mossy, hollow log she believes she can fit into. She looks around the swamp, feeling relaxed for the first time since she woke up. She kneels down next to the water, and, after brushing away some of the algae, she noticed that at the bottom of the swamp was a large pile of bones.
ā!ā Cool~! She wondered how they all ended up down there. Was there an alligator in there? Maybe some of the animals down there had gotten sick on some bad berries and became delirious? Wandered into the water and drowned? And who's to say those were just animal bones? There was a good chance at least some of the pile belonged to a human. After all, there was no way The Creep had only just started his little hunting people as prey nonsense, right? He seemed way too self assured and calm.
Regardless, there was something about the swamp that brought Kaori peace. She felt compelled to stay here for the night, and sat on the log so she could fish out the trail mix from her backpack and have a bit of it. There was plenty left for tomorrow by the time she couldn't stop yawning.
Deciding on the log, Kaori pushed out any plants, rocks, critters, and bugs and then pulled herself inside after putting out the torch. She used the backpack as a pillow and did her best to ignore the cold....
---
She woke up an hour or so before dawn, and crawled out of the log with a big yawn. She's a mess, her hair and clothes with moss and mud all over them. She doesn't really mind, certainly not with all of her other problems. She shakes her head and scratches at her hair to free it of bugs, and then finds a spot behind a tree to pee besides.
Sometime later, sheās finished the map, and is about to leave the swamp so she can start a fire when she catches sight of her captor off in the distance.Ā Quickly, she hides in a bush and watches him.Ā She sees him stop just on the outskirts of the swamp and give it a look over.Ā Somewhere to her left, an animal sprints across some leaves.Ā He takes notice, but instead of coming into the swamp to investigate, he walks along the perimeter; firmly refusing to step over an invisible line that separates the dry dirt from the swampy mud.Ā Because he wonāt come in, he doesnāt notice her in the bush at all, and eventually moves on once he catches on to a different sound in the forest.
Huh.
What was that about?
---
Kaori finds herself walking alongside the river sheād found yesterday.Ā She washes her hands and face near the most active part of the waterfall and gathers water in her cupped hands to drink.Ā Ice cold and refreshing~Ā She can see salmon in the river, and decides to catch one so she can leave the trail mix as an emergency ration.Ā Rudimentary spears arenāt difficult to make, and soon enough sheās got a large stick with a pointy tip to use.Ā Approaching the river, she catches sight of the sun hitting something metal; hidden beneath the fallen leaves.Ā On edge, Kaori, nudges the end of the spear closer to the object, and nearly jumps a foot in the air when the bear trap sheād just activated snaps shut on the spear.
After catching her breath, she realizes that sheās got no other choice but to drag the trap out of the area.Ā The snapping sound had been incredibly loud, and she couldn't risk him coming to investigate, only to see that the trap had been triggered but was empty. What if he reset it somewhere else and she wasn't as fortunate? No, better he not have access to it. Despite it being a giant pain in the ass, Kaori lugged the bear trap all the way back to the swamp and hid it amongst the bushes. She snuck back carefully to the river, keeping an eye and an ear out for the man and thankfully spotting him heading towards the large clearing.
Back at the river, she caught a salmon with the spear. She decided to risk the fire, since eating a fish raw wasn't the best decision health wise. The second it was cooked she started eating it, powering through the heat. She was about to be a responsible camper and out the fire when an idea struck her.
This was his forest. His land. Even if she didn't have to give a damn about it burning to the ground, surely he did? Surely he'd come investigate a smoke pillar if she left the fire going, right?
Time for an experiment.
Gathering her things, Kaori added some branches to the fire and left it unattended. She found a hiding spot that was as far away from the campfire as possible while still being able to see it. Then she waited.
---
When he arrives, she watches him put out the fire and look around for her in a state of disbelief. Haha! He searched the area, eventually noticing that his bear trap was missing. Hopefully he didn't have another one ready to go, but she had no way of knowing that just yet.
Eventually, he left the area, and Kaori decided to enact another experiment. She made her way to the other end of the forest, and lit another fire. When he dutifully arrived to put it out, she grinned to herself.Ā
With this, she could control his movements.Ā
And with that realization, a petty little idea came to her...
Ren listened intently to everything Rosie said about each of her friends, commenting here and there on the quality of Aaron's or Marcia's work as she showed them to him. To his pleasant surprise, it seemed like he actually did have something in common with each of them...sort of.
Aaron was skilled with make-up, and while he couldn't do the kind of stage make-up Aaron seemed to excel at, he did know the basics well enough to conceal the marks on his face for years. Marcia had interest in photos and film, and while he wasn't an expert in that by any stretch of the imagination, he had developed something of an interest for video over the past few years. Chris, despite having no common hobbies or interests with him, was the one Ren probably related to most. Quiet and still figuring himself out...he could defintely relate to that.
After thanking Rosie for sharing the info about her friends, Ren and Rosie had dinner and finished a bit more packing before washing up and heading to bed. Ren woke to the next day to the sound Rosie talking to (presumably) one of her friends on the phone. He tried to feign sleep a bit longer as she headed into the bathroom, but dropped the act as soon as the door closed.
Rosie's announcement after leaving the bathroom snapped Ren out of his thoughts.
"Wha-what?"
Even if she had established some things he had in common with her friends, he did not fell prepared to meet them so soon. Then again, would he ever feel prepared?
"I-I mean cool! I should uh...go get ready!" He quickly headed to the bathroom to wash up, get dressed, and apply his make up. Once done, he took a deep breath, hid his ears and tail, and exited the bathroom with a smile. It only faltered slightly when there was a knock on the door.
Rosie opened the door to a young woman holding two takeout bags from the local deli. She's had long, thick, shiny black hair up in a high ponytail, clear, olive skin, and sharp brown eyes.Ā She was dressed in an expensive looking purple jogging suit with the word 'King' written down the side. The tall, muscular brunette standing beside her was Chrisāhe recognized both of them from the photo Rosie had shown him earlier, though it certainly felt different to meet them in person. Chris as somehow even taller than he expectedāthe picture didn't really do that justice..
"Hi!!Ā We're here, baby~!" Marcia said excitedly. Was it normal for friends to call each other 'baby'?
"Thank you for coming~!" Rosie replied with equal excitement. "I know it's crazy short noticeā"
Ā "Pfft." Marcia waved her hand dismissively as she walked in and set the food.
Chris stepped in next holding coffee and juice, waving at Rosie with his free hand before carefully shutting the door behind him. Something about his mannerisms reminded Ren a little of Lawrence too. Ugh.
"Hey, Rosie" Chris said, walking over to talk to her.
He had no idea what happened next though, becasue suddenly Marcia was right in front of him, looking him over appraisingly.She had the exact opposite energy of Chris.
"The name's Marcia.Ā You're Ren, eh?Ā Nice to meet you."
"Oh! Uh, thank you. I meanā" Thank you?? God, he really had to get a grip. Ren took a breath.
"Nice to meet you too." Ren kept his eyes firmly on her face when looking at her, afraid that having them stray anywhere else would give the wrong idea. Feeling like he should say something else, he added, "Rosie's told me a lot about you." Marcia's expresion melted into something...almost mischievous?
"Oh yeah~?Ā What'd she say~?"
Ren only paused a moment, his mind automatically trying to figure out what to say and what not to say, when realized that he could probably just be honest here. He was only told good things, after all.
"That you're extremely talented in photography and film. She showed me your work, it's some of the best I've ever seen. I don't I've ever seen such a variety from a single artist before either." To be fair, he hadn't met a lot of photographers either, but it still wasn't a lie! In any case, the answer seemed to make her happy. Chris came over a moment later, chuckling softly before holding out his hand.
"Hey.Ā I'm Chris King.Ā Nice to meet you." Ren reached out to grasp it, expecting a very firm shake. But Chris's hold seemed more gentle than even Ren's, making him loosen his own grip a bit as he smiled back at him. Before he could say anything in return though, Marcia cut in.
Ā "Chris is a boxer ya know~Ā He's really comin' up!" Ren noticed Chris blush a little before Marcia once again stole his full attention by suddenly swinging an arm around his shoulders. Ā "You good with loud crowds?Ā If you're gunna hang out with Rosie you're gunna hang out with us~"
"O-oh well, I mean I haven't been in a large crowd in a while..." he admitted.
"Concerts, basketball games, musicals, boxing matches, stuff like that? Movies, arcades, bowling alleys, skate parks, picnics, clubbing, drag shows-" She listed off a number of fun activities, making it painfully clear that he'd stumbled into a den of extraverts.
Rosie piped in helpfully.
"Ren likes cartoons and video games~"
"Cartoons? Like what? Bluey?"
"Like Pokemon!"
Chris perked up at this, and spoke gently to his girlfriend.
"That's anime. Arron's been getting into it."
"Ooooh~ You're right he has." She eyed Ren up again, and smirked to herself. "Oh he'll eat you up won't he~?" It wasn't a malicious look in her eyes, rather, a mischievous one.
Eventually, Rosie called everyone over so they could eat breakfast together.
---
When Arron arrived, the packing had begun, and he barely got into the apartment before launching into a story about how the couple in line in front of him at Starbucks had nearly filed for divorce right there over the barista making a mistake on the husband's order.
Arron himself was a very striking fellow, as Ren would have seen from his pictures. Skin like milk chocolate. Big brown eyes with flecks of hazel that caught in the light. His hair was dyed a vibrant pink and had been braided, along with matching hair extensions, halfway down his back. His ears were pierced; two earrings on each ear. He wore a black turtleneck, slate grey jeans, black boots and a gorgeous burgundy coat.
The very first thing he did was great the girls with hugs and cheek kisses, setting down a series of colorful looking frappes and lattes and then pulling Chris into a side hug as he continued his story.
"So the poor girl is in tears at this point, and the impatient asshole actually whips around to get the rest of us to agree with him and honey you know me if there's one thing I love it's a chance to insert myself into someone else's bullshit and teach a lesson. So I-"
At this point, Arron paused in his story, having caught sight of Ren for the first time. He took a moment to process the young man in front of him, much to the amusement of the other people in the room. Rosie took mercy on him.
"Arron, this is Ren. Ren, this is Arron."
Arron rebooted, and made his way over to Ren with a charming smile. He was the second tallest person in the room, after Chris, so he was quite a bit taller than the fox. He offered a hand.
"Pleasure's all mine~" He said genuinely. Once his jacket was off, he got to work helping pack. Maybe fifteen minutes in, with his superior hearing, Ren would pick up on a hushed conversation Arron was having with Rosie
"Excuse me, my dearest, most wonderful girl. You could have warned me that your new friend was exactly my type. I could have dressed to impress."
"Arron you look like a model 99% of the time. Besides, I told you you'd like him. Isn't he a cutie~? Just...He's going through a rough time right now."
His ears perked when she offered him a piece of cake, happily taking a bite and moaning softly at the taste. Putting the food into her mouth was even more enjoyable āhe didn't take his eyes off of her, even for a moment.
Once Rosie returned to their little nest, she got in his lap, causing him to give her a slightly flustered smile before cuddling up to her.
Asking if he wanted to make out with him was, at this point, a pretty silly question. They'd already kissed, after all. But then why was his heart racing at the thought?
'Making out' was different than just kissing. He'd never actually done it, but he knew it required more. After nodding, he moved closer, and decided to start with what he knew. Maybe she'd take the lead? Surely someone as pretty as her had made out with people before.
He placed his hands carefully at her shoulders and leaned in to press his lips against her, just as they had a short while ago. She was just as warm and soft as before, but now she tasted of cake too. It was a heavenly feeling.
After a moment of savoring the kiss, Ren slowly parted his lips, tentatively moving his tongue to her's as if asking permission to enter.
Rosie let him in; tilting her head until the angle was perfect. Her hands slid under his sleeves, rubbing sensual circles along his warm skin with her fingertips. She led without complaint; teaching him wordlessly and encouraging him with gentle moans. The fingers of her left hand found their way into Ren's hair at the base of his neck. She held his head securely as she leaned her body a little more flush against his. Her breasts pressed against his chest; soft and large and pretty impossible to ignore~
She'd gone into this little make out session fully intending to allow him to get as handsy as he wanted, and she demonstrated this by guiding one of his hands to her butt.
"You're really beautiful~" She whispered, in between breathless little kisses.
Sano had never really lost hope when it came to finding his brotherāhe couldnāt afford to, not when accepting the possibility of his death was unbearable to even consider. While he was never truly lonely, especially not since getting engaged to Annabelle, it always felt like there was something missing when Akira wasnāt around.Ā
Despite always believing he would find Akira, it nonetheless came as a surprise when his private investigator arrived at the house one day with good news. Sano had to reign in his own excitement, wary of letting his hopes get too high for this specific lead. After all, he couldnāt begin to fathom why Akira would be staying at some remote village without contacting him all this time. Unless he wasnāt able toā¦and that brought up a lot of other troubling questions.
But one thing at a time.
The travel conditions were not ideal by any means, but with the war still going on, it was the best that could be expected. The conductor in particular was a strange man, though much of that was likely due to the multitude of health conditions Sano assumed he had. Why else would all of his attempts at communicating with the man fall so flat?Ā Their lack of interaction really seemed to point to more than a language barrier; he only even knew the manās name was Gugong from his woodworking companions on the train. Part of him wanted to help the man in some way, but it was clear Gugong was looking for no such thing.Ā
Sano was grateful for the food, transport, and little conversation he got, but by the time he arrived at the āTown on Gorkhonā (he was unable to get a real name for it from his companions that spoke), he was more tired than he had been since medical school.Ā
His first impression of the town was relatively positive, though the sheer amount of children playing around the train station without any supervision seemed odd. Perhaps that was a cultural difference. In any case, cultural barriers were the least of his worriesāheād only been able to learn the basics of Russian before coming here, and unsurprisingly, none of the locals spoke English. Making his way into town and learning more about his surroundings was like pulling teeth, but Sano worked through it as patiently as he could. He was grateful to have the patience returned by enough people to get him where he needed to go.Ā
The silence that stretched between conversations as he was passed from person to person left Sano plenty of time to digest the information he learned. The name of the sole inn, āStillwater,ā struck him as oddly fitting. The whole town had a sort of āstill waterā feeling about itāa quiet, serene sort of unease that came with staring at a puddle of stagnant water, wondering what sort of pathogens lurked beneath the murky surface. He also found himself quietly building a theory for why Akiraāif indeed he was hereāwould have gone so long without even writing.Ā
The place was very remote, that alone could make leaving difficult. As far as he knew, Akira did not speak Russian, so he probably had even more issues just getting his bearings than Sano. Perhaps Akira had just been trying to survive, trying to figure out where he was and what to do next. But was that really enough to keep Akira Kojima from finding a way to contact his family all this time?
The building he finally ended up at was where the 'Kin' livedāhe could only hope his was there as well. The moment he stepped into the āThe Termitaryā, everything about the townās ambience seemed to intensify tenfold, for better and worse. The residentsā gazes were not malicious or hostile in any way, and yetā¦.something about it was uncanny.Ā For the first time since entering this town, Sano began to feel more like an intruder than a visitor. Paradoxically, the entire building felt much more like a home from the inside than it did staring at its foreboding exterior.Ā The sights, the smellsā¦they all felt familiar, yet completely foreign at the same time.
Unlike at the train station, Sano felt it would be unwise to approach any of the children in here. For a while, they just observed one another, until finally one young girl spoke to him. Getting across what he was looking for proved a bit of a challenge, but once she understood, the girl she lit up.
āTo zhe litso.ā (The same face.)
His heart skipped a beat at those words. If their faces were so similar that even this little girl took notice of itā¦but no, he couldnāt afford to get his hopes any higher than they already were. Not yet.
Sano was a little surprised to see the girl walk right in after knocking, but followed all the same. The voice that came from within was unfamiliar, which made his heart sink a little. But once the āox manā came into view, it stopped altogether.Ā
His voice was different, but his eyes were the same, his smile was the same. It was Akira.Ā
Sano watched his brother approach as if in slow motion, unable to speak, unable to move, barely able to breath. It wasnāt until Akira extended a hand toward him that Sano finally forced himself to reach up and grasp it in a firm shake. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out for the first second or two.
āEnglish,ā he forced out at last, letting go of Akiraās hand. āMoy russkiy... ne ochen' khorosh.ā (My Russian isā¦not very good.) āYou areā¦you said your name wasā¦Vincent?ā he continued, quickly regaining his bearings as the world began to turn again. Why was Akira going by another name though?
"Not a problem, I speak English.Ā Yeah!Ā Call me Vince.Ā What's yer name?"Ā
"Sano. Ah, Sano Kojima."Ā Reaching into his pocket, Akira pulled out a small wrapped candy, handed it to the little girl who had brought Sano to him, and ruffled her hair.Ā Ā
"Idi igray, Natalia." (Go play, Natalia.) Delighted, she waved goodbye to both men and ran off. "Take yer shoes off if yer gunna come in,ā Akira said, āLyvetti'll have my head if we track mud on her 'nice, clean floor."Ā
The request to take his shoes off was strangely comforting, but perhaps it was just familiar. While he was a bit curious who Lyvetti was, he decided to keep that to himself for now.
Sano continued to watch his brother with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity as Akira chuckled and led the way into what resembled a cozy-looking studio apartment. Was this all just a very convincing act, or did Akira truly not remember him? The latter seemed increasingly likely, however medically rare it would be. Once they were both inside, Akira sat down at a table, motioning to the other chair, which Sano quietly took a seat in.
Ā "So what's up?"
"Wellā¦I came here looking for someone,ā Sano began. āAnd after asking around a bit, your name came up as someone who fits the description...of who I'm looking for." With every word that left his mouth, it started to feel more convoluted, more evasive. Should he just come out and say it? Could he just come out and say it? That was a lot to spring on someone he just met, especially without a shred of evidence.
Akira looked him over carefully before speaking.Ā "You do...look a bit familiar," he admitted, rubbing his head.Ā "Do you...know me?ā There was no reason for him to ask that if it was an act, they were alone now. āTruth is, I'm not all together up here," Akira continued, tapping his temple.Ā "Don't remember nuthin from before I woke up here."
Although Sano already suspected it at this point, hearing Akira confirm his amnesia theory was somehow no less jarring.Ā But he said he looked familiar! That had to mean he remembered something, right?
āYes,ā Sano said after a moment. āI believe I do. My brother Akira fought in the war for many years. Two years ago, he wentā¦missing. Many presumed him dead, but no body was found, so I refused to accept that as an explanation. I came here because someone fitting my brotherās description was reported in this town. And you lookā¦" He took a breath.
Truth be told, Vincent had been waiting for something āimportantā to happen to him soon.Ā After waking up before the sun and eating breakfast, he had been sought out by Sabha and brought outside to the Steppe where she had given him a prophecy and a bit of adviceĀ Sitting cross legged in the field of seemingly endless grass beneath the old woman who was standing and staring out towards the horizon, Vincent listened well.
āI sense troublesome times are coming...āĀ Said Sabha, who had been with him since his rebirth two years prior.Ā A mysterious woman, both respected and feared by the Kin and the townspeople.Ā Depending on who was asked, she could be described as a guide, a teacher, a motherly figure...or perhaps a mysterious, sinister, inhuman creature that can not be trusted.Ā For Vince himself, Sabha had helped him learn how to function within the walls of the Termitary, and was one of the first handful of people to fully embrace him as Kin.Ā In all of their meetings, she had never once steered him wrong and Vince trusted her implicitly.Ā āThere will be many hard choices to make...And some losses that can not be prevented...āĀ Concern settled like a pit at the base of his spine.
āIs...There hope for us?Ā At the end of all the trouble?āĀ She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath of Autumn air and exhaling it through her nose as she rolled her head back.Ā Ā
āHope?Ā ...Perhaps.Ā Death?Ā Undoubtedly...It will come down to a handful of individuals...And most importantly, the choices of our malen'kiy korol.āĀ Our prince.Ā āI ask of you to support his choices as best you can.Ā His birth was a special one.Ā He is a child of both Earth and Stone.Ā A bridge between they, who take, and us, who survive.Ā But, he needs capable allies in this coming storm.Ā And you will serve him well.āĀ Though his mind was buzzing with curiosity regarding what this storm entailed, Vincent was already nodding in agreement.Ā He loved the Kin as though they were his own flesh and blood family.Ā If supporting the prince would keep them safe, he could do anything for them.Ā Pleased, Sabha nodded, a tiny smile breaking through her expression of detachment.Ā āBe brave, child.Ā And be loyal.Ā You will make us all proud, as you have many times before.āĀ Vince couldnāt help but beam with pride; determination swelling in his chest.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
āThere is one more thing.āĀ Oh?Ā āIn two dayās time, all of the main characters will arrive one at a time, with the storm yipping at their heels.Ā Before that...There will be one more.Ā Another soul.Ā But his journey is unrelated to theirs...For now at least.Ā He will be of particular interest to you.ā
āWhat does he want?āĀ Asked Vincent.Ā The wind picked up, flowing through the wheat colored grass and causing colorful Autumn leaves to dance around them. Sabha looked down at Vince, a knowing glint in her eyes.
āSomething only you can provide him.ā
---
The day had progressed normally since then; with Vince going to work in the factory alongside his fellow Kin.Ā He chatted with his friends as he skinned bull hide.Ā He flirted with his women as he carried heavy loads of stock and meat across town.Ā He goofed around with the children as he took his lunch break, sharing the meal made for him with some of the orphans.Ā It was a good, typical day...Apart from the weight of Sabhaās words looming heavily in the back of his mind.Ā This man that was coming to the Town in less than two days.Ā This man hunting for something only Vince could provide him.Ā Whenever his mind wasnāt otherwise occupied, that man was all Vince could think about.Ā Ā
It wasnāt until much later in the day that Vinceās path would cross with this mystery manās.
Natalia had barged in like usual, interrupting Vincent in the middle of undressing.Ā Thankfully, heād only gotten his shirt off before she came in.Ā With a reprimand, he followed her voice to the front door, figuring that he would bathe later, once heād sent her off.Ā When he made eye-contact with the man sheād brought him, Vince immediately paused as something unknown just clicked into place.Ā Though his mind couldnāt quite recall the details, there was something about this guy that Vince just...Knew.
ā...Oh.Ā There he is.Ā I really missed him.āĀ Was what his heart was telling him, even though he couldnāt explain it.Ā Clearly, this was the man heād been told about.Ā After sending Natalia away, Vince welcomed the guy inside his apartment.Ā Ā
The living quarters of the Termitary included multiple floors of studio apartments.Ā Typically, multiple people, or even whole families took up one apartment.Ā Vincentās situation was unique; as he was not blood related to anyone here, and therefore he was currently living alone.Ā Stepping over the threshold, you were immediately greeted on either side by a door on your left and an archway to your right.Ā The stone archway was uncovered, showing off shelves and crates full of basic household necessities.Ā Towels, rags, a space for shoes, anything he needed for work, his coat, extra blankets, etc.Ā The door led to the bathroom.Ā The tub is a large basin that needs to be filled with water and heated from below.Ā The sink is a large ceramic bowl on a stand with soap and a jug of water beside it.Ā And, naturally, a chamber pot for doing oneās business.Ā Stepping past the bathroom and the closet, you find yourself in the kitchen.Ā There are instruments to heat up food, and an icebox to keep it cold.Ā Jugs of water, as well of boxes that hopefully contain food are stored in cupboards.Ā There is another closet here as well.Ā A couch with pillows and a quilt is the only thing properly separating the kitchen from the sleeping area.Ā Vincent's bedroom has a dresser, a large fur rug, and Vince sized mattress propped up on a wooden shipping palette and buried in blankets (both quilted and fur).Ā The walls, much like the walls outside, were covered in paintings, some of which were done by Vince himself~Ā Ā
Leading Sano over to the table, Vince got down to business.
āSo, whatās up?ā
It was...A lot to take in.Ā Vincent's eyes widened for a moment as the implication settled between them.Ā He took a good hard look at the man across from him, letting his gaze take in every detail.Ā Admittedly, there was something about his face that made something in Vinceās brain start to i t c h.Ā Vince stood up, holding up a hand to indicate Sano should wait a moment.Ā He disappeared into the bathroom, and came back into the kitchen with a mirror.Ā He moved his chair so that he was sitting right next to Sano and held up the mirror so that they could both look into it at the same time.
"Move yer hair outta yer face for a sec."Ā He did the same with his own hair, which was covering up an eyepatch.Ā Sano did as he was asked, allowing Vince to see his entire face.Ā Just looking between them, it was easy to point out all of their similarities.Ā Their eyes were exactly the same.Ā The same icy silvery color that the Kin liked to compliment him on.Ā Their face shapes were similar...Their hair, their ears...Ā After a while of getting lost in their image, Vince turned to look at Sano in quiet awe.
"I mean...Yeah.Ā Shit."Ā He blinked, letting the realization that he suddenly had a brother....Suddenly had someone who knew who he was before he woke up in this town hit him.Ā He laughed joyously; setting down the mirror.Ā "We look like we could be twins or something!"
Sano blinked, then laughed. "We are actually - literally twins." Then his gaze softened into a quiet awe of his own. "It's really you....."
It took Vince a minute to realize he was staring at the other man, the odd sense of something solid clicking into place making more sense now that he knew why he'd almost immediately, instinctively known that Sano belonged and was welcome.
"You want somethin' to eat?"Ā He offered.Ā "I dunno how far you travelled to get here, but yer free to use whatever I got in here~"
"I'd love something actually, yes. Food has been...limited on the train." He glanced around a moment, almost as if trying to get an idea of what was here in terms of meal ingredients, but he didnāt get up. Instead, he looked back at Vince pensively.Ā "But Iām not famished. If you have any....questions or...."
Vince grinned, standing up again.Ā "I do, but they can wait.Ā You look like you could keel over any minute.Ā Gimmie a sec."Ā He went back to the front door, opening it up and stepping outside.Ā Sano was left alone in the apartment for three or so minutes before Vince returned.Ā "Asked one of my girls to make us something for dinner."Ā He nodded in the direction of the bathroom.Ā "Should be some hot water left if you wanna wash up?"Ā He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling oddly sheepish.Ā "And uh...We got time.Ā I ain't goin' anywhere."
"Oh, thank you so much, that's very kind of them."Ā The "we got time' line actually made Sano look a little sheepish himself. "Right...of course." He let out a small sigh and forced himself to get up and fetch a change of clothes from his luggage.Ā "I won't be long."Ā Ā Ā
For the twenty minutes that Sano was occupied in the bath, Vincent had left the apartment once more, eager to find someone to tell his good news to.Ā He was back with time to spare, his thoughts racing as he tried to remember something about Sano.Ā They were brothers!Ā Did they still have living parents?Ā What country were they from? How did he find him?Ā While thinking of things to ask, Vince dragged Sano's luggage closer to his sleeping area.Ā When Sano came back out, Vince was back at the table, this time holding up a bottle of water and a bottle of alcohol.Ā He looked a little excited~Ā
"Whatcha in the mood for?"Ā
Sano smiled a little when he saw his brother again, something between eagerness and slight relief.Ā When his gaze shifted to the two bottles, his smile only grew.Ā "Water would be wonderful. Honestly, I think I could stand to hydrate a bit more."Ā He walked over to take a seat.
Chuckling, Vince poured the water into two steins and retook his seat.Ā Damn...Where to start?
"So who am I?"Ā He blurted out first.Ā It wasn't the best starting point, all things considered... "I mean, like I said before, all I really know is this."Ā He motioned to the dog tags around his neck, which listed him as a 'Sergeant Vincent Metzger', his Identification number, and on the other side, the branch of military he was assigned to.Ā Interestingly, Sano might notice that 'Vincent' and Akira had been assigned to the same military base.
Sano's eyes widened a little at the first question, though he seemed less daunted once Akira went on. After staring at the dog tags for a moment, he looked at him.Ā "I never met Vincent Metzger myself. Though it does look like you two were assigned to the same military base, so...perhaps there was a mix-up of some sort?" He looked back at Akira.Ā "In any case, you are....as far as I can tell, very similar to the person you are now, at least in terms of personality. You were always concerned with helping others - me especially. That was the entire reason you went to war in the first place, actually."
Vince was listening with clear interest in his eyes.Ā "Whaddya mean?"
"Well, we weren't exactly wealthy...We got by, but certainly didn't have anything close to what it would take to send me to medical school. All the same, it'd been a dream of mine since I was very young. So when a recruiter came around and presented the opportunity to provide the family with a considerable steady income....You took it."
Vinceās eyes widened with surprise.Ā "Seriously?Ā I joined the fuckin' army for you?"Ā Was it possible to be impressed by a you you'd never met before?Ā What a brave little guy heād been.Ā "Heh...Aw~Ā Guess I really loved ya."
Sano gave him the warmest smile yet. "Yes. you did. And I you...āĀ Ā
Vince felt something warm and familiar beating fondly in his heart in response to that~
"We wrote to each other quite regularly, and saw each other whenever possible. But obviously, as things ramped up in the war, things got more and more difficult. And then you went missing..."Ā His smile fades. "The official call was 'missing in action,' but it was clear they thought you were dead."
Vince snorted.Ā "Nah.Ā I'm unkillable~Ā So what's my name?"
Sano snorted, then smiled softly at the question. He'd only mentioned the name once briefly, it was no wonder he didn't recall. "Akira Kojima."
"Akira...Akira..."Ā It tickled his brain in the same way Sano's face had.Ā "!Ā That's an Asian name isn't it?Ā Are we Asian?"
To his relief, she accepted his hug, pulling him closer almost immediately. Ren tried to comfort her as best he could while she cried, quietly finding solace in the closeness himself. When Rosie finally spoke, her request caught him off-guard. Heād prayed at home during New Yearās with his family growing up, but he sincerely doubted Rosie was suggesting they start bowing or clapping. How did prayer work for her anyway? She mentioned the floor and a rosary, the latter of which he only had a vague idea about from TV shows. All the same, he figured it would comfort her to pray with her, and maybe heād find some comfort in it too. Ren folded his hands the way she showed him and closed his eyes.
Please, if anyone is up there, look after that poor woman. Andā¦.please help us get home. Orā¦out of here anyway. Help Rosie get home.Ā
To his surprise, Rosie spoke her āwishā aloud. Was he supposed to do the same?Ā Well, it seemed rude to interrupt her now.Ā He continued silently on his own, opening his eyes only once to check on her when she started speaking in another language. Was that part of it too? Ren quietly went back to his own prayer until he felt her arms wrap around him again.
Rosie seemed to take his reassurance well, and he was glad to hear that it was more Strade than her own pleasure that distressed her. Of course, Strade was usually the problem.
āNot you though.Ā Never you.ā
Ren smiled. Despite her earlier reassurances that she wasnāt mad about the nightās events, somehow these five words were what truly confirmed it for him. It really felt like she was saying āI donāt see you as a problem.ā And that was newāa soft, safe, warm, and happy feeling. He never felt like that, not even with Strade. As he gazed into her soft, gentle eyes, Ren suddenly felt overcome with the desire to kiss her. He started moving toward her lips, only catching himself at the last second to plant the kiss on her cheek instead. After tonight, the last thing he wanted to do was force somethingāanything on her.
After their talk, they rested together for a bit before he had to slip away back to his own room. Once he was back in his nest of blankets, Ren drifted off, thinking of Rosieās reaction to that kiss. Had she known what he was about to do?
----
The next few days were relaxing, with most of his time spent cooking, playing video games, or spending some secret time with Rosie. As usual though, it didnāt last. A few nights later, just as Ren was drifting off to sleep, he heard heavy footsteps come up the stairs and down the hall to his room. His mind racedāshould he look up when Strade came in, or would that encourage him? Should he act like he was asleep, or would that annoy him? Heād learned a lot about Strade since coming here, but it was almost impossible to read his current mood without even seeing him. Either way, the fact that he was up here at all was probably not a good sign.Ā
In the end, Ren remained frozen in place, eyes closed as he heard the door open. For the next few seconds, he barely dared to breathe. Then the door closed again, and the footsteps moved back down to the other side of the hall. Ren barely let out a tiny sigh of relief before realizing that Strade was probably going to Rosie instead. Newly tense, he strained his ears to hear anything that might clue him in to what was going on. He heard the faint sound of a groan, the low rumble of voices, and a familiar laugh. But no screamsāthat was a good sign, right?
After falling into an uneasy sleep, Ren got up to check on Rosie the next morning, only to find her looking back at him from under Strade. Relief washed over him as he gave her a small smile and left as quietly as he came.Ā
----
During package delivery day, Ren was surprised to see packages for Rosie alongside his. It was largely clothes, both functional and just plain pretty. He smiled and nodded at the outfits she showed off encouragingly, but was very mindful of the fact that Strade was watching too. He didnāt dare tell her how absolutely gorgeous sheād look in each one.
Later that same day, Doctor Kojima came over for a routine visit. Rosie went first, so Ren took a seat on the sofa to watch quietly until it was his turn. Unfortunately for Ren, Strade got bored of doing the same pretty quickly. Suddenly, Strade had an arm around him, pulling him flush against his slide as he started playing with his ears. Physically, it felt just as nice as it always did, but any chance of relaxing was ruined by the increasingly eager expression Strade had fixed on him all the while. Soon enough, Stradeās hands wandered under Renās shirt, and his teeth moved perilously close to his ears. He could feel Stradeās breath pick up, his grip tightenā¦
"Strade, I could finish healing her foot."Ā Ā
Never in his life had he been that relieved to hear Dr. Kojimaās voice. Both Ren and Strade looked over toward him but only Strade seemed to know what on earth he was talking about. Stradeās hands slid away as his attention shifted to the other two, leaving Ren to silently wonder what the heck 'glowly hands' meant.
It didnāt take long to find out.
Ren watched in wonder as Dr. Kojima literally healed Rosieās wound the rest of the way, seemingly by magic. As it turned out, literally by magic. Could he always do that?? Heād known from the moment he met the man that Dr. Kojima wasnāt entirely human, but he still didnātĀ know what he was, and certainly didnāt dare ask. Rosie had no problem asking all sorts of questions though. Dr. Kojima didnāt seem to mind either; in fact, he almost seemed to enjoy it.Ā
Renās check-up went about the same way it always did. Dr. Kojima commented on his diet after doing some bloodwork, doing so in such a way that Ren felt compelled to mutter an apology. It wasnāt that it was scolding per se, and certainly not angry, justā¦disappointed, maybe? Either way, Ren's response was completely ignored. Other than that, Dr. Kojima checked his vitals and examined some of the more newly-healing wounds for infection. The whole appointment was markedly quieter than Rosieās.Ā
Once he was done, however, Strade talked enough for the both of them. Ren slipped out as soon as he could to help Rosie in the kitchen, trying to tune out the conversation Strade was having with Sano, especially when it started to focus on him and Rosie. To Renās surprise, Rosie gently shooed him out of the kitchen, leaving him to head to his room and wonder what she was up to. Some sort of surprise for him surely, but what?Ā
Soon enough, the smell of chocolate, pasta, shrimp, and something dairyācream maybe?āmade its way up to his room, and he realized she was probably making dinner for them to share. While the gesture was certainly appreciated, he couldnāt help but continue to wonder why they werenāt making it together like usual.Ā
He perked up eagerly as soon as Rosie came back upstairs, but again, she surprised him by not opening the door.
āRen, dinnerās almost ready~Ā Do me a favor, okay?Ā Donāt open the door yet.Ā Put on whatever you have thatās nicest.ā
āOh uhā¦okay!ā Whatever he had that was nicest? Ren thought back to her recent purchases. Maybe she was looking for something formal?
But he didnāt own anything like that! Most of what he had in his room was T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and that one pair of pants and long-sleeved shirt for the colder days. Since the latter two items were more pajamas than anything else, he decided to go with whatever else had the least stains and tears. In the end, he chose a simple black V-neck T-shirt and knee-length dark tan shorts. Unfortunately, he really had nothing for his feet, but Rosie tended to go barefoot too, didnāt she?
Not long after he heard Stradeās car drive away, Rosie came back up with yet another unusual request: keeping his eyes closed while she āset upā something in his room. Ren shut his eyes obediently.Ā
āAlright, come in.ā
He sat there quietly, eyes closed but ears fully alert as he tried to figure out what she was doing. He heard the soft clink of plates and glasses, he heard furniture sliding along the floor, he heard her leave and come back with some additional piece of furniture, and he heardā¦.was that Persona 5 main menu music? But then he heard the soft sound of her navigating the menu options. The song that played next was one he recognized from the date scene when you maxed out your relationship with a certain character.Ā
And then it all clicked into place. The secret meal, the pretty outfits, whatever she was setting up right nowā¦this was a date. An overwhelming mixture of excitement and anxiety twisted together in his gut. The closest Ren had ever been to a real date wasā¦actually, he really didnāt want to think about that right now. But a date with Rosie! Heād dreamed about it, sure, but never in a million years did he think heād get to actually do it. Ren felt his heart racing when Rosie finally came over andĀ led him to his feet.Ā
"Okay~!Ā Open your eyes!ā
After taking one last deep breath to try and calm himself, Ren opened his eyes.Ā His mouth fell open less than a second after, and for a moment, he just stood there gaping at her in absolute awe.Ā
Of all the beautiful things she bought, he was 99% sure that dress was not one of them. Or at least, not one he remembered seeing. His eyes trailed down her figure quickly at first, taking it all in, but moved back up more slowly, pausing completely at her chest before making their way back up to her radiant smile.
"You...you look..."Ā
"Amazing~"
For a split second, his gaze moved to his desk. It was set for twoāeach place with a glass of juice and a bowl of creamy shrimp pasta. His eyes moved back to her.
"You made all of this forā¦ā he almost said āmeā, but caught himself, ā...us?ā
āHeh~ Yes, I did.ā
Ren tensed up a bit as Rosie walked closer, his heart hammering violently in his chest. The moment he felt her hands around his though, it began to slow.Ā
āI hope you like it,ā she continued. āItās a date~ā
Heād figured that much out by this point, but hearing her actually say it made his heart skip a beat.
āYeahā¦ā
āI love it~ā All at once, he was overcome with the same soft, warm, safe feeling heād had a few nights ago before kissing her.Ā āThank you, Rosie~āĀ
Rosie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. āRen~Ā I like you.Ā I'm falling in love with you.āĀ
Despite everything, he hadnāt expected her to say that, not so overtly. As he gazed at her with surprise, his ears twitched.Ā Holding her this close, he could hear her heart racingāfeel it too. Was she as nervous as he was?Ā That wasā¦strangely comforting, actually. He took a shaky breath.Ā
āIā¦ā
"I feel the same way. I have for a while now, you're..." Ren took another small breath, trying to figure out how to put all his feelings to words. āYou're the most amazing person I've ever met."
Rosie gazed back at him with big, watery eyes just before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into another hug. Her hair smelled like a field of flowers. A moment later, she pulled back, smiling at him once more before slowly moving toward his mouth. Ren leaned in to meet her half-way, just as eager as he was terrified.
And then their lips met.
In movies, first kisses were always full of loud excitementāāāexploding fireworks and rising crescendos. But this was quiet and warm, like sinking into a bath after a long day. All the fear and anxiety from before melted away as he lost himself in the delicate, soft feeling of her lips.
Once they pulled back, Ren's gaze held nothing but love and adoration as she held his face in her hands, then kissed him again. It was just as nice the second time.
āRen~ā she cooed, touching her nose to his. āWhat a cute, fluffy boyfriend I've found~"Ā
Ren giggled, wrapping his tail around her. That made her his girlfriend too, didnāt it?
"What a gorgeous, soft girlfriend Iāve found~" he replied as he moved in for a third kiss. He let this one linger a bit longer than the others, savoring every second before finally pulling back and giving her the most confident smile heād ever had since setting foot in this house.
"We shall~" Rosie pulled Ren over to the desk and took a seat in front of her pasta.Ā She waited for Ren to sit before putting her hands together in prayer and shutting her eyes with a smile on her face.Ā Inside, she was full of contentment, relief, excitement and gratitude.
"Thank you for bringing us together.Ā Though we find ourselves in a sea of torment, so long as Ren and I are together, there is a little oasis of peace, even here.Ā I promise to get out of here with him, and to live well, and find justice for the souls lost.Ā I pray for our happiness.Ā Both in general, and together~" ā¤ļø She opened an eye and looked at him, regarding him affectionately.Ā She was a little surprised to see that he was already looking at her, but she didn't mind~Ā "Amen." Ā Dinner was scrumptious, and rightfully so, she'd poured love into each part of it.Ā While eating, it was hard to keep her eyes off of Ren.Ā "How is it~?"
"Amen~" He waited until she took the first bite to start eating, but then dug in, though his eyes rarely strayed from her. "It's amazing~ I think this is the best pasta I've ever had."Ā Pleased, Rosie reached out a free hand to hold his, which he took eagerly.Ā Ā
"There's cake too~Ā Double chocolate."Ā His eyes widened a bit at the sound of that.Ā Ā
"That's literally my favorite flavor of cake~Ā Once we're done, do you want me to bring it up?"
"Help me bring the dishes down. We'll load them in the dishwasher and then cut ourselves cake~" Strade had definitely seen her preparing it, not to mention the fact that he'd bought the ingredients himself. Sooo, as much as she wanted to keep all of the cake for herself and Ren, she'd have to save Strade some undeserved deliciousness. "Then we'll come back up here, and enjoy cake and kisses~ Sound good?" He nodded, looking extremely pleased with that idea.Ā
---
Rosie made a pitstop to her room, grabbing all of her pillows and some blankets too.Ā Now that she knew Strade was willing to buy her things, she was considering a few other necessities, like a nice thick comforter~Ā She set up a little cozy nest for them, and then sat down next to Ren, who had both of their plates.Ā She wrapped his tail around her lap, and the blankets around both of them, and snuggled closer, taking her share of cake.
"What's that cute thing the characters in your manga say before dinner?"
"Itadakimasu~" He answered, and Rosie followed suit, taking a bite.Ā "Mmmm~" Chocolate was such a cure for the soul~Ā She watched Ren's expression eagerly as she chewed, and was pleased to see that he was really into the cake.Ā After swallowing his bite, he turned to her and said; "This is incredible!" He snuggled against her. "You're amazing~"Ā Rosie's eyes rolled back for a moment, and she was drunk on the straight hit of serotonin that was the combination of literal sugar and Ren's metaphorical sugary sweetness~Ā Fucking Hell she wanted to eat him up next~Ā After a pause, he looked back at her with a softer, almost shy expression.Ā "You know, there's another phrase that doesn't really come up in anime a whole lot...."
"What phrase is that~?"
"Aishiteru.Ā It means...well. Technically it just means 'I love you,' but it's not really the same as in English. My mom said it wasĀ 'daisuki da' yori ÅkÄ«, bigger than even really liking someone. I always wanted someone I could say that to." Ā He gave her a big smile. "And now I do~"
"!" That was a lot to take in, but in the best sort of way.Ā Wasn't he being way too cute??Ā How was this even fair? Leaning in, she gave him a big kiss.Ā What else could she possibly do?Ā "Mi piaci cosƬ tanto~"Ā She touched her nose to his and nuzzled, wishing things could stay just like this~Ā With much hesitation, she pulled away from more kisses to get back to the cake.Ā Rosie was in the middle of commenting on how interesting it would be to grow up in a house where there were four languages being spoken at any time, when she suddenly gave herself a light face palming.Ā Ā
"Ren...We're huge dummies."Ā Naturally, he looked confused.Ā She tucked her fork into what was left of her cake and held it up to his mouth.Ā "I was so caught up in first date bliss I forgot cheesy romance 101.Ā Aaah~" It was a quiet sort of bliss to feed him, and when it was her turn to be fed, Rosie was hard pressed to look away from Ren for even a moment.Ā With their plates cleared, she left the nest just long enough to place the dishes on top of Renās desk to be dealt with later.Ā She moved the blankets aside for a bit, just long enough to get back under them.Ā Instead of sitting beside Ren, however, she sat right on his lap, straddling him.Ā She wrapped the blankets back around them and wrapped her arms around his neck.Ā āYou wanna make out~?āĀ Even if it might seem a little silly to ask now, after theyād shared many kisses, Rosie was determined to get the clear and enthusiastic consent Ren deserved~
Rosemary's expresion made it difficult to regret the decision he just made. Even after she left, those bright and gentle smiles stayed with him like a warm glow of sunshine lingering on his skin after going indoors. But such a warmth was always ephemeral, and soon enough, he was left with the cold realization that he let her walk out the door.
He let her go.
Lawrence sat on his bed and stared at the new number in his phone for a while. It was his last connection with her, and likely the only way he'd be able to reach her again. He switched to Vince's number, staring at on of their recent chats and wondering if he should ask for help with the situation sooner than later. This was, after all, much more difficult than just burying a body. Once she went to the cops, it was going to be a whole mess of things that stressed him out even just think about. He switched back to Rosemary's number.
"....."
What if she did come back? The very idea of getting his hopes up was a frightening one, and yet he couldn't fully shake the feeling that it really was a possibility. With a sigh, he decided to wait and see for now.
Lawrence got up off his bed and busied himself tending to the rest of his plants for a bit. Once that was done, he made sure he had everything ready for work later, then went on the computer to listen to some music. He kept his headphones slightly askew so he could hear the sound of the phone if and when he got a text. He ended up checking the screen every so often too, just to be safe. When the text finally came, he picked up the phone instantly to read it.
[08/27/18 09:30 PM] Rosemary: (Lawrence! It's Rosie. Please let me in~)
Since Vince was the main person who visited him (and he had a spare key), it took Lawrence a moment to realize she was asking him to come downstairs to let her in.
[08/27/18 09:31 PM] Lawrence: (Ok)
He got up to and headed down to the front door, opening it slowly just in case. Something about this still seemed far too good to be true. When he actually laid eyes on her, standing there with a grocery bag in each arm, he blinked in surprise.
"The audition went really well," she said cheerfully. "Oh, I went to the store on my way back, it's a little heavy, will you help me please?" Rosemary held up one of the bags toward him.
"Oh. Yeah."
He moved closer to take one of the bags, then held out his other arm. She handed Lawrence the second bag to him, thanked him, and followed him back upstairs. He had to set the bags down to undo all the locks, but once it was open, he gestured for her to go in while he gathered things back until into his arms. Once inside, he set the bags on the counter and returned to the door, redoing each lock.
When he turned back to the kitchen, Rosemary was already putting things away. A lot of what she bought seemed to be non-perishables, which he supposed was for his benefit. There were still a few things that went in the freezer though, so he made a mental note to eat that first.
"I got Five Guys, is that okay?"
"Oh. Yeah, I like Five Guys." After a pause, he added, "Thanks."
Lawrence stood and watched her put things away one by one, visibly caught between trying not to stare and desperately wanting to look at her. Whenever their eyes met, he immediately looked away. It wasn't until she'd put away well over half of the groceries that it finally occured to him he should offer assistance.
"Do you want help?"
Rosemary looked over at him with light, pleasant surprise. "Sure~ Please help me with the tall people items."
He nodded, walking over and stealing another glance at her before starting to place containers up on the high shelf. He wanted to say something to her, something more meaningful than just offering to help with groceries, but he wasn't sure where to start. Maybe...asking her more about the audition?
"When do you know...if you got the part?"
"I made it to the final fifteen. They recorded us, so the director is going to take the next three days to make a final decision on casting~"
Huh. For some reason he assumed it was a one-time thing, but if there were a lot of people trying out, maybe they needed to do multiple rounds. That meant she was going to need to go out again for the next one. But if she already came back once...she was pretty likely to come back a second time, right?
"Do you like ballet, Lawrence?"
"....!"
"Not really." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what was wrong. It sounded like he was saying he had no interest in her dancing, and that wasn't true! Ugh....
"I don't...I-I don't think it's..."
"......." Ugh. He had to take a second to gather his thoughts, he had to figure out how to put this to words.
"Oh." She was clearly disappointed, but said nothing more before returning to her work.
"N-no I....That's....that's not what I meant." With a soft sigh of frustration, he tried again.
"I don't think it's bad, I just..."
"I've...never really seen one before. I never really had an interest because...I've only been to the theater once, for a play. A-and it wasn't....a great experience. Too many people."
"But if it was....you dancing...I'd like to see it."
Stepping back inside Lawrenceās apartment filled Rosie with a clashing mixture of both anxiety and peace.Ā Anxiety, of course, because she was once again in the home of a man she knew had the capacity to kill her.Ā But there was also peace, because with Lawrence came reminders of the river, of the blissful nothingness that awaited her on the other side.Ā This particular version of Lawrence seemed to be really trying this time, the scale tilted more towards āfriendā, rather than āenemyā.Ā Rosie slipped off her shoes near the front entrance and began putting away groceries while Lawrence got to work sliding and turning his eight locks into place.Ā For the most part, sheād gotten him non-perishable items, though, since discovering that his fridge did actually work, sheād brought a few fruits and vegetables, some microwavable meals, and a little cake as well~
She heard Lawrence approach the doorway of the kitchen and was keenly aware that he was watching her.Ā She kept him in her peripheral vision while she worked and was pleased when he offered to help her.Ā His cabinets were a bit out of her reach, so she put him to work putting away anything he wanted to store there.Ā To her slight surprise, he had a question for her about the audition, which she answered with a hopeful tone of voice.Ā Top fifteen was pretty dang good, especially for a dead woman!Ā Actually, sheād never had a conversation about her passions with Lawrence before. Ā He was an artsy guy, maybe she could invite him to watch?
āDo you like ballet, Lawrence?āĀ His answer was ānoā, or rather, ānot reallyā, and she couldnāt quite keep the disappointment from showing on her face and in her body language. Ā Fortunately, he seemed to have misspoken, and took a moment to collect his thoughts.Ā Rosie left him alone while he did so, setting up her burger and fries on a plate, and pouring her soda into a glass in the meantime.Ā Eventually, he tried again.
āI'veā¦never really seen one before. I never really had an interest becauseā¦I've only been to the theater once, for a play. A-and it wasn't a great experience. Too many people.āĀ She had to concede that that definitely made sense.Ā She smiled at him in a sympathetic way, but he continued.Ā āBut if it was⦠you dancingā¦I'd like to see it.āĀ
ā!ā What the heck?Ā That was adorable?? Ā Rosie couldnāt help but be a little charmed by the offer to try, to make an exception for her.Ā Her expression quickly melted into a sweet one of gratitude.Ā āThe stage at the Austen Theatre has those balcony seats where you can sit by yourself or with a friend~āĀ She suggested, carrying her food over to his desk and setting it down.Ā On the way past him, she let her fingers graze gently over his arm.Ā Gentle affection~Ā āIām glad you feel that way because Iād love to dance for you~āĀ Popping a fry into her mouth, she had a thought.Ā āWhat sort of stories do you like?ā
"Stories?" He paused a moment, thinking.Ā "I like small stories. Not in length, exactly but...focused ones, I guess. Ones you can sit with and get to know a few characters. I like stories about death that focus on those dying, but not in a tragic way. Soft...quiet decay." He moved to sit down on the bed, still looking pensive.Ā "I like stories with that aren't just about good versus evil. I like stories that don't rush, that aren't afraid to let you sit and experience them. Maybe that's why I like dance...I've never seen one live."
Thinking of some movies or books to recommend him, she munches and listens.Ā Gloomy, but poetic!Ā "Do you prefer tragic endings?"
"No. But there are some stories I think are supposed to be tragic that I don't...really think are. I don't like when the hero dies for someone else. It feels..." He trails off, trying to find the word, but coming up short. "....well. It takes more courage to live, anyway."
She's enjoying this conversation. Asking Lawrence about art was the right idea.Ā "Hm~ Have you seen Phantom of the Opera? What do you think? Aesthetic gold or overhyped~?"
"I've heard of it. But I've never seen it since I didn't want to go to a theater...I guess there is a movie though, right? What do you think of it?"Ā She adored it.Ā Pleased as punch, Rosie launched right into telling the story.
"It's about a woman who works at a famous opera house. She gets a chance for a lead role when the ghost haunting the theatre scares away the prima donna. She wows everyone with her voice because she's been getting singing lessons from an angel sent to her by her deceased father. As it turns out, however, her angel and the Opera ghost are the same man."Ā She's been telling the story with all the tonal mystique and intrigue it deserves and is clearly having fun doing so.Ā Sheās only egged on when Lawrence starts to look genuinely interested.
"The Phantom of the Opera is a disfigured musical genius, living in the catacombs beneath the Opera house. He fell in love with Christine, and he uses whatever means necessary to make her a star.Ā A childhood friend of Christine's comes back into her life, Viscount Raoul, and he immediately falls for her, wanting to rekindle their old connection and charm her. The Phantom becomes jealous." Likewise, her tone becomes sinister. "While Christine and Raoul become engaged in secret, the Phantom shows his hand and kills one of the cast members, hanging him from the rafters."
"Now that they know he isn't fooling around, he uses his influence to force them to perform an opera that he wrote, where he sneaks onto the stage to dance and sing with Christine. She realizes it's him and unmasks him. He flies into a rage!Ā He grabs Christine and forces her into the catacombs with him, determined to never let her go again. Raoul follows and the two of them sword fight. The Phantom wins, and he's about to kill Raoul, but Christine declares that she will marry him, and live with him, and love him, if he lets Raoul live.Ā She kisses him, to seal her choice, and the fact that she's giving up everything for him shakes him to his core."
"Despite it breaking his own heart, he lets them both go, vanishing into the darkness, the only hint of him being a single rose left on Christine's grave decades later."Ā Finished, she looks at Lawrence with a big grin. "What ācha think?"
".....wow."Ā He's silent for a moment or two, taking it all in.Ā "I'd....go with you....to a theater to see that. In balcony seats."Ā Rosie beams at him, feeling for the first time that maybe there was a chance of a real connection between them, beyond the River, and certainly being killer and victim.
"I'll see if there are any showings coming up~"
Vincent Metzger was already hard at work when Lawrence was due to clock in. There were two big orders to fill, followed by three more small ones that he'd tackle after lunch. He was holding a conversation as he lifted a two-hundred-pound sofa by himself and carried it into the eighteen-wheeler. He paused, his nose picking up a familiar scent.
"Whoop~ There he is." His co-worker, Dan, peeked out the window.
"Sure is. How do you do that?"
"It's my superpower~" said Vince with a grin.Ā He left Lawrence alone to clock in an get settled before heading over to him. "Hey~ We're in for an easy night."
The curtain rises on a quaint village nestled deep within the Russian steppe.Ā The season is mid-Autumn.Ā The skies are tinted with a hazy hue of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns.Ā Pollen travels on the breeze; the musky scent of twyre and blood and Earth.Ā The sounds of village life are ever present at this time of day.Ā The braying of cattle and the joyful screams of children.Ā The barking of dogs and mewling of cats.Ā The birds that have not quite begun their pilgrimage to warmer climates hang around in tall black trees full of colorful, dying leaves.Ā It's still warm.Ā The turning point from late sunshine to early moonlight has yet to transpire.Ā Ā
A cargo train chugs along the track that connects the village to the city over hundreds and thousands of miles away.Ā It takes five days to ride from there to here, and the train only comes every two weeks on top of that.Ā There are very few human passengers seated among the goods.Ā This isnāt a train meant for people, and as the vehicle travels further and further into rural territory, the ride becomes rockier and less pleasant.Ā Two men are sitting on a wooden crate as they talk about why their lives have led them to this quiet town.Ā The older man is here to deliver an order from the city.Ā He works for a company that handcarves chairs and tables, and heās here to bring them to the customer.Ā The younger man, a doctor in his late twenties, is here for a very personal reason.Ā Though he does not share the full details with his companion, the story is such:
Twenty something years ago, Sano Kojima; now a surgeon working for a prestigious hospital in the city's capitol, was then living in a cabin in the woods with his parents; Jun and Kiku, a farming couple, and his younger twin brother Akira. Ā Living a humble life such as theirs meant that, while they were comfortable enough living in their cozy accommodations and being self-sufficient, there weren't that many opportunities for personal growth.Ā Sano had dreams of becoming a doctor, having learned first aid for the benefit of his family and few friends.Ā Without enough money to support his schooling, however, his dreams were doomed to remain a childhood flight of fancy.
One day, at the age of fourteen, an opportunity came to the Kojimaās doorstep.Ā A recruiter for the army had found them, asking for a bit of time and if they would be so kind as to provide him with a bit of dinner.Ā They obliged.Ā The man, a āGeneral Nikolaiā, entertained the family with many adventures from his past in the military.Ā He eventually explained that he was traveling through their country to recruit at least one son from each family for the army.Ā Sensing their hesitation, he explained the benefits to them.Ā While it was true that they wouldnāt see their son for months or years at a time, he would obviously be allowed to write to them often.Ā The family would be receiving a stipend to help recover the loss of their child, and of course, their son would be properly compensated for serving their country.Ā They were given the night to mull it over, while their guest slept on their couch.Ā Though initially expecting to send the man off in the morning, Sano had been surprised when his brother came forward with his idea.
āIāll go with him!āĀ Akira had said while they washed up for bed.
āWh-What?Ā Why?ā
āBecause if I go, I can get stronger, and I can send you back money so you can go to school.Ā Itās perfect!ā
āBut I donāt want you to go...āĀ Sano had protested, his dream dancing teasingly at the edges of his fingertips.Ā Akira was offering him the world, and yet, to take it would mean to risk losing his best friend forever.Ā Akira beamed, wrapping an arm around Sanoās shoulder.
āIt wonāt be forever~Ā And besides, Iāll come back whenever they let me, and you can patch up whatever wounds I come back with.āĀ Though Sano hadnāt appreciated the joke, he eventually found himself swayed by Akiraās lofty goals for their family.Ā In the morning, their parents packed Akiraās suitcase with precious memories along with necessities.Ā Sano stubbornly clung to Akira until the last possible second.
āYou have to write often.Ā Promise?ā
āI promise~ā
And the promise was kept.Ā It had taken some time for Akira to travel to, and then become settled in at his new training facility, but a few weeks after theyād parted ways, the first letter came.Ā It was fairly long, with Akira talking at length about traveling, and all the sights heād seen so far.Ā Along with his letter, he sent along half of his pay, to be put towards Sanoās schooling.Ā Reading the letter, their mother cried, and it took everything in Sano to not do the same.Ā He kept a strong facade; appearing cool and calm, playing it off as his confidence in Akira shining through.Ā They sent separate reply letters in the same envelope.
The twins wouldnāt see each other again in person for the next two years.Ā Once enough money had been saved up, Sano had started attending school in the city, which was an adventure of its own.Ā Between training and studying, the boys simply werenāt free at the same time.Ā Finally, they met again at sixteen, both having grown substantially, both mentally and physically.Ā The two weeks Akira spent at home seemed to fly by; not being nearly enough after such a long time apart.Ā More time passed, more letters were shared; at least one a month.Ā Akira rose in rank, while Sano rose to the top of his class.Ā When Sano graduated college, he was surprised with another visit from his brother, who had pulled strings and favors to be able to attend the ceremony.
Now that Sano had successfully graduated, there was technically nothing stopping Akira from retiring once he reached the end of his current contract.Ā Both men separated in high spirits, but Sanoās heart nearly fell out of his chest when he heard news that their country had been pulled into a war.Ā Ā
A letter was delivered to his apartment, warning him to be prepared for a draft at any time.Ā The more experienced doctors were drafted first, leaving Sano behind in the city to gain experience at a far more rapid rate than heād ever anticipated.Ā A year into the war, Sano was finally drafted.Ā He was put to work caring for injured soldiers; working grueling hours day after day.Ā Three months before the war finally reached its end, Sano reunited with Akira once more.Ā Ā
āIām not happy youāre here, but itās great to see you again~āĀ His arm was injured, though nothing life altering.Ā The brothers took the opportunity to talk to each other.Ā Akira had seen some terrible things out on the battlefield.Ā Heād taken many lives already, and each of them tended to linger in his mind.Ā Sano listened quietly, thinking of the lives heād saved, and the ones he hadnāt been able to save...Ā Akira had only been able to stay in the medical tent for two days, but getting to see Sano again had cheered them both up.
Despite being released from his mandatory service several months later, Sano didnāt hear from his brother again.
A full two years had passed without a hint of Akira being confirmed alive or dead.Ā Currently listed as āMissing In Actionā, Sano had stubbornly refused to entertain the idea that something as pathetic as a bullet could have taken Akira out.Ā Even as he continued to live his life, the life Akiraās initial sacrifice had afforded him, Sano did whatever he could to try and catch even a hint to his brotherās location.Ā Ā
And that brings us to today, mere months before Sanoās wedding to the beautiful opera singer heād met while treating patients in the hospital.Ā A knock on the door revealed Sanoās investigator, a talented detective that greeted his client with a big grin and a folder full of information.
āTake the A-BX train out of Nizhny, itās the only route with just one proper stop.Ā Itāll take you to a ghostly little backwater town.Ā Nothing but bulls and weird natives I hear.Ā Strange folk.Ā But~Ā Iāve heard good talk from my sources that a man fitting your brotherās description is there, living with the locals.āĀ Ā
Getting a ticket had been an arduous task.Ā With the war still going on, the usual passenger and cargo trains that made the trip to the Steppe were being used to direct supplies elsewhere.Ā There was one train going to the town this month, with the departing train not being planned until the next.Ā Unfortunately, the only āseatā available was in the back of a cargo train.Ā Ā
The conductor, a deaf and mute man named Gugong, was large and sort of shuffled as he walked.Ā He had his face covered up in bandages, and further hidden by a tall collar and hooded coat.Ā Even with all of that, Sano could tell that the manās face had some sort of swelling going on, or perhaps some sort of medical deformity...Ā He hadnāt had the chance to ask, as the man barely acknowledged Sano at all, except when it came time to stop the train for a maintenance check, during which he would give Sano his rations for the day.Ā No matter how Sano presented himself to the other man, Gugong would simply lift and slide a crate into Sanoās train car and then shut the door, letting the eerie silence hover between them.Ā Had it not been for his woodworking companions, Sano might have gone a bit stir crazy....Ā Ā
------------------------------
Stepping off of the train and onto solid ground, our leading man takes his first inhale of countryside air.Ā Itās fresh, if a little heavy with herbs and dirt.Ā His stomach is empty after eating nothing but scraps for a few days, and his legs are a bit shaky from the less than stellar sleep heād gotten riding on that blasted train.Ā But nonetheless.Ā He had arrived here, in the so-called āTown on Gorkhonā, so nicknamed for being built around the Gorkhon river.Ā Once heād gotten his bearings, Sano got right to work.Ā The Train Station was seemingly devoid of adults, save of course for Sano himself.Ā There were a handful of children playing kick the can, or otherwise chatting amongst themselves.Ā None of them spoke English, unfortunately, but one of the older ones figured out that he was looking for someone to talk to, and was kind enough to lead Sano further into the town proper.
Through a number of half-understood conversations in half-broken English or Russian, Sano got his hands on some important information.Ā Firstly, this town didnāt have much in terms of lodgings.Ā There was exactly one āinnā, a building in an area of the town called āThe Stillwaterā, where the caretaker allowed guests to sleep in a room upstairs.Ā It made sense fiscally, as the only people who tended to visit this far off little settlement were family members of the residents, or people with temporary business in the town.Ā With that in mind...If Sano couldnāt find Akira before nightfall, he was going to have to find his way to Stillwater and try to make arrangements to stay there for a while.Ā Ā
āIshchu muzhchinu pokhozhego na menya. Moy brat.āĀ (I am looking for a man that looks like me.Ā My brother.)
He was handed off from person to person, until finally he lucked out and someone seemed to think he looked sort of familiar.Ā They kindly led him through the village, towards a monstrously large building complex they called āThe Termitaryā.Ā
āVy idete sami. My ne zakhodim vnutr'. Tol'ko Kin i ikh khozyayeva.āĀ (You go by yourself.Ā We donāt go inside.Ā Just the Kin and their masters.)Ā To this, Sano raised a curious brow, but nodded.Ā He thanked his helper and stepped forward, looking for an entrance.Ā The Termitary was a housing complex for the people who worked in the local factories and cared for the local livestock.Ā It seemed as though everyone living inside the Termitary belonged to the same caste of people, an Indigenous group that called themselves Kinfolk, or āThe Kinā.Ā The doors to the Termitary were wide open, with people coming and going as they pleased. Stepping inside, Sano was immediately met with the smell of Earth, leather, coal, and burning incense.Ā The interior was largely made of stone and brick, with rugs lining the floor for comfort.Ā Beautifully handcrafted tapestries decorated the walls, depicting artistic interpretations of what Sano could only assume was the local folklore.Ā In between the tapestries, the wall was covered in paintings of runes, hieroglyphs, handprints, and thousands upon thousands, probably millions of individual pictures, each painted by one of the residents of the Termitary over the years.Ā It was as rustic as it was stunning.
Aesthetics aside, Sano was almost immediately aware of the strange...āVibeā, the building gave off.Ā Or...Was it the people themselves?Ā The people in this āTermitaryā came in all skin tones, offering a bigger variety than those outside in the town.Ā Their eyes caught the light of their lanterns, or the sunlight beaming in from the windows, and seemed to shimmer unnaturally...But only for a moment...Which meant it was probably just a trick of the light...Right?Ā They looked over at Sano with quiet curiosity, seemingly not too bothered by the unfamiliar face, almost as if knowing he wasnāt a being that would bring them danger.
Sano was now standing in the center of what looked to be a large common area.Ā There were a number of couches, chairs, and stools strewn about the area, surrounding a large fire pit that is currently unlit.Ā There were a few areas that seem to have been claimed by children.Ā In one of these areas is a fortress made of crates, blankets, and pillows, with arts and crafts in various stages of completion being worked on.Ā A circle of women were chatting amongst themselves as they knit, stitch, or crochet.Ā Occasionally, one of the Kin glanced over at him, but only one of them took the initiative to approach him.Ā A small girl, no older than ten, stepped over to him, looking up at him with curious eyes.
āPrivet!ā (Hello!)Ā Though it was certainly a challenge, the two of them managed to get it across that Sano was looking for a man that looked like himself.Ā The little girl thought it over, before her eyes lit up with realization and she beckoned him to follow her.Ā āVam nuzhen nash byk! To zhe litso~ā (It is our ox man you want!Ā Same face~)Ā Sano is taken from the main chamber into a separate, much larger area of the building.Ā Here, looking up, Sano might be able to put it together that this is where a great number of the Kin lived.Ā This area is a massive stone tower with walls similarly decorated with paint and tapestries.Ā There are seven floors, connected by stone staircases and open hallways that lead you up towards the top via a square spiral shape.Ā Itās no easy feat climbing from one floor to the next, let alone the three floors Sano is made to climb.Ā The child hums to herself, quite used to this workout, occasionally stopping to wave and greet her neighbors.Ā After what seems like forever, they approach a large and thick pair of double doors.Ā The child gets Sano to use the bull themed door knocker to announce their presence, and then boldly lets herself in before being told to come in. "Byk! Tebe yest' kogo uvidet'!" (Bull! You have someone to see!)Ā Ā
Sanoās view of the apartment was limited to what could be seen from the hallway.Ā From around the corner, a deep and familiar voice met his ears, shocking him to the bone and making his heart tremble with hope.Ā Could it be?
"Ey, ey! Chto ya tebe govoril o vtorzhenii! Chto, yesli so mnoy budet zhenshchina?" (Oi! Oi!Ā What did I tell you about barging in like that!?Ā What if I had a woman with me??)Ā A tall, handsome, strong looking man comes into view, slipping his shirt on while lecturing the child.Ā When their eyes met, for a moment, the world seemed to stop turning.Ā The man that simply had to be Akira looked at him shocked with awe, stepping forward as if in a daze.Ā By the time he was in front of Sano, he was offering his hand for a shake, a big smile plastered on his face.Ā Ā
āSorry about her.Ā Sheās too bold fer her own good.Ā Nameās Vincent Metzger.Ā Ty govorish' po angliyskiy?Ā Or just Russian?" (You speak English?)
For the most part, Celia Ledeās attention was rapt; taking in the details of the presentation and immediately identifying any flaws that needed to be worked on before the proposal could even consider being moved into the next stage of development.Ā She wasnāt writing any notes herself. Instead, the sound of a pen moving deftly across a notepad was a constant source of reassurance for Celia that her personal assistant was jotting down every word with the speed and precision of a seasoned court stenographer.Ā Celiaās body language was that of a calm, confident professional, breezing through another day in the corporate kingdom sheād helped nurture into what it was today.Ā Deep inside of her heart, however, there was a thunderstorm brewing.Ā It had been two weeks since Celiaās visit to the Auction House that was owned by her favorite āMidnight Streamerā.Ā A trip that had ultimately ended in failure for her, despite the months of effort it had taken to secure her slot in the first place.Ā It took concentrated effort for her to keep her thoughts on something other than that little blue booth and everything that connected her to it.Ā Ā
Three years ago...Three years since the first ālittle incidentā.Ā Her first foray into truly forbidden territory.Ā After years of pent up frustrations and declining sanity, sheād finally gone for it.Ā Sheād taken a life.Ā It had been disgustingly simple to do, all things considered.Ā Asking a naive, doe-eyed intern to follow her inside to help her move something.Ā Taking him through the building via a route that missed the eyes of any cameras.Ā Bringing him into a building that no one used anymore and making up some bullshit about how the delivery men made a mistake and were too lazy to come back for the packages.Ā Bashing him over the head with a hidden fire extinguisher and climbing on top of him with a knife in her hand while he convulsed in pain.Ā Stabbing him over and over and over and over again.Ā Wrecking his body until parts of his flesh resembled little more than pulp.Ā Being more aroused than sheād ever been before in her entire life.Ā Bringing herself to orgasm over his mangled corpse.Ā Collapsing next to what was left of him and feeling truly content for the first time in a very long time.
She could not possibly have stopped herself after that first euphoric experience.Ā Two more people were added to her tally before the police started sniffing around and she had to reign herself in.Ā She had to be more careful.Ā More meticulous.Ā She bought an abandoned building on the other side of the city, and was almost grateful when her husband Harold gave her an odd look but otherwise let it go (initially).Ā Her plan had been to take the link sheād gotten from her favorite red room streamer and secure a spot as one of the bidders.Ā Sheād secure a new ātoyā completely unaffiliated with her company, and have her way with them for as long as they lasted.Ā The plan was perfect, and she would be plotting out things to do with her new mouse if sheād actually been able to buy someone.Ā In a way, sheād lucked out.Ā There were two women up for auction on November 13th.Ā The first winner had bid an astronomical amount of money so casually that even the annoying brat in the red booth beside Celiaās had been shocked into silence.Ā The second winner had been the brat himself, which heād only managed because Celia had enjoyed the pleasure of seeing him squirm and having to pay an amount he was clearly sweating over.Ā Now that it was all said and done, however, it was clear that she should have just swallowed the amount herself.Ā Sure, sheād be out an absurd amount of money, but sheād be able to take out the resulting stress by viciously stabbing her new toy until she felt better about it.
Speaking of the fallout of the auction, the link to the host site was dead, which meant she was going to have to luck into another link drop during her favorite stream, or stalk his streams religiously until the auction was ready for another show.Ā And THEN sheād have to be quick enough and aggressive enough to make it in again.Ā On top of all of this, despite initially leaving his wife to her weird purchases, Harold had started snooping around her private building and absolutely hounding her phone as soon as they were both out of work; often demanding that she come right home.Ā She felt like a grounded teenager being harassed by her father.Ā Frankly, she was sick of it.Ā Sheād been ignoring his flagrant infidelity for nearly a decade, the absolute LEAST he could do was shut up about what she was doing on her own time with her own disposable income.Ā Ā
Just yesterday, in fact, Harold had forced his way inside the building, claiming that he wanted to see what sheād done with it.Ā Since she hadnāt actually gotten it cleaned or anything, not planning for it to be anything more than a prison for her new toy and a hideaway for herself, Harold had plenty to lecture her about.Ā Celia followed behind him, feeling frustrated and small and increasingly resentful.Ā There was one room she wouldnāt let him into.Ā It was a special room in the basement, where she had a secret office set up, stashed with alcohol and a poster of him that she liked to throw darts at.Ā When he told her to open it she made a show of having no idea where the key was.Ā Though he clearly didnāt believe her, he let it go, and instead she found herself placidly agreeing to turn the place from a death trap into something resembling an actual building.Ā Get this fixed. Get that fixed.Ā What are you even doing with all this if you arenāt going to use it?Ā Blah blah blah.Ā She wondered, not for the first time, if he suspected her as the culprit behind the disappearances of those interns.Ā With that thought in mind, sheād become even more tense, and started to become a bit defensive.
āYes, Harold!ā Ā She cut him off with a bit too much force.Ā āI heard you the first AND the second time.Ā You donāt have to repeat yourself.Ā Iām not a child.āĀ To that, he had the absolute gall to look at her disbelievingly.Ā Ā
āIād have a much easier time believing that if you stopped acting like one.ā
ā!!!ā Before she could open her mouth he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.Ā Suggesting they go home for now, he led the way out, leaving his wife to follow behind him in a fit of frustration, hatred, and shame.Ā Though sheād met him when she was a young adult, and married him at twenty-four, she was thirty-two now, with a string of accomplishments under her belt most people could only dream of!Ā Still, little comments like this, that hinted at the fact that he still thought of her as young and foolish would crop up from time to time.Ā What had he seen in her back then?Ā When she was twenty-four and he was forty-three?Ā Sheād seen an opportunity to advance her career and achieve her corporate goals.Ā Heād certainly seen what sheād been intending for him to see; a gorgeous, young, sharp-witted woman with a natural flair for business.Ā But what had he seen for himself that had appealed to him then, but seemed to irritate him now?Ā Following after him, Celia seethed, having several potential answers to the question bouncing around in her brain.
Breathe in.Ā Breathe out.Ā Breathe in.Ā Breathe out.Ā Donāt grab the extinguisher.Ā Donāt bash his brains in.Ā You have an important meeting with the president of Fiona & Lewis Co. tomorrow and itāll be a whole thing if the COO of your company is missing from it.Ā Besides, what will you do afterwards?Ā You donāt have a plan of action for afterwards.Ā If you do kill him, and you really do want to, you have to do it p e r f e c t l y.Ā Ā
You canāt make any mistakes.Ā Not now.Ā
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annalisa Bellingham; 30; curly, medium-length black hair; big brown eyes and light brown skin; curvy; personal assistant to one Mrs. Celia Lede.Ā Currently taking notes for the presentation, whenever there is a pause in the speech, Annalisaās gaze breaks away from her notepad and she glances over at her boss to gauge how sheās feeling.Ā Having worked at the company, and, more specifically and directly, for Celia, for five years now, Annalisa was good at reading between the lines.Ā Everyone had their twitches and quirks.Ā A subtle twitch of the eye, a taping of the finger against their lap, etc...Ā As elegant and regal as she was, even Celia had her tells and cues if you knew what to look for.Ā That said, though she outwardly looked very calm, to Anna, she looked tense.Ā There was a tightness in her shoulders; and an extra rigidness in her posture.Ā Occasionally, she would subtly clench and unclench her left hand too, which gave Anna all the clues she needed to make some special preparations for after work.
Stealthily, she slipped her phone out of her pocket, only looking down when she was able to pause in her notetaking.Ā She opened an app used for making reservations at fancy restaurants, and made a quick decision on which to make.Ā Something fun, but not too fatty.Ā Something that could be worked off after a fun workout at the gym~Ā Aaaand, there.Ā The reservation was set for six pm~
After the meeting let out, Celia led the way to the copy room, where the fax machines, copy machines, and large printers were kept.Ā As her notes were always easy to read, she set to making several copies to be passed around to the various board members.Ā Celia stopped walking just beside the water cooler and got herself something to drink.Ā The conversation between the two women was light, just Annalisa probing gently for what Celia thought of the presentation so far.Ā Celia mulled it over, and was answering positively when trouble walked into the open shared office space.
Jennifer Handler, 21.Ā Big green eyes and beautiful (bleached) blonde hair.Ā A nasty little snake of a woman.Ā Jennifer had a talent for kissing ass, usually making workplace friendships with flattery and gifts.Ā She tended to pawn her work off on her male coworkers; the mindless little dogs never stood a chance against her pouty lips and fluttering eyelashes.Ā She was good.Ā Good enough to flirt her way around Harold whenever he graced Celiaās department with his presence.Ā Honestly, they were probably fucking.Ā They way Harold tended to get antsy whenever he heard Celia mention Jennifer by name, and then handwaved any complaints about her from his own wife.Ā Just last week Jennifer had brought Celia a box of donuts as a āgiftā.Ā Not being an idiot, Celia saw the donuts for what they were; an attempted sabotage.Ā Taking them with a smile, sheād left them out for her maids instead.Ā Not out of affection, mind you.Ā If they ended up being drugged with a laxative or something, it would be terribly funny for the effects to start while Harold was trying to feel one of them up.Ā Heh.
Upon entering the fourth floor cube farm, Jennifer glanced over at Celia and offered her a cheerful smile before looking away.Ā Immediately finding her group of friends, Jennifer hurried over and started talking excitedly about having news.Ā Annalisa glanced over her shoulder, taking stock of Jennifer and noting if anything was new about her.Ā She spotted the engagement ring before Jennifer had started gushing about it.Ā The girls were all chattering excitedly; congratulating her and asking all the right follow-up questions.Ā Sheād only just begun, but just listening to her talk was quickly starting to grate on Celiaās nerves.Ā Ā
Jennifer had had plenty to say in regards to Nathan from the begining, but despite their friendly smiles and encouraging nods, everyone in the room, from Jennifer's actual friends, to those who barely interacted with her, had heard about fucking Nathan Ackerman to a nauseating degree.Ā From their first date, to the gifts she'd gotten from him, Jennifer loved to talk about her boyfriend.Ā After a month of this, Celia had caved and finally looked the man up on Facebook.Ā He was a lawyer heading his own firm, Ackerman Law Offices, and he was decently attractive, though Jennifer had definitely exaggerated his good looks.Ā It had taken her two years, but apparently she'd finally succeeded in tricking the poor man into proposing to her.Ā Once they were married, she continued, he wanted her to retire early so she could focus on staying āstress-free and gorgeousā.Ā Blegh.Ā Ā
āIām just relieved I found love so young~āĀ She said wistfully, only half-whispering.Ā āIād hate to wind up old and bitter, married to a fat old pervert that canāt stand me.āĀ The other women giggled nervously, though one made the mistake of glancing ever-so-slightly in Celiaās direction before having the decency to look embarrassed and try to focus back on her work.Ā
ā.....Annalisa.āĀ Celiaās tone was low and dangerous.Ā Though she couldnāt pick the fight herself without damaging her reputation, there was something else she could, and often did resort to when it came to office warfare.Ā āEngage.āĀ Ā
Stepping away from the copy machine, Annalisa turned to face Jenniferās little group, making her way over to them casually.Ā Ā
āJenn-i-fer~!Ā Congrats on your engagement!āĀ Immediately, the atmosphere in the group began to tense up.Ā Annalisa showing up to talk to them out of nowhere never meant anything good, especially considering Celia Lede was with her.Ā āAnyone I know~?ā
āAckerman Law Offices!Ā Yes of course!Ā Heās in the middle of defending Harlan Thompson, right?āĀ One of the women made the mistake of looking curious, which Annalisa took as an opening.Ā āYou know, donāt you, Megan?Ā Harlan Thompson?Ā He was a Professor at All Hearts University.Ā He was in the news recently because when his pregnant girlfriend went to his wife about how he extorts sex from his students for good grades and she confronted him, he shot her and then kidnapped his girlfriend and held her captive for six months.Ā Crazy that you didnāt know about it.āĀ Annaās tone was that of a chatty coworker oversharing details, but that was on purpose.Ā A few of the women side-eyed Jennifer as if to ask if this was true.Ā Jennifer tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and responded a little too defensively.
ā...Allegedly.Ā Donāt you know you canāt go around labeling people as guilty until all the facts are out.ā
āOo~Ā I didnāt know video evidence of the kidnapping in question counted as hearsay~!Ā How interesting~āĀ Jennifer frowned and opened her mouth to rebuttal, but Annalisa wasnāt quite done ruining her good mood.Ā āAnyway, though, my sincere congratulations, and really-āĀ She clapped her hands together joyfully, regarding Jennifer with such an earnest look of respect and awe it made the woman cringe.Ā āYouāre such an inspiration!ā
āE-Excuse me?ā
āYour ring!ā
āOh!Ā Yes, itās gorgeous, isnāt it?ā
āOh it is!Ā And itās so good of you to be taking a stand against the Diamond industry too~ā
āStarting a marriage with a lie is just what she deserves~āĀ Ā
āLooks like it!Ā Though I dunno while sheās so upset, Miss Celia!Ā With her fake breasts, fake ass, fake brand name handbags, and fake personality, youād think a fake diamond would be perfect for her.āĀ Celia chuckled.
The restaurant Anna had chosen was a high tier sushi restaurant in the center of the city.Ā Often fully booked for weeks, they tended to keep a few VIP tables open in case someone with a notable name or a sizable bank account wanted to dine in on short notice.Ā The ladies were seated by a big window that had a gorgeous view of the city.Ā By now the sun had already set, and the city was lit up by millions of lights.Ā Beautiful~Ā Anna took a moment to stretch her arms out over her head, before picking up her menu.
āGot any cravings~?ā
āAlcohol~Ā As soon as our server comes, tell her I want a full bottle of sake and a martini.Ā Youāre drinking too.āĀ They were off the clock now, so even though it was inappropriate for her boss to be pressuring her to drink, Anna didnāt feel the need to bring it up.Ā After work, they were closer to friends than co-workers, especially on the weekends with a few drinks in~Ā After a moment to mull it over, Celia added in a low voice.Ā āDo they have any dessert?āĀ They did!Ā They had fancy ice creams, of course, but most notably, a delicious looking chocolate mousse.Ā One look at it made Celia drool, and she casually suggested that Annalisa order it after they had dinner.Ā Ā
āIāll pay for it, so order whatever you like...But make sure to ask if that mousse comes with any optional toppings.ā
āOf course~āĀ Ā
Aside from the sake, the ladies ordered salad, a side of steamed broccoli, and two mixed sushi platters.Ā With a bit of alcohol in her, Celia loosened up a little.Ā Quickly, the subject went from what sort of work they needed to keep in mind for Monday, as well as marking appointments in Anna's calendar for later, to airing out the day's grievances.Ā Ā
"She's actually crazy.Ā She thinks because she's young and pretty that she has the world wrapped around her finger.Ā She thinks that because sheās getting married to a man with money, life is going to be easy.ā
āAnd sheās quitting her job too, canāt forget that part.ā
āHow could I?Ā When sheās shouting it to anyone within earshot.āĀ She shuddered.Ā āI couldn't imagine a life as nothing more than being someone's trophy wife.Ā Where's her pride?"Ā Celia huffed quietly, but internally she was fuming at the thought that J e n n i f e r H a n d l e r actually thought that SHE was somehow beneath her in any way at all. Ā
It took Ren a moment to figure out what Strade meant by āsee if sheās like you,ā but once he realized, his ears fell, and his mouth curled into a frown.
Strade knew this was something Rosie was sensitive about, so of course he would take a jab at her over it. There wasnāt much Ren could do with his feelings of anger and frustration though, so he tried to focus on holding the poor womanās legs open. It was hard not to watch Rosieās fingers slip into the other womanās pussy, working their way in and out until they were coated in what little lubrication there was. It clearly did nothing for the woman though, and the string of obscenities she started throwing at Rosie only made him cringe more.
When Strade pushed Rosie on top of the woman, Ren let out a small gasp and let go of her legānot that it mattered at this point with Rosie on top of her. For a horrible moment, he thought Strade was about to drill into Rosie, but instead he just pressed the back end of the tool between her legs.
Rosieās moan shot right thought him, causing his face to flush ever-so-slightly. And it only got louder when Strade tugged at her hair. Just as he started to become aware of the warm feeling pooling at his groin, the woman Rosie was on top of practically hissed at her. When he shifted his gaze to look, the expression she was giving Rosie was absolutely withering.Ā
Oh.
A fresh wave of hatred washed over him, one so potent that he kept his gaze away from Strade just in case. He was doing this on purpose! Of course he was.
The sounds of Rosie's choked sobs made him tremble as he gritted his teeth, rage mixing with his earlier arousal to create a truly bizarre sensation. Ren didnāt think for a second that Rosieās cry of pain was fakeāhe knew first hand just how much that thing hurtābut Strade certainly acted like it was. But then, almost as if to support his claim, Rosieās cries of pain began to melt into moans of pleasure, until she was spreading her legs wider.
Ren watched as if transfixed as Strade pounded into her against and again, listened as the sounds of flesh against flesh mingling with her moans of pleasure. He was so caught up in it that he almost forgot about the other woman until Strade leaned over to lick her face. A painful pang of sympathy shot through him, just in time for him to realize that he was really hard.Ā
God, why?
To his horror, he then realized that Rosie was looking right at him, though she didnāt seem upset. Maybe she hadnāt noticedā¦? But then Strade stopped, and now he was looking at him too, but his eyes werenāt on Renās face.Ā
Paralyzed with dread, he watched helplessly as any hope of Rosie still being too out of it to notice was shattered. The moment Strade forced Rosie to look at his dick, Ren instinctually moved his hands to cover it, but it was far, far too late for that.
āRen~Ā No, donāt hide it.Ā What part is getting you hard?Ā Have you always liked watching our Rosie get fucked~?ā
āN-no Iā¦ā He wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. But Strade wasnāt satisfied with thatāhe knew the truth just as well as Ren did, and was determined to make it crystal clear to Rosie.
Absolutely mortified, Ren reached a shaking hand into his pants and pulled out his fully erect cock. He began to reluctantly stroke it as he tried to find a place to keep his eyes. Looking at his own dick made him want to disappear even more, but he definitely did not want to look at Strade right now. And the last thing he wanted to do was look at Rosie directlyāwhat must she think of him?
Once Strade started thrusting again though, the sounds it drew from Rosie made him look up at her again.Ā When their eyes met, he didn't see a look of disgust or anger. To his absolute bewilderment, the expression he was met with was one of lust. And it was fixed solely on him.
With each subsequent stroke, Renās hand began to shake less, and his expression melted into an almost heated one. His movements got faster and more insistent, his breath picked up, and his mind started wandering. He started imagining what it would be like if it was his hips slamming against her, her pussy tightening around his cock. Small moans began to escape from his lips just before he saw her gaze move from his eyes back down to his cock.
And she licked her lips. Did she...like him?
Eyes widening, Ren came on the very next stroke, letting out an involuntary gasp that turned into loud, lewd moan. He watched the cum drip down her face, a few drops getting in her hair. If that bothered her at all, she didn't show itāif anything, she seemed completely lost in her own ecstasy. Ren let out another shaky moan, giving his cock a few extra strokes as he rode out his orgasm. He was only vaguely aware Strade's movements speeding up as he reached climax as well.
By the time Ren caught his breath, Strade was laughing and shoving Rosie off of the woman with his foot. Despite having just came, he looked more excited than ever. That look alone made Ren cringe, and he quickly shoved his dick back in his pants, not daring to look at anyone else in the room.
It wasn't until the screaming started again that it really sunk in what had just happened. He literally just mastrubated in front of Rosie while she was getting raped. When he looked up, he met Rosie's eyes again, just before she curled into a ball. Apparently it was hitting her too. A thick blanket of anger and self-loathing enveloped him as he curled his tail around himself, holding it tightly at the tip. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the floor, trying not to make too much noise. The woman's screams helped drown out any sounds that escaped his lips.
When the woman finally drew her last breath, Ren thought the worst was over. He was wrong.
āMade a bit of a mess, Ren~?ā Ā
The moment Rosie blushed after examining the residue on her face was somehow the worst of the night. Strade's laughter echoed in his ears, despite them being near flat against his head now. She was just now realizing what happened, what he did. What must she think of him? The wave of disgust he felt at himself in that moment was so intense that he almost throw up.
During clean up, Ren was painfully aware of Strade's eyes on them the entire time. He tried his hardest not to look at Rosieāan effort that was certainly helped by his fear of what he'd find if it did at this pointāand largely succeeded. The only exception was the first time she threw up. He looked over at her with concern, only to quickly look away when he realized what the sound was. If there was any doubt how she felt about him, it was gone now. Focusing on the task at hand was all he could do to keep vomiting.
When they were finally dismissed, both he and Rosie left the basement quickly, but Rosie was moving at almost a run. She made it to the bathroom first, which was just as wellāshe deserved it far more.
Ren went in his room to wait while she washed off, finally allowing himself to cry a bit more openly. He still had to mind his volume, but in the privacy of his room, he didn't have to be quite so guarded. After a few minutes of sobbing, his thoughts reluctantly shifted back to the events that just transpired.
Rosie was disgusted, that much was clear, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to realize that maybe it wasn't just with him, even if it felt like that. She was also disgusted with herself, he'd seen that very plainly. And of course, cleaning up a body was pretty unpleasant on all levels, so that probably didn't help.
There was also that one moment where she'd looked at him and licked her lips....he wasn't sure what to make of that now. Had he imagined it? No, no it defintely happened....maybe she'd just completely lost it for a bit there? That still didn't fit though, it wasn't just a haphazard action, it wasn't the same as that far-off look in her eyes when he came. It was very targeted, very deliberate.
Ren's ears perked up when he heard the bathroom door open and close, but he waited a good two minutes before venturing out into the hallway. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he went in to take a bath. Once he was cleaned off and soaking in the water, Ren thought about what to do next. He realized pretty quickly that, more than anything else, he wanted to comfort Rosie in some way. At this point he was no longer confident that she never wanted to see his face again, so it was at least worth a try.
Ren cut the soaking part of his bath short, toweled off, and got dressed. A quick glance at the clock told him that Strade should be asleep by this point, but he strained his ears to check all the same. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he crept over to Rosie's room.
Despite having just ensured they were safe, knocking somehow still felt too loud. Instead, he moved toward the closed door to listen. The soft sobs he heard from inside broke his heart.
"....Rosie?" His voice was soft and gentle, desperately trying to convey a suggestion rather than a demand. If she didn't want to talk, he would leave her be without question.
"Ren..." Her voice was soft and shaky, exactly what you would expect from someone crying. But it didn't sound like she wanted him to leave, so after taking a small breath, he gently pushed the door open.
Rosie, who was curled around her pillow, looked up as soon as he entered. He gave her a sympathetic look, then quietly came over to the bed to lie beside her and wrap his arms around her. He kept an eye on her every second though, ready to pull back if she showed any sign of discomfort.
After her bath, Rosie had crawled under her blankets and waited in the dark for what felt like an eternity.Ā She listened to the sound of Ren leaving his room and entering the bathroom for his own bath and trusted him to listen out for Strade before coming to see her, which she was strongly willing him to do.Ā Eventually, she heard his voice outside of her door, and she couldnāt help the needy way her own voice cracked when she responded.Ā He closed the door behind him and Rosie started moving her pillow and blankets out of his way.Ā Once he was in reaching distance she pulled him as close as possible and wrapped herself around him.Ā Absolutely miserable, she moved his stupid collar as out of the way as she could so she could tuck her head under his chin.Ā Fresh tears welled up in her ears as she clung to him.Ā She whimpered whenever she thought about the woman in the basement and what theyād done to her.Ā Ā
Ren held her tightly, letting her cry, and tearing up a bit himself.Ā After a moment or two, he started to rub her back and gently wrapped his tail around her after adjusting the blankets to cover them both.Ā Rosie shut her eyes and focused on Ren.Ā She listened to his breathing and his heartbeat.Ā She appreciated the smell of his body wash and the softness of his skin.Ā She enjoyed the fluffiness of his fur.Ā Ren...
"R-ren we have to....We have to pray...Ren..."Ā It vaguely occurred to her that she might have been asking too much, after all, Ren hadnāt mentioned being particularly religious.Ā Thankfully, he seemed willing to try.
"How...how do we do that?"
"W-We should be on the floor but...Letās just do it in bed this time...Ugh...I wish I h-had my rosary."Ā She was fortunate to have not taken it with her to the diner the night sheād met Strade.Ā Not only would her Grandmotherās rosary have been destroyed in the kiln, Strade would have even more ammunition to use against her for psychological torment.Ā She really, really, really, had to hide her religion from him; it was up there with āmy friendship with and crush on Renā on her list of things she couldnāt let that lunatic know about.Ā Rosie put her hands together and had Ren do the same.Ā She snuggled closer once they were both ready.Ā āJust make a wish, Ren.āĀ Best to keep things simple.Ā āAsk God to take care of that woman.Ā And...To open up a path home for us.āĀ Ren made his wish in silence, while Rosie whispered her prayer under her breath.Ā Though she started in English, she eventually transitioned to Italian.Ā She was trembling as she prayed, her hands clasped together tight enough to be uncomfortable.Ā When sheād reached the end of her prayer, she wrapped her arms back around her friend.Ā āIām so sorry he did that to you...āĀ She whispered.Ā Ren, arms wrapping back around her in return, blushed a little as she spoke.Ā Ā
āO-Oh.āĀ She felt his tail along her back, its presence adding an extra sense of security.Ā āIām...Iām sorry he did that to you...All of it.āĀ He clung to her.Ā āA-And Iām sorry that I...W-Well...āĀ It wasnāt hard to figure out what he was apologizing for.Ā Even though sheād been aroused by the sight of him at the time, with a clear head, she could see why heād be disgusted by himself.Ā She nuzzled her cheek against his.
āIām not mad atĀ you...Itās not your fault.Ā Being here with him is so confusing, a-and the body can be so weird...āĀ She sniffled.Ā āAnd heās the one that made you take it out.āĀ She heard Ren let out a small sigh of relief.
āY-Yeah I...I guess youāre right.āĀ He smiled ever so slightly to himself, if only for a moment, and then looked at her more seriously.Ā āYou too though.Ā You donāt have to feel bad about...āĀ Rosie perked up, regarding him with big ol vulnerable eyes.Ā She knew he was referring to her masochism, the thing Strade had seriously used against her tonight.Ā ā....Thereās nothing wrong with you.āĀ Said Ren firmly.Ā Rosieās bottom lip trembled.
"I...I wish it wasn't him though...Like...Like if I have to like....Pain or whatever."Ā Was it just the pain?Ā She was scared when he shoved her down, but it also sent a thrill through her.Ā There was something about him pinning her down that she couldnāt get out of her head either.Ā There was a word for it... Ā āI would have had an easier time accepting it if Iād figured this stuff out with a nice boyfriend that got rough in bed, rather than that awful bastard.Ā Then I wouldn't want to die about it..."Ā Ren nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."Ā He reached up to dry her eyes a bit.Ā āHeās the problem.āĀ It was nice to hear Ren say that.Ā To know that he understood.Ā Rosie held Renās face in her hands and kissed his forehead.
āNot you though.Ā Never you.ā
āYou think so...?āĀ Ren had such a cute little smile that Rosie thought about kissing him again.Ā Before she could, however, Ren was the one to move closer.Ā Rosieās heartbeat started going crazy, even when he changed his obvious trajectory towards her mouth and pressed his lips to her cheek instead.Ā āIām so glad I met you.āĀ He whispered.Ā Ā
Rosie, stunned by the jolt of adrenaline and pleasure that had just shocked her system like a lightning bolt, was at a loss for words for several seconds.Ā A blush spread across her face, and, to stop herself from grabbing him and kissing him and making love to him right now, she buried her face against his chest, gasping softly and trembling in his arms from the effort of self-restraint.
āNot like this not like this not like this-āĀ Eventually, she was able to speak.Ā āMe too.Ā Ren~āĀ She chanced a cheek kiss of her own, but then went back to hiding.Ā āI wish we could fall asleep together...āĀ She whispered.Ā Ren nodded, cuddling her close.
"So do I...I'd give anything just to stay here with you all night.Ā But maybe...we can rest for a little while longer."Ā It was the best they could do so long as they were under Stradeās roof.Ā Rosie agreed, and rested against him in silence until she drifted off in his arms.Ā Sometime in the middle of the night, Ren had to sneak out, leaving her to a thankfully dreamless sleep.
----
Over the weekend, Rosie did blessedly little.Ā Other than read, eat, sneak cuddles with Ren, and sleep, she didnāt have the energy for much else.Ā On Monday, she was determined to distract herself from thoughts of Friday night by coming up with an actual plan for confessing to Ren.Ā Fairly confident that sheād get a positive response after heād nearly kissed her a few days ago, she still wanted it to be lovely and memorable.Ā It was a simple plan; dinner and dessert in his room as a date.Ā Romantic music. Hold his hand and tell him she liked him.Ā Ideally sit on his lap and make out with him.Ā Let him get handsy.Ā Perfect~Ā For the dinner she had in mind, she would ask Strade for the necessary items during his next shopping trip, that was easy.Ā The difficult bit would be dressing up, at least a little.Ā The only things sheād been wearing for weeks was a rotation of Stradeās shirts and her own panties.Ā Sheād seen Ren in different shirts since that first night in the basement, and they were in his size, so he must have gotten them somehow.Ā Realizing she was going to have to take the risk and talk to Strade about this, Rosie climbed out of bed and headed downstairs.
She heard the tv long before reaching Stradeās little gutter rat room.Ā She grimaced at the sight of the chop shop and pushed herself away from it as quickly as possible.Ā Sitting on the couch and sipping a beer was Strade, lounging comfortably and looking almost a bit sleepy.Ā Rosie approached him and he glanced up at her with a lazy grin.
āStrade, would it be possible for me to get something else to wear?ā
āHmm~Ā Like what?Ā Pretty dresses?āĀ He was teasing her, but he was also right on the money.
āYeah, but also like, proper pajamas, something thermal for when it gets cold, socks, shirts and skirts maybe.Ā Would that be possible?āĀ He motioned with his finger for her to turn around, and when she did she was facing his computer.
āGo on then.āĀ Oh!Ā Sheād be doing the shopping herself!Ā For some reason, sheād had it in her head that heād go to the mall and come back with a mish mash of items that sheād have to turn into some sort of coherent outfit.
āAh~Ā Thank you.āĀ She sat down.Ā āUm, price limit?āĀ He snorted.
āIf thereās something you canāt have, Iāll delete it.āĀ Pleased, Rosie got to work.Ā While shopping, Rosie tried to keep a few rules in mind.Ā If she got something with long sleeves or pants, she made sure that the fabric would be easy to push aside or remove, or sheād have to accept the risk of Strade getting overly excited and cutting it out of his way.Ā She picked pretty clothes in fun colors, but also a black variant of everything, which sheād exclusively wear in the basement.Ā She got a few hair accessories too, and nail polish, because why not?Ā Occasionally, she decided to risk adding in a few items that werenāt clothing related.Ā A few new books, something to draw with, a stuffed animal, etc...Ā When it was time for Strade to look over her cart, he poked fun at a few of the items.Ā āWhoāre you trying to look pretty for, hmm?āĀ Suspicious of a trap, Rosie shrugged.
āIām a girl, Strade.Ā I like cutesy things.āĀ Thankfully, that excuse worked.
-----
Two days later, Rosie and Ren sent Strade to the store with a list of items to buy for the kitchen.Ā Once heād returned, she started putting things away, segregating the items she planned to use for the surprise date.Ā She asked Ren not to touch them as well, hinting that she had a surprise coming for him soon~Ā Ā
That same night, while lying in bed too nervous to sleep, she heard heavy footsteps climbing the stairs.Ā Ren was typically very light footed, so she knew right away that it was probably Strade.Ā Sheād never actually seen him bothering to come all the way up here to the top floor, so she was equal parts nervous and curious.Ā She heard him open up Renās door, checking on him before changing his mind and opening up the door to her room instead.Ā Sheād shut her eyes before heād let himself in, and if he knew she was faking it, he didnāt acknowledge it.Ā Strade yawned, collapsing on the bed in a way that jostled Rosie enough that it should probably āwake her upā.Ā She made a face at him in the dark and groaned, to which he laughed.
āWhat an expression!Ā What~?Ā A man canāt sleep in his own bed?āĀ Ā
āAt this point I honestly thought you lived in the basement full time.āĀ He snorted, grabbing her arm and moving her body so that when he squished her close, his front was pressed against her back.Ā He didnāt smell great, though she was fairly used to that at this point.Ā She made a mental note to wash her sheets in the morning and tried to get comfortable.Ā Heād used her as a teddy bear before, back when sheād still been chained up beside the couch.Ā Even though he smelled bad, he snored, and he could get a bit grabby, he was warm enough to be sort of cozy, and soon enough they both managed to pass out.
----
In the morning, Ren came into her room to ask her something, and she looked at him helplessly from under the sleeping mess that had climbed half on top of her in the middle of the night.
On the 30th of June, two exciting things happened.Ā The first was the ringing of the doorbell, and the arrival of a package that Strade signed for.Ā Rosie brought her box upstairs, where she and Ren dug into the numerous packages sheād received.Ā Though she showed him most of the new clothes (saving one of the dresses for herself) she didnāt try them on just yet, wanting to run them through the washer and dryer first.Ā Once they were clean, however, she slipped into one of the casual dresses. Ah, finally. Cuteness achieved~
The second thing that happened was the scheduled return of Dr. Handsome Kojima, here to do a health check.Ā Rosie stepped into the living room and asked to go first, knowing that Strade and Sano would more than likely leave together to go on a friend-date (or a date-date?? What WAS going on there anyway?) after all the check-ups.Ā She sat down on the living room couch with clean and brushed hair, a pretty dress, and all around looking better than she had the last time heād seen her, all things considered.Ā Sano took her blood and checked her vitals and any recent wounds.Ā They propped her foot up on something so he could examine it.Ā Though still with a bit of a limp, her poor foot was making great progress, no doubt greatly helped by how well she cleaned and dried the wound.Ā Ā
"It's healing well. I'd say a few more weeks and it should be as good as new." Dr. Kojima looked at her pensively a moment before turning over to Strade, who was in the middle of looming over Ren on the couch and getting handsy enough to cause Ren some genuine concern.Ā "Strade, I could finish healing her foot."Ā Strade looked over at Sano.Ā
"Oh yeah, with the glowy hands." ...Huh? Strade rubbed his chin as he thought it over. "What for?"Ā
"It's almost fully healed anyway, and at this point, it's just going to be an inconvenience to you both. No sense in waiting." Thankfully, Strade shrugged, moving away from Ren and plopping down right next to Rosie instead.Ā
"Watch him closely~" Permission granted, Sano brought his full attention to her foot and removed his gloves. He pushed his hair away from his other eye so he could see better, and placed his hands near the wound. Almost touching; but not quite. Soon enough, his hands start to glow a faint blue. In less than a minute, her foot is as good as new, and Rosie, initially stunned silent, is quickly overcome with awe and curiosity.Ā
"That's incredible!! So you're a surgeon and a wizard? Were you born able to do that? Do you use them interchangeably at work? Is it like a mana thing? Where there's a limit to how much magic you can use in a day? Can you do other sorts of magic?" The questions kept coming. Strade, highly amused, just laughed and patted her head.Ā
"I told you, didn't I? Always with the questions~"Ā
Sano smiled at Rosie for the first time. He looked pleased rather than annoyed.Ā
"It's fine. It's only natural to be curious. I'm not a wizard per se, but I can use magic. It's a learned skill, though I do like to think that I have some natural talent for it. I use it at work only when needed, since as you can imagine, it's not a procedure covered by any insurance." Rosie giggled. "I... Wouldn't call it 'mana'. But there is a limit, just like there is a limit to any action. It expends energy. And yes, I can do other sorts of magic."Ā As a demonstration, he conjured a small blue flame in his left hand.Ā "Elementals, basic things like that...I specialize in medical magic though."Ā Rosie had his full attention.Ā Looks aside (and make no mistake, those looks were fabulous), he was blowing her mind right now.Ā Renās mere existence had, upon reflection, been a major shock, a peek into the hidden world around her.Ā Kitsunes!!Ā Magic!!Ā What else was out there??Ā Ā
"How'd did you learn?Ā From a book?Ā Or a magical sensei~?"
"I had a teacher, yes~"
The two of them went back and forth like this until Strade, either getting a bit bored or antsy or whatever, decided to ruin their cozy mood and started playing with Rosieās hair.Ā He leaned down so he could āwhisperā into her ear.
āIsnāt Sano incredible?Ā And look at you all energetic and interested.Ā Youāre giving me some good ideas.āĀ Rosie, not quite sure what he could be hinting at in this case, nearly took the bait.
"...No.Ā Nevermind.Ā I won't ask what kind."
"HAHAHAHA!"Ā Unfortunately for her intellectual curiosity, it was clear that theyād have to continue this chat next time (assuming there was one).
Next, it was Renās turn, and Rosie stepped into the kitchen.Ā Her dinner plans included a double chocolate cake, and if she wanted it to be done in a timely manner, she needed to get started on it now.Ā She listened to Renās check up as she worked, keeping an ear out for any instructions the doctor had.Ā Sheād been putting a serving of veggies onto Renās plate whenever she cooked, since she remembered Dr. Kojima told him he was lacking in nutrition.Ā Finally it was Stradeās turn, though his check up took the longest because Strade kept getting distracted and telling Sano about something he was excited about.Ā Unfortunately, a decent portion of his material included their more recent āguestsā, so Rosie tried to shut that out.Ā Ren slipped his way into the kitchen, intending to help cook, but Rosie was having none of it.
āNot today~Ā Go upstairs and wait for me, okay?āĀ She shooed him out of the kitchen, and went back to work.Ā Eventually, Strade and Sano were about to head out.Ā Rosie reminded him to take the trash with him, and finally they were off, leaving Rosie to fantasize that this was her beautiful house, her beautiful kitchen, and she was making a meal for her cute and fluffy boyfriend in peace~
When the chocolate cake was cooling, and the creamy shrimp pasta was nearing completion, Rosie made her way back upstairs and stopped outside of Renās room.Ā Ā
āRen, dinnerās almost ready~Ā Do me a favor, okay?Ā Donāt open the door yet.Ā Put on whatever you have thatās nicest.āĀ She went into her room, pulling out the (now clean) dress sheād kept hidden from him and changing into it.Ā It was red and glittery with sheer sleeves.Ā It stopped half-way down her thighs and showed off her breasts.Ā Strade had asked about this one, since it was less cozy and more alluring and sheād pointed out that it was extra glittery and sometimes she felt like being glittery.Ā Ā
āRen and his Asian Cartoons.Ā I guess itās you and your glitter, hm~?ā Heād said, rolling his eyes.Ā Once Rosie felt sufficiently pretty she went downstairs to clean up and make two plates, leaving Stradeās serving in the fridge.Ā She called to Ren inside.Ā Ā
āAll set~?Ā Okay keep your eyes closed while I set up.āĀ Once she got the all clear, she eagerly set their places at his desk.Ā She slid his computer desk into place and went back downstairs for another chair, and then two glasses of juice.Ā She booted up one of his video games, one heād shown her to be romantic in nature, and navigated to the music menu, selecting a song on repeat to act as background music.Ā With everything set up, she moved over to her boy and helped him to stand.Ā She stood over by their dinner, all big smiles and beautiful and bursting with nervous excitement.
The sound of the engine purring wasnāt what woke her up. Ā Instead, it was the bumpy ride that had jostled her into beginning to stir, which she did with a groan.Ā The drugs were slow to wear off, which resulted in vertigo and nausea as her kidnapper didnāt bother to slow down at all despite being off-road.
āBlegh...āĀ Was all she could say, as the world around her came more and more into focus.
āYou up back there?āĀ A distressingly familiar voice shouted to her, sounding excited.Ā āFucking finally!Ā Oi!!Ā Donāt you dare puke on my bike!Ā You hear me??āĀ Looking up at him, the woman he had strapped down on the back of his quad bike blinked until she could get a good look at him.
āIt...Really is you...āĀ She whispered hoarsely.Ā Though sheād come to this conclusion back in the Auction House, she was still shocked to see him here, and dressed like he was staring in Mad Max or something.Ā āDerek...What is going on?ā
Scarlette Gauthier; 25, long and fluffy red hair; big blue eyes; youngest daughter of a billionaire.Ā Derek Goffard, the unpleasant man sheād known since he was an equally unpleasant little boy, barked with laughter she could only describe as ācruelā.
āHow fucking stupid are you?Ā You seriously canāt guess?Ā Figure it out, bitch.āĀ He spat, and then roared with more laughter as he kept driving.Ā Scarlette narrowed her eyes at the back of his head, resorting to her usual tactic with Derek, which was to go full neutral and ignore him as much as possible.Ā He absolutely thrived on attention.Ā Preferably the sort of attention that was the result of causing discomfort, embarrassment, and pain.Ā For years sheād been pissing him off just by refusing to react.Ā Besides, she didnāt need him to tell her what nonsense he was up to this time.Ā She could piece things together on her own.Ā Ā
Firstly, sheād been kidnapped, that was very clear.Ā Heād paid money for her in some sort of auction?Ā How creepy...Ā What sort of people were they and why did an idiot like Derek Goffard have contacts like that?!Ā He had sounded needlessly aggressive and horny during the auction as well...Ugh.Ā Moving on, she and Derek had never liked each other.Ā Not since that fateful little Christmas party when she was ten and he was twelve.Ā Ā
Needless to say, she wasnāt coming to any wholesome conclusions so far...What else...
They were on his bike, obviously, driving through the desert- THE DESERT??????Ā Scarlette wracked her brain to try and recall how close the nearest desert even was to their city.Ā How long had she been asleep?Ā How long had they been in transit?Ā Looking out at the sandy dunes all around them, she could juuust about make out what looked like a tent and some people in the distance.Ā Considering the fact that Derek wasnāt even pretending to be civil with her anymore, she didnāt have high hopes for the friends he was about to introduce her to.Ā Sure enough, once heād parked the bike, he shouted over to his friends and made quick work of untying her from the bike and forcing her up onto her feet.Ā Still a bit weak from the drugs, she sank quickly to ground, though he managed to catch her enough to hoist her back up.Ā When he took full advantage of her bound, weakened state and grabbed a full handful of one of breasts she shrieked and squirmed.
āAaaH!Ā Stop it!Ā Der-āĀ He clapped a hand over her mouth and hissed at her to not say his name out loud.Ā Ā
āCall me āScorpion or Iāll cut you the fuck open.ā He warned.Ā Enjoying another strong and slightly painful squeeze, he whispered into her ear.
āGet used to that~Ā This isnāt like it is back home.Ā Out here, we make the rules.Ā Got it~?Ā Iāll touch you as much as I want.āĀ As if to punctuate that statement, he licked the shell of her ear, which made her shudder, and then he bit into it as if he was actually trying to bite it off, which made her shriek in pain and struggle again.Ā Derek, or āscorpionā whatever the fuck, laughed (giggled, really) until one of the others coughed for his attention.Ā When he let go of her ear and turned to look at whoever was trying to get his attention, Scarlette did the same.Ā There were three other men standing up, two bound and sitting in the sand, and one woman also in the sand.Ā The one that had coughed seemed to be the one in the pure white mask.Ā A tall, imposing, muscular black man glanced at Derek with something of an impatient look.
āWhatās with you, Machete?Ā Loosen up!Ā Itās a party!āĀ āMacheteā, using his weapon of the same name, pointed towards the small group of people sitting.Ā The implication was fairly clear, but Derek just scoffed.Ā Ā
āLookit the new guy, already thinks heās hot shit.āĀ The two men stared at each other for a moment, and Derek opened his mouth to start ragging on him, but Machete continued to stare in perfect silence.Ā Eventually, a bit skeeved out, Derek swung Scarlette around and tossed her towards the group on the ground.Ā She hissed in pain as her skin came in contact with the hot, rough sand.Ā Derek moved past Machete, purposely bumping into him as Scarlette pushed herself up into a sitting position without the use of her hands.
Finding a space to hide within the shade of a deep fissure, Scarlette threw up what little remained in her stomach.Ā Scenes from before replayed in her mind on an endless loop.Ā After Derek had dropped her off with the other captives, heād gone to talk with his āfriendsā.Ā Two men in similar lizard themed masks, who were quick to give Scarlette the impression that they werenāt any nicer than her childhood enemy.Ā While Machete loomed over them, Scarlette had risked whispering to the other captives, but a tap on the arm with the flat side of the machete and a stern looked from the imposing black man kept her from trying again.Ā All she could do was take in as much information as she could before the last two attendees to this little āpartyā arrived.Ā A man in a jackal mask exited his vehicle, and dragged a tall, black woman, literally kicking and screaming, out from the trunk and tossed her onto the ground with a needless amount of force.Ā The look of hatred in her eyes was equal parts intimidating and inspiring, and for a moment, Scarlette had fantasized about her biting into the neck of her captor and ripping out his jugular with her teeth.
Soon after their arrival, however, Scarlette was really only able to focus on what was directly in front of her.
āFirst bloodā, which is what Derek called it, meant that one of the captives got to die in front of the others so they could see just what this cult of monsters had in store for them.Ā Beside Scarlette and the black lady, there was one more female, a heavy set blonde woman that had been sobbing and trembling with fear the entire time.Ā The most visibly terrified, Derek had eagerly suggested that she be their chosen victim.Ā Dragged away from the other captives, the woman had screamed in terror as she was pulled into the center of the men.Ā For a few fleeting seconds, Scarlette could hold on to the final spark of hope that this was all some disgusting prank he was pulling to hurt her, and that any moment now heād start laughing at the horrified look in her eyes and pull out a video camera.Ā The second he pulled out a large knife, and rammed it mercilessly into her leg, was the moment it truly sank in for her and the others that this was a genuine execution.
The murder of that poor woman felt like it went on for years.Ā Even when Scarlette lost her will to keep watching, the sounds alone were somehow even worse.Ā Those monsters werenāt just cutting her and hitting her, they were violating her in every way possible.Ā The sounds of skin roughly meeting skin, interwoven with cries of torment made Scarlette start to sob nauseously herself.Ā Derek was laughing like the depraved hyena he really was, his voice louder than everything else.Ā God, she felt so s i c k!Ā From beside her, Machete moved from his spot guarding the other captives.Ā Scarlette watched him move, only now realizing that he hadnāt moved to join in on the āfunā until now.Ā Through blurry eyes, she watched him raise his weapon high above his head and swing down; separating the womanās head from her body in a surprisingly clean cut.Ā Her screams died down all at once, quickly replaced by a temporary but deafening silence that was broken when Derek came to his senses.
āWhat the FUCK??Ā You could have cut my hands off!āĀ Scarlette, still panting from the adrenaline of it all, craned her neck to see what he was yelling about.Ā Sure enough, his hands were wrapped around the base of the womanās throat, positioned extremely close to where Macheteās knife had made contact. The men in the lizard masks laughed at Derekās expense, wholly uncaring about either the danger heād been in or his outrage.Ā The man in the jackal mask stood up straight, dusting himself off and giving Machete a curious look.
āAlways right to the point eh, Machete?ā Ā The other men straightened themselves out too.Ā Derek seethed, putting his softening dick away while shooting Machete dirty looks.Ā Cold as ice, Machete didnāt even shrug.
ā...Iām here to kill.ā He answered, and was met with a sharp laugh.Ā After the abrupt ending to their opening ceremony, the men agreed to get the party started for real.Ā Machete was instructed to cut everyone loose.Ā Scarlette watched as he released everyone one by one; each of them quickly fleeing into the desert.Ā Finally, it was Scarletteās turn.Ā Ā Ā Ā
ā....ā Ā Fear filled her body as he moved closer.Ā Even though he was only going to cut her loose, it was impossible to forget the fact that heād just killed a woman with the blade he was bringing close to her.Ā Scarlette shifted her legs so sheād be able to get up quickly, and took a big breath to steady herself as he knelt down to cut at the ropes.Ā This close to him, she could see his eyes despite the mask.Ā Unlike the other men, he wasnāt having fun.Ā He wasnāt laughing.Ā He wasnāt aroused.Ā He wasnāt cold either, like sheād assumed before.Ā Rather, there was a fire in those eyes.Ā A true hatred that burned brighter than the desert sun itself.Ā Once she was loose, Scarlette stood up. As she ran, she caught sight of Derek, who's gaze was absolutely glued to her retreating form.Ā He cupped his hands on either side of his mouth and shouted after her.Ā
āRUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, SCARLETTE!Ā IāM COMING FOR YOU~!āĀ And run she did.Ā After all sheād seen, she no longer had the luxury of thinking he was all bark and no bite.
A few hours had past since then, and then Scarlette tended to favor the cool air of the fissure, she was too paranoid about the men hunting for her to stay down there for too long.Ā Instead, she would climb up to a tall hill, which gave her a good view of the landscape below.Ā When the area around her hiding spot was totally empty, and the sun was becoming unbearable, she would climb back down to cool off once more.Ā Upon one of her return trips, she noticed shoeprints in the sand, from the boots of one of the men.Ā Scarlette shivered, realizing someone had been close to finding her.Ā Was it Derek?Ā She rubbed nervously at her arms and tried once more to think up a plan of escape.Ā She had no idea where she was.Ā They couldnāt be back in Vancouver, could they?Ā No, no.Ā It was more likely Derek had gotten a private plane and flown somewhere far away.Ā Somewhere she was unlikely to be found.Ā The thought of this distressed her greatly, but she could worry about getting home after she got away from the immediate danger.
But what should she do first?Ā The fissure aside, she was already a bit hungry, and honestly pretty thirsty.Ā Thinking of the camp, Scarlette considered sneaking back over to it, and rifling through their things.Ā Surely they must have brought SOMETHING to eat and drink?Ā Mindful that they could have left someone behind to lay in wait, Scarlette approached the camp carefully and slowly, ducking behind hills and dunes whenever she got a bit nervous.Ā Eventually, she heard the familiar sound of Derekās bike as he drove along the sand.Ā Scarlette scrambled to hide behind cover, and peaked her head out to keep an eye out on where he was.
That, however, turned out to be a mistake.Ā
Derek was chasing someone down.Ā One of the other captives, obviously, but it was specifically the skinny white man.Ā Catching sight of Scarletteās red hair in the otherwise endless sea of yellows, the man fled from Derek by running towards Scarlette.Ā Before she could get up and run, the man started yelling.
āH-Hey!!Ā Thereās someone hiding behind that rock!āĀ Furious, Scarlette realized she had no choice but to run now, but it was too late.Ā The manās plan had succeeded, and as Derekās attention was now fully on Scarlette, he was able to escape into the distance.Ā Eagerly, Derek circled his bike around her, kicking up sand towards and making her cover her face to avoid getting any in her eyes.Ā He howled with laughter.
āLooks like he sold you out!āĀ Finally bringing the bike to a stop, he dismounted it lazily, pulling a metal bat out of the bikeās storage before he turned to look at her.
āYou look like shit, Scarlette~āĀ Scarlette couldnāt swallow back a scoff, wanting to comment on how utterly insane he looked.Ā Never before had she seen him so unpolished.Ā Was this the real him?Ā Under all the fancy products and expensive suits?Ā He was just a rat in brand name shoes.Ā Scarlette took a small step back, which Derek matched by taking two steps forward.Ā Not wanting him to get any closer, she managed to speak.
āDoes your Papa know about all of zhis madness, Derek?āĀ She wouldnāt be wholly surprised either way, now that Derekās true nature was out in the open.Ā The Goffards and the Gauthiers had been closely linked for decades, when their respective patriarchs met and became friends in college.Ā By all accounts, Derekās father was Scarletteās fatherās very best friend.Ā It was because of that that Scarlette had never said anything about the slimy feeling she got around Mr. Goffard.Ā There was something so fake and aggressive in his heirās eyes.Ā So angry...He had to be getting his terrible personality from somewhere, right?Ā āDonāt you sink zhis is a bit much?Ā Zhere are easier ways to get out of an engagement.āĀ She moved away when he started getting too close again.Ā Sheād known Derek for most of her life, even before theyād been saddled with an engagement they both resented.Ā Though sheād long since resigned herself to an unhappy marital life, sheād never conceived of being this terrified of him before.
'Nurse Rosie.' Suddenly Ren's mind was flooded with images of Rosie tending to him in a skin-tight nurse's outfit that barely contained her voluptuous breasts and only came down to just past the edge of her butt. It certainly kept him occupied for most of the initial treatment, though once she got to stitching him up, he had to focus a bit more on trying to minimize the noise.
He was pretty practiced with it at this point, and since it was Rosie, he could actually cover his mouth with his free hand without worry. All the same, a few moans and whimpers were inevitably audible through his fingers. Still, she was gentler than Strade, and her movements went more carefully when he made noise rather than less.Ā
The offer to help him bathe was unexpected, to say the least, but he didnāt put up much resistance to the idea. He looked over at her briefly before fully undressing, and felt a small sense of relief when he saw her looking away. Which was ridiculous, sheād seen him naked, butā¦
Once he was in the water, he looked back up to see her smiling and blushing a little, which made him do likewise. The rest of the bath was absolutely heavenly; the feeling of her fingers in his hair and on his skin, the intoxicating aroma of roses and patchouli, and the gentle sound of her humming a song he didn't recognize made him feel more at ease than he had in a long time. Again, he couldn't help thinking of how different it was from intimacy with Strade, even without the more violent aspects of it.Ā The smallest differences, like that little giggle when his ears twitched against her skin, completely transformed the experience in a way he couldnāt fully place just yet. Even the way she ran her fingers across his bare skin was different; it was slower, more affectionate than hungry. There was no fear or unease to mix with his enjoyment of the sensual touch. When she slipped her fingers between his, he felt his heart flutter.Ā
Her touch lingered long after she moved her hands away, after she stood up, after she left the room to prepare steak and potatoes at his request. As he finished washing himself, Renās mind drifted back to Rosie in her nurseās outfit, except this time she was in the water with him. The little clothing she had on was completely soaked through, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination as she ran her soft hands down his sides, past his hips, and down between his legs to stroke his erect cock.Ā
āWon't you help me wash too?ā she asked, her cheeks a little flushed as she smiled hopefully at him. Ren nodded, reaching over to peel away the drenched fabric so that her chest was fully exposed. After soaping his hands up, he ran them along her breasts slowly and sensually, eliciting those beautiful noises he heard her make before. Except this time he was the one doing it. By the time the bath was over, he'd cleaned more off himself than he came in there with.
Lunch was extremely pleasant as well. The food she made tasted better than any steak and potato dinner heād ever made before, and once he was done, he had to physically stop himself from falling asleep beside her as they watched some anime. Still, it didnāt keep him from snuggling up against her as he too kept an ear out for Stradeās car. They both heard him pull up, and he shot her one more grateful look before she exited the room.
----
Unsurprisingly, Strade had found someone new to torture, Ren heard some of it long before he and Rosie were called down to join him that night. Ren had certainly become somewhat desensitized to the kind of damage Strade did to his playthings, but he still knew better than to make eye contact. There was only so much he could deal with.
But Rosie was still new to this, this was her first time, wasnāt it?Ā When she paused in the doorway, Ren gave her a small nudge, not wanting to keep Strade waiting. He still shot her an apologetic look though; he sympathized, he really did. But he also knew what happened when Strade got impatient. When asked to pick a tool, he glanced over at the poor woman and immediately regretted it. Ughā¦
Looking over the options, he grabbed the knife, purely because everything else seemed like it would be even more unpleasant. Once he made his choice, he glanced over at Rosie; to his dismay, sheād still not made hers. She actually looked like she was going to have a panic attack. At Strade's urging, she picked up...the drill? His eyes widened a bit; while still better than something like the ax, it was definitely something he personally would have stayed away from. Then again, it kind of looked like she picked something without really looking.
He sincerely doubted this woman would enjoy pain the way Rosie did, and Rosie probably knew that too. He watched uneasily as she was marched over to the woman andā¦oh. Oh no.Ā
The moment she turned to Strade and started pleading with him, an icy sense of mortal dread completely engulfed him. He wanted to shout at her not to, to give her a signal, anythingā but it was too late. Strade already pressed the button.
Between the sight of Rosie writhing and screaming as she fell back on the woman and the absolute blood-chilling look Strade gave her, Ren felt tears begin to well up in his eyes and run down his cheeks as he stood frozen in place, helpless to do anything.
Thankfully, Rosie gave in after that, but that didnāt make watching her torture the woman any easier. His ears went even flatter against his head once the woman started screaming, and he wasn't sure where to keep his eyes; Rosie's pained, tear-stained face, or the agonized, furious face of their victim.
āRen.ā
He was so tense at this point that the sound of his name almost made him jump as he turned to look at Strade.
āWhy donāt you make a few holes that that knife, hm?ā
Ren nodded, and with some effort, forced himself to move over to the woman. He knew from experience that, Stradeās impatience aside, hesitating never made it easier. If anything, it made actually taking action harder with every second he thought it over. So, as soon as he was situated at the womanās side, he closed his eyes and thrust the knife in as hard as he could.
Closing his eyes did little to help though; he could still feel the warm blood on his hands, he could still hear her screams of agony increase in volume and intensity.
When he heard Rosie shriek, he opened flew back open, and he looked over at her in alarm. Had she gotten hurt? Did the woman hurt her? To his (slight) relief, it seemed like sheād just gotten some blood on her face.
Rose and him locked eyes for a moment, but as soon as Strade moved down beside Rosie, his gaze moved instinctually to focus on him instead. He certainly looked happy.
āNot bad~ā Ā He reached forward, tearing the womanās panties down the middle.Ā āLetās see if sheās like you after all.Ā Go and check~āĀ
Rosie gawked at him; honestly confused for a moment before she realized he wanted her to put her fingers in this poor womanās vagina to āāāācheck if she was arousedāāāāā.Ā Strade was grinning from ear to ear as realization dawned on her.Ā Embarrassed, and, with a fresh dose of mortification for this woman washing over her, Rosie muttered out an apology as Ren and Strade held the frustrated womanās legs wide open.Ā Rosie resisted the urge to suck on her own fingers first before inserting one between the lips, partially because her fingers were definitely filthy by now, but also because she was sure Strade would get annoyed with her.Ā In went her finger, unlubricated, which was immediately met with great resistance.Ā Understandably, the woman was extremely dry.Ā Rosie shook her head, feeling a bit of shame creeping over her as she realized that this was the normal reaction to being mutilated, and she was the outlier.Ā Strade pretended to be concerned in that oh so punchable way of his.
āNo~?Ā Maybe she needs a little encouragement.āĀ Grimacing, Rosie gave the woman a proper fingering (well, as proper as she could get it in these subpar circumstances) and even got away with rubbing her clit with her thumb, but it was in vain.Ā The pain was all encompassing, and the longer this went on, the angrier the woman became.Ā She was screaming obscenities at Rosie before Strade said something again.Ā āAh, tsk~Ā No such luck hm~?āĀ Strade reached out a hand, and for a moment Rosie thought he was going to grab her wrist or something.Ā Instead, he grabbed the drill.Ā The next thing she knew, heād pushed her forward so that she was lying across the bound womanās lap.
āS-Strade?āĀ She heard the drill whirring to life and her heart began to race as she thought of him using it on her again.Ā Her adrenaline tugged her in two different directions; mortal terror and arousal strangling her into silence as she awaited the worst.Ā What came was not the hellacious pain of the drill bit, but rather the powerful vibrations of the back end of the drill itself.Ā A confused, whimpering moan was her response.Ā Like this, it was sort of like a vibrator, just cranked up way too hard.Ā Strade ground the back of the drill against her pussy and she cried out, gripping at the flesh beneath her for something to hold onto.Ā It felt good, and in a normal kinda way?Ā Almost?Ā Well, it did until she felt his rough fingers bury into her hair and yank her head back painfully.Ā Somehow that got a bigger reaction out of her then the vibrations themselves, and for a blissful few seconds she forgot where she was.
That said, not for a single moment did Rosie think he was doing this for any nice normal reasons, but it didnāt occur to her what was actually up until she heard their victim hissing at her in disgust.Ā Rosie looked up at her, suddenly feeling very small and despicable as she was glared at and judged.Ā Ā
Oh.....o Ā h....
Ren and Strade had already seen her react like this.Ā She was used to their respective confused acceptance and amusement, so this, this hate-filled judgment filled Rosie with a sludge-like shame that clung to every corner of her body.Ā Ā
āWhat a vile creature.āĀ She could see it in the womanās eyes.Ā āWhat a disgusting bitch.ā
Ā Rosie let out a choked sob, eyes filling with tears.Ā She heard Strade go for his zipper, and dread filled her.Ā Not dread for the pain necessarily, though she wasnāt exactly looking forward to it, but because once she pushed passed it, and she went from being Rosemary Grayson to whoever the fuck it was living in her skin when the serial killer started fucking her, then their victim was really going to see her for what she was.Ā Strade tossed the drill to the side, and pushed into Rosie with no more preamble.Ā She shrieked in pain, curling up against the legs beneath her for some sort of mental stability.Ā The pounding started quickly, with Strade encouraging her to āstop pretendingā.Ā Was the woman beside her still talking to her?Ā Was she even looking at her anymore?Ā Could she even bear to?Ā This was the man that had violated her so thoroughly, the man who would be the death of her, and here Rosie was, slowly but surely welcoming in his cock like the worst kind of degenerate slut.Ā Ā
āAaaah!Ā Ah, ah, ow, aaaah~!āĀ Somewhere in the middle of pain and humiliation, Rosie found the sweet spot of her vile perversions, and really started to get into it despite her swirling self hatred.Ā She moaned shamelessly as she was pounded across the thighs of their unwilling audience.Ā She spread her legs for Strade, and crooned out in pleasure when his cock slid in as deeply as it could go.Ā He grinned, taking in the delicious discomfort of the dying woman next to them.Ā Leaning over to her, he licked up the side of her face, over the open wound heād made in her cheek and she cried out in pain.
āIch hoffe, du bist bereit für meinen zweiten Wind~āĀ He laughed at her confused and enraged expression.Ā āYouāre next~ā He clarified in English, and he nearly came from the look of horror in her eyes alone.Ā Rosie, lost in pleasure, was barely paying attention to them.Ā Instead, her eyes caught sight of something far more interesting.Ā Or rather, someone~Ā Ren.Ā Ren, Ren, Ren~Ā Ā
When Strade stopped thrusting suddenly, Rosie whined; she actually, genuinely pouted and was about to look over her shoulder at him to ask what he was doing when he snatched a handful of her hair and made her look up at Ren.Ā Or, rather, what was happening between Renās legs.Ā Though Rosie had initially been looking up at her fluffy boyās handsome face, when her sexed out brain finally caught up to reality, she realized that Strade wanted her to notice what heād noticed.Ā Ren was painfully hard.Ā Rosie blinked in surprise, and then couldnāt for the life of her stop herself from imagining him taking it out and letting her taste it.
āRen~Ā No, donāt hide it.Ā What part is getting you hard?Ā Have you always liked watching our Rosie get fucked~?ā Ā Strade dug his nails deep into Rosieās hip and her pussy squeezed around his cock in a way that almost made him forget what he was about to say...Almost~Ā This was too good to pass up.Ā He ordered Ren to take it out, and to touch himself in front of them.Ā To show Rosie how much he liked watching her be humiliated and forced.Ā Rosie whimpered, just for a moment, at the thought of Renās eventual distress, but she was again distracted by the renewed thrusts of their captor.Ā Back in the groove of things, Rosie didnāt bother to pretend she wasnāt enjoying watching Ren touch himself.Ā Not just in general, mind you, but specifically to her in an overtly sexual sitation, just like that time in the hallway.Ā The more she took in the sight of him, panting red in the face, stroking his cock with her in mind, the more absurdly aroused she became.Ā From down on the floor, she gave Ren a completely unfiltered look of lust and longing.
āI wish it was you, Ren, that it was you in his place.Ā I wish it was you fucking me right now~āĀ She couldnāt say it outloud, not now, but God, she was trying so damn hard to get it across with the look she was giving him.Ā With the last of her brain cells, she made a rather overt gesture, she looked up at him, then dragged her gaze down to his cock, and licked her lips.Ā After that, really, she was just a ball of mush.Ā When Strade came, it was with a series of bruisingly powerful thrusts that destroyed her completely.Ā When Rosie came back down to Earth (if only just barely) it was because Strade was using his foot to move her off of the womanās thighs.Ā He was laughing, high on adrenaline despite having just ejaculated.Ā His legs were shaking a bit, and his breathing was heavy, but otherwise he was probably mere minutes from carrying through on the promise of second winds.
Rosie was aware of nothing, staring up at the ceiling of the basement with a fuzzy brain and a pussy full of cum.Ā Soon enough there was another round of screaming that began beside her, jolting her out of the near zen sheād entered.Ā Sitting up, she dizzily looked over at Ren, and felt something as it dripped down her cheek.Ā Assuming it was blood, she ignored it, and curled up into a ball as their horrific reality started to fade back into focus.Ā Ā
The woman, thoroughly used and abused by now, still had another half hour of torture to endure before finally, finally, finally she bled out.Ā Strade came over to her, kneeling down in front of her so he could admire her tear soaked face.Ā He grabbed her chin and made her look up at him, which she did with an added bonus of exhaustion.Ā Initially, Strade made a noise of adoration, but that quickly transitioned into hearty chuckles.
āMade a bit of a mess, Ren~?ā Ā He laughed, and Rosie reached up to rub at the dried blood on her face.Ā When she brought the dried flakes into view, she saw not the blood of their victim, but rather what had to be some of Renās semen.Ā Sheād missed seeing the moment herself, but the proof was right there on her face and maybe even in her hair.Ā Rosie blushed heavily, which just made Strade laugh again.
----
Cleaning up was Hell like always.Ā Strade, who didnāt let them clean themselves off until the job was done, gave them hatchets and hand saws to cut the body with so that it could fit nicely into the kiln.Ā He watched the entire time, Rosie mindful of her every move and facial expression.Ā The last time theyād cleaned up a body, she and Ren had hugged it out, which led to Strade trying to turn them against each other.Ā This time, despite the tornado of emotions swirling inside of her, Rosie made absolutely certain that she wouldnāt offer or receive any comfort until she knew for sure that Strade was asleep.
Though her resolve was strong both mentally and emotionally, Rosie couldnāt win.Ā In order to not think too hard about how much she wanted to break down and cry and sob it out with Ren, she tried to focus on her task.Ā The task, however, was so repulsive to her on a cellular level, that by the time they were finished sheād puked not once, but twice, all over the part of the body she was severing.Ā By the time they were dismissed, she practically ran upstairs into the bathroom and was in the shower while the water was still freezing cold.
Beneath a tight canopy of treetops, sitting peacefully on the stump of a tree heād felled himself, a large, burly mountain man sits and waits for his companion to wake up.Ā Patience was a gift, really, it was, and up here in the mountains, where time could slow down to a crawl, patience was a friend heād made long, long ago.Ā Curled up on the ground by his feet was a young woman, a tiny thing, sleeping away the precious daylight.Ā He glanced over at her as he adjusted the tension on his crossbow, looking for any sign that she was beginning to stir.Ā Little did he know, sheād been awake for several minutes now.Ā
ā...Heās humming to himself.Ā Heās fiddling with something too, something metal by the sound of it....ā Ā
Kaori Saionji; 19.Ā Japanese.Ā Fluffy short brown hair.Ā Possibly cursed.Ā Several hours ago sheād been bought at some sort of underground auction for people.Ā Several hours before that sheād been minding her own business and making her way hurriedly through the crowded city streets.Ā Sheād h a t e d it; hated the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded on all sides by strangers with their leering, judging eyes.Ā It wasnāt supposed to be a long trip into the city either, just a check-up at the hospital that sheād been putting off for literal years.Ā It had taken a lot of nagging from her best friend to pressure her into going, but sheād eventually caved.Ā Ā
āFor your health!ā Tsumiki had insisted.Ā āYou never know what could happen!ā
It was after Kaori had left the hospital, clean bill of health in hand and was on her way to the bus that sheād been grabbed by a stranger while passing by an alley.Ā It was tremendously rotten luck for sure.Ā But it wasnāt exactly the first or even second stupidly awful thing that had happened to her, so she could hardly claim to be surprised that it was time to confront yet another challenge.Ā Ā Ā
But back to the present.
Several hours had passed between her time in the Auction House and now.Ā Sheād been asleep for most of those hours, thanks to being drugged, so she didnāt know how far away from her house she was.Ā Sheād woken up maybe ten minutes ago, and managed to remain still enough that the man whoād bought her hadnāt realized she was awake just yet.Ā It gave her time to get her bearings at least.
Her face and her hands were cold; the mid-November air picking up now and then to nip at whatever skin was still exposed.Ā She can tell that she wasnāt wearing her dress anymore, and was instead in some sort of pants, and maybe a jacket?Ā They were nice and warm at least.Ā Her hands were tied behind her back.Ā Sheād been placed on the ground and was lying on the grass.Ā Outside.Ā Thank God.Ā Sheād been right that the man whoād bought her was probably the one asking about camping.Ā How deep into the woods were they?Ā Were they up in the mountains?Ā If only she didnāt have this stupid blindfold over her eyes.
.....
Deciding she was awake enough to be able to use her brain effectively, she took a deep breath and rolled onto her back, hinting that sheād finally begun to wake.
āOh!āĀ He said immediately.Ā He sounded very close as he stood up.Ā āLookit you, already awake.āĀ He nudged her in the side with his booted foot and she turned to look in his direction despite the blindfold.Ā Tch.Ā After a few more seconds of silence, he continued.Ā āLooks like yer about ready, eh?āĀ His heavy footsteps circled her body.Ā She could feel him looking her over, making the judgment for himself that he was satisfied with what he saw.Ā āNow, Iāll be takinā the blindfold off.Ā Stand up.āĀ Despite her arms being bound, she rolled onto her stomach and moved so that she was on her knees.Ā She was a little wobbly from being on the ground for so long, but she succeeded in standing up.Ā He stepped even closer, looming over her.Ā This close, she could feel some of his body heat.Ā She hated this.Ā āMmhm.Ā Thatās better.āĀ He gripped her blindfold and yanked it off in one motion.Ā Ā
There was a ton of information to take in at once as her eyes adjusted to the drastic increase of light.Ā She took a few steps back, blinking and shutting her eyes a few times until she could see properly.Ā Now, she could get a better look at him.
ā....ā Well, he certainly matched his voice didnāt he?Ā This man was h u g e!Ā He towered over her by at least a whole foot and was wide and stocky.Ā He looked strong too.Ā Okay.Ā Right.Ā Well, this wasnāt the first time sheād gone up against someone physically intimidating...She just needed space and time.Ā Looking up into his green eyes, Kaori noted a distinct sort of...Offness, in the way he was looking at her.Ā It was gross, but she could think about it later.Ā Keeping him in her periphery, she looked at the area around him.Ā They were in a heavily wooded area.Ā Behind him on the ground was a little pack and some sort of weapon.Ā He was mostly blocking it from view, but she was already putting together ideas.Ā Nobody goes through the trouble of spending a ton of money on someone in a human auction just to have a nice peaceful time with them.Ā So, that was obviously to use on her.Ā He was already her enemy from the moment heād placed the opening bid, but now, it was obvious that only one of them was leaving this mountain.Ā Ā
āNow then.Ā The suits told me they couldnāt find any I.D. on ya.āĀ Oh?Ā Sheād probably dropped it at some point when sheād been grabbed.Ā After staring at her in silence for a moment or two, he continued, āDonāt matter to me either way, just thought Iād ask in case ya wanted ta share.āĀ Share what?Ā Her name?Ā She thought about it for a moment, and, realizing that she certainly didnāt care to know his name, she decided to keep quiet.Ā Ā
Besides, she hated talking to people she didnāt like.
They stared at each other for a full minute, nothing but the sounds of nature to fill the silence before he shrugged.Ā
āSuit yerself.āĀ He said, and got back to business.Ā After untying her hands, the man reached down and snatched up the little backpack.Ā Ā āTake it.Ā Youāll need it.āĀ She did take it, without a word even, and slid her arms through the straps.Ā He made another noise of approval.Ā āYer job is to survive.Ā Mountainās a dangerous place.Ā So I put together some supplies for ya.āĀ Kaori nodded, feeling suddenly like she needed to be ready to move at any second.Ā There was something about this guy that made her feel like she was staring down a wolf or a bear or some other hungry animal.Ā With one more look over, he nodded to himself, seemingly pleased.Ā āAlright.āĀ He started to turn around, presumably to grab whatever weapon he had back there, and thatās when she made her move.Ā Turning around swiftly, Kaori bolted away from the freak as quickly as she could.Ā She heard him howl with laughter behind her as she sprinted away.
āNow thatās the spirit!!āĀ He bellowed, and soon after she heard the sound of something piercing through the air.Ā She felt it hit her backpack, but when he didnāt shoot another (it was probably an arrow), she figured heād just been trying to scare her.Ā Despite being small, Kaori was fast on her feet, and the boots he must have put on her made running through the forest pretty easy.Ā Eventually, when she needed a breather, she kept walking, taking random lefts and rights to make herself less easy to track.Ā She looked back down behind her, mindful of potential footprints, and purposefully messing them up if she left any.Ā Ā
Eventually, Kaori found herself in a clearing.Ā Hating the idea of being so exposed, she hurried back into the cover of the trees.Ā Mindful of the forest floor, she finally slowed her pace, using a large oak as cover while she caught her breath.Ā Ā
Okay...Okay...
Looking up at the tree, she realized that she could reach the lowest branch, and had an idea.Ā Once her heart rate was back to normal, she made her way up into the welcoming branches of the oak and hid herself within the leaves.Ā When she was fairly confident that she was hidden, she rested her body against the trunk of the oak and let herself recover from the burst of adrenaline.
After a few minutes of keeping an ear out for the sound of his footsteps, she removed her backpack and looked through the contents.Ā She had the arrow heād shot at her, might come in handy.Ā She had a little baggy of trail mix.Ā A fire starter, and a pencil and paper.Ā It wasnāt a lot, but she could make due with it.Ā The fire starter was surprisingly generous of him, though sheād have to be careful about when and how long she had her fires roaring...Ā The pencil and paper took her a little by surprise.Ā Did he want her to draw a map?Ā Considering everything in her bag, and the fact that heād bothered to change her clothes-
....
Heād...Changed her clothes...
At first, she hadnāt really put it together, but it finally dawned on her that the creepy mountain pervert had had to undress her in order to put her in this little outfit.
She hated this a lot.
UGH.Ā AnyWAY.Ā The fact that heād given her all of this, made her realize that he was probably hoping she would stay alive as long as possible.Ā More than just buying her to kill her, this was a full and proper game of cat and mouse.Ā Ā
Alright.Ā She could play.
Peaking through the leaves, Kaori took note of how high up she was.Ā She could see...A little cabin!Ā Probably his.Ā Taking out the pencil and paper, she began to sketch what she could see, including this big and wonderful tree sheād found.Ā She noted āgood hiding spotā next to it, with a little heart, and then paused when she heard what sounded like footsteps.Ā Looking down, she could just barely make him out, hunting her.Ā He had that weapon with him at the ready, and she could just about tell that it was a crossbow.Ā Huh.Ā She didnāt dare move until heād left the area entirely.Ā Once she was fairly certain heād gone, she finally climbed down.
Judging by how low the sun was already getting, Kaori decided she needed to work on this little map of hers while she still had daylight.Ā First, though, she squatted down, stuffing as much kindling as she good into her backpack, just in case.
In the lesser known streets of Sunset Valley, in a non-descript and presumably vacant office building, a shady group of criminals have set up shop underground. Their business would only remain in this building for the next few months to avoid being easily traced. Though inconvenient, this was a necessary precaution, lest the men behind the operation be imprisoned for innumerable counts of human trafficking and murder.
āThis oneās real pretty, boss.Ā Sheāll go for a high price.āĀ Reaching down with a hand clad in leather, āCygnusā, a tall, lanky man dressed all in black, takes hold of a young womanās chin so he can turn her face from side to side and get a better look at her.Ā There are three other men in this room beside Cygnus, and one other woman, currently bound in rope and drugged into a dreamless slumber on the couch.Ā Of the three other men, the one being referred to as āBossā, glanced over at his henchman and chuckled.Ā Ā Ā
āYes.Ā Both of them are beautiful.Ā You and Aquila did a wonderful job~āĀ Cygnus didnāt look away from the unconscious woman he was admiring, but he did smile at the compliment.Ā On the other hand, āAquillaā, a slightly older man, but still very visibly strong and fierce, raised his glass of bourbon from his place beside the door in thanks. Despite being the shortest man in the room, no one would look at Boss and mistake him as being anything but the one running the operation.Ā A showmanās smile.Ā Intelligent and fiery eyes.Ā Boss had an air of confidence about him that made you yield to his authority.Ā He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve and smoothed out his suit jacket to perfection.Ā Boss was standing behind the chair of another man, āCanisā, who was monitoring the active camera feeds as they broadcasted video from their myriad security cameras.Ā For most of the night, the only things of note to come up on the cameras had been the movements of Bossā crew.Ā However, very soon, there would be three new guests arriving at the Auction House.Ā āCanis,ā Boss began.Ā Canis, the largest man in the room by far, made a noise of acknowledgement, not wanting to take his eyes away from the screens. Ā āWhen our guests arrive, I want you to escort them to their rooms.ā
āYeah, no problem.Ā You know whoās cominā?ā
āTwo regulars.Ā The Prodigal Son, and the Man That Doesnāt Exist.āĀ Cygnus finally looked away from the woman whoās face heād been staring a new hole into and grimaced in response to the first nickname.Ā He knew exactly who they were talking about, even if they only came in contact with him once every twelve months.Ā That particular customer had been coming around once a year for several years now and he had never, not once, not been a rude little shit to everyone he spoke to at the Auction House.Ā Every year around the same time his father paid for his son to have a guaranteed spot as a customer.Ā The money was well worth it to be annoyed by some trust fund baby for an hour at most.Ā As for the other man, he was only noteworthy because their cyber digging into him hadnāt turned up any results.Ā There was no social security number, no ID, no birth certificate, no nothing.Ā It had set off about a million red flags when heād first reached out to them.Ā The only reason heād been allowed in and back again, was because Canis had been able to track his computerās I.P. to the mountains, where theyād sent someone to spy and make sure this weirdo actually existed, and wasnāt some undercover cop.Ā āAs for the third, theyāre a newcomer.Ā Iām excited to meet them~āĀ Ā
āHeh~āĀ Canis chuckled, pleased whenever Boss was clearly having a good time.Ā Catching sight of a car pulling up to the first security checkpoint, Canis stood up.Ā āLooks like itās showtime.āĀ Leaning down, he whispered something into Bossā ear.Ā Whatever it was, the shorter man barely bit back another chuckle and a genuine smile, before motioning that Canis get a move on.Ā Stepping forward and resting his hands on the desk, Boss eyed the cameras and watched as Canis made his way down to the security checkpoint and went through the steps of processing the customers and leading them into the main showroom one by one....Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
The curtains rise to reveal an unassuming slate gray room.Ā There is a chair in the center of the room.Ā Itās fancy black leather, with arm and leg restraints built right in.Ā Facing the chair are three walls, with the two outer walls angled inward.Ā On each wall is a window framed with curtains and behind each window is a little booth with its own distinct color pallet: red, blue, and green.Ā This room, with its odd little booths and its odd little chair.Ā This is the main showroom for tonightās events.
Pushing eagerly past the security guard and into the red booth is Derek Goffard.Ā Oldest son and heir to his fatherās billion dollar company.Ā A constantly ticking time bomb full of rage and a lust for violence.Ā After nearly three decades of being his fatherās son, of failing to be āhis fatherās sonā, heās more likely to wind up imprisoned for life before he ever inherits the company.Ā Raised under a heavy fist and even heavier expectations, Derekās already off the deep end.Ā Needing to take his hatred out on others, heās resorted to violence an innumerable amount of times before ever hearing about this place.Ā Fed up with paying for his sonās sins to be covered up, Mr. Goffard himself set Derek up with an outlet for his violence.Ā A way to āpurgeā his urges and release the inner monster enough that he could keep a lid on his tendencies back home.Ā Ā Ā
Derek Goffard, bidder number one.Ā Heās about to enthusiastically make the biggest mistake of his life.
Stepping elegantly into the blue booth is Celia Lede; businesswoman. Multi millionaire. Beautiful. Intelligent. Cruel. She's teetering at the upper edge of her emotional and mental limits after spending years playing the role of an immaculate, high class, untouchable woman. A woman without fault and without peer. Always one step ahead of her enemies. Painfully aware that if she makes a single mistake, everything she's worked herself to the bone to achieve will be ripped away. Stress and hatred have festered inside of her, threatening to crack apart her perfect corporate mask.Ā Sheās felt the relief that sliding a blade into the body of a living, breathing human can bring her.Ā Inflicting pain onto others frees her, even if temporarily, from the Hell of her everyday.Ā But she canāt keep killing so sloppily.Ā Canāt keep playing with fire so close to home.Ā Sheās purchased a secret place to release her anger, dodged her husbandās questions about such a bizarre purchase, and now...She needs a body to fill it.
Celia Lede, bidder number two. She's here looking for a bit of release before the dam breaks.
Last but not least, the large and imposing Mason Heiral, shuffles into the green booth.Ā Heās been here before, speaking as little as possible to the other people involved in this process.Ā Curt nods to the suits in black that lead him to the main showroom.Ā Polite if gruff bids if the item in question peaks his interest.Ā Legally, he doesnāt exist.Ā His birth was never recorded; his existence never tracked by the powers that be.Ā His mysterious wealth is what allows him to participate in these auctions, allows him to indulge in his primal needs; his animalistic urges to hunt and kill.Ā Prey has gotten a bit sparse back home.Ā It had only been a matter of time before people stopped visiting his mountain when their kind kept disappearing on it over the years.Ā It made sense.Ā But still, what was a hunter without his prey?Ā And if they wouldnāt come to him, heād have to bring them home himself.
Mason Heiral, bidder number three.Ā Heās mere days away from glimpsing death down the barrel of a handgun.
With all of the bidders in place behind their color-coded one way windows, a man encased in shadows makes his presence known high above his three guests.Ā Boss, known to his customerās as āThe Announcerā greets them all jovially, giving them a cheerful rundown of the rules as Aquila and Cygnus carry an unconscious woman into the room.Ā Sheās injected with something to wake her up slowly as he speaks.Ā While she stirs, the bidders get a good look at her.Ā Sheās a short woman, no taller than five feet, with dark brown, curly hair that stops about an inch from her shoulders.Ā Itās a little hard to tell at first, until a big bright spotlight is turned to her and she opens her eyes, but sheās of Asian descent, specifically Japanese.Ā Once sheās awake, her eyes take a moment to adjust.Ā Ā
While sheās quite pretty, the most notable thing about her appearance turns out to be her eyes.Ā Itās hard to see exactly what color they are, even with the spotlight, but looking into them reminds one of looking into a sunset.Ā When the announcer greets her, she looks in the direction of his voice, but doesnāt answer, instead getting a good look at her surroundings.Ā She tugs experimentally on her restraints, which, even if they werenāt rock solid, there were two large men standing to her left and right.Ā The announcer, unbothered by being ignored, launches into the program with gusto and flair.Ā He asks her a series of questions, all submitted by his customers ahead of time.
"What are you doing here?"Ā He asks, as if he had nothing to do with it.Ā Unamused, the woman doesnāt answer.
ā....ā Ā To her slight surprise, a gruff voice from the rightmost window speaks up from a green colored window.
āHundred ānā ten.āĀ He says.Ā Eh...?Ā Ah!!Ā Thereās muted realization in her eyes as it finally dawns on her that sheās in some sort of degenerate human auction.Ā With a soft sigh to steel herself, she shuts her eyes and listens to the bidders as they comment on this or that.Ā Ā
"Now...do you consider yourself to be athletic?"Ā No answer.Ā "Are you scared?" No answer.
āPfft.Ā Look at her!Ā Sheās obviously so scared she canāt even speak.āĀ That was a man to her left, from the red window.Ā His tone becomes teasing.Ā āYou thinkinā about what sort of nasty stuff weāre gonna do to you~?āĀ The woman opens an eye to look at his window, already not a fan of him.Ā Whatever it was he took from her expression must have entertained him, cause he ups the bid.Ā āGood~Ā You should be.Ā One-twenty.āĀ From the blue room, a female voice scoffs.Ā āYou got somethinā on your mind, you old cow?āĀ
āYes, actually.Ā Iām thinking about how much Iād love it if it were you in that chair.āĀ Her voice was silky smooth, a contrast to the hyper aggression of the man whoād jumped to insulting her seemingly out of nowhere.Ā The announcer pressed on.
"How much money do you make?" No answer.Ā "How well do you follow instructions?" No answer.Ā Seeing as they werenāt getting anywhere asking their questions, it was a relief when someone had a good idea.
āHm...Young lady, look at me, would you?āĀ Bidder number two spoke directly to the tied up woman, and she obliged with a neutral expression on her face.Ā A small sound of intrigue was the response.Ā āAha~Ā Thatās better.Ā Thereās nothing wrong with silence if they can follow simple instructions.Ā One-thirty.ā
āSheād be more fun if she was crying!Ā One-fourty.ā
āTsk.Ā If sheās too quiet for you, why are you raising the bet?Ā One-fifty.ā
āāCause making quiet bitches scream is a talent of mine~!Ā One-sixty.āĀ Above them, the announcer chuckled to himself.Ā Ew.
"Are you a virgin?"Ā The next question made her pull a face, though she managed to get it back under control.Ā If the man in the red window hadnāt more or less confirmed it before, a question like that made it crystal clear that this was a room full of degenerates and perverts.Ā Ā
"..." This seriously sucked.
"Heh.Ā Weāre almost done.Ā Youāre doing great!Ā How about this?Ā Do you enjoy camping?"Ā Ā
To his credit, this was the only question heād asked so far that made her consider answering.Ā Camping?Ā Why?Ā Did one of these creeps live in the woods?Ā If that was true then maybe...Maybe there was a path for her other than death.Ā
"..." Looking up in the direction of the announcerās voice, she nodded with a determined affirmative.Ā It was the man in green that answered this time.
āTwo hundred ānā ten.āĀ Fifty more dollars or whatever they were betting with!Ā That question was probably his then.Ā Ā
"Ooho~Ā A firm response!Ā Alright, wonderful!Ā And now, our final question.Ā Who would you like to go home with?"Ā To this, she rolled her eyes, sitting silently, though she did think about it for a bit.Ā She glanced over at the green window, wondering if her hunch that heād asked the camping question was worth the risk.Ā Even though all she could make out of his form was a shadowy outline, she could tell that he was looking back at her.Ā Suddenly, the man in red spoke up again.
āHah!Ā You like the quiet weirdo?Ā Not the best taste, girlie.āĀ He teased.Ā āAt least you didnāt go for the bitch in blue.ā
āJesus.āĀ The bitch in blue scoffed.Ā āYou really canāt keep your mouth shut can you?āĀ Ā
āWhy donāt you come on over here and say that to my face?ā
āIn your dreams, little boy.āĀ Before the man in red could bite back, the man in green spoke up.
āSeven hundred ānā ten.āĀ He growled.Ā Both of his fellow bidders went silent.Ā The announcer as well, took a few seconds to recover from the shock of such a drastic increase.Ā Pleased, he continued.Ā āNo more bids then?āĀ Silence.Ā āGood.āĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā
āI hear seven hundred and ten!Ā Wow!Ā ...Anyone else?āĀ He wasnāt expecting anyone to actually respond, and, up against such a shocking number, both blue and red kept their mouths shut tight.Ā āHaha!Ā Sold! To my robust friend in the green!Ā Weāll prepare the shipment to be sent out with you right away!Ā Thank you very much for coming!āĀ As soon as he began talking about āshippingā her out, the woman in the chair braced herself for another hit of drugs, and only flinched a little when one of the men guarding her jabbed a needle into her leg.Ā The pain was temporary, though the effects were almost immediate.Ā She blacked out in the chair and was swiftly unshackled, scooped up and carried out of the room.Ā Ā
As for bidder number three, the sound of the door behind him being opened was the cue he was waiting for.Ā A large man in a black mask escorted him out of the green booth and down the hall towards the exit where he would meet with someone else to discuss his payment.
[Hunterās Prey | Swamp Monsterās Bride]
Back in the main showroom, bidders one and two waited for their doors to be opened.Ā They were in dramatically different moods.Ā While bidder number two was primarily disappointed, bidder number one was stressed.Ā Ā
āFuck fuck fuck where do I get someone now...āĀ He muttered to himself.Ā Ā
āMy esteemed guests, donāt look so down!Ā Youāve joined me today for a rather special auction.āĀ Oh?Ā Special how?Ā āWeāve not one, but two items for sale tonight.Ā Perhaps this lovely lady will catch your interest~?āĀ Both bidders perked up hopefully as the two henchmen brought out a different woman.Ā
This woman, taller than the last, looked like she might have been plucked from a penthouse in the city.Ā Smooth white skin, a killer figure, and voluptuous red hair that framed her beautiful face.Ā She too was restrained, and a shot to wake her up was administered.Ā In the red booth, bidder number one was surprisingly silent as he stared at her.Ā It wasnāt so much that heād been overcome with her beauty, but there was definitely something about her that made his breathing start to speed up and his heart start to pound.
āOh my fucking gOD!? YES.āĀ He barked with laughter, which made bidder number two raise a questioning brow, even though he couldnāt see her.Ā The woman, jolted by his outburst, quickly woke up.Ā Stunned and confused by her surroundings, she was much more animated and open about her fear.Ā Ā
āOh...What??Ā Wh-Where am I?āĀ From her accent, it was immediately clear that sheād at least been raised in a French speaking household.Ā She turned to look behind her, only to be met with the emotionless, masked figures watching over her.Ā Panic was already flooding in.Ā She shut her eyes and did her deep breathing exercises until she could focus.Ā Ā
āAlright~!Ā Welcome, welcome.Ā Iāve got a few questions for you to get us started.Ā Like before, the bidding starts at one hundred!āĀ The announcer spoke, making her look in his direction.Ā Was this the man in charge?Ā "What are you doing-"Ā
āOne ten!āĀ Shouted bidder number one.Ā Everyone was a little surprised by his outburst, not even waiting until the question had been answered.Ā The woman in the chair looked at the red window confused.Ā That voice...No, no...It was probably the drugs confusing her.Ā Ā
āSeriously?Ā How rude can you be?āĀ Said bidder number two, already completely fed up with him.Ā Ā
āShove a sock in it, bitch!Ā Sheās mine!ā
āPfft.Ā Desperate to get your hands on anything with a pulse now that the first girl slipped through your grasp?Ā You wouldnāt even know what to do with her.Ā One-twenty.ā
āOi oi, fuck off!Ā One-thirty!Ā I know exactly what Iām gonna do with her!āĀ He was staring right at her as he spoke, and he just about oooozed horniness.Ā The woman in the chair squirmed, looking distinctly uncomfortable, but not just for the obvious reason. The announcer continued after a pause to see if they were done arguing.
"Now...do you consider yourself to be athletic?"
āAh...I do go to ze gym...āĀ She groaned as a drug induced dizzy spell hit her.Ā Ā Ā Ā
āAre you scared?ā Ā
ā....Is zhere a reason to not be?āĀ She asked, her tone incredulous.Ā Ā
āOne-fourty.ā Said the woman in blue.
āFuck you!Ā One-seventy!ā
"How much money do you make?" Asked the announcer, a hint of amusement in his voice now.
ā....Iz zhat what zhis iz?Ā Blackmail?ā Ā There was a snicker coming from the red booth, followed by,
āYeah you fuckinā wish~āĀ She did wish.Ā She very much did.
"How well do you follow instructions?"
āWell enough.ā
āOo~Ā One-eigh-ā
āOne-ninety!ā
āYou impossible little BRAT!Ā Two-twenty.āĀ To that, the man seethed.
āOh COME ON!Ā Two-thirty!āĀ
As they argued, and the manās voice became more and more clear to the bound womanās foggy mind, a disgusting truth made itself more and more clear to her.Ā She could hardly believe this was happening...
"Are you a virgin~?"Ā Asked the announcer.Ā She blushed, and scoffed quietly, only to realize the room had gone totally silent.Ā From the red window, she felt herself being pressured to answer.
āWell??ā Ā He insisted.Ā She shook her head stubbornly.Ā āGod youāre always likE THIS!Ā Answer the fucking question, Sca-ā Ā He caught himself in time before saying her name, but it was too late.Ā Her eyes widened in horror from the confirmation that they knew each other, and, more specifically, that she knew exactly who this was.Ā From the blue window, the woman laughed cruelly.
āAh~Ā I get it now.Ā This is something personal for you, isnāt it~?ā Ā The ball back in her court, she could just feel the tension coming from the other booth. Ā āWouldnāt it be lovely if I walked out of here with her then~?Ā Three hundred.ā Ā It was a massive blow.Ā Ā
āI??Ā You?? What the FUCK??!āĀ Ā
āOooh~?Ā Whatās the matter?Ā Daddy not give you enough allowance to play in the big leagues~?āĀ She was clearly enjoying herself now as he tried to figure out a way to get what he wanted.
āSh-Shut the hell up...Th...āĀ His father was going to eat him alive for this.Ā ā...Three-ten...ā
How much were they bidding with??Ā Hundreds of thousands?Ā Ā
āReally~?Ā How close am I to your limit, hm~?Ā Three-thirty.āĀ She was killing him and everyone in the room knew it.
āSeriously, could you chill??ā
āOh~?Ā āChillā, he says!ā Ā She laughed again, louder this time.Ā āAre you quitting~?Ā Sheāll be going home with me if you donāt come up with more money!āĀ There was silence on his end as he seethed with rage.Ā Finally, the announcer spoke up again.Ā Ā
āAlright~!Ā Three hundred and thirty!Ā Going once, going twice-ā
āAAGH, FUCK!Ā THREE-FORTY!āĀ He slammed on the window, wishing with every cell in his body that he could beat the bitch until she was black and blue.Ā To this, she cackled, pleased as punch to have broken him.Ā Ā
āThree hundred and forty!Ā Do I hear three hundred and fifty~?ā
āAh...Hahaha~Ā No, no, let him have her.Ā At that price too~?Ā Goodness~āĀ
Despite feeling humiliated, eventually, it occurred to bidder number one that he had, in fact, won the bidding.Ā For this, he was ecstatic.Ā He could deal with the consequences when he got back home~Ā Once he was declared the winner, and his prize was knocked out and carried out of the showroom, he impatiently waited to be let out.Ā He practically dashed past Canis, who rolled his eyes under his mask and followed after him.
[Scarlette Fever]
Left in the room alone with her host, bidder number two let out a long suffering sigh of defeat.
āI donāt suppose you have a third person back there, do you?āĀ Ā
āNot on this day!Ā But~Ā Might I say, you fought a fierce battle~ā
ā...Hm~āĀ She hummed in acknowledgement, but inside, she was just the teensiest bit happy to hear him, specifically him, give her that sort of praise.Ā When it was her turn to be escorted out, she walked silently beside the guard, deep in thought.Ā She was a little surprised when he spoke to her, though, since he was polite about it, she decided that she didnāt mind.
āYer first time here, right?Ā Never seen ya before.ā
āYes it is.ā
āDid ya have fun?Ā Despite that idiot yappin the whole time?āĀ Ā
āYes~Ā Despite him, I had a good time.ā
āThink youāll come back?ā He asked, hoping to see someone with her brand of spiciness back on the showroom floor.Ā To this, she sighed.
āI fully plan on coming back.Ā The question is if itāll be a matter of two months, half a year, or a full year.Ā This is a surprisingly hard party to get an invite to.āĀ They reached the front door.Ā āWell then, have a good night.āĀ She said, and walked herself to her car, with Canis keeping an eye out for her until sheād driven out of sight.
Back in the security office, Canis found the boss up at the computer station, watching the cameras like heād expected him to be.Ā Since Aquila and Cygnus were still getting the items shipped out, Canis could take a moment to drop the mask.Ā After locking the door, he wrapped his arms around Boss from behind, chuckling to himself.
āDamn, we made fuckinā bank today didnāt we~?āĀ As soon as 'Canis' locked the door, Boss, or, rather, Ren, relaxed and grins at him, and lets out a little laugh.
"Sure did. Damn, I can't remember the last time we got a bid that high. Guess he really wanted them to shut up, huh~?Ā And that second one...."
Vince nuzzled his nose against the top of Renās head, feeling relaxed now that it's just them.Ā
"I mean, I'd love to shut that little bitch up myself~Ā I've got plenty of ways.Ā Yeah the second one tho!Ā Fuck me, that little man would be the worst at poker!"
"Ha! I was thinking the same thing. If he wasn't such a reliable source of annual income, I'd join you in that.Ā But boy did that woman play him."
"Best part of the night, hands down~Ā You heard us talkin' on camera, right~?Ā I hope she comes back hehehe.āĀ Vince paused, content, and then added, "We should plan a vacation soon~Ā Take Rose somewhere nice~"
"I did~ She's right though, it is a hard party to get an invite for." Ren perked up at Vinceās suggestion.Ā "Yeah? You have a place in mind~?"
"Greece maybe?Ā We had a blast last time."
"Oh, I'd love to go back there. Santorini beach in particular." Ā Already, he was imagining their wife, Rosie, in a swimsuit, and was loving the visual~ Ā "Well, it's all fair game now~"
"Exactly~"Ā With his advanced hearing, Vince heard someone coming up the stairs, probably Altair, their guard on the street.Ā Leaning down, he pressed a quick but passionate kiss against Ren's lips.Ā "We'll talk about it more when we get home.Ā Love ya~"Ā Ren kissed him back with equal fervor, giving him a loving look. Even now, every time he heard Vince or anyone say that, it made his stomach flutter a little.Ā
He woke up to soft, feminine giggling, which was extremely disorienting at first. It wasn't until he opened his eyes and saw Rosemary that the events of the previous night all came flooding back to him.
He responded to her greeting with a somewhat awkward smile as she gets up and heads to the bathroom. Just before she reaches the door, Rosemary paused and looked back at him.
"Would you mind if I made some breakfast?" He stared at her for a good five seconds before answering, as if trying to process the question.
"Huh?"
"Oh um....no."
"I mean. Sure."
With another smile, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him alone to start his afternoon. Lawrence slid out of bed and walked groggily over to his plants to begin watering them.
It still felt like a dream.
Once everything was watered, he grabbed a few of his herbs and started some water boiling to make tea. Rose came back out and started looking around the kitchen for ingredients to cook. She wasn't going to find a lot, but he figured she already knew that. Once the water was boiling, he set in the herbs to steep.
But it wasn't a dream.
While she continued to search, he went into the bathroom, used the toilet, and took a quick shower. Once out, he toweled off his hair and tied another towel around his waist before walking out to grab some clothes. He paused a few steps outside the door to stare at Rosemary, who was busy cooking at this point. It smelled like oatmeal.
It was real.
Lawrence noticed her looking at him out of the corner of her eye, which made him tense a little despite the warm expression. He quickly looked away, fetched his clothes from the closet, and retreated back into the bathroom to change. He came out a few minutes later, fully-dressed, and finished up the tea just in time for the oatmeal to be ready to eat.
There wasn't much of a dining table, so they sat together on his bed and ate in silence for a few minutes. Rosemary, of course, was the first one to speak.
"Today is...Today's Monday, isn't it? Heh, it's been so long."
He turned to her, nodding at the question. How long had she been...wherever she was? It probably was hard to tell at this point, at least for her. He knew how that was.
"I have an audition today. It's for a ballet at the Austen Theatre House. 'Carmen'."
Oh.
Oh.
Lawrence glanced away, immediately on edge. Of course she wanted to leave, why did he expect anything else? Everyone wants to leave. Had she been faking interest the whole time? Did she make up the weird dimensional traveling story?
No.
No, that didn't make any senes. She knew things that were impossible to know. She knew about The River. She was a dancer....of course she wanted to dance.
But what if she left and never came back? What if she came to her senses the moment she stepped out of that door? What if he never saw her again?
"I guess..." he began after a solid two minutes of silence, "you want to go?" Rosemary leaned in a bit, smiling at him reassuringly.
"It's a two hour thing, and then I'd come back here~ Probably with donuts. I'm seriously craving chocolate heh."
"I can...get you donuts." He knew that wasn't the point, but it was the only thing he could think to late onto. He was still seriously uncomfortable with the idea of just letting her leave.
"Do you still have my purse?" she asked. "If you want some extra reassurance, why not hold it hostage till I come back? I've got some important stuff in there."
She had a point. He hadn't really had a chance to do anything with her things aside from throw them in the closet, so they were still in fine condition. She would come back for those at least....right?
He heaved a heavy sigh.
"...alright."
"Thank you, Lawrence~"
He assumed that would be the end of it, that she would get up and leave, but instead she leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek.
He mumbled something incoherent, but didn't sound upset at the very least.
After kissing his cheek to express how greatful she was, Rosie went back to eating her oatmeal.
"What timeā¦Is the audition?" Asked Lawrence. Rosie checked the time before answering.
"It's at six-thirty. If I leave soon I'll have time to go home, shower, change, and grab my dance shoes before booking it to the audition." She thought about things realistically. "I'd wanna get some pajamas and a change of clothes, since I'm sleeping over for a bit~ And obviously I'd bring back those donuts. If I rush I can get everything done and be back before ten." It occurred to her that she could do everything much faster if he drove, but she didn't want to push. "What time do you go to work~?"
"I get in about 11 so....I leave around 10:45. I should be here at 10."
"That's perfect~" She stood up, bringing her bowl to the sink to wash it. "Do you wanna trade numbers~?"
"Trade....? Oh. Yeah. Um." After getting his phone, Lawrence looked down at it, then at her, then down at it, then back at her once more. "What's your number?"
After telling him, she put her shoes back on and asked him for her purse, which she needed if she was going to retrieve her phone, keys, and debit card. He nodded, and retrieved her purse from his closet. It's was still in fairly good condition, which pleased her greatly.
Delighted, she took what she needed from her purse, and was pleased to see her phone has just enough charge to last until she got home to her charger. Then, so long as he didn't seem unwilling, reached out an held his hands in hers.
"Thank you again, Lawrence~ I'll see you tonight at ten~?"
He was not unwilling, though he did seem a little shy, like he didn't quite expect it. He looked down at their intertwined hands a moment or two before looking up to answer. "Yeah"
Stepping outside of his apartment, Rosie reigned in her bubbling desire to jump and cheer and do cartwheels. She gently shut the door. She casually made her way down the steps. She casually made her way down the street. She lasted until he could not possibly see her from his window before she burst into a giddy sprint and ran madly; happily down the street. GOD. Never before had she been so happy to be outside!
Alive!! Alive and free and outside!!
Rosie ran all the way home, up her apartment stairs, and collapsed on her bed where she screamed into her pillows. She looked up only when she heard the concerned and upset meowings of her kitty, which made her quickly get out of bed. Scooping up her small white kitty, Rosie pressed about a zillion kisses against her furry self why she got her something to eat.
"Victoriaaaaaaaaa...I thought I'd never see you again!" Waaah! After many hugs and cuddles, Rosie managed to pull herself away from her cat long enough to put her phone on its charger. Afterwards, Rosie reminded herself that she was on a relatively strict timeline and made her way into the bathroom for the best damn shower she'd ever had.
---
With her overnight bag packed, and a sandwich in her mouth, Rosie texted her best friend to please come by and check up on Victoria for the next few days, as she was going to be out of the city for a bit. Making it to the audition on time, Rosie signed in and did some preliminary stretches while waiting for the director to make her appearance.
---
Dancing always put Rosie in a good mood~ Feeling light and airy as she made her way down the city streets, she nonetheless kept an eye out for any potential kidnappers. Keeping track of the one was more than enough. That said, if she happened to run into Ren, she'd insist that he give Lawrence a call. At nine-thirty, Rosie stood outside of Lawrence's apartment with her overnight bag, a grocery bag full of a few things she'd picked up at the corner store, and some take out for her dinner/his lunch.
[08/27/18 09:30 PM] Rosie: (Lawrence! It's Rosie. Please let me in~)
It made sense that he was hesitant to meet them. Though he'd made friends withā¦Poor Lawrenceā¦Easily enough, that had been online over a few months, right? It was different when it started online. You didn't have to react 'in the moment'. Watching Ren's expressive face, she could tell that he was frustrated with himself and was pleased when he asked for more information about her friends.
"Aaron's always loved basketball. He plays for the Sunset Valley Dragons!" The Dragons were just a local team, playing for fun against other minor leagues in the state for now, but they had a respectable following online~ "He's into stuff like crystals and tarot, and he got me into it too~ For work he's a social media manager for ah," She slid off of the bed, and dug through her vanity for the make-up she'd used on Ren's face earlier. "Briar Hills Cosmetics. He runs all of their social media accounts."
"And! He does my make-up before performances. He's really good, check it out~" Opening up her laptop, she went to her Facebook and scrolled through her photos from an album titled 'La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty)'. With the make-up Arron had done for her, she'd become even more beautiful. There was a picture of Rosie and Arron in the dressing room as he applied her lipstick.
"So that's Arron~ Now, you may or may not be thinking, 'hey, why do these photos look so professional and fabulous?'" Even if he hadn't been thinking it, it was certainly true. Every photo in the album looked like it had been taken by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. "That's because Marcia took them! She's a photographer and a videographer. She specializes in weddings, parties and sporting events. And like, check this out!" Going to Marcia's Facebook, Rosie giddily showed off Marcia's art. Apart from the types of shoots Rosie had listed, there were also really cool fantasy themed photo shoots. "She never misses an opening night of mine, and she'll use me as a model whenever she can hehe~" A single glance at her Instagram boasted a healthy follower count, primarily because of the sexy pics of herself and her boyfriend.
"Since he's coming too, I'll tell you about Chris. He's a boxer. I've been to a few of his matches. He's really good~ He's very sweet too, though he might be kinda quiet around you at first. Don't take offense to that, he's still likeā¦Figuring himself out."
If Ren had anymore specific questions, Rosie answered them happily. She quite enjoyed talking about her friends~ After dinner, the duo managed a bit more packing before settling down and getting ready for bed.
---
The next day, Rosie was awoken by a phone call from Marcia, who had gotten up early. She jovially bullied Rosie out of bed, and wanted to know what she was hungry for. Yawning, Rosie headed for the bathroom to get her day started. One shower and a change of clothes later, Rosie was feeling refreshed and ready to jump into day two of packing.
"Ren~ Wake up, Marcia and Chris will be over in thirty minutes."
Despite everything that happened, Ren slept soundly that night knowing that Rosie wouldn't try anything so drastic again. And while Strade barking at him to get some pain meds was something of a rude awakening, it was so, so much better than it could have been.
While Rosie helped him downstairs to the bathroom, Ren got some food, aspirin, and a lot of water together as quickly and efficiently as he could. Once Strade got that in him, he was out like a light again. When his and Rosie's eyes met, he knew they were thinking the same thing: Strade didn't remember anything from last night.
Thank goodness.
The next day, while in the kitchen making breakfast, Rosie was a bitā¦touchier than usual. Not on purpose, he was sure, but it was still a noticeable difference.
When he asked her to get some salt from the high shelf, he felt her hand on his shoulder, followed by her entire body leaning against him as she stretched to reach. He was vividly aware of her boobs squishing against him and...God, what was wrong with him?
When she finally moved back to hand him the salt, Ren tried to smile and thank her as normally as possible, but he could feel his cheeks flushing red.
And it stayed with him for the rest of the day too. He thought about it while eating breakfast, he thought about it while bathing, he thought about it while touching himself in his room that night. She was so warm, so soft.
When she pulled him into her room to cuddle the next day, he happily obliged. His tail slowly curled around her waist as they watched some Naruto, and by the time they were a few episodes in, she might have been able to hear a faint purring. Her embrace was so warm, so soft.
The next day, while watching TV with Strade downstairs and eating some Chinese food, Ren could have sworn he caught Rosie looking at him multiple times. That alone wasn't weird, they exchanged glances all the time, but something about the way she was looking at him was different than usual. She even glanced away when she caught him staring back, her cheeks flushing a bit. It was almost like...
No. He was probably imagining things.
Of course, it never stayed that way, not in this house. Come Monday, Strade got restless again, and cut up Rosie's arm pretty badly. While he was helping her bandage it up in the bathroom, she suddenly turned to him and gave him a smile like pure sunshine.
"Thank you, Ren~ You're so gentle~"
Something about the way she looked at him when she thanked him for his help made him feel all tingly inside. Her gaze was so warm, so soft.
"Of course."
The next day, it was his turn. He knew exactly what he was in for when Strade called him down, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. At least he managed to get his glasses off before Strade got really worked up.
By the time Strade was finished, Ren was an exhausted, bloody, cum-covered heap on the floor. Everything hurt from his ears to his tail; some of it was just from rough handling, but he did still have several open wounds ranging from the small lacerations on his ears where Strade bit down hard enough to draw blood to the deeper cuts carved into his skin with that knife.
"I think Iāll go out for a drink~" Strade announced cheerfully before looking down at Ren.
"...."
He couldn't bring myself to respond verbally, but luckily Strade didn't seem to mind. After plopping him on the sofa and briefly rustling his hair, Strade left to go upstairs. Ren supposed he ought to be grateful that Strade didn't want to stay and patch him up, he was always really rough about it. But it still meant he had to do himself, which he was not looking forward to either. With a small whimper, he curled up and tried to rest long enough to get the energy he needed to mend the worst of his wounds.
Ren cringed when he first heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the basement. Was Strade back already?? Ugh, he wasn't ready to deal with him again yet, particularly if he brought someone back to torment. It felt like he'd only been gone a few minutes...
But then he saw Rosie come into view, and he relaxed instantly. He was silent as she knelt down, wiped away his tears, and put his glasses back on, but did let out a small sound of content when she brushed her fingers through his hair. Even that small touch felt so nice...
"I'd like that, thanks." The offer sounded amazing, so with what little strength he had left, Ren got rose off the couch and followed Rosie upstairs.
As they approached the bathroom, the scent of lavender wafted through the air. Had she already started the bath? Of course she had...
Once they were inside, he noticed a medicine kit by the sink, so he went over to the toilet to get deal with the worst of things before getting in the tub. After giving himself a quick look over, he decided the deepest cut in his arm was the only truly pressing need; the rest could wait until after the bath.
Once he was seated on the closed toilet, he shot Rosie another grateful smile before reaching for the soap and water with one hand and the needle and thread with the other.
As Ren reached for the medkit, Rosie was quick to gently bat his hand away.
"Nuh-uh~Ā Let Nurse Rosie take care of everything~"Ā After closing the toilet lid, Rosie placed a hand on the small of Renās back, guiding him to sit down on the seat.Ā She looked over the new damage, and it didnāt take long to conclude that his most pressing injury was on his arm.Ā Running a fresh washcloth under the sink, and then applying a bit of antibacterial soap, she sank to her knees in front of Ren and took a hold of his arm.Ā C a r e f u l l y, she cleaned away the blood from the large wound, as well as any other cuts and scrapes that looked new too.Ā Rosie glanced up at Ren with a big smile; checking on him to see if he's doing alright before giving the clean skin a better look over.Ā Unfortunately, it didnāt look as though theyād be able to avoid the needle today.
"Yeah, that'll need some stitches.Ā Sorry, sweetie." She stands up, prepping the needle and thread after disinfecting the former.Ā Once it was threaded, she had an idea.Ā "Do you want one of his belts to bite on~?"
"Ah...no, thanks. I'm too afraid I'll leave marks on it. My teeth are kinda....Sharp.Ā It's okay though~ I'm used to it.ā
Even though all heād done was give her a reasonable explanation, Renās innocent answer sent Rosieās thoughts spiraling.Ā Renās teeth were kinda sharp~Ā Rosie thought back to the times when Strade had bitten her during sex and the way her body had reacted to it.Ā The way her arousal had spiked and sheād cried out wantonly.Ā She canāt help but to wonder how it would feel if Ren bit into her instead.Ā Those teeth sinking into her skin; drawing her blood, making her eyes roll back and her nails dig into his shoulders-
āAlrighty~āĀ She smiled sweetly at her friend, leaning down to kiss his forehead and pretending as if she didnāt just turn herself on.Ā Back on the floor, Rosie got back to work.Ā She was as delicate as possible, making neat stitches and closing up the wound.Ā She checked on him often, running a hand reassuringly over his skin when he made a pained noise.Ā When he was as patched up as possible, she cleaned up the med kit area and checked on the bath water.Ā She'd initially run it super hot, so that the water wouldĀ be a good temperature by the time they were finished.Ā While she could have certainly left Ren alone to wash himself in silence, the sexy images sheād tortured herself with earlier lingered in her mind.Ā It was a mix of wanting to pamper him, flirt with him, and tease him that made her pick up his loofa as she turned to look at him.
āWant me to help~?āĀ Ā
"Wha-?"Ā The adorable, fluffy muppet that he was, Ren's eyes widened in surprise, a small blush on his cheeks that Rosie ate right up.Ā "Y-You don't have to...I mean..."
Rosie laughed lightly, reaching out to run her fingers through his bangs and was pleased when he sighed contently.Ā She could understand his hesitance.Ā While it was true that theyād gotten decent looks at each other's bodies in the relatively short time that they'd known each other....None of those times were particularly consensual..
"I can get your back and your hair~"Ā She held up the bubble bath as an offer of privacy.
"Okay~"Ā While he got undressed, Rosie added in the bubble bath, turning on the shower just long enough to get the bubbles nice and big.Ā She averted her eyes as Ren slipped in under the water.Ā "Ahhh~"
Rosie picked up one of Ren's shampoo bottles (he had a few kinds and they all smelled amazing) at random.Ā Ā
"Let's see~Ā How are we feeling about roses and patchouli today?"Ā He agreed, so she knelt down behind him to be able to get at his hair.Ā Having fun, she ran her fingers through his hair, washing it well, but also giving his head a gentle massage too.Ā She adored the way his ears twitched!Ā Honestly it was too friggin cute??Ā Leaning forward, she rested her cheek against one of his ears, so she could feel it twitch against her skin.Ā When it did, she let out a gentle squeal, unable to hide her delight.Ā .
"Eeeehehe~" Pulling back, she picked up the loofa, soaping it up and washing his neck.Ā She hummed gently; an old Italian lullaby.Ā
"Can I have some?"Ā Ren asked, referring to the shampoo.Ā
She handed it over, along with a washcloth, and he got started on washing his tail.Ā Sharing this peaceful moment with him, a part of Rosie wanted to hug Ren, which would be fine and normal for them, but the idea of doing it now while he was naked in the bath made her a little excited.Ā She could just imagine it~Ā She would wrap her arms around his shoulders, leaning him back against her breasts and then holding him close.Ā Soap and water would soak into her shirt.Ā That close, he would surely be able to hear her heart beating with those ears of his~ Blushing, she managed to reign herself in, wanting to let him focus on his recovery.Ā Instead, she washed his shoulders.
"Your hands are so soft..."Ā He said, pulling Rosie out of her daydreams.Ā Aww~Ā Ā
"Your skin is soft too~"Ā She couldn't resist the urge to flirt.Ā As if to demonstrate her appreciation of his softness, Rosie ran a loofaless hand down his arm, enjoying the soft skin despite the occasional bumps of old scars.Ā Her fingers stopped when she reached his hand.Ā She slipped her fingers in between his and gave a small squeeze.Ā
"Hm~"Ā She lingered, then pulled back a bit more sensually than she probably should, letting her fingers drag along the skin.Ā Not calling attention to what she'd done, she starts washing his back.Ā Eventually, when she'd done all she could without getting too invasive, she kissed him on the back of the head and pulled away to grab a bucket so she could rinse out his hair.Ā "Close your eyes~"Ā Naturally, there was a round of conditioner that followed, but she left that in so it could do its job, and stood up.Ā "How about that lunch I promised?Ā What would you like~?"
----
While prepping lunch, Rosie made sure to make three servings of it to avoid suspicion, and then wrapped up Strade's share for whenever he got home.Ā Rosie and Ren ate lunch in his room, after he'd dried off and she'd helped him with bandages and such.Ā She wrapped him up in blankets, propping him up against the wall with pillows, and put on something nice to watch on his laptop.Ā Keeping an ear out for Strade's car, she finally heard him pulling into the driveway and quickly removed herself from Ren's room.Ā She listened to Strade dragging something downstairs, which made her stomach lurch.Ā So...He'd found someone after all.
----
āWhy donāt you go ahead and pick a tool~?āĀ Rosie, who had been called into the basement alongside Ren at around 10 pm, was met with an already rather grisly sight the moment she entered the playroom.Ā Tied to the pole was a woman in her mid-thirties.Ā There was a gaping hole in her left cheek.Ā Or rather, heād cut into her face so bad her Cheshire grin went up to her ear.Ā Rosie could see blood on the womanās teeth and it looked like cum was dripping down her chin.Ā Rosie grimaced, hesitating to fully enter the room after accidentally making eye-contact with the poor lady.Ā Big brown eyes full of hatred took in the sight of her and Ren; judging them as enemies first and foremost.Ā Rosie felt Ren gently nudging her forward, and she did as she was told, moving closer to Strade as he rubbed his hands together.Ā She caught the discreet apologetic look in his eyes and she totally understood.Ā The last thing they needed was Strade getting impatient with them.Ā When he did speak, Rosieās stomach began to lurch.Ā She tore her eyes away from the woman as she tried to speak.Ā The act of opening her mouth was clearly causing her a ton of pain but she managed to hiss out a warning to stay away from her.Ā Rosie felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and got the hint that sheād taken too long to start walking.Ā Turning towards the big container of tools, Rosie looked over the options quickly.
Obviously, none of these options were āgoodā.Ā Even if she grabbed something like the axe, Strade would probably just chop off something that wouldnāt kill the woman outright.Ā The thought of handing him the hedge clippers made her pale.Ā She could vividly imagine him chopping off fingers and toes one by one.Ā Absolutely not!!Ā After Ren grabbed a knife, Rosie found herself still stalling.Ā Herself getting hurt was one thing, watching others get hurt was torture but this???Ā She didnāt want to do this, she didnāt want to do this, she didnāt want to do this!!Ā Hyperventilating a bit, she jumped when she felt Stradeās heavy hand on her shoulder again.Ā Strade leaned in close, whispering into her ear.Ā āRenās already picked.Ā Donāt keep me waiting.āĀ Shakily; tearfully, Rosie reached out, grabbing something at random.Ā She heard Strade make a sound of pleasant surprise behind her, and that was when she finally realized that sheād grabbed the drill.
Oh...
Looking at it brought back memories of that night.Ā Confusion, lust, and fear pooled low in her stomach, and when Strade gripped her chin to force her to look up at him, her expression was a mixture of those emotions.Ā Ā
āYou think she might be like you, liebling?Ā A freak of nature, huh~?ā
āI hope so...āĀ Rosie muttered.Ā Strade laughed, marching her towards the woman, who immediately began screaming and kicking at Rosie.Ā Strade pushed her to the ground, a heavy hand on her head, and ordered her to make some holes.Ā Rosie hesitated, her hands shaking as she held up the surprisingly heavy drill.Ā Ā
āStrade...P-Please...I....āĀ There was no warning at all before Strade activated her collar, sending Rosie spiraling back down into electric hell.Ā She collapsed against the woman; her head on the latter's lap as she convulsed in pain.Ā When the shock was over, Strade grabbed a handful of Rosieās hair and yanked her back up into a kneeling position.Ā She sobbed weakly.
āWanna try that again?āĀ He still had the remote out, a clear threat.Ā Tears streaming down her cheeks, Rosie barely managed to lift the drill and turned it on.Ā It took a bit of effort to push it close enough to the struggling woman to pierce the skin, but she finally managed to slide it in.Ā The scream that filled the basement was its own fresh level of hell.Ā This time, however, the scream was specifically Rosieās doing.Ā The fingers in her hair tightened their grip, and she winced, though she could tell Strade wasnāt angry anymore, but rather, getting excited.Ā Ā
āMore, make another one~Ā Make her cry out.āĀ He laughed, thinking of a good joke to wrap it back around to bullying Rosie.Ā āMake her wet~āĀ Humiliated, Rosie pulled out the drill, fresh tears filling her eyes before she plunged it back into a different spot.Ā Scream after scream met her ears, as tears filled her eyes and spilled over. The woman spat at her, getting blood on her face and very nearly into her eyes. Rosie shrieked and had to stop drilling in order to wipe away the blood near her eyes.Ā Looking at the other side of the woman, Rosie was surprised to see that Ren was also down on the floor; knife in hand.Ā Strade must have ordered him to start stabbing the woman, but why hadnāt Rosie noticed any of that??Ā Did she zone out or something?Ā Strade kneeled down beside Rosie, looking over the damage she and Ren have already inflicted.
@rosemarygrayson (Last Post)
It was so surreal...heād seen Strade drunk before, but never like this. Even in this state though, he would not have dared talk to Strade like Rosie just did, even in jest. Then again, sheād told him he looked like a mess even when he was sober.
When Ren heard his name, he quickly turned his attention to Strade, waiting patiently for him to try and form a sentence. He never did thoughāhe was out like a light. Ah well, a sleeping Strade was always the best kind anyway. He turned to Rosie to suggest they go upstairs and take advantage of this time, only to see her poking at Strade and...
...slapping him??? Thankfully, he really was out cold, but it gave him quite a scare all the same.
Then she started asking questions that, honestly, should have been a red flag for him. It wasnāt that he didnāt know where she was going with this (he wasnāt stupid). But despite the innate terror the idea of an escape attempt filled him with, something about being with Rosie made him feel...braver. So, he answered her questions as best he could without any push back. He watched tensely as she went through his pockets, but got phone all the same. He told her the code heād used to call Subway a while back, but the code didnāt work anymore. That didnāt really surprise him; maybe Strade remembered something of that night after all? Or maybe he changed his password every so often anyway. Either way, Ren thought that was the end of that...until Rosie Rosie sighed, and reached around him, almost as if...was she trying to turn him over? Ren tensed again, watching quietly.
When Stradeās hand closed around her wrist, he swore his heart stopped. He wasnāt asleep! They were going to die.
Ears pinned against his head, Ren watched in terror, barely even daring to breathe until Strade, by some miracle, simply drifted off again. Much to his own frustration, he remained paralyzed in place as Rosie maneuvered her way out of Stradeās hold. Once she took his hand, he managed to find the will to hurry out of the room. Once they were in her bedroom, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Ren opened his mouth to agree with Rosie, that he too defintely assumed they were completely screwed and Strade had been faking, when her final sentence made him clam right back up again in a stunned silence. After a second or two, he reached out to take her hands and look her in the eye.
āRosie. Youāre...amazing, and really, really brave. Braver than I could ever be, But please...ā He looked at her pleadingly. āI know we got lucky, I know he likes you, and I know you get away with saying a lot of stuff to him, but if he catches you doing this, he will kill you. And I canātāā his voice cracks a little, his eyes starting to well up with tears. āI canāt lose you.ā
"But, Ren...." Rosie began, giving Renās hands a squeeze. "What am I supposed to do, Ren? Ā Watch him hurt you? Ā Let him hurt me? Ā I want to get us out of here..." She reached up a hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and feeling a tear roll down his cheek. He knew this was unfair to ask of her, but the thought of losing her was just too much.
āI-I know but...Rosie...it's too risky. You've never seen him angry. I mean, I know you've seen him upset but you've never seen him angry and..." He opened his eyes to look at her, more tears welling up.
"Please...I-I can show you more ways to avoid him, to calm him down....and you've already got lots we can...we can...." Ā The tears starts to spill over, running down his face. It didnāt matter did it? None of what he was suggesting solved the problem, not really. Ā But what she was suggesting was just too risky. The idea of going back to how it was before Rosie...
"Rosie I can't do this without you. I can't. Not again."
Looking distressed now, Rosie reached out to hold Ren against her. "Oh! Ā Ren, Ren, don't cry-"She reached out to pull Ren against her. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
āIt's okay, it's okay, don't be sorry...ā he mumbled, clinging back. She shouldnāt be the one apologizing. He was the one holding them backĀ here, he knew it.Ā Although...as rested against her he realized she was still trembling, even if just a little. Maybe she was more shaken by it than he thought. He could hear her heart beat, and he could hear her swallows Ā before speaking again.
"How...What's he like when he's angry...?"
"He's even worse than usual, and any patience he usually has is gone." Ren paused, glancing away and thinking back to an incident before sheād come to the house. āOne time, I was downstairs when he was torturing someone, and he wanted me to...to hurt them. But while he was getting the axe, I guess I stood too close, and the person kicked me so hard I fell over." He swallowed, remembering Stradeās expression with a mixture of fear and affection that he still wasnāt sure how to reconcile.
"All that sadistic glee from just a moment ago was suddenly gone. I'd never seen him that furious before. He shoved me aside and hacked the guy's leg off himself, and then uh...well he did the rest himself.ā Ren looked back up at Rosie with a more serious look.
"I know he's impulsive anyway, but when he's really, truly angry, you can't reason with him. You can't trick him. He doesn't play games." That last bit made Rosie squirm a bit before she pulled him onto her lap.
āAnd you think...He'd murder me right away....ā
āHe might.ā Ren affirmed, reaching up to wipe his tears away from behind his glasses before they got all over the lenses. āAnd even if he doesn't, he'll defintely do something horrible.ā He thought back to the recent incident with him scratching Rosie, and how Strade had casually theatened to remove Renās claws entirely to prevent it from occurring again. He shivered. āSomething to make sure you never left.ā When Rosie looked down at her foot, Ren followed her gaze, and silently agreed that was exactly what Strade would go for if he didnāt kill her immediately. Ā After a moment, Rosie rested her head against him.
āWhat do we do..." she whispered. Renās ears fell a bit. He didnāt have an answer, he wished he did. āIāll...ā she continued. āI wonāt do that again.ā Pulling him into another hug, she added āBut only for you...ā
The last bit stung as much as it soothed. On one hand, Ren was relieved heād talked her out of trying something so reckless again, and touched that sheād reconsider for him. But on the other...it was an unpleasant reminder that his own discomfort was the only reason she was keeping herself here longer instead of taking that risk. He hugged her back, trying to push the guilt away.
āThank you,ā he replied softly. It was no use, he couldnāt ignore it. If she was only staying for him, wasnāt he trapping her here just the same? āYou don't have to give up,ā he added. āI...I don't want you to give up. I just...we need to find something less risky." That was reasonable, right? Surely the could do something without taking unnecessary risks with Strade. They could be smart about this.
"Actually, speaking of which, how did you know he was so mellow when he was drunk? I don't think I ever told you..." he began, looking up at her and trailing off when he saw her coming toward him with a big smile. He wasnāt sure what it was, maybe the way she moved, but for a split second, he almost thought she was going to kiss him. Like, on the mouth. She didnāt of course; this wasnāt one of his mangas. She probably didnāt even like him like that. But she did plant a gentle kiss on his cheek, which made him smile warmly at her just the same.
"I uh...I was running an experiment,ā she replied, looking a little bashful. "I figured I'd send you upstairs if he was a punchy drunk." Renās smile faltered.
āWait, you...ā Ā So she didnāt know?! Was she insane??! He almost let out a nervous laugh, but managed to keep it at a smile.Ā
"God...Rosie you're so..." He sighed, moving closer to her again.
āAmazing...ā She moved to meet him, resting her head on him and nuzzling slightly. His tail moved to lightly wrap around her.
āJust...please ask me next time. I might know something that could uh...help with your experimentās hypothesis.ā
āYou don't have to give up.Ā I...I don't want you to give up. I just...we need to find something less risky."
To that, Rosieās heart swelled with rejuvenated hope and affection.Ā Like sheād done many times before, she leaned in to kiss him.Ā This time, however, the intent was different.Ā Had she not caught herself in time, she would have surely kissed him full on the mouth.Ā The realization stunned her, allowing her to course-correct for his cheek just in time.Ā The thought of taking what very may well be his first kiss without his permission, in this hell house where his permission hadnāt mattered in nearly a year, didnāt sit right with her at all.Ā He reacted well, regarding her warmly, and possibly not even noticing what sheād actually been about to do.Ā Which, huh...Why had she wanted to kiss him like that?Ā His next question about getting Strade drunk managed to distract her, but only long enough for her to answer him, and for him to cuddle up with his head under her chin.Ā Rosie held him close; alone with her thoughts while they cuddled.Ā Ā
"..." She fully intended to break them out of here.Ā One way or another, Rosie was determined to walk out of this house hand in hand with Ren.Ā As much as she wanted to go at things aggressively, since passivity wasnāt going to get them anywhere but trapped forever or murdered, she couldnāt pretend that she hadnāt been thoroughly shaken when Strade had woken up on the couch and grabbed her wrist.Ā Sheād meant it when sheād said that she would try again for the remote once she calmed down, willing to push through the fear and danger if it meant rescue.Ā Even now, she considered going back down to the living room, risking both her foot and her life, but the young man in her lap was resting against her chest like a heavy weight; keeping her in place.Ā
Rosie ran her fingers through his hair, unable to keep the image of his eyes welling up with tears out of her mind.Ā Heād looked so scared...And, really, why wouldnāt he be?Ā If she failed and Strade killed her, whoās to say he wouldnāt take it out on Ren?Ā Whoās to say Ren wouldnāt be stuck in a worse situation, but without the friend heād made?Ā Rosie really liked Ren, (probably too much, if just his tears were such a significant weak point in her resolve), and the thought of her messing up and leaving him alone in this nightmare factory was enough to convince her that he was right, and maybe she needed to plot out an escape after getting a more well-rounded idea of who she was up against...Even if it meant delaying said escape by a few weeks or so.Ā A month at most.Ā She kissed the top of Renās head, and smiled adoringly when his ears twitched against her cheek.Ā Teehee~Ā Ā <3
So...Was she...Falling for Ren?Ā Did she have a crush on her fluffy friend?Ā Ā
Well...Why wouldn't she? After everything they'd already been through?
The night they'd met; with Rosie tied up to the pole and fading fast. Her heart and mind had been a mess. Her body was bloody and sore. Ren had snuck into the basement for whatever reason, maybe curiosity? Maybe guided to her by God? Whatever the driving force, his kindness had saved her life. He'd given her a glass of water; the greatest, most refreshing drink she'd ever had...He'd cleaned up her wounds.Ā Heād spoken so gently to her...Ā Honestly, she contributed a large amount of her survival that night, and her subsequent 'promotion' to housemate, to Ren's helping her.Ā
After that, Ren had given her advice on how to survive with Strade, had been a shoulder to lean on, and had provided her with open arms and ears.Ā
And then, of course... Her missing person's poster.Ā She'd really been asking a lot of him when she'd tearfully asked him to hide it for her. What if he'd been caught with it? How much trouble would they have been in? And then, even throughout Strade's cruel trick, Ren had remained a friend to her, and kept it safe.Ā
Even without all of that, Ren was extremely cute! She really did like his face~ She didn't mind a shorter guy either. His hair was so clean and soft and he smelled great. And his eyes?? Just beautiful~Ā
Smiling, Rosie reached down to play with Ren's tail. She wasn't put off by his fluffiness at all. Rather, she found it charming!Ā She was having a hard time imagining him without his fox parts, it really was such a necessary part of the Ren experience. His skin too, was very smooth and soft, and she knew from his occasional cheek kisses that his mouth would be just as soft.Ā
And of course she enjoyed talking to him! His eyes lit up when he really got going on a topic, and his entire vibe changed when he laughed and smiled. She'd love to see a stress free, confident Ren one day~ He'd probably look unbearably sexy and-
... Yeah. She was totally starting to crush on him.Ā
But now what? Could he like her romantically too? Did he even think she was pretty? With these scars and bruises on her skin? With this hole in her foot?? Maybe she wouldn't tell him now... Maybe she'd just let her crush flourish for a while~ Just enjoy the adventure of falling in love. And of course, flirt and snuggle until she was sure he liked her too!Ā
---
The following morning, Strade woke up groggy, with a pretty wicked migraine. He barked at Ren to make him something for his headache while Rosie helped him downstairs to the basement bathroom. After a bit of food, an aspirin, and a lot of water, he was back asleep and snoring up a storm. Rosie exchanged hopeful looks with Ren, that Strade wouldn't end up remembering their attempt to escape after all.Ā
In the end, things returned to 'normal' in Strade's house, which was a massive relief.Ā
---
A few days passed between the alcohol buffet and Strade's next 'guest'. Rosie's forearm had some new lacerations and fresh stitches, which made her whine and wince whenever she put any weight on her left arm. On a happier note, Rosie had been thoroughly enjoying flirting with her fluffy companion.Ā
On Friday, they made breakfast together; pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Rosie found excuses to touch Ren whenever she could. If she handed him something, she let her touch linger. When he needed something from higher up that she could reach, she placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed her body against his back as she stood on her toes.Ā
"Almooooost....Aha~ Got it. Here you go." Her smile was innocent, but her intentions were definitely not.Ā
On Saturday, Strade went out. Rosie pulled Ren into her room and they watched anime cuddled up on her bed.Ā
On Sunday, the three of them ate Chinese food together in the basement while watching a sitcom on the TV. More than once, Rosie caught herself glancing over at Ren.Ā
Monday had been the day Strade had cut up her arm. She sulked in the bathroom for a bit while Ren wrapped up her arm.Ā
"Thank you, Ren~ You're so gentle~"
And then, it was Tuesday. Strade was itching for someone to poke around in. He called Ren down for a bit of playtime, but after he'd finished and Ren was a cum covered heap on the floor, he decided that he wanted more.Ā
"I think I'll go out for a drink~" Glancing down at Ren, he scooped the boy up and plopped him down on the couch. He rustled Ren's hair before leaving the basement.Ā
---
Having heard their encounter, Rosie snuck into the bathroom to run a nice, hot bath. She poured lavender Epson salt into the tub, and readied a med kit on the sink. She went downstairs after Strade pulled out of the driveway, and found Ren on the couch. She kneeled down next to him, wiping away any tears and putting his glasses back on.Ā
"I've got an offer for you~" She said gently, brushing her fingers through his hair. "A relaxing bath and anything you want for lunch."Ā