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It had been six long ass months since Apo had left to go to Okahurst. Six. Months. Well, it's been a bit longer than that, actually. But that's not the point! The point is that she hasn't seen her girlfriend in over six months
And the only thing Cherri had gotten in that time is a couple of letters, some with dirt stains on the paper and others with singes edges. And even then those stopped after a while. So when those six months ended, Cherri was so happy that her beloved was finally coming back to their small, comfortable house in the woods
But she didn't come back. And that worried Cherri. It worried her more than she would like to admit. She was a monster hunter, and her girlfriend was part of the military. They should be fine!!
Cherri told herself that several times, yet it never seemed to stick with her in there mind. So, in her slight desperation to see her lover, she gathers her crossbow, some arrows, and a carry pack of things she may need on her journey, and sets off in the direction of Oakhurst.
She will find Apo, and she won't let anyone get in her way.
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Apo knew she was putting herself, the townsfolk, and Cherri in danger by staying in this stupid ass town, but damn it she couldn't let these people get hurt, especially after all the shit that has happened here. She may only now be an architect, but she knew her way around weapons.
It's been a while since everything has gone down, and the town and castle have come to a bit of a truce for now. The vampires in the castle wouldn't feed or hurt anyone, and in return the people in town brings up a few animals to the vampires for them to feed on, since they can't really breed the animals themselves.
But that truce was beginning to become strained.
Owen had been beginning to become more violent and bloodthirsty lately, and he'd been lashing out at people like Ren and Legs when they help bring up the animals, which he usually never does. In the same sense, Pyro had also been getting more bloodthirsty, but he hasn't been outright attacking anyone… at least yet, that is.
The other vampires have been fine so far. Avid is… nowhere to be found. Nobody knows where he is, not even Drift or Shelby, which is weird. Dispute that, the remaining vampires have been somewhat reasonable in what they are doing for the time being.
The remaining towns people have been building up Oakhurst and keeping it relatively clean and healthy. Ren still lives outside of the walls, but he's the one taking care of the tavern now, so that's a good sign. M helps him every so often, but he's still focused on writing his book. Apparently Shelby is as well, and he's helping her, but whatever. That's their deal, not hers.
Pearl and Cleo are the same as always, with Pearl still adventuring and coming back at random times, and Cleo still, somehow, being like the mayor of the town. Apo doesn't really know how that happened, and honestly, good for Cleo, she couldn't care less.
Anyways, the townsfolk are ok and well, and that's all she cares about right now. She shakes her head and glances up at the gloomy sky above the land, the branches obscuring her view ever so slightly.
It's a nice day, all things considered. There's not been any violence in the past few days, and everyone is working together. At least, slightly. She sighs as she continues to walk through the forest, coming back from a trip outside of town to get some other types of foods and crops.
The new cobblestone walls of Okahurst come into view after a few more seconds of walking, and Apo sighs softly in relief. Finally back at town. She pushes open the gate as she walks in, glancing around to see if anyone was around. At first, she doesn't see anyone. But after taking a few steps, she hears Martyn and Legs talking a few feet away.
"I don't trust her, Legs. I mean, she came into town with a crossbow strapped to her back demanding to see Apo! Isn't that at least a bit suspicious?" Martyn huffs, crossing his arms as he leans against the side of his house, keeping his eyes on Legs and not noticing Apo walking up on the two of them.
"I understand Martyn, but she sporting an arrow in her shoulder. So she's staying in town at least till she is better." Legs retorts, a sigh escaping him as he shakes his head, noticing Apo out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, Apo. Wonderful to see you."
Martyn perks up at the sound of Apo's name, whipping around to face her and taking a few steps closer. "Apo! Thank God your here. There's this woman with pink hair yelling about how she need to see you and shit."
Apo is completely caught off guard by the words being thrown her way, and has to take a slight step back from Legs and Martyn, taking in the information that was just thrown at her. A girl with pink hair… Oh shit. She looks up at the two of them again, a slightly concerned expression on her face. "Did this person happen to say her name?"
"….Uh, yeah. Said her name was "Cherri". At least I think she did. I wasn't really paying attention." Martyn shrugs, clearly not bothered by the absolute bombshell he just dropped on Apo, who looks like she's about to explode.
After a few seconds of taking in the information, Apo quickly walks towards the Doc's clinic, leaving Legs and Martyn standing confused in the center of town. She eventually stops in front of the clinic, taking a deep breath before opening the door, revealing Cherri sitting down on a stool next to a desk, a bandage wrapped around her shoulder. "Holy crap…"
Cherri looks up from her crossbow as she hears a voice, immediately recognizing Apo and standing up so quickly she starts to get dizzy. Apo quickly rushes over and wraps her arm around Cherri's shoulders, holding her up. "Hey, hey… Easy there, you're gonna hurt yourself more than usual." She guides Cherri back over to the stool and sits her down, sitting down on the chair beside her. "…How did you even get here? How did you know I was here?"
Cheri groans softly, though a small smirk does form on her lips as she looks at Apo. "You left your map at home, so just followed it." She shrugs her shoulders like it's the simplest thing in the world, wincing ever so slightly.
Apo groans softly, running a hand down her face, though a small smile does make its way into her face. Of course. She wouldn't expect anything less from her lover. "….Fine, ok. But if you're gonna stay here, you can't be doing anything reckless. We've got some rules here, and- Wait, how long have you even been here?"
Cherri smirks and Apo's question, a laugh escaping her. "I've been here for a couple hours. Nothing to long." Apo sighs and nods her head subtly, slightly grateful that Cherri had only been here a few hours. "Ok, good. Anyways, are you well enough to, y'know, come with to meet the others in town?"
Cherri hums, pretending to think about it for a few moments before nodding and standing up from her seated position. "Yeah, sure. I've already met the doc, and seen that Martyn guy. I've also heard a few voices walking by, but other than that I've not met anyone." Apo nods in response, humming softly as she subtly intertwines her hand with Cherri's, tugging her out of the Doc's clinic and into the town.
As Apo leads Cherri through the town, showing off the different buildings and things that they have created, Ren walks up to the two of them. "Ah, Miss Apo! Lovely to see ya, don'tcha know. If it's possible, could I borrow ya for a moment? It's official militia business, don'tcha know." Apo glances over at Ren when she hears his words, humming softly before looking at Cherri. "Are you good walking around for a bit? I need to take care of this."
"Of course I am! Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." Cherry smirks, giving Apo a dismissive wave of her hand before walking towards a different part of town. "See you in a bit!" And like that, she's gone. Apo sighs softly at Cherri's dismissive actions, before turning and giving Ren her attention. "Alright, Ren, what do you need?"
-Around an hour later.-
So, as it turns out, Ren didn't actually need her for anything. In fact, Martyn had sent Ren out to grab her just so that he could pester and interrogate her about who Cherri is, how they know each other, and why she's now here in town. Eventually, Apo manages to escape the impromptu interrogation Martyn had sprung on her, sighing softly as she wanders around the town, now looking for Cherri once more. But with ever twist and turn she takes, Cherri is nowhere to be seen.
The worry starts to eat at Apo as she searches and searches. She asks Legs and Pearl, yet even they haven't seen Cherri anywhere. Apo groans softly as she stops at one of the many exits to the town, a slightly worried expression on her face. She knows Cherri can take care of herself, she always has. But even then, with Pyro and Owen getting more aggressive and bloodthirsty, she really doesn't want to take any chances. So, after taking a deep breath and making sure she has at least a few weapons on her person, she pushes open the gate and exits town in the direction of the dead woods.
As Apo walks along the dirt path through the dense dark oak woods, she keeps her eye out for anything that even seems remotely related to Cherri. She doesn't notice anything right off the bat, but she supposes that is to be expected. Cherri never leaves anyone an easy trail to follow, not even Apo. So, she keeps on walking through the forest, listening and looking out for Cherri, until she makes her way out of the forest and onto the shore of the river, with the dead woods on the other side of the river.
Luckily, Apo remembers that there's a small parkour bridge close by. So, with not a lot of confidence, the vampire sighs and makes her way towards and over the stone parkour bridge and into the dead woods. The trees in the dead woods look ashy and decayed, with the leaves floating down and causing the already decayed and desecrated ground to become almost chalk like in texture, crunching softly as Apo walks around.
She sighs as she continues walking through the dead woods, hearing no sounds whatsoever. It's kinda creeping her out, honestly. The dead woods always creeps her out, but right now it's especially terrifying. Looking around the forest once more, she doesn't spot anything relevant to Cherri, and it was pissing her off-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
Apo whips around in the direction of the scream, the sound taking her by surprise cause it… sounds like Cherri. Thinking for a split second, Apo realizes that the scream is Cherri, and immediately shifts into a bat, flying towards the sound of the scream, pure adrenaline fueling her actions and thoughts.
The wind whips around her as she flies through the air, scanning the forest for any sign of Cherri. Eventually, Apo spots a speck of pink hair out of the corner of her eye, and immediately dives down towards it, shifting back into her human form once she is on the ground. When she looks up from the ground, the thing that lies in front of her is horrifying. Cherri is, in fact, there. But she's lying on the ground in a steadily growing pool of her own blood, the tips of her hair stained red from the liquid, as Owen pulls a liver out from her gaping chest cavity. The sight makes Apo gag, a horrified expression on her face as she just stares, completely immobilized by fear.
Owen hears the gag that comes from Apo and tilts his head slightly, looking up at the horrified vampire standing a few feet away. "Oh, it's you. Well, guess that means I'm going to have to cut things short. Shame." He sighs, taking a bite of Cherri's liver and tossing it carelessly back onto the ground before shifting into a bat and flying away from the dead woods.
Apo is glued to her spot for a few more moments, before she eventually is able to move again, sprinting over and kneeling down right beside Cherri, her skirt immediately getting soaked with blood. The metallic scent in the air made her gag once more, but she didn't care. Her hands hind their way to Cherri's face, shaking slightly as they cup her cheeks. "….Cheri? Cherri please… Please don't leave me… Please….."