Evident surprise appears ‘pon pale features of bruised porcelain   ────   Eyes widen with infantile glee, corners of tiers slant upwards into the vision of an ecstatic smile and roses bloom across plush cheeks. Gaze quickly trails paths from the brushes to Frank and then back to the brushes once more: although they’re visibly worn out, that’s not something that Susie is going to focus ‘pon, for she’s much too joyous at the mere idea of having received something, of having been on someone’s mind long enough to make them get a ( perfect ) present for her. Eventually unable to contain her joy, the youngest killer saunters onwards with quick and wobbly steps, immediately forgetting about the wounds that she has received during the last trial ; nothing is going to stop her from immediately trying out these new tools.

   ❝  I    ────   You really didn’t have to get me anything ! I wasn’t mad at you for what happened yesterday… I think I know why you said those things, so I wasn’t really holding any grudge against you.  ❞   Every word that dances ‘pon her honeyed tongue is laced with genuine honesty, accompanied by an expression that becomes more and more apologetic with each passing second   /   She knows that she can do better than this. Finally, her hands are outstretched and the precious gift is retrieved. Ah, she’s so HAPPY ! Something that she wasn’t certain of being able to experience, here, in the fog realm.   ❝  But, thank you so much for this ! I really needed new brushes. Oh, and since you’re here… Is there anything you’d like me to paint for you ? It would be fun, especially if you helped me.  ❞

Truth to be told, there were many things that Susie was unable to comprehend. Due to the fact that she had never been religious or educated about such matters, the mention of faith and gods and divine aspects could easily pique her attention, which is why she was always eager to spend some time with Adiris, between one trial and the other: their conversations were never dull or boring and, for reasons that remained unknown, the priestess always managed to soothe the storm raging within her soul. 

Gaze remained fixated ‘pon the dusky cerulean above them   ────   Although she would have never expected it, she missed the warmth of the sun, the feeling of sunshine above her skin and for the briefest of moments, she regretted spending so much time inside instead of enjoying what the world had to generously offer. How painfully ironic, that certain things can only be appreciated after you lose them ! A sigh escaped from barely parted tiers as the young woman stirred her legs, momentarily closing her eyes and wondering whether it was true, that there was someone ( perhaps, something ) out there who was ready to listen to her, to what she had to say, to her wishes and dreams.

   ❝  A test ? I wonder if that is true... But mostly, I wonder what we have to do in order to pass it and not fail. This is already a nightmare   ──   I don’t want to imagine what would happen, if the situation became even worse.  ❞

     Had their Persephone never eaten from the same pomegranate her demons had, perhaps she would’ve lived a better life. Had Julie not wanted to keep her best friend close, perhaps Susie would’ve lived a better life. Throughout it all, the regrets of every passing day stacked like books in a library, filled with endless chapters labeled “Friendship,” “Ego,” “Love,” and “Betrayal.” If she could give everything back to her best friend, if she could suffer in silence without her… She would.

“You deserve another chance.” Though her voice was gentle, her words hit hard, a sword striking the unarmored chest of a knight. She felt ashamed of herself. She wanted better, brighter, for her friend. Taking Susie’s palms into her grasp and trailing delicate fingers—though they had brandished blood and scars—Julie held her tongue for just a moment. And though she didn’t believe in there being Gods or Masters, she prayed and made a vow.

“I’ll find a way. I don’t care how many bodies pile up before me, I don’t care how fucking long it takes, I’ll find a way for you to go back. You can pretend you never knew us, you can follow your hopes and dreams. You’ll never have these hands bloodied ever again.”

HER HEART BROKE. Not metaphorically, not poetically, not following the laws of gods and men. Her heart literally shattered within her breastbone, breaking into a myriad of jagged smithereens that pierced through her flesh and made her bleed, made her weep, made her wish that she was strong enough to rebel against this and save her best friend’s life   ───   Save everyone’s lives. Tangled in a thousand different apologizes was her tongue, dry and paralyzed by feelings that remained unspoken, for they carried more than just fragments of dreams and hopes: they held everything Susie had never been capable of expressing. 

   ❝  No.  ❞   Albeit soft-spoken, her response was void of hesitance. Of course, the pink haired girl dreamed of a brighter future, dreamed of blue skies and chirping birds, but she would never be able to enjoy such things if her best friend wasn’t there with her   /   They had started this nightmare together, so it was just fair that they ended it together, too.   ❝  I don’t want you to promise me such things, if you’re not going to come with me ! How could I ever be happy knowing that you’re still here, stuck in this hell, with no choice but that of continuing to hunt and kill and suffer ? We cannot be kept here forever... There must be a way.  ❞

Silence overtaking. It swallowed him whole like the slow burning flames of his temper. Looking over her mangled flesh and haphazard form of bandaging. He stood stock still after only just kicking in her door and requesting to know who had injured her so. Sparks igniting within as she replied. Excusing what had happened as if to her own faults. It did no more than irritate him further. Now not only had one of his own been injured and endangered. But they believed it was their own wrong doing. 

『❛  I Didn’t fucking come up here for an apology Susie. Or to talk about your fuckin’ trial. ❜』 He snarled, walking over to her and pulling her harshly up to her feet. Refusing outright to see someone important to him so down in the gutter. It was always one thing for him to be the injured one, since the pure knack for getting in danger was just apart of his style. But for his any other of his Legion to be attacked? It threw him into a fury more volitile then a nuclear reaction. 

『❛   I asked who. did this. to you.  ❜』  

She never knew what to expect from him. It didn’t matter how many days or weeks or months had passed ever since they began this new life, there was always something about him that she truly couldn’t comprehend   ───   Perhaps, it was simply because she hadn’t tried hard enough to remove all the layers that cradled him inside, as if to protect him from a world that had no place for people like him. 

A startled yelp was barely choked against the back of her suddenly clenched throat as she was violently forced ‘pon her feet by brutal strength   /   Eyes widened, mouth agape and her heart thundered against the confines of her ribcage with such strength that if felt like it was really attempting to run away from this cage of flesh and bones. Was she SCARED ? No, not at all. She knew that Frank would have never hurt another member of the Legion, especially considering what kind of consequences he might have faced if the Entity were to find out that a pawn had been killed or wounded for futile motives: her reaction was simply birthed by the fact that she had not expected was to see such fury in his eyes, as if the one who had gotten beaten up was him or Jules.