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Karate. There was a part of Lee that was concerned by the girls’ interest in such thing. Her personal policy had been that neither got to see her work - she didn’t want to worry them, even if they knew what she was doing. It was possible they worried anyways. But she also hadn’t liked the idea of leaving them defenseless, so Karate it had been - at least until Raena had lost interest and traded it for swimming.

“Can we stop and get food on the way back?” Radiata asked, keeping pace at Lee’s side as the two walked from one end of the gym to the other. It wasn’t Lee’s usual haunt - another notch in her desire to keep her life separate - but the tall woman and her two tiny wards had left a distinct impression on the staff and she nodded back towards anybody who waved at them. “If you and Raena can agree on something, yes.” Radiata scrunched up her face, Lee knowing they often didn’t.

Still, she watched as she ran off ahead towards the pool to find her twin so they could at least start the arguing ahead of time. They’d at least narrowed it down by the time Lee caught up.

“We have that at home! Come on! We should at least get something good!” Radiata pressed as Raena rested her towel over her shoulders, frowning.

“I don’t like Mexican,” Raena reminded, “makes my stomach mad. We should just stop for burgers and be done with it.”

“But we have stuff for burgers at home! Can’t we at least do like Noodles and Co or something?” Radiata countered.

“We have noodles at home too,” Lee reminded as she joined the two girls, reaching out to ruffle both of their hair before taking Raena’s bag and adding it to the one already over her shoulder. Radiata scrunched up her face. “Spaghetti isn’t the same,” she pointed out and Lee half-smiled at her. Though after a moment of staring up at Lee’s face, Radiata turned to Raena in a conspiratorial whisper; “Popeye’s. Chicken and Shrimp, yeah?”

Lee laughed internally. Now they were trying to get her in on it. Radiata just didn’t want to eat home-food.

Raena considered the suggestion for a minute, then scrunched her face up in a near mirror image of her sister’s expression. “Japanese Food,” she suggested. Radiata scrunched her face back at Raena in a long moment of silence. Then conceded.

“Japanese food.”

-----

The closest option had been far more expensive than Lee had been wanting to spend on a night’s dinner, so the trio instead made their way to a slightly more out-of-the-way place. It was a little hole-in-the-wall sort of place, but not entirely out of the way. Just…..farther than either girl had apparently been ready to walk.

“Why didn’t you bring the car?” Radiata whined, half hanging off of her sister’s arm while Raena dragged her feet. Lee smirked. “Because we usually walk 7 minutes, not 20,” she reminded, lifting her arm to force Radiata back up onto her feet. “Walking is good for you,” Lee added, causing both girls to groan. Sometimes she was a little too practical for their liking.

The three circled the corner before the sight of the restaurant in the distance caused Radiata to perk up, grabbing her sister’s arm to lead the way. Lee kept close at their heels, stopping only when a commotion across the street - a loud racket like howling dogs and yelling - caused all three of the sister’s to stop. Quietly, Lee handed the twins their bags and one of them her wallet.

“Go inside. Order if they ask what you want,” she instructed, squaring up her shoulders. “Are you sure?” Raena asked hesitantly, reaching for her twin’s hand. “It’ll be a minute,” Lee pressed, knowing fully she didn’t have to go. But it wouldn’t have felt right to not make sure.

It was quick work to cross the street, the cacophany seeming to grow louder than it should have as she drew closer. There was an open door and Lee lingered at the doorway. “Hey,” her voice carried even though she hadn’t shouted, and all at once silence settled in. She didn’t like it.

Then it was back, like a nest of bees that had been stepped in, a shroud of horrible sounds fighting for dominance on which was the worst and making her head ring as…something came shuffling through the entryway towards her. Lee nearly stepped back as it’s horrible, shambling shape hit the light except -

“What’s that?”

Radiata stood at her elbow, her sister close at her side holding a hand over her mouth. Lee’s blood seemed to ignite. “Go. Back,” she hissed. “We just-” “That’s not fair-” both girl’s opened their mouths to protest but were cut off as the mass of limbs and horrendous sound surged forth and Lee stepped in without hesitation to force her weight into it. Every touch felt like her flesh was corroding, trying to peel flesh from bone.

“Lee!” Raena reached out and Lee snarled back over her shoulder - “I SAID GO INSIDE!” “But your arms!” Raena whimpered, leaning into her sister as Radiata stepped between her and Lee - or rather, her and the creature Lee was tangling herself into. Lee could feel the slickness of her arms amongst all the burning and noise. But she wouldn’t look away from the girls - and she would never let this thing another step towards them.

Why wouldn’t they leave?

Make them submit.

The mere suggestion sizzled through the pain in her senses and Lee growled, even as her arm sunk into oozing flesh. There was something hard and metal inside - but small. She held onto it.

“Radiata!” Lee’s tone was sharp and her sister immediately squared up - ready. “Take your sister inside like I told you to. No̷w.” She still hesitated for a moment, before turning to push Raena - still struggling herself - out of eyeshot. Away from this thing.

Lee’s arms looked like she’d peeled her flesh off, covered in hissing burns. It hurt more now that she looked at them. She should have ignored it.

Make it submit. Establish your dominance. Make it -

“K͏̧̨̰͉̖̩̕ͅN̴̨̼̣̣̰͔̪̹̻̲͕͟͝ͅÉ̟̳̘̱̰̣̕Ȩ̨͖̠͕̻̬͓̟̲̣̟͇̣͖̤͔̥̙͜͜L̸̡͇̭̠̟”

She slipped the item she held around her hand - around her finger - it’s shape obscured but familiar all the same, like pulling on a shirt - a skin - she’d worn so many times before. A familiar power that made it all the easier to ignore that she wasn’t wearing Lee anymore.

Pulling her arm from the ooze, she recognized the ring around her finger in the brief moment she caught a glance of it before she sunk her fist back into the creature, it’s screaming cacophonic howl growing louder as she pulled back, rested a foot on it and swung her other fist into it as well. It struggled against her weight and the unforgiving punishment of her bloody arms.

Blood - clearly not it’s own, though Lee Overlord couldn’t say why she could tell that - oozed from it, like a cold sweat. She sunk her fingers into those bloody spots, yanking, threatening to force flesh asunder - though there was no flesh and it only continued to drip like an eldritch candle as she forced the top from the bottom, without even the satisfaction of a crunching noise of tearing flesh - which in this case would have sounded like progress.

Then it fell to dust, making Lee Overlord lose her balance, nearly landing on her face as she panted, looking over the scene. There was no sign anybody had been there except her and the…thing - a relief, in a way - but for the first time, she took in her everything. This wasn’t what she’d been wearing. This didn't feel like her. This was the wrong place, this wasn’t -

Wasn’t…


The sudden fumbling of her brain was all it took to send her tumbling out of Overlord’s skin and back into Lee’s even before she’d stepped back out into the street, peering back towards the restaurant where her sister’s stood, waiting and fearful. Lee took in her appearance - her shirt a bit of a mess, but the slick burns of her arms and neck gone - just like the thing that had collapsed to dust. She had a lot of questions.

But she would find their answers later as she crossed the street to gather the girls in her arms, hugging them tightly, then herded them inside at last. “What was that?” Radiata asked in a soft whisper, Raena leaning in as well, eager for an answer. Lee ruffled her own hair with a frown. “I don’t know - and let’s not tell anybody about it until I figure it out, alright?”

Right then, she needed to eat and get them home. She’d have to make heads or tails of everything that had happened later.