Characters Included: HABIT
Cw: Graphic descriptions of murder and mutilation
beta-read?: Yes, HUUUUUUGE shout out to @habitism for helping me with this one, go check them out!
A/n: Habit gets his own part simply because I STRUGGLED with him. Shout out to my Boyf's for helping me brainstorm the concept!
Someone was leaving bodies in your area of the woods.
It had started about two weeks ago. You found the decomposing body of a woman, head lopped off, and organs strewn about.
You had to admire the knife work. The lines were clean, and this was clearly done with care. It was placed directly where you would see, so whoever had put this up knew your schedule.
You knew what this was. A display of dominance, some marking of territory.
You have to rack your brain for who would even want to do something like this. No big name entity would bother to do this, and you hadn’t pissed off any lesser creatures. Besides, well- one.
A wolf-spider-demon you knew by the name of HABIT. You two had met about 7 cycles ago. He moved in about 15 miles away from your territory, and had settled in these woods.. every. single. cycle. since.
Sure, he was a pain in your ass, egotistical, sloppy in his work, and with an awful habit (pun not intended) of pissing off the operator.
But he hasn’t encroached before. You two had a very clear understanding of where the boundaries are. So for him to cross it..
This was a declaration of… something? You weren’t sure yet, but it’s better to respond now. Perhaps he would appreciate art of his own.
You found the canvas outside a bar, drunkenly hitting on girls who were clearly uncomfortable, repeatedly telling him to fuck off. But he refused, creeping in close and closer. No one would miss this one, you smile to yourself. He’s perfect.
You decided to do him up all pretty. Accessories made of his own flesh, the tongue nicely flayed into a pocket square and neatly scored to give it a pattern. His intestines sewn into a three piece suit. It was a painstaking process, but the message must be sent.
It's almost your best work.
You begin your staging. There's a porch chair out for you, perfect for your decorated guest of honor. You place the cold cadaver in the chair, till the front door begins to creak open.
“Well, well. What have we got?” There stands the pain in your ass. He looks, surprisingly, good. He’s taken the skin of a new host; an attractive male, likely in his mid to late twenties. You had to admit, he had good taste. “You're a long way from home, rabbit.”
“Returning the favor after that gift you left me.” You gesture to the corpse, which he leans in to examine, his face contorting into a presently surprised and almost smug grin.
“Impressive, rabbit. How long did that tongue tie take ya?” The question takes you by surprise in it's sincerity.
“A few hours, I had to make sure my message was heard.”
He chuckles a bit. Something about the sound grates your nerves- the aura of pure confidence, his clear belief he’s above you- it pours out of him as he straightens himself up.
“Heard you loud and clear, bunny. Now, excuse me, I've got an art project to get back to.” The grin on his face stretches unnaturally wide. You can feel the air around you split and crack as he disappears from the door
“Heard you loud and clear, bunny. Now, excuse me, I've got an art project to get back to.” The grin on his face stretches unnaturally wide. You can feel the air around you split and crack as he disappears from the doorway.
