Chapter Text
After exchanging pleasantries with a Gold Watcher, the Puppet King made his way through the various Nightmares in the conference room and took a seat at the table. He clasped his hands on the tabletop as he allowed himself to be lost in thought. Most were still up and about as Malak has yet to arrive.
The king scanned the crowd, all sectioned off in their respective cliques. A flash of pink caught his eye; a young woman who was conversing with a Reaper Nurse.
How interesting, a Nightmare he hasn’t come across yet. Studying the woman further, he realized the flash of pink was her hair. Thick, dyed pink curls with streaks of her natural blonde hue peeking out. She wore a black suit with gold trim, complete with a top hat. Not as tasteful as his cape and hood combination. Her most striking feature were her eyes; irises in the shape of stars outlined in a bright blue. With her gaudy makeup and face paint, she wouldn’t look out of place in the carnival where those clowns resided in.
The king bit back a smirk behind his mask. Despite her appearance, he knew better than to underestimate a fellow Nightmare. The Joy Joy Gang for instance may look silly but they’re revered as some of Malak’s best soldiers.
He watched as she pulled one of the many roses adorning her collar and offered it to the nurse. From his position, he could tell she reacted favorably by the way her hands clasped together bashfully as she took the rose in between them.
It seems as that little gesture marked their farewell as the woman approached the table and looked for a vacant spot, which happened to be the one to the left of him. She brushed her coattails behind her before sitting down. He didn’t acknowledge her presence.
But that didn’t stop her from making an introduction. “Hey, you’re the king of the puppets, right?”
She had a sweet-sounding voice, melodic and youthful. To the untrained ear, it may have passed as innocent.
The king met her inquisitive gaze. He felt slightly annoyed that she didn’t address him with his proper title, but he let it slide this time for she was new. “Indeed.”
Her black lips quirked upwards. “Thought so. You’re not shiny enough to be a Watcher.” She prattled on before he could ruminate if he should be offended by that. “Name’s Dark Star, or Star for short. Can I call you ‘King?’”
“You may—"
“Great! So, King…”
Not, you may not.
That moniker would imply they were equals, which he has yet to see if she was worthy enough. By now, she had her whole body turned towards him, her arm resting on the back of her chair. Her gaze made him feel like he was the only being in the room. It was almost flattering. His subjects weren’t the chattiest bunch.
The Puppet King was only half listening, more fixated on the sheer confidence radiating off her. She was currently bragging about how she’s already in charge of her own realm. A prison, by the sound of it. It was until she went on a tangent about spider pigs and vultures did his patience started to wear thin. He hid his irritation well, which wasn’t too difficult when one was wearing a mask.
“But I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that, huh?”
The king blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
Dark Star smirked. “I’m just saying, you being a noble and all, you probably don’t like getting your hands dirty.”
The way she phrased that was harmless enough but her eyes said otherwise, dancing in mischief.
“I can fight my own battles.” He didn’t mean to respond in such a biting tone but he felt the need to defend himself, even to a novice like her. While he has an army of mannequins at his disposal, he is more than capable of handling himself. The countless mortals who have met their end by his hand can testify to that.
Dark Star giggled, waving her hands in front of her. “I didn’t mean any offense, Your Majesty!” She seemed pleased with herself, finally getting a strong reaction from him.
The blatant disrespect was angering him. In an attempt to deflect the attention off him, he decided to interrogate her for a change. “And what of you? I doubt you can get much done all by yourself.” He paused briefly in thought. “Unless you can clone yourself?”
She turned to face the table, resting her chin lazily on her palm. “Nah, one of me’s enough.” Her eyes were partially obscured by the brim of her top hat as she looked up at him. “I’ve got something better, though. Wanna see?”
The double doors slammed open as Malak finally made his entrance. Any stragglers hurried to find a seat as the meeting commenced.
From the corner of his eye, the Puppet King secretly gave one last glance at the strange woman. She was siting up straight now and all the humor in her face vanished as she focused on their boss discussing their next plan of attack.
Dark Star. Makes sense with the whole star motif she has going on with her eyes and the painted-on stars just below them.
He’ll have to see next time what she’s truly capable of.