ドグラ・マグラ

They held their tongue when John was mentioned, wanting to correct what Kyusaku had called him, give him the respect he had not earned. Their torturer did not deserve to have a name to his face, no matter how much Lovecraft cared for him. Better to forget he existed when Kyusaku was around.

Though the thought made Lovecraft's heart ache terribly.

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 ? People and animals just abandoned their less fortunate ? Every living being on this planet just let the weak to die ? Was that just human nature ? The nature of all things on this earth ?

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤSuddenly, the idea of DAZAI - SAN abandoning them made just a little more sense. But only a little bit. Maybe an animal they could kind of excuse, just because they were animals that had to survive in the outside. People though⠀—⠀they were STUPID. There were STORES. Stores full of food and clothes and toys. And cars too ! People didn't even have to walk !

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤMaybe people were just mean to be mean. But the DAZAI thought was getting too big. They shoved it away; just like the man it represented.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤPEOPLE are dumb ! They have all the stuff in the world ! They don't need to catch stuff to eat ! They don't even need to walk⠀—⠀much !ㅤ❜

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThey hardly seemed to notice the strange remark about marriage. They definitely didn't notice the awkward pause after they had mentioned the ' DUMB GRAPE MAN '. Instead, they kept talking.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWorking for the Guild sounds TERRIBLE. They don't even give you the food you like !ㅤ❜

ㅤㅤ ︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ˚₊‧ཐི 𓆩 🜲 𓆪 ཋྀ ‧₊˚ Ever hungry---like most vampires---Amber would do ANYTHING to be r i d of this feeling of ( maddening ) HUNGER. People eat vegetables and animals, animals eat grass and bugs ( and in her own words ) ; she's better than both --- giving the reasoning she could eat anything. Rocks, glitter, paint, EVERYTHING---ANYTHING is shoved into that endless V O I D she calls a body to calm that hunger.

A little pout of mouth full of dirt and rocks ; she leans ever so slightly to make herself seem SMALLER, not to SCARE away the thoughtful child. It's extremely rare for someone to walk up and give her a gift ; the happiness and excitement are clear as the night sky. ❝ REALLY--?! I can have some? ❞

Without hesitation, she reaches in for a handful and SHOVES it right into her mouth. He was right, they are so SOFT---like worms---but they stick to her mouth all funny, causing her to speak in a muffle.

❝ Do you EAT these? They're really chewy...how do they not get stuck in your throat--? They are kind of----getting stuck. ❞ Maybe she just needs to chew them more, like the rocks.

❝ These are awful, do not eat! ❞ Cough cough...she's choking a little. GOOD THING the undead don't need to breathe.

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑶𝒉 𝒏𝒐, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆. Was that the first time they had done so ? Definitely not. But this time, they were JUST a little worried about it. If she were to drop right to the ground, that would have not only been terrible⠀—⠀it would have drawn some UNWANTED attention.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤLUCKILY for the woman, they had stolen a can of apple juice from a nearby store. Sure, it might have looked like it was for kids with its silly HELLO KITTY design but a drink was a drink. And apple juice PROBABLY wouldn't have finished the job.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤMaybe THIS will help ? This ACTUALLY tastes yummy !ㅤ❜

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤAt least they were trying. And maybe the woman would be hesitant to accept random things from them now. But it was either she took it from their hands or she continued to choke and they got to keep their Hello Kitty drink for themselves. ⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤAlthough, it did lead to the question. How was this woman able to eat ROCKS but not packing peanuts ? Packing peanuts were DEFINITELY softer !

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅. Or even made noise for that matter. And yet, here they were; their eyes locked onto the bed they slept in every night. Starry hues narrowed as they leaned forward just a bit to listen to the soft laughter. Maybe they were now in one of the storybooks they were read EVERY NIGHT ? Or perhaps they were just dreaming. But somehow⠀—⠀they knew that neither was the case. The answer was something much more mundane.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThey stepped towards the bed before crouching down to PEEK underneath.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤNow WHO is underneath my bed ? A SNAIL maybe ?ㅤ❜

Mimicking the child's antics, Sehun too tilted his head to the side, but further. Indeed, he did so until he could feel the coldness of the table's wooden surface on his cheek. Amber eyes were focused on the cup's white bottom unnecessary long and light colored eyebrows slowly rose, before he shifted his gaze to Yumeno with a questioning expression.

"There I thought children have more of an imagination than us adults. What a pity.", perhaps he simply wished to mock the child, but there truly was a bit of wonder in his mind. Well, not like he didn't know that some kids had to grow up way too quick - he himself had been one of those as well after all.

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅; only silence as they once again studied the cup up and down. It was obvious that the man was trying to play a game with them. He might have said that they weren't fun, that they didn't have enough imagination. But ⠀—⠀TWO could play at that game, if he so badly desired.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤA grin all too eerie as they lean in; just so that the man could get a GOOD look of their face. Perhaps that little mug had good reason to be scared of them. Still, there was someone else in the room that the mug should have been afraid of.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤOh, I can SEE its fear and its pain. Look at the chocolate ⠀—⠀see how the top is shaking just a little ? It wants to run. It really, REALLY wants to run. But it can't do anything because it doesn't have legs. In fact, I think I can hear something . . .ㅤ❜

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤA pause. They moved closer; practically HOVERING over the man and his hot chocolate now. As they opened their mouth; what came out was a voice even HIGHER than their usual sing - song tone to represent that poor, tortured hot chocolate.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤ' If you drink me, I'm gonna curse you forever and ever and ever ! Every yummy thing you eat is going to make you feel LOTS AND LOTS of pain, you're gonna want to DIE ! 'ㅤ❜

@frozcnbounds

Cupid worried the question was a sensitive one, but they asked it nonetheless. Surely there was a teacher, a mentor, someone for this child to go to. They thought gain how no one would normally let a child end up in such a situation. There was always the possibility that the kid was just a little shit && they'd stolen something or caused trouble somehow, but those men had intent to kill, an extreme reaction to some kid misbehaving.

Something rested beneath Yokohama's skin, rushed through its veins like drugs, && Cupid had never been able to find out just what that was. They'd heard whispers among people, seen things they how they shouldn't have,but Cupid would never be affected. They weren't human like the people of Yokohama, not so easily swayed by the city's curse. Perhaps the city had gotten to the men && they'd chased down a harmless child. Either way, they were dead now, their intentions didn't really matter.

❝ I can probably get you to some kinda...place, if ya' don't have someone, ❞ Cupid knew someone in the city && as much as they disliked the idea of contacting that person, they'd do it if it meant a child would be safe. Though, Cupid had never known this person to be particularly good with children, they would probably help.

❝ You'd like to stay here in Yokohama, right? I don't think... ❞

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 that they were being asked. Did they have someone to go to ? Did they have anywhere to go ? Did they want to stay in Yokohama ? The answer to those questions were both too simple and too complex to explain at the same time. They didn't really have anywhere to go or anywhere to stay. Yokohama didn't matter to them, really. To them, the city was just where the mafia was; a place where they probably couldn't survive unless the ENTIRE MAFIA died in one night.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤIt was funny. They definitely COULD make that happen if they tried hard enough . . .

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThe frown deepens just slightly. How could they ever explain that to this person ? Was that even a GOOD IDEA ? They still knew next to nothing about the other.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛⠀Well, would it be a NICE place ? A fun one, even ?ㅤ❜

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThe child only stares as they let the question trail off. What was the correct answer to that question ? What did they even want the person to say ? THEY didn't even know themselves.

With a heavy exhale that's more to brace himself than out of exertion, Mordred stands back up.

"Just hang on, no squirming." That's directed at the both of them. Puppy in hand and child clinging to his back, there's nothing else he can use as an excuse to put this off any longer, so he trudges forward into the waiting water. He grimaces as he feels the water pool around his ankles, knowing his boots won't keep it at bay forever. He continues on nonetheless. But just as he's starting to think this isn't too terrible, he reaches the deeper section. So much for his boots protecting him, the water readily finds their tops, soaking fabric and skin alike, and Mordred can't stop a yelp at the icy touch.

Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold! How much farther? A glance at the shoreline reveals they don't have far to go, a sight that gives Mordred hope enough that he picks up his pace. It's a mistake that nearly costs them, as he sets his boot down atop a loose rock--rock and ankle alike roll then, the latter painfully. He teeters back precariously, unable to use his arms to steady himself while holding the puppy. Luck (and no small amount of Mordred's innate balance) eventually see him righted, although he's sorry if Yumeno got a little splashed in the process.

While he's forced to limp the rest of the way, at least they reach the beach without child or animal being dropped into the ocean. Mordred sets the latter down on the sand, then gingerly crouches to let Yumeno down too, wincing with the movement. "There. Alright?"

˗ˏˋ *⠀★⠀‿︵⠀˗ˏˋ⠀𝑨𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑, they were held safely above the current. The puppy seemed to be completely dry as well. MAYBE, just maybe they could all get through to dry land without a single drop of water on their body.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤBut they were QUICKLY proven wrong. With every step the man took, the water's edge climbed higher and higher and higher. ⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤEven if the water was ( probably ) not deep enough to hold any horrible sea monsters, it WAS deep enough to reach the man's waist. Despite being held as high as they possibly could, the cold still claimed their legs and forced a slight grimace out of them. They've been through FAR worse but⠀—⠀it DEFINITELY did not feel pleasant.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤAnd then, DISASTER nearly struck.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤWho knows what the man stepped on. Maybe it was a rock. Maybe it was a fish. Maybe he was grabbed by a SKELETON deep beneath the waves. Whatever had happened, a few large drops of water had hit their clothes. Not enough to completely soak them but definitely enough to get into their jacket and make parts of it damp.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤIt was only after that LONG JOURNEY did they finally hit the dry land. As the child was set down, they immediately ran to the puppy; looking all over its fur to see if it had gotten wet like they did. Unlike the both of them, the dog was COMPLETELY dry. They got up; giving the man a thumbs up of APPROVAL.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤThey're NOT WET ! You did great ! Thanks, Mordred - san !ㅤ❜

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤA small pause as they looked towards the man's now SOAKING wet legs. He definitely seemed to be standing FUNNY.

⊱ ★ ⊰ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤYour legs look WEIRD.ㅤ❜