Chapter Text
Things really weren't the greatest for Mono and Triple at the moment, all things considered. They were being hunted relentlessly by the porcelain students, and their horrifying contortionist of a teacher. But worst than this was that they managed to lose Six.
"I just can't believe it," Triple whispered angrily to her bag wearing companion. "Six was kidnapped, again! And just like last time, I couldn't do a thing about it."
"You did your best," mono replied, trying desperately to make his new friend feel better. He felt terrible for her, he really did. It must have been terrible to lose your sister once, but twice? Now that was quite overkill, even in this world's standards. "There were just too many of them, there was nothing that anyone could have done."
"I should have been able to do something." Triple argued stubbornly. "I'm telling you there is something blocking or restricting my powers. I'm not sure what or who it is, but I'm gunna find out. And when I do, they'll be in for it!"
The elevator door opened and the duo creeped out, all senses on high alert, scanning for any possible threat. They were alerted no more than five seconds later with small, skittering scraping sounds.
Instinctively, Mono jumps back towards Triple, grabbing her hand. Said shadow girl tenses at this, but relaxes again after noticing who it was. Still this whole situation was a bit new for her since she had only held hands with Six before this point; she hoped that her sister wouldn't mind she was doing something with him that she'd previously only done with her, not that she really had a choice in the matter.
She groaned in discomfort. "Loosen up a little, bagboy." She grumbles. "If I were human, you'd be making me bleed with those sharp little nails of yours."
"O-oops," Mono giggles nervously, taking a deep breath and loosening his grip. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that the shadow girl's hand had been flattened and was now puffing out into its natural shape again within his. Was her body really that pliable. "Sorry, Triple."
"Never mind that, what do you suppose that sound is?"
"I hope it's not The Teacher," he mumbles, remembering those crazy symbols she'd scribbled madly onto the blackboard. This noise was similar to that, but a bit... smaller?
"Can't be, The Teacher is on a different floor. Unless... there are multiple teachers."
"Oh, please no." Mono moaned.
"We won't know until we check it out; come on, Mono."
Still hand in hand, the two slowly crept forwards, being as quiet as they possibly could. They were not prepared for the sight that eventually greeted them. "Another one." Triple muttered, eyeing the bully. He was leached up like an animal, feverishly scribbling creepy drawings of eyes all over the place.
"Looks like it," Mono agreed, careful not to talk too loudly.
"He must've incurred The Teacher's wrath somehow," Triple said with slight amusement. "You think he's writing lines?"
"Could be."
The two then stood there for a few moments, facing each other, waiting for the other to make the first move, to find a blunt object to bash this little monster's oh so fragile head in. Neither of them moved, for a sort of impressive amount of time.
"Well?" They both said simultaneously, causing them to look at each other strangely, also simultaneously.
"You should do it," Mono said finally. "You haven't got the chance to yet, and I'm sure you want revenge for them taking Six. Who knows, maybe it'll help strengthen your powers."
"Nah, you can do it. You're good at it."
Mono looked back to the porcelain boy again. Then at Triple. Then to the bully, and then back at Triple one more time. He was slightly bemused to see that she was doing the exact same thing.
"There brats," He grumbles. "Every last one of them."
"And they took Six." Triple adds.
"They're so bad that only The Teacher can keep them in line, and she can't even do it completely."
"They've probably pulled their stuff on other kids besides us."
"and did a lot more damage."
"They are monsters, nothing but trouble."
"They're bad," That last one felt hollow on Mono's tongue, and the more he thought about it he realized it was the same as all the others. The fact was that he and Triple had been judging The Bullies as a unanimous group, and not as individuals. Though it very well could have been true that they were all the same, this one here was not the one who kidnapped Six, or the one who had given them grief. So... would it really be right to kill him?
"Triple?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't feel right about this." He confessed, decision made.
Triple sighs. "Me neither, bagboy. This bully may be a brat like all the others, but he's not the one that took Six. Or hurt us at all. So it wouldn't be right to kill him."
"Then, what do we do?"
"He might be useful. Maybe he has some info on where Six is?"
"Do you really think so?"
Triple shrugs. "It's worth a shot." Then quick as a lightning bolt, faster than Mono can react, she's floating up and over, into the bully's line of sight. "Hey, Dunce!" She cries, in a taunting tone.
The bully shoves his writing implements aside, screeching in that shrill high voice of his. "Truder! Truder!" He tries desperately to get to Triple and is none too successful, his leash causing him to fall in an undignified heap.
"Ha!" Triple does a cocky little mid-air twirl, raincoat billowing around her as she smirks with slightly twisted pleasure. "Silly Dunce, you can't get us! Not as you are."
The bully grunts angrily as he shoves himself back into an almost upright position. He only has time to do this before he is engulfed in tendrils of shadow. They glide across his form, taking every inch of him in, sending valuable info to their mistress. The porcelain student bats and claws at them, but his hands go right through. "Aaaagh! Bad dark! Living, slithering dark!"
"Mmm-hmm," Triple purrs. "And I'm in control. they'll do whatever I ask, including killing you, if you don't give me what I want?"
"What dark girl waaaaant!?" The bully shrieks in terror, causing another chuckle to bubble out of Triple. These bullies really were like all others. They acted all tough, but deep down, they were nothing but big wusses.
"I want to know what your little friends did with Six. My sister. Who they kidnapped. If of course you know anything about that, that is. Which I'm sure you know at least a little something..."
"Bullied child? Oh, yes. Bullies bully children, lots!"
"He talks weird," Mono muttered to his companion as the now properly cowed bully stuttered through his explanation.
"Must be why he needs school," She jokes, before listening to what her interrogatee was saying.
"If bullies take The Six, they take her... to bathroom!"
"Interesting. The bathroom, you say?" Triple loosens her grip, but only by a tiny amount. It's so slight that she doubts the captive student even notices.
"Bullies love to hang children in bathroom, hit them and watch them swing! But sometimes forget them and leave them there... big smell..."
Both kids try not to shutter or become nauseous at the new information they'd learned, with varying degrees of success. "So then ... she's not dead yet?" Triple asked, trying and failing to hide the hopeful tone in her voice.
The Bully nods noncommittally. "If The Six captured recently, probably not. She probably swinging and spinning around, squealing like little girl she is!"
"Okay, we're done." Triple announces firmly, teeth clenched in anger at this thing's show of twisted pleasure at her sister's suffering. "Mono, we now have ourselves a new mission. Find bathroom, free Six, get the heck out of here. Sound good?"
Confused at the drastic shift in the situation, Mono can only stutter. "Uh well I yeah. Yeah, I-I guess so."
"Good." Then she's firmly grabbing Mono's wrist and dragging him out of the room.
"Wait!" Whirling around in annoyance at the student's shrill cry. If Mono didn't know better, he'd say it sounded desperate.
"What."
"Dunce do something for children... now children do something for Dunce."
Triple scoffs at the entitlement she hears in the self-proclaimed Dunce's voice. "I refrained from tearing you apart, despite your sickening attitude. How is that not enough for you?
Mono decides now would be a good time to speak up as he feels that he isn't really being included in this. "Uh, Triple?"
"what, Mono, what!"
Okay, so she's in a really bad mood, Mono thought. But this was still important. "I think he wants us to let him go."
Triple rounds on him, fangs bared. "You aren't actually considreing—"
"Nonono of course not. I just think that's probably what he wants is all."
Triple steps back, closes her eyes, and takes a long, deep breath. Then another. Then another. "There is no way we could do that," She huffs, addressing both Mono and Dunce at once. "Would give us nothing but another porcelain terror to deal with."
Mono nods silently, understandingly. Sometimes he just wished this stupid world would just give them a break; sometimes all the crap it gave them to deal with was just too much.
Dunce then spoke again, but in a very peculiar way. Softer than any of his kind had spoken before. It was as though he knew that his fate was set in stone, and Triple and Mono would not set him free. But he had to try anyway, because that was just the kind of being he was.
"Dunce will not bully children if they free him. ... Dunce could help you find The Six. Dunce knows this school. He knows where every trap is, and how to avoid the scary teacher. ... MOst of time."
To Mono's surprise, Triple actually seemed to be considering the student's words.
"You're not actually thinking about doing it, are you?" Mono asked, teasing his friend about her response to him earlier.
"I want to save Six," She responds simply.
"Yeah but we could do that without his help, right Triple? ... Triple?"
Triple huffs, approaching Dunce with her hands on her hips. "Fine, fine. But if you don't follow through with those words of yours, you will be the one hanging in the bathroom."