Cruelty's Child

❥ ᾋ dazed glaze came over the woman’s eyes as she stared off into space, seemingly lost in some sort of thought at the time. It took awhile before her head turned slowly to look at Dito, head cocked slightly. It was more as if she were looking through him as opposed to at him. Irises were colored a fresh bloody hue.

" I’m fine … Ther͢ę’͞s ̢not̢hing̀ to wórr͢y҉ ̵abou̕t. "

There was still an eerie mix of whatever it was speaking through her voice box, but it sounded more like Manah now. The question was: was there really nothing to worry about?

" So. You were off to k͠ i ̴l̷ l̸ someone named T́h͠r͘e̕e. Is that correct ?

(♟)   "Yeah, 'cause saying there's nothing to worry about in that tone really makes me feel better... seriously, if this is some kind of joke, knock it off."

Dito was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable in the presence of the woman, her atmosphere changing from that of a fair maiden to a draconic-sounding pawn, possessed by some otherworldly force.

(♟)   "... yes, I was-- but how do you know about the flower, or whatever the hell it is?"

She knew of that plight which Zero bared, yet not of the Intoners themselves? The Disciple's thought process struggled in an attempt to understand the situation, now concerned with the inner demon his free speech had provoked.

"She really made you call her that shit? Hearing Lady Zero makes me wanna puke. We both know I’m not a goddamn lady. “ Dito was strange company. They both knew the reality of the world before them and didn’t bother sugar-coating it in platitudes even if the truth was less than favorable. Zero wouldn’t recognize any level of camaraderie in another save for Michael, but she did know at the least that he was good for amusement.

(♟)   "Yeah, tell me about it..."

His reply was sarcastic, as was just about everything that came out of his mouth. Zero was certainly not a perfect Intoner, but she sure as hell was better to serve than Five. Stubborn, yes, but at least she wasn't some kink-driven, sex-crazed dominatrix. Besides, she had some wit of her own, which made conversing with the female somewhat pleasant time to time; most of his remarks to Five just went in one ear and out the other.