Gently Ponsonby had been recovering at Dennis’ house for some time. She was finally strong enough to move about on her own, and knew she would feel even better once she powered up and went back to the Negaverse. She did not do that just yet, though, as she did not want anyone to notice her aura or give her away. For all anyone else knew, she was dead or at the very least just missing in action. Only Merlinite was aware that she was alive, and he was sworn to secrecy.

Still, she felt like she had missed a lot in her weeks of internment and recovery, and was finally able to head outside and catch up on a few things. She walked slowly up the familiar front walk of her home, reaching into her pocket to fish out her keys. Opening the door with a little bit of effort, she stepped inside and held her breath, expecting to find a very concerned and probably confused house mate coming to greet her. There was no one, however, at the door, nor in the house, which was dark and silent. Cold. No one had been here for some time, it seemed.

Frowning, Gently limped her way slowly into the kitchen, then around the house, until she finally found a piece of paper with her name on it. Picking up the note, she read over the simple, short goodbye and turned over the words in her mind. He was gone. Zippy had left her while she was gone, abandoning her, she supposed, because he thought she abandoned him. But the feeling clinging to the air was something deeper than she really understood. He was gone, but in what way?

She understood more than her waking mind would accept. She closed her eyes, crinkling the paper in her hand. What had she been expecting? Someone waiting for her, happy to see her? She was a monster, a hunter: she was alone, and all she had to take solace in was her ability to tear her enemies apart for their transgressions. She had no friends, no allies: she was alone, and she always would be. There was no way for her to change that now and she did not want to. Did she? No. This was who she was. A huntress.

The truth remained though, that she was hurting because she felt like no one. She had made herself this way, and still the pain of the reality of it was just too much. Somehow she thought he would be here, someone would be here. Someone would notice her missing, and someone would care. In a way, he had been her only hope, her only tie to the good things of life. Friendship. But he was not there, and he would not be: he had abandoned her, just like everything else in her life. She was not meant to have friends, or family. She was not meant to be a part of anything beyond herself. The Negaverse, her civilian life: it was all the same. Filled with people she could not trust.

Except Merlinite. He had taken care of her when the knight left her for dead. He had taken her in, knowing who she was, and followed her pained and nonsensical orders, despite knowing better, probably. He had respected her and shown her the kind of care she thought was void from her life now. He was the only one she had left, the only friend she could name. Everything else was cast into doubt, through rumor, through strange memories and dreams, and through cryptic notes. Nothing else mattered.

She could handle herself, and she could keep Merlinite close. She would make sure that he was the last person who she ever opened her trust up to, and with that thought put all the faith she had left in her blackened heart in him. Dropping the crumpled note to the floor, Gently turned from her home and walked out the front door, leaving it open behind her.

Let someone who wanted that life have it. Painite was done with it. Where ever this road was taking her, it was away from the things she knew. Toward something so much more important. She needed to focus.

The Royal Knight and his family: all those responsible for the pain she had suffered, and her untimely ‘death’: they were the ones that needed her focus now. She needed to push all these pathetic, weak thoughts of loneliness from her mind and bring her focus on her plans for revenge. She would do something grand, something incredible. And she would do it alone, with only Merlinite beside her, as that was all she needed.

Not even believing herself, she walked away from her house and back the way she had come, across the city, to Dennis’ place. It had become more of a home to her after all of this, anyway, and she was glad to return there.

Her resolve set itself during her slow walk back. She opened the door and Dennis looked up, terrified that she had gone missing and running up to her.

“What are you doing, walking around? You’re barely healed enough for that! Where did you go?!”

“Shut up,” she said, but she said it softly. He looked at her in surprise, taking her hand and helping to walk her to the sofa. She looked tired, but there was a strange calm about her. “We’re going to get revenge for this. You and I are going to kill a Royal Knight. And his family. And we’re going to start tonight.”