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[A soft sound, barely that of a whimper escapes her as he sits up and away from her— his memories hurt to feel, to see, but it must hurt most of all to experience. Even seeing it all through his eyes is nothing compared to the rage and betrayal he must have felt in that moment; watching his "family" watch him be destroyed...]
I... don't know, either. But ever since that night— [He knows the one.] —I've been having these... weird dreams. They're not like mine at all. [Her dreams are usually off-the-wall nonsense like manifesting the physical embodiment of her gun as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from the Dune series telling her that she'll never, ever be happy—]
I kept seeing these... people. They don't... necessarily look like you, but. They have the tattoos. Like you said, in a different spot than yours. A woman with one on her chest, another with one on his tongue. An old man with one where his eye should be...
[She shivers, bringing her now unoccupied hands up to her shoulders to squeeze herself tightly in a self-administered hug. There's darkness, the sound of water splashing, panting, the ache of loss, fear.]
He's the worst of all. It always hurts when I see that one. [Her hands migrate to her collarbones, the places where Greed's arrays would be. She can't see his face from here, but she can tell by the tone of his voice that he's trying to play it off like it's nothing.
She knows that game so well. ]
Don't apologize. It's not like you meant to...
[The young vampire sits up then, scooting forward and moving to slip her arms around him from behind to nuzzle her cheek in the space between his shoulder blades. It may be that she's a vampire or that she's cold-natured, but she can't help but find comfort in the heat that radiates from him, and it's since become one of her favorite parts of her nights with the sin.
And in this moment, above all, all she can hope is to offer even the slightest comfort to him in return.]
I... don't— I can't —understand everything that I've seen, but. I'm... I'm so sorry.
[She grips her own wrist at his hip to stave off the shake, attempting (and failing) at sucking in a steady breath. But her chest hurts, her throat is tight and the telltale burning behind her eyes is threatening to burst open the floodgates.]
[Remembering. Memories. They're something of a sore spot, aren't they? Not just what happened in the previous incarnation of the 'Nest, but the fact that his everything (his life, his accomplishments, his things) had once been stolen from him too. Stolen and swindled away as the rest of the would-be family watched him burn like a witch for his crimes.]
[Greed's eyes narrow and something in his mouth audible cracks, followed swiftly by the undeniable sound of his stone licking away a wound.] The woman you're seeing is called Lust. [He finds himself again. At least she's not entirely a bad one to think of.] The Ultimate Spear to my Ultimate Shield. [He doesn't remember if he's ever actually told anyone that before. Yes, he's shown it off. And yes, he's proved what it can do. But has he ever said it before? His Father-given gift of all things, and ultimate only when he chose to use it for the right reasons.]
[The Sin's eyes chase over the wall furthest away and as they do, they start flipping. Purple mostly, but that hum of red lingers. Lingers like blood in the air and calls him for filth.] Gluttony's the one with the tongue. He couldn't do anything without Lust and Envy. I almost feel bad for him. He never really knew what we were doing -
[Old man, she says. Old man, and Greed's whole body goes as hard as steel. His upper lip peels away from his teeth and maybe he's never noticed before (or maybe nothing has ever gotten him before), but his teeth are stretching out. Even without the 'Shield, they're stretching out, extending, like a different kind of monster entirely. And all the while, his core drums on; drums and pounds and beats at his chest silently, but no less demanding:]
["Are you an idiot? Who the fuck do you think I am? I'm Greed. Money, women, subordinates. They're all my possessions! And no one takes what's mine!"]
[He inhales sharply through his nose and his teeth shrink back down.] Wrath. King Bradley. He - ["Took everything from me." That's what he wants to say. But that opens up a can of worm he's not entirely ready for. The 'Nest's final days, playing out in blood and bullets. Greed, very slowly, shrugs his shoulders.] Let's just say that he owes me. But the bastard up and died before I had the chance to collect.
[Again, the funny thing about memories: he can picture that moment. That moment where the world's end balanced on the head of a pin, and all he could focus on was Wrath. Wrath's aged, grayed body, splayed out on the floor with his arms missing and that self-satisfied smile planted on his face. The man didn't deserve to smile at the end of it. He didn't deserve that payment. He was in debt, and men in debt should have to suffer out until they've paid back their pounds in flesh.]
[Seras is on him before he knows it and that's when the shock really hits him. Not when she spilled the things she's seen, no. It's this. Greed doesn't breathe and maybe, he can't. Because he can feel the lightest tickle of panic like a scratch in his skull. She should know better. If she's seen it, she should know better.]
[The Sin smothers her hand with his.] Don't apologize to me. It's over, it's done. And who said I didn't deserve it, hmn? You don't know what I've done, Seras. [He says it like he's trying to chase away all of this. Chase it away and bury it again.]
Besides, that was a long time ago. Doesn't matter now.
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I... don't know, either. But ever since that night— [He knows the one.] —I've been having these... weird dreams. They're not like mine at all. [Her dreams are usually off-the-wall nonsense like manifesting the physical embodiment of her gun as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from the Dune series telling her that she'll never, ever be happy—]
I kept seeing these... people. They don't... necessarily look like you, but. They have the tattoos. Like you said, in a different spot than yours. A woman with one on her chest, another with one on his tongue. An old man with one where his eye should be...
[She shivers, bringing her now unoccupied hands up to her shoulders to squeeze herself tightly in a self-administered hug. There's darkness, the sound of water splashing, panting, the ache of loss, fear.]
He's the worst of all. It always hurts when I see that one. [Her hands migrate to her collarbones, the places where Greed's arrays would be. She can't see his face from here, but she can tell by the tone of his voice that he's trying to play it off like it's nothing.
She knows that game so well. ]
Don't apologize. It's not like you meant to...
[The young vampire sits up then, scooting forward and moving to slip her arms around him from behind to nuzzle her cheek in the space between his shoulder blades. It may be that she's a vampire or that she's cold-natured, but she can't help but find comfort in the heat that radiates from him, and it's since become one of her favorite parts of her nights with the sin.
And in this moment, above all, all she can hope is to offer even the slightest comfort to him in return.]
I... don't— I can't —understand everything that I've seen, but. I'm... I'm so sorry.
[She grips her own wrist at his hip to stave off the shake, attempting (and failing) at sucking in a steady breath. But her chest hurts, her throat is tight and the telltale burning behind her eyes is threatening to burst open the floodgates.]
You didn't deserve that.
no subject
[Greed's eyes narrow and something in his mouth audible cracks, followed swiftly by the undeniable sound of his stone licking away a wound.] The woman you're seeing is called Lust. [He finds himself again. At least she's not entirely a bad one to think of.] The Ultimate Spear to my Ultimate Shield. [He doesn't remember if he's ever actually told anyone that before. Yes, he's shown it off. And yes, he's proved what it can do. But has he ever said it before? His Father-given gift of all things, and ultimate only when he chose to use it for the right reasons.]
[The Sin's eyes chase over the wall furthest away and as they do, they start flipping. Purple mostly, but that hum of red lingers. Lingers like blood in the air and calls him for filth.] Gluttony's the one with the tongue. He couldn't do anything without Lust and Envy. I almost feel bad for him. He never really knew what we were doing -
[Old man, she says. Old man, and Greed's whole body goes as hard as steel. His upper lip peels away from his teeth and maybe he's never noticed before (or maybe nothing has ever gotten him before), but his teeth are stretching out. Even without the 'Shield, they're stretching out, extending, like a different kind of monster entirely. And all the while, his core drums on; drums and pounds and beats at his chest silently, but no less demanding:]
["Are you an idiot? Who the fuck do you think I am? I'm Greed. Money, women, subordinates. They're all my possessions! And no one takes what's mine!"]
[He inhales sharply through his nose and his teeth shrink back down.] Wrath. King Bradley. He - ["Took everything from me." That's what he wants to say. But that opens up a can of worm he's not entirely ready for. The 'Nest's final days, playing out in blood and bullets. Greed, very slowly, shrugs his shoulders.] Let's just say that he owes me. But the bastard up and died before I had the chance to collect.
[Again, the funny thing about memories: he can picture that moment. That moment where the world's end balanced on the head of a pin, and all he could focus on was Wrath. Wrath's aged, grayed body, splayed out on the floor with his arms missing and that self-satisfied smile planted on his face. The man didn't deserve to smile at the end of it. He didn't deserve that payment. He was in debt, and men in debt should have to suffer out until they've paid back their pounds in flesh.]
[Seras is on him before he knows it and that's when the shock really hits him. Not when she spilled the things she's seen, no. It's this. Greed doesn't breathe and maybe, he can't. Because he can feel the lightest tickle of panic like a scratch in his skull. She should know better. If she's seen it, she should know better.]
[The Sin smothers her hand with his.] Don't apologize to me. It's over, it's done. And who said I didn't deserve it, hmn? You don't know what I've done, Seras. [He says it like he's trying to chase away all of this. Chase it away and bury it again.]
Besides, that was a long time ago. Doesn't matter now.