Little Girl in the Park [JT, R, Closed]

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

A tiny pair of bare feet hurried along the ill-looking grass. The murky grey sky restlessly grumbled. Thick blackened clouds were dragged down by the heavy rain which sloshed inside their delicate frame. The clouds which struggled to withstand the burden soon gave in. Rain poured down over the city with a satisfying roar. As the deluge covered the land, the small framed child struggled to unfurl the umbrella in her hand. Floop! The umbrella abruptly expanded, startling the child despite her satisfied smile. She lifted the umbrella high above her, shielding herself from the sky’s wrath.

Upon the umbrella was the rhythm of the rain, each drop a clear beat upon the cerise fabric. Her eyes met the edge of the umbrella and she watched as the rain poured and landed on the ground below. It wasn’t just rain. It was a downpour as heavy as she had seen in years. Walking through a waterfall couldn’t get one wetter. The drops struck the already wet sidewalk, pitting the surface like they were bullets from above. It seemed everyone else was in as much of a hurry to protect themselves from the rain, many taking refuge under the cover of nearby awnings.

Her fingers tightened around the smooth handle, a tiny grin growing wider as she schemed horrible and gruesome things. Nadezhda casually walked along the sidewalk, glancing over at those taking refuge from the rain. Others passed her by, safe under their own umbrella. Now how will she get one alone? Quite the conundrum. Or maybe it was more simple than she thought. She turned and faced the entrance to the park. This place was unique because it was gated, with only a number of entrances. Hunting there had proven successful before.

Acknowledging social convention, she peered down both sides of the street and walked across. She mustn’t draw attention to herself as she did shortly after waking in this time. The horses of today were now made of metal and squawked at her like a mutated duck should she interfere with their course. She had learned a great deal since waking from her unplanned slumber. She casually entered the park as the rain was starting to slow. The rain was actually a convenient distraction.

She passed by dozens of people as she made her way through the park. She was reminded of the secluded running path divided by the park as a couple ran by. She let her umbrella fall to her side as she walked the narrowly paved path. It was surrounded by dense foliage and therefore made for convenient hunting. “Little girl, you’re blocking the path. This is for runners and cyclists. Go back to the park.” A man shouted impatiently as he jogged beside her. “Was I in your…” She said before he rudely bolted off. “We’ve got one.” She said with a sinister whisper.

Nadezhda folded her umbrella and placed half of it in her backpack before zipping the edges around it. She looked around for a second, spotting no nearby runners. Turning to face the distant man, she smiled and bolted down the path. Her tiny feet slapped along the pavement as she swiftly pursued the man, gaining on him with ease. She leaped into the bushes, causing a great commotion beside him. He glanced over confusingly before stopping to inspect the area with his gaze. “Better be no rabid animals living in there.” He said gruffly.

Upon turning to face forward, he was at first startled to see Nadezhda standing several feet in front of him. His eyes narrowed as his mind attempted to make sense of the situation. He looked behind him, hoping to see the young girl he scolded in the distance. She wasn’t there. No, she was in front of him. Or was she? This couldn’t be the same girl. That’d be impossible. The girl behind him was holding an umbrella, so this is different. That was surely a comforting thought for him.

He began to jog forward, his pace much slower than before. He glanced at the girl, her eyes cast to the ground. He couldn’t help but find the entire situation alarming, but what did he have to fear from a mere child? As he passed by, Nadezhda turned and grabbed his shirt, causing him to fall backward forcefully. He looked up at her as she gazed back at him. She bared her teeth with a smile and spoke softly. “I’m no animal, but I can’t say the same for rabid.” She then grabbed him and dashed into the bushes, his face and body smashing up against the branches and leaves.

The man groaned as he rolled across the ground. “It is nearly sundown, so this running path is all but deserted. Shifty characters come out at night, you know. You wouldn’t want a run in when one of them.” She said with a giggle. The man attempted to scream, but Nadezhda shoved a clump of leaves in his mouth. “Don’t speak with your mouth full.” She said. “You’re likely to choke and it is rather rude.” As the sun crept behind the horizon, shadows gradually spread throughout the area. Nadezhda grabbed the man by the hand and began dragging him through the bushes.

“Let’s do this where I can splash a little water on my face afterward. Things can get messy when you haven’t eaten in a while, am I right?” She joked cruelly. Nadezhda abruptly tossed the man like a rag doll, his body landing near the dimly lit fountain. “You’re a skinny fella, huh? I prefer my meals to have more meat on the bone, but I guess you’ll do. Is this all you do? Run along this path so that body of yours becomes thinner and thinner?” She mocked. “In my day the bulkier were more privileged, but it doesn’t seem to be that way anymore. Everyone wants to be frail like you. I don’t understand it”

The shadows of night disfigured Nadezhda’s features. It seemed only her eyes were acutely visible in the chilly darkness. She tilted her head to the side as if to contemplate her next action. Without warning, Nadezhda plucked the mans arm from its socket. The man shouted, practically foaming at the mouth in pain. She took a large bite from his bicep, tearing a long strip of skin and muscle. The man’s vision dulled, hearing only a faint chomping amid the haze. “Pretty good for a stick figure man.” She jested as blood pooled along her jaw.

Letting the arm drop to the ground, Nadezhda kneeled beside the man. His eyes seemed to criss-cross as his consciousness faded, no doubt a combination of blood loss and pain. “Let’s hope the main course isn’t as trim.” Nadezhda smiled, her teeth stained with the man’s blood. Just then she plunged her hand into his chest, clutching his heart in her hand. “You might not know this, but a man’s heart is a delicacy where I come from. Then again, I imagine they intended such phrasing to mean something entirely different.” She then tore out his heart and shoved it in her widened maw, chomping down without reservation.

[Eve Timor]

Timor actually kinda liked the rain. In a way, the dull rorar of the water hitting the ground had it's own sort of monotonous constant, a sort of natural tuning fork to listen to as she walked. She was bundled up, not in her usual flashy cubwear. Torn jeans and a shirt beneath her usual jacket that was her doll, and of course her hair was tied back into a mildly-tamed ponytail. Her doll hummed happily, Affen all but dancing about in the rain as she enjoyed the deluge even more than timor did from under her umbrella. For all her efforts, the bottom part of her pants and her shoes managed to get wet. She somewhat envied Affenkonig's own laxadaisical prancing.

"Come on! Just drop the umbrella! You're already a third soaked anyway, just let loose and have fun!" She insisted, grinning from ear to ear as she skipped beside her owner. Timor rolled her eyes just a little as Affen went on about it. "I don't wanna catch a cold. Not like I'm a fullbringer and I can just ask the water to nicely leave my clothes once I'm done skipping around. Tch, lucky bastards." She murmured, rubbing idly at her eye before she suddenly halted. A hollow? She looked off into the distance, furrowing her brows as she sensed the roar off in the distance. Affen even perked up, as if ready to go and deal with it. But Timor could already feel it being dealt with. A reiatsu that she recognized even. Hmph.

"Leave it. It's already handled." She murmured and kept on walking, as her Doll puffed their cheeks out and followed along. However, something else also caught Timor's attention. A loud WHUMP, like a body being thrown into something. She paused, turning and looking in the direction of the sound, Affen was also alerted, and promptly vanished, burning up into cinders and then reforming around Timor's shoulders in Jacket form. "Tch, scaredy cat." she murmured to her doll before making her way towards the noise to investigate as the inside of her mindspace was occupied by a particularly loud and immature raspberry.

when she finally DID arrive, she was a bit surprised to see the top of a head. She couldn't get a good angle from where she was standing, but from the size alone she realized it was a kid, and soaking wet at that. "Hey kid! You're gonna freeze out here!" She yelled as she hopped over the bush and began making her way over, however it was at that moment that she saw the body. She blinked, brows lifting at that as she noticed the corpse. And the blood on the girl's hands. Was she a bount? Some sort of weird hollow? Or maybe a mod soul? She knew those thing s could occupy just about any body after all.

She frowned for a moment....she didn't want to spook the kid, so she kept her distance, and squatted down, getting to the girl's level a good two to three meters away, those black, obsidian claws she had for hands very in evidence. The Mark of a half-demon. Depending on how knowledgeable Nadezdha was, she could be anywhere from recognizing her just as a sinner, to even knowing specifically that she was a nakkabaki depending on how much she knew about them. Though at that point, the girl would probably be a bit perplexed as to why Timor didn't have the signature hell chains that sinners generally bore.

Timor glanced down at the guy Nade had chomped, making note of that gaping hole in their chest cavity, smirking just a little. "Hmph, I made a bet with a friend about the quickest way to a man's heart once. she said it was cooking him dinner. Guess she was wrong eh?" she offered out what she thought was a fair pass at a joke. A tension breaker. And a sign to the girl that she wasn't bothered by their apparent manslaughter. Day by day, killing punks off the street, honestly Timor had thought about just feeding like the monster she was. She'd never quite jumped that one-way lane yet. But certainly, the idea of killing someone was definitely not foreign to her. "You got a name?" She honestly would have prefered to k now the girl's race. But well....being a hellspawn, she knew how sensitive that subeject could be. Plus if this really WAS a kid and not some mod soul or hollow, then she might not even know.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

The blood flowed like a lazy river. It flowed like so much red gravy across the porous concrete beneath the scattered remains. Nadezhda licked the violent blood from her fleshy lips before plucking the man’s eye from his head. She delicately squeezed it before rolling out her tongue and placing it gently. Her tongue slowly slithered back into her mouth, the excess blood dripping from her lips. She savored the texture and flavor, slowly chewing what she considered dessert. She stared almost lovingly at the man while saliva and flesh splashed around the inside of her mouth.

Hey kid! You're gonna freeze out here! Nadezhda’s body became still and the contents of her mouth rested. She lifted her gaze as the stranger boldly approached. The lighting was poor where she crouched, allowing shadows to caress her tiny body. It seemed only the darkness could appreciate the scene. It held no bias. It would lovingly wrap her in shadows no matter how many bodies were strewn about. The discretion the night provided was nearly foolproof, or so it seemed. This stranger appeared intent on disrupting her meal.

Nadezhda’s head slowly and jerkily tilted as if her neck were filled with gears worn by rust and corrosion. As her hair fell to one side, the light revealed another angle to this nightwalker. Nadezhda’s big, round eyes watched Timor’s advance. The sweet-smelling rain had washed the darkness, but the smell of fresh blood now lingered in the air. The smudgy illumination of lampposts revealed the carnage and perversion that was taking place in the early hours of the night. You got a name? Nadezhda remained quiet as her eyes examined what she could see of Timor.

Nadezhda knew there was little point in switching her demeanor. The playful, giggly character she displayed for the masses was merely a front. She was certainly lighthearted, but with layered macabre and savagery. Nadezhda resumed chewing before swallowing loudly. “Who wants to know?” She asked grimly. She lifted a severed arm and began gnawing on the fingers as if they skewers of meat. She ate noisily, slurping the skin and blood like some kind of vacuum cleaner. She showed no signs of embarrassment or reservation as the blood drooled down her face.

Blood coated Nadezhda’s fingers like caramel over an apple, only brilliant red instead of a soft golden brown. She wondered if Timor felt repulsed. She sometimes wondered whether she should feel more remorse, but quickly felt laughter building inside her belly. Killing, it seemed, was her thing. She was good at it. Already her mind flicked to possible next victims, churning over scenarios while she forked more into her mouth. ”You don’t seem the least bit bothered by what you see. Maybe it's those long claws. I imagine if you’re born with claws like that you see the world differently.” She remarked with a sort of dark humor.

[Eve Timor]

Timor had to admit that she was a puzzling little girl. Well, maybe not little. The girl honestly seemed a bit verbose for a child. So she had established that this thing was likely a mod soul or some kinda other race that used gigai. Maybe an arrancar or a bount. But all the same, her expression didn't change all that much as the girl played with her food. Honestly it seemed a little wasteful to eat the entire person manually. But then again, it wasn't like the kiddo had devil hands to go sucking them dry via stabbing.

"The names's Timor. And no, not really. I'm not a shinigami, so what others do to humans isn't my business. And its not like I don't kill and drink my share of humans. Admittedly the way I do it is a bit faster and cleaner." She noted, eyeing the mess for a moment before she fixed her attention back on the "kid". They seemed kinda weak. She was strong enough to kill humans, but it wasn't as if that was any sort of feat ot begin with. She was about to ask how the girl had been so covert and well..... she supposed being either disguised or stuck as a child helped things. Or she really was a child, which would certainly be it's own version of fucked up.

"I would suggest wrapping up your little meal though. Some hollows where howling nearby, so the shinigami will probably be sweeping the area soon enough, and you don't wanna get caught by them, kiddo or not. They'd probably assume you were a hollow and cut you in two on the spot." She murmured, her own experience with shinigami definitely leaning towrd the being fairly unfeeling heartless monsters as it were.

She did....hesitate, turning to leave, but keeping her eye on the girl, her brows furrowed. She was at an impasse, on one hand, she did feel her own protective instincts kicking in. She wanted to help the kid, but of course she also knew that this was potentially not an actual child, and given how they went about eating people, it was a hazard to herself. "you got a place to stay?" She asked gruffly, the indecision making her come off as a bit grouchy in tone. That sort of 'I feel like I might regret this' sort of voice.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

"Faster and cleaner..." She repeated softly. "You act as if those are the better option." A devious smile revealed Nadezhda's blood-stained teeth as the last remnants of cloud cover vanished. The moonbeams lifted the blackness to a deep blue, a faint silver radiating brilliantly across the blackened sky. Nadezhda glanced up at the moon, appreciating its fullness. "I prefer eating under the moonlight, the cool air cradling me as any good mother should." She said smartly before looking at Timor curiously, focusing on those claws.

"I like those claws of yours...Timor." She said fondly before tearing more flesh from the severed arm. "They are similar to the claws of someone close to me, though hers are much larger and sharper. I can't say she doesn't make messes when she uses them. You've got that going for you." Nadezhda's tenor was witty and light but through the lens of a child. Her voice and appearance were characteristic of a young girl, but her words possess experience beyond that of a mere child. She expected Timor to have already arrived at that conclusion. She wasn't as much of a mystery now, though there remained many secrets about her person and general existence. 

"Nadezhda," she uttered before taking a large bite. She chewed the contents in her mouth loudly. As she spoke bits and pieces escaped and landed on the ground. "Why is it that hollows and shinigami are always ruining my fun?" A combination of irritation and humor filled her tone and painted her expression. She was attempting to make light of the irritant, but couldn't entirely dismiss the inconvenience. "One of these days, " she said shaking the severed arm toward Timor, "I'm gonna gut a Shinigami and force feed the others their friend." She rolled her eyes and lifted herself, pieces of her meal rolling off her clothes and onto the ground.  

"I suppose you're right, though." She said with a giggle. "Can't argue with that logic. A hollow or two I can handle, but those Shinigami fire burning light from their fingers. I have a hard time dodging that crap, or at least I did. Who knows?!" She said throwing her hands in the air comically. You got a place to stay? "You know," Nadezhda paused and stared at Timor so more, "I can't say I do. I tried staying at this other Bount's house, but the bitch wouldn't let me stay. Clearly, she's an only child. Spoiled little brat. She's probably off kissing her Shinigami boyfriend." Nadezhda said bitterly, contemplating the ways she could dismember Vesta. 

Nadezhda looked at Timor and smiled softly. "Are you offering me a place to stay? I guess you did say you're not the least bit disgusted by this scene, so I have that going for me." She said as she looked back at the horrifying scene. She pursed her lips, letting them fall to the side as she contemplated what to do with the remains. Are you full? Koschei asked. Kind of, I guess. Maybe. Not sure. I'm a little preoccupied with raptor claws here. Koschei fell silent for a moment before cautioning Nadezhda. If she wanted she would have already attacked, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't remain on guard. If you choose to follow, keep your wits about you. I will be here if you need me. Nadezhda clutched a severed leg by the ankle and began running toward Timor, dragging it behind her. "Look at me. I'm tiny. I don't take up much room. And I can be quiet." She said with a mischevious smirk, acknowledging her talkative nature. 

[Eve Timor]

Timor paused for a moment at the girl's retort, but honestly she just shrugged. "For a girl like me who stands out as pretty suspicious yea. I can't exactly just cry and play the victim with these." She chuckled, flexing her claws for a moment as she relaxed and looked up as the sky seemed to finally let up.

Though she was a bit intrigued at the girl's observation of her claws. She looked to them. Those obsidian-glass hands of hers, with fingers tunes to a very fine sharp edge that bent as she moved them. Bigger she could see, but sharper? Well she did have a lot of scars that attested to their sharpness. She missed when she had normal hands. "they kinda suck when I'm not hunting." She murmured, and then let her attention shift back to the girl.

"Do you still have a mother?" She asked. It still felt awkward to ask, sure Nade wasn't a kid, but well, asking such a small gal if she still had a mother felt mean. She sortof enjoyed it. She didn't realize it yet, but she was growing to enjoy the girl's presence. As an entity that could still manage to invoke some emotional response from her slow-freezing heart.

The question on why was a bit strange. One she honestly didn't have a really small and concise answer to. Hollows were their own bag of worms. They were suffering cannibals, probably a more extreme version of what they bounts were. She ALMOST found herself speaking up, when again, she reminded herself that Nade wasn't actually a child, and thus trying to explain things to her might be a bit presumptuous. After all, the girl may be asking the question rhetorically.

The mention of the Bount and 'Bitch' caught her off guard. Strange. There really weren't a lot of bounts around. She knew Luke and one or two others that hung around the club, but none of them were female. Girl bounts were on the rarer side of things. She never actually noticed that before... Hm.

She was a bit lost in her thoughts on the subject when Nadezdha came running up to her, hope in her expression and chipperness in her voice as it became abundantly clear that the girl was trying to campaign for a chance to live with Timor. She did pause for a moment, rubbing the back of her head. That...... Well that was a doozy. She had a lot of activites she partook in. Activities that NAde's presence would disrupt, and honestly she wouldn't want happening around the kid. A lot of drugs and other crimey, quasi-legal stuff. And other more legal but complicated things.

Not that she figured Nade would mind, but well. The people she went through to get it probably would. Not only that but she'd probably have to find a new job what with her around the house. Or start robbing banks. She lightly rubbed at her own cheek, using the gloddy, smooth side of her claws to do it, years of practice showing in her ability to handle herself without being cut. Hmmmm.

"Against my better judgement... I suppose so. but only if you promise never to bring your meals into the house. Blood is really hard to get out of furniture." She offered diplomatically. Deep down she knew that she had every intention of taking Nade in. She didn't quite know why. Maybe it was a mothering instinct. Maybe it was a sort of solidarity built into fellow bounts to form covens. She couldn't be sure. But well.... it seemed like she was getting a "kid".

Definitely not how she thought she was going to get one.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Do you still have a mother? Nadezhda’s eyes rolled to the side lazily like those of a porcelain doll. Her gaze steadied and focused on Timor. Below her steadied eyes was a grin that showed almost every tooth. Neither moved, not the eyes, not the thinly stretched lips. This Cheshire grin lit up in the moonlight like a candle inside a paper lamp. The contours of shadows and moonlight accented her peculiar expressions. “Why do you ask? Are willing to be my mommy in her absence?” She asked softly with vague intent.

Nadezhda knew the answer before Timor could reply. This woman was no mother. She was no caretaker. On the other hand, she was offering Nadezhda a place to stay. She couldn’t help but wonder what was in it for her. What did she stand to gain from offering her a place to sleep during the hours she wasn’t hunting and wreaking havoc? Nadezhda couldn’t think of anything in the immediate. That didn’t mean there wasn’t any, but her mind was still in a haze. It was preoccupied and dulled.

This was common. It happened almost daily and intensified shortly before and shortly after a kill. It was near blinding euphoria. A blissful drunken state fueled by Nadezhda’s most primal needs as a Bount. It always started by washing over her like warm rain. The sensation was felt on the surface of her skin until something inside her called out. It was a frenzied state that consumed nearly every thought. All she could think to do was kill and feed. It was a feeling of urgency as if her very existence demanded immediate satisfaction. It had become harder to resist over the years, likely a result of indulging it without hesitation for centuries.

While she felt somewhat satiated, her mind remained woozy from the surge this phenomenon forced upon her. But only if you promise never to bring your meals into the house. Blood is really hard to get out of furniture. Her eyes widened as her head fell to the side. She scanned the leg in her right hand carefully. She licked her lips just before scrunching her face in response to her uncertainty. “Oh fooey.” She said with a sigh, tossing the leg into the bushes. Those were the rules. No messy meals and no blood on the furniture.

Nadezhda continued to walk beside Timor, though her gaze was stubborn. She longingly kept watching the bush where the leg landed, continuing to contemplate whether or not to retrieve it. “That was a perfectly good leg.” She said sulkily. “So, what kind of home is this? Do you live in a big house? Small house? You a lady? A noblewoman?” She asked curiously, eyeing Timor head to foot. “You don’t seem like a noblewoman. Then again, nowadays people don’t look or act the way you’d expect them to. Strange times...am I right?” She said humorously as she patted Timor on the arm, eying her claws with some interest in touching them.

“This is good timing, I have to admit.” She said suddenly. “I kinda forgot where I lived.” She rubbed the back of her head and grinned like a fool. “It happens sometimes. I stay somewhere, leave, and then forget how to find my way back.” Nadezhda reached out with her little hands and stroked the back of Timor’s hand, hoping to touch her claws. “I still haven’t learned how to get around this place just yet. See, I am from a far off land. We have cities too, but I couldn’t stay there. Shinigami and all that crap”

[Eve Timor]

The question didn't really catch her off guard. Certainly in her head she did thinkt hat maybe it did sound like she hadbeen leaning toward that sort of thing. But when the question actually came to air she simply shook her head. "I don't really think that's my kinda gig. A big sister maybe, but I'm not a mom." She pointed out as she watched the girl. They seemed discouraged at her rule, but all the same seemed willing to accomodate Timor's established regulations.

Before she knew it, they were walking, Nadezdha beside her and talking as they went while Timor silently listened for the most part. She certainly asked questions like a kid. She looked to the side as Nade went from asking about what her home was like, to even inquiring if Timor was some kind of noblewoman. He mind briefly flashed back to her father's old house, that damn castle of a place. Her spine shivered at the memory. Technically speaking, she still owned the fucking place. But she refused to live in that place alone. And honestly, even the addition of Nade didn't make her all that keen on it. She decided to keep that particular factoid to herself for the moment.

"Not really. I'm not of noble descent. Unless you consider Demons noble. My father owned a kinda spiritual mercenary company. Sortof a family business. But well....let's just say he and I didn't part ways on the best of terms. Technically speaking I owned the company. But I couldn't do what he did. So I just sold it off to someone who could run it better. As for my house, it's a hole in the wall if there ever was one." She noted with an unenthused murmur, deciding not to sugar-coat things.

The pat on her arm made her glance to the side again, just in time to see NAde eyeing her claws with that look she saw on a lot of people's faces if they COULD see them. The look that said 'I wonder what they feel like'. Sure, some guys had that look while glancing at another part of her, but this was the much more common one. All the same, she listened as the little murderer talked about how fleeting her mind was, getting lost and the sort. "Did you hit your head or something? Or were you just always bad with directions? Bye the way, if you're going to be staying with me, you may as well know my name. Timor. Pleasure to meet ya Kiddo." She introduced herself.

She did see Nade going for her hand. And she didn't move them out of the way or anything. The girl's fingers would have a different experience depending on how careful the girl was If they aimed high for her wrist-palm area, then they would feel a smooth, cool sensation like volcanic glass. Strangely, despite being attached to a living person, they weren't warm at all. Of course, if Nade misjudged and went for her fingers, then she would feel something similar, only with the addition of likely some paper-thin cuts on her fingertips as those obsidian-sharp fingers would not even need to make any effort to cut. Even light touches would create very slight creases in the fingers, that almost-cut kind of line one sometimes got when cutting food.

In the distance, Timor did hear a few hollows. And her jcket glowed slightly along the fur lining, ready in case any of them got too close to the pair. "If you don't wanna tell me your name that's alright. But I'd kinda like to know what you are. Are you a mod soul? A Bount? Some kinda Sinner? I only ask because I tend to attract hollows. And while I can protect you, well....when it comes to hollows every bit helps." She murmured.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

“Hole in the wall?” Nadezhda parroted. “I once knew someone who lived in wall holes. His name was Andel and he smelled like fish and porridge.” Nadezhda smiled goofily and nodded, remembering her deceased friend. “I used to tell him, ‘Andel, you need to get up out of this wall hole and take a bath. You smell awful.’ But he wouldn’t listen. I think he was afraid someone would take the wall hole should he leave.” Nadezhda squinted and shook her head as if to agree with herself.

Did you hit your head or something? Nadezhda glanced over at Timor as if she was alarmed by the question. She feverishly began massaging her scalp, as if to check for lumps. “No, I don’t think so. Who’s to say. I do so much in a day. There is nothing proving that I didn’t likely fall down. I can be a bit clumsy sometimes.” She added with a toothy grin. “ She playfully skipped alongside Timor, ignoring the howls of hollows in the background. She seemed more focused on Timor and her delightful claws. Despite Timor’s steely demeanor, Nadezhda didn't feel intimidated. She liked her. After all, she was kind enough to offer her a place to stay.

Nadezhda wondered if this living arrangment would be different, a question similarly asked by Koschei. Your record isn’t great with roommates, Naze. Nadezhda smiled at Koschei’s cautionary words. Some of those instances were very different from what we have here. She’s offering me a place to stay whereas normally I had to stay hidden or outright kill the person who owned the place. Nadezhda thought in her defense. She seems more inclined to accept you than others. Koschei had a point. Nadezhda needed to be on her best behavior and refrain from behaving rashly.

You may as well know my name. Timor. Pleasure to meet ya Kiddo. Nadezhda eyed Timor for a moment before directing her gaze forward. “Did you fall and smack your head too?” She asked Timor before gazing up at her with a tooth-filled smile. “We’re like sisters!! We both forget stuff!!” Nadezhda declared loudly. She then patted Timor on the arm as a means of comforting her. “You already told me who were you, silly. You were rather quick to share your name. And I told you mine too.” She giggled. “Don’t you remember? It starts with an N and ends with an A.” She said with muffled giggles.

Nadezhda started marching rather comically, pointing to herself with her thumbs. “I’m a Bount.” She declared proudly. “I learned that from a Bount named Luke, or as he is commonly referred to as Mr. Clockburn.” She turned to face Timor, continuing to walk, though backward. “When I woke up I didn’t know what I was. He said to me,” she began, clearing her voice before imitating Luke, “Nadezhda, you are a Bount. You have to be careful who you talk to because people will try and hurt you. Blah, blah, blah. He was kind of stuffy like that, you know? You had to be there.” She said just before tripping and falling on her behind.

“Ouch.” She said, rubbing her behind as she winced in pain. She immediately jumped to her feet and resumed walking beside Timor. “Hmmm.” She uttered with a developing quizzical expression. “Mod Soul. Sinner.” Nadezhda began plucking her tiny fingers with her other hand as she counted aloud. “One is Bount. Two is Shinigami. Three is Hollows. Four are demon baby bounts, five is talking beasties, and six is Cutsies. Wait. No. Quitsies. No. That’s not quite right...QUINCIES!” She remembered suddenly. “Now we have Sinner and Mod Souls. What in the tarnation are those? What the frick!!!”

Nadezhda dramatically threw her hands in front of her, as if to acknowledge the endless supply of races. She began running her hands through her hair in frustration. She swirled her dark locks like spaghetti around a fork. Her neck slumped and she stared forward with a noticeable frown. “The moment I learn one another one pops up. Flippity flop.” She said, as if to keep herself from cursing. “And what are you?” She asked while attempting to examine Timor through clumps of now messy hair. “You’re not beastie. You’re no Quincy. Whatchu be?”

[Eve Timor]

Timor tilted her head slightly as she listened to Nade as the girl conveyed their tale of a man who lived in a hole. Certainly she wondered who this person had been, but supposed it could have just been an animal or something. She wasn't entirely sure about Nadezdha just yet in that regard. But all the same, she ....enjoyed it. It was something interesting to listen to as they walked. It wasn't long until they were just a few blocks away from their home. However along the way, she did pause slightly to glance at Nade for a moment, particularly realizing she had introduced herself again.

She stopped, thinking for a moment and felt her ears redden in embarrassment. Huh....yea I guess I did kinda get distracted...." she murmured, rubbing her eyes a bit with her forearm, clearly a lifetime had taught her not to use her claws for such things. Losin yer edge ya old hag~ Affen teased the woman, and with a sudden ripple of fire, the Jacket on Timor's body burst into spiritual flame, leaving no injury on Timor or her clothing before the monkette promptly appeared, scooping Nadezdha onto her shoulders in a blur of speed and grinning from ear to ear as she walked beside Timor. A big ol grin on her face.

"Waddup mah homie?! It's ya boi Affenkonig~ What's happenin little skillet?" the doll asked with a big smile. She was a tremendous contrast to Timor's more icy personality. She even spun around and did little hops as she carried the smaller bount, completely interrupting Nade's questioning of what Timor's species was. The woman herself sighed a little, but the smallest of smiles crossed her face, and she had even chuckled at Nadezdha's 'Whatchu be?' line. "I'm a Nakkabaki. A Sinner's child. My Father was seduced by a demoness, so I'm part demon, and part Bount." She explained calmly and sighed.

"That's my doll. her name is Affenkonig. But I just call her Affen. Affen, put her down, she doesn't want you picking her up and swinging her around like that." She murmured, a bit of an exaggeration as Affen was being quite careful. Nade would likely notice that the monkey's body was incredibly sturdy. The skin seemed normal enough, but beneath that her body felt like it was stone. Not only that but the monkey honestly wasn't very covered aside from a weird fur-lined jacket and skirt. Nade would even feel the warmth coming off of the monkey, much higher than a normal human person, but not painfully so.

"We're almost there. Just another block." She clarified, focusing on their destination as Affen would look up at her new passenger (Or down if Nade had expressed a wish to be set back down). "So I was eavesdroppin on ya little shindig. So you're a cold killer too huh? Timor here's been dustin up scumbags the past few months. With my help of course~ I'm a pretty big deal." She boasted, flexing her arms and shwoing off slightly impressive muscle tone. "If you ever get in a scrape and Timor's being lazy-" Timor shot a frown over her shoulder, which Affen promptly responded to by sticking her tongue out at them.

" -then you just holler for your Ol Aunt Affen to come help ya~ I'll be there faster than piss out a frightened shinigami~ Ain't nobody gonna touch a hair on your head!" She cackled, continuing her boastful streak as she too seemed quite ok with Nade's unusual murderhobo demeanor. Though perhaps if anything, she simply seemed to like having someone else to talk to. Something that no doubt Nade would be able to sympathize with as they made their way to the apartment complex. As they closed in, Nade would see it really wasn't anything fancy. It was essentially some kinda motel that had been stripped down and made into apartments. Not the best kinda digs, but workable.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

"Ohhhhhhhhh" Nadezhda's voice carried as she was scooped up and hoisted on the doll's shoulders. Nadezhda leaned over and stared into the doll's eyes while hanging upside down. "Nice to meet you! I'm Nadezhda." She said with a giggle before kissing her on the nose. She popped back up and began patting Timor's doll on the head. "Forward march!" She shouted playfully. Nadezhda looked at Timor with pursed lips. "So, you're like that other girl. The one who wouldn't let me stay with her. The one who was always using that little thing called a, uhm, ugh..." Nadezhda became quiet as she attempted to imitate Vesta with a cellphone in her hand. 

She pressed her palm, like numbers on a screen, as she attempted to recall the device. "Oh, I remember! They are called cell phones." She slapped her forehead and laughed. She leaned down and rubbed her face ahead Affen. "Hehe. This world is so different now. So many new things. So many new people. So many things to remember." So I was eavesdroppin on ya little shindig. So you're a cold killer too huh? Nadezhda chuckled as she yanked on her backpack and pulled it to her front. "Yeah, I love to have fun like that. Sometimes you just have to, ya know? You have to take an arm. Take a leg. The organs, the squishy parts, those are the yummy bits. The heart. The brain. Eyeballs, too."

Nadezhda continued to rummage through her bag, intent on finding something specific. "I collect things, ya know. Sometimes people have pretty things and they don't need 'em when they're dead, so I take 'em. Ah-ha! Here we go. Look at this!" She pulled out a giant diamond ring. "See! This lady was meant to me and dumped her coffee on me, so I ripped her neck open and took this as a souvenir." Nadezhda threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Can you believe that? She threw her coffee on me! What a witch. She got what she deserved. This one time, though," she said tossing the ring back into her bag, "when this guy hit me with his car. And so I ate him for not looking where he was going." 

Nadezhda laughed hysterically as she recalled the story. "And I took this from him." She then revealed a gold watch and a car deodorizer. "The little tree smells pretty and this tiny clock is shiny and pretty. It all worked out. Do you think they deserved it, Affe?" She said lovingly as she peered down at Timor's doll. Nadezhda delighted in the pleasantries. It had been centuries since she found someone who was warm and kind. Even better, the two seemed willing to protect her. That was more than the others were concerned, both of which abandoned her as soon as the getting was good. 

Nadezhda squealed with excitement. "We can go on adventure Affe. We'll drag Timor around with us. But first, we need to to find a place for me to put my stuff. Do you have a cupboard or maybe a hole int he wall covered by something? Maybe a loose floorboard. The last time I had all kinds of stuff like this the people took it after I fell asleep. Or buried it where I couldn't find it." Nadezhda frowned at the thought. It seemed they were at Timor's apartment. Nadezhda then jumped down and stood in front of the door. She ran down the hall, placing her ear against each of the doors before running back. "Who all lives around here?" She asked curiously. 

"OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!" She shouted suddenly. "Ukaž se. Můžeš vyjít, Koschei." She looked over at the others and smiled as Koschei's body seemed to assemble from black ash behind Nadezhda. "This is Koschei. She's my doll. I love her and you'll love her too. I thought you'd want to meet." Nadezhda doll tilted her head to the side, her face was frozen with a faint smile. Her hollow eyes stared at Timor and Affen before she spoke to them in a soft, honeyed tone. "Hello. I'm glad to see you're welcoming of Naze. She seems to think highly of you already." The voice said sweetly. "Timor, let's go inside. I wanna see. By the way, do you have any food? cotton candy, maybe? Cookies? Then you're gonna have to tell me why there are so many people like us around here. You know, people who feel different than humans. Spirity people."


Koschei's appearance

[Eve Timor]

Both Timor and Affen were a little surprised. Most people hated being just scooped up. Something that Affen did quite often. the last kid they did it to scared the kid silly. But Nade seemed to be taking quite well to the treatment. Affen immediately blinking owlishly at the kiss to her nose, and then grinning as she felt the kiddo petting the top of her head. It was at that point that Nade seemed to liken Timor to that other girl that they hated and the woman did pause, stopping in her tracks and looking a bit uncertain.

"No it's ....." She fell silent and let her face go blank, for once hiding behind that cold expression as she turned her back on the pair as Affen giggled and spun on her steps, delighted with Nade. Of course Timor felt that cold blade of insecurity slide into her chest and she sighed. Even a little murderhobo felt like she was a cold heartless bitch... It was a depressing thought and she sped up. She wanted to get home already...

Affen snorted at Nade's miming and charades as they explained this other bount as well as various means of dismemberment and murder toward people who slighted her. Affen seemed to grin in response to this as it went well with her own wild nature. "Sounds like a sweet deal!" She pointed out, grinning from ear to ear as she reached up and poked Nadezdha in the side. "I sure wish I could be that whimsical with who I killed. Timor gets upset tho, we always wind up with Shinigami up our asses when we try to skip out." She huffed, clearly envious of Nade's luck in never having run into shinigami in their exploits.

"Drug dealers. cokeheads. College students who can't afford any place better. A big collection of criminals and poor saps who never did anything wrong but be poor." She hummed as she patted Nade on the head, finally reaching her place. "I used to live in a much nicer place. But I went practically mad up there all alone. Even with Affen, I needed people to interact with." She noted before turning as Affen elbowed her in the side.

Yo, we better keep our eye on this one. She's a real charmer. If she grows up we're gonna have to make sure those fuckbois don't mess with her. Affen conveyed through their mental connection. Timor lifted a brow slightly at that, and did see Affen's point. If the girl ever did grow up (Which many races did when their powers started developing), she'd have to make sure that Nade stayed clear of boys. Already the very idea of some stupid teen getting his mitts all over her new Daughter companion made her clench her claws. For some reason a very protective instinct welled up in her, which made Affen gigglesnort.

However, notions of Nade's future were made to be pushed aside when the girl summoned her own doll. Timor and Affen were both surprised by it's form, and Affen immediately closed in! Hugging the shit out of the doll and cackling! "Hoh! Shit son! You're a scary-ass bitch! Ain't no problem sista, we got plenty of room. Ol Timor's been all mopey and shit since that fucko Luke ditched her. Ya'lls family now." The monkey declared with a grin as Timor punched them in the middle of their back for that Depressed accusation.

"Don't listen to what she says. And you're very welcome. Though I admit. I'm surprised to see you can summon your doll Nade. A pleasure to meet you Koschei. Would you mind if we could see what you could do? Nothing like a spar or anything like that. Just a demo-" She began diplomatically before Affen promptly somersaulted between Timor and the doll and then spun, throwing shadow punches at the wall and then bouncing from foot to foot, grinning at the other doll as she shimmied. "Fuck that, let's see whatcha can do! Luke never let his fuckin dolls out, so you gotta! I wanna see your powers n shit!" The monkey exclaimed excitedly, grinning from ear to ear as she herself let flames ripple along her body in excitement.

Timor rolled her eyes a little, but unbeknownst to her, she was actually smiling. "Let's wait until after she gets inside Affen. After that we can go hunting with her. That seem like a deal?" She asked Nadezdha as she unlocked and then opened her door, stepping inside so that Nade could see where she lived. Truth be told, her earlier description was pretty on-point. The place was pretty shabby. The livingroom, Kitchen, and general space was honestly all just one area. It was like one of those motels made into an apartment and a kitchen slapped in there.

The only cool part was that the kitchen was on a sortof raise, with two small steps built in to get you up to it, then down on the normal level was the bathroom, the bed, couch, and everything else. Timor made her way to the bed and promptly snagged something off the bedstand, slipping into thin air. An ulcera ripping into space as she slipped into the valley of screams, so that she could walk through the walls, dump her..... 'work supplies' into the dumpster, and then phase back in to brush herself off. No way did she wanna explain what that stuff was to Nade.

"Welp, here she is. Mis casa es su casa."

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Koschei’s eerie smile remained frozen in place, her body stiff and unmoving. She turned and stared at Nadezhda, silently asking for direction in this confusing exchange. Koschei was even more unfamiliar with the state of the world and people than Nadezhda. While her voice carried with a sort of melodic loveliness possessed by doting mother, it simultaneously felt cold and detached. Her similarly cold, hollow eyes stared at Nadezhda, but she simply shrugged in return. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how to comfort Koschei in any other way than to dismiss her.

Nadezhda patted Koschei on the arm, taking relief in the fact that this wasn't Libuše. Nadezhda missed her a great deal, though her presence in this moment would have made thing much more complicated, so in that vein she was thankful. Koschei was much less volatile than Libuše when it came to personal space, which Affen was clearly invading without much regard. Nadezhda looked at Koschei lovingly as she responded to Timor. "I didn't have access to Koschei at first, but before I knew it there she was. It had been a long time since we saw each other hadn't it, Koschei?" Nadezhda smiled as Koschei hummed in agreement. "Mmhm, Naze." 

Nadezhda gave a toothy smile in Affen's direction. "I've seen Mr. Lukey's dolls." Nadezhda looked around the apartment for a moment before looking over her shoulder at Timor. "Mr. Puddles and the angry shadow." She said with closed eyes and a smile. Nadezhda walked around, inspecting the furniture and peering out the window. She hopped up the stairs into the kitchen and stared at the appliances. "One time I hid in this cold box, erm, the fridge, and when the man came to retrieve more beer I pounced. Tag! You're it, I said! Games are fun." She twirled around before plopping on the couch.

"You wanna see what Koschei can do?" She asked curiously. Nadezhda stared at Koschei with no discernible expression. Why are they so eager? Koschei asked of Nadezhda internally. You needn't worry, Koschei. It is likely just some harmless grandstanding. I think we can trust them. They haven't done anything that has made me the least bit suspicious. You're so untrustworthy, Koschei. Nadezhda replied humorously. "Where I come from you usually want to keep that sort of thing hidden. Or, at the very least, be sure those who saw it die before they can tell anyone." Nadezhda tone and gaze had become cold and serious. 

Nadezhda's cheeks started to swell and her face wrinkled before she burst out giggling. "I tried, but It was just so funny." She continued to laugh as she rolled around on the couch. She crawled toward the arm and peeked over at Timor. "So, where will we be hunting...and for what?" Nadezhda's eyes lit up with excitement as an idea sparked inside her mind. "I discovered that cutsies are particularly tasty and fun to hunt." She paused for a second before correcting herself. "Quincy. My bad."

Nadezhda paused a second time before leaping to her feet and jumping off the couch. She ran toward Timor and tugged on her clothes. "Why don't we go kill that one girl who was so mean to me? You know, the one who was always on her cell phone, talking to her dad when he was sitting only a room away. Kids these days." She covered her mouth as she snickered. Her muffled laughter could hardly be contained, but then it abruptly stopped. She turned and looked at Timor. "But seriously. Can we go burn down her house, cut her father into pieces and then leave a treasure map guiding her to each piece. Or would that be a scavenger hunt? Hmmm..."

[Eve Timor]

Timor nodded lightly at that, her head tilting to the side as she watched Nade comforting her doll, a bit intrigued about the dynamic they had. The doll seemed way more dependent on her than usual. all the same she let her hand rest on her hip as she listened to Nade's explanation. However the name did catch her by surprise. "Luke?" she murmured, a bit intrigued that this girl had met him. She was surprised he hadn't ....no actually thinking about it. she imagined he probably HAD found some reason to chastize the girl.

All the same... she furrowed her brows just a little, rubbing her chin a bit as she mused over the girl's explanation. Would Luke go looking for her? She actually had no idea what kind of paternal instincts he had. she imagined it probably depended on how hot the mom was. She shook her head at that and then looked back toward Nade as Affen continued to circle the girl's doll and poke at them curiously.

As Nade plopped onto the couch, Timor noticed Nade's apprehension about revealing her powers and chuckled. "You sound like one of those shinigami. You really must be a lot older than you look." She chuckled and found a seat of her own, lounging back and folding her legs. "Doesn't matter to me either way. Affen just gets excited seeing that kinda stuff."

Affen whined a little as Timor didn't even back her up on wanting to see what the doll could do! Wow such a mean mistress! She didn't even seem to register the gravity of NAde's tone in regards to keeping her powers a secret. "Tch, everyone's so stingy. Not like we ever hide our powers, right Eve?~" Affen grinned, immediately causing Timor to wince and narrow her eyes at her doll. " I told you not to call me that." She stated sternly, a face which Affen seemed to laugh off and wave dismissively at.

"Don't worry about EVE~ You should totally share though. Otherwise how are we gonna help you grow? Amiright? You're like, down here." she hummed, gesturing to about shoulder-height on herself. "and we need you like... around here." She raised that hand just slightly above her own head, grinning. "We got al kiiiinds of people comin after us~ We even had some dumb shinigami bitch try to take us down heehee~ Didn't last very long though~ But still!"

Affen came to be a bit more serious in that next moment, furrowing her brows a little as she looked to the pair. "You're definitely gonna need to beef up some." Those lips spread ingo an almost menacing grin as she did. Right before a pencil flew across the room and bapped her in the face, causing her to sputter and slap at her face whwre she'd been hit. "Ignore her." Timor murmured.

She watched as Nade burst out laughing, rolling around on the floor alongside Affen, who was pouting and puffing her own cheeks out at Timor's "cruelty" in regards to her cool speech. Though Nade certainly seemed to have her own ideas about where they would go hunting. Particularly in swinging it into some sort of witch hunt for whatever girl had slighted her. She sighed a bit at that and shook her head just a little.

"Talk about a grudge. Sure. If you want, we can find this girl. But are you sure you can take her?" she asked calmly, resting a cheek in her palm and folding her legs as she watched Nade calmly. "Don't get me wrong. hollows and shinigami I will protect you from. But if you wanna go hunting people down, then you're gonna have to handle the consequences of that on your own. I'll make sure you don't die. But how's it gonna feel if you go and attack this girl's house only to have her come out and stomp you into the dirt?" She asked, the notion seemed to have been something she had thought about before.

"For now we'll stick to just rounding up some troublemakers around Karakura. But..." A slow and calm smile slithered across Timor's lips as she looked at Nade across the room. "If we so happen to find this woman's place along the way. You're certainly free to do as you wish, given you accept the consequences. If you are confident in your ability to deal with whatever fcomes of that, then I don't see why we can't give it a go." She reasoned.

[Nadezhda Esterházy]

Nadezhda stared at Timor and Affen as she wandered around the apartment, examining the walls, floors, and furniture. Her examination of the place was done with a notable composure. There was nothing particularly outstanding about Timor's residence, so a cursory inspection felt appropriate. As she glanced around lazily, she contemplated Affen's apparent interest in what others could do. She couldn't relate. She didn't care about that sort of thing. Nadezhda would use her abilities insofar as they were needed, and humans weren't particularly difficult prey.

Since waking from her unplanned slumber she had encountered a great number of new things. Not only had the world changed, but she was introduced to creatures and people that had long existed but eluded her. Maybe she simply wasn't looking hard enough or maybe the world was truly different a few centuries ago. The world as she knew it now had dangers ill-conceived prior to her imprisonment. All that considered, she now wondered if her interests should shift for the purpose of self-preservation. If her past experiences with Shinigami taught her anything it was how ill-prepared she was during those initial confrontations.

She didn’t know what to expect and therefore shocked when fire and lightning surged from their fingertips. “Beef-up?” Nadezhda repeated lackadaisically. “I know that expression, I think. That is your way of telling me that I look weak, right?” She said while glancing at Affen with a impish grin. “Looks can be deceiving as they say.” Nadezhda then waved her hand, causing Koschei to burst into ash and vanish. “I still have a lot to learn about being a Bount and figuring out what that means for me and to those around me. People seem to be very concerned with that sort of thing. Everywhere I go people ask me what I am and others simply attack on sight”

“I don’t mind having some fun as long as the person next to me is having just as much fun. You know?” She said with a disarming smile. “I like to play as long as there is someone to play with. Playing alone has its advantages, but it isn’t always as fun. So, you’ll play with me. We’ll do things together.” Nadezhda had long been searching for someone like her or at least someone who shared, if not tolerated her interests. She figured what better way to connect with Timor and Affen than to wreak havoc together. Nadezhda slid her backpack from her back and plopped it in front of her as Timor expressed concern over Nadezhda’s recommendation.

Nadezhda leisurely sifted through the contents of her bag as she continued to listen. “A grudge? No. I don’t do grudges.” She remarked dismissively as she pulled a massive lollipop out of her bag. She began feverishly licking the lollipop, oozing saliva all over its flat sides. She then set it down on the couch, forgetting Timor’s initial rule. But how's it gonna feel if you go and attack this girl's house only to have her come out and stomp you into the dirt? Nadezhda fussed with a bag of candy, making several efforts to open it. The bag suddenly burst open and the contents scattered all over the couch and floor. Nadezhda quickly began plucking initial malt balls and tossing them into her mouth, one by one.

She noisily chewed and talked with a full mouth. “That’s easy.” She said while tossing a few additional malt balls into her mouth. “I’d just blame it all on you.” She crunched the candy in her mouth while giving Timor a chocolaty smile. “She’d find herself confused by this needless act of arson. And while her confusion shifted to rage over why a complete stranger burned down her house, and her mind was consumed with ways to kill you, I’d cut her open from behind like a carcass in a deli.” Nadezhda paused while she swallowed all the candy and began cleaning her teeth with her tongue.

“I might look naive, but I’ve learned a lot about people. Humans, Shinigami, Bounts, and the like are really all the same when it comes to how they feel. People are easiest to manipulate when there are strong emotions at play. The best way to manipulate someone is when you help them feel something. Jealousy and anger are the best because they make people do some of dumbest things. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t blame you for real, for real. You know? I like you. You’re nice and pretty. You’d just be sort of a momentary scapegoat. But I can tell you’re strong, so you could handle it.” Nadezhda smiled, extended her hand, and unfolded her fist to reveal a number of candies in her palm. “Malt ball?”

“That isn’t something we have to do, but it would kinda be fun. Later maybe.” She added with a chuckle. “This couch is comfy.” Nadezhda began bouncing up and down, pressing her backside into the couch cushions. ”I get to kill whatever I want, right? You’re not gonna scold me, right? I hate when I get scolded.” She said while puffing her cheeks indignantly. After a moment she deflated her cheeks and adopted a more contemplative expression. “You wanna know somethin? I had a Quincy a while back and boy are they delicious. Their souls are just so tasty. So different than regular humans.” Nadezhda began to salivate as she fantasized about killing a Quincy. “But they are kinda hard to find. I guess we can go rough up some, ugh, troublemakers. Whoever that might be.”