Horridon x zPepe 1x1

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxThe Weapon couldn't help rolling her eyes. "I didn't ask if you could survive. I asked if you wanted to." With a sigh, the Weapon worked herself up off the couch. While Lucy went to her room to change, Alice went to her own. She changed out of her pants which had been washed at the hospital but were wholly ruined by blood stains. Irritated that she was ruining so many pairs of pants, she tossed the pair into the trash can in the corner of the room before digging out something more comfortable. She emerged from her bedroom wearing a rather oversized pair of sweatpants and her favorite gray t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up at her elbows.

Both of them ready, they exited the apartment and stepped into the bright sun. She took her Meister's uninjured hand in her's, weaving their fingers together, before beginning the journey to the store. "Need some spices, bacon, onion, cabbage, tomato paste, and scallions." Her family had sent her the most important things for the recipe, things that would be harder to acquire in Death City than back home. However, having recently moved, they were lacking in groceries. Things that they could have had on hand had they been more settled were yet to be established. Which meant that instead of running to the store for one or two things, she had a small list. Just enough to get through tonight. She had no desire to make a huge grocery trip to stock their apartment yet.

Unfortunately, things for Alice were still slow going. She still had to limp to avoid straining her recovering leg which felt brutally stiff since she had torn the stitches last night. The market was, however, rather nearby and didn't take too long to get to. She insisted on carrying the basket with her free hand so that she could continue to hold Lucy's hand. She hobbled around the market, picking up her various items and placing them into the basket. She tried to make the trip as quick as possible, eager to get back home and get off her leg. In spite of the burst of energy she had gained, she was tiring quickly enough. By the time she had finished paying for the groceries, she thought herself quite ready to lie down for a while.

Once finished, she insisted on carrying the couple of bags so that they could continue holding hands, refusing to budge on the matter. She moved as quickly as she could to get back to the apartment--which wasn't very. She wanted to get home and put the groceries away and lay around for a couple hours before she would have to start cooking. Of course they managed to talk while they went, Alice's mind abuzz with all the recent events. She was happy to retreat back within the apartment and put away the groceries. She gratefully dropped herself back down on the couch, letting out a strained breath as she let the weight off her leg. She couldn't help but laugh. "I hope we can avoid getting our asses kicked on our next mission." They had gone on two missions and had received injuries on both of them. The second mission had been even worse, both of them hospitalized by the end of the night. She looked forward to the mission in which she could not end up ruining another pair of pants with blood.

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Practically instinctively, Lucy's hand found Alice's before their fingers wove together. The two hadn't been dating for that long, but the familiar gesture was so natural it was as if it was ingrained into their muscles. As they held hands, they began their rather slow journey to the market. The two looked downright silly with all of their bandages and such. Lucy was covered in bandage wrappings from her head to her toe while Alice sported her blatantly obvious limp. Luckily for them both, the market wasn't terribly far from their apartment. Granted, it took them twice as long to reach their destination, but they were able to make the trip nonetheless. The shopping trip was taken over by Alice, Lucy was simply there to hold bags and keep the weapon company. However, the weapon was completely adamant in holding most of the food-filled bags with her free hand. Lucy was left with just one bag in her free hand, leaving her both powerless and cooperative. She put up a fight, of course, but there was no swaying Alice's decision. It was a rather hard task to do no matter what the situation.

Although the two partners were out for only a little while, the toll of the walking and holding bags proved to be too great for them both. Lucy knew as well as Alice did that they were both very tired. The medication from the hospital as well as their recovering wounds were more than enough to render the two exhausted after some simple grocery shopping. As they walked home, the two passed the time with one of their typical conversations. The words seemed to carry the time away while their legs slugged on, and they were finally home before they knew it. Lucy tiredly stepped into the apartment and removed her shoes before hanging her keys on one of the hooks on the wall next to the front door. She helped Alice put their first load of groceries away, then followed her to the couch. The meister gratefully let herself fall into the cushions and relaxed all of her muscles. Her head rolled back to rest on the back cushion while her arms and legs lied limp wherever they were. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. She was in desperate need for a nap.

Just as Lucy began to let her exhaustion take over her, she found Alice's voice linger into her ears. Upon hearing her harsh, true joke, the meister couldn't help but chuckle with what little energy she had and open her eyes to look at the weapon. "Okay, but technically we weren't even supposed to go on that second mission. We were in the middle of recovery and then got pulled in as a last resort," she said as she held up her index finger at the girl, wagging it every time she made a fact. The only reason the two had such a hard time on their first mission was because they were separated. It was crucial that meisters and weapons stayed together during their missions. Their success of the mission depended solely on their cooperation and synchronicity with each other. Being apart on their very first mission was the worst scenario possible. As far as their record for missions went, Lucy and Alice weren't in the best of shape. Usually, the first couple missions of a brand new partnership went smoothly without any complications. The two were a special case, but what they failed to realize was that they were more in sync with any of their classmates. Their missions may not be perfect, but their teamwork was.

The exhaustion became too much for Lucy to handle. She could feel her eyes getting heavier and heavier the more she stayed awake. When she reached her limit, she turned her head to look at Alice and said, "Hey, I'm really ******** tired, you wanna take a nap with me?" she asked as her eyes started to slowly close and open alternatively. She then pushed herself off the couch without warning and said, "Actually, I'm just gonna fall asleep on your bed and if you want to nap with me, I'll be there.." she said beat. Before leaving Alice alone on the couch, Lucy turned and bent over to give her a rather weak, but sweet kiss on her lips. She then trudged into Alice's room before she let gravity bring her down onto the bed. And just like that, Ms. Tengku was out like a light.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxShe could only laugh tiredly, knowing that their circumstances had been less than great and it had seemed like the deck was stacked against them. The only good thing that would come from Lucy's injury is that now they wouldn't be recruited, even as a last resort. Missions were doable if the Weapon was injured, but if the Meister was recovering, they were going to be the last choice to be sent on a mission. Not that she at all wanted Lucy to be injured, but it would be nice taking their time to recover. And since Lucy was explicitly forbidden from running, she wouldn't feel as bad having to hold her back with her limping. Of course, because she had caused so much damage by ripping out her stitches, it was going to end up being a rather gnarly and unpleasant scar. Fortunately it would be on her thigh where it was much less likely to be seen. She smiled as she watched her Meister, eyes hooded and groggy. She felt pride swell in her chest, proud that this girl was her Meister and her girlfriend and her best friend.

Before she could respond to the offer of the nap, Lucy was pushing herself up and making her way to her room. She smiled and returned the kiss, brief and chaste as it was. Alice watched her partner go, hesitating a moment before working herself onto her feet to follow after her. By the time the Weapon arrived in her room, Lucy was already asleep. She couldn't help smiling, going over to her closet and removing her pants to replace them with pajama pants. She pulled her bra straps down through her sleeves and pulled her arms out of them, unclasping her bra and tossing it on the floor next to the closet door. She wasn't too partial to sleeping in a bra and would never pass up an opportunity to lounge around in pajama pants. Carefully, Alice sat down on the bed, not wanting to shift it too much. She planted a kiss on her Meister's cheek before lying down next to her, hooking her arm over her partner's waist and closing her eyes to take a nap as well.

Alice woke a few hours later and hobbled carefully out of bed to avoid waking her still sleeping partner. She moved to the kitchen and began pulling out the ingredients. She set to work making the dinner she was very excited to make. She hoped Lucy liked it, considering it was one of her favorite foods. She cut up the meat: kielbasa, salami, ham, and beef and set it all aside. She packed spices into some cheesecloth and tied it off and set it aside next to the meats. She then started cooking the bacon, cutting it up as well as it finished cooking and set it aside. She added the meats to cook now, waiting a few minutes before adding vegetables, letting them get caramelized before returning the bacon to the pan and then adding the spice package, adding beef stock and let cook for a while. While she waited, she dozed on the couch with the timer in the kitchen set so she wouldn't burn their dinner. She dozed, drifting in and out of sleep while the familiar smells of the cooking food reminded her of home. She woke at one point and stared at the third box which she had still not dared to delve into. She thought about opening it but refrained, interrupted by the timer which she rose quickly to silence.

She turned off the stove and set the table, removing the spice package from the soup and throwing it away. The finished product was solyanka, a sweet and sour soup that she had grown up on. She pulled the kvass out of the refrigerator and placed it on the table before she hobbled to her bedroom and sat on the bed next to Lucy. She ran her hand through the Meister's dark hair, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Dinner's ready, lyubov." She then made sure she had woken the other girl up by leaning over and nipping at the shell of her ear. It had done a good job of ruffling Lucy's feathers earlier, hopefully it would do as well when she was waking up.

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy slept soundly in Alice's bed. The exhaustion from the fight with Kitsune still hung heavy on her body. The added medications from the hospital did nothing to help her energy issue either. The moment her body relaxed into the comfort of the bed, she instantly fell asleep. The memory of her laying down in Alice's bed was quickly followed by Alice herself waking her up. Lucy stirred in the bed as her body slowly kicked into consciousness. She sleepily stretched her arms and legs like a cat before she finally cracked her eyes open to look at Alice. Before she could do anything else, however, she felt a familiar rush of pleasurable sensation jolt through her body. The n** on her ear certainly worked, waking up the drowsy meister in an instant. Lucy couldn't help but playfully glare up at Alice. "Playing dirty, I see," she said as she slowly pushed herself to sit up with one hand while rubbing her ear with the other. She grinned at Alice before giving the girl a sweet kiss on her shoulder. "I'll get you back later. For now...food," she said before she at last stood up.

Taking Alice's hand in her own, Lucy led the way back to the living room. Once at the dining table, she released Alice's hand to pull a chair up for herself. She then sat down and began to eat the dinner Alice generously made. The soup hit just the right spot, making her body relaxed, easing the pain from her wounds. In the middle of eating dinner, Lucy noticed that Alice had pulled out the bottle of kvass from the refrigerator. The meister picked up the bottle and simply stared at the foreign text printed on it. It wasn't as if she would understand the language, she just appreciated it for its culture. "Let's see what this baby can do," she said as she stood up from her seat. Lucy walked into the kitchen and pulled out two plastic cups, one for her and one for Alice. She poured them both equal amounts, at about halfway up the cup. The meister knew that there was a chance that the drink wouldn't be in her favor, so she left some room for her to pour it into Alice's cup if needed. After all, there was no use in wasting the precious beverage. Without hesitation, Lucy took her first sip. The sourness of the drink instantly hit Lucy, making her face scrunch together. After the initial tastes left her mouth, she couldn't help but laugh. "It's interesting, I'll give it that. I'd probably get use to the taste if I kept drinking it, but I think I should leave the drinking to you, Snow Front," she said, poking fun at Alice. Lucy poured the rest of her kvass into Alice's cup before she cleaned her own cup out to replace the sour drink with mango juice. "But hey, thanks for letting me have some," she said, trying not to come off harsh from the previous statements. As much as Lucy wanted to sugarcoat it, she didn't want to lie to Alice. The fact of the matter was, kvass wasn't exactly her cup of tea. Lucy walked over to Alice and gave her a reassuring kiss on her forehead before she sat back down to finish her dinner.

For the next two weeks, the two girls needed to be cautious. Their current status as a partnership was in recovery. After delivering a proper report to Death, he granted the two of them much needed recovery. The two weeks they were given was just enough time for their wounds to heal enough so they could function properly for more missions. Until then, the two found comfort in the relaxing recovery leave they were granted. The first home-cooked dinner at the Tengku/Wakefield residence was a success. As the days went by, Alice and Lucy would buy more groceries accordingly. Soon enough, they were able to cook dinner every night. Granted, there were some nights where the partners would be too lazy to cook and just order some sort of fast-food. As for their studies, the two girls continued to go to school. Despite both of them were unable to participate in the physical aspects of their classes, the two still learned everything they needed to. Their perilous second mission spread throughout the gossip vine of their year, causing both respect and disrespect to the two. There were some people who respected them for taking on the challenge in such a dire circumstance, but there were also others who disrespected them for hardly passing their second mission. It was a hard life at Shibusen when it came to pleasing people. No matter the conditions, not everyone could be pleased.

The partners' two weeks of recovery were finally over. Alice's leg had healed completely and Lucy's wounds were almost all healed as well. There were still some areas that needed bandages, but for the most part the two were a functional partnership again. It was a Wednesday morning when Lucy woke up in her own bed. Turning her head, she found Alice asleep next to her. The two typically alternated which bed they would sleep in every night. Last night just happened to be Lucy's. The bright morning sunlight that crept into Lucy's room had hit her face and eventually woke her up first. Depending on how much sunlight there was in the morning would determine which of the two partners would wake up first. With the abundance of sunlight hitting various spots in her room, Lucy completely woke up and stood up from the bed. On her way out of the room, she lightly ran her hand through Alice's hair. The gesture could've woken up the weapon, but if it didn't, the meister would wake her up once she was out of the shower. Soon enough, Lucy was ready and it was time to walk to school. Despite their recovery period ending, Lucy insisted on minimal movement. As much as she wanted to run again, she didn't want to risk opening her still-healing wounds. She'd much rather wait a couple days than ruin it and wait another week or two.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxShe could only smirk playfully at Lucy's comment, enjoying herself far more than she should be. "You're starting to build up quite the tab of revenge. I hope you don't make me wait too long." The Meister had not yet gotten her back from when she had done it earlier that day, either. Alice let her partner take her hand and lead her back to the living room, excited about the impending meal. She hadn't had solyanka in so long, usually something she enjoyed most when it was cold out. However, she wasn't going to wait now that she could make it. As they ate she watched as suddenly Lucy stared at the kvass bottle as if it were written in hieroglyphics. She stared long enough that Alice had started to become concerned before her Meister finally spoke. She laughed, watching as the dark-haired girl got up and got a couple cups. "You act as if it's a bottle of vodka." The alcohol content of kvass was so low that it was a drink she had grown up on. Her father, not a man of Russian heritage, had been deterred by the fact that there was any alcohol at all in it and hadn't liked her drinking it. And while her mother was happy enough to compromise, her grandmother had done everything in her power to thwart her son-in-law.

When Lucy returned to the table, Alice happily drank from her cup, enjoying the nostalgic, sour taste. She found herself laughing rather hard at Lucy's expression as she tried the foreign drink. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to like it anyway." She happily took the excess from Lucy's cup and took a large draught before returning to her soup. She took no offense to Lucy not enjoying the drink. It just meant that much more for her. She had no objection with sharing the kvass, but she was just as happy to have it all to herself. "Is it so bad you'll make me wash my mouth out before you kiss me?" She teased as her Meister sat back down at the table and they continued eating.

The next two weeks went by well enough, the both of them making their way back to Shibusen this time both of them visibly injured. The Weapon finally worked up the courage to open the third and final package from her family after about a week. It had contained a large instrument case, this one holding a violin. Alice's limp was worse than when she had last been at school while Lucy was sporting bandages of her own. Their return had mixed reviews. Some of the students had come to respect them for their working under such terrible circumstances. At the same time, they received a fair amount of condescension for barely surviving their second mission. The Weapon coped well enough with the criticism until it she heard it directed at Lucy. She had nearly gotten into more than a few fights with other students upon hearing any derogatory talk about her Meister. More than once Vera had had to physically remove her from situations where she was ready to come to blows with other students. It often resulted in an irritable and sullen Alice who spent the rest of the school day sulking. She tried to make sure that her partner never heard about the altercations, but Vera typically ended up telling Nama who, in turn, ended up telling Lucy.

By the end of their two week recovery period, Alice's leg had healed. The resulting scar was large and ugly, curling on her thigh like a hook. She only felt self-conscious of it on her low days, days where she would feel anxious or depressed for seemingly no reason at all. Fortunately, they were rare enough. The Weapon was awakened by the feeling of a hand in her hair and very slowly she began to stretch. By the time she opened her eyes, Lucy had gone to get ready. While her Meister was in the shower, Alice got up and pulled her clothes out of her closet for the day. Once her partner was finished in the shower, Alice got in, singing as she always did. She had gotten less reserved about her habit, no longer self-conscious that Lucy could hear her. Now she sang as loud or as quietly as she wanted, though she still had to be respectful of the neighbors. Today was a Girl With One Eye kind of day, apparently.

Once the both of them were ready, Alice took Lucy's hand and they exited the apartment to begin the walk to school. She knew how much her partner missed running, wanted to run. The only solace she could give her was that she didn't have to go as slow now that her leg was healed. Unlike Lucy, the Weapon was happy to mosey along. Granted, she was the Weapon and not the Meister, their success and safety relied heavily on her partner's physical abilities. In her opinion, Lucy had the harder job.

Arriving at school, Alice walked Lucy to her class--since she was still the injured one, albeit mostly recovered. "I'll see you later, lyubov." She gave her Meister a quick kiss before darting off to class with a flush on her cheeks. Though her leg was healed, the scar felt odd, something she would have to get used to. When she moved, the skin pulled on the scar. The Weapon moved into her respective classroom and dropped down next to Vera who began talking immediately. The two of them had gotten a bit of a reputation considering they spent the majority of their school day together. Since their last names ended in W and Y, they sat next to each other in classes even with assigned seating. And since they shared a language, they naturally chatted to each other in it all day. Unfortunately, this also came with its fair share of rumors. Not that Alice ever heard about them.

By the time they got to their last class, the only class that Alice had with her Meister--though she couldn't sit with her on account of assigned seating--Vera had had to stop Alice from getting in fights three times that day. Fights were much more dangerous and, as a result, a much greater offense than in usual schools. Considering half the students were living weapons and the other half, well trained combatants, physical fights were prohibited to the utmost degree. While Vera had saved Alice from a great deal of trouble by pulling her away from the fights she tried so hard to start, she was still sullen about it. The Weapons were both late for their last class, having had to stop Alice from fighting with one of their classmates, another Weapon by the name of Marshall. "Ya mog by pnul yego zadnitsu. My oba znayem, Marshall nemnogo suka." She stopped talking suddenly as she realized class had already started and the lecture had been paused by their interruption. Both their faces turning a dark red, they rushed to their seats in the very back while the teacher admonished them before returning to the lecture.

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy walked alongside Alice as they made their way to school. Alice was completely rid of her crutches and limp, but Lucy on the other hand still sported her bandages. Albeit less than before, people could still see the bandages around her upper forearm, peaking out just below the sleeve of her leather pelt, and her hand. Her third recovering wound was on the right side of her waist, something only Alice saw. Her hand would take the longest to heal because it was a severe burn wound. Every time she re-wrapped it after she showered, it looked as if someone took a hot metal rod and branded her across her palm. However, the wound itself didn't hurt nearly as much as how bad it looked. As far as functionality went, Lucy could pick up and hold things as if the battle with Kitsune never happened. For the time being, Lucy let her healthy hand do most of the handiwork when needed.

Once the two partners made it to school, it came the time for them to depart from one another. Lucy was typically the one to drop Alice off at her class before running to her own, but her wounds forbade her from doing so. For their first week of recovery, they alternated between which person would be dropped off first. But once Alice was healed, Lucy was left to be taken care of. When the two were finally at Lucy's first class of the day, they said their goodbyes. See you later, hot stuff," the meister teased before her weapon left. Because Lucy had been in a recovery period, she was forbidden from partaking in the physical portions of her classes, which set her back farther than no other. To Lucy, it was slightly embarrassing that she wasn't able to handle any of the missions she has been on so far. It stained her view of herself and as the rest of her meister class moved forward, she couldn't help but feel like she was moving back. Now that she was out of her recovery period, she was able to at least be allowed to participate in the physical portions of her classes. However, Lucy knew better than anyone that she needed another week before her wounds would heal enough for her to even run again. Shabbiness only gave her two weeks, which wasn't enough, but what was she going to say to the school that saved her and Alice's lives?

Despite Alice was in her own weapon classes throughout most of the day, Lucy was able to find solace in her best friend, Nama. Nama happened to be the meister of Vera, Alice's best friend. It was a weird, but lucky coincidence that happened to the two partnerships. The two meisters carried on their day as if it was any other day. They talked about god knows what and the occasional talk about their weapons came up as well. "Man, I don't know how you date someone as fiesty as Alice," Nama said laughing as they walked to their last class of the day. "Fiesty? I mean, when we get..physical..I guess," Lucy awkwardly replied, laughing a bit herself. "Gross not that! No no, I mean with all the fights she's been picking with people lately," said Nama, matter-of-factly. Lucy's face dripped with confusion. "That doesn't sound like Alice at all. What are you talking about fights?" asked the puzzled meister. "Oh s**t, was I not supposed to tell you that? ********, sorry you had to hear it from me, Luc," apologized the other meister, using a friendly nickname. Nama then continued, "But anyway, yeah, Vera's been telling me that ever since you guys got back from that fight with Kitsune that people have been s**t talking about you. She doesn't get pissed when people say things about her, but every time someone s**t talks about you, Alice gets all fired up and starts to pick fights. Vera's been holding her back every time, but I don't know, Lucy, she sounds like a ticking time bomb to me." Lucy was at a loss for words. The girl Nama had described didn't sound like the girl Lucy knew at all. "I'll talk to her before class," she finally said.

Lucy had plans to talk to Alice before their last class started, but she was nowhere to be found. Typically, Lucy and Alice met in the hallway in front of their shared class and greeted each other like any other couple would and walk in together. Lucy's suddenly disappearing weapon made her worried that something may have happened to her. But, before she could investigate anything, the bell rung. Lucy walked back into the classroom by herself and made her way to her seat. Her last name wasn't right after Nama's, but they were positioned in the class directly in front of each other. Lucy was one row up while Nama was in the same spot, but one row down. Lucy leaned forward over the edge of her desk and called to her best friend. "Hey, is Vera here today?" she asked. Nama turned around in her spot and looked up at Lucy before saying, "Yeah, she is. They should both be here by now." Lucy sighed and sat back in her seat while Nama did the same. Twenty minutes into class, the front door suddenly opened and the relatively quiet room was filled with loud Russian. Lucy looked down at the cause of the commotion and found Alice and Vera chatting it up until they realized that they were the only ones talking in the room. Lucy and Nama simultaneously rolled their eyes as they watched their weapons embarrassingly take their seats.

Once class was over, Lucy remained seated at her desk to wait for Alice. Her whole row had left save for Alice and Vera, talking away with their loud Russian once again. Lucy sighed and stood up to leave the classroom by herself. Upon stepping out into the hallway, however, she was stopped by two firm hands on her shoulders. "You know what you need?" Nama cheerfully said from behind Lucy. "You need some video games. We're going to my place right now and I'm gonna kick your a**," said the best friend as she moved to wrap her arm around her best friend's neck. Lucy's startled expression quickly changed to playful as she heard the rather pleasing proposition. With a light shove, she pushed Nama off her neck and said, "No, your a** is gonna get handed to you." And with that, the two meisters left Shibusen, without either of their weapons.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxAlice felt bad for having disrupted class along with being late and did her best to make up for it by being more attentive than she ever had been. Usually she might doodle on her notes while she listened, but today all of her focus was placed upon the teacher and the lecture. Every time Vera tried to say something, she kicked her foot and shooshed her. Occasionally she would allow herself to glance at Lucy, though their eyes never seemed to meet. She felt relieved when the bell rang and class ended. She began packing up her things and was about to get up when Vera started talking to her sternly, their conversation in Russian as always. "You gotta stop picking fights, Alice. Those people who are saying s**t aren't worth your time." The Weapon felt a frown tugging at her lips. She pushed the bangs out of her face, reclipping them, before responding. "They have no right to say what they're saying. People are saying we messed up our first mission, but that's only because I got injured. They don't know what happened. And it was our first ******** mission. And now people think we ******** up the second mission, which isn't fair. It wasn't Lucy's fault! It was--" Vera put her hand over the other Weapon's mouth to stop her, knowing the tangent that was coming.

"Have you been taking your medicine?" Alice let the question hang in the air, looking away from her friend with a heavy frown. "Alice." With a scowl, she shook her head. "If you don't take your medicine, I'm gonna tell Lucy. I don't know why you seem to be so ashamed of it." Alice bit her lip and picked up her things, done with the conversation and ready to go home. She looked around the classroom and felt her shoulders drop when she didn't see her Meister anywhere. Upon further examination, Nama was missing as well. "Do you think they're pissed we were late?" She heard Vera snort a laugh behind her, picking up her own things. "Probably. I'm surprised Professor Stein didn't kick our asses." Assuming Lucy had gone on without her, Alice said her goodbyes to her friend and went on home. She stopped by her favorite music store and picked up some reeds and some wax for the bow of her violin. It was a brief stop, taking extra time to chat with the owner. With her purchase in hand, she continued the rest of the way home.

Stepping into the apartment, she felt her spirits drop when Lucy's shoes were missing in the entryway. Alice kicked off her shoes and went inside, wondering if maybe she had kept her shoes on--something she'd never seen her Meister do--or something else. "Lucy?" She called as she turned on the lights and looked through the apartment. It only took a moment to realize that she had beaten her partner home. With a faint feeling of anxiousness, she forced herself to settle down and wait. She was probably out with Nama and would be home soon. Remembering Vera's nagging, Alice moved through the apartment and into the bathroom, digging through a small box in the cabinet until she spotted a familiar orange bottle. With a sigh, she pulled it out and took out one of the many capsules. The Weapon moved to the sink and turned on the tap, cupping her hands and filling them with water. She lifted her hands to her lips and poured the water into her mouth before dropping the pill in as well and swallowing. Finished in the bathroom, she closed the bottle and hid it in her underwear drawer.

While she waited for her Meister to come home, she started dinner cooking. She made macaroni and cheese, the homemade recipe that her father had given her before she moved to Shibusen. While it baked in the oven she sat on the couch and watched TV, mostly listening than watching. It only took her a few minutes to doze off while it chatted along merrily to whatever program she left it on. The sound of the oven timer going off roused the blue haired girl who groggily got up and turned off the TV. Looking around there were still no signs of Lucy's arrival. Feeling anxious, she pulled dinner out of the oven and served herself some before sitting down to eat. She ate slowly and in silence, hoping that her Meister might come in and apologize for being late, be happy to sit down and have a meal. However, she cleared her plate and still no sign of Lucy.

The Weapon spent the next few hours trying to vent her anxiety, not wanting to let it well up and overflow. She spent a good forty-five minutes playing her saxophone, playing loud, nearly violent music until she heard the neighbors come pounding on the door complaining. She then spent about a half hour playing the oboe she had gotten in the mail, though her emboucher was worn out from her earlier session. She spent the rest of her time playing the violin, doing her best to not get out of control and agitate the neighbors. She only stopped once she wore her fingers out, her index finger bleeding from the abuse. Alice put a bandaid on it and dropped herself onto the sofa, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest while she waited for Lucy to come home. Glancing over at the clock it was already after 10 PM and the clock kept ticking...

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy and Nama were best friends, but they hardly spent time together outside of school hours. With the back to back missions coming in for Lucy and her partner, there was no time to relax. The time she had relaxing was spent with Alice due to an endless amount of obligations. So far, Lucy has stayed home with Alice because of either Alice or herself being injured. Now that the two were recovered(for the most part), Lucy finally had time to herself. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with Alice, it was simply that Nama was her best friend and she deserved time too. It wasn't healthy for one to spend all their time with only one person. Lucy needed a break from Alice, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. As Lucy followed Nama to her apartment, they talked about random things. The bulk of their conversation consisted of their recent missions. Nama and Vera had gone on three missions so far, each one a walk in the park. "Man, we've had such shitty luck with missions, Nama, I'm telling you it's rough," Lucy said as they approached her apartment. "I wouldn't sweat it so much. After all, you guys were out of sync for the second one which really screws any pair over. You're lucky you got out alive," assured the friend as they entered her apartment.

Upon walking into the apartment, Lucy was met with a much more furnished feeling. The apartment was slightly bigger than her own and there was more than enough furniture to clutter the rooms. As far as material items went, Nama and Vera were way ahead of Lucy and Alice. "Alright, step right up ladies and gentlemen, for the event of the century! Lucy Tengku crying home from an embarrassing defeat in Soul Crushers!" Nama said as she flailed her arms about as if she was an announcer of a circus. "Alright you piece of s**t, you want your a** kicked so bad? Let's go then," Lucy laughed as she grabbed one of the controllers from the entertainment system. For the rest of the day, Nama and Lucy went at it in a 1v1 fighting game called Soul Crushers. The game was based off the idea of meisters and weapons and was a very popular game amongst the students at Shibusen. There were over thirty meisters to choose from that each had their own weapon to soul resonate with in the game.

The two were so infested in the game that they hardly noticed Vera walk in about twenty minutes after they started playing. That should've been Lucy's first cue to go home. The game raged on for so long that nighttime rolled in, forcing Nama to pause and turn a couple lights on in the apartment to counteract the darkness. That should've been Lucy's second cue. It wasn't until the third cue that Lucy finally realized what time it was. After hours and hours of gaming with Nama, Vera finally chimed in. The weapon walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Lucy. "I'm surprised you guys haven't heard your stomachs yet," she teased. Lucy instantly stopped what she was doing and realized how hungry she was. "s**t, what time is it?" she asked rhetorically as she turned her head to look up at the clock. [********, I didn't even realize. I should head home, Alice is probably worried," Lucy said as she set the controller down and stood up. Nama grinned as she looked up at her friend and said, "Looks like I win by three rounds, b***h." Lucy laughed and gave Nama a shove on her shoulder before she replied, "Alright alright, I got my a** handed to me, I'll admit it." Just before Lucy stepped outside, Vera called out to her. "What're you gonna do about Alice?" she asked, not needing to explain exactly what she was talking about. Lucy turned back around and looked at her two friends on the couch. "Talk to her first. We'll see what happens from there. See you guys tomorrow," she said before finally leaving.

The three wounds that remained on Lucy's body were the only things that prevented her from running. If she was healthy, she would've ran back home to get to Alice faster. The meister could only hope that her weapon wasn't upset with her. After about ten minutes, Lucy was finally home. It was relatively late at night, so she half expected Alice to be asleep. Upon entering her apartment, however, she was wrong. Lucy's eyes met directly with Alice's. "Hey, sorry I'm late. I was playing video games with Nama," she casually said as she removed her shoes and walked over to the weapon. Lucy leaned down and gave Alice a kiss on top of her head before she walked into the kitchen to grab herself some dinner. It was cold, but she ate it anyway. The meister walked back to her weapon, her meal in a bowl in her hand. She plopped herself down next to Alice as she continued to eat. "So...you ever gonna tell me about the fights you've been starting lately? Cause if I have to hear it through Vera and Nama, then obviously it's a problem with you and me," said the meister as she looked down at her bowl. Lucy wasn't sure why Alice kept the fights a secret from her. Whatever the reason was, it was an issue that they needed to discuss.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxHearing the deadbolt in the door turn, Alice perked up, looking at the door expectantly. And in came her Meister and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She managed a tired smile, as she welcomed Lucy home while she took off her shoes. She hummed contently to the kiss on her head and relaxed back into the couch, glad that nothing had happened to her partner. As her Meister sat down next to her, the Weapon had been about to offer to heat up the leftovers from dinner when she was cut off. She felt a brief lance of panic rip through her body, not sure how she had found out about it. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Vera had told Nama, Nama had told Lucy. The fact that Lucy stared at her dinner while she spoke was foreboding, something that unsettled her. Her first instinct was to withdraw, but forced herself to ignore it.

Alice hesitated, hugging her knees tighter to her chest as she sighed and averted her gaze. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to tell you the things people keep saying. They say things like you're a bad Meister or you're not suited for it and they blame you for our missions going poorly and it's not fair." The Weapon reached up with one hand and pulled the clips from her bangs and hair, letting it fall loose around her shoulders. Frustrated, she tossed the hair clips across the living room, not bothering to look as they clattered against the wall before landing on the carpet. She was frustrated at herself, at Vera, and at their classmates. Frustrated that their classmates were willing to pass judgement without knowing any of the details.

Suddenly the Weapon chanced a glance to her partner, quick and fleeting, before looking elsewhere again. "What else have you heard from Vera and Nama?" She knew she was probably opening up something that hadn't been discussed. Giving away that the fights weren't the only thing she had remained silent about. If it had been brought to Lucy's attention, she was letting the conversation segue. If it hadn't, she was making it unfortunately plain that she had kept another thing quiet. She could feel anxiety crawling under her skin, just beneath the surface, in the space between her skin and her muscles. She wanted to pace, she wanted to run, she wanted to move and to get away and to breathe. She could feel her stomach rolling into knots and the adrenaline feeding into her system as her pulse began to pick up and race. It was painfully lucid and she suddenly got up and moved to her bathroom. She dug through the cabinet and found her anxiety medicine, quickly swallowing one and letting herself slide down to sit on the rug on the bathroom floor. She whispered song lyrics quietly to herself, under her breath, trying to anchor herself long enough for the medicine to smooth out the panic. "I am just a poor boy, though my story seldom told. I squandered my resistance for a pocket full of mumbles such are promises."

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy continued to eat her cold dinner in silence. She had asked a rather harsh question in a rather harsh voice, but it was a problem that needed to be discussed. Honesty and trust was an important part in any relationship, whether it be a friendship or a romantic dating kind. As far as Lucy could tell, she was completely honest with her friends. She knew for a fact that she was especially honest with Alice. There had not been one lie or secret in their relationship, including their friendship. When they started dating, Lucy had only hoped that Alice would be just as honest with her as she was with her. Their current situation didn't exactly support this hope. Lucy sat in silence as she felt Alice retreat into herself. In her peripherals, she could see her slipping back into her box of anxiety. The legs being hugged, the lack of eye contact, everything about Alice's body language screamed uneasiness. When Lucy finally heard Alice's answer, she couldn't help but react aggressively. "That's nothing to start a fight over," she said as she leaned forward and set her meal on the coffee table in front of them. Lucy sat back into the couch and kept still, leaving her hands to rest on her lap and her eyes to settle on the backs of them. "You think I haven't heard what people are saying? I may be dense, but I'm not deaf. Who gives a ******** about what they say, Alice? You shouldn't, cause I sure as hell don't," said the irritated meister as she finally looked at her partner. "And yeah, you're right, it's not fair. But they don't know s**t, so you shouldn't even bother.," said the dark haired girl as she got up from the couch.

Lucy sighed and picked up her bowl before taking it to the kitchen. Upon hearing Alice's next question, Lucy felt herself snap. Questions raced through her mind. Was she not trustworthy enough to confide in? Was she about to find something else about Alice that she would've found out through her friends again instead of Alice herself? When was the dishonesty going to end? Lucy forcefully pushed her bowl onto the kitchen counter before she snapped her body around to face Alice. "What do you mean 'what else'? Are you serious, there's more you're hiding from me? What the ********, Alice, I thought we were honest with each other," Lucy's voice rose in intensity as she spoke. With every sentence she walked closer and closer to Alice as she sat on the couch. "Are all these secrets what you talk to Vera about? Is that why you have to talk to her in Russian all the time cause you don't want me to hear any of it? Is that it, Alice?" she aggressively asked as she now stood in front of her while she remained on the couch.

Just then, Lucy felt her stomach drop. The sight of Alice rushing to the bathroom only ever meant one thing. Lucy's expression instantly switched from angry to worried. The meister stood in silence as she witnessed her best/girl friend frantically take her medication. Once she saw Alice settle on the rug, Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead. A minute ago she was angry at Alice. Now, not even thirty seconds later, half of her felt angry at herself for driving Alice to such a low point. Lucy stepped up her pace as she walked into the kitchen and quickly filled up a cup with water. She walked into her room and set the cup down on the nightstand before she carefully approached Alice in the bathroom. "Alice, love, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell, I was just upset.." Lucy said, trying to calm down her friend. The sight of Alice at her most vulnerable made Lucy's heart ache. She remembered back to when this first happened and recalled that physical touch usually, not always, helped. The meister decided to take a risk and swallowed her fear before she moved. "C'mon love," she said as she slid her arms under the girl's knees and back.

Lucy stood up cautiously, careful to move slowly in case Alice reacted violently. Once she was standing, the meister carried her weapon into her room. It wasn't Lucy's turn to host the goodnight's sleep for the night, but she knew that Alice was more comfortable sleeping in her bed anyway. Lucy set Alice down on her bed and kept her sitting up before she settled herself behind her. Lucy then leaned back against her pillows as she motioned Alice to follow her. She then wrapped her arms around Alice as she sat between her legs. "It's okay...you're okay..I'm here," Lucy whispered in between kisses on the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Alice. I can't seem to stop doing this to you, and I'm just so sorry.." The guilt in Lucy's voice was as obvious as the sky being blue. This had marked the second time Alice has had to rush for her medicine. Both times were caused by Lucy, there was no denying that. The dark haired girl was beating herself up inside, but she tried not to show it. More than anything, she needed to be strong for Alice when she was at her weakest.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxShe could feel herself shaking, trembling and it was as she sat down on the bath mat that she realized she was crying. She felt sick, could feel her body preparing for her to be sick. She fought the feeling, not wanting to have to take a second pill should her stomach expel its contents. Her entire core was abuzz with feelings of panic and self-loathing and guilt. Usually she would want Lucy's support, but this time the sound of her voice sent her pulse racing faster, her body trembling harder, and renewing the tears in her eyes. She did it again. She'd ******** up again, done what she thought she should and had been catastrophically wrong. She hadn't kept any of secrets out of malice. She didn't tell Lucy about the fights because she didn't want to tell her why they were starting. She hated hearing anything bad being said about her Meister. She held onto her leg, desperately crushing the scar in her grasp, wishing the wound wasn't healed.

Alice wanted to react, to push Lucy away, to wither away from her touch. All she found herself capable of was shrinking away from her hands, trembling. She didn't want to be picked up, she didn't want to be moved, she didn't want to be touched. She wanted to self-destruct, to go off like a bomb and revel in her aftermath. To twist the ugly scar on her thigh until it ached and anchor herself with the pain. Instead, she let herself be whisked out of the bathroom and into her dim bedroom. She was tense, her muscles rigid as she did what she was asked. She couldn't think of anything to say, didn't want to say anything. Her tongue felt like it was made of lead and her mouth filled with cotton. Her head was pounding from the strain and still she felt sick. Her nerves and her body refused to settle, upset with herself. The Weapon knew this would be accompanied by another episode of depression, another episode during which she would struggle to find motivation to do anything. She hated it. What if they had to go on a mission again and she was out of sync again? The thought and the memory fanned the flames, her whole mental state trying to spiral out of control. She kept it as internal as possible, angry and ashamed of her state. Ashamed that Lucy should even have to take care of her like this, to have to apologize for her emotions.

Deep down, she thought that maybe she should go home. Go back to Siberia with her tail between her legs. Perhaps she wasn't mentally sound enough to be Lucy's Weapon. Of course her partner insisted that she would never want a partner other than Alice, but she knew people say things that may be true one day and untrue the next. Not intentionally, not with malice. People simply change, and she couldn't help wondering if maybe Lucy would be happier in the long run. Of course, she wouldn't go home. She wanted to be Lucy's Weapon, even if she felt like she was dragging her Meister down. "I'm sorry, Lucy." Her voice was quiet and cracked. She rubbed her hands over her cheeks and her eyes, trying to clear the tear stains even as more were made. She felt so small and pathetic. And the anxiety continued to surge, refused to relent as she tried to settle herself again.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry you had to hear about it from Vera and Nama." Alice stared at her hands which she wrung over themselves in her lap, or that she fisted and fidgeted, or that she used to torment the scar n her thigh. "I'm sorry that I haven't told you things, but the rest has just been things that I felt like bringing up would have just been pointless to bring up. Things like how, in spite of my best efforts, I still feel guilty about falling out of sync and how every time I see your burned hand I hate myself. And how I haven't taken my medicine because I hate the way it makes me feel. I didn't do it with malice. How do I even bring those things up? How can I just casually say something like that? Where do I start?" The Weapon pounded her fist on her scarred leg, angry at herself and angry that it didn't hurt. Angry and frustrated and scared. "How am I supposed to just throw something like this into the open? That I'm scared and insecure and every day I feel guilty and ashamed that you were saddled with a Weapon that can't even take care of herself." She gave up on tormenting her leg, instead hugging her arms into herself as tight as possible, trying to curl into herself as she found it too difficult to keep ignoring her anxiety and her tears and so she stopped fighting and simply let them fall, shaking and disgusted with herself.

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy couldn't help but feel guilty about everything. As she looked back at the situation, she realized that yelling angrily at Alice wasn't the best choice she made. Even as she thought about how Alice reacted to her picking her up. Now that they were on the bed, Lucy half wished that she just left Alice on the floor and sat next to her instead. The meister knew that touch wasn't always the solution, but it felt right at the time. There wasn't much she could do about it now, however, since the two were already sitting. The only thing Lucy could do at this point was comfort Alice and do her best to physically calm her down. Feeling her shake as she held her made Lucy all the more worried for the girl. Lucy even clamped her teeth together as she could only watch Alice beat herself up, literally. She so desperately wanted to grab Alice's hand and hold her down so she wouldn't hurt herself; but, she felt that any further touching would just make the situation worse.

As she listened to Alice speak, the guilt within Lucy continued to envelop her. The more Alice blamed herself, the more Lucy felt like everything was her fault. In reality, both partners were at fault. They were completely oblivious on how to properly treat each other. There were too many secrets and insecurities. The two girls were too focused on being perfect for each other that they forgot that flaws existed. "Alice..you just..you gotta tell me things like that," she said after a few moments in silence. Lucy wasn't exactly sure how to approach the situation, but she knew how proper relationships worked. Her mother and father were perfect for each other, and she learned everything from them, including how to function in a proper relationship. If there was one thing she could take away from her knowledge of watching her parents, it was that talking about underlying problems was the most efficient way to handle them. "Even if it's random, we have to talk about them. It's important to communicate in every relationship, romantic or otherwise."

Lucy released Alice and stood up from the bed only to settle herself in front of Alice instead. She sat as close as she could in front of her as she crossed her legs over each other and leaned forward toward the shaking girl. Lucy reached her hands out and put them on Alice's upper forearms as she held her knees to her chest. As she slowly, but comfortingly rubbed her arms, she said, "Please stop blaming yourself for all of this. If anything, a lot of it is my fault." Lucy put her hands on top of both of Alice's before saying, "I'm sorry for yelling at you and I'm sorry you feel this way. I'm going to try to communicate with you better, but you gotta meet me halfway on this. Alice, you have to tell me if something is wrong. What kind of partners would we be if we can't even talk about things that bother us?" Lucy then brought her hands up to Alice's face and wiped the tears as they streamed down. "Seeing you shaking and crying like this makes me hurt and worried like you wouldn't believe. I don't want you to feel like this. I want you to be happy, I want you to feel like you're worth it. And you might not see it, but I definitely do." As Lucy spoke she moved one of her hands to the side of Alice's face to gently rest her hand and brush her hair behind her ear. Lucy might have flaws, but if there was one thing she was good at, it was knowing how to comfort people by talking.

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxShe hated how Lucy had to take care of her like this, how she had to play Russian Roulette every time Alice would have one of these episodes. On whether or not it would be safe to touch the Weapon or if it would turn out wrong. Sometimes she worried that her next attack might not leave her as lucid, that she might react badly to being touched and end up lashing out and hurting her partner. In these scenarios she could never totally predict her own behavior. While she usually followed a pattern, usually needed physical contact to help calm her down, different situations triggered different responses. This time Lucy had been a stressor and though she didn't initially want any physical contact from the Meister, it was slowly working. Slowly, combined her Meister's efforts as well as the medicine as it seeped into her system, she was slowly, slowly coming unwound. Soon she would be tired and feel ill from a migraine induced by the stress of the episode and she would feel like she was made of glass and her head filled with steel marbles. Her eyes would feel worn and tired, puffy from crying. Soon she would want nothing more than to cling to Lucy in the dark bedroom while she slowly drifted off to sleep, her whole body too tired to even drift in thought before passing out.

It was getting easier to not withdraw, not feeling her pulse race faster or her stomach twist when her partner touched her. She managed to glance up at Lucy's brown eyes before lowering her gaze again, still to wound up to make eye contact for more than a fleeting instant. She managed a weak smile, one that was not necessarily genuine and it did not reach her eyes, but she did it in hopes of reassuring Lucy as well as herself, even though it faltered and vanished quickly. She leaned her face into the other girl's hand, desperate for the contact that only a moment ago she had dreaded. She bit her lip as she choked back a sob, hating how pathetic she felt right now. "I can let go of the guilt for a lot of things, but I just genuinely don't know how to forgive myself for falling out of sync with you. I don't know how to let go of that one. I do my best not to think about it because that would only make it worse, but... I don't know how to stop blaming myself for that."

With a snowballing effect, the medication she had taken was building up momentum. What had initially been slow to ease her anxiety, it had begun working faster. Quickly her anxiety was being replaced with exhaustion as the adrenaline wore off and she felt the aftermath of the panic attack. She felt tired and weak and her tears finally stopped, dried up like an over tapped well. Exhausted, she finally managed to meet her Meister's gaze and didn't shrink away. Alice managed a sigh, a sigh that carried away all the tension and left behind only fatigue. "If you want, I won't talk to Vera in Russian anymore... I didn't mean to be secretive, but if it will make you feel better I can speak English with her." Perhaps that had been the problem in the first place. She hadn't even considered her behavior while she was talking to her friend in a language that only a very small population of the students of Shibusen understood. It had gotten out of control before she had even thought about it and the next thing she knew she had lied by omission to her Meister. And while the two of them spoke it because it was a fragment of home that they could hold onto, she would refrain for Lucy.

Alice let her hands fall from around her legs, moving her legs so one was stretched out to the side, around her partner, while the other was bent in front of her. "I'm sorry this happened." The Weapon leaned forward and buried her face in her partner's shoulder. She wrapped her arms tightly around the Meister, clinging to her desperately for just a moment, before letting her grip relax. "I love you, Lucy. I just wanted to say it again, I'm sorry if the timing is bad. You don't have to say anything..." She could feel herself getting more and more tired, letting her eyes close as she hugged the dark haired girl. She was tired and knew she would pass out soon whether she wanted to or not, but in the mean time she clung desperately to consciousness.

[zPepe]

◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l ◤╱◢ l ◣╲◥ l NAMA SAYA...

Lucy was trying her best to comfort her partner. So far, her efforts have been slowly working, but there was still a long way to go until Alice was stable again. The physical touch of her arms in the beginning working against her rather than for her, but as time progressed so did the positivity of her touch. Lucy was unsure up until she felt Alice lean her face into her hand. The meister couldn't help but reveal a slight smile as some of her worries dissipated. Her smile soon faded, however, as she heard Alice talk about the core issue of her problems. Lucy's eyes drifted downward as she internally criticized herself for making Alice feel guilty for their out-of-sync episode. In reality, both parties were at fault. Lucy knew it was her fault as much as Alice's, but no matter how many times she would tell her, the weapon seemed to insist on her own fault. "Alice, that's not something you need to let go. What you need to do is accept that it happened and then move on from it. Don't forget it happened, accept that it was a lesson that needed to be learned," she said as she looked back up at Alice.

Lucy had managed to wipe away the last of Alice's tears. By the look on the weapon's face, the meister could tell that the medicine was working. Fatigue slowly crept throughout Alice's body as the medication began to settle in. Lucy had come home fairly late, making her tired as well. She hadn't intended to stay at Nama and Vera's apartment for more than an hour or two, but her tension with Alice had made her force herself to not think about her while she gamed the time away. Now, several hours later, she was paying the price for her mistake. Upon hearing Alice's next words, Lucy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she subconsciously shook her head back and forth. "No no no, Alice, that's...that's not what I meant. I just...if there's something bothering you and it's about me, then please come talk to me about it instead of hiding it in plain sight in Russian with Vera. I just don't want there to be secrets between us okay? We haven't been dating long, but we're partners first and we should still talk about our problems with each other," Lucy quickly said after Alice finished her sentence. She then went on and said, "I don't want you and Vera to let go of your culture, I just don't want you to hide things just because other people can't understand what you're saying, especially if it has to do with me or Nama. Just say it to us."

At long last, it was time to wind down their conversation. The peak had been reached and it was time to settle down. Lucy stayed still as Alice moved on her own, moving her legs and burying her face into Lucy's shoulder. The meister removed her hand from Alice's face and instead placed it behind the girls head. She moved her other hand to the center of Alice's back before she slowly, comfortingly rubbed it. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for yelling," she apologized after her weapon beat her to it. Then, those three words came to life again. Lucy felt herself stuck in a limbo of what exactly to do. Her feelings for Alice grew constantly everyday, but she was still at the same position she was the first time she heard those words. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head to kiss the top of Alice's and said, "I know you do." Lucy let a minute or two of silence pass before she finally said, "C'mon, love, let's get to bed."

[Horridon]

x
x
x
x
x

❦xxFor Alice, one of her greatest shortcomings was the impossible standard she held herself to. She found it difficult to relinquish the guilt of what had happened to Lucy during the whole Kitsune incident. So badly she wanted to be perfect, to be a perfect Weapon for her partner. It ended up causing more problems for herself, making her overly critical of herself, making her secretive--however unintentionally. She hated that she would break down like this, to have to shut down for the rest of the night because even after the panic had worn off the aftermath was just as bad, leaving her ill and exhausted. She wanted to be able to help Lucy and protect her and in her desperation to be perfect, she sabotaged herself. And what she saw from Lucy as a mistake, she saw from herself as something abhorrent. Perhaps it was from living in the shadow of so many siblings, but it was an issue she had struggled with throughout her life.

The response to her words was anticipated and yet she couldn't help feeling disheartened. She knew it wasn't fair of her to feel that way, that Lucy would come around in her own time. And considering the day's events, she definitely didn't expect to hear those words said back to her tonight. She couldn't deny, though, how badly she wanted to hear them. She wanted to have that small reassurance that even though they had had this problem and even though Lucy had been angry or frustrated or both or whatever that they were still happy together. And though there was no reason to assume otherwise, though Lucy was still being caring and gentle in the way she seems to be so good at, she was disheartened. She felt like a raw nerve, all of the nerves in her body seeming to be oversensitive. She knew it was the effect of the migraine but her skin ached and even felt feverish.

Finally, Alice nodded and released her partner. She forced herself to pull away and sighed, exhausted and her head pounding. She didn't even want to change clothes, really. She just wanted to lay down and go to sleep, but she knew she would wake up in a few hours from being uncomfortable in her street clothes and regret not changing. Sluggishly, the Weapon forced herself to get up off the bed and move to the closet. She shed her clothes and dropped them uncaringly into a pile on the floor in front of the closet. Since moving in with Lucy, she had made an effort to at least try to be neater, but for now she couldn't be bothered. To sleep in, she put on a very large longsleeve t-shirt and a very oversized pair of sweatpants that she kept up with the drawstring knotted around her hips. She felt nauseous and chilled and once dressed, Alice retreated back to bed and beneath the covers. While she waited for Lucy, she managed to ask quietly. "Lucy, can you teach me Indonesian?" She waited quietly, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. When she felt her partner settle into bed, she immediately moved to her, nuzzling into the space under her chin and immediately falling asleep.