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It was a quiet and comfortable night in the HQ.
Enjin had just settled next to Gris, who was finally sleeping in the same bed as him after being a way to look after Follo, who had been in the infirmary after a nasty injury from one of their missions.
Zanka had just closed up the book he had been reading and shuffled further down the bed to really lie down with one final look at Lovely Assistaff before his thoughts drifted. For whatever reason, he found them tracing back to the fights of the past couple of weeks with a certain raider. And his consciousness also decided to curse him and dredge up concern for his bio family.
Rudo had just managed to sneak some sweets into his room, snatching them away from another time, when he started to climb into bed. He wondered if Regto ever got to try sweets? He wondered which ones would be his favourites?
Riyo had just finished up her nightly routine. Considering there weren't many beauty products available, she made do and had a decent skin and hair care routine. She had learned a lot from some old friends in her old line of business, and every time she'd wash her face and look back up to the mirror, she swore she could see their shadows laughing and washing their faces along with her. She climbed into bed with a heavier heart that night.
That night, everyone fell into a restless sleep.
~
The first one afflicted was Gris. Despite being basically dead on his feet, he still struggled to find a comfortable position to lie in. It wasn't much help that both he and Enjin were among the largest individuals at the HQ. Not just in height, but also in muscle development and the width of their shoulders. With Gris moving so much, it left little room for Enjin to get comfortable to sleep while Gris figured his shit out.
Enjin had to bite back a groan and grumble every time he would feel the bed move underneath him, and Gris flipped around again. The poor guy barely had his eyes open, but it was that deep-seated restlessness and discomfort that caused him to stay awake.
It was like an itch you couldn't scratch, no matter how many angles you'd go at it.
By the time Gris had tried every position possible, he eventually found himself in a position that didn't feel like he needed to get up and check on Follo or someone else. Luckily, once Gris’s body experienced even the slightest amount of comfort, he was out too fast for it to change its mind and make him move once again. So Enjin got comfortable himself – with much less fussing – and laid a hand over Gris before dozing off as well.
Enjin thought that would be the last of it for the night.
He was sorely mistaken.
~
When Zanka woke up slowly with absolute terror raging through his body, he wanted nothing else than to die in that moment.
That fucking nightmare again.
Zanka thought he'd finally gotten rid of it when he'd managed to sleep for the past week without it terrorizing his only moment of peace. But it seemed it was back.
Something akin to memories of his bio family replayed, but things would be… off
Sometimes it would start with just hair colours being a shade too light or dark. Or maybe names gaining or losing a letter to them. Then it would move to blurry faces of people he thought he knew. Voices he hardly recognized distorted to something ugly and broken.
Still, they acted normally.
Every time Zanka found his voice – brighter and younger than it was now – asking what was wrong, and they'd simply question him back. What was he talking about? Was he feeling ok? Never acknowledging the clear deformities to the world and the people around them.
They would act normally from there. People became harder and harder to identify, and Zanka's body went through the motions of being punished when he did something wrong. Whether it be getting a name wrong or missing a step in his training, he usually aced because he couldn't tear his vision from the way everyone around him would start staring at him.
Then it would hit a breaking point.
From there, disgusting threats and comments started falling from people he used to know as his classmates when they thought he wasn't listening. Cruel reminders of how hard he'd work just to come out average. Just to lose to her
Then it started to spread. Figures he barely recognized as family started dropping the comments, too. Offhandedly enough, Zanka couldn't say anything. Then it was more deliberate. Then it was the only thing to leave the figures' mouths. They all cornered him, forced him into the middle of a circle as more terrible things fell.
And then she'd show up. In all her glory, she'd really put the icing on the cake.
Fully visible voice cutting above the rest just to cut him down.
Then they'd fight. Just like that first time she beat him, except this time they were fighting with real blades.
The fight was the same every time. The exact same as that first fight that started his downfall. That fight started everything. Zanka loathed that fight, yet it replayed through his vision over and over and over again.
Then she‘d slit his throat, and Zanka had just enough time conscious in his dream to feel the way something thick and warm bubbled past the cut and his mouth. How it ran down his body as all he could do was let himself bleed.
He had just enough time to hear how the progressive comments and degradation that had reached the point of yelling finally stopped, just to turn into laughing and applause for her.
Then Zanka would wake up. He lay there trying to remember just who he was. Where he was. What even just happened? That it wasn't real. Tell himself he was fine while biting back tears.
But this time, Zanka was tired. This time, he couldn't hold the tears in. Couldn't stop the way his breath hitched and his shoulders shook. He couldn't stop the way his heart felt off, hammering away in his chest.
This time, Zanka gave up.
So on unsteady legs, Zanka stood. Wiping at tears that wouldn't stop and breathing so deeply it hurt, and left his room. Tracing unfamiliar walls of the hallway that he couldn't see clearly but still somehow knew. Zanka found himself in front of a door and was knocking before he could stop himself.
Some groaning ensued from the inside, but no one opened the door. Zanka didn't care to wait to knock again. Instead he opened the door with a sniffle and another tear wiped away.
Zanka's eyes caught Enjin's, and for a moment Enjin stared, trying to gauge what the fuck was happening.
Zanka was standing in the middle of his room, looking really close to breaking with a single touch. Obvious tear tracks running down his face, with clearly shaking hands.
Enjin woke up pretty quickly after that.
“Zanka?” he called carefully, wary of the sleeping man beside him.
Slowly, Enjin shifted so he was braced with his arm underneath him, so he could lean upwards to get a better look at Zanka
Zanka just tore his gaze away, focusing solely on the floor.
“I–” he started, but stopped abruptly, catching his bottom lip between his teeth hard enough to draw blood. Tears started to well up again.
Enjin sighed lightly and lifted the blanket off of him and Gris and the small area between them. Zanka just stared.
“Cmon then. He's too far gone to notice, c’mere kid,” Enjin called with a gentle smile.
Zanka just stared some more, mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something, but nothing more than the air passed his lips. Eventually, a decision fell over Zanka's features with a bit of relief, and he closed the door like before, climbing over Gris and into bed with Enjin.
As soon as he was in a comfortable enough position, Enjin lowered the blanket once again, sparing a glance at Gris. Of course, he was knocked all the way out and barely stirred. If anything, he adjusted to the intrusion of the bed and shifted slightly over, arm falling off the bed.
Enjin smiled briefly before directing his attention back to Zanka, whose eyes were glazed over, boring holes into Enjin's midsection, but clearly wasn't actually seeing what was in front of him. Enjin didn't mind. Instead, he pulled Zanka closer, a steady hand placed on his back, pulling him into Enjin’s chest.
Zanka's forehead hit Enjin's clavicle, and Enjin hooked his head on top of Zanka’s, gently rubbing his thumb up and down between Zanka's shoulder blades that were so tensed up Enjin wondered if his muscles had atrophied like that.
“You wanna tell me wassup?” he asked like he would any other time, trying not to slip too much into overbearing dad mode and coddle Zanka.
Zanka just hummed, bringing his hand up to his face from his chest to gnaw at his already chewed-up nails.
“Hey, stop that.” Enjin tapped his fingers hard enough on Zanka's back to startle him from whatever headspace he was in.
It worked well enough, and Zanka's hand fell back to his chest as his knees pulled higher up, making Zanka curl into himself, forehead pressing even further into Enjin.
“Nightmare,” he barely got out. Zanka hated that he had to admit a stupid nightmare brought him to share a bed with Enjin. God, was he ever weak.
Enjin hummed after trying to rid the surprise that took home in his body. Zanka never admitted to anything that was bothering him. This must've been one hell of a nightmare.
“Yea” he sighed out, “those definitely suc.k” Enjin responded casually. He'd talk to Zanka about it some other time, but for now, he just wanted to give enough peace of mind to Zanka so he could sleep a bit tonight. “But they're not real. But you know that” he finished off
Zanka didn't always need the typical comfort other kids sought out. He wanted proof that he wasn't crazy. That he was right, that someone believed him. Believed in him. And that seemed to do the trick enough.
Zanka hummed again and let his eyes close. Enjin waited until the previous unsteady breath evened out to be something deep and started to take form against his hand before he let his eye slip close as well.
Enjin figured that would be enough for the night.
Just to be proven wrong again.
~
Rudo woke up rudely by being pinned to the bed. But not by an actual human, so to speak. Though it may seem like it to him.
Golden tendrils that were splattered with something sickly red had his arms and legs pinned. With apostles staring at him with a sick expression. Even people from his side of the sphere started with disdain. But that wasn’t new.
He tried with every fibre of his being to do something, anything! Fight against it. Raise his arms and punch the mother fuckers. Reach for something to use his jinki on. Call out to the people he knew would come help him.
“Would they really help you?”
Something whispered, sounding like it came from every direction possible.
“Do you really think they care about you? That they’re not just putting on a ruse because they have this special spherite?”
NO! Rudo wanted to scream, but nothing came out when he opened his mouth. His voice and breath were sucked away in an instant. But why?
“See, even your body knows it would be useless to call out. You know deep down they’d never help you, don’t you?”
Rudo wanted to object. He knew it was wrong. Enjin took him in, Zanka mentored him, Riyo gave him sweets, and everyone else had only treated him with kindness, so why was he believing what these people had to say?
Voice started to overlap as more apostles started to cross his bed, getting closer and closer, spitting out the harsh words he’d thought he’d escaped from.
“You don’t belong here!” “Drop him in the pit!” “Arrest the son of the foul man!” “He doesn’t deserve to live!”
Taunts and calls rained down from the people he once lived with. But the jeers weren’t new. His whole life, that's all he’s been told. He doesn’t deserve to live? Well, tough shit here he was. Rudo knew he could survive this after all he’s already lived it.
“They’re right yknow”
A voice he never thought he’d hear again called, and Rudo almost didn’t want to see him
“Regto?”
Rudo wished he hadn’t turned his head. There stood Regto. A look on his face, Rudo doesn't think he’s ever seen before. One of hatred and malice burning in his eyes.. directed straight at Rudo.
Rudo wanted to cry.
“They’re right. You are a foul man’s son; you had no right to stay alive. It’s a good goddamn thing they dropped you to the pit. If only it would’ve killed you.”
Tears started to well up in Rudo's eyes as Regto kept speaking.
“I’m glad I got killed, so don’t have to take care of your pesky ass anymore. Clean up all your messes, pretend to care like I was your father. Please!! You didn’t deserve to be born in the first place!”
And suddenly Regto was right in his face. Rudo tried to turn away, but Regto's hand grabbed his face and forced him to look at him. The man he saw was wearing Regto's face, but Rudo had to believe it wasn’t him. Regto wouldn’t do this!
Right?
“I hated getting pinned with you. I only did it because someone was paying me off. They did it as a cruel joke, but not to you. Oh no, not to you! The joke was on me! I had to look after your scrawny ass until you committed a crime. Then I’d cash out and move to live properly. You were only a pawn. A worthless pawn.”
Regto spat the words in Rudy’s face, and now he was openly crying. His hands started to burn, and only then did he realize the gloves had been taken off and given to Regto.
“Guess I’ll take these back.. I got so sick and tired of your face that I needed some way to accelerate the process. I mean! It was driving me crazy having you around. I hoped these gloves would make you go insane. That you’d end up like your worthless father and finally kill someone, but here we are!”
Regto threw the gloves so hard against the wall that Rudo actually prayed that the person on the other side would hear it and come help him.
No one ever did.
And then Regto joined the apostles in their spitting of insults.
Rudo wished he'd just died when they dropped him from the sphere.
Rudo wondered what he’d done to deserve this, but in the end, he knew it was his fault. It had to be. Why else would they treat him like this? He must’ve done something wrong; he just wished someone would tell him!
He wished Enjin would just guide him through this with a joke and a laugh. He wished Zanka would stand by with Riyo, making light jabs at how he was doing. Joking among all of them. He wished Gris would stand by, cheering him on, followed by his side. He wished Tomme would write it all down so he could review it later
He wished the Cleaners and supporters would all laugh with him, and afterwards they’d go out to dinner, where Dear demanded some of his food while Guita talked his ear off.
He wished someone were here right now.
Maybe they really, actually didn’t like him after all…
“Finally, you realize it.”
A familiar voice cut through all the jabs. Rudo sighed in relief until his brain caught up with his instinct and actually processed what the voice had said.
Pupils dilated to the max as Rudo's eyes found Enjin’s. Then Zanka's. Then Riyo and Gris and Follo and Guita and Dear and Semiu and Bro and Corvus and August and Eishia and Tomme and Delmon and Tamsy and Remlin.
The air went stale.
Rudo couldn't breathe. Wouldn't breathe. His lungs constricted with every tremble that racked his body, looking into those yellow eyes that once so caring turned into something hollow. Rudo wished he'd stop looking at him like that. Like they'd all stop looking at him like that.
More words that felt out of place coming from the people Rudo valued so dearly came falling out of curled lips.
“I should've just left you with those bandits on your first day. Sure would've saved us a whole lot of trouble,” came from Enjin, looking down at him like they had when he was in chains.
“If only Jabber didn’t want so much money to finish you off i would've paid him to do it,” Zanka muttered mostly under his breath, looking out somewhere else, too disgusted to even look at Rudo.
“Maybe I could just finish him off!” A chirp came from Riyo, twirling a gun in her hands happily, though all light had drained from her eyes.
“I'll join you,” came from a Gris who cracked his knuckles.
Fresh insults rolled off all of their tongues so easily that it made Rudo's head spin.
No, this wasn't right!
The Cleaners wanted to help him! They promised!
“It was a temporary solution, we'd lost some business recently, needed the perfect story of collecting a lost child – a sphere, as luck had it – to bring more awareness to us again. We'd never let a spherite into our ranks that's just foolish." Corvus mumbled next to his face, gray eyes finally flaring with some kind of emotion.
Unbridled hatred.
And finally, Rudo could tear his gaze away. Screwing his eyes shut and keeping his head forward to avoid the Cleaners and regot, Rudo did his best to block them out. Repeat to himself that that was wrong. This wasn't happening. He knew Regto loved him. He knew the Cleaners cared about him at least a little bit. They weren't using him.
Right?
Right?
And just as the sounds became deafening and a new tendril found its way around his neck, closing off his air supply, everything just… stopped.
And he was in a room he didn't recognize. On a floor he didn't recognize. Leaning against a wall he didn't recognize and looking at a bed he didn't recognize.
“Jesus, kid! You good?” a sickly familiar voice called out to him, in a hushed shout.
That time, Rudo screwed his eyes shut and didn't open them, leaning further into the way despite the voice he so desperately wanted to cling to.
“Rudo? Bud it's just me. It's Enjin, it's ok,” Enjin said.
Something tapped against the floor after some shuffling. Rudo ignored it.
“Rudo!” Enjin said with clarity for once as something bounced off Rudo's head.
It was enough to shock his eyes open to look at what had hit him. But as soon as he realized his mistake, he tried to shut his eyes again, but when he finally noticed he could move and there weren't hundreds of pairs of angry eyes pinned on him, he hesitated.
At first, he found what Enjin had thrown at him. It was a hair elastic. Lord knows where Enjin got that from. The second thing he found was Enjin's eyes. Bright this time and full of concern.
“Kid?” he called when Rudo just blinked uselessly at him.
“What the hell is wrong with you, dude?! Why'd you fling a hair elastic at me?” Rudo found his mouth coming out with a hush before he could stop himself.
Instantly, he slapped a hand over his mouth and waited for Enjin to break character. But he never did… instead, his face cracked into a gentle smile, and some of the concern dissipated.
“You were crying first of all.” Rudo's mouth fell open as he wiped at his face, and sure enough, it came back wet.
“You came into my room sleepwalking or something, creepy as hell by the way.” Rudo looked at the door, which had been clearly pushed open, his mouth now shaping into an ‘o’
“And then when I tried to shake you awake with umbreakerr” Enjin pointed at the ever-familiar umbrella propped up against the nightstand, “you just... fell, are you ok by the way?” Enjin asked, flicking back to Rudo.
“Yeah..” Rudo answered hesitantly, “fine”
For a long while Rudo just looked at Enjin, who looked back with nothing more than care and concern. Then Rudo looked at his gloves. Still on his hands, still protecting him like always.
Eventually, Enjin grew tired of the silence and staring at Rudo's cogs turned in his head and sighed dramatically. “Alright, dude, you coming in or not?”
Rudo just looked at him with confusion.
“I would just come pick you up myself, but im a little stuck.” Enjin lifted the blanket with a fond roll of his eyes.
Rudo stood up carefully to see what Enjin was talking about. Somehow, he missed Gris completely passed out in front of him, and that was surprising enough until Rudo spotted Zanka curled under the blanket. Rudo just started trying to come up with any possible reason he didn't just hallucinate Zanka lying in bed with Enjin and Gris. Like what??
“You gonna get up here or not?” Enjin questioned, placing the blanket back over Gris and Zanka.
Rudo continued to blank at him before he managed to stammer out a response, “No, no, I really shouldn't I–” I don't want to use up your love, went unsaid when Rudo bit his tongue. Sheepishly, he looked away.
Enjin studied him for a moment before letting his face soften a bit, and as if reading Rudo's mind, he replied, "You're not bothering no one, kiddo, no one's planning on kicking you out anytime soon. You're part of the Cleaners now, man, you're family!”
Rudo had to bite back tears immediately. Still, he stayed looking away. Enjin's face dropped even further.
“Listen, I get it kid, nightmares, not knowing where you fit in, all of it. But you have a home here if you want it. Now, if you don't want to sleep here tonight, I won't stop you – I literally can't – but it's not a conditional offer. You’re more than welcome to join us without thinking you owe us or were playing you.”
Who is this guy, and what did he do with Enjin?
Finally, Rudo looked back at Enjin (?), slow tears falling down his cheeks as he nodded weakly.
There definitely wasn't enough escape to squish between people like Zanka had, so Enjin shifted so he was more on his back and waved Rudo over when he looked lost at the foot of the bed. Hesitantly, Rudo climbed over the bed and a couple of pairs of legs before reaching Enjin and basically collapsing into Enjin's chest.
Rudo was not heavy by any means, so it really didn't feel like much to Enjin to have him almost fully lying on him.
Wrapping the arm that was previously around Zanka over Rudo's upper body, Enjine had found itself buried in his hair. For a good couple of minutes, Rudo was stiff and still, but as Enjin started carding his finger through his hair, he quickly melted and was asleep faster than Enjin had seen him fall asleep with Gris’s driving.
Enjin smiled gently down at the boy, who was now drooling a bit onto his shirt and kept carding through his hair. Both of his arms were occupied – Zanka had stolen his other to grasp onto earlier – Enjin wished he had another to touch Gris with, but alas, he was too far and busy with some clingy kids. Still, Enjin didn't mind being used as a personal pillow and shield between them.
The fact that they were there was amazing enough as is.
Enjin fell asleep for the third time that night with a smile and wished that would be the last of the kids for the night.
Somehow, he assumed it wouldn't be.
Enjin smiled to himself more at the thought.
~
Off the bat, Riyo knew something was off, but she couldn't quite figure it out. She was in familiar surroundings, but they felt distorted. She was surrounded by familiar faces, but she couldn't quite recognize them. Each sound played clearly enough that she could identify them, but they were fuzzy enough that it made her wonder if she had headphones in.
Sitting up out of bed, she looked around her surroundings. Bunk beds for rows filled with bustling bodies, talking amongst themselves or lying in bed trying to catch a few more seconds of sleep before preparing to be deployed for the day.
They didn't all work as assassins, but most of them did. It was surprising, to say the least, just how many people wanted someone else dead and wouldn't dirty their own hands.
That's why Riyo was there.
Going through the motion that felt so etched into her being, yet imprecise as she followed the routine. Get ready, get your mission, get your gun. Double-check the gun. Go to work.
Simple enough.
So why did it all feel like the world shifted on its axis just slightly?
Riyo wasn't sure, but she moved on. She had things to do. People to kill. Jobs to complete. That's who she was.
Silently rising from the bed, a couple bid her a good morning when they realized she was awake. She just shot them a smile and continued on. She went to the locker room first, opening her assigned locker and putting on her assigned uniform for the day. Casual clothes were what was given to her today. Undercover mission, she supposes. Placing her pyjamas back in the locker, she headed over to the mirror with a small bag in hand. Inside were hair elastics, a hair brush, some soap and a cloth. Gently, she washed her face before brushing and braiding her hair into two braids. And last but most certainly not least, she wiped down her scissors and polished them.
It was on the regular that you’d see Riyo cutting people's hair in the bathroom. They weren’t typically allowed to be in one place for a long time outside, so a haircut wasn’t exactly within the rules, but inside, you could do whatever you wanted. Riyo quickly became the unofficial designated hairdresser, and she loved it. If she weren't where she is now shed definitely would be a hairdresser. But for now, she had another job to do. So she slipped her scissors into a pocket, put the bag back into the locker and headed out of the locker room.
Though she could have sworn her face wash had a different smell than the one she used. Or that the bristles on the hairbrush were denser today.
The thought crossed her mind, but Riyo didn't pay much attention to it. She probably just didn't have as good a sleep as she thought she did. This wasn't abnormal.
Riyo walked through empty halls that felt familiar but didn't quite look it until she found herself in a very familiar room. Silently, she lined up with the other girls already standing there whispering among each other. A few more trickled in until a man walked in. His face was blurry and his voice distorted, but Riyo chose not to make a deal out of it. Instead, standing at attention and waiting for daily orders.
Papers detailing missions were handed out to everyone, and they were permitted to access the guns. Depending on their mission, people would reach for various weapons. Most of them had favourites, but some missions called for specific weapons. Today just happened to be Riyo's lucky day, and she got to use her favourite: Beretta 92FS Inox, a simple handgun that was easily concealed on her smaller frame.
She was going to have fun today.
Riyo was among the first people to clear out of the building, following some of the older members.
The vets always cleaned up well. Got their assignments, picked their weapon and moved out without fanfare. Despite her age, Riyo happened to be quite close with a couple of them for that exact reason. Some of the other employees, while talented, happened to take longer getting to and executing their missions. They were often more social and the first voices you heard in the morning.
It wasn't inherently better or worse to be one way or the other. They all did their work, and they did it well lest they suffer the consequences, whether that be dying on the mission or back at the base. The weak had been weeded out, and they were left with the people they had now. Unfortunately, that meant it wasn't uncommon to find someone you were close to dead. Whether that be on the property with a clean bullet through the head or out on the field.
For that reason, Riyo rather enjoyed the quieter route, but sometimes she couldn't help but feel envious of some of them who could laugh and smile with others at meal times.
But now wasn't the time for that. For now, she had a mission to complete and the sooner the better.
While Riyo took pride in having the skill to stay at the top in this competition for a job, it didn't mean she enjoyed it all. She never thought she'd be here as a mercenary, but life works in mysterious ways sometimes.
Regardless of her personal feelings on the matter, Riyo 's job today was to dispose of a small group of what was called ‘The Cleaners’— now, why did that sound familiar? Riyo never knew the details as to why they were targeted, just that they were, and it was her task to complete.
Walking outside the base was always something… surreal to say the least. The way the trashed stretches on for what seemed like forever was fascinating. The way the air would steal your breath from you, the stench of it left you with adrenaline coursing through you. Riyo shivered at the thought of using her scissors in that way again against those monsters, but they were far too close to the base for that.
Riyo wanted to keep that power to herself. They’d make her into a weapon should they find out, and she didn’t have a great grasp of it just yet. She needed to know more and therefore stuck with her gun.
So she kept moving. Luckily for her, the area in which this little group was supposedly situated seemed to be relatively close to the base! Saves her from walking for hours, which was always a plus.
The walk there, as usual, was relatively peaceful. She spotted a couple of those trash beasts – where did she learn what to call them? – but stayed out of their way and had an easy trip to the targeted area. When she started to come into the eyeline of the base, she tried to find cover to hide her presence. But she found cover way too easily. Like she'd been here before, like she knew her way around the outside of it all. The sudden wave of vertigo almost confirmed it for her as she got close to seeing the base in detail.
The plan was to wait until the group left for the day and follow them to take them out one by one; if they even left. There was always the risk that the targets wouldn't show their face and in that case, they were told to wait until the targets did. If Riyo returned without completing the mission, she'd be shot.
So she waited.
As it had it luck seemed to be on her side despite how odd she's been feeling, and the targets came out just after an hour of waiting. They seemed like an... odd bunch to say the least. The energy coming off of them was truly something else, but it felt like a warm blanket falling over Riyo when she faintly heard the jokes and comments coming from them. It was hard to hear since they all had their backs to her, but she could just tell they were making fun of someone in the group.
Riyo moved to follow them until they stopped briefly when half of them had loaded into the car they were taking.
“Where's Riyo?” one of the eldest asked, considering his stature and build.
The voice rang out in Riyo's ears like a faint memory from her childhood. She knew it, but at the same time didn't. And it absolutely screwed with her senses for a moment. Not only did this stranger (?) call out her name, but the vertigo that once again settled over her almost made her double over. She had to close her eyes and steady herself on a nearby rock so she wouldn't fall over. But when she next opened her eyes, she wasn't surrounded by rocks.
Instead, she found herself in front of the strangers and leaning on the familiar yet unfamiliar base. Everything felt like it stopped around her as she blinked up at the faces that were clear as day.
“Ah, Riyo, there you are,” a softer man than before called out, still clearly one of the eldest.
“Gris?” A slightly unfamiliar name fell out of her mouth while staring at the man in confusion.
Quickly, she slapped a hand over her mouth and looked in shock at the people in front of her.
She knew these people! She could name them all! But how? Why? They were her targets! She's never met these people before! No, she must've.
Looking down at her hands like they might show her what was happening, she noticed her outfit changed into shorts and a top she didn't recognize and a jacket that felt heavy on her shoulders. And finally, an emblem that, when she saw it, felt like she got a punch to the gut.
The Ceaners!
The people she'd been sent to kill. But the people she worked for now. Her friends. Her family!
What the hell was happening?
Riyo looked up for an answer, but was only met with her vision blurring and everything swirling together until she felt her shoulders hit the ground and her eyes fell closed.
When they opened for the second time, it wasn't as calm as the first time. She shot up out of bed, holding onto her silver scissors that fit so perfectly in her hand. Looking around this time, she easily recognized the room around her. She was at the Cleaners' base. She had left that old job years ago. She was a cleaner now.
It took a moment, but eventually Riyo hauled herself out of bed with her breath still coming short in her chest.
Walking out to the corridor, she was met with the familiar hallways and walls. The way they were painted and cracked reminded her exactly where she was.
Her breath settled as she made her way to a bedroom she couldn't forget even in her dreams.
Gently, she pushed open the door and locked eyes with Enjin, who had this knowing look on his face and a gentle smile. He didn't ask, didn't feel the need to, based on how Riyo was holding herself, instead just gestured vaguely to the bed Riyo was now realizing was very full.
Even with Gris laid out, Enjin tucked away, Zanka curled into a ball, and Rudo stretched over Enjin, there was still just enough space for Riyo to curl up in the foot of the bed, leaning her head against Enjin's calf.
They didn't discuss anything. Enjin just wordlessly reached for Riyo's hand, and when she brought it to him, he just traced nonsensical patterns into it. Riyo let out a sigh, she wasn't holding and curled further into herself, still holding onto Enjin.
She also quickly fell asleep among everyone, and Enjin wasn't far behind her.
This wasn't what he planned.
He wanted a quiet night with his boyfriend and a gentle morning. Instead, here he was. Surrounded by his kids with no room for himself. And a morning thatw as sure to bring chaos.
Zanka would probably kill Enjin while being red in the face. Rudo would wake up yelling out of embarrassment. Riyo… would probably just laugh at them all and make fun of them. Gris would laugh alongside Riyo while trying to suppress it to console Rudo and Zanka.
And Enjin.. Well, Enjin could live with that.