the gate opens for you.

[He had just been around, gathering ingredients. It was a nice day, closer to the afternoon and Sinnclayr had finished up with his hunting, now just walking through the main streets of town to see if anything caught his interest. He had been on the look out for grey stones, actually, but had yet to find any.]

[Sinnclayr heard yelling behind him but ignored the voices. They weren’t directed at him, he could tell. But he stumbled suddenly, able to right himself before he could fall flat on his face from a force slamming into his back. He turned around, blinking when he met eyes with the man who had quite literally almost shoved him to the ground. The man apologised and when Sinnclayr looked up, he saw who the voices belonged to, squinting in their direction. He raised his eyebrows, shooting a look into the direction of the people shouting after them, now.]

I-I’m f-f-f… uh.. I-I’m o-okay.

[Sure, he was uninjured from this interaction, but if Sinnclayr saw the bruises and scrapes lining Roy’s arms, legs, and torso that were never left alone long enough to properly heal, then he’d certainly think otherwise of Roy’s response.]

Uh… w-well it’s n-not like I-I think y-you’re incapable of defending a-against th-them, but…

[Roy paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. He couldn’t tell if he was flustered from being chased, being treated with kindness for once, or if it was Sinnclayr’s endearing features that was leaving Roy shaken and nervous.]

Th-they are worse than n-normal bullies. Th-they stalk, set up t-traps, use weapons, and m-manipulate others to turn against y-you too. Worst of all, th-their p-parents are c-cops, so th-they keep getting away with th-their… ugh… all th-this shit.

[His gaze met Sinnclayr’s, teal searching red not for pity, but for solace.]

Once again, I-I’m r-really sorry, Sinnclayr. I-I should go b-before I-I make things w-worse.

[Roy clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white as his blood boiled. All those times he’d wanted to stoop to their level, all the chances he’d had to take out the trash, so to speak.]

[Under his breath, Roy solemnly muttered.]

I-I’m going to f-fix this once and for all.

[Roy looked back at Sinnclayr, giving him a grim smile.]

They can’t hurt me. They’d have to go very far to do so.

[…Make things worse? Did Roy honestly believe this was his fault?]

You’re being bullied. No, harrassed. You… None of this is your fault, Roy.

[He didn’t speak when Roy clenched his fists. He was thinking, going through something and Sinnclayr watched as he stepped forward, muttering under his breath. He frowned at Roy’s words.]

You’ll get yourself hurt. Is there not someone you can go to?

[Roy shook his head, a couple tears falling to his cheeks.]

N-N-No… I-I wish, but…

[How painfully desperately Roy wanted to believe Sinnclayr, but how could he when he’d been blamed for his own suffering for his entire life? Only one other person had ever said otherwise, and now…]

[Roy stopped in his tracks, considering the other’s words carefully. A tsunami of laughter and tears bubbled up inside him, bursting free in the wild and unhinged way one would laugh at a bloody tragedy when they were too stunned and dissociated to react in any other way.]

[He regained his composure, returning to Sinnclayr with long but slow strides.]

I-I have no one, Sinnclayr, a-and if I-I do nothing, then I-I’m sure to get hurt r-regardless. D-D-Do y-you have a b-better suggestion?

[Roy paused at Sinnclayr’s word, as if considering them but Sinnclayr did not dare move forward. They were in a standstill of sorts, trapped by their own feelings. When he straightened and walked back to Sinnclayr, he did not move back. He was not afraid of Roy.]

[He had no one but Sinnclayr knew what that was like. He’d get hurt, but Sinnclayr was familiar with that fear. It haunted him when he was younger, keeping him in a cage.]

You want someone who understands, right? Even just a little bit?

[He didn’t touch Roy but he relaxed his shoulders. Now wasn’t the time to get angry, even if Roy was well on his way.]

Do you want to be walked over, like they just did to you? I won’t look past it, Roy. You’re just as human as I am.

[Even as he said, the irony didn’t escape him. He’d been called demon one too many times and it was about time that he snapped.]

[Sinnclayr blinked, hearing the shutter of the camera before a woman walked up to him, a camera in her hands. He had only stopped to look at something that caught his attention, a couple taking wedding photos in the over hanging trees just across a park not full of people but not completely devoid.]

[He turned to look at her when she walked up, shoving his hands into his pockets. Paint him? He had never been asked that before, nor had he ever modelled or done anything of the sort. It couldn’t hurt, though. He was not someone you often saw out and about or online though his appearance was out of the ordinary to some.]

[An online presence too? Sinnclayr was into art though more of the ancient types, the old Italian artists locked away into galleries. He had never given portraiture a chance, really.]

[Well aware that Sinnclayr was being a bit closed off about his job, Mari tried to lighten the mood a bit- make him feel more comfortable. Though based on his tone, perhaps she took his words a bit too lightly.]

[At Sinnclayr’s question, Mari softly huffed.]

If only it were that easy, Sinnclayr. Rather, if only I weren’t a coward then I would definitely pursue my passions. It’s a family thing, but I’ve accepted my fate. I truly appreciate your optimism towards someone you only just met.

[It was awfully interesting watching Sinnclayr’s face as the two of them chatted. Though he had a habit of concealing his facial expressions, Mari was little by little noticing subtle smiles and quirks of his eyebrows. Though he was obviously kind, there lay a great many secrets within the confines of his mind. It took all of her self control to hold off from bombarding Sinnclayr with questions to draw out each one.]

[Mari accepted the phone, taking a picture of his number with her own before handing it back to him.]

A while ago, there was a fear that the dead would rise. Hollywood movies made it fearful and I was the only one who seems keen enough to take the job, despite all the uproar. 

[She thought herself a coward? Forced by her family’s hand? Sinnclayr felt the anger rise in his chest but he did not act on it. He barely knew this woman and becoming angry on her behalf did not seem the wisest choice. He swallowed thickly, nodding at her comments.]

Family is a difficult thing to move away from.

[She took his phone from him and snapped a photo of his own number. He had never done something like this before, to give someone his number so boldly and go on their way.]

Well, it’s a job someone had to do, so I’m glad an upstanding person such as yourself decided to take it on.

Indeed, but I suppose there are much worse families I could’ve ended up in.

[She nodded sincerely, waving her phone at him as she turned to leave.]

[He had just been around, gathering ingredients. It was a nice day, closer to the afternoon and Sinnclayr had finished up with his hunting, now just walking through the main streets of town to see if anything caught his interest. He had been on the look out for grey stones, actually, but had yet to find any.]

[Sinnclayr heard yelling behind him but ignored the voices. They weren’t directed at him, he could tell. But he stumbled suddenly, able to right himself before he could fall flat on his face from a force slamming into his back. He turned around, blinking when he met eyes with the man who had quite literally almost shoved him to the ground. The man apologised and when Sinnclayr looked up, he saw who the voices belonged to, squinting in their direction. He raised his eyebrows, shooting a look into the direction of the people shouting after them, now.]

I-I’m f-f-f… uh.. I-I’m o-okay.

[Sure, he was uninjured from this interaction, but if Sinnclayr saw the bruises and scrapes lining Roy’s arms, legs, and torso that were never left alone long enough to properly heal, then he’d certainly think otherwise of Roy’s response.]

Uh… w-well it’s n-not like I-I think y-you’re incapable of defending a-against th-them, but…

[Roy paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. He couldn’t tell if he was flustered from being chased, being treated with kindness for once, or if it was Sinnclayr’s endearing features that was leaving Roy shaken and nervous.]

Th-they are worse than n-normal bullies. Th-they stalk, set up t-traps, use weapons, and m-manipulate others to turn against y-you too. Worst of all, th-their p-parents are c-cops, so th-they keep getting away with th-their… ugh… all th-this shit.

[His gaze met Sinnclayr’s, teal searching red not for pity, but for solace.]

Once again, I-I’m r-really sorry, Sinnclayr. I-I should go b-before I-I make things w-worse.

[Roy clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white as his blood boiled. All those times he’d wanted to stoop to their level, all the chances he’d had to take out the trash, so to speak.]

[Under his breath, Roy solemnly muttered.]

I-I’m going to f-fix this once and for all.

[Roy looked back at Sinnclayr, giving him a grim smile.]

They can’t hurt me. They’d have to go very far to do so.

[...Make things worse? Did Roy honestly believe this was his fault?]

You’re being bullied. No, harrassed. You... None of this is your fault, Roy.

[He didn’t speak when Roy clenched his fists. He was thinking, going through something and Sinnclayr watched as he stepped forward, muttering under his breath. He frowned at Roy’s words.]

You’ll get yourself hurt. Is there not someone you can go to?

[Sinnclayr blinked, hearing the shutter of the camera before a woman walked up to him, a camera in her hands. He had only stopped to look at something that caught his attention, a couple taking wedding photos in the over hanging trees just across a park not full of people but not completely devoid.]

[He turned to look at her when she walked up, shoving his hands into his pockets. Paint him? He had never been asked that before, nor had he ever modelled or done anything of the sort. It couldn’t hurt, though. He was not someone you often saw out and about or online though his appearance was out of the ordinary to some.]

[An online presence too? Sinnclayr was into art though more of the ancient types, the old Italian artists locked away into galleries. He had never given portraiture a chance, really.]

[Well aware that Sinnclayr was being a bit closed off about his job, Mari tried to lighten the mood a bit- make him feel more comfortable. Though based on his tone, perhaps she took his words a bit too lightly.]

[At Sinnclayr’s question, Mari softly huffed.]

If only it were that easy, Sinnclayr. Rather, if only I weren’t a coward then I would definitely pursue my passions. It’s a family thing, but I’ve accepted my fate. I truly appreciate your optimism towards someone you only just met.

[It was awfully interesting watching Sinnclayr’s face as the two of them chatted. Though he had a habit of concealing his facial expressions, Mari was little by little noticing subtle smiles and quirks of his eyebrows. Though he was obviously kind, there lay a great many secrets within the confines of his mind. It took all of her self control to hold off from bombarding Sinnclayr with questions to draw out each one.]

[Mari accepted the phone, taking a picture of his number with her own before handing it back to him.]

A while ago, there was a fear that the dead would rise. Hollywood movies made it fearful and I was the only one who seems keen enough to take the job, despite all the uproar. 

[She thought herself a coward? Forced by her family’s hand? Sinnclayr felt the anger rise in his chest but he did not act on it. He barely knew this woman and becoming angry on her behalf did not seem the wisest choice. He swallowed thickly, nodding at her comments.]

Family is a difficult thing to move away from.

[She took his phone from him and snapped a photo of his own number. He had never done something like this before, to give someone his number so boldly and go on their way.]

Well, golly, I’m not on the beat about what’s good to do. What would you choose? I wouldn’t mind maybe a game of cards or somethin’. I’d like to go to a park or maybe spend some time with ya, if ya don’t mind! 

-The moment he averted his eyes from the bag that held her friend, she tilted her head, ceramic grinding. She’d bite her lip if they wouldn’t break off. Hmm… he didn’t believe her. Then again, most didn’t believe she even existed, so this was a start!-

Not lyin’ friend! I’m bein’ honest, I’d swear it in front of anyone! I’m a dolly! Well… 

-Lucy straightened, more serious than she could ever recall, scarlet eyes flashing, glowing in the moonlight.-

You’re a swell fella, Sinnclayr. I woke up in this… -Lucy gestures to her form, of broken ceramic and cracked plastic, only small hints of flesh could be recognized as human, as well as her eyes and long black hair.- This body. I don’t remember nothin’, just bein’ here and wishin’ for a friend. Seems the closer I get to someone, the more they… wither.

-A small giggle erupted from her chest, cracking the plastic even more. Flashing her scarlet eyes to his, she tilted her head again, taking a shambling step closer. People withered, all right. If that meant taking their eyes, or trying to remove their skin for herself the moment they became rude, well…-

They think I’m a screaming meanie, but I just ask to borrow things. I wanna be a human, like you, and golly gee, I don’t know where to go. When I borrow things from friends, it’s cause they were rude. Hmph! One even took my arm, thinkin’ it was funny. 

-Lucy shook her head, staring down at the bag in the grave, something dark and nefarious blooming in her chest. Every time people came around, thinking it was all fun and games, she came out to play. She wanted to play their games too!-

“I have a deck of cards somewhere, I believe.”

And she wasn’t lying about being a doll... Sinnclayr listened as she spoke, tilting his head and it clicked in hsi mind when she said that she had woken up. He knew for sure she wouldn’t mind if he had an episode with spirits; she was a spirit, in a doll’s body. And all she wanted was a friend... But she didn’t seem to know much about herself.

Sinnclayr couldn’t exactly agree with what she had done to the so called “friend” in the bag, even if he had had his fair share of strange moral decisions and experiences but it was over now. He couldn’t possibly take back what she had done and he had made the decision to help Lucy in the first place.

The plastic of Lucy’s chest cracked when she laughed but Sinnclayr didn’t flinch. There was a lot going on for her, it seems, and he didn’t plan to make her uncomfortable or make her feel out of place. They were just as strange as each other, their eyes matching in the darkness.

They were alike in the most perculiar of ways and when Lucy told her story, Sinnclayr listened. He wanted to, wanted to hear what she had to say in hopes that it would help her if she finally let it out.