wroughtandtempered | heart game

Rinku steps forward. Even if she's shaking, she steps forward, holding out the mirror. If Eve will let her get close enough, she'll set it down where she can grab it.

"I don't know what this is, but it's gonna help, right? We looked around and MK-san found all these pieces while I was trying to find other ways to help you. You called us here."

The snarl that rips out of her in response to MK's mimicry is loud and furious.

"You keep their fucking voices out of your mouth, you fucking bastard— I didn't call anybody!"

But the second the mirror is within reach she lunges for it again, all but snatching it out of Rinku's fingers. As her mouth closes on it, it

twists

quicksilver and fluid up over her mouth, wrenching it open even as she tries to scuttle away from it with an angry muffled growl. it settles as a device of wood and leather straps— something clearly deliberately shaped to fit her mouth and keep it forced open, while providing access to her fangs. ...MK might recognize it: it's the same muzzle Eve had claimed as her own during the cursed game.

Eve freezes for a long moment— then lets out a breath and snaps her head sideways. The unsecured muzzle goes flying off her face and into the wall with a nasty crack, and she spends several more seconds staring at it, her sides heaving.

"...a fucking mirror," she finally says, sounding disgusted but significantly more calm. "Really"

"Uh...yeah. It was um split up into four different parts and scattered all over," MK explains. He remembers that muzzle. It was in that building. With the caskets, the Kraang, the place they bombed to hell and back. He swallows. Okay. He's using his own voice and trying really hard to only use his own voice. At least she seems calmer now.

"You...okay? Well at least a little more closer to okay now? We can still try to get you out. We only got one of the fires going though. We could go back, I think." He's worried that they still need to do that.

"You mean we could? Without anyone getting hurt?"

Rinku looks at MK with optimistic relief and not a hint of skepticism. Maybe he should have had a more suspicious event partner. She turns back to Eve and then looks at the cracked muzzle, then back to her.

"I guess it was, but I'm not sure why. I just know MK-san said we're in your heart, and you guys have done this stuff before. What does it mean?"

"...nah. I can deal with the fires, now," she says, a hint of tired amusement entering her voice before she shakes herself.

There's a soft crackle from the corner the broken muzzle landed in, and a wisp of smoke wafts up from it to join the general haze in the air.

"It's symbolism, dipshit," is her answer to Rinku. "If you're no good at that shit then don't bother, your head'll just explode." To MK, she says, "Speaking of. You want to let me out? Do you actually know what that'll do? I fucking hope not, since you're suggesting it."

Welp. There is another scolding. Which, makes sense. Like grandmother, like granddaughter.

"I guess I don't know what it'll do. I was hoping something good since you're all chained up down here. And you're hurt..." So don't let out the very angry Eve?

"Is there anything else we can still do for you? Like bring you tea and cookies, at least? Just something? Is giving you that thing really just...enough? Like, the muzzle is starting to burn. Oh. Wait. I get it. I think."

MK swallows. "Let me at least help start the fire in the workshop. I can do that for you. We help each other. That's what friends do."

Rinku pouts at being put down, but she bounces back quickly enough with another smile.

"I know! Then maybe we can try and heal your injuries! There was medicine and bandages and stuff up there! Oh, do you want a cookie too? She gave us some."

She reaches into her skirt pocket and offers out the cookies.

"That's gotta be a better idea!"

She bares her teeth at Rinku.

"—I don't want my cookie recipe tainted by my fucking trauma! Put those the fuck away, what the fuck.

...None of what's going on with me is shit you can or should magically fix, or whatever the fuck. Some healing you've got to do on your own— what do you think would happen if someone slapped a bandage over the shit in your head and called it good?"

Another shake, and then she starts to fold herself into a sort of sulky loaf. ...Or more like a baguette, with how long her body is.

"The muzzle was enough. We processed that shit ages ago, having it ripped back out and mixed up with our self-image was fucking everything over." A pause, and then she eyes MK. "...Do you actually want to light it? Or do you just want to use me as a fucking trash can."

The lightbulb finally lit up. Trauma. That's why she couldn't be let out. She would taint everything else. This wasn't a basement.

"It's the bottle," MK whispered to himself. He nodded and gently wrapped his arm around Rinku's shoulders.

"Uh this basement isn't where cookies belong. They belong in the kitchen. They don't you go put back the extras, Rinku? That'll help. Things go where they should, right?" He nods to her. Then he looks back at Eve.

"You're not a trash can. That room needs an ambition. One that will help drive like what's in that room. And there's a lot of good in that room. It deserves warmth. I...want to help. I want to light it because I have an idea for a good one. Something you can burn that will help us both. And if it's strong enough, I'll get it back. And if it isn't...I think it's something you kinda already have. Let me give it to you. Let me help a little more. Please?"

Rinku winces. This time, even with MK putting his arm around her, she doesn't bounce back or smile. She just stuffs the cookies back into her pocket and looks down.

Maybe that's how it always is with Eve. Everything she tries, everything she suggests, everything she just innocently says, it always makes her yell or snap or tell her to knock it off because she's hurting her. Why? How? Every single time, and she's kept trying, kept being positive, but...

Optimism's good, but sometimes...

...think of it like going from a dark room to outside when it's really sunny. It makes your eyes hurt, right? Sometimes positivity is like that if you've had a bad time.

"It... hurts to try to be happy, doesn't it?"

She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand any of it. Not Eve getting upset with her again and again, not MK trying to burn his own dreams. She almost turns to go.

...No. She can't. If MK's doing everything he can, she will, too.

"I don't want anyone getting hurt. MK-san's right about wanting to help. I don't know what'd happen if someone else tried to heal me..." Or what he's talking about bottles for, but she'll ask about that later. "But what you're saying is the stuff down here is stuff you're already working on, so we can't do it. And you can't... have something happy in here, because it'll just turn into something bad. Right?"

Edited 2024-07-29 03:08 (UTC)

"...close enough," she says to Rinku with a rough sigh. "Think of it like me bleeding all over whatever you bring down, I guess. And healing me like... you ever made a house of cards? Healing or freeing me would be like yanking one of the cards at the bottom out to stick some tape on it. Might fix the card, but everything else'd be fucked."

MK she doesn't reply to immediately; just eyes, for a long moment. Then—

"...I can't stop the fire from relighting when this all finally goes back up in flames," she says. "But if you want to toss something in there for good measure, it's not like I can fucking stop you."

And speaking of flames— the little wisp of smoke coming up from the muzzle starts thickening, as licks of fire start reaching from it into the air.

"—fucking finally. You two might want to get out of here."

MK nodded. He could do that. Wait. Back up in flames? Oh. Oh snap! MK nods and quickly turns. Time to fucking go!

"Let's go Rinku!" MK is out of there. Because if Eve meant what he thinks she meant, it is time to get the fuck out of here.

"I'll hit up the workshop! Meet me at the front door, Rinku!"

"Wah! Okay!"

She bows quickly to Eve, turns, and bounds up the stairs, transforming in a flash to fly the rest of the way up out through the trapdoor.

"Come on come on come on...!"

As you climb out of the basement, the soft crackle of flame behind you builds into a roar... and Eve outright cackles, clearly delighted by this development. Once you're out, you can just barely hear her yell:

"That's more like it—"

—before the trap door swings shut of its own accord, and melts into the wooden floor as though it had never been there to begin with.

...However, things have changed. The overwhelming scent of smoke has faded, giving way to the smell of freshly baked goods wafting from the kitchen, along with a welcome wave of warmth to chase away the cold. You can hear the soft crackle of controlled fires throughout the house... and slowly, the beginning of here-and-there taps on the roof, which turn into a steady patter as rain starts to wash away the snow outside.

MK shifts back into human form. Oh. Oh this is good! Really really good.

"We did it, Rinku! We did it!" MK laughed excitedly. At least it seems they did. He's going to go check the workshop, shifting back into monkey form as he leaves the bedroom. Oh wait. He turns back to move the futon back where it was first. Everything back where it should be.

Happy Rinku noises. She rolls around on the futon and then nudges the cushions into a circle again. As MK leaves for the workshop, she hesitates... but he said it'd be okay, right? He even promised he'd take his dreams back if he lost them. So it's fine, right?

She shifts human and heads to... well, she was going to check the door, but he did tell her to go to the kitchen, and he knows what he's doing. Besides, that smell is making her hungry, and she's finally not freezing like a streaker in Frostreign, so she autopilots over there.

Edited 2024-07-29 04:37 (UTC)

In time, you head back to the kitchen.

heart game - MK, rinku

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