Chapter Text
Bonnie knew she was the odd one out of the group the second she had clambered onto the Stagecoach beside them without a single word. Some disgraced noble, some queer doctor, and some barbariac woman, all three carrying a familiarity with one another that Bonnie didn't share. No, where they held a sense of near friendship, Bonnie stood to the side, the outsider, the loner.
Of course, that was accepted. She knew better than to assume that her existence there would suddenly be seen as a blessing. Never had it been before, never would it be, and yet she watched with the tiniest pang of jealousy as the others seemed to always fall into light conversation or easy silence.
She envied their connection with one another. Their ability to work as one, some machine perfect for purging corruption. The doctor would throw her poisons or offer her potions, the noble would dance throughout the battlefield before striking where it hurt, and the barbarian would stand strong as mounting wounds only made her stronger.
And then there was she. Bonnie, the runaway, standing with a fire iron in a gloved hand and no clue where she fit in. Sure. They were all united by a common goal. But she was the outsider, through and through.
She was light like Audrey, but aggressive like Boudica, yet frail like Paracelsus. She felt she fit in nowhere in this quest to "sow Hope throughout the world." Their chauffeur spoke so passionately of the goal, Bonnie almost believed him; perhaps the others did too.
Or perhaps the others saw him as a raving madman, a lunatic. They certainly spoke of their old employer that way, the grandchild of some bastard that unleashed some horrific evil. Some, some, some, as if it were normal, something everybody could expect to hear.
The others would talk, they would bicker, and at inns they would drink, while Bonnie would stare out the window at the corrupted world, of the broken, crumbling society. And at inns, Bonnie would sleep, or perform in what menial activity she was given to clear her mind. Whittling had grown to be her favorite, the perfect manner of steadying her already quivering hands.
And Bonnie stares now, as the Stagecoach rumbles on, through rot infested land, the sights of bloated goats and their horrific masters off in the distance. Surely, they would have to exterminate them; but thankfully, not yet.
Oh, how thankful she was that they wouldn't have to face them yet. She knew it would be the wise thing to take care of, striking them all down, but there was still that fear tinging her mind, tainting her spirit. A fear of the unknowable, a fear of the forthcoming.
She slowly turns back to her companions, hunting for some brief respite from her worrying mind. Audrey entertains them with a knife balanced on a finger, a self satisfied smile crossing her typically cool face as Boudica admits it was at least vaguely impressive. Though her own face is hidden, Paracelsus leans over to knock the knife down, earning a smack upside her beak as she huffs.
Perhaps she stares too long, as the voice of Audrey ringing quickly draws attention to Bonnie. She feels her ears begin to burn as Audrey asks, "That was at least a bit impressive, wasn't it?"
A half mumbled reply from Bonnie as she goes to stare out the window once more, but she's interrupted by the sound of footsteps, a yelp as the coach hits a bump, and then a laugh as somebody settles down beside her. Bonnie goes to turn her head even more, but the second she tries she feels something pop in her neck.
She grimaces quietly, and suddenly laughter erupts in the carriage, a sound so rowdy that even she joins in, even if certain it's at her own expense. That light, bold smile across Audrey's lips is oddly comforting though, as she continues to snicker. "You don't have to hurt yourself to avoid me, dear, I take no quite well."
Bonnie puffs her cheeks in response, exhaling a slow breath. "I... I don't--"
"Oh, relax a bit. Only having some fun. Been so awfully quiet, when I saw you were actually looking, I figured I'd take a chance to talk, make some conversation." Audrey looks at the knife in her hand, before she very slowly slides it into some sort of pocket inside of her jacket. Despite herself, Bonnie laughs at that, moreso at the exaggerated way Audrey makes sure she sees the knife go away. "Fair enough?"
Her own laughter dies as Bonnie studies Audrey. Slowly, she turns her head away once more, looking straight ahead. "Sure," She responds in a soft murmur.
Out of the corner of her eye, she catches Audrey turning to stare at the others, head tilted to the side as though asking a question. Whatever she does ask earns her a "no" from Para and a "yes" from Boudica, and after a second longer she turns back to Bonnie.
This time, however, she leans back against the padded back of the seat, tilting her head back as she gives a peaceful sigh. "I've ridden in coaches both far more and far less comfortable. I'll take a middling experience over back pain, yes?"
"Mhm."
"Though, I do suppose the constant bumps don't exactly make it nicer. But the ride itself matters not when compared to the mode we take."
"Hmm."
"Not quite the talkative one, are you?" That one elicits a groan from aside, most certainly from Paracelsus. Audrey, however, continues talking, crossing one of her legs over her knee. "Can't quite say I blame you. I do chatter on, but twas simply something not allowed beforehand-- I'll take everything I can get."
Bonnie stirs, turning to face Audrey with narrowed eyes. "Before?"
The other two heroes perk up in their own manner, Boudica leaning forward while Paracelsus gives the tiniest of head tilts. Audrey looks to them and then scoffs.
"You already know the story," She says, before looking back at Bonnie. There's an almost conspiratorial glint to her eyes, gleaming as though she was about to share some deep secret with Bonnie. "Or, rather, most of it. The important bits."
Finding herself sitting upright, Bonnie finally gives Audrey her full attention, more than entranced by that sly look. Audrey leans forward slightly. "I'm sure you can guess I used to be somebody of relative importance, right? I have the look about me. But what's some noble lady doing out here, fighting cannibals and cultists both? Not like I have much to gain," She whispers, a smug grin growing across her pale face.
So close, it's now that Bonnie is able to truly study her. Aside from some beauty mark that seems almost painted onto her face, she looks so... Unblemished. Unmarked. Unscarred by whatever horrors she has already endured. It's only until Bonnie takes note of the tiniest scar under her eye that she realized the woman must've had some experience... Beforehand.
Audrey leans forward still, resting a hand on Bonnie's shoulder as she continues to whisper to her. "I used to have a husband. Oafish bastard, I loathed him with every fiber of my being. He thought he could own me, took great pleasure in silencing my very existence. I could have friends, sure, and I could meet with people, but in his presence? Nothing."
Her voice now carries a bitter note. "I killed him. Never had to worry about him again. Not him owning me, not him pretending he was better than me, not any of his crude ways, nothing. Liberating."
Oh so carefully, Bonnie goes to return Audrey's eye contact, searching for any malicious glint to follow her already haunting words. And yet, there is none. She still looks as though she let Bonnie in on some little known secret, and when she straightens up as though she didn't just admit to, well... Murder, she looks light and airy as ever.
Bonnie looks to the others, finding Boudica straining to hear her words and Paracelsus making a pointed effort to stare straight ahead and not look. Eventually, Bonnie looks back to Audrey, who is still smiling that cold smile.
Perhaps it wasn't so cold. Perhaps it was almost welcoming.
"So, dear, secret for a secret? Have you got any old tales you'd like to tell me so?"
Or perhaps it wasn't. Bonnie tenses up instantly, wrenching her gaze from Audrey to stare down at the wooden floor of the coach. "No," She says, certainly all too quickly, ears burning red hot.
Rather than pry like she expected, Audrey gives a shrug and a laugh. "In due time, then," She says plainly as she leans back once more.
"You know," Audrey continues on as she tilts her head back to stare at the carriage roof, "I think you've made an effort to avoid talking to any of us. Any reason why?"
Bonnie looks to the other two, who watch with an equal combination of curiosity and almost concern--Or, well, Bonnie assumes Paracelsus does, seeing as her gaze is completely hidden by the mask on her face. Boudica, however, most certainly does. Hesitating for a few seconds, Bonnie eventually tries to answer.
"Uncomfortable," She manages to say. "Not much of a reason to get all buddy-buddy if most of you are going to die."
Again, that earns a laugh from Audrey, who stands up and walks over to Paracelsus. Leaning against the door of the stagecoach (there's an audible gasp from everybody as she lounges without concern), she points to Bonnie. "Look! I found your new best friend."
"Quit that," Paracelsus snarks back, swatting her hand away. "I'm not so dour that you instantly assume the worst of me, do you?"
"Well..."
"Oh, damn you." The doctor's grumble is met by more lighthearted laughs, bubbly giggles that are shockingly infectious--So much so that Bonnie, despite herself, begins to join in.
Audrey then points to Bonnie once more, a gesture that quickly grabs her attention. "To be quite serious, though... We've all faced situations as bad as this one. Not exaggerating, either. We've all been to Hell and back, and we've survived. You don't need to fear some eventual end, we're just as likely to live as we are to die. And if we do die, at least we aren't going to be brought back from the dead."
The glance Audrey shoots Paracelsus is more than curious, almost distracting from her words as she then continues on. "But all the same. Whether we die or not..."
"No reason to just keep to yourself all the time," Boudica adds on, straightening up as they hit another bump, this one sending Audrey reeling back. In an effort to "help," Paracelsus simply shoves her forward, sending her careening into the seat where Bonnie sat.
A crude gesture is thrown towards the doctor, who gladly returns it, and the two start to bicker quietly, Audrey claiming it would've been quite simple to just catch her and Paracelsus saying that she had no desire to be near Audrey. Bonnie finds herself nearly lost in their squabble until Boudica walks up and sits down beside her.
Boudica was... Frightening. A massive woman, a build of pure muscle and anger, so strong and more than willing to charge headfirst into combat to rip enemies to shreds with her glaive, but now she almost seems to make an effort to make herself approachable.
Almost.
She still carries with her an air of power that radiates around her, almost like a barrier warning people of approaching. Bonnie gives a tense smile that she's certain looks far more like a growl.
Boudica, however, casts her gaze over towards the two still fighting, giving a surprisingly gentle hum. "They mean well," Boudica says.
"Yeah."
"Old friends."
"...Figured."
"Don't feel like an outsider. We're all in this together. We made a choice to fight whatever hellishness is plaguing this world, now all we have is each other." Boudica speaks in a short, clipped tone, one that makes her sound far more serious than she might intend to. All the same, Bonnie gives a small nod, to show she listens.
"You're one of us. Don't be worried. You have a place at our side any day." Boudica rests a heavy hand on Bonnie's shoulder, moving so that nowhere Bonnie looks could avoid her face. Returning the eye contact, Bonnie gives yet another nod.
There is yet another bump, and a shared squeal from both Paracelsus and Audrey get the other two to fall silent. The jolting and jerking of the cart start to grow more common, while the speed of the carriage begins to slow.
Soon enough, they come to a total stop and it takes but a second for the coach door to fly open to reveal another inn, another stop on their trek to the mountain. Audrey and Paracelsus scramble out of the cart, hurling bawdy insults about their mothers and their own selves while Boudica steps out more carefully. Bonnie exits last, having to jump out of the coach. It then goes along to find some sort of stable for the horses, leaving the others with nothing more to do than step inside.
Bonnie starts to walk over to the side, to wait for all the others to enter, but quite quickly she feels a hand on her wrist, and next thing she knows Audrey is dragging her inside of the inn, all the while going on about how Paracelsus should've...
The words are foul enough that Bonnie quickly blocks them out, but by the end, it somehow has the doctor in question howling with uncharacteristic laughter, so much so that as she staggers down onto a rickety old chair, she's doubling over.
When Audrey drops her wrist to go take a seat beside Paracelsus, she doesn't hesitate to motion for Bonnie to join her in another spare chair. Boudica is already off talking to their driver, most certainly to grab some sort of food for the group, and the argument between Paracelsus and Audrey seems to have faded to jovial, if harsh, banter.
What the hell, Bonnie decides, rather quite boldly, in her head as she grabs onto one of the chairs and drags it over to them.
Might as well. It felt oddly nice, not standing like some outsider. Good enough for her.