SOUL TAKER.

     ‘ duh, obviously. ’   if only it was as obvious as her tone made it to be. the only obvious thing here is that she wants to provoke the other. petty revenge for her disrupted nap? maybe so.  ‘ people are more stupid than you’d think ! you’d be surprised by how many holes there are in constructions and plans. besides, how’re you gonna find out if you don’t try ? ’

     blackbird makes it seem all too easy as she climbed pieces of furniture, one after the other, putting distance between herself and the ground until she got high enough to reach for one of the bigger vents. shaking the vent’s screws loose was no ordeal, but she did so while listening to what the other had to say along with that interesting announcement. boy, oh boy, does she know what first blood is? perhaps her little escaped can wait for a moment. for the sake of fun.

     ‘ oh, you haven’t heard ? ’ blackbird asks, hopefully loud enough to catch her attention. leaving the vent in place, she reaches for the plastic crest clasped around her wrist, a smirk tugging at her lips as she locks eyes with her. then, a foam sword is summoned from it.  ‘ it means—— ’

     then, she leaps. sword in hand, not a care in the world, trusting the wind itself to catch her.

     ‘ we FIGHT our way out of here !! ’

             ❛   Heard wha -----------   ❜    IT   succeeded, of course --- the stranger’s lilting tone immediately prompting her annoyance as they lock eyes. She didn’t even have time to finish her question.  ❛   Have you lost your damn mind ?!   ❜

       Her voice is little more than a harsh bark; in that moment, she doesn’t even recognize the foam aspect --- only that there’s a weapon at this woman’s disposal, and she’s clearly itching to use it. In the mere seconds it took her to leap down to Velvet’s level, she’s made use of the blade hidden in her gauntlet --- swinging her forearm upward to protect herself. Her gaze narrows, amber eyes more alight than they’ve been her entire stay in this place... But then a soft noise of confusion leaves her. She’s finally noticed the weapon in question... 

       A... flimsy piece of foam ?  ... Wait, that can’t be right --- because if it were foam, her blade would’ve sliced clean through it --- and it’s at that moment that she realized she was at just as big a disadvantage. Why didn’t she notice before ?!  She knew the weight felt off... !

            ❛   I’m starting to really hate this place,   ❜   she grunts --- more of a grumble, given the pout that tugs at her lips. Even so... She puts more of her weight against the foam ‘sword’. If it’s a fight she wants, then... 

   ‘ ow…  oh, fuck’s sake, man… my nap !’   are the first words to come out of the assassin’s mouth. though half-lidded, her eyes are undeniably sharp as she locked them onto the other whilst attempting to make sense out of their current situation. begrudgingly, she stood up, the movements fluid yet calculated, like that of a cat’s. now, blackbird wouldn’t exactly call it a perk, however, in her line of work, she had learned how to be sneaky and route out emergency exits. just in case. so it doesn’t take her long to figure something out.

    ‘ so “ we ” are “ stuck ”, you say. ’   her smile is confident. way too confident.   ‘ i think you just didn’t look hard enough. you see, there’s plenty of escaping routes. ’   she casually motions to the several air vents on the place.   ‘ if you’re willing to crawl through those, or if you’re gonna fit, now that’s a whole ‘nother story. ’

             ❛   You seriously think they’d go through the trouble of magic locks and glass and overlook the vents ?  Get real. It’s not a matter of fitting, but being able to turn around if it’s a dead end. ... Or worse.   ❜ 

       HER   eyes linger on a nearby grate, gaze narrowing --- weighing her options. There was no telling what waited on the other side... And for that matter, not all crawlspace-sized vents led outside, right ?  Some needed to be protected from the elements, so they were sealed off...  ❛   I’m more interested in what ‘first blood’ is supposed to mean. There’s a notice on the front door about how locking the doors after sundown is some kind of protective measure. When an announcement about ‘first blood’ comes on, though, you can leave. ... Is it as obvious as it sounds ?  People get picked off at night, just like that ?   ❜

         “ But now that all my hesitation’s gone– FATE can screw itself and die.”

@calamitress​ – lyric s.c. [ in my world ]

              ❛   Good.   ❜    IT   might be the first time she’s smiled in this place, a smirk tugging her lips upward before she can even think to stop it. If there’s one thing she’s learned in the past few months, it’s that nothing brings her quite as much satisfaction as seeing someone look around and get angry by what they saw --- or what they didn’t see.

              ❛   But no princessias...   ❜    IT   was just as well. What would she have done with them anyway ?  The sign says these flowers are free to pluck, so long as they aren’t budding --- but what would she do with them ?  Where would she lay them ?  Perhaps there was no need for them here... After all, they bloomed in the face of any adversity --- and flowers of every type seemed to be defying their normal growth season just fine here. 

        But she isn’t alone --- a sensation she wishes she’d felt just a few moments sooner.   ❛   Some of these shouldn’t be blooming yet,   ❜   Velvet continues a bit louder, opening her eyes to glance the stranger’s way.   ❛   But if you wanted to send a message, just about every message you can think of is blooming here.   ❜

              ❛   Wake up.   ❜    HER   voice is none too gentle, but considering the circumstances... Surprisingly calm. Generic upbeat music filters through the speakers, despite the late hour. She regards the woman with a sharp exhale; Velvet knows the merit to being able to fall asleep just about anywhere, but... Here ?  Sandwiched between two different displays in this... ‘Fantasy Ikea’ ?  She’d spent the first five minutes deliberating whether or not the girl had been a doll --- until she’d rolled over, nearly off the counter entirely in the process. 

              ❛   We’re locked in. None of the locks budge, none of the glass breaks. Any ideas ?   ❜

            She’ll be fine if she stays downwind. That’s what she’ll tell herself, anyway. There’s more pressing issues at hand... Where the hell she’s ended up, for one. How to leave, for another. She’s not the type to listen just because someone’s told her to, or even because it’s generally advisable... But she’s most certainly the type to learn from someone else’s stupid mistakes.

               ❛   You --- with the ears. Got one to the ground ?  Has anyone actually tried leaving this place ?   ❜

       ❝ leave it to me, miss velvet ! i’ll figure it out ! ❞ and tap, tap, tap she goes onto the smartphone screen. er, it seems simple enough but… ❝  hm… this looks like a flashlight… ? ❞ the light flashes into velvet’s face, kotone blinking in surprise at the elder’s suddenly illuminated features. ❝ wow, that’s neat ! my phone never had something like this ! ❞ she smiles sheepishly as she taps the icon again, laugh apologetic. ❝ sorry for that. did it hurt your eyes ? ❞ // @calamitress​

                ❛   Gh--- !   ❜   SHE   blinks twice, a deer in the headlights despite her best efforts to remain composed. Her gaze lingers on the light even as it disappears, but wonder gradually gives way to embarrassment. She can already feel the heat rising to her cheeks... 

and now, your local embodiment of edge: 

local man ruined her life, threw her in a hole for a few years, then got heralded as a hero. typical

don’t ask about the arm or she’ll show you. you don’t want her to show you

‘i don’t care’ she says caringly, gesturing caringly as she caringly avoids your gaze

her canon point happens to be after a huge emotional and mental breakdown from which she gains renewed resolve and openness toward others, but now she’s in a new place with no emotional support companions and no artorius to obliterate so she’ll be about as warm and fuzzy as you’d expect

please be her friend. ignore the above bullet point