#|| threads

“H—Hey, put me down!” The brunette raises her voice, her hands reaching round, attempting to claw her fingernails into his skin. She cries out dramatically, playing the role of a helpless victim, captured by a particularly brutish man with no sense of respect for himself. After a while of squirming helplessly, she relaxes her limbs, her expression melting into a displeased scowl.

“The least you could do is play along, you know.” Soon after those words leave her lips, her expression changes quickly, a smile playing on her face—replacing the misery that once dominated her features. “The name of the person you’re looking for is Sparkle~ you felt gloriously tight the last time I gave you a little probing~”

After those words are uttered, she laughs.

His reaction remained as stoic as ever—verbally, at least. It offered greater insight into the newly appointed Nameless aboard this magical train. It was rather entertaining to observe the way a light tint of pink dusts over his face, his wings tensing in ways she could only assume would be as a result of her provocative nature, and she was feeling rather determined to get more out of him.

“Is it so wrong to assume I want to visit my favourite Nameless, hm?” Sitting up, she momentarily allows for her dress to dip down, giving him a clearer view of her cleavage. However, that sight only lasts for a moment as she stands, taking light steps toward him. “Don’t you feel the same way about me? Aren’t I your favourite Masked Fool, Sunday~?”

Once her delectable dessert had been eaten, the plate would be gently placed on the table, with her eagerly adding another on top of the newly-blanked canvas of that same plate, though she does not battle to get it scarfed down quite as eagerly as the first. Instead, she allows it to remain in front of her, momentarily looking at Herta rather blankly. “You’ve grown rather close to Screwllum, haven’t you?”

A sigh escapes the lips of the apathetic genius, her body leaning forward as her fingertips graze the fanciful china before her, her index finger curving to take ahold of the handle, her left hand elegantly—and slowly—shifting the saucer alongside it, before leaning back in the chair. She purses her lips, bringing the cup to her mouth, embracing the scent as the liquid finally touches upon her tongue, splashing over her refined palette. Tea with Herta was always a relaxing experience, even if she refuted to put it into words aloud. Apart from the minor chatter among them, the Space Station was eerily quiet. “I.. have failed in my research yet again as of late. Finding pride in loss is a rather difficult pill to swallow,” her voice was devoid of feeling. Good. “So, I figured gathering some insight into your own work would motivate me.”

Had she already figured out her trick? If so, it would be impressive. Studying the nature of such a stoic woman took a lot of work—impersonating her even more so—it was rather fortunate that Sparkle prided herself on being quite the performer, huh?

“Mm. As a researcher.. and as a genius, do you think they have a chance?” Perhaps such a question would force some sort of emotional response from Herta? It wasn’t likely, but Sparkle was always known for pushing her luck—but she knew that the more she pressed, the more she would fall into the trap of making Ruan Mei sound more like a kicked puppy than a Genius Society member. Was there anyone like that she could manipulate? She supposed there would be an opportunity to toy with her relationship with Screwllum, as well as that with her puppets. Oh, this would be fun.

"You're taller than I expected you to be."

Standing before the white haired warrior stood a much shorter woman, built from mischief and unrelenting games. Her expression remains primarily unreadable beyond the flickers of interest in her eyes. A hum echoes through her throat, taking a step closer to the beauty stood before her. "I didn't have an opportunity to greet you properly last time. I'm Sparkle! I heard you're called Kiana, right?"

The events that transpired were rather destructively entertaining. Hopping from one chaotic force to the next, she never failed to leave a footprint wherever she was. She knew better than to assume that people would automatically come looking her way, but placing her mark on unchartered lands? Oh, how exciting.

“It wouldn’t be right for inspiration to strike when you’re in the middle of sorting through your inner turmoil, would it?” Her gentle voice is carried by the gentle breeze, with her ears keenly listening to the sound of the water’s song and dance as their bodies remain utterly still between the world’s movement. It was truly a beautiful day, even as grey clouds cover the sky that was once blue.

“In manga, it’s usually scenes like these the protagonist has an awesome moment where they finally realise where they are is the right place for them,” she says, clear excitement shining through. “Because the only place you can move is forward.”

His cluelessness was enough to remind her of the Trailblazer back at home. The very person to provide her with a love for life again, to appreciate the good and the bad in a blend of masochistic euphoric palette. The woman closes her eyes, taking in a breath, before letting it slip from her mouth in the form of a sigh.

“Didn’t anybody teach you it’s rude to stare, young man?” Each word becomes accentuated with her coloured lips curling into a smirk, her body language remaining rather relaxed, even as he virtually pronounces his intention to remain firm. “I’m simply a woman trying to make her way through these parts. I suggest you step aside and let me move onward.”

There was something entertainingly brazen about his chosen method of repayment, with a single glance at his face telling her everything she needed to know. In many ways, she knew that his bold, reckless behaviour would cost her in some way—but she hadn’t quite imagined he would take it a step further, into a clearer sexual territory. They were lucky everybody had been evacuated from this part of the station, otherwise they’d be eyeballed by staff, eager to get their claws mixed in with spreading baseless gossip.

As a researcher, that was the furthest thing from what she needed.

An eyebrow raises at his closeness, a slight smile forming on her face. Was it so wrong to be curious about what he had to offer? As a woman, as a human being, she couldn’t help but be tempted by the idea of him offering her something intangible, something only he could offer.