#gunhats

[atechalk]

@gunhats , continued from here .

she knew she'd never seen anything like them . monsters come in all shapes and sizes , varied and weird and wonderful --- susie had barely paid the kid any mind before now . but this changes things . what had started as a light provocation is being overtaken by a terrible urge to terrorise . her yellowed eyes slant down at clover and her lip curls snidely as they explain themselves . overly so . ( way to put your foot in your mouth , idiot . )

" yeah ... ? THAT'S why you're running around getting under everyone's feet ? you're looking for other humans ? ... ... ... well . i've got some bad news for you , kid . dunno why the hell i've gotta SPELL IT OUT for you ... isn't it obvious ? "

" they're long . goddamn . gone . " hey , somebody has to rip the band - aid off for 'em . might as well be her . the draconic monster sneers , leaning a little closer as she gestures ahead , imposing . her teeth glint . up past the vast stretch of stone walkways and the sea of boiling lava , beyond the strange metalworks . " you want some free advice ? "

susie doesn't wait for an answer ; the girl very rarely does . clawed fingers reach out , curled menacingly --- only to simply push the brim of their hat down into their face with a snicker .

" turn around . head back the way you came . and get outta my FACE . if you keep going this way ... you're gonna join 'em six feet under . "

" ... 'cuz of , uh . the king , and all . he's pretty close now . you know that , right . i mean --- maybe you don't . doesn't exactly seem like anyone's filled you in ... look , just ... scram , already !! "

[atemoss]

* it's ever so wonderful to meet you !

Despite the ample warning their mother had given them, the sight of another human still threw Kris off. The teenager was dressed in a large cloak, two false horns sticking out from the unkept mane on their head.

[ ♥️ * Likewise. ]

An answer came to fill the silence, and their shoulders sagged slightly. At the very least they didn't have to break this awkward silence themself.

This attitude was the last thing they expected from someone who's climbed the mountain. They'd heard the stories, how it was really the last place anyone this chipper would be headed. The kind of place you go when you never want to face humanity again.

[ ♥️ * Welcome to the RUINS. ]

[wlthbravery]

@gunhats said: * odd as it may seem, I don't feel you to be a stranger.

FIRST MEETING STARTERS- Accepting!

To some, possibly even for the other, finding another living human down in a place like this would have been a momentous occasion; a source of rare kinship in the face of the adversities surrounding them. To anyone rational, it by all rights should have been.

But evidently not to this fiery-haired child, as he had addressed the other with only slightly more interest than he would any of the monsters he'd met. Greeted casually, as if they weren't in an unfamiliar magical world, like they were still on the surface. Even at the other human's astonishment, Riley just grinned, carefree.

"Oh, didja come from Ebottsville? That's where I came from!" Riley proclaimed, proudly. "Bet they're all still talkin' about me back there! You've probably already heard ALL about me!"

That, or seen Riley's face & name on a missing person's poster.