Excellia Isle

Lumine: *turns into a Koholasaur*

Mualani: "Whoaaa."

Furina: o_O

Vertin adores the calmness that Sonetto has. But sometimes, she likes to take that away.

Gone is the calm, gentle, slow words; and here, now, is a feral and irrational Sonetto, unable to form words and her mind numb for overstimulation.

Like the raging Inferno from The Divine Comedy, Vertin is Dante, who ventures down to it.

Sonetto, bless her, had begun to hump against the Timekeeper's legs, whining noises being made from inside her throat, arms around Vertin's neck as her body shook violently.

But, Vertin was not allowed to do anything, no matter if she was as hard as steel; the agreement they made was for three hours; and Sonetto had ten minutes remaining.

"Just ten more minutes," Vertin whispered, rubbing Sonetto's back as if she was not the tormentor of her. "Can you hold on?"

Sonetto sobbed, a tear dropping down her face, as her eyes had gone from a beautiful green to a red, puffy from crying from the euphoric agnoy.

"...! ...Hic!" Words came and then went, the poet's grasp on words and thoughts slipping through her hands like the sand. And in this desert, Vertin was an oasis, but Sonetto couldn't tell if she was a mirage or real. "Vertin!"

Five minutes left, Vertin noted, and smiled at her love. Were it not for the blush on her cheeks, she would have been the textbox definition of calm and collected. "Yes, Sonetto?"

"Vertin, Vertin, Vertin, Vertin, Vertin, Vertin, Vertin, VertinVertinVertinVertinVertinVertin VERTIN!" It sounded less like a beg and more of the mantra of a cultist.

Three. Two. One.

Zero.

Vertin flicked upwards.

She fell to her knees disgracefully, hidden from sight, dirtying the floor with fluids.

Sonetto breathed heavily, hand on her heart as the vibrations inside her grew more and less powerful every few seconds, sometimes a gentle flame, and then a roaring fire.

And Sonetto herself felt like a furnace.

Oh, she felt like she made a mistake, telling Vertin to use a vibrator on her--

Her mind went empty for a second, gushing once more, her legs shaking as she fell further down.

"It's good training," she had said. "It will help me with being influenced by other forces."

She lied through her teeth. And now, she's paying for it, one mind-numbing orgasm at a time.

---------

It was midday when Vertin head a knock on her door. It was weak.

Walking over and opening the door, Sonetto fell into her arms.

And she looked beautiful.

A feral look was in her eyes, looking at Vertin with many emotions; madness and affection most of all.

Her thighs and pants were drenched, it dripping down her thighs and clinging to her body.

And of course, a slow buzzing noise between her legs.

"...pl...e..." the poor girl couldn't make a sentence, never mind a thought. A feral look, but one that was clouded.

Vertin held her chin, tilting her up and hugging her. "Shhhh... you did good, Sonetto. Good job."

Sonetto sobbed into her shoulder, but was one made from happiness.

Voyager was a being ('A girl', she writes) that was not one for many words.

Voyager's handwriting was beautiful: perfectly cursive, yet Vertin did not see much, as it was direct and to the point:

'May I visit?'

The 'Your room' went unsaid; many Arcanists wonder what secrets lie in the illusive Timekeeper's room but, to either amazement or disappointment, it was just that: a room. Stacked documents, here and there, a bed that was yet to be made due to Vertin's sudden bolt out of the room and into the day; and now, a new addition, albeit one Vertin thinks is temporary.

Voyager stood politely, hands clasped in their front, the galaxies upon her stockings and dress shimmering in the gentle light of the room.

Vertin nodded at her. The being from beyond the stars preferred the silence, and Vertin respected it.

Voyager smiled back, before she started to hum. It's a familiar song, one Vertin has heard many times. Hearing it in the middle of the night was certainly a surprise, however.

She looked up the songs found on the Voayger spacecrafts, and this one was Greensleeves, a love song from the Tudor period, or thereabouts.

People oft believe it to be related to Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. However, the composition of the original piece was one of Italian origin, that only reached England after Henry's death, which would put it around the time of either Edward VI, Mary I or, most popularly, Elizabeth I.

Nevertheless, it is still associated with Henry VIII due to its themes around the singer wishing for their love to no longer 'cast them aside discourteously'; which is ironic, in the end, due to it being Henry who cast Anne aside in favour of Jane Seymour, leaving Anne to be beheaded for her crimes of adultery, incest and, worst of all, treason against the King of England.

Which, in retrospection, now has Vertin pondering: Did Voyager choose this song for a specific reason?

Voyager played the songs found, or even beyond, the Golden Records on the Voyager I and Voyager II spacecrafts. By that logic, she might have researched it, or guessed the meaning, behind each and every song.

Love was a foreign concept to the Timekeeper. Romantic love, she should specify.

She has experienced parental love from Ms. Tooth Fairy, her treating Vertin like a child. Granted, she did that to every child in the Foundation, but Vertin always felt she was focused more on by the dentist, perhaps out of a lighthearted exasperation on the Toothfairy collector's side. Likewise, Eternity doted on Vertin, treating her as a granddaughter, or something to the effect.

She has experienced the love of both a big and a little sister. Lilya treated Vertin like a younger sibling, with the Russian ace inviting Vertin to ride on the back of her Su-01ве, the two spending free afternoons just flying around The Wilderness.

The little sister is many, one being Mondlicht. The young huntress was grateful for the help the Timekeeper had given her to help defend against the big bad wolves. Recently, the girl had taken to trying to sleep for more than a few hours, Vertin often being the one to place a blanket over the German hunter.

The love of a friend, too; the likes of Horropedia, whom Vertin had since enjoyed the company of. He's a little eccentric, at times, but that adds to his charm. The two watch horror movies together, Horropedia explaining little parts of the movie, and Vertin listening.

The love of a... partner, however...

Schneider was a whirlwind. One that, with her sister and many good friends, was swept away by The Storm. Vertin believes that, in the short time they spent together, the love between two people was there.

Vertin did not know where to place Voyager. Listening again, vertin could hear the lyrics inside her head:

"You could not wish for anything,

Yet you still had it readily.

Sweet music still I play and sing;

But yet you will not love me..."

Voyager's smile wavered, looking at Vertin with a strange look in her eyes. She appeared... sad.

Did her love not return the same affection...?

Voyager stopped playing, letting go of her violin slowly, it floating and still playing Greensleeves.

The traveller of space gazed at the traveller of time.

A smile danced on the former's lips, that soon gently joined with the latter's lips.

Vertin had never been to space, but was fascinated by it. Yet, she was able to tell that Voyager tasted like star dust.

Vertin had drunk tea before this, but Voyager could still taste the true taste of the Timekeeper's lips.

Voyager let go of the lips of Vertin, the smile now unwavering, eyes glittering like the stars. She had no need for air, and were it not for Vertin's human lungs, she would have continued the caress of their lips forevermore.

Vertin blinked. "Ah."

"Hehe." Voyager giggled, a melodic sound.

With another blink, Vertin then came to a late revelation: It was she who was the Lady Greensleeves.

"...But... why...?" Vertin could never see herself in a light of good, but Voyager could.

"Shh..." she hushed, placing a finger over Vertin's lips, and one over her own.

Vertin faintly heard the violin stopping and playing a new song, but she was still dazed from everything.

'I don't understand,' she thought.

'Do not, then.' a gentle voice whispered back.

'But why?' she questioned.

'Should a reason exist?' the voice questioned back.

'...Am I loved?' she asked the Void.

'Yes. By everyone. Us. Me.' the Void answered back.

Voyager was a mysterious girl of a few words. Outwardly, of course.

Internally? An inner peace of voices, just waiting its chance and moment to be heard...

And the opportunity arrived with the girl with the top hat and beautiful freckles.

Distantly, Voyager heard the chorus:

"Greensleeves was all my joy,

Greensleeves was my delight;

Greensleeves, my heart of gold:

And who but my Lady Greensleeves?"

And vividly, Vertin heard The Chorus.

'Greensleeves, you are my joy,

Greensleeves, you are my delight;

Greensleeves, with a heart of gold:

When One came to, it was dark all around.

She was standing, her body unharmed, her senses less intense than before.

Without much to do, she walked.

She spent her time thinking on what happened; Zero had killed her, yes, but after was a haze; she felt... connected, to her sisters, in a way she could not describe.

The final moments of them singing together played in her head. 'A monster that can only hurt itself and others'... it explains the Intoners perfectly.

She was the 'oldest', and spent her time finding out the origins of herself. It all stemmed back to Zero, but there was no explanation behind it. She had memories of a 'mother' and Zero being a true older sister, but she believes them false.

A speck of white appeared in the black, and as One walked towards it, she was eventually face-to-face, barring the height difference, with Zero.

Zero had a strange expression, somewhere between defeat, annoyance, mild anger and tiredness.

"Hey." she said, finally. She sounded exhausted. One also saw that, while the Flower was gone from Zero's eye, she did not have her eye grow back, nor did she have her prosthetic arm, leaving only a stub.

"Hello," One greeted back. "I did not expect to meet you here, let alone again."

"Mm." Zero made a noise in her throat. Then, she sighed. "It all went wrong, didn't it?"

"An understatement. Still, at least now I finally know the reason for your slaughtering."

"Yeah, a fucking genocidal plant that wanted me to kill everyone. Fuck that."

One raised an eyebrow at that. "You?" she echoed.

"Me," Zero replied. "I was gonna finally die in peace when that bitch grew before me, thinking I wanted to destroy humanity. I didn't hate humanity, I hated the world itself. Unfortunately, it didn't get the memo." Zero looked around the darkness. "And now, here we are in this new shithole. Fucking A."

"Pause..." the Intoner of Knowledge heard something in the rant that made her curious, despite it all. "What do you mean, 'finally die'?"

"I don't have to tell you of all people jack shit." Zero shot back.

"Maybe. But if we're dead, you can't kill me again, can you?"

Zero looked at One with her single rose-coloured eye, then scoffed. "Exactly what I said: I was gonna die."

"You are an Intoner, the Original one, at that, Zero."

"Yeah, but before that Flower found me," she gestured to herself. "I was a human. Although, that's a stretch. I didn't have anything by the time I died, even with my tally. I was, in the literal sense, nothing. Nought. 'Zero'."

Another voice, of which One had not heard in months, spoke up. "But what about us?"

Turning, the Original and the Oldest saw Two. She did not appear catatonic, and instead looked the same as she did when Zero initially attacked the Cathedral City; albeit, more confused, even with her eyes wide and full of life once more.

"Not even a hello?" dryly remarked the white-haired lady, and Two immediately apologised, eyes widening even more.

"Oh, shoot, sorry, Zero! I was just a little surprised, that's all..."

"Eh, forget it: if you're here so are the other cunts. Anyways, the Flower didn't like how I didn't want to follow its way of thinking, so when I tried to kill myself again, it split itself off into five kids. Any guesses?"

"...So you're our mother?" Two jumped into the air as Three suddenly appeared, the slothful girl looking intrigued for the first time in a while.

"No, dipshit, you're technically me."

"You?" One sounded akin to a broken record, but that cannot be blamed.

"Yeah, you all got some aspect of my personality, some more than others, and some having a boost in certain aspects. Like Two; I definitely don't remember having that much of a heart."

"But that, you had some kindness, right?" Two immediately replied like the wind.

"Yeah, for Micheal... and Mikhail." her eyes turned downcast when remembering her dragon. "Oh, that idiot is gonna be alone, isn't he...?"

The three stood in silence for a while, literally and metaphorically.

"Oh, right, you seem a bit calmer now, Two."

"Oh, yeah, that..." Two laughed nervously. "Guess I didn't give you much trouble this time?"

"This time?" One quirked an eyebrow, before grabbing her head at a sharp pain. Thinking about her memories made her realise that some were similar but different. Like swearing, like her brother, like...

"...You stabbed One." Three breathed, her tone a mix of her tiredness and a small bit of awe.

Two looked like a deer being caught. "...Oops??"

"Zero?" One asked.

"...Ah, fuck, you guys remember the Branches..."

"Oh, that's what they're called?"

Zero groaned, as she turned to see Five walking towards them. "Hello, Five. And Four, I can see you."

Four walked from behind Five and marched to Zero. Then, she reeled back her fist and punched--

Zero caught it.

"You. Fucking. Bitch." Four growled out, her eyes filled with fury and her body shaking from sheer rage. "I have more than a few things to say to you!"

"Save it for later, after this." came Zero's reply. She let go of the fist, and looked around. "Well, that makes six. Any others I need to know of?"

Zero half expected to see Accord pop up out of nowhere. Instead, from One's side, that brother of her's appeared.

The Intoners, sans Zero and One, blinked.

"Oh! Hello there!" Two greeted warmly, waving.

"...Hello." the brother greeted back. Actually, fuck it, Zero is going to call him Decimal. He is half of One, so it makes sense.

"Hey." Zero looked at the twin of One, who looked back at her, eyes narrowing as he placed his hand on his blade.

"Zero."

One placed her hand on her twin's. "Stand down. She is not the enemy. Tell me, everyone; what do you last remember?"

"Apart from being stabbed?" Four spat out. "It was singing. Then I sang with you guys. Then nothing until now."

"Same here!" Five gasped. "We are... dead?"

"No; Decimal didn't die, did he?" Zero directed the question to One, who tilted her head.

"Decimal?"

"One, listen; I can sorta respect you. But I'm giving him a name as his older sister."

"That's the first time I think I have heard you use that privilege." One's red eyes displayed curiosity more than anything. "I'm surprised you didn't ground us."

"Maybe when you all were kids."

"Ah, sisters--?"

"I mean, look, okay, I'm an awful person. But I had reasons, you know?"

"Hello--?"

"Reasons that include senseless genocide of our soldiers, per chance?"

"H--"

"Don't start, Three, you fucking experimented on them. You think I would--?"

A sharp whistle cut them off, and Zero exploded. "OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WHAT?!"

Two pointed. Everyone looked. A glowing portal was on the ground, akin to a hole.

"...Oh. Neat." Zero walked over, and looked through the portal. "..."

Zero looked back. "Right. The Flower found me when I was dying--don't ask--and when I hated the world. That was because of my own growing up."

"See anything you like, Sister?" Five asked.

She pointed to the portal. "So what if, that never happened?"

"What."

Zero sighed. "That building in it. I know it. It's from like, way before the Intoner's time. Go through and find me and get me not to be me."

"Wouldn't that kill us?" Decimal tilted his head in a way similar to One.

"I don't fucking know!" Zero then blinked, as of having a sudden epiphany. "Oh, hang on a second. I have something to do."

Three looked back, tiredly. "What's tha--"

Zero punched Three in the face, knocking the purple-haired girl back as Zero brought out a pair of gauntlets without her noticing.

Three attempted to stand up, but was knocked to the ground by Zero, this time by her foot. Her hair was then grabbed, and forced to look at Zero. She saw her expression, and it was one akin to a disappointed parent.

"Oh, Three, you sweet little bitch." she said it almost fondly, as she let go of Three's hair and punched her in the stomach, causing Three to dry heave from it. "Tell me: Why do you think I'm attacking you?"

Three began to reach for her scissors. "The madness consumes all, in the end--"

A scream of agnoy cut her off, her scream of agnoy, as Zero took a hold of her arm and broke it with a sickening crack.

"Your dolls." Zero spat out. "I had a bit of time to think after I killed you in Branch A, same with everyone, and I could kinda understand everyone, even with Four's fantastical racism problems. But you?" Zero shook her head. "Listen, Three, I'm not sunshine and daisies, but even I know you fucked around too hard."

"What are you taking about?" Three retorted snappily, as she felt herself getting hot with anger. It wasn't often that it happened, but this is a special occasion. "My dolls were perfect. Better!"

"And yet, still not good enough to beat me." Zero dropped Three to the ground, as her gauntlets faded into a sword. Zero's Sword. "You went on a campaign of murder, and for what? A few nice toys to keep in bed, and the others to send off to die to lovely Big Sis Z?"

Three attempted to get up, but the moment she placed pressure on to her broken arm, she yelled and collapsed. "I made the dolls to be perfect!" she repeated, for that was her truth.

Zero leaned down, her single eye almost glowing. "And what of during it?"

Three stopped, and looked at Zero, squinting at her with fury, confusion, tiredness and pain. "The fuck are you rambling on about?"

"Did they scream? Did they plead for mercy? Did they try and convince you otherwise?"

Three scoffed. "Of course they did. They weren't making any sense. I gave them sense--"

A blood-curdling scream ripped its way out of Three's throat. Despite not feeling any pain from the arm itself, Zero breaking her smallest finger made it infinity worse somehow.

"Three. I'm going to give you a simple request." Zero almost looked like an actual big sister as she said this. "Say you are sorry."

"For wha--?!"

The ring finger snapped, and Three screamed again. Her mind caught up with recent events, and as she tried to look for her sisters (and... brother?) for help, she saw them all standing there silently. Four looked pale, and she saw vomit on the floor, but they all remained still, looking at Three.

As if this was right.

"Take your time." Zero said, almost gently, as her fingers closed in around Three's middle finger.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out why this is happening. Her dolls, yes. They were made to be perfect for Three, of which she had personally handcrafted herself. Many hours went into the creation of each one, with some having her forget she needs rest, food, water and sex to keep her alive.

"I... made them." Three began.

"Go on."

"...Is that where the problem in is?"

Zero looked at her.

"...Why--?"

CRACK.

A noise that sounded oddly like an injured wolf made its way from Three's mouth, as she looked and saw said middle finger broken. Only her index finger and thumb remained.

"Don't worry. I'll just heal you. And then we can try again." If Zero had attempted to comfort Three, it did the opposite.

The creation of the dolls...

"Did they scream? Did they plead for mercy? Did they try and convince you otherwise?"

Three's eyes seemed to get less cloudy as she pondered on it. They did, yes...

...Oh. Ethics.

...Oh, fuck.

"Oh, God." blasphemy crawled out of her mouth, as Zero looked with a neutral gaze.

"There are no deities here, other than ourselves. And congrats, you're beginning to realise it."

Three thought more on it. The people she killed... did they have parents? Children? Siblings?

Three looked back at her sisters. She had, on more than one occasion, fantasised about turning them into dolls.

But, then, what would happen to their personalities?

She knows she cannot recreate any of them; having a doll of Two would be cute, but she won't talk, or joke, or laugh, without Three voicing her, and she won't be able to get her personality back.

"I'm sorry." The words felt so foreign to her. Yet, they felt right to say. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry--"

"Shh." Zero cut her off. "No point crying now, is there?"

"...Atonement."

"What."

"'An individual's reconciliation with God by means of repentance and confession of one's transgressions'." Three looked at Zero, almost in wonder. "I... my dolls."

"Yes?"

"They are... hollow. Like a tree. Beautiful on the outside, but on the inside..." it felt strange, having her entire world view shift, but...

She clutched her head with her hands, not realising it was fully healed, and sobbed. Not laugh, or giggle. Sobbed.

That sobbing then turned to crying. And, she then let out of screams of despair, as the reality came to hit her in the face.

She had dolls, yes. But what are dolls, if they cannot be fun to play with?

She screamed for what felt like hours. She then gasped as someone awkwardly placed their arms around her. Looking up, she saw Zero trying to hug her, patting her head gently.

"Pat, pat, gestures that are kind..." she muttered.

The crying stopped, finally. Three shakily got up, as she walked over to the others, who looked at Zero in... fear?

"The rest of ya are also mega fucked up. Minus maybe Two. So I'm going to tell you something: Go into that portal. Find me. And raise me to never become this."

They all stood in silence. Then, Four walked to the portal, the glowing surface on the ground.

"What about you?" One asked.

"Eh."

Five went in first. Then Four. Then Three. Then Two. Then Decimal.

"See you later... Sister." One said. Zero rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Same with you. Sis."

One went into the portal. The last of Zero she saw was her smiling face.

If you don’t know your score, take the test here

Oh and two others who are just...

MRRP!!! MRROW!! So cute!

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE

this picrew is sosdjfosdjf ldskfj cute omg sdjfoklfmskldjf perishes. im deceased on the ground HELP

genetics actually fucked me over. no matter how much sleep i get. i could sleep for two years straight and STILL have eyebags ISTG

rn my hair is more of a wolfcut but its grown out so im gonna get it cut soon... mmmmmmmmm

I feel honored to be tagged. Thank you for the tag melonni! <3

My apologies for the lateness, but it's done! Ngl this picrew is so soft-looking. I like it!

Goodness, I haven't realized how round my hair truly is. Mm.