SLASHERS

He sits on the ground, shaking his head. She’s awful pretty, reminds him of Lizzy, or Mama… a large hand reaches into the creek, just to feel the water. It’s nice and cool in the Texas heat, a welcome relief for him. A slow, deep breath leaves him, doing his best to be nice and not stare at her too much. He lifts his head and hands up to where she can see them. He’s seen her around a couple times, and to his knowledge, she lived nearby.

« your name ? » he signs with a head tilt, since an eyebrow raise wouldn’t be visible. He knew he was intimidating, so he was trying his damnedest to show he meant her no harm.

She does her best not to stare at the strangeness of the much larger man beside her. Harper is banking on the fact that she’s significantly with child that she’s safe from any harm. It’s a small town, there’s-no-true-evil-in-the-world mindset, but it’s her mindset all the same. She feels no worry in this stranger’s presence.It’s the sight of his hand signs that catches her attention and she immediately feels a touch awful. She doesn’t understand sign language…

« I m Bu B B a »

his spacing is extremely uneven, but he's writing upside down, so give him a break. He also wasn't good at writing when he was rightside up either, but he's doing his best.

« don talk reel good sawree »

He nods, slipping his mask up just a bit to scratch and pick at his scars. “So… You’ll both leave me … i-in a few months?” He didnt want to be abandoned again, and he didn’t want to be alone again either. He can feel his lip quiver and he sniffles.

Bunny leans into him, relaxing considerably more finally. “How do people… start families? I- You don’t want to marry me, s-surely, so mummy and daddy will have to come back and find someone else, i-if that’s the case…” She mumbles, picking up the pace on her hair, full of anxiety despite relaxing against Jenni.

Bunny’s even more confused. She’s smart, yes, but also incredibly sheltered, figuratively  and literally. If something isn’t spelt out for her, so to speak, she won’t quite grasp it. 

“What does that mean…?” She slowly starts running her fingers through her hair. She’s silently trying to figure it out on her own, but it’s not exactly working.

He thinks for a moment “Well… when did you two come to england…? You’re not from here, that much is apparent to me… And where were you staying before?” He fidgets with his cardigan quietly.

She sits, curling her legs up close to her body, a habit she’d fallen into to conserve her body heat. She turns her head away from Jenni so she can pull her mask away and rub her eyes before putting it back and facing him again. 

“I hadn’t meant… to scare you, or worry you… My parents only… wanted men so I could be cared for… but… not as a child is. that’s what mummy said to me before she left. I don’t quite understand what she meant, but… you’re already doing a good job of caring for me, so… thank you.”

Brahms hesitates. For all he knows this might be a trap. … But… if its not, it might be nice? he steps forward a little, bare feet tensing at the cold floor. he hadn’t noticed it when he was sneaking around, since he never really stepped down properly anymore. Slowly he sits in Miyo’s lap, nervous he might weigh too much.

“A…Alright.”

She tenses up, before relaxing a little more. “So… y-you’re not angry with me…?” She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.  Bunny feels her nickname is more fitting now than ever, a scared little rabbit, nervous and cornered in a sense.

Brahms wrings his hands together nervously, having sat his plate down as he peeks out of the passageway. “ M-Maybe … i mean… i’m only good if i’m hidden, mummy says i can’t be seen, can’t ruin daddy’s name… Better off if the world believes me dead.” He mumbles, swallowing thickly.  

“Your family isn’t like mine… I want to learn about it…”

She eases up only a pinch, eyes still wide and frightened. 

“I-I’ll go back to bed a-after I’m done, I promise… Don’t hate me, p-please…” She whimpers again, feeling her lip quiver.

“I-I thought I was being qui- no, i KNOW i was being quiet..”

“… I wouldn’t make changes to my strict schedule if I had planned to hurt her… I meant what I said when I said she was a good friend… First one in …” He pauses to count. “t-twenty years?” He’s still softly holding the plate of food, hesitating for a mere moment to return to his safety… and then he does, receding back into the walls.

❝ Y’ were drivin’ us ‘part; But y’ only laughed at me - It's over, th’ tables turned- An’ all a’ the bridges burned- ❞ 

He sings along to the record, voice off tune, comforted by the singer’s voice as he takes a needle to the soft, tender flesh peeled from tonight’s dinner. Thick, normally clumsy hands are dead still as focus is centered on making the stitches just right. He has the head where the skin was taken beside him, already having the brain taken out and stored by the Cook. 

He hears thuds outside, telling him to stop singing that ‘stupid shit’, while his mama slept. He’s too loud, too gruff, too soft, too quiet- he’s just too much to his family, all except mama and Nubs, maybe Bobby too, but he ain’t been around for a long damn time. Bubba, Jed, whatever you called him, he was just both too much and not enough for his family. He was his mama’s baby though, that was always true.  He lets his voice fade off, still listening to the music until the record had finally stopped. He can’t work without noise- but it HAD to be noise he could control. 

Of course, she’s nervous. This is all so new and she’s no one there to help her navigate through these changes. She’s read the same damned two lines over and over again until she finally casts the book for expecting mothers to the side.

Instead, Harper focuses on the babbling creek as she dips barefeet into the water. She misses home and suburban living, but these little simple, country bumpkin luxuries can’t be beat. Maybe being here will be a good place to raise her kid. There’s certainly less to worry about out in the sticks than in the city. The chill of the water is a relaxant, it takes her mind off of the unease that constantly rattles through her.

Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps, attention is pulled from the water towards the sound. Spying the towering figure, a friendly smile is offered up.

“I’m not taking up your fishing hole, am I?”

He sits on the ground, shaking his head. She’s awful pretty, reminds him of Lizzy, or Mama... a large hand reaches into the creek, just to feel the water. It’s nice and cool in the Texas heat, a welcome relief for him. A slow, deep breath leaves him, doing his best to be nice and not stare at her too much. He lifts his head and hands up to where she can see them. He’s seen her around a couple times, and to his knowledge, she lived nearby.

Brahms can feel sweat start to bead up on his skin. Miyoko hadn’t… even LOOKED at him, and yet knew he was there despite his doll being with Athena at the moment. His tone is the same as it was from within the walls. 

“Hello…”