Work Text:
Just Me
Gretel Gunner ran to the cliff and jumped. For a moment her eye had to get adjusted to the sudden sun, then she released the arrow towards the nightmare fleeing from her, which almost disappeared in the forest. As she landed kneeing, she could hear the lamenting cry of the golem in the distance. Thank goodness those things were incredibly slow. Slowly she stood up and put the bow away in a fluent motion, then her eyes darted to the small cage following her everywhere. In it, a head.
„Brother-dear, do not fret. We will be together forever soon enough. No need to get so impatient...I mean, I want it too, you know...it's not what you think!“, she chuckled gently blushing. A rustle, and she already had her bow at the ready again. „Who goes there?“, she hissed, but got no answer. It couldn't be an animal. There weren't many animals this deep into the Library.
„Today could be our lucky day, Hansel. There seem to be more of them than normal“, she smiled softly before and entered silently into the forest.
To be honest, forests were always connected to bittersweet memories of her and her brother. She couldn't possibly remember how he looked or even sounded like, but nevertheless she could hear him talking to her, begging her to kill more and more.
Entering a clearing, she just found a small boy with limegreen hair on the ground, reading between pure white flowers. She lowered her bow in disappointment.
„Brother...it's just a stupid boy with a book. Let's get out of here.“ The boy, startled, picked up his lance with a grining face on it and stood up.
„Wait!“, he exclaimed. Gretel stopped to listen to her brother.
„That's stupid“, she answered.
„I'm sorry...“, Pinnochio flinched.
„Not you. Shut up. I'm having a conversation here“, she squinted her eyes at the boy who fell silent. „Uh-huh. Uh-huh. If you say so...“, she shrugged. „Everything for my beloved brother.“ Pinnochio seemed to have noticed the head, because he swallowed for a moment.
„Can you tell me what to do? I'm at a loss here...I gladly do anything for you, really“, he said with a shy smile. Gretel arched her eyebrows. Maybe that's why her brother was so...insistent on hearing him out. Hansel was a real smart boy.
„Anything?“, Gretel asked scepticly. The boy nodded. „Tell me where to find more nightmares.“
„Uhm, I think I know...I was just having a break myself from hunting.“
„You're stupid.“ The boy smiled softly.
„I wasn't talking to my brother, idiot. You're stupid.“ Pinnochio let his head quietly down with a sigh, before packing his things and walking out of the clearing, towards a dark part of the forest.
„Do you always talk to people like that?“, Pinnochio inquired puzzled.
„I don't talk to people other than my brother. I am worried. He's quiet. I hope he isn't jealous...“
„May I ask why?“, he whispered, before clumsily tumbling over a trees roots. Gretel could hear a weird sound, like repressed laughter. Must have been her imagination.
„Why should I talk to other people? My brother is everything I need“, her eye devoid of life looked down to the cage and stroke it with the care of a loving mother. Which she never had. It always has been just the two of them. Just the two...she shivered, which she perceived as pleasant. „I could eat him up, he is almost irresistibly delicious...“ Pinnochio scraped all his courage together to ask:
„But you are talking to me right now, aren't you?“ Gretel frowned like she had an headache.
„Because you're weird“, she dismissed his question.
„I am“, Pinnochio agreed smiling, almost in satisfaction.
„Don't smile at me with that ugly mug of yours.“
„I'm sorry.“ Pinnochio tried his best not to smile. „But I am happy to see that you two are together. It's important to have a good companion, I know it.“
At last, they arrived. It was a cave, dark and foreboding letters danced out of it. It reeked of nightmares. Gretel smiled darkly.
„A few more steps towards our wish, Brother. We will be together forever. Forever...“
„Uhm, before you go...“ Gretel turned annoyed around. „...am I allowed to talk to you again, if I happen to see you?“, he wondered. Gretel shrugged.
„Sure, whatever. I mean, it's unlikely to happen in a place as huge as this, but sure. At least you're useful.“ Pinnochio beamed with happiness.
„Thank you!“
„...no problem.“ Gretel sneaked into the cave, and Pinnochio got, even though she was a bit rude, the feeling like there was something similar to a friendship blooming.
„Don't get your hopes up, kid“, his lance said, the face suddenly coming to life.
„Sorry, sometimes I just can't help it.“
„Stop saying sorry, it's so fucking annoying!“
„Sorry...“