F̸͍͙̞͛̒͘R̸̘̪̔͛̚͜Ḯ̵̼̺̔͜͝E̴̟͓̝͌͋N̸̡͉̐͋̕͜D̸̙̪͖̓͆.̵͓͚̻͛͐͝

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤslavering maw, dripping with pink - tinted
ㅤㅤㅤㅤspit. the last batch felt as if it had come along
ㅤㅤㅤㅤso LONG AGO ... feasting on rotting remains
ㅤㅤㅤㅤcould only satiate it so much ...

ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' h-h-h-here come the planes ... '

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤa low, tittering giggle ; pointed ears
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤflick. they're fortunate, for now, that
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit's not in the mood to move. a crumpled
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤheap at the floor, that lets out a chilling
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤsigh. soon. soon.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' s-s-stay ... isaak ... s-stay ... '

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤit failed to protect them. the instances it could not.
ㅤㅤㅤthose days where it was an untouchable thing. a
ㅤㅤㅤbreath, quick, and another. it's almost panting, in
ㅤㅤㅤsome pseudo- anxiety attack over memory alone.
ㅤㅤㅤit releases them, crumpling to the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤa pitched sound of frustration ; words would fail,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤthis it knew. there was no point, truly, in an attempt
ㅤㅤㅤㅤto vocalize. they assure it, best they can - these
ㅤㅤㅤㅤwounds and lascerations would heal in time. but
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit cannot help but think of its' child. the instances -

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit circles them, claw jabbing into their chest.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' d-d-𝘋𝘜𝘔𝘉 ... lyric ... i-i-i-important. '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit meant that, with sincerity. it looks over severity
ㅤㅤㅤㅤof wounds once more, and lets out a shuddered
ㅤㅤㅤㅤsigh.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤpupils slit, narrow, aggressive. it did not
ㅤㅤㅤㅤspeak of death so casually, not against
ㅤㅤㅤㅤthose that it cared for. it'd grip them,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤshake them, if it could - but it's mindful.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤas mindful as it could be, for what it was.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤa sneer, low clicking in its' chest. for all
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit respected lyric ; fine. but, were the chance
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpresented - it would surely strip the wings
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤof a dragon, and wear them as a cloak.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit nods - of course it was worried. it spared
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤshinji out of that concern.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤand f-f-furious anger those
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwho attempt to poison
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤand destroy my brothers. '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤsomething it'd heard, once. too many
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤmoons ago.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' t-t-t-taken. '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤit wasn't stupid ; foolish. it knew what kidnapping
ㅤㅤwas. pale brow furrows, and its' maw parts, near
ㅤㅤfamiliar sound playing.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' a-a-and i will strike down upon thee
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwith great vengeance, -

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit's gentle, careful, setting them down.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit squats, eye level with them. lower pair
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤinvestigates wounds, fingers oddly gentle
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤas they skim over scaled skin. hurt. they're
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤhurt.
ㅤㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' why. '

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit lifts @lunarscaled.bsky.social 'neath their
ㅤㅤㅤㅤarms, ears moving upward, downward for
ㅤㅤㅤㅤa moment. joy is temporary. too temporary.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit leans over them, shadow cast.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ' missing - missing - missing - WHERE. '

A tv showing static. a black silhouette with long fingers presses against the inside of the screen

The same figure is perched on a fence, a strange creature covered in brown hair, with one long arm showing, and a featureless shiny black head that only has two staring eyes

He escapes through the tv static

a creature with a doll-like head on a long slender neck emerges from behind an overturned boat. it's covered in filthy wet hair, and grins towards the camera

Behind the lake house

ㅤ
ㅤㅤa chilly, irritated sigh, from creatures' maw, and
ㅤㅤit only looks to him, eyes upon one side drifting to
ㅤㅤshinji.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' wait. wait. wait. WAIT. '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤlike a passenger pole, it repeats, over and over.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤwhat a pain ; what agony. to be misunderstood.
ㅤㅤbut, shinji seems to, at last, understand. isaak, with
ㅤㅤsome measure of enthusiasm, nods, before entirely
ㅤㅤdropping the other without much of a second thought.
ㅤㅤwaiting was not ... ideal, but it's what was offered to
ㅤㅤthem.

ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤ' 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍. 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆. ' the big one. the
ㅤㅤㅤone with too much weight, to throw around, the
ㅤㅤㅤone whose existence made isaak bristle. that,
ㅤㅤㅤit surmised, is where lyric went. but where the
ㅤㅤㅤbig one would dwell, it did not know. it could not
ㅤㅤㅤventure to guess.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤif only it were articulate. if only it knew what
ㅤㅤㅤㅤto say, how to say it. YES, lyric was missing,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤbut shinji could not hope to understand the
ㅤㅤㅤㅤgravity of that word. hands reach, snatch out,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤgripping him hard as thumbs press into
ㅤㅤㅤㅤshinigami's chest.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit had checked, hueco mundo, and the bellows
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤof a humans' world. limbs snap and crackle, as
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit pushes itself to stand.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' missing - missing - missing - missing - '

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit lets something akin to a death - rattle loose,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤa groaning, low - whine that's almost as gutteral
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤas a beasts' roar. it'd checked everywhere. it's
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤchecked the listless, endless rooms of its' home,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit'd checked the shadows of their guild.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit knows enough. it knows enough that
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤan espada, and his partner, were on the
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤway. knew enough, too, that they likely
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwould not come back. isaak detested
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthat dragon, loathsome creature. it snarls,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤpupils shrinking as eyes dart to shinji.

* limbs I need my glasses so bad

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' l - lost ... things ... ' were not to be found.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwhere ever lyric was taken, was too far for it
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤto detect. too far for it to skitter to.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit groans, as body topples into a heap of tangled
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤlips and mussed mane.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' h-h-hello ? ' it recites, teeth parting.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' this is your mother ; are you there ?
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤare you coming h-h-h-home ? '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit worries to a degree that can be seen
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤas only childish. fretting, with claws, ears
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤlow. it's lost too much, already. not again.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤnever again.

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' danger. '
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤthey have an idea. that which was massive
ㅤㅤㅤㅤin comparison, he who was WOEFULLY angry.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤinsecure. grip relents, and isaak parts, if only
ㅤㅤㅤㅤto face shinji. lower eyes blink.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' c-c-c-c-coming home ? '

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤclaws are gentle, tittering laugher
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤoddly distant. grip comes 'round
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤforearms but voice does carry
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤsome sense of ... worry. of dread.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' missing - missing - missing -missing -'

ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit's ears pull down, back. it was rather good,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤat detecting live bodies around ; but it could
ㅤㅤㅤㅤnot find lyric, no matter how it tried. it's eyes
ㅤㅤㅤㅤdart away, but it nods.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit'd try. that's all it could do, was try.

ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit does not pick him up. not this time.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤit merely bends down, vertebre crackling
ㅤㅤㅤㅤas it moves lower, lower.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ@goreverruga.bsky.social ; it was worried.
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ' missing - missing - missing - miss -'