❝You know it when you've found your telomere.❞
[♪]
DIALOGUE
#853c41
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Her threat, it almost sounded convincing. Grell leant against the wall, his hardened gaze nothing like the man he'd met that first night. Couldn't blame him, they'd been through a lot.
But Levi. Hadn't it been for the glass, he looked like he'd strangle Vakira with his bare hands.
Their images wasn't as clear, but sky-vision was better than nothing. Maybe the connection wasn't that bad.
"Well, Zero, make up your mind?" Her voice like smoke, rose up behind him. How was she here and out there at the same time? Able to divide her consciousness like that?
"Tch- like they'd buy your crap." Zero turned to her, she was back on the throne with the same slick grin. "You can't catch a phantom."
"I love it when there's a challenge, but trust me. I will." She swirled the blood around in the glass, "The question is, what will you do about it?" Her eyes glinted in excitement and anticipation. Like it's a game and she wanted him to play with her or against her.
A game, huh?
Then there's that choice: live with the anxiety that he'll end up dead soon, or exist through her and forget Loretta. Either way, a place without Loretta in the end.
A place without Loretta...?
He reached for the glass, taking it from her. The slight drop of her smile was enough satisfaction. What did she expect?
"I don't trust you with my life." He tipped the glass and downed the rest of the blood, then hurled it at their feet. Glass shattered to pieces. Back at the edge of the cliff, he watched the horizon bleed.
Loretta is my life itself.
*
Course it's around here. Ren had gathered as much. Except father had designed it so that she was the only one who could not only locate the vault but open it. Why? Maybe 'cause it's something meant for her to discover. No way of finding out till they got down to it.
"You know what this means, Loretta?" Ren glanced up at the wavy golden runes scrawled across the walls. "It means you're family. So you're stuck with us."