* A HEFTY BAG FULL OF SOUP.

@ensolidarity​ said: ❝ don't blame yourself for things that were out of your control. ❞

     Her words are calming to him, a voice he needed so many years ago has been returned to him, a gift from the God he never believed in before. Airesu found himself clutching onto her hand, his grip slowly but surely tightening. His nerves were wrecked. When they had found her in the condition she was in, it broke his heart. He had spent nearly a decade growing his strength, doing whatever he could in his power to protect his family, and even after all this time he couldn’t protect her. 

a night like any other before it. school then study then work and then study. the monotonous and same thing that went down every night. it came with her long and awaited freedoms but at this point, what was there to do? any social life was crushed and snuffed out as her life revolved around her work. to maintain the long term show for her parents took every single ounce of her attention. businesses weren’t always so open, especially with ghouls hanging around– clients don’t take the chance of being out too late, and ghouls didn’t exactly eat a hot bowl of ramen either. but the night was all she had to herself, and once she ate there was probably a bar near by– her only pass time was in those bars. drinking it all down with a couple pints till her whole body felt warm and numb. she’d take her leave to the station and head back to her little home but one of her own choosing. one that was her own place to hide– along side pochi of course. and she already knew that cat would be hogging the bed by now.

there was a stumble in her step as she left the comfort of the bar and into the streets. it wasn’t even a far distance, she’d done it so many times over. two rights, a left, and then another right through to the main street. nothing unique for her visits to this bar. yet, in her stupor– her exit from the more narrow back roads seemed to never come. entering a labyrinth of streets that seemed to lead her to nowhere. some were vaguely lit, illuminated by back entrances to homes and businesses, others almost looked as though she’d peer deep into the dark abyss– those were a no go for sure. they’d lead her nowhere and push deeper into more murky waters. yet at a three way, there was only one that remained vaguely lit enough to pass– it looks like that was the only choice. using the wall, she steadied her gait enough to push forward to a dead end…. already hosting two occupants, and now, her as well.

a hand gripped at the throat, pressed to the same walls she had used to keep up right– the gargled sputtering of blood as he struggled to breath. a body torn and punctured to let the blood pool beneath him. her eyes trailed up the hand that held him in place– and all she needed was the face covering to tell her everything she needed. it was a ghoul. but her gaze now turned to the weapon in his back, her breath hitched at the dawning of realization just what she was looking at– diagrams were one thing, but the real deal was something indescribable. yet it wasn’t even a second after her gaze shifted that the gargled gasps ceased and a dull thud echo’d in her ears. he was dead. and now? it was just the two of them. and whoever it was was already ontop of her, pushing her to the same wall. her voice failed to even register the light thud of hitting the wall or at the suddenness of him getting near her.

she wasn’t afraid. there was no point in even fighting it. what is a drunk, sheltered human woman going to do? she could barely move without getting dizzy. she simply braced herself for what would be her impedingly painful death– he’d do it eventually… right?

as seconds past, it felt like hours– yet nothing happened. finally, she peeked open one eye, before the other to fully look at him. he was, smelling her? almost a little too much. was it the booze? sure she was drunk but did it really smell that bad? her nose scrunched up as he just, aggressively inhaled, dry heaving, and sniffing.

‘  what the fuck are you doing ? ‘

@cannibalic​ ( airesu )

     Before she had found her way here, Airesu was occupied with dealing with the two ghouls in front of him. They were weaker than him, this he knew, but he didn’t want to cause an even bigger scene in attempts fo fight a ghoul who matched his strength. If he had known that having a kakuja would make him form a hunger for ghouls, he doesn’t think he would’ve done whatever he could to obtain it. But he had to, he needed to protect his family, it was left up to him ever since the accident. He remembers it clear as day, he was walking Kagami home after she was over for the evening, his father had gone out to hunt for them an hour before Kagami needed to start heading home. He doesn’t like thinking about that night, when he returned home dragging his father’s weakened body with him. Jiggy had fought with him, demanding he go back and kill the human girl so she wouldn’t say anything. He knew she wouldn’t say a damn thing, and she proved his thought to be true when not a single Dove came knocking on his door.

     With haste he had killed the first ghoul, and then jumped onto the next, ripping their throat out as if he were wild dog desperate for a meal. There was no denying he was hungry, and he always will be. If he wanted to stay sane, he had to eat his kind, if he wanted to protect his family, he had to eat his kind, if he wanted to survive in this world, he had to eat his own fucking kind. It was a road that wasn’t traveled by his family members, but someone had to step up to the plate and do it. Aoimoku was what they called him, the blue eyed ghoul. It was the only thing most people couldn’t forget when they saw him, vibrant hues was what drew them in, and then he snapped. The coppery taste fills his mouth, nothing could replicate the euphoria it brought him.

     He catches wiff of her, a familiar scent, one he thought he had forgotten, then he hears her footsteps, head whips around and there she stands. Instinct takes over, and he’s on top of her, his hands pinning her down by her wrists. With his mask covering his face, he’s inches away from her’s. He inhales sharply, then keeps sniffing her, moving from her hair, to her neck, to her chest, to her arms. Even after all this time she still has the same scent. Then she speaks. Words echo through his head.

     What the fuck are you doing? The statement earns her a chuckle from him. Her words are refreshing to him. A trip down memory lane that didn’t make him want to vomit.

@ensolidarity said: ❝ jiggyyyyyy ! airesu cut me off for the night, i want more to drink..! ❞

     She can see why her brother made the choice to do so, the woman before her was struggling to even sit on the bar stool, and her words were slurring. But Jiggy found it adorable. ❝ Hold on, I got something for you. ❞ Words are spoken softly as she turns to the bar stash. Instead of pouring her aged blood, she fills the cup with blood that has yet to be fermented, once the glass is full she turns back around, placing it before the other.

     It hasn’t been that long since Aka has been transferred from one of Itori’s higher end bars to Helter Skelter, it’d be no lie if he said he hated it. He missed catering to the women in the clubs who would throw themselves his way, it made hunting so much easier. All the ghouls who worked with him would send his type his way, as he would for them. A better union of staff out there. But Helter Sketler, this place was something. Did it need some kind of order for when Itori was at her other locations? Did she bring him her to disipline those who worked here? Or was it just some form of punishment for him?

     The energy here wasn’t something he was used to. There was the constant flow of ghouls coming in and out hours after closing, the idol who’d come in with the mask maker, the monotone depressed man who’d come in to get drunk to cry about a spider, the color blind ghoul who’d chaotically dance while his friend would scream the lyrics to the idol’s songs, and let’s not forget those he worked with. The box blonde ghoul who fought people with scissors, the bitchy one with the bob cut and coral blue lipstick who wouldn’t stop complaining, and her twin brother, the manager who always looked frantic and was constantly fawning over that human ( why was she always here and why was she aware of what they were? ). It wasn’t a well put together staff, it was so different from what he was used to at Itori’s club in the 8th ward. But it was something he’d had to get used to.

   ‘  well, if i’m honest, i can’t say much will make a difference in life for me anyways. i already know what i plan on doing with it, unfortunately one person can’t make me change that, ‘   blood. everything around her painted with his blood. and then, her own. the blazing inferno consuming the lifeless bodies to drag them deep into the furthest pits of hell. 

 ‘   how come you stayed around her?   ‘

     ❝ You ain’t the first one to say somethin’ like that, but time will prove to you that you’re wrong. It does it to everyone. you don’t realize it till your starin’ God right in the eye. ❞ He states. Asahi continues to listen to what she has to say, once the question is out, he ponders it for a moment. She welcomed him with open arms, and the rest of his family too, gave them hope in the fourth ward, proving that not all ghouls were going to turn on you, and she gave what she could to him.

 he was a bit odd for her to say the very least. what did shini need a bodyguard around for? it was evidently clear to akako, she didn’t need one. many others who encountered her seemed to be in silent agreement. though, knowing her, it was more for appearance rather than necessity. shini was definitely strong. stronger than anyone she’s truly encountered. even stronger than she herself was. 

while he seemed more annoyed, she intentionally kept her distance– though it didn’t help him as she came off being her more soft & naive self, taking almost a skip in her step. it was always fun to see more than what she’d seen last time. it gave her this feeling of adventure & freedom she wasn’t all too use to. though, at his question– it left her with no quick response. there wasn’t a real answer she could really give him.

‘ your guess is as good as mine.  i’m really not too sure why or what i even did, if i am going to be honest.  it sort of just happened?  we met & it was like, almost right away with her.  she’s never really told me a whole lot about why, you’d be better asking her than me.  i never bothered to question it, seeing as it doesn’t matter why in my opinion.  i have learned a lot about who i am since i met her.  it’s kind of dumb but, i’m really glad i did get to meet her. ‘

     He doesn’t know what Shini sees in her, yet he isn’t one to question the other ghoul. It’s uncommon for Shini to welcome those with open arms, rather instead she’s more closed off, keeping to her small circle, hesitant to let anyone in. Hell, he was even surprised Shini hadn’t torn his head from his shoulders the day he had met her. 

it wasn’t the first time people wondered about her status– if she wasn’t a meal, why was she even here? in most cases, she’d elect to ignore them and move on. it got tiring to justify being there when it was quite simple. she was friend’s with airesu. he left school without a word. they grew up. he tried to eat her. they remet and from there things picked up almost as if where they’d left off. which escalated to more, much more, far quickly than at first thought. however what happened under the sheets wasn’t quite their shtick of intimacy anyways. when it came down to it– it didn’t mean all that much to either of them. 

‘ no, we won’t steal kids. besides i don’t think either of us are sort of in the right place for kids. so haven’t talked about this stuff much. but even if we do, we’re not going to just steal kids. ‘

      Bam Bam finds it weird how she can sit with him comfortably, or even sit with anyone else without issue. Wasn’t there ever the fear that someone would turn when she seemed at ease and her life would be taken? Was there ever the thought that Airesu would come back craving something more from her? Maybe he should stop letting his mind wander so far out, if anyone wanted to eat her, it would’ve already happened. But what about the thought that the Doves would get her and execute her for harboring a ghoul? Only time will tell.

He just needed someplace to hide. He just needed someplace to heal. He just needed someplace to stay and … catch his breath.

He’d been running. Just … running. Ever since he’d come to his senses, he’d been trying to run. The thought of getting hurt more, or getting captured again, kept him going.

He was exhausted. But he had to keep going. 

Escaping from that Helhole, he didn’t have a place to stay. He didn’t have a place to go. Finding food was hard when you had so many people after you. At least he still had his mask. At least he could still hide his face, even if it didn’t really help much, especially with his clothes being ripped and bloody.

He could smell other ghouls. A lot of ghouls. But they weren’t nearby. Was this a hideout of some sort? Was this a safe place? He wasn’t sure, but he’d take the chance.

Ducking into the door, just as he could feel them starting to catch up to him, he was soon nearly blinded by lights and weird masks. His mind raced for a moment, but … he’d deal with those questions when he had a moment to breathe.

Leaning against a wall next to the door, Haku yanked his mask off his face and slid down to the floor. He left a red mark on the wall as he did so, but he didn’t think about that now. He just.            

                                          Needed to rest a moment.

@cannibalic​

     Since the fight had taken place, memories from the past flooded Kamisori’s mind. Emotions overwhelmed him, and he didn’t know what to feel anymore. There was anger, sadness, and a longing for the past. His mind speeding faster than the last bullet train. He’s trying to focus on the task before him, left-hand sketching away mask designs. Breath is heavy, and he can feel the tears threatening to flow from his eyes. Then he hears it, the door to the studio opening. Thinking it’s Uta, he pays no mind to it, until he smells it. Blood.

     One thing Kamisori had learned to do was differentiate between blood scents. He could tell when it was from someone who had died, or someone who was hurt, he inhales through his nose. Ghoul, it was a ghoul who just stepped through the door. But the scent is familair, while it was faint, he knew exactly who it was. Haku.

     Body turns quickly, the top of the stool spinning with his motion. He sees it, the blood streaks running down the wall, and his old friend crumpled on the floor. With haste he flies from the chair, pencil rolling off the table and onto the floor. His reactions are quick, and in seconds he’s hovering over the other. Kamisori lowers himself to Haku’s level, taking his right arm and wrapping it around his neck. He drags Haku up, letting him lean on him for support. He’s going to help him, and he’s going to make him remember. No matter how long it takes. Kamisori brings him over to the leather futon, placing his old friend down onto it. ❝ Wait here while I get you something to eat. ❞ Words are spoken softly, honey spilling from his lips.

     He rushes to the backroom, throwing open the small refrigerator in search of yesterday’s hunt. He’s found it, the takeout container that held a heart, a bit of a liver, and flesh. QUickly he brings it back to the other, opening it for him before placing it in front of him.

WHEN  THE  CALL  CAME  THROUGH   THAT  his father was willing to talk  ( like his old self, openly and lucidly ), urie could not make an appointment fast enough. the moments were rare, like fine pieces of gold in a muddied history of grieving for the loss of his father. true, he was still there physically, but it became clear to him each time they spoke that he lost himself, little by little. urie barely recognised the man that sat before him now ( BUT I STILL LOVE YOU, DAD ).

gaze drops to the hard wood flooring when he takes a seat across from a man who is so like himself ; it’s not a bad place to live, urie reminds himself. if his mind must be a prison, then there’s no reason for his accommodation to be the same. fingers flex ― he wants to reach out, but something holds him back.

❛ that’s right, dad. they’re ( WE’RE ) the quinx, ❜ words are soft-spoken, as if speaking loudly will scare him off, ❛ i worked hard to become one; they were highly selective in who would be eligible. ❜ he wants him to be proud, desperately, ❛ but what about you? how have you been?  ❜

     While Kuki speaks, he listens closely, soaking in every word as best as he could. He knows he wasn’t there for him while he was growing up, and it’s something that hurts the both of them. To miss out on so many accomplishments of his boy’s life, it’s something that broke his heart everyday. Now and then he ponders the thought of what could’ve been if he didn’t suffer that fatal injury, yet he had a job to do, but what he knows now is that while his job was important, it wasn’t as important as being their for his son. In his dreams, he sees everything he missed, and all it does is break his heart. So when he’s deemed ready to have visitors, he cherishes each moment he has.

      ❝ Well, the food is terrible. ❞ Mikito says jokingly. There’s nothing much he can really say about this place, everyday is the same, the same nurses and doctors come to treat him, the same food is placed before him, the same medication is taken. He doesn’t see it as living, it’s just him staying in one place, and he isn’t allowed to leave ( not yet anyway ). He hasn’t proven himself to be stable enough to go home, but he doesn’t think his wife would be up for the job when it comes to caring for him. She proved it during her last visit, the one that happened years ago. ❝ Nothing much goes on here, people leave, some stay, and new ones come in. It’s the same scheudle, nothing really changes. ❞ He wishes he had thebprivileges that other patients had. They were able to go out for a couple hours at a time, they could go grab a coffee with their loved ones, and spend time with them outside these walls. But he wasn’t stable enough, and the doctors said he’d never be.