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"He's fine," Ultima spoke up, keeping her eyes on the horned skeleton, her voice terse. "But if you're the praying type, go for it. Because when he makes it out alive, I'm probably going to kill him for not listening. Again."


Kyle's eyes took in the scene, from the black haired woman, to the fire, to Louis. And not just some amnesiac fragment, either, as it seemed this one knew him all too well. The beginning of his name even caused a stir in his chest, and he couldn't help but hide a chuckle.

"In their defense, I did tell them to do so," he replied, taking the offered seat adjacent to Louis, on the side away from where Kyle entered, and letting the 'expected' comment go for now; there were more pressing matters than his own predictability. "Nothing to drink, thank you."

"Whether it was your intent or not--and I'd wager it certainly wasn't--I'm here because the piece of yourself in Bobbi's heart has been causing some concerning side-effects," he explained, casually leaning back in the chair and appreciating the cushioning after the stressors of conflict. "I'd initially believed it a matter of desynchronization, but your conscious presence seems to imply otherwise. I don't suppose you could shed any light on that?"

And here I'd hoped to be cordial.

"Louis, I don't remember where I got the majority of my own scars," he said, glancing at the man's arm before dully looking up into the other man's gaze for a brief moment; he seemed about as apathetic as the other man had been when he'd recognized the dragoon's actual identity. Afterward, he looked back at the flames, leaning one arm on the armrest and his head on that arm.

Instances in which Louis' arm got wounded that I would know about... Mateus battle? Got nothin', even if I cared. During his stay with us? Replicas at the castle, maybe... Oogie? Chaos? The Dutchman? Or maybe something to do with Ajora? Christ, as if my own memories weren't convoluted enough.

"Spill it," he said, keeping his gaze on the flames. "I'm sure it's relevant somehow."

{ATE .:. The Bright Side .:. 52}
[Kyla: Bobbi’s Heart: station]


“Kyle!?” What was he doing?! The young man disappeared from the safety of her fluttering barrier and into the dark sphere- was he nuts?! Damnit it- not again! Not another strange chamber of darkness, why – oh- WHY did he insist on throwing himself right into the thick of such things like that??
There was no telling fi they could yank him back out again. ‘what was that again about NOT separating?!’

"Oh for petesake-!"

“He’s fine-“ Ultima spoke up answering the girl’s panic- Kyla turned to the summon who continued with her less then pleased tone of voice, asking them to give a prayer for when she dished out her own method of punishment for his behavior. Kyla honestly didn’t know whether to sympathize or worry even more.
She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her page, deciding to prepare in case something went wrong-“I'll start in my head- in the meantime..-does he have a plan B by any chance?”

"I'm well aware of the costs," his gaze was steely, direct, and final, "the only thing I'm not quite aware of is why I even care."

Another short sip, a swirl of liquid within the glass as his eyes followed the tiny whirlpool. The piano picked up slightly, but not by much, it was a pleasant sound, gentle and a little foreboding. Louis closed his eyes and listened, his breaths calming as fatigue seemed to trickle away from his face, only for him to continue and the tension around his eyes return, "Your friend, she scoffed at his death you know, took pleasure in watching Ajora suffer."

"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean it that way. I meant, I don't know why I care, in that why I even worry about you or the others. After all, it's not like I was friends with any of you, yet I was willing to nearly kill myself at times to protect you. I endured so much pain for people who would despise me for little more than my use of darkness as a source of my power and a summon who couldn't control his desire for revenge. It all seems so pointless now and I can't quite fathom what came over me to go to such lengths."

Louis laughed, "But, to answer your question, if it's about teaching a lesson... hardly. I can't control the magic of my spell anymore. Something cut off my direct control awhile ago. Maybe it's what you said though, about karma. I can only provide support for my spell passively at this point by leaving the door open and sending power out in hopes it reached something. The rest is fueled by her own darkness, be whatever that is. If she happens to be suffering from that though, good riddance. Regardless of yours or her excuses, Ajora was the only person in this ******** up world who I considered truly my friend. No one else saw me as I truly was and accepted me as such. She and the rest of your pathetic band of hypocrites can burn for all I care. Whatever part of me that might have given a damn for your well being, at this point, was killed off a long time ago."

Louis finished his glass and placed it back on the table, the click against the hard wood surface against the glass sent a shift in the air, a flicker not unlike the one that the others had experienced before while Kyle was blinded by clarity, "Ah well, not that it matters."

As Kyle laughed, and laughed, and giggled, chuckled, and laughed a bit more after some jabs at Louis' character. The boy simply stared at him with the same, apathetic glare, "You are more like him than you realize, though, still you fail to understand. But, if cold is what I am, cold was what I needed to be to do what needs to be done."

Louis laughed, himself, Kyle's chuckle a bit infectious, "It really doesn't matter does it? Your pain is nothing... and soon you'll all be free of it. The pain I cause you now, will only save you a lifetime of pain later."

The soft brush of fabric against fabric joined the piano as Louis stood, looking at Kyle, "I think, it was Ajora who once told me, maybe it wasn't, but, someone once said, Death is too sweet a release. One requires pain to appreciate the release true death brings," in the blink of an eye Louis was standing over Kyle, knee on the chair, body bend over his as his fingers closed over Kyle's throat, squeezing.

[[Cue: Prison Strip from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni]]

Kyle could feel pressure, but, it was a ghost pain, like the touch of a dream. He could breathe, his throat was fine, but the fingers were there. The world flickered and shifted violently, "Come, Kyle-" Louis bent down and stared at Kyle so closely all he could see was his crazed, haunted, pleading, desperate, infuriated, pained eyes that ignited within from a familiar, gut wrenching crimson.

The world shifted, he was no longer in the study, he was pressed against a pillar that lined a massive throne room. Bodies and blood lined every inch and cranny of the massive hall. No surface was spared, bodies even hung impaled on the ceiling. A familiar armored figure sat upon the throne while Louis held a rapier in one hand, Kyle's throat in the other as his feet dangled just above the floor, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

Kyle felt a voice surge up from his own throat, coughing and gagging as the grip tightened, "SOMEONE WILL STOP YOU!"

Louis' mouth didn't move but he continued to speak, flashes of Louis' eyes dominating his view flashed and intruded his vision repeatedly, "-let's see how much pain you can endure. I'll kill you as many times as it takes. Over and over and over and ovER AND OVER AND OVER!!!~"

Kyle felt the dull pressure in his gut as the sword pierced his diaphragm and moved up, but no pain. Still he screamed, a voice not his own cried out in vein, "AHAHAHAHA! That's right, you'll die as many times as you need to till you're satisfied. It will make when you finally BEG for release from the pain, that I will grant you what you really desire. Don't give up too quickly on me though. I wouldn't want you to miss out! Wouldn't want to spoil your reward!"

All that filled Kyle's ears now was the insane, wild laughter that Louis spewed form as the the vision tore away and Kyle was jerked back out of Louis grip and thrown somewhere... else. He stood on a stain-glass platform, the mosaic an armored demon curled up with chains wrapping around his limbs with a giant metal collar clamped over his neck. Louis stood there at the center some distance from Kyle, behind him, a demon similar to the one in in the picture, an entire squad of them all surrounded the boy with the largest one in the back that gave off an entirely different feel from the others, "Die. Die. Die! DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIEDIEDIE- Come KYLE!!! AAAJOOOOORAAAA! LET'S NOT KEEP THE OTHERS WAITING! LET THE FINAL GAME BEGIN! HAHA- HAHAHAHAHAA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

His laughter followed Kyle even as the platform ripped itself from beneath him and he flew backwards into the Abyss, through a wooden door frame, where at last he felt as though he was falling, wind ripping past him. Sparks and light zipped around him, converging violently on a single point, growing with intensity before snapping together with a boom. He could see some thing, in the dark, there- a light, a small, glowing shard of crystal, wrapped in darkness that threatened to devour it and snuff out the light forever.

[ATE: The Bright Side: 60]
[Joe: Bobbi's Heart: Station of Awakening]

The fighter kicked around what was left of the skeleton he kicked. It seemed to be not...doing anything. Which was a little anti-climatic for him, but he did have an emotion other than disappointment. Anger, really, as Kyle just kinda went right into that damn orb. Ultima didn't seem too worried, mentioning killing the dragoon later. Of course, she might have caught a muttered "Not before I do..."

As he kicked the toe of his boots against the platform to get the bone dust off of his boots and pants, he listened to Kyla and Ultima, lightening up a little. If Kyle was taking him into consideration and actively wasn't trying to risk his life...maybe he wouldn't kill the dragoon. Only maim him. Out of care and worry , of course.

Still, they were outside and waiting. Which was never fun for the waiters.