*Ding!*

As a result, every spot of the kitchen that it could reach was practically sparkling. There was almost a perfect border across the cabinets where Hint Coin couldn’t quite stretch to, barely dry blood still lining the countertops.

The manor was eerily quiet, as if no one dared to make a sound louder than a whisper unless they were behind closed doors. It was a lonely, looming sensation. Not being sure of where anyone else was didn’t help. Knowing that there was someone in the building who would shoot a person in the head helped even less.

I made sure to stay behind Bloom and the Professor. It would be terrible to start getting in their way now, after everything they’ve done. They both obscured my view of the mansion as well, which helped to put myself a bit more at ease.

The orb… I can feel it’s power from inside my bag. Just the thought of handing it over to that fiend made me ill, but it’s not like I had any other choice. Especially since I didn’t come alone or bring a knife…

Oh. The knife… didn’t Alfendi say something about knives being a Layton thing, odd as that is? Maybe the Professor has something on him. It’ll be difficult to not make him suspicious of my intentions, but I should ask.

So… uh, is anyone else feeling a little uneasy? Are either of you carrying weapons? Like… a knife of some sort…?

Perhaps Bloom is, but I don't see why I would carry a weapon, especially while we're visiting my husband. I should that hope all the knives we have are where they belong!

I can assure you that you won't come into any harm. As far as I'm aware only Henry is home, though due to his... condition, some friends and family may be visiting. I hope that is alright with the both of you.

Yes… I have places to be. People to see. This shouldn’t take long… yet why do I have this growing feeling that someone isn’t right?

I try my hardest to not let the feeling of dread make itself apparent on my features, but I fear I might have failed. I am horrified. Of what, I don’t know. But what I do know is that a wise man would get out of here as fast as he could.

I suppose I play the part of the fool, as I continue walking to the manor.

The manor's front doors were large and certainly quite heavy. Hint Coin was able to reach the handles, but actually turning them was another matter entirely.

"just a moment, please!" It called out, hoping it could be heard on the other side.

It struggled for a while, shaking and pulling the handles until they suddenly yanked down and the doors flew open, knocking Hint Coin to the floor.

Yes… Hello. I am Detective Inspector Leonard Bloom, I’m with Scotland Yard. Is Henry home? I have urgent police business with him.

Ah, Hello! Are you a friend of Henry's? I'm his husband, Professor Hershel Layton. How is Henry doing? Has he been doing alright in my absence?

And is that… it’s covered in blood! I’ve seen plenty of blood in my career, (don’t ask) it has to be blood! Goodness, did they get injured?

Without thinking, I quickly grabbed a handkerchief from my shoulder bag.

"ah, thank you very much," it said, taking the handkerchief but not doing anything with it afterward, "to answer all of your questions in order..." it took a moment to both brace itself for the barrage of answers, and to allow the visitors to do the same.

"yes, henry is here, although i am not sure of exactly where in the house he is right now. i am a friend of henry's, i am hint coin, and it is a pleasure to meet you, mr layton. at the last count henry is doing very well, considering. but by usual standards i suppose he is not."

As a result, every spot of the kitchen that it could reach was practically sparkling. There was almost a perfect border across the cabinets where Hint Coin couldn’t quite stretch to, barely dry blood still lining the countertops.

The manor was eerily quiet, as if no one dared to make a sound louder than a whisper unless they were behind closed doors. It was a lonely, looming sensation. Not being sure of where anyone else was didn’t help. Knowing that there was someone in the building who would shoot a person in the head helped even less.

I made sure to stay behind Bloom and the Professor. It would be terrible to start getting in their way now, after everything they’ve done. They both obscured my view of the mansion as well, which helped to put myself a bit more at ease.

The orb… I can feel it’s power from inside my bag. Just the thought of handing it over to that fiend made me ill, but it’s not like I had any other choice. Especially since I didn’t come alone or bring a knife…

Oh. The knife… didn’t Alfendi say something about knives being a Layton thing, odd as that is? Maybe the Professor has something on him. It’ll be difficult to not make him suspicious of my intentions, but I should ask.

So… uh, is anyone else feeling a little uneasy? Are either of you carrying weapons? Like… a knife of some sort…?

Perhaps Bloom is, but I don't see why I would carry a weapon, especially while we're visiting my husband. I should that hope all the knives we have are where they belong!

I can assure you that you won't come into any harm. As far as I'm aware only Henry is home, though due to his... condition, some friends and family may be visiting. I hope that is alright with the both of you.

Yes… I have places to be. People to see. This shouldn’t take long… yet why do I have this growing feeling that someone isn’t right?

I try my hardest to not let the feeling of dread make itself apparent on my features, but I fear I might have failed. I am horrified. Of what, I don’t know. But what I do know is that a wise man would get out of here as fast as he could.

I suppose I play the part of the fool, as I continue walking to the manor.

The manor's front doors were large and certainly quite heavy. Hint Coin was able to reach the handles, but actually turning them was another matter entirely.

"just a moment, please!" It called out, hoping it could be heard on the other side.

It struggled for a while, shaking and pulling the handles until they suddenly yanked down and the doors flew open, knocking Hint Coin to the floor.

past all the clattering that its own activities caused, it didn't quite hear the awful bang that rang out.

it loaded all the products it thought would be needed into a bucket and began to drag it out of the closet and toward the kitchen. it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the size caused some issues in transportation.

hint coin eventually arrived in the kitchen. there was... a lot more carnage than it remembered. it hadn’t done all of this in its anger, had it? no, no, that wasn't possible. something else had happened while it was preoccupied.

hearing footsteps behind it, hint coin turned to see henry.

"i do not think the supplies you have on hand will be quite enough to clean this," it started, "it might get the worst of it away but i suspect that things will..." it couldn't quite make out the last word as it focused on henry's face. there was a large, new wound, gaping and dripping. it was quite clearly not the work of the spiral, but it was hard to decide if that was a good thing.

"i am beginning to think that you should not be left unsupervised anymore."

“I need to grab some food for Sara… the snail. The others, too, I’m getting hungry myself,” he added as he opened the fridge, realizing hint coin probably didn’t know their name. “…huh?”

As soon as he’d opened the fridge door, Henry was hit by the putrid stench of rot emanating from every food item on the shelves. The meat, vegetables, whatever he looked at was covered in a black, green and white mold, twisting into spirals growing on the food, because of fucking course it did.

How was this possible? All of this food was bought days ago, at maximum. It shouldn’t have rotten so quickly. Was this the work of the spiral? To starve them?

henry was much more... standing and alive than was normal for someone who had been shot in the face.

that must be the work of the spiral. what a cruel trick to play. keeping someone alive just so you can torture them yourself. did the spiral even have a concept of cruelty? or was this just its sadistic way of perpetuating itself? either way, it made hate rise in hint coin.

"who shot you?" it asked, pushing aside its disdain for the curse. as far as it was aware, the only other people in the manor were blay, and the lady whose name continues to evade it, neither of whom seemed all that murderous. "is there someone new here?"

"of course." it responded. "i will... keep an open mind."

it wouldn't be wide open, truthfully. learning that this alfendi shot its friend in the face was not a great first impression to hint coin. but this person was clearly quite dear to henry, so it would once again push its own feelings on the matter aside.

hint coin poured some floor cleaner into the bucket, watching as henry spoke about his husband. it was wonderful, to see him finally relaxed and happy. looks like it did something right, for maybe the first time since arriving in the manor.

"oh, yes, i believe i have spoken with him before," hint coin lifted the bucket and wobbled it over to henry, "could you fill this with water for me, please?" it carried on, not stopping its train of thought for long, "only the once, but even so."

He trailed off, staring at his deformed reflection in the surface of the water. “I wasn’t alone, really. There was someone. But I would not call him a good influence on my life. Frankly, it was the worst era of it. Nothing close of filial.”

He hauled the bucket out of the sink when it was full, gently putting it on the floor. “I had Angela for the next 18 years of my life, but it was only the two of us… not what you’d traditionally call a family.”

"i am sorry to hear that your life has been so difficult," frankly, it was quite surprised as to just how much it had learned about henry in the past few minutes. but it supposed if it didn't learn now, it might never have known. "i am glad to know that you have found your people."

it slid the mop around the floor, stopping every so often to scrub more purposefully at the harder stains. it pondered henry's question for a few moments.

would it like a family?

"it would be nice," it began, "while it lasts, at least. but i do not think it would be fair for anyone. i do not live by the same rules as humanity and will not die by them either. surely i would outlive my family. over and over. what right would i have to do such a thing?"

it submerged the mop into the bucket again, squeezing it against the side to wring out the blood.

"and... i do not think i could handle it. growing to love people over and over again and having to..."

"in short, i would like a family but i do not think i should have one."

hint coin rationalised its thought process like a cat lover with allergies.

oh, but how wonderful it would be. to be a part of a family. a part of henry's family.

henry wasn't wrong. it had known more joy in the few weeks it had known people than it ever had, than it ever knew it could. it wouldn't trade those moments for anything. even if it was able to go back to that static isolation, it wouldn't want to.

but being offered a place in a family so readily... could it really open itself up like that? to that kind of pain? to that kind of love?

slowly. cautiously. hint coin let go of the mop, and shuffled over to henry. it wrapped its arms around his legs awkwardly and stared at the floor for a moment.

"thank you."

past all the clattering that its own activities caused, it didn't quite hear the awful bang that rang out.

it loaded all the products it thought would be needed into a bucket and began to drag it out of the closet and toward the kitchen. it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the size caused some issues in transportation.

hint coin eventually arrived in the kitchen. there was... a lot more carnage than it remembered. it hadn’t done all of this in its anger, had it? no, no, that wasn't possible. something else had happened while it was preoccupied.

hearing footsteps behind it, hint coin turned to see henry.

"i do not think the supplies you have on hand will be quite enough to clean this," it started, "it might get the worst of it away but i suspect that things will..." it couldn't quite make out the last word as it focused on henry's face. there was a large, new wound, gaping and dripping. it was quite clearly not the work of the spiral, but it was hard to decide if that was a good thing.

"i am beginning to think that you should not be left unsupervised anymore."

“I need to grab some food for Sara… the snail. The others, too, I’m getting hungry myself,” he added as he opened the fridge, realizing hint coin probably didn’t know their name. “…huh?”

As soon as he’d opened the fridge door, Henry was hit by the putrid stench of rot emanating from every food item on the shelves. The meat, vegetables, whatever he looked at was covered in a black, green and white mold, twisting into spirals growing on the food, because of fucking course it did.

How was this possible? All of this food was bought days ago, at maximum. It shouldn’t have rotten so quickly. Was this the work of the spiral? To starve them?

henry was much more... standing and alive than was normal for someone who had been shot in the face.

that must be the work of the spiral. what a cruel trick to play. keeping someone alive just so you can torture them yourself. did the spiral even have a concept of cruelty? or was this just its sadistic way of perpetuating itself? either way, it made hate rise in hint coin.

"who shot you?" it asked, pushing aside its disdain for the curse. as far as it was aware, the only other people in the manor were blay, and the lady whose name continues to evade it, neither of whom seemed all that murderous. "is there someone new here?"

"of course." it responded. "i will... keep an open mind."

it wouldn't be wide open, truthfully. learning that this alfendi shot its friend in the face was not a great first impression to hint coin. but this person was clearly quite dear to henry, so it would once again push its own feelings on the matter aside.

hint coin poured some floor cleaner into the bucket, watching as henry spoke about his husband. it was wonderful, to see him finally relaxed and happy. looks like it did something right, for maybe the first time since arriving in the manor.

"oh, yes, i believe i have spoken with him before," hint coin lifted the bucket and wobbled it over to henry, "could you fill this with water for me, please?" it carried on, not stopping its train of thought for long, "only the once, but even so."

He trailed off, staring at his deformed reflection in the surface of the water. “I wasn’t alone, really. There was someone. But I would not call him a good influence on my life. Frankly, it was the worst era of it. Nothing close of filial.”

He hauled the bucket out of the sink when it was full, gently putting it on the floor. “I had Angela for the next 18 years of my life, but it was only the two of us… not what you’d traditionally call a family.”

"i am sorry to hear that your life has been so difficult," frankly, it was quite surprised as to just how much it had learned about henry in the past few minutes. but it supposed if it didn't learn now, it might never have known. "i am glad to know that you have found your people."

it slid the mop around the floor, stopping every so often to scrub more purposefully at the harder stains. it pondered henry's question for a few moments.

would it like a family?

"it would be nice," it began, "while it lasts, at least. but i do not think it would be fair for anyone. i do not live by the same rules as humanity and will not die by them either. surely i would outlive my family. over and over. what right would i have to do such a thing?"

it submerged the mop into the bucket again, squeezing it against the side to wring out the blood.

"and... i do not think i could handle it. growing to love people over and over again and having to..."

"in short, i would like a family but i do not think i should have one."

hint coin rationalised its thought process like a cat lover with allergies.

oh, but how wonderful it would be. to be a part of a family. a part of henry's family.

past all the clattering that its own activities caused, it didn't quite hear the awful bang that rang out.

it loaded all the products it thought would be needed into a bucket and began to drag it out of the closet and toward the kitchen. it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the size caused some issues in transportation.

hint coin eventually arrived in the kitchen. there was... a lot more carnage than it remembered. it hadn’t done all of this in its anger, had it? no, no, that wasn't possible. something else had happened while it was preoccupied.

hearing footsteps behind it, hint coin turned to see henry.

"i do not think the supplies you have on hand will be quite enough to clean this," it started, "it might get the worst of it away but i suspect that things will..." it couldn't quite make out the last word as it focused on henry's face. there was a large, new wound, gaping and dripping. it was quite clearly not the work of the spiral, but it was hard to decide if that was a good thing.

"i am beginning to think that you should not be left unsupervised anymore."

“I need to grab some food for Sara… the snail. The others, too, I’m getting hungry myself,” he added as he opened the fridge, realizing hint coin probably didn’t know their name. “…huh?”

As soon as he’d opened the fridge door, Henry was hit by the putrid stench of rot emanating from every food item on the shelves. The meat, vegetables, whatever he looked at was covered in a black, green and white mold, twisting into spirals growing on the food, because of fucking course it did.

How was this possible? All of this food was bought days ago, at maximum. It shouldn’t have rotten so quickly. Was this the work of the spiral? To starve them?

henry was much more... standing and alive than was normal for someone who had been shot in the face.

that must be the work of the spiral. what a cruel trick to play. keeping someone alive just so you can torture them yourself. did the spiral even have a concept of cruelty? or was this just its sadistic way of perpetuating itself? either way, it made hate rise in hint coin.

"who shot you?" it asked, pushing aside its disdain for the curse. as far as it was aware, the only other people in the manor were blay, and the lady whose name continues to evade it, neither of whom seemed all that murderous. "is there someone new here?"

"of course." it responded. "i will... keep an open mind."

it wouldn't be wide open, truthfully. learning that this alfendi shot its friend in the face was not a great first impression to hint coin. but this person was clearly quite dear to henry, so it would once again push its own feelings on the matter aside.

hint coin poured some floor cleaner into the bucket, watching as henry spoke about his husband. it was wonderful, to see him finally relaxed and happy. looks like it did something right, for maybe the first time since arriving in the manor.

"oh, yes, i believe i have spoken with him before," hint coin lifted the bucket and wobbled it over to henry, "could you fill this with water for me, please?" it carried on, not stopping its train of thought for long, "only the once, but even so."

past all the clattering that its own activities caused, it didn't quite hear the awful bang that rang out.

it loaded all the products it thought would be needed into a bucket and began to drag it out of the closet and toward the kitchen. it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the size caused some issues in transportation.

hint coin eventually arrived in the kitchen. there was... a lot more carnage than it remembered. it hadn’t done all of this in its anger, had it? no, no, that wasn't possible. something else had happened while it was preoccupied.

hearing footsteps behind it, hint coin turned to see henry.

"i do not think the supplies you have on hand will be quite enough to clean this," it started, "it might get the worst of it away but i suspect that things will..." it couldn't quite make out the last word as it focused on henry's face. there was a large, new wound, gaping and dripping. it was quite clearly not the work of the spiral, but it was hard to decide if that was a good thing.

"i am beginning to think that you should not be left unsupervised anymore."

“I need to grab some food for Sara… the snail. The others, too, I’m getting hungry myself,” he added as he opened the fridge, realizing hint coin probably didn’t know their name. “…huh?”

As soon as he’d opened the fridge door, Henry was hit by the putrid stench of rot emanating from every food item on the shelves. The meat, vegetables, whatever he looked at was covered in a black, green and white mold, twisting into spirals growing on the food, because of fucking course it did.

How was this possible? All of this food was bought days ago, at maximum. It shouldn’t have rotten so quickly. Was this the work of the spiral? To starve them?

henry was much more... standing and alive than was normal for someone who had been shot in the face.

that must be the work of the spiral. what a cruel trick to play. keeping someone alive just so you can torture them yourself. did the spiral even have a concept of cruelty? or was this just its sadistic way of perpetuating itself? either way, it made hate rise in hint coin.

"who shot you?" it asked, pushing aside its disdain for the curse. as far as it was aware, the only other people in the manor were blay, and the lady whose name continues to evade it, neither of whom seemed all that murderous. "is there someone new here?"

"of course." it responded. "i will... keep an open mind."

it wouldn't be wide open, truthfully. learning that this alfendi shot its friend in the face was not a great first impression to hint coin. but this person was clearly quite dear to henry, so it would once again push its own feelings on the matter aside.

past all the clattering that its own activities caused, it didn't quite hear the awful bang that rang out.

it loaded all the products it thought would be needed into a bucket and began to drag it out of the closet and toward the kitchen. it wasn’t particularly heavy, but the size caused some issues in transportation.

hint coin eventually arrived in the kitchen. there was... a lot more carnage than it remembered. it hadn’t done all of this in its anger, had it? no, no, that wasn't possible. something else had happened while it was preoccupied.

hearing footsteps behind it, hint coin turned to see henry.

"i do not think the supplies you have on hand will be quite enough to clean this," it started, "it might get the worst of it away but i suspect that things will..." it couldn't quite make out the last word as it focused on henry's face. there was a large, new wound, gaping and dripping. it was quite clearly not the work of the spiral, but it was hard to decide if that was a good thing.

"i am beginning to think that you should not be left unsupervised anymore."

“I need to grab some food for Sara… the snail. The others, too, I’m getting hungry myself,” he added as he opened the fridge, realizing hint coin probably didn’t know their name. “…huh?”

As soon as he’d opened the fridge door, Henry was hit by the putrid stench of rot emanating from every food item on the shelves. The meat, vegetables, whatever he looked at was covered in a black, green and white mold, twisting into spirals growing on the food, because of fucking course it did.

How was this possible? All of this food was bought days ago, at maximum. It shouldn’t have rotten so quickly. Was this the work of the spiral? To starve them?

henry was much more... standing and alive than was normal for someone who had been shot in the face.

that must be the work of the spiral. what a cruel trick to play. keeping someone alive just so you can torture them yourself. did the spiral even have a concept of cruelty? or was this just its sadistic way of perpetuating itself? either way, it made hate rise in hint coin.

"who shot you?" it asked, pushing aside its disdain for the curse. as far as it was aware, the only other people in the manor were blay, and the lady whose name continues to evade it, neither of whom seemed all that murderous. "is there someone new here?"

Henry groaned, the voices continuing to taunt him as he made his way as calmly as he could muster, which was not very calmly at all, into the kitchen.

‘Become one with me’

“No!” He couldn’t help himself from whispering loudly in response—he didn’t know where that one came from, was it one of the plates? They’d morphed into spiral shapes. He didn’t want to look at them. Remember his goal. What he’s here to do.

‘You can’t resist me’

Hung on the wall was an assortment of knives, arranged by size and type of blade. Picking a medium sized one, he held it tight in his shaking, sweaty hand, and brought up the other hand, spread out. He stared at the swirls of his fingertips intensely, placing the tip of the blade against the skin.

‘You’re only delaying what’s to come’

Screwing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, Henry dug the blade into his flesh. The pain was immediate, but he was able to push through quite easily—being in indescribable pain for days on end made him much more resistant to it. Before he knew it, there was a cold breeze on the fresh wound on his finger, and the bloody thin piece of skin he’d ripped off clung to the metal.

He continued to slash erratically at his hands, muttering “shut up”s and “away”s as he ripped at his flesh, blood trickling down the creases of his hands, staining his sleeves, swirling in spiral patterns onto the tiled floor. He cut layers of skin until the nagging voices in his head shut up. Then he slit at the wounds some more, just to be safe.

He could only hear the dripping of his own blood into the puddle on the floor.

Silence. Finally.

‘Your attempts are futile’

Henry jumped, the knife clattering onto the floor.

‘I’m inside of you. You can’t be rid of me. Become one with me’

His ears. Inside his ears. The cochlea, was it? The cavity for hearing in the human ear. He remembered it. A spiral. A spiral he needs to GET RID OF

A SPIRAL THAT NEEDS TO SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP HE WONT GIVE IN HE WONT HE WONT

Henry picked up the knife again, and held the bloody blade up near his ear, readying himself to strike.

hint coin had followed just moments behind henry, after becoming too impatient to sit and watch the space he was stood in like a lost puppy.

looks like it should've become impatient a little sooner.

blood pooled in those cruel, provoking spirals on the floor. because of course it did. what possibly else could bring henry to hold a knife to his head? speaking of which.

hint coin ran. it was uncoordinated and wobbly, and made a noise like throwing a spoon across the tiles. it dropped to the floor a few inches from henry and smacked the knife away from his head. its tiny hand became stained with its friend's blood.

hint coins eyes darted between the knife, henry's blood-soaked hands, and the terrifying look on his face.

it opened its mouth to speak, but the words just didn't seem to follow.

what happened here? no, the answer to that was clear by the evidence.

why would you do this? it knew damn well why.

"it is okay."

all it could think to do, all it could think to say, was put its arms as far around henry as they could reach and bury its face into his sleeve, and whisper,

Its arms around him emanated no warmth, for they were made of gold. But the weight comforted him, grounded him if only for a moment. Something hot and wet began to stream down his face; for a moment he thought the spiral was expanding again, but he realized they were tears when they hit the puddle of his blood beneath his knees. How much blood had he lost in the past days? At least this proved right his theory that the spiral was keeping him from death by haemorrhage or infection, though he can source no satisfaction from being right about this.

He let himself sob, openly. His ears rang with the taunting jeers of the spiral, echoing in his mind. Demanding. Insisting. He’s not sure how much more of it he can take. After all, he had been holding a knife to his head just now.

"oh dear," its voice was still so tiny, so quiet, it wondered if henry could even hear it past the terrible swirling noise in his brain, "oh dear, oh dear... this really has become unbearable for you, hasn't it?"

it didn't need an answer. people who are managing their condition don't typically hold a knife to their head. and if henry couldn't manage with the spiral... that just meant someone else would have to.

so what was the first course of action? find something to bandage up henry's hands? get rid of the knives? maybe just pass a tissue to dry his eyes?

every option seemed gargantuan to someone that can barely see over the countertops.

it tapped its small, slightly blood-stained fingers together in anxious thought. clink! clink! clink! the noises strung together into something close to music.

well, there's an idea.

maybe, for the time being, it could give henry something other than the spiral to listen to.

hint coin kept tapping, in different patterns and rhythms until something like a simple music box tune began to resonate. it was basic and repetitive, no more than 6 notes. but it was something.

He smiled, a little, wiping his tears as he hiccuped. The music itself didn’t distract him much, but the fact it’d been an attempt by his friend at all did.

It reminded him someone would miss him had he done this. Someone would have watched him gouge out his ear cavity. How could he have forgotten? He was just with them. He really was being driven completely insane…

“I’m sorry… I didn’t—think. I didn’t think. I just needed to shut them UP—” he raised his voice suddenly, as if talking over someone— “SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP” —then began to pound at his own head with his fists, growling almost, until he’d tired himself out.

it couldn't lie to him.

"i don't think..."

it didn't know what it thought.

"i can't..."

the amount of things it couldn't do would be too long to even start a list.

hint coin had not felt the effects of the spiral. it didn't see it everywhere, as others seemed to do. it didn't hear it beckoning and taunting. it didn't feel its thoughts twisting and swirling.

it saw red. it heard its breath becoming heavy and ragged. it felt angry.

it swiped furiously at the stains on the floor, streaking the spirals into something more typical of a blood stain. they quickly returned to that awful shape.

"why won't you go away!?" hint coin shouted.

it ran to the counter, barely reaching one of spiral plates.

"why won't you," it chucked the plate on the tiles, "leave him alone!?"

the ceramic shards formed a spiral on the floor. hint coin kicked them apart, missing the pieces completely a few times and slamming it's little foot on the floor.

"why are you trying to take henry away!? i don't want him to go away! i don't want it! i don't!"

it really was like a child throwing a tantrum. if only it was about a lost toy or the wrong flavor ice cream.

"i don't..." hint coin landed on its knees, "i don't know what i'm supposed to do... i don't know what i'm supposed to say... i don't know..."

it looked at henry. how selfish of it to lash out like this now. how selfish of it to want henry to stay, knowing the agony he's in. how selfish of it to act like it ever knew anything.

“Hint coin, can you promise me something?” He asked, his voice weaker. “When I’m… dead, please don’t cry. Please just let me go. Okay? I don’t want you being hurt by my absence.”

He cast his thoughts to 18 years ago, when he was only 17 and he learned his only friend was dead at the bottom of a pit. How he’d obsessed, for every year following that, over finding him again, how even when he died he was the centre of his life, the gaping empty void he’d left behind when he fell into the abyss.

how could it promise that? hint coin was, very literally, nothing before it met henry.

that day he approached it as an orb and told it of the misery it wasn't even aware it felt, it became real. a thinking, feeling being.

since knowing henry, it experienced all new things. joy. wonder. love.

how could it ever know those things again without him?

it wouldn't be proper to reject a dying man's wishes.

but henry wasn't dead yet.

and hint coin cried.

huge, shining tears rolled down its face, landing with a familiar *Ding!*

with each tear, it got just a little bit smaller.

"it would seem crying takes an awful lot of energy. i suspect my body couldn't quite sustain crying and staying together at the same time."

it left out the part where its will to be there is a key factor for staying in one piece.