Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"You'll regret running away Suee... I'll make sure of it."

His voice echoed through the thicket as Suee flees.
Running away from her tormentor.
She's running, bare feet, bleeding...

Almost naked.
Wounded and traumatized from the doings of her hunter.

"Come on, Suee. I'll treat you with more care if you show yourself now. I promise!!!"

Suee, hiding behind a tree, catches her breath.
She wiped her bloodied nose, spitting blood from her bleeding mouth.
Injuries she suffered from constant beating and torture.

Suee: Not this time... Oh God..

She whispered to herself.
Her voice is raw, throat parched.
Her neck is bruised and lipstick marks can be seen.
Kiss marks, cuts and hickeys.

After a while, she proceed to run away.
For every escape, the distance she covers get wider and wider.
Months of agony hollowed her, but some hope still burns inside her.

"YOU'RE GETTING SMARTER, SUEE. YOU'RE ONLY MAKING IT MORE FUN."

She flinched.
Like it was a gun shot.

He's nearby.
She needs to lose him.

"I know the woods like the back of my hand. You got no chance."

The psycho vomited blood.
Lots of blood that he catches with his very own hands, staining himself.

Suee pulled out the scissor that she kept tucked on her panties, putting her guard on.
No more running.
He is right, Suee got no chance.
It was never meant to let her escape. It's a game.

Suee hid inside of the giant tree bark that she found.
The gap on the tree is tight and the inside is cramped.
She fits herself inside through the gap, hiding inside of the giant tree bark.
There, she hid silently.
Letting time pass for him to give up, to get a chance to run.

Suee: God, help me...Please. I don't know how much I can take...

Her vision blurs as the pain caves in on her.
Pain on every inch of her Godforsaken body.

"Okayy... Suee, enough. Come out now, for real. I will fucking crush your leg when I find you, and I will find you."

Suee trembles as he speaks.
He's only meters away from her.
The sound of the footsteps, the groans of the tree.
The bark touching her skin inside of the tree.
All is making her skin crawl, as insects crawl on her.

Suee covered her mouth in fear, tears flowing from her bruised and bloodshot eyes.
Crying hurts, the nerves behind her eyes stings.

And then-

Everything felt off.
A feeling of falling but... not through air.
There's no sensation of air touching her skin but it could be her body.
The bruises.
Silence.

She is falling.

Suee: It feel... weightless.

Crack.

She hits the ground.
Back first.
Bone crunch could be heard from the impact of the fall.

Suee: Aghhh... fuck. God...

Her breath vanishes, body seizes.
She can't even scream from the pain.

She gasps, trying to get herself together.

Despite the injuries, the sight of the bright sky gave her some sense of comfort.
As if she knows that her captor won't be able to reach her.

This is a strange place, bright.
Too bright and cheery. In contrast of her broken and bloodied state.
This place doesn't seem to have any danger to it.
Just the green grass, bright blue sky, garden of flowers and...

"Hello Kitty?"

???: Kitty is not my name. You're a human aren't you?

Suee, unable to comprehend the "thing" in front of her, shook her head in disbelief.
She wiped her eyes, inspecting the "thing" talking to her.

She sat on the green grass, slowly with care.

Suee: Am I imagining things?

She said before touching the creature's cheeks.
Pinching it.

*Purrrs.

It's soft.
It's tangible, it's furry and squishy, like a cotton ball.

Suee: Oh my God, you are real... The plushie is talking.

The thing looked like a cat, purrs like a cat and felt like a cat.
But it's standing on two feet.
It's even dressed, wearing a T-shirt and a skirt. Even done a ponytail.

Mariko: Helloo, Human. You're hurt. I'm Mariko, let me help you.

Suee stared at her, eyes are half way shut.

Suee: Mari...ko. You have a name... You speak.

Mariko: Of course I do. Come on, follow me. I can't carry you, I'm sorry. You're too big for us

Suee: What are you... you look like...

Mariko: A cat. I'm a cat, Siamese<333 Hihi!!!

Suee: Siamese. You're a cat.

Mariko: You are hundred percent correct!!!

Suee tilts her head.
Still dizzy, she tried to keep herself intact.

Suee: You can't be a cat... You're.. You're standing upright. And talks. Cats don't-

Before she could finish her sentence, she passed out.
Falling on her side, unconscious.

Mariko: HEYYY!!! WAKE UP HUMAN!!! I don't know what to do with you!!! Oh God...

The anthropomorphic cat panicked, jumping all over the place in cartoonish manner.

Like Hello Kitty.

She runs around her, before flipping her flat on the ground.

Mariko looked at her with sympathy.
Disturbed by the scars on her body.
The blood on her underwear says unspeakable acts of dehumanization.
Like what their species suffered before...

From the very hands of her species... Suee.

Humans.

Mariko: You poor Human. I didn't know that they can do it on their own species.

Some time passed,

Suee's eyelids fluttered.
The world around her was soft and blurred, like a child's watercolor painting.
Not sure if it's real or a dream.
Could be a hallucination, she's been drugged before.
Overdosed till she almost vomit her insides.

But no.
Despite being night already, the moon looked different despite being the same moon.

Her body ached as she tried to move, and yet it felt warm. The grass.

She blinked, before turning her head to her side.
She heard it, someone breathing beside her.

There she sat, the talking cat. Mariko.

Mariko: You're awake! We didn't leave. I couldn't carry you. Couldn't leave you either soooo. I watched ya!!!

Suee tried to speak, but her voice came out as a croak.

Suee: Wa..water...

She hasn't drink anything for the last 24 hours.

Mariko: Ohh, sure! I have water!!!

Mariko opened a zipper from the nearby rock and pulled out a cold pitcher of water.

Suee's eyes widened.
Shocked, amazed, flabbergasted.

"Did she just opened a slit from the rock... and grabbed a cold pitcher of water from it..."

The talking animal, she understood at some degree, but magic?
It's too much for her to think.
Thus, she didn't think of it.

Mariko gave her the pitcher of water.

Mariko: You quench yourself Human<333

She sat on the grass and took the pitcher.
She stared at it for a moment.
It's still hard to believe that it's real.

She took a careful sip, the type that tastes.
It is water.
Just like at home.

Mariko: If you want other beverages... I can give you milk<333

Suee, while drinking from the pitcher, immediately stopped.

She wonders, what else can she get?
With that ability to open things and get what you want, it's limitless.

Now, able to talk after rehydrating herself, Suee asked,

Suee: You can get anything from the hole?

Mariko smiled, a wide genuine smile.
Innocent.

Mariko: Not everything, Human. Just the things that I own.

Suee: Own?

Mariko: YESS!!! THE THINGS I OWN<333

Suee: How do you identify the things you "own"???

Mariko, with a cheerful glee, answers.

Mariko: When someone dedicates the thing to me and my name! It's a complicated talent but, if an item were to enter my home, which is named to me by law, which is law that is approved by God... THAT'S FOR ME TO OWN<333 Fascinating ain't it???

Suee didn't understand a thing.
She just listened, eyes on her.

*Stomach growl

Mariko: Woahh... You're hungry. You should eat. I have a Nectar Jam Sandwich if you want.

Suee: Please!!!

With glee, Mariko gave her the sandwich.

It looked like human bread, seems delicious.
The jam is thick, scented.
Like flowers.

Suee took a bite.

She's never tasted anything like this before.
It's out of this world.

For a moment there, her pain eased out.
It's barely there.
The pain at least, the scars and wound are still there.

Suee: It's really nice to meet you. Thank you!

Mariko: You're welco-

*BANG

Blood splattered on Suee's face.
A chunk of her brain went to her hair.

"No... Don't tell me."

Suee trembles.
She's dead.

As Mariko's headless corpse fall to the ground,
There's another one of their species.
It's a Raccoon, the pattern on the face says it.
It's holding what seems to be a shotgun, a pump action one.

Suee’s breath caught in her throat.

Her ears rang.

The warm splash on her face wasn’t water this time. It was thick, hot, metallic.
She wanted to run but her body just won't move.
At barrel's end, she closed her eyes.
Begging.

Suee: Please, don't kill me. I'll do whatever you want.

Raccoon: Then come with me. Don't make this difficult.

The raccoon then went to check the cat's corpse, taking it's clothes off.

Raccoon: And my suspicion was right all along... She's one of them.

Suee got confused, one of them? She thought to herself.

Suee: What do you mean...

Raccoon: You think, she's a friend? Look at this.

The raccoon showed her a card.
It was a business card?
Or something similar.

Suee: What's that?

Raccoon: You're a human. She wants to sell you to the blackmarket.

Suee: No! She was kind to me. You killed her!!!

Raccoon: Really? Let me show you something then.

The raccoon exposed his diamond cutter claws and sliced the corpse's hand.

Raccoon: I've been hunting their family... It runs in the blood.

He closed his eyes and felt the surge of power from the severed hand.

Raccoon: If I'm not mistaken, their ability could be used one time by proxy...

He thought of it.
A phone that belongs to the cat.
And he pushed the cat's severed hand onto something, a rock.
The hole appeared, he felt the hollowness of it.

Raccoon: Their magic’s in the blood. A one time echo, all that I needed.

He pulled out her phone from the hole, before showing it to her.

Raccoon: They're coming for you. She already tipped you off to the organization.

Suee couldn't believe her eyes.
He's telling the truth.

Raccoon: You better come with me. I'll take you to safety.

Doubt.
Suee is now in distrust of anyone.
She wanted to test the waters, to run.
To see if what he's saying is the truth, that he's not one of them.
To see if he'll shoot.

Raccoon: We'll get you patched up at the base.

Suee: How can I trust you... The last time I trusted someone, she sold me out.

Raccoon: I just saved you. I know a fellow human.

The word struck her.
Hearing about a fellow human in this world somehow got her a sense of comfort.

Suee: Human? There's another human here?

Raccoon: Yes. There is. He's a techie guy. He's been here for a long time now.

She slowly stood her ground and wiped her face.

Suee: I'm coming.

Raccoon: You better do, I can sense them already. They're here.

And he's telling the truth.
She can hear their vehicle getting closer and closer.

The raccoon held her hand and they run into the woods together, leaving the scene.

Leaving Mariko's corpse for them to find.

???: The last of her lineage... Last act of loyalty to the cause.

End.

Chapter Text

The night air tore at Suee's lungs as they ran.
Branches clawed her arms and face and the pounding on her bare feet on the cold rocky earth was the only sound between their gasping breaths.
Her feet bled, she didn't mind.
Safety is the priority, to run as far as possible.
To the Raccoon's promised safety.

The forest is never fit for her human size.
The trees are cartoonish, but not exaggerated.
Small but still taller than her.

Suee: We've been running for a while now, what is your name?

Ritz: It's Ritz, just run and keep low. They're tailing us.

Eventually, Ritz changed his mind.
He can only sense a small number of them.
He can fight.

Suee halts as he stopped on his tracks.

Suee: Why did we stop? Did we lose them?

She then sat on the rocky forest bed, catching her breath.

Ritz pulled out a device, it's like an antenna.
It has a needle on the side and futuristic looking.

He then inserted the device through the side of his head, in his temple.
The needle entering smoothly through his skin, to his flesh then his skull.

Ritz flinched as it gives him shocks, a feature of the device to link him telepathically with the server.

Ritz: I found a human. This is kinda a thing of yours.

???: Really? Well then... You have my undivided attention.

Ritz: Hey human girl. He is coming.

Suee: Are we going to wait here?

Ritz: Also, bring her human clothes.

???: Her? Sure thing.

And they sat in the middle of the woods.

The enemies are still around, searching.

Suee rubs her bruises, soothing the pain off.

Ritz: What happened to you?

Suee: Long story... I don't want to talk about it.

*Bang

*Screetch

*Swoosh

Sounds that can be heard in the forest, in areas not far from their spot.
Ritz went on guard, revealing his diamond cutters.

Out of the darkness, a figure revealed himself.
It's a man, a human.

A man in his 40's, white shirt, a red loose necktie and green coat.
He's got a stubble, clearly a man facing a mid life crisis.

???: Hello there, human. Never thought that I'd see a fellow homo sapien in this god forsaken cute hell.

Ritz: It's this guy again...

Suee: YOU ARE A HUMAN.

???: You seem... hurt. Did they do that to you?

Suee: No... I came from my world, our world.

Sadny: Well, it'll be rude to not introduce myself. The name's Sadny. Sadny Bin, the human.

Suee covered herself with her arms.
Ashamed, embarrassed.

Suee: I'm Suee.

Ritz: What are you waiting for?

Sadny tilts his head, confused.

Then he remembers.

The clothes.

Sadny: Oh right... Maleen's sake, I forgot. Here's fresh clothes.

He approached her, calmly.
Keeping the distance comfortable.
Not too close and no too far, just enough to see each other's face.

Ritz: That's you in the woods, killing them bastards.

Sadny: You're gonna crash out? Human, killing evil furbabies.

Ritz: No, I mean... I just want to be sure that you killed them quick. Not making them suffer.

Sadny: I know, I know. I used a gun and a sword.

Suee: Good sir, can you help me get back to the human world?

Sadny: I can help you. Let's talk about it back at my mansion.

Ritz: Great! I'm coming for dinner.

Sadny: No. You go back to your family.

Ritz: You never take me to your adventures.

Sadny: It's complicated, Ritz. Just listen to me. Live a life with your family.

Ritz then took off the gadget implanted in his temple.

*Sting

And then, he threw it to the ground.
He left without a word.

Sadny: Thank youuu. Now... Where were we...

Suee: Getting be back home?

Sadny snapped his fingers.

Sadny: Right! Let's get out of this woods. My car is parked at the roadside.

They walked through the woods, one more time.

Suee's feet ached, wounded and sore.
Limping as she walk, flinching on every step.
She tried resisting the pain but it's too much.

Sadny: You're limping... What seems to be the problem?

Suee: Nothing... Let's proceed.

He looked down only to see the condition of her legs and feet.

Sadny lowered himself and gave her a signal.

Sadny: Come on. Don't be shy, hop on my back.

Suee hesitated.

Suee: I'm heavy...

Sadny laughed.
He can literally see her ribs.

Sadny: No, you're light weight. Just hop on my back.

And she did.
She wrapped her arms on his neck, softly.
Resting her head on his back, feeling a temporary safety.
Closing her eyes to catch some sleep.

Sadny: Sleepy head... Let's get you to safety.

Sadny whispered as he carry her on his back towards the car.

Suee opened her eyes, her vision adapting to the bright room.
To the bright beam of light entering the room through the window.

Suee: Good sir?

She got out of bed, careful.
But then, something feels different.

Her body feels different.
Feels well.

She then checks her wounds, the bruises on her legs.
Patched.

Her cuts on her arms.
Stitched.

There's even band aids on her small scrapes.

Suee: Everything seems bright. Pleasant.

The room seems like it belongs to a child.
But no, it's of those small creatures.
There's a photograph on the vanity area, a photo of one of those creatures.
A purple bear, a girl furnimal.

Sadny: Woahh woah, get to bed and rest. I brought you breakfast.

Suee got startled.
She hopped back to the bed, with ease and comfort.

Suee: I'm sorry.

Sadny: So.. Waffles? With nectar jam?

Suee: Uhmm... Maple?

Sadny: We have that... That's human syrup.

Sadny place the small bed table on Suee.

The waffles look delicious.
Fresh from the pan, hot and aromatic.

It looked to good to be true.
She's hesitating.

For a moment, her eyes locked on the doors.
There is am urge.
The urge to run away.

But then,

Sadny poured maple syrup on it, drizzling it on top of the still smoking waffles.

It's a mouth watering sight.
She digs in, fork in hand.

Suee: Sir... May I ask, how long have you been here?

Sadny: Curious aren't we? Well, not that long... I don't know, probably my late 20s.

Suee: And you're???

Sadny: Mid 40s. Now, I know that you'll ask me, "Why stay here? How did you end up here?" so I'm gonna humor you.

Suee: I was about to ask if you have milk...

Sadny: ...

Speechless.
She's not as deep as he expected her to be.
She's like a child and yet, an adult.

Suee: I'm gonna ask that too...

Sadny: Well that's great. Here's your carton of milk, I know that you'll ask for it.

Suee took the milk from his hands, her hands are shaking.

She's not afraid.
But for some reason, her hands trembles, vibrates.
Shakes.

She can feel that something's off or someone's watching them.

Sadny: Well, why stay? Simple. I help them with their human problems. It just never ends.

Suee: How come that I've never heard of their existence in books before and yet here they are, real. And people sell them.

Sadny: They move underground. Portal travel exist, it's not rare.

Suee: Do you have a portal?

Sadny: I do. We'll use that to get you home.

Suee: Thank you!!!

Sadny: THEN!!! How did I end up here? I was trying this tech, a device to harvest energy from other dimensions. It sensed this world and thus, redirecting the destination here.

Suee: It makes my head hurt!!! No more huhu.

Sadny: Ain't that fantastic?

Suee: No. It doesn't make any sense.

The idea of this being a dream is still in her head, lingering at the back of her mind.
She's ready when the time comes where she needs to wake up.
If it is a dream.

Sadny: You finish your breakfast. I've got you fresh clothes here. You take a bathe and once you're ready, you go downstairs.

His way of speaking is kind of odd.
She can smell some echo of that whiskey.
It came from him, when he spoke.

Suee: Okay sir. Thank you.

Sadny: I'll be waiting downstairs.

As he turns his back, she felt it.
An eye.

Someone's watching them but she doesn't know where.
It's a sudden feeling, a beat in her heart.

As Sadny's steps disappear, the feeling still lingered.
It felt disgusting.
A sickening aura.
She knows that it's not Sadny.
It's somebody else around them.

But she ignored it.
She finished her food and went to bath.

End.

Chapter Text

A glass of whiskey sits on the table, downstairs, near the machine.
It was a giant piece of metal, a construct.
Industrial looking and yet, out of this world.
There's messy wiring, it wasn't the best version of this portal.
But just a mere variation, the graspable variation of dimension travel.

Suee just finished bathing, all dressed with Sadny's shirt.
It was a big shirt, it covers her from neck down to her waist.

Sadny: Ready to go?

Suee contemplates.

Sadny: Something wrong?

Suee: How does portal travel work? Is it safe? It's new for me.

Sadny: You enter a door, then you return to the other side of the door. But the other side is the human dimension. Like that.

Suee grew worried.
She has some bad feeling about this portal.

Sadny: When you enter the portal, it'll bring you where you came from. The woods.

Suee trembles.
The woods...
Where she came from, the giant tree.
Where she's hiding.

Suee: No. Uhmm, do you have other way of travel? Can I choose where to spawn from the other side?

Sadny: What??? Why?

Suee: He's still there. I can't return to the woods. He's gonna torture me again!!!

Sadny tilts his head.
Curious.

Sadny: By who?

Suee: Him... My.. My brother.

Sadny: Your brother? That's one hell of a sibling bonding.

Suee: You're not funny.

Sadny: Well, there's no other way. It's this way, or no way.

Suee: Then, I won't go.

Sadny: Fine. Stay. You're welcome here...

Suee saw through his sarcasm.
It shows.
The tone he used is teasing, mocking. Sarcastic.

Suee: Can you make a way for me to return to my world, safely.

Sadny: Nope. No one has ever done that before. I mean, it's still experimental. I won't risk your life just to test it.

Suee: Awww... goshh. What to do now...

Sadny looked at her.
She scanned her from head to toe.
He's reminded of a specific malino.

The pink bunny they rescued when they raided the organization.

Suee: Uhmm, can I stay here till you finish the device?

Sadny: You can but... Do chores.

Suee smiled.

Suee: Sure! I will work hard.

Sadny: You can't wander in this world in that form. Let's do something about your form.

He opened his drawer in search of a device.
A matter manipulator type of device, something that is capable of manipulating atoms, particles and anything that has energy.

And eventually, he did find it.

It's in a form of hologram looking mini cams that shoots out of a gun looking device.

Sadny: Let's turn you into one of them.

Suee: WAIT, WHAT??? HEYYYY I HAVEN'T-

And Sadny pulled the trigger and the device did it's thing.
Micro hologram technology came out of the device.
It built a physical hologram made out of matters that exists in the air.
Tiny bits of light particles turned into pink skin, shrinking her size and body composition on a physical level.
It barely felt a thing but it is awkward.

It's as if her body turned into hologram, then with a blink...
He hand, once human just instantly turned into a pink paw.
She can feel her scalp burn for a moment as her hair changes it's color to match her fur.

It wasn't grotesque but rather, technological.

Confusion.

Her skin crawled from the sight of herself as Sadny showed her own reflection.

Suee: What did you do...

And after some time of matter shifting,

The transformation is done.

A human who inhabits the form of an anthropomorphic animal.
Not a biological change but rather, ultra advance holographic display.
Too advance, too convincing.
Too real.

Sadny: Don't worry, you're still you. A human. Your DNA says otherwise.

Suee checked herself out.

Her ears are too long, like a bunny.
She felt herself shrinking earlier.
Just like them.

Sadny: You'll be staying in that form and behave.

Suee: It's... weird. But I like it. somehow.

Sadny: Really??? HAHAHAHAHA.

Suee: YESS, It feels good. It feels cute, safe.

Sadny: How old are you again?

Suee: 23 years old. Why?

Sadny couldn't believe it.

Sadny: REALLY??? You act like a child, talk like a child.

Suee: Well if that's the case, I'm sorry if I appreciate the small things. That's just me.

Sadny: Fair. You go back to your room. There's clothes there for your size.

Suee: NO. I like this. It's big and comfy.

It really fascinates Sadny that this woman is like this.
A thought came to his mind, maybe it's the device.
But no, he tested it to himself before.
He didn't turn out like her.

Suee then explored his work place, checking out the spaces, the corners.
Eventually, she found a stairs leading down to his basement.

Sadny: Don't even try, Suee. Basement is off limits.

Suee: Uhmm... Okay.

Sadny checks his watch, seemingly in a hurry.

Sadny: Bout damn time. I gotta go Suee. You know the drill, clean the house and whatever you want to do. Eat if you want, cook etcetera.

Suee: Wait, you're leaving me??? What if they come here?

Sadny: Trust me. I'll be there before they even reach you.

Suee: Okay... You take care.

Sadny: Bye bye~

And Suee was left alone in his mansion.
She sat on his table near the machinery, catching a glimpse of his glass of whiskey.
He forgot to finish his drink.

She took the glass, with care.
Her paw lifted the glass of the table, gave it a glance.
She never liked drinking but smokes occassionally.
If occasionally means everyday.

She drank the whiskey, his whiskey.
One big gulp.

The alcohol burns as it rushed through her throat.
It lingered despite not having a visible neck.
She is human. Nothing changed.
Her body still functions as a human.

Suee: Sadny...

End.

Chapter Text

The body changed, or at least how it looked.
She felt some sense of safety, comfort.
It may feel like as if she's forgotten the past or what's waiting for her on the other side.

But deep down, he's still there.
Inside.

Often times, it's literal.
She feels his hostile touch on her skin.

Suee, just after finishing the last of the silverware she used, thought of leaving.
It's a thought that came in her mind while washing.
She's in a perfect body, a body that fits in this world of colors.
She's not a human, she's a pink bunny.

Suee: Sadny wouldn't mind... if I go outside. Hehe.

She peeked at the window.
Everything is just a world of crayola.
What's so dangerous for a "Malino" like her out there?

Without hesitation, she went outside and took a relaxing breather.

Suee: Sure is nice. It's just like in the books. Alice in Wonderland.

???: It is. And you're with the Mad Hatter.

Suee got startled.
She backs away, and rushed inside.
She locked the door and peeked through the window.

???: HEYY!!! THAT WAS RUDE! I'M STILL TALKING!!!

It was female voice.
High pitched, gibberish but understandable.
Like how everyone speaks here.

Suee: I don't know you. You better go away before Sadny sees you.

It was a purple bear.
It has a rebellious looking hair, an emo looking one.
There's piercings on her ear, bright blue eyes.
They shine, full of life.

???: I know Sadny... Go to the room upstairs, you'll see my photo... If he didn't throw it away.

Suee remembers.
She saw a photo in her room.
It was a purple bear.
Just like her.

Suee: What is your name?

Nono: Nono. I'm not gonna hurt you.

Suee: Okay... I'm gonna go outside.

Nono: Go on. I can assure your safety.

Suee went outside.
There, she saw Nono.
In the flesh.

Nono: Sadny took you in?

Suee: You could say that.

Nono: I see. He replaced me, didn't he?

Suee got confused.
What does she mean replace?

Suee: What do you mean replace? I just arrived.

Nono: Nothing. You shouldn't trust him. He's also sick. Just like them.

Suee: Huh?

Nono: Go to the basement. You'd know about his dirty secrets. He's not what you think he is.

Suee did felt it.
That ominous feeling.

He did say to not go to the basement.
He's hiding something.

This isn't her fish to fry but somehow, she's craving for answers.
Curiosity.

Suee: What is he hiding down there?

Nono: Go check it. He's not around right? Doing missions?

Suee: He didn't tell me.

Nono: Just go to the basement and see for yourself... Suee.

Suee: He forbids it.

There was a pause.
Nono felt it.

Nono: Hmmmm... To think of it, something feels different.

Suee: What is it?

Nono: I know what you are... I just don't know how to prove it.

Suee: WHAT??? You know what I am? What do you mean?

Nono: I'm certain of it. The way you talk...

Suee started to sweat.
Nervous.
She fidgets with her ear as Nono observes her.

Suee: Uhmm, I'm a bunny? Else, what?

Nono: Sadny did something to you. I can smell something metallic, a tiny amount of rust.

Suee: It doesn't make any sense. There's no metal nearby. Why would you smell such thing?

Nono: That's the thing. And the smell comes from you.

Suee: Heyy... I just bathe y'know.

She knows full well that it's the micro bots that builds her Malino body.
Some of them might've rusted already due to sweat exposure.
After all, it was the first time it's been used.

Suee: I'm sorry but... I'm gonna go inside now. Thank you for the chat.

Nono: The basement, Suee...

Suee: Will do, bye now!!!

Suee then rushed inside and locked the door behind her.
Her heart's beating like it's gonna crack open her chest.
Nervous and anxious.

Suee: It's not safe to go outside... The device glitches. I can feel it.

She then walked towards the basement, contemplating.
She is curious and yet, afraid.
Afraid that she might upset Sadny.

But it's her voice inside her head.
Nono's voice.
That constant mentioning of the basement.

Suee: The basement... I want to check out the basement.

She walked downstairs, slowly.
Each step was taken with care.

The sound of her footsteps echoed through the metallic floor.
Air grew cold as she gets deeper and deeper through the basement.

After a long walk downstairs, the walls started to change.
From metallic walling, to the now rocky environment.
Now at the substratum, the air started to suffocate now.

Suee: The air grew thicker... How deep is your basement... Sadny.

As she descends further, it started to reek of wax.
Burning wax, prolly candles.

At this point, the depth of the basement makes it difficult to lit a candle.
There must be ventilation down there.

Suee: I'm getting the creeps now...

Eventually, she reached the door.
It was a big door.
The door conducted a scan.

Then all of a sudden, it opened itself.

It welcomes Suee's presence.

It was a well ventilated area.
As she ventures inside, voices could be heard.

First, some loud thuds.
Then, there's muffled screams.

Then, it hits her.
As she ventured further, she caught a glimpse of something not far from her.
It was something that made her stomach sick.

There was a bear, a pink one.
Severely malnourished, it's arms, bound by chains and it's chest were brutally cracked open.
Broken ribs, heart exposed.
There's a battery connected to a glass cylinder that contains a wisp of electricity. Something that resembles a lightning.
The Malino has it's heart powered by this "power supply".

Suee vomited at the sight of her exposed heart.

It's not just one, there's more of them.

There's one with the same concept but it's with his exposed brain.

One after another, cell after cell, there's a Malino suffering fates worst than death.

Another weird thing in the room are those sigils, written with blood.
The structures or constructs on the tables, inside of glass casing.
All seemingly made out of flesh and bones... eldritch.

Like a collection.

There's some other people there, other Malinos.
Trapped and subjected to grotesque RITUALS.
Aside from the horrific sight of torment, there's these sigils, markings carved on the victims.

Suee: My God... Sadny. Are these... Horrible people...

Sadny: Curiosity killed the cat.

Suee: SADNY!!!

Sadny: Okay... let me explain.

Suee, startled and afraid.
Her throat salted. she vomited again.
She wants to leave the room already.

But she wanted to hear what he's got to say.
A chance for him to
She's trembling, all ears on Sadny.

Her knees are weak, she couldn't stand.

Suee: Please, explain. I'll try and understand you.

Suee, sitting on the cold floor, on the verge of tears.

Sadny: They're horrible people. The most vile creatures in plain sight.

He then pointed at the pink bear that she saw earlier.

Sadny: The Bear... A lullaby the mother sold.

Suee's stomach turned inside out.

He showed her a rattle. A baby toy.

Sadny looked at her.
He spoke no words and yet, Suee understood the implication.

Suee: She's evil... I know. I get what you mean. Enough please.

Sadny rubbed her head.
Comforting her.

Suee: Let's go upstairs please. I don't want to return here, ever.

Sadny carried her like child.
Like she's his own child.

Suee rests her head on his arms, still sick from what she saw.

As they walk upstairs, Suee's body shivers.

Vibrating.

Disturbed.

Eventually, they reached the surface.
He placed her on the sofa, tucking her with a blanket.

Sadny: I told you to not go there because I know that it will make you sick.

Suee: They're horrible people... They deserve it… I just can’t watch.

Sadny wrapped his arms around her.

Sadny: That's why I keep it to myself. The burden is mine to carry, not yours.

Suee buried her face against his chest, the smell of wax and metal still clinging to her thoughts.
Her ears drooped, twitching with every beat of his heart.

Suee: You could've just... killed them. Did they really deserve it?

Sadny's eyes dimmed, his voice low.

Sadny: I don't intend to kill. I need knowledge, weapons and power. Without them, I can't save the ones who still have a chance.

Suee understood him.
But then again, it felt wrong.

Suee shook her head.

Suee: All that suffering... The torture. All of it, all for the good ones?

Sadny: Call me evil if you want... I'd rather be the devil condemning myself to damnation to save them from hell.

Suee: Did you enjoy it... Was it fun to you?

Sadny chuckled.
He wouldn't lie about it.
He's not that type of guy.

Sadny: I did. Every single bit of it, I cherished.

Suee: Nono thinks you're sick.

Sadny: We took down the organization, together. Side by side.

Suee stared at the wall, her mind is still replaying the horror in the basement.
She's already questioning things.
Questioning Sadny.

Sadny: We killed a lot of people together. Horrible people. Set her species free from those scum of society.

He took out a box from his coat.
A red box with sigils written on it.

Sadny: This was Nono's. She never knew what it really was.

Suee: It has something written on it. It's the same with the one's down in the basement.

Sadny pressed his thumb into a shallow groove and the box opened.
Inside, a lump of yellow flesh pulsed, slowly.
Like a heartbeat.

 

Suee flinched.

Suee: That's... alive.

Sadny: Barely. It's a weapon used by the organization. They believed that it was their "Invention".

His eyes locked onto hers, sharp and deliberate.

Sadny: I've seen what's coming, Suee. These creatures never stopped evolving. Almost indestructible.

Suee: It looked like a worm... Like a giant maggot.

Sadny: I wouldn't call it a monster. It belongs to nature, to this world.

Suee: What does it do??? Does it eat?

Sadny pointed to it's mouth.

Sadny: What does it do? Live. Any creature that lives needs sustenance. It eats. Flesh.

Suee: Flesh... Blood. It's a carnivore.

Sadny: But it wasn't always the case. Anyone, when pushed to the edge; will do anything to live, to survive. To kill, to steal. This creature chose to adapt.

Suee: Evolution...

Sadny: Exactly. It evolved because of us, the conscious beings who has selfish desires. These creatures are our own making. Not pretty blood, us.

Suee: It does look like a larvae. Like a gross caterpillar.

Sadny: It used to undergo the same cycle. Eat plants, leaves. Then turn into a beautiful winged creature.

Suee felt sympathetic towards the creature.

Sadny: Once plants are out of the option, they resorted to corpse. Scavenging. Then hunting, learning the ability to become a parasite and inhabit corpses.

Suee: What do you call these creatures?

Sadny: Necroworms.

Suee: I don't like the sound of that.

Sadny: I gave Nono this for her to keep. For her to use against the same organization who wronged her kind. A tool of revenge.

Suee: She's not into revenge thing.

All of a sudden,

*Crunch
*Splat

Sadny, with his own bare fingers, crushed the worm.
In a instant.

Suee: Heyyy, why did you kill it? It's a living animal...

Tho confused about how this world functions, about it's creatures, she still believe that life's value is priceless.

Sadny: It kills to survive, I'm just returning the favor. It's a pest.

Suee: Would you call it evil?

Sadny: It's never malicious. Just hungry.

Suee: Nono left you because of your unpredictable, annoying nature... That's the truth.

Laughter filled the room, his laughter.

Sadny: Really? How so?

Suee: One second, you're talking about life and meaning, then the next second, you'll do the opposite. Then, you'll laugh at my face. Like I wasn't serious.

Sadny: It do be like that.

He left the box on the table near the sofa.
Merely an empty box with carved sigils.

Suee: What about the the writings on the walls? If you're gonna open up to me about the basement, better tell me everything now.

Sadny gave it a thought.
Thinking whether to tell, he took a deep sigh.

Sadny: That... was never for you to know. I won't let you to get involved with it. It's not for you, humans, to think.

She pouts.
Feeling babied, and belittled.

Suee: How so? You're a human too.

The things in that place are things that should not be meddled with by mere mortals, specially by humans.

Sadny: You're not sure. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

And just like what she said, here he is again with his unpredictable nature.
It always feel like everything's a game, a joke to him.

Suee: AHHH!!! NO NO! Hmmmpp! I'm going to sleep. You're so annoying!

Sadny: Sleep well, Suee. Better wake up later for dinner. I'm gonna cook.

Suee nods.

She rests her body on the sofa, curling herself into a ball comfortably.
Her small size made the human sized sofa look gigantic.
Like a pet on a sofa, resting.

 

Softly, peacefully, she drifted off to sleep.

End.

Chapter Text

Suee slept quietly on the sofa, her ears twitching every now and then.
She's feeling some shocks, electric sparks from the device that cloaks her.
Eventually, the device broke down and she's in her true form.

Her human body, in plain sight.
On the human size sofa.

Her small clothes were human size after all, it was all cloaking device show.
Concealed to the last detail with the hologram.

Downstairs, Sadny sat at his workbench, but he wasn't alone.

Around the table stood three other Malinos.
Each scarred, each battle hardened.

Sera,
A white fox with black eyes.

Stubby,
A short, stocky turtle with a helmet.

LiveStock,
And a hybrid, a shy timid looking combination of a sheep and hyena.
A living contradiction.

Sadny spreads some papers and sketches across the table.
Photos and images of an individual, maps and biological drawings of a certain creature.
A familiar one.

Sadny: It is confirmed. The scouts weren't hallucinating. There is indeed a Malino... a Green Siamese Cat. But it's body is an odd one.

Stubby: What do you mean "Odd?" Like, modified?

Sadny: It was seen kidnapping a child, cutting off it's limbs with its... Mantis-like forelimbs. Segmentations under the skin. It wasn't machine.

Sera: Another experiment?

Sadny: Wasn't sure. It was also see fleeing, growing wings from it's back.

Stubby: Like flesh?

Sadny: Wouldn't call it flesh. It was two set of wings. Tegmina, the section that protects the other set of wings which are tough and leathery, then the hind wings. Membranous wings, insect like, glassy.

Stubby looked at the photographs,
The Green Siamese Cat doesn't look like a beast.
Composed and clothed, it's face has markings.
Red markings, sigils, it could be.

Sadny: It thinks, it talks, it has a name. Nicco.

Stubby shivers.
He's never seen a creature like this before.
Unreal.

Sera: How... is that possible? Cat. Insect. Two paths, not the same.

LiveStock: You know that we exist...

Sadny pats LiveStock's back.

Sadny: It's not the same. This one could be made in the lab. There's also another thing that I want to share. The worms.

He lifted a sketch, this time a creature that looked like that same worm he's shown to Suee.
But now, winged with membranous wings like paper stretched over bone.
It has bits of fur growing on it's back, like a bat.

Sadny: Flying Necroworms. Bat signatures in their DNA. It means, they've begun hybridizing, maybe even intentionally. Nicco may be a part of it, the answer to it.

Sera: Or it is the answer to Nicco.

Stubby: We can't fight them off Sadny. Not with what we have at our current disposal. Insect genes, wings, intellect?

Sadny leaned back, folding his arms.

Sadny: That's why we need to plan this carefully. Nicco isn't just another nobody in the organization. He may lead us straight to the exegesis of his creation. This abomination in front of us.

Stubby: That dog bastard that created this fucking scum worms. We need to wipe the worm out of existence.

Sadny: They didn't create them. No one can create life out of thin air, not one that seeks to live and thrive. They only modified it.

Stubby: So, how can we compromise?

Sadny: We find out what they fear. Every creature has a predator. Even these worms.

LiveStock: You already know what it is, don't you?

Sadny didn't answer.
He only glanced at the empty red box with its sigils, left on the far end of the table.
The one Suee had seen earlier.

His silence said enough.

What they needed to hear, not all that he know.

The room grew silent for a moment.
Each one of them took time to absorb what they've talked about.

Sera sat on the chair, eyes closed.
resting, thinking.

LiveStock is sitting beside Sadny, eating fruit loops from a cereal box.

Stubby is laying on his shell, spinning himself on the floor.
Nervous, afraid, confused.

The idea of the flying Necroworm makes his legs weak.
He wanted to hide inside of his shell, abandon the mission.
Live an ordinary life.

He couldn't break his promise, his quest for vengeance.

Stubby: I need air. I'm gonna head upstairs... If you don't mind, sir.

Sadny gave him a nod, not stopping him.

Stubby's heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs.

Upstairs, the dim corridor opened into the living space.
The first thing he noticed was the faint flickering sparks, like dying fireflies.

His eyes narrowed, and then he froze.
His throat went dry.

There on the sofa, wasn't the pink bunny he passed earlier.

It was a girl.
A human girl.

Suee, in the flesh.
Sleeping on the couch, her chest rising and falling from uneased breaths.
She's curled, vulnerable with the cloaking device laying dead beside her, tiny arcs of electricity spitting and fading.

Stubby: What in the hells...?

He backed away, nearly stumbling into the stairwell.
Panic shot through him like lightning.

Stubby: What the fuck??? SADNY!!!

Sera and LiveStock turned to him.

Stubby: That bunny ain't no Malino. It's a disgusting human. Flesh and bone, on your fucking couch!

They all turned to Sadny, questioning him with their gazes.

Sadny, however, didn't flinch.
He pushed back his chair and stood.
His shadow stretched long across the sketches and photos.

Sadny: The device broke... Let me do something about it.

His boots struck the floor as he moved upstairs.
Each step echoed with authority, with purpose.

Stubby: JUST LOOK AT HER, SHE'S NOT ONE OF US!!!

Sadny: Enough, Stubby.

His voice cut through the room like a blade.

The turtle snapped his mouth shut but kept shaking his head in rejection.

Sadny stepped into the living space, eyes on the girl in his sofa.
Her chest rose and fell uneasily, the sparks from the broken device fading into silence.
He looked at her for a long moment, thinking of words to say, explanation for the three Malino.
Then, he turned his head at them.

Sadny: You forget yourselves. I'm a human too. All this time, always has been. And yet, you've followed me, trusted me, bled beside me... at least you did, not me tho. Point being, I'm your pal, we played pool together didn't we? So tell me, are you spitting on me now, Stubby?

Stubby: That's no... You.. You're DIFFERENT SADNY!!! You're our pal. You proved yourself. This one's-

Before he could even finish his words,

Sadny: This one's under my protection. That's all you need to know.

The room fell silent.
Even Stubby didn't dare to push further.
Just silence.

Sadny turned back to the couch and crouched beside the girl.
He rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.

Sadny: Suee... Wake up. It's time.

Her eyes fluttered open, eased with hearing his voice.
As her vision cleared, confusion flickered in her mind as she saw the gathered faces staring back at her.
She sat up slowly, clutching her knees.

Suee: What's happening???

Sadny helped her to her feet, then turned gently to face the others.

Sadny: Suee, these are my pals. Sera, Stubby, LiveStock.

Suee waved a hi.

LiveStock lets out a smile, waving her little hand a hello.

Sadny: And this is Suee. A human, yes. Just like me, like duh, what's the problem with that? She's not an enemy. Just look at her.

Stubby: You think this is a joke? Come on!!! Take us seriously Sadny.

Sera: You put us in danger, Sadny. You know the consequences if the wrong eyes see us sheltering humans. I won't fight her, but I won't trust her either.

Sadny raised an eyebrow.

Sera: At least, not yet.

Sadny: That's fine. Definitely fine.

LiveStock: She's just a girl, not a soldier. Not a spy either. She looks more afraid of us than we are of her.

Stubby: Rinny was just like her. A girl, in a plain dress with ribbon on her head. But she's a complete psycho.

LiveStock: But...

Stubby: Never forget about Rinny.

Sera: Enough. You know what Rinny did to her.

LiveStock: I'm fine. That's the past...

Suee: Sadny, are they going to be alright?

Sadny: Yeah... That happens. It's always those two, LiveStock and Stubby. Then Sera defuses the tension, the smartest in the group.

Suee: They're fighting because of me...

Sadny: Nah, you're fine. It's my house after all.

Stubby heard him.
So is Sera.

Sera: You don't get it don't you?

Stubby: It's her very existence here is what's threatening us.

Sadny: You think, I'm a fool? That I will keep something that I can't control?

Sadny scratched his head.

Sadny: Well, dismissed. Go home everyone.

LiveStock: Let's go now. You're being paranoid Stubby.

Sera: Goodbye, sir Sadny.

Sadny: Take care.

Stubby's grumbling as he stomps toward the door, annoyed and frustrated with the remarks.

LiveStock: You don't have to be so cruel...

Stubby: Cruel keeps us alive. Keep that in your fluff head.

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving an awkward silence in the room.

Sera: He's reckless, but not wrong. I don't know her story but I feel like even if I know, my perspective of her wouldn't change.

Sadny: If I were to do the same to you, would you like it?

Sera: That's cruel. But I'll understand.

Sadny: That's just being judgemental. Being an asshole.

Suee: I won't cause any trouble... I don't even know why I'm here. I just did.

Sera narrowed her black eyes at Suee, then sighed.

Sera: Alright... Don't give me a reason to regret tolerating you.

Suee: I won't. I promise.

LiveStock: See? She's harmless. I... I like her.

Sadny pats LiveStock's head.

Sadny: Figured you would.

Suee looked at LiveStock, surprised by the kindness in her smile.

Suee: Thank you.

LiveStock's ears started to twitch, her face blushing.

LiveStock: Y... You're welcome.

Sera: I'll leave it to you then. I need rest.

She walked off quietly, the weight of her distrust still heavy in the air.

Now, it was just Sadny, Suee and LiveStock left in the dimly lit space.

Suee: I didn't mean to make things worse.

Sadny shrugs it off.

Sadny: Worse? You woke up and now they know about the truth. There is nothing wrong with the truth. Plus, I'm a human, I just don't know what's in their mind HAHAHAHAHAHA.

LiveStock nudges the cereal box closer to Suee again.

LiveStock: Eat. This is good, specially the red ones. Cherry!!!

Suee lets out a soft laugh.

Suee: You're too kind.

Sadny: Well, that's it for tonight. Tomorrow, Suee, we'll do something with that form of yours.

Suee nodded.

LiveStock: I hope, that they learn to accept you, human.

Sadny: You're really fond of Suee.

Suee looked at LiveStock's shy, genuine smile.
For the first time since she fell in this world, she felt a flicker of safety and acceptance.
Not full, but it's there, and that's enough for now.

End.

Chapter Text

Sadny: It's ready... the Malino vessel. This is your path forward, Suee.

On the table lies a small, clay like figure of her Malino self. But it's made of living flesh.
Faint veins, soft pale skin, and brittle bones beneath.

It's eerie.

Unsettling.

It breathes faintly, waiting for her.

Suee stared at it, horrified.

The vessel twitches.

Suee: Th...This? You want me to eat this thing? It's... raw. Alive.

Sadny: It's not food. It's alchemy. It will fuse with your soul once consumed. The vessel will shape you into your Malino form, the true flesh and bones. Not artificial nor a cloak.

LiveStock: It's gonna be scary but maybe it'll help you belong with us.

Her voice is nervous, soft. Still caring.

On the other hand, Stubby is on the side with arms crossed.
He's still salty about her.

Stubby: If she's too weak to stomach it, then maybe she doesn't deserve it. It's a small price to pay.

Sera cuts in, de-escalating the situation.

Sera: Cut it out. She's hesitating, not refusing.

Suee swallows hard, her teeth shaking.
Afraid of what's about to come after she eats it.

As she held it on her hand, the vessel's tiny chest rises and falls, faint breath escaping like a newborn.

Her stomach twisted in disgust while everyone watches.

Sadny: The vessel breathes with life. You're not gonna kill it, you'll merge with it.

She held the vessel by it's tiny arm, hovering it above her mouth.
She's unsure whether to eat it whole or by piece.
It's too big to swallow, she'll choke.

Suee: My God... I can't.

Sadny: You must.

She gagged.

As she held it by the arm, her finger twitched and snapped it, cutting it off the main body.
The snapping popped a moist warm blood.

It dripped down her hand and her stomach heaved.

She closed her eyes and swallowed the arm.
It's soft, like a gummy worm, but the taste was never as sweet as candy.

She then tore the vessel's body in half, eating the lower half.
Biting through the brittle bone and gummy flesh.
Blood flooding her mouth, leaving a metallic, copper taste.

She gagged again, nearly spitting it out.

She watches the upper half of the vessel crawl on the table as she chew it's lower half.
Her mouth, stained with blood and viscera.
Hands are bloodied with guilt.

The vessel is fleeing, expressionless, unable to express it's fear.

Tears burned her eyes as she swallowed the mush in her mouth.
It scraped her throat, cold and heavy.

She held the remaining piece, putting the head of the vessel in between of her teeth.
Her teeth sank into it, pushing it, crushing the skull of the fragile vessel, ending it.

And she put the rest of it's body inside of her mouth, chewing it.
Blood bursts out of her mouth through the gap of her teeth, spraying blood across her lips and chin.

LiveStock: Are you sure that this is going to work, Sadny?

Sadny: I'm playing God here. I am unsure if this is even possible.

Each swallow made Suee shudder, tiny bones splintered in her gums.
Her jaw ached from chewing.

The grotesque act reached its climax as she swallowed the last lump.
Suddenly, her body convulsed, her stomach churning, throat burning, and then,

A burst of pink flame erupted from her heart, emitting a thick layer of smoke that covered the whole room.

There's merely a sign of life, nor sound.

Sadny: Suee?

Sadny went to her location, through the thick smoke, searching for her.

As the smoke cleared, her human form was gone.

There, in her place, was a soft, trembling pink Bunny.
Long ears, pink fur with cyan accents, delicate features.
But she was naked, her flesh newly reborn and unguarded.

She shrunk out her human clothes.

Stubby's eyes widened under his helmet, cheeks flushing faintly.
His mouth shakes, trembling.

Stubby: Wha..What the hell? She's...

He clenched his fists, looking away quickly but stealing another glance.

LiveStock rushes to Suee, trying to cover her up with the clothes she grew out of.

Stubby's helmet tilted down, hiding his eyes, but his fist wouldn't stop clenching.

He tried to look away, tried to bury his reaction under anger.
But his gaze betrayed him, flicking back to Suee again and again, tracing the curve of her trembling fur, her bare skin where the clothes had slipped.

Suee's ears twitched. Even in her shock, she noticed his stare.
Her face flushed, a wave of heat crawled up her neck.

She hugged herself tightly, curling her legs in.

Suee: S..stop staring.

Her voice cracked, soft but cutting.
Polite.

Stubby flinched, his whole body jerking as if struck.

Stubby: I... I wasn't looking! Don't flatter yourself, human!

Sera: She's no longer human anymore. You're loud.

Stubby: Shut it, fox!

LiveStock knelt beside Suee, draping what scraps of cloth she could over her.

Suee clutched the fabric tighter, still feeling the heat of Stubby's stolen looks.

Sadny: Well, it worked. The analysis is complete, you are now one of them. Your DNA didn't change, it's all magical which means, for as long as you're here... You'll be one of them.

Suee: So, it's not permanent?

Sadny: Well said.

Stubby spun, sputtering, his shell almost rattling.

Sera: The hell's wrong with you, Stubby.

Later,

Downstairs, Sadny has conducted another meeting about their next move.
Ppaers and maps scattered across the table.

Sadny: I have sent drones, holographic one's to lure out Nicco.

Sera: What's the scale? Do you have enough for the whole city?

Sadny: Doesn't have to be that much. Just enough to project a child bait for his feeding, and a tranquilizers. We need him alive.

LiveStock: We're not gonna kill him after, aren't we?

Sadny: We will of course. It's a parasite.

Upstairs, Suee sits cross legged on the sofa, eating pancakes from a small plate.

Stubby trudges upstairs, holding a cup, muttering something.

Stubby: LiveStock doesn't want to kill that Nicco guy... so much talk about hope and change, peace. When they deserve death.

He freezes when Suee looks up at him.
Smiling gently.

Suee: Oh, Stubby. Have you eaten already?

"Shucks"

He thought to himself.

Stubby: I... Me??? Have I eaten? Uhm.. No. Maybe.

Suee giggles softly.
He lifts her fork with a slice of pancake on it.

Suee: Here. Try some.

Stubby's face turns bright red under his helmet.

Stubby: Wha... wait. You can't just... like... you can't just offer me. I don't uhhh.

She tilts her head innocently.

Suee: It's just pancake, Stubby.

He took a big gulp.
Then, he leans forward, opening his mouth.

He took a bite of it. The sweetness of the nectar syrup hits his tongue.
And his pupils dilate.

Stubby: Good... really, really good... Suee.

Suee smiles warmly at him.
Stubby went to the kitchen to get his water.

As the dispenser fills his cup, he thought to himself,

"Dumb turtle... You're into her."

Once Stubby's done with his water, he left and awkwardly walked downstairs.

With Stubby being gone, Suee sat back on the sofa and proceeded to eat her pancakes.
The sweetness of syrup still lingered on her tongue, but it didn't taste like anything now.

It's hollow.
Blank.

Her eyes then lowered.

She put the plate aside, curling her knees up, hugging herself with trembling arms.
Her body still feels new, different.

Suee: I fell in that tree... landing here, and it's history. When is he going to stop hunting me...

She thought of her abuser.
That harsh experience she had back in the human world.

Her lips tightened.
Back in the human world, she had nothing.
Money, that's all of it.
Mother's dead, so is the father.
No friends, not a single soul.

Only him.

She nudged her face on the pillow, frustrated.

Suee: No amount of sorry will change your mind...

She stood up and wandered the shelves and cabinets.
A way of distraction, feeding curiosity in times of melancholy.
Sadny's devices lay scattered, small trinkets and techs with unknown purposes.

But something caught her attention, a frame tucked near the corner; Nono's photograph.
It was of her with Sadny, LiveStock and Stubby.

She'd love to be involved in moments like that.
Something that she never experienced before, even at a young age.

Her hands kept moving, restless.
She slid open a small wooden box on the table.
Earrings, delicate and glinting under the dim light.
Her breath hitched as she touched them, something painfully human about them.

She hesitated on picking them up but she did anyways.
Two small studs, gold with heart shaped glass gem.
The gem is super reflective, it absorbs any color it clings on.

Her hands shook for a moment, but she pressed one stud against the flesh of her bunny ears, punching it through at the very top edge.
The sharp sting made her gasp, but it was nothing.
A small bead of blood welled, but she forced the metal through.

The other followed, quick and with ease.
The gem adapted to her fur color, pink and cyan.

Her earrings changed colors to bind with her.
Suee brushed her fingers over the earrings one last time.
The gem shimmered faintly, mirroring the pink and cyan of her fur,

She took a deep breath, before descending downstairs towards the meeting.
Her steps were quiet, hesitant.

Her loneliness couldn't keep her upstairs, she wanted to see other people.
Downstairs, their voices floated up from below, Sadny's sharp explanations, Sera's skeptical remarks, so professional and formal.
Stubby's voice wasn't of a child anymore, it's of a serious man with serious mission.
Like a veteran.

Suee slowly slid in, taking calm steps as she enter.

Suee: Uhmm... can I stay here? With all of you.

The room quieted.
Four pair of eyes turned toward her.
Her ears twitched as they looked at her.

Suee: I'll behave, I promise.

Stubby's head whipped around, his cheeks immediately glowing under his helmet.
He saw the gems, her earrings, glimmering inside of the room.

"It suits her. She's beautiful." He thought to himself, still shaking from nervousness.

Stubby: Wh- what??? You? Stay here? Uh, but... we're in the middle of something right now.

Suee lowered her eyes, already shrinking back.

Stubby: I mean, whatevs. If Sadny says it's fine, you may stay... Suee. But there's no pancakes here.

His words wobbled, completely undercut by the redness in his face. He was flushing real bad.

LiveStock covered her mouth to hide her smile.

Sera could only roll her eyes.

LiveStock: Cute.

Suee smiled faintly, warmth tugging at her chest.
She stepped down a little further and settled herself on the stair behind Stubby, close enough her ears brushed his shell when she moved.

Stubby stiffened instantly, his head descending inside of his shell slightly.

Suee: Thank you, Stubby.

The words were gentle, sincere. They pierced right through him.
His mouth opened and closed like he had seven thousand one hundred sixty four words to say, but none of them came out right.

Stubby: We.. Welcky.Uhm. D-Don't thank me, really. I didn't mean, it's fin, whatevs. Stay. Just beha..ve.

He tilted his helmet down, trying to hide how embarrassed he is.

Stubby: It's actually...fine. That you're here.

Suee hugged her knees against her chest, smiling softly behind him.

The meeting carried on, Sadny resuming his plan.

For the first time since falling into this strange world, she felt like maybe, it's destiny.
A second chance for her to live, not just survive, but to belong.

End.

Chapter Text

The static buzz of machinery hummed faintly inside Sadny's lab.
On the table, a hologram flickered alive, a visual of a scenery.

Stairwells, doors and Malino guards.
Heavily equipped with armor and guns.

The feed kept on projecting onto the display as they watch it navigate the corridors.

Through its view, steel walls flickered with dull lamps, wires strung like veins across the ceiling.
The place was damp, echoing with the sound of dripping water.

It was a mess, bloody and rusted.
The drone ascended higher, sticking close to the ceiling beams, watching silently.

A door opened at the end of the hall.
The guards stiffened, then bowed their heads.

Nicco emerged.

His long white kimono dragged faintly across the cold concrete floor, embroidered with curling red flames licking upward like fire.
At his side lies from a crimson sash, was a polished Mauser pistol, gleaming under the flickering light.

He wasn't just a nobody.
He's someone to be respected, someone high ranking.

His face was calm, serene almost.
Movements are slow, deliberate, unpredictable.

He walked as though the halls bent for him, as though the air itself parted to make way.

Intimidation was felt through the feed, thousand of kilometers away from the location.

Then a shadow.

The feed jolted, it went static.

A turbulence of some sort with the connection.

A shape dropped from above, wings stretching wide.
Purple membranes stretched under the leathery skin.
Its body was swallowed in oversized robes, hanging crookedly over a confident frame.

Elegance and composure under the hood.

Two straight, glowing red horns protruded from it's skull, buzzing faintly like neon signs.
It's eyes a burned with a sakura glow as its head cocked unnaturally sideways, locking directly onto the drone's lens.

It knows.

Nicco didn't stop walking.

He didn't even look.

The bat like Malino grew a pincer in its right hand, sharp exoskeletal pincers.

It took a leap and swung on the drone,

And it's gone.

The drone's vision blurred, static crunching across the hologram in Sadny's lab.

The last frame: a black pincer purtruding from it's purple fur from it's hand.
Another case of insect genes being present, another anomaly.

Then black.

The feed cut.

Sadny: Another freak-O.

LiveStock leaned forward, voice tight with worry.

LiveStock: What was that thing?

Sadny: That's Batman.

Sera: This is no time for your antics.

LiveStock: Not a thing of joke, Sadny.

Sadny: Come on, calm down. It's Nicco, a higher up and his assistant, Batman.

Stubby's fist tightened.

Studdy: They know about us already, they saw the drone.

Sadny: That's fine. We can get them to us, that's less work and more prep time for traps and contingencies.

LiveStock: What's the plan then? Still go with the espionage?

Sadny: Won't risk you guys.

Sera: This. This is it. This is what we signed up for.

Sadny leaned back in his chair, hands folded.
Calm.

Too calm.

Sadny: They cut the feed. Which means they're confident. And confidence is exploitable.

Sera narrowed her eyes.

Sera: Exploitable? That thing looked straight at us. At the drone. If it can sense us that easily, it'll...

Sadny cut her off, tone dry.

Sadny: Then it'll come looking. They'll bring the party to us. Saves us a trip.

LiveStock: You're saying... bait? We let them come here? We playing defense?

Stubby slammed a fist against the table, rattling the scattered maps.

Stubby: Hell no. That's suicide. You saw what that thing did with one swing. Are you fucking out of your mind?

Sadny: You scared? Gonna shit in your shell? You fought through them, same bastards, them. You fought them before once, twice, and yet, you're afraid?

Stubby: I... I mean. Look at him.

Sadny: I can give you a gun that shoots the literal heat of the Sun. A gun that can literally burn through anything. Not even insect shell can survive that.

Stubby: With that agility, I don't know if I could even land a hit.

Suee: He is indeed fast.

Stubby looked at her, dead serious, understanding.

Stubby: Even she knows it.

Sadny: By the way, you're out of this trouble, Suee. I will send you to a friend of mine, he'll take care of you.

Suee tilted her head, confused.

Suee: What do you mean... send me to someone. Can't I just stay here?

Sadny: Too dangerous. You're a target.

Suee's brow furrowed, her voice softer this time.

Suee: A target??? Because of what?

Sadny: Because you're a human. They can't have you, they'll torture you. You won't like that.

Stubby's chair screeched back as he rose.

Stubby: She's not going anywhere.

Everyone turned.

Stubby is nervous, sure of what he stands for but awkward.
He felt the room's silence pressing against him.
He looked at Suee, then down at his fists.

Stubby: We'll protect her. It is much better that she's here with us.

Sadny: Woahh woahhh, wouldya look at that. A turtle growing a spine, huh. Cute. But logic doesn't bend to feelings.

Suee: I'll behave, Sadny... I promise. I won't cause you trouble. Stubby will protect me.

That stunned him more than any Pretty Blood torture machines. Heat crept to his helmet, to his ears.

Stubby: I... I didn't mean. I just... damn it!!!

Sera folded her arms, stepping in before the moment could choke him further

Sera: Don't you think that she's got a say in this? We can't decide for her, she's an adult.

LiveStock nodded.

LiveStock: This is the first time that I'm going to agree with Stubby.

Suee smiled.
She barely know any of them and yet, they're on her side.
Willing to keep her safe.

Sadny: Well, sure. The first time you're going to agree with Stubby's decision, let it be then.

He turned to Suee who's sitting on the corner,

Sadny: Suee, you... are going to stay.

At this point, Stubby wasn't listening anymore.
He felt Suee's hand brush lightly against his arm from behind.

Suee: That's nice of you, Stubby. Thank you!

He blushed, his head shrunk inside of his shell.

Stubby: I... I only did what I think is right. Y'know.

He kept his arms crossed, breaking character.

Suee: Still... Thank you.

The next morning,

Stubby woke up from his sleep on Sadny's table.
He went upstairs to get something to eat from his refrigerator but to his surprise,
Sadny's there. Waiting like he knows he's gonna go upstairs any time.

Sadny: Good morning Stubss.

Stubby: Stubss? You never called me Stubss. Good morning, Sadny.

Sadny: Well, hungry aren't we?

Stubby: Starving. I'm gonna get food from your fridge.

Sadny: Hold on a second.

Stubby paused as he said.

Sadny pulled out a stack of cash and went to count it in front of him.
One by one, bill by bill, he checked each paper, making smooth money sounds.

Sadny: Now... here. Take this.

Stubby: What's that?

Sadny: For you.

Stubby blinked, suspicious.

Stubby: Why?

Sadny: Because...

He said sweetly.

Stubby already had a feeling about this but never assumed anything.

Sadny: Someone has to take Suee around the city today. Show her where the markets are, maybe get her something nice, make her feel less like she's a prisoner of this world. She's a girl, she'd like to go shopping and that's a fact.

Stubby's ears shot straight up.

Stubby: WHAT??? Why me?? I.. I mean. It's fine buy, why me?

Sadny: Because you stood up for her. It was your idea that she stays sooo... You do it. You'll love it, it'll be like a date.

Stubby went red.

Stubby: I mean... sure. Why not. I'll go with her.

Then suddenly, Suee's voice drifted down, muffled but clear.

Suee: Stubby? You're up?

Stubby's eyes shifted to her.
He immediately went red, eyes locked onto her.

She look innocent, eyes close, still sleepy.
She's only wearing a camisole, her strap is lazily hanging by her arm.

Suee: Wanna go out today? I want to go outside... if it's okay for Sadny.

Sadny overheard her speaking from upstairs.

Sadny: You can go out Suee. Stubby here is taking you out.

Stubby: Yes. We'll go out, Suee.

Suee, eyes still closed, lets out a smile.

Suee: I'll go take a bathe now. Heh.

End.