Chapter Text
Fighting Yoshihide was a fool's errand, especially considering she had that sword unsheathed. Ren knew that well, yet something deep within the fahtoms of his heart compelled him to go forth nevertheless. An observer might call it pride, but the Apprentice would vehemently deny otherwise. It was as they've said, reverently spoke like it was a fabled legend— Arayashiki cuts, no, more correct is to say it unequivocally severs anything that dares stand in its arc. And Ren felt it firsthand, where he had to surmise that there now were perfectly spliced gaps in his being, like they were nothing more than dreams. Oh, and that it *hurts*. Yoshihide sure doesn't pull her punches.
Even while actively getting removed from this plane, Ren doesn't falter. Neither does that Proxy, Sora. By what wicked machinations has she ended up with... all of her abilities? Even Shin alone puts her above the rest of the Apprentices, in that regard at least, but Ren cannot worry about that. The gaps in memory, in being, are becoming too large, too wide, and all-encompassing. An unsettling calm takes his mindscape, as there is but one island of selfness remaining, a culmination of his being, refined and culled into his last stand... But it was a Hopeless endeavor from the beginning. A few parting words leave his mouth, and Ren, the Pinky Apprentice, is no more.
Un-selfulness. Total unbeing. Plain, simple erasure. "Heey." No feeling harkens to it. A tranquil stillness. "Wake uppp." Gracefully, eternally— "WAKE UP!"—Ahem, unoccupying space, unyielding— "I know you can hear me." Ren's nearly perpetual neutral expression tightens in irritation as he finally relents and pries open his eyes from his supposed erasure. Standing above him with a self-satisfied expression was a fair maiden whose darkened blond hair fell like a curtain around her face. "There you are. It wasn't so hard now, was it?" The woman straightens up to smooth over her elegant dress, the slightest hint of smugness present in her gentle smile.
Feeling a splitting headache akin to a serious hangover, which should be surprising considering the Pinky Apprentice has never ingested alcohol, he slowly starts pushing his body up to observe his new surroundings... or lack thereof, since Ren found himself in a strikingly empty white void, with hardly a distinction where the 'floor' meets the 'sky'. The woman, just a dash shorter than the Apprentice, waited patiently for him to get up before giving a polite bow of the head. "Pardon for the late introduction, but welcome, I am Catherine Earnshaw." Ren quickly notes the eloquent speech and her distinguished outfit, whilst critically looking like a non-combatant.
The Apprentice's expression remains frigid, not giving a single twitch. "Hm. Ren. To what do I owe the pleasure, Catherine?" He crosses his arms and assumes his typical pose, looking detached even while his blue eyes search hers.
For her part, Catherine gives an airy chuckle, covering her mirth with her gloved hand. "Well, to the one that sent you here, silly. Don't tell me you've already forgotten what was that is responsible for your current predicament." Before composing herself and elegantly holding her arms over her lap.
Again, the Pinky's expression twitches. He remembered, of course, he remembered, the sword that erases what it hits—wait. "It is... a bold assumption you make there. What makes you so certain of your conclusion? Moreover, how could you know what went on inside... 'that' place." He nearly divulged it was a Corridor, potentially losing a critical piece of information he could have over her. His grip on his arms tightened, and his instinct told him to grab the hilt of the blade, but he refrained.
Catherine seems hardly phased by the new arrival's hostility. "Simple, I too have been 'erased' from the world." She spoke the fact with such utter casualness, as if it were an interesting piece of trivia. The delivery has Ren taken aback, making his grip relax, and his eyes widen. Tonnes of questions swirled around in his mind, palpable confusion visible on his face, even reserved as it was. Catherine spared him the trouble of asking for clarification and began explaining. "Yes. This is the endless expanse of nothingness, where concepts 'go to die', but more apt would be to say that is where the concept gets transferred. For all that goes on in the City, the law that governs that energy cannot be deleted or created still reigns, and as such, the conceptual 'nothingness' of here gets traded over." It is a great leap to make on such a mysterious device, it is information only the Head should be privy to. Catherine catches onto his understandable skepticism. "... Then, how would you explain us being here, conversing, even after total erasure?" Ren's brows furrow as she raises a good point
After a moment, the Apprentice sorts his thoughts. "Whatever it may be, it does not change our current predicament, does it?" Ren closes his eyes and mumbles out loud. Catherine appreciated his pragmatism. "If the passage of time is linked to the... 'outside' world, then someone else will join us rather soon." He opens his eyes and adds.
The fair woman, lightly surprised, gasps and swivels on her heel to the side, pointing to a girl dressed in striking white and black sitting on the floor and staring vacantly to the side, clutching weakly at a device in her hands. Glasses turns her head, and her black eyes get even wider as relief and recognition swirl in her pupils. Ren is also surprised... because he is certain he was the first to fall in the battle. "Catherine. My humble self recalls that my final moments were wasted before hers. How come the disparity?"
Earnshaw giggles softly. "Well, you were pretty adamant on remaining asleep for the longest while. So much so that I've had quite a pleasant chat with Sora there, she's a good girl... Shame she is part of the Index..." She adds the last part with a hint of lamentation. He's a bit beside himself at her comment, but Ren quickly puts two and two together—there are no Prescripts here.
The Index Apprentice gives him a wave, with her unbound hands—must be consequences from the E.G.O, before padding over to them. "R-Ren! You've woken up a-as well... You l-looked so peaceful w-when sleeping, I didn't want to d-disturb you..." She blushes slightly. "B-But Miss Catherine got impatient a-and decided to: 'poke you'." She adds a weak, nervous laugh at the end. "She e-explained a few things to be but..." Sora looks down at her arms, where a dead device is still being clung to. "I-I... needed some time to think..." Her voice quivers with emotion still.
Ren listens to her words with cold disinterest, but a pang of pity does strike at his heart. "So Yoshihide triumphed over you as well..." He murmurs silently with a hint of disappointment, but not at her, one for himself for thinking she stood a chance. "Catherine, there are still some inquiries you've left unanswered." He turns his attention back to the dark blond woman, fixing her with a serious look.
"Oh! Yes, apologies. It's been a while since I had to talk with another person, haha." She clears her throat. "Well... How do I explain this... There is a person I care about so so much and... well, that person cares for me as well. But... I wasn't strong enough... Ah, I digress. The point is, he and their manager still hold a fragment of my memory inside their minds. And that connection lets me... peer slightly into reality, just flashes." Catherine explains, despite the bad memories that it brought up.
Ren nods in silence, and Sora's eyes tighten in sadness. "It does track. Anything in the City can be restored if a single sliver gets spared... Does that mean there is hope for us yet?" The Pinky grabs his chin in rumination. "So, was it just a coincidence that we have all ended in the same coordinate here? I would've understood if it was just Sora and me since we were not that far apart."
Catherine collects herself, and her gentle smile returns. "I personally think we are all linked to the Limbus Company. It was when our paths crossed that our fates ended, didn't they?" The woman grimly puts it. After a pause. "Who... is Yoshihide?" She tilts her head, looking mildly confused.
Sora jumps at the opportunity. "O-Oh! She's... uhh.... Oh n-no, I can't recall!" But her excitement quickly dulls as a simple name eludes her. "I know t-they called her something else, it's on the t-tip of my tongue!" She huffs in frustration, looking deathly concentrated.
Ren spares her the trouble. "Ryōshū..." He did what he was tasked to do by the new Nursefather back at the laboratory, and, in hindsight, it was a painfully obvious plea of recognition from Araya. Shame Yoshihide did not pick up on it at all. The Index does look a bit surprised he's managed to remember that name and looks up at him with slight admiration, but the Pinky doesn't say anything in return... For the first time, it felt awkward to be the tallest person in the room.
"Ahh!" Catherine claps her hands together, and her smile widens. "That scary woman with black hair and red eyes! Oh, I had quite a lot of fun deciphering what she keeps abbreviating stuff to, and it always felt great when that little man translated it!" She chirps, successfully diverting the topic from the aether around them to something so menial, providing much needed leivity.
The two Apprentices are successfully placated, and the conversation ends curtly. Silence starts stretching on into social inacceptance, but it can't be blamed—they're all strangers here. Sora starts fidgeting awkwardly, her gaze darting nervously between the two, and even the device falls to the wayside, briefly, in anticipation of anything. Catherine's lips press into a thin line with her hands curling up into a ball in her lap and her head tilting to the side. Ren is the only one who looks unaffected, of course he would be. As the most socially aware of the bunch, the duty would fall onto Lady Earnshaw to pick up the pieces. "... You guys want to play something?"
Sora's head snaps over to Catherine, and she leans forward slightly. "Y-Yes!" But then, abashed, she takes a step back. "I m-mean, I would love to!" Even her bashfulness doesn't stop a smile from gracing her face, however.
On the other hand, Ren remains silent for a while longer, clearly mulling it over. "There is no reason for me to refuse, I suppose." He sounds woefully reluctant about it. "What do you have in mind?"
Catherine grins cheekily. "Well... I found this game while wandering about... It's called Uno!"
Things devolved quickly. "And with this...!" Ren boasts proudly, holding a +4 high up with a shit-eating smirk plastered on his face. "Is my masterful gambit! Ha!" Before slamming the card down with excessive force onto the pile, still with grace, however.
Sora is sobbing violently. "W-W-What d-do you m-mean I h-have to d-draw twenty n-now?!" Her plan backfired massively, and she had to reap what she sown.
Catherine has a hardened gaze of concentration, akin to a war veteran. She fixes the Pinky Apprentice with a pointed glare. "You mean—meanie!" She was about to comfort Sora when, suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she spotted something critical. "Aha! You forgot to say Uno! You have one card and didn't say uno!" She points an accusatory finger at him.
"Uno! Uno!" Sora calls out through tears, seeing her chance through with grim determination
The wind falls out of Ren's sails, and he deflates quicker than a balloon. "Ah... It seems I am far from inheriting a Star yet..." He laments. "I have disappointed my Master still." With a sniffle, Ren starts getting up, probably looking to train with his sword out of shame.
But Catherine yanks him back down to the floor, which elicits a vindicated giggle from the Index Apprentice, who has now calmed down. "No, you don't! Stay here and draw your card, Clockhead!" She playfully hits his arm.
Ren schools his expression back to neutrality. "I am not a clockhead. Their Manager is." He sniffs. "And what are you laughing at? You still have to draw cards, Sora." It was obvious he was still frustrated at his lapse, however.
Catherine settles back to her seat with an air of exaggerated elegance. "I know~. My Heath calls them that though~." She hums smugly. "Its a good nickname, you have to agree."
As for Sora, she nods in agreement. "Yes, b-but... At least I'm not the o-only one drawing cards n-now!" What a bundle of joy, and Ren the heartless recoils back in apparent disgust, but Catherine watches the exchange knowingly.
With a small sigh, the Pinky Apprentice takes his new cards. "Besides, we have been playing for a while. You suppose this world has a sort of stasis, Catherine?" He shoots her an inquisitive look.
The woman nods, placing down a card as it was her next turn. "I've observed as such. Things fully erased do enter full stasis, we're just exceptions since, y'know. And by proxy, since we aren't fully erased, anything we see in here gets ever so slightly unfrozen, that's why we could open and use the cards, but err, can't really bend or rip them." Catherine couldn't have earned that medal without lack of experimentation.
The Index Apprentice, with her curiosity struck, attempts to and subsequently fails to rip a card in half. "O-Oh! Its r-really true, Miss Catherine!" She beams.
Praise taken. "Oh, please, Sora, you flatter me! And, drop the formality, might as well. I think we'll get real close together in here." She chuckles.
Sadly, the innuendo flies way past the heads of the two, and she dies a bit inside. It seems Catherine has her work cut out for her with them... "A-Ahem, either way, we can ingest food..." She must've been bored. "... We do lack utensils and ingredients to cook, however. I do have this recipe. It was here before me, actually." From her dress, she procures a faded piece of paper written in rough scribbles that details the process of preparing and cooking... fried chicken. "Other than stuff like appliances, we just have to dismember a chicken, cut up its breast in precisely 27,5 centimeter strips, then boil it in salted water—" She cuts herself off. Really, really bored.
Ren clears his throat. "Point taken. The game it is. And Sora? Its your turn now." He points to the Mountain of Playing Cards in her hand.
Sora tries her best to manage the heaping pile and draws a card at random. "Hgn, not this one..." She tries again, "G-Gosh, not this one either..." And she would try again.
Rolling his eyes and tiring of the charade, the other Apprentice would lean over. "Here, you hold them like a fan, like this." He orders Sora's hand for her while she was still holding it, then he leans back to his seat like nothing has happened. The Index would duck her face behind her collar to hide a blush and would just nod, while Catherine kept smiling. The card would finally be played.
Playing a reverse card, Catherine would continue. "How do you two know one another anyway? I didn't think the Index let you have friends."
"Oh! I g-get to go again!" Sora chirps, and she looks to radiate happiness when she and Ren are considered friends. "W-Well, it's true, but the situation is a bit special. Were from the H-House of Spiders, and Ren is a..." She plays another card.
"Pinky." He completes her sentence with a blocking card, glancing victoriously at Catherine. "I do not blame you for not knowing it. That place is where the five Fingers have gathered to raise Yoshihide into the perfect blade for them to use." Sora's happy she gets to play once more, thinning her hand even further.
For once, the woman's surprised. "Oh... At least it explains why I saw Heath go up against so many different syndicate members." She laughs nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And it makes sense why you'd want to 'inherit a Star', its... Pinky lingo, right?"
Ren plays another card. "Indeed. My Master was a Star, both of them."
Catherine plays hesitantly, looking at Sora for answers. She pushes her glasses up her nose and chuckles nervously. "Its c-complicated." Then plays herself.
Blond-hair shrugs while Sword does another move—Oh wait, he looks very serious about winning right now. She thinks of totally conspiring against him with Glasses. "Psst. Sora." Then she leans closer. "Ren doesn't have a lot of cards, but I don't have a lot either. You should totally screw him over."
The Index Apprentice glances at him, then whispers back, looking worried. "W-What? Why?!" She protests.
"I can hear you both, you know." Ren points out that, in the meantime. The acoustics of a white void are pretty great.
Ignoring him, Catherine continues. "Uh... Girl stuff, yeah!" She nods reassuringly. "Just do as I say, okay?"
Hesitantly, "O-Okay...", Sora agrees.
Needless to say, even when playing at his best, Ren quickly got targeted, and Catherine would end up in first place. The following duel between Apprentices is long and hard, especially since Sora would get whispers over her shoulder on what to play. Still, Ren would eek out a win when Sora had just one card remaining, but that wouldn't change the fact that Catherine would hold her victory over the Pinky Apprentice contentedly, for now and ever. And thus concludes the first 'day' spent together by this group of people forgotten by nearly the entirety of the outside world.