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“...I hope this moment of introspect sticks with you.”
Vergilius, The Red Gaze…a stern one, to be sure. You accepted the invitation to “Limbus Company” when you were down on your luck. The details of your contract will remain secret only to you, but it’s not exactly something you think fondly of. After having to leave the Dieci Association, you haven’t been yourself. You had to leave due to…well…let's just say you didn’t have the aptitude for their “learning methods”. You were always too timid to use your fists, but they never entrusted you with a Key, as much as you pleaded. To put it in short terms, you’re a timid and friendly, energetic soul.
Unfortunately, Vergilius isn’t a fan of this. Or you in general.
The other Sinners all look at you with feelings ranging from discontentment to agitation as your reluctance to fight resulted in a few…dozen or so deaths. Dante, your manager with the weird clockhead, lies crouched over on the bus seat, looking like a corpse.
“Your incompetence has led to us almost failing to secure the Golden Bough. Don’t forget the details of your contract. Another situation like this and we’ll have to discuss your employment at this company. Don’t let this happen again. Ever.” Vergilius’ piercing red gaze sends a terrible chill to your spine. His tone, so cold and harsh, even some of the sinners feel bad for you. They’ve never seen him chew into a sinner this hard before. Even “The Don Incident” wasn’t nearly as bad.
You stand there trembling, shaking from the fear of having been verbally berated. Your hands sweat and shiver clutching your Key. It’s your choice of weapon that you managed to steal before you were cast away from the Dieci, though you’ve never been able to fully utilize its immense power. Everytime you use it, you’re left with horrid gaps in your knowledge, confused and scared for hours afterwards. You sympathize with Dante in this way, unable to remember most things from your past. In some ways, it's a keepsake, a memento of the past. “I miss Dieci…horribly…I miss you…I…I can’t remember…” you think to yourself, tearing up from both the memories flooding back and the awful cavernous feeling residing in your heart from your performance today.
Vergilius returns to the front of the company bus, “Mephistopheles” as your coworker Faust has deemed it. The rest of the sinners all shove their way past you as you remain motionless in the middle of the bus. They retreat to their rooms, leaving you with parting murmurs and gossip that you managed to overhear. All but one leave, only one remains. Rodion. She towers over your relatively small stature, her beautiful gaze resting heavy on your frightened form. She lets out a sigh of pity and sadness, and grabs your hand without uttering a word. She silently leads you along to her room. This company bus was custom tailored to each Sinner’s personality, which is why you were so shocked to see her room was dark, barely illuminated by a seemingly perpetual dim blue moonlight through a singular large window, with a seemingly endless torrent of heavy rainfall. How was this possible inside the bus? You have no clue.
Rodion speaks for the first time all night, “I hate being yelled at too…reminds me of home. It’s okay.” You open your lips barely before her large hand covers your lips, shushing you completely. “You aren’t pathetic, take a deep breath. Rodion’s got ya.”, a gentle blush creeps over your face as your muscles relax. She pulls you onto her soft, large bed, cradling you in her overwhelming size and warmth. She's essentially got you into a bear hug without you even noticing. Rodion’s comforting, surprisingly soft body makes you absolutely melt into her embrace. You doze off to sleep, the last thing you hear is her humming gently.
You awaken around 2-am to the sight of a beautiful woman cradling you. You’re both in comforting pajamas, she must’ve taken the liberty to change you. How thoughtful? It’s best if you don’t inquire further. She awakens and relaxes her grip gently, only to adjust you, before going back to sleep. “My little teddy bear…mmm” she murmurs quietly as she takes gentle pecks at your forehead while she dreams of something surely comforting. Her grip tightens around your torso, best described as a beautiful 6’4 anaconda with brown hair coiling around you. “Mmm…little cute teddy bear, cake…and…yummy kebabs…”. You don’t know whether to feel comforted or uncomfortable that this giant of a woman has taken to calling you a teddy bear. You wonder if you’re also the “cake and kebabs” that she mentioned as well. The only thing you can do is listen gently to her heartbeat and the rain outside. Comforting, if not familiar almost. Somebody used to hold you like this…somebody…but their name…it was..was…
You pant in your sleep, having horrible nightmares of broken memories and times long past. Grief and anguish over those who you’ve lost, yet unable to remember even their names, faces, personalities. “M…my friends…they were friends? Yes…friends…but…”. Rodion stirs awake at the sounds of your panicked murmurs. She moves you so the two of you are eye to eye, and she does something you could have never expected. She begins stroking her hand through your hair, “Fluffy and soft…” are the only words that escape her lips, your head ringing with the sound of silence and rain hitting the window. You drift back to sleep, with the last sensation you feel being a single loving kiss against your cheek
You are unsure if it was just the best sleep of your life, or if Mephistopheles has something akin to a warp train time distortion effect due to Dante’s presence, but it feels as if you’ve slept for weeks, months even. You slowly withdraw yourself from Rodion’s now relaxed grip, and dress yourself for the morning. The standard issue limbus company uniform is dawned, but with your own personal flair of your torn, battered, and stained Dieci custom fitted cloak and shoulder pauldrons. It was given to you as, due to your weaker physical constitution, the overseers of the Dieci Association had decided to ensure your safety above all else. The Dieci logo, faded, but still prominent, inscribed on the back, alongside a personal flair of your own, this being a large star behind it..
The Sinners all exit their rooms shortly after, well rested and ready for a new assignment. Rodion slowly exits her room, her hair disheveled and unkept. “That was a great night! Sorry for keeping ya, I sleep better with a teddy bear, but they never let me bring one…” She exclaims joyously, as if she didn't cradle you to sleep and near cook you with her body heat. “If you’re up for it, we can do that every night! You seem to be better rested as well!” Well, who are you to refuse? “Yes ma’am, thank you…I suppose we can sleep together in the future...It reminded me of the sleepovers I used to have with…uhm…” As your memories fade again, Rodion places a finger on your lips and shushes you, filling you with comfort, if not a bit of embarrassment from being so easily hushed by a colleague.
Miss Faust’s cold and authoritative voice rings out in your ears as she gently instructs you all. “Sinners, we will be navigating an abandoned Lobotomy Corporation branch today. Refer to Miss Outis and Dante for any further instruction. I will be remaining behind to perform maintenance on Mephistopheles.”
And with the familiar ticking of the clockhead you call a manager, you embark on another day. Let’s hope this one goes better than last time.