Carnage

@the-expendable

roleplay search blog; revamped from a roleplay blog hence the older posts. I am 21+ ‼️

673 posts

Roleplay Blog

This blog has been revamped to a simple roleplay blog for finding roleplays; I am no longer partaking in the Pressure fandom.

Info

I roleplay in a semi-lit to literate fashion, and often will mirror my partner’s responses! I go with the flow with my writing, and will write with what I’m given — if we want to stick to shorter replies, I’m fine with that! If we want to go longer, I can do longer!

I’m in college actively, and work as well. So, replies can be scattered at times. But, I more often than not try to get daily replies in if I’m able — if not that, then weekly.

Ghost friendly as well. Life happens, I’ll never get upset at someone for dipping out when they’re too busy to tend to the hobby! :]

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

"Okay." He sighs softly. He lays there, still as a statue. His eyes fall on the ground, a soft whining noise crawling out of his throat. For a few moments he's there, just still, not making a single noise. "I don't... I don't know if I even want to move. I just... I'm sorry. Don't go."

pAInter just lays there. "I'm... I'm scared of both ideas. Of looking at myself and seeing a monster or---or not. What does it mean if it's... If I'm not..."

Kari blinked slowly, gaze turning sympathetic soon enough. She didn’t move close yet however, not exactly wishing to get any of the crimson staining her clothing. Or her hands, for that matter. She hesitated, going to speak again.

“You aren’t a monster.” She tried to assure gently. “I’m looking at you right now, and I just see someone who did what they had to do.”

She swallowed thickly, going to fold her hands into her lap.

“If you didn’t do that, I’d be the one dead on the floor right now. I can come back, but that doesn’t.. it isn’t like they knew that. They thought I’d be dead for good.”

"I know." It wasn't exactly what he meant. What did it mean if he could do this when he was 'normal'? A soft whine escapes him as he struggles to his feet.

Oh god.

He did this normal.

He fights back a wave of awful nausea. A soft heave escapes him and he massages the top of his head. "Did you see any water?" He doesn't want to think about how much of himself is coated in gore.

Kari squinted a bit, looking towards the door ahead. “I think there’s some in the next room. One of those flooded rooms.” Which, speaking of water.. she would likely be better off trying to clean the fresh wound she’d obtained from the knife. The idea of the salt water making contact with it made her grimace.

Slowly, she pushed herself upright, making a point to not look towards the corpse.

“We can go there together, if you want?” Hell, At this point, sticking together was the better thing to do after what happened when they’d last split up.

He nods meekly, going ahead of her. "We can go, I guess." Every step feels shuddery, like he'll fall if he miscalculates. "How deep is it? I don't think I'm light enough to swim." Maybe he's thinking of his monstrous proportions, sure, but it's not exactly normal for a machine to swim either.

All he has to do is dip his hands in. Hopefully he doesn't fall or anything. Oh. Oh SHIT. How does he get across there then when they leave? Ask Sebastian to hold him up or something?

Kari went to follow right after him, one hand held to her arm in an attempt to assist in stopping the bleeding. It wasn’t a deep cut luckily.. just enough to cause a clean line. Nothing terrible.

Once they had gotten to the water, she leaned against the wall, watching with a small hint of anxiousness. “Probably pretty deep. Um - I’d offer to check, but I don’t know if I can get myself back up.” A wing was lazily lifted, a sluggish motion. “I’d probably sink as much as you would.”

"I guess, yeah." He kneels down next to the water, debating splashing it all over face. He does his best not to meet his own reflection in the water. Stupidly, he dips his head in, nearly loses balance, and flails back to dry land.

"Eck! Uh. Well. I don't know how deep it is." He goes back to splashing himself stupidly.

Kari had yet to approach him, just waiting for him to finish up before trying to bother with cleaning her own injury. Or.. ugh. Maybe she’d be better off asking Sebastian if he had a medkit. She looked to her hand briefly. At the very least.. she’d have to wash the blood off her claws from where she had struck out at the expendable.

She lifted her head when seeing the motion, blinking a handful of times. “Blame Urbanshade for making it hard for me to get around water, I guess.” She snorted. “That’s.. concerning for progressing further, actually.”

A tiny huff escapes him and he sits next to the water, shivering a little. It was terribly cold, especially in comparison to the site around them. He mumbles incoherent complaints at that.

"It is. I mean... Sebastian probably gets around somehow. It'd be exhausting to trek the whole site each time." Speaking of, he probably was moving around by now. Assuming he wasn't taking a moment to make sure pAInter hadn't gotten himself killed.

"So hopefully there's another way?"

Kari peered down to the water, pressing her lips into a thin line. Hopefully there would be another way, considering.. well, everything with their whole situation. At one point, traversing the water would’ve been easy - but like this? Wings like hers weren’t exactly meant to go swimming in the water with.

“Time will tell, I guess.” She finally sighed out, picking at a claw with a frown. “How’s getting the.. blood off?”

#;ic #// me: I’ll reply tomorrow!#// promptly replies the day after 😭

// with the artfight season coming to the end very soon, for fun, sharing the Kari art pieces I have gotten;

I will be active again starting either tonight or tomorrow. I still have pieces to work on, but I’ve slowed down and hit 50+ pieces so I’m content lol. (as of now as I’m writing this it’ll be tomorrow, I’m tired from work.)

by https://artfight.net/~0NC1LL4 // af mutual <3

by https://artfight.net/~LIMEVIPER

by https://artfight.net/~Tailspire101

by https://artfight.net/~swirlingidiocy // best friend <3

annnd lastly by https://artfight.net/~Charaxiphare // @ask-painter (I’m calling you out by tag, hi :D)

obligatory Harper art I received as well under the cut because while she does not run the show on this blog, she is still one of my creatures and a pressure oc!!

#;ooc #// I feel the need to share all of this here #// art showcase i guess??#// I did not expect for her to get attacked much at all I won’t lie!!#// I am super happy and content in life

// We ball new profile picture by LIMEVIPER on Artfight!!! Sharing the full thing here

#;ooc #// not my art #// tfw a comic artist/artist in general you like #// draws your pressure oc for a revenge #// whimsy and joy

// Artfight makes me giggle kick my feet because like??? Hello!!!! I love my AF mutual

#;ooc #// Artist in image desc #// I’m full of glee

// brief break I am hitting a busy week + trying to crunch on artfight

#;ooc #// artfight got me on the grind #// I’m.. trying

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

"Okay." He sighs softly. He lays there, still as a statue. His eyes fall on the ground, a soft whining noise crawling out of his throat. For a few moments he's there, just still, not making a single noise. "I don't... I don't know if I even want to move. I just... I'm sorry. Don't go."

pAInter just lays there. "I'm... I'm scared of both ideas. Of looking at myself and seeing a monster or---or not. What does it mean if it's... If I'm not..."

Kari blinked slowly, gaze turning sympathetic soon enough. She didn’t move close yet however, not exactly wishing to get any of the crimson staining her clothing. Or her hands, for that matter. She hesitated, going to speak again.

“You aren’t a monster.” She tried to assure gently. “I’m looking at you right now, and I just see someone who did what they had to do.”

She swallowed thickly, going to fold her hands into her lap.

“If you didn’t do that, I’d be the one dead on the floor right now. I can come back, but that doesn’t.. it isn’t like they knew that. They thought I’d be dead for good.”

"I know." It wasn't exactly what he meant. What did it mean if he could do this when he was 'normal'? A soft whine escapes him as he struggles to his feet.

Oh god.

He did this normal.

He fights back a wave of awful nausea. A soft heave escapes him and he massages the top of his head. "Did you see any water?" He doesn't want to think about how much of himself is coated in gore.

Kari squinted a bit, looking towards the door ahead. “I think there’s some in the next room. One of those flooded rooms.” Which, speaking of water.. she would likely be better off trying to clean the fresh wound she’d obtained from the knife. The idea of the salt water making contact with it made her grimace.

Slowly, she pushed herself upright, making a point to not look towards the corpse.

“We can go there together, if you want?” Hell, At this point, sticking together was the better thing to do after what happened when they’d last split up.

He nods meekly, going ahead of her. "We can go, I guess." Every step feels shuddery, like he'll fall if he miscalculates. "How deep is it? I don't think I'm light enough to swim." Maybe he's thinking of his monstrous proportions, sure, but it's not exactly normal for a machine to swim either.

All he has to do is dip his hands in. Hopefully he doesn't fall or anything. Oh. Oh SHIT. How does he get across there then when they leave? Ask Sebastian to hold him up or something?

Kari went to follow right after him, one hand held to her arm in an attempt to assist in stopping the bleeding. It wasn’t a deep cut luckily.. just enough to cause a clean line. Nothing terrible.

Once they had gotten to the water, she leaned against the wall, watching with a small hint of anxiousness. “Probably pretty deep. Um - I’d offer to check, but I don’t know if I can get myself back up.” A wing was lazily lifted, a sluggish motion. “I’d probably sink as much as you would.”

"I guess, yeah." He kneels down next to the water, debating splashing it all over face. He does his best not to meet his own reflection in the water. Stupidly, he dips his head in, nearly loses balance, and flails back to dry land.

"Eck! Uh. Well. I don't know how deep it is." He goes back to splashing himself stupidly.

Kari had yet to approach him, just waiting for him to finish up before trying to bother with cleaning her own injury. Or.. ugh. Maybe she’d be better off asking Sebastian if he had a medkit. She looked to her hand briefly. At the very least.. she’d have to wash the blood off her claws from where she had struck out at the expendable.

She lifted her head when seeing the motion, blinking a handful of times. “Blame Urbanshade for making it hard for me to get around water, I guess.” She snorted. “That’s.. concerning for progressing further, actually.”

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

"Okay." He sighs softly. He lays there, still as a statue. His eyes fall on the ground, a soft whining noise crawling out of his throat. For a few moments he's there, just still, not making a single noise. "I don't... I don't know if I even want to move. I just... I'm sorry. Don't go."

pAInter just lays there. "I'm... I'm scared of both ideas. Of looking at myself and seeing a monster or---or not. What does it mean if it's... If I'm not..."

Kari blinked slowly, gaze turning sympathetic soon enough. She didn’t move close yet however, not exactly wishing to get any of the crimson staining her clothing. Or her hands, for that matter. She hesitated, going to speak again.

“You aren’t a monster.” She tried to assure gently. “I’m looking at you right now, and I just see someone who did what they had to do.”

She swallowed thickly, going to fold her hands into her lap.

“If you didn’t do that, I’d be the one dead on the floor right now. I can come back, but that doesn’t.. it isn’t like they knew that. They thought I’d be dead for good.”

"I know." It wasn't exactly what he meant. What did it mean if he could do this when he was 'normal'? A soft whine escapes him as he struggles to his feet.

Oh god.

He did this normal.

He fights back a wave of awful nausea. A soft heave escapes him and he massages the top of his head. "Did you see any water?" He doesn't want to think about how much of himself is coated in gore.

Kari squinted a bit, looking towards the door ahead. “I think there’s some in the next room. One of those flooded rooms.” Which, speaking of water.. she would likely be better off trying to clean the fresh wound she’d obtained from the knife. The idea of the salt water making contact with it made her grimace.

Slowly, she pushed herself upright, making a point to not look towards the corpse.

“We can go there together, if you want?” Hell, At this point, sticking together was the better thing to do after what happened when they’d last split up.

He nods meekly, going ahead of her. "We can go, I guess." Every step feels shuddery, like he'll fall if he miscalculates. "How deep is it? I don't think I'm light enough to swim." Maybe he's thinking of his monstrous proportions, sure, but it's not exactly normal for a machine to swim either.

All he has to do is dip his hands in. Hopefully he doesn't fall or anything. Oh. Oh SHIT. How does he get across there then when they leave? Ask Sebastian to hold him up or something?

Kari went to follow right after him, one hand held to her arm in an attempt to assist in stopping the bleeding. It wasn’t a deep cut luckily.. just enough to cause a clean line. Nothing terrible.

Once they had gotten to the water, she leaned against the wall, watching with a small hint of anxiousness. “Probably pretty deep. Um - I’d offer to check, but I don’t know if I can get myself back up.” A wing was lazily lifted, a sluggish motion. “I’d probably sink as much as you would.”

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

"Okay." He sighs softly. He lays there, still as a statue. His eyes fall on the ground, a soft whining noise crawling out of his throat. For a few moments he's there, just still, not making a single noise. "I don't... I don't know if I even want to move. I just... I'm sorry. Don't go."

pAInter just lays there. "I'm... I'm scared of both ideas. Of looking at myself and seeing a monster or---or not. What does it mean if it's... If I'm not..."

Kari blinked slowly, gaze turning sympathetic soon enough. She didn’t move close yet however, not exactly wishing to get any of the crimson staining her clothing. Or her hands, for that matter. She hesitated, going to speak again.

“You aren’t a monster.” She tried to assure gently. “I’m looking at you right now, and I just see someone who did what they had to do.”

She swallowed thickly, going to fold her hands into her lap.

“If you didn’t do that, I’d be the one dead on the floor right now. I can come back, but that doesn’t.. it isn’t like they knew that. They thought I’d be dead for good.”

"I know." It wasn't exactly what he meant. What did it mean if he could do this when he was 'normal'? A soft whine escapes him as he struggles to his feet.

Oh god.

He did this normal.

He fights back a wave of awful nausea. A soft heave escapes him and he massages the top of his head. "Did you see any water?" He doesn't want to think about how much of himself is coated in gore.

Kari squinted a bit, looking towards the door ahead. “I think there’s some in the next room. One of those flooded rooms.” Which, speaking of water.. she would likely be better off trying to clean the fresh wound she’d obtained from the knife. The idea of the salt water making contact with it made her grimace.

Slowly, she pushed herself upright, making a point to not look towards the corpse.

“We can go there together, if you want?” Hell, At this point, sticking together was the better thing to do after what happened when they’d last split up.

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

"Okay." He sighs softly. He lays there, still as a statue. His eyes fall on the ground, a soft whining noise crawling out of his throat. For a few moments he's there, just still, not making a single noise. "I don't... I don't know if I even want to move. I just... I'm sorry. Don't go."

pAInter just lays there. "I'm... I'm scared of both ideas. Of looking at myself and seeing a monster or---or not. What does it mean if it's... If I'm not..."

Kari blinked slowly, gaze turning sympathetic soon enough. She didn’t move close yet however, not exactly wishing to get any of the crimson staining her clothing. Or her hands, for that matter. She hesitated, going to speak again.

“You aren’t a monster.” She tried to assure gently. “I’m looking at you right now, and I just see someone who did what they had to do.”

She swallowed thickly, going to fold her hands into her lap.

“If you didn’t do that, I’d be the one dead on the floor right now. I can come back, but that doesn’t.. it isn’t like they knew that. They thought I’d be dead for good.”

#;ic #// I am currently at war #// and have been for the past four hours sobs

He's silent for a moment, fighting back a wave of nausea. There's the thought he belongs down here. That he was locked away. Always a monster. He covers his head with his hands. Does he still have those? He doesn't want to know.

"I'm so tired." It's not what he expects to say, but it comes out. "I don't even want to look at myself. I don't... I don't want my outsides to match my insides."

Kari fell silent for a long moment, not moving, not speaking, just — watching. “We could get to the water.” She mumbled finally. “Or I.. I could try to find some kind of bucket. Get water for you while you wait here.” Not like that was a good idea, considering what had just happened.. but she threw it out there anyways.

“It’s just.. blood now. Probably. I don’t think that.. human blood will hurt Eyefestation. You should be able to wash it away.”

#;ic #/ annnnd trim

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

There's a strange noise from him, almost like wheezing. Claws still stuck in the flesh of the other. He doesn't even know if they're alive. His grip loosens and he drops them. The pounding in the back of his head crying for blood doesn't stop.

Right. He promised. He promised.

A deal must be upheld. Even if monstrous. Even if it felt like giving into his worst impulses. He was doing what he had to. What he was told to do. Might as well listen to the chant for blood. Might as well sate it. Just for a moment.

He's slashing like a madman now. Is he even humanoid? An animal now? Has he forgotten the pain in the blood haze? There's a noise from him, like a scream, a wail, a cry. Despite the blood, despite the desire deep inside for violence like a hungry animal, some part of him wishes he could grab his own hands and stop.

But he's down here. Starving. Suffering. He promised. He promised. He has to.

So the blood pools.

It wasn’t hard to miss the agonized screech from the expendable as soon as they had begun being torn into. Even with her ears covered, noises slipped through, and she found herself trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Only her wings were visible, tucked around herself in a small shield to hide away from the gore.

She didn’t want to dare look. Didn’t want to see just how horrible it was, didn’t want to risk making herself known in case it was a rage he couldn’t stop.

So instead, she kept silent and still, almost fearful of doing as little as breathing. She just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening at all.

There's a heaving. He can barely... Well. He's not breathing. Not exactly. He can't, regardless. Whatever it is, it's a terrible noise, an aching kind of sound.

He tastes blood. There's a crunch. He's not thinking. He's just acting. He doesn't want to think about it. It's not like being feral or monstrous or... It's just a haze. Just dissociation. Nothing's there exactly.

When he flickers back, he stops, returning to the strange heaving. If not for the noise, he'd be still as a statue. He'd be surprised if he still stood like a human. Like a person.

Even once things had settled to silence aside from the sound from pAInter, Kari hesitated to even think of lowering her wings. No doubt it would remain a bloody sight, and really, she didn’t quite find herself keen on the idea of seeing.. whatever remained.

She didn’t speak for a long moment, and even when she did, she had yet to remove herself from the small cocoon of safety she had made for herself.

“Are you.. done?”

He shivers. He can't look at himself. He doesn't want to. He can't.

If he was hungry, it was gone. He can feel the blood dribble down his face. Down his neck. He doesn't think about its length, whether short or long. He wails softly, falling to the ground.

"I..." He stammers. He can't say anything. He just lays there.

Kari squeezed her eyes shut, just trying to listen for some kind of response. But, hearing the wail and the soft thud, she caved. Slowly lowering her wings, she swallowed thickly, about wanting to throw up as soon as she saw the gore that had been left behind from the mess.

She tore her gaze away from it, though it was hard to fully avoid it, thanks to the crimson red that pAInter himself was covered in.

She didn’t move, only sitting and watching for a long while.

“..Are you.. okay?”

He's silent, still for a few moments. He looks at her. He doesn't know. He doesn't know even what he looks like utter than something covered in viscera.

"I had to... I..." No words felt right. He didn't want to. But every part of him had to. All he can do is avert his gaze. He can't look at himself. He won't let himself. Won't let himself throw up either. Everything is awful.

Kari stared for a long while, before managing to tear her gaze away and looking away. She couldn’t bear to continue to look, not when it all made her feel ill.

“You did what you had to.” It was all she could manage. If he hadn’t, the expendable would’ve likely gone off to torment some other poor expendable. But, it didn’t make the sight any easier to stomach.

“You.. you’re okay, pAInter.” She hoped he was, at least. It didn’t seem like it.

His hands(?) are shaking. He doesn't look. He looks at her again and he closes his eyes meekly.

"It doesn't make it easier." It might be right. It might be all he could do. Doesn't make it feel easy. Doesn't make it feel right. "I... I was going to stop. But then I..." Remembered he remembered he he-

If he's not physically a monster, he surely is one on the inside.

Kari kept her gaze off to the side, just.. trying to ignore the faint metallic smell that now filled the room. It was just as sickening as the sight itself was.

“I’m sorry.” She rasped. “If I had just paid attention, you wouldn’t have had to..”

He wouldn’t have had to jump in. Wouldn’t have had to delve into what he had done. Hell, she hadn’t seen him act like that. Not in such a way that was so different from the first time they’d met.

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

There's a strange noise from him, almost like wheezing. Claws still stuck in the flesh of the other. He doesn't even know if they're alive. His grip loosens and he drops them. The pounding in the back of his head crying for blood doesn't stop.

Right. He promised. He promised.

A deal must be upheld. Even if monstrous. Even if it felt like giving into his worst impulses. He was doing what he had to. What he was told to do. Might as well listen to the chant for blood. Might as well sate it. Just for a moment.

He's slashing like a madman now. Is he even humanoid? An animal now? Has he forgotten the pain in the blood haze? There's a noise from him, like a scream, a wail, a cry. Despite the blood, despite the desire deep inside for violence like a hungry animal, some part of him wishes he could grab his own hands and stop.

But he's down here. Starving. Suffering. He promised. He promised. He has to.

So the blood pools.

It wasn’t hard to miss the agonized screech from the expendable as soon as they had begun being torn into. Even with her ears covered, noises slipped through, and she found herself trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Only her wings were visible, tucked around herself in a small shield to hide away from the gore.

She didn’t want to dare look. Didn’t want to see just how horrible it was, didn’t want to risk making herself known in case it was a rage he couldn’t stop.

So instead, she kept silent and still, almost fearful of doing as little as breathing. She just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening at all.

There's a heaving. He can barely... Well. He's not breathing. Not exactly. He can't, regardless. Whatever it is, it's a terrible noise, an aching kind of sound.

He tastes blood. There's a crunch. He's not thinking. He's just acting. He doesn't want to think about it. It's not like being feral or monstrous or... It's just a haze. Just dissociation. Nothing's there exactly.

When he flickers back, he stops, returning to the strange heaving. If not for the noise, he'd be still as a statue. He'd be surprised if he still stood like a human. Like a person.

Even once things had settled to silence aside from the sound from pAInter, Kari hesitated to even think of lowering her wings. No doubt it would remain a bloody sight, and really, she didn’t quite find herself keen on the idea of seeing.. whatever remained.

She didn’t speak for a long moment, and even when she did, she had yet to remove herself from the small cocoon of safety she had made for herself.

“Are you.. done?”

He shivers. He can't look at himself. He doesn't want to. He can't.

If he was hungry, it was gone. He can feel the blood dribble down his face. Down his neck. He doesn't think about its length, whether short or long. He wails softly, falling to the ground.

"I..." He stammers. He can't say anything. He just lays there.

Kari squeezed her eyes shut, just trying to listen for some kind of response. But, hearing the wail and the soft thud, she caved. Slowly lowering her wings, she swallowed thickly, about wanting to throw up as soon as she saw the gore that had been left behind from the mess.

She tore her gaze away from it, though it was hard to fully avoid it, thanks to the crimson red that pAInter himself was covered in.

She didn’t move, only sitting and watching for a long while.

“..Are you.. okay?”

He's silent, still for a few moments. He looks at her. He doesn't know. He doesn't know even what he looks like utter than something covered in viscera.

"I had to... I..." No words felt right. He didn't want to. But every part of him had to. All he can do is avert his gaze. He can't look at himself. He won't let himself. Won't let himself throw up either. Everything is awful.

Kari stared for a long while, before managing to tear her gaze away and looking away. She couldn’t bear to continue to look, not when it all made her feel ill.

“You did what you had to.” It was all she could manage. If he hadn’t, the expendable would’ve likely gone off to torment some other poor expendable. But, it didn’t make the sight any easier to stomach.

“You.. you’re okay, pAInter.” She hoped he was, at least. It didn’t seem like it.

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

There's a strange noise from him, almost like wheezing. Claws still stuck in the flesh of the other. He doesn't even know if they're alive. His grip loosens and he drops them. The pounding in the back of his head crying for blood doesn't stop.

Right. He promised. He promised.

A deal must be upheld. Even if monstrous. Even if it felt like giving into his worst impulses. He was doing what he had to. What he was told to do. Might as well listen to the chant for blood. Might as well sate it. Just for a moment.

He's slashing like a madman now. Is he even humanoid? An animal now? Has he forgotten the pain in the blood haze? There's a noise from him, like a scream, a wail, a cry. Despite the blood, despite the desire deep inside for violence like a hungry animal, some part of him wishes he could grab his own hands and stop.

But he's down here. Starving. Suffering. He promised. He promised. He has to.

So the blood pools.

It wasn’t hard to miss the agonized screech from the expendable as soon as they had begun being torn into. Even with her ears covered, noises slipped through, and she found herself trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Only her wings were visible, tucked around herself in a small shield to hide away from the gore.

She didn’t want to dare look. Didn’t want to see just how horrible it was, didn’t want to risk making herself known in case it was a rage he couldn’t stop.

So instead, she kept silent and still, almost fearful of doing as little as breathing. She just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening at all.

There's a heaving. He can barely... Well. He's not breathing. Not exactly. He can't, regardless. Whatever it is, it's a terrible noise, an aching kind of sound.

He tastes blood. There's a crunch. He's not thinking. He's just acting. He doesn't want to think about it. It's not like being feral or monstrous or... It's just a haze. Just dissociation. Nothing's there exactly.

When he flickers back, he stops, returning to the strange heaving. If not for the noise, he'd be still as a statue. He'd be surprised if he still stood like a human. Like a person.

Even once things had settled to silence aside from the sound from pAInter, Kari hesitated to even think of lowering her wings. No doubt it would remain a bloody sight, and really, she didn’t quite find herself keen on the idea of seeing.. whatever remained.

She didn’t speak for a long moment, and even when she did, she had yet to remove herself from the small cocoon of safety she had made for herself.

“Are you.. done?”

He shivers. He can't look at himself. He doesn't want to. He can't.

If he was hungry, it was gone. He can feel the blood dribble down his face. Down his neck. He doesn't think about its length, whether short or long. He wails softly, falling to the ground.

"I..." He stammers. He can't say anything. He just lays there.

Kari squeezed her eyes shut, just trying to listen for some kind of response. But, hearing the wail and the soft thud, she caved. Slowly lowering her wings, she swallowed thickly, about wanting to throw up as soon as she saw the gore that had been left behind from the mess.

She tore her gaze away from it, though it was hard to fully avoid it, thanks to the crimson red that pAInter himself was covered in.

She didn’t move, only sitting and watching for a long while.

“..Are you.. okay?”

#;ic #// long..#// I just need to get on my pc sigh

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

There's a strange noise from him, almost like wheezing. Claws still stuck in the flesh of the other. He doesn't even know if they're alive. His grip loosens and he drops them. The pounding in the back of his head crying for blood doesn't stop.

Right. He promised. He promised.

A deal must be upheld. Even if monstrous. Even if it felt like giving into his worst impulses. He was doing what he had to. What he was told to do. Might as well listen to the chant for blood. Might as well sate it. Just for a moment.

He's slashing like a madman now. Is he even humanoid? An animal now? Has he forgotten the pain in the blood haze? There's a noise from him, like a scream, a wail, a cry. Despite the blood, despite the desire deep inside for violence like a hungry animal, some part of him wishes he could grab his own hands and stop.

But he's down here. Starving. Suffering. He promised. He promised. He has to.

So the blood pools.

It wasn’t hard to miss the agonized screech from the expendable as soon as they had begun being torn into. Even with her ears covered, noises slipped through, and she found herself trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Only her wings were visible, tucked around herself in a small shield to hide away from the gore.

She didn’t want to dare look. Didn’t want to see just how horrible it was, didn’t want to risk making herself known in case it was a rage he couldn’t stop.

So instead, she kept silent and still, almost fearful of doing as little as breathing. She just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening at all.

There's a heaving. He can barely... Well. He's not breathing. Not exactly. He can't, regardless. Whatever it is, it's a terrible noise, an aching kind of sound.

He tastes blood. There's a crunch. He's not thinking. He's just acting. He doesn't want to think about it. It's not like being feral or monstrous or... It's just a haze. Just dissociation. Nothing's there exactly.

When he flickers back, he stops, returning to the strange heaving. If not for the noise, he'd be still as a statue. He'd be surprised if he still stood like a human. Like a person.

Even once things had settled to silence aside from the sound from pAInter, Kari hesitated to even think of lowering her wings. No doubt it would remain a bloody sight, and really, she didn’t quite find herself keen on the idea of seeing.. whatever remained.

She didn’t speak for a long moment, and even when she did, she had yet to remove herself from the small cocoon of safety she had made for herself.

“Are you.. done?”

#;ic #// I’m home I can trim soon omg

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

There's a strange noise from him, almost like wheezing. Claws still stuck in the flesh of the other. He doesn't even know if they're alive. His grip loosens and he drops them. The pounding in the back of his head crying for blood doesn't stop.

Right. He promised. He promised.

A deal must be upheld. Even if monstrous. Even if it felt like giving into his worst impulses. He was doing what he had to. What he was told to do. Might as well listen to the chant for blood. Might as well sate it. Just for a moment.

He's slashing like a madman now. Is he even humanoid? An animal now? Has he forgotten the pain in the blood haze? There's a noise from him, like a scream, a wail, a cry. Despite the blood, despite the desire deep inside for violence like a hungry animal, some part of him wishes he could grab his own hands and stop.

But he's down here. Starving. Suffering. He promised. He promised. He has to.

So the blood pools.

It wasn’t hard to miss the agonized screech from the expendable as soon as they had begun being torn into. Even with her ears covered, noises slipped through, and she found herself trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Only her wings were visible, tucked around herself in a small shield to hide away from the gore.

She didn’t want to dare look. Didn’t want to see just how horrible it was, didn’t want to risk making herself known in case it was a rage he couldn’t stop.

So instead, she kept silent and still, almost fearful of doing as little as breathing. She just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening at all.

"But Eyeballs is out there..." He's quiet with that last bit, curling close to one of the room's corners. She was probably resilient, sure, but he didn't want to risk it. It just seemed awful. "They should have some kind of towel around here somewhere..."

He shrugs. "Being a walking hazard could be useful if someone fucks around, I guess. Not like I can bleed out apparently." He does not want to think about what that means for his lifespan. Is he immortal? Then why does he starve?

Eyeballs. Right. Eyefestation. Kari grimaced a little, about to try and provide reassurance that the bull shark would be okay, but decided against it. There was a risk, after all. “I can look, if you want? I’ll go to the next room. See if there’s one shoved into one of the smaller lockers or something.”

It would been separation briefly, but she would be fine. It was just one or two rooms ahead! What could possibly go wrong with that?

He hesitates at the thought and sighs. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Or scream if you need me. I'll probably hear you. Bug ears and all." He points, perking one ear up and down. "Really. Do not die right now. That'd suck so bad."

He lays down, trying to loaf, but bipedal anatomy is not meant for that. "Okay. The creature has one advantage. One!"

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll scream if I need any help.” Though hopefully, that wouldn’t be needed. If she was lucky, the worst she’d deal with would be a wall dweller trying to creep up on her.

Though.. there was always the risk of other expendables, too. It was a dog eat dog situation - there was only one crystal, and dozens of expendables thrown at the wall. No doubt they’d take the chance to take any competition out.

She went to step past him with that, glancing back at him once more. “I’ll be fine though. Seriously - what are the odds of me getting into trouble in just one or two rooms?” It was an attempt to be joking, but, she feared it felt a bit flat.

Clearing her throat, she went to get the door to the next room opened, stepping inside with a sigh.

"Alright." He says, hoping that's enough. Hoping that mentioning it didn't just jinx everything. With a sigh, he flops onto the ground, laying on his side awkwardly. He's not sure what to do, really. Especially as she leaves, he's kind of a lump. Not like he can touch anything without contaminating it.

If only they had sinks or something. Shouldn't they have a bathroom? They probably did but who was looking for a sink down here? Really stupid idea, honestly.

Kari began with sifting through the lockers she could find, just trying to find some sort of towel. Or anything else that would work for cleaning up pAInter’s blood for that matter. Though, she paused in her movements when hearing footsteps. She lifted her head, half expecting for it to be a wall dweller. Just one look, and it would go away. However, when she turned.. she saw nothing.

Puzzled, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Was she just imagining things? Maybe. Starting to hallucinate noises wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But, in the brief moment of confused distraction, she felt a sudden weight against her back - enough so to knock her right to the ground. A yelp slipped out, an attempt to twist around being made. But, to no avail. Hands were pinning her down, the feeling of a knee pressing painfully against her back and wings being a sharp, jarring feeling.

“What?—“ The word was hissed out, only for her to feel a shift of movement, one hand holding her wrists down whilst the cool feeling of metal was tapped against the side of her neck. A threat, she assumed. Hell, it was another expendable, wasn’t it? No entity would have such precision. Not ones that she wasn’t friendly with, anyways. So much for having a smooth search.

The minute she went to shout, the blade was pressed against her neck with more weight to it. A clear warning to not even begin to think about screaming for some sort of help. She bit her tongue. Shit.

pAInter lays still, debating heading inside the vent for a moment. Right. Acidic blood. Not worth accidentally hitting Sebastian with it. Even if he understands and all, it's still a risk. Not like either of them could come back from the dead. Even if Sebastian could, he wouldn't forgive himself for doing that.

There's something. An echo of footsteps? Yes. That's what's going on. He flicks one ear awkwardly. Sure, he's got good ears, but that doesn't seem... Right? He'd have seen---oh. They must be... In another room...?

He sits up, straining his antennae as they snap over to the source of the noise. There's a collision, something hitting the ground. No. Someone. He stands, slow and steady, and as quietly as possibly. Almost catlike.

Coldness coils down his blood. A growl dies in his throat. There's a bad feeling in every part of his body, an impending sense of doom. He's slow, steady, quiet as he plods over, following the location of the sound.

Sebastian presses his head through the vent right as pAInter leaves, looking from side to side. He blinks and recoils. "What the hell is going on out there?" He mutters. For a moment, he debates heading after pAInter, but decides against it.

Whatever has him sneaking over is probably dead anyway.

Kari could just barely hear the sound of a voice speaking, the expendable above her saying something. But, in her panic, the words fell on deaf ears. Hell, how had they even managed to find a knife? A curse was hissed out, an attempt of a thrash being made.

It did enough to stir the body atop her briefly, though if the furious curse spoken by the expendable were to say anything, it didn’t do her much good. She winced as the blade pressed closer, but not enough to cause more than a knick.

“Get off.” The words were about growled out. She almost would’ve scared herself with her own tone, if not for the situation.

“Absolutely not.” She could pick out the words this time, at least. With the words spoken, she made a second thrash, doing her best to fling her wings out as well.. something much easier said than done, but manageable if she put enough effort into it.

With the movement, the expendable had lost their balance enough to lose their grip. The brief moment of freedom was enough to have Kari twisting around, lashing out with a clawed hand at whatever she could reach. She could hear the shout of pain from the other expendable, could feel the sudden jolt of pain as the knife was frantically swung.

Alas, adrenaline running high, she kicked a foot out to try and shove the other back and create distance.

Quietly, pAInter keeps going. Each step is calculated, hitting the right parts of the floor slowly to not create noise. He pauses, straining his ears every so often. The first time, he hears nothing, and keeps on. The next time, he overhears some of the words, debating dropping his stealth for a moment.

But he's committed, it seems. Perhaps by instinct, perhaps by duty, or perhaps by pure wit. Or a combination? It wasn't like he had time to think. It wasn't like he wanted to.

He stops in front of the doorway. This was the source of the noise, yes? He strains his antennae again, hearing someone take off. Someone had hit the ground. He pulls through the door quietly, growling breaking his silence.

"Hello." The words are underlaid with a growling sort of trill as he peers at the scene. "What do you you're doing?"

Kari’s breaths came out quick and ragged, pushing herself upright somewhat as she kept her eyes locked onto the expendable. They had one hand clutched over their eye, evidently where she had managed to land her own hit.

“You bitch—“ The words were snarled out, their grip tightening on the blade they held. They looked ready to lunge once again, only to stop in their tracks when hearing the different voice.

Furious, their gaze snapped to the newcomer, only to pause and freeze when seeing who it was. What it was.

Kari followed their gaze, looking rattled from the encounter thus far. A red line ran down her arm, though nothing fatal. “pAInter?”

He steps through fully, somehow still 'humanoid.' Somehow still calm. It's almost eerie how he's staring ahead, eyes flickering slowly between the two of them.

"Get off." His voice is a hiss, almost like Sebastian is speaking. Like he's about to pick up the expendable and throw them down the nearest ledge. "Or else." That bit is a threat only Kari would know. But it's delivered with a flick of a claw, with hunching over. He's not tall by any means, but does it really matter when the claws are held out?

pAInter looks primed, like he'll jump at any prompt.

The expendable looked torn between taking out the competition right then and there, or putting their full focus onto the newcomer. Ultimately, they scowled, not budging.

“Or what?” They practically sneered. Kari gave a hissed out curse with that, thrashing), only for the expendable to quickly go right back to pinning her wrists down. Clearly, they’d learned from the last time.

"You really want to find out?" His voice is barely audible over the growl. He presses closer, claws outstretched like they're searching for flesh. "Because I'm willing to show you if you're such a willing volunteer."

There it is. The voice from the beginning. That trill, that taunt. A warning, a beckoning of the worse. One last chance to turn around, to stop, before those talons meet flesh.

The words earned a bark of laughter from the expendable, one eye shut tightly from where Kari’s claws had made contact with their face. They watched the other, bemused. “Why do you care?” The words were defiant. They almost looked appalled now, grip tightening enough on Kari’s wrists that she winced.

“Get the hell off.” She snarled, only to be met with that same crushing pressure of a knee against her back. She wheezed out a breath.

“I’m not moving.“ They spat, eyes locked onto pAInter as they spoke.

"Are you suicidal?" pAInter's voice is a snarl as he towers over the two of them. He grabs one of the expendable's arms, claws digging into their skin. "If you're so desperate for a fight, I'm right here." He glares at them, almost hungrily. It's uncanny, like looking into the eyes of a predator.

It's not like he's even thinking of eating. But the dead are prey. The best option to stave off starvation. It looks like he's about to pull them up to meet his face.

"Come on. Isn't that what you want? A fight?"

Kari briefly shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for some sort of next attack from the expendable. But, nothing came. Instead, pAInter’s voice sounded closer, and she could hear the growled out curse of pain from the expendable above that soon turned into a more frantic pained noise.

It didn’t take much to realize what had happened, forcing her eyes back open, she could see the scene in front of her. Shit - did pAInter have blood on his hands still? No doubt that would certainly cause such a frantic display from the expendable.

She took the chance of the loosened hold to crawl away from the beginning of a scuffle, claws awkwardly scrabbling against the ground below.

“What the hell are you?” The words were spoken through gritted teeth, the expendable evidently fighting off any further sounds of pain. “Why do you care about some freak expendable? You’re a damn entity!”

He snickers a little, amusement flickering through his voice unsubtly. "What does it matter? What do you want from her?" He lifts the expendable up, somehow. It's surprising he's strong enough to do that like this. He smiles, akin to one that would stretch ear to ear on a human, scribbly irises appearing for a moment.

"Come on now, won't you pick on someone your own size?" He presses the expendable against the wall. Not enough to cause pain but enough to be felt. "Isn't that the fun part? Feeling your blood pump as you fight to survive? Huh? Isn't that what you want, buddy? A rush? The feeling of hot blood on you? The line between their blood and your own running like wet ink? Isn't that what you want?"

He giggles. "I'd be willing to give it to you."

It was almost.. unsettling, seeing pAInter this way. Hell, she had gotten a taste of it with their first meeting. But it had felt far different - not like this. She inhaled sharply, a hand held to her arm. The feeling of the warmth of her own blood was.. not pleasant. It was far warmer than it should have been. She could blame that on the phoenix DNA, she supposed.

With the feeling of being pressed into the wall, the expendable hissed out a breath, thrashing somewhat and clawing at the hands keeping them up.

“You’re insane.” They rasped, a more wild sort of look in their eyes. A desperate thrive survival. “Shes another expendable. Competition. She gets the crystal, I’m fucked.” The words were spoken with more of a pained, frantic tone. “Let me the hell go.” A painful mimicry of the same words Kari had been pleading minutes ago.

"Why should I? You're clearly itching for a fight, arentcha?" He leans in close, voice rattling. He tilts his head, smile not leaving his face. "You talked a whole lot earlier, now you can't? You're itching for a fight but you get scared when someone's willing for one? Hm?"

He presses them against the wall harder. The smile falls into something akin to gritted teeth, eyes twitching in rage. "Why shouldn't I kill you, then? Huh? You come down here and you mess with everything. I've been starving in this hell hole for god knows how long. Why shouldn't I? Hm? You'd make a damn good meal, wouldn't you?"

The expendable tried to lean back and away from the other; though it proved difficult to do while practically pinned against the wall. “You’re psychotic.” They tried to sneer, tried to hold some high ground of bravery. But the tone fell flat, giving way to the fear and slight pain they were in.

Kari could only sit by and watch, not having mustered the energy to get back to her feet yet. And, in hearing the last words from pAInter she spoke up, voice just a bit raspy.

“pAInter, stop — it’s fine.” It wasn’t. But she’d prefer not watching a gore-filled scene in front of very eyes. The expendable glanced back towards her with a wide eye, only to scowl promptly after.

His grip shudders a little, but not enough to waver fully. He looks into the other's eyes, watching the fear dance. A growl barely crawls out of his throat, claws digging into the other's skin. The scent of crawling blood hits his senses.

"I'm a monster? Some psychotic monster, huh?" He snaps close to their face. "Says you? If you were in my shoes, you'd be doing much worse, wouldn't you?"

Kari's words echo in his mind for a moment. "I've been starving and suffering down here." A rattling snarl comes from his throat and he slams the other hard enough to hurt. The blood. He can feel it. There's the impulse, to lunge, to bite. Has he been starving without his own knowledge? Or is it just something worse?

"You can't stop me." The words sound more like a horrified realization. "But I can't stop myself, either, can I?"

The expendable tried to once more turn their head away, to try and get whatever distance they could. The pressure of the wall against their back made it feel as if it were difficult to breathe. As if it was far too difficult to get a single good breath in their lungs.

“Fuck you.” The words were spoken with a rattling breath. Another sentence full of defiance for their situation.

Kari grimaced. Things just seemed to be escalating. The pain in her arm was a distant thing in the back of her mind, adrenaline still running high. “pAInter!—“ It was too late. She could hear the shout of pain from the expendable. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see the crimson red that she knew would be there.

She could ultimately only lift her wings, the movement almost aching to preform. If it were to happen, she didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to hear it. Her hands rose up to cover her ears, and she attempted to shield her vision with the wings. Never before had she been so grateful for them.

#;ic #// oh 100% it gets to 300 #// Kari playing the ‘see no evil hear no evil’ game

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