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Chapter Text

Claude Desaulnier was supposed to be dead. He could remember himself dying, the ever-growing pain in his chest, the way it became harder and harder to breath as days went by. He remembered all that pain, the hurt, the fear of being so close to his death. The way he felt every time he would see his family, the pitiful, grieving expressions on their faces. The hopeful, pleading voice of his twin brother, the tears he shed beside his deathbed when he thought no one was watching.

And he remembered himself giving up. Wishing, yearning for the suffering to end, and the guilt he felt for wanting such a thing. Somehow he hated himself for leaving his family, his beloved twin behind.

But he just couldn't continue. He was so tired.

So he closed his eyes one last time and fell into a peaceful, eternal slumber, leaving behind all that pain and suffering.

Or so he thought.

He was pretty sure dead people aren't supposed to just wake up one day, especially not in a place they never even heard of before.

Oh well. Here he is now, so he might as well enjoy this second chance he got.

First of all, he wanted to look around the place. It looked like a castle or a very big house. A manor maybe? It didn't seem to be a pleasant place, to be honest, he's got chills running down his spine just by being there. It had a certain unsettling atmosphere. The room he currently found himself in was really, really dark and gloomy. The only light source was a small, flickering candle sitting on an old, dusty table. The walls had small cracks all over it, the wallpaper looked rather old and torn. The flooring was made out of wood, with a brown carpet on top of it in the middle. There was a big wardrobe near the left wall, and a huge, king-sized bed right below the dirty, cracked old window, that had a big crimson red curtain covering it. Besides the table was standing an old camera, though it didn't look exactly like the ones they used back in his time. He wondered how much time must have passed since he left the word of the living.

Well. All in all, the room looked like it didn't have an owner in a very, very long time. It also looked like it needed a good cleaning.

Shaking his head slightly, he took a deep breath and went for the door. Was the rest of the place in the same condition? Or is it just this one room?

He was so deep in his thought, that he didn't even notice at first, that instead of touching the rusty handle, he passed straight through the closed door, falling into the floor in the hall.

'What the-,' his eyes widened, only now realising that he hasn't felt a single thing since he woke up not too long ago. Lifting his hands up to run his fingers through his hair, only now he notices, that in fact, he does not look human at all. He could see through his hands, which were slightly glowing with a bluish tint.

'Am I... a ghost?'

Suddenly, he wanted to laugh. Because of course. Of course, he would come back as a ghost! He literally died back then! He remembered it all well.

So. He became a ghost. But why now of all time? And why is he haunting a foreign, random place? It can't be their manor, can it? Only one way to find out!

He took a hold of himself, stood up and started to go, exploring around the manor.

The whole place was in the same condition. Well, almost. There was a pretty long corridor, with many rooms besides the one he woke up in. The doors had small plaques on them, with names he cannot remember hearing of before. Looking at the one that belongs to the room he came out of, he saw a title instead of a name: "The Photographer". It was a little strange but fitting. After all, he saw that camera inside, and a wall filled with old photographs. He didn't really think much of it, instead, he turned to the one besides that door.

'Wu Chang,'

'Huh. Such a strange title. Or name," though he was curious, and wanted to see the room for himself, there was a little voice inside his head telling him not to enter. It was bugging him, but he knew better than to go against his instincts. So instead he decided to read the rest of the plaques and following the corridor. There were so many of them!

'The Ripper,' a shiver ran down his spine. That's...an unusual title. A little unsettling really. Just like the next one: 'The Feaster,' what are they feasting on? To call themselves this...they surely must like eating a lot.

'Geisha, Bloody Queen, The Evil Reptilian. Smiley Face, Hell Ember,' he started to see a weird pattern here. Those people must have a really weird taste in names, huh?

'The Game Keeper, Soul Weaver, Mad Eyes, The Violinist, Dream Witch, Axe Boy, The Disciple, Undead and The Sculptor,' Ahh. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to meet the owners of those...creative names or not. Probably the latter.

Still. He chose to investigate further, of course without invading any of those people's privacy by exploring their rooms without their consents. For now at least.

The ridiculously big corridor ends with a big wooden door, that was currently unlocked and open. There was some light coming from behind it. He was a little afraid of what is waiting outside, but he was too curious to not take a peek, so he slowly started going closer to the door. As he was getting closer to the light, he started hearing voices too, and distant laughter.

Finally reaching the big, spacious lounge, he saw the owners of the voices. And of course, of those strange names.

And aren't they a colourful little squad? There was a literal octopus, that had a somewhat humanoid form, a lizard-man, a too-big to be normal, skinny man with no face- or was that a mask? He wasn't sure anymore- two ridiculously tall and skinny man, that had very strange patterns decorating their skins and bicoloured, half black and half white, really long, but really pretty hair. A geisha- though that didn't really surprise him. He kind of expected the geisha to be a literal geisha. A child that had a bag on his head- and isn't that strange too? Why did they wear that? Are they that insecure?- a clown, a strange man with a plush shark and a very pretty but very short -at least compared to the others- man.

Said man had really pale white skin, very pretty and very familiar, almost-white locks, that he was wearing in a low ponytail, tied by a golden ribbon, that also was looking kinda familiar to him. Didn't he use to have a very similar ribbon? That he used to wear the exact same way.

He couldn't help himself. The man drew him in. So he went closer, taking a closer look at his face.

They didn't seem to notice him. Though the octopus and the bicoloured, darker man -for a moment there- looked at him, causing him to freeze. The man with the black markings literally stared into his eyes, before looking away and continuing his conversation with the other man sitting beside him.

He took a deep breath. Did they see him or not? It's really strange. He shook his head and continued staring at the pretty blonde man before him. His eyes were also very strange but very beautiful. The whole eyes were just the scleras, that were glowing in a bright blue colour.

Still. He seemed so familiar to him. He just couldn't put a name to the face.

"Joseph-san. Are you alright? You seem a little...shook," the sudden voice of the geisha tore him out of his thoughts, making his eyes widen with recognition.

'Did she say Joseph?'

'My brother?'

"No need to worry, Michiko. I am just tired." came the voice of the pretty person, who might be his baby brother.

Who isn't a baby anymore, it seems. His voice was much deeper than he remembered.

"Oh, dear. Is this that part of the Year again?"

"Oui. I am afraid so, mon chérie. It's the anniversary of his passing." his brother had such a sad expression on his face. His eyes were full of sorrow and grief. "Don't trouble yourself with this. I am used to grief."

He wanted to hug his brother, so he did it. The man went stiff for a moment and Claude was sure that he felt it. He really wanted to comfort him, to let him know that he is here. But the other just didn't see him.

Well. At least from now on, he will be able to keep an eye on him!

He can be like one of those cool guardian ghosts in the old books his mum used to read for them!

Yes! He will do it! He is not sure why his baby bro is at this place among those shady people, but he will find out! And he will protect him!

There was a huge grin on his face, as he floated right beside his brother, staring at him even more intensely than before. He got so pretty.  And mature. How much time passed again? He still did not know that.

He turned his head towards the long-haired, black-and-white pair. Maybe the dark one can see him? He should try talking to him.

Through he was a little scared of him. He looked like those grumpy uncles that lived near their manor back then in France.

It's worth a shot though.

Just... not right now.

First, he will try to get some information by lurking around!

Yes, that's what he will do!

He was so deep in his planning that he didn't notice the octopus-man staring after his retreating form.

If he would have seen it, he would have been more careful in his next actions.

Chapter Text

Claude has been in the manor for a few days now, yet he still wasn't able to figure out why he came back as a ghost, nor the reason his brother was in this place with the other strange people. Speaking of strange people... he has been following around the lady his brother talked to the most. 

It was the Geisha. 

Or Michiko. Everyone seemed to call her that. She was very pretty too, even though she was wearing a little too much makeup for his taste. She was very kind to everyone in the manor, though he noticed she liked spending time around the strange-looking bicoloured men, the lady in red, who had that scary scar around her neck -which honestly freaked him out a little. It looked like her head was stitched back onto her neck, but that's crazy right? Noone would be alive after getting their head detached from their neck. And he really didn't want to imagine her getting beheaded. It was scary- and of course, around the ridiculously tall man, that he found out was actually wearing a mask. It was a relief. Really. He didn't know how he would have reacted if the man did actually not have a face. That would be just...too much for him. 

He slowly started to memorize their names too. The maybe-beheaded lady is Mary, and she was from France, just like his twin and him. Her title was "bloody queen". He wondered if she actually was a queen. Probably yes, because many of the residents here addressed her as "my queen" or "your majesty". She was an okay person. She was a little scary, and she didn't talk too much. Actually, he didn't really hear her voice yet, she usually communicated nonverbally, with her expressions and by nodding or shaking her head every time she was asked a question. 

It was a little unsettling and made him think about her neck. Maybe she couldn't talk at all? Though he did hear her coughing a few times, clearing her throat, producing little choking sounds while doing so. It made him a little sad. He remembers the feeling very well. The uncontrollable coughing, the burning ache in his throat. She must feel something similar too. 

That sucks. Honestly. 

So he starts to feel some sympathy for her. He decides that he likes her, and he silently prays for her, that her throat will get better. No one should live with that constant pain.

Well back to the names. Obviously, he knows his brother's name and Geisha's name. The tall, masked person was Jack. He was creepy. He liked humming a certain, slightly unsettling tone, and his voice was filled with something dark, making his blood run cold each time he heard the sound of it. He followed him to his room once. He didn't know better, and he was curious at that time. 

And he regrets it with every metaphorical bone in his nonexistent body. 

You see, Jack's room is nothing like the one his brother currently possesses. That room is bigger, has furniture that is in much better condition and it looks less old. You could tell it's the owner is someone with a higher position in this place. And you could also tell that the man takes great care of his room. 

He had a huge mahogany wardrobe, a king-sized bed, with silky, black beddings, a big window, that looks out into the huge garden surrounding the manor, and a large mirror right beside the bed. 

Coming into the room, Jack took his tophat off, alongside the suit coat, which was followed not long after by his gloves, his white mask, and his dress shoes. Beneath all that clothing, Jack was wearing a simple white collared shirt with a white waistcoat. Surprisingly though, those were not the only things Jack was wearing at that moment. Because under that white mask, he had another pale one, that was tightly covering his whole face. It was confusing, to be honest. Why would you wear not one, but two masks? It just didn't make any sense for him. Though it did explain why he seemed faceless before. The skin-tight white mask had only two little holes for his eyes and none for his nose or his mouth. He wondered how was he able to breathe like that. 

To his surprise, Jack proceeds to take the second mask off too. What he hid underneath it surprised him as well.

Because Jack was a really handsome man under all those masks.

He had pale, porcelain white skin, with red, flaming eyes, full, red lips, and a slightly pointy, delicate nose. His face had a sharp, strong jawline with high cheekbones and straight, ebony black locks whose length reached a little below his shoulders. Overall, he had very aristocratic features, though they looked harmonic on his face.

Still. There was something in his eyes, something indescribable, a glint, that made him look like someone you'd want to stay away from. 

He was humming again. Humming that annoying tone with his deep, rumbling voice.

But this was not what creeped him out the most.

No.

It was his mirror image. 

Jack stood right before the mirror, facing it, looking into his own reflection. He had an unreadable, cold expression on his face. And then, the mirror image suddenly grinned at him. Showing razor-sharp teeth, and flashing crimson red, burning eyes. The mirror image's expression was anything but unreadable. It promised pain and suffering, looking straight into Jack's eyes, tilting its head slightly to the side, lifting its eyebrows, as if it was challenging him. He didn't have to wait for long to see what it was challenging the man for.

Because Jack punched the mirror with such force, that it shattered into tiny pieces, making some of the shards cutting deep into the man's hand, his blood was flowing from the small wounds.

That was the moment he decided to leave the crazy, scary person alone in his room. He was afraid of what else would he see if he stayed.

He decided to stay away from him. 

He couldn't help worrying for his brother, because Joseph seemed to like that...person. They spent a lot of time together. 

They looked like friends. 

Humming softly for himself, he decided to leave the matter alone. For now at least.

Floating closer to the couch his brother was currently laying in, he curiously took a peek into the book he was reading. It was written in a language he couldn't understand. Pouting disappointedly, he looked around, only now noticing the strange-looking old man, walking into the room, leaning on a walking stick. He was slightly limping, and he had an annoyed expression on his face. 

"I swear to god one day I will tear those little mongrels apart," he was almost shouting, his eyes burning with rage. There was a wound in his face, with little droplets of blood flowing from it.

Joseph closed his book, with a soft smile on his face, placing it on his lap.

"Good day to you too, Burke," oh. So that's the old man's name. "had a rough match, I see. How many did you get?"

"Only 3 of them. That damned rat managed to slip away," his face was twitching in irritation. He wondered what are they talking about. What kind of match? And what slipped away?

"That's very unfortunate. Though you still won the round."

Was it some kind of competition? A race? Or a game?

"Winning is not enough! I wanted to teach the brats a lesson!"

"Oh my," came the familiar voice of the Geisha. "did they bully you again, darling?"

"When are they not bullying us?" this was a new voice. Turning to the source of it, he saw the Lizardman walking to the other big couch, the one that the old man sat onto not too long ago. He had a very funny way of walking. 

"It's perfectly reasonable though. We are hunting them after all," It was his brother talking this time. He likes listening to his voice, even though it made him a little sad. He didn't like the fact that he can't speak to him. 

"And isn't it such a lovely thing? The hunted fighting their tormentors back, hoping to get away, to have a chance of escaping their nightmare. Only to be crushed in the end," it was Jack talking this time. When did the man even get here? "Isn't that satisfying? Watching them lose all their hope, crying in the dark corners of our playfield. Hiding. Running," there was something poisonous flashing through the man's eyes as he chuckled darkly, sitting down beside his brother on the couch. "ahh. How much more enjoyable our little games are now, that our prey can fight us back. It's amusing to say at least."

"Creepy as always, aren't you, old friend?" Joseph was looking at the man with an unreadable expression.

"What can I say. I love watching them bleed."

Scary...

"Oh, really? Even your little rabbit?"

"Especially him. Red suits him well. I crave after his blood the most," his voice got even darker to the end.

He wondered what are they talking about. And what rabbit?

Are they hurting animals?

Isn't that bad?

Did his brother become a bad person?

He couldn't right?

"This is exactly why he will never like you. Why would he fall for his tormentor?"

"You'd be surprised, my friend. I am sure he enjoys our little games just as much as I do. The thrill of the hunt reaches those hunted too."

"I highly doubt they like it. They don't seem to enjoy being chased and hurt."

"Mnn. Think as you please, Joseph. One day you will understand."

What is going on?   

"I highly doubt that. I do not have time for this kind of nonsense." 

"Of course you don't," Jack was chuckling again. It looked like he was making fun of his brother. 

"It's enough, you two," finally someone stood in. Of course, it was Michiko, the only person who seemed reasonable here. 

"Alright. Joseph. Are you having a match soon, right? Do you know who you are going against?"

"Yes. My round is due in a few hours. Two at most. If I am correct I am going to face the Coordinator, the Explorer, Prospector, and the Doctor. 

"Ouch, man. All four of them are annoying to deal with. Especially the Explorer. He is like the master of hiding," it was the Lizardman speaking this time. 

"Well, at least it's not the Seer or the Embalmer. That two will take me to the grave one day, I am telling you," said the old man. 

He wondered what is this all about. Maybe he should follow his brother and see for himself. Though he was a little scared of what he would find. 

"Ah, yes. The little seer is always on time with his owl. His reaction time is incredible, though I usually catch him in the end" 

"And the Embalmer is too slippery for his own good. Not only is he good at hiding from us, but his ability also makes it hard to get him. Especially now that he got stronger" 

"Oh, yes. I keep hearing from you all complaining about him and his annoying habit to save his teammates right on time," Joseph's eyes shined with curiosity. "I am yet to encounter the gentlemen, though I have to admit I am curious how I would fare against him," he licked his lips. "Or more like: could he hold his own against me as his hunter? I wonder." 

"You seem intrigued." 

"Why of course. I wish he'd be picked against me soon. It's been months since he arrived and I still have not met him." 

"Don't worry, old friend. I am sure you will face him soon enough." 

"Yeah. I just hope you won't regret it later."

Huh. Such strange people. 

"Well. I must leave to get ready for my match. See you soon ladies and gentlemen." 

"Good luck, Joseph. Don't be too harsh on them"

"Don't worry. I won't."

Chapter Text

'What the hell are you wearing, brother?' 

Claude was more than a little confused seeing Joseph in a ridiculous costume. His brother looked like a marionette doll, that was dressed up as an ancient Roman god. He was wearing a plain white tunic, that was not long enough to properly cover his legs. It didn't even reach his knees! What if it was windy wherever his brother was going? Had he no shame? Someone might see his underwear! He really should try and save some face. And what if he catches a cold out there? Even though he is wearing that nice red cape, it's not nearly enough to keep him warm! His arms and legs were bare! He wasn't even wearing proper footwear! Their parents would be so angry!

Though he must admit, that those golden jewels looked really good on his brother. Especially that golden leaf crown. It looked nice in his silky, pale, sunflower blond locks -which also enraged him a little. He had such a beautiful hair colour! Why did he dye it? The new colour looked good on him, but still!

'Though I guess he looks kinda nice. Still. I wouldn't wear that,' he shook his head in clear disappointment. 'What are you, my dearest little brother? A mannequin?'

Turning his head to the side, he decided to investigate the room he followed his dressed up brother into. 

And wasn't this a sight to behold?

The room was a pretty big one. There was a large table with 6 wooden chairs, right below the enormous window, that was covered by an elegant, simple white curtain. Through the glasses, you could take a peek outside into the garden, and you'd even see some of the branches of the huge willow tree that was growing not too far from the exterior walls. If you were looking long enough, you could also see the shadow of a really big spider as it was climbing on the glasses. Wondering how could that spider grow to such size, he turned to look at the table again. On the middle of the table stood a bigger candlestick, that was holding four lit white candles, and there were little white plates before each wooden chair, some of them holding some kind of fruit inside them. There were also a few cups with some kind of liquid inside, and a few more candles on each side.

What he found rather strange was the big, burgundy red curtain that was separating the tables and the chairs from the other side of the room.

On the separated side stood a big, comfortable-looking armchair, that was decorated with delicate golden carvings on its arms and on its back-rest.

This was the place his brother chose to sit on. He seemed somewhat impatient, restlessly stamping with his feet, waiting for something to happen.

He didn't have to wait for too long. Other people started to appear, taking their seats around the table on the other side. Four of them came. Two girls and two males.

They looked shorter than his brother and each of them had some kind of tool with them. One of the males was holding a book in his hands, while the other had some kind of circular item. Two of them to be exact. A red and a blue one. He was curious about what their purpose was.

There was a girl, dressed in a medical uniform. She is either a doctor or some kind of nurse. He wondered what she is doing here. Maybe her duty is to take care of the residents when they get sick?

But why was she here now? Aren't his brother going hunting for rabbits and rats? And why is his brother secluded from the other people?

Anyways. The last person in the room was another girl. She had a pistol in her hands and she was wearing a pretty black corset decorated with beautiful indigo feathers, and it had a shiny red ribbon tied into a bow at the bottom of it. She was also wearing a black tutu and a pretty indigo headpiece in her hair.

She and his brother stood out the most. He was curious why they were dressed up in such clothing. Shouldn't they wear comfortable clothing instead of that for hunting?

It just didn't make any sense to him.

What also didn't make any sense was the way the newcomers seemed to be acting. They looked unsettled, worried, and yet determined at the same time. Maybe scared to a little bit.

It was strange. 

For some reason, no one moved from their seats. Not the four people, nor his brother.

He was wondering what they were waiting for, when suddenly there was a tinkling sound of a distant bell and the whole room turned black, after a bright, blinding flash of light.

The next moment, he found himself in a strange place, right beside his brother.

His brother. Who didn't look like his brother anymore?

The whole form of his brother turned into the many shades of grey, with only a little bit of golden tint on the skin of his left arm, on his hair, his crown and his clothes.

His face was also grey, his whole eyes white, and he had the symbol of the sun slightly glowing in a bright white colour right in the middle of his forehead.

And he was holding a big golden sabre in his left hand.

'What the hell, Jojo? Why did you bring a sabre here?'

Looking at the man in confusion, he noticed him walking to a funny looking golden thing, that was standing near the little house they found themselves teleported to.

As his brother activated the little device, there was the sudden sound of a camera flashing, and a picture of the surrounding environment, that was projected into the air. It looked like a huge floating photograph.

His brother walked to that photo-thing, disappearing after going through it, which left Claude in shocked silence, gaping and very much alone.

And really, really confused.

How is this even possible?

Shaking his head, he floated closer to the apparition, lifting his hands up trying to touch it, of course without any success in doing so. His hands just went through the image, the same way as his brother disappeared not too long ago.

He took a deep breath and floated through it, deciding to try and follow his brother.

What was on the other side of the portal-picture left him gaping for the second time. Every colour left the word, all he could see was blacks and whites, and the various shades of grey between them.

In that colourless environment, it was relatively easy to spot his brother, who -for some reason- seemed to be the only thing that had some colour in this word.

Why it was this way was a mystery for him.

Looking at himself, he noticed that he was also able to keep his colours after stepping -or more like floating- into this side.

Such a strange thing. It hurt his head trying to figure it out.

So he stopped thinking about it and simply started following his brother around.

It took some time, but Joseph managed to find a strange, colourless version of one of the other two boys.

If he was correct, it was the one with the book.

Looking at his brother to see what was about to happen, he almost shouted in his fright.

Because the other was lifting the sabre up, smiting it down at the colourless person before him.

The sight made him shudder, expecting the still figure to run away, but it wasn't moving anywhere. Seeing the damage he's done, Joseph hit the person once more, this time making him fall to the ground. His brother's lips curled into a grimace, expressing his obvious distaste, as he was bending over, tieing a tight knot around the figure's waist, as he lifted him up with the help of some balloons. He walked to a bright red chair, that had rockets tied tightly onto its legs, and he put the wounded man into that chair, using the binds on it to keep him in place.

Then with a bright flash, the colourless word collapsed, and they found themselves in reality again.

To be completely honest, Claude didn't know what to think about all of this. He didn't like the fact that his sweet, beautiful, innocent brother used his weapon to hurt a person, even though it was not exactly looking, or acting like an actual person.

He pushed his thoughts aside for now, following Joseph as he started walking near a big boat's direction.

Wondering what was about to happen, he noticed a strange rectangular device near the boats front end. It was beeping loudly, hurting his sensitive ears a bit. 

Joseph ignored the little device and started to move upstairs.

This was the moment he noticed the girl with the gun, as she was tending to the book-man's wounds.

Which shook him a little.

His brother hunted the man's colourless copy.

Now the real man was also hurt, though he could still move.

Shaking his head slightly, he peeked at Joseph, who noticed the other two people in the corner too.

Holding his breath, Claude was waiting for their next move, desperately refusing to believe his brother would do anything to hurt them.

Hunting animals is one thing, but those right there are neither rabbits nor rats. Those are people. You aren't supposed to hunt people.

His brother wouldn't do it.

He isn't such an awful person.

Right?

Chapter Text

Noone. hurts. his. brother, and gets away with it.

Noone.

So Claude, blinded by his burning, furious rage, the deafening, buzzing static sounds inside his head, started emitting a cold, paralyzing aura around himself, making the woman freeze to the ground, unable to move her body out of the way of the incoming hit of the sabre, taking a direct hit, a merciless stab to her chest.

Joseph blinked at her falling form, clear disbelief written on his face. 

"Are you stupid? You are supposed to run. Why did you not move aside?"

The girl just sneered at the Frenchman, gritting her teeth together as she was lifted up, after being tied tightly to the balloons.

"I couldn't move! You disgusting cheater!"

"Pardon me. Did you just accuse me of cheating, or are my ears deceiving me?" 

"You heard that right! There is no way I would just stand there waiting for you to strike! You must have done something to me!" Joseph frowned at the girl, confusion flashing through his expression for a moment, just to disappear as fast as it appeared. He raised an elegant eyebrow up, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"I didn't do anything to you, little girl. Don't blame me for your mistakes," shaking his head slightly, he placed the woman into one of those red chairs from before. Unlike previously with the colourless version of that man, Joseph was less careless, even though he still wasn't exactly gentle with his movements.

 "Liar." she breathed out, her face morphing into a painful grimace as she was sat down. 

"Why do I even care about your opinion?" Joseph seemed to be asking himself, as he shook his head again, before walking to a camera not too far away from the chair. There was a clicking sound as a new picture was taken, this time, however, he didn't go to the other side. Flipping a strange-looking, golden thing in his right hand, that strongly resembled the sun symbol on his forehead, that Claude saw on the other side, he started to walk away from the chaired woman. Floating curiously after him, Claude noticed the man with a mole on his face slowly getting closer to them, successfully gaining his brother's attention, who started to chase after him. Though he didn't stop flipping the sun-card in his hands while doing so.

'I wonder what will happen now,'  to be honest, he was still a little angry at the girl on the chair. That shot could have killed his brother.

No. 

It should have killed him.

Don't get him wrong, he was very glad and relieved that Joseph was alright. He just didn't understand how. This is not how this was supposed to work. If you get shot in the face, you die. There was a very little chance of surviving it. Even less, if not impossible, of getting away with little to no wound.

And yet.

Yet his brother stood there, with a slight grimace on his face, his lips pressed tightly together in clear annoyance, but otherwise unharmed.

There was no wound, not a drop of blood, nor any bruise on his face.

It was like nothing happened like he wasn't just shot in the head by a bullet no longer than a few minutes before.

'what kind of mess did you just get yourself into, Joseph?'  

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sound, as his brother just puffed out of existence, only to reappear before the chair the very next moment, just in time to hit the doctor in the back with the sabre, while she was attempting to rescue the person in it. 

She was downed immediately. 

Claude was even more confused by that little fact. The gun-witch was downed after being hit twice. So how? How did Joseph get her with just one stab?

God, it was so confusing...

"Terrorshock? Really, Emily? I thought you knew better." there was a playful smile on Joseph's face, his expression slightly cocky, taunting the doctor who was crawling on the ground before him.

"Don't be rude, Joseph. I wasn't expecting you to notice. I thought you would chase Norton." she was wearing a pitiful expression on her face, looking at the other girl apologetically. "I am sorry, Martha. I wasn't expecting him so quickly back."

"Sorry! I thought I had him!" shouted the man his brother was chasing before, getting a hit, then successfully rescuing the gun-girl out of the chair. He threw one of those strange circular things at his brother, who was immediately pushed away by an invisible force, right into a wall- and his brother was groaning in pain. Again. 

This time, knowing that his brother wouldn't get seriously hurt, Claude wasn't as furious as before, though he was still very annoyed. 

Slightly furrowing his eyebrows, he silently wished the man to trip over his own feet. It would be funny. And well deserved.

'How dare he push Joseph with his silly thing? So annoying!'

The very next moment, what surprised him was the fact, that the mole-man did indeed trip and fall to the ground, while he was trying to run away.

'HAHAHAHA! That's what you get for hurting my sweet twin brother, Mole-man!' he was laughing as he was floating closer to the man on the floor, pointing a finger at him with a big grin on his face.

"Are you alright there?" 

'No! Don't be so nice to the little pest, brother! He hurt you!'

"It's not fair! I tripped!" he was up on his feet in no time, gaining a little distance between the slightly worried Frenchman and himself by throwing another thing at him. 

"..." this time, Joseph was the one getting annoyed. He didn't blame him though. He was being nice and what did he get? Being pushed to a wall. Again.

"Jack is right. You need to learn your place. You all are getting way too confident." turning his head to the side, he noticed Emily getting up. She healed herself up while Joseph was focusing on the man.

Muttering a silent curse in french under his breath, he immediately started chasing after the girl before she could heal herself fully. It didn't take long for him to reach her, right before the flash of the photo word collapsing. 

Tying the doctor to the balloons, he lifted her up, carrying her to the chair, gently laying her down on it.

'Huh. He wasn't this gentle to the other girl.'

"Sorry. You know the rules." he was whispering to the girl, making sure no one else could hear him. The doctor nodded at him, with a small, sad smile on her lips. 

The rest of the game went relatively the same way: chasing after the others, hitting them, chairing them, having them rescued from his hands and sometimes getting hurt by them. There were a few more times Claude used his newfound powers to make it harder for the survivors, which was, of course, blamed on Joseph, who was starting to get really angry by the end. 

He managed to send three of them flying, having the doctor escaping through the hatch. Which, Claude was sure, was on purpose. 

You see, Joseph sent the book-man, whose name seemed to be Kurt, flying first. It wasn't out of spite. The two barely interacted, if at all. He was simply the easiest to catch, even though he had a little trouble finding the man at first. He was shortly followed by the gunned witch, Martha. Now, that was a delightful thing to watch. She annoyed both Claude and Joseph to hell and back with her rambling, blaming Joseph for her misfortune.

It was Claude's fault though. He was purposely making it difficult for her. Sometimes he just slowed her down by making it harder to use those little pallets, and sometimes he would trip her after she vaulted a window. It was funny. Claude was very proud of his work. He just wished it wasn't all blamed on his brother, though. He felt a little guilty for that.

After sending her off, Joseph went after the Mole-man. By that time all those machines were done, so he was worried he wouldn't manage to get him too. He was panicking and it was showing. He missed at least three hits, and the man was almost at the gate when he managed to hit him. 

He was one-shotting him. Claude was quite shaken when he saw his brother's eyes glowing bright red after he heard the sound of that nerve-racking siren, that was indicating that Joseph was getting out of time. 

That's when his brother started to panic.

It was a rough ride, but in the end, Joseph got to the man, chained him and sent him flying to the sky. 

And wasn't that a sight to behold too?

At first, when the first person was sent off, Claude thought his brother went crazy and killed the man. But after that, he heard Joseph muttering something about being sent back to the manor, and the way the doctor didn't seem to get horrified at the sight of her teammate getting blasted to the sky, he calmed down. 

It probably wasn't the first game they played. It was clear by the way his brother seemed to know them all, and them recognising him, even calling him by his name.

So they didn't die. 

Probably.

Chapter Text

Joseph let Emily go.

It would have been so easy to catch her. A fast, merciless hit with the sabre, was all it would have taken to take her down. Claude was there, watching as his brother was getting closer and closer to the running girl, with flashing, burning crimson eyes, weapon ready to smite at any second now. 

And yet, he didn't do it. 

He was purposely slowing himself down, letting Emily gain more distance between them, as she was getting closer to the hatch, near the big boat that was laying on the edge of the lakeside. Finally reaching her escape route, she took a peek at the slowly approaching Frenchman, her face morphing into an understanding, thankful expression. She nodded at him, gratefully, clearly reading the situation right, knowing very well that the man could have got her too if he tried. She bowed slightly, before jumping into the hatch, disappearing from sight.

Joseph took a deep breath, letting out a soft, tired sight. 

"I guess it's my win. Again." chuckling bitterly, he closed his eyes and looked up at the sky, as a soft, gentle breeze caressed his too pale, lifeless cheeks, lifting his white locks slightly up. 

'He looks so... broken.'

"I wonder what you'd think seeing me like this, brother." he wasn't crying. There were no more tears for him to shed. His lips were turned slightly upwards, forming a soft, sorrowful smile. 

Oh, how Claude loathed seeing such expression on his brother's beautiful face.

"Would you grow to hate me? Knowing what I became?" he was chuckling again. "Would you look at me disappointedly? Would you hit me? Judge me?" this time, he was laughing, with no happiness in his voice. 

'No! I could never ever hate you! I wouldn't, I couldn't do that to you! '

"I miss you, brother." and that was the last thing Claude heard before the blackness took them both away again.

Being back in the manor was a strange experience. Knowing a little more about the residents living there, about the things they did, the prey they were hunting, Claude couldn't help feeling a little wary around them. Knowing that the rats and the rabbits were not animals, but living human beings made being around them harder, than before. 

It didn't help that the octopus-man, whose name was Hastur, as he found out a few days ago, kept bumping into him wherever he went, their many eyes following his small, frail form, sending a feeling of goosebumps running all over his skin.

So scary... 

He wondered whether they were a male or a female. Maybe neither or both? Did they even have a gender? It was hard to tell. 

One thing was sure though. Hastur knew he was there, saw him, maybe even heard him. Yet, they didn't seem to tell the others. It made him even more cautious when he was around the other, not knowing what they were thinking, or what their intention was with him. 

So, fearing to be confronted by the scary person, Claude started to avoid them like plague. Of course, he still saw them whenever he was following someone around, but he never went close to them when the other was alone. 

He also avoided their room, keeping his distance from it. 

He might be a coward, but at least he is alive. Or something like that.

Because what if Hastur's title, "The Feaster" came from their habit of eating souls? 

And thank you very much, but Claude would prefer not to be feasted upon. He wondered how would that even happen? Does Hastur even have a mouth? Or would he be simply swallowed by the abyss, that seemed to be holding the many eyes of the creature? Would he feel any pain?

Shivering slightly at the thought of being eaten alive, Claude turned his attention to the conversing hunters around him instead.

"So. Tell me, old friend, how did your match go yesterday?"

"I got three out of the four."

"Only three? You usually go for the flawless win." 

"The one escaping was the doctor, wasn't she?" asked the geisha with a soft smile on her face, lightly fanning herself while doing so, even though it wasn't that hot inside.

"Oui. It was her." the hunters all had similar expressions of understanding flashing through their faces. Well, except for Jack. The man had that annoying mask on, which made it impossible to tell what kind of emotions he was showing. 

"Now now, my friend. Are you absolutely sure you don't have any feelings for the woman? You spare her way too often." there was a low chuckle. "It makes one wonder~" it was obvious by the used tone, that the masked man was merely joking, teasing him, but his brother clearly took it seriously. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack. You know very well where my preferences lay. She is only a friend, one that I find hard to hurt. Of course, you wouldn't understand the feeling." 

Okay, his brother was a little rude to the masked man, but he guesses he would be the same if someone assumed he was having an affair with his friend.

Oh, wait. He didn't have a friend.

Being a ghost is a lonely experience- especially when you are afraid of the only person that can see you.

"Are you implying that I don't have friends I hold dear to me, or that I don't have any feelings, Mr Desaulnier?" the masked man seemed more amused than irritated, though it didn't mean it will stay the same way. 

Patience is, after all, not a limitless thing. 

"Oh, I don't know, Monsieur Whistler. Maybe both?" there was a sneer on his brother's face. 

"Good to see you view me in such a high regard." hurt flashed through those crimson eyes for a fleeting moment, disappearing just as fast as it came. If you weren't paying close attention to it, you wouldn't even notice it.

Well. Claude noticed and so did Michiko. 

"Now, Enough of your bickering, dearies. I am sure Joseph didn't mean what he said." she was looking at his brother with a complicated expression, Claude found hard to decipher. It seemed to work on Joseph though because he actually did look ashamed after receiving such a gaze from the woman. Clearing his throat, he bowed his head apologetically.

"Yes, you are right. I didn't think it over. I apologise for my rudeness." 

Jack shook his head, before slightly tilting his head to the side.

"You seem troubled. You are usually not so quickly angered by my teasing. Did something happen?"

"Non. I am alright. Just tired." 

This was the moment Hastur decided to enter the conversation.

"You aren't yourself since the day of the anniversary."

"I am-"

"No. Cease denying that you are hurt. Who are you trying to fool? Us? Or yourself? Lying to yourself won't make it better."

"Joseph, sweetheart. You know you aren't alone with your pain, right? You have us now. We are family." placing the fan next to herself, Michiko was smiling at his brother with badly hidden worry written all over her face. 

"I appreciate your kindness, but I am truly fine. Now, if you will excuse me, I wish to retire to my room. Have a pleasant day, ladies and gentleman." he was already getting up, fully intending to leave for his room, but he was stopped by Hastur's deep, rumbling voice.

"Do you think he would like this? Would he approve of you destroying yourself?" Joseph's shoulders dropped, as he flinched back at the sound.

"You-"

"Yes, it's none of my business. Of course, why would I care that my friend is slowly breaking himself apart?"

"Joseph. Please. Let us help."

"I don't need help. Please, stop worrying so much. I promise I am just tired." 

To be honest, Claude wanted to punch some sense into him at this point. Why was he so stubborn? Could he not see that all those people here are just trying to help him?

'Am I the reason he is like this?' he remembered past Joseph clearly. In his memories, he was a bright, happy child, full of energy and hope for the future. He used to be so positive, a ray of sunshine who could make anything better with a simple smile. The Joseph he remembered wouldn't ever smile the way this one did. So hollow, so false. 

Just looking at it made Claude's chest hurt.

Looking after his brother's slowly disappearing form, Claude let out a soft sigh.

'I wish I could help you, brother. I wish I could be there for you.' he could feel the burning sensation of someone watching him. It didn't affect him much though. 

'I just hope one day you will be able to heal properly. With or without my help.' 

Slowly drifting out of the common area, he didn't notice the sudden presence getting closer to him, so imagine his surprise when a certain someone finally reached him.

The very same someone he's been trying so hard to avoid. 

"We need to talk. Now."

Chapter Text

"We need to talk. Now."  looking absolutely terrified, Claude was frozen to the spot, as the deep, chilling voice of the creature finally reached him, sending shivers down his spine. Slowly turning to face them, he tried to grab a hold of himself, getting his emotions under control.

"Follow me. We will talk. But not here." nodding at the creature carefully, taking a small, trembling breath, Claude started following them, slowly getting closer to their room. 

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach their destination. 

Hastur's room was nothing like he imagined. It was simple and cozy, with a small fireplace on one side, a pretty big, old, but comfortable looking bed on the other, and a couch with many earth colored cushions on it beneath the big wooden window. The floor was made of some kind of wood, and there was a big, coffe brown carpet laying right in the middle of it. On the top of the fireplace were many small white candles standing, none of them were lit though. 

It was surprising to say at least. He didn't even know what he expected to see, but it was definitely not this. 

Maybe a few skulls laying here and there, black walls with blood spattered all over them, messy symbols written with blood on the floor and maybe on some of the walls. 

Yeah. 

That's what he as expecting to see.

Not this... surprisingly normal home.

Clearing his throat anxiously, he finally turned to see the Octopus-man sitting down onto the couch, watching him with an unreadable expression. 

Seeing all those eyes watching him, a shiver ran down his spine, as he was biting into his lips nervously. 

'Do you...do you want to eat me?' mentally cursing himself for asking such an embarrassing question, Claude was dreading the other's answer.

"What." Hastur took a deep breath. "What gave you this ridiculous thought?" the creature seemed slightly offended by the question, which made him feel a little guilty. 

'W-well. Your name is Feaster. So I thought...'

"No. I do not wish to eat you. Or anyone for that matter." 

'Oh. That's good then.'  Claude let out a relieved sigh, his form finally relaxing into a much more comfortable stance. 'So. What do you want to talk about?'

There was a long beat of silence, which made Claude feel a little uncomfortable, as he was being stared at by the many eyes of the god. 

He just hoped the other wasn't too pissed at him for the previous question. It wasn't his intention, he didn't want to be rude, but it was bugging him since the moment he laid his eyes on that title. And he looked scary.

So it was really not his fault, okay?

"You do not belong here." the voice of the creature sounded deep, and rumbling, and as if it wasn't scary enough in itself, there was that strange, bloodcurdling tone in it, which seemed to echo inside his head. 

It was like many voices were speaking as one.

'W-wha-'

"You were never supposed to come here. It was simply not supposed to happen. Your existence is a great mistake. An aberration."

At this point, Claude simply forgot about all that terror he felt before, as the burning anger started to boil inside his chest, taking the place of the fear, clouding his mind, making him unable to think about anything but the burning, blinding rage he felt inside.

Because how dare them!

How dare them saying that to him, that he, Claude being here by his brother's side again was a mistake! 

An aberration.

How could they say something like that? Was that damned, overgrown octopus not a friend of his brother? Could they not see that this new existence was a new chance for him, a new opportunity to be with his brother? To help him, to look after him, to protect him?

And yet, the creature had the face to call him that! 

'How dare you! How dare you call my new life a mistake?!' 

"Watch your loose tongue around me, child. I am a god. You cannot speak to me that way."

'You just called my second chance at life a mistake!'

"Because it is. Your presence here, in this cursed manor, was not written in the stars. Your existence confuses me greatly, goes against everything I thought I knew."

'Wha- so your main problem with me is that you didn't know I would be here?'

"You do not understand, ghost child. I am a god. I was there when this universe was created, and I will there when it will end. I hold the knowledge of the word, I am the pillar of reality-"

'Fricking arrogant, that's what you are!'

"..." for a moment there, Hastur didn't know how to react. Noone has ever allowed such disrespect towards him.

No one has ever dared to talk to him in such a way.

It was...strangely fascinating. And new.

"You are-"

'Disrespectful? Annoying? A mistake? If that's all you wanted then thank you, but I don't want to hear it anymore!'

"I was meaning to say particular."

'Huh?'  blinking stupidly at the person before him, Claude's face went completely blank. Was the creature not angry? They should be angry after being yelled at, right? He seemed to be very annoyed by the disrespect he showed him before.

"You do not fear me."

'You said you don't eat people.'  Claude didn't understand. They already clarified that the creature didn't eat people. Including ghost people. And if they didn't want to eat them he didn't see why he should be afraid. (Well other than the fact that the god was actually scary. And had a slightly terrifying voice)

"And I do not."

'Then I see no reason to be afraid.'

"That's...new. Not even the other hunters treat me this way."

'Well. You are scary, so I guess it's to be expected.'

"And yet you don't fear me."

'Yet I don't.'

They were looking at each other for a long time, neither wanting to be the first to look away. It was Claude though, who gave in in the end, with a silent, defeated sigh.

'Well I am a ghost, and I am pretty sure everyone else would be screaming at the sight of me, but you don't do that, so we are even, right?'

"...right."

'Uhm. By the way. Are you a male? Do you even have a gender?' 

"...Noone has ever asked me before. They always assumed my gender, even before this place." there was a short pause. "I have no gender, child. Though I got used to being referred to as a male, so you may as well treat me as one."

'There sure is a lot of things others don't do to you.'  frowning slightly, Claude decided he can't be angry at Hastur anymore.

Maybe he wasn't so bad. 

Hastur looked at the clock on the wall, and looking at the hour, he slightly narrowed his eyes, quickly standing up from the couch.

"I am afraid I can't keep you company any longer. I have a game I need to attend soon."

'Oh. Would you mind if I followed you? There is still a lot I don't know about this place.'

"Your thirst for knowledge is an admirable trait." turning to the side, Hastur let out a deep, rumbling sound of a chuckle, one which sent shivers running up Claude's spine. "Very well. You may accompany me"

'So, if you hit them, they feel the pain, but they can be healed unnaturally fast?'

"Yes."

'And after you sent them flying, they are just going back to their side of the manor. They aren't hurt?'

"They are immediately healed upon their return."

'Mnn. And what about you. If you get shot for example. Does it hurt?'

"We feel the pain, but we don't bruise. After the match though, we will get the phantom pains."

'What's a phantom pain?'

"We feel pain from wounds that are not there. Like reminders of the pain from the match" frowning slightly at the thought of his brother feeling pain after those horrid matches, Claude pouted his lips in clear distaste.

'Is it treatable?'

"Yes. The doctor can give us medicine for that. She usually does."

'Oh. So that's why you guys are so nice to her.'

"She treats us different than the rest. She is fair to us and in return, we treat her the same way."

'Oh. So my brother really isn't into her?'  this was a thought that wouldn't leave his mind since he heard the Ripper and Joseph's conversation about the girl. On one hand, he didn't want his precious brother to get together with someone, and on the other, he wanted him happy and safe. And as much as he hated the thought of it, he wasn't able to be there for him when it mattered the most. 

Because, for his great disappointment, his brother didn't carry the ability to see him.

Or hear him, for that matter,

So there was not much he could do to help him, other than watching out for him.

"He really is not."

'It's a pity. I want him happy. He must be lonely.' 

"Mnn."

'Do you think he will be happy?'

"Eventually." the short reply was followed by a few seconds of comfortable silence, as the Feaster was chairing one of the survivors of the match, sending the man flying to the sky.

'So. Do you really know the future?'

"What I know is too difficult for your human brain to understand."

Rude.

'Wow! Is she melting away? How is this even possible?'

"I am a god, with tentacles. You are a ghost. Is it really so hard to imagine them having strange abilities?" Hastur was looking at him with one of his many eyes, not once slowing down his quick pace.

'Oh, you have a point.'  pouting his lips slightly, Claude let out an annoyed huff, while he kept following the elder god around, clearly expecting an answer from him.

"It's the Embalmer's rebirth ability. After getting downed he can choose the embalmed person to be reborn or to stay where they are. Of course, only if he had set a coffin already up."

'Awesome! It must be really annoying!'

"It is."

There was a few comfortable minutes of silence, which Hastur seemed to appreciate greatly, finally being able to focus fully on the task of catching the remaining three survivors, though Claude didn't let the older man enjoy his piece for too long. 

He really enjoyed the fact, that now he had someone he could bombard with questions, he really wanted answers for.

It was nice. Not being completely alone anymore.

Okay, he did have onesided conversations with his brother and a few of the survivors, but it's not nearly as fun when they cannot hear him, nor speak back to him.

It was kinda sad.

'Which survivor do you hate the most?'

"I hate no one, child." 

'Oh. Then which one do you dislike playing against the most?'

For a few moments, there was silence, as the elder god was thinking up an answer.

"The Seer." who was that? A girl? Or a boy? He knew this Seer was here, because Hastur told him the title of the survivors he would be facing today: Prisoner, Gardener, Seer and Embalmer. The first one was a male, who was the first to be sent back by the god. The Gardener was a girl, who tried rescuing the Prisoner two times, of course, with no success. 

Hastur was chasing her currently.

They haven't seen the other two yet.

'Mnn! Why though?'

"I loathe seeing him hurt."

'Uhm. Sure? I thought you guys liked Emily the most? Why would you care for someone you don't even know?'

"I have my reasons, ghost child. Reasons you don't need to know."

Humming softly as he eyed the taller man curiously, he almost missed the bird, that came to take the hit for the Gardener, which annoyed Hastur a little.

'Was that an owl just now?'

"It was."

'Who-'

"The Seer."

'Oh.'

'What can she do by the way?'

"Break the rocket chairs."

'Can you fix them?'

"Yes."

'It's kinda lame.'

"Hmm. Maybe."

"Uhm... Feaster?" the gardener was currently sitting on the rocket chair, staring at the god, her face full of confusion, as she was waiting for her teammates to rescue her.

"Yes, little one?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"...Noone."

It didn't take long for the chair's timer to go off. For some reason, neither of the remaining survivors came to the chaired female's rescue. She didn't seem sad though.

Claude wondered if they could talk to each other somehow. Maybe she told them to not come to her.

'It's stupid. Why were they not helping her?'

"So they would still have a chance to escape. Only one machine is left. They could still do it."

'But...still. They didn't even try!'

"Didn't they? Who do you think sent that owl to aid her, just in time when I was about to catch her? Who got her rescued the first time I managed to knock her out?"

'Oh. I didn't even think about that. Sorry...'

"It's okay. There is still much you need to learn."

After sending the gardener back to the manor, they finally came across the last two survivors, for the first time since the match started.

The Seer and the Embalmer.

Both had very strange reactions when they were found by Hastur, who was, of course being followed closely by Claude.

'Which one is the Embalmer?'

"The one with the mask on."

'The other is the Seer with the owl?'

"Yes."

'Are they always reacting this way when they see you? It must hurt a lot.' Claude was pointing his fingers at the two survivors currently frozen to the spot they were found on. The Embalmer's eyes were blown wide open, stupidly blinking at the two of them, while the Seer was looking around with a confused expression on his face.

"No. This is new. They are usually just afraid."

'Oh.' floating closer to the two, he noticed the Seer getting even more stiffened, taking a step backwards. Embalmer was clearly following his movements with his grey eyes, which made Claude stop right where he was floating in the air. He blinked a few times, mouth agape.

'Uhm. Can you, by any chance, see me?'  he only got a shaky nod from the frozen survivor.

'Hastur! Why can a human see me? I thought only you can! And maybe the black stick, the white one didn't seem to react to me.'

"Mn. The Black Guard indeed can. And it seems so can the Embalmer."

'But how?'

"Ahh. Lord Hastur. What's...what's happening? I can sense another person, but I can't see them or hear them anywhere."

"It's not something you need to worry about."

'Wait, he can't see or hear me, but he can sense me? How?'

"Later." It was a low murmur, as the god summoned a tentacle, right behind the two frozen survivor. "Now, gentleman. You should run."

And so, they did.

Chapter Text

The match with Hastur and the two boys resulted in a tie. 

Hastur got the Embalmer downed two times. He managed to chair him once, but the Seer was quick to come to the rescue, successfully evading the surrounding tentacles, getting his teammate out of the chair, even taking one hit for him, letting the taller boy escape from the hunter's sight for a while, giving him a little time to place a new coffin down, right before the slightly annoyed hunter would find him again. 

It was amusing for Claude, really. 

He was teasing Hastur the entire time, talking nonstop about anything that would cross his mind, making it harder for the god to focus on his task of catching the survivors. 

Oh, he knew what he was doing, okay? He just couldn't help himself. It was so funny seeing the older getting more and more annoyed as time passed by, without him catching any of the two annoyingly slippery survivors. 

He might have been silently rooting for the two anyways. 

Okay, maybe not so silently, but well.

Finally catching up to the Embalmer, placing a tentacle down just to the right place, hitting the boy with it, Hastur took a deep breath, his eyes flashing in satisfaction as the survivor dropped to the ground. Slithering closer to the injured boy, slowly starting to lean down, fully intending to pick him up- just to jerk back in surprise at the ear-piercing sound of the siren, indicating that the last cipher machine was finally done.

Getting a boost of speed, the boy managed to get away from the annoyed hunter, slowly but surely catching up to the Seer, right when the man was finished with opening the exit gate. 

The Embalmer left immediately, but the other seemed to be hesitating, looking back at the approaching Hastur with a complicated, unreadable expression. 

There was a minute of silence between the two, just staring at each other, without saying a word. Breaking the strange, confusing atmosphere, the Seer bowed slightly to the god, turning his back on him, slowly starting to walk away, leaving behind the silently watching hunter, wearing the very same expression the survivor was giving him not too long before. 

Just what on earth was going on with these two?

'Soooo- What's up with your bird-boy?'

"His name is Eli." the god had his eyes focused on Claude's form. He could feel his irritation growing with each passing second, so maybe, he should be more careful with his words. "And he is not mine. He is his own person."

'Riiight.' clearing his throat slightly, he floated to the couch, taking a place on it, before turning back to the older one. 'I am just curious. He said he can sense me. How is that possible? And you said he was The Seer. What is a seer?'

"He is a seer. He has certain abilities that allow him to see fragments of the future."

'Oh! Just like you? I don't know how the two things are related though? It still doesn't explain how he can sense me.'

"No. Not like me. I know the future because I am a god. He sees mere fragments of it, possibilities that might or might not happen at all."

'So, he sees things that aren't real?'

"I wouldn't say that. The future is a fragile thing, depending on so many things, it's almost always uncertain. Even the smallest, the most insignificant looking things can completely change it."

'But you know that? How?'

"I know each and every possibility. I know what was, what is and what would be. It is a great burden, one that I cannot share with anybody."

'What about other gods?'

"We are all different. We know different things."

'So even if you would have another god by your side, you couldn't share your burden with them, because they are so different from you?'

Hastur looked surprised for a moment, he didn't expect the other to understand his problem at all.

"Yes."

'Oh! Do you know other gods, by the way? What are they like?'

"Of course. There is one in the manor as well. Her name is Yidhra."

'Let me guess. The Dream Witch? What is she the goddess of?'

"Her domain is the dreamscapes."

'Oh. A dream godess then?'

"it's not as simple as that. It's hard to describe how we work."

'I see... Oh, you didn't answer my question from before! About your Eli!' puffing out a long, frustrated sigh, Hastur narrowed his eyes, looking down at Claude. 

"He is not my Eli." Claude just snorted at that, clearly enjoying the god's frustration with him. "As a seer, he has an affinity for the spirit world. He might not have the ability to see or hear, but he can certainly sense your aura."

'Would he be ever able to see me, though?'

"He might. It all depends on him."

'So if I bother him long enough, he might start seeing me?'

"...please don't bother him."

'Why? You said he isn't your birdie!'

"He has more than enough problems already without you causing mayhem for him. Please bother someone else."

'Okay! I will bother you instead!'

"...Fine. Just leave him alone."

'Oh my god. You really care for him, don't you?'

"I told you already that I have my reasons. And I am not going to tell you what those reasons are."

To be completely honest with you, Claude forgot all about the Embalmer. If it wasn't for his brother finally matching up against the other male, it would probably have stayed that way too.

It's not like he didn't have better things to think about. For example, Feaster's relationship with that one survivor kept bugging him, refusing to leave his thoughts, making him wonder what's happening to his... friend? Was Hastur his friend? He should ask him that later. 

Now, though. His brother, that sweet, curious little thing, that adorable idiot was wearing another ridiculous costume, making Claude's blood boil, wanting to grab and lock him up into his room, never letting him out of that place. Ever.

Because he was just too pretty, too beautiful. 

A sin really. How could he expect the survivors to not drool at the sight of him? Even the other hunters? What if someone got a funny idea? 

Well, it cannot be helped. He just needs to make sure no one tries anything.

"Oh, hello Joseph. What's with this new costume?" it was a female. She was wearing a slightly torn, purple dress, with long black gloves and a black veil on her face, that was attached to a pretty headpiece.

Claude wanted to slap her. 

"Hello to you too, Miss Nair. I found this costume on my beddings last night. It's quite pretty, don't you think?"

"Of course, it looks quite good on you. Really pleasing to the eyes."

"Why, thank you. I appreciate the kind words."

"Your welcome! And we appreciate you going easy on us. It's refreshing, having a peaceful match every once in a while!"

Now, Claude really, really wanted her away from his brother. Doesn't she have a machine to decipher?

Gritting his teeth in his annoyance, he floated closer to the two.

'Too close! Get away from him!'

"Oh! William! Photoboy here is friendly!"

"I'd...appreciate greatly if you would be so kind and retain from... addressing me such way. It's...slightly offending to my person."

'Slightly?!'

"Oh! Sorry!"

"It's okay."

'No, it's not!'

There was a sudden voice of a choking sound, coming from a certain grey-haired someone. Claude looked at him, with furrowed brows. 

He reminded him of a mouse.

"And what do we have here? A new face?" Joseph looked slightly intrigued, curiously watching the embarrassed boy, who was fidgeting on his feet, not once taking his eyes off of the ground.  

As if it was the most interesting thing he could see.

"Oh! That's Aesop."

Softly humming for himself, Joseph slowly walked to the side of the anxious-looking boy, surprising said person while doing so.

"Aesop was it? I've been looking forward to meeting you. The others couldn't stop speaking of you." Smiling gently at the stiffened embalmer, Joseph bowed before him.

"W-were they?" 

'Brother dearest. That's the fakest smile I've ever seen on your face.' shaking his head with a slight frown on his lips, Claude floated closer to the boy. 'What's with this behaviour? He is trying to be polite! The least thing you could do is to return his greeting!' 

He saw the boy tremble slightly, trying to look smaller, certainly uncomfortable with Joseph being too close to him, before nodding his head at the hunter before him.

"A-Aesop Carl. My name. Uhm." taking hold of himself, he lifted his head up, meeting the other's unnaturally blue gaze for a mere second, before dropping his eyes back to the ground. "I-it's nice to meet you."

Joseph seemed to understand the situation better then Claude did, because the next moment, his expression shifted to a gentle, understanding one, taking a few steps back, giving more space to the embalmer, who seemed to appreciate the effort greatly.

Letting an annoyed huff out, Claude lifted an eyebrow, carefully sizing the boy up before him. 

'What's it with you? Such a strange person.'  he also chose to float away, not noticing the other's form dropping some of its obvious tension, calming down a little. 

Looking at his brother, he wondered when would this match end. It seemed ridiculous. If he wasn't catching them, why bother coming here at all?

Oh, never mind. He could recall Hastur explaining to him that they were forced to attend those matches, bound by an invisible power.

Or something like that. The god had a certain way with words. 

"Well. It was nice finally meeting you. I will leave you to your decoding now." he bowed before the boy again, before walking away, going to the direction of another cipher machine- the one that the girl from before went to.

'Why must you meet that girl again? She was basically drooling all over you!'

The embalmer flinched slightly back as if he heard him shouting after his brother's retreating form.

Wait.

Wasn't it the Embalmer who was with Hastur's bird-boy on that match not long ago?

The one that saw him.

God, how did he forget about that?

Turning back to the male, he noticed that he was still slightly stiff, nervously working on the machine, trying to look anywhere but him. It was so obvious it made Claude a little angry. Furrowing his brows, with his eyes narrowed, he could feel irritation rising, crawling beneath his skin. 

Because how dare him! How dare him trying to ignore Claude! 

'You can hear me right?'

Chapter Text

'You can hear me, right?'

There was no reaction. The boy trembled a little, but that was all. He didn't turn his head towards Claude, he didn't answer, nor did he acknowledge his presence. 

Well, two can play the game, little Mouse. 

Completely ignoring the other's need for personal space, he floats closer to the stiffened boy, taking a peek at the machine he was currently trying to decode. 

It was around 50% by now- though it seemed the Embalmer was the only one doing his job, because there wasn't a single machine finished yet. Claude wondered what the other three was doing. Probably fooling around with his brother. Which made Claude slightly frustrated. On one hand, he wanted to go and keep the little rascals away from his brother, and on the other, he didn't want to leave his new... friend alone. 

It was fun messing with him, okay?

So, for now, Claude decided to keep lurking around the other boy.

'Are you playing dumb or you actually can't see me? Was I just imagining things before?'

Still no reaction. Huh. 

Humming softly under his breath, Claude took a closer look at the decoding Embalmer. He was wearing a white medical mask, that was covering the lower partion of his face, a pair of white medical glowes, dark grey pants with a matching jacket, and a pair of elegant, black dress shoes. He had messy grey hair combed slightly to the left side, tied into a rat-tail, keeping most of it out of his face. He wondered excatly how long it would be unbound. Probably around shoulder-length. 

He couldn't see much of his face. What he could see though, was that pair of big, slightly sunken, silver eyes, with long, grey eyelashes, and sickly pale, white skin.

It made Claude feel a little bit of sympathy for the boy. Was he sick or something?

He hoped that wasn't the case- though it would explain why he was trembling so much. Maybe he had a cold? The poor thing! 

'Are you cold, little Mouse?'  it wouldn't be too suprising if that was the case. It was pretty cold here after all. 

'Anyways! I must leave you here, decoding in piece now! I have a brother to protect after all! See you later, little Mouse!'

 Waving cheerfully at the boy, who might or might not see him, Claude took off, fully intending to find his brother and get the survivors to leave him alone. 

This map was a big one. What was it called again? Leo's something? He couldn't quite remember it.

Well. Anyways.

This place was his favorite one so far. It was covered by fresh, blindingly white snow, that never seemed to cease falling from the sky, though it didn't seem to became any bigger than it was, nor did it ever melt away. The sky was slightly dark, with a few stray rays of the sunshine still lingering behind. Time seemed to be frozen in this place, the twilight never really going away. 

In the center of the map, there was a big factory building, that had two floors in it: one on the ground level, and another one that could be accessed by a staircase either from outside or from the inside. There were many pine trees, covered by the snow, a big christmas tree between a ruined building's crumbling walls and an abandoned, empty old shack, that could be found not too far from the other bigger one. 

All in all, this was a great place for both the survivors and the hunters. Especially when the latter one decided to go easy on their opponents. 

Finally finding his brother with the three survivors, Claude let out a relieved sigh. Joseph seemed to be having fun, playing around with the others. They were having a snowball fight by the looks of it. 

To be honest, Claude found it a little sad. Looking at the three laughing survivors, he thought of the Embalmer, completely alone, working on that machine. Wasn't he lonely? He must be. 

He slightly regretted leaving the boy alone now. 

And he might also feel just a little bit of disappointment as he was watching them play, with a longing expression on his face. It wasn't fair. Joseph was his brother! He should be the one keeping him company! He should be the one to make him have that cheerful expression on his face!

'I want to play with them too...'

He couldn't bear watching them anymore, so tearing his gaze away, he decided to go back to the Embalmer. 

It wasn't too hard to find him again. He just needed to follow the sound of the beeping machine. By the time he got there, the boy was done with two more of them, currently working on the fourth one, barely making any process on it.

'It's not fair. They are having fun, laughing, playing in the snow, and we are here all alone.' he took a deep breath, floating to the side of the other male, not looking at his face, just staring blankly into the distance. 

'You must be quite lonely too, hm? I know the feeling. Before the Feaster, I was completely alone too. You know. Being surrounded by so many people, but not being able to interact with them at all. Silently watching them from the side lines.'

And wasn't that a painful thing to do? Watching the living, yearning to be part of them, to have a place with them, even though deep inside he knew that it will never really happen to him. 

Such a cruel reality he had. To get a new chance at life, yet not being able to really live. 

He was just a bystander. A watcher.

'I hate this, you know? I couldn't tell it to Hastur, because I didn't want him to see me as a whiny brat.'  he wasn't even sure whether the Embalmer heard him or not. And that was probably the reason he dared to talk to him like that. 'I hate it. I can't talk to my brother, I cannot touch him, I cannot make him smile. He doesn't even know that I am around. That I had never really left him.'  he was laughing bitterly. 'I wasn't there for him when he needed me the most.'

'I am so useless.' he was chuckling darkly at himself, looking up to the sky. 'Even now that I am here, I cannot do anything.' he closed his eyes, forcing a sorrowful, bitter smile onto his lips. 'How pathetic. Here am I, whining like a spoiled brat, to a person that can't even hear me.'

He was ready to go away again, wanting to be alone for a while. He didn't understand himself. Why was he feeling this way? He should be happy that his brother was having fun! Not whining about not being able to play with him! He was so stupid. Ridiculous. 

Pathetic. 

"I-I don't think you are pathetic." hearing the silent voice of the Embalmer, Claude's eyes widened dramatically, taking a sharp turn, looking at the other. The boy held his gaze down on the ground as he faced him, playing with his hands anxiously. As if he was afraid of the other's reaction.

'Y-you can hear me? For real? I am not imagining things, right?'  Claude couldn't beleive his ears. Yes, he thought the other might see and hear him, but he didn't get his hopes high up. It just didn't seem possible. Hastur was one thing, as a god, it wasn't that surprising that he saw him, but the embalmer had absolutely no reason to be able to do it. 

So how? How was this possible?

"I..I can. I thought I was h-hallucinating before."

'Oh.'

"I am...sorry." Claude could see the other boy gulping slightly. Why was he so anxious? "I d-didn't mean to...upset you."

'It's okay! I am just surprised, that's all!'

"W-what's your name?"

'I am Claude Desaulnier! It's nice to meet you!'

"Y-yeah." there was a few minutes of silence. "Are you a... ghost?"

'Mnn. I am not sure what I am. I only know that I died a very long time ago!' at the word "died", the Embalmer suddenly lifted his head up, looking at him with wide silver eyes. He seemed oddly curious, looking at Claude with wonder in his eyes. 'I...didn't scare you, right?'

"No!" he shook his head quickly, taking a few steps closer. "W-what's it like to be dead?"

'Uhm.'  the question made Claude slightly uncomfortable. 'It was... good?'  he wasn't sure how to describe what he felt on the matter. 'I was relieved when it finally happened. I was..tired. And... it was strangely pieceful.'

"I..see."

'Mnn.'  he really didn't know what else to say. 'Sooo. You are the Embalmer? Aesop Carl, right?'

"Yes."

'Oh! How is it in the survivors side? I've never been there before!'

"It's okay, I guess."

'Do you have your own rooms too? Like the hunters?'

"Yes..."

'What do you do when you aren't in matches? Oh! How often do you have matches? Which hunter do you hate the most? Who is your fa-'  

"S-slower, please."

'Oh, you are right! Sorry! I got a little carried away.' looking at the other's distressed expression, Claude chuckled softly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

 "It's okay..."

'So! What do you do in your free time?'

"Reading. Practicing my embalming skills. Painting."

'It sounds interesting!'

"Mn."

'Do you get called to play often?'

"N-no. At least twice a week, five times at most."

'Do you like playing?'  hearing that particular question, the boy trembled slightly, as if he was ashamed by the answer he was about to give.

"I d-do."

'Is that wrong?' 

"N-noone else seems to like them."

'So why do you like it?'

"It..." he looked slightly distressed, shaking his head, trying to look as small as possible. 

'You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable!'

"N-no! I want to! It's just..." taking a hold on himself, Aesop looked up, with a determined expression on his face. "I like playing because...it makes me feel alive."

'Oh.'

Blinking stupidly at the other boy, Claude was wondering what he meant by that. He didn't feel alive if he wasn't playing? Or was he attached to the adrenaline? To the rush? 

The thrill of the hunt, as Jack said that time before.

'I don't think I understand, but it's okay!'

"R-right."

'Oh! I remember seeing you on that match with the Seer! Is he your friend?'

"I..don't know. He is very kind to me though." 

'Huh?'  frowning a little at the other, Claude tilted his head to the side, with his innocent, pale eyes looking straight at the Embalmer's confused face. 'How can you not know whether someone is your friend or not?'

"I-" he gulped slightly, shifting his gaze, fixating it onto the ground again. "I am not sure how this works. I don't... I don't really have... friends."

'What!' shouting a little with his eyes opened wide, Claude made the slightly frightened boy jump, flinching back at the sound of his voice. 'No friends? Why? You seem like a nice guy! A little jumpy but still!'

"I-I don't know. People don't like me very much..."

'Why?'

"T-they think I am annoying. B-because of my habits. A-and my job."

'That's just stupid!'  huffing in clear annoyance, Claude floated closer to the boy, expression shifting, his lips forming a soft, warm smile as he took the Embalmer's hands into his own ones.

Well, he tried, but his touch went straight through the other's. 

Stupid ghost body!

'People are just stupid! Everyone deserves a friend! I will be your friend!'  frowning slightly at the stiff looking Embalmer, he choosed to correct himself. 'Can I be your friend?'

"Are y-you sure? I am not the best person to be around."

'Nonsense!'

"...alright, then." He bowed down slightly before Claude. "P-please take care of me..."

'I will!'

Chapter Text

The recently unfolded events in the manor were quite... confusing for Aesop, to say at least. 

Even though he has been in this place for a few months now, he still didn’t get used to the others. There were so many of them. He had a hard time pairing the faces with the names, making his job as a survivor much harder than it could have been. Because how was he supposed to work together with them if he couldn’t even remember their names properly? Teamwork was an essential part of this game, and to be completely honest, Aesop wasn’t any good at it. Communicating with them, helping them, decoding with them... hell, even having them around made him an anxious, trembling mess.

So, Aesop’s greatest challenge with this game wasn’t the fact that they were being chased around, hurt or even getting temporally murdered by some merciless killer. No. His greatest, biggest problem laid with the survivors. 

He couldn’t understand them, couldn’t work together with them. He was physically unable to do that. Aesop tried, really. He tried to be a good teammate. But...

He simply just wasn’t meant to be one. 

It also didn’t help his case, that on his first few matches, he basically sought the hunters out, desperately wanting to experience death. He wanted to grasp the feeling; he wanted to understand it so much, he just forgot about everything else.

Which, of course, drove his teammates mad. They started to call him “suicidal Embalmer”. 

So, it wasn’t surprising at all that no one wanted to have him in their team. It was okay, though. In their position, he would also hate to be forced into putting up with himself. 
He wasn’t a very pleasant person after all. 

At least, those matches didn’t happen too often, so he had a little time preparing himself mentally for the inevitable pain they would cause him. Normally, there would be two matches each day, the first one usually around midday, sometimes a few hours past that, with the last one starting exactly at 7 pm, never sooner, nor later. The people that had to participate in those matches received an invitation letter, bought to them by Miss Nightingale, whose role in the manor was something similar to a caretaker. She was the one connecting the survivors and the hunters to the owner of the manor, bringing them their letters, their new costumes, the items that the others were calling accessories, and of course, she was the one to introduce the new people to their faction. 

Aesop himself was also welcomed and introduced by her, which was a huge surprise when he arrived first. He didn’t expect to see someone like her. Hell, he didn’t even know that after stepping a foot inside this cursed place, he would never be able to leave, bound to the manor, forced to play this twisted game of hide and seek. Forever. 

Or so he was told.

And wasn’t it funny? Every person in this place was here for one reason or another. Most of the survivors were promised that if they won the game, their wishes would come true. 

It was all a lie. A trick to get them coming here. It was all clear to Aesop, who at this point, was so used to such trickery, he could recognize one anywhere. 

And there was no way for them to win, anyway. Even if they managed to win a round, to escape from the hunter, they would just get teleported back here right after they stepped outside of that gate. And everything would start anew, again and again. It was an endless circle, one that you could never escape. It didn’t really matter whether you won or lose.

It didn’t matter how many times you bleed out, or how many times you were sent away on one of those rocket chairs. Everything would remain the same.

Aesop would know. Before the changes made to his abilities, he was used to being left for dead, bleeding out slowly on the cold, dirty ground. He didn’t blame the hunters, though. It was always him seeking them out, making their job easier. He let them catch up to him; he didn’t even try to get away. 

At first, he was treated the same way by them as the other survivors were. After they downed him, he was placed onto that rocket chair, only to be surprised by the way he melted away, rescuing himself from the chair, resurrecting in the coffin he set up not long before getting found by the hunter.

So, he couldn’t really blame the hunters, that after they got used to his annoying ability, they countered it by simply letting him bleed out. 

And to be honest, he wanted to bleed. He wanted to experience it. It was the closest he could ever get to his death in this place. 

Not that he wanted to die, even though it must have looked like that for everyone else. No. Aesop wasn’t suicidal. He just wanted to understand death, he wanted to know what it was like, how it would feel to truly die. And being in that place made it possible for Aesop to gain that knowledge. 

So how could he, who has been fascinated by death for as long as he could remember, let such a chance go? How was he supposed to let it go to waste? 

Though, this was not the only thing that made him want to play this game as often as possible. 

Because being in those matches, being hunted and hurt so many times, again and again without an end, made Aesop feel things he had never felt before. 

It was strange. The fact that he had to come here, to get hurt so many times, to almost die before he could slowly start appreciating his own life. He felt... strangely alive. Every time he was inside a match, he felt as if someone lifted those heavy burdens off of his shoulders. As if someone just sucked out all that apathy, that emptiness he was so used to feeling every day of his damned, miserable life.

He felt fear when he was being chased around, the sudden wave of panic washing through him each time he messed something up, and the giddiness, the satisfaction when he managed to fool their tormentors, the cocky happiness every time he slipped out of their claws.

It was... fascinating. All those feelings were his, and his alone, finally setting him free from his misery. 

Making him feel whole again.

And so, so alive.

His relationship with the other survivors was... less than ideal to say at least. He couldn't really say that he was on bad terms with them, but they were way too loud and annoyingly nosy for his liking. Of course, it wasn't true for every one of them, there are always a few exceptions. For example, the Grave keeper was almost as quiet as he was, obviously preferring to be left alone, rarely if ever showing his face outside of matches, and of course, the lunch they all had to take together every day. There was one huge difference between the two of them though, and it was the little fact, that Andrew actually had friends.

Well, more like, he had people that refused to leave his side.

It was okay with Aesop though. He was somewhat happy that the other wasn't completely alone anymore.

And if he wanted to be honest, he also wasn't all alone. He had Eli, who was probably the closest thing he could ever consider a friend, though still not quite there yet.

Yeah. Everyone deserved an Eli in their life.

Was that even a thing?

“Hello, Aesop. You seem troubled. Is something the matter?”

Blinking blankly at the other, the embalmer was completely stunned for a moment. Because when did he even get here? Frowning slightly, he turned his gaze to the floor, avoiding the other boy's curious eyes.

He always avoided eye contact with others. It was a habit he picked up when he was still young. He wasn't sure why it happened, or what might have caused it. He remembered his life with Jerry Carl, the man he, at some point, saw as a father figure, though the idea left his mind pretty quickly.

A father would not treat their child the way Mr Carl treated him.

“G-good morning.” damned stutter. “I am okay. I was just thinking.”

“Oh, I see.” smiling at him warmly, Eli invited himself into his room, which made Aesop slightly nervous. It was hard, getting used to people invading his personal space. Even if he knew that the Seer meant well, he couldn't help expecting the worse.

It was also something he could thank Mr Carl for.

“W-what do you need?”

“Oh! I just came to remind you we have a match in an hour or so.”

“I-I completely forgot. I should g-get ready.”

“Which costume will you be wearing today? I am thinking about taking my Night Owl.”

“T-that costume looks good on you... I- I think I will bring my original one.”

“Thank you for the compliment! No fancy clothing today, then?”

“N-no.”

It wasn't that he didn't like his costumes. They looked nice and most of them were quite comfortable to wear. He just didn't really like wearing them too often. He felt like a clown wearing them.

“Oh, I see.” chuckling lightly under his breath, Eli sighed softly, with a gentle, warm expression on his face. As if he understood. “I should get ready too. I will see you in the lobby!”

“Y-yeah. See you...”

Staring blankly at the other's retreating form, Aesop took a sharp, shaky breath. He wasn't afraid of Eli, no. What he feared was being stabbed in the back after he got his defences down. And... He also wasn't sure how to react to him, how to act around him. He should really treat him better, he knew that the boy deserved it. He was always considerate of him, never pushed him too far. The other's concern towards him seemed truly genuine like he really wanted to be his friend. But still...

How should he know for sure? He never really had friends, he didn't even know how to act properly around other people, so how could he know what can be considered friendly?

What if he assumed wrong? What if he would be misunderstood?

There were so many things that could go wrong, and... and...

People are so scary...

The match was in Arms Factory, with their hunter being the Feaster. The ones he had to work with were Eli, the Prisoner and the Gardener. His relationship with the latter two was kinda neutral. Gardener seemed to have her own little word, and she was usually busy tending to the gardens that were surrounding the manor. She seemed to be on good terms with Emily, the Doctor. The two of them had the best relationship with the hunters, they were willing to talk to them, often seeking them out even outside of matches, for whatever reason Aesop failed to understand. Okay, he might not hate the hunters, and he tried to be less of an asshole to them, unlike some of the other survivors, but he was still kinda afraid of them. Who knew what kind of persons they really were?

So, thank you very much, but Aesop would rather stay away from them.

Outside of matches, of course.

“Focus on decoding!” shouted the Prisoner from somewhere across the map, getting a hit right after.

So, decoding was up to them.

To be honest, he didn't know what to think about the boy. He was loud, nosy and he had a really, really bright personality. He was always seeking out trouble, and he was talking way too much for his liking. But he was an okay person to be teamed up with. Definitely better than the Lawyer or the Magician. Those two made Aesop tremble in fear.

They were really scary.

“Don't move, I am coming!” came the sudden voice of the Gardener, as she was marching past Aesop, running to the direction of the Prisoner, who was currently getting chaired by the hunter.

Memorizing the girl's appearance, Aesop quickly placed the coffin down beside himself, not wasting any time by trying to find a better, safer location for it.

After all, he will be able to move it after he was done embalming the girl.

Was it stupid to give the coffin away so early?

Probably. But Aesop was afraid of her getting annoyed at him for not helping her, so he did it anyway.

Finishing his work as quickly as he could without messing the makeup up, Aesop could hear the Gardener's voice as she was finished rescuing the prisoner from the rocket chair.

“Thank you!”

“Come on, keep it up!” this time it was the Seer shouting the words, as he was finished decoding the first machine. Aesop quickly went back to his own, half-finished one.

By the time he was done with it, Prisoner was already sent flying. The Gardener was containing the hunter for quite some time now, with Eli already using up his owl to aid her, giving her a little more time.

Not too much of it actually. The Feaster hit the girl with a tentacle first, which was blocked by the owl, and not too long after that, he hit him with one of his charged attacks.

The gardener was downed immediately.

“Sorry..” came the voice of the Seer, that was running towards his direction.

He probably wanted to decode together after wasting time spectating the girl.

...He did know that Aesop decoded much slower if he was doing it with someone, right?

Letting out a silent, defeated sigh, Aesop activated his skill, rescuing the girl before she could be picked up by the hunter. Unfortunately for her though, Aesop completely forgot to take the chair to a different place, so it didn't take the Feaster much time catching up to her. One well-placed tentacle was all it took to down her again, this time with no owl or coffin to save her from her fate.

He was getting ready to go and rescue, but he was stopped suddenly by her voice.

“Don't rescue me!”

Never mind then.

“Sorry...”

“Sorry...”

He and Eli shouted back at the same time, meeting up to try and rush the ciphers while the hunter was camping.

“Let's finish it quickly, okay?”

“Mn.” they started to work on the cipher together, with comfortable silence falling upon them, that was- unfortunately- broken by the slightly shook Eli, who had confusion written all over his face.

“Lord Hastur is acting strange. I saw him talking to himself while I was spectating. It was slightly unsettling. I think he got Luca so fast because it scared him too.”

“O-oh.” he really didn't know how to respond to that. “M-maybe he is just...troubled? T-thinking out loud.”

Eli seemed to be thinking for a while, but he shook his head slightly. “It didn't seem like that. It was like he had a conversation with someone. But there was no one else besides him and Emma.”

“Strange.”

“Yeah...”

The Gardener was sent back to the manor, leaving the two of them all alone with the hunter, who seemed to have absolutely no problem finding them.

Of course, he didn't have any problems. The tentacles showed him where they were.

Their hearts started beating fast as icy, uncontrollable fear filled them up, signalling that the hunter was getting closer to them, yet none of them moved an inch from their place.

What was the reason for that?

Because the hunter wasn't alone.

'Which one is the Embalmer ?'

His eyes opened wide, Aesop was sure he must be gaping behind his mask. Who was this? Why was he here? Was he helping the hunter? Wasn't that considered cheating?

The person, that was floating beside the Feaster was... a very pretty, young boy. He was really short too, probably around the high of the Mechanic, no, even smaller than her, who was the shortest of them all.

This boy couldn't even reach the hunter's hips.

He had slightly curly platinum blond hair, with small, messy bangs, that were swept to the left side, the rest of his locks unbound, neither too long nor too short, barely reaching his shoulders. His hair was framing gently his young face, in complete harmony with his milky, porcelain white skin. He had pale, large crystal blue eyes and long white eyelashes. His skin looked flawless, his frame small and fragile. He was way too skinny for it to be healthy. He was wearing a simple, old fashioned white shirt, and black pants, with a dark blue, almost grey coat, that was embellished with silver embroidery along the front and in the back. The cuffs of the sleeves were similarly decorated. His small form had a slightly bluish glow to it, making him look totally out of place.

And god, he looked so young it felt wrong seeing him here.

He seemed to be around the age of the Dream Witch's followers.

“The one with the mask on.”

Eli flinched back slightly, confusion flashing through his face, turning his head to look around as if he was searching for someone, which made Aesop even more confused.

Because what the hell, Eli? There was a kid right before him! So why was he acting as if...

As if he couldn't see the strange boy?

'The other is the Seer with the owl?' the child looked at Eli, with badly hidden curiosity washing through his expression. He poked Aesop's teammate in the side slightly, which made the latter freeze in place. The strange boy was grinning at them, floating closer to their sides, clearly enjoying their reactions to his presence.

'Are they always reacting this way when they see you? It must hurt a lot.'

Why was this person acting as if they couldn't hear him?

Blinking at the boy stupidly, he took a quick glance at the other beside him, getting even more confused by the other's strange expression.

"No. This is new. They are usually just afraid."

Huh?

'Oh.' the strange person floated (floated!!) closer to Aesop and Eli, who in return, got even more stiffened, taking a few steps back. Aesop was following the boy's movement with his eyes, not liking the way he got so close to them. His whole body was trembling and ready to take off anytime now. The floating person looked at him, movements stopped midway, getting surprised and there was someone else flashing on his face. Maybe wonder?

Aesop wasn't any good at reading emotions.

'Uhm. Can you, by any chance, see me?' he sounded breathless, eagerly waiting for Aesop's reply, who could only nod at the question shakily.

'Hastur! Why can a human see me? I thought only you can! And maybe the black stick, the white one didn't seem to react to me.'

What was he talking about? Why shouldn't he see him? And what sticks?

What the hell was going on?

"Mn. The Black Guard indeed can. And it seems so can the Embalmer."

'But how?' 

"Ahh. Lord Hastur. What's...what's happening? I can sense another person, but I can't see them or hear them anywhere."

Huh? Huh!?

Did it mean that Eli couldn't see this boy? But then how could Aesop do it? It supposed to be the other way around! Eli was the seer, not him!

"It's not something you need to worry about."

What kind of answer was that?! And why did Eli seem to accept that?

Just what on earth was going on?

Chapter Text

The match against the Feaster was over before Aesop could process the meeting with the strange child.

And to be fair, he didn't really have time to think about the apparition, not with the hunter close on his tail. He couldn't afford to lose focus, he couldn't get distracted, he needed to concentrate to get away, to give the Seer some time to finish the remaining decoders.

He has been containing the hunter for quite some time, only getting chaired once by the god. Eli, bless his sweet, pure soul, would never leave a teammate behind, so he was rescued pretty quickly, getting body blocked by the Seer, which gave him just enough time to gain some distance between the annoyed hunter and himself, even managing to place a coffin down.
It was...slightly suspicious, to be honest. There were so many tentacles placed down around his rocket chair, which made rescuing seem like an almost impossible task for Aesop. So how? How did Eli do it? And without a scratch?

Was the hunter letting it happen? It looked like he was missing those hits on purpose.

Not that he was complaining, at least he had a little more time to get away.

But still. It just didn't make any sense to Aesop. Why would a hunter, who was not being friendly, go easy on a survivor? He didn't understand.

"Cipher machine primed!" letting out a relieved sigh, Aesop let the Feaster hit him with a tentacle, falling to the ground immediately, only to get back up completely healed a few seconds later, with a sudden boost of speed, getting just to the right distance from the angry hunter.

"Focus on decoding!" vaulting a window, Aesop used the boost he gained to get closer to the gate Eli was currently opening. He really, really hoped the boy will be finished with it by the time he gets there. Though he still had a coffin set up, so even if he would be caught by the Feaster he would have a chance escaping.

Fortunately, though, he didn't need to use the coffin, because the hunter gave up. He wasn't chasing him anymore, just lazily slithering behind him, with the chattering ghost following him closely. It was...strange, and confusing and... and...

There was a sudden, sharp stabbing pain in Aesop's head, as the world started to spin around him. He felt nauseous. He wanted to throw up.

He wanted out.

He didn't want to get involved in whatever was happening with those two. He didn't want to think about the child anymore.

So, desperately wanting to get out of there, to finally be able to hide away inside the safety of his room, he ran towards the exit, barely muttering a "thank you" and a "sorry" for the Seer, who was waiting for him silently right before the gate, and he left immediately, never once looking back.

He didn't even notice the worried looks that were sent after his disappearing form, nor the confused frown that appeared on his teammate's face the moment Aesop ran past him.

It didn't take long for him to reach the end of the gate, barely noticing the bright flash of white light, as he was taken back to the manor, reappearing in the lobby, sitting on the chair around the table, as if he had never truly left the place. As if he wasn't just playing the game of the damned.

Barely resisting the urge to jump out of the chair and run for his room, Aesop slowly stood up, carefully walking to the door, opening it wide with his shaking hands.

He felt like suffocating. He just couldn't breathe.

Why? Why was he having a panic attack right now? Nothing serious even happened! No one touched him, no one spoke to him that way. So why? Why was he feeling this way? God, he hated this. He loathed it, with a burning passion.

Why just why couldn't he be more normal?

He couldn't resist the urge anymore. He chose to flee, running straight for his room, praying that he wouldn't knock into anyone before he could reach his destination. He really wasn't in the mood right now, afraid of what his reaction would be if he'd be confronted by someone like the Lawyer, or worse, the Doctor. He just can't deal with the worried looks she would give him every time he had one of his episodes.

He had absolutely no idea how to deal with people who cared. He just... wasn't really used to it. How could he be? He never had people who gave a damn about him. Well, that wasn't completely true. He had his mother when he was a baby, she loved him. Probably. There wasn't much he could remember of her. A flash of a warm, broken smile, a pair of teary, ice-blue eyes and long silver hair. It was all he could recall. Though, sometimes he had dreamed of her. In his dreams, she was a strong, beautiful, independent woman, who protected dream Aesop with the same fierceness a tiger would protect its cubs. In his dreams, his mother sang to him a sweet, but sorrowful lullaby in a language, Aesop couldn't understand.

When he was still young and hopeful, Aesop used to daydream about her coming back for him, taking him with her far away from all that suffering.

But it was just a delusion, a sweet, silly wish, one that his adoptive father didn't let him cherish for too long.

Aesop became obsessed with death on that faithful day. His dreams were no longer about a lively, beautiful woman, no, they twisted into a dark, painful fantasy of a dead mother coming to take her son away, to claim him again as hers, and bring him with herself to a world where no one could hurt him ever again.

His twisted thoughts made it impossible for him to find anyone he could call a friend. He learned, that humans were quick to judge and throw the outcast aside, turning a blind eye to everything that happened in that cursed house Aesop would never call home.

But it was okay. Aesop preferred it that way. Even now.

He preferred dealing with his little problems himself, alone, without anyone interfering.

Thankfully though, there was no one out there, so he arrived into his room relatively quickly and undisturbed.

Slamming the door shut behind him, Aesop collapsed to the floor, resting his back against the door, as he felt all the strength leave his body. With each passing second, it became harder and harder to breath, his chest was clenching tightly, he could feel his heart pounding so hard he feared it would break his ribs. He felt dizzy, his throat too dry, getting the sudden urge to cry, to scream his lungs out.

But he didn't do it.

He couldn't do it.

What was the point anyways?

He hugged his knees close to his chest, slowly starting to rock himself back and forth, trying to calm his breath, using the simple method of counting backwards as he was breathing rhythmically in and out. It always worked before.

He didn't get up, nor did he move away until he managed to fully calm himself down. Which took more time than he would have liked it. Luckily though, he didn't have panic attacks as often as he used to have them. He felt as if this horrendous place was strangely helping him, in its own twisted way.

Was it wrong that he didn't really want to leave anymore? Unlike the others? It was simply unimaginable, thinking about going back to his old life. Aesop didn't miss that life at all. Could it even be considered a life? For Aesop, it sure didn't felt like it. He might have been alive, yes, but not living.

He simply just existed there.

Aesop was having a match again. It took place in Leo's Memory, and it was the last match for the week, starting exactly at seven in the evening. His teammates were the Parfumer, the Forward and the Explorer. Not the best team he could be forced to be part of, but there wasn't a thing he could do.

It wasn't that he hated them. They were just a little...scary for him. Especially the Forward. He wouldn't say that the man was a bad person, he never really gave Aesop a reason to think that, but he looked strong and buffed and Aesop was afraid of what he could do to him. Even looking at him, towering over the Explorer, loosely placing his bulky, muscular arm around the smaller male's shoulders made Aesop flinch back anxiously. He imagined those arms around his thin frame, squeezing tightly, and his bones would break, with a loud, piercing crack and it would hurt, hurt so much-

"Aesop?" his rising panic was interrupted by Eli's uncertain, uncharacteristically silent voice, as the man was sitting down beside him. There was some kind of emotion flashing through the other's face, which Aesop had a little trouble understanding.

Maybe it was concern? Or worry? He wasn't really sure.

"Y-yes?" his voice was shaking again. He hoped the other didn't notice his almost panic-attack. 

"I-I had a... vision?" he sounded unsure as if he was questioning himself.

"?"

"About you."

"O-oh."

"Something is going to happen. To you. You will...meet someone? And it will change things. For the better or for the worse, I don't know. "

"W-what? W-who?"

"I... I really don't know. I didn't see much. My powers aren't working as they should since... since I came here" he was biting onto his lips, and Aesop was sure, that beneath the blindfold he was frowning. "I am worried, Aesop..." lifting his face up, he turned to Aesop, as if he was looking right into the other's gaze. Which was impossible thanks to that piece of clothing that was covering his eyes. "Please be careful."

"I-I will be." Nodding thankfully at the boy, he turned his focus back to his lunch, planning to finish it as quickly as he could. He was almost done with it by the time the Mercenary arrived, looking slightly annoyed and breathless, with his hair messy, clothing hanging loosely around his small but muscular frame, and his cheeks were burning red. Seeing the boy in such a state made Aesop confused. Why was he always late for lunch? And why was he like that? Was he running? Or exercising? Yeah, that sounded like him, so probably.

Why else would he be in such a state?

The boy looked around, and as he noticed Eli and Aesop sitting alone in the corner, his face suddenly lit up, starting to march towards their direction, hopping into the empty seat beside Aesop. Naib was a... slightly enthusiastic person, who was surprisingly easy to get along with, even for someone like him. He was friends with Eli, Aesop was sure of that, but he wasn't sure whether the other boy saw him as a friend or not. Probably not. 

"Hey, Carl, Eli!" greeting the two of them with a huge, silly grin on his face, Naib started placing an impossible amount of food into his platter, making Aesop flinch slightly back on his seat. How was he even able to devour that amount of food? It would be enough for at least a month for Aesop!  

"H-hello."

"Oh, right! before I forget: Jack said you are facing the Photo dude tonight!"

"A-ahh. Did you have the match against him again?" 

Naib was matched against the Ripper way too often, so it wouldn't really surprise him.

"U-uh. You can say that." he was laughing awkwardly at Aesop, lifting a hand up to run his fingers through his already messed up hair. Honestly, this reaction just confused him even more. If it was possible. He saw Eli chuckling under his breath with a mocking smile as he was looking at the Mercenary, which made said man blush again. 

What the hell?

"T-thank you for telling me."

"It's fine!"

"Oh! You haven't met Joseph yet, right?"

"Yeah.."

"What?!" Naib was shouting in surprise, making a few faces to turn in their direction, which of course, earned a silent glare from Aesop. "Sorry... But, what do you mean you haven't met with the baguette demon yet?"

"Baguette demon??" Eli was choking on his drink, looking at the Mercenary's direction with an unimpressed expression. "Really, Naib? No wonder he never spares you!" he was scolding the other now. Great. "Seriously, what's with those nicknames?"

"Well, I could go back calling him old french fuck, but Ja-" he cleared his throat as if they didn't know he wanted to say Jack. Sometimes, Aesop was really concerned for his maybe-friend. This obsession with the Ripper was anything but normal. Or healthy for that matter. "a certain... person said he will wash my mouth with soap if I ever call the baguette man that." he was pouting at them as if it was the greatest injustice that could ever happen to him.

"Well. He is right. It's extremely rude to call someone that."

"Et Tu, Eli, my son!" he sounded betrayed, with his pouted lips and his widened eyes. 

"I am not your son, Naib."

"Oh, right. You are more like my mum."

"I can't even begin to describe how annoyed I am with you right now."

"Sorry, mum."

"I am not your mum."

"Sure thing mum."

"..." Eli just let out a long, suffering sigh at the other's antics. "Just eat, Naib."

"Mnn!" he dug into his food. "Oh, by the way, Aesop! You seriously have not played against Photoboy?" 

Aesop just shook his head as a reply. He really did not meet with the hunter, yet. He has been here for so long, but for some reason, the owner of the manor still haven't matched them up. Well, until now.

He had to admit, he was actually looking forward to their meeting. He has been hearing many stories of the Photographer and saw the exhausted looks the others were wearing every time they got back from a match against the man. 

The Prisoner started to call him "Terror King" after his second round against him. And for a good reason. 

Aesop was strangely curious after hearing that title, so he developed the habit of sneakily listening in to the conversations concerning the hunter. He saw the girls talking about him with a dreamy expression on their faces many times, annoying their teammates with their constant rambling about the "beauty" of said man. It made Aesop slightly intrigued. You see, Aesop has always appreciated beautiful things. As an artist, he was always looking for perfection in everything he laid his eyes upon, aiming for it in everything he has ever done. So it wasn't really that surprising for him to be intrigued, wanting to see the person for himself, to see how beautiful he truly was.

"That's strange. Is he the only one you haven't met yet?"

"Yeah..."

"Well! Aren't you lucky? He might look nice, but he is a real beast! He rarely if ever lose, and he has the habit of scaring the shit out of people!"

"Language."

"Yes, of course," he was rolling his eyes at Eli. "But it is true! Those jump scares are a nightmare, you can never be sure that he is not around! You think he is chasing someone, even the person is thinking that and then boom! He is right behind you, hitting you before you could even process what is happening!"

"Just check the photo word every now and then, and you should be fine."

"Well, that might help."

"S-sure. I w-will do that."

The time for the match came much sooner than Aesop would have liked it. He didn't have time to mentally prepare himself, and even though he was looking forward to meeting the Photographer, he was a little afraid, not knowing what to expect. 

"Hey, Carl! Don't be so scared! We will protect you! Right, Vera?"

"Of course. I will kite the hunter while you can all decode."

"T-thank you."

He was really surprised by the way they were acting. And... was it really that obvious that he was afraid? 

Yeah, it was, who was he trying to fool? 

Thankfully they didn't speak more to him and the match started without any incident happening, which Aesop was really grateful for. Spawning near the small shack, he rushed to the border of the map, placing the coffin down behind a wall just out of sight, before running back to start decoding on a machine. He has been decoding for a while when he started to hear the voices of some people coming closer to him.

"Your welcome! And we appreciate you going easy on us. It's refreshing, having a peaceful match every once in a while!" huh? So the hunter was friendly? Why? It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, he was just... a little disappointed. He wanted to play a match seriously against one of the most feared hunters.

Taking a small peak from behind the machine, he saw the Perfumer, who was walking beside the most beautiful person Aesop has ever seen. 

He knew that the hunter would be pretty, but not to this extent! 

He had white, slightly greyish skin, unbelievably blue, glowing eyes with no irises or pupils, gorgeous, bicoloured hair, that was white on the top and dark-grey, almost black on the bottom, and was braided into a pretty french braid both sides and tied into a low ponytail in the back. He was wearing a white padded overcoat and matching, skin-tight fencing pants, with a white, slightly greyish cape that was lying loosely over his shoulders. It had dark embroidery on the lapels, the collar, and on the back. He had one bracer around his left arm and he was wearing greaves on both legs, which were all black with light, almost white embroidered details.

He wondered how he would look in the photo word. He heard from the others that the Photographer's colours were all faded, turned into different shades of grey in the real world, while in his own one he would regain all of them.

To say, that Aesop was intrigued, would be an understatement, 

'Too close! Get away from him!'  his thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of the ghost child from before. To be honest, Aesop almost forgot about him. Now, that he took a closer look at him, he looked... slightly similar to the man beside him. They strongly resembled each other, with their similar facial features. They even shared the same eye shape.

They must be related somehow.

"Oh! William! Photoboy here is friendly!"

"I'd...appreciate greatly if you would be so kind and retain from... addressing me such way. It's...slightly offending to my person." 

Listening in the conversation, Aesop found the man's voice quite pleasing to hear. It was slightly deep, but melodic at the same time, one that he wouldn't mind listening to more. 

'Slightly?!'

"Oh! Sorry!"

"It's okay."

'No, it's not!'

Aesop let out a choking sound, barely keeping the snort from coming out. It was a little... funny how the ghost acted around the Photographer. He sounded so offended, it was hilarious.

The sound made the others turn towards him, causing the boy to start panicking internally. 

Don't come here, don't come here, please don't come here...

"And what do we have here? A new face?" Joseph looked slightly intrigued, curiously watching him, as he was slowly starting to shake by the way the man was eyeing him. Aesop looked to the ground, trying to calm his pounding heart down.  

"Oh! That's Aesop."

The man hummed softly, walking to the side of Aesop with slow, leisurely steps, making him flinch back slightly, his body starting to shake, his breath caught in his throat.

The photographer reminded him of a predator, ready to strike at its prey.

"Aesop was it? I've been looking forward to meeting you. The others couldn't stop speaking of you." he bowed before Aesop, with a sweet smile forming on his lips.

It was so fake it hurt Aesop even looking at him.

Every inch of his body screamed to run, to hide from this dangerous man.

It was hard to not give in to them.

"W-were they?" 

'Brother dearest. That's the fakest smile I've ever seen on your face.' the ghost floated closer to him, making Aesop take a shaky breath, trying hard to keep his gaze on the ground.

go away go away go away go away please go away...

He was mumbling the words inside his head like a mantra, desperately wanting to flee, to gain some distance between them. Both of them.

'What's with this behaviour? He is trying to be polite! The least thing you could do is to return his greeting!' 

He didn't want to anger the ghost, so he nodded his head toward the hunter.

"A-Aesop Carl. My name. Uhm." taking a better grip on himself, he lifted his head up, meeting the other's unnaturally blue gaze for a mere second, before dropping his eyes back to the ground. He couldn't bear the sight, it made him feel funny inside. "I-it's nice to meet you."

The hunter's expression shifted to a gentle, understanding one, taking a few steps back, giving more space to Aesop, who appreciated the effort greatly.

'What's it with you? Such a strange person.' 

The ghost also chose to float a little further away, making him let a small, relieved sigh out, his form dropping some of its obvious tension, as he calmed down a little. 

"Well. It was nice finally meeting you. I will leave you to your decoding now." he bowed before the Aesop again, before walking away, going to the direction of another cipher machine- the one that the Perfumer from before went to.

'Why must you meet that girl again? She was basically drooling all over you!'  hearing the annoyed ghost's voice, Aesop decided to go back to his cipher machine, acting as if he couldn't hear him. He really, really didn't want to anger him. 

He also had a little trouble processing the fact that there was a ghost here. Did they even exist? What if he was just hallucinating?

What if he was finally losing his mind?

He decided that it was not worth it. He just needed to focus on decoding, and after he was done with this nerve-racking match, he could go and hide away in the safety of his room, where he could think everything over. 

He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't hear the angry ghost who was shouting at him.

'You can hear me right?'

Aesop didn't react. He tried very hard to keep his gaze on the beeping machine, hitting it with his trembling hand a little, silently praying for the match to be over. He wanted out and he wanted now. The ghost grew even more frustrated with him by the seems of it, as he was floating even closer to Aesop, making him stiffen even more. 

It was really, really hard to not flinch away, but he was sure that it would give him away, so he suppressed the urge to do it.

'Are you playing dumb or you actually can't see me? Was I just imagining things before?' 

He felt slightly guilty for ignoring the ghost, but he still kept his silence. The ghost came a little closer -and how was that even possible? He didn't know- making Aesop's body shudder slightly, sending a shiver down his spine.

It seemed to amuse the ghost boy.

'Are you cold, little Mouse?'  why did he call him a mouse? He wasn't an animal! 'Anyways! I must leave you here, decoding in piece now! I have a brother to protect after all! See you later, little Mouse!'

Thank god...

Aesop just hoped that he wouldn't decide to come back.

Chapter Text

To say that Aesop was irritated would be a mild understatement. 

But who would blame him, seriously? He was inside a match and for some reason, his teammates decided that decoding was not their concern, leaving Aesop to finish all five ciphers on his own. Which, of course, took way more time than he would have liked to. To be honest, Aesop kinda wished Photographer would play seriously. That way at least he wouldn't have to suffer alone, and if what people claimed of the said hunter was true, then the game would be over pretty quickly. 

He also wanted to see his performance for himself, because honestly, it was a little hard to imagine that pretty french man to be the ruthless menace Aesop thought the hunter would be. Well. According to the rumours, that he heard of him. 

He wanted to see him in action, damnit. He wanted to see how he would use his skills and that pretty sabre, how he would carry himself while he was hunting them. How he would act while hunting him. Would he grow frustrated after failing to take hits, to catch him? Would he carry himself in such elegance Aesop saw him move with not too long ago? What expression would be on that beautiful, gorgeous face?

Aesop wanted to know it all. 

But he couldn't have that now. Not when said hunter refused to take his job seriously and decided it would be better to play nice and babysit his teammates, while him, Aesop had to do all the work all alone. 

Seriously. What were they even thinking?

Gritting his teeth in his frustration, Aesop finished the third cipher machine of the match, marching to the other side of the map, trying to find another one he could work on, preferably far away from the others. He didn't want to be disturbed by them after all. 

Though it might have been better to be found by one of his teammates than the ghost that seemed to find him, slightly perking his head up as he noticed him decoding that machine, floating closer and closer, disturbing his peace. Again.

Aesop wondered why he couldn't just leave him alone. Seriously. He should leave him alone. 

He didn't give the boy any reason to stick around, so why? Just why can't he just leave?

'It's not fair. They are having fun, laughing, playing in the snow, and we are here all alone.'  the ghost sounded distressed, as he floated closer to Aesop, making him flinch slightly back. Did he not know what personal space was?

Though, looking at his young face wearing that ugly, pitiful expression, he couldn't help feeling a little bit of sympathy for the boy. He seemed... lonely? Or something like that. Well, he guessed being a ghost with only a handful of people being able to communicate with you would make that to you, though Aesop would gladly switch places with him any time. He would do anything just to have one peaceful, undisturbed day, without the need to handle all those lively people in the manor.

Well. Or people in general.

Anyways, feeling slightly bad for ignoring the boy, Aesop tried to focus his attention on the machine before him, thinking that if he ignored the other, he would eventually get bored and would leave to find something better to do. 

Oh, how wrong he was. 

'You must be quite lonely too, hm? I know the feeling. Before the Feaster, I was completely alone too. You know. Being surrounded by so many people, but not being able to interact with them at all. Silently watching them from the sidelines.'

...Well. Aesop couldn't really say that he didn't feel loneliness from time to time. Because yes, he might have liked being alone and enjoyed the peaceful silence of his room, but sometimes he truly wished he would have someone to trust and cherish. Someone he could rely on, someone that would help him escape the darkness of his own mind. Or just to be there for him when he needed them the most. A person who wouldn't judge him for all the sins he was carrying deep inside.

Someone who understood. 

But... did such a person even exist? He wasn't really sure about that.

He gave up all those hopes a very long time ago.

'I hate this, you know? I couldn't tell it to Hastur, because I didn't want him to see me as a whiny brat. I hate it. I can't talk to my brother, I cannot touch him, I cannot make him smile. He doesn't even know that I am around. That I had never really left him.'  the ghost child was laughing bitterly. 'I wasn't there for him when he needed me the most.'

Now, this was a feeling Aesop himself knew very well. 

The self-hatred. Blaming oneself for things out of their control. Been there done that. Though he might not be completely over all those feelings, the feelings he swore to himself he would bury deep inside himself.

No, he was not completely over them, not now, and he wasn't even sure if he will be able to ever leave them behind.

'I am so useless.'  the boy let out a soft, but sad chuckle 'Even now that I am here, I cannot do anything. How pathetic. Here am I, whining like a spoiled brat, to a person that can't even hear me.'

That hit him right where it hurt the most. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, cursing himself silently inside his own head.

Because this child was at least as fucked up in his head as Aesop was, and instead of helping he chose to ignore it, making it even worse for the boy. He felt... guilty. 

Feeling useless was not an unknown concept for him either. He used to feel it all the time back then when he was living with Mr Carl. It didn't matter what Aesop did or how hard he tried, the man was never truly satisfied with him. He always found something, a mistake that Aesop failed to notice, and he always expressed his disappointment towards him. 

And not once did he let Aesop go after making a mistake. His punishments were the worst. 

"I-I don't think you are pathetic." hearing his silent, slightly shaking voice, the ghost took a sharp turn, looking at Aesop, who was still very guilty for ignoring him before. He couldn't hold his gaze up, so he looked to the ground, playing with his hands anxiously. 

'Y-you can hear me? For real? I am not imagining things, right?'  

"I...I can. I thought I was h-hallucinating before." and it wasn't even a lie. Aesop still had a hard time believing his eyes and ears. He never saw a ghost before, he didn't know they existed. It was so irrational it made his head hurt. Though it wasn't as surprising as it could have been, after all, he was in this cursed manor. Nothing really made sense here.

'Oh.'

"I am...sorry." he cleared his throat, gulping a little. Was the ghost mad at him? He hoped not. "I d-didn't mean to...upset you."

'It's okay! I am just surprised, that's all!'

"W-what's your name?" he was actually curious. Was the boy somehow related to the hunter? He couldn't ask that outright though. It would be...awkward?

'I am Claude Desaulnier! It's nice to meet you!'  yes, definitely related.

"Y-yeah." for a few seconds, Aesop didn't know what to say.

Both of them were pretty nervous, that was for sure, and neither of them wanted to break the silence, though Aesop couldn't help himself asking the question that bugged him the most. "Are you a... ghost?"

'Mnn. I am not sure what I am. I only know that I died a very long time ago!' at the word "died", Aesop lifted his head up, looking at the other with his eyes widened in his surprise, though why he was so surprised he didn't know. The boy was a ghost, he had to have died at some point, obviously.

But still.

Knowing it and hearing it is not the same. 

He couldn't help looking at the other with badly hidden wonder flashing through his face. The boy- Claude, was it?- was dead. He died. 

He must have those answers then! He knew what it felt like! He must-

'I...didn't scare you, right?'  his thoughts were interrupted by the anxious-looking ghost.

"No!" he shook his head quickly, taking a few steps closer. "W-what's it like to be dead?" he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know so badly-

'Uhm.'  the question made Claude slightly uncomfortable. 'It was... good?'  there was a pause 'I was relieved when it finally happened. I was..tired. And... it was strangely peaceful.'

"I..see." 

To be honest, Aesop was slightly disappointed. He wanted to know more details, but he was sure it would be rude to ask. 

'Mnn.'  he seemed to hesitate a little. 'Sooo. You are the Embalmer? Aesop Carl, right?'

"Yes."

'Oh! How is it on the survivor's side? I've never been there before!'

"It's okay, I guess." 

'Do you have your own rooms too? Like the hunters?'

"Yes..."

'What do you do when you aren't in matches? Oh! How often do you have matches? Which hunter do you hate the most? Who is your fa-'  

Aesop's head started to spin as he was taking in all those questions. The other boy was a little...too enthusiastic. He trembled slightly, taking a step back, holding his makeup kit closely to his chest, as if it could shield him from all those words.

"S-slower, please."

'Oh, you are right! Sorry! I got a little carried away.' 

 "It's okay..."

'So! What do you do in your free time?'

"Reading. Practising my embalming skills. Painting." really, he didn't do much else. Though sometimes he would be dragged to participate in other activities by either Eli, Lucky Guy or the Mercenary. They were really...persistent when it comes to that.

'It sounds interesting!'  it wasn't really that interesting, so Aesop wasn't sure why he seemed so excited.

"Mn."

'Do you get called to play often?'

"N-no. At least twice a week, five times at most."

'Do you like playing?'  hearing that particular question, Aesop trembled slightly, not really wanting to answer the question. What if he would judge him too?

"I d-do."

'Is that wrong?'  the ghost blinked at him stupidly, not understanding why Aesop was so ashamed. 

"N-no one else seems to like them."

'So why do you like it?'  well. That was a good question, but not the easiest to answer.

"It..." he shook his head, trembling slightly, thinking hard how he could describe what he felt in those matches without revealing too much.

'You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable!'

"N-no! I want to! It's just..." taking hold of himself, Aesop looked up, with a determined expression on his face, because he really wanted to answer the boy. "I like playing because...it makes me feel alive."

'Oh.' there was a long pause. 'I don't think I understand, but it's okay!'

"R-right." of course he didn't understand. No one else can.

'Oh! I remember seeing you in that match with the Seer! Is he your friend?'

What's with this boy and his tendency to ask all the hard questions? How could he answer if Aesop himself didn't know what they were? Was Eli a friend? He didn't know. He didn't like thinking about it either. He just...didn't want to have his hopes up. 

"I..don't know. He is very kind to me though." and that was true. Eli was a very sweet, caring person. Someone that you wouldn't mind being friends with. 

'Huh? How can you not know whether someone is your friend or not?'

"I-" he gulped slightly, shifting his gaze, fixating it onto the ground again. "I am not sure how this works. I don't... I don't really have... friends."

'What!' hearing the ghost yelling, Aesop jumped a little, flinching back to the sound of his voice. 'No friends? Why? You seem like a nice guy! A little jumpy but still!' what?

Him? A nice guy? Where on earth did he get that idea? Did he already forget that Aesop was ignoring him at first? How could he call him a nice guy if he didn't even know anything about him?

"I-I don't know. People don't like me very much..." yeah, that was true. Noone liked Aesop. They might act as if they do in the beginning, but everyone changes their mind in the end, making fun of him, pointing at him, judging him. And he was just so tired of that. He didn't want to be hurt anymore, so even if he would never really have friends, he wouldn't mind. Not, if it meant he wouldn't get hurt ever again. Even with Eli and Naib. He might like their company, he might even enjoy their presence and their little bickering, but he would never think of them as friends. He would not let them get too close. It was too dangerous.

And the betrayal would hurt way too much. 

So Aesop didn't let his guard down around them. Even if it seemed like that sometimes.

'Why?'

"T-they think I am annoying. B-because of my habits. A-and my job." People hated him because he didn't know how to act around them. He was jumpy and easily scared, he avoided interactions as much as possible and he was stuttering too much, annoying everyone who heard him. They were also freaked out by his obsession with death. 

'That's just stupid!'  huffing in clear annoyance, Claude floated closer to him, reaching out with his hand towards him which seriously freaked him out. Especially when he saw said hands passing through his own ones, not being able to touch. It was not better though, because Aesop still felt something...something strange and indescribable, that sent shivers running down his spine.

Please, don't try touching Aesop ever again. 

'People are just stupid! Everyone deserves a friend! I will be your friend!'  the boy frowned a little, before continuing. 'Can I be your friend?' what?

What?

Did he seriously want to be Aesop's friend? Why? He wasn't kind nor a good companion, he didn't even know how to talk properly!

"Are y-you sure? I am not the best person to be around." 

'Nonsense!'

"...alright, then." He bowed down slightly before Claude. "P-please take care of me..." to be honest, Aesop didn't really believe the boy. Maybe he wanted something from him? Or he was too lonely so he wanted to use Aesop just to have company? Though he had the Feaster. So why? What was he planning?

What did he want?

'I will!'

Chapter Text

Claude found his new little (okay, maybe not so little, but still not as tall as Hastur, or as his brother for that matter.) friend kinda.. adorable? The way he would avert his gaze all the time, keeping his grey, silver eyes locked onto the ground, the small, nervous twitches his body would make when someone got too close to him, or the way he stuttered while talking- it all made him want to hug the boy, to keep him safe and sound, out of dangers way. 

At first, he was surprised by the fierce protectiveness he felt concerning the other boy. He has never felt this way with the Feaster, so what made Aesop so different? 

Well, thinking about it, it wasn't that hard to see the most obvious differences between those two. For starters, Hastur was a hunter, and Aesop was a survivor. And Hastur was...completely different from the other, smaller boy. He might have had a certain melancholic aura surrounding him from time to time, but otherwise, he was a very self-conscious, even-minded person and he most definitely didn't need Claude as much as he needed the elder god.

Aesop on the other hand was just... sad, all the time. He looked lonely and hurt. Like someone who was carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, never really being able to rest, to take a break from all their problems. Like someone who desperately needed someone to help.

He looked broken. 

It all reminded him so much of his own misery, his own loneliness, that even looking at him made Claude feel a painful tingle in his chest.

So, the reason Claude decided to stick around the Embalmer for a while was probably the fact that the boy reminded him so much of himself. They both knew what loneliness was, and now that Claude found a person so similar to him, he just couldn't help wanting to help.

Even if the other didn't really want his help.

'Soooo. How do you get back to your side of the manor?' this was something that has been bugging him for a while. How did the survivors get there from the field? Well. When they weren't sent off on those chairs.

"A-ahh. When we leave through the exit gate w-we just get...teleported back." the Embalmer gulped, shaking his head slightly, as he was looking towards the direction of the gate. "I d-don't really know how it works though."

'Mn! I guess it happens the same way hunter get back after the matches? With the white light?' 

"Yeah, I g-guess."

 'I see!'  he was nodding his head enthusiastically towards the other, perking up slightly as he suddenly got an idea. 'Uhm! Would you mind if I stick around you for a while longer? I really want to see how your side looks like!'

You see, Claude was a very curious person. He wanted to know as much as possible and he has been wondering how the other side must look like. Was it the same as the one belonging to the hunters? Was it smaller? Bigger? 

He couldn't wait to see.

"Okay."

'So you don't mind?' eyes blown wide open, Claude was blinking at the other boy stupidly, stopping his movements mid-air, staring at the other's form. Was he really letting Claude follow him? Could he really? 

"Mn." he shook his head, sending the clear signal that no, he really didn't mind. Or, that's what Claude thought.

Grinning happily, he clapped his hands together excitedly, before realizing that he was still pretty much hovering in the air in one place, so he quickly followed after the other's distancing form. He wouldn't want to stay behind after all. 

'By the way, how do you know where the exit gates are?'

"I r-remember them. G-got used to what direction I need to run."

'Oh, I see. Makes sense.' and it did. Claude would probably get lost a few times, but eventually, he would also memorise the route he needed to run if he wanted to save his skin. 

"Right..."

'So. Are you going to an exit gate right now?' he was floating beside the other boy, curiously following his movements with his eyes. Aesop just finished the last machine of the match a few minutes ago, and he was currently running in a direction that seemed totally random to Claude.

"Yeah..."

'Mn! Do you know-'  he was about to ask whether the boy knew where his teammates were, but he was rudely interrupted by a feminine voice.

"Aesop! Thank you for decoding the cipher machines! We completely forgot about them!" this was that annoying woman that was drooling over Claude's brother previously. Now she came here to drool on his friend instead. Did she have no shame? Disgusting! Utterly disgusting!

'I don't like her!'  he was pouting, pointing a finger towards the girl. 'Aesop, don't talk to her!!'

"A-ah. It's okay." why was he ignoring Claude now?? Did he not hear him?? He just said that he didn't want Aesop to talk to this female!

'Noooo! That's not how you don't talk to people, Little Mouse!'

Claude was ready to jump in and save his little friend from the suffering this woman caused him, but he was interrupted again! 

At least, this time it was his brother who did it, easing some of the anger inside Claude. He was happy seeing his brother again.

"Oh, little Carl! Good job with the machines. I hope you weren't overly bored alone?"

'Don't worry Joseph! I was keeping him company the whole time!' noticing the hunter getting closer to them, Claude suddenly perked up, happily jumping up and down in the air, only to stop it all at once, hovering in mid-air as an annoyed frown appeared on his young face. He crossed his arms on his chest, huffing angrily as he was sneering towards the girl that was standing way too close to his two important persons. 'While you were playing around with this hag! You should have been with my little mouse instead! He is a way better company then this... this...!'

"I-I was n-not..."

"Hm?" There was a teasing smile on his brother's face. "Am I that scary?" looking at Aesop's anxious, astonished face, Joseph let out a soft chuckle, taking a step back, tilting his head to the side. "I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention." 

"N-no! It's f-fine." Aesop was keeping his gaze on the ground again, not looking at the hunter's face. If Claude didn't know that his little mouse friend was just really shy, he would be offended. Did he not find his brother as pretty as Claude did? Did Aesop think he was ugly? He really hoped it wasn't the case or he would need to hit some sense into his new friend! 

"Well then. I hope I didn't make a bad first impression?" 

'Well, maybe you would have made a good first impression if you would have bothered to spend some time around him too! Not only with the other three!'  he was still angry about that, okay? His friend deserved to be acknowledged too!

"No!" he was quick to answer the question. Maybe a little too quick. 

"Oh, really?" again, that teasing smile. 

"Mn."

'Joseph! Don't tease him! Stop being annoying!'

"I am happy, then!"

"R-really?"

"Of course! Wouldn't want any of the survivors to think badly of me, would I?" he was chuckling again, bowing down slightly before the other, though he did not take his glowing blue eyes off of Aesop's face. "I hope to see you again soon. Though I can't promise I will not try to catch you next time~" he lifted a finger up, touching it to his lower lip, with a cheeky, ear-to-ear smile on his face, his eyes sparkling mischievously. 

'Bad Joseph! Don't joke about hunting someone!'

"O-of course..."

"Well then! Off you go!" He was pointing with his sabre towards the opened exit game, signalling for them to leave. He was probably bored with this way too long match, though Claude couldn't blame him. 

"Okay! Goodbye Joseph! Thank you for letting us go!" it was the man with the book, bowing slightly for the hunter as a way to thank him, before running to the exit, disappearing quickly, getting followed by the others.

"Bye-bye Photoboy!"

"Again with that name..." 

"See you!"

"B-bye..."

'Have fun brother! I will see you later!'

"Carl!" 

They've just gotten back to the survivors' side of the manor, but they were already stopped by someone. The person that greeted his friend had a short, slim looking frame and healthy-looking, peachy skin, a pair of sapphire blue eyes, and messy brown hair that was swept to the side and tied into a low ponytail. He was wearing a simple, slightly tattered black long-sleeved shirt with matching black trousers, a pair of black combat boots with buckles and an olive-green, hooded cloak. The most noticeable thing about him though was his mouth. His lips had stitches on both sides, and at the sight of them, Claude flinched slightly back in his utter shock and disdain. Who the hell would stitch a person's mouth together? It was just wrong!

With a frown on his face, Claude floated beside the cheerful-looking boy, sizing the said person up carefully, before moving back to Aesop, nodding at his friend, curiously watching the unfolding events.

'Oh! Is this person your friend?' Aesop shook his head. So it was a no then. What a pity.

"H-hey Naib..." 

"So how was your first match against the baguette man?"

'BAGUETTE MAN?' Claude was really offended by the rudeness of this boy. Floating closer to the smaller male, he poked him hard on the temple with a finger, making the mercenary flinch back slightly. The said person looked around with a confused expression on his face, lifting a hand up, gently rubbing his fingers at the spot he felt the sensation not long ago. 'How dare you little...!'

"P-please don't call him that..." 

"Huh? Why?" 

"It's r-rude." Yes, it was! Really, really rude! And disrespectful!

"Who cares? He is an old fu- Ouch!" before he could finish the sentence, there was a slapping sound as he was hit on the head by Hastur's bird-boy, who just arrived. "What the hell, Eli?" 

"Hello to you too, Naib." 

"Why did you hit me?!" wasn't it obvious?

"You were being an idiot again." 

"I was not!"

"Oh really? What were you about to call Mr Photographer?"

"A fuc- Ouch!" Claude started to like the little Seer more and more. The mean green bean deserved those hits and to be honest, he would have slapped him much harder if he could have done that. But his stupid ghost body made it too difficult for him.

"Try again."

"...Fine. I won't say that! Just stop hitting my head!"

"Uhhuh~"

'Hah! That's what you get for being rude to my brother!'

With a vicious snarl on his face, Claude floated closer to the three of them, his presence sending a chilly shiver running down the Seer's spine, causing him to flinch back slightly. Looking at the boy's confused gaze, he felt oddly satisfied, even though the confusion didn't last for too long. 

"Oh! Hi Aesop! How was your match?" 

"I-it was okay... just a little t-too long."

"Mn? That's strange. Mr Photographer is usually not one for wasting time. Or!" tilting his head to the side, a warm smile found its way onto the boy's face. "Was he friendly?" 

"H-he let us go. I w-was the only one decoding." his poor little Mouse! He seemed so nervous Claude felt sorry for him! Though he had to admit, it was amusing watching him as he was trying so hard to not flee away. 

No wonder the poor thing didn't have any friends. Most people would probably be irritated by such an act. Well, fortunately for him, Claude wasn't most people! And neither was the Seer (or the green meany, but he didn't want to include him just yet. He was still very irritated with him!) by the seems of it! Humming softly for himself, nodding his head approvingly, he was already planning to convince his jittery friend somehow to accept the Seer's friendship. Because it was really obvious that Hastur's little sheep wanted to befriend the Embalmer, just as much as Claude wanted to do it before. 

And it would calm his heart too if he could make sure that his new little friend wouldn't be completely alone when he would eventually wander back to the other side of the manor.

"That explains it."

"Man, you are so lucky! I wish he would be friendly to me too sometimes." 

"Well, maybe he would if you wouldn't provoke him all the time"

"That's bullshit! It's my job to make him angry!"

"Yeah, and it's his job to eliminate you."

"But he is only doing it to me! Others get spared sometimes, it's only me who don't!"

So it wasn't an unusual thing for hunters to not hurt the survivors? Frowning slightly, Claude decided to pay a little more attention to the conversation before him. He wanted to know why it happened. It seemed kinda... unnecessary for Claude? Counterproductive. 

"Mn, but it's completely up to him whether he is friendly or not, and who he wants to be friendly to. Hunter's don't have to play nice, yet they do sometimes. Let's be grateful instead of blaming them."

"Yeah? That still doesn't mean he has to be an asshole towards me!" they seemed to be running in circles there, which the Seer also noticed, as he let out a soft sigh, deciding to let the issue slide instead. 

"... this conversation is pointless therefore I refuse to continue it. You won't change your opinion and neither will I." 

"Fine!" 

'Finally...'

"So. Aesop. What do you think of the Photographer?" Claude perked up when he heard the question, looking at the embalmer holding his breath in, curiously waiting for his reply. He also wanted to ask him this! He wanted to know what his friend thought of his brother! Did he like him? Could they become friends too? 

It seemed unlikely to Claude, but it would be nice. He wanted the absolute best for his two favourite people! And what could be better than being friends?

"I-I don't know. He seems...nice? And very polite. He looks good too." 

Humming softly under his breath, Claude nodded approvingly. Because yes, his brother was a very nice and a very good looking person. He was glad his little mouse thought of his beautiful Joseph this way! So now, Claude didn't have to feel bad for liking the guy!

He was about to give voice to his thoughts, but he was interrupted by someone again. It was the Prisoner, he met in the match with Hastur not long before.

He still has not decided whether he liked the boy or not.

"You bet he is! He is a real gentleman when he is not in full hunter mode." okay, he definitely liked him now.

"U-uh."

"He looks really nice, right? Even though he is a little creepy with his cracked skin outside of the photo word! But those blue eyes tho... I am very jealous of them!" good! And he should be! Joseph had the most beautiful eyes in the whole manor! 

"He is ugly af." 

'Excuse me??'  he wanted to hit this person again! How dare him?

He decided he didn't like this rude little gremlin at all! How dare he talking about his brother this way?! Rude! Unacceptable!

"Don't mind Naib, Carl! He is just salty the hunter never went friendly with him in the team!"

"Hey!"

"It's true though. He is the only hunter you seem to have a problem with. I wonder why?" There was a huge grin on the boy's face, clearly taunting the mercenary. 

"He is an asshole."

"Hah? Isn't the Ripper worse though? I remember how annoyed you used to be at him. You couldn't shut up whenever you came back from a match with him. I wonder what happened that changed your mind~"

"Stop being creepy!" there was a loud slapping sound as the Prisoner was hit by another boy, who was wearing a pretty, red beret. He seemed nice, though a little too loud.

So many people... the hunters' side of the manor was not this lively. Claude didn't know whether he liked this place more than the other though. Peace was nice too, but he enjoyed watching so many clashing personalities together! They were really amusing to him.

"But- Edgaaaar~" he was whining. What was he a child? Such a strange person!

"Excuse us, gentleman." the boy grabbed a hold of the whining Prisoner, dragging him away from the other three surprised survivors.

"This was strange."

"They have a... strange relationship. I could have never imagined them being friends."

"Yeah. Those two are too different."

"Mn. Though it's nice seeing someone having control over Luca. He is...an enigma."

"Yeah, I wouldn't leave him unsupervised. He has the habit of setting things on fire."

They both seemed to shiver at some less than pleasant memories. Aesop was just standing there, looking confused.

Huh.

Why was everyone so strange in this manor?

Chapter Text

To be completely honest, Claude was a little disappointed after stepping foot for the first time into the enormous hall that was connecting the survivors’ place with the waiting lobby and the hunters’ side. Because yes, for some unknown reason, there was a large, old wooden door between the two factions’ respective halls. What was even more surprising was the fact that this certain door wasn't even locked!

Did the owner of the manor want some accidents to happen? Were they insane? What if a hunter decided to stop playing nice and tried to hurt a survivor in their sleep or something? Or it could even happen the other way around! What if, for example, the Coordinator would get a funny idea, deciding to kill a hunter just out of spite? What if she would hurt his brother?

Well. That wouldn’t be that easy, though. Their private chambers were usually locked by them for the night. He actually saw his brother -more than once- locking his room after he said goodbye to the others. So he was pretty sure it was the same with everyone else. And if the hunters could retire safely for the night, why couldn’t the survivors do that too? Well. He would find out soon enough, anyway.

The place otherwise wasn’t as different from the hunter’s side of the manor as one would think it is. Every survivor had their own little room, just like the hunters did, though as there were more survivors than hunters it was impossible to have their rooms on only one floor.

Every survivor had their own room. They didn’t have to share them with anyone. 

It was a good thing, though. People like Aesop needed their own personal spaces, undisturbed, where they could be all alone when they needed to be.

Aside from the personal chambers, there was an enormous kitchen, a dining room and a big living room, or as Claude liked to refer to it: the common place. This was the place most of the survivors spent their time when they weren’t inside their own little sanctuaries. The furnishing was almost exactly the same as the hunters’ one was, though everything was slightly smaller. It made sense, considering that the survivors weren’t as tall as their tormentors were.

Aesop’s room was up on the second floor, right beside the Seer’s and the Painter’s room. It was a relatively big space. There was a bed laying near the wall on the left side, a wardrobe that was containing all his costumes and his everyday clothing, a pretty big table for his makeup kit and the dolls he practised on, a coffin that stood right beside his nightstand and an old oil lamp and a few candles.

‘Sooo... This is your room?’ 

“Y-yeah.”

‘It’s really nice. Cosy. I like it.’

“Uhm. I am... glad?” 

Aesop sounded somewhat lost. Like he didn't know how to react, how to deal with people complimenting him, or even having them in his room. He kept his gaze on the floor, looking anywhere but Claude, his body twitching nervously as he was slowly walking to the table, placing his makeup kit down onto it. He seemed to be uncomfortable, not liking the way Claude invaded his little sanctuary. 

'Do you... want me to leave?'

"N-no. P-please, stay."

'Oh! Okay! I am glad!' Claude let out a forced, nervous laugh. He should be more considerate of his little friend, really. But it's so hard! He has never had friends like Aesop, who was so anxious and nervous all the time! He was really embarrassed with himself, though. What kind of person would ignore their friend's special needs? Not a very good one, that's for sure.

Letting out a soft sigh, he floated a little further from the boy, hopping into an armchair beside the table.

And that wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, he had to concentrate really hard to not pass through it the way he would have normally. It actually took him a few tries before he could finally manage it, falling to the floor at least three times, which of course made the ghost quite frustrated. Though, his failures seemed to amuse Aesop, as his form dropped its obvious tension, making Claude slightly proud of himself. 

Cheering up his friend felt really good.

‘By the way, about those people form before! The first one was the Seer, I know him from that time with Hastur, and there was the angry green bean. What was his name again? Nate or something?'

"Naib."

'Oh right! Then, there was that crazy prisoner dude. And the pretty one that dragged him away. Can you tell me more about them?’

“A-ahh. Sure. You a-already know Eli, the Seer. He is... a g-good teammate. W-we can always rely on him. He has an o-owl, named Brooke-Rose, though we call her Popo instead. She protects Eli and us when we are in a match...”

‘I see. But- what do you think of Eli? Outside of matches I mean. As a person!' 

“He is... a nice person. Very kind to everyone and he has a good heart. He is also very calm usually.” 

‘Oh! I noticed that! He seems like a fun person to be around!’ and he did indeed find the boy quite pleasant. A good friend material. He just had to figure out how to get him and Aesop closer to each other! Though it might not be too hard. He saw the way he mothered around the boy before. 

“Yeah. He is.” Aesop had a strange warmness to his voice, and a small, soft smile on his lips, one that you could easily miss if you weren't paying close attention to the boy. And Claude didn't know which surprised him more; that warm smile or the fact that the boy wasn't stuttering. It was... new.
So his adorable little friend wasn't really as cold as he seemed to be, huh? The way he spoke of this person... it seemed that Aesop really held him in high regards. To be honest, he was a little jealous of this bird-boy. 

Both Hastur and Aesop were thinking of him like this. He wanted friends like that too, who would feel such warmth towards him, and think so highly of him. 

Yeah, it would be nice to have such people in his life.

Suppressing the sudden wave of negative emotions, Claude decided to change the topic. He was still curious about Hastur's birdie, but there were other people he knew almost nothing of! And Claude wanted to know as much as possible!

‘What about the greeny?’

“Naib is a mercenary. He wants to protect everyone. He likes food and eating.” wow. The stutter is completely gone. So he is calm now, right? This means, he only stutters when he is nervous. Though he was still speaking in short sentences. 

‘Mn! What do you think of him?’

“He is... loud.”

‘Haha! You are right!’ 

“And he is best friends with Eli.” there were no emotions in his voice, which made Claude wonder how he must truly feel right now. Was he jealous of their friendship?

‘Oh! Do you feel left out?’

“W-what?" 

‘I mean they are friends! Best friends of that! You must be feeling like an outsider?’

“I mean... s-sometimes I feel like... like an i-intruder.”

Now, that feeling was something Claude himself was very familiar with. Every time he saw his brother laughing with someone, be it either a hunter or a survivor, Claude always felt the painful pang of jealousy hitting him. Even before all of this, back then in their old manor in France, way before their life would go down to hell, when they were just two happy kids enjoying their life, not knowing all the trouble and sorrow that was waiting for them at the end of the road. 

Before that stupid, merciless illness, that ruined his life.

Their life.

Anyway, even back in those times, Claude would get really upset whenever his brother was spending too much time with the other kids, leaving him behind. He didn't like being left out, the fear of losing Joseph to others never letting him rest. He didn't want to lose him. 

And now? Now he just felt like an outsider. It hurt really bad when he saw all the others interacting with his twin, making him smile and laugh, and just be there for him. He wanted to be in their place. He should have been in their place. 

He knew that it was wrong. That he should have been happy that his brother was not completely alone, and had others taking care of him, because Claude wasn't there to do that anymore. But it just hurt, hurt so much to accept that.

It was hard, accepting that he was dead. Dead to his brother, to their parents, their friends. Why was it so hard to let his old life go?

"Uhm... A-are you okay?"

'Oh!' he completely forgot about the little fact, that he wasn't alone. 'Sorry! Did I make you worry? I hope not! I am okay, just lost in my memories for a few seconds!'

“Right...” Aesop didn't seem to believe him, but he also wasn't forcing Claude to talk, which he was really grateful for to the boy. He wasn't ready to talk about his problems. Not to him. Not yet. 

Forcing a fake, bittersweet smile onto his lips, he let out a nervous chuckle, desperately trying to change the topic. 

‘I don’t like the greeny by the way! He is rude!’ 

And it was true. The mercenary wasn't very polite to his brother -or anyone for that matter, and Claude was sure that calling people those awful names were just mean. 

Aesop looked to the ground anxiously, biting onto his lower lip, fidgeting slightly, before deciding to speak up for his not-yet-friend.

“D-don’t be angry at h-him. He d-didn’t mean to be r-rude. He is j-just... like that.” 

‘Woah! So protective! Are you sure you guys aren’t friends?’

“Y-yeah."

‘Sad! I am sure they want to be friends with you, though!’

“I am n-not... not sure a-about that...”

‘You should be! Anyway!’ Claude had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he was looking at the other boy, with a huge grin plastered on his face. ‘Do you have a girl you fancy~?’

“Wh-what?” the poor thing looked so shook and embarrassed “O-of course not! I don’t...do the liking... thing” 

‘Why though? You look fine! I am sure the girls would love to have someone like you!' Claude tried to give his horrified friend a reassuring smile. 'And I saw some really pretty girls when we were coming here! Though, I hope you don’t fancy the doc! My brother already has his eyes on her, though he doesn’t know it yet!’ He refused to believe that there as nothing between the two of them. And even if there really was nothing going on, that girl wouldn't be the worst candidate for his brother's heart. She looked nice and, what's more important, his brother seemed to enjoy her company. So, if they weren't already a couple, Claude will make sure that they will be! 

Claude needed someone he could trust his brother with, after all, who knows how long he had left before he would eventually move on. Because that's what ghosts did, right? They came back because they had some unfinished business and after they finished it, they went to the afterlife! So Claude just needed to do his business right? And what else could his business be than to make sure his brother was happy? 

“...What?” Aesop couldn’t keep up with the conversation. “I...I...I don’t really...see girls in that way. I’ve never... I have never been interested in dating” huh? What?

'Uh? How so?' he was confused. Boys were supposed to be chasing after girls! Especially the pretty ones! Even in a place like this was! So why was his friend different? 'Don't you like looking at them? They are so pleasing to the eye! I am much younger than you and I already had a few crushes!'

Yes, he did. When he was still alive, he used to fancy that girl who lived next to their mansion. She had the prettiest eyes Claude has ever seen! 

"I d-don't know. I am j-just this way."

'Huh. No worries then! I will help you find a girlfriend!'

"I r-really d-don't want one." 

'Don't be shy! Everyone needs a little love!'

"Please, Claude."

'But... Wouldn't that make you happy?'

"No."

'Oh...' It was such a strange concept for him, so hard to understand. 'Sorry. I guess not everyone wants love.'

"Mnn."

There was a few seconds of silence before it was broken by a sudden knocking sound coming from the door. Claude wondered who might that be and what they might want from his friend. 

"C-coming!" Aesop quickly walked to the door, opening it with his shaking hands. Claude, the curious, nosy thing he was, followed him almost immediately, his expression immediately twisting into an annoyed frown as he recognised the man standing in the door to be the Mercenary. 

"Hey, Carl! You were summoned for a match!" He was waving a pretty, white envelope in his hands, that was sealed with crimson red wax on its front. 

The wax was placed on the flap of the envelope, tightly pressed into it by something similar to a signet ring, that had a pretty, flower-like symbol on the middle of its top end. It looked really fancy. Like the ones the aristocrats used to send to each other back then in France. 

Claude was pretty sure this letter was sent by the owner of this manor, who must be either a noble, or something similar holding a high prestige. 

Maybe a lord?

He wasn't sure. You see, even though he, together with his twin brother, received some education of the noble word, he still had little to no actual knowledge of it. 

They were children that time, and those lessons were way too boring. 

So can you blame him for not remembering much of them? 

"Wh-why? I already h-had two this week."

"Dunno, man. Ask the owner." 

'You have to go, right?' Aesop nodded his head, though whether it was for Claude's question or for the greeny, he wasn't really sure.

"Well. Good luck. Let's hope you won't get photo-dude again. He will not be friendly again.m  so keep that in mind."

"R-right..."

The map was lakeside village. They have not met the hunter yet, but it was pretty obvious that it was Hastur. 

Because well. Tentacles. 

Aesop was teamed up with Doctor, The Mind's eye and the Gravekeeper. The latter was a rescuer, whose ability made it possible for him to get underground- according to Aesop, at least. He was a very shy and quiet person, with white hair and red eyes. He seemed calm and collected. 

The Minds Eye was a blind girl who was one of the fastest decoders in the manor- which was a little confusing to Claude because it just didn't make any sense to him. How could a blind girl decode? Or even play? Oh, that wasn't even the strangest thing about the whole situation though, because this seemingly weak and fragile person was kiting the Feaster for a very long time now and the possibility of said hunter winning was getting lower and lower with each passing second. 

It was slightly confusing, to be honest. Claude wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry over the fact, that Hastur was losing to a blind girl. 

'Aesop?' he was watching the other boys decoding progress. It was the last cipher of the match, and it was almost finished. 

"Mn?"

'Is the blind girl containing the hunter the whole match a common thing?'

"Mn. Happens all the time." the boy was concentrating on the machine that stood before him so much, he wasn't even stuttering. It was strangely fascinating for Claude. 

'That's... slightly disturbing, to be honest. Poor Hastur. He must feel horrible right now.' feeling sorry for the hunter, he wondered whether it would be a good idea to go and check on him. He didn't want to make him lose his focus or irritate him even more. 'I hope the other hunters won't bully him for this, though.'

"Don't think they would. They aren't any better against Helena."

'Oh? That's good then.'

The machine was almost finished by the time Hastur finally got the girl downed. Aesop looked around with calculating eyes, noticing that he was the closest to the chair she was put into. 

"Don't move I am coming!" he shouted to let the others know he would be the one to rescue her, which was answered soon by the Gravekeeper.

"Cipher Machine primed!"

The Feaster was camping the chair, spawning at least three tentacles around it, he probably wanted to make sure he got at least one kill secured. And still, Aesop managed to juke all the tentacles, only getting one hit by the hunter and successfully rescuing the girl from the rocket chair. She ran as fast as she could, with Aesop closely behind her, fully intending to block any incoming damage. 

Unfortunately for him though, his teammates finished the last cipher right before he received a hit from a tentacle.

"Sorry..."

The machine was finished in the worst possible time, and Aesop already embalmed the Gravekeeper, so he didn't have any way out of this situation. Letting out a defeated sigh, he accepted his fate on the rocket chair.

"Don't rescue me!"

"The Exit Gate is open!"

"Sorry..."

"Sacrificing yourself for your team, aren't you? Very well. Then be it." Hastur tied the struggling boy into the balloons, bringing him to the chair, placing him down in it. "A very noble act, indeed."

Aesop didn't even bother to reply, gritting his teeth slightly together as the pain from that hit finally reached his consciousness. 

"Sorry..."

"Sorry..."

Claude was watching the unfolding events with worry written all over his face, though he would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly fascinated by all of this. Aesop was clearly in pain, and it was obvious that no one would be trying to save him, not from a hunter that had detention, and it would risk them their win. It was okay, though? It wasn't the first time Aesop was sent back on a chair, so it wouldn't be too bad, right?

He really hoped so.

'Hey! Hastur!' deciding to break the silence, Claude moved closer to the duo, watching them from the side with curiosity gleaming in his pale eyes.

"Hello to you too, child."

'I am not a child!' he was pouting, with annoyance written over his face 'Look, I made a new friend!'

"Indeed." looking at Aesop with a complicated gaze. "Did he bother you too much?"

"N-not much."

"How very unlikely of him."

'Hey! I am right here!'

"Yes, of course."

'Did something happen while I was with Aesop? How is my brother?'

"He's back to his normal self. Though he did have a nasty argument with Jack about his choice in... partners."

'Oh! Mister Ripper has a new friend?'

"Friend...yes."

'Good for him! Having more friends is nice!'  frowning 'So why is my brother angry at him for that? Having friends is good, no?'

"Well. It's a little more complicated than that. It's not the fact that he has a... friend that bothers the Photographer. What causes the trouble is that the Ripper placed this new... friendship above his duties. And for us, our job must always come first."

'You mean Mister Jack will be in trouble if he doesn't do his duty?' 

"Something like that, yes. With him, it's always complicated."

'Will he get punished?'

"He might. Only time will tell."

'So, now he is not friends with my brother?'

"They are still friends, little one. Friends argue from time to time. This is just how things are."

'But... '

"It's alright. They won't stay mad at each other for long."

'If you say so...'

Chapter Text

The match with Hastur ended much sooner than Claude would have preferred it to do, and even though he felt slightly bad about it, resistant to leave his newfound friend alone, he had to say goodbye to him, deciding that it was time for him to go back with Hastur and check up on his brother. Well. Him and the other hunters. He didn't spend too much time away from their side, but he already missed watching over them, learning all those little facts about them. 

They were just so interesting! The way they were interacting with each other, their little habits, hell, even their unique appearances were intriguing for Claude! Because where else would you see a half-lizard-half-men that was walking in two legs, making you wonder how was it even possible, given the fact, that the man had a pretty long, heavy-looking tail. There must be some serious muscle work happening to make walking even possible for the man. And this lizard-man wasn't even the strangest thing in the manor!

Well, that was pretty obvious. Just look at Hastur. His appearance was a mystery.

'So, I've met your Eli. Again.' 

"I see." The hunter took a deep breath, letting out a frustrated sigh, narrowing his many eyes as he was listening to the ghost, who was following him closely behind. He still didn't like when Claude referred to the Seer as "his" Eli. The survivor belonged to no one, especially not to him. Why was it so hard to understand? 

'He is really nice!' 

"He is."

'He was so kind to my Aesop! And he even defended my brother when that greeny was insulting him!'

"Greeny?"

'Mn! That person with the green hoodie! I can't remember his name though.'

"Oh, was it the Mercenary?"

'Yes! That's what Aesop called him!'  there was a small frown on his face as he let out an annoyed huff. 'I don't like him. He was mean to my brother and he is too loud.'

"You aren't exactly silent either, you know that, right?" 

'It's not the same!'

"I see no difference."

'Not the same! I am not rude like that- that-'

"Oh, you are not?"

'No!'

"Mn." hearing the rumbling sound of the Feasters humming, Claude furrowed his brows, looking slightly offended. Was he really rude? He wasn't, right?

...well. Maybe, he was. But who could blame him? 

'...Anyways. I wish Eli could see me. I'd like to be his friend too!'

"Child, you want to be friends with everyone."

'Well, you aren't wrong.' he was humming in agreement. 'But still! I really wanna speak to him!'

"I am sure of that." Hastur let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head fondly.

'What do you mean?' 

"You like talking a lot."

'Is that a problem?'  Claude felt slightly anxious. Was he annoying? He didn't want to be a bother. 

"Hmm." looking Claude up and down. "No, I guess it's not."

'...you didn't answer immediately! Am I annoying?'

"... not annoying."

'Than what?'

"Just... bubbly."

'Bubbly.'

"Mn."

Claude didn't really know how to react to that, so he decided to just stay silent, following the hunter quietly from behind. Thankfully, this uncomfortable silence didn't last for long, because they arrived at their destination pretty quickly.

The common room was strangely empty this time. The only person present was the Geisha. She was sitting in an armchair, sipping her tea elegantly, with a calm expression on her pale face. It wasn't that surprising though, Claude was already familiar with her personality- she was probably the calmest, nicest person in the whole manor. It was hard not to like her.

Speaking of liking her, Claude wondered how his brother was feeling about her. Did he like her? They didn't seem too compatible, though, so it would be a pity if he did. Michiko was more like that mother friend who would take care of you, not letting you do anything too stupid. Honestly, Claude couldn't even imagine them together. They just didn't feel right.

"Good afternoon, Elder God. I hope you had a pleasant match." she was looking in their direction now, with a warm smile on her pretty face. 

"I wouldn't call it pleasant. I've lost."

"Oh? I am sorry to hear that. I hope you weren't bullied too much?"

"It's just the Minds Eye, don't worry," she answered with a soft hum, placing her cup of tea onto the table. 

"Where are the others, Michiko?"

"Well. Leo went to have some tea with his daughter in the garden, Joseph is also there, taking a few photos of the yellow roses we saw this morning while we were taking a walk in the backyard. Jack is in his room, still sulking. Bane is also outside, he is probably tending to the animals, with little Robbie helping him. The guards are having a date on the new Chinatown map, with Miss Nightingale's permission, of course. Mary was here a second ago, but she was feeling unwell, so I sent her off to take some rest."

"Mn." letting out a humming sound, Hastur slithered closer to the window, looking out into the garden. He could see some of the said hunters outside. "My sister?"

'Sister?'  Hastur had a sister? Why didn't he mention her to him before?

"She is watching over her followers, they are also outside, playing hide and seek if I am not mistaken."

"Mn."

"Is something the matter?" worry flashed through her face for a moment, as she took a quick look at the god's imposing frame. He didn't seem sick or anything.

"Of course not. I was merely wondering why this place is so empty. Normally, there are at least five people here when I come back."

"Oh. I guess it's understandable."

"How is Burke? I heard he had an accident before. What happened?"

"Oh my. I completely forgot about that. I should check up on him." she seemed worried again. "He was doing some adjustments on Guard 26 and one of the explosives went off. Fortunately, though, he wasn't gravely injured by the force, so he should be on his feet in no time."

"I see. Send him my regards, when you meet him."

"I will. Now, if you'd excuse me."

"Of course." he nodded towards the Geisha's already distancing form. 

Claude waited for a few moments, making sure that they were completely alone before he would start bombarding the elder god with his many questions. 

'Sooo. What was this all about?'

"Which part of the conversation did you not understand?"

'Well. The Burke one? What's a Guard 26?'

"A hunter. Burke is his creator."

'Creator? So he isn't human?'

"Of course not."

'Uhm. That's... cool?'

"I suppose." nodding his head slightly, Claude fell silent again. His mind went completely blank for a few seconds. 

'Wait! The manor has a garden?!'

"Indeed."

'And it can be visited by both the survivors and the hunters?'

"Mn. Though there is the unspoken rule of both factions remaining on their respective sides."

'Why?'

"Is it really that surprising? Why would the survivors want to spend their time somewhere they can meet their tormentors?"

'Well. You guys aren't that bad when you are outside of matches.'

"They do not know us outside of matches."

'Fair point.'

"Though, there are a few expectations. Michiko is very well known for her motherly tendencies among both sides, so the majority of the survivors don't mind having her around. And she enjoys visiting them just the same. Other than her, Jack is the only one who cares for them enough to visit their site from time to time, though it is not very well appreciated by them."

'Oh. And what about the survivors?'

"Most of them would rather not spend even more time around us. They fear us. But the Doctor and the Gardener are frequent visitors of our side, same with the Mechanic. She has a strange relationship with Burke. I saw them having tea together in the garden not long ago. They are also often seen working together on their inventions."

'The Doctor is not surprising though. You did say that she takes care of the hunters too.'

"I did, indeed."

'So... Doc comes here because she has to take care of the hunters too. Mechanic visits the old man. What about the Gardener?'

"Leo is her father."

'Oh. That explains it.'

"Mn."

'Hm.' a few seconds of silence. 'I just remembered something! You have a sister?!'

"Yes. Yidhra."

'Oh. The other god in the manor?'

"The correct term would be goddess, but yes. She is."

'Nice! Can I meet her?'

"You wouldn't be able to see her. No mortals can."

'I am not a mortal, though?'

"..." Hastur seemed to be thinking it over for a second. "Maybe. I could introduce you to her. Though I have to warn you, she likes to collect children, making them her followers."

'Uhm. I am a ghost, so I should be alright?'

"Most likely, yes."

'Than I want to meet her! I am curious! Is she anything like you?'

"Not...necessary. She is different. We are all different."

'What is she like?'

"She is... it's hard to describe. You will see it soon enough."

'Oh.'

"Come along then, little one. Let's go and find my sister." not paying any mind to the ghost floating a few feet beside him, Hastur turned around, slithering towards a wooden door, that was in a slightly better condition than the one that was connecting the hunters and the survivors' side. This door was made out of oak wood, therefore, it had a slightly darker shade than the rest did. 

This door also had a pretty impressive size, which wasn't that surprising given the fact that it was supposed to be used by hunters, who had the tendency of being inhumanly tall. Even Hastur, who could be considered one of the tallest hunters could fit through the door without any problems. 

And wasn't that an impressive feat in itself?

'I feel like an ant beside you.' Claude furrowed his brow, a slight frown appearing on his face. 

"Mn."

'Are you the tallest, by the way?'

"I am afraid that achievement goes to either the Reptilian or to the Undead."

'What the- how are they even that tall? It's crazy. You guys are fricking giants!'

"..." The Feaster stopped in his tracks, turning towards the smaller boy, his many eyes narrowing dangerously- which didn't go unnoticed by the said person either. "Watch your tongue, Child." he paused for a moment, before adding "Where did you even learn that word?"

'I... I heard it from the survivors.' the hunter's cold, chilly tone sent a shiver running up his spine. He wasn't really sure of what he did wrong here- the survivors didn't seem to mind much when the Prisoner used that word. So what was Hastur's problem?

"Which one?"

'Uhm...'

"Let me guess. The Mercenary?" Claude shook his head. "The Prisoner?" 

'Y-yeah.'

"..." Hastur let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head slightly before continuing his movements towards the garden. "You shouldn't talk like them. They aren't the best example for you to follow."

'O-okay. Sorry...' this time he didn't get a reply from the hunter other than a soft hum. 

The rest of their walk went in silence. Claude was afraid of offending the hunter even further than he already was, not daring to break the silence, trying to say as quiet as possible, while Hastur, on the other hand, simply didn't have much to say to the other. 

"Hastur?"

The uncomfortable silence was broken by a melodic, feminine voice. Claude was startled by it quite a bit, his pale eyes widening comically, as he came face to face with the owner of that voice. It belonged to a female-looking person. She had sickly pale, slightly grayish skin and full lips tinted with a dark, almost black color, her eyes covered by a slightly torn, black blindfold. That piece of clothing was also very thin- Claude could see the outlines of her eyes bulging out from behind it slightly. 

Claude could also see two black markings that were coming from beneath the blindfold, similar to the ones that were decorating the Seers face. There must be some kind of connection between the two persons, which Claude will no doubt, try to unfold another time.

The goddess- because it was pretty clear, this person cannot be a human being, not with an imposing aura such as this- was half-humanoid, half-snake. She had a long, thick snake tail, covered by shiny black scales all over it. She was at least as tall as Hastur was, which made her look even more imposing than she would have been otherwise. 

"Who is your little...companion?"

"You can see him. As I have thought."

"Hm?" she tilted her head to the side, a wide grin appearing on her face, showing off her razor-sharp, pointy teeth. "Of course I can. Now, now. What is surprising is that your little sheep seems to be able to... see me." her grin widened even more, which should have been an impossible feat. 

"Stop scaring him."

"Of course, of course. I apologize." she didn't seem apologetic at all, the grin not leaving her expression for a second. She seemed dangerous. 

Claude didn't want to be in her company anymore. 

"So, would you mind introducing your new little companion, brother?"

"Mn." Hastur nodded his head towards the snake-lady. "He is Claude. Claude, this is Yidhra. The Dream Witch."

"Nice to meet you, darling." 

'N-nice to meet you too.' 

To be completely honest, Claude was still pretty intimidated by the goddess. She was huge and scary, and he just didn't like the feeling she gave to him. He wanted to be as far away from her as possible. 

Hastur was right. They are different in ways Claude couldn't quite imagine before. He thought that every god was similar to the Feaster, graceful and quiet, collected and calm. But the snake-lady seemed pretty far from it.

"So, tell me, sweet child, how did you get into this lovely manor of ours?" she was slithering closer to the stiffened ghost, sizing him up and down, even though she shouldn't be able to see with that blindfold on- again. Such a strange resemblance to the Seer. He was also wearing a blindfold, yet he seemed to be seeing just fine. What was their secret?

'Uhm. I don't know. I just woke up here.'

"Oh? I see." letting out a hum, she moved her body so she could have her tail coiled up against the boy's lower half, which of course terrified the poor boy even more than he already was. "Do you mind?"

'N-no.' he was a stuttering mess. He wanted to say yes, but he was afraid of what she would do if he dared to say it. Would she squeeze him to death the same way those huge snakes did with their prey?

Was he her prey?  

"I do mind. Please stop mentally scarring the child." 

Yidhra let out an annoyed huff, a pout forming on her black lips, but she did as the other god said, letting the terrified Claude go in an instant.

"You are no fun~"

"Mn."

"So, Claude, deary~ look at my lovely little followers!" she was pointing at the little girls playing hide and seek in the background. "Aren't they cute?"

'T-they are.' 

"Mn~ So young and innocent! So much energy~"

'They are children?'  looking at the girls a little more closely, Claude was surprised. They seemed even younger than him, which made him wonder. Why would they worship a god at such a young age? How did they become followers? And every one of them was looking exactly the same. Were they all twins? 'Are they twins?'

"Of course not, silly! They look like that because they are my followers!"

'... So this is not their real appearance?'

"It is now. But they used to look different!"

'I see... And... how did they become your followers?'

"I ate them, of course!"

'...'

"Yidhra."

"Sorry, sorry!" she let out a loud laugh "His face was so funny!"

"She didn't really eat them, don't worry."

"I didn't?"

"No, you didn't. Not in the regular term."

"Oh! I didn't eat them like humans eat their food!"

'N-no?'

"Of course not, silly! I took them into my body after they were sacrificed for me!"

...

What the f-

That's even worse! Those children were sacrificed to a god? Who the hell does even do that?! What's wrong with people?!

"You broke him."

"Mn~"

"Would it hurt to act like a decent being for once?"

"You wound me, brother~ Am I not a decent being?" she was pouting again.

"You don't act like one."

"Humpf."

It was already getting dark by the time they finally headed back into the manor. Everything was quiet, too quiet, making Claude feel like something was very wrong. Hastur seemed to sense it too, because his frame went impossibly still for a second, the moment they reached the hall, his many eyes narrowing. Yidhra was also way too silent, which was very out of character for her. It was strange, and Claude was afraid to find out what went wrong. 

They slowly reached the common place in that deafening, ominous silence. This time, that room wasn't empty. Almost everyone was out there, sitting in their chairs surrounding the large glass table in the middle, with a grim expression sitting on their faces. Something bad must have happened. 

Claude didn't need to wonder for long, because the White Guard suddenly stood up, with a red envelope in his hands. He took a quick glance at his other half, a frown appearing in his normally gentle complexion.

It was so, so wrong, Claude couldn't bear the sight of it any longer.

"We got a letter from the Host."

Chapter Text

All the hunters were gathered together, there was not a single person missing. Even Guard 26 was there, standing right behind Burke and the Undead, who some people might have also known as Percy. He was the newest addition to their bunch. A few months have already passed since he arrived at the manor, and while at first most of the hunters were slightly hesitant around the imposing man, they got used to his presence in no time.

Well. They didn't really have any other choice in that matter. When you were living in a somewhat confined space with so many other people, you have to adjust quickly to all of them. Especially if you wished for a peaceful existence, with as few conflicts as possible.

Fortunately, though, every hunter who was residing in the manor appreciated the piece and the quiet, some of them much more than the others. So, was it surprising that they welcomed this new addition so quickly into their little dysfunctional family?

No, not at all.

To be honest, Percy was probably one of the least troublesome hunters in the manor, alongside Michiko and Mary. He was quiet, though none of them really knew whether it was because he was unable to speak much- just like Mary, or simply because he didn't like talking. It didn't matter much either way.

He was also very rarely seen in the common rooms. Most of the time, he would be either in the privacy of his own room or spending some time with Burke, which was not surprising at all. Mad Eyes was after all his creator too.

Though it didn't happen the same way it did with Guard 26. Percy was dead when he was brought into the manor, along with a big red envelope addressed to the architect. His corpse was carefully stuffed into a simple coffin that was made out of wood, so none of the other hunters saw the condition it was in, though Burke was not willing to even talk about it.

In the end, the architect managed to follow the instructions that were written for him inside that letter, successfully reviving the dead inventor.

So, why did the other hunters feel unsettled by this person who was brought back to life by one of their own?

Probably due to the fact that this new hunter could basically be considered a zombie, and he had a certain air surrounding him, making their instincts scream at them to run. (which was ridiculous. They were hunters. They didn't run. They were the ones people ran away from!)

All of that aside, Percy was also the hunter with the least amount of matches per month. His way of hunting could also be considered quite unique, as he didn't need to place the incapacitated survivors into one of the rocket chairs, he simply needed to let them die by bleeding out.

It was truly a terrifying way to go down, even if the survivors didn't really stay dead for too long.

“Who are we waiting for?” the one asking the question was Jack, who was currently sitting in the seat next to Burke.

The Ripper's voice was cold, lacking of any emotion, which was highly unusual for him, as he was usually one of the most lively persons in their respective side. He was wearing his Golden Tentacle costume, with -of course, the matching mask on, making it impossible to see what kind of expression he was making beneath that mask. It couldn't be any good if the uncharacteristic way he was acting was anything to go by.

“Hastur and Yidhra.”

“Can't we start without them?”

“You know that we can't start a meeting without everyone present.”

“Fine. Then what about sending someone to collect them?”

“...” the White Guard let out a long, exaggerated sigh, shaking his head softly at the other's antics. “Alright, I can do that. Who wants to go?”

There was a long pause of uncomfortable silence  as no one seemed to be in the mood to go and search for the two missing hunters. Fortunately, though, they didn't need to send anyone, because in the exact moment the Guard was about to take the responsivity for himself, the hall's enormous door opened, revealing the two gods in question, followed closely by the witch's followers. Hastur and Yidhra, noticing immediately that something was off, sent the children off, slithering closer to the other hunters, taking their places near the table right beside each other.

Xie Bi'an let out a relieved sigh as they finally arrived. Now, there was nothing that could stop the meeting from starting. He stood up quickly, placing a red envelope onto the table, with a serious expression on his face.

“We got a letter from the Host,” upon hearing his voice, some of the hunters' faces became sullen, secretly sending a dirty look towards the Ripper. The owner probably had heard of his new relationship with the Mercenary, so it was most likely that he was going to be punished. It was too early for a new addition to arrive at their side, so why else could have the Host sent that letter?

“What is in it?” the silence was finally broken by Joseph. He also gazed towards Jack for a second, before turning his attention back to the White Guard.

“Read it.”

“My dearest Hunters,

It was brought to my attention, that some of you have been misbehaving in The Games to my greatest disappointment. The number of those so-called “friendly” matches are increasing in number more and more as days go by. Not to mention the unorthodox... relationship one of you has developed with your prey.

That won't do at all.

This cannot go unpunished, I am sure you all understand.

To end this ridiculous rebellion of yours, there will be quite a few adjustments to the games. For starters, I found that most of you rarely if ever are given a change to participate. From now on, the games are going to be organized by the Guards, overseen by your Caretaker, so there would be no favoritism in question. Each and every one of you is going to have a weekly quota you need to reach. Hunters that fail to make it will be eliminated automatically. 

Secondly, from now on you wil get points depending on your performance as a hunter. Your points will be calculated each Sunday at 00:00. Hunters that fail to reach a 60% winrate by the end of the month will be eliminated.

There is no need to be afraid. Hunters who do their job properly will not get below this percentage. From now on, you have to think carefully about whether you can afford a loss or not.

To show how generous I am, the relationship mentioned above of said hunter and survivor will not be terminated if it does not affect their performances. If it does, however, both of them will be eliminated.

As a punishment for the misbehavior: from now on all injuries will stay after the matches and will be treated traditionally by the Doctor.

Lastly, a new hunter is to be expected at the end of the week. No further information on that matter, please wait for the notice.

For more information of the adjustments, please contact the Caretaker. 

I expect you all to correct your ways. I would be sad if I would need to get rid of some of you.

The Host.”

A few minutes of heavy silence fell upon them as they were processing what they've just heard. The first one to recover from the shock was Smiley Face, letting his anger known by hitting the table with his clenched fists.

“What the fuck?! This crazy bastard wants to kill us now?!” he was so angry he wanted to hit someone. Preferably Jack. “This is your fault!” he pointed a finger towards Jack. “And yours too, Prettyboy!” this time he turned towards Joseph. “I knew this was going to happen! I knew it! I told you to stop playing so damn nice with the little bastards but did you listen to me?! No!”

“Calm down, Joker.” Leo was trying to make the man see reason, but of course, it was pointless.

“Calm down?! Calm down?! How could I calm down?!” he was yelling, his face turning an ugly shade of red as if he could blow up any moment. “Neither this damned French fucker, not the survivor lover there have anything to fear for, they almost always win! But someone like me, like us- what if we lose too much and we will be killed because of it?!” he took a deep breath, before continuing. “All because of them!” finally starting to lose some of his anger, just to be replaced by desperation. “Dammit, I don't want to die yet.”

“Now, now. No use of blaming each other.” Michiko was the one to speak up after a long beat of silence. “We will figure things out.”

“How? What can we do? The Owner stated clear what will happen if we can't keep up with his new conditions.”

“I agree with Joker. I don't see what we could do aside from trying to not fall behind.” Bane's statement was followed by nods from many of the others.

“Cheer up. It's only a 60% winrate. It could be worse. What if he raised it up to 90%?” it was Leo again, trying to loosen up the heavy atmosphere.

“Don't even joke like that!”

“Leo is right. Winning that often is not impossible. We just need to play more seriously.” it was the White Guard who spoke up first.

“How many times do we have to play a week? Does it say somewhere?”

“Not the letter, but I got the instructions of organizing the matches.” he took out another letter, though he didn't let the others read it this time. “Let's see. There are 7 days a week and the minimum quota is... 30 matches.” he paused for a moment, biting onto his lips, reading through the paper with furrowed brows. “It means that you should play 4 matches on weekdays and 5 on weekends.” he seemed to be thinking it through again. “No... I think we should do four daily matches and two weekly pack-hunter matches per person. That way we have the 30 matches in total.”

“That's... quite some matches a day. Do you need help making the schedule?”

“I am fine right now, thank you. I will go to you if I need any help.”

"Mn. Alright."

"Jack! Why are you so silent? Having nothing to add?"

"No." standing up from his seat, the Ripper was ready to leave the hall, not actually caring for the other's opinion of his choices. To be honest, he would rather not stand for their blaming. He knew it was mostly his fault. He shouldn't have been so lost in his own happiness. He should have known better, but it was already too late. He just didn't understand why would the Host punish the whole manor for something only he messed up.

No, that wasn't right. Of course, that sadistic bastard would pull off something like this. He enjoyed watching them in pain. All of them. Even if sometimes it seemed like he was on the hunter's side, he was absolutely not. He made the hunters suffer just as much as the survivors did. He knew that. Everyone knew that.

But still.

"Fucking coward."

"Joker!" Michiko was looking at the clown with a disappointed expression on her face, her brows furrowed. 

"Now you are running away like a fucking coward?" Joker's anger came back tenfold as he was watching the other's retreating form. "Well, whatever. It's not only your fault after all. That damned Mercenary started it all. If he didn't try to seduce you, all of this wouldn't have happened!" Jack froze in his movement, which made Joker quite satisfied. His lips turned into an unsightly grin, his eyes glinting in a sadistic manner. "I might play a little with him later on. What did the owner say? Oh right. No injury will heal the way it did before." there was a gleeful expression on his face. "Let's see him seducing anyone else with a broken face! I wonder~ If I cut his pretty head off, will it grow back? Would it needed to be sewed back?" he was too deep in his messed up imagination, so he didn't notice in time the flashing red light in the other hunter's eyes, the cold fury that started to emit from his tall frame. His shadow grew and twisted around his frame, as he suddenly lost all reason.

Noone. Touches. What's his.

The other hunters seemed to be recognizing the signs, moving away from the awakened beast. They were all familiar with this personality- if it could be called a personality at all. If one would compare Jack to Dr. Yekyll and Mr. Hide, this Jack would be the latter. A bloodthirsty, sadistic, possessive monster, the one that killed all those women so many years ago, the one Jack was trying to contain so bad, he even tried to end his own life, just to make its rampage end. 

The reason he came to the manor.

There was a sudden flash, the sound of glass breaking, a painful cry. 

"You. will. not. lay. a finger. on what belongs to me."

"R-rig-ghht." Joker was choking on his own blood. Jack- no, this was not Jack, the Beast stabbed his clawed hand right into his stomach, carving a deep, bloody hole into it. The other hunter could barely let out any sound, not even a scream came out, blood flowed out of his mouth, and the wound at a rapid speed. 

But the Beast wasn't done with him yet. Tilting his masked face to the side, Joker could see that wicked, dark grin on his face, promising him pain like he never felt before. Twisting his clawed hand inside the wound, he changed the angle, making the hole deeper and wider. 

"I wonder~ How would you look with your intestines laid out before me? What sound would those dirty lips make when I pulled them out of you?~" he was leaning closer to the other hunter. "Why don't you scream for me?" at that last part, Jack pulled his fist out forcefully, raising his hand up and touching the other man's chin with his sharp, bloody claws. 

Neither of the others present dared to move an inch. It wasn't that they were afraid, no, they were just too shocked, surprised by the turn of events, that they couldn't react in time to stop Jack. The first person coming to themselves was Hastur. He knew what was happening, he knew that if he didn't interfere right now, that Jack would surely kill the other hunter, mercilessly. And if Joker would die, the Host would punish Jack too, even though it wasn't entirely his fault that he lost control. Taking a sigh, Hastur stepped forward.

"E̶̡͈̭̻̥͑͘N̶͈̙̯̞̠̊̕̚O̸̡̥͖̅̊̃̒̂U̷͇̪͇̍́̐͘͜G̶̢̺͚͔͇̾̽̏̈́H̶̰̅ͅ!̷͍̯̽"

His eyes were glowing in an unnatural manner, his voice barely recognizable. It was deep and rumbling and terrible, something that stepped straight out of someone's nightmare. No, it wasn't his voice. It couldn't be considered someone's voice. It was as if many people were talking as one, freezing everyone that heard it to the place. Everyone except Yidhra, who was watching him intensely with a strange, fascinated expression on her face.

"Elder God. Let me finish this foolish clown off. He needs to learn his place-"

"It's enough." Hastur's voice went back to normal, the glow of his eyes gone. He slithered closer to the other two, giving the Ripper a disappointed, disapproving glance. He was probably the only hunter here who had a somewhat normal relationship with this Jack, therefore, the only one he would actually listen to. Not even Michiko could calm this one down. "Go back to your room. Don't cause any more trouble."

"He wants to hurt my prey. He needs to-" he paused at the look the god was giving him. "Fine! I am going."

"I will speak with you later. Let Jack rest for a bit longer." he only got hands up as a way of agreeing to him, and the Ripper was already gone from the hall, leaving the stunned hunters with the unconscious, glory mess on the floor. Hastur slithered next to Joker, inspecting his wounds, before turning his head to the others.

"Get the Doctor and the Caretaker here. He will most likely survive, but only thanks to the manor."

"Right away." It was Joseph who spoke up. He rushed out of the hall, towards the survivors' side. His face was impossibly pale, his lips trembling. He probably had never seen Jack lose control like that before, and even though the Ripper would come to the surface from time to time, he rarely if ever did anything like this. There was one accident a few years ago, but Joseph wasn't part of the hunters at that time, so he wouldn't know.

While he was getting Emily, Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu were already on their way to notify Miss Nightingale. 

Hastur let out a long, suffering sigh. Why was everything so troublesome here?

"This was... extreme."

"Yeah. Jack has never reacted like this before."

"Seriously, almost killing a fellow hunter? What was he thinking?"

"He wasn't thinking at all. That's the problem."

"Yeah."

"Man, I hope this won't make things even harder with the Host. I don't want that percentage to rise up."

"That would be bad."

"Really bad."

"Stop gossiping." Hastur turned towards the conversing hunters.

"Sorry!" 

"Well. Wasn't this a delightful experience?" Hastur heard the sound of someone slithering beside him. Of course, this person could be only Yidhra, as noone else had this exact way of moving besides the two of them. 

The goddess had an amused grin on her dark lips, her eyes glinting in clear fascination. To be honest, Hastur wasn't even surprised by this reaction. She has alway been strangely delighted whenever something violent had happened. She liked blood, and she liked whenever things gotten out of control. Thinking it through again, maybe it wasn't even the violence she carved. No, it was the chaos.

"What part of this was delightful for you?"

"Hmm~ Let's see. Jack lost control because someone insulted his little pet. Then, you of all people lost control, using that beautiful voice of yours to stop the Beast from killing the Clown." She let out a chuckle. "I wonder though~ did your little lamb see this gloriously gory encounter, or did he flee in time?" her grin widened even more as Hastur's eyes got blown open. 

"Claude? Did he see it?"

"I don’t know ~" she was humming happily. "Maybe he saw it maybe he didn't ~" seemingly lost in her thoughts for a second, her face lit up as she remembered. "What will you do if his existence would get found out by the Owner?" 

Now, this question made Hastur freeze in his tracks. He didn't even think of this possibility. The ghost-child was attracting trouble like a magnet, using his poltergeist abilities to mess with people he didn't like way too often for it to go unnoticed. The possibility of the Host finding out was big, and the god didn't even dare to think about what he could do to the child. 

"Ohho! Someone is wearing a sour expression!" she was laughing at him now. "You never even considered this option, right?" 

"Why are you so happy?" 

"Well! I love interesting things, and this sweet little child will sure make things more interesting!" 

Hastur let out a sigh. He didn't have the patience to deal with her madness right now.

"Just leave my child alone." 

"Your child?" she was looking at him with that expression again. Hastur didn't want to bother with her anymore, so he just left her alone.

"What the bloody hell happened here?" 

"Excatly that, Miss Nightingale." 

Chapter Text

By the time Joseph arrived with the doctor, most of the other hunters were long gone from the scene along with Jack, of course, for which the Photographer was really grateful. Don't get him wrong, Joseph held his fellow hunter quite dear to him, their relationship could be even considered friendly, but that certain incident left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn't help himself feeling slightly wary around the Ripper. To be completely honest with you, he couldn't really blame the man for what he did to the clown; Joker had it coming, he shouldn't have said all those things to the other hunter, who was already on the edge by that time. Especially not that one about the Mercenary. Anyone could see how protective the man was of the survivor, to the point of possessiveness. Jack clearly saw the boy as his own, and the other guy- the Ripper, definitely thought of him that way too. If it wasn't the case, Joker wouldn't have gotten so hurt by that person.

So yeah. Joseph was pretty sure his reaction would not have been any better in that exact scenario. So who was he to judge? He was certain that every hunter would have done the same if not worse. He didn't even want to imagine the bloodbath Hastur would make would something happen to his precious little Seer. Because yes, the god's obsessive protectiveness towards that certain survivor didn't go unnoticed by either of the others, Joseph included. Everyone could see how dangerous the Feaster's aura got every time someone went unnecessarily hard on the boy- which of course didn't happen often, because that boy was a saint. He was an overly polite person, one that was very hard and troublesome to hate. The only times one of them has gotten out of line with him was when they were already too far gone into madness to see reason. And Hastur always made sure to make the said person suffer when that happened, so no one in their right mind dared to touch the boy more than it was necessary.

It was almost funny how easily some of them got attached to the persons they were supposed to torment. For example, Leo couldn't possibly hate his daughter, nor could he get himself to hurt her on his normal, more clear days. Hell, even Joseph had a hard time hurting some of the survivors, especially Emily. She was his friend. The only person who knew everything about him, even the secrets he would never share with the other hunters. It wasn't intentional though, he didn't plan their relationship to be anything more than professional between a doctor and her patient. But one thing led to another and they warmed up towards each other fairly quickly. 

It was a story for another time, though. 

Stepping into the hall alongside the doctor, the first thing they noticed was the fact that it was empty save for the Feaster and the Evil Reptilian, who were chatting with Miss Nightingale in a hushed voice near the bloody mess that was left after Joker was taken to the infirmary. Emily didn't waste any time, already rushing forward, her gaze filling with horror as she was trying to process the sight before her.

„What... what happened here?” she took a deep breath, a frown finding its way onto her face. She took a look at the others before her, pushing all her doubts to the back of her mind, deciding to investigate later. „Joseph told me Joker is injured? Where is him?”

„Jack. That's what happened,” muttered Luchino through his gritted teeth. He was very unimpressed with the maddened man right now. Hurting survivors for the sake of his own entertainment was one thing, but actually trying to kill a fellow hunter was taking things too far in his opinion. What the hell was even wrong with him? What's the guarantee he won't try to do that again in the future? While yes, it might be true that they didn't die as long as the Host didn't want them to be gone, they felt the pain just like they would if they were out of this hellish place.

“Please, follow us.” Miss Nightingale was starting to walk towards the infirmary. It wasn't too far from the hall, you just needed to walk up the stairs to the second floor, turn to the left and it was right at the end of the corridor. They reached there pretty quickly, the two hunters letting the doctor go inside first. Emily didn't hesitate for even a moment, stepping into the room, immediately searching for the injured hunter with her gaze, just to freeze in her movements for a second when she finally saw the man, her eyes widening dramatically in her shocked state.

„Jack did... this?”

„Who else would?”

„H-how did this even happen?” not letting the fear get a hold of her, she quickly started to work on treating the injured hunter's wounds, averting her gaze from the other persons in the room, her expression morphing into a more neutral, professional one. It was fine. Emily was already familiar with wounds of this nature, she actually saw far worse ones before, so it wasn't that hard for her to fall back into her old routine. While clearly focusing on the task before her, she still continued the conversation with the hunters. Multitasking was not an unfamiliar concept to her, she could focus on many things at the same time. It was a habit she needed to pick up. As a doctor, it was an important and quite handy skill to have.

„We got a letter from the Host. Shit is going down, and it's practically Jack's fault. Smiley voiced his opinion on this matter, insulting Mercenary while doing so and Jack went mad.” Luchino summed up the happenings, flinching slightly at the blood that was still flowing from the wound, dying the doctor's clothes red. 

„This mad?” there was a small frown on her face. „Let me guess. It was the Ripper?”

As the person who was the most familiar with the hunters in the manor, it was only natural for her to know of the man's unfortunate condition. She was one of the first residents to arrive here, along with Hell Ember, Gardener, the Thief, and the Lawyer. They were all connected to each other one way or another, though it was a story for a different time.
As a doctor, the task of taking care of the people who lived in the manor naturally fell into her capable hands, the very moment she stepped foot into this place. Every time a new person would join their ranks, be it either a survivor or a hunter, she would get alerted beforehand, getting their files from the Host, which was containing every possible information of the said person, their medical conditions, the medicines they would be required to take, every single special need and all those little things that could make her job as a doctor much easier in the long run. Emily was probably the only person here who knew absolutely everything of everyone in the manor. Their stories, their secrets, their pain, the real persons behind those carefully built-up personas, that most of them decided to take. She never talked about any of that to anyone, the oath she took wouldn't let her even if she would have tried. While a doctor's oath wouldn't be binding in the outside world, in this cursed manor, however, she was bound by it, making those secrets safe in her hands. It didn't make her burden easier though.

So, it wasn't really that surprising for her to learn that the Ripper got out of Jack's control again. It happened from time to time, even though it was relatively rare for an accident such as this one was to happen.

Jack usually took precautions, sending for her immediately the moment he suspected something was up with his alter.

Because yes, contrary to popular belief, the Ripper wasn't actually a demon possessing the man, or at least, Emily didn't think it was that. (though she had to admit, there were a few incidents concerning the man, ones that were quite... strange and inexplicable, which caused Emily to doubt the diagnosis on the file she was given the moment the Ripper joined the hunters.) Jack's situation was something much more different: he had a relatively rare condition, Dissociative Identity Disorder. This disorder was a fairly complicated one. Most people thought that it only meant multiple personalities, but in reality, it was much more than that.

People who had this disorder were usually traumatized early in their life, which often meant psychical and emotional abuse, they had multiple personalities (alters), that they developed as a way to defend themselves from the pain the trauma was causing them, and the switch between these alters was usually followed by amnesia or selective memory loss, which meant that what the one in control did could often not be remembered by the other ones at all. The disorder also had a factor where the patient would have problems with derealization, making them often feel detached from their own bodies, as if they were not in control of themselves.

To be completely honest with you, Emily has had her concerns regarding the man for a while. Of course, the relationship he developed with Naib didn't slip from her eyes, she knew something was up the moment she laid her eyes on the uncharacteristically happy, blissful state the hunter seemed to be in lately. She didn't have any problems with this relationship, but she was worried about how the Ripper would react to the boy. It was also quite worrying that Jack has been refusing to relieve the stress, going friendly too often, which Emily knew would cause quite some problems eventually, when the Ripper would finally be the one in control. Emily was afraid of what would happen if he would be the one to go to the matches. Ripper's violent tendencies were being suppressed and unsatisfied for so long she was afraid he would make a bloodbath, especially now when both sides were being punished by making their injuries heal in the normal way.

How did she already know of the situation? She was a doctor, the person in charge of each and every person's health who lived in the Manor. Of course, she would already be notified of the changes as it affected her job as a healer too. 

As far as she was concerned, she was the only survivor who knew of those certain changes, though she didn't know how long it would remain that way. 

„You would be correct.” Hastur has been silently listening to their conversation, only now deciding to step in. „Jack has been going easy on the survivors, and it was making the Ripper quite unsatisfied, growing more and more irritated and impatient each second without any bloodshed.” it seemed like the god was having the same worries as Emily did. They both knew what the killer was capable of firsthand, though they experienced it differently.

„Yeah, and Joker implied that he would be taking his rage out on Subedar.” Luchino shook his head as if he couldn't believe it himself.

„That was the reason he finally snapped. Ripper might not be as head over heels with the boy as Jack is, but even he is considering him as his property. And you know how possessive he is.” flinching slightly back at the implication, Emily nodded her head, with a grim expression on her face.

„He is lucky that we are in this place. Would something like this happen to him in the outside world, he would be already dead.”

„I see.”

„I want to see Jack after he is back to his senses.” finally finishing treating Joker's wounds, Emily turned towards the two hunters, her lips pursed tightly together, her gaze full of something indescribable. She seemed mad, angry at the hunter's carelessness. Jack knew perfectly well what the consequences of his actions would be. He was already familiar with the way his other half was working, he knew what it was capable of. And yet, he let things get out of control so quickly, with no further thought. Emily would need to have some words with the man later after he was back to himself. Though when that would happen she didn't even know. Ripper has been suppressed for so long, it was not very likely that he would allow the other half to take back the control anytime soon.

And wasn't that a scary thought? Ripper was not someone you would want to be near when he was mad. He wasn't a gentleman like Jack was, even though from time to time, he would act that way when it suited his needs, but it was nothing but an act, a way of luring his clueless prey in, making them come to him willingly.

Emily was afraid of what he could do to them in those matches, especially now, that the game was already changing.

„Is there anything else I can do for you?”

„No, you can go back.”

„I am on my way then. Good luck with Jack.”

„...Thank you.”

They will definitely need it.

To say that Claude was shook would be an understatement. 

Unfortunately for him, he was there when the hunters gathered together to read the letter that a certain "Host" has sent to them, and he was also there when Jack suddenly went mad. Though he didn't stay there to witness what the man did to the clown, he still heard the screams and the way the Ripper was speaking to his victim. It scared him. The lowly spoken, dark voice, that promised pain and suffering, the cries, the ear-piercing, painful screams. He could still hear them all, and he didn't know what to do, how to react. A situation such as this was all new to him. Sure, he was there and saw the matches, but they weren't as violent or even bloody, and most of the survivors didn't even seem that scared anymore. It was just a game for them and Claude knew it. 

But this... this was not a game anymore. Jack hurt someone seriously, and it was still haunting Claude every time he closed his eyes. 

"Are you alright, Child?" the voice interrupting his thoughts belonged to Hastur. The elder god was probably the only person -besides his brother, of course, but Joseph couldn't see or hear him so it was out of the question- he wanted to see right now. He didn't know how to process things like this, he didn't know what he was thinking, he wasn't even sure what emotions he had. Was he afraid? Terrified? He knew that Jack couldn't hurt him, he was a ghost, it was very hard to cause him any harm, so he wasn't really worried about his own safety. But just because no one could hurt him didn't mean his important persons were safe on their own. Jack could very well hurt his brother, Aesop, or even Hastur, though he was pretty sure the latter was impossibly hard to hurt, but still. He couldn't help himself worrying. 

'I... I don't k-know.'  he was stuttering, his voice wavering uncontrollably. Even his body was shaking, and he could feel the hot sensation of tears running through his face- which was kinda ridiculous. He was a ghost, so how on Earth was he able to produce tears? Were those even real tears or did it happen only in his mind? 

"How much did you see?" Hastur sounded somewhat cold, but Claude didn't really pay it any mind. He was probably shaken too. He was there, after all, seeing the violence in person. Did it even surprise him? Was he as shocked and scared as Claude? Probably not. Hastur seemed stronger, more stable mentally, Claude had a hard time believing that the bloody mess had any effect on the god. He probably saw worse.

'I l-left after h-he stabbed S-Smiley first.'

"...I see." Through his closed eyes, Claude could feel the elder god slithering closer to him, sitting down beside him. Claude let out a silent huff, his breathing uneven and fast. He was hyperventilating. 

'I d-didn't want t-to see it. I d-didn't want to h-hear it anymore. I w-wanted the v-voices to stop but they k-kept coming.'  lifting his small hands up, Claude covered his ears tightly as if he was still trying to muffle the voices out. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, not daring to look at the hunter beside him. He felt small and weak, and he absolutely hated it.

"Child..." Hastur was saying something, but his voice didn't make any sense to the ghost child. He opened his eyes, finally taking a quick peek at the tall hunter beside him.

Hastur was someone very hard to read. As he didn't really have a face, the only way to see his emotions was through his eyes. Right now, his eyes were opened wide, with a strange glint in their eyes. He didn't seem angry, it was close to sadness, but Claude wasn't sure that it was the case. Maybe that emotion was pity? Or maybe...worry? Did he feel worried for Claude? The thought made him feel warm and safe. 

To be honest, Claude always felt safe and warm around the god. 

'...!?'  suddenly, there were a pair of strong, muscled arms around him, pulling him closer to the other, and for a moment Claude was afraid he would be swallowed by the abyss that was lurking inside the god's robes, but that uncomfortable feeling was quickly replaced by gratefulness. He let out a weak sobbing sound, burying his face into the soft fabric of the hunter's clothing. The hunter's chest felt strangely warm and hard against his small frame. Hastur's body had an unnaturally high temperature, which made laying onto him feel quite comfortable. Dizzyness took a hold of him, as he could feel his breath slowly calming down. He blinked a few times, trying to chase the sudden wave of sleepiness away. The arms around him tightened strongly, though their hold was still gentle, not hurting him even the slightest bit. 

"I am sorry." he could feel Hastur's deep, rumbling voice as he was pressed against his chest closely. "I am sorry you had to experience something like this." 

'I-it's not your fault.' Claude shook his head slightly, sniffing as the tears finally stopped flowing from his eyes. 'I was at the wrong place at the wrong time...'

"It's okay to be afraid." how did he know that Claude was blaming himself for the way the incident affected him? Was he that easy to see through? "you are young, you never experienced such things before. Your reaction was perfectly natural and to be expected." there was a short pause. "I would be very surprised if it wouldn't have scared you. You are still just a child."

Claude didn't really know how to reply to that, so instead, he let the silence fall upon them. He stayed in the embrace for a little longer, before he finally moved away, giving the god back his personal space. He was grateful for the short comfort, but he didn't want Hastur to push himself too far. He pulled himself away, moving back to his previous place, though thanks to the other one, he was much calmer this time. He took a soft sniff, gently wiping the remaining tears off of his face with his hand. 

With each passing day he spent in the presence of other, he found himself liking the Feaster more and more. Hastur was strangely kind and patient with him, and he was very grateful for that to him. Not only was he keeping him away from the loneliness, chasing his bad thoughts away, he was also making sure that Claude was alright, not caring for all the annoying questions he would bombard the god with every time they spent some time in each other's company. 

Claude knew that he was annoying and way too noisy, often letting his curiosity get a hold of himself, and Hastur had every right to get fed up with him for that, sending him away to bother someone else. And yet, the god didn't do that. 

It felt nice. Having someone like him in his life.

'Uhm. About the letter...' Hastur let out a humming sound, turning his gaze towards the boy. 'What... what does it mean for you?'

"We will need to take those games more seriously, and there will be more than our regular matches."

'More than twice a day?'

"Definitely."

'A-and what about the injuries?'  this part was the one bothering him the most. What did the Host mean by traditional treatment? 

"The Owner told us that from now on all injuries will be healed normally."

'The survivors too?'

"Yes. The punishment goes both ways."

'What does it mean to be treated normally?'

"We will feel more pain than we are used to, though I don't think that it will be too bad. If we would be hurt too much it would affect our performance in the games."

'Ahh. I hope you are right...' there was a small frown on his face. He didn't want any of the people here to be hurt and in pain. That doesn't sound too fun to him. 'What does elimination mean? The letter said hunters could get eliminated, right?'

"Oh." Hastur seemed to be hesitating a little as if he didn't really want to answer that question. Who would blame him though? He didn't want the boy to suffer even more, but he also couldn't get himself into lying to him. He closed his many eyes and let out a long, suffering sigh. "It means..." he opened his eyes and looked straightly at the boy, meeting his widened eyes.

"...death." 

Chapter Text

Jack Whistler, or as some of you might better know him: The Ripper was not a person whose interest would be easily perked up. Sure, there were people who intrigued him, like that old detective friend of his- what was his name again? Oh, yes. Frederick Abberline. The man was already in his middle forties the time he began working on the Whitechapel murders, the ones that had The Ripper responsible for. He could still remember the good old times- when he was leading on the Scotland Yard, always one step ahead of them, watching with glee as they were being led by their noses. He absolutely loved how they were controlled by him, the sight of them cowering in fear, waiting in horrified anticipation for the next corpse to appear- the sign of them failing to stop the Ripper.

He loved playing with all of them, though he had to admit his favorite little mouse was good old Frederick. The man who gave his name to him. As a way to thank the detective for that, he even sent him some gifts, giving the poor old man a few hints from time to time, even going as far as to tell him who he would murder next- oh how he adored watching the man trying and failing so hard to protect his newest prey.

Fredrick was such an interesting individual. He was intriguing and fun to play his games with, but still, it was not a romantic interest. The man might have been a good source of fun, but he never really thought deeper of him. He was not worth his time.

So, yes. The Ripper has never been interested in anyone in a romantic way. Women disgusted him, and the man were all dumb idiots who only cared for running after the ladies. It wasn't really surprising that he wasn't interested in any of them either. He never understood how other people got so attached to each other, why they felt the need to court or how they found certain... activities pleasant. It was all unnecessary for him, nothing more than trouble- and he didn't want to become one of those thirsty bastards he grew up despising so much. (he hated prostitutes the most. Dirty filth of society, he wanted to kill them all.)

And this was something he and Jack had in common. Both of them hated the filthy whores, more than anyone could ever imagine, though there was a huge difference between the two of them. Jack was the “good” guy. Even though deep inside he wanted to hurt them too, he was too much of a coward to do it. Jack couldn't stomach the things Ripper did to the whores, and this was the biggest reason Ripper didn't let him remember anything that happened.

Jack would always be his priority. Ripper would always place his well-being above everything, after all, he existed to make his life easier, so he wouldn't get hurt so much anymore. Even if that meant Ripper would be the one to get hurt, even if he had to do unspeakable things so Jack wouldn't have to deal with any more trauma. Ripper swore many years ago, that everyone who ever wronged Jack would suffer- even the ones that didn't do anything yet. He couldn't let any potential treats go away.

Ripper was everything Jack was not: he was strong, ruthless, not afraid to take their life into his hands. Not afraid to end another life if it meant that would save theirs- and that was how all of this started in the first place.

Ripper was born on an extremely cold, freezing winter night. He opened his red eyes and saw the bloody mess that was on the dirty ground- that mess was him. Them.

At first, he was confused. Why was he there? Who was he? But then, all at once, memories started to appear, overwhelming him, making him relive all the suffering his other half had to go through. And suddenly, He had a purpose: protect Jack, hurt those who wanted to hurt them. So that was exactly what he did- every time Jack would be hit, Ripper took his place. The beatings were rough, but not something he couldn't survive, though there was something strange he noticed about him- he couldn't feel any pain. But, even though he didn't feel the painful pang of the broken bones or the aching burn marks on his body, it didn't mean that Jack wouldn't feel them too after another switch would happen. He learned that the hard way.

He took the first life after that exact realization, only to be taken aback by how... thrilling it felt to have that power in his hands. How alive it made him feel. The warm, red liquid that was dripping on his hands, splashing onto his clothes felt nice on his skin, and it tasted sweet on his lips the first time he tasted it. It was... intoxicating. He wanted more. After all the numbness he felt until that point, he couldn't help yearning for more of those feelings.

That very first victim was his mother. The woman that was supposed to protect Jack, who instead made his life a living hell. Torturing her own child, blaming him for her own mistakes- she deserved to die. Ripper took great satisfaction as he slit the whore's throat, his red eyes glinting gleefully watching the life disappear from her eyes. He wasn't attached to this woman. Hell, even Jacky wasn't attached to him, though he was pretty sure he would have preferred her to stay alive. Yet, Ripper couldn't help the feeling of the sudden want- the need to take her body apart, to make her outside look as disfigured and mutilated as she was on the inside. He thought about it, how easy it would have been to cut her apart. He repressed this desire though- he couldn't do it now, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself.

He wasn't remorseful. He couldn't feel a single pang of guilt. That whore got what she deserved.

Jack wasn't allowed to know, though. Ripper didn't want him to know about anything- not about him, nor the murder he had done with his own hands. So, he washed himself, threw the broken piece of glass away, and ran outside, acting like a scared little child- the way Jack would have done if he were in his place now. He was sure it would have been better to actually switch and let Jack do this. He wouldn't need to act as he would not know that he did this, but Ripper couldn't let him deal with the sight. It wasn't pretty. (for Jack anyway.)

So, he dealt with the Yard and let himself be taken away after he gave his statement. Of course, he didn't tell them the truth, he wasn't stupid. He said that he was sleeping when it happened and that he was woken up when he heard some strange noise coming from downstairs. Of course, they believed him. Who would believe that a child would kill his mother? It was ridiculously easy to fool them, though Ripper wouldn't complain.

After that, they were thrown into an orphanage, as they didn't have any living relatives who could take them in. Their life in that hellish place wasn't any better than it was with that whore, but at least, Jack wasn't almost beaten to death in a regular basis. At first, the older children tried to pick on Jack, but Ripper wouldn't have any of that. He switched the first time Jack was cornered by the bigger bullies and gave them the fright of their life- nothing too harsh of course, he couldn't let the nannies get suspicious of them. It was of course not nearly enough to make that yearning for their blood disappear. He couldn't do anything for that though.

Finally having a somewhat more peaceful life, Jack had the chance to let his talent bloom. He was a talented artist, and it made their life much easier, because one day, a nice old man came to the orphanage and took them away, becoming their mentor.

Their life with James Whistler was not a bad one. They didn't need to deal with any more abuse, and Jack was finally happy. That could not be said of Ripper though. With each passing day, his bloodthirst grew and so did his frustration. Then, one day, after the eighteenth birthday of Jack, something strange happened. James Whistler did something unforgivable to Jack, so Ripper killed him, the same way he did with the whore so many years ago.

And it was only the start for him.

Thankfully, for a very long time, Jack was not aware of the sins Ripper committed at night when the town was asleep.

Of course, it didn't stay that way for long, because Ripper started to lose control over himself and his dirty desires for blood. Every night he went out and gave in to the urge, his mind getting more and more twisted, and his viciousness only grew with it. He started to forget his original purpose and by the time he realized what happened, it was already too late.

Because Jack knew and he tried to kill himself.

And after that, came that letter from that mysterious baron. It was such a good deal, how could have the Ripper say no to it? He would get Jack back and he would have a way to keep himself in control without getting more blood onto his hands. It was a good deal. So he accepted.

Oh, what a foolish mistake that was.

Firstly, the moment he stepped foot into the manor, he was bound to the place forever, with no way out. Then, he might have gotten Jack back, he even got a way to speak to him through the mirrors, but the man still hated him. He broke all the mirrors in their chambers, and even though those would be repaired by the next day, Jack broke each of them with his own hands, not caring even if it meant he would be hurt by doing so.

And, during those games, Ripper would have his mind clouded, unable to keep himself in check, while Jack was also conscious, seeing everything they have done to hurt their prey. This was not even the worse of it. Because eventually, Jack became tainted by him, developing darker habits, twisted thoughts. And Ripper didn't want any of that. Jack was the only one he ever cared for and he wanted him to be himself. To be what he used to be.

But that gentle, silent person was gone, and Ripper sometimes wasn't sure when he was in control, and when it was Jack, as the boundaries between their personalities faded away. And then, when Ripper started to give up, to accept the fact that they would eventually become one ruthless bloodthirsty being, then, came that boy.

They met the Mercenary.

He was a strange one. Naib Subedar was not unfamiliar with death and suffering, he welcomed pain like an old friend, taking any beating with head held high up, not afraid to fight back, even if that meant more pain for him.

He intrigued Jack just as much as it did the Ripper. He was the first one to ever fight back. Yes, he also ran away from time to time, but it was merely an act, a way to make Jack chase after him, stalling him to give more time to his teammates. A chance for them to escape. And when he would eventually catch up to him, when he would finally get him, the boy didn't show any fear or regret. He was always ready to sacrifice himself.

It was almost pitiful.

Oh, and those sounds he made, those mewls and moans, the painful cries... Jack wanted to hear them more, they made him feel thrilled and gleeful. His blood was the prettiest shade of crimson and it tasted like heaven to them.

They quickly became obsessed with the boy. Jack wanted to know more of his past, and Ripper wanted to play with him, making him sing that thrilling song with that pretty, red lips of his. He loved the way he always made those games interesting and so much harder than they were before.

And then, one day, Jack met the little Mercenary outside of the matches when he was painting in the garden under the light of an old lantern, right beneath the silvery rays of the moon. The boy was reluctant at first, hesitating to come anywhere near the hunter, but his curiousness got a hold of him, and it was as if a switch was pushed. Jack and Naib talked for a long time, getting to know each other better. It wasn't big progress, but it was progress nevertheless.

And this strange, almost friendly, understanding relationship between the two of them was what finally started to heal Jack's mind.

Now, Jack and Ripper seemed less like the same person than they did before, though the man still refused to acknowledge the Ripper. The Ripper, who was so grateful for his little rabbit, that he would give them a little break from time to time during matches.

Eventually, Jack and the Mercenary became a couple. The decision wasn't rushed, it took quite some time for them to be comfortable enough around each other to take that step. It was especially hard for the survivor, and it was not that surprising. Jack was still a hunter after all. Even if technically, it was the Ripper who actually hunted them.

And that was another obstacle in their way. Jack was not sure how Naib would react to the truth. Would he accept him with his split personality? Even though in his eyes, the Ripper, his other self was a monster? 

In the end, after he told him some of his past, it was the Mercenary who gave the final push. He kissed Jack and told him that he didn't care, that he also had his own share of sins. And after that, Jack started to neglect his duties.

At first, it didn't bother Ripper as much as he thought it would, but after a few weeks, he started to notice some changes to himself. He grew restless- his mind going blank too often, his thirst for blood, the only thing that never really went away grew with each passing day when he didn't get to rampage. He wasn't sure whether it was all his dark nature or if the Manor that did this to him, but he started to get worried. What if he hurt their boy? He didn't want to lose his mind again, not like the time in Whitechapel. He was afraid of what he would do. 

But then, the Host stood in. Ripper was somewhat... grateful for the bastard. Maybe he knew that if this continued on, all hell would break out? He was sure even the other hunters wouldn't be safe from him, even if he wasn't able to kill them technically. The punishment was a surprise, but not something he was too worried about. He was a decent hunter and he knew he could have that 60% win rate- if his other half didn't take his control away, that is. 

So, yeah, everything was alright, even though Jack was silently sulking inside, worrying for the little rabbit. But then the damned Clown had to open his filthy mouth and Ripper's mind went blank. How dare him? Implying that their little Mercenary would take the blame and be punished by him. How dare he even think of dirtying their little one? No one could touch what belongs to them. Only he was allowed to make his little songbird bleed. 

Even the thought of the boy dead made his blood boil. He was the reason Jack was back to himself. He made them happy. No one was allowed to take their only happiness away.

He wanted to hurt the Clown. So he did. 

It was so easy to pierce his flesh with his sharp, clawed fingers. So easy to cut him open, to make him bleed, and oh- it was so satisfying. He missed this, he missed watching the life fade from their eyes, the sensation of the warm, red liquid on his fingers and his palm. The choking, gagging voice he made as he was suffocated by his own blood. So good- he wanted to make him bleed more! 

But then, he was stopped by the deep, rumbling voice of the Elder God, who was staring at him with all his eyes- and it unnerved Ripper greatly. He tried to argue, but the God didn't see reason, so he just gave up. Hastur was not someone you would want to anger, and he was actually a pretty close... friend of his. If he could call him a friend. 

Gritting his teeth in clear frustration, Ripper retreated to his room, slamming the door shut behind himself as he did that. His anger was still not gone. He wanted to kill something, really bad. He knew it was dangerous for him to stay in this state for long, but he didn't want to give the control back to Jack just yet. He was angry, damnit. He knew what he was and what neglecting his duties would result in. Why wasn't he more cautious?

He wanted to see Naib. He wanted to make sure he was alright, and now that, he was pretty sure every survivor knew of their relationship, and he knew how unforgiving they can be. He was sure Jack would want to check up on the boy too, and he has been wanting to talk to him more- so that's exactly what he did, heading to the survivor's side. He took the secret route, the one only a few of them knew existed, and sneaked into the boy's room in his invisible form. Outside the matches they didn't have a fear radius, so no one should be able to notice him. Well aside from the Seer and the Mind's Eye, but neither was around so it was fine.

He opened the room slowly, stepping into it without making a sound. Naib was not there. So they probably still had the meeting going. He hoped his favorite little prey was fine. If any of those filthy beasts tried to lift a finger against his boy, he would make them pay for it even if the Owner would kill him afterward. 

His gaze already started to become glossy and hazed, the madness taking a hold of himself by the time the door opened, revealing an angry Mercenary, who had a bruised lip and blood in his clothes. Ripper had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. 

Naib was about to take his clothes off when his body suddenly went stiff, turning towards the direction Ripper was standing, right beside the bed. 

"Jack? Is... Is that you?" he seemed unsure of himself, and slightly broken. It was so very unlike his usual confident and quite violent self, that Ripper had to double-take. 

"Who did this to you?" he stepped closer to the boy, letting his body come to view. Naib seemed to relax a little at the sight of him, and for some reason, it made Ripper feel warm inside. 

"...It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's not nothing. You are hurt."

"They have it worst. I can handle a few punches." he looked slightly offended, but Ripper wasn't really sure. He had trouble reading emotions.

"I am sure of that." he furrowed his brows. "I still don't like it. You shouldn't get hurt."

"Drop it."

"Are-"

"Drop. It."

"Alright." a few beats of silence followed. 

"I..." he sighed. "I should get cleaned up. I am all bloody and messed up." 

Ripper went a few steps closer to the boy, and looked the boy up and down, before humming in agreement. 

"Go. It's not your blood. Filthy."

"... If it was my blood it wouldn't be filthy?"

"Of course not. Your blood is the prettiest shade of red I've ever seen."

"Uhm. Thanks?" he was frowning again. "You aren't Jack."

"No. I am not."

"Then...?"

"Ripper." 

"Oh. Hi?" he looked slightly awkward, and it made Ripper chuckle. 

"Hi, indeed. I am sorry, Jack is... tired." 

"What happened?" he looked slightly worried. "did the other hunters not react well?"

"Most of them don't care. The Clown though... He spoke of you in a manner we didn't like so I shut him up." Ripper's eyes had a satisfied glint to them, and he had a grin on his face.

"...Thanks?" he sounded unsure around Ripper and for some reason, it hurt him a little. 

"It's nothing. We will both protect you, so you don't have to worry about the others."

"You aren't what I thought you to be." Ripper narrowed his eyes at that, tilting his head to the side. "I mean... You act similar to Jack. Just... more violent."

"We talked plenty of times in the matches."

"I know! Ugh, fine. I thought you'd be angry because I date Jack."

"Why would I be angry?"

"You seem protective of him. I caused him trouble."

"You are worth the trouble. You make him happy. Both of us actually. If he is happy I am happy too."

"You mean it? Will he not regret it?"

"You healed him. You guided him out of my darkness when I couldn't help him. He better not regret loving you."

"L-loving?" he sounded breathless for a second. "Jack loves me?" 

"...."

Well duh. Wasn't that obvious? 

Chapter Text

Aesop had absolutely no idea what to do with the current situation. Barely an hour had passed since the bad news had arrived, in the form of a fancy, red envelope, that was containing something that changed their already bad enough lives for the worse. All of them were currently gathered together in the hall, arguing over what to do next.

„What is on your mind, Aesop?” Eli, bless his soul, was as calm as always, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they were no longer protected by that strange, yet comforting force of the Manor, that made sure no injuries were left on them after they were finished with those damned games. Up until that moment, it didn't matter how badly beaten up they got during a match- they were always completely healed up right after they arrived back to the manor, be it on their own feet or on the chairs- and now, now it was all gone.

Why was the Owner doing this?

Aesop highly doubted that it was all only because of the friendly matches- after all, they were still fairly uncommon, and hunters still preferred to do the matches the normal way. And that nonsense about the relationship between the Ripper and Naib? Surely, it couldn't be the real reason either. If the Host truly didn't want them to mingle, then why did he even made it possible for them to visit each other's side? Because to be honest, with the amount of power the man possessed it would have been so easy, so simple to separate them completely, sealing the doors that were connecting their halls.

Not to talk about the garden. It was a neutral ground, which was frequently visited by both factions. If that vile man truly didn't want them to see the opposing faction anything other than the predator and the prey, why did he let them see what was hidden behind the masks, the real persons behind the roles they were forced to take on?

“I am not sure...” and he was not. He glanced at his maybe-friend, with confusion written all over his face. “I don't know what to think.”

“It's alright.” how could Eli smile like that? As if nothing was wrong? How could he keep his calm even at a time like this? “I do not know either.” there was a little pause. “But I know we will get through this together. We always do.”

“You are right.” he sighed, while Eli's expression turned sour, as he glanced around, frowning slightly at the commotion that suddenly broke out.

Aesop himself felt slightly lost, wanting to get away, but he knew he would just be ridiculed the same way they did to Naib, throwing all the blame onto the boy as if all of this mess was caused by him.

It was not fair.

Surprisingly the one, that was causing the biggest ruckus was Martha. She couldn't get over the fact, that Naib had a relationship with a hunter. Which, to be honest, surprised Aesop quite much. It was pretty obvious that Jack and their mercenary had something going on- it was as clear as day. Even the blind could see how obsessed the two have been with each other, especially lately. Though if the way the girl behaved herself was anything to go by, it was possible that she was actually quite aware of the fact that Naib and Jack were a couple, but she decided to deny this truth. As the letter was read out loud by Emily, Martha had a heartbroken expression on her face, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was sitting silently for a while, frozen to the spot she was sitting at, staring at the letter with hollow eyes, then as if a switch was suddenly pushed, she went completely mad with fury. She screamed at Naib, begging him to say it was all a joke, a lie.

Of course, Naib didn't deny it.

And so, Martha punched him right in the face.

Now, that was a shock. Aesop would never have thought that Martha had it in herself to punch Naib- after all, the two of them were always pretty close. Aesop for himself knew that Naib saw the woman as a sibling. A sister, and nothing more. Martha however... she saw herself as future Mrs. Subedar.

Well. Clearly, the mercenary had other plans in mind for his future.

A future that wasn't looking that bright anymore, though Aesop was sure Jack would find a way to keep them alive. After all, that man was crafty as hell, and even though the letter didn't say how the new adjustments would affect the hunters, Jack was still the most favored hunter in the manor. The Host wouldn't make him turn against him by hurting Naib, would he? That wouldn't end well for either of them.

Aesop didn't know what the man was capable of, but he was sure if he ever chose to raise hell in the Manor, it would not be a pretty sight. Not for them, not for the hunters, and definitely not for the Host.

Not to talk about the other hunters Jack was the closest with. The Feaster, for example. He was a literal god. Who knows what he could do for his friend?

But even though, all the hunters were dangerous and deadly, he wasn't sure even they would be a match for the Host. After all, there must be a reason they were here, and not leaving. A reason they were also bound to the rules.

Anyway, back to the present.

After getting yelled at and punched in the face by Martha, Naib left the hall in a hurry. His face was carefully blank, devoid of any emotions, and still, Aesop was sure he was hurt beyond imaginable. Not physically per se. While he still wasn't that good with emotions, he was getting much better at reading other people, thanks to his weekly sessions with Emily, and of course, the help of his... friends, even though they didn't know how much they helped simply by just being there for him.

So, knowing Naib's self-destructive habits, along with the PTSD, he knew that the boy wasn't doing well emotionally. He probably also put all the blame on himself, thinking that it was only his fault that things came to this, that he could have done something to stop the Host. Which, of course, was utter nonsense, but by now, Aesop was already pretty familiar with the way the boy was thinking. And while he was worried, he didn't know how he could help him, so instead of following him, he just stayed there, silently watching the others. 

When it came to emotional support, Eli was the better choice. How the other boy always seemed to know what to say to make them feel better, Aesop will never know. He was just like that, full of blindingly bright, warm smiles, always knowing how to help. 

Not at this time though, because ever since the argument started, the Seer has been uncharacteristically silent, not moving an inch from his position. 

Turning his head towards the other boy, Aesop couldn't help letting a small gasp out, his grey eyes widening, as he was trying to process the sight that greeted him.

Eli was facing the Coordinator, who punched his friend in the face not long ago. His face was carefully blank, a cold smile on his lips, his eyes -which were uncovered this time, were glinting in a dangerous manner.

Aesop couldn't remember ever seeing the usually calm, kind, and collected boy in such a state. He never raised his voice before, not even when he was accused of being a traitor after his strange relationship with Hastur was discovered by the other survivors. Not when he was cast out, or when a hunter was too rough with him in a match- no, he was just too damn nice for something like that.

So imagine Aesop's surprise as he was watching the silently raging boy.

He didn't know that even Eli had a side like this. Though, now that he thought about it, it wasn't as surprising anymore. Of course, the boy wouldn't get angry for himself, but when it's about someone he held dear to him, even he would be enraged. It suited him well, though watching his cold smile and that frightening expression on his face still scared Aesop a little.

It's always the silent, gentle ones whose rage you should fear.

“Martha.” the voice, that left Eli's mouth was much different than what they were used to be hearing, and that chilly, deadly tone made everyone shudder, and even Aesop, who wasn't even the one being addressed could feel the cold dread running up his spine. The look on the usually silent Seer's face was scary, almost sending Aesop into a full-on panic attack, even though he knew that the boy's rage wasn't directed at him. 

"Laying a finger on one of our fellow survivors is disgusting.” he paused for a moment, piercing through the shuddering girl with a cold gaze, the smile not once leaving his lips. “let alone hurting the one you claim to be in love with.” 

“How dare you question my love for him! He is supposed to be mine!”

“You were never in a relationship with Naib. He never loved you, and he never will." His voice was still cold, though his expression softened slightly. "stop clinging to a false hope." 

"It doesn't matter!” she was screaming through her gritted teeth. “I can accept that he doesn't love me-” There was a snorting sound, coming from the Prospector. “But why does he have to date that... that monster?!” she raised her voice, getting more and more worked up. “If he wants to fuck around with other boys I don't care, but why does it have to be a hunter?”

"What is your problem with hunters?” surprisingly, the one asking the question was the Prospector, who has been mostly silent until this point. “They are only doing their job. And even though it's their task to hunt us, sometimes they let us win, straight up going against the rules of the Host.”

“And look where those friendly hunters get us!” The lawyer's voice was high-pitched, irritation showing on his face.

“Do you really think they weren't punished for this? The letter didn't say it, but it seems unlikely that they got out of this any easier.”

"Oh, come on, Norton! The Host is certainly Hunter sided, of course, he would let them go with a mere scolding!”

"You can't be serious.”

“I am!”

"He is right you know.” The dancer cut them off before Norton could say anything else. “We have more matches now, and it means that they will also have tighter schedules. There are more of us than them. So they will need to play more.”

“Yeah.” there was a frown on Norton's face. “if our injuries will be real now, it means when we hurt them they will also be in pain.”

"Like when I tackle them with my ball?” William was the one asking this time, with a concerned look on his face.

“Yeah. Or the pallets.”

"Well." Emily, who has been keeping quiet until this point, suddenly stood up, not leaving any chance for the others to start up their argument again. "It means we are even. We get hurt, they do as well. We play, they play too." she let out a long, tired sigh. "It also means I am having more work from now on."

"I still don't understand why you need to tend to those... creatures too." The thief was mumbling, his arms crossed on his chest.

"I am a doctor. It is my responsibility to help those in need, it doesn't matter who they are or what they have done."

"Doesn't it put you in more danger, though?"

"Look, William." She sighed, lifting a hand up, running her fingers through her hair, messing her usual bun up a little, a few locks falling onto her face. "There are rules, protecting us outside the matches." Her lips twitched slightly, showing how upset she truly was with the situation. "Neither of them has tried anything until now, and I highly doubt they would do. My involvement is only beneficial for them."

"If you say so... though you need to be careful."

"Of course, I am always careful."

After the meeting was over, all the survivors scattered, leaving the main Hall, only a few of them remaining behind. One of these few people was Aesop- and now, wasn't that a huge surprise? Normally, he would be the first to leave when it was not necessary to stay, but this time, he waited for the others to leave first.

He just couldn't get his legs to move.

He was sitting in his chair, impossibly still, his clouded eyes fixated on the ground, unfocused. He was thinking about everything that was said not long ago, trying to process the information. Because of course, Norton was right. The hunters also broke the rules by throwing those few matches, and Jack was at fault just as much as Naib in that relationship, and even though the letter didn't say it, Aesop was getting more and more certain, that the hunters received their own fair share of punishments- just like they did, in the survivor side.

What if-

What if the Owner was more annoyed at the hunters than he was at the survivors? Until that moment, Aesop was fairly certain, that the Host of those hellish games was on the hunters' side. So, what would happen, if these hunters were to suddenly lose their benefactor's favor?

What would that mean for them?

“Are you alright, Carl?” Aesop could feel the concerned gaze of the Prospector on himself, sending a nervous shudder down his spine, his lips twitching slightly beneath the medical mask.

“I'm fine.” he took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. The other boy didn't seem to believe him, narrowing his eyes slightly, but otherwise not saying a word. “Norton-” there was something he wanted to ask, yet he stopped himself before he could say the words, biting onto his lips anxiously.

“What's it?” Norton was about to leave when he had heard the silent words of the embalmer, turning around slowly, focusing his curious, and somewhat worried gaze on the other boy's face.

“I-” he gulped. “Did you mean it?” he lifted his gaze up for a second, though he didn't look at the prospector, his eyes fixated on the wall. “T-that the hunters might h-have it as bad as we do?”

Norton fell silent for a few seconds, then he let a long, tired sigh out, moving closer to sit down into the chair right beside the one Aesop was currently seated on. He lifted his eyes up, looking out the big, cracked window, with a complicated expression on his scarred face.

“Yes. I meant every word that I said.” he paused for a moment. “Look. They may look like monstrous, evil bastards at first glance, but not everything is as it seems. Especially not here, in this hellhole.”

“You d-don't think they are evil?” Aesop was honestly curious this time, taking a quick glance at the other boy's profile every once in a while, before lowering his eyes back to the floor.

Norton let a laugh out, with no hint of happiness in his voice, before he turned his face towards the embalmer. “You know, I used to think of them the same way the others do. That they are the big bad wolves.” he chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “But.” he looked at Aesop, who had his face turned towards Norton, so their eyes could meet for a brief second. Aesop let a surprised yelp out at the burning emotions in the other's brown orbs. “But this is no fairytale, Aesop. This is real life.” he chuckled again. “and in reality, sometimes the lambs kill the wolf.”

“What do you mean?” he couldn't help, feeling slightly intimidated by the other's words, and at the same time, he was so damn curious, so fascinated by what the other was saying, that for a mere second, he forgot to look away.

“I mean-” he shook his head again, his gaze drifting back towards the windows. “that it's not the hunters that you should be afraid of. Honestly, they aren't that bad.” his lips formed a small smile, then he stood up, his back turned on Aesop, moving towards the door, obviously planning to leave the embalmer alone, but then, when he almost reached the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. “You know, you should really pay more attention to them. You would be surprised.”

And with those last words, Norton left the hall, leaving a slightly confused Aesop behind.

Now, that he thought about it, there were quite a few survivors that had some kind of relationship with the hunters, something other than the hunter and the hunted going on. Robbie was a good example for that. Even though he was one of the enemies, almost every survivor would stop to play with the lonesome child in the garden, whenever they would run into him. And then, there was Joker, the spider lady, the Dancer, and the Acrobat. Those four came from the same circus, so of course, the old comrades would quickly fall back into good terms, especially since in those circles, the people living together could very well be considered a family.

And of course, Jack and Naib were a couple, and other than that, Jack also had a somewhat friendly relationship with some of the more open-minded survivors. Or Hastur, Eli, and Fiona. Burke, Luca, and the Mechanic.

So many names could be listed there, and it made Aesop wonder, why was the majority of the survivors still so firmly against the hunters.

With all the mess that has been happening recently in the manor, Aesop had quite a few things to think about. He needed some time to process all of that, preferably away from the others, so he stood up, leaving the building at a hurried pace, heading outside to the garden.

If he had to choose a favorite place in the Manor, his choice would probably fall upon the garden. It was pretty big, with many little hidden spots scattered all around it, so there was more than enough space for them to be alone when they didn't feel like dealing with each other- even though they had to share that place with the opposing faction. And that was the whole point, wasn't it? The reason the garden was so damn huge.

Taking a deep sigh, Aesop headed towards his favorite little hidden spot, the one that was near the corner with the yellow roses and the big oak trees, hiding him just fine, perfectly away from the prying eyes.

Normally, Aesop would visit that location, whenever he felt like having some peaceful quiet, unbothered by all the nonsense the others usually caused. He absolutely hated listening to their petty little arguments, and he wanted to be far, far away from the people who usually caused the ruckus- the main troublemakers of their merry little gang. Like the Lawyer. Or the Thief. So, whenever it became clear, that a commotion was about to break out, Aesop said nope, and left the building for the garden, heading straight for his safe heaven. He liked to bring some books with himself, as the only place he could read in relative peace, without being interrupted by someone was also there.

So, clearly, while he was enjoying his free time there, he was never interrupted by someone- hell, he didn't even see a single soul anywhere near that spot, so imagine his surprise, as he moved past the big brushes and the trees, getting hit by the sudden realization, that his safe heaven wasn't that safe anymore.

For a quick second there, he completely spaced out, and he could already feel the knot forming deep inside his stomach, his lips trembling, not moving an inch from where he was standing. 

The person sitting on his small, wooden bench beneath the big, old oak tree, was the Photographer. A hunter, which was a relief because Aesop didn't feel like dealing with his fellow survivors at the moment, though he also didn't really want to meet with a hunter. Especially not this strange one. The Frenchman just sat there motionlessly, silently, with his eyes closed, resting his back against the trunk of the tree. His expression seemed peaceful, and if it wasn't for the way his chest was slowly rising and falling, Aesop would have easily thought him to be dead.

For a fleeting second, he just stood there, his feet frozen to the spot, holding his breath in anticipation, before letting a soft sigh out, already turning his back, fully intending to leave the seemingly asleep hunter alone, only to be interrupted by the very same person's deep, melodic voice. 

"Leaving so soon, little Mouse?" he stopped in his tracks, letting a small, silent yelp out in his fright, which was quickly followed by an amused chuckle from the hunter, "Even though you just arrived." Aesop quickly turned around, taking a quick peek at the man, who already had his eyes opened, watching him with an intense, curious expression, and a small, soft smile on his lips- which seemed quite fake to Aesop. 

Aesop didn't like fake people. They reminded him too much of his adoptive father. And that man was not something he wanted to remember. 

"I-I am sorry for disturbing you. I d-didn't mean to." he really, really wanted to flee, get away from this person. Every bone in his body screamed danger at him, and he felt the need to run and hide- just like how they always did in the matches, even though right now they weren't in one of those games. He almost gave in to the temptation, but then, he remembered what Norton said to him earlier. That not everything is as it seems. 

So, he didn't run away immediately. 

"Nonsense, mon cher." the man let out another chuckle. "It takes more than a silent, sneaky little mouse to disturb my rest, I can assure you." his eyes glinted in a strange manner. "Aesop Carl, was it? The Embalmer." 

"Y-yes. That's me." he bit into his lips, taking a quick glance towards the path he followed here, already planning an escape route if things would go badly, after all, now they could get hurt for real- only to be disrupted by the hunter, who let out a loud but unhappy laugh, a frown finding its way onto his face. 

That expression didn't suit him at all. Though that was beside the point.

"No need to be so afraid, little one. I am not going to bite you." the Frenchman moved his arm from the place it was before, resting his chin on the top of his hands, his long claws touching the underside of his face. "Unless that's what you want, of course." his lips formed a teasing smile, showing off his pointy canines, the sight of which sent a shiver running up Aesop's spine. "I am just joking, don't look so terrified~" Joseph let out another soft laugh, though this time it sounded genuine.

"Alright, I will stop teasing you. Come closer? I could do with some company right now." The hunter let a long, tired sigh out, his expression suddenly turning sour. He pointed a finger towards another bench that stood not far away from him, reading the situation right, because there was no way Aesop would take the seat beside him.

"S-sure, though I am not the best company around..."

Chapter Text

"S-sure, though I am not the best company around..."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Aesop gathered up his courage and took the seat on the bench, not that far away from the hunter, and at the same time, not exactly close to him. He sat at a relatively safe distance, so if things were to go wrong, it would be easier for him to flee from the scene.

There was a long beat of silence. Joseph himself wasn't really worried or nervous to be near the deathly silent, uptight boy, who was sitting with his back straightened, his whole posture looking somewhat stiff. It was clear to him, that the little survivor was not happy with his company- and yet, he couldn't help himself letting an amused chuckle out. He was curious about the reactions he could get out of the other male- what kind of expressions could he make that emotionless, lifeless face to morph into? How long would it take him to make the little mouse lose control, breaking that carefully built-up mask into small pieces? Would it crack easily? Or would he need to give it a little more effort? He wondered how he should proceed, what would be more effective in his case. Simple teasing or should he bully the little one? Make him bleed, make him shake in fear until his eyes would be no longer mirroring the stagnant emptiness Joseph was so familiar with?

Oh, yes. The reason Joseph was so interested in this boy was that his eyes reflected his own pain. The grief, the emptiness, the feeling of being alive, yet not living at the same time. Wanting to disappear, to just stop existing altogether- for the pain and the hurtful thoughts to just stop.

Joseph could not save himself. He was never able to do that, to get better and forget, but he will be damned if he doesn't try to help this boy, this person who reminded him so much of himself before it would be too late. Damn, he hoped it wasn't already too late.

No one deserved to feel like that. Not Joseph, and not the Embalmer, no matter what was the reason behind it. It didn't matter what the boy did, what they all have done because everyone deserved redemption. A chance to live, to be alive.

Even though none of them were really, truly alive. Not here, at this place. Most of the hunters? Almost all of them were dead outside of the Manor, with no chance to ever go back to their old lives. The survivors? The only reason their hearts were still beating was the Manor itself, the moment they would step outside, the life would leave their eyes, forever, with no chance to ever get it back- and this was something that was clear to everyone except the survivors themselves.

And the hunters didn't have the heart to break their little hearts- to crush their dreams, their hopes of having a life outside. (or they simply didn't care enough to tell them the truth)

And still.

And still, he wanted to help. He wanted them all to get better, to be able to cast their past mistakes, their regrets aside, and enjoy the remaining of their existence, even in a place like this.

To make the best out of the situation, as Emily told him once.

"So, tell me, little survivor, how are things on your side of the manor? How did the rest of your team react to the news?" Joseph tilted his head to the side, his blue orbs not betraying his dark, grief thoughts from just before.

"Complicated.” Aesop was not stupid, he knew what the hunter was asking about. If they got a letter, it was more than likely, that the hunters got the news too. “Some of them are angry. Some are taking it lightly. And some remain neutral to the case."

"Oh?" Joseph hummed softly, leaning even closer to the smaller male, curiously. "What about you, then? On which side do you belong?" he was truly curious about what his new little mission was thinking of the situation. Was he angry? Was he okay with it? Neutral?

How could someone even be okay or neutral in the case of something like the recent adjustments?

"I-" Aesop gulped, his gaze firmly fixated on the ground, refusing to meet the hunter's eager gaze, "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" he lifted an eyebrow up, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you angry?" Aesop shook his head. "Sad?" another shake. "Are you afraid? Of what's going to happen next?"

"I-I am not sure how I feel. Emotions are... confusing." Joseph let a chuckle out, moving a little, stretching his stiffened limbs out slightly, then he moved around again, resting his back onto the thick trunk of the tree, taking a deep breath, just to let it all out the next moment.

"You are right." his gaze filled with something unknown. "They really are confusing."

After a few beats of uncomfortable silence, it was Aesop who finally broke the tension.

"H-how are the hunters accepting the new changes?" he was still very stiff, though, at least he wasn't shaking like a leaf.

"They are angry. Rightfully so." he sighed. "things are changing and we do not like the change." there was a complicated expression on his face. "Jack fell silent. And it's highly unusual for him, usually, he is the first to give his opinion a voice, though his silence is understandable. After all, he was closely involved in the events that led to this point." he ran a finger through his soft, pale white locks "the others... they are mad. At Jack, for falling for a survivor. At the Host, for being cruel like this, and most importantly, at themselves, because there is little they could do." he chuckled darkly, his fierce, blue gaze sharpening. "we absolutely despise feeling so helpless. The fact that the control is not in our own hands- even though it never really was before."

"I don't understand." Aesop lifted his head up slightly. Joseph could not see his expression, the medical mask made sure of that, though he could imagine the frown on the boy's lips.

"What is it you find so hard to understand?" his gaze was sharp, his voice had a slightly biting tone to it.

"I-It's just that... why would you be so mad and helpless just because there are more matches and we can get hurt? It's..." he gulped, and lifted his gaze with a determined expression on his face. "It's never the hunters who suffer the most during the matches. So why? Why are you so mad?"

"You-" he paused. "You don't know?" looking at the confused expression on the boy's face, Joseph let a loud laugh out, one that lacked any happiness. "You really don't know!"

"W-what?"

"So that bastard didn't tell you our punishment, hah?" he chuckled darkly. "of course he wouldn't! How could he let you feel any form of compassion towards us hunters? The monsters under your bed?" he laughed again. "let me tell you, then, my dear." his expression fell, no trace of the smile could be found on his face. His gaze was cold and empty, his voice void of any emotions. "The hunter, who can't get a fairly good win-rate, will be killed, mercilessly. Thrown away like a toy that cannot be used anymore by its owner." 

Honestly, Aesop didn't know how to react to this new information. He felt like his brain would explode with all those new things he had to process.

"Why?" still, he asked. He really wanted to know, why the man told him this.

"What why?" Joseph started to get annoyed with the conversation. "Why we are getting punished or why he is not playing nice with us anymore?" he had a fierce expression on his face. "You honestly believed that you are the only victims in this hellhole? Did you think it's all fun and games for us? Because let me enlighten you, little mouse, it is not." he raised his face, looking directly into the smaller male's eyes. "We only want peace, little Carl. Our only wish is to be left alone, and if one day, the owner would decide to quit forcing the games on us, and just leave us be, we would be the happiest.” his expression became unreadable. “though, that is very unlikely to happen. Not while that man is alive. And unfortunately for us, it isn't likely that he would pass away anytime soon.”

“S-sorry...”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I am sorry. I didn't know.” Aesop didn't know what it was like for the hunters. He honestly believed that they were willingly participating in the games, sometimes, he was even sure that they enjoyed hunting and hurting them. Maybe some of them still had, but after the recent happenings, he started to have his doubts.

“Of course you didn't know. None of you know.” he took a deep sigh, forcing himself to ease his mind. “Maybe the mercenary does, given the fact he is basically joined to Jack at the hips.” he frowned slightly, still not believing that his friend would start a relationship with a survivor. What was the point? “It's not your fault though.” he paused for a moment. “Well, not entirely.”

“Mn...” he hesitated a little, before continuing. “if you don't like being a hunter, then why did you accept your role? The invitation.” this was something that kept bugging his mind for a while. Were the hunters invited the same way most of the survivors were?

Joseph laughed bitterly again. “We weren't invited like your side was. Well. I wasn't anyway. “he took a deep breath. “It was not an option.” he will not tell his story for this boy. No one could understand, so why would he be any different? “It was either take this chance or let everything stay as it was- come here or die.” he chuckled again. “Of course, I didn't want to leave the world so soon. I still had a lot to do. Still have.” he lifted his face to the sky. “So I accepted. Signed the contract and the next thing I knew, I was already in the manor, with no way out.”

“You can't leave?” it was kind of pointless to ask, he already suspected such, even before this conversation with the hunter.

“No, I can't. None of us can. Each of us tried it at some point, only to fail.” he let out a deep, tired sigh. “we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. The contract didn't say much. Only that if we win, we would have our wishes fulfilled.” he chuckled darkly again. “It seemed like a dream come true at that time. A good opportunity, one that you can't just let aside.” he paused again. “It was a mistake. Signing the contract. It was a trap. This game has no winner, no way to get out.”

“A-are you certain?”

“Little Carl, we have been in this place for a very long time. Every time we play the game, it doesn't matter whether we win or lose.” he frowned. “it didn't matter until now.”

“What will you do now? If you can't get the win-rate?”

“Are you worried, mon cher?” he tilted his head to the side, a teasing smile forming on his lips. “Don't worry, darling, I am a capable hunter. I will get that win-rate.”

“B-but what if you don't?”

“Then, at least I can finally rest.” silence followed this sentence, as both the hunter and the survivor were processing what was being said. Aesop still didn't know what to think, and Joseph was surprised at his own reply.

He might be tired of this life, but he still wasn't suicidal. He did not want to die. He couldn't. 

"Mn. Does-" there was a pause. "Does this mean we can die too? For good?" 

"I do not know. During the matches, we often use deathly weapons. Until now, they were not able to kill, only wound." He frowned again, his eyes narrowing. "I assume, the Host doesn't want to kill his precious survivors off. After all, one cannot play chess without the pawns." He sighed again. "I am guessing, our weapons will be able to wound, but not fatally. It will be still very painful, and we can't really afford to hold ourselves back. Not with our lives on the line." 

"If- if he can't afford to lose pawns, why would he kill the hunters?" 

"I think the death penalty is only his way of making sure we play normally. The friendly matches were increasing and honestly, most of us didn’t really care for winning anymore." 

"Not worried?"

"Oh, I am worried, sure, but I know the Host. He enjoys controlling our lives, and he absolutely adores raising mayhem, sending people into a panic. But, he likes his games too much. He wouldn’t cut a string off so easily. For us, death means freedom. Something he wouldn’t give that easily." 

"So it's just a trick?" 

"Of course not. But the win rate is not that high up, not impossible to achieve. Only an idiot would fall behind." 

"How high?"

"60%"

"That's not that high?"

"No. Most of us are usually around 70%, friendly matches included."

"So no one is in real danger?"

"I didn't say that."

"Meaning?" Aesop frowned a little, he was confused. Joseph said most of them were alright, even with the friendly matches. Then again, there are hunters who are actually in the danger zone, their rates beneath the required percentage. And yet he didn't really seem that worried, saying that the Host wouldn't get rid of the hunters so easily. Which made sense- after all, there were fewer hunters than survivors.

"Leo, Joker, Violetta, Bane, Yidhra, Burke... while they aren't weak hunters, they play less often than we do, so their rates are usually lower than the rests. I am sure most of them won't have a problem but I can't help worrying."

"You care for them." it was not a question.

"I do." there was a fond expression on Joseph's face, his gaze softened, a small, genuine smile on his lips, and Aesop was breathless, his eyes widening slightly, letting a silent, soft gasp out. That smile looked so, so different than the usual, fake one on the hunter's lips, it lit his whole face up, and there was a strange feeling inside Aesop's chest, and for a moment there, he forgot to breathe. 

How can a human be this beautiful? This perfect?

"Hm? What's the matter, little Carl? Your ears are red." he tilted his head to the side, his eyes filled with curiosity, and a little bit of amusement. 

"I-it's nothing. Just the heat." 

"Are you sure?" Joseph tried to make eye contact, but Aesop could not meet his gaze. He kept his eyes on the ground, cursing himself silently for getting so embarrassed. What was wrong with him? It must be the heat, right?

"Y-yes." 

Joseph leaned a little closer, his blue orbs filled with amusement, the corner of his lips tugged just slightly upwards, forming a small, but genuine smile. The Embalmer was kinda... adorable? Like a kitten, with those red ears, and even the way he was averting his eyes, refusing to look up, made him want to tease him a little, to see more of that adorable reaction. His gaze fell on the mask, that hid the expression the boy was making from his prying eyes, and it made him slightly annoyed, wanting to rip it off, so he could see more of that face.

The face he never saw before. And wasn't that annoying too? He wanted to see what the little mouse was hiding behind that mask. He was curious, he couldn't help it. 

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"W-what's it?"

"Take that mask off? For me?" 

"W-why?" his eyes widened comically, and it only made him more adorable in the eyes of the hunter. For a fleeting moment, their gaze met, and Aesop simply forgot to breathe. Those inhumanly blue eyes...

He sighed, moving his hands up, grabbing the elastic strings that were holding the mask in place on both sides with his index fingers, slowly pulling it off, revealing his pale complexion to the eagerly waiting hunter before him. 

Joseph followed the boy's movements with keen eyes, watching as more and more skin showed up from underneath the mask, and he couldn't help licking his lips, finally seeing that thin, pale mouth. Aesop's mouth had stitches in both sides, his nose was slightly pointy, his skin was pale and flawless, and he had a well-defined yawline. His expression was still cold, but Joseph could see some nervousness in his posture, and the way his eyes were trying hard to avert Joseph's own blue orbs, and of course, the tip of his ears were still quite red and flustered. 

"Cute..." he couldn't help, breathing it out, making the smaller male choke in surprise, letting a small gasp out. 

"H-huh?"

"Mn? I called you cute." 

"I am not..." 

"Sure, sure." There was a teasing smile on his lips, but Aesop didn't seem to take the praise well, a frown appearing on his face. 

"Why? Why did you call me that?" He seemed more confused than anything, though his ears were still red. 

"I just said what I thought. That's all." 

Aesop frowned, narrowing his eyes, searching for any hidden intention, thinking that the hunter was just trying to make fun of him. He was slightly annoyed, so he hid his face again with the mask.

"Mnn." 

"Why are you hiding your face?" 

"Not hiding it." It wasn't that he was ashamed of how he looked. He didn’t have problems with that, his appearance was pretty average, so why would he be nervous about that? While yes, the stitches bothered him, he was not the only survivor who had them. 

No, the reason he was wearing his medical mask most of the time, was more simple than that. It's just that as an Embalmer, he had to keep the masks on while doing his job, and eventually he got so used to wearing one, that he felt uncomfortable without them on. 

Just a side effect of his job. 

"I see." Joseph let a soft, melodic humming sound out "well. Thank you for keeping me company." He slowly stood up from the bench. "See you on the field, my dear." 

"Yeah." Aesop also stood up, fidgeting with his hands slightly. "See you..." he glanced after the retreating form of the hunter, not moving from his position for a long while. He could still hear the words the Photographer said to him. About the hunters and about himself.

He just stood there, thinking of the way Joseph was looking at him, as if he was an interesting puzzle he wanted to solve. He thought of the smile, the genuine one that he never saw the man make before, the way his eyes softened when he was thinking of the other hunters, or the way those very same orbs sharpened when he was talking about the Host. The teasing smile, the way his hollow, empty expression brightened, just like the dark night sky did, when the Moon finally came out, chasing the darkness away, with the light it borrowed from the Sun. 

Aesop lifted his hands up, touching his chest lightly, remembering the way it tightened and clenched before. 

Why did he react that way? 

And why did his chest hurt again? 

Chapter Text

The meeting with the Photographer left Aesop's emotions in a turmoil. So much new information, so many things to process and it all just made him more and more confused. For starters, the deal with the Host. It seems the hunters' side of the Manor got this much harder than the rest of them did, mainly because the owner didn't like how they went out of his control, disobeying his rules and playing nice with the survivors' faction. And then, there was the thing between Jack and Naib, or the strange conversation with the photographer.

Before their talk, it didn't even cross his mind that the hunters were not willing participants in the game. Or more like, the fact that not all of them enjoyed the pain they caused to the survivors. And the Owner? What kind of person was he? Who would even think of something like this? How can someone see living human (well, mostly human) beings as nothing more than pawns to use in a game? What was the reason they were even here?

If there truly wasn't a chance to win, why were they here? And how much longer before that man would get tired of his current playthings, and look for something else, some other people to mess with? And what would that mean for them?

For him?

Aesop did not want to die in a place like this. He might not be as much against the idea of dying, as most of his teammates were, but it still didn't mean that he wanted to leave this world so soon. Not now, that he finally started to get better.

Then again, there was the thing with the photographer. He was so interesting, such a fascinating being, a new puzzle, a mystery Aesop was more than ready to solve. Joseph. Joseph Desaulnier, the prettiest hunter. The brother of his strange, dead friend.

Why was he even talking to Aesop though? He wasn't that interesting. He wasn't good-looking like Norton, nor pretty like Edgar, he wasn't even brave like their mercenary. Sure, he might seem unfazed at some times, but still. When it came to things that truly mattered, he hid away from reality, just like the coward he was.

He was such a disappointment.

“Hey, Carl.” his thoughts were interrupted by the mercenary, who just entered the dining room. It wasn't lunchtime yet, Aesop just wanted some peace and some nice, hot black tea, so he could get himself ready for the match he would be playing later.

“Naib.” the other boy walked towards the freezer, taking out some of the leftover food from yesterday. He seemed to be hesitating a little, a frown on his face, then he put the food away, taking the slice of cake instead, that he hid away from the others just the night before.

“Ready for today's match?”

“No, not really.”

“Me neither.” Naib sighed tiredly, taking the seat beside Aesop, starting to munch on his cake. “The new adjustments... I don't want any of our teammates to get hurt because of me.” Aesop watched silently, his eyes growing wide, as the boy ate the cake in one bite, stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. There was some cream left on his lips, but he wiped it down with his fingers, licking them clean without a second thought.

Aesop just watched, sitting very still, horrified. He knew that Naib was a stress eater, but damn.

“It wasn't your fault though.” he cleared his throat slightly, moving around a little on the chair, trying to get more comfortable.

“Yes, it was. Look, I appreciate that you are trying to sugarcoat things, but I can't lie to myself. It was my fault. I couldn't keep it in my pants, y' know.” he let a humorless laugh out, hiding his face in his hands, taking a deep breath in. “Damnit! Why couldn't I keep myself away from him?”

“It wasn't you, though? Wasn't Jack the one chasing after you?” he gave the boy a deadpan, not really wanting to hear about their sexual life, though he decided to not say anything on that matter.

“Well.” Naib let a nervous chuckle out. It was kinda... strange, seeing the boy so nervous, usually, he was much more confident, a pillar that someone like Aesop could always lean on. He made things easier, and now, that it was Aesop who had to take the role of the unyielding pillar, he wasn't that sure that he could make it. He wasn't like Naib. He wasn't confident in himself, he didn't know how to talk to people and he most definitely was not able to give the support his friend deserved. “To be honest, I kinda helped him with that. Y' know. I flirted back.” he chuckled again, messing around with the sleeves of his shirt. “I... I think I was the first to fall, you know? Jack is just like that, his words are always so sweet, I could get a toothache just from hearing it. He is like that to everyone. I wasn't special.” letting a soft sigh out, he shook his head. “But, I made myself special for him. I couldn't stand him seeing me the same way he does everyone else. I wanted to be special! Something unique.”

“Unique?” Aesop suddenly felt very nervous. Naib wasn't usually like this. He didn't talk about his emotions much, even though his feelings were always written on his face. He was expressive like that, though he still preferred to keep things to himself, dealing with his problems on his own. And that was something Aesop could empathize with, as he himself was actually the same.

So, it was highly unusual and kind of scary, to see the Mercenary open like that, talking about his emotions loud. Especially to someone like him. Why didn't he talk to Eli? That would be the obviously better choice, not him.

Please, please, go and talk to Eli. He couldn't even deal with his own emotions, how could he help with Naib's?

“Yeah,” he chuckled again. “I wanted him to look at me only, so I tried to be around him as much as possible, even when he wasn't playing friendly in a match. I reached out and he answered.” there was a strange, fond look on his face, his eyes filled with something warm. “at first I didn't know what I was feeling. I didn't know why I was so, so damn angry all the time he messed around with the girls, when I heard him flirting with Emily, or when I saw him carrying her around in his arms.” he frowned. “I still don't like that, by the way.”

“Yeah?” he sounded a little dry, but he couldn't help it. Couldn't Naib keep his jealous thoughts to himself? Aesop wasn't really that interested in his love life, okay? Yeah, he got together with Jack, they are all lovey-dovey now, but could he please, just please, shut up? And let Aesop have his god-damn drink in peace?

“Yes, I want his attention to myself, and I am angry when it's not directed at me.”

“Mn.”

“So, yeah, I kinda initiated this relationship.” he seemed to be deep in his thoughts. “I can remember when we got together. I was in a match against him with Demi.” he chuckled a little, amused. “She messed up her dovlin and I became intoxicated with the alcohol.” there was a small smile on his lips. Well, at least, he wasn't sad anymore. “Jack wasn't playing friendly that time. I was so drunk, I kept chasing after him, laughing like an idiot.” he seemed a little embarrassed at himself for that. “he caught Demi, and I went to rescue. I failed. Miserably. Jack noticed something is off, so after he was done with Demi, he picked me up, bridal style. He leaned closer for some reason, and I was too drunk to think straightly, I thought he wanted to kiss me. So I leaned in and pressed my mouth on his. He was so surprised he dropped me.”

Aesop let a choking sound out, almost like laughing. Almost.

“What? Don't laugh! It wasn't funny.”

“I-it kinda is.” he wished he could have seen that. Not the kiss, Jack dropping Naib in his surprise.

“Anyways. He surrendered, right after that.” he chuckled again. “I was kinda hurt, not gonna lie. He was cute after the incident though. It was funny and took a long time, but we made it.” he sighed. “I just can't get myself to regret it, y' know? He might be a hunter, but he is just a big dork, with self-esteem issues. And I kinda love him.”

“How do you know?” Aesop frowned slightly, glancing towards his friend with a curious expression. This actually perked his interest. How did he know that he loved that hunter? And it wasn't just a crush or just an interest. How can you even see the difference?

What was the difference?

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you sure? That it's love. Not just a passing interest.”

“Well.” Naib seemed kinda awkward. “I had passing interests. In Eli for example. I wanted to know more of him, so I was a little... obsessed? I still wouldn't kiss him, though. Or do other... stuff with him.”

“Stuff?”

“Y-yeah. Stuff.” Aesop had to double-take because was that blush in the Mercenary's face? Or was he imagining things?

“What stuff?” he still didn't understand, the other survivor's reaction amused him though.

“Oh my god, Carl, he means fucking.” both of them froze for a moment, hearing the rude interruption from Edgar. The artist just sent a deadpan into their direction, then he moved forward, taking a box of cookies from the shelf not too far away from where the other two of them were seated. “By the way, don't you dare to regret loving that bastard. Feelings are hard, and you can't help who your fucking traitor of a heart decides to go boom-boom for. You were happy with the Radish-faced idiot, and you basically have the owner's consent at this point. The others can go and jump off a bridge. It's not their business anyway.” and with that, Edgar left the dining room, leaving the two embarrassed boys in awkward silence.

Well, that happened.

“Uhm.”

“So, you... and Ripper. Do that?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Oh.” he didn't blush, but he did look away. It was none of his business. Doing that kind of stuff was normal for couples. So it didn't really surprise him, though he still didn't really want to think of Naib doing that with the ripper. It was gross.

“...” Naib looked slightly uncomfortable, so Aesop just let the topic slide. He was also not comfortable with it anyway. “So. Match?”

“Yes.”

“Which map?”

“Lakeside.”

“Who?”

“You, me, Emma, Tracy,”

“The hunter? Was it announced?”

“Yeah. It's the spider.”

“Violetta?”

“Yep. Her.”

“...” Aesop frowned. “I never played against her.”

“She is... a little hard to kite. The webs are annoying. You shouldn't try to loop her. It's not really effective against her.”

“I know.” he already looked up all the hunters and their abilities. He really, really didn't want to be the reason his team would lose. Not because he wasn't prepared. Not again.

“Well. Good luck?”

“Yeah.” he looked out of the window. “Good luck.”

The match against the spider lady started not long after lunchtime was over. Aesop was already in the waiting lobby by the time his teammates arrived, one after another, with the mercenary arriving the last. He was nervously twiddling with his makeup kit, anxious about the match they were about to play, and looking at the other survivor's faces, they weren't doing any better than him. Especially not Naib.

The other boy was too silent, his frame stiff and tense, he didn't tremble, though he looked like he could start to do that soon. His whole posture was screaming of nervousness. Aesop and the other two took a quick glance at each other, silently agreeing to do their best, so Naib wouldn't need to be even more stressed.

Tracy bit onto her lips, she was also pretty nervous, especially since it was almost always her getting found first. Compared to the others she was pretty weak physically, and her only use was her decoding speed- if she could hide early game, she could rush the ciphers with her robot, so the match would be over before anything too bad could even happen. She glanced towards Aesop and Emma. Aesop was good at kiting, and his coffin was also very useful for rescuing, though he usually left it for late game, or as a last-minute option, if things were going really bad. Violetta was the hunter, and she wasn't good at countering his skill, like Mary or Wu Chang were. Naib was probably one of the best rescuers around, even when he was nervous, though Tracy really wished he wouldn't be so selfless sometimes. He always sacrificed himself for the others, and Tracy was afraid he would get seriously hurt this time.

She hoped she was wrong, though she had a very bad feeling about this.

Emma seemed the same. She was tense and jittery, probably due to the fact they were facing the spider-lady. She was quite afraid of spiders and Violetta really freaked her out in her robotic costume.

They arrived to the field not long after all of them were done with the preparations. Aesop and Tracy brought the kiting persona, while Naib and Emma used the one with the tide-turner. The map was lakeside village. Aesop started off on the boat, right beside a cipher machine. He didn't waste any time, placing his coffin down right beside the machine- if he would need another place for it, he could just resummon it later- and he started decoding immediately, sending a signal to his teammates of the place he was decoding in.

“The hunter is near me!”

The person sending the message was the gardener, thankfully, this time not their decoder was found first. Aesop could hear Emma's protection popping, as she took a hit from the hunter. He cursed beneath his breath, hoping that the other will be able to contain the hunter longer.

Not even one machine was done yet.

“Focus on decoding!”

By the time Emma took the first hit, Aesop was just finished with his machine, already on his way to find another one. Tracy finished one with the robot, working on another with Naib, popping it right at the moment Emma got the second hit. Her painful cry could be heard through their communication devices.

Aesop frowned. He almost forgot the changes that were made. Violetta wasn't that violent, though suffocating by her web will not be a nice experience, so he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

“Don't move I am coming!” Naib shouted for them, so they could continue decoding the remaining machines. Tracy hid her bot away for late game, as it will be useful for decoding the gate later, and she started decoding another machine. Without the bot, her process was not that fast, still, it was better than the mercenary's would be. Aesop was already half done with his machine.

“Help me!” Emma was breathing heavily, her voice slightly high-pitched, and it was clear that she was in pain. Naib took a hit, letting a loud cry out, though he still did his job, rescuing Emma from the chair. Emma vaulted a pallet, getting a little speed boost, with Naib close on her tail, trying to block the hit for her. Emily shouted for him to leave her behind, but he didn't move away.

He took the web, his movements getting slower, Violetta though didn't focus on him- she was still chasing Emma. Emma stood still behind a pallet as it was destroyed, getting a bubble of protection, then she ran towards a better kiting area, her bubble popped right when she vaulted a window.

Violetta chased her, blinking after her the moment she vaulted, and even though Emma tried to dodge the incoming hit, she still got down.

Aesop could hear a choking sound, followed by some rough coughing. It was followed by a loud curse from Naib, as he sent another message for them to decode. He was at half health and he still tried to rescue. Aesop frowned, his eyebrows lifted up slightly, and he looked at Tracy, who was right beside him, priming the last cipher. She nodded at him, and he ran off, to the direction he could see their gardener getting wrapped up into a cocoon.

Aesop flinched slightly, a frown appearing behind his mask. He felt bad for Emma. She will definitely need Emily after this.

By the time he arrived, Naib already had the hunter's attention on himself, so Aesop used the chance to rescue Emma. He took her out of the cocoon, helping the wounded, sobbing girl up to her feet, though she seemed to be having some trouble with running. Aesop took an arm around her, helping her to move faster, and Violetta, noticing the fleeing survivors, turned her attention to them, sending a web flying towards Emma, and Aesop moved quickly, taking it head-on instead. It was a strange sensation, though it didn't hurt him much. He continued helping the gardener, trying to get a little further away from the hunter, who was already getting dangerously close. Naib noticed it of course, and right at the moment when Soul Weaver was about to hit one of them, he used the elbow pad, dashing right behind them, taking the direct hit instead of them, the sharp top of Violetta's robotic limb, the one that looked exactly like a big, messed up knife, making a deep, bleeding wound on his back, slicing it open, and Aesop just forgot to breathe, stopping his movements as the boy dropped onto the ground, his small frame unmoving, blood flowing out of the wound, forming a small pool right below his body. His chest didn't seem to be moving.

And then, everyone, even the hunter panicked.

“W-what... h-how did t-this happen?” her voice was thin, cracking as if it was hard for her to form the words. She didn't dare to move closer to the deathly still body of the mercenary, and Emma was too shocked to move, so it was Aesop's duty to check on Naib.

“Naib!” he kneeled down beside him, checking his artery for a pulse, his shoulders tense, his eyes focused on the boy before him. “He's alive.” he heard the hunter's relieved sigh. “But his pulse is barely there. We need Emily. Now.”

Violetta nodded, surrendering immediately, not caring for her ratings at all. Aesop, Naib, and the other two got teleported back to the waiting lobby, and Emily was already there, with her medical kit. She only needed a glance at the fallen form of the boy, and she was already beside Aesop, checking for a pulse.

“How?”

“Took a hit from the wrong angle.”

“When?

“Only a few minutes ago. Violetta surrendered immediately.”

“Can you carry him?”

“Yes.” Aesop took the smaller male into his arms, following Emily to the infirmary, placing him down onto a bed. Emily wasted no time, she was already working on the wound.

“Get out. I need to concentrate.”

“Yes...”

“Wait!” he stopped, looking back at Emily. “Go and find Jack, tell him what happened, and take him here. Can't have him incapacitating another hunter.”

“Okay.”

And with that, Aesop, still numb from the shock, left the room, walking towards the hunter's side of the manor, not caring for the surprised yelps he received from the other survivors. He arrived at his destination fairly quickly. He opened the enormous door and stepped into the hall without a second thought. He didn't even realize the fact that he had absolutely no idea where the ripper was, which one was his room, or where to check. He reached the living room undisturbed, only to get face to face with the surprised faces of the hunters.

"What are y-"

"What the fuck, you are dripping blood all over the place, and we just finished cleaning it up after Smiley!" 

Chapter Text

“Don't curse, A-jiu.” Xie Bi'an frowned, turning his head towards the boy, who just showed up in their living room. “Are you hurt, little one?” he tilted his head slightly to the side, a worried expression appearing on his face. “You had a game with Violetta, no? She did this?”

“N-no. Not my blood.” Aesop slowly walked closer to the hunters, taking a quick look around, not likeing the way he was receiving their attention. Along with the Wu Chang duo, the Queen, Luchino, Ann, and Hastur were there, sitting on the couch, drinking some kind of liquid from their cups. All of them had their eyes on him, except Hastur's. The god was just sitting there, silent and uncaring, his face -or more like, the thing that should be his face, the void, that was barely hidden behind his hood, his many eyes glowing from beneath it- turned towards the window. The hunter paid Aesop no mind as if he didn't even notice his arrival. Or maybe he did, he just found the boy insignificant. “It's Naib's. H-he is... hurt.”

“Oh, poor thing. Do you need Jack? He is probably in his room, I will lead the way.”

“No way I am letting you go alone with him.” The blackguard frowned, his expression turning sour. “I don't trust him.”

“You don't trust anyone, my dear.” he chuckled softly, a playful smile on his lips. “You can just come with us.” Xie Bi'an sent a quick, amused smile towards his overprotective lover, then he stood up, signaling with his hand for Aesop to follow him.

“Now, could you tell us what happened?”

“He took a hit for us. Wrong angle. His back is cut open. Lost too much blood. Unconscious. Shallow breathing, weak pulse.” he took a deep breath in. “Might not make it.”

“Damn.” Wujiu frowned, his eyes meeting the white guard's gaze for a quick moment. “Jack will be angry.”

“It's quite understandable. I would be beyond furious too if something was to happen to you, my love.” the smile disappeared from his lips. “Again.”

Aesop just looked at them, confused. Weren't the two of them siblings?

“Mn.”

“Don't worry, little one.” the white guard stopped before a big wooden door, turning his head towards the embalmer. “He will be alright.”

Aesop didn't reply, his attention focused on the door before him. He lifted a hand up, knocking twice. It didn't take too long to get a reply.

The person, who opened the door was not what Aesop was expecting at all. The Ripper had his mask and that annoying top hat off, his messy dark grey locks visible. There was an annoyed expression on his handsome face, a small mole just beneath his left eye. His orbs were red, many dark circles underneath them, his lips turned into a slight sneer as he looked down at the survivor.

Seems like he wasn't expecting Aesop. Probably thought it was the mercenary, though the other boy would probably not bother with the knocking.

“Well, well, what do we have here? Isn't it Joseph's little mouse I keep hearing about?”

Now, this surprised Aesop quite much. Was the photographer already talking about him to his fellow hunters? What did he tell them about him? And why did Jack call him Joseph's little mouse? He was his own person! No one owned him and they never will.

Also, what's it with everyone calling him a rodent? Sure, he had grey hair and he usually had it done in a small rat-tail, but it didn't make him a mouse, did it? It was so annoying! First, the ghost child called him that, then the photographer, which kinda made sense, since those two were related to each other, twins, if he remembered correctly, but now he will need to endure that ridiculous nickname from all the other hunters too? Please leave Aesop alone! He has a name goddammit!

He glanced towards the ridiculously tall hunter, his eyes showing his clear annoyance, gritting his teeth close together, then he took a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand.

“Ripper-”

“It's Jack.”

“-...” he sent a warning glare towards the hunter. Could he let him finish one damn sentence? “Naib needs you. He is injured. Real bad.”

“Where is he?” Jack's expression suddenly turned serious, closing the room behind himself, not caring for the way he was dressed. “Who hurt him?” his eyes narrowed, flashing dangerously, his lips turned into a sneer, showing off his sharp canines. Aesop felt a shiver running up his spine, though he tried to keep himself calm.

“It was an accident. Violetta hit him from the wro-”

“Violetta did it?” his voice was way too sweet, and Aesop could hear the hidden poison behind it. “Where is my Naib?”

“In the infirmary. Our side. Emily is performing surgery on him.” Jack didn't reply, rushing forward with quick, long steps, already on his way to see the mercenary. Aesop couldn't help letting a relieved sigh out as he got out of his line of sight. The guards behind him, who remained silent up until that point shared a quick, worried glance, the white guard stepping closer, placing a hand on his right shoulder, squeezing it a little, and Aesop almost hissed from the burning sensation his sudden touch caused him.

He absolutely hated it when people touched him.

It made him feel like his skin was lit on fire, it hurt him, no matter who was the one doing it. And wasn't that a funny thing? As a survivor, it was necessary that he would be touched by others from time to time. Inevitable. His teammates had to touch him while they healed each other, the hunters also needed to touch him when they picked his fallen form up, but while he was in a match, it was easier to bear with it. All the other sensations made the pain of their touch duller, it didn't hurt as much as it did outside of the game.

It was strange, but he couldn't help it.

Xie Bi'an noticed the way his body went impossibly still, and he let go of his shoulder almost immediately. His lips formed an apologetic smile as if he could understand. He took a step back, standing right beside his other half.

“Don't mind Jack. He is just worried.”

“I know that.” he frowned. “I don't mind.”

“Of course you don't.” Xie Bi'an chuckled, the smile finding its way back onto his lips. “You must be on your way back now, mn?”

“Yes. I should go.”

“Well, then, off you go, little one. I sincerely hope your teammate will get better soon.” Aesop just blinked at him, not really understanding why he even bothered with the formalities. Why did he try to be nice? What was the point in acting anyway?

Frowning slightly, he turned towards the guards, his expression carefully blank, his eyes looking at the direction of the hunters, though he didn't keep eye contact with either of them.

“Thank you.”

“It's nothing.”

Aesop just nodded towards the two, then he turned away, with the intention of leaving that side of the manor, but then, he was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice, coming from behind him.

“Little Carl?”

“Mr. Pho-” he turned around, and upon noticing the expression on the hunter's face, he quickly corrected himself. “Joseph-san.” the bright smile he got for using the hunter's name totally didn't make his stomach doing a flip. The reason his heart started to beat so fast was probably because he was in the enemies' territory. It had nothing to do with that beautiful smile. He was just anxious. That's all.

“Fancy seeing you here, mon cher. What brings you to our humble home?” the man walked closer to the embalmer. He just stood there, fiddling with his fingers nervously, his posture tense, biting into his lips behind the mask.

“Naib got hurt. Had to tell Jack.”

“Oh? How did he take it?” he only had to glance at the expression on his face. “I see. I guess that's to be expected.”

“Mn.”

“Are you heading back already? The others didn't do anything, I hope?”

"No. No one hurt me while I was here."

"That's good to hear." There was a few beats of silence, as neither of them knew what to say. 

"Uhm-" in the end, Aesop broke the tension. "I should go."

"Ah? Yes, I guess you should. May I accompany you on your way back? To make sure nothing will happen, of course."

"Of course." Aesop nodded towards the other male, waiting patiently for him to get closer, so they could walk to the door side by side. He knew it was highly unlikely that anything would happen on his way back, after all, if they truly wanted to hurt him, they would have already done that by now. There were quite a few opportunities, and to be honest, Aesop highly doubted that any of them would want to cause him any harm- why would they care to do that? Aesop was just a nobody. He wasn't a treat to them, he knew that outside of those games, his existence was pointless and unimportant. He was nothing more than an ant in the eyes of the predators. Not even a toy to play with.

And it was something he was quite sure Joseph was also aware of, given the fact that he actually lived with them. So, Aesop knew that it was just an excuse from Joseph, all in order to spend a little more time with him. Did this make Aesop confused and wary? Yes. Did he mind it? No, not at all. 

It was odd. Joseph was talkative and friendly, a little nosy even, and those personality traits were something Aesop himself usually despised. So, why, just why was it different with him? Why wasn't he annoyed? Why didn't he feel the need to flee, to get rid of the older man?

Why?

"Are you alright, my dear?" Joseph stopped in his tracks, looking at the smaller male with a slightly worried expression on his face.

"I am fine."

"Well, if you say so." He let a soft hum out, stepping a little closer to Aesop's side, so close that their arms were almost touching, which made Aesop flinch back a little. Surprisingly, he wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought he would be. It was just... sudden. And honestly, he didn't expect the man to even want to be this close to him. "So." Joseph turned his head towards Aesop, a small smile on his lips, his blue orbs shining with something strange. Aesop couldn't read his emotions. At all. "How do you like our side of this cursed manor? Is it different from yours?" 

"Not really." 

"Oh?" 

"It's almost the same. Just bigger." 

"Hm. You are right."

"Would you-" he gulped, stopping his sentence before he would ask something he might regret later. 

"Oui? What do you want to ask?" 

Aesop bit into his lower lip, a frown appearing on his face. Should he ask what he wanted? Would it be okay to invite a hunter to their side? Or the others would freak out too much? He didn't want to cause more arguments and he knew, that with all the things that were happening recently, his teammates would be probably quick to anger. 

He didn't want any trouble. 

But. 

But it would be a good opportunity, though? For them to see that hunters outside of the matches were not that bad? And, frankly, Jack probably needed someone from his own side. In case he would go crazy again. 

He wasn't sure any of them could stop him if that happened. Without more blood split than it was necessary. 

"Would you like to-" he gulped, avoiding the gaze that was trying to find his own. "To come with me? Jack might..." 

"Of course, mon cher." The bright smile Joseph rewarded him with was worth any trouble they might face due to his invitation. It was so genuine and so sweet. It lit up the hunter's face, and Aesop wanted to see him smile like that more often. "Show the way?" 

"Y-yes. Walk with me." 

"Of course." The hunter let a soft humming sound out, his lips quirking up a little. "So. What happened? Truth to be said, I was worried there for a moment. I thought it's your blood."

"It's Naib's. Violetta got a little too excited." 

"Oh?"

"Naib got hurt while protecting us. From Violetta."

"I should thank him, then." The smile disappeared, as a small frown took its place on his lips, which for some reason annoyed Aesop a little. 

"Why?" He frowned too, looking at the hunter, his grey eyes glinting with confusion. 

"For protecting my little Carl, of course. I'd be sad if you would get hurt." Aesop's heart skipped a beat hearing those words.

"Y-yours?" 

"Oh, sorry. I just-"

"It's alright." There was a pause. "I don't mind." 

And he really didn't mind the sound of that. It was strange, and a little scary, but Aesop actually found himself enjoying the company of the older man. He also probably didn't mean that the way Aesop thought it at first, but it was okay. 

"You don't? Alright, my dear." He huffed slightly, amusement in his voice. "So-"

"Mn?" 

"Would you like to accompany me to our tea party later?" Aesop was confused. Why did he want to invite him to somewhere private? Didn't he want to spend his free time with people he actually liked? 

"Why?"

"Hah? What why?" Joseph's expression turned sour for a moment, thinking that he was already rejected.

"Why are you inviting me? I am not a very sociable person."

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just-" he sighed, lifting a hand up, running his fingers through his silky hair locks. "Your friend, the Seer. He is going to come with Hastur. Xie Bi'an has Fan Wujiu. I thought it would be better to not go alone. And you seem lonely."

"I am not lonely." he frowned. Eli didn't tell him that he is spending time with the hunters. "Who else is going?"

"Well. Mary and Michiko, as they are hosting the party. The ones, I already mentioned, obviously. I think Emily and Emma might come too, though Emily is probably a little busy with your mercenary friend right now. I am pretty sure the Prospector and the Acrobat were invited by Smiley and Luchino too. Not sure they will actually come, though." he paused a little. "Jack was to come, but I am sure he will not want to leave his lover's side."

"That's... A lot of people." Aesop didn't know what to think. Hunters and survivors in a party? Willingly? He was afraid something bad would happen. And too many people usually sent Aesop into a panic attack, so he wasn't sure whether he should go or not. "Is that okay, though? If I go?"

"Of course. I am sure the others would be happy to see you."

"I am still not sure... I am not good with crowds. And I've never been to a party before."

"Don't worry, it will be fine." he received another one of those blinding smiles from Joseph, causing his heart to go crazy again. He wasn't sure why it happened, but it started to annoy him. "please? Come with me?" Aesop couldn't bear looking at the other. How could he say no? "We can leave if you feel uncomfortable? At any time."

"Are you... are you sure you want to bring me?"

"Yes. I am."

"..." He sighed. "Alright. I will go with you." He was a little curious though. How a bunch of hunters and survivors would act together. Maybe it will be fine? And Joseph did say if Aesop wants to leave, he can. And, Eli will be there too, so Aesop wouldn't need to worry too much.

"Thank you! I promise it will be fine."

"When?"

"Tomorrow night after the matches are over. I will go and wait for you near the gate to the garden. It will be in the garden, after all."

"Okay." 

The rest of their walk passed in relative silence. Joseph was softly humming beneath his breath, and Aesop enjoyed their peaceful quiet. They reached the survivor's hall like that. The room was mostly empty, which was a good thing. Aesop let a relieved sigh out, not really feeling up to dealing with the others right now. He gave a quick glance towards the hunter walking beside him, noticing that small, soft smile in the corner of his lips, the way his face was calm and peaceful and soft. Gentle even. Aesop had to tear his eyes away, because he didn't want to be caught staring, and he knew if he would continue staring at the other for much longer, he wouldn't be able to look away. He didn't want to be seen as a creep. 

"I should go and change." he looked at himself, grimacing at the sight of all the dried blood on his clothes and his skin. "Are you going to check on Jack or...?"

"I-" Joseph seemed to be considering his options for a while. "I would go with you if you don't mind?"

"S-sure." He cursed himself mentally. Why was he so damn embarrassed? They were both male and it wasn't like he was inviting the hunter into his bathroom. He would never do such a thing and he highly doubted Joseph would even want to accept such an invitation. Why would he? 

...

Why was he even thinking of something like that?

He wanted to slap himself, but instead, he forced himself to move with a long, suffering sigh, which earned him a confused look from the hunter beside him. He led the man to the dormitories, taking him to his own room, which was- of course, locked by him with his key. He would never leave his door unlocked, there were too many people who liked to stick their noses into where it didn't belong. And thank you very much, but Aesop would like to have his stuff for himself, without any of his nosy teammates touching them.  

"I am going to take a bath. Will you stay? Wait for me?" he turned towards the other, then he moved to his wardrobe, taking some clean clothes out of it, and moving to the door of his bathroom.

"Of course, my dear. Take your time." Joseph took a look around his room. He noticed the yellow roses that were inside a vase on the table, right beside his bed. The hunter moved towards them, crouching down a little, taking the flowers into his hands, a gentle smile on his lips. He took a sniff, his face close to the petals, and he closed his eyes for a moment, and Aesop, who turned towards the man at some point, had to take a sharp intake of breath, wanting to tear his eyes away from the scene, yet, not being able to do so.  "So beautiful,"

"Y-yeah. Indeed." he blinked blankly a few times, then he basically ran inside his bathroom, leaving a very confused hunter behind.

How can a human being be this beautiful? 

Chapter Text

Ever since that certain conversation with Hastur a few days ago, all Claude could think of was what the god has said to him. Of the possibility of them dying, for real now, without a chance to ever come back. And with that invisible knife hovering above their heads, Claude wasn't really that surprised when the usually calm and mostly peaceful atmosphere surrounding the hunters became thick and cold as if suddenly all the liveliness was sucked away from them. 

It just wasn't fair.

Wasn't taking their freedom away enough for that person? Weren't they suffering enough already, thrown inside a place against their will, being forced to play a never-ending game of hide-and-seek? Burdening them with all the blame, making them seem to the other faction as if they were the monsters as if they chose to play this game. 

It was easy, to place the blame on others. And yet, Claude couldn't exactly fault the survivors for that, because even though the hunters did not find any pleasure in hunting their prey, hurting them, terrorising them, how could the survivors know the truth behind all the lies they were fed with by the Host all those years? (Even though, there were quite a few of them who saw behind those very same lies. )

But still, threatening the hunters with their lives if they refuse to hurt their prey... it was just too much.  What would he do if something was to happen to his brother? To Hastur? Or anyone else, really. After all this time he spent near them, watching them from afar, they slowly started to grow on him.

The Guards, the Geisha, the Queen, the Lizard... he even started to like Jack, who seriously creeped him out at first.

He loved watching the playful banters between them, he adored listening to the sweet voice of the Geisha's singing, her elegant dance with her fans, he cherished spending time around the queen, her peaceful presence always managing to calm his racing heart, and he loved to listen to the conversations between the Lizard and the Old man, even though most of the time, he couldn't understand a word of what was being said by the two of them, especially when that two certain survivors were also present. Old man also had the habit of drinking some alcohol with the Lizard and a few others at night, after a hard day of playing the game, and it was always so funny to watch their drunk selves babbling about some utter nonsense.

He also loved watching the Axe-boy playing with the others, even though it always made him very sad, because no matter how much he wanted to, there was no way for him to join them.

Not to talk about his brother. His twin, who acted so graceful, so elegant and gentle, like a true gentleman when he was surrounded by the others, protecting his real emotions by a carefully built-up mask, even though sometimes, when he was having an especially hard day, this mask would crack, letting some of his hidden emotions get out from beneath those cracks.

Claude wasn't sure which Joseph he hated the most. The pretentious one, who hid his true self behind the facade, or the real Joseph, who was so broken, Claude was afraid there was no way to save him anymore.

And to be honest, he wasn't the only one who saw through the facade. Sometimes, it scared him how observant the other hunters seemed to be. Especially Hastur and the Geisha.

“Are you alright, child?” 

“I am fine.”  he let a heavy sigh out, his eyes watery from all those heavy emotions flashing through his mind. He looked up at Hastur, a small pout appearing on his youthful, pale face. "What about you? Are YOU okay?"

"Why would I not be?"

"Well, it's not me whose life is on the line. I am already dead."

"Mn. No need for unnecessary worry. The Host does not have the ability to kill me."

"Then... Why are you even here?" Claude did not understand this logic- if Hastur was more powerful than that man, why was he obeying his orders? Why did he even come here, to begin with?

"I have my reasons."

"You always say that..."  he let an annoyed huff out, floating a little further away from the ground until he was right above the hunter's left shoulder. "Where is Jos?"

"Garden."

"Again? what is he doing there?"

"Probably trying to run into the Embalmer. Again." Claude's face became a little blank, blinking at the deity stupidly with big, open eyes. 

"Why?" he was so confused. "I mean I get it, Aesop is cool, but why is my brother so interested in him all of a sudden?"

Hastur, who was reading a book up until that moment, suddenly lifted his head up, staring at the ghost for a few seconds silently, then letting an exasperated sigh out, turning his focus back to the book in his hands, because no way he was going to explain something like that to the child. Nope. Just no. 

"Hastur?"

"Why don't you go and see it for yourself?"

"But I like being with you more! Jos is boring!" he pouted again, floating a little closer, poking the annoying book in the god's hand with a finger- angrily, silently wishing he could actually touch the damned thing, to throw it far away and finally have Hastur's attention fully for himself.

Just to let a surprised yelp out the next second, throwing himself a few feet back into the air, because for a moment there, he swears he could feel the texture of the book below his fingertip. He lifted his shaking hand up, looking at the said finger with his eyes blown wide open, his expression morphing into a strange combination of fear and awe. 

“What now?” Hastur let an annoyed grunt out, placing the book down onto the table, closing it with a loud thud, lifting his head up again, looking towards the direction where the child was currently freaking out. 

"H-Hastur!"

"What?"

"I touched it!

"Yes, you most certainly did."

"NO! You don't understand! I touched-touched it!"  there was an excited expression on his face. "I could feel the book! I felt it Hastur!"

"You mean..." Now, it was Hastur's turn to be surprised. "Come, try it again." He waved his hand towards the book on the table. 

"YES!" Claude let an excited screech out, immediately floating back to his previous position, leaning forward, lifting his right hand up, barely touching the hard, leather cover of the book with his small, trembling fingers. On the first try, his hand passed straight through the book, clearly not being able to sense a thing, other than that certain tingling sensation he got every time he passed through some kind of solid material, be it an object or a living person -which was a little gross, and creepy, passing through people just like that, though Claude had to admit he found their reactions kinda funny when he did that. The momentary shock, their wide opened eyes and the shivers that ran up and down their spines right when he passed through them. The survivors' reactions were always the best, especially the nervous ones, such as the thief or the lawyer. To be honest, Claude enjoyed pranking the lawyer the most. That man was always so mean to his little friend! So yes, Claude took it personally and did everything he could to make his life a little miserable. Nothing too serious of course! 

For example, there was an incident a few weeks ago. That's probably when Claude decided that he needed to step in because he couldn't just sit still and watch as his friend was getting bullied only because he was bad with words and nervous around other people. Seriously, what's wrong with people?! You can't just go around throwing nasty words at others! Especially not at others like his Aesop was. He was already so hurt all the time, so why did that nasty Lawyer had to make things worse?!

Anyways, back to the present. Claude let an annoyed little grunt out, his lips pouting slightly, a frown appearing on his face. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating hard on the task, leaning in again and moving his fingers onto the cover of that certain book. For a moment, there was nothing. He bit into his lips, trying to do it again. And again.

He did it for quite some time, and he was already starting to give up, feeling a sudden pang of painful disappointment, his heart shrinking. He should have known. It would be too good to be true. To be able to touch and feel again. He lowered his gaze, and he could feel the phantoms of the sensation of his eyes burning, even though he knew that it was not possible anymore. How could it be? He was dead. A ghost without a body. He couldn't feel pain anymore. No pain, no sensations. He could never feel the wind gently brushing on the skin of his face, nor the way it used to blow his hair away. He could never feel the warmth of another body under his palm, he could never experience the sensation of a beating heart inside his chest ever again. 

it wasn't fair. 

He was so young. He had a whole life before him! He could have done so many things, so many new and exciting experiences. He could have grown into a fine young man. He wondered how he would look like. Would he still be the exact replica of his twin brother? Or would there be changes? He knew that when they were both very young, there actually were some differences. Their eye colour was different for one. Joseph's eyes were pure blue. The prettiest, deepest blue Claude has ever seen, while his eyes were pale ice-blue. Claude was a tiny bit taller, his cheeks were rounder and his hair was lighter in shade. Almost completely white. 

The most obvious difference however laid within their bodies. Joseph had a stronger built. He had a stronger system, he was healthy and full of energy. Claude on the other hand... he was always much weaker, his body easy to tire, sleepiness taking a hold of him fairly often. He was lean and skinny and he fell sick way too often. Because of that, he spent the majority of his childhood locked away inside his room. He couldn't go out when it was snowing in winter or when it was hot in the summer. he didn't get to enjoy playing in the snow like other children his age did. 

His parents didn't allow him to do it.

It didn't stop him though. One time he sneaked outside with his brother. Jos was worried and would not stop fussing over him, but eventually, he gave in to his begging. Their parents weren't at home that day. They had some business to take care of, so the boys were left alone at home with a nanny. The poor women fell asleep, and Claude wanted to take advantage of that. Jos made sure he was dressed warmly and layered, got him some warm boots, a warm coat, a hat, and all that stuff, and in the end, there wasn't even the smallest patch of skin left uncovered.

That was easily the best and the worst day of Claude's whole life. Jos and him were having so much fun, they played in the snow for hours in no end, they even made a snowman!

But in the end, that very same day was Claude's greatest regret in his life. Joseph's too, probably. 

Because you see, he was locked away safely inside his room for most of his life, protected from both the hot and cold fiercely, so his body was not used to being exposed to the cold of the winter, even with all those warm clothes. And his immune system was too weak, it was easy to catch a cold. And with a body like his, even the smallest cold could be fatal. 

The very next day of that fun day outside playing in the snow, Claude got sick. Very, very sick. His whole body was burning up, his throat hurt so much he couldn't even talk. He was coughing so much it was hard to breathe and his lungs felt like they were on fire. For days, he laid there, in so much pain he wished he would die. 

In the end, he eventually got better thanks to a doctor his father basically kidnapped for him. But after such a bad illness, his body's condition only got worse. He couldn't walk for long without panting, and his breathing problems were never solved. He would get coughing fits from time to time, and that strange, burning sensation in his lungs also never went away. But Claude fought teeth and nail for his life. He had to stay strong for his papa, mama and his brother! He couldn't leave them behind! 

Jos would never forgive him if he left- he himself told that to Claude when he was having a particularly bad episode. He stayed by his side the whole night, tears running down his chubby cheeks, his face pale, his beautiful eyes full of guilt. 

Claude knew it. He knew that the boy was blaming himself for his fate, even though it was bullshit. Claude only had himself to thank for his condition. Why was he so, so insistent? Why couldn'T he just stay in his room? None of this would have happened if he did. 

Claude fought his fate for a whole year, but eventually, he lost the war against time. 

And he left his brother behind. 

His precious baby brother, that boy full of life and opportunities. 

He left him.

Broke his promise.

Useless

Shattered his dreams, 

Left him all alone

Left him behind to suffer 

His fault, only His fault...

I am the monster

He threw him into this hell

My fault...

Why? Why couldn't he make it up for him? Why can't he fix this? How can he fix this

Help... me

Somebody

please.... 

Suddenly, there was silence. His raging thoughts finally calmed down, the torturing memories vanishing in the blink of an eye and he found himself in a strange, deserted place. There was a huge lake, empty of any water. On the shore, there were many trees, devoid of any life. The whole place was leaking of death. He took a shuddering breath, and glanced around, trying to find out just where the hell he was. He could find many dead things in this strange place. A rotting corpse of a horse. Ruins in the background. Dead trees and a burnt down mill. The shore was filled with many rocks and rotting, dead fishes. There were quite a few skeletons too. 

It was horrible, a terrible sight. 

Then, on one of the bigger rocks, he saw a lonely figure sitting, their back hunched staring into a distance with an empty expression on their face. Claude took a cautious step forward- only to trip on his own legs and fall to the ground. 

He let a surprised yelp out, only now noticing that he wasn't just a ghost anymore. He had a body! He actually had a body! And just now, he felt the pain as some of the sharper rocks on the ground wounded his palm. He lifted his trembling hand up, looking at the small bloody wound in awe. Don't misunderstand him, he wasn't a masochist! But after so many years of not feeling anything, even this sudden wave of sharp pain was like a blessing for him. He lifted another hand up, absentmindedly touching the wound on his arm, messing with the blood on his pale skin. He took a long, shuddering breath in, then he let a soft, light-hearted laugh out, enjoying the way his lungs felt while he was breathing in and out... or, more like, enjoying the lack of that sharp, burning pain he was used to be feeling back then when he was still alive. 

He laughed like a lunatic, throwing himself back onto the sand, not caring the slightest bit for the pain he felt as he hit his head on another smaller rock. It was nothing compared to the pain he used to deal with back then. 

His idiotic actions made the other party notice his presence. They stood up and walked closer to the boy still enjoying himself laying on the sand. They leaned closer, their messy, long white hair shadowing their face, and as Claude lifted his head up to meet their eyes, all he could see was a pair of glowing red orbs looking at him. It was strangely hypnotizing.

"Who are you?" their voice was strangely familiar. Where did he hear it before?

"C-claude." he couldn't help nervously stuttering. The person before him did not blink, did not tear their gaze away and it was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. He knew he should be afraid, but something inside his mind was telling him that it would be alright. That he didn't have to be afraid of this person.

"Claude." he seemed to be considering something, before nodding at the boy who was still laying on his back. "Why are you in my domain?"

Claude tilted his head to the side, confusion written all over his face. 

"You-" he paused, his sharp gaze sizing him up. "You don't belong here."

Wha-

What. 

Why did that sound so familiar?

He frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing, as he finally sat up, looking at the figure of this strange person, trying to figure out why they seemed to be so familiar.

"A lot of people keep telling me that." he closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't belong anywhere."

"You don't?"

"No."

"That's good." they nodded. "I also do not have a place to belong." 

"...." he knew it. He knew why they were so familiar. "Hastur?"

The being turned its head to the side, a calculating gaze could be felt on Claude's body, then he heard a deep, but rather soft sigh. 

Claude tore his gaze away from the burning, magnetising orbs, and looked the other up and down. How could this person be the same eldritch being Claude was already so familiar with? This person was rather tall, lean but muscular. They had long, messy white hair, a sickly pale complexion, a pair of red eyes, and now, Claude could see a glowing red orb right in the middle of their forehead, and two strange slits beneath the eyes on both sides. They looked like closed eyes. Knowing the other Hastur, those probably were eyes.

The being's neck was slender and slightly long, covered by thick bandages, and Claude could see dried patches of blood on them. This maybe-Hastur was wearing a long, torn old yellow robe. In the dark, it was hard to tell though. 

They looked battled. Like someone who went through so much pain, Claude could hardly imagine. And there was a hollow, sad aura around them, and Claude felt the sudden need to comfort them. It was strange. The Hastur he knew was always so calm, so collected. Otherworldly almost. This one, though? 

Anything but it. 

So, which one was the real Hastur?

"How do you know that name?"

"So, you really are him?"

"...no. Once upon a time, maybe. Not anymore."

"So you are him... but not? At the same time? It's... confusing." he only got a frown in return. "Why are you looking so human?"

Yes, it was indeed very strange. Seeing Hastur like that.

"This is what I used to be. What I've always been."

"How did you become like that, then?" taking another look at this person, he could see strange patches on his face, as if the skin was thorn apart in some places and sewn back together. Was his whole body like that? That's why he is bandaged up in so many places?

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

"That I do not doubt." he sighed, lifting his face up, brushing his hair out of his face, and with this, Claude could finally have a clearer view of his face. He had sharp features, and the little eyes beneath his main two ones seemed to be sewn shut too. Just what on earth happened to him? Who could have done this to him? "My story is not a happy one."

"I still would like to hear it."

"Well." he took a seat beside Claude in the sand, his face turned towards the empty, hollow lake once again. "This is where I was born."

"In this dead land?"

At that, the being let a low chuckle out, one without a trace of happiness inside it. It was bitter and full of sorrow. "This land was not always like this. Once upon a time, this was the most beautiful place you could ever see..."

Chapter Text

"This land was not always like this. Once upon a time, this was the most beautiful place you could ever see..."

 

Claude glanced at the deity's expression, a strange, melancholic feeling starting to blossom inside his chest as if he could feel some of the emotions running through the mind of the other person, who was still sitting beside him on the dirty sand. He was strangely captivated, barely able to tear his gaze away. He let a soft humming sound out, his chest clenching painfully, not liking the sound of the voice of this version of Hastur. Or, more like how it affected him. Because the Hastur he knew was so, so different from this broken one. His voice was melodic and rumbling, and whenever he was listening to him, he could always feel that strange calmness taking its hold on him, soothing his nerves. This one? This one's voice was still deep and rumbling, but it was also coarse as if he wasn't used to talking anymore. It was unnerving and too painful to hear, filled with sadness and so, so broken.

Why was everyone around Claude broken? Aesop, Jos and now, even Hastur... 

Was he cursed?

Was he the cause of it somehow? All the bad things seemed to be happening around him...

Fortunately, he couldn't get too far with that train of thought, because as he was staring blankly forward, the scenery before his eyes suddenly started to change.

The lake bed, which was empty and dry up until that point suddenly filled with crystal clear water. The twisted, dark sky above them cleared up, the plants started to grow out of the dry soil at a quick pace, and Claude could hear the lively noise of the animals from the background. His eyes blew wide open, watching as a small, green frog just jumped into the water not too far away from where they were seated. Even the ground felt different beneath his body. It was warmer, softer, much more comfortable to lay down onto. The rocks disappeared, only the biggest one remained on the shore, and even those were different from how they looked before. Not too far from where he was sitting, he could see a bunch of blooming white water lilies floating on the top of the water's surface, surrounded by smaller and bigger green leaves. 

And just like that, the whole creepy and depressing aura shattered, and its place was taken by such a beautiful, mesmerizing scenery, Claude just got more and more excited, forgetting all his suffering, all those painful thoughts that were still haunting him, feeling the sudden want to go and explore. He has never had the opportunity to see the wildlife personally in real life, not when he was alive and definitely not after his death. Back then, before that illness kicked in, he used to read a lot of those picture books, with those pretty paintings of different landscapes in them. He saw majestic waterfalls, captivating sunsets on a beach, mysterious rainforests and so many interesting animals he never got to see with his own two eyes. So, it wasn't all that surprising that he would like try to live with this rare chance, to get up and explore a bit. Hastur wouldn't mind, would he?

"T-this...?" he couldn't help stuttering a bit, trying hard to contain his excitement.

"This is... was my home." hearing the grieving tone in his voice, Claude's heart shank, an uncomfortable feeling rising inside his chest. He tore his gaze away from the land, his big, pale blue eyes looking up at the face of the deity beside him, and his heart just broke a little bit at the desperate longing on the other's face. That deep misery, the pain in those impossibly red eyes. He didn't want to see him like this. He never wanted to see someone like Hastur in that state. 

Yet, he couldn't help wondering, what might have happened to make him so broken. How did he become like this? And why was he so, so different in the manor? Which one was the real Hastur? 

"I-" he gulped, feeling his eyes watering from all those emotions. "I am sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" The being turned his face towards the smaller male, those haunted eyes tearing inside his soul as if he could see right through him. As if he could see the very essence of his being.

"I-" he lowered his head, biting into his lips gently, "I made you remember, didn't I?"

"..." there was a few seconds of silence, then Claude could hear a sigh from the other. "I always remember. Better to remember of it like this."

They both glanced around, the peaceful scenery lifting some of the heaviness from their chest, making it easier to breathe. And Claude, for once, did not break the silence that fell upon them. He didn't know what to say. 

"It's so peaceful. Still so vivid in my memories." Hastur sighed, a deep rumbling sound leaving his lips. 

"W-what happened? To make it like... like that." 

Suddenly, the air around them thickened, a heavy, uncomfortable feeling sending Claude almost into a panic attack, and he could see Hastur's fist clenching tightly shut, the strange zig-zags on his skin glowing red for a second, and those eyes were flashing with uncontrolled anger, a murderous aura surrounding him. He let a grunt out, a low guttural sound, and for a moment there, the scenery wavered before them, the ground shaking, the animals stopping their lively noise, and then, as if time has stopped, everything went impossibly still. 

"Humans." he spat through his gritted teeth. "That's what happened." 

Claude felt a chilly shiver running up his spine, his eyes widening as he felt the pure, uncontrollable hatred coming in waves from the deity beside him. 

"Look at my lake. At the animals. The plants. Everything is filled with life, it's peaceful and calm and perfect." as if a switch was triggered the uncomfortable, terrifying feeling was gone, though Claude could still feel it lingering behind. "I spent so many years in this perfect land. I made it blossom. I protected it with teeth and nails. I gave my everything, a part of myself so it could remain like this, and for a long time, everything was fine. Almost perfect. I was lonely, yes, because even though I had the animals to keep me company, they weren't nearly enough. I was young and I wanted to share my little bubble of happiness with someone else. I didn't want to be alone anymore." 

"W-wait. You say you were young and born here."

"Yes." the deity was only a little irritated at being interrupted, but he couldn't get himself to be angry.

"But you-" he had to correct himself. "the other you told me that you were around since the universe was created. Then how?"

"Ah." he paused to look at the boy. "It's not... he meant the soul. The soul is immortal, the body is not."

"Isn't every soul immortal in that way?" Claude frowned a little, trying to recall all the religious crap his parents made him learn when he was around. 

"Yes, but in my case it's different." he paused for a moment. "If a human dies, their soul would leave their body and if there is nothing bounding them to this existence anymore, they..." he stopped himself before he would say something that would confuse the boy even more. "well, they go into the reincarnation circle."

"So, no afterword?"

"No"

"No hell?"

"Certainly not" for a brief second, amusement flashed through his face, only to disappear the very next second. "the soul would shred the sins the moment it leaves the body. Every soul is pure in that way. But the soul can still get damaged by traumas and similar experiences, and the damage would be healed if it is not too far gone."

"What happens if a soul is too damaged when it dies?"

"..." there was a bitter expression on the god's face. "The soul can either shatter or stay until it can be healed."

"Wh-what?" his eyes opened wide. "D-does that means... my soul..."

Was that the reason he became a ghost? Because his soul was too damaged to heal, but the damage wasn't enough for it to shatter? What would happen if the soul shatters? Would he simply just... stop existing? 

"Don't worry, it's not the case." Hastur smiled at the other boy, but that smile was not a happy one. "The reason you are still here is that you are still waiting for another... well soul. Twins usually have separate souls but in your case..."

"Jos and I... we share a soul?"

"Not completely. Your souls... They are newborns. A soul was separated into two halves when you came to existence and as the bodies grew they started to became complete without each other... well. They formed two completely new souls." 

"W-what does that mean?"

"You can't leave while he is not ready to move on. Your souls are bound together and will not leave without each other."

"Oh."

"Anyways. I am different. Firstly, if I need to move into a new body my memories stay intact. If a god's soul becomes damaged or tainted... well." there was a bittersweet expression on his face, his eyes full of sorrow. "A god whose soul can't hold its purity will become a fallen god."

"W-what does that mean?"

"You saw my body, did you not?" he lifted an eyebrow up. "What was your first thought?"

"W-well, I was afraid. T-that you would eat me. Your name is Feaster after all." 

"You thought I was a demon, no?"

"...yes" though that's not the word he would use. More like...

A monster. 

"This one is how I am supposed to look like. Well, almost." again, that bitter expression. "The one you know is what I've become."

"How?" he gulped, trying to keep up with all the new information thrown at him. Hastur has never been this... informative with him before. "What... what are you even? If the real Hastur is out there in that body?"

"Can't you guess already?" Hastur closed his eyes, that bitter sadness not leaving his face for even a second. 

"Y-you... Are you the soul?" 

"Yes." he let a low chuckle out. "we are in my mindscape."

"Do I have a soul inside my head too? Like you?"

"I would hope not." he sighed, then moved an arm to take the bandages off of his other hand, showing him all those zig-zags decorating his skin, and that pattern reminded Claude of a broken, cracked glass vase, the one he broke when he was still alive, desperately trying to keep it intact by glueing the pieces back together. 

"Your soul... it's... did you shatter?" his eyes were filled with tears, a shaking hand raised up, caressing the wounded skin gently with his fingertips, his heart shrinking more and more as he felt those bumps along the cracked lines. 

"It was a close call. Someone... another soul saved me from shattering." he lowered his head. "by damaging itself for my shake."

"Did it...?" his voice was gentle, trying to comfort the other.

"No, he didn't shatter. If he did..." he had a dark look on his face. "I am not sure there would be a world anymore."

Claude could feel a shiver running up his spine, not being able to help the terror that suddenly took hold of his mind. Even the thought of Hastur in such a state was too horrifying to imagine. Though, he had to admit, for the god to hold someone so close to himself that he would destroy the whole world for them... it was scary. He wondered what happened to that soul. Hastur said he was damaged- maybe he still lingers around? Just like Claude. 

"It still doesn't answer how you came to be. Why are you here?"

"When I lost my... that other soul, the only way I could stop myself from going berserk was by shutting myself down. A fallen god is a powerful force, especially one such as I am. The way I became tainted... it was too much. Too much anger, pain and resentment. I took my revenge but it wasn't enough. It was not nearly enough. Humans made me... they made me into something I never wanted to be. A monster. I wanted blood." there was a strange expression on his face, as if he was not even there anymore, his mind wandering somewhere far, far away from there, getting lost in his own memories. "And in the most critical moment, his soul came to me. He stopped me. Healed me enough to lift the cloud from my mind." a bitter, yet fond expression started to form on his face, a small, sad smile. "My head got clear enough for me to do something. So I closed my memories away. I locked away a big part of myself, the one that could feel and love and hate."

"You did... did this to yourself?"

"Child, if I don't do this, more blood would have been split by my crazed self."

"I understand, but still..." he looked up at the god, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's terrible."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"You were hurt so much..."

"I am fine."

"But..." he gulped. "You split yourself apart. You closed yourself inside your own mind as if... as if you were the one who had to be punished. Isn't it painful? Not being whole?"

"It doesn't matter. My pain is my own."

"It doesn't have to!"

"Then what should I have done?!" he raised his voice. "I killed a whole town! I split their blood, I painted the walls red, I set my home on fire! I drained my lake and killed all that I was supposed to protect! I was supposed to be a guardian and what did I do in my rage? I destroyed everything. I don't care for those humans, they did this to me, but the children... the children were innocent. They did it for me as if it was what I wanted- as if I was ever..."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Do you want to know how I fell? How I became so tainted, so disgusting?" he spat the words and the world around them started to change. Where once a big forest was, now there was a village, first small, then it became bigger and bigger, he saw them building up that burnt down mill near the shore. Everything happened so fast, darkness rose and fell, days passed in mere seconds, as they watched the small village slowly develop into a town. "I welcomed those humans into my world. Into my sweet paradise. I sheltered them from the rain, I protected them from the pain, I healed their wounds and gave them a place to call home." the scenario changed, he saw people with yellow robes going towards the lake. One of them was leading a small, white sheep towards the other robed figures. "watch and see how they repaid my kindness." there was a sudden flash, the people were chanting something together in a messed up chorus, perfectly together as if they were in a trance, and the moon shone upon them, the light flashing on the blade that was drawn out by one of their men. They cut the sheep down, blood flowing into the lake. The once crystal clear water was painted red by the blood, the dead sheep thrown into the lake as a twisted, messed up offering from those humans. "They dared to give this to me. They dared to cut the animals I was supposed to protect down. I punished them, but it didn't stop. They kept misunderstanding me!"

The scenario changed again. The same people in the same robes, in a cave near the shore. They stood in a circle, a big stone table between them, and on the table, there was a small figure of a child chained onto the four edges, gagged and blinded by some kind of yellow cloth. Claude didn't want to watch anymore, tears flowing down his cheeks, his mind in an emotional turmoil. One of the men lifted the knife up and Claude turned his head away, lifting his hands up to keep the voices away. 

"Please... enough. Don't make me watch more." 

"Oh, but it's not over yet. There is more." he laughed, darkly, his voice full of sorrow. "They killed children in my name. Children. And not only this one."

The scenario switched again. Near the lake, Claude could see a young man, dressed in black and yellow, sitting on a bigger rock, his features hidden away inside the shadows. Hastur stood beside him, his eyes unreadable, a hand placed gently on his head, caressing him with so much care, Claude felt like he was intruding on something very private. 

"He is the soul who saved me from madness." even his voice was tender, silent and soothing. "I can't even recall his face anymore." the boy had no facial features. His face was blank. "I can't remember his voice. Can't remember his name. Just the things he made me feel." 

Claude took a few cautious steps forward, looking at the two of them.

"He was the only human who could see and hear me. We spent a lot of time together, he chased my loneliness away, and for a fleeting second in my painfully long life, I was happy. Trying to forget what my humans did. But he..." his face was full of self-hatred. "But he wasn't local." his face twitched. "for these humans, it meant a death sentence. He was the last sacrifice they gave to me. I went berserk and destroyed the whole town. I killed everything that was breathing, it didn't matter who or what it was. I killed the children, the elderly, no matter if they were innocent. I couldn't see reason."

Claude was choking on his tears again.

"A god can't take a life. We can't dirty our hands." he took a shaky breath. "I loved and cherished all lives in my land. From the smallest insect to the biggest, oldest trees near the lake." he felt like throwing up. "They twisted my teachings of life and death. They killed in my name. And it started to corrupt my spirit, the last straw was when they killed... him." the land shifted again, and they were back in the destroyed, dead land. "My spirit broke and I fell. I became a monster. The monster that you know." he spat the words. "I almost lost myself, my soul was on the edge of shattering. I almost became a soulless vessel for my negative emotions. A monster. A demon of some sort." he grimaced. "his soul came in the last second. He healed some of the cracks up but in the process he damaged himself and he just... vanished." 

"I-is it possible for you to heal?"

Hastur lifted his head up and looked up at the burning sky. 

"I am a fallen god. There is no way for me to heal."

"I want to help." Hastur just shook his head at that, "please! I want to!"

"There is no way to help me. I am too far gone."

"There must be something..."

"You should leave." he took in a sharp breath. "Don't tell my other self the truth. It's better he doesn't know."

"He can't remember at all?"

"Just a few shreds of memories. He knows we fell and that it was because of the humans. But he can't remember the emotions, he doesn't know what he meant to me."

"That soul?"

"Yes."

"What did he mean to you?"

There was a long beat of silence, and Claude felt a strange, but powerful thug in his chest, a pulling from somewhere else, outside. He started to panic because he knew what that feeling was. He wanted to stay! Please! Don't make him leave alone this broken Hastur!

He wanted to, no he needed to help him somehow!

Please! Let him stay! Just a little longer.

Just... A little....

Longer.

But no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't stay. His vision started to blur, the world spiralling before him, and then, everything went black. But before he would have lost his consciousness for good, he swore he could hear a few silently muttered words, even though he couldn't quite understand their meaning. He felt like it was something important. 

But what was it?

What did he say?

"He was my everything."

Chapter Text

When he finally came back to his senses, the experience was fairly similar to what one would feel after a good night's sleep. 

The first few seconds after what could be considered as waking up, he felt dizzy- he had to stay still, trying to regain his sense of reality, because even after that strange, dream-like experience was over, he still felt quite disoriented. Being back to his "normal" ghost body was both disappointing and somewhat reassuring at the same time. Firstly, it meant that he was actually back to the original place, inside that cursed manor, where his brother still had to endure playing that damned game. He was disappointed, yes, because this spectral body was still too numb to the normal sensations, not being able to touch and feel, and he could only observe silently from the background, unable to interfere, to make a difference. Yet, it was still better than being completely dead, because at least, he could still watch over his brother- and well. He could still have some fun with his poltergeist powers.

Truth to be said, his reality right now felt more like a dream, and not as something that was actually happening. Hell, if someone would have told him back then when he was still alive, that ghosts were real, and he would end up as one after his eventual death, he would have laughed at them in the face. It still felt so unreal sometimes.

Even that strange encounter inside Hastur's mindscape seemed much more... real, compared to this. It was scary. For a minute there, Claude wondered, what if this existence as a ghost was also just a strangely vivid, messed up dream? What if all of this, all these people were not even real, just the product of his imagination? What if he was still alive and this place here was just... just a scarily realistic fever dream? 

What if he is still alive somewhere out there, only on the verge of death, and all these experiences here are just dreams? What if this is simply the way his messed up mind was trying to cope with the fact that he was dying? 

To be honest, Claude wasn't sure if that would be a good or a bad thing. He would be alive, yes, but on the other hand, he would be still sick and bedridden, and who knows, maybe the only way to get out of this dream was to actually die? And it would mean that all his friends here would also be...

Well. It could be considered that they all would die with him. Because if this really was just his imagination, this strange world, that his mind created for him would also be destroyed along with him, and everyone would just... cease to exist.

And that thought really, really scared him. He didn't want Aesop and Hastur and Joseph and... and all of those people to be just illusions within his mind. Even if-

Even if it meant that he really was dead outside. Being a ghost was kinda cool, anyways. At least he wasn't sick anymore! And well, he liked lurking around the others. These ghost powers were also quite exciting, even though he wasn't very strong right now, barely enough to prank some of the residents. 

Well. Normally, his powers seemed quite weak, even lifting up smaller objects were exhausting for him, but for some reason, he seemed to get a lot stronger when he was mad at someone. Like back then, when Jos got shot. 

"You are back." Hastur was near him in an instant, his many eyes boring a hole into his body. "I thought you finally passed on."

"... no."

Looking up at the hunter towering over him, he couldn't help himself, his thoughts wandering back to that strange, human-like Hastur he had met in that place. Was that even real? It felt way too realistic for it to be just a dream- and how could that even be a dream? Claude couldn't even remember the last time he dreamt, hell, don't even talk about dreaming, even sleeping seemed like an impossible task to him, something he didn't have the privilege to experience anymore. 

Being dead sucks. 

Really, really sucks.

Like, imagine not being able to do such trivial, basic things such as eating, sleeping or even taking a bath- he couldn't eat a thing anymore, without a body it was simply impossible. Being a ghost- no, being dead, was mostly alright, but at times when he was alone, with nothing to keep his mind off of everything that made his chest tighten, his breath quicken and make him so, so damn hurt, from all those horrible thoughts, the painful memories of all the small things he had lost. It was easier when he was around others because then he could focus on other things. And at this point, anything was fine as long as it was distracting him. 

He wished he could talk to someone about those painful thoughts. He wished he had the courage to admit being hurt, to admit that he was absolutely not okay. Because even though he kept telling others that he was fine, he knew it deep inside, that it was far from the truth. He was not okay. He hasn't been for a very long time now, he was simply just so damn used to pretending, that at some point, he managed to fool even himself. Because, when you keep repeating the same fabricated lies, when you keep saying that everything is alright over and over again, just to keep those who are important to you from over-worrying themselves, after some time you will start to believe in those lies yourself. 

Wasn't it ironic? Being so good at acting, that you even manage to fool yourself?

So, yes. Claude was not okay. He was hurting for so long, that he didn't even know what it felt like to be truly alright. First, it was his body that was in constant pain, and now, even though he was no longer capable of being physically hurt, it was his mind that was in chaos. The thing, hurting him right now was his own brain- or more like, his mind, because he didn't have a brain anymore, and it was confusing because how can he even function without a brain? How was he alive without a beating heart, why did he breathe, when he didn't even have his lungs, and without an actual body he definitely didn't need the oxygen. How could he experience those strong emotions, and even though it didn't happen often, how could he still experience those lingering sensations? Like the feeling of the book's hard leather cover beneath his fingertips, the phantom pain of his lungs burning- was it all just the result of his memories? 

He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to find his answers, because he was afraid they would just hurt him even more. And he was so, so done with being hurt, he wasn't sure he could take it anymore.

He was just a child, goddamnit!

Why did he have to live his life like that? Suffering, then getting a little bit of hope, a tiny bit of happiness, naively thinking that he could finally catch his breath, that everything would turn out fine, just to be crushed down again and again... 

Why... just why...

Why was he born with a weak body? Why did he become sick? Why was he hurt all the damn time, and why couldn't he get a break from all of that, even after he literally died?! 

Just what had he done to deserve it?!

He didn't want to be hurt anymore. He just... He just...

"Why can't I just die?"  

"What..." for Hastur, the past few hours seemed much longer than they actually were. One second, this silly child was leaning over his book, trying to touch it again, frustration- no, it was rather the desperation, the yearning to be able to touch it for real, clear on his face, and that sight broke Hastur's cold, frozen heart just a little bit because really, can't this child just get a break? Then in the next second, this small ghost-child, who against all the odds, slowly started to worm himself into his heart, was gone.

You see, Hastur was not an overly emotional person. Being. Whatever. His emotions were always completely under check, he could count the times he lost himself to those stupid, unnecessary things in one hand. Anger? Who needs it. Happiness? Unnecessary. Sadness? Not on his watch.

Emotions were distracting and stupid, and too human for an eldritch being like him. What use did those things even have? They blind your judgment and make you act impulsively, on pure instinct.  And it was not something he, as a hunter could afford. 

Hastur prided himself on this calm, cold demeanour. He was always collected, ruthless while hunting and peaceful among his faction mates. 

Yet, the moment he saw the boy's form flicker, then vanish into thin air, his chest clenched tightly, a heavy feeling falling onto his usually calm and collected mind. He did not panic, it would be too uncharacteristic for him, but it was a close call. For a long time, he just stared blankly at the spot the child was floating not too long ago, his eyes not once blinking, his body frozen to the spot. An uneasy, chilly sensation took its hold on him, and he just couldn't get himself to move, not even an inch.

It was alright, he calmed himself. The boy was not... gone. Maybe he exhausted himself. Maybe he used too much of his spiritual powers and he couldn't hold his spectral form anymore. 

Maybe...

Maybe he only needed a little rest, to... refill his energy.

Yes, that probably is what happened. He just has to wait for a little. He took a sharp breath in, sharper than necessary, and no, that breath did not tremble. He was just... a little... worried. He was not afraid. He was never afraid. He did not fear losing that sticky, annoying child, he didn't wish to hear his high-pitched laugh, definitely not praying for this to be a strange, cruel prank. He didn't.

Minutes passed like that. Hastur was sitting in his comfortable armchair, unresponsive, his mind blank. There was a cup of tea before him on the table, untouched, completely forgotten by the person it belonged to. It was still warm, still steaming. 

Hastur did not drink it. Still waiting for his boy to reappear. He knows he will. He just had to wait. 

But how much longer will it take? 

Another minute passed. And another. 

And another. And Claude was still nowhere to be seen.

Just a little bit longer...

The tea grew cold. The armchair wasn't that comfortable anymore. Hastur still did not blink, nor did he move from his seat. 

It's alright. It only has been a few minutes. He will be back.

More and more minutes passed. Time flew fast and as minutes became hours, Hastur's unease only grew more. 

Just a little longer...

The book, which once held Hastur's whole attention, laid forgotten on the desk. 

Wait a little longer.

The armchair felt more and more uncomfortable, his body stiff and sore. His unblinking eyes started to itch, burning from his unwavering focus and already dry. 

The pain was nothing compared to the hollow emptiness he felt, that burning hole inside his chest. He was growing numb.

He will be back.

His fists clenched tightly, only for him to loosen them up again, his long, black claws tearing a hole into the soft armrest. 

At some moment, he felt a strange dizziness take over him, he had to close his eyes for a moment to keep himself from falling apart. He didn't know what to do. What to feel. What to think. All these strange emotions were foreign to him. Buried deep inside, long forgotten. 

And then, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, Hastur could hear some kind of static sound, the air around him going incredibly cold, and with a bright flashing light, his boy was back, sitting on the ground, his expression uncharacteristically blank, his small frame unmoving, frozen in place. The child was impossibly still, his big, pale blue, almost completely white eyes wide open, unblinking. For someone, who usually acted so hyper and energetic, so cheerful all the time, this state Hastur found him in right now; almost as if he was paralyzed, his eyes unblinking, lips pressed tightly together and so, so damn quiet... 

It felt wrong.

Where was the bubbly boy from before, the one that could talk his ears off with all the mumbling he usually did? 

Hastur sat still, his eyes moving up and down the ghost child's small body, trying to find any sign of what might be the problem. Was he injured somehow? He couldn't find a scratch, and it was both relieving and frustrating at the same time. If the problem wasn't the body, then what was it? And where was he up until that point? Why did he vanish so suddenly?

He stood up, walked towards the child, not caring the slightest bit of the ache he felt all over his body- it didn't matter to him. The most important thing was to make sure his child was alright. Everything else was pushed aside, thrown into an abandoned corner far away inside his mind, ignoring all those questions- for now, at least. 

His panic from before settled a little, though he was still really worried. But could anyone really blame him for it?

"Claude." his voice was slightly coarse, the sound of it foreign to his ear. He couldn't remember the last time he had any trouble forming the words. 

The child did not answer, nor did he even lift his eyes up at Hastur- and that irritated the god quite a bit. Here he was, worrying for him since the moment he vanished into thin air, just barely able to hold those horrible emotions back, and the brat isn't even apologising for making him react like... like that! 

He took a deep breath, closing his many eyes while doing so, trying to calm his raging, and very much confusing thoughts down, and even though it took quite a few seconds until it was done, he still managed to keep his head cool. Letting the anger dictate his behaviour would be good for no one. Not for the child, and definitely not for Hastur. 

Keep being rational. Don't let stupid emotions carry you away.

In a matter of mere seconds, all those strange and unwelcome emotions were gone, although not the slightest bit forgotten. He would deal with them later. 

Maybe he should ask Yidhra later, to check him up for any kind of anomaly within his body. Being so irrationally emotional was not like him, so it was definitely not normal. Could it be just another dirty little trick from the Host?

It wouldn't be the first time he tried with something like this.

"Where were you?" he kept his voice calm. It was cold and chilly, nothing like the usual warmness that could be found in his tone. Too indifferent, too dull. 

Maybe he surpassed his emotions way too much for way too long and it was finally starting to show because everything in this cursed world had a consequence, even for something like him-

No answer came from the boy. He was way too quiet, his little body too still, unmoving. It raised some flags inside Hastur's mind, but along with everything else, even those unnerving thoughts were forced away, surpassed by the barrier he built up, to keep his emotions at bay.

Noone needed to deal with a rampaging abomination on top of everything that's been happening lately. 

He watched the unresponsive boy silently, feeling the sudden urge to shake him up, to make him do something, to say something, but he threw that idea away almost as soon as it appeared. He couldn't touch a ghost's body even if he wanted to. His touch would probably pass straight through him, just like everything else did. He tried calling his name again, to no avail. 

He knew something was not right. 

And then, he heard those silently muttered words, barely a whisper, yet they cut straight through his barrier with a great force, stabbing right into his beatless heart.  

"Why can't I just die?"  and with that, Hastur didn't know what to do, who to blame, how to comfort the child. Hell, he didn't even know how to comfort himself, he had no idea how to deal with his own traitorous emotions, already coming out of hand, threatening to burst out.

And Hastur, for the first time in so, so damn long, that it felt like it was a lifetime ago, felt completely and utterly hopeless, lost, unable to comprehend the situation.

Because why? Why would someone so young, so full of life even after all those unfair, terrible things that happened to them, wish to die? 

"You... do you even..." he didn't know what he wanted to say. The words were out long before he could think them through. 

"H-Hastur..." Claude's eyes finally lifted up, looking straight at Hastur's own ones. And he will never forget that haunted, broken look on that usually childish, cheerful face. 

"Just what on earth happened to you?"

"I... I had a strange dream."

"A dream." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are in this condition because of a dream?"

"Y-yes." while it wasn't completely a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either.

"... how?" he shook his head because it didn't really matter. So many things didn't make any sense to him, and the cherry on the top of it all was that a ghost, who can't even fell asleep could dream. "What kind of dream?"

"It... it was... scary." he paused a little, trying to find the right words to explain it without giving too much away. He promised. "I saw someone I love being really, really hurt." he closed his eyes. "Seeing someone so strong being in that terrible place, looking so broken... it hurt." he mumbled the last part. "and it made me remember... things."

"..." he was curious, what and who it was all about, but he let it go. He wasn't one to push things too far just to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. "And those things... they make you feel suicidal?"

"N-no!" he was way too fast, denying what was already so obvious. "I mean... sometimes it just feels... too much." he gulped. "It's not like I actually wanna die. Just... a little break would be welcome."

"Ahh. I guess that's true." he nodded hesitantly. "The recent events took a way bigger toll on you than I imagined. I apologise for not noticing before." 

"W-what?" damn, that kid. He looked like a lost puppy.

"I was too occupied with my own and the others' problems recently, and I didn't pay too much attention to your mental health. I should have seen it coming." he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "How did you feel before you... experienced that dream?"

"Exhausted. Frustrated. I wanted to be able to touch and feel that book."

"I guess it explains it. You exhausted yourself spiritually and mentally. You probably went into a failsafe mode, in order to not exhaust yourself completely and that's how you ended up in that state of sleeping, which of course, allowed you to dream."

(That's not what actually happened, but close enough-)

Claude blinked stupidly at the hunter, his mouth agape, surprise clear on his face. 

"So. If I don't rest enough and keep my problems to myself it could happen again?"

"I am certain of it." there was a long pause. "You..." he seemed hesitant, his eyes narrowing a little. "You should find someone you are comfortable with and just talk. About your feelings." he was probably not the best person for that. He was fairly certain that the Embalmer would also not be a good choice. He should look into finding someone who is stable enough to deal with this level of disaster. The question was, who?

Meanwhile, Claude had a whole different question floating around his mind. 

Next time, when he gets exhausted to this point, whose mind would he be trapped into? And what if, when it happens again, he wouldn't be able to come out?

Chapter Text

With everything that has been happening recently in the manor, messing with the life of those, who had the displeasure of residing in it, it wasn't really that surprising, when the atmosphere slowly became more and more grim and gloomy as days passed by, just the way their mood was falling as the seriousness of the situation finally kicked in for them, reality hitting them all hard, afraid of just what else their future might have for them. Be it a survivor or a hunter.

Both factions had their own little grievances, everyone had problems that needed to be addressed sooner or later.

And then, on top of that all, there was the problem of their usual little get-together, its date getting closer and closer day by day, and even though the relationship between the two sides was slowly getting better, neither of them could help the doubt finding its way into their hearts.

Because what if the new rules shattered that little, fragile peace they fought for so hard to attain? What if, by the hands of the Owner, all the progress they managed to make was already set back, wariness and doubt clouding their minds, building back up that huge wall separating their sides in the process. 

This event happened at least once each month, hosted by the Geisha and the Doctor, precisely for the reason of building trust between the opposing factions. 

The first time they organised the tea party, it was made possible by the combined efforts of the Geisha, the Doctor and the Bloody Queen.
The three of them were already getting fed up with all those ridiculous fights between their factions, 
Emily was the one who came up with the idea of the party for the very first time. Michiko of course supported her wholeheartedly, and after getting Michiko's support, it was only natural for Mary to follow suit soon after. The two of them, after all, came in a package.
Fighting each other nonstop was ridiculous and tiring. Especially for the more peaceful ones, such as the three of them were.
At first, there were only a handful of people present at that party. Michiko, Emily, Emma, Leo- who mainly came for his daughter,  and surprisingly enough, Jack and the Mercenary. The two of them weren't a couple at that time, they could barely tolerate each other- or well, Naib could barely stand Jack's personality. This opportunity however managed to bring them closer to each other. 

Then Eli, open-minded and curious of the other side, followed Naib, so it was only natural that Fiona came too. More and more people joined, such as the Prisoner, Mechanic, the Prospector and the Forward. On the hunters' side, beside Michiko, Leo and Jack, the Wu Chang duo became frequent visitors too, along with Joseph and Luchino. At some point, even the least sociable ones joined too, such as Bonbon and Burke, and even Hastur, who wasn't that keen on spending time near those he deemed as mere children.
It was a good event. They drank and ate together, conversing with each other without much trouble. It helped to bring closer those who were willing to put their difficulties aside. Even if only for a fairly short time.

"Uhm, Hastur? What's happening?" Claude floated beside the elder god, his eyes widening in surprise as he took in the sight welcoming him, just the moment the two of them entered the kitchen. Mary was baking with the help of Michiko, the whole place was in a complete mess, and they were met with a hurried Luchino on their way here, who was carrying outside a few boxes holding some decorations in them, almost running into Claude and Hastur- or well, into Hastur, he would have just passed through Claude as if he was but of thin air, clearly not being able to see from behind the towering boxes in his hands. 

"Oh, we are having a tea party later today." Hastur's voice was casual as if what he said was just a normal thing, only turning his face towards the ghost for a mere second, after he heard the surprised yelp coming from his smaller companion. He let an amused humming sound out, which could be easily mistaken for a chuckle.

"Tea party?!"  here? Now? After everything that happened? Were they finally going crazy?!

"Mn."

"Oh."  he chuckled nervously. Maybe they actually had those? Even before the new rules were made, though Claude couldn't recall a single one of such occasion. Although it didn't sound like a bad thing! Parties were fun back then when he was still alive! "It's been a while since I had one! Can I come too?"

"I don't see why you couldn't."

"Oh, right. You are probably the only one who would care." his expression turned sour. Ever since that incident, he felt himself drifting closer to the edge, his emotions in turmoil, completely out of his control. One moment he was his usual cheerful and happy self, then his expression would turn gloomy, dark thoughts invading his fragile mind. It was hard, dealing with everything. Especially with the emotions.

Ugh, feelings...

Hastur turned his face towards the boy, watching him closely for a few seconds, just to let a tired sigh out after a little while. 

"You should come. Many of the survivors will attend too."

"The survivors are coming?!"  there, the gloomy thoughts were replaced with surprised excitement.

"Mn. Not all of them. Just the more... open-minded ones."

"Who is coming?!"

"I am not sure. Eli is coming. The Doctor and the Mercenary will probably be absent, though they almost always come. I am sure the Prospector and the Acrobat were invited, I heard Joseph is taking your little Embalmer friend too." Claude felt the urge to mention that Hastur listed everyone by their title, except the Seer. Such undeniable favouritism. "Aside from them ... I don't know nor do I care which ones will show up."

"Oh, I see! What about the hunters?"

"Most of us will go. Jack, Yidhra, Violetta and the Undead will probably not come. Joker... not sure about him. He hasn't been quite himself ever since Jack almost killed him. Bonbon and Burke are busy. Antonio probably comes, he likes to play for us. Ann never attends. Naiad is still adjusting to the place, the same with the Wheel brothers. Galatea likes to spend her time practising." 

"Mary?"

"She helps Michiko with the preparations. She is always there, never missed the opportunity before."

"Opportunity for...?"

"To spend more time with Michiko. They are very close to each other."

"Oh."  he was happy that those two were such good friends! He liked Mary a lot and he didn't like to see her lonely and alone. And Michiko was a very lovely lady! She was very kind and she often reminded Claude of his own mother. Michiko was very motherly, while Mary was just... cute. Claude liked to see that small but beautiful smile on her lips, even though she didn't smile that often when no one was watching.

Well.

A pity that neither of them seemed to have any interest in his brother. Both of them would make a really good companion for his brother! Good wives! 

"Ah, right! What about the Lizard?"

"His name is Luchino." Hastur's tone was dry, and if he had eyebrows, they would be raised high up. "He will probably come. He spends a lot of time with Wujiu, they like drinking together. He is also the reason the Prospector is coming. They are good friends."

"What? Really?! They don't seem to be on good terms!"

"Ah. Their relationship is a quite strange one. Luchino is easy to tease, and Norton likes to push his boundaries. What did the Mechanic call him again? Tsundere?"

"What's that?"

"I have absolutely no idea." if he had a human face, he would definitely show a deadpan expression. "That girl likes to use words that make little to no sense. You will see. She will probably come too. Fan Wujiu and Xie Bi'an basically adopted her. No way she would miss a chance to spend time with them."

"Adopted? How on earth did that happen?"

"... That's not my story to tell."

"Well. It's not like I can ask them!"

"Mn." that was the point.

"Hastur! Don't be mean!"

"Me? Never."

Thinking it through, it was quite strange that so many hunters had some kind of relationship with the survivors. Claude would never have thought that they didn't hate each other! 

Well, at least, not all of them.

And! Joseph! Was! Befriending! His Aesop!

All of a sudden, Claude felt the urge to giggle like an idiot. His two favourite persons were finally getting along! Good! Both of them needed some more friends! Claude knew that they would be good for each other! He couldn't wait to see his little friend again! He really hopes he can see him tonight. Maybe he will go back to the survivors' side with Aesop! He missed them a lot, though he was still quite reluctant to leave Hastur alone. 

And Joseph. Though it sucks that he could just watch over him, silently. Sometimes it made him feel like a stalker.

Not a very good feeling, mind you.

"When is it starting?"

"Around seven in the evening. It will be held in the garden, inside the pavilion in the centre. That's the only thing big enough to be able to hold everyone."

"Mn! You going, right?"

"Yes."

"Uhhuh~ But only because your birdie will be there, ah?" he let a soft giggle out.

"Michiko asked for my assistance." his voice was dry, indicating his currently annoyed stance. "There will be alcohol, and many of the participants can't hold their drinks well. I am there for damage control. I can't get drunk even if I drink."

"Sure thing!" 

"Brat."

The party started without much hassle from either side- for which everyone present was quite thankful. The first one to arrive -after the organisers and their little helpers, of course, was the Wu Chang duo, the Prisoner and the Painter, with the latter looking like he would rather be anywhere else, probably gotten dragged there by his annoyingly lively companion, and if you knew what kind of person Luca was, you must be aware of how hard it was to say no to him. Impossible. 

Even for Edgar.

So, accepting his unfortunate fate, he agreed to come with the other survivors, though his main reason was to keep Luca in check- and of course, to keep him away from any danger the hunters might pose for them.

"Good evening, darlings. And a new face! It's your first time here, isn't it, my dear?" Michiko, sweet as always, was there in an instant to greet the two survivors, with Emma quickly following tail- because of how busy Emily was lately, tending to Naib and the others who got injuries in those matches, she couldn't help Michiko and Mary with the preparations, in her stead, she asked Emma to help the hunters- and Emma agreed immediately. At least, she could spend more time with his father, Leo. 

"Hi, Mama!" Luca, the cheeky brat he was, had the habit of calling the Geisha "Mama" or "Mamachiko". There was a joke among the survivors, about how most of them considered Michiko as a mother figure, and because she didn't seem to mind it, the bravest -or stupidest ones, depending who you may ask, actually called her mom.

Luca was one of those stupidly brave people.

"Good evening." Edgar has never been to one of these parties before- he didn't care much for the hunters, or even for his own teammates. They could all go to hell for all he cared! And, truth to be said, he despised wasting his precious time on playing pretend in parties like this one. Why the fuck would he come then? Only because goddamned Luca wouldn't leave him alone until he said yes, and this idiot could be a persistent little shit when he wanted to be. 

Hence, he had to endure hours of playing around with the others, and who knows just what kind of shit they would get themselves into? Especially since Acrobat- that little clown was also expected to come. That boy, together with Balsa would surely cause him a headache- he was already dreading the moment the other party would arrive with Campbell. 

"Wow, the princess is here too? How lucky of us." Edgar's lips twitched, his expression turning irritated, as he turned his face towards the source of the voice. Black Guard was standing not too far from them, his arms crossed on his chest, his lips forming a smirk. Edgar really, really wanted to punch that annoying grin off of his face. Cocky bastard.

"Who are you calling princess?!"

"You."

"Wujiu, stop causing trouble." The white guard sent an apologetic smile towards the survivors, then he proceeded to drag his other half away.

"Ch. One of those days, I am going to punch that idiot in the face."

"Ahahaha." Luca, who was fidgeting beside him, let a nervous little laugh out, which just added fuel to the fire, increasing Edgar's irritation even more. 

"I apologise for Fan Wujiu's behaviour. I don't know what has gotten into him." Michiko bowed slightly before them, catching their attention back again. "You can go inside the pavilion. There are snacks and drinks on the table already. The others must arrive soon too." 

"Yes! Yes, we will do that!" Luca sputtered, grabbing the other's hands quickly, starting to lead him to the place the Geisha was talking about. "C'mon Eddy, it will be fun!"

"Fuck you and your fun." even though his words were harsh, he still let himself be dragged away without much of a hassle, the annoyed expression not leaving his face for a second.

Meanwhile, the second bunch of people also arrived. It was the Prospector, Acrobat, Mechanic, the Postman, Seer and the Barmaid from the survivor's side, and Anthonio, Hastur, Robbie and Violetta from the hunters' side. 

Hastur was accompanied by Claude, who, for most of the participants, was not visible, so his presence mostly went unnoticed.

Mostly. 

Because two pairs of eyes were set on his small form the moment they stepped into the pavilion, though both of them dropped their gaze fairly quickly. They weren't quick enough though for it to go unnoticed by Hastur's sharp eyes. However, even though he noticed them, he didn't mention it at all. 

"Is anyone else coming?" 

"Joseph. I don't know why he is being late though." 

"He is picking up the Embalmer." Hastur cut their conversion short quite sharply. "The boy would probably chicken out otherwise."

"Aesop is coming too?!" Mike was way too loud, causing the survivors near him to flinch. "He didn't say anything!" there was a pout on his face. "He should have come with us instead!"

"Oh, yes," they reached the pavilion, meeting up with the others who were already present, and Edgar, as always, didn't hesitate to voice his opinion on the matter. "Because Carl is sooo good with the crowd." his voice was dripping with venom, "I am sure it would have been such an excellent idea." 

"Well." Mike frowned, a little annoyed at the other. "Because coming with a hunter is so much better." 

"I would choose them too without a second thought instead of idiots like you."

"Then you should ju-"

"Okay! Okay, it's enough!" Norton stood between them before things could escalate even more. "Carl can do whatever he wants, it's none of our business. If he wants to come with Desaulnier, so be it." he paused a little, frowning. "And did any of you even think of inviting him along?" the silence was telling a lot. "That's what I thought." 

"Well, who would have thought that we would receive such a warm welcome." Joseph's sharp voice cut the tension like a hot knife through butter. His lips formed a smile, his eyes gleaming with badly hidden malice. Aesop was standing behind him, his face blank and empty, his stance tense. He wasn't trembling or anything like that, but for someone who know him well enough, it was clear that he wanted to flee. 

To be alone.

Honestly, no one blamed him. Mike froze slightly, ashamed of getting caught talking of him behind his back. Norton's face was like a stone, not shoving anything, but upon a closer look, his eyes gave away his thoughts. He was also angry on behalf of Aesop, and feeling guilty at the same time, because he too, shared the thought that Aesop wouldn't even think about coming to a party.

Luca was fidgeting in place, even though he wasn't part of the troublemakers this time. Edgar was frowning, still annoyed and angry. 

The hunters were either confused or amused by the situation, except Hastur, who looked simply bored and unconcerned. 

"Joseph, calm yourself down. I can feel your anger from here." Xie Bi'an was trying to calm the situation, as always. 

"Yeah, what the brats think of each other is none of your business." Fan Wujiu was also rude as always. "Why get angry for his shake?"

"Why indeed." Jack arrived too, surprising everyone. He was supporting Naib with one hand, his long-clawed prothesis left in his room, instead, he was wearing one that looked like a normal arm, in his Good Child costume. The Mercenary was wearing his usual simple clothing, bandaged from head to toe. He was also leaning onto Jack's side, his face flushed as the eyes turned to the two of them.

"Naib! What are you doing out of bed!?" Tracy and Demi cried in perfect synch, the others nodding aggressively, worry visible on their faces. 

"Stop fussing, it's not like I am crippled or something." he let an annoyed grunt out. "It's already annoying to have this blockhead treating me like I would break." 

"Well, darling, I can't help being worried." seeing this, Tracy cooed, while Luca snickered. Jack just raised an eyebrow, looking at them with an unimpressed expression.

"Did Emily agree to this?"

"Well, technically..." Naib chuckled nervously. "She didn't say I couldn't leave, sooo..." 

"Oh my god, you are so dead if she finds out." Norton facepalmed. "You agreed to this?" he looked at Jack. 

"I..." he chuckled. "It's hard to say no to my darling."

"Bleh." Edgar gagged and got smacked on the head by Luca. 

"So, if he asks you to go and die would you still agree to it?" Edgar glared at Luca, massaging the place where he got smacked, and even though he knew he would definitely get hit again, he still continued what he wanted to say.

"Ahh. Maybe." there was a strange look on Jack's face. 

"Are you alright, mon petit?" Joseph ignored everyone, stepping closer to the Embalmer who was still frozen in place, awkwardly shifting his weight from one leg to another, though, not without sending a dirty look into the Ripper's direction. 

"I am fine." he sighed, uncomfortable of the sudden closeness. 

"Aesop!" Eli was there beside them in an instant, and with him calling Aesop's name in such a loud manner, it caught the attention of the others on them again. "You actually came!"

"Mn." his brows furrowed, left eye twitching at all the attention he was getting.

"Alright people. The show is over." And with that sentence, everyone left to mind their own business, excluding Aesop, Joseph, Eli, Naib and Jack. 

Hastur took a seat not too far from them, in the centre of the crowd, so he could keep his eyes on everyone at the same time, making sure that no one would cause any more problems tonight. Claude gave him an apologetic look, and ventured further away, floating close to the group of people, with Aesop in the focus of it. He gave the boy a reassuring smile, who caught his spectral form for a fleeting moment before his gaze dropped back to the ground.

"Naib?" his voice was silent, not wanting to catch the others attention again.

"Here." Naib limped to them, with the Ripper close on his tail. It surprised none because, with the state the Mercenary was currently in, there was no way that the hunter would leave him to his own devices. "Whaddup."

"Your wound?"

"It's getting better. Breathing still hurts like bitch, but it's nothing I couldn't handle." he even had the audacity to look smug by that statement. As if being able to handle that much pain was something normal. Something to be expected from them.

And the sad thing about it was that he was right. Because this was their reality now. 

"Mn." 

"Are you sure it's okay to be here?" Eli was concerned. "You should be resting."

"Ugh, I am fine, mom." He rolled his eyes with an exaggerated whine leaving his lips. "No need to be so annoying."

"I am just worried for your wellbeing."

"I know!" he chuckled nervously. "I am grateful for that, but really, it's already hard enough to tolerate Jack's fussing 24/7, I don't need you doing that too."

"Sorry..."

"Alright, enough talking. You should eat something." Jack murmured into Naib's ear. "Something light on your stomach." his eyes gleamed slightly, knowing all too well that Naib would never say no to food. 

"Oh my god yes." he licked his lips, his mouth watering at the thought of some good food. "Gimme food!"

"Of course, sweetheart." Jack chuckled lightly, already on his way to get something to eat for the both of them, though he did turn back after only a few steps, looking at Eli and Aesop with a cold expression. "If anything happens to him, you are as good as dead." and with that, he was gone, leaving behind two nervous survivors, an unamused Joseph, and a very annoyed Mercenary. 

Naib let an angry huff out, his lips twitching, forming an unsightly sneer, while Eli just chuckled. He was very amused by the situation, even with that threat from Jack, though he couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Aesop on the other hand was pretty unfazed, not really caring for it the slightest bit, he was already nervous thanks to the scenery from before, uncomfortable with so many people at one place. Joseph noticed this, a worried frown appearing on his face. He didn't want him to feel bad, after all the reason he invited the smaller male was so the two of them could have a good time. Hopefully in the company of each other, without the annoying presence of any... unwanted outsiders.

But, he couldn't act on his little whims, scaring the boy away with his possessiveness would do no good for either of them. And he didn't want to be seen as a creep like Jack did, even if in reality, he wasn't any better than the other hunter.

"Standing for long isn't good for your process of recovery." trying to get his mind off of the Embalmer, he turned towards the Mercenary. "Emily will have our head if your wounds would reopen because of simple carelessness. Let's go to the sitting area. I asked Michiko for a separate table, so no one would bother your conversation." truthfully, the reason he asked for a place separated from the others was only for his little grey mouse's shake, knowing that he didn't like crowded places and that he would probably prefer to spend the night in a smaller circle of friends. (though, he had to admit, that he had something completely different in mind when he asked for a private setting. Something more... selfish)

"How thoughtful of you." Naib was suspicious but still agreed to the idea. 

And like that, by the time Jack came back with the food, he found his lover in the private area, in the company of the other two survivors and Joseph. 

Hastur was still sitting close enough, and Eli would glance in his direction every once in a while, wanting to spend time with the god, but reluctant to leave his friends alone. 

"You keep looking at the Octopus." Naib was looking at Eli with a teasing smile on his face. "You should go and greet him. No need to babysit me."

"But-!"

"Just go! Get out of my sight!"

"Alright. Thank you." with a small, soft smile on his lips, Eli stood up and left for Hastur.

"Ahh~ Young love!" Naib laughed a little, while Jack had a complicated expression on his face. Aesop was simply confused, while Joseph looked more amused than anything.

"I don't think they have that kind of relationship." Aesop voiced his opinion.

"Not yet!"

"Maybe your friend has feelings towards Hastur, but I don't think it's well-received on the other end." Jack was talking, his face tilted to the side. "At least, it's hard to imagine him having normal, human emotions."

"Well, to be fair, he seems to be more tolerant towards him than the other survivors."

"Mn. He sees everyone around him as children. I don't think he is capable of romantic feelings towards someone like the little Seer."

"What do you mean someone like Eli?" Naib's voice was sharp, eyes glinting with anger. "Do you think he isn't worthy of you hunter friend?! Eli is better than all of you combined!"

"Please keep your calm. He didn't mean it like that." Joseph was also getting annoyed, but he didn't let it show on his face.

"Then how did he mean it!?"

"Your Eli is too pure and innocent for a being like Hastur."

"He isn't that bad..."

"Just look at him."

"He is ruthless, yeah, but you aren't any better," he frowned, chin tilted up, "You are all the same."

"Your words wound me, darling." Jack let out a dramatic sigh. Joseph just sneered.

"Enough of this." The Photographer stood up suddenly. "Behave, I am going to take a walk." 

"I will accompany you." Aesop stood up aswell, walking beside the hunter. He only got a grateful nod, and the two of them vanished into the darkness, leaving Jack alone with the Mercenary, who was already reaching for the food, stuffing his mouth full with it. Jack just chuckled lightly, reaching forward to wipe some juice off of the corner of his mouth.

"Ahh, still the same foody as ever, eh?" he rubbed Naib's lower lip gently with his thumb. "So messy."

(EXTRA )

"I am telling you!"

"Yes, yes, you keep telling me that there is a ghost in the manor." Luchino rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"Aesop! Tell- hick- tell 'em!" Norton turned towards the other boy, his face bright red, eyes too shiny from all those drinks he gulped down.

"??"

"They don't believe me! But I swear it's true!"

"What?"

"There! IS! A GHOST! IN THE MANOR!"

Aesop froze up in his tracks, with Claude following close on his tail. Hastur just seemed to be amused, while Fan Wujiu let an annoyed grunt out.

"I have an idea!" Mechanic let an excited shriek out. "Let's try talking to it! I have an ouija board!" 

"Why the fuck do you have an ouija board?!"

"I made it!"

"You made it?!"

"Why are you shouting?"

"Shut the fuck up, you are hurting my ears!" 

"Fuck off! I can shout as much as I want!"

"Campbell!"

"Luchino!!"

"Oh my god, please shut up, both of you."

"Yes! Listen to my dad!"

"I am not your dad."

"Oh, you are right! You aren't dad, you are daddy!"

"Pfff!" Luca cracked up. "AHAHAHA DADDY WUCHANG" he got smacked on the head by Edgar.

"What happened here?" Michiko stood there, cookies in hand, frozen in the spot, her smile faltering a little bit. Mary just had an eyebrow risen up, her expression unimpressed. Joseph stood there behind the girls, his lips forming an uneasy smile. 

"Ah. They drank the bottle of wine." there was an apologetic smile on the White Guard's face. "I apologise, we didn't think their tolerance would be... this...." he was trying to find the correct words. 

"You mean nonexistent?"

"A-jiu!"

"Yes, yes, I won't be rude." he rolled his eyes.

"Dad! You actually listen to my other dad!" Tracy was grinning madly, "It's cute!"

"Mn." Xie Bi'an was still patient, smiling at the girl brightly. "He is very obedient when he wants to be."

"S-stop! I am not obedient! I just don't want us to argue!"

"I am confused." Norton frowned. "Since when do you have two dads?"

"I got adopted!" she clapped her hands excitedly. "I ran into Fan when he was cryi-mmnf!" Fan Wujiu had a petrified expression on his face as he muffled the girl with his hand quickly. 

"Hey!" She bit into his hands. 

"You little shi-" 

"A-jiu!" 

"Humpf." 

"Okay! Who gave the kids alcohol?" 

"It was Luchi!" Tracy was way too cheerful, a wide grin on her face, pointing a finger at the lizard-man. 

"L-luchi?" Norton cackled up. "Oh my god, it sounds so cute!" He looked at the lizard with a giddy expression. "Luchi!" 

"Gods." Said lizard let an exasperated sigh out, looking up at the sky. "I didn't sign up for this." 

"At least he stopped whining about ghosts."

"Uhm." 

"I think." Luchino started. "Norton should go to bed now." He grabbed Norton's hands and started to drag him away. Norton didn't kick a fuss, instead, he wrapped his arms around Luchino's torse, giving him an awkward, half-assed hug, laughing like a madman.

" ... you are never drinking again."

Chapter Text

Hey there, everyone. I am afraid I am not going to continue this fic anymore, for personal reasons. I am not going to vent out my problems to y'all, I am sure everyone has already enough on their own plates. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who followed my fic until this point and apologise for discontinuing it. I loved writing it, and I am glad so many people read it. 

I posted below my thought and ideas for the remaining chapters. I would have probably changed a few things, but well, at least y'all have a vague idea how it would have gone.

If anyone would like to pick it up, or just use my idea, feel free to do it. You can even send your version of it, I would happily read it myself!

Anyway, stay safe and healthy.

The plans I had for the fic:

Claude develops some powers, due to the connection he formed with Hastur, and by basically slowly absorbing his divine energy. He spends a lot of time with Hastur, and unconsciously he starts to feed on his powers. Spirits need the energy to stay in the mortal realm, if not for Hastur's more potent energies, he would need to leach onto the others with lesser, "normal" energies to stay there with them, weakening them until they fall sick, otherwise, he would be stuck in limbo waiting for his brother. 

He becomes something similar to a demi-god (or a demon). He can feel everything like the rest of the living can, he can smell, touch, lift up objects, sense and he would even be able to become corporal eventually, tho it would take a lot of time to gather all the energy. (in a previous chapter, when he touched the book, he made his fingertips partially corporal, that's how he was able to feel it.)

He has a lot of accidents with his newfound powers. When he gets angry or excited, the smaller things would start flying around, he makes the candles' flames go crazy and the temperature would drop down around him drastically. It doesn't happen often but Jack and a few others notice. 

He accidentally takes a few trips into other people's consciousness, into their mindscapes. I was planning for Aesop, Luchino, Luca and Joseph, giving them backstories in a similar way I did with Hastur and Jack. Noone remembers those encounters with him. He gets overwhelmed and emotionally unstable, hence more accidents happen. 

He gets into a big fight with Hastur and accidentally hurts him. (this is the point Hastur is starting to notice his missing powers, otherwise, he would not have been hurt at all. Others start to notice the changes too. Hastur has a bad mood, which is unusual and he is also underperforming in the matches. Jack and the squad get worried. Yidhra is amused. She isn't really worried and probably knows what is going on.

Aesop and Claude are on good terms, Claude sees him as his best friend. Hastur is more like a father figure to him, while he starts to see Jack and Luchino as his cool, slightly murderous uncles. Aesop starts to open to him too, tho he is still awkward as hell. 

Claude finally becomes aware of the fact that boys can like boys (and so on) because no, Claude, Jack and Naib aren't those kinds of "friends" and they weren't just overly friendly with each other. (he didn't think Hastur was romantically interested in Eli, he saw everything in a platonic sense until now. At least he was supposed to, sorry if I messed up in some chapter). Finally, he becomes aware that Aesop liked his bro and his bro liked Aesop. They just wouldn't admit it to each other, both thinking that they aren't worthy of the other. Joseph is a hopeless romantic thinking his love is unrequited. (It is not.)

Claude makes it his mission to get them (more like bully them) together. He even gets Hastur and Eli on the mission. (this happens sometime between him getting his first batch of powers and getting into a fight with Hastur.)

Claude is suffering a lot, staying away from Hastur who is worried. He (Hastur) is past the point of being angry, more like worried for Claude and what taking his powers would mean for the boy. He is also afraid that the owner would find out and what he would do to his maybe-son. Claude is getting worse and worse as days pass by.

Again, shit goes down. At this point, Claude is really unstable with his new powers, and Joseph gets seriously hurt in a duo match, barely hanging onto his life. They find out he isn't even making an effort, actually wanting to die this time. Claude gets mad and forcefully enters Joseph's mindscape to talk to him. Some more drama.

Good news, he manages to talk Joseph into making an effort to wake up. Also, he helps to speed up the healing process with his energies, and with that, his powers just settle down, falling into peace temporally. Joseph wakes up and this is the first time Claude becomes fully corporal- even tho it's only for a short time. There is a heartwarming scene of the long lost brothers reuniting, lots of tears and laughter- the usual stuff. Hastur also is there giving emotional support.

A few happy weeks. Joseph and Claude spend a lot of time together, Aesop is there too, happy that Jos woke up. Kinda awkward tho, and there is a smaller drama when Jos finds out that all this time, Aesop have known that his twin was there. It's nothing big tho just Aesop feeling guilty. This is where they get together, thanks to Claude's urging.

Hunters and survivors make a truce in secret. They bend the rules, find ways around them. The matches are planned beforehand so the win rates are met. While in matches, most of them are just acting, no one took them seriously anymore. With all of this, no one would get badly hurt again. No more bloodshed. It was a win-win for everyone.

The final confrontation. The owner is unhappy with how things are turning for the better. Another round of bullshit rules, and he plans to punish the couples, the survivor side getting it worst. He needs the hunters to keep obeying him and him alone, so their punishment is watching their lovers die. Jack goes mad, of course, but before he could do anything to the owner, he falls to the floor withering in pain. 

His contract is punishing him for trying to break it. None of them can go against the owner. None of them could do anything. Naib rushes to Jack, telling him that everything will be okay. Jack is saying "no" over and over again, unable to accept it. Hastur is watching everything emotionlessly. He wasn't a couple with Eli- but they still had a bond, a strong one at that, and the Host didn't want to take any chances. Eli has to die too. 

Aesop, Eli, Naib. They were the ones meant to die. Aesop was numb to it all, not afraid of death, yet sad that he had to leave his friends and Joseph behind. He also felt scared for the other two- he knew that not everyone was like him. 

Naib took it head-on, stubbornly. Eli was silently crying, yet strangely at peace. He knew this was not the end. 

Joseph was being held back, bound by ropes and gagged. Jack was still on the floor, heavily breathing, reaching towards Naib, saying that at least let them go together.

In the end, it's Claude who saves the day. He goes on a rampage. He becomes a terrifying vengeful spirit- almost like a demon. Blood dripping from the cracks on his body, eyes dull, empty, bottomless black orbs, a sinister smile on his split lips- completely unfitting and horrifying. The temperature drops down rapidly, the pressure in the air so thick no one could move an inch. 

He laughs. It's a horrifying sound, high pitched and deadly. No one dares to even breathe. 

He jumps onto the Owner, he claws and rips and tears into the flesh. 

The Owner dies an agonizing death. His soul is caught by Hastur who swallows it whole. No rest for the wicked. 

Claude calms down, but he is still stuck in that form. He takes a last look at the people he loved then fades out of existence. (goes into tho limbo as he loses all his power. If he doesn't leave now he will stay in that form forever)

Joseph is filled with grief. "I just got him back and now he is gone again."

Everyone is at an edge. Aesop is grieving- for the first time, for a friend who was already dead. No one knew whether he would be able to find his way back to them. Or if he would even be the same as before. 

Eventually, things calm down. Still, no one can leave the manor, even tho the owner was clearly gone. As if an invisible force prevented them from escaping. 

Nightingale told them that the owner wasn't the source of the power the contracts held over them. The contracts were still intact even tho the one they made them with was already dead. Unbreakable. They could not leave. She promised them that she would try and find a way to break the contracts but first, they had to take care of the mess in the manor. And make it suitable to live in it for everyone. 

No more factions. They weren't survivors and hunters anymore, just people stuck in a shitty situation and being forced to live together. The couples moved in together. 

The manor got renovated. They installed a bigger kitchen with modern stuff. The inventor gang had a lot of fun figuring out how that stuff works together, geeking out like the nerds they were. Everyone got a job around the manor, according to the skillset they had. Emma tends to the garden and takes care of the botanic. Emily is still a doctor. 

No more games. 

Joseph is still grieving. He closed off, even from Aesop. Aesop is also hurting and he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. He breaks down and gets help from Joseph who finds him. They kinda get better together. 

Hastur is strangely calm and Eli is concerned. 

Then, in the finale: Nightingale summons everyone telling them that she has a surprise. Everyone is gathered in the hall. 

She clears her throat and they all quiet down. The big wooden door cracks open with a loud bang and there is a new face walking in. 

It's Claude. 

He is back. 

And he isn't a ghost anymore. 

(Nightingale made a new body for him, kinda like a homunculus, the way they gave a body to Wujiu after they got his soul out of the umbrella. He becomes Nightingale's assistant. Everyone is happy.

The End.)