idharlotry | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ You wake up in an alleyway.

There's an ambient buzz and crackle in the background - as though there are live wires somewhere close. It smells horrible here - the ground is burnt, and there are smatterings of ash all around, and with the smell of charred meat and the splatters of burned blood make it seem like you might have ended up in Vengeance Hell, but. The city is dark, but the buildings are kaleidoscope -

This isn't Vengeance Hell, but Liar Hell.

So what happened here?

A woman stands at the center of the mess, wearing a dress of black and gold. ]

. . . Now, what's this. Another one?

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It seems so, My Lady.

[This is a really weird day, but it isn't surprising to him that Maki would have come here after having noticed Intensity from FiN here.]

I think it was poison for this one.

[He speaks in a hushed tone, not sure when the corpse will awaken, though he can't be sure Maki would even recognize his voice, anyway.]

[The moment consciousness returns to Maki's body her eyes snap open and she attempts to roll to her feet and look around, but when her eyes land on the two figures she tenses warily.]

Edited 2019-08-22 17:45 (UTC)

[ with a tilt of her head in response to the catman, before she looks to maki ]

So eager to come back to Hell, dear?

[Maki straightens slowly, and her eyes dart briefly to Nya before returning]

...I'm missing some people. I came to get them back.

Sure. Take what you like.

[ gesturing to the ashes ]

...

[Her body tenses further as she stares at the remains.]

What is that supposed to mean? I won't believe that's all that's left of them.

All that's left here, anyway.

Pet, have you delivered them all back home?

[He nods at that, remaining silent, but keeping a bit of a closer eye on Maki than he had the others.]

[sharply]

They weren't there when I... left.

Tell me what happened to them.

Ask them yourself, little girl. You have a mouth with which to speak.

I'm not a little girl, they're not here, and the last time I talked to one of them, he couldn't tell me fucking anything.

Don't act like I'm being childish for asking for information from a source less likely to be deceived or memory-wiped, even if the chance of you telling me anything useful is almost nothing.

[ with a derisive laugh and a wave of her hand ]

I like boldness exclusively in my drinks. If you want to talk like ladies, you should have bought me a drink first.

Then maybe you should have brought me to your bar and not an alley filled with the blood and gore of my friends.

[ flicks her wrist - with that, maki's lips seal completely shut, as though held together by a zipper ]

[Maki jerks and touches her lips, eyes narrowing.

Then she crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. Who's being childish now.]

What do you think, Pet? For a girl with no respect or basic decency who does nothing but demand and demand, what should be her fate?

[Oh, he's being spoken to? Asking what Maki's fate should be.

Unfortunately for her, Nya holds no love in his heart for her. He is thoughtful, though, tilting his head a little as he taps at the mask with silver claws.]

She should lose her heart, my Lady.

[Maki tenses further and takes half a step back, sliding a hand into a pocket of her skirt.]

[ with a hum of approval ]

Good choice.

Step back, my pet. I'll take it from here.

[Maki pulls a knife from her skirt and launches herself off her back foot, attempting to grab Nya and maneuver him between Lilith and Maki as she brings the blade up.]

[How inconvenient! Nya grunts as he's taken hold of, but he doesn't fight, just... allowing himself to be pulled. He can't beat Maki in hand to hand combat anyway, and he'd only make himself look weak to try.]

Please do not further inconvenience my Lady. You cannot kill me.

How long do you want to wallow here in Hell? Long enough for your lover to kill himself looking for you, too?

[He can't help it, he's a little annoyed at being used like this.]

[Maki can't actually answer that with her lips sealed shut.

She twists Nya's arm and pulls him close in front of her chest, lifting her knife to his neck and fixing Lilith with a look over his shoulder.]

... ... ... It was the work of an angel.

[ with an almost, amused tone. but she's drawing her hand forward, curling one finger in as though implying that she'll only get more information out of her if she lets go of catman ]

[Maki blinks in surprise at that, like she didn't actully expect even that much information. There's another few beats of silence after that while she debates giving up what appears to be her only effective piece of leverage, but it's not as if she can break the standoff any other way, and she can't negotiate very well with her lips sealed either.

So, after a moment, she moves the knife away, releases her grip on him, and steps back.]

[Nya doesn't even know how to respond. Why would Lilith want her to unhand him? Why should she care...? He could just heal knife wounds.

But he is unhanded, and he hangs his head, feeling like a liability, but he returns to Lilith's side, maybe a little behind her. This is not his conversation to be in, and he doesn't want to be more of an inconvenience.]