Setting
Default Location for Fragmented Sky
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Demesne is a part of 
Fragmented Sky.
5 Characters Here
Echo King [489] "My existence was a mistake."
Mara LaFleur [488] "Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the dream will end and we'll wake up to something even stranger."
Sana Blackwood [35]
Akali Rothenstein [28] "I just think differently from others, is that so wrong?"
Irelia Snowbridge [26] "What is lost can not be broken"
Start Character Here »
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
After the meeting with Sana, Flo found herself wondering where Echo was. Why didn't anyone tell her anything? But she wasn't in the lunch room like she was supposed to be. "Stop worrying, she's probably fine." Ayna told her, green hair sparkling with dazzling sheen in the midday sun. Flo narrowed her eyes as she coughed, her lungs heaving. "How can I know that? A-and where were you anyways?" Ayna gave her an odd stare and shrugged. "Nothing. I was just relaxing." Flo shot a suspicious leer Ayna's way, noticing the odd way she was walking, more like waddling. Was there a new injury? Were the doctors doing bad things? "Relax, it's nothing like that." Ayna grumbled, no doubt perceiving the signs of an anxiety attack on the pinkette's face.
Angel was also nowhere to be seen, though there were plenty of doctors and nurses over in her side of the patient room hallway so who knows what might be going on there. "I just did something to make sure nothing would happen again." Ayna had a dark expression on her face as she toyed with the uneaten food on her plate, the poor meat and beans left to go to waste. "Happen again? Like what?" Flo did not know of her past, because Ayna wasn't the type to share it. She did not know Ayna had ensured she would be infertile and that no more eggs would be born from her. She could have bled out had the doctors not found and operated on her, but it was kept secret so the other patients wouldn't panic. It was also confidential - they weren't supposed to tell anyone anything.
"Echo better be okay." Flo was very protective of her sister and her eyes almost shone had they not gone dull over the years of being a prisoner and plaything for Baron Messiah's whims. "How about you think about something else for now?" Ayna suggested with a shrug. "Dwelling when you can't do anything isn't going to help her at all." She eyed a boy who was staring at the two of them. "Maybe play with Ash. He keeps looking over at us for some reason." Flo flinched, not having noticed that. Was she that single minded that she didn't realize the boy sneaking glances in their direction? "I'm just watching." Ash said, rubbing one of his horns. "Don't worry about it."
After dinner ended, they had a surprise visitor arrive. The patients were taken to a room full of toy instruments. Sitting at the front was a group of Tower Agents. "We're going to have music therapy today." Elliot said, introducing everyone to Melody's band - consisting of Melody on the vocals, a former vampire hunter named Dominic on drums, Princess Charlotte on the piano, Flame on the guitar (he's still new though) and last but most important, Shiro the nursemaid was playing the triangle. "We'll teach you all how to play with whatever instrument you choose, teach you the rhythms and then we'll make music together." Melody said with a smile, for some reason not asking where Echo was.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"Hey, I think you broke her!" A demon snapped, standing over Echo ominously. The small demon stared up at the ceiling, drool dripping from her mouth. "Oh yeah, definitely broken." A finger flicked her forehead, her eyes no longer holding that vibrant spark of life. Echo slumped over, the chains holding her wrists above her head. "The boss isn't going to be happy about this," a finger trailed up her spine, pushing on the vertebra, which were painfully visible, her waist so small that her ribs jut out from her sides sharply. "What won't I like?" The purple haired vampire cocked a hip, crossing her arms. The two demons stood at rapt attention, blocking her view of Echo, who was drooling. "Nothing boss!" Iflet pushed them both out of the way, frowning. "My, my, it seems like she's snapped. You've played with your toy too hard and it broke." She grasped Echo's cheeks between her fingers, "useless."
They couldn't get any information out of her like this. "What should we do?" The demons asked, shuffling. "Well, first I will speak to Kitra about your impudence." Iflet turned Echo's head one way, then the other. "It's a shame, we've never caught such high ranking officers alive before. You've ruined the entire plan," there was no response from the tiny demon and Iflet frowned, a flicker of sympathy on her face. She knew what it was like to be broken, she knew what it was like to manipulate everyone on the inside in order to win. She had to keep her brother in power, of course. If Gavyn was kicked off the throne, then everything Iflet will have done would be futile. She had to make sure this never happened, even if it meant crushing tiny souls like Echo.
The two demons scuttled off, leaving Echo with Iflet. "My, my, what would Flo think of you? Not so powerful now, are you?" She stroked Echo's matted blonde hair. "How long can you go on living like this?" Iflet whispered, carressing Echo's cheek. "I can set you free, you know?" Iflet smiled, her fangs glistening in the dim light that came from a single, flickering bulb. "I can end all of your suffering. All you have to do is give me the information I want. Tell me and I'll make sure no one ever lifts a finger to hurt you again," but Echo did not answer. Her head lulled to the side, her eyes blank, dull. "You really are useless," Iflet rose with a sigh. "Don't worry, we'll find some use to you. Maybe Lipidus will take a crack at the mighty Baroness Nova?"
But nothing roused Echo from this state. Hawk was brought to visit, Iflet having a small flicker of hope that it would reignite something within Echo and get her to spill the beans at last. "What have they done to you!" Hawk cried, hugging Echo against her. The demon's eyes flickered, but she did not answer. Her body was covered in dirt and blood, her entire being painfully thin. What remained of her raid uniform was torn and stained with bodily fluids of all kind, but Hawk didn't mind the smell. She wasn't spilling any details either, even after having been tortured and turned into a vampire. She hugged Echo's head against her, sobbing for her tiny friend, who she had practically raised from an egg.
"I'm going to free you now, okay?" Hawk whispered, removing her knife from her pocket, but Iflet saw it and stopped her. "I can't let you do that," she whispered, her eyes glowing as she held the knife by the blade, stopping Hawk mid slash. "We need you both alive, after all."
"She's better off dead then like this!"
"That may be so, but we can still use her."
"As what? Just let me free her!"
"Uh, uh. She's still breathing, she can still be used as leverage against those two."
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Everyone got to enjoy playing in their band. Melody was a fantastic musician and always knew how to explain things in a way that it helped everyone understand their toy instruments. Ash had chosen a pair of cymbals he used to smash to the timing of Shiro's gentle tingling of her triangle. Allison had a toy piano that provided background sound for Princess Charlotte's elegant tune. Ayna found herself teaming up with Flames on the guitar. Gem awkwardly played with a weird instrument that he put in his mouth. Didn't Melody call it a mouth harp or something? Bex had a little drum set that he tried to keep up with Dominic on, and Flo was given a violin. She knew how to play it, her mother had signed her up for lessons in the past before her Emphysema had gotten worse.
Music therapy was a nice break from the emotional discussions in group. It allowed people to connect not by words or by emotions, but simply with music. It was a soothing way to blank out your mind and just follow Melody's lead by playing to her song. It was all improvised of course, and all anyone had to do was add their own flavor to the song. "Thank you again for joining us today!" Melody's voice was chipper and positive. "We'll be back next week for another session." It was an experimental thing, but Elliot approved of it after hearing how excited Melody was when she came up with it. After today, he was going to add it to the schedule as a once a week event. It would be best done at the end of every week as a sort of decompression session for anyone who wanted to join in.
...
At the front door of the Tower Society on the next day, Pray found something she wished she didn't. "It can't be." She whispered as she found the bundle. She lifted it up, hailing an emergency meeting with Director Wei to discuss what she had found. "These are the severed eyes and tongues of Shadow and Calciferous." Pray explained when, early in the morning, even Director Wei looked tired. He coughed out the coffee he had brewed for himself, alarm on his features. "Why would they do this? What are they after?" They had simply assumed the two were killed in captivity. "They're alive." Pray's voice was hushed. "Director, we have to save them. They're being tortured." She opened up the package to reveal a note.
"Dear Director Wei.
We will continue to send their body parts should you not comply with our demands. Give us Baroness Impati, whom you hold in your cells. She must be tried for her crimes during her reign as Director.
With all due respect,
Queen Kitra Vacivus." It was apparent that they wanted to get their hands on former Director LaFleur. "We can't hand her over. She was powerful enough as an enemy, we don't have to fight her again." Who knows what could happen if Baroness Impati was let loose a second time. "What we need to do is rescue them, not give in to the demands." Director Wei grit his teeth. "But we don't have the spare manpower right now. What can we do?" Pray's expression darkened. Most of the strongest pairs were busy on missions keeping the war from spreading back into London. "What if we hired the vampires?" Pray suggested. "We can use the newly revived Viola Rosenkranz as a reward." Pray was tired of healing the vampire after each experiment Ellen did to fully understand a vampire's anatomy.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"Welcome back," the door hissed as it opened. Echo stirred, blinking and wincing up at the light. She trembled as a hand reached in to help her sit up. "H-ho-how lo-lo-lon-long?" Echo stuttered, wanting to know how much time had passed. "It's been three days," it was early in the morning. Wei was supposed to be here, but was in an emergency meeting. Shiro had a towel ready, the two of them lifting Echo out and drying her off. She flinched at their touch, even if the physical ailments had been healed, the mental ones were ever present. "Let's test your reflexes," Elliot ran a basic panel, taking blood and urine samples, then doing a series of scans to look at the progress. "From today on, no more wheelchair." Elliot declared, "you'll be using a walker."
Echo nodded, nervous. She swallowed hard as Shiro bandaged her up and helped her get dressed. "Ready? I'm taking a video for everyone to see your first steps." Echo gripped the walker and stumbled forward, her knees shaking. She looked like a newly born doe, walking for the first time, but she made it to the other side of the room without collapsing, her grip strong. Echo herself was surprised, her expression one of shock as her concentration slipped and her ankle twisted, the demon falling forward. Shiro caught her, having been by her side the entire time. Elliot ran forward, the results better than what he and Wei had predicted. "Wh-wha-what di-di-did yo-you d-do-o t-t-to m-me?" Echo wanted to know.
"Gene therapy, essentially." Elliot explained, "We took stem cells from your spine and cleaned them, then put reimplanted them into your body, combined with a hormone and steroid elixer to amplify the effect. Essentially, we've regrown your muscles." That was strange, Echo didn't feel any stronger. In fact, she felt the opposite of strong. "I imagine the others will be very excited to see you." Back upstairs, there were two faces that were eager to see her's. Melody and Doll pounced on her when they saw her walk into her room using the help of the walker and Shiro. "Echo!" They squealed, tackling her in their excitement. Echo squeaked and backed up, falling onto her butt.
"You're walking!" Doll collected her in her arms, carrying her to the bed. "No one would tell us what was going on or where you went, we came here to demand that they tell us." Echo tugged on a piece of her silver hair, no one would tell her anything either. "The-they t-too-took-k m-me-" Elliot shushed Echo quickly. "Sorry girls, top secret." He winked.
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
The door opened, revealing a double airlock. Ellen Winter calmly stepped out, blinking in slight surprise at the company. She had just finished cleaning herself after another operation. Because of the double airlock system and the sterilization system to ensure no infections occur, it allowed her to perform more invasive procedures on the vampire subject Viola. Sitting on the stools outside were Director Wei and Pray, former partner to Pandora Vale. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" The scientist asked quizzically, looking at both of her surprise guests. Judging from the expressions on their faces it was pretty clear this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. "The Demon Queen issued a threat." Director Wei explained, eager to get into it. "Let's talk where we won't be overheard." The room was secure, and it wasn't as if Viola could hear at the moment, but Ellen would acquiesce nonetheless.
That was how she found herself in Wei's office. Poor Shiro was informed that she would be late to the tea party with the demon babies at the nursery and to start without her. However, knowing her adorable puppy nursemaid's temperament, she was likely to wait for Ellen no matter what, wasn't she? Xiahou Wei pulled up his spectacle eyeglasses and brought Ellen up to speed on the situation. "So you're here to ask me to relinquish Viola over into your custody so that the vampires will help us rescue our friends?" She didn't like that idea. "Viola's helping us advance medicine by hundreds of years, you know. The work I'm doing is worth a lot more than two soldiers." As important as Shadow and Calciferous and their wellbeing may be, it was not on the same level as medical advancements to help make people healthier and live longer as a result.
"Then what are we going to do? We're stretched so thin right now." Pray's eyes were wide, she looked frantic. It was almost as if the golden eyed demon was afraid of losing more people that she cared about. "You could reorganize current mission standbys to determine priorities and make another decision from there." It would stretch them even thinner, which was why you had to abandon whatever was least important. There were missions all over the country being done, each one important in it's own way. But of all of them, there had to be some that weren't as critical as the others. "We made promises to fulfill the missions we receive." Wei's voice was resolute. "I won't let politics get in the way of our integrity."
Director LaFleur was easy to play with because she was much less a stickler to the rules. Wei believed in rules since it kept people in line so that they would not become corrupt. "Then what other options do we have? We could leave them to their fates..." Pray's expression made it clear that was not an option she would allow. Ellen went quiet, thinking, her ice cold eyes sparkling as they tried to solve this puzzle. "What about the broken demons? Or at least the more functional ones, could they help?" Wei's expression darkened. "There are some in Elliot's care who may never see combat again. Beyond that, maybe some could volunteer to help out, among the more able and willing." Whoever wanted to help - with permission from Elliott of course - but what would they do? "On another note." Ellen gave Wei a half smile. "Tell me how Echo's procedure went."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Raphael had never spent so much time on earth before. He had been here once, but now, the rules had been thrown aside. The angels working with hell were a force to be reckoned with, especially when it came to the matters of their own flesh and blood. Rapheal, of course, was disguised as a demon. It wouldn't do to have earthlings know that there was such a thing as angels. Their devotion to their false G-ds was too strong and could shatter any sense of false hope that had been instilled in them. As such, Raphael's wings were charmed to appear as though they were made of leather, with spikes coming out of the ends. They were similar to Lilim's, only he had no tail or bat ears. There wasn't a shred of evidence that his sister had been on Earth, but the others were convinced that she was here, that the humans had taken her.
He was growing restless, as were his soldiers. They had believed that they had come to rescue their Princess, not annhialate and torture humans and demons. Today, he was feeling especially anxious, afer having sent a message to the humans in the form of a tongue and eyes. Messiah could correct it of course, the demon that made them all uneasy. He was sitting in his room, thrumming his fingers against his desk when the door suddenly opened. Raphael rose, expecting it to be Lilim or Kitra, but instead, he was greeted to a surprise fist in the stomach. Raphael doubled over, coughing, as his sister, Mizuki, stood over him, bow slung across her shoulders. "I leave Heaven for barely four years and this is what happens? What in the name of the One G-d is going on?" She demanded, seething.
Raphael rose slowly, hugging his stomach. His sister still had it, of course. "Celeste is missing, she disappeared from Hell when the Third Impact broke out on earth." He whispered, unable to look her in the eye. "And?" Mizuki went on. "That's all, that's it. We scoured Heaven and Hell, but there was no sign of her, so we've come here." He stepped aside so that she could see the extensive map he had been keeping of areas that had been searched and ravaged by the demons. "Raph, have you considered the possibility that Celeste is dead?" He winced, not meeting Mizuki's eyes. "Impossible, if she was dead, her Libra would have passed on to someone else."
Mizuki took Raphael's hand, squeezing it in her own. "She wasn't in her right mind," he admitted. "When she lost the baby... she lost a piece of herself." Mizuki nodded and despite her fiery attitude, there was a tear in her eye. This was their baby sister, not some stranger, but one of the last pieces of their family that struggled to stay together. "I have to find her," Raphael looked up. "I know she's still alive, I can feel it in my-my heart." The door suddenly burst open, Raphael and Mizuki both scrambling to kneel as the Vampire Queen strode inside, looking pleased with herself. "I hate to break up the party, but there's been a break through." Riven snapped her fingers, a blonde haired vampire stepping inside with a wooden box. "So old fashioned," Raphael rolled his eyes, a bag would have done just as well.
The lid opened, revealing fluffy white feathers, feathers he would recognize anywhere. After all, feathers were a finger print. "These are-" Mizuki ran forward, taking the box to pull the feathers out and holding them up to the light, as though to make certain they weren't counterfit. "They're Celeste's," she confirmed, finishing his thought. "Where did you find these?" The blonde haired vampire stepped forward, "they were in the Sherwood Forest, outside of a town called Nottingamshire." Raphael's shoulders slumped.
"We can't go into England, as soon as we do, they'll come after us."
"So what do we do?"
"We make a trade."
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
It was supposed to be art therapy but Flo was no good at coloring and drawing anything. She tried to draw Pandora but then Ayna barged in and wanted a self portrait. Flo was not good at this - Ayna's hair was too green, her eyes were misshapen and asymmetrical, everything was just plain wrong. A little girl who once was a cat popped her head in at their table. "H-hello." Angel said with a smile. "Can I be friends with you, Ayna?" Flo glanced at Ayna, wondering what her greenette friend would say. "Depends. Will you buy me cakes and candies?" Angel blinked, looking confused. "Buy? But we can't buy anything in here?" Ayna huffed and crossed her arms. "I guess we can't be friends then."
Angel's eyes went wide in horror at the idea - or was it tears? Her eyes were extremely large, Flo noticed. It reminded her a little of what Echo's eyes were when she was still a little. "Is there something else she can do to be friends?" Flo asked, knowing Ayna was just giving Angel a hard time. It was the way she was, Angel would have to get used to it. "Maybe she can give me extra dessert after dinner today." Ayna had an evil little smirk. "But I love the desserts... but a new friend is worth it." Angel said with an affirming nod, as if trying to convince herself that this was true. "Then we can be friends. Call me boss." Ayna sneered, extending a hand. Angel took and shook the hand exuberantly. "Y-yes! Boss!"
After art, Elliot pulled Flo aside for a little talk. "You've been very good the last few days." He told her, looking proud. "You made some progress with physical therapy, you're interacting and making friends. Echo is ready for a visitor now. Do you want to go see her?" Flo frowned, not liking what this implied. So the three days Echo was gone, she wasn't okay? Why the heck was she not allowed to see her sister and best friend sooner then? "Take me to her!" Flo demanded, almost regaining a bit of her old bossy self. "I have to make sure she's okay and not being hurt." This place was once Echo's prison and nightmare. Just because Wei remodeled it didn't mean it was changed.
...
Atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, seven demons were pulled to the room where seven chairs were prepared, waiting for them. Queen Kitra clapped her hands, pleased that they all were forced to come here, regardless of what they might have been doing. "Hello, my seven generals." Kitra said with a nod. "It seems you've all arrived." Zeal was filing his claws, seeming bored. Wicked had a piece of cake in her mouth, and a fork, but the rest of the cake was not teleported with her. Frey was holding his lantern, torturing the souls trapped within. Pray was staring intently at the lantern, as her human master was trapped inside the evil contraption. Gambit - or better yet, a mage, had a book in hand. Gambit tended to possess people and live within them like a parasite after all. Blithe looked a little annoyed to be here, as if she had something better to do. And finally, Ida, who had been trying on new makeup techniques.
"Now that we're all here, let's discuss." Queen Kitra's fanged smile glistened. "I know what you all want. Some of you are working with me already. Others need a little convincing." She tapped her foot, a sharp clear sound on the floor of the Eiffel Tower's room. "But by the end of this meeting, I'll have all of you loyal to me. The Queen Consort Celeste needs saving, and now I think I know where she may be hidden."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo shifted nervously as the nodes were attached across her body. Physical therapy, was what Elliot had called it, but then... why were Ellen and Wei watching through the one-way window? Echo wasn't stupid, she could smell them both. It was a few hours after having been released and trying to eat breakfast, but Echo had thrown it up, along with the tube in her nose. The nurse had to pull it out, which made Echo's skull feel as though it were splitting in two and she heaved some more before she was dragged here, for physical therapy. "Don't worry, we'll be here the whole time, cheering you on!" Melody started, but Doll's phone rang and her brow furrowed. "I have to go, but I'll be back later." She promised, patting Echo's head. "Actually Melody, we would prefer you came back as well." Oliver crossed his arms, speaking in that half grunt that seemed to be his perpetual inflection.
"Why?" Melody inquired, mocking his tone. "Check your phone," her eyes widened as it rang as though on cue. "I'm sorry Echo, I have to go." Melody hugged her quickly. The room now only contained her, Oliver, and the physical therapist. Echo squirmed, jumping when she felt something hit her side. She nearly toppled over, squeaking when she saw her tail; long and glorious once more. Echo began to tear up when she saw it, grasping her tail in her hands. "What a stupid thing to cry about," Oliver rolled his eyes. The physical therapist hit his arm, "You would cry too if yours was clipped!" She turned to Echo, who flinched. "Now, let's get you back on your feet." She helped Echo up, making her hold onto the walker and start with simple stretches and laps.
It was around lunch time when PT decided that Echo had, had enough. She was panting and sweating, her arms shaking by the time she was released to return to her room, where Elliot and Flo were waiting for her. "F-Fl-Flo," Echo smiled weakly when she saw her, her tail swishing side to side happily. Echo used her walker to push herself over, glad that she could see her friend again. Elliot had already made it clear that she wasn't allowed to talk about what she had seen or done, although she mostly remembered being in pain. "D-di-did y-yo-you f-f-fin-find Ay-Ayna?" Echo stuttered as Elliot moved to remove the nodes on Echo's head and chest.
She sat down on her bed, completely exhausted. Echo hoped that Ayna was okay and Angel too, since she had heard that Angel had turned into a cat. "Wh-wha-what di-did I-I mi-miss?" Echo asked, wondering if anything exciting had happened on the floor. Any break downs during therapy? Any progress? How was Flo doing on her side of things? Echo was almost afraid to ask.
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Elliot allowed Flo to watch as Echo suffered through too much PT. Flo had made some progress, though she never had rigorous PT like what Echo was going through. It was a mixture of sadness and pride watching Echo struggle so hard to walk and move on her own. This was familiar - Flo could remember something like this in the past where Echo disappeared for some super secret procedure in order to be healed, and Flo was only informed about it after the fact. It was nice to know the Tower Society was still up to it's tricks of secrecy and deception but hopefully it would work like it did last time. "She's doing her best. What are your thoughts?" Elliot asked her as if trying to study her reactions. "I'm going to fall behind at this rate." Flo still could barely stand herself upright on the best of days.
Once Echo was finished her physical therapy and had worked herself to the bone, Elliot took Flo to a room where they would wait for Echo to be brought in. The pair would finally get to meet each other again after so long. It felt like forever but it wasn't even a week since they had seen each other last. In Echo's room, the door oepened and there she was, the little former spitfire who still had that adorable stutter. It would go away over time, so the pinkette may as well enjoy it while it lasted. "Echo." She reached and then tried to accept a hug so she could squeeze Echo as tight as her slow and unresponsive body would allow her to. Then she coughed, eyes going spotty as Elliot administered the puffer.
"Ayna needed medical care, so they were taking care of her that day." That wasn't the main issue. Now that sh eknew Ayna was fine and taken care of she was more focused on Echo and her own well being. "More importantly, you! Are you safe are you okay? What did they do to you?" Her voice went into more of a hush. "Was it like last time with Ellen?" Ellen Winter reminded Flo uncomfortably of her own mother, except less cold and more benevolent. She was still willing and capable of doing bad things, but she only would if it benefited the cause, which was just for sure.
Flo told Echo all about the things she had missed. Music therapy in particular was one Flo wished Echo was there for. "Even Shiro momma was there, playing the triangle in Melody's band. Y-you would have loved it." For that matter, when would they get to see Shiro mama again? The puppy nursemaid was always so busy in the nursery there was barely any time for her to sleep, eat, and have quiet moments of realization. "Sana was nice, but quiet. She hopes to make friends at the Tower Society." How wise that was was beyond Flo but she hoped things would be okay. "W-welcome back. I missed you." Flo said quietly that Echo was the only one who could hear it.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo was shaking a bit as she hugged Flo, perhaps from the physical contact, or maybe because she had been working so hard. It was a relief to collapse on her bed, to lay among the stuffed animals and pillows for a moment before sitting up to face Flo once more, who was as perceptive as always. Elliot waited by the door, observing them, since patients were not supposed to be in one another's rooms without the company of a doctor or nurse. "I-I'm gl-gla-glad Ay-An-Ayn-Ayna i-is ok-okay-y." It was a relief to hear that Flo's friend was alright. Echo knew that Flo had been worried, even if her red haired friend tried to deny it, Flo worried about all of her friends. It was one of those endearing qualities about her, that she didn't even realize she had.
Echo stiffened when Flo mentioned the procedure. She glanced at Elliot and gave a subtle nod. "Y-ye-yeah," Echo confirmed, flinching when she stuttered. She couldn't utter one word without it interfering. While Flo may have found it endearing, Echo thought it made her weak. Her tail swished despite itself, making its presence known. "I-I wa-wan-want th-the-them t-to d-do i-it to-o yo-y-you." Echo grasped Flo's hand. If Flourspar could catch up and they could both leave this floor together, it would be better for both of them. Echo wasn't certain why she had been picked and not Flo, maybe because she was technically a ward of the Tower Society and a demon to boot? Flo was human after all, at least, during the day. Perhaps ethics had prevented them from doing it on her?
Echo listened with rapt attention as Flo told her about everything she had missed. "I-I wi-wish-sh I-I cou-co-could ha-hav-e be-ben-been th-th-there." Shiro had been there to see Echo off and wake her up, but Echo was sad that she had missed music therapy more than anything. Her violin sat on the untable, untouched since the procedure to have her shunt replaced. Perhaps Echo had simply been making excuses not to touch it, or maybe she had been so busy with therapy that she had simply not found the time. By the end of each day, Echo was practically falling asleep from all of the activity Elliot was making her do. This was her own self inflicted torture of course, Echo had told him that she wanted to get better and he had promied that he would help her.
"I-I'm gl-gla-glad Sa-ana w-wa-wa-was ni-ni-nice." She could end up being Flo's future partner, after all. As to whether or not Flo and Echo could partner up once more was yet to be seen, but with Flo being a demon each night and essentially a human during the daytime, they would have to reforge the contract everyday, which would take time, pain, and blood. Perhaps it was foolish for Echo to hope that Flo would become a full demon or full human again. Perhaps it was foolish to think that her lungs would get better, just as it had been before. Echo unexpectedly blushed when Flo welcomed her back, smiling a small, foolish smile. "I-I'm h-ho-hom-home."
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Flo and Echo shared a twisted yet wonderful history together. Flo wanted some way to be able to share the rest of it with her as well. Was there a way to return fully human? She didn't know but because of her always swapping back and forth it was difficult for any of the doctors to take care of her. Medicine for a human would not also work for a demon. Her DNA was unstable and as a result you might never know what could happen. There was a good chance she could develop some unknown ailment and be incapacitated thanks to her fluctuating body. And of course her lungs would always be in the way. Was there some way she and Echo could be partners again? Was it possible at all?
Flo hoped so, she missed it.
Echo was shaking after her physical exertion, yet even so she looked like she was doing her best to get back into shape. Did she even want to fight anymore? Was she only pushing herself because Flo wanted her to? There was so much the pinkette didn't know but wanted to. "Whatever it is, I'm sure if they could, they would have done it to me." She too wanted to get back in action as quickly as possible. The sooner she could fight, the sooner she could go and rescue Pan from Frey's lantern. Pan and everyone else who was trapped in the lantern, being tortured for their energy and power, Flo would free them all. "I hope I can get better soon." She felt so powerless in the wheelchair, unable to do anything on her own.
As babies they had both loved music. "Remember when we used to play in a band together?" Flo asked her partner with a wry smile. "With the jingle eggs?" She didn't know what happened to their jingle eggs or where they went. Did Shiro still have them? "N-next time Melody and her friends come, we should ask Shiro for them?" The music therapy would be once a week sessions so Echo would definitely get to take part for next time. "Or maybe we could ask Elliot if we could play our violin and harp again." Flo would have to get stronger first before they could allow that though. "Maybe that can be our goal?"
"Sana's compatible with you too. I don't know what they're planning." A three way contract? Was such a thing even possible? If it was no doubt someone like Ellen could find a way. "I want us to be partners. Just like how we used to be." But if she kept switching like this she wasn't sure if such a thing was even possible. "I revived Annalise so I don't have my old artifact either." Annalise's Eye, a tool that could disable an enemy's body part, was no longer accessible to her. "Th-though even as a human, I can still time stop a little bit." She didn't have as much control over it as she did as a demon however.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo nodded, she wanted Flo to get better as well, so that the two of them could leave this floor together. It felt as though, while Echo had made this large stride in progress, Flo had hardly made any. At least, from an outsider's perspective. Was there a reason for it? Were they not allowing Flo to reach her full potential? Of course, mentally, if one was looking in, they might think that Flo was doing better than Echo. Flo had no stutter, could tolerate food, and seemed to be in better control of her emotions than Echo was. More often then not, Echo could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes and felt as though her stutter was growing worse by the minute. "I-I j-u-ju-jus-just wa-wan-want yo-you t-t-to-o b-be be-e-bet-better." Echo admitted, looking away.
Her eyes lit up when Flo reminded Echo of the more simple days, the days filled with playing with jingle eggs. They were more simple times, when there was no fighting or torture. There was virtually no pain either, which had been nice. "I-I re-rem-m-mem-ber." Echo's eyes seemed to sparkle as she thought about it. "Y-yeah bu-but I-I do-don-don't th-th-i-think th-that s-s-sh-e wi-will br-bring th-them." Echo admitted, glancing at her neglected violin. Melody had gotten her a new one, but it mostly sat on the shelf since Echo hadn't the time to play it. Elliot seemed to notice her sidelong glance at the instrument. "I think that's a great goal," he piped up from the sidelines. "Everyone needs their first goal and something small like that will be perfect."
Sana was compatiable with Echo? The demon squirmed, she didn't want to be with anyone else but Hawk. Hawk was currently subjecting herself to torture to see if she could be returned to a human state, but if Echo asked, surely she would want to partner up again? "N-not su-sure i-if-f I wa-wan-want to-to b-be wi-with S-S-an-Sana." Echo admitted, "No-no-not su-sure i-if I-I wa-wan-want t-to fi-fi-fight ag-agai-again." It was painful to say it aloud, but it was the truth. No doubt Flo thirsted for the battle once more, to be able to thrust her dominance over opponents and take them down. Echo had once felt that, but now, she had had the fight stamped out of her. Just the thought of fighting was enough to make her shiver.
Would Flo hate her for taking this stance? For being unable to lift her fists and fight once more? That was okay, Echo decided. If Flo wanted to go her separate ways, that was alright. They had died and been raised together, what more could Echo ask for? It had been a great friendship. If Flo wanted to stay friends too, Echo would be much happier, but she would get over it. Neither of them were the same person, who's to say they would even be able to continue getting along?
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❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo was trying her best to speak and Flo was more than happy enough to wait patiently for her to say what she needed to. She was used to the stutters, Echo had this problem as a little too. After the kidnapper incident, Echo had had stutters due to her Moia Moia problem. Was it coming back? No one was telling Flo anything and all she wanted was for those she cared about to be okay, Echo most importantly of all. "That's okay, we don't need them then. We have the harp and violin instead." Flo said, trying to think quickly so she didn't fall into a negative spiral. Think positive, think positive, isn't that what Echo needs of you right now? Elliot seemed to agree with that idea. "Let's work towards the band plan."
It made sense that Echo didn't want to be with Sana. Echo always had been a bit of a xenophobe when it came to new people. It was hard enough for her to get along with Team Lupin, and that was back when she was still mentally stable - or as mentally stable as Echo could get, really. "Then with Hawk, or with me we can-" Echo didn't want to fight anymore? Flo froze for a moment, her mind going blank. But what about all of her hopes of being a team again? Of rising up the ranks together again? Was it really impossible to get everything old back? Was even that gone now? It was as if someone had used time stop on Flo she was unable to generate new thoughts.
Then slowly the pinkette was able to breathe again and of course, naturally, her lungs did not enjoy that minute of freezing so she had a coughing fit. Once it was over, her thoughts were forming once again. "That's okay. The vampires hurt you more than me... so i-it only makes sense." She wasn't disappointed. She wasn't upset. If she was, Echo would waltz into the electric fence again. "I have to fight... because there's people I have to bring back. Pan is still suffering there... and Cal and Shadow are prisoners now, did you hear? And Samurai's still in Warsaw in the breeding camps..." Flo had to get them back. She had to bring back as many of her old friends as she could.
"But it'll be better if you don't fight." Yes, if she could backpedal like that then it would make Echo not worry. "I don't want you in danger again. You should just find a peaceful job once you get off this floor. Maybe you could join the hair stylist quarter?" There was a lot she could do that didn't involve combat. "A-and we'll still be best of friends. Sisters. S-so..." Was her smile plastered on right? Did the plastic feeling in her joints go away yet?
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo could see it in Flo's face. The stiffness, the shock. There was silence, it had suddenly become tense. No, Echo was not the same girl she was before she was captured and now it was apparently obvious. Echo looked at her lap in shame, her hands trembling as they balled into fists to grasp the fabric of the gown she was wearing, designed by Doll of course. "I-I'm ti-tir-tired of-f i-it. I-I've be-been f-f-fighting f-for a l-lon-long t-t-time." Echo thought it might be time to put the mantle down, to hand it to the next generation. Of course, her sisters were still fighting. Would they think her decision to be cowardly? She feared that Flo might believe so.
Her head snapped up when Flo informed her that Cal and Shadow were captured by the demon. As much as she hemmed and hawed, Echo may have still had feelings for Cal, her first love. Of course, she still had feelings for Terra as well. The guilt was eating her alive, knowing that she would give up before all of her friends were free. At least the ones that were still alive. "Ma-may-maybe I-I can-can be-be-co-ome a co-coordin-ator." Elliot cleared his throat, wanting them to change the subject so as not to trigger one another into a fit. Echo tried to think of something else they could talk about, something from their past or future.
Flo's smile was forced, as though she was trying very hard not to break down. "Alright, I think Echo needs her rest and it's your turn for therapy Flo." Elliot said kindly, taking the handle bars on her wheelchair. Echo waved until Flo left, the nurse arriving with pills, a lunch tray, and a new nasal tube since Echo had thrown her's up earlier. She had never taken pills before and Echo was a bit confused until she realized that they were probably part of the experiment she was participating in. "Elliot wants you to try to eat lunch before we put the new one in, alright?" Echo nodded, the nurse laying down a blanket so that she wouldn't spill on herself. The tremble was nownwre near as terrible as it used to be.
This time, Echo could take five bites before heaving into a bucket beside her. Thankfully the nurse was prepared and had seen it coming. She rubbed Echo's back, holding her hair out of the way. When it was over, the nurse began to lubricate the tube before it went into her nose, Echo gagging and heaving until it was in place. She sucked on ice chips to help the soreness in her throat while the nurse tapped it behind her. "You were so good today, I'm proud of you." She pat Echo's head before leaving, allowing Echo to sit in silence at last.
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Fluorspar did not understand what Ellen was talking about. She did not understand what this room was. She did not understand who that dark haired girl in the shackles and the restraining collar was. "What is all this?" Ellen was one of the highest clearance staff of the London Tower Society, so mostly anything she wanted, she was granted permission. It was easy for her to bring Flo here. "I know how much you want to fight." Ellen said, eyes as cold as ice, smile enticing yet frightening all the same. "I know how much you care for those you lost, those you hope to bring back." She shook her head, as if pitying Flo for some reason. "But your unique physiology makes it very impractical to give you a contract partner. Our current technology does not allow for it. The tests with Sana won't work if you spent half the time as a human."
What did this mean? "Am I being d-discharged?" She asked, knowing that if she was, there wasn't anything she could do to protest against it. Ellen Winter was just too hard a target to go against if she needed to. Though Flo supposed if she had to she could just go rogue and fight the demons on her own... though it would be lonely, she would still do it. "I don't know where you got that idea. I'm just saying, a normal contract is not going to work for you." Ellen smiled, pointing at the small dark haired girl that smelled foul. Could she be a vampire? "But that doesn't mean we can't use an experimental contract. Though, you'll have to keep the secret behind it's mechanics for me or we'll both get in trouble." It was an experiment, and no doubt, it was not one that Wei approved. Flo believed she understood now what was going on.
"This girl is a vampire, but she used to be a human that was experimented on and nearly became a demon after having a soul piece surgically implanted into her body." Flo had heard about those experiments. Weren't they supposed to be the second generation vampire hunters? "Using her as a template, I believe a new contract can be made." Ellen's smile was very vague and probably wasn't even a smile at all. "If I can bind your human side into a contract with your demon side, using another living person as a conduit in between, it should work with you being your own partner, but also having a conduit serve alongside you at the same time." Flo felt like she understood. "Does it matter if they're a human or demon?" Flo asked, needing to know.
Ellen Winter looked as if she expected that question. "No, the race of the conduit is irrelevant." Ellen's smile grew wider. Why did it look almost voracious? "So your precious Echo could be the conduit to hold both halves of you together." As nice as it would be, it wouldn't work. "No... Echo doesn't want to fight anymore. She wants to be a coordinator. I won't make her go back to battle." She had fought enough for a lifetime. Flo would do the fighting in her stead. "Then Sana would be your best bet for a conduit." Ellen Winter seemed less like a mad scientist and more like a queen, mad with power. "But be warned. IF your conduit dies, so will you. Please think carefully before making your decision."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
The next morning came quickly. Echo awoke to the sounds of her sisters moving about the room. What were they doing here so early? She had no idea. “Oh, you’re awake.” It seemed there was no cowering underneath the blanket, they had already noticed. Doll grasped her by the arm and forced Echo up, Melody squealing for Doll to be more gentle. “What do you mean you don’t want to fight anymore?” She asked, concern clear in her inflection. “All you ever wanted to do was fight. Now Elliot tells us that you want to give it up!” Melody cleared her throat, inferring that Doll should be a bit more quiet, but the sisters were panicked. What was happening to their precious sister? Echo looked at her lap, unable to meet their eyes. “I-I’m t-t-ti-tired of-f f-f-fig-fight-fighting.” Echo whispered, unable to meet their horrified expressions. She had never grown tired of fighting before, being the most bloodthirsty of the three King sisters.
She looked at her lap in shame, wondering if they would distance themselves from her now. Instead, Melody burst into tears and sat beside Echo, wanting to hug her, but hesitating because she knew her sister would flinch and stiffen. Doll sat on her other side, sullen and quiet. “They really did take everything from you,” Melody sobbed. Echo didn’t want to see her upset, she didn’t want them to cry over her, the no good, the spare. “I-I wa-was ne-nev-never me-mean-meant t-to b-be le-let ou-t-t an-any-w-wa-way.” She whispered and perhaps if she hadn’t, if she had remained an experiment and had never seen the light of day, she would have never died. Or maybe she would have during the Third Impact, who knows.
“It isn’t fair!” Melody cried, grabbing Echo and hugging her. Of course, the little demon stiffened, flinching at the touch. “They broke our sister,” Doll said softly. “So we’ll break them,” of course, neither of them could have predicted that Wei would knock on the door at the exact moment. “Break who?” He asked as he entered, curious as to what they were referring to. Melody released Echo quickly, the two rising from the bed. “If you could give Echo and I a few minutes alone, I’d appreciate it.” He said, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Don’t do anything to scare her,” Doll warned before leaving in a huff, the two acting over protective perhaps to compensate for all of the years they never had. Director Wei grabbed a chair, pulling it over to sit across from Echo, who was still wearing her pajamas, her gray hair sideways. Nightmares plagued her at night, it was a wonder she didn’t get caught in the tubing of her machinery.
“So, I’ve heard you don’t want to fight anymore. Is that true?” Echo nodded slowly. “I-I Wa-wan-want t-to b-be a-a co-coor-coordin-din-at-t-tor.” Echo managed to stutter her way through. Wei looked at her pityingly. “I hate to break this to you, but I don’t think you can be. That job is only available for humans and your stutter would make it near impossible for the other teams to understand you.” Her shoulders slumped, it seemed that idea was going out the drain. “I think we just have to kick start your blood lust again. Right now, you feel like the fight’s been taken out of you, but once you’re on your feet and mentally there, there may still be something we can do to get you kicking again.” He pat her head, Echo stiffening at his touch. “I-I do-don-don’t wa-wan-want-t t-t-o f-figh-fight-t.” She stuttered, clearly panicked, on the verge of tears.
“Unfortunately, I have to make a lot of hard decisions. We won’t be able to keep everyone in retirement, as I would have liked.” What did that mean? Would they all be kicked out of this comfortable setting? Panic began to fill her. “You understand, don’t you? You’ve always gotten the short end of the straw. I’ll make sure you can have a good job and I’ll fight to keep you out of the fray, but we’re short handed at the moment, we have more demons than jeagers and you have years of experience. Just... think about it, okay? Try to become open to the idea in case it does happen.” Wei rose, Echo could hear Melody and Doll yelling at him in the hall as she spiraled into panic and began to cry.
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
The Seven Generals of Hell were gathered in the beautiful city of Paris. It was one of the best demon cities now, full of activity and hustle and bustle. Demons opening up their own businesses, demons claiming houses to put their families, even demons setting up schools for their children to attend. They fell in love with Paris and now that city was finally theirs. Blithe was gnawing on her nail, not happy with this. "You want me to leave Constantina out of this." Queen Kitra said with a pleasant smile, a vicious gleam in her eyes. "Now that the chaos has finally ended over there, you want me to leave them alone." Blithe nodded, gritting her teeth. "Yes, my Queen." She said, pain clear on her expression. "In exchange, you'll leave Constantina and fight under my name until I'm satisfied." Blithe found she had no choice but to bow, kneeling to Queen Kitra's influence. "Yes. I swear I'll fight for you." The mark appeared on her body, one of servitude. She wouldn't be allowed to break this vow.
"Thankfully some of you are already loyal for my cause." Queen Kitra gestured to Zeal and to Frey, the first and third Generals. "Of course." Zeal grinned. "I love a chance to hunt those arrogant humans." Frey seemed happy too, clutching his lantern. "Fighting this war has given me new friends." He said, hugging the cursed object in his arms. "So thank you for letting me fight for you." He always was a lonely sort, but now he had more friends for his lantern than ever before. Kitra was happy for him, even as she grew restless for the girl she herself loved. Those two were on board with the Third Impact from the very beginning and intended to keep it that way.
But Kitra needed to get the others to join the cause. "Um, I don't want to." Gambit raised his hand, seeming anxious. "I just want to live my life as this child." He was inside a little girl's body, seeming to be of asian descent. "Her name is Wing and I think she's positively fantastic." Kitra made a face at him. "That's fine, but I still think you have to fight." Gambit crossed his - her?- arms. "Why should I?" The demon Queen gave him a hard stare. "That child is a part of Constantina. I can make it so her parents are killed so please don't become arrogant, for her sake." Gambit grumbled, unhappy. "Fine, just leave them alone." Blithe, whose head had turned up to stare at Gambit with a mixed expression, quickly turned away, her fox tail stiff with stress.
"I don't really care about that sort of thing." Ida said, looking as if she wanted to fall back to sleep. "It's too much work for me." She had a lazy lifestyle that war did not agree with. "I'll give you a big castle you can sleep in after the war's over." Kitra said with a frown. Ida nodded, yawning. "Okay, I guess that's fine then." One by one the Generals made their vows to serve their Queen.
Pray and Wicked glanced at each other, knowing that they were next. "You two are enemies. You've betrayed us and sided with the humans." Queen Kitra did not look pleased. "The same humans that stole away our beloved Celeste. How can you just let that happen?" Pray fidgeted in her seat, her golden eye glowing bright. "Because... most of them are just as you say. They're awful, they're evil. But some of them are wonderful and I love them like family." She kept an eye on the lantern, wishing there was some way to break it. "I don't like it either." Wicked for once seemed lucid rather than in her mad rave. "We already have Hell, why do we have to take away the only home the humans have?" The humans didn't have any other place for themselves.
Kitra nodded, sighing. "Then until you two remember your loyalty to the demons, I'll keep you both here, where not even the contract can let you return to your human masters." A dark power emanated from her and the marks were sealed, the contracts temporarily nullified. Pray and Wicked would remain here until they understood their duty to the demons.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
After Wei's visit, Echo began in a quick spiral downwards. No one was able to enter the room, as it would trigger her into a fit. The nurse had to tip toe in during naps, as sleeping through the night was out of the question. Flo may have been able to talk Echo back into some solid state of mind, but she was busy with Ellen and so, Echo remained in panicked. Elliot made the decision to begin medicating her, as he didn't want Echo to hurt herself. When the nurse entered the room, however, the window was broken and Echo was gone. There was blood on the glass, all of her belongings remained untouched. The bed was made neatly, the violin remaining on the table. "Shit," Elliot turned, Oliver standing in the doorway. "Pull the alarm, no one leaves the floor."
Echo felt desperate, she needed to leave, to find freedom. The Tower Society too, was a prison, just a neatly packaged one. Echo swallowed hard, if she stayed there, she was going to die again. No doubt Flo would be hurt, hopefully she would understand. Flo wanted to fight, but Echo couldn't stay there anymore. She couldn't be forced to live a life she was never meant to. In her desperation to leave, Echo had left everything behind, including her winter coat and shoes. She could barely walk, her knees wobbling like that of a new born deer. For the most part, Echo crawled. She didn't care, so long as she no longer had to stay there. She attempted to navigate through the blizzard, unable to tell which way was up and which way was down.
Eventually, like a beacon in the cold, the Hope for Peace Museum stood proudly in the snow. Echo made it to the back entrance, panting hard. There was a demon there, who seemed surprised to see her. "Come in, quickly! Oh you poor thing," the demon wrapped a towel around her, guiding Echo to the heater. The little demon sat in front of it, her teeth chattering. "Let me get you some soup, just sit here. Alright?" Echo nodded. She couldn't tell how much time had passed, but slowly, she began to thaw.
"Th-than-k y-y-yo-you." Echo stuttered, holding the bowl in her hands to leech the warmth into her frozen fingers. Her tail was numb, her toes dangerously blue. "My name is Hopper," he sat down across from her, watching her. "What's your name?" Echo took a sip of soup, hopping not to gag. She didn't want to be rude. "Ech-ch-o-o K-Ki-Kin-g."
Hopper's eyes widened, Echo looked into the bowl to avert her gaze. "You're a King?!" She nodded, Hopper rose, "wait here." He left, allowing Echo to sit quietly in front of the heater. She placed the soup to the side, not hungry in the least. Hopper returned shortly after, a human with him. "Hi there," Echo stiffened, backing up slowly, but the radiator hissed threateningly when she grew too close. "It's okay, I won't hurt you, but I need some information out of you." Jacob, one of Riven's underlings. What was he doing here?
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Flo could still remember Sana's faint blush as Ellen administered the contract. It was done in private, in a room with just the three of them. Naturally they had to do it at night. Flo was antsy - she wanted to get to work right away. It had been a week since Echo's disappearance and Flo had had a really bad panic attack. Did she do something wrong? Was she not accepting enough of Echo and her problems? The pinkette didn't know and Ayna wouldn't tell her where Echo went. it was against Wei's recommendation and Elliot too, but Ellen decided to go ahead with the contract. A steel dagger mark appeared on Flo's hand, on the back of her left hand. It was sad to lose the flower she used to share with Echo on her breast. "We're connected now." Sana whispered.
Sana Blackwood was now Flo's conduit, a receptory to allow both human and demon sides of Flo to connect and be Jaeger and Demon together. "Now, ideally, you should be able to swap at will." Ellen said with a little smile. "Try focusing and thinking about wanting more power." Flo nodded, closing her eyes. She needed to be stronger. She needed to save those she cared about. "Echo... be my strength..." She whispered to herself, trying to find inner power from invoking the name of the one she loved most. But nothing happened. 'I see, I must have miscalculated." Ellen mumbled, glancing at Sana. "You, try to will her to change. Make it a command." Sana blinked and blushed again, nodding. "Okay." She said, nowhere near as composed as her big sister used to be. "I command you to become a demon." Flo felt pain spiking through her body as wings sprouted from her back, as her tail implant came to life, as her feet destroyed her socks and became sharp talons again, just like they did every night.
"I see, so that's it. The redirect gave Sana the power to control what form you're in." Ellen said, looking triumphant, like a child whose science experiment worked out for the best. Sana glanced between herself and the new Flo - or perhaps now she was better known as Baroness Zinnia once again. "I feel strong." It's been a while since she was able to be awake long enough to witness transformation. Elliot had kept her asleep during hours she would shift. Now it seemed that would no longer be an issue. "Okay, good. I see the connection going through. Here, you both need to wear these at all times." Ellen affixed new braces - they looked like the old TBs, but more advanced, sleeker, newer. "The TB Mark IV. It records Synchro Rate, location, and other things too." The mad scientists's smile was wide. The TBs hummed as they registered each other as connected, confirming the contract's existence.
Flo flexed her hands in surprise. "All my old strength is back. It's as if I never forgot how to walk." Just to test it the pinkette stood up, finding herself able to stand with ease. Was she cured now? Would she not need PT anymore? Was she free to exist on the surface with everyone else? Sana looked excited too, her cheeks flushed, her hands tense. "So I can fight now?" The younger Blackwood asked. As sharp as her eyes were, Flo had the feeling she was softer than she looked. "I can probably allow it, yes." Ellen said with a nod. "But this is still experimental, so I have to do tests to see the limits of this new contract." There was still a lot she needed to confirm before it was safe to send them out to fight. Flo was sad it wasn't Echo, but Echo was gone now.
Echo had made her choice. She would find happiness her own way, wherever she was.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Jacob confined her to one room in the Hope for Peace Museum. It was supposed to be neutral ground, but somehow, the vampires had claimed it as a small base within London. This was how they were getting thier information, doing scouting as a third party for the demons. Echo was in a right state, handcuffed to a bed, with a small bucket to go to the bathroom in. She couldn't keep any food down and was quickly weakening, spending more time in fits than lucid. Jacob was hardly able to question her. He seemed almost sorry to have to do this, but did not let Echo go. "Alright," he entered the dark room, Echo cowering underneath the covers, always afraid that he was going to hurt her, although he hadn't so much as raised a hand. It had only been two days since she had escaped, but to Echo it felt like months. "I've finally gotten a picture of her," Jacob turned the light on and sat down across from Echo, lifting the blanket off of her head. "Do you recognize this girl?" He asked, Hopper coming in behind him, looking fearful despite the fact that Echo was nothing to be afraid of.
A girl with white hair and fluffy white wings, her eyes piercing red. Echo hesitated, then nodded. "A-Ang-Ang-Angel." She stuttered, Jacob raised his brow, seeming surprised that Echo knew who she was. "Do you know where she is?" Echo hesitated once more, then nodded again. "Where?" Jacob pressed, Echo leaning back as he leaned forward. "R-reh-ab-b u-un-un-ni-t-t." He rose to his feet so quickly, the chair nearly flipped backwards. "Sorry about all of this," he leaned forward, Echo squeaking in fear and holding her hands up to defend herself. The handcuff fell off, hitting the mattress beside her. "I had to get-" as soon as she registered what had happened, Echo jumped off of the bed and ran out the door, escaping through another window. The blustering cold bit into her toes, but Echo didn't care.
Her entire body screamed as she ran and stumbled straight into a snow bank. Where else could she go? Echo didn't know. She spent the next five days living on the street, kicked out of shelters for being a King, spat on for being a demon, and at one point, beaten up by humans who did not forgive demons for the Third Impact. This was not the Freedom she had imagined, this was not the world she had wanted to live in. She had escaped one hell, only to be shoved straight into another. Echo huddled for warmth inside of a box, feeling like a rat. Her fingers and toes were numb, she was using newspaper to keep warm and was weak from dehydration. Perhaps dying here would not be so bad, Echo thought, at least then... at least she would die free. Despite the pain and biting cold, a smile overcame her. Yes, she would die free. With no ties to the Tower Society, with no burden of her parents on her shoulders.
Her eyes drifted shut, the flap of the box blew open, the wind howling in her ears. That was strange, it almost sounded like her name... "Echo!" Someone's arms wrapped around her. She flinched, but was too weak to escaped. "Echo, thank goodness!" Her head pounded at the movement, she was so tired. "Don't fall asleep, come on, stay with me."
"Let's get her into the car." No, no, no. She needed to escape, she pushed against the person holding her weakly, but their arms encircled her tighter. "It's okay, it's me. It's Mel," a blanket draped over her shoulders, the vehicle was warm, the leather seats radiating heat she hadn't felt in a week. "Try not to fall asleep, okay?" Melody begged, but Echo was already drifting off.
She awoke in a place she recognized, a place from her earlier years, before she and Hawk had paired up. The glass wall, the book shelf, the desk, the simple bed. She was in a holding cell, internment, a place where demons whose fates were unknown ended up. "Oh, look who's awake." Wei was there, he shouldn't have been, he was too busy for just one demon. Was it morning or night? Echo couldn't tell, there were no windows or clocks in this place. "You're lucky Melody found you when she did," he was adjusting bags of fluids, something in her arm burned. "Wh-whe-r-r-re?" Echo stuttered and slurred, her tongue feeling heavy. "You know where," Wei replied. He shone a light in her eyes, her pupils dialated to pin pricks. "You're dehydrated, you have frost bite, malnourished, all of this in just a week." He lifted up one of her arms, Echo flinching, but she was too weak to resist. "Your wrists were rubbed raw and judging by the markings, you had something around them. So tell me, did you escape, or did someone take you?"
Echo looked away guiltily. "B-bo-both." She hiccuped, "Echo, did you escape, or did someone take you?" Wei inquired, pressing harder this time. "If someone did take you, then we need to know who so we can find them."
"H-hum-m-man-n." It was easier to lie, because it was a half truth. She knew the implications of what would happen if she admitted she had run. She would never see the light of day again. So, it was easier to lie. "And you escaped?" Wei asked slowly. "L-lo-s-st-t." He placed her arm down, he was recording the conversation. "So you were taken, escaped, and got lost?" Echo nodded, her vision blurry as tears stung her eyes. "Alright, well thank you for being honest with me." He was pushing buttons again, the pain in her body flushing away as medication stung through the IV. "You're going to be down here a while until we can determine the security risk of moving you."
Security risk...
"Ang-g-e-e-l." Echo stuttered, opening up her eyes and attempting to focus them, she needed to tell him. "S-so-som-some o-one lo-lo-k-king-g." Wei turned towards her, confused. "Someone is looking for Angel?" Echo nodded, wincing as her head throbbed from the small movement. "H-hu-m-man-n." His brow furrowed, he turned to look at someone at the door, someone Echo hadn't noticed. Why was Christopher there? Where was Doll? "Secure her," Christopher disappeared, like a shadow in the light. "Thank you Echo, now rest up, you have a long road to recovery ahead of you."
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Ellen looked over the data, a strange gleam in her eyes. It has been a day since Echo's return and Flo still hadn't been cleared to see her yet. "I think that's all the data I need." Ellen grinned as if looking at research data was food for her. The pinkette slumped on the floor, feeling exhausted. Sana was crouched over by the wall, panting. Ellen Winter had really put them both through the ringer. "So it seems keeping up your demon form tires you out, Fluorspar. You can't remain like that forever." She was back to a human now but all of her progress was gone. She was put back into her wheelchair for now, since she couldn't move anymore. It seemed only her demon body remembered mobility.
"The safe time limit will be three hours. Can you remember that, Sana?" Ellen eyed Sana and she grimaced, not used to the icy stare from the ice twin. "U-um, yes." That did not satisfy Ellen, however. "If you aren't sure, she could die. You always need to be aware of the three hour limit." Naturally in an emergency they could stretch it to four hours, but anything beyond that would be fatal. "I f-feel like I'm d-dying." Flo added, as if that would be useful. "I know. Just catch your breath for now." Ellen said in a rare moment of compassion. "Because Fluorspar is a Baron-class, she's one of our most valuable assets. You can't just be haphazard about this." Sana nodded, mutely listening as best as she could as Ellen clicked her clipboard. "Your sister was one of the strongest. You have a big bar to pass. You'd better not disappoint us." Sana nodded, whispering something under her breath, cheeks still pink from the exertion.
After they were cleared with Wei, it seemed that while Wei was not happy Flo was only sometimes able to move, they still needed her on active duty now. "Since you're a former member of Team Lupin, we're assigning you back to that team, Flo. Sana, your sister served here too so you can probably be a good fit." Flo remembered this room. It was nostalgic - but there were so many faces that were not here anymore, and faces that did not belong here. "Welcome to Team Lupin." Melody said with a wry smile. "Flame and I are the Team Leaders, so you'll take orders from us." She winked at Flo, seemingly happy. "Though this isn't your first rodeo, so I'm sure you'll do fine." Flo nodded, glad there was at least one familiar face.
"We should introduce you to the others too." Flame said, pointing at the new pairs on the team. "This blonde boy is Mason Nik. He's a new addition but he and him demon, Polaire, have been doing well in training so far." Mason gave them a wave and Polaire made a huffing sound as if she didn't care. "P-pretty standoffish..." Sana mumbled, timid as always. "And you should know these two." The little mermaid Ariel gave Flo a hug and Flo pretended not to notice the breasts growing on her chest. "H-hi! I'm glad you're back!" Lana grinned cheekily, shaking her head. "It's weird not seeing you with Echo, though."
And that was everyone. Flo noticed that there was still a slot left for when Echo and Hawk ever returned - if that ever did happen. If not, they could find someone else too, but for now priority when to Echo and Hawk. "We don't have a coordinator yet, since Cress is coordinating for Team Holmes and Ellen is busy at the R&D office." Melody said with a shrug. "So we aren't officially cleared for active duty right now. Still, in emergencies, we can still help out if we ever need to." Many of the old faces were gone - and now it was up to Flo, Flame, and Melody, to carry on the spirit of what Team Lupin once was, all those years ago.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"Morning," Hawk smiled, sitting on the end of Echo's bed. She was stroking her hair the same way she would whenever Echo had a stroke. "They moved all of your things here from the rehab ward," Hawk gestured around. "They want it to be as familiar as possible so you want go into a fit," Echo nodded, her head a bit clearer this morning thanks to the fluids and food running directly to her belly. "Yo-your ey-eyes," Echo stuttered, not wanting Hawk to stop stroking her head. It was familiar, it was comforting. "I'm cured, temporarily," Hawk smiled. "I guess I'm kind of like Flo, not human, but not vampire, something in between. Ellen is working on it, but I'm taking pills and I'm stable enough where I can live in our old room." There was a pang in her chest, she missed their old room. "I heard you don't want to fight anymore," Echo stiffened. "I'm not surprised, I wouldn't want to either if I had been in your shoes." But Hawk had a choice; Echo was property. Echo belonged to the Tower Society, she was a Baroness Class fighter, they were never going to release her.
"R-r-real-really?" Echo asked, relieved that Hawk, at least, understood. "Really, but I know the people here, I know we're short handed. I won't force you to fight if you don't want to. We can take on little missions, like searching for lost dogs or reckon." Echo felt tears well up in her eyes, she was relieved that at last, someone was listening to her. "Hey, no need to cry pip," Hawk wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm just glad we get to fight together again." Echo nodded, "but you need to work hard in therapy, okay? No more slacking off," she punched Echo lightly against the shoulder, who flinched at the touch. Hawk didn't pull away like the others though, she hugged Echo, manuevering around the wires and bandages so that it wasn't so awkward.
"I have to go now, but I'll come back later. Okay?" Echo nodded, watching Hawk leave. "B-by-bye." Not so much as ten minutes later, the door opened again. "Ready for PT?" Elliot asked, it seemed he was still in charge of her care, since Wei was too busy running the place. Echo nodded as he helped her up, bringing the walker forward so that she could limp towards the door while he pushed the IV pole she was tethered to. Oliver was waiting just outside, it was clear they didn't believe that she had been taken. She had left the scene too neat, after all. "H-how lo-long?" Echo asked, knowing that it was going to be a long day. "Three hours," Elliot replied, smiling despite his response. "W-wil-l I-I g-go ba-back u-up?" Echo asked, wanting to know if she would get to live on the rehab floor again.
"No, you're going to be down here for now, since you've been deemed at risk and need closer monitoring." Elliot opened the door to the PT room and escorted her inside. "Angel will be moved down here too, so you'll have a neighbor." Were they punishing Angel? Or was it merely because they were worried for her safety? "We're starting a more intense therapy regime today. Wei wants you make more progress, he's afraid the last week has sent you backwards." Echo nodded, knowing inside that she deserved this, that she had made the choice to run away and had gotten caught. "Wh-what is-s it-t?" Elliot winked, "Eager? You'll see soon. Oliver is going to stay with you, I'm going upstairs to make sure Angel's transfer goes smoothly." Oliver grinned, standing in front of the door. Echo swallowed hard as the therapist came out with tools that looked vaguely like they were made for torture.
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
"This will be your first mission. Flo, you're a veteran so I know you know what to do." Melody and Flame would be overseeing them for the first operation, just like how they did when Flo first started her career at the Tower Society, back when Echo was her partner. It seemed she would never get to be with Echo again, would she? "I know. I'll help Sana through it." She glanced at Sana who was biting her nails, looking afraid. Did Flo look that weak back when she first started? "There's a sighting of a rogue at the Impact Memorial Boulevard." Flames told them. "It should just be a weak one, but be on guard." The Impact Memorial Boulevard was a new site made, where the names of all those who fought and gave their lives in the Third Impact was recorded, and for each name, a tree would grow to thank them for their sacrifices. There was one for both Flo and Echo, since they did die back then.
"Hey..." Sana fidgeted as the jeep reached their stop. "Was it hard for you? I can hear the sadness in your voices... is it hard, fighting?" Flo felt a little bit sick to her stomach as she glanced back towards Flame and Melody. "You won't know until you try." Flame's voice was very controlled as he spoke. "We'll be with you the whole way." Melody sounded chipper but there was a hint of pain in her eyes. It was clear that the veterans of the Third Impact, of the attack of the Kings, they had been through a lot. They were legends now, just like how Christopher and Doll were, just like how the old guard were back before the Second Impact. "You'll be fine. Just follow my lead."
At the Boulevard, they could see the demon as it ate the corpse of one of the staff working at the Boulevard. It had long black wings and fangs longer than it's neck. It was a night demon, but it was day out so it wouldn't be at it's strongest. "What do you know about it? You read the file, right?" Sana nodded, clutching the papers to her chest. "It's name is Jangmo. It's strongest at night, and heals when it attacks." That's right. It regenerated itself the more it hurt others. "Then what strategy should we use?" Flo was itching for a fight but she couldn't move until Sana made her turn. The wheelchair was her prison even now, and she could feel Sana's grip on the handles behind her. "We should... u-um, we should take it out quickly. Flo, can you turn now?"
Her wings ripped out of her uniform, her eyes glowing a bright amethyst. She looked just like her old self, hair a bubblegum sheen. "Alright. Let's do this." Flo stopped time, rushing forward. Because they were connected, Sana could also move with time stopped. As time resumed Flo was right in front of Jangmo's face. Pink spikes shot out from her wings as Jangmo roared, fangs lurching towards her. The pink spikes pierced his wings, pinning him to the ground. She then slashed his throat open with her talons, finishing the fight before he had a chance to react. Jangmo's body dissipated, leaving naught but a soul piece, glowing with an eerie green.
"This is a soul piece." Flo said as she looked back at Sana, who was staring, wide-eyed, at Flo's quick execution. "You should already know what to do with this." Sana held the blue bag in hand as she lifted it up, gingerly dropping the soul piece into her bag. "I-I give this to Ellen and she gives me an Artifact, right?" Flo nodded with a faint smile. "Good job, you finished your first mission." It was lonely without Echo. It was strange being the demon in a new pairing. Was this what Echo felt too, in the beginning?
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
The intense regime of therapy was akin to torture. Echo had thrown up three times and was sitting back in the chair, shaking. "Let's try again," she shook her head, not wanting anymore. "We're going to try again, alright?" The bowl of soup sat in front of her, but to Echo, it was blood. "Come on, you can do it," they wanted her to eat, but this wasn't like the first time where she hadn't eaten because she didn't feel the need to. This time it was because she associated the food with her trauma and in order to change that, they needed to retrain the brain a bit. "Let's take a break for a few minutes," Oliver stood over her, watching her, the task master behind everything. He had to make sure that she followed through, now that Echo was labeled unruly. "O-okay," she sputtered, her entire body shaking after having thrown up again.
It was another two hours before Oliver escorted Echo back to her room. She was exhausted and stumbling, barely able to stand. "Tch, come here." He grasped Echo by the back of her shirt, picking her up and carrying her. Echo flinched, but his arms were warm and she was tired. "Here, we're back at your room." The glass door slid open, Oliver deposisting Echo rather gently on the bed. He moved the machines around, making sure she wasn't tangled and left her walker where she could reach it if she needed it. Oliver was turning to leave when his head moved to the side. "At first I thought you were just another crazy, like the other patients." Was it Echo's imagination, or were his cheeks slightly red? "When you ran away like that, I thought it was pretty cool that you tried to take fate into your hands." He left quickly after that, the door closing behind him.
In the room across from her's, Angel was being moved in, looking rather chipper despite the circumstances. She noticed Echo watching and waved, placing her belongings down on the desk. Echo gave a small wave back, her cheeks still pink from Oliver's words. She buried her head in her blanket, wishing to fall back to sleep and knowing it might be an impossible task. The door opened once more, a nurse entering with medications and Doll right behind her, looking as though she came straight from the battle field. "Echo! Thank goodness, you're okay." Okay was a relative term, Echo decided. She bundled up further, pulling the blanket over her head. "It's just me, it's alright," Doll attempted to soothe. "Wh-what-t ar-are y-you do-doin-ng-g he-he-here?" Echo whispered as Doll pulled Echo onto her lap.
"What do you mean what am I doing here? I came to see you, silly," she pat Echo's head, clearly relieved that her sister was here and safe. "D-Dol-l is-s-s im-imp-p-ort-t-ant." Her sister blushed at that, shaking her head. "Nothing is more important than our family," nothing is more important... Echo shook her head. If she was so important, why had it taken them so long to find her? If she was so important, why had she been tortured for three years? If she was so important, why didn't they let her die when she had begged them to? "You're precious to us Echo," Doll whispered, as though reading her thoughts. "We won't let you be hurt again." Then why were they going to make her fight?
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❝Began the journey as two, now just to reach the destination.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Flo watched as Sana strutted off to find Ellen and hand Jangmo's soul piece over. What knd of weapon would it turn into? What sort of power would it wield? She was weak again, sitting helplessly in her wheelchair as Sana fretted and anxiously gave the blue bag into Ellen's own calloused hands. "Good. You have points now. Based on Melody and Flame's report, I believe I can make the two of you Rank Three." Naturally they would be, Flo was a Baroness after all. Sana would still need training and refining, but Flo could see the potential in her. "Just don't die on me." She murmured. Unlike most pairs, Flo's life was dependent on Sana's survival. Should Sana die, Flo would be dead with her. They shared a life now, for good or for ill.
Unfortunately, it also meant Flo's life span was tied to Sana's mortal one. She wouldn't get to see the centuries roll by at Echo's side, would she? "So, what do you think of her?" Melody asked, taking Flo's handles for herself. "I think she has some work to do." Flo said honestly, chest feeling tight. Melody allowed her a few moments to cough and wheeze and she shook her head. "But I think Echo thought the same of me back then." Melody nodded, no doubt appraising Sana as she and Ellen had their little chat. "The Third Impact is still ongoing. It's not going to be easy. Most of the new recruits lose the spark in their eyes pretty quickly once they enter active duty." Melody's expression was grim. They were all haunted by the scars they bore, by the friends they had lost along the way.
"You haven't visited Echo yet. I think it would be good for her." Melody's voice was soft, almost yearning. "You two need to stay close. You both need each other, after all." Flo twitched nervously, her eyes going dull. "I wasn't allowed to, Ellen kept me for a while trying to get the contract to work." She wasn't allowed to say any more than that regarding the highly risky experimental contract that had been performed on her. It could get them all in trouble should Wei find out the truth. "If we talk to Cress, she'll let you in." Melody said with a little grin. "Don't forget Cress still outranks Ellen, since she's Wei's second in command." That was a good idea. Flo really did go stupid, she hadn't thought of that at all.
What an idiot she was.
Sana was holding her hands, fingers intertwined in themselves, as she walked back. "U-um, Ellen told me congratulations. I g-guess we did good?" She was stuttering. It was funny - Sana looked so much like Amelia, but with none of the attitude. She was too nice for war, Flo thought. "There's still lots for... for us to do." The pinkette reminded her. It wouldn't be good if she got complacent. "We're going to climb the ranks together, so you can't neglect your training." Sana nodded, hands holding the handles. "Do you want to meet my old partner? Your sister knew her too." Sana's voice was strained. "I-is that okay?" She asked, squeaking. "I-I thought she d-didn't want to?" Flo shrugged. If Echo was going back into combat, they would have to meet anyways. But if she was protected from that burden, they might never have to. "I'll check with her first, I guess." Flo said with a shrug.