❝ are you sure, ms. prince? i don't want to keep you if you're *busy, you're a very busy woman, ❞ conner's eyes are wide with bewilderment at the *intensity that followed everything diana did. it wasn't a bad thing ⸺ it never, *ever was, but conner found themselves *completely taken aback by the way that she met everything with the same eagerness and care.
conner blinks a couple times to *recenter himself, clearing their throat and continuing, ❝ i was just wondering ⸺ should i go to college after i get my ged? is college even *worth it? i don't know what i *want to do as a civilian. ❞
" i feel like i'm losing touch with what i am again. "
spoken through broken, panicked sobs. this was never supposed to happen. how was she supposed to know she'd meet her adopted father in the woods? how would she have known that he would stoke something burning and violent in her blood? that his words cut deeper than any poison he could inflict her with? she can't do this. she can't do this anymore she can't breathe she can't -
( mainverse (hashira) ena and douma :) )
His movements were bestial, hurried, a blizzard that threatened to snuff out all life. The moment he caught that sickeningly sweet scent, Douma understood the gravity of the situation at hand, this was no simple prey. He moved like a man possessed, leaping from branch to branch, effortlessly weaving between the trees. He followed the scent to a clearing, marred by the beast's poison. Douma bit down the bile that threatened to rise to his throat from that rotten stench, eyes desperately searching for any trace of her. And there it was, he caught a glimpse of her haori, a petal in the midst of ash.
The Ice Hashira leapt from his hiding spot, immediately closing the distance between them. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that awaited him.
He could not begin to comprehend just what she had endured. Yet one thing he understood clearly, the wounds inflicted upon her heart cut deep. Douma fell silent, peering down at her like a statue carved from stone, face drenched in shadow under the moonlight. He waits, and waits, and waits for her to speak, to shed her tears. And allow herself the moment to break.
And then, a step, and another. Douma knelt by her side, hands already moved to cup her cheeks. A thumb very carefully brushed away some of the tears. He tilt her head up, guiding her gently.
"Ena." His voice is firm, but warmth gradually melts away the frost. It is meant to catch her attention, as winter turns to spring. "You are still you. You can be nothing and no one else."
He shifts closer, now on both knees, his face inches from hers.
"You are the Spring Hashira. You are the woman I admire, you're my dearest friend, you always have been and you always will."
"Master... forgive my intrusion." Ah, Upper Six, rather the brother of the pair. It was rare that the vicious brute of the duo would bother Muzan over the collective mind the demons shared. And if so, it was usually something important, or dire. This time though...
"That stupid kid that Upper Three ignored? He's a dumb smear on the ground now with that all glimmer to brains Hashira, what you want us to do with the brat of a sister he's got?" Oohhh.. he wanted to rip this girl.appart for bulling his precious sister the way she did.
"The demon girl..." He was holding said brat under his kama, she screamed, clawed at the ground like a rabid animal.
How disgraceful.
Of the pair that composed Upper Six, he knew Daki to be unreliable. Though she had passion and cruelty, she lacked foresight. Simply put, Muzan did not trust Daki, not nearly enough to execute the Sun Breather. He chose to drift closeby, as if to witness the outcome of this battle with his own eyes, through theirs.
Nothing escaped his ever-present watch, and by the time his subordinate called upon him through their blood bond, Muzan had already taken every gruesome detail of it. To be proven wrong was a rarity in itself, but to be so pleasantly surprised was nothing short of a miracle. The siblings had done it, though Muzan cared not for the fate of that Hashira, the boy with the earrings was an entirely different case. It is a weight lifted off of his shoulders.
Muzan's lips curled up into a self-satisfied smirk, as he relishes in the taste of victory.
" You have both done well to correct the humiliation that Akaza brought upon the Upper Ranks. I am most pleased."
A deep hum accompanies his every word, overwhelming enough to grind lesser demons into dust. The master's wrath was frightening, only second to his genuine joy.
" Ah, the demon girl."
How unfortunate for the child, to survive her family's slaughter only to witness her only living relative die before her very eyes. In over a thousand years, it'd become far too common a sight; how quickly mortals tossed away their lives for something as stupid as revenge and petty ideals. Though this did little to sway the demon king's frigid heart.
Makoto had been in Konohagakure for the last year and still couldn't believe how fast time has gone by. It truly felt like yesterday that she left the Akatsuki and came here to become a resident. The tealette didn't expect things to go as well as they did. She believed she was either going to get rejected to be a resident or would have to wait a long time; neither of those things happened. Being here in the village she made many friends. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Lee, Hinata, she could really go on and on about them. True friendship was something she had never had before, besides when she met the members of the Akatsuki so she was truly blessed to have it.
Waking up early that morning, the tealette groaned as she rolled out of bed. She was clearly not a morning person, but she needed to go on this mission. Usually she would be working at the hospital with Sakura, helping her out; but since the hospital had been pretty tame lately and a lot of other ninjas were busy doing other things Naruto asked Makoto to go out on this mission. It didn't pay that bad and since the hospital would be okay without her for now she decided to do it. Naruto wanted her to check out a weird looking ship not too far away from the village. The ANBU had seen it and they didn't know what it was so Makoto was going to check it out.
As she got out of bed she took a shower and got ready to leave. Already having her bag packed the night before all she had to do was get dressed, eat breakfast and leave. After showering she got dressed and went downstairs to eat some breakfast. Taking some food she prepared the night before she put it in her bag to have in case she got hungry later. Heading out the down of her apartment, she locked the door behind her and headed towards her destination.
It took her a few hours to her destination. She had never heard of this place that Naruto had told her about, but it seemed interesting so she was going to check it out. She stopped running and started walking as she came closer to the location. “Eh?” She said out loud as she saw water and a giant ship, a yellow submarine at that. “What the hell is this?” Saying as her eyes widened. She had seen plenty of ships and boats in her life, but she had never seen one like this before. She walked closer to the ship. She had on her usual clothes of knee high boots, fishnets on her legs and arms, a purple shirt with a black jacket and black shorts. Standing around, but keeping her guard up wondering if she was going to be able to sense anyone.
@inkdevourer's tim drake; "kon! uh... a little help?"
all he needs to do is call. kon's there in an instant, a flurry of super-speed induced flight as they all but *skid to a halt before tim. it's clear kon had been preoccupied beforehand ⸺ there's hay in its hair and a look that screams absolutely *everything farm boy. he holds a hand out, pulling tim up with a tilt of their head, ❝ hey tim. did you call me here just to help you *stand up? ❞
